Arachnia’s spider legs clicked against the stone floor, their rhythm as steady as the throbbing in my fire rune. The twisting corridor she led me through reeked of damp earth and old magic, but I was too focused to care.

“This is it,” she said, her voice like silk wrapped around a blade. Her eyes gleamed as she gestured to a chamber ahead.

The room was...overwhelming. Piles of gold and jewels were scattered everywhere, but my gaze zeroed in on the jagged shard of energy pulsing atop a pedestal in the center. Its glow seemed to call to me, pulling at the fire rune embedded on my wrist.

I didn’t need Arachnia’s smug grin to tell me this was a trap. But who cared? This shard was worth it.

As I approached, Arachnia’s voice slithered into the silence. “Impressive, isn’t it? A treasure for someone bold enough—”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” I interrupted, brushing past her. The second I touched the shard, my world exploded into light and heat.

The energy coursed through me, raw and untamed. My fire rune flared, its intensity so blinding it felt like it might burn straight through my skin. I clenched my jaw, refusing to let go.

And then I heard him.

“Vex, you’ve got all the survival instincts of a moth in a bonfire.”

I didn’t need to look to know who it was. My shadow rippled on the floor before peeling away, rising into the familiar, serpentine form of Buddy. His sinuous body coiled in the air like smoke, his glowing white eyes narrowing in that particular way that said, I told you so.

“Buddy,” I muttered through clenched teeth, my hand still locked on the shard. “Not now.”

“Not now? Not now?” His voice was as smooth as oil, but with an edge sharp enough to cut steel. “You’re about to flambé yourself, and you’re telling me not now?”

“Buddy, I swear—”

Before I could finish, his shadowy coils lashed out, wrapping around my arm and the shard in a suffocating grip.

“What the hell?!” I shouted, yanking back, but Buddy held firm.

“Saving your sorry hide,” he hissed, his body twisting as the shard’s energy dimmed. “This thing? It’s not a toy. You’re playing with something older—and meaner—than you.”

With a final surge, Buddy swallowed the shard into his shadowy mass. The moment it disappeared, the fire rune on my wrist cooled, the pain fading to an ache.

“You just—” I started, flexing my hand, but he cut me off with a hiss.

“You’re welcome.” His eyes bored into me, unblinking and infuriatingly smug.

Arachnia, who’d been watching with a mixture of fascination and fury, finally stepped forward. “Where is it?” she demanded, her voice a venomous whisper.

Buddy turned his glowing gaze to her, uncoiling slightly. “Somewhere safe. Safer than you’d ever make it.”

Her mandibles clicked in irritation. “That shard was mine!”

“No,” Buddy corrected, his voice dripping with mockery. “It was sitting there waiting for someone stupid enough to grab it. Congratulations, you found Vex.”

I shot him a glare. “Gee, thanks.”

Arachnia’s legs twitched as she advanced, her fangs bared. “Do you think I’ll let you walk out of here after this insult?”

Buddy laughed, a low, echoing sound. “Walk? Oh, sweetheart, I don’t walk. And neither does he.” His body coiled tighter, shadows swirling menacingly around him. “But go ahead. Make your move.”

The temperature in the room dropped as the two squared off, shadows and venom ready to clash.

“Enough!” I snapped, stepping between them. My fire rune flared faintly, a warning. “Arachnia, we didn’t come here to fight you.”

“Speak for yourself,” Buddy muttered, his eyes still locked on her.

I ignored him. “Look, you get to keep your treasure hoard, okay? We’re not interested in the gold.”

Arachnia’s eyes narrowed. “And what are you interested in?”

Buddy slithered forward, his voice a low purr. “Your craftsmanship.”

Her gaze flicked to him warily. “What are you talking about?”

“We know about your little hobby,” he said, his tone dangerously smooth. “Crafting powerful artifacts. Like that nifty relic you made for Sombra back in the day. How about a new commission? A ring that can hold magic.”

Arachnia tilted her head, the gleam in her eyes shifting from fury to interest. “And what’s in it for me?”

Buddy’s grin widened, his coils tightening like a noose. “Take your pick of the fortress loot. Plus, a little...protection from certain enemies.”

She hesitated, her mandibles clicking softly. “It’ll take time.”

“You’ve got a week,” Buddy said, his tone brooking no argument.

With a final hiss, Arachnia skittered off, muttering something about insufferable bosses.

As soon as she was gone, I turned to Buddy. “Do you ever not piss people off?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” he said, his eyes glowing brighter. “Now, to business. Get to the courtyard.”

“For what?”

“To climb the tallest tower,” he said, as if it were obvious.

“And what’s at the top?”

“A signal,” he replied, his voice filled with glee. “We’re announcing your rise, fireboy. Time to show the world who’s in charge.”

The climb was hell—cold wind, slippery stone, and Buddy’s constant commentary didn’t help.

“You climb like a constipated lizard,” he snickered, slithering effortlessly alongside me.

“Bite me,” I grunted, pulling myself up another ledge.

“I would, but I’d probably choke on all that pride,” he shot back.

When I finally reached the top, the view was worth it—stormy skies, jagged spires, and my fortress below, alive with shadowy movement.

“Alright,” I said, panting. “What now?”

Buddy coiled beside an altar in the center of the broken tower. “This is the heart of your fortress. Touch it, channel your will, and let the pit do the rest.”

“And by ‘pit,’ you mean...?”

He grinned. “Your new army factory.”

I stared at him. “This is insane.”

“No,” he corrected. “This is power. Now stop whining and claim it.”

I placed my hand on the altar, and the fortress came alive, shadows pulsing like a heartbeat. The pit below roared, its depths churning with dark energy.

“Well,” I muttered, stepping back as the room transformed around me, “this screams bad idea.”

Buddy laughed, his eyes glowing brighter. “Welcome to leadership, Vex. Let’s get to work.”

Ugh. I thrashed my gray hooves, tangled in the grossest, stickiest hug of my life. The webbing clung like it had something to prove, and my tattered jester uniform wasn’t helping, sticking to my fur like a second layer of humiliation.

"Fantastic," I muttered, struggling like a worm in a fishing net. "Vex runs off with Miss Legs-for-Days, and I’m stuck here as a spider's midnight snack. Just my luck!"

My horn sparked with dark magic, the familiar crackle of power making me grin despite myself. With a sharp snap, the webbing gave way, and I dropped to the ground, landing in a less-than-graceful heap. I shook myself off like a drenched dog, glaring at the remaining webbing stuck to my hooves. "Alright, you creepy crawlies, game’s over. Time to find Thunderhide before this whole fiasco drives me straight into an early grave."

Storming outside, I immediately spotted one of the Nightrüne standing there like a really unsettling garden gnome. Its glowing white eyes and twisted horns practically screamed "don’t mess with me," but I was in no mood.

"Hey, horn-head!" I waved a hoof in front of its face. It blinked once. Then again. Real slow. Like it was trying to find its one remaining brain cell. "Where’s Thunderhide?"

The thing tilted its head, like I’d just asked it to recite poetry, then pointed—hesitantly—toward the crumbling old guardhouse. "Thunderhide... snoring. Lower floor."

"Snoring?" I repeated, staring at it like it’d grown a second set of horns. "You’re telling me the great, unstoppable Thunderhide is down there napping while I’m up here battling spiders and existential dread?!"

The Nightrüne just blinked again. Typical.

"Unbelievable," I muttered, stomping off toward the guardhouse. "Of course, big guy takes a five-star snooze while the rest of us are breaking our backs. Legendary warrior, my left hoof."

The guardhouse was a wreck—crumbling walls, cobwebs thicker than my patience, and a smell that screamed abandon hope, all ye who enter here. I muttered curses all the way down the stairwell, my hooves clattering on the stone steps.

At the bottom, I found him. The mighty Thunderhide, wrapped up in webbing like some grotesque, muscle-bound burrito. And snoring. Loudly.

I stared at him. My eye twitched.

"You have got to be kidding me," I groaned, kicking over a nearby crate. It clattered to the floor with an echoing crash. Nothing. Not even a twitch.

"Oh, for the love of—" My horn flared, conjuring a magical firecracker. I lobbed it right at his cocoon.

BOOM!

The webbing disintegrated, and Thunderhide jolted awake with a snort loud enough to wake the dead. He blinked blearily, his horns catching the dim light as he tried to focus. "Huh? Jinx? You’re still alive?"

"Yeah, unlike your dignity," I snapped, stomping a hoof. "Mind explaining why you’re down here snoozing while I’m out there fighting spiders and bad vibes?"

He yawned—a big, obnoxious yawn—like he hadn’t just been caught napping on the job. "I dunno, Jinx. One minute I’m smashing minotaurs, next minute something bites me. Boom. Lights out."

"Oh, fantastic," I said, throwing up my hooves. "So the great and powerful Thunderhide got taken out by a bug. That’s so inspiring."

"It was a big bug," he shot back, rolling his shoulders like he wasn’t just a giant disappointment wrapped in fur.

I glared at him. "Oh, well, if it was big, that totally makes it okay."

He shrugged, cracking his neck with an audible pop. "You done yet? Or you got more sass to get outta your system?"

"I’ve always got more sass," I retorted, turning on my heel. "Now move it, musclehead. We’ve got a fortress to not-die in, and I’m not doing it alone."

As we made our way back upstairs, the ground suddenly rumbled beneath our hooves. I stumbled, barely catching myself on the crumbling wall.

Thunderhide growled, his ears twitching. "You feel that?"

"Yeah," I said, my fur bristling. "Not exactly a warm and fuzzy feeling."

The air shifted—cold, sharp, wrong. Then, without warning, a wave of darkness slammed into us, wrapping around like a suffocating blanket. I fired up my magic, the dark sparks flickering weakly against the oppressive chill. My heart raced as the wave passed, leaving the room eerily silent.

Thunderhide steadied himself, his horns glinting in the faint light. "That... wasn’t good."

"No kidding," I said, trying to catch my breath. "Pretty sure that’s the opposite of good."

He grunted, scanning the stairwell ahead. "Guessing we’re not catching a break anytime soon?"

I gave him a flat look. "Thunderhide, we never catch a break. Now shut up and keep moving before something else decides to ruin my day."

With that, we climbed higher, the fortress creaking ominously around us. Whatever had just happened, I had a feeling we were in for a lot worse.

Rubbing my eyes, I blinked and looked around.

Everything had... fixed itself. The broken walls? Gone. The collapsed towers? Gone. Instead, the fort was now wrapped in creepy, living shadow-walls, like a haunted house on steroids.

“What the hell?” I muttered. “Did we get new, shadowy fort guards or some dark magic contractor?”

Thunderhide just grunted, giving me a flat look, but he didn’t say anything. We both turned our heads just in time to hear—CRASH!

A figure slammed into the ground like a pissed-off comet. Debris flew everywhere, and I waved my hooves to clear the dust, hacking like I’d inhaled a cactus. Once the dust settled, there he was.

Vex.

And, of course, he looked different. Bigger, darker, like he’d bathed in a vat of shadow magic. His glowing eyes cut through the haze, and he brushed off the dirt with that smug swagger of his, like he'd just taken a shortcut through hell.

“Well, well, well,” I said, smirking despite myself. “Nice of you to show up with the deluxe renovations.”

Thunderhide didn’t even flinch, just stared at the crumbling wreckage now mysteriously covered in nightmare-fuel shadows. “Definitely not the work of the guards.”

“No kidding,” I snorted. “Who else but Vex could pull off this kind of... interior redesign?”

Vex glanced over at us, his signature cocky smirk spreading across his face. “Thought a little reconstruction was in order,” he said, dragging his fingers over the shadowy walls like he was admiring fine art. “Can’t have the fort looking like a pile of junk with everything coming up.”

“Reconstruction?!” I raised an eyebrow, giving him a deadpan stare. “This looks like the result of a bad acid trip and a paint spill.”

Vex chuckled, enjoying my discomfort. “True, but it was free, so beggars can’t be choosers.” He turned to Thunderhide then, that same confident smirk plastered on his face. “So, got any more tribes, clans, or, I don’t know, wild beasts you want to drag into my chaos? I’m heading back to the North Mountain to pick up the minotaurs and those other lackeys. If you’ve got anyone who might want in, now’s the time to send them my way.”

Thunderhide shot him a skeptical look, cracking his knuckles with a grunt. “You want me to drag people into your mess? You’ve got a hell of a way of making friends, Vex.”

Vex just laughed it off. “I don’t need you to drag anyone. Just point them in the right direction. I’ll handle the rest.”

Then he turned to me, eyes narrowing with that same, annoying smirk. “And you, Jinx... make sure the fort doesn’t fall apart while I’m off recruiting my little army.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, great. Babysitting duty. My favorite.”

“Exactly,” Vex purred, practically enjoying my suffering. “Stay sharp, Jinx. I’ll be back soon, and that’s when the real fun starts.”

Thunderhide gave me a once-over before nodding. “I’ll round up a few for you, Jinx. Try not to burn the place down, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, watching Vex slip back into the shadows. “I’ll do my best to keep the place in one piece while you’re off gathering your little army of misfits.”

As Vex vanished into the darkness, I was left standing there with Thunderhide, wondering exactly what I’d gotten myself into this time.

I emerged from the shadows near the Geode Passage, my eyes scanning the air. The runes carved into the stone flickered to life, casting a dim blue glow that danced across the walls. The air crackled with energy, and I could feel the portal coming to life ahead of me.

With a smooth motion, I pulled out the Geode Key—a stone triangle with a glowing blue rune in the middle. The magic pulsed as I gripped it, syncing with the swirling vortex in the archway. The portal responded, its energy humming louder as the runes around it vibrated.

Then, I heard Buddy’s voice, his words carrying the weight of a joke: “Robert you never seem to rest.”

I paused, my brow furrowing in confusion. Robert? It took a second for the name to sink in—my name.

A smirk curled on my lips as the realization settled in. "Well, ain't no rest for the wicked," I muttered, the words tasting familiar, even more fitting now.

I stepped into the portal, the swirling vortex tugging at me, and in a blink, I was through. The dark void of the other side greeted me, and the cold, familiar expanse of the place where my remaining minions were waiting stretched before me.

Time to gather what was mine. The minotaurs, the forces I’d left behind—they’d be mine again. And soon, the armor would be in my grasp. Everything would fall into place.

Author's Note

Hey everyone, Trashmanic here with Chapter 14! Can you believe it? After 14 chapters (and only a little over a week in-universe), Vex has finally started making some real progress on his whole "build an army" plan. It’s about time, right?

Now that things are rolling, he’s got five big objectives lined up:

1. Get the shard back to regain his armor and ditch that pesky rune.

2. Head back to Lord Chrysalis and pick up his minions.

3. Kick Lord Chrysalis’s flank—because revenge is a dish best served brutal.

4. Pay the Diamond Dogs a “friendly” visit and teach them why messing with Vex was a terrible idea.

5. Relocate his minions from the North Mountain to Fort Rapture (which, let’s face it, is definitely getting a new name).

But, of course, even in victory, Vex can’t catch a break. Every time he thinks he’s simplifying his life, another disaster comes crashing in to make things worse. It’s almost like the universe is trying to turn his to-do list into a saga all on its own.

Anyway, thanks for sticking with me this far! I hope you enjoy this chapter and the chaos that follows. As always, feel free to leave your thoughts—I love hearing from you guys.

Until next time,
~Trashmanic

Lore Timbit:

SpellBorn species are born from magic, meaning Changelings, Nightrüne, and even Arachnia are all technically part of the same family tree, similar to how canines include wolves, dogs, foxes, and coyotes.