Zuss flowed through the shadows. Daggat had told the humans the fires were there for them. To compensate for the goblins' night vision. That did help them slightly. But really, they were for her. A few flames cast wide, dark shadows in the night. Perfect for her abilities.

Her enhanced reflexes and acuity, combined with her shadow skating, allowed her to effortlessly move between the goblins that lurked at the edge of the fight. The cowards and the blasters. She had already spotted a few that had ranged attacks. Acid lobbing, throwing teeth, and the like. These were her priorities. They could target Anath and Elyndris from a distance.

Goblin throats cut just as easily as any other. But, for good measure, she had simply stabbed into necks and vulnerable spots and left the shadow knives where they were. She was too quick and stealthy for them to do anything about her. The time they took removing the knives gave her enough leeway to escape.

The biotrait point she earned at level fifteen was spent on another upgrade for Shadow Smith. Swift Shade. It allowed her to almost instantly reform her shadows. She could remake daggers even more quickly and, with practice, could switch weapon types in the middle of combat. Two more levels, and she would master this ability.

Spending the biotrait now instead of saving it for an evolution was a risk, but it was one she was willing to make. If a better chance at surviving the chaos meant a slightly delayed regenisis, then so be it.

More of the enemy trickled in through the funnel point they had made, but not as many as before. Some, she could see, were fleeing back into the forest, cutting their losses.

Once she dealt with the ranged enemies, she focused back on Anath. She was dueling a sword-wielding goblin. Elyndris was leaping from enemy to enemy, biting off limbs and occasionally exploding. It seemed like the enemy didn't know what to do about her. Zuss was fine with letting Elyndris do as she pleased. But she would keep an eye on her.

As for Anath, Zuss spotted a sneaky hobgoblin inching behind her. The arachne was so focused on her fight, she had tuned out everything behind her. Zuss sighed, then dashed in that direction. She slipped between goblins like a minnow between rocks.

Once she was in range, she spun and hurled her rope dart, now more a scythe, at it just as it was lifting a crude dagger. The arc of her shadow weapon caused it to hook around its waist. She pulled, using it to slide her further through the shadows, then drove another shadow dagger into its chest. The hobgoblin urked, then died.

Elyndris looked strange in her heat vision. Heat seemed to bounce around her body madly, channeled by some organic mechanism. It made her easy to find, even without the occasional explosions. She did keep an eye on the worm-frog-tentacle monster. More specifically, she eyed the spear-wielding goblin that rushed towards her. This goblin had grown additional legs, which gave it an awkward, but surprisingly quick, gate.

Zuss sprinted after it, dodging through who-knows-how many slow goblins as she moved through them. She condensed all the shadow she could into two curved sickles and hooked them behind two of its legs.

The goblin stumbled and rolled, and Zuss was dragged into its tumble. In the grapple, she stabbed it repeatedly. She was really beginning to enjoy the versatility of her shadow weapons. That, and her nimble hands and feet, made it simple to draw, sheath, and manipulate her real knives as well.

Elyndris leaped away, not noticing. Zuss then looked back to spot a bugbear taking advantage of Anath's distraction to attack. She wouldn't make it in time, so she threw her teleportation dagger and appeared in front of it.

She ducked as it swung an ax at her mid-step. Switching back to her rope dart, she swung the chain, wrapping its legs. The bugbear landed face-first into the mud, and Zuss was on his back in an instant. This time, she stabbed repeatedly with her enchanted dagger. The enemy's scream sent bubbles streaming from the mud. She stabbed until the bubbles stopped.

Elyndris landed next to Anath, and the two began to speak. Zuss took the moment to slip behind a pile of corpses, hiding in the shadows. She needed to catch her breath.

Elyndris lept away, and Anath began her duel again. Hissing in annoyance, Zuss immediately started rushing towards the next goblin, trying to attack them from the back, now that the tentacle monster was gone. She leaped in the air and threw four shadow daggers. Three missed and one cut its shoulder.

Something she would need to look into: more power. Zuss did not have the strength to keep up with her increasing speed. She relied on getting really up close and personal to stab effectively. Her rope darts had more oomph, but it took a lot of skill to use them accurately, and she was still getting used to it.

Speaking of which, she took a moment to remake her rope dart. This time, she tried adding a ball to the other end, rather than using the extra mass of the shadow to form a hook. The goblin had turned its attention on her.

It roared a challenge and dashed at her. But, in the shadows, nothing in this battle could outpace Zuss. She raced around him and threw the rope dart. It barely missed it, but with each attack, the speed at which the rope dart twirled grew. On her third attempt, she slugged the goblin in the forehead, cracking through the skull and killing it.

Something caught Zuss's attention. A mass of heat charging from the forest. Backup? More goblins? She would need to check.

Now Anath was chasing her foe, taking the upper hand. She was rushing directly towards the new enemies. If she didn't do anything, Anath would soon find herself surrounded by unknowns.

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So, she dashed forward, running as fast as she could with her shadow surf skill, then threw a hooked rope dart around its leg.

Anath was on it like a hound, ripping it to shreds with her many blades.

Zuss stopped next to her, heaving breaths. She wasn't sure how much longer she could go on like that. Dashing at full sprint.

"Zuss! Where were you?" Anath growled, "You were supposed to stay near us!"

Zuss was simply too flabbergasted to be mad. The gall.

A furious roar cut through the sounds of combat. Something big was heading the new arrivals.

Zuss climbed on Anath to get a better angle. It was large, easily ten feet tall, and covered in blades. It had the general shape of a bugbear, but more bestial. Great, stone horns crowned its head, and it wielded a rusted blade in each of its four arms. Hogo.

He was covered head to toe in spider webs, as were the dozen or so bugbears behind him. They must have tried to lead the charge, only to get caught up in the largest of the webbings. Zuss could picture which trap he fell for. A clear path with an extra dense, full web of strength-infused spider silk. It had taken him this long to break free.

Then the fear hit her. It was almost a physical force pushing her back. Anath gasped in terror and skittered away, sending Zuss to the ground to dash away as well. There was even a low whine emanating from Elyndris.

Zuss couldn't think. She only ran. Had to get away. She felt small and vulnerable, like a rabbit being hunted by a warg. Anath was somewhere behind her, and Elyndris leaped away from it as well.

As she reached the walls of the village, a huge gout of flame lit the sky. It was blinding, but with it came warmth. She was reminded of Hunter and his hearth. Then she could feel it. A comfortable heat that seemed to calm her. Suddenly, she was able to look back and check on her companions. The fear was still there, but now there was a fire within her that helped her push past it.

Where this willpower came from, she didn't know. But, she welcomed it.

Anath and Elyndris stopped next to her, also able to resist the fear. They must have entered someone's aura.

"What is going on here?" Demanded Hogo as he came to a stop. He inspected the battle, and the few remaining goblins shied away from him.

"Your forces have been crushed under our might!" Elyndris roared. Zuss hissed in frustration. Idiot worm.

"And who… are you?" grumbled the giant. It lurked towards them. Saliva dripped off an unlit cigar in its mouth.

"We are your- " Elyndris began.

Anath screamed and rushed it.

"Oh, sure… go ahead," mumbled Elyndris.

Anath attacked with a flurry of attacks, many of which shredded rusted blades. Hogo was not as inexperienced as the other goblins, however. Rather than meeting her, he leaped back and took a beastial stance out of the range of her attacks.

She was forced to follow up, but Hogo was lightning quick. He swung his large horns upwards. Time seemed to stop as they connected to a cage of spider legs. The blow was powerful, stronger than what should be possible. The earth itself seemed to react, cracking underneath the point of impact.

Then Anath flew. Like a ball struck by a gremlin's stick.

"ANATH!" Zuss screamed and rushed away, trying to reach the point of impact before her. She didn't know what she could do. Catch her? Whatever. She had to try.

When Anath hit the ground, she would die. Simple as that. If she wasn't already dead.

Elyndris screamed in rage at the same moment, leaping for the monster. She unleashed a bar of blinding heat, scorching the monster's fur.

Hogo only grunted in pain, then slapped her to the side.

Zuss watched Anath start to fall. She was limp. Zuss could see tears blur her vision. She wouldn't be able to do anything.

Klaw appeared out of nowhere, fifteen feet in the air, then Anath slammed into him. He caught her with an oof, then fell to the ground. He left a small crater where he landed.

He groaned. His draconic form then seemed to seep away, leaving normal Klaw behind.

"Will you all stop dying? For fucks sake." He didn't get up, only breathed.

Zuss pushed over Anath. She was alive. Her chitin had cracked in dozens of places, but she was alive. Then the bone-like armor crumbled away. Her eyes fluttered open.

"What… was that?" she asked.

Zuss let out a relieved breath, then hugged her tightly.

Just as quickly, she pushed her away, "You got hit by the leader. Can you move?"

"I think so," Anath stood, then wobbled on her legs a bit. Klaw stood up as well. His armor was dented in the back.

Hogo crashed through the gate with his stone horns. The bugbears streamed in behind him.

"Ah, fuck. What took him so long?" Klaw said.

"Webs. We need to get in there. Daggat and the others can't take him. Not alone."

"I don't know. Hunter's big now." Klaw said.

"I've got one more rage, today."

"And our potions wore off," Zuss shook her head, dislodging some stray fur.

"And we are hurt like hell," Klaw added.

"I'm not," Zuss said.

"Well. Congrats." He growled back.

"Let's go before Daggat does something stupid, like trying to fight the leader himself," Anath added.

Zuss and Klaw nodded, then the three of them jogged back towards the village.

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