A slight shiver of fear ran down Ane’s spine. She watched the trees as they made place for the gigantic creature that was running their way. As soon as it was visible, Ane just watched it in fear, but she reacted fast.198Please respect copyright.PENANA4BS5FHxDmC
“It doesn’t look like it’s searching for peace,” shouted Daphne. “We should kill it.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAeEvgWrXmWv
“On it,” muttered Anevay, and she rose her hands. Everybody hid behind trees or behind bushes while the ground cracked open for Anevay’s summoned to crawl out of. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAxqJaD65VT4
“Will they be strong enough to kill him?” shouted Marrie.198Please respect copyright.PENANAM1DQM8IldI
“They won’t be,” answered Lemennie. “I have an idea…”198Please respect copyright.PENANAWs9P3YgEUB
“I would like to hear them!” said Ane, now nearly face to face with it.198Please respect copyright.PENANAyUMUQmChWn
“Try to find a safe spot and resurrect the corpse of another one of those! Those two couldn’t have been the only ones around here,” shouted Lemennie. “You go do that, we’ll keep him distracted with your army.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAeSEWYOLrNB
“Do you know how much power and strength that takes?” protested Ane.198Please respect copyright.PENANAEOnI9HVvI9
“We might die.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAFLJ1gRCsS9
Ane rose the last bits of her corpse army, and then ran to the back right before the dinosaur-like monster approached them. The corpses swung on his back majestically and tried to stab him - or respectively, her -, but the creature was strong and vicious, and it threw them off and crushed them.198Please respect copyright.PENANAZ3ewDgZ50l
“Let’s attack him all at once, to flood him with strength,” said Lemennie.198Please respect copyright.PENANAboILI1aXxQ
“Are you sure that’s the right way to deal with him?” shouted Daphne.198Please respect copyright.PENANANFPB0uRre6
“He already knows we’re here,” shrugged Lemennie, and she left her somewhat hiding spot. The others soon followed her lead, and started attacking it as they could. They slit his paws, cut his stomach and Vastice shot a load of bullets at his head, but his skin was plate armour and no blade would go through.198Please respect copyright.PENANAUGETit84pv
“We’re fucked,” yelled Peita.198Please respect copyright.PENANAEesoAmWWJi
At that moment, Marrie climbed up his tail all the way to his head, fearless and swift, and planted her spear in the earhole of the animal. It yelped and shrieked in agony and stumbled to the left, nearly crushing Livi if she wouldn’t have run out the way.198Please respect copyright.PENANAIYByLHytw5
Marrie jumped off and broke her landing by rolling over her shoulder, because if she wouldn’t have, she would’ve definitely fallen off and landed in a less preferable way.198Please respect copyright.PENANAvFreAGnG1e
At that moment, another growl was heard. Loud and rough and raw. Footsteps came the dinosaur’s way, and it turned to the sound, almost swinging its tail against Lewir who dodged it neatly. The footsteps were deep and fast, as if somebody was running their way. Everybody just listened to it. Was it Ane? It had better been Ane.198Please respect copyright.PENANAlId1eRIh4K
When Ane rose from the trees, obviously balancing on a platform of some sort, she cheerfully shouted. Soon it appeared that she had managed to add quite the creature to her army. It didn’t have the same leathery, brown skin as their enemy, but rather a porcelain white. Its eyes were eerie and gloomy, perhaps because he was dead. Drips of blood flooded from the other’s ear, and Marrie cursed herself for not reaching his brains.198Please respect copyright.PENANAzfSNz73t3A
Ane slid off the back of her newfound pet, and she told the others to clear the place.198Please respect copyright.PENANAe39FrZlgtB
“Do not interrupt this,” she hurriedly said, and she turned her back to her comrades who took shelter as they were told. Ane walked back just enough not to be in a dangerous field. Then something happened that even Elliot had never seen. 198Please respect copyright.PENANArgGqyy6YbT
Anevay reached out to nothing in particular, and soon her eyes lit up with a flashing, bright light, and it was clear that she was in a different zone. It was soon clear, after seeing some quirky movements from the white monster, that Ane had taken the role of him.198Please respect copyright.PENANABUaYDVQ8dS
“Is she possessing him?” whispered Bethil.198Please respect copyright.PENANAoHBrFwefw1
“I think she is,” nodded Elliot quietly. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAEMdXwG0s3U
Ane felt huge and strong and incredibly broad. She felt powerful. She had heard about this technique a lot, but never applied it herself. She’d spent hours reading books in the inn about what necromancers were capable of, and it was more than Jarco had ever taught her - or was capable of teaching her. It felt a bit raw and rough on the edges, but soon Ane felt like she was colliding with her pet. She tried to figure out the exact movements of him when she threw a punch with her claw towards the other beast.198Please respect copyright.PENANALFNv7e5yNx
The others watched the fight escalate, especially Jarco. He hadn’t thought this moment would ever come in which his student would unfold beyond his own knowledge. The dinosaurs were fighting, struggling and biting, and it was brilliant.198Please respect copyright.PENANAbQPzITsRLI
Ane wanted to yelp in pain when a row of sharp teeth were planted in her shoulder, but she managed to bite him back even harder. Blood and flesh mixed in her beak and it was a rather unpleasant flavour, but she tore out the piece of meat, causing the other one to let go of her immediately and shriek in an even louder pain. A gap of shoulder was now apparent, and Ane spat out the food in her beak, dropping it in a heap behind her.198Please respect copyright.PENANAd4aGI9Uq3h
Animalistic instincts rushed over her, and she threw her teeth in his neck right when he was writhing in pain. How merciless, thought Ane, as she ripped another piece of flesh apart. Is this how animals fight? Do they ever really feel guilt? However, aside from questioning her actions, Ane didn’t feel any guilt either. In fact, she enjoyed being so powerful. She could understand that victory for animals and beasts was gracious and made them look and feel more powerful, too. She certainly felt like she was invincible now, when the body of the dinosaur collapsed in front of her.198Please respect copyright.PENANA6aFu2UCpJw
Ane left the body of her pet, and she was thrown back into her own body. Lights in her eyes immediately died out and she watched as her newfound body slowly vanished into the ground, returning to where it came from.198Please respect copyright.PENANA3uINsXdCHm
“That was… magnificent…” uttered Lemennie.198Please respect copyright.PENANAvnci4NrSGg
“Anevay… was that you?” muttered Elliot.198Please respect copyright.PENANAh1OHyd72LT
“That was legendary!” shouted Bethil.198Please respect copyright.PENANAJYLLTncJZo
“How epic,” laughed Daphne.198Please respect copyright.PENANAyd8QjKIbbl
“I’d like my spear back now,” grinned Marrie, as she walked towards the ear hole, climbed up his neck and tore her spear out. She was soon met with a splatter of blood that splashed over Marrie’s pretty face, and she awkwardly stood here, covered in blood.198Please respect copyright.PENANATJxH3aIUbf
“Classy look, Marrie,” shouted Lewir jokingly.198Please respect copyright.PENANA1HIVNxEXmq
Marrie glared in Lewir’s direction, and then began laughing. She ran towards Lewir and hugged him, covering in an equal amount of blood. As the two struggled, the others laughed and watched.198Please respect copyright.PENANAJZ991il6if
“This must be the weirdest adult play I have ever seen,” commented Bethil.198Please respect copyright.PENANANp6hJAkj2i
Daphne smacked his shoulder as they laughed, and they continued their journey through the Wilderness.198Please respect copyright.PENANA3yD6jpDxUN
During their walk, Lewir took Marrie apart and they walked together in the back, away from the others.198Please respect copyright.PENANAjTCs5zmqvE
“I think we should talk,” he said.198Please respect copyright.PENANAHygjt3y5rB
“I agree,” nodded Marrie. “I feel like I need to say sorry. About acting so childish. None of our family feud was your fault. It wasn’t mine either. Sorry.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAcvwwUT4as1
“Apology accepted,” smiled Lewir. “Same goes for me. I’m sure that after this, we can work out the family feud.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAJhOgJlsgbE
“Maybe we can even reunite our families,” smiled Marrie. “I am more than sure that Hallan would be up for making up.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAXSYV7KO33c
“This could mean a lot for our families,” said Lewir. “We never really… talked about those, have we?”198Please respect copyright.PENANApxGmjcYYIF
“No. Only about stars, gods, food, music, literature, art, animals, magic and each other,” replied Marrie and she looked at the ground in front of her. Lewir took her hand in his. She had elegant, soft hands. Too tender to fight with. Yet she fought with such strong grace that Lewir couldn’t help but admire her anyway.198Please respect copyright.PENANAKWAvGdjOj8
“Well, tell me about your family,” Lewir said and he looked at Marrie’s side.198Please respect copyright.PENANAVqWsXoyGu8
“My parents… Well, I’d rather not talk about my parents. I’ll talk about my cousins.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAWbXGAWcnby
“You have cousins?”198Please respect copyright.PENANALaeczv4eF2
“Yeah, my aunt’s children,” nodded the blonde doomed. “We got along very well. I grew up with them and Hallan. My aunt… is cute. She is caring and loving and she loved Hallan a lot more than she loved my father as brothers. I think she is the eldest, if I recall correctly. Her children are about our age now. I haven’t talked with them in ages because I’ve been travelling with Hallan so much. My cousins were lovely too. And how carefree and cheerful they were. They were lucky with parents like my aunt and her husband. They’re travellers for sure, been to every place imaginable. Except the Eastern Bay, I’m fairly sure. When I saw how much they travelled, I grew jealous. I wanted to see the world too. My parents wouldn’t let me. You’re too young, you’re too immature, you’re too irresponsible. There was always an excuse as to why I wasn’t fit for travelling. I hated it! So I turned to my uncle, Hallan, and he said “screw them, let’s go”. So we went. My parents held a strong grudge against us ever since, but I wouldn’t let that stop me. And now here I am, doing some crazily foolish things. Almost dying and all that idiocy… but hey, if there is no danger, there is no challenge, and no fun.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAzOPysNc2XG
“And now you’re definitely having fun, aren’t you?” grinned Lewir.198Please respect copyright.PENANAHhhD6CsIhv
Marrie tightened the grip around their hands and smiled. “With you? How could I not?”198Please respect copyright.PENANA90scOOrnSV
“Flattering.”198Please respect copyright.PENANA5iocq8qEui
“Hey, sunshines!” yelled Daphne. “Keep up with us. Mushy mushy time is for later, alright?”198Please respect copyright.PENANA5CXpDh0MIc
Lewir and Marrie shared a cheeky grin as they both hurried to keep up with the rest of their group. Daphne gestured them to hurry up even more, because they had created quite a gap in distance.198Please respect copyright.PENANAgiwbk1kMG8
“Were you two discussing marriage plans or something?” asked Daphne. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAzA8NP3W9rP
Marrie blushed and Lewir laughed.198Please respect copyright.PENANAZQDxh0YFD4
“Daphne, we are too young for marriage,” Lewir replied.198Please respect copyright.PENANAfhxgC5JeeN
“I don’t think time is our friend, Lewir. We must hurry with what we truly want to do,” Daphnelle replied.198Please respect copyright.PENANAmgLDOuKrfs
“You should go hunt for Bethil then,” grinned Marrie. “Or do you think I can’t see the way you look at him?”198Please respect copyright.PENANAYJAPB1htAb
“Do you think I don’t see the way you look down at Lewir’s trousers?” countered Daphne with a blank face.198Please respect copyright.PENANA17goeG4dOI
The pink on Marrie’s face burned a deep red and even Lewir couldn’t resist a blush. Daphne just looked away satisfactory, and joined with Lemennie.198Please respect copyright.PENANAKUO9mUfjnd
“She has the tongue of a man,” muttered Lewir. Marrie nodded, but avoided eye contact.198Please respect copyright.PENANAQSJilW28hV
When everybody got tired and annoying, Anevay thought it’d be a good idea to take a break, and nobody protested or argued with that idea. Once set around a decent campfire with - unfortunately - mediocre warmth, the group got around to eat, drink and apologise for the mean words spilt in annoyance.198Please respect copyright.PENANAhB4QtuiC49
“Can’t wait till we are out of here,” complained Livi. “I’ve never been this cold before.”198Please respect copyright.PENANA8CbnOtN803
“It is still a pretty long way,” said Vastice.198Please respect copyright.PENANAglSAJfns2P
“Keep your heads up, though,” encouraged Lemennie.198Please respect copyright.PENANAZZffsdTHyx
“Do the animals here breed a lot?” asked Anevay. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAsplvaI7Qjd
“It is basically breeding season all the time,” nodded Peita. 198Please respect copyright.PENANA2NgMRR0snc
“That must be… frustrating,” commented Ane with a deep sigh.198Please respect copyright.PENANAbElGwn1P90
“Why?” frowned Lemennie.198Please respect copyright.PENANAoOINt6LnSD
“The population of animals here does not decrease,” explained Ane. “So no matter how many of these animals that you kill, they keep being born.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAMUj27imsnl
“It’s not like we come here occasionally,” shrugged Vastice.198Please respect copyright.PENANAg2kSwlEDSM
“How many times have you been here?” asked Elliot, chewing on a piece of solid amber nectar - not the best idea, but Elliot felt strong desire to do so. The slight buzz in his head would work out soon.198Please respect copyright.PENANAKEf3CCRJUd
“I have actually come here quite frequently with Lemennie whenever we wanted to go out and travel to the Eastern Bay,” answered Vastice. Peita glanced at him.198Please respect copyright.PENANAVN04qMbk3Z
“Isn’t Hellen jealous?” asked Bethil.198Please respect copyright.PENANAUUfFABKaIs
“Hellen isn’t a fan of the Wilderness. Besides, Lemennie doesn’t like mortals,” grinned Vastice, but soon his grin turned into a rather sad smile.198Please respect copyright.PENANAFx5H4GzDV9
“His point is that we’re more like a pair of a great friends who flow well in the entire survival-field,” added Lemennie, breaking the possibility for an awkward silence. “Survival partners, that’s it.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAJCrBJP012N
“What is the most dangerous animal that you have encountered?” asked Jarco.198Please respect copyright.PENANApwEFReQRLw
“The… mother spider…” mumbled Vastice. A painful expression filled his face and it silenced the others.198Please respect copyright.PENANAmun3iD6g03
Peita lay a hand on his shoulder, comforting him. “It’s alright,” she shushed.198Please respect copyright.PENANApV4Kehb84G
“Can we know what happened?” Lewir asked, but carefully and quiet.198Please respect copyright.PENANAmIcrIsKz2S
“Of course,” sighed Vastice and he sat up straight. “I used to have a pair of… dwarf dragons. I received them as a gift by someone very dear to me. Dwarf dragons don’t become larger than a normal baby dragon, which could carry only five or six of us. I brought them with us to the Wilderness, but the spider I mentioned took them. The spider is too deadly, so we didn’t risk trying to get them back.”198Please respect copyright.PENANARzKGhsiTtM
“That’s horrible,” winced Marrie. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAnpAL1ZZt57
“It was a shitty thing to happen,” nodded Vastice, “but maybe one day…”198Please respect copyright.PENANAeRDuPKQ6Vs
“Why not today?” suggested Ane. “We are with more than three, and needless to say we are all fairly skilled fighters. Do you think we could kill it?”198Please respect copyright.PENANARMhE0mYYYq
Vastice’s eyes shot up and gloomed with hope and happiness. He glanced at Peita, who had a troubled expression on her face. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. And what if the dragons had been killed? She didn’t want to mention it, to keep the hopes up for her twin, but she looked at Lemennie, who was equally torn.198Please respect copyright.PENANA07TnHsTmzf
“I’d be glad to help,” Daphnelle said. “I would love to see dragons.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAE7VThu7TpW
“I’m in,” said Lewir. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAZwqPYpGUjd
“So am I,” smiled Marrie.198Please respect copyright.PENANAQyMtBQaOC5
Jarco and Livi shared a look and then they both joined the plan.198Please respect copyright.PENANAuiiFqkfp7s
“I shall help as well,” Elliot said.198Please respect copyright.PENANA098nzAw8Hc
“I think it is the least we could do,” Bethil beamed, and he watched Vastice light up.198Please respect copyright.PENANAOBEtoJlwUg
After a moment thrilling with anticipation, Peita let herself be convinced by the hopeful demeanor. Vastice threw his arms around hers. It was still broad daylight, possibly three o’ clock. They’d reach the caves of the spider way before dark according to Vastice, and with a little luck they’d escape without having to miss the sunset.198Please respect copyright.PENANAbQRnxoN3nZ
After a solid while of walking, the woods became a bit more wilder. The trees weren’t as regularly positioned and the ground was more wobbly and there were more ups and downs than there had been before. The covers were located under one of the biggest hills that they’d run into. The entrance was dark and it would seem quite tropical if a waterfall were covering the entrance, flowing into a little, cute pond in front of it. Instead, the stones by the entrance were raw and covered with dirt and the muddy floor under their feet felt unstable.198Please respect copyright.PENANAokX0tBJOLA
While the others prepared for possible battle, polishing their weaponry and checking up on their armour, Lemennie took Peita aside.198Please respect copyright.PENANAFwhxvekGhK
“Are you sure this is the right decision?” she asked, crossing her arms.198Please respect copyright.PENANAchVOQz53lT
“I have to do this for Vastice. I’m not keen on it either, but he is my brother, and he would do the same for me,” replied Peita, defending her decision.198Please respect copyright.PENANApU5KAKplco
“Did you forget what happened last time? The dragons weren’t the only thing we lost,” spat Lemennie harshly, but with a hushed tone.198Please respect copyright.PENANA1WuLdIiD8J
“Do this for them.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAeqJsJpYs7p
Lemennie and Peita shared a deeply passionate glare, fueled by fury rather than anything else.198Please respect copyright.PENANAiJoGTg84Qq
“Fine,” snapped Lemennie, and she returned to the group, followed by Peita. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAwoLxjNEOHl
“Let’s go, and let’s stick together,” called Peita. Peita and Ane both headed into the caves first.198Please respect copyright.PENANAZL3AkyUqkp
The smell infiltrated Ane’s nostrils aggressively, and she did anything but enjoy it. Long, dark tunnels spread in front of them, and too fast it felt like the entrance was miles away. An odd, blue gleam seemed to emit from the tunnels in the caves, and the flames dancing on her hand made the walls seem a crystal clear.198Please respect copyright.PENANAb9l9Ugn5Xc
“This is… creepy,” commented Marrie.198Please respect copyright.PENANAXtWkXgf37n
“It is pretty eerie indeed,” nodded Livi. Their voices hit the walls and echoed right back to them. The darkness engulfed the group as they went further into the abyss. Their first choice was either forward or left. Cobwebs were hung on the walls everywhere and the only sources of light were three flames.198Please respect copyright.PENANAvApVeix2Z5
“Left,” said Vastice. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAaPs3ZrRLHF
Ane cautiously walked left. Her feet sticked to the gross grounds they were walking on. If this is how spiders lived, she was happy that she wasn’t a spider or anything near it. How awful must it be to be lost here. She was glad that Vastice has his fair share of knowledge about the caves. There were no sounds aside from the footsteps, and that probably creeped Ane out the most. How dead was this place? She wondered what her father would think about his daughter roaming around in such a dead place, but she shook away any painful thoughts before the hollow wave returned to her chest where it had been too long. She tried to be like Elliot when it came down to this. Yet she didn’t know anything about how Elliot felt, she knew that he handled it well. 198Please respect copyright.PENANABQwhUztXJQ
“Right,” guided Vastice.198Please respect copyright.PENANAJJzCi9UlBz
The right tunnel led them into a cave. It had a high ceiling and a less dreading smile. It was like the lair of an animal that had abandoned his place a long time ago. The cave was rather big, but not huge, and it had something suspicious about it. It was silent. Too silent.198Please respect copyright.PENANA9BhnMYN1Cg
Ane ran her fingers over the slimy walls, and felt the humidity in the cave paired with the chilliness. While the others invested the room, she tried to search for anything in the walls. Suddenly, she stopped her hand when it had passed by a weird bump in the wall. What was that? she thought. The item under her fingers, stuck in the wall, wasn’t ordinary. It felt… strong. Solid. Hard. It felt… boney. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAwOYEpPvZuK
Marrie let out a yelp when she figured out the gross mess in the corner was a decaying corpse and she immediately backed away from it. Because Ane had turned around to look at the shocked Marrie, she didn’t see the wall breaking open from behind her.198Please respect copyright.PENANAIlyBMAnbaq
“Ane!” yelled Elliot, and he rushed to pull her away from the wall. A few mere seconds later, the wall collapsed in front of them while the group was glued to the wall opposite, protecting themselves from the messy ruins. A disturbing amount of bones lay scattered across the ground. Behind the wall was an entire other cave. Darker and dirtier, smelling of mold and death.198Please respect copyright.PENANA6ITFeHIdB9
“What is this?” asked Bethil. “Are those… human bones?”198Please respect copyright.PENANAgeFtQpGuy0
Ane watched the abundance of corpses spread in front of her. Her thoughts of finding the dragons suddenly were diminished intensely, and she looked at the cave behind it. It was too dark, so the group made their way through the skeletons and lit up the cave. There was nothing. It was quiet. It was empty. It didn’t feel right. They looked around the cave, which had an opening that led to another dark tunnel.198Please respect copyright.PENANA4jPSDMo2nu
The princess looked everywhere. Her eyes followed the walls, to the ceiling. Silhouettes were visible, but precise shapes were hard to make out. She raised her hand to let the light shine over the ceiling.198Please respect copyright.PENANA41a1s9TGwl
“There is nothing here,” mumbled Livi. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAD8FJjttNJ0
“There is…” whispered Ane. The others followed her gaze up, and were immediately beaten to silence. Hundreds of spiders were sat on the wall, all silent and not moving. Ane watched them, filled with distress. She wasn’t necessarily scared of spiders, but she was scared of hundreds of deadly ones.198Please respect copyright.PENANAhhC9ZKcvYp
“What do we do?” she whispered.198Please respect copyright.PENANAouUXvyDmKp
“We leave,” answered Vastice, quietly. He quietly moved his foot towards the dark tunnel. Wrong move.198Please respect copyright.PENANAoEaxZodyX0
The spiders began moving. Fast.198Please respect copyright.PENANAoYUed9h645
“Run!” yelled Vastice. He was the first to disappear into the dark tunnel, and Peita the last. They ran for their lives. The tunnel was smaller than the other ones, thus harder to mobilise in. The eerie sound of a thousand spiders crawling over the walls echoed through the tunnel and filled everyone’s heads. Shivers ran down their spine and adrenaline filled their spines. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAL9ojA5NS8M
“We have to kill them!” yelled Daphne.198Please respect copyright.PENANAp5ZC8hRbqp
Peita listened to this, and she turned around and faced the thousands of spiders. Don’t think too long, she said. She reached out her both hands, sending a spiraling, blue fire right through the tunnel. It was an explosive, insanely hot fire. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAsKpeUy0Kay
Vastice reached the end of the tunnel which resulted into just another cave. He yelled through the tunnel that Peita had to come. The fire extinguished, and Peita started running again. She wasn’t sure how many of those filthy creatures she killed, but she was sure she had murdered many.198Please respect copyright.PENANAklV2wezkM7
“That was epic,” praised Daphne. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAIshapGJrAk
“Just a bit of spontaneous action,” shrugged Peita. “Fight, flight or fright.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAg1Xb1y3IP3
“Do you think they’re all dead?” asked Livi.198Please respect copyright.PENANAMq8jqKRSD0
“Let’s hope so,” said Peita. They soon started checking out their new cave. It had one single tunnel, right in front of the other one, creating a long road. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAkfAYghQT15
As soon as Ane, Daphne and Marrie let the flames twingle on their fingers, they realised something was very off. It was a large, deep cave, and in each of the corners of the rather rectangular cave were two eggs of some sort.198Please respect copyright.PENANA71w6KpsI5E
“Did we just crawl into the breeding room?” asked Bethil, carefully examining one of the white eggs. They had toxic-coloured dots on it. The venomous reds and greens spread over the raw surface of the eggs. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAAo1Ch4CvjL
“We should just leave,” said Lemennie, sensing the gravity of the situation here.198Please respect copyright.PENANASP8H4tP72w
“It does not hurt to check these out. We might learn some new things,” said Elliot.198Please respect copyright.PENANAojTy75cW2T
“Like what?” spat Lemennie.198Please respect copyright.PENANAIyZHzp1wPN
“It would be valuable to learn what is inside these eggs,” replied Elliot.198Please respect copyright.PENANA9l5UHduSXF
“No, it’d be a miserable mistake,” scowled Lemennie. While the two continued their heated argument, Ane and Bethil took a closer look at the eggs.198Please respect copyright.PENANA7lx12VBXHv
“They look dangerous. Be careful,” said Bethil when Ane slowly put her finger on the egg. The shell was surprisingly fragile, felt Ane. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAVnM2zyaz3J
“What does it feel like?” asked Bethil.198Please respect copyright.PENANABIWlJ4WdCl
“It feels like a hard-cooked egg,” thought Ane aloud.198Please respect copyright.PENANA5MtTGUV8NH
Bethil frowned. “Do you think it would rip open?”198Please respect copyright.PENANA0ZMNfJPalW
“I think we have to be very careful. They seem very sensitive,” nodded Ane.198Please respect copyright.PENANAQ8exnGPoyW
“Can you stop arguing?” scowled Livi meanwhile, trying to break up the nasty discussion between Elliot and Lemennie. They were both attacking each other’s behaviour and thoughts, getting in each other’s face.198Please respect copyright.PENANAD7xtwyyt1M
“Do not interfere, Livi,” hissed Elliot, shoving her back. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAwCsfoX1Woc
“Watch it,” snapped Lemennie, and she shoved Elliot back on her turn. With the gap created between the two, Livi immediately stepped in, blocking each other from getting close to one another.198Please respect copyright.PENANAVxkT0L7cm0
“I get that you don’t get along,” she began with a harsh tone, “but we are in this together. Stop moaning and shake hands like the little kids you are.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAVDgYQkJZIb
Elliot and Lemennie hesitated, but they both shook each other’s hands with a pokerface. Their handshake didn’t seem genuine either and they both squeezed as hard as they could. The two split up, and Jarco joined Livi.198Please respect copyright.PENANAxpM4a263We
“They’ll be a troublesome pair,” muttered Livi. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAxzYmyRxP1E
“Guys,” exclaimed Lewir whilst he and Marrie backed away from an egg. It cracked open, slowly, its shell tearing apart. A transparent, thin, soft layer came along with it. The group gathered around the egg and watched as it broke.198Please respect copyright.PENANAyfdUBxI5sL
“What did you guys do?” asked Peita.198Please respect copyright.PENANAvtTWltYEOM
“Nothing,” answered Marrie. “I think that it can sense our presence.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAyS3XwmqSDq
“That is not how eggs work,” frowned Bethil.198Please respect copyright.PENANA9L42xTQmAv
“Has anything in your life been normal since we have been on this journey?” 198Please respect copyright.PENANAHhVrGfU85n
“Fair point,” mumbled Bethil as he watched with anticipation.198Please respect copyright.PENANA5R17YkcYN4
What was inside the egg was anything but a cute little pet. It was a big, hideous spider, with hairy feet. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAvhp42QjuVV
“That egg was his shelter,” exclaimed Elliot as he backed off with the others. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAl8BSPLNaHP
“What do we do with it?” asked Jarco, turning to Vastice for answers.198Please respect copyright.PENANAZdXER19NQv
“I don’t know,” he said.198Please respect copyright.PENANAueDHxXSVHk
“Is it dangerous? Will it kill us?” asked Anevay, grabbing her claymore already. She got her answer when the spider jumped out of his egg, attacking Ane. It was heavy and smelled incredibly toxic.198Please respect copyright.PENANAyrPA4TzE49
“Get it off me!” yelled Ane. Marrie pierced the creature with her spear and a bright green puss splattered over Ane and the ground.198Please respect copyright.PENANA8AxP73gRpe
“Are you alright?” asked Elliot, who helped her up.198Please respect copyright.PENANAIy9trKI7B9
Ane didn’t answer, because every other egg slowly opened. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAy90lujxDuU
“Careful,” said Peita.198Please respect copyright.PENANA70SStOIO4G
The spiders jumped out. They varied heavily in size, but were fairly easy to kill. The sound of pierced flesh and gus splattering all over the place formed the soundscape for a while, but it didn’t take long before they were all equally dead.198Please respect copyright.PENANAv9V5iVlvcK
“Disgusting,” muttered Livi while she wiped the gus from her zweihander. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAYVWUso7a01
“What type of spiders were they?” asked Jarco.198Please respect copyright.PENANACmJKKH4iRr
Vastice examined the spiders, before he completely went blank. His expression changed immediately, and he looked at the group with an alarmed grimace.198Please respect copyright.PENANAXpPgJ9sNd1
“What’s wrong?” asked Lewir, who helped Marrie clean her spear.198Please respect copyright.PENANAzXjiebHQDI
“Those were the mother’s kids,” he said.198Please respect copyright.PENANASC4fPhaBhO
“We just killed her children?” scowled Ane.198Please respect copyright.PENANAPk42b45BQx
“I didn’t know!” shouted Vastice. “They looked like any other spider, but now that I see their exact features. The dots on their backs…”198Please respect copyright.PENANATXlZTjXoni
“That is horrific news,” uttered Bethil while the others groaned in misery.198Please respect copyright.PENANAZL7TK82dMb
“How can we kill the mother now? She’ll be infuriated,” said Daphne.198Please respect copyright.PENANAJBwQnAv2Yd
“We have to kill it,” said Elliot. “We have come so far… besides, I do not think the mother will let us leave anyway.”198Please respect copyright.PENANATaYyoVgyHQ
“How will the mother know we killed them anyway? It is not like she has some crystal globe through which she checks her kids,” mumbled Daphne.198Please respect copyright.PENANAQia8VOx1DQ
“The smell of her dead kids and their blood is stained in our clothes and skin,” said Peita. “Even after wiping it off, its scent lingers. The mother will most likely smell it instantly when we’re anywhere near her.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAQ09JLMDjCT
“Avoiding her won’t be an easy task either,” said Vastice. “Knowing her children are here, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the mother would be very close.”198Please respect copyright.PENANATCk76qtH35
“Are you guys insane? Have you ever tried to kill a mother? Especially a mother whose kids you’ve just butchered?” scowled Lemennie. “This is writing your death wish.”198Please respect copyright.PENANASeiXzyPFdi
“Going back isn’t an option, Lem,” said Peita. “Besides, we are with more manpower now. Stronger manpower. What happened last time won’t be repeated now. I guarantee it. If we stick together and fight together, we can kill the mother and avenge -”198Please respect copyright.PENANAntR0TPAESh
“Fine,” sighed Lemennie, interrupting Peita quickly. “Let’s do this.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAOiFDV8xnT2
The group moved to the next cave through the unexplored tunnel, welcoming the repelling stench oozing from the space.198Please respect copyright.PENANAMpN4bCRecW
The cave was huge and had several layers of floors, as if it was subtly leading up to a throne. There was only one other tunnel connected to this one, and the fresh smell that slightly flowed through it seemed to come from the outside. The tunnel, however, was very large and had a turn, so they weren’t able to see what exactly the tunnel led to. They just hoped that they were right.198Please respect copyright.PENANA6zTWb5kdkH
“This is cosy,” muttered Marrie sarcastically as she watched the ceiling of the cave. Stalactites hung from above just like stalagmites sharply pointed upwards. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAHY0IkQG0S4
“Be quiet,” said Vastice with a hushed tone. “I think I hear something…” He walked towards the sound, which came from next to the tunnel. Vastice felt the wall under his skin, and he then compared it with another piece of wall. The others were investigating the rest of the cave, looking for signs or traces, giving Vastice all the time in the world. He pushed the softer wall, and realised that something definitely lay behind it. He proceeded to punch it, creating a hollow hole. He was happy that whatever was located behind had no extra walls. He started to break down the wall, but it was tougher than he thought.198Please respect copyright.PENANAtXOWcOXIwT
Just then, an incredible roar spread through the cave. The wall opposite of Vastice’s cracked open. 198Please respect copyright.PENANA3jXRXBNra7
“Vastice, hurry with whatever you’re doing!” shouted Lemennie, who began helping him break open the wall. 198Please respect copyright.PENANApQ9eRJ8OPw
The wall broke down, starting from the top, bit by bit, as if somebody was pushing off stones.198Please respect copyright.PENANAE655Qb4WTs
Vastice and Lemennie hurried to break down the wall while the others were awaiting whatever was yet to come.198Please respect copyright.PENANAMyX6Ufg3rV
“Almost there…” huffed Vastice.198Please respect copyright.PENANAaGRHhcZnXy
“Hurry up!” yelled Marrie when she saw the first huge spider crawl through the gap. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAew2TZY6po3
Lemennie’s arms were tired, but she didn’t give up. Pull away the stones, push them away. What is in there?198Please respect copyright.PENANARNf4eqtK3L
The wall broke down. It revealed the black, hideous skin. Three more huge spiders crawled their way out and made their way down to the group.198Please respect copyright.PENANA9RlLNNSDXz
“Hurry up!” yelled Peita, ready to fight.198Please respect copyright.PENANAEbuTIGUL3l
“Get in!” shouted Lemennie when the hole was big enough. Vastice crawled through, and ended in a big room. In front of him lay just what he needed. Just what he was searching for. Aside from the few corpses, eaten out bodies and other bits of gathered flesh, there was nothing wrong the the room or his dragons. Vastice pressured his jolt of happiness, because they had no time.198Please respect copyright.PENANABNIqxFkYze
“Mia! Judian!” he yelled. The two dragons, now grown to their full extent, immediately woke up. Mia, the feminine dragon with a pastel red skin, chirped, while Judian, the orange, leathery dragon cheered. They spread their wings, but realised there wasn’t enough room to do that. “Time to leave!” said Vastice. He led his dragons out and crawled through the opening with help of Lemennie. In front of him, he saw her. She shrieked, deafening loud. Her shriek was a horrendous, sharp and coarse cry, and it wanted to make the others scream and yell in pain. It was a shriek filled with emotion, knew Vastice. She knew her babies were killed. The mother stood eight metres tall. Four of her biggest babies hurried to attack the group after her shriek finished.198Please respect copyright.PENANAWQ24fFU7yN
“Time to attack!” yelled Vastice. They all drew their weapons, and hurried to the four big spiders. They were all matching with Jarco’s height, who was one of the tallest of the group. It was scary and intimidating, but they had no choice.198Please respect copyright.PENANAAC22ahoRHW
Lemennie, Vastice and his two dragons went to tear down one of the spiders. He had vicious teeth, ready to stab the chest of any of the two, but he was slow, and heavy. He managed to hit Lemennie twice, but she quickly rose back to her feet and used her bow to shoot arrows at a way too short distance. Vastice attacked his side, shooting his pistol at him three times, before one of the eight hairy paws knocked it out of his hands. He moved over to his longsword and successfully sliced through his paws and into his fat body. The spider yelped and fell to his side. Lemennie put the bow on her back, and balled her hands into fists, only for them to mold into claws of a werewolf. Fur grew on her arms, and the vicious nails were soon planted on the head of the spider, that spat open into a feast of goo.198Please respect copyright.PENANANh92FLjtzo
Marrie and Lewir danced around another spider. The spider was no match for the swiftness of Marrie’s spear and for the viciousness of Lewir’s falchion. The blades stabbed the spider, who was surprisingly perseverant. He took hits well and was fast, but his hits were weak and he was too disorientated due to his uncontrolled speed. Marrie and Lewir greatly took advantage of this, and played around with the spider as if they were making fun of him. After a plethora of wounds, the spider gave up and fell down, and Lewir jammed his falchion right in the head of the poor, defeated spider.198Please respect copyright.PENANA834Tzd8REM
Jarco and Livi worked together very well for defeating their spider, with Jarco working in front and Livi in the back. Livi’s beautifully forged zweihander made some pretty efficient wounds in the rear of the spider, but the spider was strong and easily shoved Livi back. Jarco’s gladius was quick and swift, which was the weakness of the spider. Despite his immense strength, he was slow. However, Jarco didn’t manage to make any crucial strikes, because the spider was quite the sufficient defense on his own. Livi was back on her feat and weakened the spider by planting her zweihander in the bare rear of the spider. After a tricky manoeuvre, in which Jarco made a couple quick combinations of attacks, he managed to reach the spider’s head. If their blades had been longer, the tips would’ve touched in the middle of the spider’s body.198Please respect copyright.PENANAXxYn1hlrMe
Bethil and Daphne enjoyed fighting their spider. They were like little children, messing about with their pet. Except the pet was vicious and was trying to kill them. Bethil’s short swords were gorgeous. Black, with golden lacing and detailing, and a beautiful, subtle curve. Daphne didn’t need that beauty, so she had opted for a slim, silver falchion with a red grip instead. They fully enjoyed using their weaponry on this spider. It was a game of tactical dodging and striking with occasional teamwork, but the real deed had to be done too. Daphne managed to climb her way up the spider while Bethil distracted him, and she planted her falchion in the middle of their enemy’s back. She jumped off, the sword still in the body, slicing it open from the side. Upon seeing the guts fall out, Bethil jabbed both his swords in the spider’s head, crossing them unintentionally.198Please respect copyright.PENANAZUv4MB8BJE
Ane, Elliot and Peita were dealing with the mother while the others were handling the spiders. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAmePJXUMwiw
“She is too tall… how are we going to do this?” muttered Ane.198Please respect copyright.PENANAgmh8boN1av
“Does she not have any sensitive spots?” asked Elliot, after dodging a swing from one of her paws.198Please respect copyright.PENANAoJHW5vR98n
“The stomach. First, we need to get her up. She is too close to the ground. You’ll get mushed before you get the chance,” answered Peita. She hurriedly shared a plan with the others, and they tried to execute it immediately. Peita ran towards the wall and took a jump from there, only to hang onto the spider’s side. After putting her two-bladed sword in her flesh, she managed to make her way up, albeit very troublesome.198Please respect copyright.PENANAhG0q5rTddC
“Come up!” she yelled towards Elliot’s direction while Ane was using her claymore to strike against either paw or teeth. Her claymore was a solid silver, with a crimson group and golden detailing. Golden patterns on the blade were spells, but Ane didn’t possess the magic to perform them. Instead, she just used the claymore to fight off a gigantic mother spider.198Please respect copyright.PENANA32AN8gBAJr
Elliot also easily found his way up with a bit of help from Peita, and the two soon found balance on top of the spider.198Please respect copyright.PENANARUwcV09STY
“Are you ready?” she asked. The spider then suddenly shook her body, as if she was trying to get bugs off her, but Elliot and Peita had planted their swords deep inside her back in order to get a grip. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAlohIKxrlWm
“Let’s do it,” nodded Peita. They then both cautiously made their way closer to the neck area, trying not to fall or slip off. Elliot shot an approving glare Peita’s way, and then they both jammed their swords right under the neck area. The spider yelped, and raised her body, as if she had just been tickled in the neck. “Now!” yelled Elliot. Ane smoothly ran and slid under the spider’s body and managed to plant her sword right in the stomach of the mother and began dragging it so that a large slit would spread across the spider’s stomach and Ane could make her way from underneath the spider. She hadn’t really considered the consequences and was soon met a gushing overload of insides and blood. The spider also let out another one of her shrieks, but now it was sharper and fiercer and more met with pain and anger rather than sadness and fury. Showered with the insides, she pulled her sword out the flesh and crawled from underneath. She looked like came right out of a horror book, but she didn’t have time to process how nasty she was when a familiar sound of footsteps emerged from the giant gap in the wall that led to more abyss. The huge spiders that nobody had the time to count crawled over the walls. Ane looked around, and everybody had finished off the spiders.198Please respect copyright.PENANA3lz0p84zZk
“It is time to go,” yelled Anevay. The group began running, Vastice at the front and Marrie at the back. They ran through the tunnel, following the fresh smell from outside. Marrie nearly felt the spiders creep up behind her, but she kept running behind Lewir.198Please respect copyright.PENANAM78cCc9NXG
Once outside, they kept running, until they were brutally stopped by a cliff. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAzHMyKkhjrH
“Shit, what now? We don’t have any time!” yelled Peita.198Please respect copyright.PENANA5BLjeAOeY6
“Get on my dragons!” yelled Vastice. They hurried on the dragons’ backs. Vastice, Peita, Lemennie, Ane and Elliot on Mia, and Daphne, Bethil, Jarco, Livi, Lewir and Marrie on Judian. Just when the first spider was about to launch itself towards Marrie, Judian took off together with Mia. The spider, however, did manage to hit Marrie from the side, causing her to lose her balance. After quick reflexes, she hung from Lewir’s hands, who was trying his best to stay on Judian. The dragon, however, had trouble with this new placement. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAL5tFM42qyx
“Judian can’t hold you guys like that! You have to get Marrie back up!” shouted Vastice.198Please respect copyright.PENANAxmEYo3G2ed
“I can’t! I’ll fall off if I try,” protested Lewir.198Please respect copyright.PENANAtj7T3DhwpL
“You need to get her back up, Lewir,” said Daphne, suppressing her fear for crashing down. “Judian can’t take it.”198Please respect copyright.PENANAlb7h9bTDEv
“Don’t let go, Marrie!” yelled Lewir. The dragons tried to make their way past the cliff, through the mist, but Judian was slowly descending without intending to do so, because Marrie was dangling off his side. It was dangerous, and Livi was holding on tightly to Lewir so that he wouldn’t fall either. Everyone panicked, except Marrie. She looked in Lewir’s eyes, and she smiled. She mouthed a last set of words, then released her hands from Lewir’s grip. 198Please respect copyright.PENANAxUskF7kghE
The “no” from his mouth struck everyone as they watched how Marrie fell down. She disappeared in the mist, and Judian made his way up, enlarging the distance between Lewir and the girl he loved.198Please respect copyright.PENANAAZ9G3aSLBI