The Metallic Mantis's screech reverberated through the tunnel, its iron body thrashing against my tendrils' grip. Annes darted in, her auric steel blade finding gaps between the creature's armored plates. Sparks flew as metal met metal.

"Keep it steady!" Annes shouted, dancing back from a wild swing of its bladed limb.

I braced my frame, the pneumatics in my torso whining as I tightened my hold. The monster's carapace groaned under the pressure, hairline cracks spreading across its surface.

Yulios circled to the side, his axe catching the light of Genta's magic. With a roar, he brought the weapon down on the Mantis's joint where arm met body. The enchanted blade bit deep, severing the limb in a shower of metallic fragments.

The creature's struggles intensified. My tendrils creaked with the strain of holding it, but I refused to let go. More cracks appeared in its shell as I increased the pressure.

Now! I projected through Mind Speech.

They surged forward as one. Loland's sword found a gap in its neck plates. Genta's magic-wreathed blade carved glowing lines across its chest. Even Sven, despite his injuries, joined the assault. His auric steel daggers pulsed with channeled mana as he struck at the monster's weak points.

The Metallic Mantis's movements grew erratic, then sluggish. Finally, its legs buckled. I maintained my grip until I was certain it was dead, then carefully withdrew my tendrils. The creature's corpse collapsed with a resounding clang.

"Two levels!" Sven whooped, then winced as the movement pulled at his wounds. "Worth every cut and bruise."

"Save your strength," Annes chided, but she was grinning too. The victory had lifted all our spirits.

I scanned our surroundings while they caught their breath. Scout Spider Three signaled movement in a nearby tunnel. There were more monsters coming, drawn by the noise of battle.

We need to move, I projected. There's worse than this one down here.

They sobered quickly, gathering their gear. As we pressed on through the darkness, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being herded deeper into the tunnels, toward something far more dangerous than a Metallic Mantis.

It was the dawn of our fifth day in these depths, and my internal chronometer felt like a grim countdown. The monsters we'd encountered, each one over level 30, should have torn us apart. Instead, we'd found our rhythm.

My tendrils would strike first, wrapping around whatever horror emerged from the darkness. The auric steel held firm as I pinned them down, my mechanical frame's strength keeping them trapped while the others moved in for precise, coordinated strikes.

"Twenty-six!" Genta had exclaimed after our last kill, matching Loland's new level. Her magic grew stronger with each victory. Annes wasn't far behind at twenty-five, her blade work becoming increasingly deadly. Yulios had reached twenty-three, while Sven pushed to twenty-two despite his earlier injuries. Even I'd gained a level, though my role was merely that of a restraint.

A distant screech echoed through the tunnel. Scout Spider Thirteen sent warning signals of movement ahead, large and fast.

Formation beta, I projected through Mind Speech. They moved instantly into position, our countless hours of practice showing.

The screech came again, closer. My tendrils coiled tight, ready to spring.

Remember, I warned, one slip and we're dead. These creatures are still far beyond us.

"We know," Annes whispered, her new sword gleaming. "Just like before! You hold, we kill."

But I couldn't shake the growing dread. Every monster we'd faced had been solitary. What if this time there were two? Or three? My tendrils could only hold so many. One break in our pattern, one moment of overconfidence, and we'd be making these grim, dark tunnels our tombs.

The screeching stopped. In the silence, I heard Sven's measured breathing, saw Genta's hands glowing with prepared spells. We'd survived five days in hell.

Now we just had to survive one more moment.

Through Scout Spider Thirteen's sensors, I caught the first glimpse of our pursuer. The Void Stalker emerged from the darkness, its massive frame dwarfing the Cave Stalkers we'd fought above. My analysis confirmed what I dreaded: level 34, far beyond our capabilities.

Purple chitin plates shifted like liquid shadow as it moved, each step precise despite its bulk. Where Cave Stalkers reminded me of cats mixed with insects, this beast combined a tiger's raw power with a scorpion's deadly grace. Six legs, each ending in foot-long claws, carried its mass with unnatural silence.

Its maw split open, revealing not one but three rows of crystalline teeth, each as long as my finger. The sight triggered a fragment of forgotten knowledge, something about organic crystal formation in deep-dwelling predators, but I pushed the thought aside. Now wasn't the time for scientific curiosity.

The creature's tail, longer than I was tall, swept through the air behind it. Venom dripped from the barb at its tip, eating small holes in the stone floor. Eight eyes fixed on our position, reflecting Genta's light spell in prismatic patterns.

Hold formation, I projected as the beast's screech bounced off the tunnel walls. Wait for my signal.

My tendrils coiled tighter, ready to spring. The Void Stalker's muscle structure suggested it could leap the entire distance between us in a single bound. If I missed my grab...

The thought vanished as the creature launched itself forward. Its speed defied its size. One moment it crouched, the next it filled the air between us. Those crystalline teeth gleamed, aimed straight for Annes's throat.

I struck first, three auric steel tendrils shooting out to intercept. But something was wrong. The beast's trajectory shifted mid-leap, impossible for its mass. As my tendrils wrapped around empty air, I realized our mistake.

This wasn't just a stronger version of the monsters above. This was something that hunted in the deep places, something that had learned to counter monsters many times stronger than us.

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And we had just sprung its trap.

The Void Stalker twisted in mid-air, its body contorting at an impossible angle. My tendrils caught nothing but shadows as the beast landed behind our formation. Before I could retract and strike again, its tail whipped toward Genta's exposed back.

Down! I projected, already moving. My frame's pneumatics screamed as I threw myself between Genta and that crystalline barb. The impact rang through my chassis like a hammer strike. The stinger bounced off my sturdy chest plate, though some of the venom was eating through my outer plating.

"Split and circle!" Annes shouted, falling into the command role we'd practiced. The group divided smoothly, Sven and Loland going left while Annes and Yulios took right. Genta scrambled back, hands weaving a spell pattern.

I engaged the beast directly, one tendril striking at its eyes while the rest kept me stable against its crushing strength. Each blow I landed managed to score cracks in its chitinous armor, while its retaliatory strikes left hairline scratches in my auric steel.

A blast of ice from Genta coated the creature's right side, momentarily slowing it. Annes and Yulios struck together, their weapons finding purchase in the frozen plates. But the beast barely seemed to notice. Its tail lashed out again, forcing them back.

My chassis groaned as more venom ate through its joints. I couldn't maintain this fight much longer. We needed-

The thought cut off as the Void Stalker's head snapped toward me with frightening speed. Those crystalline teeth clamped down on my central tendril, yet the auric steel held firm. The monster tugged, trying to rip the golden limb off my body.

Now! Pattern Seven! I projected, using the creature's grip on me to hold it in place. The others moved instantly, our countless practice sessions paying off.

Sven's daggers found the soft tissue behind its leg joints. Loland's sword struck at the base of its tail. Annes and Yulios hit the weakened ice-covered plates simultaneously. Genta's fire spell struck the exact spot where all their blows had landed.

The combined assault finally drew a real reaction. The Void Stalker released my tendril to screech in pain. I took advantage of its distraction, wrapping all three tendrils around its neck and squeezing with every ounce of power my frame could generate.

With a brutal wrench, my tendrils crushed the Void Stalker's spine. Its legs spasmed once, then went limp. I released my grip, letting four hundred pounds of dead monster crash to the stone floor.

My companions slumped against the tunnel walls, the tension draining from their bodies. Sweat gleamed on their faces in Genta's magical light.

"Uh… I leveled up again," Sven mumbled through ragged breaths. A weak chuckle rippled through our group, growing into exhausted laughter that echoed off the stone walls.

While they rested, drinking deeply from their canteens and dabbing at cuts with healing salves, I remained vigilant. My hands worked methodically at my chest plate, scraping away corroded metal where the venom had eaten through. The damage wasn't severe, but even small weaknesses could prove fatal down here.

Three, check the northern passage, I projected to my scout spiders. Thirteen, south. Chonsey, maintain perimeter watch.

The mechanical arachnids scuttled off into the darkness. Through their sensors, I monitored the surrounding tunnels. Nothing yet, but in these depths, that could change in an instant.

My fingers traced the edges of the acid damage, my Assembly ability already calculating the materials needed for proper repairs. The venom had revealed a structural weakness in my chest plate design, which was something to address once we escaped this nightmare.

If we escaped.

I pushed that thought aside, focusing instead on my companions' steady breathing and the rhythmic tap of Sven sharpening his daggers. We'd survived five days in these tunnels. We'd killed a monster that should have slaughtered us.

And somewhere in the darkness ahead, my scout spiders kept searching for a way out.

Six days had passed since our forced descent. My scout spiders led us through winding passages, their sensors detecting threats long before we stumbled into them. The wounds from our battle with the Void Stalker had mostly healed, though Sven still favored his right side.

Blue-green fungi carpeted the walls around us, their soft phosphorescence casting everything in an otherworldly glow. The sight brought an unexpected warmth to my chest; these were the same species that grew in the upper levels. We had to be getting closer.

"Look at that patch." Genta pointed to a particularly bright cluster. "Just like the ones we trained with."

Annes straightened her shoulders. "Which means we're finally heading in the right direction."

I kept my tendrils loose but ready as we picked our way forward. The familiar light meant we'd found relatively safe territory, but down here, that safety was always temporary. Still, watching my companions' faces brighten in the gentle glow, I allowed myself to hope we might actually survive Shawe's attempt to kill us.

A sharp warning flashed from Scout Spider Three's sensors. Something massive moved in the darkness behind us, about a hundred yards back. I activated Analyze, focusing on the approaching shadow. What I saw through Three's crystal eyes made my mechanical parts lock up in dread.

Run! My mental voice crackled with an urgency I'd never shown before.

To their credit, my companions didn't hesitate. They sprinted down the tunnel, boots pounding against stone. I sent Chonsey and Thirteen ahead to scout our path while Three tracked the horror bearing down on us.

The creature accelerated, matching our increased pace. Its massive form rippled through the darkness, its weight causing the walls of the tunnels to shake with each step. Three's sensors registered it closing the distance: ninety yards, eighty-five, eighty...

Faster! I pushed them forward, my auric steel tendrils twitching with nervous energy.

Sven stumbled, his injured side causing him to fall behind. Without hesitation, I wrapped a tendril around his waist and lifted him clear off the ground. He yelped but didn't struggle as I carried him alongside the others.

Through Three's sensors, I watched the monster's pursuit. Its bulk seemed to flow through the passage like liquid shadow, dozens of eyes gleaming in the fungal light. The distance kept shrinking: seventy yards, sixty-five...

Through Chonsey's crystal sensors, I saw our tunnel terminate in a solid wall of stone. My mechanical parts whirred in frustration.

Back! We need to reach the junction before it does!

We spun around, sprinting back the way we came. Sven dangled from my tendril, his face a mix of determination and pain. The ground shook beneath our feet as the creature's massive form drew closer.

The junction loomed ahead, but the tremors grew stronger with each passing second. A deep rumble echoed through the passage, and I knew we wouldn't make it in time. The thing would cut us off, trap us here.

Form up. Pattern Three. My mental voice stayed steady despite the dread building in my core. I set Sven down gently, positioning him between Genta and Loland.

The familiar weight of Kolin's estoc settled in my grip as my tendrils spread wide, ready to strike or defend. Annes took point position, her new auric steel blade gleaming in the fungal light. Yulios and Loland flanked her, while Genta and Sven covered our rear.

The thunderous footsteps drew closer. I could see the terror in my companions' faces, smell their fear-sweat in the stale air. But none broke formation. None ran. We'd fought impossible odds before in these depths. We'd survived horrors that should have killed us.

Still, as the massive shadow filled the tunnel ahead, I knew this would be different. This would be the hardest fight of our lives.

The creature emerged into the fungal glow, and my mechanical parts seized up at its impossible size. It dwarfed the Void Stalker three times over, its silvery form blocking the entire tunnel. Six massive legs, thick as ancient tree trunks, supported a body that seemed crafted from pure platinum. The metal plates of its carapace caught the blue-green light, creating an eerie dance of reflections across the cavern walls.

Where I expected an insectoid head, a reptilian face leered down at us. The beast's maw gaped open, revealing row upon row of metallic fangs that looked sharp enough to shear through auric steel. A crystalline horn protruded from its blunt snout, catching and fracturing the light into prismatic shards. Its jeweled eyes, of which there were dozens, studded its head like a macabre crown of pearls, each one a different shade of blue or green.

Despite the precious materials that formed its body, the creature radiated pure malevolence. Every line of its form spoke of ancient hunger and cruel intelligence. The fungal light seemed to dim in its presence, as if even the cave itself recoiled from this aberration.

My Analyze ability activated, and the information it once more revealed made my core temperature plummet:

Platinum Dragon

Level 56

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