"I'm so bored," Raul said, dragging the words out like they physically weighed something.
He was sitting on a slab of stone near the edge of the chamber, elbows on his knees, daggers laid beside him instead of twirling them the way he usually did. His armor was dusted gray, his hair tied back with a strip of cloth that had once been clean and definitely wasn't anymore.
Three days.
Three long, repetitive days of mining.
Arin didn't even look up from tightening the strap on his gauntlet. "Come on, Raul, we're nearly done."
"I broke rocks for twelve hours straight," Raul replied flatly. "I didn't sign up to be a miner. I already hated mining black Iron before, but this is hell."
Victor snorted, lifting another shard of Aetherite from the pile and turning it under the glowstone light. "You signed up to be stronger. This is what will make us stronger."
The chamber around them bore the evidence. Walls scraped nearly bare, faint veins of light now reduced to dull scars. Three thick canvas bags sat near the center, heavy enough that even Victor hadn't volunteered to lift them. The air smelled of stone dust and faint ozone, the residue of disturbed Aetherite.
Mina finished knotting the rope across Tank's broad back, testing each tie twice before stepping away. The undead Stoneback barely reacted, massive body steady as a loaded cart.
"This is better," she said, patting Tank's side. "No one throws their back out, and if something jumps us, we're not slowed down."
Raul eyed the bags. "I liked it better when monsters tried to kill us. At least that was honest."
"That," Victor said, standing and rolling his shoulders, "is the dumbest thing you've said all week."
Arin allowed himself a small smile.
Ghost returned then, phasing in near Mina's shoulder like a ripple in the air, settling into shape. Its hollow purple eyes flickered faintly as the information transferred.
Mina closed her eyes briefly, sorting through the impressions. When she opened them, her expression had shifted into that calm, focused look the others were starting to recognize as her "work mode."
"Alright," she said. "Ghost mapped the surrounding tunnels. We've got three real targets ahead."
They gathered around her without needing to be told.
"In the closest chamber," Mina continued, "there are two captain-rank Stonebacks. They're not guarding anything obvious, but Ghost thinks there's a decent chance of Aetherite veins nearby."
Victor's attention sharpened immediately.
"Second," she went on, "there's another incubation chamber. Ten soldier-rank Stonebacks, lots of eggs. Same setup as before."
Raul grimaced. "Gross."
"And the last one," Mina said, pausing half a beat, "is bigger. One captain-rank Stoneback. Bigger than the others. Ghost isn't sure if it's stronger, but it feels… old."
That got everyone's attention.
Arin folded his arms, thinking. The boredom drained out of Raul's posture without him noticing.
"Okay," Arin said finally. "We do this clean. Incubation chamber first. It's the fastest, and leaving it alone just creates problems later."
No one argued.
"After that, the two captains," Arin continued. "If there's Aetherite, we mine it out. Then we deal with the big one last."
Raul cracked his neck once. "Sounds good."
Victor nodded. "Efficient."
Mina gave a short nod of agreement. "Ghost will stay ahead."
They moved.
The tunnels felt narrower now, not because they actually were, but because familiarity stripped away the mystery. Footfalls echoed. Tank's heavy steps made the ground vibrate faintly, the bags on its back swaying in a slow rhythm.
Ghost flitted ahead, silent and tireless.
When they reached the incubation chamber, the heat hit them first. The smell followed, warm stone, organic musk, the faint sourness of too many living things packed into one space.
Exactly as Ghost had said.
Ten soldier-rank Stonebacks prowled among clusters of eggs, thick-shelled and half-buried in the sand. Some of the creatures lifted their heads, tasting the air.
Arin raised a fist.
"Same plan," he said quietly. "Fast. Clean. No mistakes."
Raul stepped forward without another word.
Mina followed, spear already in hand. Purple light rippled as she summoned Rook and Castle, the two undead Stonebacks materializing with bone-deep weight. Castle's presence alone changed the chamber. The living Stonebacks froze for half a second, long enough.
Then everything exploded into motion.
Castle charged.
The sheer mass of it shattered the front line, one soldier-rank Stoneback lifted bodily and slammed into a cluster of eggs hard enough to rupture both. Rook followed, jaws snapping, tail sweeping low.
Raul was already moving.
Prime Augury bloomed behind his eyes, lines and patterns overlaying reality. Weak points flared: joints, balance points, moments of hesitation. He didn't think. He cut.
One Stoneback dropped before it finished turning. Another lost a leg and collapsed, Raul already gone, daggers flashing once more.
Mina moved with them, not frantic, not rushed. Her spear struck precisely, driving through thinner plates, forcing enemies into Castle's path. She didn't overextend. Didn't need to.
Arin and Victor held the edges, intercepting anything that slipped past. Victor took hits that would have crushed a lesser fighter, armor groaning but holding. Arin's blade darted in and out, disrupting, redirecting, never staying still.
It was over in minutes.
The last Stoneback fell with a dull, final thud. Castle turned methodically, crushing eggs underfoot until nothing stirred.
Silence returned, heavy and absolute.
Raul leaned on his knees, breathing hard, not from panic, but from effort. Mina exhaled slowly, rolling her shoulder once.
Arin opened his status panel out of habit.
Lord Coins: 2052
"…Huh," he said.
Victor glanced over. "What?"
"We crossed two thousand."
Raul blinked. "Already?"
Arin nodded. "Yup."
For a moment, the weight of that hung in the air, not excitement exactly, but awareness.
"You guys sure you don't want upgrades?" Arin asked, half-serious. "We could—"
"No," Raul and Mina said at the same time.
They exchanged a look.
Mina spoke first. "I'm still adjusting. Another jump right now would just mess with my control."
Raul nodded. "Same. Strength's useless if you don't know how to carry it."
Victor hummed thoughtfully.
Arin let the panel fade. "Alright. How about your souls?"
Mina froze.
"…I forgot," she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.
Raul stared at her. "You killed a captain-rank lizard and forgot?"
"I was focused on the Aetherites," she shot back.
She pulled up her own interface, eyes scanning.
___________________________
Harvested Souls:
1. Soldier Rank: 15
2. Captain Rank: 2
Exchange: 1000 Soldier Rank Souls > 1 Captain Rank Soul
___________________________
"Soldier-rank: fifteen. Captain-rank: two."
She let out a slow breath. "Yeah. Still not even close."
Raul frowned. "That's ridiculous."
"It is what it is," Mina said. "Which is why I'll handle the next two alone."
The words landed heavier than expected.
Raul's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue. Not this time.
Arin considered it, then nodded. "Alright. We'll back you up if it goes wrong."
Mina met his gaze. "That's all I need."
They turned toward the next tunnel.
Ghost was already waiting.