Twenty human Integrated disappeared into the tunnel wall. Only when they were all gone did Luke realize he'd just been standing there like an idiot. But then again, what was he supposed to have done? Keep them prisoner?

  "We have to follow them!" Nymh barked. "They must be held for questioning."

  "So nice to see you again, Nymh," Luke said with a sigh. "Stolen any artifacts lately?"

  Nymh harrumphed. "I'll have you know the smaller gems are distributed to any Integrated who requests them free of charge. It belongs to the ones who can see that it fulfills its purpose."

  Not feeling like arguing, Luke dropped the topic. "You're the only ones here?"

  Milla walked up to Luke, ignoring the remaining dead ant bodies. "They aren't letting people in."

  "They?" Hannah asked.

  "The Department of Integrated Affairs."

  Penny chuckled. "That's you, isn't it?"

  "I guess," Milla said with a glance over to Nymh. When she spoke again, it was in a hushed voice. "There's something going on with the portals. I think they're... we're grabbing control of them."

  "Why?" Luke asked.

  "Hell if I know. When has the government ever needed a reason for trying to control us? All I know is they aren't letting anyone else in unless they have some sort of authorization."

  "Who are more authorized for dangers such as these but the Integrated?" Mateo asked, his voice carrying to the DIA party.

  Nymh stepped up as well. "What are you talking about? We need to follow those humans and let the DIA know we've encountered them. Perhaps we need to extract them from the dungeon and bring them back with us to Earth. Milla, your brother, and his friends need to leave. This is now a matter for the DIA."

  "That might kill them," Hannah said.

  Luke laughed. "We're not leaving."

  "You're breaking the law by being here," Nymh insisted. "Your guildmaster will be displeased."

  "Doubt that," Luke said. Either way, he didn't care. "We're seeing this through."

  Nymh squared her shoulders and put her hands on her hips. "Then you'll come with us."

  "This is so stupid," Luke said, closing his eyes in an attempt to calm himself, shaking his head. "Fine. We'll continue together."

  Penny and Hannah both gave him looks that seemed to ask what the hell he was thinking. Luke nodded toward his sister, and they seemed to understand. There was no way he'd let Nymh boss Milla into an early grave.

  "Didn't you say something about quitting the DIA?" he asked her once they'd started walking down the tunnel Luke and the others had followed before, having decided not to climb into the narrow hole the human had dug out for their escape.

  Milla shrugged. "Did I? Can't remember. I mean, yeah, I don't want to be here, but rent is high, and Lana doesn't exactly bring in the cash."

  "Lana doesn't work?"

  "She works a lot, just doesn't make much money. It's tough out there for authors."

  "She's an author?" Luke asked. "Did you tell her about the book you wanted to write when you were fourteen?"

  Milla's face reddened, and she cleared her throat. "If you tell her about that, I'll murder you, little brother."

  "Following Nymh will lead to your dying," he said, not bothering to keep his voice low, so she didn't hear.

  Milla gave him an annoyed look but didn't say anything for a while. Once they'd exterminated a group of advancing ants, though, she sighed and made a gesture that seemed to communicate how she was feeling helpless. "I will quit. Just need to line something else up. How about you get me into that guild of yours?"

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "I would, and you'd get a spot right away as a healer, but the guild might be evil."

  "Evil?"

  "Yeah. Kind of. A little."

  "Then why are you in it?"

  Luke sighed. "Reasons."

  "Fine, be that way," Milla said, raising an eyebrow. "Keep your secrets."

  "You can make enough money just doing dungeons and selling the corpses and monster cores. Don't think you need a job anymore as Integrated. Just don't die."

  After collecting her thoughts for a moment, Milla conceded. "Fine. I'll quit after this dungeon."

  Penny groaned. "Not you too!"

  "What?" Milla asked, turning to her.

  "Ignore Penny," Luke said. "I'm sure it'll all turn out all right."

  "Your new friends are quiet," Hannah, who walked a little ahead of them, told Milla.

  Luke looked over to the small group keeping close to Nymh. They hadn't even said hello when the two groups merged, and at this point, after a couple of fights, they looked afraid more than anything else. Their levels were lower than even the lowest monsters. That in itself didn't mean much, but they had just stood there when the fights broke out, as if rooted to the ground. Nymh at least had joined the fight, killing ants with Mateo, Penny, and Hannah, but the rest of them were useless, at least so far.

  "This isn't their first dungeon, but they haven't been out with DIA before this," Milla explained.

  "What happened to the others?" Luke asked.

  Milla shook her head. "Those who survived The Deep Dweller quit, as I should have." She shuddered. "Took some time to come back after being in small pieces like that."

  "Not a great experience, no. At least Relian is dead now," Luke said as he looked deeper into the still descending tunnel. Far back, he spotted movement, and not the movement of ants.

  A spellweave formed in front of Penny, but Luke held up his hand to stop her from unleashing the spell. "Wait. Those aren't ants."

  "No?" Penny asked. "This light is messing with me."

  Milla produced the light orb she'd used in the last cavern, and the warm glow made it easier to make out what waited for them. Humans. These wore what looked like brown wool shirts and trousers. Like those before, the Integrated waiting for them were covered in dirt and looked even more frightened than the new DIA recruits, but there were some differences as well. For one, they were quite a bit older than the workers, and even from this distance, it was clear they communicated with themselves and even with the few ants who waited beside them.

  "This'll be interesting," Hannah said. "I'll go past them and see if there are any surprises waiting for us."

  With that, she disappeared into a shadow.

  Milla drew closer. "Hannah."

  He glanced at her then. "What about her?"

  "Dammit, little brother. Date her!"

  "Huh? Is this really the time to be talking about dates? Besides, I already have a girlfriend. Sort of."

  Milla looked doubtful. "Really? Who? Does she live in Canada? There's no shame in being single, Luke, but you should put yourself out there a little. It's been years since Clara."

  The mere mention of that name sent a shiver down his spine, and he shook it off, speaking a little louder than intended. "Dot. Dorothy. Her name is Dorothy. She's a Lifeweaver, too."

  "Wait, wait, wait... You're with Dr. Marlene?"

  "You know her?" Luke asked.

  "Well, no. Not really, but I know of her. She's coming to DIA headquarters on Monday to heal employees."

  "What?" he asked, unable to keep an incredulous chuckle from bubbling out. "Why?"

  Milla shrugged. "I don't know. The higher-ups said something about exchanging ideas and services between the DIA and emerging guilds. Maybe your guildmaster," she frowned. "Mr. Schmoo was it?"

  "Schmidt, Alan."

  "Right. Maybe he wants to buy some favors or something. You know, lobbying. Doubt the idea of locking portals down will make your boss happy, though, so maybe your new girlie won't come."

  "Can't things ever be straightforward?" Luke asked.

  Milla gave him a grin. "What would be the fun in that?"

  Mateo reached the humans and ants and stopped, letting everyone else catch up. The human up front kept speaking, a look of frustration about him, even as Luke and the others made over to them.

  Integrated Oioi. Scholar. Level 5.

  "Sdxcxopx axas? A-X-A-S?"

  "My friend, I cannot decipher your meaning," Mateo said, turning to Luke with helplessness in his eyes.

  The ants chittered, their antennae wriggling, and Oioi turned to them, speaking more of his gibberish, as if he understood what the ants were saying.

  "Hold!" Nymh said, elbowing herself to the front of the group, where she brought out a small dull-gray box with small script covering almost its entire surface.

  Translation Device: Understand your friends and your foes, whoever they may be.

  "What is that?" Oioi said.

  Nymh raised a hand, palm forward, almost like she expected the old man to high-five her. "I am the leader of this expedition on behalf of the Department of Integrated Affairs on Earth. May I have your name, please?"

  Oioi blinked, turned to the ants, then back, stroking his long, dirt-streaked beard. "So you do speak our language?"

  "This device acts as an interpreter," Nymh said, gesturing to the ground. "We have come to free you from your monstrous captors."

  Oioi guffawed and gestured to the ant next to him. "These underground dwellers are our saviors. Serving them is a small price to pay for being gifted life anew."

  "That," Penny said, "I didn't see coming."