by Jeff Sproul
Nessa slashed and cut at her own quarry, trying desperately to put it on the defensive enough to get to Grigor's body, which lay immobile in the center of the room.
It was only in that moment that Chaxin and the others noticed that the fourth spider's body was close to Grigor, and its four fangs sunk into his neck with a pool of blood forming below.
"Dammit!" Verun uttered as he noticed the fallen and bleeding Grigor. In the seconds of melee, he'd found a suitable spell. After a quick press of a finger to the X on the page, tingles of visible white static appeared over Verun's hand. He thrust it out in the direction of the spider that was feeding off Grigor.
A bolt of white hot lightning arced out from Verun's fingertips and struck the monster.
The spider spasmed and detached from Grigor's lifeless body. The creature twitched and suddenly sunk to the floor, as if its legs could no longer hold its body up.
"Got it!" Verun gasped, just as the spider that had been attacking Tamos managed to pull away from the flailing one.
The arachnid pulled back and leapt at Tamos, knocking him to the floor and smacking his weapon from his hand.
Chaxin flicked his thumbs on the runes of the mage-caster and ignited another bolt. He launched it at the arachnid assailing Tamos and immediately followed up with another shot from the gun saber.
Despite Chaxin's determination, both shots missed their marks entirely and smashed into the far wall.
Verun readied the same lightning-based spell and with a thrust of his palm, another jolt of lightning arced out for the spider near Tamos. The arachnid's legs were jabbing down at the fallen second-in-command, but suddenly stopped when the bolt of lightning hit it. Just like its counterpart, it slumped to the floor, with part of its body weighing Tamos down.
"Ugh!" Tamos grunted, as the arachnid landed on his legs.
Chaxin's fingers slotted in another bolt and he looked up to aim.
The first arachnid he'd attacked had finally freed itself of the burning bolt, and was still moving frantically due to the searing bullet in its body. It smacked face-first into Chaxin and knocked him back, knocking the mage-caster from his hand.
Verun, being nearby, reached to tap the spell page again, but the same arachnid swung two of its legs out, smacked him aside, and cut into his chest through the meager leather armor he'd been wearing.
In that moment, Nessa was the only one still standing, deflecting attack after attack and scoring very few of her own on the spider she'd engaged.
The two spiders that had been struck by lightning began to slowly rise, trembling back to life as the stunning effect of the lightning wore off.
Chaxin gripped the saber tightly. The spider reoriented its attention on him and brought up its incredibly sharp legs, aimed right for him.
Fear and panic gripped him as the arachnid made ready to strike.
A streak of fire smacked into the spider's face. At first, it looked like a crimson arrow, but upon impact, the arrow lost its form and liquefied, splattering the burning liquid across the spider's maw.
Once more assailed with fire, the spider shrieked and flailed. Its legs dove at Chaxin, but another flaming streak smacked into the spider's body, followed by another before the arachnid could land its strikes upon Chaxin.
Seizing the moment, Chaxin jabbed with the saber, sinking the blade into the spider's body, feeling the tip crunch past the arachnid's hard exoskeleton and plunge into the soft flesh beneath.
Using his other hand, he drove the blade deeper as the spider screamed above him.
"Use fire!" came a woman's voice from behind Chaxin.
The once-paralyzed spiders rose and set their sights on Verun, who'd managed to right himself.
Another streak of fire rushed in, hitting the spider closest to him. Followed by another streak, and then another. The shadowed room lit up with each new flame.
Verun flipped several pages and pressed a finger to a page in the tome. His hand lifted and flames swirled into an orb on his hand. With a flick of his wrist, he pushed his palm out and sent the ball of fire at the spider that had attacked Grigor.
The arachnid burst into flame from the impact of the orb of fire.
The three flame-ridden spiders shrieked in unison, their screes filling the air and piercing everyone's ears.
One by one, the burning creatures slumped to the dusty floor. The fires encompassed their oily bodies and began to spread to the nearby dry wood.
"Get out of there!" the unfamiliar woman's voice called from outside.
With Verun's assistance, Chaxin got to his feet and grabbed his mage-caster. He retreated to the door and turned to see Tamos rushing to join Nessa in fighting off the last spider. With Tamos's help, the spider couldn't defend against both assailants. With stabs and cuts, the spider was forced back into the burning flames of its kin. The slick and furred underside of its body was licked by the flames and caught fire. Nessa pushed at Tamos, forcing him to retreat.
A streak of fire flew through the doorway and smacked the arachnid's mouth, causing it to flail wildly as Nessa, Tamos, Chaxin, and Verun all fled the burning hovel.
Once outside, the four of them were confronted by a figure wearing glossy black armor. At first, it looked as though it shined like metal, but after a few moments, it was easy to discern that it resembled the chitinous hides of the arachnids they'd just fought. The figure had black leather boots, pants, and a shirt and jacket. Sections of the glossy arachnid chitin covered most of her body, but didn't seem as though it would hinder her movements. On her hip was a belt with vials and flasks. On her back was a myriad of gourd-like plants. In her hands was a short black bow of deep dark wood, with an almost imperceptible thread for the bowstring.
Despite these strange features, perhaps the most curious of all was the almost black glassy mask that obscured her face. It was then that Chaxin noticed that none of her skin was showing. Was she like Grigor?
He could see her black hair cascading down her shoulders, but her neck was concealed by the collar of her shirt.
"Who are you?" Nessa was the first to ask.
"Perhaps a better question, is who are you?" the faceless woman asked in return. "That your ship way out there?"
"It is," said Nessa. "I'm its captain. My name is Nessa, this is my second in command, Tamos. That's Chaxin and Verun. And in there was Grigor. Now, who are you?"
"Cynthia," she spoke. "It's foolhardy to be in the abandoned village. Even more so to anchor your ship on these shores. What's your business here?"
"Those creatures," said Tamos. "It was feeding on Grigor. And their size… I've never seen Vracnid that large, or outside of caves."
Cynthia's head turned in Tamos's direction.
"Vracnid?" asked Chaxin.
"Vracnid are one of many sorts of spiders," said Cynthia. "Vracnid in particular feed on blood. They're drawn to killing fields, or wherever they can easily find a bloody meal. They seem to like this area, but I can't seem to find out why. There's a stench here, of foul blood. It's nauseating."
Cynthia's grip on her bow hadn't lessened. "Now, what's your business here?"
"Are you one of Lord Karnith's agents?" asked Chaxin.
Cynthia turned her head. "I am not. And it smells as though neither are any of you." She turned to face Nessa and Tamos. "You two smell of the sea… and Jari. Strange for you two to be here, isn't it?" She then shifted her attention to Verun and Chaxin. "The two of you smell of Trillin especially. You also smell new. Yet… seasoned. At least, you do," she said, tilting her head in Verun's direction. "I can also smell your delirium setting in. You may want to ensure you have that managed before it consumes you." Her head tilted toward Chaxin. "As for you, your delirium can still be managed. Surely a side effect of being around this man, Verun. But… none of you smell of Grittin. So why are any of you here?"
For a short time, nobody spoke.
"You got a good nose on you," said Nessa. "How'd that happen?" Her eyes were narrowed.
"
Not for you to worry about right now," said Cynthia. "Answer the question. What's your business? You realize there are more Vracnid in the area? They can sense us, just as I can sense things about you."
Chaxin stepped forward. "I want to stop Lord Karnith. I know I don't amount to much, but surely someone else out there wants to stop him as well. I want to help."
"I'm just here to accompany him," said Verun, gesturing to Chaxin. "Seemed like fun."
Nessa sighed. "And we're here to see if Kamber has anything to trade. If anything is left of the town."
Cynthia stood silently for a few seconds. "Hmm. Well, if it's as you say, then we should hurry to Kamber."
"Then it still stands?" asked Chaxin. "Last I left it, it had been evacuated."
"Standing isn't exactly how I'd describe Kamber," said Cynthia, as she turned and began to walk quickly. "Come. If we linger too long, the other Vracnid will assail us."
"Following some masked woman through a dark village of spiders," Nessa sneered as she followed the woman, Tamos right beside her. "Might as well walk alone at night through Trillin."
Verun followed. "Quite a curious woman," he murmured under his breath. "I do hope she's open to further questions once we get to the town."
Chaxin was the last to follow. His eyes flitted from nearby structure to structure. He glanced up into the sky and realized that the dark ominous shape had fully abated, as if it had never been there in the first place. This world never stopped producing more questions.
Chapter 27: New Kamber
Cynthia led the four of them safely through the village. There wasn't so much as a click of chitin against wood, as far as any of them could tell. For all they knew, perhaps there weren't any spiders left in the abandoned village. But if that was the case, why did Cynthia continue to turn her head suddenly when they passed some of the nearby hovels?
Nessa kept a careful eye on their new 'friend.'
Chaxin and Tamos were looking around at the nearby structures, making sure nothing was ready to strike out at them.
Verun kept to himself, barely looking around, unless it was to subtly glance at Cynthia.
The path they took was familiar to Chaxin. It was the same way that Deloris and the two archers had gone when they saved him from the encroaching merfolk. It was the same path through town that he'd taken with Deloris, Kaiz, and the others, when they came back through to get to the ship.
Time had flowed strangely for Chaxin. It had only been a few days that he'd been 'awake' since appearing in the mausoleum. But he'd gone to Purgatory and back, and now almost ten years had passed. He wondered who might still be alive of the people he'd known before.
At multiple points, Verun attempted to speak to Cynthia, asking her questions about how she was able to discern the things she had. But she didn't so much as turn her head to him.
"What did she mean by that? About delirium? I saw it on my stats when I checked the grimoire before leaving," Chaxin said quietly, speaking to Verun, but it was likely that Nessa and Tamos could still hear him.
"Don't worry about that," said Verun. "It should go away in a matter of weeks. Perhaps. It's your own fault, really. I told you to cover your ears, but you didn't listen."
Chaxin's brow furrowed. "This was about listening to that thing you did?" He remembered how defensive Verun had been when he'd mentioned the spoken magic before.
"That's right," said Verun. "As I said, you have nothing to worry about."
"And what if I'm worried about you?" asked Chaxin.
"Don't be," Verun muttered. "I'm fine."
Nessa spoke with Tamos intermittently, mostly in regard to Grigor or the surrounding area.
Cynthia continued to lead them, but said nothing of importance on their journey.
It felt as though they walked for hours. Chaxin had only taken this route on horseback or at the back of a wagon. His feet and legs were sore. He didn't remember walking this far back in Trillin.
Eventually, they exited the forest and entered the vast fields surrounding the dilapidated walls of Kamber.
"So there it is," said Verun. "It'll be good to get some rest after all this dreadful walking."
"There'll be plenty of time to rest, eat, and converse once we're safe," said Cynthia, heading down the road to the wide open gates.
"They never repaired the gate? Even from afar, the walls don't seem to be in decent order either," said Chaxin. "Who's in charge of the town?"
"Her name is Minara," said Cynthia. "She's in charge. More or less. As much as anyone could be, I suppose."
"That doesn't sound so reassuring," said Nessa.
"Doesn't matter what it sounds like, that's how things are," said Cynthia.
"Is that who I'll be dealing with for trade?" Nessa questioned further. "Or are there merchants?"
"You can speak to Minara about that. Not sure if there's much trade that goes on, but she'll point you in the right direction, at least," said Cynthia.
"Is anyone by the name of Deloris, Vol, or Tiris around?" Chaxin asked. "I used to know them, albeit briefly."
"Never heard of a Vol or Tiris," Cynthia replied. "I've heard of Deloris. But she's no longer around."
"No longer around?" Chaxin asked. "As in somewhere else? Or—?"
"As in dead," Cynthia replied.
"How did it happen? Did Karnith get to her?" Chaxin asked, walking quicker to get closer to Cynthia as they spoke.
"I'm not the person to answer that," said Cynthia. "When we get inside, I'll introduce you to the person you should speak with. You're all asking a lot of questions, and to be perfectly honest here, I was in the shore village to thin some of the vracnid out. That's it. I wasn't out there to be some sort of welcoming party for you folks. So if you got any more questions, save them for Minara."
Despite having even more questions, Chaxin kept silent. As did Nessa. Even the often curious Verun kept to himself, which was out of character for him since he'd seemed so interested in Cynthia and her capabilities.
They went down a long, unkempt road. It looked as though it didn't get much foot travel. Weeds had grown and the path itself was harder to see than Chaxin remembered.
When they reached the gate, it was in even worse condition than what Chaxin had thought. It was starting to look much like the wood that made up the hovels in the village by the shore. How was Kamber able to protect itself without a gate? Even if Karnith wasn't marching on their doorstep, surely they had to defend against encroaching monsters, such as merfolk or giants?
It didn't take more than a few seconds of walking into the town itself before Chaxin felt that something was off.
"Everything looks worse than when I was here almost ten years ago," said Chaxin. He looked to Cynthia with a furrowed brow. "How can people even still live here in these conditions? The structures… the gate. I don't understand. What's going on here?"
Chaxin stopped walking entirely, and the others did the same.
Cynthia slowed to a stop and turned around to face him. "We're seriously almost there," she said. "Just a few more minutes. Kamber isn't what you remember, I'm sure. It can't be. Nowhere that wants to stay out from under the watchful eye of Karnith is easily noticed. The town and its people are hidden. What you see around you is the old shell that deters Karnith's agents from looking further."
"So where is everyone?" Chaxin asked.
"This is starting to feel awfully suspicious, I'll agree," Nessa spoke up.
"You were the ones who wanted to come here," said Cynthia. "Now come on. If you don't wish to follow, then don't. It doesn't matter to me." With that, Cynthia turned back the way she'd been going and continued walking.
After she'd taken a few steps, Verun spoke, "It doesn't feel like a trap, if you ask me. Not that I've been in situations like this before."
"We’ve got no choice but to follow her or turn back around and go to the ship empty handed," said Nessa. "I don't think she gains much for trying to trick us. I'm probably the more valuable target, if she i
s working for Karnith. I'm a once-Jari captain of a privateering vessel. I suppose Verun has some use, but Karnith already has a well-renowned enchanter at his side."
"Sorry," Chaxin muttered. "I guess… I don't know, I suppose after being killed before even existing for a whole week, I'm just a bit more suspicious about going with the flow of things. Everything had seemed so casual and normal, all until Karnith ordered his men to kill us for a reason I am only now starting to comprehend." He let out a breath, shook his head, and started walking again. The others followed suit.
"This place does look pretty run down," said Tamos. "Even in its prime, I can't imagine living in a small town like this."
"Some people have to make do," said Nessa.
The group followed Cynthia, who led them through the streets. Everything was roughly where Chaxin remembered it being, even though he hadn't been in Kamber for long.
Cynthia took them all the way to the town hall, but instead of going in through the front set of wooden doors, she veered around the side and led them to the back. Chaxin was all eyes, glancing around more now, since he hadn't been back here before.
"I've got to take newcomers through the front entrance," said Cynthia. "Once you get a lay of the place, you'll be able to come and go through other entrances. You'll see." They curved around back and Cynthia stopped by a cellar door. She opened the right side, and a stairwell could be seen heading down.
"On you go. Go down the hall to the door, there'll be a light on down there. You just can't see it from here, for obvious reasons of keeping the place secret."
Everyone looked to Cynthia, but she just stood there, holding the cellar door, unflinching and unmoving.
"What're you waiting for? Again, if you don't wanna go, you don't have to. Just decide in the next ten seconds or so, so I can continue on with my day."
"Well," said Chaxin. "I'm the reason we're here. I'll go first." He walked to the top of the stairwell and began to slowly descend the darkened stone steps.