A violent quake shook the earth beneath his feet as he charged.

  A roar which would shame the greatest beasts bellow he could remember flooded the cavern.

  Light seared his eyes so bright as to burn out the image of that strange circle of light in the strange blue bck hole.

  An impact like cavernous colpse shattered his bones.

  The acrid smell of guts, blood and scorched flesh filled his lungs.

  That was his st memory as he died.

  Surrender turned as the ground erupted behind her. Hidden explosives detonating with each thundering charge of the darklings behind her. Moving in rger groups of a dozen had at first concerned the others, then Toni had expined mines. Explosives hidden beneath, able to detonate when pressure was pced on them.

  Or in this case, when Toni expanded her [Eternal Fme] ying dormant within. All it took was a small band of quick skirmishers to strike the group, anger them, and run. Take the darklings on a merry chase through the caverns and right through the trap. Then when the explosives detonated turn and charge.

  Craobh was with her, charging before Surrender had even turned. Her speed was still shocking to Surrender. Craobh closed the 50 foot gap in a moment and tore into the first darkling as it stood up. Surrender only 10 feet behind her slipped passed to [Sap Strike] them and to [Disrupt Thought]s.

  A goblin and two daog charged with her, leaping onto the creatures and finishing them with rough forged weapons. Courtesy of Toni. The thrumming buzz of the daog's fury filled the air and as the few remaining darklings struggled to their feet in came Master.

  The wall of [Living Earth] held up by Pipuck colpsed and out of the hidden alcove came bone. Half a dozen darkling marchers fell upon their still living brethren as their master, and her Master, strode out. With a casual movement his metal and bone bde carved open those even half dead.

  There he stood an awesome giant of a monster to Surrender. Layered gray and bck fabric's covered his whole torso except the gleaming white bone of his bde arm. There the sleeve was rolled upward to reveal the mass of animate bone, for the effect it imposed. A triangle of striped orange, red and gold fabric, thick and festive, rested on his shoulders.

  The triangle extended down below his waist where the rough once-blue jeans he wore were now permanently stained with blood and dirt. The heavy thick boots of his crushed the bones of a darkling as he strode the aftermath of the ambush. As he sought out and ignited the power of the creatures to cim it.

  In the low light of the cavern the sharp, orange-yellow light of the bodies Power being burned and drained away lit him from bellow. Surrender had to pick her jaw up off the floor as he stopped before her and nodded down to her. His heavy, squared head would have been ugly on any other person, but on him it was powerful.

  That soft smile he wore prompted a smile back from her, even if she knew it was a facade. His dark, thick brown hair was shaggy and long from weeks without a proper cut. He turned and gestured for her to lead him as the others dragged the bodies away.

  "Good job Ren, the groups are up to a dozen now, they've been consolidating faster than I thought they would." Toni said as they approached her.

  She stood next to the alcove where she had hidden with Master examining the aftermath. She was leaned back against the wall with her arms crossed. The long dress of overpping greens and browns, designed to look as pted leaves running down her body, was unmarred.

  This Surrender knew was not due to her not getting involved in combat. She'd seen Toni fighting side by side with Master when an ambush went wrong. No, it was simply that the Leshy's gifted dress, while thin and beautiful, restored itself.

  Dirt slipped off, unable to cling to the natural soft leafy material. Torn damage grew itself back together, expedited by Pipuck's assistance. Blood, as well as other viscera, was absorbed and produced small red-brown blooms around it's impact point.

  The blooms would start small, growing to full open petal flowers, and then falling away petal by petal over the course of a day. It was such a strange element of the dress that no one really understood why or how it happened. Even Master could see nothing special with his [Magic Eye].

  "Well they're not used to modern tactics or explosive ordinance so they're probably being cautious." Master said stepping up next to Toni.

  Toni ran a hand through her bright fire red hair and began pying with the long ponytail it was tied into. It was the perfect color in Surrender's opinion. After all, Toni flung fire like any other creature flung pebbles.

  "It very strange, but that scary?" Surrender asked.

  "Well it depends, I guess creatures from the Darknds probably don't use fire much. They wouldn't have any [Power]s for that, may not even consider it." Toni cupped her chin and tapped her lips thoughtfully.

  Divine's those lips set Surrender on fire without a single fme from the woman. Surrender turned and began moving away to distract herself from the fire of violence and her two mates infming forms.

  "We go check room!" She yipped as she skittered away, followed quickly by her mates.

  "Wait! I'm coming with you!" Came a shout from those gathering the dead behind them.

  Craobh split off from the gatherers to begin trotting towards them. That was until Surrender saw Master give her a look that could kill and she froze. He held up one hand and waved her down.

  "No Craobh, you know this pce well you're the best one to lead disposal. We know where we're going." He commanded.

  Surrender could feel his [Towering Presence] and flicked her eyes between the two as Master began to trudge away. For a moment it looked as if Craobh would refuse, as she had done every other time Master had tried to brush her off. Instead she huffed, shaking her head to sptter blood off of her face, and turned back to the bodies.

  Surrender blinked in surprise and chased after her companions. "Master, what that?"

  "Hmm?" Master looked back over his shoulder and smiled softly. "Oh, [Evil Eye] new [Power] I empowered for specifically this moment. Instills fear and submission, not exactly my favorite kind of tool but." Master looked over towards Toni. "We needed to talk and they haven't given us a second without a 'helper' since the first night."

  Surrender watched Toni immediately begin to chew her lip. She looked backward to Pipuck instead of answering Master's unspoken question immediately. Pipuck nodded and spoke first.

  "I can make i' if you wan' to go through with i'. I' was your pn." They said.

  "Yeah but... I was just mad at them I didn't think..." Toni turned to look at Master, "I figured you would try and talk me out of it."

  Master's eyes darkened. "No, it's extreme but it could work, and if I know anything about power struggles between organizations it's probably the only way to force change."

  "I know I just..." Toni began hemming and hawing, rocking her head back and forth in anxious thought. "Now being not angry it feels a bit too extreme y'know?"

  Master said nothing to that, walking in silence until they reached their destination. They looked through the makeshift bars of the room to the contents. There in the chamber were, on quick count, 34 daog and 12 goblin prisoners. They sat aimless in the rancid air of weeks of refuse and the 13 dead left to rot with them.

  Master spoke then, looking upon the grim scene.

  "Violence is strictly forbidden." He snapped.

  "Violence is strictly forbidden." Echoed from almost 50 voices within.

  Master turned to look at Toni with a dark expression. She looked away from the scene looking sick. Surrender instinctively lifted her tail from the ground to wrap around Toni's hand and up her arm in comfort and support. Just like Mother always did for Surrender.

  "They're tools Toni. If you don't want to go through with it I won't, but you're right that something needs doing." Master spoke softly.

  "But right now? In the middle of all this?" Toni muttered back.

  "In my experience now is the best time. When a big gang gets smmed you take advantage, you strike ruthlessly to force them into the weakest position you can for bargaining ter." Master's voice sharpened as he spoke.

  "Yes. Strike quick. Fast. Make Surrender." Surrender added.

  Toni was silent, but her hand squeezed Surrender's tail.

  "If you're worrie' abou' damage, keep in min' Bear's 'ave been doin' this for longer than you're realm 'as been aroun'. There are literally thousands of these Bearbhaile across the realms, a few dea' bears 'ere really isn't anythin' to anyone."

  "Ugh, I feel like an innocent princess being corrupted by three vilins!" Toni finally replied, stomping her foot in exaggerated frustration. "I'm still thinking alright, we still have awhile it's not like we're kicking off immediately tonight."

  "True, though the decision may be closer than you think." Master said.

  With that he lifted his strange bde, jagged bone extending the already sharp edge to nearly double the length. In a single stroke the rough barred door was shattered into fragments that colpsed on the ground and Master strode within. Surrender released Toni and moved to follow Master in.

  "Daog and goblins. Rise and follow me." Master ordered and in unison the gathered rose to their feet.

  As Surrender stalked in she felt something strange. She froze and focused on that strange new sense granted by her tail attachment. There was something... Below? A shaking that caused her hair to stand on end. She focused on that, pacing around to find the source of the sensation.

  "Master! Below!" She shouted toward Master.

  Master turned to look at her as he guided the st of the prisoners out of the room. There stood in the middle of the room Surrender looked down and leapt to the side. The tunnel erupted the moment after as a massive purple worm bored through the floor. The slick deep purple hide was lit by Toni's [Eternal Fme] as it hovered above her.

  The creature sailed through the room and smmed into the ceiling but didn't stop. It continued as if the earth itself were water, disappearing into the surface. The only sign of it's passage was the hole in the floor, and the roughened circle of surface in the ceiling.

  "The fuck is-" Master began to say.

  "Darklings follow!" Surrender shouted as she ducked into the dark [Enshadow]ing herself as she did so.

  "Pipuck, take the prisoners and go, Toni-" Master began issuing orders immediately as Surrender counted in her head.

  "On it." Toni shouted sliding up to Master's back and flinging one of her small, devastating metal balls into the hole.

  Ten. Twenty. Thirty. They were charging so quickly and so closely together it was hard to discern their numbers. Surrender hissed an alert to Toni.

  KABOOM

  The tunnel shook as fire burst from the gap. Quick count part two while they were down, easier to get a solid number. Thirty-two, and two of them weren't getting up again.

  KABOOM

  A second explosion followed closely after the first, then a third, then a fourth as the tunnel began to colpse. One form began to charge, bigger then the rest the darkling came tearing from the tunnel roaring. It was indeed bigger then the others, but that wasn't what drew Surrenders focus nor Master's.

  It was the creature's form.

  Larger was the smallest variance in it's form. Around it's body was a framework of bck, chitinous armor pted to perfectly fit into it's body. From that back extended four long, articuted limbs with sharp bded edges. As Toni flung her fifth sphere toward it one limb flicked out.

  With a fsh of glimmering bck chitin the sphere split in half and sailed across the room. The darkling snarled at them and barked something Surrender only understood from a week of observing darkling patrols.

  "Sneak killers, I will carve flesh from your bones and paint myself with the dust of the ground remains should you not surrender." Surrender slid beside Master and repeated the threat.

  "Yeah, I've heard scarier threats." Master snapped back and pnted his feet in the door. "Behind me, Surrender how many-"

  "17 fighter. Injured, waiting." Surrender answered before he finished the question.

  Before Temate could respond the darkling chief, for that's who this must be, seemed to accurately determine they were not going to surrender. The chief howled and his body lit up with vicious blue jolts of energy coursing down its limbs. It pnted itself on all four of it's normal limbs and the four bded spines spread wide.

  With crackling sound the tips of the spines flew out toward them, shattering mid flight into pieces between which blue energy leapt in cascades. Surrender immediately [Skitter]ed out of the way, ducking back into darkness. She circled the chief, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

  In the door Master's shield lifted and spread wide. It filled the door, sheltering even Master's huge form behind a thin, membranous mycelium. Despite the thin appearance, much of the energized scatter shot caught and stopped. A few pierced the shroud of the mushroom shield.

  These few shots were at the edges, harmlessly cttering against the doorframe. As the shield shrunk back down Master's eyes narrowed and this time, senses heightened, she could feel the power in the [Evil Eye].

  The chief snarled and roared urging it's companions forward. Darklings began swarming out of the tunnel beneath, nearly a dozen in just the first moments. Surrender could feel more coming, but before she could call out warning, Master was speaking.

  "Toni, go big. To arms!" With the thundering order Surrender felt her body strengthen.

  A ctter of bones filled the air as the marchers in the hall swarmed in. The lithe darklings, akin to walking skeletons themselves, cshed with their own skeletal brothers in an echoing roar. Master charged with them, pushing directly toward the darkling chief.

  The chief snarled and leapt forward towards Master.

  Toni stepped back and out of sight, presumable to do as Master suggested and 'go big.' Though when she tucked back around the corner her gaze focused on the chief and she let loose a shot from her gun.

  The bullet impacted the creature and exploded, not before the chief rolled at the impact avoiding the bst. The darklings around it did not move quite so quickly, two catching the edges of the burst and being thrown off bance.

  The impact left a small gap in the chiefs defenses which Surrender set to taking advantage of. She darted forward as the living and dead cshed.

  The two burned darklings, completely off bance, were born down to the ground as bony fangs tore into their throats. Their companions smmed in, scattering the bones and crunching them into inanimation. Too te to save their lives.

  Surrender had to skirt the conflict as another marcher bore a darkling down to the ground. Cws digging into it's face and flesh until it ceased moving.

  A gap opened for Surrender as another marcher pierced it's sharp nails into a darklings stomach. It lifted the darkling off the ground and hurled it towards another as they charged to help.

  Surrender approached low examining the fight for the perfect strike. Spotting it right as the chief smmed one of it's rge spines through the shield and into Master's shoulder.

  She leapt, a [Sap Strike] with her cws cutting into the tensed tendons of the creatures leg. She poured some extra power in to also [Disrupt Thought] and used her new [Shadow's Strength] to draw from Master's own might.

  Strength filled her like she'd never known and her cw tore through its taut flesh like paper. It screeched and whirled on her.

  "There Master!" She shouted as the chief focused on her.

  It fired a single sharp spine toward where she was, unable to track her as it's mind fogged slightly. [Disrupt Thought] once again showing it's incredible usefulness to Surrender.

  "[Vicious Swing]!" Master shouted as he took immediate advantage of the opening.

  Jagged bone gleamed around the shining metal core of his bde as it swung through the low light of the room. The bde carved into the chiefs back and one of it's spines sckened, falling limp and useless onto the floor.

  The chief screamed in pain. The second ssh cutting the scream off and staggering it backwards.

  Surrender's eyes widened as she saw fear fill the creatures eyes. It turned toward the hole it slid back, letting the new darklings swarming up from the tunnel engage them.

  "YES!" With a shout of excitement Toni slipped back around the corner.

  In her hands was a rge, oblong metal shape which she heaved up and lobbed! It sailed through the air, right alongside the darkling chief as they moved into the tunnel. More darklings charged out like a tide, each fighting viciously against the tide of bone or Master's advance.

  There was no noise.

  Surrender was confused, Toni's things always explode with violent, thunderous sound.

  "Surrender! Get out of there!" Came the shout from Toni and Surrender quickly realized.

  This was going to be big.

  Quickly Surrender dashed towards the entrance. Skirting a marcher as it's head was made dust by the stone clubs of the darklings. At the same time its frenzying body tore through two of the living pale monsters who'd killed it.

  She leapt passed Master as one of four darklings punched through the thick shield and cracked his shoulder. He stumbled backwards out of the room holding the darklings at bay as best he could.

  Then Surrender couldn't hear anything but screeching. A high pitched wail that tore at her head and colpsed her on the ground. Her senses shook as the room behind them burst into light.