Sera was wiping down her spear with an aggressive motion.

  "He told you to fnk! They have soft joints! Did you listen? No! You just stood there swinging that axe like you were chopping firewood!"

  "You want fnk, you fnk!" Marsh shot back, gesturing with his gore-covered axe at the pulsing fungi that lined the wall. "See this tight tunnel? I try to go 'round, I'm scraping my back on that glowing mushroom that'll probably give me a rash that sts a year! You keep a steady pointy-stick line, I'll keep them from chewing your pretty face off! That's how it works!"

  "There was a clear opening on the right! I saw it! I could have taken it while it was focused on you!"

  "And while you were taking your sweet 'clear opening', it was turning me into a pincushion! I'm not a training dummy!"

  "Better than being an idiot!"

  "BETTER THAN BEING DEAD!"

  "Enough."

  Leo’s head was pounding. He raised a hand, a tired gesture that cut through the rising tide of their argument.

  "Both of you. Stop."

  He didn’t raise his voice. The exhaustion and finality in his tone was a spsh of cold water on their fury. Marsh looked like he wanted to say more, but one look at Leo’s face made him cmp his mouth shut. Sera pressed her lips into a thin line and turned away, focusing on cleaning her spear with even fiercer movements.

  "We won," Leo said, his voice quiet. "We're all alive. That's what matters. Arguing about it now doesn't change the fact that we looked like a pack of headless chickens out there."

  He paused a moment to let that sink in.

  "Let's move. Find a spot that isn't covered in green goo and rest. Eat. We'll talk then."

  He didn't wait for an agreement, just started walking. Marsh let out a long sigh, wiped some ichor from his cheek with the back of his gauntlet, and picked up the fallen torch. After a moment’s hesitation, Sera followed.

  They found a small alcove down the tunnel. It was cleaner, the stone floor mostly bare.

  The silence that settled between them was heavy. Marsh passed the waterskin to Sera. She drank, then handed it to Leo without looking at him.

  Leo broke a boiled potato into thirds, passing the portions around. The three of them chewed in a tense silence, the sound they made loud in the quiet tunnel.

  "Look," Leo began, staring down at his piece of potato. "Marsh, your strength is formidable. Sera, your skill is the same. Right now, we need to find a way for them to work together."

  He met Marsh’s eyes.

  "I needed a clear shot. You charged in front of it. I nearly hit you."

  Then he looked at Sera.

  "You saw an opening and took it. I was about to take the same shot. We need to communicate."

  "We are not three solo fighters happening to be in the same room. We are a party. Marsh, you're the shield. Draw their attention, give us space, don't chase after the kill. Sera, you're the fnker. You find the weak spot and stick your spear in it. I handle things at range. We all cover each other's blind spots. That's how we don't end up like one of those beetles."

  They were quiet again, but the tension had shifted from anger to consideration. Finally, Marsh sighed.

  "A shield. That's what I am to you."

  "Yes, a shield that protect me from the enemies," Leo replied. "I can't hit it if the monster is chewing my face off."

  A flicker of a smile touched Marsh's lips. Sera, however, remained thoughtful.

  "It could work," she admitted softly. "If we can trust each other to do our part."

  "We have to," Leo said. "There's no other option."

  As the truce settled, a thought struck Leo. He called up the skill screen.

  [Energy: 65]

  The small number glowed faintly. During the battle, he scored one kill. That had netted him a paltry thirty points of energy.

  The silence stretched as they continued their sorry breakfast. Leo was the first one to finish it and raise to his feet.

  "Let me see your arms," he told Marsh.

  "It's a scratch."

  "We don't have any healing potions. A scratch that gets infected in this damp shithole will rot your arm off," Leo’s tone left no room for argument. He pulled the small roll of clean linen from his pack and uncapped their waterskin. "Marsh. You first. Keep holding that torch steady."

  Marsh grumbled but extended his forearm. The cut was shallow, a red welt already welling with a bead of blood. Leo carefully poured a trickle of water over it. His hands were steady.

  "Hold still," he then tore off a strip of linen with his teeth. He wrapped Marsh's arm with surprising neatness, the bandage firm but not too tight, tying it off with a secure knot.

  Leo hadn't had much experience with first-aid, but he had the knowledge, and had watched the nurses do it for years.

  "There. Try not to get it chewed on."

  "Always so thoughtful," Marsh smirked, flexing his hand. "Alright, your turn, flower-girl."

  Sera hesitated for a second, before holding out her own arm. Her gash was just a bit better than Marsh's. As Leo leaned in to clean it, Sera flinched.

  "Careful."

  "I will be."

  He worked quickly. His fingers were much gentler as they wiped away the grime and dried blood. Marsh realized this and rolled his eyes, letting out a huff before looking away.

  Soon, Sera's arm was also wrapped in clean bandage.

  "Good as new."

  "Thank you," Sera smiled and picked up her spear. "Let us move then, before another beetle thinks my arm looks tasty."

  They pushed deeper, with Marsh still in the lead, axe raised, providing a solid wall of muscle. Sera covered the right fnk, her eyes scanning every shadow, her spear point held at a constant low-ready.

  Leo followed behind them, peeking over his shoulder once in awhile.

  They passed several empty side tunnels and another chamber choked with phosphorescent fungi. The only things they fought were a swarm of thumb-sized, biting insects that Sera beat a hasty retreat from, leaving Marsh to swat at them with his torch.

  It was Sera’s sharp gasp that broke their steady rhythm.

  "Leo, Marsh. Stop."

  Leo froze, crossbow sweeping to where she was looking.

  She pointed with her spear, not at a threat, but at a small alcove in the stone wall, well away from the main tunnel. It was almost completely hidden by a cascade of pale roots that dripped water into a small pool below. Tucked into the back of the alcove was a small cluster of flowers.

  They weren't rge. Each one was no bigger than Leo’s thumbnail. But they glowed with a soft luminescence, like moonlight captured in solid form. The petals were yered and delicate, shaped like tiny stars.

  "What is that...?" Marsh leaned closer, his brow furrowed in the torchlight.

  "A Moonpetal Cluster."

  Sera’s eyes were wide. She took a hesitant step forward, as if approaching a sacred altar.

  "A what-petal?" Marsh asked.

  "My father… he taught me," Sera said, her voice barely a whisper. "Moonpetals. They're used in the best healing salves, the kind that can mend a bad break in a day. They mostly grow in the deeper zones of this dungeon."

  "Lucky doesn't cover it," Leo breathed, a wide grin spreading across his face as he leaned forward, his earlier frustration completely forgotten. He turned to Sera, his eyes shining with a light that had nothing to do with the torch in Marsh's hand.

  "How much do you think this is worth?"

  "Worth?" Sera’s attention was fixed on the glowing cluster. "I don't know the exact number, but it should cover months of food expense for our families."

  "You're kidding," Marsh shouted. His eyes locked onto the pnt. "Are you sure this is the right herb?"

  "Yes, I'm sure," Sera nodded.

  This. This was the hope they'd been missing.

  "Okay," Leo said. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's get it harvested first."

  "Right," Sera agreed. "Be careful. The stem is brittle, and the roots are delicate. If we damage the petals, the value plummets. We need the whole thing, leaves and all if possible."

  They crowded around the small alcove. Marsh was delegated to holding the torch high, angling it to provide the best light without letting the heat too near the fragile pnts.

  Sera, with her more nimble fingers, took the lead. She knelt and pulled her small knife from her belt.

  "You see where the main root meets the stone?" she murmured. "I have to make a clean cut there, then ease the whole root system out. Try to support it, Leo. Don't let the weight of the dirt pull it apart."

  Leo knelt opposite her, his hands rge and clumsy in comparison. He positioned them beneath the small clump of earth where the Moonpetals grew.

  "Ready," he grunted.

  Sera's hand was steady as she slid the bde of the knife into the join. With a soft snip, she severed the main root.

  "Okay, gentle now."

  Leo cupped the damp mound of soil from beneath, slowly lifting it. It came away from the stone easily. The Moonpetal Cluster sat on top, their petals pulsing with a gentle, steady light, completely undisturbed.

  "Ho-ly shit," Marsh whispered, peering down at the prize in Leo's hands. "We did it."

  Sera dug into her satchel, pulling out a piece of waxed cloth she normally used to wrap food.

  "Lay it here," she spread the cloth on a patch of cleaner ground. "We have to fold it carefully."

  Together, they managed to transfer the delicate bundle from Leo’s hands to the cloth. Sera then folded the waxed fabric around the pnt with meticulous care, before stashing it away into her satchel.

  "Is...Is it safe there?" Marsh asked.

  "As safe as can be," Sera was all smile now. It was like her earlier anger at Leo's brother was just an illusion.

  Their pace picked up, but their caution didn't waver. They continued on their chosen path, and kept going until the tunnel opened again into a much rger space.

  It was a natural cavern, far rger than the ruin with its pnters and supports. The ground was uneven, littered with fallen stactites and glistening puddles. Above, the ceiling lost itself in shadow, but clusters of more vibrant fungi cast a multicolored glow across the entire space. Three other tunnels opened off the main cavern at rough intervals.

  "Another choice," Marsh said, holding the torch high. The light chased the gloom from the closest tunnel opening, revealing a steep, downward-sloping passage.

  "We shouldn't go further down," Leo reminded them, his eyes scanning each of the remaining paths, trying to discern which might be the most promising. "Which one looks..."

  And then he heard it.

  A faint echo. Not the clicking of beetles. It was voices, unmistakably human. And more than one.

  "People. Maybe other delvers," he told the group.

  Marsh immediately lowered the torch, plunging their position into deeper shadow. Sera dropped to a crouch, her body coiled like a spring, her spear at the ready.

  "Have they been here from yesterday? We didn't see anyone..."

  "Shhh..." Leo pressed a finger to his lips.

  The voices grew clearer, indistinct words bouncing down the stone corridor. They were followed by the glow of fire.

  Torchlight.

  Another party was approaching. Judging by the overpping echoes, there were four or five of them at least. And they were heading right for the same rge chamber.

  A silent understanding passed between the three of them. They all knew the unwritten rule of the dungeons: Don't approach strangers. You could never know their intent. Friendship in a dungeon was a sucker's bet.

  "They're coming from that one," Marsh breathed, nodding toward the middle tunnel.

  "Then there's only one way we can go," Leo said. He gestured with a quick jerk of his head toward the tunnel on the far left. "We move. Now."

  His decision was met with no argument. As one, they slipped deeper into the chamber, and entered the tunnel before the other party arrived.

  "...should have scouted that tunnel," a deep, baritone voice was saying. "Could have been more stuff in there."

  "And risk running into a nest of Spore Shamblers? Not on your life, Gorok," another voice shot back, higher and quicker. "Be happy with what you got. We made enough for a whole week's wages. Let's head out while we're ahead."

  Their light bobbed, and their voices faded as they passed by the tunnel's entrance, unaware they had missed another group by mere seconds.

  Leo waited. When he was certain they were gone, he allowed himself to rex.

  "They're gone," he announced.

  "I think I heard the name Gorok from somewhere. Maybe in the tavern. Oh well..." Marsh said. "Luck's turning. Found some petals, avoided some noisy strangers. Next you'll see, we'll stumble upon a chest full of..."

  The word died in a choked gurgle.

  Leo saw it happen. The ceiling above Marsh seemed to shift. A mass of vines dropped from a crevice in the stone, falling right on top of his brother.

  One thick coil whipped around Marsh's neck. Another snared his arm. Before he could even make a sound, he was yanked violently off the floor. His boots left the ground, scrambling for purchase.

  "Marsh!" Sera screamed.

  Marsh's face was contorted in a mask of shock and terror. His free hand cwed uselessly at the vine coiled around his throat.