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Opal held up her hands and showed all the gold she had filched from the adventuring team as they looked to pick up what had been scattered across the shore.

“That’s... a lot of gold.”

“Hmmph, I’m the one who has to carry it.”

“You did say that was what you were good at.”

Opal set her lips in a line but didn't reply.

“We're going to follow them, I want to see what else they do, and I want information about other levelers so we’ll eavesdrop when we can, though this lot seem, ah, a bit clueless.”

“I’ve never seen such a useless bunch of idiots in my life,” grumbled the Goblin.

“I doubt we saw them at their best. They made it this far down into the dungeon so they are likely fairly high level.”

“Mmmm.”

They set out after the levelers using the boulders for cover as they went, but not before Opal pulled off the note on the alligator, balled it up, and threw it in the lake. They kept their distance but not far enough that Rain couldn't over hear the group.

“This place where we’re headed, you’ve been there before?” asked the Satyr.

“Yes,” replied the man. “A couple of times. It’s easy pickings for leveling if you know what you are doing and I do know what I’m doing.”

“You’ve already lost one of your axes so excuse me I have my doubts about that.”

“Funny words from an Elf that got blown off his ass and nearly broke his only shield. If you must know I am perfectly fine fighting with one axe.”

“And Belle?”

The Satyr drew a shorter blade from a smaller sheath below the one that had contained her long sword. She spun the broken sword and the shortsword, one in each hand.

“I’ll manage.”

The Elf threw his hands up in the air. “Fine. Don’t blame me when things go wrong.”

“We already did that when you blew half our loot into the lake.”

“Not my fault!”

“Oh, it most certainly was.”

“Like you lot would have come up with anything better to remove it. We were going to lose some of the gold no matter what.”

“We could have prepared! I don't know, maybe you could have covered in something to catch the gold before touching it, look I-”

“Shh! Did you see that?” said the Satyr.

“What?”

“... I...I saw something, a black-furred thing in the shadows, behind us.”

“I don't see anything…”

“I’m sure there was something. Let’s Just take care, something might be stalking us.”

The axe-wielding man grunted. “We’ll report it when we get back to the town but It’s probably one of those wild dogs, they like to follow levelers, got black fur, not a threat.”

“I don’t know... I’m sure it was bipedal, it was walking on two legs.”

“Yeah, yeah. The place is just through here.” The man gestured before leading the group inside a crack in the cavern’s wall.

Opal leaned back as she watched them go in.

“They almost saw you. You gotta be more careful.”

Rain grunted in reply.

The pair followed the team through the crack, though a craggy tunnel, and then down where it opened up into a massive cavern. Rain looked on in awe at the underground forest that was revealed. Shallow rolling hills gave the appearance of waves as the ancient treetops fell and rose, mist climbing between the slopes. The jagged ceiling was marked with a spattering of minor crystal as well as carpets of glowing moss giving the cavern an ethereal atmosphere. They’d come out on a small open plateau that overlooked all this, ahead the adventuring team had begun to climb down.

Opal suddenly grabbed his paw and dragged him down behind a rock.

“It’s just a forest, why are you staring? They’re gonna see you just standing there like that.”

“It’s a forest, underground!”

She gave him a curious look. “So? That’s pretty common for dungeons.”

“Uh, right.”

The pair dropped down from the shallow plateau and slunk into the woods, then came to a slow stop as the adventuring team stepped out into a clearing.

Ahead of them, dotted across the grass, were several enormous seven foot tall mushrooms. Fat white trunk like bodies with blood coloured caps and black markings. They seemed to shift slightly in the breeze, which was odd Rain realised as there was no breeze.

The Elf spread his arms. “There’s nothing here! Gods what a waste of time!”

“Oh shut up already. Look.” said the man. He picked up a rock and tossed it overarm at the nearest mushroom where it glanced off its side. The mushroom shuddered to life and stood up upon a pair of chunky stump legs before spinning around looking for what had attacked it. Two beady black eyes fixated on the team and the mushroom roared, a long vertical line splitting down its middle to reveal a maw full of jagged triangular teeth.

The mushroom charged. It was shockingly fast on its stumpy legs, nearly as fast as a Human running, using its sheer strength to propel itself.

“Oh great. Now we’re hunting vegetables,” grumbled the Elf.

“What vegetables are you eating that have teeth!?”

The man spun his axe and readied to take on the oncoming mushroom, the Satyr and the elf stepped up either side of him and the Half-elf held up her crystal tipped wooden staff behind them, its tip swirling with oily colours.

The man roared and swung his axe. An arc of fire exploded from its edge and slashed into the mushroom carving and burning a long wound up its trunk.

The mushroom stumbled and the Satyr danced forward on nimble hooves, her blades spinning through the air eager to dice and slice. She came into contact and the short stubby arms on either side of the mushroom were severed and flicked into the air and then with a thunk thunk thunk its cap started to fall to pieces as metal met shroom flesh.

The mushroom slowed and then ponderously toppled over.

“You see? It’s easy! Just don’t let them get a bad angle and they’re easy experience!”

“Yaha!” cheered the Satyr standing on top of the fallen mushroom.

“You didn’t let me hit it you dumb Satyr! I didn't get anything!”

“Oh quit your whining, you had your chance.”

“He has a point, we need to allow each of us to attack it before killing it so we can all level. That includes our healer.”

“It’s fine, I gain levels residually from buffing you,” said the Half-elf smiling serenely.

“Oh, uh, right. Well, anyway.”

The man picked up another stone and bounced it off a nearby mushroom, the stone bounced far enough that it struck a second mushroom closeby. It bumbled to its feet and followed after the first mushroom that was now heading toward the team.

“Don’t panic everyone. I’ve been here enough times, even two or three can be dealt with. Just follow my lead and watch your footing.”

The team began moving up and around the pair of mushrooms, manoeuvring them into an advantageous position or kiting them.

Opal turned to Rain. “I want to try something, but I uh, need you to climb a tree.”

Rain raised an eyebrow.

“It’ll make sense, I promise. Look, this tree is perfect. Please?”

Rain frowned but reluctantly began climbing the tree. He was pleased to note how easy it was, having outsized strength like a leveler had its benefits. Opal disappeared into the foliage and he settled down to watch.

The adventuring team, despite the occasional spat with each other, seemed to function well. They kept the angry mushroom creatures well-controlled and led them into positions advantageous to themselves where they flanked them so as to avoid their dangerous maws. Rain watched with interest as they wandered around the clearing drawing the attention of each dormant mushroom and then cutting it down. They were about halfway through this when the foliage at the edge of the clearing began to shake and a new mushroom jumped out and charged toward the group.

“Watch it! We’ve got a stray!” yelled the axe wielder pivoting to face it.

“Where did that come from? We haven't thrown a rock anywhere near that part of the wood.”

“It must have been awoken as we walked in here and gotten stuck on a tree or something, it came from the same direction.”

“No matter, it’s just more levels.”

“Sure. sure.”

The group evolved tactics and added the new mushroom to their strategy. They were adapting quite well until two more mushrooms burst from the treeline behind them. Then three more. Then five more.

“What is happening?! Why are they coming out of the wood for us?!”

I don't know, I don't know! This- this hasn’t happened anytime I’ve been here before!”

“I assume something is in the woods awakening them and directing them to us.”

“Fuck! I bet it was that black thing that was shadowing us earlier. It knows we’re vulnerable, it was just waiting to get us!”

“Calm down, don't panic. We just need to retreat to the plateau while stopping them from getting close. They won't be able to climb up it with those stubby legs and we’ll be safe. Stay together, on me!”

The group formed up and began to retreat in an orderly fashion as more and more of the furious mushroom monsters lumbered into the clearing. They were doing well, using a combination of hit and run tactics to keep the shrooms at a distance and using their positioning to cause the shrooms to trip over each other.

In fact, they looked like they were going to make it, up until a dozen mushrooms burst out of the tree line that they were trying to flee into. Rain watched with interest as Opal danced past silently below avoiding the eyes of the apparently narrow sighted mushroom creatures and directing their attention to the clearing with tossed sticks and stones.

“This all your fault you damned Human!” screamed the male Elf as he used his shield to desperately keep away the teeth of a shroom.

The man caved its cap in with a mighty blow of his axe. “It’s fine! Everythings fine! We’re going to make it!”

“Look out!” cried the Satyr as a surge of mushrooms climbed over each other to get at them.

“Th-There’s too many!”

A particularly tall and aggressive mushroom abruptly clambered over the pile of dead and lunged at the Elf. The Elf, eyes going round, tried to stop it with his shield, but too late, it closed on him, its maw open wide. The Elf panicked and with a cry shoved his shield into the monster’s mouth before turning and running. The mushroom barely noticed the shield, letting it drop free and instantly charging after him, swiftly gaining ground.

“N-no! Get away! Get the fuck away from me!”

He ran at the Half-elf and grabbed her by the shoulders and then to the rest of the team’s and Rain’s shock he turned and threw her at the mouth of the chasing mushroom which closed shut like a guillotine removing her head and part of her shoulder from her body. She had only had a moment to cry out before she was permanently silenced.

“NO!!” screamed the Satyr.

“Damn you Orden! Dam you to hell!” roared the man.

The fight descended into chaos as the Elf fled into the woods. The man and Satyr held on valiantly but it was clear they were fighting a losing battle. The mushrooms rolled over the two and they became fully surrounded, almost disappearing from Rain’s sight.

“Belle, this is my fault, I’m going to make space. When I’m done, go, don't think of anything else.”

He stepped forward and roared, axe held high. Blue fire engulfed the head of the axe and then washed over his body entirely covering him in flame. He charged the mushrooms as flares of blue fire erupted from his body in all directions reaching for meters.

Many of the mushrooms ignited or tried to flee the terrible fire, the Satyr taking her chance raced through the gap made by the man as he fell to his knees. She darted into the forest as the man collapsed to the ground, a burning azure pyre.

.