Crackle led the way down into the dungeon's secret underground tunnel system. Levi couldn't help but notice how... artificial it all looked. None of the normal dungeon patterns. It looked chipped and jagged, slices gouged into the walls as though the tunnel had been carved with manablades by hand. It certainly didn't match anything he'd seen in dungeons before, regardless of the level or element.

The path meandered back into the mountain for a time, then abruptly shifted from the homemade look into the normal dungeon look, the halls wider and taller, floors and walls seamless natural stone with the only texture being the faint impression of claws or monstrous fangs, hinted at but never plainly depicted. Eventually, Levi knew, those would transition to being full carvings, some of which would be actual monsters in disguise. But that wouldn't be for another fifty levels.

The path branched and Crackle chose a route without hesitation. Then again.

They turned down a sloping passage that curved around, then came out into a hall once again looking human-made instead of dungeon-made.

"What was this place before they started connecting these sections? Secret areas? They seem too many and too close together to be secret areas."

Skarm shrugged, having no answer for him.

Then they turned one final corner and Levi saw the doors. Dozens of doors lined the hall on either side, metal and clearly manufactured, but gleaming with that subtle perfectness that mana-imbued material took on.

Levi felt a chill.

So many doors. He'd already seen that this was bigger than just a group of higher-level thugs kidnapping his family, but this...? This was far bigger than he'd thought.

Crackle flew immediately to the next to last door on the right and landed on the window, buzzing his wings against the glass in a quick tink-tink-tink clicking.

Levi ran forward, sword already out. A glance through the window was all he needed to verify what he already knew.

Peter's cell.

Levi's mana surge wasn't enough to immediately shear the deadbolt. Manablade vs manasteel generally favored the large immobile object, but objects between a determined father and his family stood no chance. His attack quickly devolved into repeated hacking, relentless energy chipping away at its stability until it finally snapped and he flung the door open.

Peter was chained to the wall by one arm, able to move a bit over halfway towards Levi before pulling the reinforced links taut. Each link had been fused together so smoothly there was no visible crack or seam. Whoever had crafted them did far too good a job.

Levi didn't need to even speak. His entire swarm descended on the chains, shattering them in the second it took Levi to rush forward and gather his son into a tight embrace.

"I should never have left you behind," he whispered hoarsely, holding his son close. "And I promise, I never will again."

Peter hugged back just as fiercely, as though his whole . "Wh-where's Mom?" he asked, a hitch in his voice that tore at Levi's heart. "I didn't know what to do. I couldn't fight, there wasn't any way out, and they had Mom and Aunt Cas. I tried to find them, but--" Peter's voice cut off in a muffled croak, clearly trying to stop himself crying, but it was too far gone now, no concealing it.

"She's fine. She's fine, we're going to go and get her right now," Levi promised. Crackle looked up from where he was busily melting the wristband off Peter's arm, bobbing in emphatic assurance.

"I got out once. I got far enough to hear Mom screaming for me, but I couldn't find her. And then they brought me down here, I haven't seen anyone, I didn't know anything. No one came. No one would answer. They-- they killed Henry, and Greg, and Drok, and--"

"Ssshhh, it's okay, it's okay." Levi held his son as Peter let out all that had been bothering him, all that he'd been through in these past days, in a flood of words that tripped over itself and meandered down side passages leading nowhere. It didn't matter. They were both here, both alive, both safe. Everything would be alright. "We're going to get them all back. Gordon's coming with reinforcements, and I've got a plan to get us all out of here and safely away."

By the time Crackle and Bladefin finished breaking the chains off Peter's wrist, his torrent of words and emotion had begun to subside. For a time longer they only stood, holding each other as both regained control.

"When you came in, did you kill them all?" Peter's voice took on a harsh edge. "I saw the way they were treating everyone. They deserve it."

Levi wasn't prepared for this kind of conversation, leaving him floundering for an answer. "No," he said at last. "No, I didn't, and no, they don't."

"They do. I don't care if they were following orders, they should have known better. When I get everyone revived I'm going to come back here and kill them all!"

Levi put his hands on Peter's shoulders, holding him at arm's length. He looked him square in the eyes, meeting his son's hotly defiant - if somewhat reddened - face with steady confidence. "Don't."

"Why not! They deserve it!"

"Maybe they do. But you don't deserve to carry the consequences of it. I almost killed someone today. Almost. And it made me remember something."

Peter scowled, not quite meeting Levi's eyes any more.

"Look at me. This is important. We are not here to be killers, or avengers, or destroyers. We are protectors. And yes, that means we will have to kill, and kill a lot. But not each other. Not other people. Not unless there's no other choice. The real monsters haven't even shown up yet."

"You're wrong." Peter lifted his chin, unshed tears still glinting in the corners of his eyes. "You weren't here. They split us all up. Locked us in these and left. I don't care," he added quickly, brave but not entirely convincing. "I can take it. But it wasn't just me. It was everyone." Any false bravado disappeared under harsh resolve. "I heard Mom shouting herself hoarse, trying to find me. Anyone who can listen to that and not do anything to help is a monster."

Levi felt his heart breaking all over again. For Peter, for Irene.

Crackle clicked his wings twice as if to insist she was fine, but right now that was little comfort. Bad enough for Irene to be hurting, but for Peter to have to listen, helpless?

Maybe Peter was right, maybe some people were no better than monsters. But that wasn't a distinction to be decided in the heat of anger.

"I'm sorry." He pulled Peter back into his arms. "I should never have left. I'm so sorry. And I promise, nothing like this is going to happen again. Whatever happens next, we're going to face it together. All of us. As a family."

Peter nodded, pushing away. "We should hurry. I don't know what they did but I haven't heard anything since all the... yelling. Aunt Cas was making a ruckus earlier." He sounded pleased by that.

Levi let his hands drop to his swords. "Agreed. Crackle? Where's Irene?"

The scarab fluttered his wings and immediately hummed into the air, leading them back out the way they'd come, up the sloping curved hall and across one of the other intersections.

Peter grabbed Levi's arm before he could follow. "There's guards up there. I ran into them when I tried to find her last time."

"Good info, thanks." Levi managed a quick smile, or something approaching it.

The scarab returned, two copies orbiting each other, then split up, one zipping away, the other settling on Levi's chest in a 'wait a minute' posture.

A moment later the copy waiting with Levi buzzed in concern, then tapped at Levi's chestplate once.

"One guard? Between us and Irene?"

Crackle clicked in confirmation.

Levi exhaled slowly. He wasn't confident in his ability to take down a more-prepared or better trained guard. "We're going to need backup." Something occurred to him, almost at once. "Peter, you have Revive off cooldown?"

"Yeah, but none of my minions are here."

A slow smile spread across Levi's face. He unstrapped his backpack, untying Lash. "That's alright. I've got mine."