Chapter 14

Marm, Fai, and I sat at the Streetcook's, staring down the Ace Commander as he emerged from the depths. He saluted us, and only moved when we returned it. The Ace Cadet came up next, gibbering away at the Commander's ear, lost to the clanking of the lancer's armor, hanging a right and heading to the Hotsprings.

The Gunner was the last to emerge, and she glided into the seat beside, tittering.

"Well, we found the problem," She said, motioning to the Streetcat, handing her a bowl and a bottle of sake. "Nerscylla made its home above the main flow. We take it out, it'll be fine."

"You don't say?" I said, finishing off my bottle of ale.

She nodded, filling her bowl. "We'll all be out of here this time tomorrow, I believe."

"That depends how fast the magma fills their kilns again, and how fast they can forge our boat," Faires said.

"Troverians are master artisans. Shouldn't take them more than a few hours to get it done. If need be, though, you can ride on our ship, the Nostromo."

"What about the Gallant?" Marm said. "I thought that was the Commander's pride and joy."

"It is, but it's down for repairs. When we brought it over, a Monoblos decided to get friendly. It's pretty cramped in the Nostromo, but there's plenty of room in my chambers if you wish to tag along, Ophelia."

"That's generous. I'll make sure to keep that in mind."

She scoffed and touched my hair again, filling her bowl again.

"You should. The Nostromo is a dream. It seems to... fly across the waters and sand. You can barely feel the dunes, the waves, but you can most certainly feel the motion of the ocean. It caresses every part of you when you're in bed, washes over you, leaves you... wanting. Needing."

"Sounds... nice."

"Oh, it is. If I had it my way, I'd spend the rest of my days simply sailing, but this boy's club needs someone to do their dirty work, don't they?"

"They always do."

"Hey. Sitting right here," Faires said.

"And I'm always cleaning up your messes."

"Not always. Sometimes I have to pull you out of them."

"True. We make a good team. If only you could be shot out of the gunlance."

"Yeah, when you grab that again, I'm going to stay far, FAR away. Don't want you blowing your load on me."

"Phrasing," We exclaimed, guffawing as we clanked our bottles, replaced with full ones.

The Ace Gunner tittered, and filled her bowl one last time, slamming it back before standing.

"Well, I'm off to the springs. Nice talking to you, and Ophelia?"

"Yes?"

"You have a pretty smile."

Her hand trailed across my shoulders before dropping off, heading after the lancer... whoever he was. I would ask but.. eh... Why was Fai looking at me?

"What?" I said.

"So... you and the Ace Gunner..."

"Yeah. We're friends. Met at the hotspring the other night."

"... Ah... Anyways. They're back. It's time to get moving."

Marm slid us the contract, pre-stamped, and we hobbled to our feet, heading towards the entrance. Marm fanned her arms, "helping" us down towards the spring while we dashed to the left, making our way to the Sunken Hollow. The supply chest was filled to the brim with First Aid Meds, Rations, Antidotes, Paintballs, Cleansers, and even some Energy Drinks. The Ace Hunters really lived up to their reputation; the only thing taken was a single map, and it was returned, stained with paint, Areas 5 and 6 blotted with pink.

Faires took six of everything, leaving me the other half, and we made our way down to the basin again. This time, we hooked up towards the cliffs of the basin, overlooking the waterfalls, and continued to the...

Well... Here's the nest.

Gypceros were strung from the ceiling. Shrunk, hollow Tetsu carcasses littered the area, tusks breaking free of those sticky walls here and there, supporting thick webbing, scrunching in our wake. Strands caught on to our boots, but they broke easy enough. However, they became a problem as we entered the true lair, slowing us to a crawl.

Which, considering what awaited in its center...

The Nerscylla hung upside down, resting just at head height. The purple crystals on its back were dim, melding into the dark gray skin that hung on its pale form. Its eight eyes were fogged, those baby blues locked ahead. Its mandibles lazed and clacked at each other, expanding a little with its snores, agitating its pedipalps, bright orange.

Faires raised his hand, and crouched, making his way across the room and under the Nersy's head. He reached into his bag and retrieved two barrel bombs, grazing just the top of its head, and waved over. Okay, there's an actual pattern to these webs; the thicker ones were the sticky. You want to aim for the thin strands, which had no problem handling my weight... No. I'm not fat, though I did have to have my top opened a bit more. Why did they have to grow bigger? I was happy being tiny.

No reason to cry now. After all, there's about to be fireworks... Seriously, I'm not fat. Stop it, brain. Stop trying to make me feel bad. Fireworks... Fire. Works!

I placed my bombs beside his, and we sneaked away, stopping at about a stone's throw away –or, rather, a Paintball's throw. The bombs exploded, and the Ners dropped, scratching at its face, covered in pink. It extended its pedipalps and swiped at us, screeching, its once blue eyes blood red. I reared, exposed its abdomen, and fired a line of web... At our feet. Huh. We must have blinded-

IT'S NOT BLIND.

I dove to the left, Fai to the right, and the Ners glided between, snapping the web off when it passed. It turned, swiped my way, and its claw caught my staff, pulling me towards it. Its pincers clacked against my mask, crunching against the horns before it spat and jumped back, its legs plucking its way around the web, circling towards us.

Faires lunged at it, but it leaped to the side, pulling him into its grasp. I raised a bit higher, and its stinger plunged into his belly.

"Faires," I shrieked, Cully sent flying. It bashed against the Ners's head, turning it my way- and it shrieked again, swiping after its prey, pulled free. Cully kept slamming against its face, keeping it busy as I dragged Fai out towards the cliffs. I slapped his face, his lips already paling. "Vi. Say something, dammit. Vi? Vi! Faires, pl-"

… He snorted, and yawned, rising. He smacked his lips, looked around, then sputtered, feeling his gut.

"Wh- ho- where- why?" He said. "Ophelia, what happened?"

"... Nothing, it seems. It put you to sleep."

"Sleep? But... the stinger."

"That explains the energy drinks. What else can that stinger do?"

"I'd rather not find out. Let's go finish it... Er, well, at least start on finishing it."

I nodded, and Cully returned to my arm.

As the Ners entered, bearing down on me.

I dug the tip of my staff into the mud and flipped out of range, but its web still hit my weapon, pulling me back. It rose on its back legs and slammed down, my glaive quaking against its weight, starting to bow. I kicked against it, and it shrilled and leaped off, cracking against my glaive again with its claws. It raised its body again, its stinger heading my way.

And stopped, spraying out a thick, purple mist.

It got into my mouth, my eyes, my nose, and the world turned to a bubbling cauldron, the Ners's shrieks reduced to garbled screams. I looked down at my hands, and saw I now had six, three on each side. They created more when they moved, pulsing with my heart, beating loud in my ears, slowing.

Something had hit, forced me to the ground, but it was not but color, but darkness-

No.

I reached for my bag, waiting for all fifty hands to get inside its folds.

Boom, boom.

I pulled out the first bottle, fought its cork, and drank it. My heart leaped a few beats, but settled, but dimmed.

Boom. Boom.

The second was a bit brighter than the prior, but it tasted blue. It washed down my front, seeped in between the cracks of my armor, widening as another wave crashed against, rending it apart, exposing my but.

Boom. Boom... boom...

One... Last... Bottle... I... The cork... Just... there. I poured it down my throat, down my neck-

And the world returned.

My body screamed with the Ners, bearing down again, its stinger preparing another wash of the purple spray. I dove to the side, and swiped its leg, making it fall in its own goop. Its eyes hazed, turned purple, and it lashed out... at the... wall... No. Can't simply watch. Where's Fai-

He was asleep again... one quick kick, and that was no longer an issue.

"Not again," He grumbled, shambling to his feet, massaging his arm. "Where is I... What's it doing?"

"Enjoying a taste of its own medicine."

"Let's not waste this opportunity, then. What say we break those crystals."

"Sounds good."

We leaped onto its back and hacked away at those purple gemstones, crumbling away. The Nerscylla shrieked and shrilled with each blow, reaching up after, but we stayed out of its grasp-

Until it jumped and landed on its back.

I rolled off, mask lost to the mud, but Faires held, stabbing it with his right blade again and again whilst his left kept anchored in its flesh. It righted itself, clicked its mandibles, and reached up again, tearing at its skin. It wrenched it off, along with Fai, and pinned him down with it, stabbing the fleshy cover with its stinger until it frothed with purple broth.

It turned towards me, and cocked its head, shrieking again. It snapped its head the other way, then back, and its jowls extended, dripping with the vile brew and splattering the area when they slammed shut not but a breath from my nose. They shrunk back into place, and it licked them clean, looking down at the flesh below, stirring.

"Faires!"

The Ners shrieked, too, lost to the head cracks once more. It extended them only long enough to touch the rubber hide, and opened them wide.

A Felyne yowled and leaped on its face, scratching away at those baby blues as three others loaded Faires onto a cart, wheeling him off. The Felyne on the face waited for the cart to be out of the area, and jumped off racing after, jumping out of the Ners's jowls when they bit his way. It tried to chase after, but gave up at the cliff's face, jumping and turning on me again, its eyes red once more.

I sent Cully out again, and the Nerscylla batted it out of the air, charging me down. I leaped to the side, but it caught me in mid-air, throwing me against the far wall. Web splattered near my head, and it rocketed my way, shrieking, smashing into the wall. It walked along it, circling towards the ceiling as I ran away, heading back towards the nest, and its shadow loomed, crashed behind as I dove into the web.

I looked down, and it looked back up, its jaws expanding.

I reeled back as it tore its way through the web, wheeling about and bearing down once more. It reached out, and shrilled when Cully slammed against its head again, knocking it over. I twirled my Insect Glaive and bashed It against its "belly," aiming for the leg joints, each hit making such a satisfying crunch. It tried to right itself, but I broke the leg that tried, not stopping until the blade was chipped and bent.

Its stinger bobbed, covered in white liquid, but Faires capped it with a bit of rubber hide, laying into its abdomen with his Dual Blades.

"Took your sweet time getting back," I said, panting.

"Looks like you had it."

"Cully did most of it. Isn't that right?"

It squealed and cracked against the Ners's head one last time, its eyes black, glassed. Cully slumped onto my arm, its wings too tired to close inside its shell. I petted its horns, gave it a kiss before carving the Ners, taking a few of those sapphires for myself. Faires took a few legs, and the stinger, keeping it inside the Gyp skin. He patted my shoulder, and made his way to the entrance. I managed to pop off its fangs easy enough, and followed aft-

Something hit my waist.

Something wrapped my waist.

Something pulled me and my waist back and into the web and nest until only darkness awaited.

I was turned around, and met eight red eyes, each as large as Cully. It shrilled and pulled me down towards its abdomen, its stinger coating me in white spray, and the world went dark.