I wasn't expecting to write this so soon, literally only about 36 hours after I finished the last one, even less if you count the chapter on Umbra I just completed. TL, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that's not why I had Buguese so happy. Think, his people are no longer suffering as they did under Mantid's reign. No consuming envy directed towards the humans anymore, just people getting to enjoy life properly. I'm not making Aqune and Buguese a thing in this. Frankly, I think they have more of a father and daughter sorta deal myself. Plus, remember that he is a lot older than her, too. Also, there are books for Spider Riders? Really?! Man, I wish I could've read those... I'd love it! Er, getting off track here... Disclaimer: I do not own Spider Riders, and since I'm honest, make no claims to. All credit goes to the actual geniuses who came up with it when I was a little kid. What I do claim ownership of is the plot line that continues to grow, and my OCs, though some credit goes to TL for lending a hand or two in my early days of writing.
I rode Verity for a couple hours before reminding myself that even the best of horses can only hold such a pace for so long, and that I should save some energy for an emergency. I'd seen for myself that these roads were dangerous after all. I pulled on the reins, and she slowed to a walking pace, looking back at me as if to ask why I was holding her back. Rather than turn myself into an Araluen Ranger from the books by John Flanagan, I handed her an apple.
With that done, I chose to play safe rather than sorry and pulled out my bow, holding an arrow in one hand as I looked around me. True, a lone rider wasn't likely to be the best payday for some robber, but being on my own projected a small image of possible vulnerability. I was reminded of something from the Wereworld books I'd read, how a larger party and a smaller one both had risks and benefits. A large group was noticeable, yes, but better able to protect themselves. A smaller one was less likely to be noticed, but if they got targeted, they were easier to overwhelm. Plus, while I wasn't wearing anything that would scream rich, I was riding a good horse, my equipment wasn't half bad and there was plenty of room for money in my bags. This was definitely a risky endeavor at the moment.
About another hour passed before I saw something behind me. Crap, was it someone who was sent after me? There were a lot of roads I could've taken, but then again, I hadn't exactly been sneaking when I left the city. And if they asked Selethen of Fifer or anyone else from the caravan, they may be able to guess at my destination, which could be worse. If they knew where I was going, then even if I lost them for a while, they could just try to get to that town before I did. Oh, boy...
To my relief, it was just someone going past me on a horse of his own in a big hurry. A quick hello was all he gave me, though I noticed he had a box strapped to his saddle. Some sort of courier I suppose, on a delivery. Provided he wasn't also carrying news that Lumen was looking for me, I was fine with that. I relaxed slightly before reminding myself that there was still possible danger lurking around me. Making sure to keep looking around, I continued.
The next couple days were uneventful, just the occasional other traveler on their way. When I reached the spot where we'd been ambushed, I went through a lot faster and tense enough I wouldn't be surprised if someone mistook me for a statue. But nothing happened and I relaxed. A bit too soon, though.
Not long afterwards, a yell from my side made me start. A group that seemed larger than the one that attacked us was surrounding me. Noting that to take them on would be suicide, I opted instead to run and fight another day. I got Verity to a gallop, and when some of them moved in front of me, I shot the only one with a spear and put aside my bow so I could draw my sword. An idiot with a club jumped right in front of us, but I call him an idiot for a reason. Cavalry charges were a popular tactic for a reason. A well bred horse could knock men aside as if they were nothing. Some weapons made that a more risky proposition, which was why I'd killed the one with a spear, but a club? Yeah, sure. He was flattened by Verity and I think one of her rear hooves got him, because I heard a scream that was abruptly cut off by a wet sounding yelp. Swinging my blade, one fellow got a cut across his face that went all the way to the bone. Unlikely that he would survive that one, I say. Gripping the saddle, I removed one foot from its stirrup and kicked another marauder, breaking his nose. Another one went down before Verity and then we were clear of them, making a break. The only injuries either of us had gotten was a painful cut on my thigh from the guy whose nose I'd broken.
Once we were far away, I had Verity stop and pulled my spyglass back out. They weren't chasing us, luckily. But a group that big... They could cause all kinds of damage. But what could I do on my own? Then guerrilla tactics popped into my head, quick hit and run strikes meant to whittle down the numbers of a larger group, even the playing field. It won the American Revolution, and caused all kinds of issues throughout the ages in other conflicts.
Like I said before, smaller groups do have some advantages. I can get in, kill a couple, and ride off before they even knew I'd been there. And a force that size tends to take time to organize. Well, then... "Ready to make some trouble, Verity?" An excited whinny showed she knew where I was going. I turned around and we began riding back, though I kept my spyglass out and periodically checked on them. They were moving away from the road at first, but stopped partway through, and I could tell they were excited about something. Someone else must be coming through! Ugh, what unlucky sap chose now of all times to go through here? Then I turned my glass towards the road and couldn't stop myself from cursing, glad my mother was literally worlds away. You've gotta be kidding me! Out of all the people in the Inner World?!
(Umbra's POV)
I'd spent days trying to find Prince Lumen's runaway guest, but though I knew I'd been on his trail when I left Arachna, since then it seemed to have grown cold. I'd learned a bit more about him when I'd asked the other people from the caravan who'd come to the city as a part of, but the idea that he was going back to the town where he'd been hired was little more than grasping at straws if I'm honest. But I have a duty to perform, and besides, there was the manacle from his bag to consider.
According to Lumen, it was an old one, probably hadn't been used in generations. Of course, the presence of a ninth manacle had stunned me until he explained that while there were eight Riders destined to defeat Mantid, our numbers had varied over the course of history, though the most there had ever been at once was 12, and the smallest was when King Arachna had been the first and only for years before being able to start recruiting others. Likely to prove his point, he reminded me that if there were only 8 manacles, then I couldn't be a Rider now, since when Quake had moved on he had taken his with him, and it was yet to be found.
I should've been more vigilant, but I was lost in thought when Glace told me to brace myself. I pulled myself out of my thoughts and saw a small army's worth of bandits on the road ahead of us. Guess the information Aadyn had given Lumen about other, larger bands in the area was accurate.
"Well, well. One fly slips through the web only for a spider and its friend to become ensnared. There's a fee if you want to get through my road, girlie. And if you don't have the coin, well... We could always do with a servant, and a Spider Rider would make a fine prize indeed!" Around the ugly lout who'd spoken, dozens, if not more, voices called out in agreement, with some references leaving little doubt what he meant by servant.
"Ready, Glace? Let's make them regret their life choices," She nodded assent and I lifted my manacle. "Arachna Power!" The light of Spirit Oracle surrounded me and Glace's body armored itself, while my own armor began to form around me. On my shoulders, torso, forearms and shins sturdy plate mail attached itself to me, with lighter, more flexible metal strips filling the gaps between. A kite shaped shield appeared on my left wrist, and in my right I hefted my axe, finding its weight reassuring.
The leader's eyes narrowed, likely annoyed with my resistance, and he barked out a command, causing about a dozen arrows to come flying at us. Glace dodged them easily, and we charged with my battle cry echoing around us. We crashed through, right into the middle of their force, but I'd underestimated them. Not only were there at least a couple hundred of them, but they were more skilled than I expected. Glace tried to make a leap and give us some space, but several ropes I hadn't noticed before were slung around her legs, halting her completely. This wasn't good...
As Glace tried to get out of the ropes, another caught my hand and pulled me off her. I landed on the ground and found myself looking at a guy with a broken nose that was still bleeding, and I mentally congratulated whoever did that, until he lifted his sword and I realized I'd lost my grip on my axe, which was now just out of reach.
"Say goodbye, wench!" He started to lower the sword and I found myself gazing at it with morbid fascination. So, I thought, this is what will kill me. That is, until another sword seemed to suddenly grow out of his stomach, causing him to drop it instead. A voice came from behind him.
"And here I was thinking that just busting your nose was me being nice before. Well, I'll just remedy that little mistake, shall I?" The sword was removed from his belly before swiping across his neck. Then the guy who'd run into me days ago, the runaway guest I was looking for, handed me my axe. "Start using that thing already and let's get out of here!"
(Aadyn's POV)
I'm not gonna lie, I felt a lot of satisfaction from decapitating that idiot. Umbra got up, holding her axe like she meant business. Good. "We need to cut those ropes, then we can get away from these morons and back to my horse. I just bought her and I'm not letting some idiotic human buzzard use her on the next travelers to come through here. You cut the ropes, and I'll do the same to these idiots. Agreed?" Before she could respond I continued. "Good, now hop to it. HRAAGH!"
I rammed my shoulder into the bandit right in front of me, then used my shield to hit him in the neck, breaking it like a twig. The next guy fared no better, a slash parried aside before once again my shield was brought into play, this time on his knee, bringing him to the ground before I sliced his throat. Ducking under a rusty mace, I brought my blade up, forward, and back beside me within moments as the bloody socket that once held an eye fell back away from me. As Thorn said in Brotherband, three centimeters of point is just as good as thirty of edge. I began spinning, holding out both blade and shield, making sure the latter of the two was held horizontally to cut wind resistance. The first two who came close were smashed and hacked like nothing, and the others backed away. I stopped my spin and opted to hamstring another of the idiots, remembering something else he'd mentioned. In a fight with a small group of superior skilled fighters against a large group, momentum is key. I can't give them time to regroup or remember how badly I'm outnumbered.
A shout from Umbra made me look behind me. Glace was no longer wrapped up and they seemed ready to leave. I did my best to get back to them, but one enemy, apparently emboldened by my retreat, tried to get me with a spear. His aim was off, but all that meant was I cut a cut going across my shoulder blades. "YOW!" I spun quickly and shoved my sword up under his rib cage and kept going till the tip emerged from his collarbone. "Wanna try that again?" His eyes glazed over and I removed my weapon from his carcass. "I didn't think so. Who's next, then?" They backed up quickly and then I ran to Glace and Umbra, hopping on with a lot less grace than the verbiage implied.
"Hang on!" Umbra yelled to me, but before I could ask to what Glace leaped.
"My horse is over there. I'm not ditching her!" Glace turned in the direction I'd pointed and we landed next to Verity. I hopped up on her and looked to Umbra. "Let me guess, back to Arachna?" With a resigned sigh I turned Verity. "Let's at least go around those guys rather than try to smash through them all."
With a this way from Umbra, we went to the left of the horde, Verity at a full gallop and Glace going pretty quick herself. But I'd seen those spiders move on the show and knew that if she wanted, we would be eating her dust no matter how hard I pushed Verity. The pace jarred my injury and I had to stop myself from crying out. This won't be a fun ride...
When night fell we stopped. That was when Umbra noticed is been injured. "Here, let me help," I waved her off.
"It's not like you owe me anything. I don't deserve your help," I suppose it was my miserable tone that made her study me more closely. "After all, not only is it my fault you ran into those idiots, but there was all that ruckus last time we met."
"You knocking me over on accident isn't all that bad. Now here, let me-" I stepped back and lit the fire so it would better show my face.
"Might as well get this out of the way now. Take a good look and picture my arm in bandages with my hair black instead of blue," She seemed bewildered, but examined me more closely. I'd picked up a few scars and a tan, but a face as ugly as mine isn't easily forgotten, now is it?
She gasped and her glare cut through me, harsh and accusatory. "You! You're the one from last year! You-!" She tackled me and took my knife before holding it to my neck. "Alright, what did you do with the guy I was sent to find? Did you steal his horse and leave him beside the road hoping to get some reward from pretending to be him? Is that it?" The knife was cutting into my throat despite a lack of pressure. Oh, why did I decide to sharpen it so much?!
"You're about to cut my throat, get off!" I grabbed the arm that held my knife and shoved it aside, then kicked her away from me. "If I wanted some stupid reward I wouldn't have run off, would I? Wouldn't have asked her to never tell anyone about me, either. But then a year later what happens?! My bad luck causes her to run right into me and tell everyone who I was. And now all this mess! Look, I'd rather my life not be any more miserable than it's become since I gut stuck in this dumb world of yours, so just give me back my knife and let me return to my ship!" The words just came roaring out of me, and I clapped my hands over my mouth once I'd realized what I'd said. Seeing her stunned expression, I ran to Verity and got on, ready to leave. However, I'd forgotten about Glace. Her threads stopped me before we could even start running and pinned my arms to my sides. Crap!
Umbra came up to me, looking seriously confused. "You are going to tell me exactly what you meant just now, and I will take you to Arachna Castle. The prince and princess can tell me if you are who you claim to be or not. After that..." She let her words trail off meaningly and I groaned. I just can't win, can I?!
Well, I'm gonna be miserable for a while, aren't I? This is looking pretty unfair for the me in the story. I'm feeling miserable just typing it! Still, that's another one down. But after this one I intend to slow down cause my other stories are just gathering dust while this was all stuck in my head. Well, please tell me what you think, guys. Later!