"You're the boss," I said with a lazy, dismissive wave of my hand.

Juan let out a world-weary sigh that seemed to drain the very air from the cave. "What a drag. Just tell me where to stand so I can get this over with and take a nap."

Skylar's sharp purple eyes flicked deliberately from Raphael's inflated, self-important posture to my carefully cultivated relaxed stance, and something knowing glinted in her gaze.

Jacob clutched his datapad to his chest like a shield, his knuckles white. His eyes darted from Raphael's bulk to the foreboding darkness of the tunnel ahead.

Soomin said nothing at all, but I noticed from my peripheral vision that her hands, which had been trembling almost constantly since we'd first gathered, had suddenly stopped.

Something fundamental about entering this cave, about crossing that threshold from the artificial world outside into this primal space, had changed her demeanor in a way that was subtle but unmistakable to someone who made it his business to notice such things.

We moved deeper into the cavern system as a group, our footsteps muffled by the damp earth and scattered moss, the comforting light from the entrance gradually fading behind us until it was nothing more than a distant memory. The Second Skin suits automatically compensated, their integrated systems adjusting and enhancing our night vision to allow us to navigate the increasing darkness.

The narrow entrance passage erupted into a vast, cathedral-like chamber, its ceiling soaring so high that our enhanced vision could barely penetrate the inky darkness above. Massive stalactites hung down like ancient stone daggers, their shadows dancing across the damp walls in the dim light of our suits, creating the illusion that we stood inside the gaping maw of some primordial titan.

From this central hub, five distinct tunnels radiated outward, each one a perfect black void promising secrets, dangers, and perhaps treasure. The absolute darkness beyond each threshold seemed to pulse with malevolent potential, daring us to choose poorly.

"Which way should we—" Jacob began, his voice cracking slightly as he fidgeted with his datapad, the harsh blue glow illuminating his nervous features in the gloom. The way he clutched it against his chest reminded me of a child with a security blanket.

His words died in his throat as a high-pitched, otherworldly screech shattered the cavern's heavy silence. The sound clawed at our eardrums like desperate fingernails on slate, so sudden and piercing that even I felt my muscles instinctively tense.

From the leftmost tunnel, moving with the jerky, uncoordinated yet purposeful movements of marionettes controlled by a drunk puppeteer, a pack of goblins erupted into view—five of the twisted, stunted creatures advancing with weapons raised and hunger in their bulbous eyes.

They were small, wiry creatures standing maybe four feet tall, with leathery green skin that glistened with moisture and bulbous yellow eyes that reflected our enhanced vision like those of nocturnal animals.

They carried crude clubs studded with rusty nails and what looked like sharpened bone fragments, their movements twitchy and erratic but disturbingly coordinated, like a pack of feral dogs.

The cave's acoustics amplified every sound as Raphael launched himself forward without hesitation, without a moment's thought for strategy or coordination.

"MY TURN!" Raphael's roar reverberated off the stone walls as he charged the mob.

His fists crackled and sparked with raw kinetic force, a pulsing crimson aura enveloping both knuckles as he moved, making his hands look like they'd been dipped in liquid fire.

The first goblin in his path had absolutely no chance whatsoever—Raphael's punch connected with the creature's skull with a thunderous boom that physically shook loose dust and small rocks from the stalactites hanging precariously above us.

The pathetic monster didn't even have time to let out a final shriek of terror before its entire digital form shattered and vaporized into a shower of shimmering pixels that scattered across the uneven cave floor like dying fireflies before fading into nothingness.

Without breaking his forward momentum even slightly, Raphael pivoted smoothly on his heel, his entire body becoming a weapon as his leg whipped around in a devastating arc.

His boot caught another goblin square in its chest with such tremendous force that I swore I could actually hear the sickening crunch of its digital ribs shattering despite knowing intellectually that these were just simulations. The impact launched the pathetic creature through the air like it had been fired from a cannon, its body rag-dolling into the rough cave wall with a wet crack that made even me wince slightly.

Its pixelated form flickered wildly, glitching like a corrupted video file, before dissolving completely into streams of cascading light.

A third goblin displayed slightly more tactical awareness and intelligence than its doomed companions, attempting to circle wide around Raphael's blind side with its crude nail-studded club raised high above its misshapen head, clearly aiming for what it perceived as a vulnerable opening.

Juan, who was still lounging near the chamber entrance with both hands buried deep in his pockets and his posture suggesting he'd rather be literally anywhere else, let out another one of his trademark weary sighs that somehow managed to convey both profound boredom and mild annoyance in a single exhalation.

With nothing more than a lazy, almost contemptuous flick of his wrist, the motion so casual it looked like he was swatting away a mildly irritating fly. He sent a single playing card sailing through the damp cave air in a perfect trajectory.

Juan snapped his fingers, the sound sharp in the enclosed space. The card detonated mid-flight with a sharp, concussive crack of concentrated explosive force, catching the flanking goblin completely by surprise and sending it tumbling ass-over-teakettle across the rough, uneven stone floor, its club clattering away into the darkness.

Juan hadn't even bothered to move a single step from his comfortable spot against the wall, hadn't even scuffed his immaculate shoes.

"W-watch the left flank! Three more incoming from that tunnel, approximately two-point-three seconds out!"

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Riki here.

Tried for a more immersive writing style these three chapters so please let me know what you think!

I'm always looking to improve and would appreciate the feedback.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.