Massive, amorphous shapes filled the corridor like a tide of flesh and cartilage, lacking any coherent anatomy. They defied description, to say the least. Each of the unholy masses whirled and turned their amorphous structure, like dozens of animals stitched together—spider or insectoid arms with paw-like ends, what seemed to be fused heads, vaguely, just vaguely human, with dozens of eyes. The sounds they made were like an echo of hell itself. The more Alex focused on them, the more he wanted to throw up.

  HP bars flared in Alexander's vision.

  [SHOGGOTH #1 HP: 820/820]

  [SHOGGOTH #2 HP: 790/790]

  [SHOGGOTH #3 HP: 810/810]

  "Shoggoths? Why are they so strong?" Alex asked, holding his axe forward.

  "They can be," Samantha replied. "The bigger, the meaner."

  The three shoggoths crawled forward, fast despite their bulk.

  Fenrir's lips curled back, and his fangs showed. Tyger Tyger crouched, feline muscles tensed like a wire ready to snap.

  Then, suddenly, something broke through the wall at the far end, and concrete and red bricks collapsed with a crash that echoed down the corridor.

  A massive shape unfolded from the darkness, too wide for the corridor and too tall for the ceiling; like a spider with dozens of legs, but its center was a bulbous mass of flesh, even bigger than the gargantuan shoggoths behind.

  [DUNGEON BOSS: DEEP ONE/MAW-CASTE HP: 1888/1888]

  A human-like head sat on top of the mass, and its mouth opened, the outer jaw spreading apart. An inner jaw slid forward, with rows of filthy teeth.

  "Okay," Alex said. "I did not expect that."

  "Now that's a dungeon boss," Samantha said through her teeth. "The system just acknowledged it's the biggest fish in the pond yet. Deep ones are like shoggoth generals," she continued. "More intelligent and more dangerous."

  "So, how do we kill it?"

  "We just do!" she replied. "The hard thing is that there are no main veins like with morphs and humanoids. There's only a huge heart at the center, and aside from that, it's just a filthy mass, just like those shoggoths."

  Alex nodded, facing forward. He didn't expect to fight four overpowered entities at once, but he'd give his best.

  No, he would not die. He would survive no matter what.

  Tyger Tyger pounced forward, clawing the nearest shoggoth beyond the amorphous legs. It tore through bulbous flesh, and black blood sprayed out like a fountain.

  [SHOGGOTH #1 HP: 820 → 640]

  Fenrir lunged at the same shoggoth, and his fangs sank deep into its flesh before he tore a chunk free.

  [SHOGGOTH #1 HP: 640 → 470]

  Samantha darted around the side and pushed forward a mana blast, which hit the center of the creature and punctured another hole that jetted blood.

  [SHOGGOTH #1 HP: 470 → 280]

  The second shoggoth climbed the wall toward the ceiling and crawled like a giant spider.

  Alex looked upward and stretched forth his hand, summoning a mana blast.

  [SKILL USED: MANA BLAST]

  [ALEXANDER MP: 144 → 104]

  [SHOGGOTH #2 HP: 790 → 580]

  The creature collapsed downward. Tyger Tyger jumped up to meet it, and his jaws closed on it. He shook his head, and wet tearing sounds filled the corridor.

  [SHOGGOTH #2 HP: 580 → 360]

  "Get the third!" Samantha shouted.

  The third shoggoth crawled along the ceiling and dropped into the middle of them.

  Fenrir tore into it, and his fangs ripped through flesh.

  Alex raised both hands and concentrated his mana. Red light burst from his palms and slammed into the shoggoth.

  [ALEXANDER MP: 104 → 64]

  [SHOGGOTH #3 HP: 810 → 580]

  Fenrir kept attacking while the shoggoth's limbs stretched in convulsions. Some of them even tried to stab him.

  Alex fired another blast of compressed mana, and the shoggoth's flesh collapsed inward.

  [ALEXANDER MP: 64 → 24]

  [SHOGGOTH #3 HP: 580 → 320]

  The first tried to move forward again, but Tyger Tyger pivoted and hit it. His claws tore through its mass.

  [SHOGGOTH #1 HP: 280 → 90]

  Tyger Tyger shifted closer and pressed one paw into its side to hold it down. His other paw tore strips of flesh away before he pushed his snout in and found the heart. He dragged it out while it was still pulsing and bit down. The shoggoth's body twitched, and purple light glowed briefly before Tyger swallowed.

  [SHOGGOTH #1 HP: 90 → 0]

  The second tried to escape up the wall, but Fenrir leaped and grabbed what looked like its spine. He dragged it down hard, and the floor shook. Samantha drove a knife deep into it, and the shoggoth spasmed before Alex swung his axe and finished it, and the body dissolved into black liquid.

  [SHOGGOTH #2 HP: 360 → 180 → 30 → 0]

  The third shoggoth flailed as Fenrir bit it with gusto, shaking it until black ichor sprayed across the walls. Samantha's blades stabbed repeatedly until it stopped moving.

  [SHOGGOTH #3 HP: 320 → 150 → 0]

  Silence didn't come.

  The Deep One watched them and had barely moved. Hunger rolled off it like heat as its many legs pressed down and cracked the concrete. The inner jaw slid forward another inch.

  Alexander gripped his axe and breathed hard.

  "Okay," he said. "Now we deal with that thing."

  The Deep One's legs scraped against the tunnel walls, and dozens of joints carved trenches through concrete as it moved forward.

  "So, just to be sure, no weak point, huh?" Alexander asked.

  "Even if there is, it'd be hard to find," Samantha said, her jaw tight. "But it has no shields. It's dangerous and not stupid. It knows we're scared."

  The Deep One surged forward, faster than it should move with such weight and mass.

  Tyger Tyger roared and lunged at one of the forelegs. His jaws opened wide, and his teeth sank into dense cartilage before he twisted his head and ripped backward. An entire wedge of flesh tore free.

  [DEEP ONE HP: 1888 → 1760]

  Black ichor sprayed across the floor, and the severed limb twitched before going still. Another leg hammered down where Tyger had been standing, but he had already rolled away, his fur matted with dark fluid.

  Fenrir charged and leaped into the mass of the creature's body. His jaws locked, and his forelegs braced before he wrenched sideways. Something inside the creature snapped.

  [DEEP ONE HP: 1760 → 1630]

  The legs drove down at Fenrir like spears, and one caught him across the ribs. It launched him into the wall, and concrete splintered. Fenrir shook his head and charged back in.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  [FENRIR HP: 46/82]

  The humanoid head turned toward Alexander, and the mouth opened. Green fluid sprayed out in an arc.

  Alexander threw himself sideways, and the spray hit the ground behind him. It hissed, and smoke rose where it ate through concrete.

  "Gross!" Samantha called out and thrust her palm forward. A mana blast hit the creature's body, and flesh exploded outward.

  [DEEP ONE HP: 1630 → 1490]

  Alexander couldn't stay behind. The leg ended in a single pointed claw, and Alex stepped back as the claw missed him by an inch. He swung up as the limb retreated, and the axe sliced it in half. Black fluid sprayed out.

  [DEEP ONE HP: 1490 → 1320]

  The creature's head whipped toward him, and the jaw opened wide. More green acid sprayed out, but Alex shifted to the side. The acid hit the floor and melted through it.

  Behind the creature, Tyger grabbed another leg and pulled backward with all his weight. The limb tore free at the root while Fenrir scaled the mass itself. His claws found holds in wet flesh, and he ripped chunks from the upper body.

  [DEEP ONE HP: 1320 → 1180 → 1040]

  The Deep One shrieked, and the sound wasn't animal. It pressed into Alexander's skull, and pressure built behind his eyes, like the sound of a man pressed into the depths of agony.

  All the legs contracted inward and formed a cage of chitin and bone. One leg pinned Tyger against the floor and pressed down hard. It stabbed at his skin, and Tyger roared.

  The mass under the creature's body extended on a thick stalk of muscle and reached for the trapped tiger.

  Samantha burned through half her mana in one gesture, and a blast of energy hit the legs. The impact made them shiver and collapse.

  [DEEP ONE HP: 1040 → 920]

  "Thank you, my lady," Tyger said and stretched out. Red blood, his own, painted his coat.

  "It's taking too long!" Alex grunted. "Tyger, can't you dig down and find its heart to kill it quick?"

  "I'm trying!" Tyger replied.

  Tyger Tyger leaped, climbing part of its body before sinking his fangs into the human head. He dragged it down to the floor, and many of its legs bent. The central mass thrashed and tried to shake him loose, but he held on, and the weakened legs gave way as the heavy tiger pulled down. The massive creature's head was now close to the ground, held down by Tyger Tyger's strength.

  That was it.

  Alex commanded Fenrir through his mind. The wolf was wounded, a perpetual thread of blood pooling at its ribs, but it was eager to kill. It leapt at high speed and targeted the neck where the head met the body, his jaws crushing down. He pulled, and muscle and bone tore as the structure began to collapse.

  [DEEP ONE HP: 810 → 640 → 520]

  "It's afraid!" Alexander said.

  He jumped onto the creature's back and found the wound Fenrir had opened. He plunged his axe through it over and over until his vision went white at the edges.

  [DEEP ONE HP: 520 → 380]

  The Deep One convulsed. Legs flailed everywhere, and one caught Alexander in the chest. It threw him backward, and he hit the wall. He tasted blood and forced himself upright.

  [DEEP ONE HP: 380 → 270 → 180]

  Alex kept swinging, trying to sever the head, but the muscle and tendon, although flexible, were surprisingly hard to cut through completely.

  [DEEP ONE HP: 180 → 64]

  Black ichor flooded the corridor, and the Deep One spasmed. The inner mouth opened and closed with no strength.

  "Let Alex finish it!" Samantha said and stretched both arms.

  Tyger lifted his head. "But it's a boss! Don't waste its heart again!"

  "I saved your life, and you'll give this experience to him. He needs to level up because it's important for Marion."

  Tyger Tyger hesitated, and his eyes moved from Alex to Samantha.

  "Alright," he said softly and leaned back. "Just this time, because I like to cheer on the underdog. Finish it, boy."

  Alex looked at Samantha.

  Alex set his jaw and grabbed the axe handle with both hands. He put his entire body weight behind his strike and swung.

  [DEEP ONE HP: 64 → 0]

  The health bar vanished.

  The Deep One sagged, and the central mass deflated like a punctured lung.

  Heavy breathing filled the corridor, and Fenrir stood over the corpse with his sides heaving. Tyger Tyger watched the body from three feet away with his ears forward.

  Samantha kept her hand raised, mana still gathered.

  [+ 142 EXP]

  [YOU HAVE LEVELED UP]

  [NAME: ALEXANDER DEE]

  [CLASS: BLACK MAGICIAN]

  [LEVEL 3]

  [MP: 025/300]

  [HP: 65/92]

  [EXP: 34/300]

  [ATTACK: 12]

  [DEFENSE: 6]

  [CORRUPTION QUOTIENT: 0%]

  [BINDING CAPACITY: 1/5]

  His EXP bar had reset, and his HP had jumped to 92.

  "Good," Samantha said. "Marion wanted proof you could handle something like this. You did. Let's get out of here—"

  "Hold on," Alex said, looking at Fenrir. Was he... feeling something coming from the wolf? "First of all, I am aware that Fenrir has a level. He's level two. But he's not gaining anything from our fights. Can I push him up?"

  Her eyes fixed on him. She remained expressionless, as usual. But Alex could feel a tiny bit of warmth, perhaps the hint of a smile, or her effort to be patient with him.

  "You can share some EXP points," she said. "Those aren't locked to you. You can push them into bound demons if you trust them. The rate of EXP from level to level is basically the same. You can possibly give him, what do you have? How much was it?"

  "I'm at... 34/300."

  "Yeah, up to 34."

  "Alright, I'm giving him that."

  She jerked her chin toward Fenrir. "Do it. Just don't make him stronger than you. A binder weaker than his demons?" She shook her head. "That ends ugly."

  [EXP Allocated → Fenrir]

  [34 Points Transferred]

  Fenrir stiffened. He didn't grow, didn't change shape, but power rolled through him like heat through air. Alex wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt something like excitement cross through the morph's mind.

  Samantha watched that, then glanced at Alex. "You're learning fast."

  He almost laughed. "That sounded suspiciously like a compliment."

  "Don't get used to it. Anyway, Marion laid the cards on the table. We need you. I hope we can trust you."

  "And how's your impression?"

  "You really want approval, don't you?"

  "I... kind of do, but I want honesty too."

  "Listen, big guy, I'm doing this because I need it, professionally, or rather, for the sake of it all. Get it? I don't want to get emotions and stuff involved. Yeah, I'm friendly, I made comments about music and stuff, but..."

  "Alright, alright, it's alright," Alex said. "I was just asking."

  Tyger Tyger shrank back to his smaller form, tail flicking. "So, children. If we're done celebrating, might I remind you this whole building smells like open slaughter."

  "I thought you'd like that," Alex said.

  "I have physical needs, but also aesthetic ones," the tiger said. "This is certainly not pleasant."

  "Yeah." Alex wiped black ichor from his sleeve. "But we're not going back empty-handed. The next wave might starve us out if we're dumb. I saw tons of food upstairs. And no one to take care of it. I say we take supplies while nothing is screaming at us."

  Samantha gave a short nod. "Good. Now you're thinking like someone trying to live through a war instead of just win a round."

  "Duh, I don't really know why none of you thought of that."

  "Marion had priorities, but sure."

  "Alright, ladies first."

  They passed dead corridors, shattered offices, and storage cupboards ripped apart by claws and panic. They found a convenience stall sealed behind a metal shutter. Tyger Tyger wedged his shoulder under the rail and forced it upward with a rattling grind.

  "Morphs," Samantha muttered. "They go for calories like a problem-solving animal with no restraint."

  Alex moved through the aisles, grabbing whatever still looked intact: canned goods, vacuum-sealed packets, boxes of rice, protein bars that hadn't been pierced. He took what wouldn't rot and what could survive power failures.

  "Oh, this is what you humans like, huh?" Tyger Tyger said, hopping lightly onto a toppled shelf and peering down at a spilled line of instant noodles. "Save me some raw meat, if you will."

  The walk-in room in question was deeper in the market, the kind that once stored deliveries before redistribution. The door hung crooked. Inside, sealed meat waited in thick insulated bags. It seemed the freezer had been running, and the meat was perfectly preserved.

  Alex exhaled. "That's a miracle."

  Samantha's eyebrows rose. "That's days of protein if we ration it right."

  He hefted one of the insulated carriers. Heavy. Good heavy.

  "Score," he said.

  "Understatement," she replied, hooking one over her shoulder. "We'll cook fast when we use it. If whatever's left of the grid dies, this buys time."

  Tyger Tyger padded past them, tail flicking. "I suggest lamb first. Preferably roasted. Preferably in unreasonable quantities."

  Samantha gave him a flat look. "Funny you say that."

  He tilted his head. "Do tell."

  She sighed, not in annoyance, just in memory. "The best thing I ever ate was lamb chops in Iraq. Not the sad U.S. copy. Lamb shanks too. Tender. Perfect. I lived on that when I could. Hated falafel though. Everyone pretends it's amazing. It isn't. It's just... dry beans pretending to be food."

  Alex leaned a little closer, curious despite the apocalypse around them. "So lamb's your weakness?"

  "Lamb and loud music on long walks," she said. Then she smirked. "Except I didn't really do quiet. I'd put on 'Gates of Babylon' and walk with it loud in my head."

  Alex nodded solemnly. "A woman of culture."

  She snorted. "Don't push it."

  They sealed the last of the bags. Alex cinched the cord tight and swung the weight over his shoulder. The store shelves behind them stood half-cleared, metal racks bent where they had pulled supplies down in a hurry.

  Fenrir stood near the doorway, head low, ears angled toward the dark corridor beyond the broken glass. His body was still, but the tension in his frame was not.

  Alex felt a tug in his mind. He knew it came from Fenrir and understood fully what it wanted.

  "Right," he muttered. He dropped his pack and unzipped the insulated pouch inside. Cold air rolled out. He pulled free a whole ribeye, thick and red, and tossed it underhand.

  Fenrir snapped it out of the air before it hit the floor, then tore into it in two bites, swallowed, and lifted his head again.

  Tyger padded closer.

  "Alright," the tiger said, "you either hand me some of that or I shall proceed to claim some on my own."

  "As you wish, good sir," Alexander cut another ribeye in half and threw the pieces in opposite directions. Tyger caught one cleanly. The other hit the tile and disappeared under Fenrir's jaws a second later.

  "Balanced diet," Alexander said.

  Fenrir finished, licked blood from his muzzle, and resumed his post by the door as if nothing had interrupted him. Tyger chewed slower, eyes half-lidded but alert.

  The hallway outside remained silent.

  Alexander zipped the pouch shut and lifted his pack again. "Alright. Full stomachs. Let's move."

  "Indeed," Samantha answered. Her voice held steel again, but the edges weren't as sharp now. "We've got food. You've got levels. Marion gets good news. For once."

  ***

  They made their way back through the ruined streets. The almost invisible sun was lower now, as darkness shrouded it all, evening approaching.

  Tyger Tyger padded beside them in his small form now, perched on Alexander's shoulder. "I must say, this is quite the group. A binder, a combat witch, a morph, and a reformed East India Company officer trapped in a tiger's body. We're like a morbid tale, and who can tell how it will end?"

  "You know you talk a lot, buddy, don't you?" Samantha mumbled.

  "Two centuries of silence makes one chatty. You'll get used to it. Or you'll kill me. Either way, at least I won't be bored."

  "What have you been doing all these years?" Alex asked, turning his head. "How is it being a tiger and all?"

  Tyger Tyger sighed. "It grows on you. But I'm still looking."

  "For what?" Alex asked.

  "A way to be human again. I really do. I have tried it many times. For centuries, already. I've met with sorcerers and witches. I've tried to trick a few, to threaten them. I've been desperate."

  "Do you think our friends can help?" Alexander said, casting Samantha a glance.

  She sighed again. "I doubt that very much."

  Suddenly, Fenrir stopped and growled at something in the alley beside him. Alex felt something moving between the streets. He turned, hand reaching for his axe.

  "Who's there?" Samantha said, hands grasping the handles of her knives.