The tunnel descended for another quarter mile before opening into a chamber that made Riri's breath catch.
Not from beauty. From wrongness.
The walls weren't pulsing anymore. They were breathing. Massive lung-like sacs expanded and contracted in rhythm, each exhale releasing violet spores that hung in the air like toxic snow.
[WARNING: Toxic Spore Cloud detected][Prolonged exposure causes Corruption status effect][Recommended: Minimize time in affected areas]
Theo raised his fist. The party stopped at the chamber's entrance.
"Masks," he said, pulling a cloth respirator from his inventory. "Don't breathe this stuff directly."
Most of the party followed suit. Riri didn't have one. Hadn't thought to purchase it during her gear run.
Before she could mention it, fabric pressed into her hand.
Samael stood beside her, close enough that his shoulder nearly brushed hers. He'd materialized there without sound, without warning. He was holding out a respirator. Military-grade, better quality than Theo's.
"Take it," he said.
"I don't—"
"Take it."
Riri took it.
His hand didn't move away immediately. Fingers brushed hers during the exchange, brief contact, warm despite the tactical gloves.
"Thank you," she said, quieter than intended.
Samael nodded once. Already turning away.
"What will you wear?"
He stopped. Glanced over his shoulder.
"I don't need one."
"The spores cause Corruption status—"
"Doesn't apply to me."
Riri fitted the mask over her face, adjusting the straps. It smelled clean, unused, pulled straight from inventory. The seal was tight against her skin, quality construction that probably cost more than her entire consumable stock.
When she looked up, Samael was watching her. Not her companions. Not the chamber.
Making sure the mask fit properly.
Something moved through her chest that had nothing to do with filtered air. She looked away before it could settle.
"It's fine," she said.
His jaw tightened fractionally. Then he turned back toward the chamber. But he didn't move forward. Just stood at her periphery, waiting.
Riri moved past him, boots careful on the slick ground where spores had started to accumulate.
His gaze followed her. She felt it like weight, steady and unwavering, tracking her movement from the chamber's entrance to where Theo was organizing formation positions. The rest of the party moved with purpose and noise. Samael was still.
Vermillion shifted on her shoulders, wings rustling softly. The swarm's collective awareness pulsed confusion through the bond. They sensed the attention too, couldn't categorize it as threat or ally.
Riri stopped beside Theo, listening to his explanation of how they'd navigate the breathing walls. Her peripheral vision kept snagging on the figure at the chamber's entrance.
He hadn't joined the group discussion. Hadn't moved to scout. Just stood there, watching her with the same focus he'd applied to eliminating the Monarch.
The chamber led to a series of connected tunnels, each narrower than the last.
Theo took point with Delilah. Wren scouted ahead. The Mages held middle position with Avery and Riddick.
Riri fell into the back third of the formation, Loki at her side, Vesper ranging ahead through shadows.
Samael stayed within ten feet of her.
When the first Thorn Amalgamation burst from the walls, a twisted mass of organic material shaped vaguely like a human, Loki lunged to intercept.
He didn't get the chance.
Samael's hand extended. The creature compressed into nothing before Loki's jaws could connect.
[Enemy Defeated: Thorn Amalgamation - Level 10]
The wolf's ears flattened. Riri felt it through the bond: confusion, territorial instinct denied, the particular frustration of a predator who'd been cut off mid-lunge. Samael was already moving forward again, positioning himself between her and the next tunnel entrance.
Three chambers later, a Toxic Spore Cloud condensed into semi-solid form and drifted toward the backline. Toward her specifically.
Yui's arrow was already nocking. Bryce's fireball was forming.
Samael eliminated it before either could release.
[Enemy Defeated: Toxic Spore Manifestation - Level 9]
The pattern continued.
A Crimson Butterfly scout appeared in a side passage and banked toward her exposed flank. Gone before Vermillion could react.
Two Thorn Amalgamations dropped from ceiling vents, aiming for the party's rear. Compressed to nothing before Loki could engage.
Another Spore Cloud materialized in her path. Eliminated while she was still processing its presence.
The bonds churned with restless energy. Loki's frustrated prowls, Vesper's increasingly agitated movements, Vermillion's confused wing-beats. Everything that came near her died before they could act. And Samael never strayed more than fifteen feet from her position.
The rest of the party had noticed. Delilah watched them with narrowed eyes during a water break. Wren muttered something to Yui that made the archer glance back with poorly concealed curiosity. Even Theo looked uncertain about how to address whatever was happening.
But no one said anything. Because Samael's interference meant the backline took zero damage and the dungeon progression moved faster than any C-Rank clear should.
Efficient. Safe. Suffocating.
They reached the Boss Room entrance after ninety minutes of systematic slaughter.
A massive archway carved from the same organic material as the walls, pulsing with violet light.
[WARNING: Boss Chamber Detected][Crimson Swarm Queen - Level 15 - RAID BOSS][Recommended Party Size: 10-15 Players][Prepare for combat]
Theo called for a strategy meeting. Riri felt Samael's presence shift closer as the party clustered together.
Theo pulled up what little the System provided. "Level 15 Raid Boss. No recorded clears, no strategy guides. We're going in blind."
"Crimson Swarm Queen," Avery said quietly. "If she's anything like the Monarch, she'll coordinate multiple units."
"Probably spawns adds," Bryce added. "Kill them first or they overwhelm us."
Alex shook his head. "Or ignore adds and burn the boss. Depends on spawn rate."
"We don't know spawn rate." Delilah's tone was clipped. "We don't know her abilities. We don't even know the arena layout."
Wren spoke up from where he'd been studying the archway. "Room's big. Maybe sixty feet before the light gets too thick. Lots of vertical space."
"Flying boss." Yui tested her bowstring. "I'll need clear sightlines."
Theo nodded. "Standard formation. Delilah and I hold aggro if she lands. Ranged DPS focuses boss. Support handles adds if they spawn. Avery keeps us alive." His gaze shifted to Riri, then past her to Samael. "You two do what you've been doing. Just try not to steal all the aggro."
Samael said nothing.
Riri checked her companions' status. All three at full HP. Vermillion's collective consciousness pulsed eager through the bond, wanting combat, wanting to prove their worth after being denied so many kills.
"Consumables," Theo said. "Use them now. Once we're in, there's no retreat."
The party pulled potions, applied buffs, checked weapon durability. Riri's hand went to her belt. Two Greater Health Potions remaining. One Mana Potion.
She felt Samael's attention on her as she drank a stamina tonic. The same weight as before, steady and unhurried.
"Ready?" Theo raised his sword.
Nods around the group
He stepped toward the archway and didn't look back..