by TJ Reynolds
Once the spiders had been injured, they tended to go down quickly. It was as if their slimy ichor helped move their bodies, for each time one was stabbed, the creature’s movements slowed immediately.
Kai was able to find a gap between two kobolds and stab a spider of his own, but he dared not risk any slashing attacks in such close quarters.
The skirmish ended quickly.
At least twenty infected spiders lay dead all around them.
Though their party had triumphed, the small victory hadn’t come without a cost.
One kobold had taken a pair of pincers to the back of the neck and fell limp, the poison having hit the creature’s system too quickly.
Three of the spider mounts had been injured, one or more of their legs having been pulled off or bitten. Two more were dead.
Kai observed the reactions of the tiny allies, and for the most part, he was impressed.
Sora appeared grim as he tore his own spear free of a spider’s bulbous body. The leader’s eyes were already scanning the kobold formation, tallying their losses no doubt.
But Kotsi, the self-proclaimed war chief, hadn’t moved a muscle. Instead, the infuriating kobold had idly watched the struggle.
“Is this fun for you?” Kai asked the chief, giving the kobold a shove to the chest.
Kotsi smiled up at Kai, not seeming to mind being pushed. “I would not use that word, but I find this is more entertaining than watching moss grow.”
A strong urge to slam the war chief came over Kai, but he resisted. No, if I’m going to make this alliance work, I can’t be a brute about it, Kai reminded himself.
But the flippant attitude the chief possessed pressed into Kai’s sensibilities. Anger filled him, and he took another step closer to the kobold war chief. Kotsi at last noticed Kai’s ire, and his face sobered slightly.
Bending down to stare the kobold in the eyes, Kai pressed a finger into Kotsi’s chest and growled, “Can I count you to help out when we fight the queen? Or would you prefer to leave us now?”
The kobold nodded, his expression sobering. “Please, you misunderstand me. There was little room for me to fight, and it is in everyone’s best interest if I save my skills for when they are most needed.”
Kai chewed his lip, his emotions still roiling. He sighed though, and let the matter drop.
If the stubborn war chief was sincere and meant to help out, Kai simply had to trust him. Recalling how Tessra ultimately trusted Kotsi alleviated some of his discomfort.
The few torches that had been dropped during the scuffle were relit, and Sora ordered the march to resume its progress.
As he walked along, Kai regretted not being able to chat with Ban. The kobolds were stout warriors, but none seemed likely to respond to an inquiry.
He shoved his worries aside and focused on the task at hand.
The next attack came minutes later.
This one, unfortunately, was perfectly executed.
A long patch of fungus-powdered webbing spanned some fifty feet along the left wall. Kai ignored it as he’d done with so many before, but as the front of their column passed, spiders’ legs exploded outward from the webbing.
At least five spiders, these much larger than the last had been, ambushed the kobold warriors. Their spiny legs wrapped around the kobolds and drew them into the space behind the webbing.
Shrieks of pain emerged, and rather than counter attack, Sora ordered the remaining troops back.
A flash of deep shadow told Kai the spiders were attacking from some kind of a tunnel.
“Back off!” he shouted, then moved closer.
The kobolds willingly parted, and when he came close enough, Kai aimed his glaive at the dangling shrouds of webbing.
Kai could hear the screams of at least one kobold that had yet to die in the trap, but he wasn’t willing to wait.
Swallowing down his disgust, Kai triggered Flame Spear.
The spell consumed the webs in a flash. Then it scorched the brood of spiders within. In an ear-splitting cacophony, the infected spiders screeched in agony as the flames took them all.
With only a single use of his spell, what had once been a group of deadly foes were reduced to charred corpses.
Kai inspected one of the larger spiders, hoping to learn how much more powerful the creatures would become.
Ambush Glass Spider
Infected Arachnid
Amber 3
Already they’ve gone from Amber 1 to Amber 3. I worry about this queen we have to face, Kai mused.
A scratching on the stone within the tunnel gave him just enough warning to duck.
Falling to his belly, Kai turned over and saw the first of the attackers land amidst the kobolds. The ambush glass spider towered over the kobolds, hissing as it decided which of them to pounce on first.
Kai aimed his left hand and triggered his stored Confounded Core.
A sphere of purple ether blasted free from his arm, striking the spider full in its backside.
Two more of the ambush spiders leapt out of the tunnel, landing to either side of their companion. Little did they know, the first of their number could no longer be trusted.
In a blink, the confused spider struck out at the nearest of its fellows. Two long forelegs stabbed into the spider’s abdomen. After a few venomous bites, one of the spiders curled up dead.
The other spun away from the few Crimson Spears bold enough to make a stand. Kai lifted himself up on an elbow and aimed his glaive. He didn’t fire a Flame Spear though, worried as he was about his allies.
Thankfully, the confused spider was skilled enough to bring down the final threat. The two monsters attacked one another, cutting each other down quickly. When both were grievously injured, the Crimson Spears finished them off in a flurry of thrusts.
The scene stilled, and the chasm went quiet. Lighting improved slightly as dropped torches were relit again.
Kai found his feet and glanced around, making sure the danger was gone.
Then he noticed that the kobolds were staring at him, some eyeing the glaive in his hands.
“You are a dragon,” Kotsi said in an awed tone. “I am sorry I didn’t fully believe you. It has been so long.”
When the war chief fell to a knee before Kai, the young dragon ducked down to pick him back up again. “I am really only half a dragon. And my powers are limited,” Kai said humbly. Increasing his volume, Kai spoke to the group as a whole. “But if we stick together and work as a team, I am sure we’ll be strong enough to end this. Now, let’s get moving.”
Sora repeated his last sentence, and after a few awkward moments when the kobolds filled in the now-empty ranks, they were off again.
No more ambushes followed.
Instead, the ravine opened up at the bottom, revealing a foreboding cavern. The webs hung from shelves of stone above their heads. Rather than walk down a narrow path, the group spread out as the cavern floor became wider and wider.
Sora barked orders, and the kobolds broke into ranks of five.
Unsure of what to expect, Kai cast Restoring Tide, waiting for the spell charge to complete, and filling his bracelet with the healing spell. He kept his eyes peeled, content to act as an impromptu healer should the need arise.
Looking for spiders turned out to be an impossibility. The black, fungal coating had become so thick in areas that even the flickering torches couldn’t always show where the wall or ceiling lay.
This optical illusion might have been enough to ruin them all had it not been for the not so subtle change in rock formation.
The normally dark grays and blues of the shale had been replaced by more crystalline rock formations. Kai wasn’t sure what to call the bright stone. The shimmer of countless crystals reflected their torchlight back at times, penetrating the thick, black fungus.
It was enough to help them keep their orientation in the choked confines of the ravine.
As Kai glanced around, trying to spot patches of white crystals to gain a s
ense of the chamber, Sora’s voice broke the stillness. “Prepare yourselves! Incoming!”
The kobold warriors stopped in their tracks. Spears lifted to receive a charge Kai still couldn’t make out.
Then the spiders were upon them.
30
Under the Guise of Motherhood
Kai
Dozens of the long-legged beasties crawled out of unseen recesses. They clambered along on stilted legs, emitting a faint hiss all the while.
“Circle formation!” Sora cried out, and the kobolds rallied to form two curving fronts. The Crimson Spears took the front, using their length of their weapons to keep the spiders at a distance.
The Cobalt Axes held the rear, quickly cutting down the spiders that swarmed to flank them.
Spears flicked out and axes swung, all only just keeping the horde at bay.
A few soldiers fell too quickly, and considering their adversaries’ numbers, Kai feared the worst. If not for the strict discipline Sora had instilled in these soldiers, they might have already been overrun.
A clear voice rang out, bold and brazen. “Open ranks!” Kotsi shouted as he strode forward, pulling Greg along with him.
The wall of spearmen separated, leaving a space for Kotsi and Greg to make a stand.
Kai could very well have run forward and used his glaive as well, but he had spells the others didn’t.
His role in the battle solidified when he saw a huge spider leg skewer Greg’s thigh.
The wound erupted in a gout of blood as the spider tore the limb free to strike again. For the first time, the powerful dungeon champion faltered.
Kotsi cut down the spider who’d done the damage, and the two warriors continued the fight. While they did so, Kai released the trapped Restoring Tide from his bracelet.
Again and again, as the battle waged on, Kai cast his healing spell first on Greg then on Kotsi, Sora and even a few of the kobolds. Kai knew his mana couldn’t sustain such a continuous expenditure, but keeping their forces alive was paramount.
To Kai’s left, two of the kobolds were cut down, their spider mounts crushed beneath them. When the offending enemy tried to clamber over the bodies and into the ring of defenders, Kai roasted it with a Flame Spear.
Five more times, Kai was forced to use his glaive or his Flame Spear spell to stem breaches.
Despite the hectic pace, the battle seemed to be going well.
A handful of kobolds had fallen, but the infected spiders had lost scores.
For a few moments, Kai noticed a lull in the fighting, and his heart hoped they might come to an end to this struggle.
Then the larger spiders came out of hiding.
Kotsi’s voice broke into a strange chant, and Kai watched as a massive shield made of ether emerged from his offhand. It shimmered, lighting the surrounding area with its ether. Spanning at least six feet wide, the shield protected more than just the war chief.
A few of the biggest spiders focused on the glowing defense, pounding their sharp limbs into the ether shield. Try as they might, the monsters couldn’t penetrate it.
Not wanting to lose the advantage the war chief’s skill had bought them, Kai reached out to Greg’s placid mind and issued a command.
Before departing, Kai had learned the skills Ban’s champion was capable of. The first was oddly specific to the weapons Ban had given Greg. Whether he’d forged the weapons to suit the skill, or the other way around, Kai didn’t know or care.
He only relished the glow of Holy ether as Greg responded to Kai’s mental command.
The dungeon champion bellowed in fury and threw his last javelin. As the projectile left his hand, it split into dozens of smaller ones, all burning with the bright, golden radiance of Holy ether.
Righteous Rain was a beautiful skill to behold. The lancing ether javelins hovered in the air a moment before targeting individual enemies. Then, in a perfectly timed volley, the javelins fell like holy comets.
The spiders died, their screeches almost pleasant to Kai’s ears.
Eventually, Kotsi’s shield skill faded, and the battle resumed a more predictable pace.
Sora scrambled back and forth between the front and rear of the ring of defenders. Each time one of his soldiers fell, he would step in and fend off the oncoming spiders. Then a kobold would take his place and he’d run to do the same elsewhere.
Regardless of how many they were killing, Kai knew this was a losing battle. Already, over ten of their small band were slain.
Kai commanded Greg to use his second skill.
Greg, already holding his two war hammers, lifted the weapons aloft. His eyes burned like yellow stars, and an aura of power exploded from his body. Even the kobolds squealed in pain as their eyes were forced to adjust to the bright light of Anlil’s Holy ether.
Heavenly Hammers activated, and Greg slammed his hammers to the ground at the same time. The stone shattered where his hammers had struck, and a golden shock wave rippled through the spider horde.
Countless spiders fell. Dozens at least, the blast of power rippling outward at least fifty feet in all directions.
Finally, the skill ended. The glow of Holy ether remained a few moments as the ether lingered in the air. Bodies of the slain twitched or lay still, but the infected horde could not resume its onslaught.
Not with the same reckless abandon it had before.
Too many of the monsters were dead.
In fact, if Kai’s hearing could be trusted, he thought some of the spiders might actually be retreating.
Sora performed a head count. Only thirteen lucky warriors still breathed, and of those, only eight had mounts.
“Press on!” Kotsi demanded in a grim voice. “We press on or all is lost. Never have we gotten so far. We won’t be able to do so a second time.”
The war chief eyed Kai, seeking his approval perhaps.
Kai nodded. “This is your war, Kotsi. Take us further in, and we’ll see about this queen.”
When all had been accounted for, and every wound staunched or treated, they continued their journey. Soon after, their surroundings changed rapidly once more. What had been a wide but low cavern coalesced into a broad tunnel, burrowing deeper into the mountain.
Kai’s reserves of AE were halfway depleted. Greg had only been able to recover three of his javelins, and their forces were mostly slain.
Yet as the two hulking figures emerged from behind curtains of cobwebs, Kai felt a thrill take him. His own appetite for battle was increasing, a fact that worried him.
Sora shouted orders, and the remaining soldiers formed a single front, the spears and axes joined into one group now that their numbers were so thoroughly diminished.
Thankfully, only two spiders came at them. When Kai inspected the creatures’ information, he understood why. They’d finished dealing with the rabble. Now, it was time to deal with more potent enemies.
Glass Spider Mate
Infected Arachnid
Golden 1
Without hesitation, Kotsi charged at one of the mates. Not wanting the war chief to be blind-sided, Kai ordered Greg to confront the other. In moments, the two tanks stood their ground before the spiders.
The mates stood over six feet tall at the height of their bulbous abdomens. Even Greg appeared small considering the bulky mass of the creature he fought. Kotsi looked comical, almost like a child fighting his father’s nightmare.
But neither backed down.
Greg had a third skill, but Kai meant to save it, just in case the need arose.
Though these new enemies were terrifying to look upon, they lacked the ferocity and desperation their smaller kin had thrown at the kobolds so generously.
Kai cast Restoring Tide on Kotsi and Greg two times apiece when their attackers wounded them. Sora ordered his kobold warriors to flank the beasts and the laborious work of bringing the giants down began.
Slowly, the giant spiders were relieved of one leg at a time. Each limb a kobold hacked free made the spiders les
s deadly and easier to manage.
Finally, Kotsi and Greg unleashed their pent-up fury. Rather than deflecting, blocking, or dodging attacks, they countered. Soon, the two heroes had bludgeoned the spiders to death.
Silence followed, and the heavy rasp of breathing.
They’d survived another assault, and yet, still no queen had been found.
If only Ban could have seen how powerful Greg was. I’ll need to tell him the full story three times before he’ll be satisfied, Kai mused as he considered his friend.
Still, he didn’t regret telling Ban to leave the fighting to him. Having Greg at his beck and call was useful. Kai had been able to turn the tide of battle twice by commanding the champion’s skills.
Sora ordered more torches to be lit. Kotsi suggested a brief rest, and waterskins were quickly produced.
Kai ordered Greg over so he might access his pack, but before the champion could reach him, a force emanated from the tunnel beyond. It was a seething, cloying presence the likes of which Kai had never felt before.
He gasped, suddenly aware that his lungs were burning. The sensation increased in intensity as quickly as it had come on.
In seconds, Kai had fallen to a knee.
He couldn’t cough, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even wheeze. It felt like the air had thickened into sludge. Kai stared around in shock, watching his companions topple over, swayed by the same fit he was experiencing.
Several of the warriors lost consciousness and their weapons clattered to the stone floor.
Sora, too, clutched his spear and struggled to withstand the curse. His knees shook, and then Kai saw him slump to the ground.
Finally, even the mighty Kotsi, who Kai suspected had increased Constitution and Strength Attributes, dropped to a knee, using his great axe as a crutch to hold up his feeble body.
Kai’s vision ebbed at the very moment the queen showed herself.
Glorious and terrible, the spider matriarch stood three times the size of her mates, and all around her blackened hide, a thick cloud of Abyss ether rippled away.