Unfortunately, I wasn’t left with enough time to form an escape plan.

Less than five minutes after he had left me in the room, Clive barged in through the door. He looked around frantically before he ran over to me without a word.

“What’s wrong?” I pushed myself off the chair and moved to meet him. I knew what the problem was, but there was no way I would admit it.

“Come on, Cub. Something urgent has come up.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me from the room. The guard had disappeared from the corridor, but it wasn’t clear if that was a good sign or a bad one. Clive pulled me back through the mansion and out into the camp without any explanation.

A large crowd had formed outside of the mansion doors. Clive pushed me to the side as he stepped forward to greet them.

“So, you’ve heard about it too. Don’t worry, we planned for such a situation!” He yelled. The audience, which had been talking amongst themselves, quietened down the instant he spoke.

Don’t tell me this is a lynch mob? No… that doesn’t seem right.

“I will decide the primary team members. They will go and take the first clear.” Clive continued his speech, though I was more confused with each word he said. “I already have the layout in mind, so don’t bother begging to join.”

“Vice-commander, will you announce those you’ve chosen now?” One man stepped out of the crowd. He was one of those who had followed behind Ron when he first attempted to bully me, but he didn’t even glance in my direction as he waited for Clive’s answer.

“I will, but listen close. Anyone who enters without permission had better stay in there forever.” Clive glared at the crowd before a thin smile formed on his face once more. “So, the team leader will be our newest member. Cub, step forward.”

It took me several seconds to figure out he was talking about me. I stepped next to Clive, which was greeted with an irritable murmur from the crowd.

“Sir, do you want to risk this? If we fail the first clear, it might close off forever-” The man who had stepped out gave me a suspicious look, but he was cut off before he could finish his suggestion.

“Shut up. I make the decisions, not you.” Clive waved the man away. “You aren’t in the team, so scram off.”

The man bowed slightly and moved back into the crowd without a word. Clive ignored him as he shouted out a list of names. In total, twenty-four men and women stepped forward when he called them out. An odd detail was that nine of them were members of the team I had chosen previously.

Wait, did he do that on purpose? What’s his plan?

“These will be the first raid team. Cub, you have command.” Clive slammed his hand on my shoulder with a hearty laugh. “Clear the dungeon, whatever it takes. When you beat the boss, I’ll send down a team to extract you. We’ll have free reign at that point.”

“Sure.” I nodded confidently, as though this had been my plan all along. Clive pushed me towards the team he had chosen as he dismissed the rest of the onlookers with an irritable glare.

“Get to work. You’ll get your chance soon enough if I decide you’ve earned it!”

“Hey, Cub. I guess we’ll be working together again.” Leah stepped forward and shook my hand. “Let’s get through the dungeon quickly, yeah?”

“Sure. I’ll be counting on you to back me up.” I moved closer to her so the others couldn’t hear what I was about to say. “This is the first I’ve heard about this. Can you lead me to the entrance? Oh, and we need to visit the village later. I have something for the leader.”

Leah’s eyes flared open before she calmed herself and moved towards the entrance of the camp. I stayed beside her, matching pace as though neither one of us was leading the other. The rest of our group followed in a messy formation, but there would be time to fix that later.

If I pass this, the dungeon will become a big help to the bandits… but if we fail, Clive will skin me alive. How do I play this…

I had ten minutes to consider the best course of action as we moved to the spawn point for the dungeon, but no path jumped out as the best option. Either way, I would create problems for myself. One would be long term, the other would be short term, but both would be equally problematic for me. As I was about to give up, Rose perked up from the recesses of my brain.

“I have another option for you, but I’ll need to see the dungeon core before I can say for sure.” Her voice wavered as she offered her assistance. It was unlike her to lack confidence, and that fact worried me more than anything else. Before I could ask her what she meant, I was distracted by a tug on my sleeve.

“Here it is.” Leah whispered to me as she nodded at a large black rock in the distance. It was so dark it absorbed the sunlight which poured on its smooth surface. It was as though the monolith had forced itself out of the ground, the power of its rise shown clearly by the trees it had obliterated when it formed.

“OK, do we have any details?” I turned to the team. None of them spoke up, so I turned back to the entrance with a grimace. “I guess we’ll have to play it by ear. Come on, let’s get this over with.”

I stepped up to the rock and pressed my palm against its surface. It juddered at my touch as the surface split apart before me. A narrow entrance opened up, barely wide enough for one person, never mind a team.

“Lead on, captain, We’ll be right behind you.” Leah spoke confidently from behind me. I nodded back at her before I squeezed through the narrow crack. After I had pushed myself into the rock for several awkward seconds, the ground in front of me took a sudden dive into the depths.

This is it.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward. The tunnel fell vertically for almost a minute, though its surface was smooth enough to form a relatively comfortable slide. I skidded off the end and rolled awkwardly, but I was able to pick myself up before Leah landed beside me with far more grace than I had managed.

The cave had opened up, though describing it as a cave felt a little off. The walls were smooth, devoid of any naturally formed features as they arced up to the ceiling far above. The entrance hall was large enough for our group and more, but there had to be a reason our numbers had been limited.

“Natural dungeons only allow a specific number of participants in at any one time. Clive probably has some way of figuring out the capacity, so he sent exactly that many for the first clear. It makes sense.” Rose’s voice echoed in my brain as the last members landed behind us.

“Right, let’s plan this.” I turned to face my comrades as they dusted themselves off. “Sound off, class and level.”

“Shouldn’t we just get it done.” One man frowned as he stared off into the tunnel. “This is a waste of time, we can just work it out later-”

“Shut it! The captain asked a question, and you need to answer it.” Leah admonished the man and rested a hand on her sword. The outspoken man clamped his mouth shut at her open threat before he muttered his class and level.

The rest of the group followed suit. I gave Leah a quick smile as I listened to the layout of my team. Clive had selected the classes carefully, or he had just been lucky that the layout was balanced. Either way, it didn’t matter much to me.

Ten melee warriors, seven ranged adventurers, seven practitioners. Two of them are Holy attributed. I guess Clive decided one Supporter was enough…

A line of beefy tanks ranged assassins for single target and a number of glass cannons in case the enemies threatened to overwhelm us with numbers. This would give us the best chance of winning, but natural dungeons were unpredictable. At worst, this could turn into a war of attrition, especially if our holy practitioners burned through their mana.

“OK, Warriors form two teams of five. Team one takes the lead, team two follows two steps behind. Any members of team one who take any injuries, swap with your buddy in team two. Keep spacing in your ranks so your allies can step forward to back you up if needed.”

The Warriors moved in accordance with my words. I turned to the ranged contingent with a thoughtful look before I made a decision on their placement.

“Practitioners, find an Adventurer and pair up. You need to work together, Adventurers spot targets, Practitioners watch for ambushes from the side. Those who are Holy attributed, stay at the centre. I’ll call for support when it’s needed, keep your mana above fifty percent at all costs.”

The group formed on my orders. It was rough, but there would be time to practice as we progressed. The first fight should be the easiest, but there was always a chance we would lose despite all my grand schemes.

I wish Bryan had never told me the chances of passing these things… If I get out of this, he’s getting a smack to the face.

After all of the Practitioners had been paired up with an adventurer, there were still three archers who didn’t have a partner. They turned to look at me expectantly, so I waved for them to gather up.

“Stick with me, you’re the main strike squad. We’ll focus the most dangerous targets, so support me on any moves I make. If you mess up and I die, Leah will personally make sure you get stripped and thrown out into the forest when this is over.”

“You got it, boss.” Leah nodded back at the group. The three archers took the threat seriously as their hands tightened on their bows.

“Let’s go!” I pointed forward. Our squad moved in unison through the tunnel and out into the first room. After the last person had crossed the threshold, a huge wall slammed down behind us and cut off our escape.

A flash of light appeared to announce our opponents as a high-pitched chittering echoed from the far side of the cavern. The shadows flitted back and forth as a large monster walked into view. It looked like an ant, though it stood at three feet high and its entire form was covered in a tough exoskeleton.

“Ants, soldier level. High defences, weak stomachs, joints and eyes. Sharp claws, poisonous bites.” Rose spoke quickly after she spotted our enemies.

“Warriors, full defence. Only launch attacks when it's safe. Archers, aim for their eyes. Practitioners, wait for my call! Strengthen! Accelerate!”

My yell broke the subtle spell. A wave of ants surged towards us across the cavern. It wasn’t wide enough for them to surround us, but the five warriors at the forefront of our group still seemed like a pitiful number to face against such a horde. Even with my enhanced buffs, it would be difficult to take the first charge if they were hit full on.

“Archers, fire!”

A volley of arrows sped towards the lead ants. Most of them bounced off the tough armour with little effect, but two shots pierced into their intended targets. The injured ants shrieked for a moment before they collapsed, which caused a slight delay in those in the rear.

“Continue, focus on the flanks! Practitioners, hold!”

A constant barrage of arrows fell onto the ants as they scuttled towards us. At least one or two fell with each burst, but more appeared from behind to fill in the gaps. A moment later, and the first ant slammed into the wall of warriors.

“Practitioners, ready!” I pointed towards the leading line of ants. The Practitioners lifted their weapons and started their chants. From their levels, it was clear they would need at least ten seconds before their deadly payloads could be launched.

As they prepared, an odd buzzing echoed out across the cavern. As I watched in shock, another wave of ants appeared from the darkness.

“Flying ants!” One of the warriors yelled in a high pitched voice. “There’s no way we can beat them! This is impossible!”