"This is troubling," Abraham muttered as he flipped through the journal. "Missing people, ominous journal entries, nothing about this gives me confidence."

Darren turned away from the elder knight as he overheard his outspoken thoughts. Taking a rest against one of the houses while petting his zerglings, the zerg leader examined the gathered knights in the village center.

All of them seemed apprehensive at whatever was going to happen, though you wouldn't have known it just by looking at them. It was only because of his short time training with Abraham that Darren even knew what to look for. The sharpening of a well polished blade, double-checking then triple-checking gear, a wary gaze focused at the tight corners, the tension in the air was so tangible that one could reach out and touch it.

In all honesty, Darren couldn't blame them for it. With how dead silent Coalfell was, anyone would have felt the slightest bit perturbed walking through a ghost town with a group, much less by themselves. It made Darren thankful that his connection with his zerg was still as strong as ever even with the great distance between him and his main army.

"Hey, Darren." Looking to his left, Darren saw Jones looking around worriedly as he asked, "What do you think happened here? I mean, it couldn't have been anything good, right?"

Darren nodded. "Right. I've got a few ideas of my own on what might have happened, but until we find the villagers, I wouldn't put any weight on what I think just yet."

"That would be best." A quick look to the side saw Abraham, who had just finished looking over the journal, walk up to the two. "In a situation like this, it would be better to stick to the facts of what we found rather than speculate. At least until we reach the end of this investigation that is. For now, I want you both to be prepared for anything so don't go too far into your heads." With his piece said, the elder knight went off to talk with the rest of the men.

Darren looked over at Jones questioningly and received a shrug in return.

For the next few minutes, Darren stayed at his spot by the wall and watched whatever activity occurred in the group while absentmindedly giving attention to Cooper and Declan by his sides. By the time Darren had stood up to stretch out some stiffness in his back, the knights had begun to gather around Abraham. He followed out of curiosity.

Once everyone had gathered, Abraham stepped forward. "We move to the mine."

The knight's words were plain, however, his tone was anything but. The surrounding knights moved accordingly, each weaving around each other in practiced motion until they stood in formation with Abraham and Gilbert at the head while Jones was in the middle somewhere. Darren stood to the side unsure of where to go until he saw Abraham wave him over to stand next to him.

"Typically a Magi would be in the middle of the formation to support those around them," Abraham started. "But since you're a fighter and a Summoning Magi, I think you being at the front would be more effective."

Darren nodded in agreement. He wasn't about to disagree with the more experienced man.

From then on, the group was silent save for the occasional clanking of armor. Darren's eyes went from side to side searching for any movement while Cooper and Declan kept their heads on a swivel, senses at full alert. Abraham and Gilbert did the same though in a more subdued and calm manner.

They eventually made it to Coalfell's mine with no complications, yet Darren felt a slowly growing dread as he looked into the bleak darkness. Even with his wider range of vision to help, there was just something that felt off that he couldn't help feeling since finding the journal. He shifted his weight on his feet, an action that caught the attention of Gilbert as Abraham began to address the rest of the group.

"Something wrong?" the knight asked him.

"It's weird," Darren replied. "I've fought Wildlings and people before without hesitating, but this place just feels different. It's like…"

"Like something will go wrong no matter what you do?"

Darren's eyes snapped to the man next to him. After a moment he nodded slowly. "Exactly."

"I can't tell you how many times I've felt something similar in my time as a knight," Gilbert said as he stroked his mustache. "That gut feeling of uncertainty that builds up into a deep pit in your stomach, it has kept me alive on more than one occasion." The man looked Darren in the eyes, his gaze intense. "Hold on to that feeling, Darren. It will serve you well."

Darren grunted out an agreeing sound as he felt Cooper and Declan push against his legs in support. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath letting his senses expand outward, feelings of reassurance from his zerg comforting him as best they could.

Opening his eyes, Darren looked at Gilbert. "I'm ready."

As the group made their way through the mineshaft, Darren took the time to examine the area around them.

It was a narrow place that only allowed space for two people standing next to each other shoulder to shoulder. Wooden beams were placed along the walls of the shaft and above the ceiling to brace the area. They occasionally passed by carts, some filled with rock while others were left empty. Lastly, while it probably shouldn't have been such a surprise to him, it was also extremely dusty.

Earlier, when they had first begun descending into the mine, Darren had been worried that the others wouldn't be able to see much except darkness until Abraham spotted some unlit torches near the entrance. Jones was the one to notice the smaller space and from there on the group had to narrow itself as the walls began to slowly close in on them the further they walked.

Along the way, Darren took note that there was a sense of organization to the tools and carts they passed. There were however signs that pointed to some sort of rush. A pile of stone knocked over here, a torch on the ground there, but the largest sign that something was wrong showed itself nearing the end of the shaft as it began to widen out.

Abraham and Gilbert spoke to each other in hushed tones as they examined the blockage that stopped them in their tracks. Made from fallen rock and strewn minecarts, it obstructed the way forward for them to advance.

While they were deciding what to do, Darren was doing his own little investigation of the area. So far he hadn't managed to find much of anything that could help. The only things he found were dust, rocks, and dirt.

Darren heard pebbles crunching underfoot behind him. Turning around he saw Abraham making his way toward the zerg leader. "How are you holding up?" the knight asked him.

"I'm alright," Darren replied.

"Good, there's something I need you to do. Or rather I have a job for your zerglings."

Before Darren could ask Abraham to elaborate, the older knight began to walk towards the barricade. He stumbled after him and ordered Cooper and Declan to follow.

"So far Gilbert and I haven't found a reliable enough method to get everyone through the rockfall, but there was something here," Abraham said as he motioned to a nearby crack. "A knight wouldn't be able to make it through, our armor is too big to fit, but your zerglings could. Maybe even you if you can squeeze yourself through."

Darren took a look at the crack for himself. Abraham was right, Cooper and Declan would be able to fit in it, though he was skeptical if he himself could pull it off too.

With a nod, Darren ordered the two zerglings to make their way through while motioning for Abraham and Gilbert to stand back. Cooper and Declan bounded their way forward before shimmying through the crack. After a few seconds of waiting, Darren received a ping from the two.

"They made it," Darren muttered. "I'm going in next."

Without waiting for a reply Darren got on all fours and crawled into the crack heedless of the shocked cries of his companions. The rocks around him pressed on all sides, something that made his heart race for a moment before he eventually found himself on the other side of the barrier. Once he made it though, the way he came through crumbled behind him.

"Darren!" Abraham's muffled yell came through the blockage. "Darren! Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine," Darren reassured. "No broken bones or anything. Just a bit startled."

Abraham was silent for a second before saying, "We'll try to find another way in. Darren, try to meet us halfway or, better yet, a way out yourself. Got it?"

Darren let out an agreeing noise. "See you there then."

He heard the clanking armor of the knights fade away moments later before turning around to properly examine his surroundings. What he saw shocked him to his core.

It was a large place with much more room than what the mineshaft offered. Some veins of coal along with various other ores still seemed untapped. He noticed that there were mineshafts other than the one he entered leading out somewhere, each of them with similar, if somewhat neglected, wooden supports to keep shafts open. There were unlit torches along the walls too.

However, none of that caught Darren's attention like the pile of bodies in the center of the cavern.

The pile was a mess with blood and guts, old and new, staining the floor around it in a pool. Darren noticed that some of the bodies looked as if they had been recently chewed on while others had similar yet older wounds. But as his eyes scanned the room, Darren stared at one body that stood out from the rest.

It was a boy, not more than ten years old. His left leg from below the knee was missing, a trail of dried blood following behind him. From what Darren could see, it looked like the boy had dragged himself from the pile and was reaching out to a broken stick in front of him. As he got closer, Darren made out the stick to be a crudely made sword snapped in half from where the shaft and blade met.

The boy had a terrified expression on his face, something that sent a chill down Darren's spine as he wondered what the boy had seen before he died. He had seen bodies before, he had killed before, but seeing this shook him more than anything else. His hands twitched as he kneeled down to do something, anything, as he stared into the boy's dead eyes.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Cooper and Declan, who had stayed nearby, instantly moved to Darren's sides and growled at the woman who walked out of the shadows.

Wearing brown aristocratic clothing with a dark cape billowing out behind with her every step, she sauntered out from one of the mineshafts while disinterested eyes examined the bodies. With a wave of her finger, the torches surrounding the room lit up. When those eyes came upon Cooper and Declan they showed a spark of curiosity before coming to rest on Darren who had risen to his feet.

"You see," the woman continued, "they are very… territorial of what they believe is theirs. They especially don't appreciate it when their food supply is threatened."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Darren responded.

The unknown woman rolled her eyes as she tossed her long black hair with a wave of her hand. "Oh come now, there's no need to act naive. It was only a matter of time until you found out and it's obvious as to why you're here." At Darren's look of confusion, she began to elaborate. "The missing villagers? The increasing attacks of villages from Wildlings? Serenity's slow integration with the kingdom's nobles?!" The woman's expression began to falter as Darren's look remained unchanged by her questions. "How else did you find me?!"

Darren's expression turned awkward as he explained, "We found a letter with Serenity's symbol on it and it talked about Coalfell."

The woman's expression went blank. She pressed both of her hands against her face and let out an exasperated groan. "Either I've severely overestimated the capabilities of the knights or this place worked a little too well for my purposes," she muttered under her breath. "Nevertheless," the woman spoke up, "it's about time that I deal with you." She snapped her fingers and in seconds the cavern filled with Wildlings that poured out from the nearby mineshafts.

Unlike the Rock Eaters, these Wildlings ran much faster and were about the size of a small dog. It had the head, body, and tail of a rat, but that was where the similarities ended. Instead of a snout, the Wildling had a long vertical slit for a mouth that went from nose to chest with rows of teeth that chittered with its every move. Eight thin legs moved in tandem with each other, oftentimes crawling over their comrades to pass them.

"Swarmers," the woman began, "disgusting little scavengers, they can be easily dealt with when they're alone and barely even qualify as a Beta Wildling threat. In groups, however, is where their real threat lies. A common strategy of these pests is to have one of them act as bait while the rest of the swarm lies in wait for the perfect ambush. If given the chance they would strip the flesh off the bones of their prey in moments, glutinous little creatures that they are.

"That made them the perfect Wildlings to start with. With their small minds and even smaller individual wills, they were easy to dominate once I understood how to do so. And while I abhor this fact, a fast reproductive cycle ensured that I had as many subjects as I needed. When my word still meant something in the noble houses, I theorized that it was possible to control Wildlings, but only my patron saw the value of my work.

"There is one problem that I haven't solved yet though. In order to appease the Swarmers while I studied them, I had to procure a large amount of food. Eggs worked for a while but they grew even more numerous and even more hungry, so I turned to the next most readily available food source. Meat."

As Darren listened to the woman's words, he felt his blood turn to ice. The pit in his stomach, which had been a constant presence since the mine entrance, widened into a chasm as he listened to the woman's words. His eyes widened as he looked at the bodies and the Wildlings in newfound horror at the implications.

"The villagers never suspected a thing. I was sent here under the guise of helping them with some Wildling extermination and with the trust I built from that, they didn't even make a fuss when I said going into the mines was 'for their own protection'. I'm certain they didn't expect their 'esteemed guest' to have been nurturing the very thing she was supposed to destroy. A few hours later and now we're here."

"Why," Darren asked softly. "Why did you do… this?"

The woman stared at him. "Did you not hear a single thing I said this entire time?" she questioned mockingly. "Perhaps you need to have your ears checked. But if you want to hear me explain it again, allow me to dumb it down to your level." She leaned in with a hand to the side of her mouth and whispered theatrically, "It's. All. For. My. Research."

Darren's hands clenched hard enough that they shook slightly. "What."

"You can't bake a cake without cracking a few eggs. Really, I'm not sure why you or my former colleagues don't understand such a simple fact. That's enough of that though, I really should deal with you, but you've caught me in a surprisingly good mood. It's not often I get to talk with someone who has such interesting pets like yourself so I have a little proposition for you.

"Give them to me and I promise that I'll let you go without a scratch." The woman said as she pointed at Cooper and Declan, the zerglings growling at the attention. "Oh, and before you try to beg for the lives of the knights, I'm afraid that I can't let them go. It was a part of the deal my benefactor and I made, they have to die. You though, you were unexpected and I somewhat enjoyed our talk so I see no reason for you to die here today. What do you say?"

Her words barely registered to the zerg leader. As she spoke, Darren's horror had slowly morphed into burning rage. His face became dangerously blank as his emotions burned and bubbled just beneath the surface waiting to be unleashed. His hold wasn't perfect though as some leaked out across the link enough to make Cooper and Declan snarl in defiance.

He took in a deep breath and let it out. "What's your name?" Darren asked. "I don't think I heard it yet."

"Oh, of course, silly me. I am Innis of house-"

"Fuck off."

Stunned into silence at Darren's caustic response, Innis only blinked owlishly as Darren readied his claws for a fight.

"You can shove your offer right up your ass," Darren continued. "I just wanted to know your name before I tear you to shreds."

"How rude, you didn't even tell me your own name. I thought you would be more reasonable than that," Innis sighed. A moment later, her face became expressionless as she stared at Darren dispassionately. "Kill him."

In an instant, the Swarmers heeded their mistress and charged. They roared with vicious glee as they skittered forward to sink their teeth into fresh meat. But they never reached their intended target.

RUMBLE

BOOM

The ground shattered in front of Darren and the Swarmers skidded to a halt. An accumulated cloud of dust hid the forms that rose from the ground, Innis staring curiously from the back lines of her small army.

Darren focused on his connection to his Swarm and let out a singular order.

Attack!

Streams of green acid shot from the cloud and landed into the pack of Wildlings melting whatever it touched. Twin razor-sharp blades sliced through bone and sinew leaving only pieces of Swamlings all over the floor. As the dust settled, the roaches let out a challenging cry towards the ones who dared threaten their master.

Darren let out a sigh of relief as he stared at his zerg. While he had waited for Abraham to get his men ready for the trip to Coalfell, Darren similarly had his Swarm prepare themselves. Ordering a contingent of roaches to his position had been easy enough and he was thankful that they had made it in time. The rest of his zerg were on standby.

"What the…"

Darren looked to see Innis taken aback by the appearance of a new enemy killing her Wildlings. She trembled for a moment from what Darren thought was fear. Then she grinned.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Innis laughed gleefully with a clap of her hands. "My Wildlings against a group of creatures I know nothing about? This is the perfect way to test their capabilities, so don't disappoint me!" With an excited look on her face, Innis continued to send the Swarmers towards Darren and into the meat grinder that was his zerg.

The roaches held the line as the Wildlings made their charge once again with renewed vigor, uncaring of how many of them died trying to pass the heavily armored zerg. The acid shot from the roaches turned groups of Swarmers into puddles of bubbling liquid as they held the line. Darren threw spine after spine into the horde as they tried to overwhelm the roaches. Cooper and Declan pitched in as well, running up and down clawing at any Swarmers that got past.

That wasn't to say that they were invincible however. Roaches were ideally made as shock troops for sudden attacks and the element of surprise was quickly drained away as the Swarmers continued to pour out into the cavern.

Already Darren saw the ends of the line begin to falter as the roaches there were surrounded by the Swarmers and eventually taken down. For a moment Darren had a fleeting thought of how it reflected his first Wildling fight before he shook his head to focus on the situation.

Stomping on a Swarmer that tried to bite him, Darren focused within himself on the innate energy that waited to be used. Extending an arm and pulling on the energy, he willed it to come out of his fingers and kill his enemies. He watched with no little sense of awe as purple lightning once again answered his call, jumping from Wildling to Wildling with wild abandon and forcing their bodies to convulse in their death throes.

He stopped after a few seconds of constant use as exhaustion began to creep into him. Darren cursed. I really need to practice this more later, he mentally noted as he sent a command for his zerg to rally around him.

CRUNCH

Whipping around towards the sudden loss of a roach, Darren saw a spike of earth that pierced the head of his unit leaving the body to cool.

"I was fine with you throwing your little knives before, you know. It wouldn't have made much difference with all the other factors to account for," Innis said calmly with an arm still extended. "But if you're going to be so involved in this little test of ours, well then, it's only fair that I join in as well."

With her piece said, Innis cocked an arm with a closed fist. Near her, parts of the wall morphed into needle sharp points before breaking off to float behind her. Darren's eyes widened in realization.

Turn to the side, now!

Without a moment's hesitation, the roaches showed their hardened shells to the enemy. The earth spikes shot forward with a punch from Innis, each one smashing against the carapaces of the large zerg. While most of the shots did not damage the roaches, there were still some that got past the armor and hit flesh.

C'mon, think dammit! Darren thought frantically. When Innis had shot the spikes, Darren had ducked behind one of the roaches closest to him. His last experience with this world's magic was still fresh in his mind and he had no intention of seeing, or rather feeling, how an earthen spike formed from magic would affect him.

He popped his head from behind the roach and took a quick look around. Throughout the fighting, Darren and his zerg had made a sizable dent in the Swarmer forces but they were being replenished as more of the Wildlings came out from the nearby mineshafts. As he looked at the entrances, a lightbulb went off in his brain and something of a plan formed.

It was risky and probably extremely stupid, but if it worked then the Wildlings and Innis would be taken down in one fell swoop.

Looking over the cavern one last time, Darren nodded. He commanded his zerg to converge on his position and started to move towards the first mineshaft, still ducking behind the roaches as Innis shot at them. They kept a close formation but Cooper, Declan, and Darren occasionally had to kill the Swarmer that made it through. It didn't take long though to reach the mineshaft.

Innis looked confused as to what they were doing. That was up until Darren smashed the wooden supports making the entrance crumble under its own weight, crushing whatever Swarmers were there. "Stop them!" she yelled. Willing stronger spikes into existence, she shot them at the opposing group with increasing frequency.

Instead of just bouncing off like before, the spikes started to damage the roaches' armor, something Darren noticed with alarm. He had to finish this fast.

The next few minutes were the most harrowing that Darren experienced. As he continued to destroy the mineshafts and stop the tide of Swarmers, Innis frantically sent more and more spikes. There was only one more mineshaft left, but it was the closest to Innis and Darren was beginning to lose too many roaches.

As they fought their way there, the Wildlings' attack became more ferocious. They were just short of throwing themselves into the path of the group with little regard for their safety. Innis' shots became less composed as desperation to stop Darren from destroying the shafts mounted.

With a shout, Innis stomped and a wall of stone burst in front of Darren. Without thinking, Darren hopped on top of the roach in front of him and jumped as the roach sprung forward to assist its charge. Darren cleared the wall and landed into a roll behind Innis.

He stood immediately and ran towards the entrance as fast as he could. Behind him, Innis let out a screech and pelted him with spikes while Swarmers at his front jumped to stop him. Darren kept his head low to try and avoid Innis' magic as best he could while dealing with the Wildlings until finally reaching the shaft. A few spikes clipped him, threatening to topple Darren into a fumble, but he found his footing and continued to run. With a cocked fist, Darren smashed the supports with as much strength as possible, stopping the advance of any further Swarmers.

"You utter imbecile!" Innis shouted at him. "What was the point of even doing that? You might have blocked my Wildlings, but that's barely an inconvenience for me. I gave you the chance to leave, but now you'll just die tired." She raised a hand and Darren saw sharpened points forming around him. "Goodbye."

It's now or never.

As the spikes moved to skewer him, Darren pulled on the energy within him and released it in all directions. Lightning burst forth from his body and shocked everything around him. Swarmer after Swarmer was charred into oblivion as the lightning coursed through them. Innis was similarly shocked letting out a strangled scream as her muscles seized up against their will.

Darren kept the magic going for as long as he could, unwilling to let any Swarmer survive the onslaught before letting go. He fell to his knees with a gasp feeling drained of energy. As he looked up, Darren saw the result of his actions.

Every Swarmer in the immediate vicinity was dead, a smell of cooked meat hanging in the air. His zerg on the other hand were completely untouched aside from the wounds gathered from fighting the Swarmers and Innis' spikes. Whether it was conscious or not, Darren was glad enough not to question how his lightning did not affect them.

Surprisingly enough, Innis still drew breath, but it was shuddery with a wet gurgle accompanying each inhale. Like a burn victim, some of her skin was blackened in places while others were covered in crisscrossed scars. She wouldn't be long for this world soon.

Darren slowly made his way to her and stopped once she noticed him with glassy eyes. "What is Serenity planning?" he asked. Might as well see if he could get anything out of her before she passed on. "What's their end game?"

"You're… too late…" Innis replied haltingly. "Vasilikos… will… fall…"

Darren leaned in closer. "How? What is Serenity going to do?"

The Magi chuckled before coughing harshly. A twisted grin grew on her face. "You'll… never… know!" With a mad look in her eye, Innis roared as she clenched her hands.

CRACK

Darren looked up towards the ceiling and saw spider web cracks formed across it. In the next second, an avalanche of rock fell towards him. Before everything went dark, he felt a momentary panic as something tackled him, rocks crumbling down around him.

A/N: I'm actually not too sure about this chapter, it fought me tooth and nail to not be written. I tried to make it sound alright but it seemed kind of hammed up to me. In the end I decided to just embrace it here.