These were spiders, giant fucking killer spiders, in a cave deep underground, and I was going to be giving any survivors fucking nightmares after this.
I saw Arrin cancel his FlameShield, firing a handful of Magic Missiles upwards, and a second later, the struggling cocoon fell from the ceiling. Lydia caught it, staggering under the weight.
“I’ve got him!” she screamed, running for the exit from the room, and the safety of the others.
I spun my naginata, flashing out again and again as they fled, and more spiders landed all around me.
I could feel my mana getting low, and I frantically spun, lashing out and slicing a leg from the nearest spider, then pivoting and driving the point forward to crack upwards, piercing through another spider’s open maw, the tip crunching into its brain and sending it to the floor, spasming in death.
I started to grow frantic, spinning and kicking, sweeping the blade forward and disemboweling one, then flipping it over and swinging the metal clad base around like a baseball bat, another spider practically exploding from the impact.
“ENOUGH!” roared a hoarse voice, and the spiders fell back, slowly clambering up the walls and returning to watching me from their webs.
“What do you want, fleshling?” came the question, and I stared as enormous webs that had coated one entire wall slowly withdrew, and the creature that hunkered behind them was revealed.
It was a spider, grossly oversized, and old as sin. Where the others were grey and black, with haphazard patterns and markings, this creature was midnight black with red patterned across it. My every instinct screamed that nature always marked things with warnings, and that this red was a hint to make sure I stayed the fuck away from it.
It slowly moved forward, a leg as thick around as I was, touching down with a crunch as it impacted a bone and smashed it into oblivion, and I realized the floor was covered in them. I was in a nest that had seen thousands of deaths, and I was almost out of mana, like seconds left… if that.
“Well? Why have you come, now of all times? Your kind never comes without cause!” It bellowed, and I felt the hot, fetid breath wash over me, the stink of carrion thick in the air.
“My friend was taken…” I forced out, my mana reserves bottoming out, and I felt the boosted stats leaving, my muscles deflating. I forced myself to stand straighter, knowing I couldn’t win this fight.
“And now you have it back. Leave! Leave my children, before more die!” It bellowed at me, and I shook my head.
“No! He is my scout; the Drow took the friend I am chasing… I hunt them…” I tried not to let it show, but I’d grounded the base of my naginata, frantically trying to stay upright as I gripped it with all my waning strength, the last effects of the spiders’ poisonous bites bottoming out my stamina, while my health wasn’t much better.
“Drow!” The spider spat; disgust clear in its rumbling voice. “Always they curse us, use us! We want no part of your fight with them; you will leave some of your number to make up for my losses, then go to hunt them.”
“Get fucked,” I said, not pausing to think.
“What?”
“I said, you can get fucked!” I growled. “You attacked my scout, attacked me! I’m not at fault here…” I frowned, earning a vicious pulse from the mana migraine I was trying to ignore as I used my Identify spell on the Spider.
Ashrag the Old
Greater Ancient Cave Spider
Ashrag was young when the city of Himnel was built, a creature steeped in blood and death even then. Ashrag was once counted an Imperial servant, but she exists for only two reasons now: to protect her young, and out of hatred for the Drow Spiderkin that forced her species to the brink of extinction.
HP: Unknown
Mana: Unknown
“…Ashrag.” I finished, forcing myself to stare into the same eye continuously. I figured that trying to look at each of them would only show weakness.
“Mageling. I should have known,” Ashrag spat. “I am old; I’ve seen your kind come and go, be born and die; why shouldn’t I command you to be slaughtered now? Give me a reason or die screaming like so many of my children have,” She snapped bitterly. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, deciding to risk it all on one more flip of the dice, making it up as I went along, and hoping the details I had weren’t leading me astray.
“Because you swore and Oath to me and mine, Ashrag. You were an Imperial Servant once… I am Jax, Lord of the Great Tower, ruler of Dravith. How deep is your honor? Who are you, under the cloak of age; are you Ashrag the Honorable, or Ashrag the Oathbreaker?”
Silence reined across the cavern, as she slowly moved closer to me, her eyes flaring in rage, and I forced myself to glare right back. I’d never be able to win this fight, not as I was. I’d have a hell of a time when the entire party was prepared and rested, and now they were clinging to life in the tunnel, while I was surrounded.
“You dare… you dare to accuse me… I broke no Oath! It was your kind who abandoned me and mine! Thousands of my children perished; we were forced to flee when the fire mountain struck the realm, when the seas turned to flame and the skies to ash. Your kind turned on us… you hunted us, laughed at our Oaths, slaughtered my children until I fled… and now you DARE CALL ME OATHBREAKER!” The cavern shook with the rage that filled her voice, and I felt Amon staring out from my eyes.
We have wronged you… failed you… abandoned you…
The voice that filled my mind
