A favorable wind swept the toxic smog toward the shore. Dew took deep breaths while he had a chance. Sweat dripped from his hair. Arms shook slightly as he struggled to grip his katana steadily. Right ankle throbbed with a dark red welt as he adjusted his stance. A horde of centipedes covered the wall ahead even yet.

Antanae waved as yellowish legs clicked over a clotted crimson chitinous mass of segments groaning in a low pitch as they twisted. Compound eyes glowed behind snaping fangs. The creatures poured from the cliffs with no end. Their corpses burned at Dew’s back as their pieces piled at his side. Josh made certain that nothing closed on Dew from behind. The stinking corpses fumed toxic smog around the swordsman. Razor flat heads tilted from the cliff to examine him as he caught his breath. Antennae licked the air to taste his sweat through the overpowering flavor of minced and burning chitinous corpses.

Fireballs blasted against the cave wall. Centipedes screeched as they fell on their backs. He blasted them again once they were prone. They curled upright. Legs skittered in circling disarray as segments burned. The centipedes crawled forward from the canyon to surround Dew. Josh returned his attention to supporting, they popped as they were blasted aside. They scurried back toward the canyon as they burned. Armor cracked from the force of Joshes’ attacks, yet the skin over his arm also cracked. The scar popped flesh as it expanded in short bursts.

“Back up a bit. There’s too many! Getting yourself killed won’t save them!” Josh yelled.

“I refuse to stop fighting. I’m almost there! They are still alive. I know they are still alive but there’s no time!”

Dew’s robe slid over his left shoulder. Arms tensed as he resumed slashing. Toxin laced sweat dripped from his forehead. It soaked his robes. The swings pushed centipedes back from the cliff. The katana no longer cut them easily. It bludgeoned. Sandals crunched over the body, chitin, and fuming guts lining the stair. He raised the dulled sword and struck the centipedes repeatedly. Annoyed, the creatures spread from the walls in such numbers that Josh couldn’t keep up. They surrounded Dew and closed in from behind. A large centipede lunged for the back of his neck.

Inside, the torch died. Centipedes crawled over it. A final smattering of embers scattered over the stone as legs pierced the smoldering remains. The light from Nadia’s force field remained. It created a blue glimmer strong enough to see everything. A light violet mist settled around their ankles as it moistened the stone. Awlena gripped her sword and continued nodding as she trembled and sniffed. She couldn’t stop nodding.

“You need to calm down. Take a deep breath. I’m sure Dew won’t give up on us. And I have a plan. I think. I mean, I do. Please. The poison mist is falling towards the floor, if we stay standing, we’ll survive longer. I need time to make it works. That’s all I need.”

“I know my brother will never give up. But there are so many, and they are too big. What if he dies trying to save us? What if he’s already dead? What’s going to become of us!?”

“Calm down! You don’t know that. Your brother is strong, okay. Josh is strong too. They’ll get us out of this mess. I’m the one who’s not… I mean, I can hold this barrier for a really long time, as long as it takes!” A thought stuck, “Josh! No, it’s okay, Josh can hold out too. He held out before. We can do this. There’s still a chance everyone is fine!”

Sword shook visibly in Awlena’s hand. Her eyes darted between every threatening movement from the centipedes lining the wall. Knees shook. She jumped right in a fright. Then to the left. Her sword swung wildly at a monster bashing the barrier. It parted the shield while cutting the centipede open across a middle segment. A laceration opened across Nadia’s palm. Crimson splattered over the poison coated stone.

“Please, stay close to me. I need you to stand still and keep calm. Can you do that?”

As Awlena stepped back toward Nadia she noticed the liquid dripping from her friend’s palm, “You’re bleeding!”

“Don’t drop your sword, we’ll tend to it later. Anything we could use in here is probably coated in poison anyway. I’m better holding my arms up like in the good air. I won’t drop this barrier. I swear I’ll hold it forever if I have to.”

“Wait, did I slice your palm when the sword cut the barrier? I'm so sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it. You didn’t mean it. It was an honest mistake,” Nadia noticed Awlena looking like she was about to drop, “I never asked much about you. I’ve been selfish. Awlena, could you please tell me some more about yourself?”

“What? W-what, now… I mean, what do you want to know?”

“I don’t know, anything you want to tell me. I’ll listen. I can hold this shield better if you talk to me. Tell me about Dew. What was he like to grow up with.”

Awlena nodded as her eyes shimmered.

“My brother is a good person. When I was little, he’d always give me his strawberry daifuku during festivals. They were his favorite too. He pretended not to like them to spare my feelings. I think, of all my family, I love him the most.”

“That’s adorable.”

 “In the Dojo, he’d always lose every sword battle. I thought he was a weakling. I laughed at him. I told him to give it up because he was too weak. He’d just pat my head and tell me that he was getting stronger like me. I loved his attention. It’s funny. As a child. Everyone praised my swordplay. But I never practiced. I’d rather do anything else. Dew would scold me. I’d tell him to shut up. I was better than him even though I’m five years younger. Pretty pathetic right?”

“Yeah, I can see it.”

 “Then one day, he just disappeared. He didn’t even say goodbye. Father sent him away. He left our clan in shame for four years because of his weakness.”

“He was really that bad?”

“No, not really. Okay, so, by the time he returned, I had grown up. I got over him. I hated him for being so weak. I had to suffer without him for four years. Four years. And me being me, I refused to talk to him. I couldn’t even acknowledge him as our future lord. When he left the village on errands, I pretended to be glad he was gone.”

“He doesn’t seem weak now. Did he come back stronger?”

Awlena smiled weakly as a bit of fire returned to her eyes, “He always brought back strawberry daifuku. I threw it in the rice. I stepped on it. I tossed it on the ground. But he’d never come back without bringing me something. He never treated me angrily. He always endured my abuse with a smile. My brother always loved me.”

“I know I’m a bit hard on him, but I really do respect him. He helped me, just by being, just by being himself, I guess. He’s become very important to me, as a friend.”

“Yes, a friend. When he returned from the village with you it changed everything. I thought I hated you both so much.”

“Really!?”

“But… but… maybe if he married you, he wouldn’t leave me again. He wouldn’t worry me so much anymore. I hoped that you would fall madly in love with him. But my weak and pathetic brother couldn’t even make some pathetic peasant woman he found in the forest fall in love with him.”

“Pathetic peasant woman? Well, to be fair… nobody can make that ha-”

Nadia trembled. Hands ached as the bashing of the centipedes felt like hammers striking her outstretched hands. Yet she refused to flinch or retract them, even when she heard bone and joints snap from the strikes.

“That's what I thought at the time, not now, okay? And then! When they attacked. Those horrid things. Together you saved us all. My brother wasn’t weak after all! And you were even stronger. I realized I was the weak one all along. I couldn’t even fight.”

“I wish I was as strong as you thought. I’d kill all these stupid bugs! And there’s a chance everything you said earlier about the others is true,” Nadia sniffed as tears formed heavily on her eyes, “But, just in case there’s a chance they are still fighting. No. Either way. Thank you. I want to know more about you. I want to know more about everyone. Because you’re my friend now, you’re all my friends now. I didn’t even know it. But I understand if you all don’t feel same way. It’s ultimately all my fault. I drug everyone into this danger. For my own selfish reasons.”

The sword clattered against stone as Awlena reached for Nadia’s cheeks with a gentle caress that stroked aside the flowing tear streams over her cheeks. A gentle warmth passed between them as Awlena stood, tearful yet firm. The many legged monsters bashing against barrier made her tremble no longer. Nadia’s hands suffered cuts upon bruises. They bled. The barrier flickered its death throes as Awlena pushed her hands firmly against each of Nadia’s cheeks.

“I followed you because I want you to marry my brother. Dew followed you because he wants to marry you. The two stupid boys followed you for the same reason. The assassin followed you because he needs your help. You’re not alone! We followed you for own selfish reasons. Why can’t you see that? You incredible nit-wit!”

“Don’t call me a nit-wit,” Nadia cried, “I’m trying my best. I didn't want anyone to get hurt! I don’t want anyone to die! I can barely hold it together!”

“If we might die, then, there’s another thing you should you know,” Awlena smiled as they stared into each other’s eyes. She leaned in with a gentle whisper, “Because I’m also madly in love with you.”

Lips pressed firmly together. A brilliant warmth popped. They refused to part as Nadia maintained the barrier. Her eyes popped wide open as she realized this was a kiss. Arms stretched outward. Nadia’s cheeks flushed over while Awlena closed her eyes in the midst of a warm soft taste.

Energy flowed.

The barrier flickered once. A brilliance lit the room as it pushed to the walls. Centipedes screeched. The barrier crushed them against the wall. Their forms burst into violet flame as once tough chitin disintegrated. Nadia closed her eyes and leaned slightly into the kiss until Awlena broke away. Hands caressed Nadia’s cheeks. Nadia opened her eyes to see her friend aflush. Awlena let her hands slide to Nadia’s shoulders. Chests pressed so closely the beating of their hearts aligned.

A deep breath escaped Nadia’s moistened lips as she surveyed the room. The forcefield glowed stronger than ever. Behind it, the centipedes crawling on the wall had become sparse. The wall could be seen again. Yet monsters still pushed through the door as the circle of protection slowly retracted.

Nadia felt like she was about to faint. Their heartbeats together overheated her ears.