~~~~~

Daryl

~~~~~

"Nice one..." Daryl was in a good mood and had been so all morning despite the fact that he was currently fighting against hordes of giant monstrous spiders. His mood was still undiminished by the yells of pain from his companion. The only thing that could have possibly made the day better was if Adrian had been with him. "Soon," Daryl thought, "he'll be back any time now."

"Ahh! Son of a…" Zeke yelled, but a choking cough cut off the shout, and the healer spat out blood before finishing his outburst. "…biscuit!"

Daryl rolled his eyes at the truly vile language coming from Eve's brother as he slashed out with a sword and then helped Zeke pull the now severed spear-like spider leg from his back. How this young man could be related to Eve, look so much like her, and yet be so different in personality, Daryl had no clue.

Only a few more drops of blood spilled once the impaling limb was removed before a burst of golden light briefly blinded him, and then Zeke was whole again. Minus the damage to his clothes, Zeke's armor was still practically untouched, mainly because the strike had slipped just between the plates.

While he dealt with that, Daryl's clone army held the doorway against the rest of the spiders.

His efforts were helped by the fact that most of the bigger spiders had trouble squeezing through the doors. They could get through with some effort, but the delay caused by the narrow gap was enough for Daryl to take ruthless advantage. "How's it looking?" Daryl sent the thought out to Princess, whose presence he could feel a floor above.

"Fine," Princess sent back, her words appearing in Daryl's head, "we have broken through and exited the stairway."

"On our way," Daryl told her. As he spoke, his clones were scouring the rest of this floor, looking for any stragglers. Daryl felt a twinge from one such clone and directed his attention through the illusion's eyes, in the process upping his control and letting him guide the illusion more finely than it would be autonomously.

He was too late.

The illusion was ripped apart after barely stepping into another room and by a trio of the same blade-legged spiders that Zeke had just dispatched. Daryl pumped a bit more Mana into the dying illusion to simulate the blood and gore for its dismemberment.

The purpose of such theatrics was twofold, first, to hopefully distract the spiders long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Secondly, it also served to prevent the bugs from realizing the fact that their attackers were nothing but illusions. At least long enough for two more of his clones to charge through the doorway, raging flames leading the way and incinerating the giant arachnids.

Fire wasn't Daryl's only trick, not anymore, but just as it had been in the world before magic, pretty much everything still knew what fire was and feared it. Well, almost everything. There had been a group of spiders the day before that were already on fire when Daryl found them and who threw that fire around with abandon. They had not been immune to lightning, however, and Daryl exploited that lack to destroy them.

As for the here and now, Daryl found no more spiders on this level, and he relayed the information to Zeke as they collected Cores before heading for the next floor.

Along the way, he split off another illusion in a direct copy of the destroyed one. The illusion strode beside him, looking similar to Daryl but not precisely the same. It wore armor in the same style as Daryl and Zeke, with some minor alterations in both the design and the wear and tear. At least what could be seen of the armor beneath the long cloak that shrouded most of its body, as well as the deep hood that left the face hidden in shadows.

The cloak made it easier and cheaper to maintain, as well as helped to hide the face, which was one of the most complicated details to simulate, even more so if Daryl wanted to use a face other than his own. Hence the cloak and one additional key detail. A large beard on the illusion's chin was the most obvious standout feature in contrast to Daryl's own clean-shaven appearance and existed intentionally for that exact reason. Each member of his 'army' had different facial hair, even if only slightly. It not only strengthened the illusion of his clones being different people but also helped Daryl keep each illusory combatant straight in his head.

It didn't matter in most cases if the illusions all used the same abilities, but in larger scale battles, or some instances where he'd had to fight other Humans, it helped to keep the details right. Daryl had learned that lesson the hard way and more than once.

They found Princess waiting at the top of the stairs while an army of wolves and a fiery fox waged war deeper inside the apartments. Princess could fight alongside her illusions and did so when necessary, but like Daryl, she had learned the hard way that it was better to avoid the risk of direct contact with the enemy. Of course, such caution was likely unwarranted with Zeke along for the ride, but old habits and all that.

Daryl stopped beside her and rested a hand on her head, scratching her ears in the way she liked as he sent his army to join the war for this floor. He also sent a lone figure up the stairs to join the illusory fox keeping watch for reinforcements from above. Zeke charged in with the illusions, his large hammer held at the ready as he looked for a bug to smash.

It had taken some coaxing, but Zeke had accepted the need for a real weapon, eventually. Zeke's admiration for Nate and the man's devastating martial arts had finally been overshadowed by the reality of trying to punch giant spiders to death, especially as they got deeper into the Lair and found increasingly powerful variants. While Daryl had no doubt that Nate would absolutely obliterate these monsters without issue, Zeke was not Nate and so required a different approach.

"Come on," Daryl finally said, "we don't want to miss all the fun."

Princess sniffed distastefully at his words and in protest at the lack of ear scratches but followed him nonetheless as he moved after Zeke. With the healer here, it was no longer the safest option to remain at a distance. Instead, the best position now was at Zeke's side… only not too close. Zeke had a lot of fun swinging that hammer around, and he was not precisely skilled just yet.

Daryl lost another illusion in one of the rooms but did get a glimpse of what was waiting for them inside, so he and Princess were prepared when they charged through the door, obviously behind even more illusions.

Princess opened with her now signature fireball, the spell blooming to life between her teeth and then launching across the room to blast a spider into the far wall, the arachnid burning and dying even before it hit the floor in a heap. Even as it died, Princess was preparing another ball of flame, the glow shining out from her bared fangs.

Her signature spell was not solely an illusion, not unless her Mana went too low. Instead, she used the fiery acid Skill gained so long ago, now ranked up to a respectable level of power, then wrapped that attack up in illusions to add additional impact.

It was a tactic that Daryl employed as well, and to significant effect. Why throw out an illusion alone when you could add a genuine effect alongside it, and just like Princess, Daryl had gained more than a few new Skills.

He poured out Mana into his newest and almost perfected combo. Lightning crackled and flashed between his cupped hands as Daryl built a new illusion there. At the same time, he activated a different Skill.

Arcing Spark

A bolt of lightning arced from between his hands and struck the nearest charging arachnid straight in the face, stunning it for a brief moment. The spark wasn't potent on its own, doing little more than a jolt to the target and sometimes locking up their muscles for an instant. However, when taken alongside the illusion building in Daryl's hands, where dozens of nearly identical arcs were flying in every direction, the weak spark had a different implication.

If what amounted to nothing more than a stray side effect of his still-charging attack could do that much damage, then how powerful would the actual spell be?

Daryl launched his 'spell' at the once again charging spider, and its own belief in the power of that spell was what killed it. The spider was blasted backward, its body and limbs charring to black under the storm of fake lightning.

"I told you it was a good one!" Daryl boasted to Princess, who ignored him as she started charging up an even bigger fireball. He copied her with his lightning ball, going even further this time as he grinned across the large space before them and at the hostile spiders within it.

Where once walls had been cordoning off ridiculously small apartments was now a nearly open room after the arachnids or something else had torn down the walls. In that open space, a battle raged between illusory combatants and very real spiders. These spiders lacked some of the more problematic abilities that they had seen from others, seemingly relying only on their blade-like legs and a high rate of speed to fight. Granted, they did excel at that, and it was just unfortunate that their opponents didn't have to play by the same rules.

A trio of Daryl's clones held the line, weaving and dancing between blows with unnatural grace and speed while also retaliating with bursts of magic that injured and dazzled the attacking arachnids. No matter how fast the spiders lashed out with bladed feet or pounced in blurring leaps, Daryl's illusions always managed to slip just out of range.

Each spider stood at waist height and was as wide as Daryl was tall, a size that added an additional advantage to Daryl as they could not swarm their opponents easily.

It wouldn't work for long. Even dumb creatures would eventually notice that their targets were moving too oddly and too quickly, but for a short skirmish like this, it was once again good enough.

Daryl counted on the remaining spiders having seen the fate of his previous target to increase the effectiveness of any subsequently similar attacks and launched a massive roiling ball of lightning at them. His illusory soldiers dove out of the way as it came on, another minor detail that only added to the picture.

The spiders leaped back in turn, their reactions sealing their fate as they bought even further into the reality of his spell and doomed themselves in the process. Daryl spent his Mana freely, amplifying the thunderous crackling sound of his magic into a rising crescendo that peaked into a deafening storm as the spell detonated amidst the fleeing bugs.

If the spiders had been more observant, they might have noticed that the rumbling shockwaves of sound did not shake the floor under their feet. In fact, it didn't even rattle the glass in the few unbroken windows. Unfortunately for them, they overlooked that detail, and then they died.

Princess dismissed her own spell in the absence of any more targets, and Daryl got a face full of fox tails for one-upping her. He just smiled and scratched her ears as his illusion in the stairwell came under attack. "You can show off with the next group, Princess."

And show off, she did.

The poor spiders that came boiling down the stairs never had a chance, dying in an inferno that left even the walls burning. Fortunately, her corrosive fire did not last long without a steady supply of Mana, and the building was in no danger of burning down. Not that Daryl thought these Lair buildings could be burned down, not without significant effort, at the very least.

In the meantime, Zeke finished his own battles and was covered in ichor and a bit of his own blood when he rejoined them but was, of course, currently unharmed. It was an amusing sight as even the wolves gave him a wide berth. Daryl took pity on the bedraggled healer and activated another of his non-class Skills.

Water Jet

Daryl's Mana plummeted as Water blasted from his hands and drenched Zeke, washing off most of the muck in the process.

The spell, like most of Daryl's non-class Skills, did little damage, especially to someone as strong as Zeke, a minor downside of his Class Restrictions.

The upside was that thanks to his Adaptable Trait, Daryl could still learn non-illusion skills, which would have been impossible otherwise. The additional Skills were weakened, and the Mana cost was higher, but the extra impact those Skills had in enhancing his illusions was well worth the price.

"Thanks, Daryl," Zeke sputtered under the deluge, "I think you got it!"

The water spell had unfortunately found more use as a quick shower than an attack amplifier. It did add a bit to his electric arsenal, and Daryl had some ideas for using it along with an ice illusion, but first, he needed to figure out how to reduce the flood that it produced now. A function that would most likely require leveling up the Skill.

While his Mana regen was decent out here, it didn't compare to the increase he gained near Stanley. That man was practically a fountain once you were close enough, but unfortunately, the trailer was not the ideal place to practice his non-illusion abilities. For that matter, neither was the battlefield, especially since they were only on the second floor and had five more to go.

It was always a risk to experiment with new illusions in a Lair. Especially if still early in, since occasionally, even one enemy learning his trick had led to an entire Lair becoming almost entirely immune.

Daryl wasn't sure if that same logic applied here, considering the ridiculous size of the Lair and the abnormal behavior of the inhabitants fighting amongst themselves. Presumably, the spiders weren't sharing information with their hostile neighbors, and while the spiders in this building didn't seem very intelligent, always a good thing for Daryl, you could never be absolutely sure.

Daryl followed Zeke upstairs, more illusions leading the way, and decided to hold off any experiments until the final floor, pursuant, of course, on what they found up there in terms of a queen spider. While Zeke, and more specifically, the wolves, could easily handle this entire building themselves, it would be more of a slog, especially when dealing with the larger groups.

Or maybe not. Daryl wasn't exactly sure how strong the wolves were. He suspected they were well beyond his own power, and while he had seen them wounded plenty of times, each instance had suspiciously involved an attack that would have hit one of them if not intercepted.

Princess claimed that they were loyal to Caffeine because he had made them strong, and the Title on her Status did little to make Daryl doubt her claims.

[Friend of the Beast Lord]

A Rare Title that is often impossible to obtain and even harder to keep.

The Beast Lord has Freely shared some of his Power with you. The Power is Yours for so long as the Beast Lord Lives and Considers you a Friend.

Unfortunately, it only applied to Beasts, and Daryl couldn't earn it himself. Meanwhile, Princess claimed she didn't need it, of course, but Daryl was grateful for anything that would make her safer.

The next floor proved his worries about getting swarmed true when they faced nearly constant reinforcements coming down from the higher floors. Each building that housed one of these spider colonies tended to keep the queen near the middle levels, with the occasional outlier being either on the top floor or, in the rarest cases, hiding in the basement. Daryl expected to find this queen near the middle, based on the sudden pushback they were facing, if nothing else.

It was a long fight dealing with the spiders as they just kept coming, and Daryl eventually had to signal a charge upstairs when the queen tried to escape to the roof. It happened that way sometimes and showed dangerous levels of intelligence that it was best to destroy at the root.

Daryl cut off her escape through illusions waiting above but ended up leaving the queen herself for Zeke and the wolves to handle while he dealt with the remainder of her army.

The queen was at least four times the size of her largest guards, and that factor alone led to her demise when she was caught still trying to break down a wall when they reached her. She must have moved in while a more regular size, at least regular for this place, and then she had grown within the safety of her little domain. Of course, if she had left a doorway large enough to escape through, it would have also meant leaving a potentially fatal hole in her own defenses.

Regardless of all her soldiers and her fortified position, the queen died.

Daryl gave Zeke another power wash, and then they settled down for a break.

The backpack appeared as Daryl dropped the illusion hiding it and was stuffed to the brim with food stuffs, as well as a thermos of tea. It was Daryl's favorite, and how Walter still had a supply he didn't know and was afraid to ask just in case it might be almost gone. Instead, he would enjoy it in the moment and worry about it when the worst came to pass.

It was quiet while they ate and recharged for the next building. Adam appeared shortly afterward, near the wolves as they chowed down on the queen. How he kept an eye on things Daryl didn't know, but the space mage always seemed to show up only after the fighting ended.

Daryl didn’t begrudge Adam's lack of combat assistance. While Adam would help out occasionally, primarily by relocating either friend or foe, his real contribution was making the trailer big enough that all of them sharing the limited space wasn't a miserable experience. Or, at least, not more miserable.

Princess joined in on eating the queen spider, claiming it was delicious. Though, she did eat with more dainty and controlled manners, unlike her wolfen allies. Adam helped her by shearing off chunks with his magic and presenting them to the fox. At least until only the legs remained, and Princess lost some of her dignified composure as she happily crunched on the stick-like limbs, tails waving in pleasure.

Once that was finished, and they headed out again, Daryl covered the whole team in spider illusions. He didn't know how necessary it was, but always felt better about it when he caught a glimpse of what used to be Central Park. The sight of that looming jungle always gave him chills, and while he'd never actually felt or seen the B Grade Stanley claimed was in there, it was still extremely unnerving.

They skipped the next building, per the usual protocol, and then either waited to see what came out of the other buildings or took brief forays into them. There was a glut of choice on what they could fight, so it didn't hurt to pick on weaker or more optimal targets when the opportunity presented itself.

Daryl decided on the building two blocks south of the last one they cleared but was interrupted before he could head in.

"Cunning Fang smells Humans," Princess said into his mind.

The wolf in question was sniffing alternatively at the ground and the air as she strolled slowly down the street. Daryl, for his part, was surprised. Stanley hadn't mentioned any other Humans, and he was usually pretty good at picking them out. Though, he supposed they might have had a way to hide from Stanley.

Daryl passed along the news to Zeke, and of course, the healer immediately suggested tracking them down, "we should see if they need any help!" Daryl wasn't as altruistic as Zeke, but he was not averse to looking into this. More information on the Lair might be valuable, and it didn't hurt to indulge the healer's need to help everyone occasionally.

The trail led them to a subway entrance, and they descended into the darkness before lighting up the underground with a variety of light spells, including Zeke's golden glow. The wolves led them into a decaying subway train, then through the length of it and out the far end. They moved cautiously and as quietly as possible down the erie tunnel until the passage ended at a suspiciously organized-looking pile of rubble.

Daryl noticed the first hidden tunnel as someone crept from it. "Make sure they watch over Zeke." His message to Princess was likely unnecessary, given that the wolves revered that young man almost as much as Caffeine. He had saved a large number of them during the war, after all, but it didn't hurt to be cautious, especially when dealing with humans…

For his own part, Daryl was completely hidden from sight among the squad of his nearly identical clones. In a dark place like this, it was comparatively easy to become invisible. However, that changed when lights bloomed around them, and more humans emerged from previously unseen tunnels.

"Halt and identify yourselves!" one of the men ordered, a little glowing ball of fire hovering at the tip of a wand and pointing at Zeke.

"Hi!" Zeke waved, "I'm Zeke, and this is Daryl…" He hesitated as he glanced back at the crowd of figures that made up Daryl's 'army.' "…and our team!"

"Which camp are you from?" the man demanded as his wand glowed brighter.

The gray wolf at Zeke's side didn't growl at the advancing man, but Daryl saw her leg muscles bunching up in preparation. "Camp?" Zeke asked, "we are camped out in a…"

"We only arrived in the city recently," one of Daryl's clones spoke up, interrupting Zeke before he could give away too much, "we did not know any other humans were still here."

"That's right!" Zeke exclaimed and rested a hand on the wolf's head, "Cunning Fang here smelled you, and we came to see if you needed help. I'm a healer…"

"What kind of stupid kid names a dog cunning fang?" a man laughed right up until the wolf turned her head to look at him. While her current size was only that of a large dog, there was something in her eyes that warned the more observant to be wary.

The man stopped laughing abruptly and stepped back.

"Shut up!" the first man yelled, "Why are you really here, and don't lie to…" he growled, taking another step forward.

"Enough, Milton!" A new figure emerged through a doorway cleverly disguised among the rubble. He was older than the others and walked with a cane as he limped into the gathered crowd. Daryl saw that one of his legs ended in a stump at the knee, a makeshift pegleg supporting his weight instead.

"Emiliano, they can't be…" the first man protested.

"Milton," the newcomer said, in a much calmer tone, "look at their equipment. None of the camps have that quality armor."

"But…"

"A healer, you say?" Ameliano ignored the other man and addressed Zeke instead.

"Yea, want me to fix your leg?" Zeke offered with an honest and open smile.

"Fix my leg…" the man hesitated then, and Daryl saw hope warring with disbelief on his face. "Such healing is beyond the capabilities of anyone we've met. Are you saying that you can regrow my leg?"

"Sure," Zeke stepped forward, golden light growing brighter on his hands, "want me…" He stopped when weapons were raised, and a number of people advanced threateningly toward him.

"Stand down!" Emiliano hissed, clearly not wanting to shout in the echoing tunnel. He glared at his people until they stepped back and then turned to Zeke. "We should get inside before we draw attention. Come, you are welcome in my camp." He looked over the clones that stood ready to fight and clicked his tongue before adding, "all of your compatriots are welcome inside as well. Now come."

Daryl had the distinct feeling that this man had just seen through his illusions and now knew that their numbers were far less than advertised. "We will leave some on watch out here," Daryl said through an illusion, "don't worry, they won't be spotted." As he said this, Daryl shifted his clone illusions to appear as if they were blending into the shadows.

"Very well. The rest of you get back to your posts." There were a few protests, but no one disobeyed the orders.

Daryl and Princess followed invisibly, along with a couple of illusory clones, behind Zeke and the wolf as he went through the door. This Ameliano might consider them less of a threat after seeing through to the actual numbers of their little group, but Daryl was ready to prove him wrong if things went south. He was also pretty sure that the man hadn't noticed the fact that Cunning Fang's shadow was far darker than it ought to be…

Inside the 'camp' were a haphazard collection of tents and rickety-looking lean-to's spread out over a much wider tunnel. It looked like this had been a junction where two or more trains could pass alongside each other, and Daryl counted over a hundred people crammed into the blocked-off section of the subway.

"Come with me," Emiliano said, "I will take you to the wounded, and you can show us this fantastical healing of yours." He clearly had doubts still.

"He would be even more skeptical if Adrian was here offering to set them all on fire," Daryl thought, amused. His amusement faded quickly, however, and his heart ached.

"He will return," Princess sent, leaning into his legs as they walked behind Zeke, "the egg grows bigger every day."

You have entered a Hidden Human Lair [Emiliano's Camp].

Nate would have loved to see this, a Lair within a Lair. That 'Hidden' part was also a new modifier Daryl hadn't seen before, presumably something that prevented the spiders from knowing they were here inside the greater Lair around them.

He scratched Princess' ears as he scanned everything around them. He took special care to look for traps around the entrance, as well as to seek out any other more hidden entrances or exits and found a few of both. The traps looked more akin to emergency deadfalls that would block off the openings rather than anything designed to prevent escape. He was relatively confident that he could get out of here with Zeke if it went sour with the occupants.

Otherwise, the area was dotted with lights where people cooked or sat in groups talking. Those conversations died as they laid eyes on the newcomers and then picked up in hushed whispers behind them as they passed.

A few groups of children played, but they were quieter than they should be, their expressions nervous behind the smiles and their soft laughter lacking the carefree nature that belonged to all children.

More than a few people were surreptitiously following after them as they moved down the tunnel, all with weapons held in hand but not quite threatening. "Zeke and his need to help everyone…"

"Night Shadow will take us away if all else fails," Princess reassured him.

"Tell him to get Zeke out first. I don't want Eve gunning for me." Princess just sent him the mental equivalent of an eye roll and a 'Duh.'

Daryl was slightly impressed but unsurprised by the fact that everyone was at C Grade down here. He was impressed because the people in this tunnel were obviously fighting for their survival and unsurprised because they had no other choice. Though, he wasn't sure why they hadn't fled the city yet. To be fair, it was a great hunting ground.

Unlike these people, many in Boston had grown complacent and lazy in the safety of the growing city. This led to far fewer C Grades than there should be. However, Daryl had to admit that Nate was doing a somewhat decent job at gathering the ambitious and willing warriors into his ranks.

The walk ended at a wooden wall beyond which could be heard more muttering and groaning.

"Father, I've found someone to help you," Emiliano called as he passed through the doorway and inside, "or so he claims."

Daryl understood the familial term when a man stood and turned around at their entrance. He was of a similar age to Emiliano, with salt and pepper hair, but dressed in a somewhat tattered, though still recognizable, classic priest outfit.

"Who is this then?" the priest said in a tired voice as he stood beside a man missing both legs, a faint yellow glow on his hands.

"Hi, Father. I'm Zeke. Who needs healing the most?" Zeke greeted the man even as his golden aura brightened considerably, spreading to encompass the entire area within the wooden walls. Dozens of people lay on little more than floor mats, all sporting injuries ranging from missing body parts to still-healing cuts or burns. Zeke's light covered all of them and started working immediately.

The priest stared at Zeke, mouth gaping and eyes wide in shock as the aura washed over him. "How… how are you doing that!?" the man finally gasped.

"It's my Skill," Zeke said, "Purified Light. I am just…"

"But that is Faith magic!" the priest exclaimed, "how is it so strong!?"

Zeke gasped, and ignoring the question rushed past him to a man covered in terrible burns. "This is going to feel strange, sir, but hold on, and I'll fix you right up." The golden glow on Zeke's hands blazed, lighting up the area entirely as he gently lay them on the burnt man.

There was a gasp and then a cry of relief as the man sat up in astonishment.

The priest fell to his knees before Zeke, his hands reaching to clutch desperately at the purifier. "Please tell me how you did that!"

"Because I believe I can," Zeke said with a smile, standing and trying to pull the other man back to his feet.

"But…" the older priest had tears streaming down his face now as he stared up at Zeke. "How is your Faith so…"

"I think the trick was when I realized I could have Faith in more than one thing." Zeke smiled down at the now speechless priest. "Come on, Father. Get up," Zeke said, his words almost drowned out as the commotion grew around them. Injured people were crying out as their wounds healed at a visible rate, while more shouts rose from outside the walls as the increasingly bright glow of his aura lit up the underground.

"Faith in more than one…" the priest still looked confused and almost angry…

"I believe in helping people, Father. I believe in my friends and that they will watch over me. And most importantly, I believe that healing is my purpose. It is what I am meant to do with this life, to brighten the world in every way I can. I believe that with my whole heart."

"But God…" they started arguing about the existence of God then and Zeke's faith or lack thereof. The priest had decades of experience on his side, and Zeke had a golden aura that was literally healing everyone around him.

Daryl stopped listening and instead watched the people, especially Emiliano. The man had removed the improvised prosthetic and watched his leg slowly grow back with wide eyes.

There was gratitude aplenty spread among the healed, but Daryl knew that it wouldn’t last. Even as Emiliano stared at his regrowing leg, he shot glances toward the young man responsible for the miracle. The same young man who was arguing with the priest while apparently healing everyone effortlessly.

Daryl knew that wasn't as easy as Zeke made it look. Practice and countless hours spent healing nonstop while fighting Nate or other monsters had created the creature before them. Nevertheless, Zeke was expending energy and would need a hearty meal and rest afterward.

By rights, these people should be preparing a feast for their new savior, but Daryl saw a different emotion growing instead. Greed.

They had just been granted a glimpse of what Daryl and most others in Boston had taken for granted. First, with Adrian… and later with Zeke, there had always been a good healer on hand to patch people up. Now that they'd gotten a taste, they wouldn't want to let Zeke go… which, ironically, meant that Daryl was now the one in the most danger.

It would be easy for them to justify. The outside was extremely dangerous, and Zeke was too valuable to be left roaming around where he might get killed. He should stay inside where he would be safe.

"He is not staying here," Daryl told Emiliano, deciding to take the blunt approach. He had merged into one of his illusory clones but used the other to speak to the man. "He won't want to, and I wouldn't recommend trying to use force."

Emiliano just clicked his tongue as he glanced at the clone, but Daryl saw the man's eyes flicker toward his actual position. Daryl also noticed the expression flash across the other man's face and knew he'd correctly guessed what Emiliano was thinking.

"His sister, and another... will come looking if he does not return… and neither of us wants that." Daryl kept scanning the area as he spoke. Princess was also on high alert, having picked up on his realization of the danger toward himself. She was the one who pointed out the cubbies hidden in the walls and obstructed from casual observation by cleverly placed 'decorations.' Each one sported a pair of eyes gleaming out from the darkness.

Emiliano grunted something noncommittal and hesitantly put weight on his regrown foot. He took a few awkward steps, only wearing one shoe, and then headed for Zeke. "Here it comes," Daryl thought.

"…purified light says nothing about healing, so how do you use it this way?" the priest had found a new argument.

"It purifies people," Zeke responded, sounding supremely confident, "by getting rid of whatever is wrong with them."

"That doesn't even make sense…"

"It doesn't have to make sense if you have Faith." Zeke beamed at the priest.

Daryl had already been down this road with Zeke before and knew very well that it was pointless to argue logic with religious people who operated on faith. Though, he would have expected a priest to handle it better…

The befuddled man was saved by Emiliano stepping in, "Zeke, I can't thank you enough for this!" He pumped Zeke's hand enthusiastically. "Are you interested in joining our little camp? All of your friends and family are welcome, and it would do so much good for the people here to have your help!"

It was a good call, appealing to Zeke's love of helping.

"You wouldn't need to go out and fight! Just having someone of your caliber waiting to patch us up would do wonders for morale. We might actually have a chance to reclaim this city from the monsters!"

That was the wrong tactic, a sound one under normal circumstances, sure, but Zeke loved hunting monsters almost as much as he did healing.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I wish I could, but I have… others who need my help." Zeke was honest in his regret, and Daryl saw the hope fading from Emiliano as the man witnessed another side of Zeke's faith and realized that he wasn't going to be persuaded. "I don't know how long we'll be in the area, but I can try to come back before we leave. I could also try to visit the other camps you mentioned and heal them up too."

Daryl thought he could almost hear Emiliano's thoughts churning as the man searched frantically for a solution, and then he slumped ever so minutely in defeat. "I understand. Come, at least let us feed you before you go."

"We have food, Sir. I wouldn't want to impose…"

"Nonsense! It would be our pleasure."

They left what was apparently the hospital of this camp and settled down among a spread of tables. People gathered from every corner, nearly swarming Zeke as word of what had happened spread.

Daryl sighed internally when Zeke removed his helmet to sit down. The only consolation was Cunning Fang still hugging his side, her eyes alert and gaze roving over the crowds as people streamed in to thank the young man.

Zeke seemed embarrassed by the attention, but months spent being the primary healer in Boston had prepared him somewhat for this. He smiled easily and honestly at every person who approached, clearly happy to see their joy at being healthy again.

Emiliano watched on, his expression conniving and greedy but otherwise primarily disappointed. Daryl stayed back from the crush of the crowds, trying to keep an overview of the situation and watching the people still lurking in the smaller tunnels around the camp.

It wasn't that much of a surprise when Daryl saw a glow suddenly start building from within one such tunnel, and he split away from his illusion, leaving it behind while he bent the light around himself. Princess was already moving toward the archer when the glowing arrow was released into flight.

However, both Princess and Daryl were taken by surprise when the arrow, now crackling and surging with power, flew not toward him but rather straight for Zeke!

There was no time to call out a warning. No time even to react before the arrow reached its destination and plunged into… a wall of gray fur.

For all of Daryl's insinuating hints and not-so-subtle warnings about leaving Zeke in peace, he wasn't the one they needed to be worried about. Zeke had a guardian more powerful than Daryl and Princess combined.

Cunning Fang loomed large in the suddenly much smaller seeming tunnel, taking a page from Caffeine's playbook as her form reached nearly to the ceiling.

The fresh screams were drowned out completely by her angry rumbling growl that didn't quite match Caffeine's, not to the level of utterly stunning everyone, but it still resonated somewhere deep inside the back of their minds.

It was a sound that spoke to the ancient lizard brain in every human and reminded that primitive part of them that there was a reason to fear the night. A reason to stay huddled around the fire and hope for the dawn.

It reminded all of them that they were prey.

Behind her, and on the other side of Zeke, a smaller but still gargantuan midnight wolf burst from the shadows beneath the table, throwing the furniture away and driving the rest of the humans back. Night Shadow crowded close to the radiant healer, pushing him against Cunning Fang and acting as a shield protecting Zeke from any potential flanking attack.

Daryl had no clue why these people were attacking Zeke, it made no sense, but then he didn't really need to know why. He only needed to respond, and just seeing where the arrow was embedded in the wolf's flank revealed that it had been aimed at Zeke's head. It was a killing shot.

Nevertheless, Zeke was safe enough for now, so Daryl took the offensive initiative.

The archer had drawn another arrow mere moments after firing but hesitated after the sudden emergence of the wolves. Their appearance had bought Daryl a handful of seconds, but he couldn't reach the attacker fast enough on foot; however, he didn't need to.

He acted simultaneously with Night Shadow's entrance, using the same shadowy burst to manifest his entire army into the camp. Besides the dozen-plus clones popping up around Zeke and his bodyguards, Daryl sent one each to the hidden cubbies and tunnels and the other people lurking within them.

Shadows pushed back the light from his targets, and blades flashed in the last fading glimmers, catching just enough of the vanishing light so that they would know what now rested upon their throats. Whispers promising death hissed into their ears, "Don't move!"

The one man who had fired a shot got something more.

Wind Blade

"You shouldn't have done that!" The voice breathing into the man's ear covered up the gust of wind, and he felt only the sting of a blade on his neck.

"What are…" Emiliano had finally started to respond.

Daryl executed the would-be assassin, dragging his knife through the man's throat and cutting deep.

The man dropped his bow, hands coming up to clutch desperately at his gushing lifeblood, and Daryl kicked his body out of the hiding spot, sending him tumbling through the air to the ground below.

Zeke's golden aura still lit up the underground near to a noonday sun, and thanks to the previous glowing arrow drawing a line to the man, nearly everyone witnessed the execution.

Princess manifested more wolves, mirroring Night Shadow to place the giant beasts aside each of Daryl's clones. She wrapped herself in the same colors and stood protectively close to the real Daryl.

This wasn't the first time she had fought alongside Daryl against other people. Plenty of humans liked to believe that the laws no longer mattered when they were far from civilization and out in the wilderness. They thought they could take whatever they wanted from whoever they wanted.

Daryl knew well how to handle these situations. Strike first, and if that wasn't an option, then strike back even harder. Throw them all off balance and keep them there until they are all either dead or flee screaming.

Unfortunately, Zeke was not at all cut out for this. "No!" He scrambled from between the wolves, running toward the man dying in a pool of his own blood.

Voices rose in a cacophony of screams and cries of anger. Daryl's clones pressed illusory blades harder against the other's throats, and he prepared to…

All sound vanished.

Daryl felt like he could barely even hear his own heartbeat as he watched Zeke save the man who had tried to kill him a moment before. Annoying but not out of character.

Emiliano's voice sounded out then, seeming to both shout and whisper directly into his ears. "Stand down! Every one of you, Stand Down Now, or I will kill you myself!"

A lot of the silent scrambling slowed under those words. "Sound magic," Daryl remembered the clicking tongue earlier and immediately understood how the man had seen through his illusions. Something between echolocation and super hearing that would be tough to fool.

Daryl didn't care. Even if the man could see through his tricks, it didn't mean his men could. One benefit of fighting humans was that plenty of them distrusted each other and wouldn't necessarily believe it even if one of their number claimed they were fighting illusions. It was especially effective once one or more of them was already dead. How could something be fake if it had clearly killed people already?

Emiliano swept his gaze across the tunnels where his men were being held hostage. "All of you drop your weapons and get out here! Now!" The voice once again sounded directly into their ears.

Daryl was surprised to see the men all comply, weapons falling, and hands being held up in surrender. In response, Daryl did not release any of them. Down in the center of the tunnel, the real Daryl pulled Zeke away from his patient and kicked the man facedown in the dirt before straddling him. A hand in his hair pulled the man's head back, and Daryl's blade rested on his freshly healed neck.

"Daryl, no!" Zeke's voice sounded out normally as Emiliano's silence effect pulled back. Both wolves had shrunk down and now stood on either side of Zeke, their forms smaller but still large enough to shield his entire body behind theirs.

"He tried to kill you," Daryl growled, his eyes meeting the wide and wild-eyed gaze of the man whose life he had nearly ended. Daryl kept his face hidden in the shadows of his cowl, with a faint touch of illusion on his eyes to make them glow and match the fox-turned-wolf that snarled inches from the man's face.

"I know, but… why?" Zeke actually sounded upset, not about someone trying to kill him, but rather about why they would want to.

"I would very much like to know that as well!" Emiliano's voice boomed, amplified by his power as he approached. However, he halted a few dozen feet back when the black wolf turned its gaze on him.

"What in God's name possessed you to attack someone who just healed every damn person here!" He shouted, clearly pissed, and Daryl suspected some of his anger was about being shown up by the newcomers, but not all of it. He had just regained his foot, after all.

"I had to," the would-be assassin gasped, "if he heals Jacob's camp, then we will all die!" Emiliano hesitated, and the man continued, "if he doesn't heal them, then we can wipe them out instead!"

Daryl started to understand. Apparently, there was animosity among the camps, or at least between two of them, and Zeke's comment about healing all of them had scared the little shit. It was a reasonable reaction, a bit extreme sure, but not something Daryl wouldn't consider if the roles were reversed. Unfortunately, this moron had overreached. "You tried to kill my friend and, by extension, me. Here I was having such a good day, and you just made it better by offering yourself up!"

"Daryl…" Zeke pleaded, stepping closer.

Obviously, Daryl was hamming it up here, not about the threat to his own life, as he was sure Eve would kill him if he came back without her brother. Or at least she would try to, and while Daryl was still unsure just how strong she was, that would be the worst possible way to find out. Not to mention losing such a powerful healer would be absolutely moronic.

As for the instigator of this whole mess, Daryl did take some satisfaction in the terrified expression on the man's face, and while he didn't actually enjoy killing other humans, it was a necessity at times and not something to take pleasure in. Zeke, on the other hand, looked worried.

Daryl hadn't spent much time with Zeke before this journey began, and he realized that the healer had probably never had to kill another human. Nate had protected him from that, and it was showing now.

Daryl glanced at Emiliano, and the man capitulated, sighing as he slumped in resigned acceptance of Daryl's decision, whatever it would be. Which was all Daryl had been after from the start. Otherwise, he would have just started killing everyone faster than Zeke could heal them.

"Daryl… I forgive him… please?"

Zeke's aura was still going strong, and Daryl gave it more to do by slamming the man's face into the ground before releasing him. Fresh blood stained the gravel as the man's nose broke and stones dug into his face. Daryl's illusions released the other hostages at the same time, departing with whispered warnings that promised a return if necessary. Each illusion vanished into the shadows along the walls or on the floor, all very theatrical and menacing.

Zeke had a glaring weakness that had just become apparent, but Daryl decided that this was neither the time nor place to open that box. Daryl suspected that Zeke's weird faith magic was also tied up in this somehow, and giving their healer a crisis of faith while trapped in this Lair might be a bad idea. It also might not be his place to instigate that crisis, though he would definitely talk to Walter and Eve when he had a chance. Stanley might also have some insights into the boy's Soul…

"Thank you…" Emiliano started.

Daryl interrupted him, "We should have killed all of you." He swept his gaze across the watching crowds, letting them all see his glowing eyes even as his soldiers vanished back into the shadows. His eyes landed on the frightened faces of the few children peeking past the others. "But we don't kill children and can't be bothered to take them in at the moment."

He actually saw a few disappointed expressions on some of the children at his words. Those were the ones who would do well in this new world. They recognized power when they saw it and wanted that power for themselves.

Zeke looked shocked by Daryl's behavior, having never seen this side of him before, but he didn't do or say anything and only headed for the exit when Daryl gestured that it was time to leave. They had accomplished what Zeke had initially come here for, and while the jovial mood from earlier was ruined, the camp as a whole had been greatly benefited by their visit.

Emiliano escorted them as they left and then stopped them once outside the camp. "I am grateful for your aid and apologize for how things turned out… but allow me to give you some advice about this place."

Daryl stopped walking.

"There are some things we have learned… at great cost of life. First, you shouldn't clear out entire nests." Daryl raised an eyebrow. They had been doing that regularly… "It will eventually draw the Orb Weavers to investigate."

"Orb Weavers?" Daryl asked, "like the Lair name?"

"Yes," Emiliano said, "at least that is our best guess. One of the other camps has a man who studied spiders, and he claims that is what they look like. Regardless, you can't miss them. They are colored black and yellow, but more than that, they are the largest spiders in the city. None of the other spiders will ever fight them, and you must also never ever attack one of them."

Daryl just waited for him to elaborate, but Zeke jumped in first, "what happens if you attack them?"

Emiliano sighed, and speaking quietly, he said, "they call reinforcements, never-ending, constant reinforcements. Every other kind of spider will come to its defense if the Orb Weaver is attacked. We learned that lesson at the cost of an entire camp being destroyed…"

Daryl studied the man as he spoke and decided that he was, in fact being honest. Daryl returned the favor with his own warning, "I would advise you to avoid the river unless you can confirm there are fish in it, and you should know that we just cleared an entire nest a few blocks east of here. If it is as you say, you may want to lie low."

"I was afraid of that," Emiliano glanced back at the entrance to his camp before adding, "I would offer you a place to hide, but…" He turned back to them. "I can direct you to the next nearest camp." Emiliano looked at Zeke. "It is Jacob's camp… all the others are much further away."

"We have somewhere else to go," Daryl said.

"Nevertheless," Emiliano insisted, "all I ask is that if you do go there, don't heal Jacob." He raised his hands in a defensive gesture. "I know I have no right to ask anything of you, but Aaron was right about what will happen. All I can offer is my promise to keep Aaron and his men from going after…"

The ground vibrated under their feet, and Emiliano froze, his eyes darting to the ceiling. "That's… I think it might be too late to go now."

Daryl watched the two wolves, both of whom were also looking toward the roof of the tunnel. Their gazes dropped down to meet his own, and Daryl saw no fear in their eyes, only a patient readiness. "What happens if we just kill the Orb Weaver?"

Emiliano paled and took a step back. "You… No! I can't imagine…"

Daryl wasn't actually planning to kill one. He just wanted to know in case… well, in case they had to. Though, he had a feeling that the B Grade Stanley mentioned was probably the leader of these Orb Weavers, and Daryl definitely didn't want to draw that down on himself. Nevertheless, Daryl had already sent an illusion ahead to find out what was making the ground shake. He sent a tiny spider, just big enough that he could peek through its eyes.

"Well shit," Daryl said a few moments later, "that is hard to miss."

"You… is it an…" Emiliano stepped back towards his camp, and Daryl felt his magic whisking down the tunnel to each of the spots where his sentries hid. They immediately abandoned their posts and sprinted soundlessly past him back into the camp. "You are welcome to…"

"No," Daryl said, "we will find our own way."

Emiliano looked like he expected them to die as he backed away, giving them rudimentary directions to the next camp. "Then farewell, and good luck." He vanished through the door, and they were alone. Daryl briefly wondered if the man hoped they would lead the threat to Jacob's camp…

"What is it?" Zeke asked, looking between Daryl and the city out of sight above.

"A really big spider," Daryl said quietly, "really, really big."

It wasn't necessarily an insurmountable threat, but Zeke's hammer would be… inefficient. Daryl watched through his illusion's eyes as the black and yellow spider stepped from one rooftop to the next, its legs reaching across the street with no effort.

Yes, the hammer wasn't going to be much use, and Daryl had never tried creating an illusion on the scale he would need to match that thing. He had seen Cunning Fang grow to a comparable size before… and her mate could always pull them through the shadows if they needed to run. Night Shadow wouldn't be able to get them very far, not with all of them at once, but it should be…

The spider strolling almost casually overhead suddenly stopped. It turned toward the north and then surged away across the rooftops… straight in the direction of the truck.

Daryl remembered Stanley saying something about clearing out nests himself…

"Well crap!"