We ran as quickly as we were able, dodging the spiders that hung over us, trying not to get caught in the webs that threatened to trip us. The only light we could see by was the charge I carried, given that fact I was loathed to use it against the creatures chasing us until it was absolutely necessary. The sound was that out of nightmares thousands of tiny legs scuttling to run us down. Lathain spotted a second door to the stairs and hit it at a run, shoulder barging the door for us to sprawl in the stairwell.
I rolled over and let loose the charge I held right into the corridor, the tiny spiders shrieked and screamed the stench of the chitin bodies as they fried in the heat made me gag. My charge spent I rolled to my feet as Lathain leapt forward to shut the door, a few spiders hooked their legs through the doorway trying to reach us, but the light in the corridor made their skin start to steam and they withdrew.
"Guess we know why the corridor was so dark" Lathain panted "little vampires can't stand the sunlight" he looked up the stairwell to see if anything else were around, but things looked clear. "Wizbit's comm. unit is offline and I can't get through to KC or Whisperer either"
"What about Convoy?" I asked
"His has been broken since the rambler attack" Lathain reminded me "we should get going, they're probably already on the top level" he said, he picked up my memory blade from where it had fallen as we'd broken through the door "I'd keep that thing a secret from everyone" he said "the best weapon is the one they don't know you have" he warned, he handed me the blade and I tucked it back into the belt. "How are you feeling?" he asked
"Drained" I admitted "If it weren't for the electricity I think I'd had have been spent hours ago" I sighed as we started to take the stairs two at a time "I can't wait to get home and take a bath" I said
"Well I'd just be happy with a pizza around about now" he said "seriously we haven't eaten a thing and I'm half starved" The railing of the stairs shook slightly and Lathain glanced up "They'll be at the top then" he grinned "Sounds like we're missing all the fun" we raced as quickly as we were able, meeting no resistance on our ascent
"Where are the bugs?" I asked "you'd think they'd be out here on the stairs" I puffed, five flights still to go
"Maybe they're all anti sunlight?" Lathain guessed "I'm just glad there's no trouble" he said "I've seen enough to last me a few weeks" I laughed despite being out of breath "I don't know why you're laughing" he said with a grin "the trouble is following you home" he said
"You mean KC?" I asked, I wasn't aware he knew I'd offered her to stay with me
"I mean the drink jockey" Lathain said "be careful around him, something doesn't sit well with him and I can't put my finger on it" he warned, I stopped laughing
"What do you mean?" I asked "I have no intention of taking Whisperer "home" with me as you imply", Lathain gave me a look that told me Whisperer wouldn't wait for an invitation "are you jealous?" I asked my mouth running before I could sensor my thoughts. Lathain stopped on the stairs turned and looked at me hard.
"If I say that I am?" he asked "would that change anything?"
"I don't know" I answered honestly "it depends on why you're jealous" I said you want to talk about this now? I thought, then reasoned that I'd asked the question
"I'm not jealous of Whisperer" Lathain said turning to walk back up the stairs "I'm jealous of the position he's in" he admitted
"The position he's in?" I asked "he's been captive for months, lost and out of touch with events of the world with no real place to go, why would you possibly be jealous of his position?" I asked
Lathain laughed softly and started to pick up the pace of the ascent again "he has more in common with you than I do, he's a mage for a start, and he can get close to you in a way that I can't" he glanced over his shoulder "at least without being electrocuted" he said
"I don't even know him" I began
"But everything about the way you are around him says that you do, you're already connected on some level that I don't understand, though I don't think that you do either" he said. He sighed heavily "I just don't want to see you get hurt" he began "you're important to . . ."
Before he could finish the stairwell shook violently and the level above blew out sending pieces of wood and dry wall raining down the stairs, we picked up the pace, Lathain with his guns at the ready, as we reached the top the body of a mantis insect hurtled backwards over the stairwell railing and down to the bottom floor. I reached the top moments after Lathain just in time to see a huge drake expand his chest and open his jaws.
Lathain barrelled in to me and nearly sent me flying down the stairs. The fireball that went past was hot enough to make my skin blister. Lathain stood and battered at his shoulder which had caught alight. He rolled and helped me up. I pulled my bow from my back and pulled the string taught. I drew an arrow and readied it; I'd shoot from a distance until we could gauge the carnage inside. I fired an arrow at the drake which dominated the remains of the room. I could hear the gunfire of KC and see the blue flares which told me Wizbit and Whisperer were using their magic.
The arrow hit the drake in the side of the face. It snapped its head my way as a second arrow dug into the ridge above its eye. Lathain rushed past me to where Wizbit could be seen on the ground
"Cover me!" he yelled, I fired another arrow which hit the drake's snout, torn between attacking Lathain and myself the drake hissed, a forth arrow struck it's cheek, the left side of its huge face now resembling a pin cushion
"Hey!" I shouted at the creature, it's attention now fully on me, I let loose another arrow, its wing flicked up to take the damage, rather than the face "Didn't I tell you that you'd have to get through me first?" I drew back the bow and let loose my charge. The arrow held and acted as a guide, striking the drake in a glancing blow the arrow did little damage, but the electricity route it established burnt.
The drake howled and rose on its rear feet in spasm. One of its huge wings lashed out, catching a mantis bug and throwing it across the room. So the brotherhood were here too.
I shot arrow after arrow, each charged, each delivering more than a nuisance wound. I started to advance, stepping over the bodies of the brotherhood swarm that had greeted the party before us. I was unrelenting, the electric charge stopping the drake from moving his own muscles as they cramped under the electricity, from the corner of my eye I saw Lathain over Wizbit's fallen form, the mage not moving, to the other side KC took out mantis alternating firing her pistols to drive them back and swinging Lathain's rapier to remove their heads. Whisperer fired mana bolt after mana bolt into the fray. I couldn't see Convoy and feared the worst.
Suddenly my hand grasped at air, my arrows spent.
I used my bow to trip a mantis that raced to attack me and pulled a blade from my back holster, throwing it at the drake the blade bounced off the hard scales. Now able to move the drake roared in defiance and beat its wings, the movement causing huge gusts in the relatively tiny space, the ground littered with arrows that fell from its hide. It landed on its feet and swung its great tail, knocking KC, whisperer and several bugs from their feet. It lashed out a wing which hit me square in the chest throwing me to the end of the room. I stumbled as I tried to stand, realising just in time that the glass of the windows was blown and I was looking at a fifty story drop. I rolled and hit the deck as the tail swung around again, hitting the support beam beside me showering me with debris.
The drake stamped its forefeet and snarled "Lathain . . ." it hissed "you'll pay for your insolence" it lunged it's head forward, jaws snapping, a wing flew out catching KC off guard causing her to drop her rapier, and now it blocked my view of Lathain and Wizbit.
I stood and shook the cement dust from me for a moment, but it was a moment too long. The tail swung around and caught me straight in the chest, the momentum driving me off my feet and out the window.
I screamed and clamped my arms as tight as I was able, now holding on to the drake's tail as it thrashed. An arm slipped and I had only a moment to grab a knife from my holster, using it to dig in to the drake's thick tail. The pain in its tail caused the drake to howl again, thrashing its tail to shake me lose. The pain must have given Lathain the opening he needed as the sound of a very loud gun could be heard just moments before the drake shook with electricity. Unfortunately attached as I was the charge hit me too, my skin blistered and the shock made me let go of my knife and my only decent purchase. I hit the floor hard and slid towards the hole in the window, I tried to stop the slide but I was headed straight for it.