Signe couldn't help the way her pulse ratcheted up, and her heart leapt into her throat. One moment, she'd been watching the strange man who had joined their team for this operation, and had saved her life only moments before. Now she was staring at a monstrosity. A spider bigger than one of the Banner's armoured SUVs, covered in hard black chitin that glinted like armour in the pale light of the snowfield. She choked back a scream, barely. If she didn't know better, she would swear there was laughter in the eight pitch-black eyes hooded by armoured chitin, eyes that all seemed to be focused on her. Then it was gone. As if she'd blinked and it vanished in the moment between perception and not. Casting about herself, she caught sight of it again as it soared over the top of Kels, who let out a curse at the sight of it. She watched in stunned silence as the spider tore apart a half dozen Akhlut in as many seconds before leaping away in another blurring movement her eyes had trouble following.

  “Did you just…” Kels ground out.

  "Kaesor… Spider." Was the eloquent response that made it out of Signe's mouth as she stared back at her captain, equally flabbergasted.

  “I don’t mean to cause alarm, but did anyone else see the fuck-off huge spider?” Angus called out. Signe finally cracked and broke down laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.

  ——-

  Sprinting across the snow on eight legs the size of saplings, and sharper than spears, had never been on my bucket list, but I had to admit: the power was intoxicating. Every step in Hollow Web form was a wild contradiction—my bulk should have sunk me up to my belly in powder, but I skated across the surface with dreamlike lightness, throwing up rooster-tails of powdered ice in my wake. I could feel [Web walker's Grace] working in the background. I had no idea how it applied here at all, but I also wasn’t going to question it too heavily. It was one of the stranger Skills in my possession.

  I circled wide from the group, leaping from the snowy ground to the trees. There weren't too many of them, but there was enough to speed my travel. Digging my legs into the surface of a tree I perched, scanning with [All-Seeing Eye] for any sign of where the Alpha might be hiding. The ambient mana currents were a screaming mess thanks to the mana wash. There was something I could track in theory, though. Every adult Akhlut shared a connection with the Alpha somehow; there was no other way the [Group Savagery] Skill could work. There had to be a connection of some sort, one that I might be able to track with [All-Seeing Eye]. I focused my gaze on one of the adult Akhlut leading its attendant group of Juveniles on a meandering route that would eventually take them to where Kels and the others were holding out. Ignoring the mana wash, I tried to isolate the Akhlut itself to see all the energy it's form was taking in and putting out. From there, I could begin a process of elimination.

  The surroundings faded away, leaving me with Akhlut and the jumbled energies it was putting out, from its aura to its mana, and even the body heat it radiated. All of it overlapped and twisted into a kaleidoscope of data and information spilling outward. Slowly, I began discarding things. UV radiation, thermal energy, gone. Methodically, the jumble of information was stripped away as I steadily eliminated more and more factors.

  Visible light spectrum? Lose that.

  Sound waves? Blocked.

  Magnetic waveforms? Denied.

  The process took several minutes as I painstakingly eliminated every possibility until there was nothing left but mana flowing in and out of the creature. I could feel the strain on my eyes growing by the moment; they weren't used to the kind of repeated strain they were being forced to endure throughout this dungeon. They were like any other muscle put under strain they weren't used to, even if the strain was magical in nature. It was like the sensation of having grit in my eyes, while pressure built up behind them. Yet I was so close I couldn't afford to stop now.

  All that was left was a single thread floating off into the ether. I seized that thread with my senses, memorizing it so I wouldn’t lose it. It was interesting, part mana, part aura, and part something I couldn’t quite describe. I was certain this was the connection formed by the [Group Savagery] Skill.

  My senses surged as I followed the thread back to its source. My arachnid body moved on instinct, launching me from my perch. I was on the hunt with a trail to follow. One that would lead me directly to my prey.

  I blazed through the endless snowfield, latching onto that thin silver pulse through the blizzard of ambient mana. Strange: where the rest of the Akhlut moved in packs, each with their own flavour of violence, the thread I followed pulled like a fish on a line, in circles and ellipses, a dizzying pattern at odds with the terrain.

  The thread wound through the forest with a logic that was at once chaotic and familiar—a pattern of predatory movement and territorial assertion, but overlaid with something colder, more calculating. The Alpha wasn’t just running the den by brute force; every movement of the lesser Akhlut was coordinated as if by some distant, invisible hand. I felt it through the web of the Skill, the synchrony of intent and hunger that reminded me, uncomfortably, of my own Bloodline. It was the same mix of instinct and hyper-cognition I felt when I went deep in the Hollow Web, but utterly feral, it held none of the restraint.

  I let [Web walker's Grace] carry me through the trees, my carapace scraping lightly against frozen bark, the wind hissing through the gaps. There was a ridge up ahead, a long slash of basalt through the torpor of the white. The thread arced right up onto it. Even without magical senses, I could see the alpha waited on that black ridge. Some way, somehow it knew. It knew that another predator was hunting now. There was no sense delaying the inevitable.

  I launched myself from the tree and scuttled towards the ridge with every ounce of speed I could muster. I didn't have the time to screw around. To ensure the others lived, this bastard alpha needed to die. And I needed them to live, because if they died, that would be losing, and I hated to lose. I hissed out a challenge as my legs skittered against the black rock of the ridge. The alpha was a big bastard—twice the bulk of its kin, more bear than wolf in proportions, but with the slick, water-black skin of an orca. Cold blue scars crisscrossed its muzzle, old wounds that had not only healed but twisted into raised, sinister glyphs where the magic of the dungeon seemed to have stitched flesh to the bone. Its eyes were almost human, and they fixed on me as I scrabbled up the basalt, unblinking and utterly lucid.

  It didn't roar or posture the way it's lessers had. Instead, it stood dead still, head low, exhaling clouds of vapour that hit the air and froze instantly to glittering rime. Its breath was slow—controlled, patient. Even as I flared out my legs and readied to lunge, the alpha held its ground, letting the distance burn down to less than six meters.

  I hesitated just a fraction. There was something not right about the way it stood, waiting; the angles were wrong. I triggered [Anlyaze], battering aside its resistance with my Charisma.

  [Akhlut Alpha][Dungeon-born]

  Level: 30

  Species: Phantasmal Orca-Wolf

  Strength: 81

  Dexterity: 52

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  Endurance: 63

  Intelligence: 15

  Perception: 39

  Charisma: 9

  Species Skills:

  [Overwhelm]

  [Blood in the Water]

  [Howl of Frost-Tide]

  [Alpha Savagery]

  [Cold Resistance]

  My eyes bulged when I saw its level, then I went directly to the Skill section. There were certain breakpoints that everything shared as far as anyone knew; every tenth level was one of them. That was usually when a new Skill was unlocked, for monsters, that was a Species Skill; for people, it was a Class Skill.

  This big bastard had an extra Skill.

  My senses screamed danger, and I leapt to the side as the Alpha's jaws snapped open. From deep within the creature, a howl ripped through the air, accompanied by a stream of water and ice so violent it may as well have been a beam cutting through the air where I had been only a moment before. My gaze flicked behind me to see the carnage that had been wrought by the alpha's Skill. Where I had been, there was a section of the basalt ridge that had been blasted clean away for several feet, leaving behind nothing but polished glassy rock around its path.

  I absolutely, under no circumstances, could afford to take a hit from that Skill. Any direct hit would be death, or so close to it that I was utterly unwilling to test it. It had the same raw destructive power as my [Edge Glare].

  For a moment, we stared each other down, spider against sea wolf. I was running low on mana, and I had lost the element of surprise. It wasn't quite even, but it was the best I was going to get. The tension snapped like a line drawn too tight, and we clashed, monster vs monster.

  My legs rent deep furrows in its flesh that sprayed crimson into the freezing air while its claws carved lines of pain in my chitin armour. There was no finesse or grace on display here, just raw violence as we battered away at each other. I hopped back, skittering away on steady legs that scraped and screeched against the stone of the ridge. A slow his of air escaped me as I stared down the Alpha Akhlut. It was strong; I couldn't just overwhelm it with raw stats. For all its strength, I was still faster, and that was something I could leverage against it.

  The alpha's jaw snapped open again, and I was already moving as the blue light bubbled up in the back of its throat, preceding its Skill. The alpha barked out short bursts, and I responded by leaping back and forth. It was like a dance, blue projectiles of water and ice flashed across the ridge and through the air. I leapt, ducked, slid and skittered my way around each of them, even dragging myself out of the collision trajectory with web lines attached to the ridge stone. As I danced around the Alpha's attacks, I vowed to find a way not to be in this position again. I had Skills, or rather Spells, that could end this fight, but I couldn't use them freely due to a mana shortage. I would need to find a way to replenish my mana one way or another, but that was for another time.

  Momentum built with each exchange as the Alpha Akhlut ramped up the tempo, not content to simply blast at me from range. It sprinted along the ridge after me, surefooted despite the shattered rock and trails of its own blood. At full tilt, it was a freight train—each paw strike left spiderweb cracks through the basalt. I circled, feinting a lunge, and got within striking distance just as that blue glow built again in its throat. I was only going to get one shot at this.

  Web lines flew out and latched onto its leading paw. I yanked on the line with all my might and every point of Strength I possessed. The alpha's legs crossed, and it was sent sprawling to the ground. Its jaws snapped shut as they smashed into the basalt rock. I dove on it, stabbing with my legs at its fleshy underbelly, they punched through its body, soft organs and into the stone below. I stared down at the alpha, and its jaws snapped open again, glowing with blue death. It was too late.

  I roared victory as twin overcharged [Edge Glare]s burst forth from my eyes. The colourless waves of force slashed through the Alpha's head, obliterating everything in their path. The top half of the Alpha Akhlut's head vanished in the blast as the force waves carved deep into the rock below.

  I sagged over the corpse of my foe for a moment as the dizziness from the mana drain washed over me. I wasn't quite empty after that, but I was close. Closer than I'd been to empty in a long while. My eyes cast around, checking my surroundings. It was strange. I had expected to see the pack make an appearance while I battled the Alpha. Yet they had been strangely absent. Hopefully, with the death of the Alpha, they had retreated. If nothing else, the death of the alpha would have made the adults and juveniles easier for Kels and the team to deal with.

  Drawing in a deep breath, I rose from the Alpha's corpse. For just a moment, I stood there, dragging in breath after breath as I waited for the dizziness to pass and the slight quiver to leave my limbs. It wasn't truly that much of a hindrance, not enough to stop me if I had to move, but enough to be irritating.

  As it faded, I triggered [Spirit Forge], targeting the Akhlut Alpha's corpse. There was no chance I was leaving that behind for the dungeon to eat; the alpha was certain to become something useful for me once I had the time to work on it.

  The golden light of [Spirit Forge] surged towards me as I pushed it towards forming another core I could work with later. The golden light formed a small black and white orb, much like the ones I'd made previously with the lesser Akhlut. There was a depth to this one that the others lacked, though. As if the white glowed with power and the black was dark enough to fall into. I quickly stowed it away in my [Inventory]. I had places to be, a squad to get back to, and a job that wasn't done yet.

  ——-

  I let myself free-fall off the ridge toward the snowfield below, catching the wind on my spread legs series and spraying a silk dragline behind me to slow the descent. Cold wind scoured at my carapace and left me feeling every pore of chitin—sensations both alien and innately exhilarating. By now, I could sense the ripple effect spreading through the packs of Akhlut juveniles and adults. With the alpha's thread of command severed, the intricate pattern of their movements collapsed, replaced by frenzied, primal chaos. I felt a savage satisfaction as I watched—from my vantage overhead.

  I flew through the snowfield, weaving between trees, riding the momentum of the fall from the ridge. Each new web line only added to my speed. As I traversed the terrain, I glanced over at the System notifications that were waiting for me.

  You have slain [Akhlut Alpha].

  You have gained EXP.

  You have gained additional EXP for defeating enemies stronger than you.

  You have advanced to level 28.

  Class based Attribute points allocated.

  +3 Charisma. +1 Strength. +1 Dexterity. +1 Endurance. +1 Perception. +3 Free points.

  I couldn't help but grin, well, as much as I was able to with mandibles instead of a mouth. Sweet, sweet advancement. The Akhlut Alpha had been more than enough to get me over the line to level 28, and I could feel I was on the threshold of another level already. This dungeon had been good to me so far, and I had a feeling we weren't done yet. Kels and the others came into sight through the trees, and the reminder that we were on the clock settled over me once again like a weight. Just because we’re on the clock right now doesn’t mean I can’t clean the place out afterward. I’ll wring the place dry after we solve the issue at hand. I contented myself with that thought as I dropped down to the snow, casting clouds of powder into the air as my legs skidded through the snow.

  A hissing chuckle escaped me as I caught the looks Kels and co were giving me. A mix of disgust, worry and discomfort. The half-raised weapons and wariness were slightly more concerning. Particularly, Felix, in the back with his rifle halfway up, I didn't feel like finding out what his enhanced bullets would do to my chitin shell if he got trigger-happy with the giant arachnid. I put them out of their misery and resumed my human form, stepping out of the cloud of snow that was gently falling back to the ground after my landing.

  "So that's a thing, yeah? I can be a big old spider. Let's not make a big deal of it right now." The silence that followed was deeply, exquisitely awkward. I'd spent enough time around the military types and hyper-competent weirdos the Banner favoured to know when I'd crossed one of those lines that was supposed to be uncrossable. They didn't even try to hide their opinions: Kels stared with a sort of grim, mathematical calculation, probably trying to decide how quickly he could hack off a spider leg if he really had to. Signe, still streaked with blood and frost, gawked at me over a wand that trembled just a little at the tip. Her face frozen between flat terror and amusement.

  Felix had his rifle pointed down, but his finger hovered so close to the trigger I was pretty sure he could pop me before I made it three steps. Whether it would actually hurt me was anyone’s guess.

  Found the arachnophobe, fifty-fifty odds it’s the mage or the gunner.

  Angus' reaction was the tamest by far; the man just nodded, seemingly as unflappable as ever. He just stood there with his arms crossed and a small grin on his face. At this point, I was wondering if there was something I could do that would surprise the man.

  I shrugged, not sure what else to do. "It's a Skill, not a lifestyle choice," I said. "Just don't start bringing out the rolled-up newspapers, and we won't have any issues." Angus broke the silence with a loud guffaw, and the tension snapped; everyone present relaxed several degrees.

  “Your dossier wasn’t kidding,” he said finally, voice gravel dragged over broken glass. “You’re a weapon and a nightmare.” He nodded, once, as if that was answer enough to all the unasked questions. “Let’s move.” he immediately turned and headed off, clearly done with the conversation.

  My only response was a grin as Vipera slithered up to me, climbing up to my torso like a snake climbing a tree. I took a moment to pat her head as we luxuriated in each other's presence. When she was manifested in physical reality, as we got farther from each other, the bond and our ability to feel each other dimmed somewhat. It wasn't enough to be completely unaware of each other; it was more like putting on ear muffs. The sound was just muffled.

  I shrugged and trudged after him, Vipera a comforting presence again, draped around my shoulders like a silk scarf, if a scarf came with fangs and hard edges. She seemed amused by the tension, electric blue tongue flicking toward Signe every time the redhead glanced my way. It was almost childish—if a soul-bound familiar could have a sense of humour, hers was the kind that enjoyed practical jokes and making people uncomfortable. My familiar was a mischief maker if nothing else. I let out a sigh that turned into a chuckle.

  What even was my life anymore?