The chamber quickly filled with glowing bodies. It looked like the raid members liked to use the Ember Rift-sprites more, so Reidar had to remind them that oxygen would burn, and because of that, they would die.

Most of them groaned when they had to summon other kinds of Rift-sprites, but they did it.

Helga approached him. "That's the last quest goal; after that, we will have cleared it."

Reidar nodded. At that point, Seraphine and Aldric got closer.

"It was faster than I expected," Aldric said.

"Yeah. I told you to listen to him," Seraphine said.

"Yeah, yeah, there is no need to repeat yourself, kid," Helga grinned.

Seraphine turned to Reidar. "You've done well, Reidar. Better than I expected."

Reidar nodded. "It wasn't just me. Everyone here played their part."

"Right," the woman said.

Seraphine's gaze shifted to Lena. "Lena's contributions were very helpful. Her knowledge of these creatures is quite astonishing. Without her, we might have been defeated."

Lena, sensing the attention, looked up and met Seraphine's gaze. "I was just doing my part," Lena said.

Aldric chuckled. "Your 'job' has saved our skins more than once today. You've earned the praise, Lena."

"Enough with the praise," Helga said. "We still have a job to do. That thing," she gestured towards the brood-sac, "isn't going to destroy itself."

Reidar agreed, his focus returning to the task at hand. "Right. Lena, can you give us an update on the creature's status?"

Lena stepped forward and studied the brood sac. "It's almost fully formed. We need to act quickly. If it hatches, we'll be facing a very high-level monster."

Of course, killing it for Reidar would not be a problem, but the rewards from the quest depended on what others did and earned, not on what he did.

Sharing the skill was too much already, and he was sure the rewards were going to be lowered quite a bit, but it didn't matter, because doing the quest this way was the fastest way to do it.

Aldric nodded. "We'll need to focus our attacks on the weak points. Lena, can you identify them?"

Lena pointed to several spots on the sack. "Those areas are thinner. If we can concentrate our attacks there, we might be able to rupture it before the queen fully forms."

Reidar turned to the group. "Alright, then. Everyone, you heard Lena. Focus your attacks on those weak points."

The sprites everyone summoned moved as one. Hundreds of different kinds of elemental attacks flashed through the cave's space and streaked toward the massive target.

The brood-sac erupted in fire.

[Rift-Sprite strikes Razorwing Brood-Sac for 2,341 fire damage.]

…

[Rift-Sprite strikes Razorwing Brood-Sac for 2,419 fire damage.]

…

[Rift-Sprite strikes Razorwing Brood-Sac for 1,923 ice damage.]

The notifications filled Reidar's vision as hundreds of sprites poured their attacks into the massive structure.

The membrane began to char and split; slime poured from the wounds. The shape inside thrashed, pressing against the failing tissue.

The Skitterers' clicking rose to a frenzy.

The brood-sac began to collapse. The barrage from hundreds of Rift-Sprites overwhelmed any regeneration the structure possessed. Massive sections of membrane peeled away.

Something inside the sac moved. Something massive.

"Keep firing," Reidar shouted. "Don't let it emerge."

The sprites intensified their assault. Fire, ice, lightning, and cutting wind converged on the structure. The membrane split wide, and for a moment Reidar saw the shape of the monster within.

The queen.

Then the entire brood-sac exploded.

Burning tissue and ichor rained down across the chamber. The queen's body fell with the debris, already dead, its incomplete evolution interrupted before it could finish.

[Razorwing Skitterer Brood-Sac destroyed.]

[Razorwing Skitterer Queen (Incomplete) defeated.]

[Quest Progress Updated: 4,000/4,000 Razorwing Skitterers defeated.]

Silence fell. The only sounds were the crackling of flames and the heavy breathing of the exhausted survivors.

A notification chimed for the survivors.

[QUEST COMPLETE: Silence the Chittering Tunnels]

The notification appeared for everyone except Reidar, Lena, and Jake. Cheers erupted across the chamber as fighters saw their rewards materialize. Some collapsed to the ground in exhaustion; others embraced their companions.

Helga approached Reidar, her face split in a wide grin. Soot covered her armor, and ichor stained her war hammer, but she looked satisfied.

"That was good," she said.

Aldric joined them. "You have my thanks as well."

Seraphine walked over with several of her archers. Other survivors crowded closer, offering thanks and praise. Some looked at Reidar with something close to awe, others with the cautious respect reserved for someone who'd just proven their worth.

One of Aldric's fighters approached cautiously. "I leveled up four times from the fights. I've never gained so much so fast."

"The summoning skills made the difference," another said. "Being able to call creatures to fight alongside us made things easy."

Helga looked at the burned remains of the brood-sac. "You really knew what you were doing. Both with the skills and the tactics. I was skeptical when you offered to help, but... well. I'm glad you did."

The atmosphere in the chamber shifted from exhaustion to celebration. Survivors shared water and food, tended wounds, and discussed the rewards they'd earned. Several examined the Razorwing Chitin Plates that had materialized in their inventories, already discussing what armor they could craft.

Reidar pulled up his quest interface.

[The Shepherd's Gambit]

[Progress: 20% Collective Raid Success]

<One quest down. Four to go.>

Lena caught his eye from across the chamber. She gave a small nod; they were on the right path.

<Twenty percent progress. If the remaining quests go this well, the reward will be worth every hour we spend in this valley.>

The raid force gathered near the chamber entrance, preparing to leave.

As they filed out through the passage they'd fought through, survivors continued to offer thanks and praise. Reidar accepted it with brief nods, but he was getting tired of them.

The tunnel exit appeared ahead, daylight spilling in from the outside world. Fresh air replaced the stench of chitin and death.

They emerged into the valley.

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