The tunnel was cramped, and everyone had to walk slightly hunched over. The damn stone manipulator was a short man, and it showed in his work.

But Stanley shouldn't complain; he couldn't have dug this tunnel himself. Well, technically, if he had his full power, it would be a piece of cake. Unfortunately, most of the ground here was part of a Lair and so highly resistant to most change, which left Stanley only able to affect the broken-off fragments. Luckily, the other man could still manage enough to get through.

Stanley missed the days of hurling his will against Lair structures and tearing them apart…

But no, that wasn't quite true. While he had enjoyed flexing his power, raging against whatever got in his way, he didn't miss those dark days. Here and now, even with all the problems looming, it was still better.

Besides, the tunnel didn't actually bother Stanley. He wasn't even walking. Instead, it was the two Souls behind him that were weighing on his mind. Sometimes literally.

Angelina and Sara. One was a far too cheerful baby, and the other an emotionally scarred woman alternating between terror at leaving the camp, and trying to encourage her daughter when the girl struggled with the new ability.

Stanley's first instructions had been for Sara to learn to control her flying that she loved so much. Next up would be the shield, a lesson Stanley had learned the hard way, but one that could wait for her. At her current strength, getting out of the way would be a better strategy than trying to block any attacks.

For now, Stanley wanted her flying to become second nature, something as simple as breathing that she could do by reflex.

Unfortunately, Sara did not have his own boundless Source-granted Regeneration rate. So she had to intersperse her flights with walking, which meant that her first lesson was mostly about taking off and landing, with a heavy emphasis on improving the latter.

Sara was quick; Stanley had to give her that, and once she realized why he always flew in a seated position, she insisted on learning to do the same.

"Ouch!" The exclamation following the thud of two bodies hitting the ground was becoming all too familiar.

The fact that Caffeine not only put up with the constant crashes but actually seemed to enjoy this new game only spurred her on. Besides, it wasn't like Caffeine could get hurt from the tumbles, and having him literally in her lap should make her the safest child in the world. Her mother still seemed torn on the idea of the terrifying giant pug sitting on her baby's lap, but she would come around if something tried to hurt the little girl, and Caffeine did his thing.

Stanley didn't mind any of that, not really. Instead, it was the constant reminder of two more lives that now hung in the balance if he screwed up too badly, and the day was still young…

The manufactured passage ended at what appeared to be a dead-end but was only plugged by a slab of stone that prevented anything from wandering in. Mason, whose name still felt a bit on the nose, had left the slab but already cut it free so Stanley could push it out with little effort, which he did after shrouding the light. The light, in this case, being a fiery egg.

Stanley knew what was waiting for them on the other side. Nothing. But still, just in case…

He relaxed his grip on the light slowly, waiting for anything to happen, and nothing did. Darkness fell away as stray beams of daylight streamed into the subway from above.

Stanley replaced the stone behind the group while they took in their surroundings and enjoyed the overhead clearance.

Mason had closed off the subway grates around the camp, something Stanley hadn't realized at the time and which had made it much harder for him to find a way underground before. Here, however, the grates were unobstructed, and so let the light shine in.

It was deceptively peaceful down here and almost pleasant if you didn't know what lurked nearby just past those grates above. Stanley knew, however, he could feel them skittering about…

Sara opened her mouth, but Stanley was expecting it, and no sound reached his ears. He felt her will clash with his own, likely an instinctive attempt to overcome the effect, but she had a long way to go before she would be able to contest his power, especially as a D Grade.

Stanley had finally thought to ask about it and learned that all the children had been born a Grade lower than the parents, more specifically, the mothers. Considering that C Grade monsters surrounded them, it would have been easy enough to rank them up from there. Except children couldn't absorb Cores…

Sara was probably close to nearly half Stanley's stats, and he was both curious and scared about trying to arm wrestle her. With his physical debuff, she might actually be stronger, and Stanley wasn't sure he wanted to find that out.

Though he was curious how his power would work if he pushed against his own arm in a wrestling match. Affecting himself was the easiest thing to do, whereas pushing directly against another person was the opposite.

It was something to test. Maybe with Eve, just in case. It wouldn't do to get shown up by his Apprentice on the first day.

In the meantime, they had a choice to make here.

This subway would run clear to the island's southern end and beyond, but it also ran closer to the park and the B Grade therein. Zeke was likely in the next line over to the east, but that one didn't start until further south.

The question was, at what point did they abandon the underground and take to the streets?

The answer was, of course, when they had to.

Stanley had felt no movement from Zeke, and he was worried about what that meant. Zeke was obviously alive, he knew that much, but it shouldn't be that difficult for Daryl to spirit them both through the city. Unless the Orb Weavers Soul sensing abilities had locked them down…

Daryl's trick of spreading his Soul out among the copies should give them a chance to escape if nothing else. Plus, the wolves should be with them… and Stanley was pretty sure that between the two of them, even the B Grade would have to work for it.

The grates overhead were not completely clear, as spiders had woven webs in the gaps. Stanley was glad for that because it beat the alternative of them crawling down here and filling the tunnel with their bodies. Why they did it this way, he didn't know, but at least they could still travel through the tunnels.

What they would find further south was still a mystery, but Stanley hoped to find a way out of the underground that wouldn't disturb the creatures.

For now, they walked, most of them, and all ready to hold hands for when Stanley needed to hide them from the light. Their footsteps made no sound either, and Stanley felt Sara still trying to overcome the effect.

He didn't mind and had actually encouraged her to try. It wouldn't be enough to interfere, but it should help level her Skill. However, if they got into combat, she was supposed to focus all her will on hiding with her mother. Whether she would actually do so was another question and another good reason to have Caffeine lurking nearby.

Stanley found the first obstacle far sooner than he'd hoped to.

The subway station ahead was crawling with little spiders. It was also thick with strung webs that blocked the stairs and most of the tracks.

Stanley sped up his time rather than calling a halt while he looked for a way through the mess.

It appeared that the only reason the tunnel wasn't wholly blocked was that they were still working on it. While he might be able to nudge some webs aside and hold back the tiny spiders without drawing too much attention… The others would need to walk through, and… well, Eve could fly now. She might even be able to carry Walter, but the downdraft from her flight was not gentle…

As for Sara… Stanley didn't trust her to carry herself through, much less anyone else, which she hadn't even tested yet. He suspected she would need some more practice and maybe some Skill Levels before doing anything like that.

Stanley broke a different web back to the north behind them and watched for a reaction. It was a bit of a wait in slow motion, but Stanley didn't feel any of the big Souls responding. So he started adjusting the webs ahead.

He went slowly, waiting after each move to see if anything reacted, but only the little spiders did. They would run over to the disturbed web when he moved it and then settle back down when they found nothing.

It took what felt like a long time, but it was probably only a few minutes before Stanley was satisfied with his handiwork. He relaxed the acceleration and opened his eyes to find Sara staring up while walking beside him. Her mouth moved repeatedly, and Stanley felt her frustration growing.

Angelina shouldn't have let go of Sara… but maybe she hadn't been given a choice. Sara was a Grade below her mother, but the difference might not be enough with the new Class backing up her lower Attributes.

Stanley wanted to yell at her for almost immediately disregarding his orders, but that wasn't how you were supposed to handle children, was it?

Instead, Stanley relented and stopped blocking the sound directly around them. "What?"

"What did you do?" she asked, "you felt super fast but didn't do anything!"

"You felt that?" No one had ever commented on it before.

"You're grouchy cloud thing went zoom! Can I learn that?"

His grouchy cloud? Stanley glowered at the suddenly grinning Eve. She was enjoying this too much!

"It's just a Skill," Stanley told Sara, "one that you can…" he trailed off. He wasn't actually sure if she would get the same Skills that he did. Her starting Skill had never even been offered to him, but that might just be because he'd already had something similar.

On second thought, it wasn't even a Class Skill originally, but rather a combination of Meditation and Still Mind. "It was a Skill I got from an Undead," Stanley told her, "you probably won't be able to get it."

The memory of how he'd obtained the Skill was… unpleasant.

"What's Undead, and is it scary?" Sara asked.

"Kids these days." Stanley sighed. "It was terrifying."

"Did you stab it!?" Sara mimed a thrusting motion.

"I did…" Stanley remembered, "and it laughed while cutting my Soul apart…" His hands ached where his nails dug into the palms.

"Stanley…" Eve started, and he pushed the memories away while trying to calm down.

"How do I make the angry cloud?" Sara said, "I want to go ra ra!" She shook her fists in the air as she spoke.

Eve and Stanley both stopped to stare at her then.

The little girl seemed entirely unaffected by his Soul; meanwhile, her mother was frozen in place and physically trembling in terror.

Sara noticed and ran back. "Mommy, what is it? I'll stop the scary monster!"

"Y… you… what…" Angelina was staring at him.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" Stanley asked Eve. Granted, they were all in his Soul, but still.

Eve shook her head and went to the woman. "Don't worry, lady. You'll get used to his little temper tantrums eventually. He's actually gotten better… Plus, it's almost pleasant when he does it to the monsters."

Stanley blinked at Eve. "That was… you almost said something nice about me. Again!"

Eve smiled. "Are you sure your hearing isn't going bad, old man?"

"Who are you calling old with all that gray…"

That might have been a low blow because she actually got a little upset and growled, "I will fucking shoot you!"

"Wow, Eve. Language like that in front of the children?"

Sara, who was looking back and forth between them, suddenly exclaimed, "Shoot you!"

That brought both of them to silence as they stared. That was what she repeated?

Walter stepped in when Eve started laughing. "Ignore them, Ma'am," he told Angelina, "they have an… unusual relationship."

She didn't seem very reassured, but the fiery egg beside her distracted the woman, especially when Sara started sticking her fingers in and out of the flames.

Stanley took the opportunity to tell them what was ahead. He had enough of a path cleared through by now. "Time to regroup and hold hands. We're going dark."

He had explained this part before, but this would be the first time with Sara and Angelina. It would also be more crowded inside the bubble of his domain.

"No flying for this," he told Sara, who was bobbing in the air again.

"But you're flying!"

Stanley sighed, then pulled the pug into his lap. "I need to carry Caffeine."

"He can walk with me!" Sara landed, managing to stay on her feet in the process. "Caffy, come!"

Caffeine jumped down and sat in front of her, staring up with a wagging tail. "Traitor."

Sara giggled happily. "Good doggie!"

Stanley sighed again and put his feet on the ground. "Fine, but you still need to hold hands." He could always grab Caffeine and fly if necessary…

"Yay!" Sara grabbed his hand.

Stanley tried to pull free, but she clung on even when he lifted her off the ground. He stared down at the child. What was wrong with her? Then at her mother, who, while still afraid, mustered up the courage to approach and take Sara's other hand where she dangled.

Stanley had no idea how to handle a child, and this one was behaving very oddly with her complete lack of concern for his presence. That was not how children were supposed to react, was it?

Eve was grinning at him when she bridged the gap between Angelina and Walter. The psycho was enjoying his discomfort!

Stanley killed the light.

Angelina gasped.

"Just walk single file," Stanley said, "I'll nudge you if you stray too far." Then he killed the sound as well.

It was both weird to be walking in total darkness with only the sound of one's own heartbeat and also mundane for Stanley, who not only spent a lot of time like this but also knew everything around him better than if he'd used his eyes and ears.

Stanley went slow for the newbies. Walter and Eve had enough practice already, and the Attributes of a C Grade made everyone more sure-footed than even the best athletes from before. Angelina was somehow the exception to the rule, and she stumbled repeatedly. Eve came through for her, easily strong enough to carry the woman one-handed and having no trouble keeping her upright.

It was probably better for Angelina to be in the dark for this, especially when one of the larger spiders threaded through the web-strewn stairs and all the way onto the platform mere feet from their silent passage. The spider wasn't looking for anything, and it might have just been dumb luck that brought it near. But for Angelina, ignorance was bliss.

The really interesting moment was when Sara's head turned to follow the spider as they passed. She didn't try to do anything else, but just that much had Stanley wondering. Plus, there was the way she'd ignored his Soul…

"Didn't Lee mention that he could see his Apprentice's Status?" Stanley found her Status as they ambled through the dark, and in it, he found the culprit. It was a Trait.

[Unflinching Soul]

You willingly confronted an overpowering Soul and did not flinch under the pressure.

Effects:

Significantly Increased Resistance to All Soul Pressure

+10% Effective Soul

That was interesting, and Stanley wondered if this had any effect on her Affinity for the Class. It was likely, and not a bad start for her either. A Soul boost right off, and before she even got her Class was a good sign for her prospects.

While he was there, Stanley checked out her one Skill.

[Soul's Will(Initiate II)](Epic)

Create the Reality that you Will.

Impose your desire upon all around you with the only limit being your Will and Focus.

The strength of Effects is dependent on Willpower and Soul.

+1% Effectiveness per Level

-1% Cost per Level

Nothing else of note happened, and Stanley led everyone an entire block further south before letting the light back in.

Caffeine had behaved himself, walking beside Sara at a slightly larger size so she could scratch his head while they moved. He'd also ignored the encroaching spider, with his only reaction being to switch sides and place himself between it and Sara.

He was a good dog, and Stanley couldn't help the smile on his face when Sara started trying to fly again while carrying Caffeine in her lap.

Their antics amused everyone except for her mother, and Stanley couldn't fault the woman for that.

The cheerful mood ended abruptly after yet another tumble. Only this time, when Sara hit the railroad ties, one of them hit back.

It was a piece of wood, complete with dirt and grime like all the rest. Stanley knew it was a piece of wood, knew it with absolute certainty right down to a near molecular level. And then it wasn't.

A mass of inky black tendrils appeared, lashing and grasping at Sara as she tumbled past.

Angelina started to scream as time slowed down…

Four knives shot from beneath Stanley's jacket as he carefully selected his targets… and all four stopped in mid-air.

The tendrils were gone, and two identical Sara's climbed to hands and knees on the train tracks.

Angelina's scream choked off as the two girls stared at each other.

Stanley knew which one was the original, they had tangled inside his domain, and he couldn't be wrong about this. Even though they both had the same Soul…

Stanley knew… but he hesitated. Even knowing with what he thought was an absolute certainty, Stanley couldn't throw his knives.

Everyone else was equally frozen in shock and surprise as Sara lifted a hand toward the doppelganger. It reciprocated in an almost mirror-like fashion, raising its own hand…

A black-furred muzzle closed over the doppelganger's head, gleaming white teeth sinking into flesh. The reaching fingers of the creature elongated, stretching toward Sara as wicked claws grew out.

Angelina resumed screaming as Caffeine twisted violently and threw the fake Sara into the tunnel wall. At which point she exploded into the same mass of inky tendrils that seemed to shift instantly between positions rather than move through the intervening space.

Four silver blades slammed into the creature, pinning it to the stone as four more flew from Stanley's jacket, twinkling darkness already sliding over the weapons.

The monster twitched away from the wall, leaving the blades behind without seeming effort.

Two of Eve's blasters sent white-hot beams into the form and finally elicited something like a cry of pain. A screeching, static-filled, and ear-rending cry.

It snapped abruptly back into Sara's form, only the one with wicked claws extending from the fingertips, and then the creature collided with Caffeine and sent him tumbling backward.

Stanley's Soul-covered knives froze once again.

Caffeine was outside of Stanley's domain, but he still knew which of the now two pugs facing each other was the real one. The monster could apparently copy Souls, but it could not replicate the link between Stanley and Caffeine.

Stanley still couldn't do it.

He knew that it wasn't Caffeine, it was just a monster, but he couldn't bring himself to attack that form.

That little dog who had stood by him through everything, who had willingly and repeatedly cast aside any worry for his own life or well being to stand between Stanley and all the horrors of the world.

Stanley couldn't attack, and he felt Eve hesitate as well, probably because she wasn't sure which one was which.

Caffeine had no hesitation, however, and he went for the fake pug's throat like a cannon shot. The monster tried to twist out of the way but came up significantly lacking when trying to match Caffeine's speed.

Teeth sank home, and Stanley used the only weapon he could to assist. His Soul.

Stanley didn't hold back this time; his Soul couldn't hurt Caffeine. He poured everything he had into crushing the monster's Soul, fake imitation of Caffeine or not. Stanley had a lot of feelings regarding Caffeine and anything that would attempt to take the pug away from him.

Stanley hit hard. Harder than he'd ever tried to with this method before.

The emotions all fed into the attack. Fear of Caffeine getting hurt, the pain of seeing him wounded, despair at the thought of losing him, and Rage! Rage against whatever would fucking Dare!

The monster felt that. The fake Caffeine Soul screaming in a delicious agony that only Stanley could hear.

Caffeine gripped a bloody mouthful of the fake dog's neck, and it abandoned his form, turning back into the mass of tendrils. The twitching limbs slashed over Caffeine's face and body while he violently shook the creature in his jaws.

Stanley was flying closer, and he saw the blood when it entered his domain. Caffeine's blood.

He somehow found even more pressure and pounded mercilessly against the monster.

Then Stanley felt the doppelganger getting ready to run. It had finally realized that this fight wasn't a good idea. "You aren't going…"

That was when Stanley felt a new power enter the fight.

Sara's power.

Stanley could feel her behind him, and she was screaming with both hands outstretched toward the creature as her fledgling Will attacked.

Stanley was pissed for sure, especially after seeing Caffeine's blood, but still not so far gone as to use the Source. He knew instinctively that this monster was no match for Caffeine, whatever its power was, and he wouldn't risk everything for a bit of unnecessary revenge.

Sara's attack dulled the edge of his anger further, partly in surprise but also in regret at the anger so much like his own coming from the little girl. She was so young… she shouldn't even have the concept of that level of hostility.

The monster's tendrils peeled away from Caffeine one by one as he continued to chew on his mouthful. It glitched back and forth in the air but did not escape Sara's power or the pug's teeth.

Caffeine, surprisingly, stopped chewing, glancing toward the girl while he held on.

The monster, for its part, was not enjoying the event. It flailed and twitched as it tried to reach out to anything it could grab onto. It failed, even when its limbs stretched longer than before. Those same limbs did not retract again, and Stanley realized what Sara was doing.

The screams coming from the monster echoed in a thousand different voices at the same time as its tendrils ripped free one after the other.

Stanley relaxed further as he felt the monster dying. The screams dwindled into mewling cries and then stopped as the last tendril tore free. The gory mess of inky… goo all fell to the ground, and Caffeine dropped his bite.

Sara's voice dimmed with the monster's Soul, and Stanley understood the last few whispered words.

"Don't hurt good doggie…"

Stanley caught her when she collapsed into unconsciousness, her Willpower no longer able to resist him.

Caffeine was at her side an instant later, whining and licking at her slack face.

Angelina reached her daughter a moment after, and Caffeine moved aside to let her scoop the girl into her arms.

"What did you do!?" Angelina screamed at Stanley when the girl remained unresponsive to her attentions.

Stanley ignored her tone, actually somewhat impressed with her for the first time. In the worry for her daughter, she had stopped being terrified of him. "That was all her. She kicked that… whatever it was, thing's ass!"

"She's bleeding!"

Stanley approached close enough to see the blood trails running from Sara's eyes, ears, and nose. He quickly checked her Status even as Walter placed one of the limp hands onto Adrian.

There was a Debuff. But it wasn't a brain bleed like Stanley had done to himself once.

[Soul Strain]

You have Overtaxed your Soul. Reduced Soul strength until it recovers. Overtaxing further before recovery could result in permanent damage.

It was no big deal. Stanley expected that she'd leaned heavily on her Soul to pull off that stunt. It was damn impressive, and Sara would probably even gain some extra points to Soul once the Debuff expired. Stanley said as much to the worried mother.

"I can't believe it," Eve said, "it's like a miniature version of you!" Stanley chuckled, even while he worried about just how much influence he might have on her.

"You were supposed to make her stronger!" Angelina accused, still upset, "not turn her into a monster! She never hurt a fly before you…"

Stanley zipped across the space between them, looming over the woman. "Don't you dare call her that!"

It was his turn to be angry. "Do you seriously think I got stronger by cowering behind other people? NO! I did it by fucking going out into hell over and over again until everything else was dead!" He was screaming into her face by the end.

Caffeine whined, but Stanley wasn't finished.

"Sara wants to protect you! She just killed something a Grade higher than her to protect someone, and you want to call Her a monster!?" Not that Caffeine needed her protection this time, but still…

Stanley breathed heavily as he stared down at the stunned Angelina. He felt foolish. He was overreacting, and probably only because he'd worked himself up over nothing.

"Don't call her… that," Stanley said finally, turning away as his anger deflated. "I won't tell you to love her, because I know you do. But don't you dare turn your back on her, because that just might turn her into a real monster…"

Eve met his gaze evenly, her Soul approving as she nodded.

"I… I'm sorry." Angelina's voice was soft when she broke the silence. "I didn't mean it. I would never call her that!"

"She needs you," Stanley said without turning, "even if eventually you can't see it, she will always need you."

His ears felt hot, and Stanley went to gather the Core from the… Mimic? That was a thing, wasn't it? He was kind of hoping for a Skill, curious about what it might be, but no luck.

It was a Shard, however, and Stanley decided to save it for Sara. She couldn't absorb it, but it was probably her first monster kill. Maybe Eve could stick it in a necklace… little girls liked jewelry, right?

"Sure, I'll make something," Eve said, "you can give it to her when she wakes up."

Stanley resisted the urge to sigh. "We should move." His sound suppression had not been entirely successful, especially with Caffeine's heavy impacts on the ground, and he could feel an orb weaver coming their way.