Odyssey Nexus

Rhea leaned against the railing of the brothel's second-floor balcony, watching the streets below with a detached expression. The town was the same as ever—mercenaries shouting over cheap booze, desperate vendors peddling their wares, and the ever-present tension of survival humming beneath it all. Nothing ever really changed here except, maybe, them.

"They're at it again," Stix muttered, stepping up beside her.

Rhea didn't need to ask who he meant. Down below, in the alley beside the brothel, Jalen and Lucio were locked in yet another heated argument. Nathan stood nearby, arms crossed, clearly unimpressed with whatever Lucio had to say. It had been like this for weeks now—ever since that damn courthouse job.

"You'd think they'd get tired of this," Rhea mused, resting her chin in her hand. "Arguing in circles, never actually fixing anything."

Stix huffed a laugh. "Jalen's too stubborn, and Lucio's too righteous. Nathan just enjoys adding fuel to the fire."

They watched as Jalen gestured wildly, his expression somewhere between frustration and amusement. Lucio, by contrast, looked ready to strangle him. Nathan, as usual, remained indifferent, though he did glance toward Stix and Rhea as if gauging whether they'd step in.

"They're gonna tear each other apart at this rate," Stix said after a moment. "And with the spider boss coming up, we can't afford that. Jalen said a week but at this rate I'm not sure if they'll last that long."

Rhea sighed. "Yeah, well, they don't exactly listen to reason."

Stix cracked his knuckles. "Guess it's a good thing I don't mind making them listen."

A Month Later…

The past few weeks had been a slow descent into chaos. They had the supplies, the weapons, the plan. On paper, everything was ready for the spider boss quest. But in reality? They were anything but prepared.

Jalen had become more focused, more efficient—more ruthless. He understood where Lucio was coming from, but he wasn't here to play hero. Every decision he made was about getting them home, no matter the cost. If that meant leaving behind a few broken bodies along the way, so be it.

Lucio, meanwhile, felt like he was drowning. Jalen and Nathan were walking a path that felt less like survival and more like something else. Something darker. They weren't just fighting to live anymore. They were making choices that blurred the lines between necessity and cruelty. And no one else seemed to care.

The turning point had been the bar fight.

It started with a drunken mercenary making an offhanded threat about what he'd do to Rhea and Stix if they weren't under Jalen's protection. Jalen didn't hesitate. One moment, he was at the bar; the next, the mercenary was on the ground, clutching his shattered jaw. But Jalen didn't stop there. He kept going—brutal, calculated, precise. By the time Nathan pulled him off, the man was barely conscious, blood pooling beneath him.

Lucio had been horrified. "He's down, Jalen. You didn't have to—"

Jalen had wiped the blood from his knuckles and the glyphs on his arms went from crimson red to a bold gold and he simply said, "I don't take chances and it sure the bastard right for trying me."

Nathan, for his part, had his own frustrations. He thought Jalen was becoming too bloodthirsty, losing sight of the bigger picture. At the same time, Lucio was too soft, too unwilling to make the hard calls. A former King Drow soldier, had an awful lot of hesitation when it came to survival.

And so, the arguments continued. Over and over, the same fights, the same accusations. Until, finally, Stix had enough.

"Shut up. All of you."

His voice cut through their bickering like a blade. Jalen, Lucio, and Nathan turned, surprised by the rare burst of irritation from him. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"This? All of this? It's stupid. We're running in circles, and guess what? The longer we fight each other, the more likely we die in that damn dungeon."

Jalen scoffed. "I know what I'm doing."

"Do you?" Stix shot back. "Because from where I'm standing, you're just making enemies out of your own team."

Lucio crossed his arms. "I'm trying to keep us from losing ourselves."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Oh, spare me. Do you think survival is about morals? You're living in a fantasy, Lucio."

"We are literally at a POINT WHERE WE DON'T HAVE TO JUST SURVIVE ANYMORE!" 

Before the argument could escalate further, Stix let out an exaggerated groan. "Enough. You three bicker like an old married couple, and it's exhausting. We're not going to solve this right now, so let's all shut up and—"

A sultry voice interrupted. "Oh my, such tension. Should I be worried you boys are about to start throwing punches, or is this just how you flirt?

The brothel owner, Madame Velda, stepped into the room, leaning against the doorway with a knowing smirk. She was an effortlessly stunning woman, her curves accentuated by a form-fitting silk dress that hugged her in all the right places. Dark, cascading hair framed her sharp features, and her crimson-painted lips curved into an amused smile. Her presence alone demanded attention, and she knew it.

Jalen barely had time to process the comment before Velda stepped closer, trailing a single finger along his jawline. "Especially you, handsome. You get more interesting by the day. Ever considered staying here and working for me personally? I could make it worth your while."

Jalen blinked, caught off guard. "Uh—"

Rhea immediately inserted herself between them, glaring daggers at Velda. "Hands off my brother."

Velda chuckled, clearly unbothered. "Relax, sweetheart. Just having a little fun." 

"Mhm." Rhea turned her back heading to the bed that Nathan had built for her and Stix.

"Anyway, Jalen, the rest of your clothing and the tools for the cave job are downstairs. Come get them once you are done. Also, try not to be any louder. You're running my clients, and my ladies need to work."

"Y-yes of course we are sorry. Right guys?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I apologize."

"Good." Walking toward the door, she swayed her hips. "See you around, Jalen..."

The morning of their departure, the group gathered at the town's edge, the mouth of the forest trail leading to the cave looming before them. The tension from the past weeks still lingered, but for now, they pushed it aside.

Jalen turned, arms crossed. "Rhea, Stix, you're not coming."

"Yeah, no. We are," Rhea said flatly, adjusting the straps on her new armor. "Try and stop us."

Stix smirked. "Besides, you need us."

Jalen groaned. "I don't need—"

"You do," Nathan cut in. "And they're coming. Get over it."

"I just don't want them getting hurt..."

Jalen exhaled sharply but didn't argue further. Rhea and Stix exchanged knowing glances before stepping in line. As they walked, Stix grinned, motioning to Jalen's usual attire. "You know, we all got new outfits for this. You could at least pretend to care."

Jalen shrugged. "I can materialize my clothes. What's the point?"

Lucio chuckled. "He does have a point."

Nathan shook his head. "You're insufferable."

As the group reached the cave's entrance, the air grew noticeably colder, thick with dampness and the scent of decaying vegetation. A thin mist coiled around the jagged rocks, slithering out from the darkness like ghostly fingers.

The mouth of the cave yawned open before them—a jagged, gaping wound in the earth, its interior swallowed in shadows. Stalactites hung like the fangs of a waiting beast, droplets of water echoing in the abyss below. The walls shimmered faintly, lined with veins of an eerie, bioluminescent fungus that pulsed with an unnatural blue glow, offering just enough light to make out the uneven stone floor.

A deep, rhythmic clicking reverberated from within. It was faint—almost imperceptible—but it sent a chill down Rhea's spine. She tightened her grip on her daggers. Spiders.

Jalen clicked his tongue. "Well, that's ominous."

Nathan knelt by the entrance, running a gloved hand along the damp stone. "The cave's bigger than I expected. If the boss is as bad as the rumors say, we won't get a second chance at this."

Lucio exhaled, adjusting his gauntlets. "Then we better make the first one count."

Further inside, faint strands of webbing clung to the walls, stretching across the ceiling in thick, rope-like tendrils. Some were shredded as if something—or someone—had torn through them recently. In the dim light, the ground appeared uneven, but upon closer inspection, the group realized why. The cave floor was littered with the remains of those who had come before them—half-buried bones, rusted weapons, and the occasional shredded scrap of armor.

A breeze rolled out from the depths of the cavern, whispering along the walls in a way that almost sounded like... breathing.

Jalen smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Looks like we got here just in time."