"It's spider season. Every year, right about now, thousands of the godless eight-legged bastards emerge from the bowels of hell (or the garden, whichever's nearest) with the sole intention of tormenting humankind."
― Charlie Brooker
Chapter 26
Crashing into a frozen lake or dealing with cannibals? No contest.
Sure the crash knocked her out for a bit and sure she was bleeding from her temple but hey, at least creatures that looked like the chupacabra weren't gnawing her on. Not that she'd ever seen one per se, but she had heard stories.
She was probably close.
Coldness enveloped her. The freezing lake was enough to wake up her up with a start. She must have only been out for a few seconds but the gills that allowed the Amazons to breathe underwater had materialized on both sides of her neck. She could feel them.
She could breathe.
Blinking away her dizziness as best as she could she searched through the lakes depth. Keith and Lotor had to be close. It'd be better to see if the water weren't so dark and the waves so unsettled. Regardless, she could still make out two forms a few feet away from her. Both of them were flailing their arms in an attempt to swim to the surface but they seemed to be losing more ground instead of gaining any. Lotor had his right arm wrapped around Keith's middle while his other hand tried to get them up to the surface. Her fiancée had one hand on his mouth and nose, his face contorted in a grimace. He was clearly running out of air.
Lance swam to meet them, the current wasn't strong enough to steer her away from the direction she wanted to go. Reaching one hand forward, she reached for Keith's face with her fingertips and brought his face close to hers. Leaning down she pressed her lips against his, she had plenty of air left in her lungs, and gave it to him.
Satisfied that he wasn't going to drown any time soon, she gripped his and Lotor's arms and kicked with all her might to the surface. She couldn't see the spot that they'd originally fallen in so she just punched the ice three times and made her own exit instead.
Lotor and Keith's faces broke the surface first and they greedily took in a lungful of air. With another grunt, she all but threw both males on the cold surface none too gently before following after them. The cold hit her once she was out of the water and she shivered violently on her hand and knees.
"W-we'll be f-fine." Lance mocked as she glared at Keith who was sprawled on his back. "T-trust m-me."
Keith flipped her off.
Lotor smacked the offending finger with a glare.
Keith huffed, his breathing shaky. Good. "We're all right aren't we? No cannibals to eat us either, I call that a win."
Lotor pushed himself into a sitting position and wrung his long silver hair. His limbs were trembling, his lips a hint of blue. "My hair is ruined thank you very much. I wouldn't call that okay."
Keith scoffed as he pushed himself to sit cross-legged. He hastily pushed back his damp hair away from his face. "It's an improvement."
If looks could kill, Keith would have been obliterated by the look Lotor was giving him. Lance sighed. Men.
Looking back to where they had just emerged from she grimaced. She'd have to go back for their stuff. What a pain.
Letting out a sigh that was probably overly dramatic, she'd fallen off a clip she deserved to be as dramatic as she wished, Lance crawled back to the hole and before both males could stop her, she dove back in.
She was definitely going to get hyperthermia at this rate. Finding the hover bike didn't take very long; it was at the bottom of the lake. She could come back to that right after she found the two purple backpacks and the two gun blasters. She didn't like being weaponless, she was already cut off from using her powers, she didn't want to be even more defenseless.
Oh, how she wished she were at least wearing her armor for more protection but oh well.
Sure she could punch anything hard enough to inflict some major damage but sometimes it was better to shoot from a distance, there were things that even she couldn't stomach touching.
Like insects. She didn't want to touch any of those slimy creatures with their creepy legs, their way too many eyes, and if they flew – forget about it.
Scanning the dark water once again, she finally caught sight of something familiar and headed right for it. It was the two bags. Nice.
The two gun blasters weren't too far either.
Yay.
Kicking her legs up to towards the whole she had made, she flung the objects to the surface before diving down to get the hover bike. Reaching down, she gripped both levers and began to kick her way up to the surface. The hover bike wasn't too heavy, she'd carried heavier things than this before, the only problem was the current. It kept steering her in another direction. Lance grit her teeth and kicked harder.
After what like forever, Lance's face broke the surface and she turned her head to make sure both males were still where she'd left them and felt her eye twitch instead.
Lotor had Keith's body pinned to the floor with his own as Keith threw obscenities at the Galra Prince to let him go so he could make sure that she was okay. Lotor kept insisting that Lance would be fine because she could breathe underwater thanks to the gills at her neck but Keith didn't give a damn. He was going to go check on her anyway.
Lance felt both flattered and annoyed.
Clearing her throat, both males turned to look at her in surprise before their faces broke into a wide grin. Keith elbowed the Galra Prince in the face before crawling over to her on all fours.
Lance winced. Poor Lotor.
Gripping her face, Keith turned her head side to side with a grimace. "Are you all right? You're hurt! Why the fuck did you dive back in?"
Lance rolled her eyes, her hands still clutching the hover bikes levers where it was still submerged underwater. "Why did we drive off a cliff? Are you an idiot? Why is your hair a mullet? I have questions too!"
Keith glared but his mouth twitched upwards.
Rubbing his nose with an irritated glare aimed at Keith, Lotor walked over to them, his armor completely drenched, and offered her a hand.
Grinning, Lance lifted the hover bike and handed him one of the levers instead. Lotor almost fell in because of the unexpected weight but Lance and Keith helped push the hover bike out of the water and onto the surface.
They were all shivering and all three of them sported a bruise or two but they were alive. After Keith was done fussing over her, he went to check if the hover bike was still working.
Fortunately, her temple had stopped bleeding. It still throbbed and she had a major headache but at least it was better than bleeding out.
With her body back on the surface, the gills disappeared.
While Keith went to do that, Lance and Lotor looked through the backpacks while Lance stuffed her gun blaster in Keith's pink purse. It seemed the backpacks that Mrs. Dossier had given them were waterproof which was really good because the woman had stuffed a few extra layer of clothes for them. Double Yay.
They were encased in a small black box that had confused her but Lotor seemed to know what to do. There was a button hidden on the back that would make them appear. Sweet. They'd have to find a place to stay for the night and then they could change their clothes.
The snacks were still there as well. She was starving.
"So why are you here?" Lance asked Lotor as she rubbed her arms and looked over at Keith where he was fussing over the hover bike with a grimace. She settled down on the floor and crossed her ankles. "Don't get me wrong. I'm glad we have one more person to watch our backs but shouldn't you be with your father?"
Lotor sighed as he combed through his hair before settling down next to her on the small patch of dirt cross-legged. "That's right, you haven't heard." Lance tilted her head. "My father has made me public enemy number one. He put the order out to kill me on sight in all the universe."
Lance's blue eyes widened. "Holy crap. What a dick!"
Lotor's mouth twitched before he glared out into the distance. "Yes. I imagine it's that witch's doing."
"Ugh, Haggar? I hate that wrinkly old hag."
"Same. She's corrupted my father, and he's given her practically everything she ever wanted. She's free to do her crazy experiments, make her destructive robots, and who knows what else."
"I just hate her because she's messed with me and my friends by sending her Robeast's after us. That, and she wants to take over my body."
Lotor whipped his head to look at her in horror. "What? Is that why you're so important?"
Lance nodded absently, her fingers tapping out a random beat on her leg. "Must be. A few months ago she almost captured Shiro and me but I managed to get him to safety and put myself to sleep by putting a barrier around myself. No harm would come to me as long as I remained asleep. All I had to do was wait for Keith to find me and I would wake up."
"Fascinating. I'm glad she didn't get her way. Anything that witch wants, I tend to destroy or take."
"Ah, is that why you came to rescue me?"
The Galra Prince nodded. "One of my generals dug some info and found out that a girl was being transported with some tight security. Most of them were druids so I figured Haggar was involved. As soon as my general showed me a picture of you, I knew I couldn't let that old hag get to you."
Lance put a hand to her heart. "Aww, thanks for coming to my rescue. Though, it was the other way around."
Lotor groaned and he rubbed his face with both hands. "Don't remind me. It was humiliating waking up to being spun in a spit by some cannibals."
Lance only laughed and lightly punched his shoulder. "You can return the favor if I ever get in trouble. You were trying to save Keith despite the fact that he called you names and was the reason we drove off a cliff in the first place so you're doing good so far."
Lotor smiled and he lightly pushed her back. "Like I said, I never wanted to hurt the paladins of Voltron. I just didn't want my father to be suspicious of me." Lotor looked over at her curiously. "So you have powers?"
Lance grinned as she began to explain what her powers were. Lotor seemed intrigued and mentioned one of his generals that also seemed to have powers. Apparently the woman was suppose to be a druid but Haggar turned her away and that's when Lotor asked her to join his team.
Since the woman had the makings of a druid, she could probably remove Lance's shackles and the tiara on her head to get her powers back. Only a druid or Haggar herself could remove the darn things. Luckily for Lance, Lotor's generals were somewhere in this planet as well so they would probably run into them eventually.
If they were as smart as Lotor claimed they were, then they were probably making their way to the spiral tower as well. Nice, she couldn't wait to meet this Narti lady and have her take these things off her.
"Wait, you're a princess?" Lotor blinked in surprise.
She nodded sheepishly. She hadn't meant to hide it but people usually acted differently when she told them. They tended to suck up to her but since Lotor was a prince himself, she figured it'd be okay to tell him.
Lotor look both pleased and surprised at the same time. "Most princesses I've met wanted me to join them in their tea parties or were looking for a man to take care of them."
Lance made a face, gross.
"Oh. Are you disappointed?"
"Hell no. This is way better."
Lance grinned as she got to her feet. It seemed Keith was done checking over the hover bike. "Oh, Lotor. You and I are going to be great friends. Soon we'll be doing each others hair."
Lotor got to his feet after her and smiled. His shaking had mostly seized and his lips were no longer blue. "Oh, good. You're not doing a good job so far."
Lance glared and punched him in the gut. Lotor doubled over with a wheeze as she huffed and made her way over to Keith who was looking quite smug. "Does this mean we can kill him?"
Lance punched him in the gut too. "We can't solve all our problems with murder Keith! And no, he's staying." Keith glared as he tried to catch his breath but Lance was used to his glares by now to be affected by them. "Now come on, we have to find some shelter because I really want to change clothes. Mrs. Dossier packed us a few extra clothes just in case."
She glanced up at the sky, it had stopped snowing but the air was still freezing. Lance could see her breath in front of her whenever she sighed. Her lips felt chapped.
A shadow passed overhead.
"Is that an eagle?" Keith asked as he looked up at the sky.
"Eagle?" Lotor asked as he made his way over to them.
"That's no eagle," Lance said with a grimace.
It was definitely larger than any eagle she'd ever seen, she couldn't quite tell what color it was because of the darkness but she was sure it looked green, it's wing span was at least twenty feet across.
"There's another one!" Keith pointed. "Wait. Never mind. I see three, no four. And okay, yeah, I think we should get the hell out of here."
The creatures circled the area they were in like vultures. Some even flew a little lower so she could make out glowing purple eyes, sharp beaks, and vicious talons. What was even creepier was the fact that they were all looking at her. The Amazon knew she was attractive, there was no denying that, and yeah sure she loved attention but not from creepy creatures that looked like they wanted to eat her.
As if dealing with the cannibals hadn't been enough.
Lance gripped Keith's pink purse and slowly took out the gun blaster before handing the purse to Lotor so he could do the same. Keith had already transformed his Bayard into a sword. "I don't think they're friendly. We should go."
Keith slowly inched his way to their vehicle and climbed on the hover bike, his eyes glued to the creatures' overhead before he turned the machine on.
The sound of the engine was startling in the once quiet field and the creatures gave a frantic cry and swooped down towards them.
Lance and Lotor bolted the last few feet towards the hover bike, their gun blasters aimed at the creatures coming towards them. Just as they reached the hover bike, something grabbed her arms and she was lifted into the air. Her vision blurred. There were too many shapes for her to make out her surroundings.
She could hear Keith and Lotor cry out her name before the sound of the hover bikes engine rumbled and followed after them. Lance squirmed. The talons wrapped around her arms were sharp, she couldn't free herself or lift the arm that was still gripping the gun blaster.
She yelled –mostly out of frustration. This was so not her day.
The horde of flying creatures had joined them, leaving both Keith and Lotor alone. Lance was really starting to hate being so popular. The creature gripping on to her rose higher and higher in the cold wind. As her vision began to clear, she could make out the spiral tower in the distance, the black collars wrapped around the creatures necks, and her brown beanie falling from her head only for it to be carried by the wind to who knows where.
Lance pouted. She'd really liked that beanie.
Sniffling, she turned her eyes towards the others creatures and inspected the collars. She briefly wondered if the druids and the Galra were the ones controlling these things. Something whistled by her ear and the creature holding her gave a shriek and let go.
Lance screamed.
The sound of more bullets pierced the sky as she fell and the other creatures released frantic shrieks of their own. Lance put her hands in front of her as she crashed through tree branch after tree branch until she slammed into a snowbank. She groaned and rolled to her back. This planet sucked.
The sound of a hover bike coming her way made her stand up with wince. Nothing seemed broken at least. She flexed both her legs and her arms and they seemed okay. The gun blaster was still in her hand. One glance at the sky showed that Lotor was still shooting at the creatures as he and Keith made their way over to her.
She'd better start making her way over to them too she decided. As she began to move towards the sound of the hover bike, a creature sprang out from behind the brush, opened its mouth, and let out a terrifying roar that practically shook the tall trees.
Lance covered her ears as the sound was echoed from all around the forest. It was one of those cannibals that they'd first run from. Wincing, she opened one eye and gaped. That cannibal was wearing her beanie!
What the heck?
The brown beanie sat on the creatures head, covering its bat like ears. It was definitely taller than her but it was slightly hunched, its pale arms hanging loosely in front of it. If it wasn't currently bearing its fangs at her, Lance might have thought the creature looked cute with her beanie on its head. But it was, and Lance didn't feel like sharing her beanie with anyone at the moment.
"Hey you! Give that back!" Lance screamed as she stomped towards it. The creature roared at her. Lance slapped it across the face. The creature looked at her in shock. "Give. It. Back." Two more creatures sprang from the brush and ran towards her. Lance didn't even turn before lifting her gun blaster and letting off two shots. The things crumpled to the floor with a thud. Narrowing her eyes, she pointed the gun blaster at the creature's head. "I won't ask again."
The creature all but threw the beanie at her before running back into the forest. That's right, no one messes with Lance. Especially when she was in a mood.
The sound of flapping wings alerted her that she had company. Lance growled in irritation, put her somewhat damp beanie on her head, and began to shoot down the creatures. Others shots soon accompanied her own and the sound of the hover bike and Keith shouting her name had her moving.
Keith drove the hover bike to a sudden stop a few feet away from her and Lance ran towards it as Lotor covered for her. As soon as she was close, the Galra Prince moved over so she could sit behind Keith, not once stopping his barrage of shots.
Keith drew his Bayard out and sliced off the wing of one creature that got too close to him. Lance shot the other behind it and grinned smugly when it went spiraling into a tree. The red paladin sent her a proud grin before starting the hover bike and began to fly them away.
The creatures followed after them. The sound of wailing soon joined their shrieks and moments later the cannibals made another appearance. Lance and her companions groaned.
"Anyone know what the heck these things are?" she yelled as she gestured to the flying creatures.
"They look like Duskwings!" Lotor said as he shot another one down. "But they look mutated."
"Well, I hate them!" Lance yelled as she shot at one of the cannibals that leaped towards her.
"You better not drive us off another cliff!" Lotor yelled at Keith.
The red paladin scowled. "I'll do what I want!"
"Keith." Lance warned.
Keith clicked his tongue as he ran over one of the cannibals. He was getting a little too good at that. "I won't jeez."
Lance glanced up at the sky. A storm was coming, the clouds in the sky looked black as they crowded together. The wind began to pick up speed, and the air began to go down in temperature.
They needed to find shelter soon.
"What if we take shelter over there?" Lotor suddenly shouted as he pointed at something in the distance. Keith and Lance turned in the direction the Prince was pointed to and squinted. Was that a watchtower?
It was situated atop a low-lying peak that overlooked a solid wall of monstrous mountains. It looked to be made of hard stone.
"Keith?"
"Already on it." Keith said as he suddenly changed directions and headed for the watchtower in the distance. The cannibals and Duskwings stopped following after them once they were within thirty feet of the thing. That…was disconcerting.
Something felt off. Why had they stopped chasing after them? Lance scanned the barren slopes of the planet Zaebos – a wall of boulders and shards of rocks greeted her. There were no longer any trees here. No signs of streams either. It was eerily quiet.
The hairs on her arms stood on end.
Oh no.
Something very bad was probably waiting for them there. Why else would those creatures stop chasing after them?
Lance bit her lip; should she say something? She chanced a glance at her companions and thought better of it. Lotor and Keith looked tired. Their hair was still plastered to their cheeks, their clothes were still damp, and they were sporting some bruises.
Lance was sure she didn't look any better.
She glanced back at the watchtower and hoped that whatever was in there wasn't too difficult to deal with. They needed to take shelter soon.
The upper levels of the watchtower looked to have been destroyed by the weather, leaving only three floors above the ground. There was a winding stairwell in the center that was coated in dirt and a bit of snow. Lotor couldn't see or hear any signs of life around the area as the red paladin Keith circled the watchtower twice.
It was strange and it put him on edge.
Leah and Keith seemed to share his sentiments. The two of them were watching everything with a cautious eye as they did one last drive around the tower. Good. At least they had some good instincts. Something was waiting for them inside, he could feel it.
Keith parked the hover bike a few feet away from the tower before he cut the engine and they climbed off.
"Tell me I'm not the only one who's getting a weird vibe from this place." Keith muttered bitterly next to Leah.
The Amazon princess glanced at the darkening sky and hefted one of the backpacks on her shoulder higher before shoving the pink purse to Keith who looked at it in disgust.
Lotor didn't see what the red paladins problem was with that thing. It looked quite stylish and it fit well with his outfit. If Leah had it, it would only clash with the outfit that she was wearing.
The temperature was starting to drop. The clouds had gotten darker. They needed to get inside before it started raining. Lifting the other backpack over his shoulder, Lotor answered. "You're not the only one. We should be cautious. We have no idea what awaits us in there."
Both of his companions nodded and Leah took out the gun blaster and held it in front of her as she began to move towards the watchtower. Keith followed after her, his Bayard already transformed into a sword where it gleamed in the dark.
Lotor followed their example as he approached. The place must have been enormous once upon a time. One could tell from the huge scattered chunks of the tower lying around on the floor. The three of them shared a look before nodding. Keith took the first steps through the archway, then Lotor and then Lance as she covered the rear.
The place was dark but there were bits of lights from random spots, pieces that had broken off or been damaged. So far so good.
"Are those stairs?" Leah asked as she pointed at something. Lotor followed her gaze towards another open archway that lead down into a dark stairwell.
"So it would seem." Lotor said, his eyesight was better than his two companions. Seeing in the dark wasn't too hard a feat. Keith took a step towards the stairs when Lotor suddenly gripped his elbow.
Keith gave him an irritated look over his shoulder.
Lotor resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "The place could be laid with traps. I've read about watchtowers like this in old books. Let's take things slow, and trek quietly."
The red paladins eyes flared but one look at his fiancée and he settled down. "Fine."
Behind them, Leah began to pick up small rocks before stuffing them in the pockets of her coat. Good idea. Lotor did the same. Once that was done they slowly made their way down the stairs, Lotor's ears straining for any noise besides their quiet footsteps.
Picking up a small rock from inside the pocket of his armor, Lotor threw one of the rocks down the rest of the staircase, heard it bounce and crack and –
There was a faint click, and Lotor took hold of the red paladins collar and hurled them both backwards towards Leah where he sent them all sprawling on the floor. There was a sound from the bottom of the stairwell, followed by another thud, and then nothing.
The only sound heard was their heavy breathing. Lotor tilted his head, listening. "Hidden bolts." He said as he licked his suddenly dry lips. "I think that was it."
Leah whistled lowly. "That's great, and thank you very much for saving us but can you both get off me now? You're not exactly light."
Quickly scrambling off his feet, Lotor got to his feet and offered his hand to the Amazon princess who took it with a grateful smile. Keith rolled his eyes.
They continued their trek down until they saw the barbed iron spikes embedded on the walls. Keith winced. "Guess we really owe you our lives."
"You think there will be more waiting for us down there?" Leah asked with a hint of worry in her voice.
Lotor frowned as he gazed at her. She looked on the verge of crumbling to her knees. Not that he could blame her, she'd been targeted more than once by strange creatures and she'd had to dive back down into the icy lake just to save them and get their stuff back. "Probably. Let's just take this slow."
Leah reached inside her pocket and pulled out another small rock. Crouching, she rolled it down the floor and all three of them waited with baited breath but they were met with silence.
Shrugging, they continued their trek, Lotor guiding them through the dark. A few more bolts shot out from the walls but they were able to avoid it with ease. At one point, Lotor had stepped on a tile that had opened up the floor. He would have fallen to his death if it wasn't for Leah and Keith clutching his arms and hauling him back.
One look at the bottom confirmed that there were spikes jutting out from the ground. Lotor wasn't sure, but he was pretty sure that Keith was warming up to him.
Exhibit A: He kind of thanked him from getting himself and Leah skewered to the wall by barbed spikes.
Exhibit B: When Lotor almost fell in, the red paladin had been the first to reach him before Leah took hold of his other hand and helped lift him up. Afterward, the red paladin had glared at him and told him, "Watch where you're going you asshole! You almost died!"
See?
Progress.
Lotor had already become fast friends with the Amazon princess and they had shared a few jokes amongst themselves when the silence continued to stretch on. Keith hadn't seemed pleased, mostly because they switched to the Galra language and he didn't understand what they were talking about but also because he was probably starting to like him.
Lotor was sure of it. Whenever they switched to the English language and Lotor told a joke, he would see Keith's lips twitching. He was going to turn that into a smile soon. He'd meant what he said, he never wanted to truly hurt the paladins of Voltron but if he targeted them then all the other Galra would take that as a sign for them to leave the Paladins alone because they were his prey.
As the minutes began to drag by, the sound of thunder and rain made their presence known. The wind grew in volume making the broken beams on the ceilings spark every now and then. Whenever the sound of thunder was heard, Leah would glance at the ceiling with a longing look. Keith seemed to sense it from where he was at the front and stepped back to lace his free hand with hers to give it a squeeze and a promise that they would get her powers back even if he had to cut a goddamn druids arm to do so.
Leah had snorted and smiled. Keith had then grinned and stepped closer to her and then Lotor had to look away from the sudden glow that they seemed to emit. These two were soulmates. He'd been a little surprised when he first saw the glow but after watching them interact he really shouldn't have been.
He was glad that Leah had someone by her side that loved her as much as the red paladin seemed to show. Lotor hadn't even known he was capable of showing such a tender look but here he was proving him wrong. He hoped that one day he would find someone like that as well.
Eventually, the path led them to what looked to be a dungeon. There were a few open cells with their doors ripped off. Scattered bones lay on the ground, some looked like Galra. Others he couldn't quite place.
He and Leah threw some rocks on the floor, some on the walls as well as the ceiling but nothing sprang out and nothing came to attack them.
"You guys think we can take shelter here?" Keith asked as he threw his own set of pebbles on the walls.
Lance gnawed on her lower lip, her face turned upright where she was taking a whiff of everything in the room. "I don't know." She said slowly as she took a few cautious steps forward. "Something smells off. It smells like death and yeah it's probably because of the scattered bones but my instincts are telling me that we're not safe."
"You're instincts are usually right." Keith said beside her. "Let's check the place out just in case. Be prepared for anything."
Lotor and Leah nodded before going to some of the open cells to check them out. Scattered weapons lay among the bones. Some of them still looked sharp. Bending down, he scooped up a long dagger and tested its weight. Deeming it satisfactory, he picked up a decent looking scabbard and put it inside before clipping it to his armor.
He was better with swords than with guns anyway.
Keith growled from across the room minutes later. "I'm not finding anything here. Only weapons and more bones. What about you guys?"
Leah walked to the center with a huff. "Nope. Nothing. But something still feels wrong, I don't think we should stay here."
Keith turned to her, his eyes narrowed as he looked at their surroundings. "Maybe we should go back upst-"
Lotor whirled when he cut off and he went utterly still.
Leah put her hands at her hips and frowned at them both. "Guys, what's wrong?"
Keith swallowed once, his hand on his Bayard tightening so much that his knuckles turned white. "Lance, whatever you do, don't look up."
Leah's expression turned blank. "There's something up there isn't there?"
Keith and Lotor nodded, their eyes glued to the spot above her. Taking a deep breath Leah shut her eyes, counted to five, opened her eyes and looked up. She went ramrod straight at the sight before her.
"You all look quite scrumptious. I've been dying for some good meat." The giant spider at the ceiling practically purred.
Leah released a small whimper, and promptly fainted.
Oh, Quiznack.
Keith wasn't surprised in the least when Lance fainted. It's why he told her not to look. But this was Lance, and whenever someone told her not to do something, she did it anyway just to spite them.
Bet she was regretting it now.
The spider on the ceiling was way bigger than the ones they'd seen from planet Boabee. The thing slid from the ceiling and onto the floor where it towered over Lance. Keith resisted the urge to charge at it. If he did Lance might get hurt in the process. Best to get that thing as far away from his fiancée before he went for her.
This spider was white and blue, its multiple eyes the color of obsidian. It was bigger than Shadow, and Lance's wolf was as big as a horse. The spider bent its face down towards Lance, it's fangs twitching, and Keith and Lotor tensed, ready to fling their weapons at it, but the spider just took a long whiff.
"This one smells absolutely fantastic," the white spider moaned, her voice lovely and soothing despite being so freaky looking. That's probably how it lured its victims. Her long eight white legs clicked against the floor as she hunched forward. "It's been a while since I've had a woman to eat. Usually only males come in here so this will be a nice treat. Perhaps I'll eat her last to savor her flavor."
Keith sized up the stairwell behind the spider; the small open spaces where light emitted from the outside or any other kind of exit but found none. Damn.
He had to get Lance away from that thing.
Keith inched forward; his Bayard gripped tightly in front of him. "Aren't you an Akhenaton? I thought you guys were vegetarians."
The spider hissed, its legs clicking angrily on the floor. "Those things may be related to us, but they disgrace us with their new diet! They are fools, forming an alliance with the paladins of Voltron, trading with other species – we were born to devour you!"
Beside him, Lotor's new dagger lifted a fraction.
Lance stirred where she lay sprawled under the spider.
"We are Bekhanatons." The spider continued, its obsidian eyes narrowing to slits. "And right now, you three are my meal for the day!"
Then the spider launched.
Lotor open fired with his other hand and Keith ran towards Lance who was starting to get up. Keith scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder. Lance released a startled squeak and barely managed to catch the gun blaster he threw at her.
"Keith, what's going –" Lance shrieked. The spider was crawling along the ceiling, Lotor's shots almost hitting but the thing was swift.
"If I put you down, will you faint again?" Keith yelled at his fiancée as he ran into one of the open cells while Lotor kept the spider busy. Lance audibly swallowed but shook her head after a slight hesitation. Keith lowered her to the floor. Lance's hands were shaking, her grasp on the gun blaster loose. She looked deathly pale. He gripped her cheeks together so all she could see was himself. "Lance, focus! I know you hate insects, heck who doesn't? But we need to kill that thing if we want to take shelter here for the rest of the night. Didn't you want to change your clothes?"
Lance slowly nodded.
"Weren't you hungry?"
Lance nodded again.
"Are you going to let that god damn spider stop you from doing any of those things?"
Lance narrowed her blue eyes. "No."
"I can't hear you. What was that?"
Lance growled low in her throat and lifted the gun blaster in her hands. "I said no!"
"Good. Then let's go help Tarzan over there!"
Lance frowned. "He has a name Keith."
"Is this really the time to be having this conversation?"
Lance rolled her eyes, her arms crossed over her black coat. "Fine. But you have to stop calling him names Keith, its rude."
"I hate to step in your conversation, really I do, but could you guys save the small talk and give me some god damn help over here?" Lotor screamed at them both as he dodged one of the spiders spit.
The thing landed on the wall where it began to dissolve. Oh great, the spider could throw acid spits. Just what they needed. Lance fired off a shot, and then another but the spider moved so fast that the hit intended for its eyes landed on one of its legs instead. The thing fell from the ceiling and Keith rushed forward and struck a brutal slash toward the already injured leg.
The spider shrieked, green blood spurting from the wound and Keith rushed in to deliver the killing blow when the spider suddenly slammed its legs on the floor so hard the whole place shook.
Keith lost his balance and fell to one knee when the spider hurled a spew of silver webbing at him and pulled. The thing pulled at the web and threw Keith towards one of the open cells. Before he could land to what would have been a harsh landing, Lotor was suddenly there, catching his body as they both got thrown towards the wall with a grunt.
His head throbbed. Lotor released a small grunt and pushed him off lightly as he began to remove the webbing covering him. The sound of Lance's startled squeaks got him to his feet immediately but he instantly regretted it. He swayed where he stood, and he braced a hand on Lotor's shoulder to keep himself steady.
He suddenly felt sleepy. He wanted to curl up on that cold floor and just sleep the day away. And why shouldn't he?
Ever since he woken up he'd been attacked by Galra soldiers and their pet metal wolf, got chased by some cannibals, almost lost an eye because of those Duskwings, almost got skewered by barbed spikes and now he had to deal with a huge ass spider that threw acid spit at them?
Keith deserved a good rest.
He was vaguely aware of being shaken but he paid it no mind. Sleep was beckoning him and Keith eagerly followed after it.
Someone growled close to him. "Just remember that this is for your own good."
And then his head snapped to the right. His cheek was throbbing. The fuck?
"Not enough? Fine by me, I've been wanting to hit you for that vulgar language."
His head snapped to the left. He was instantly awake. Focus came back to him and he groaned as he cupped his throbbing cheeks.
"Are you awake now?"
Keith rapidly blinked his eyes, the webs around his face making it hard to see but he could vaguely see that Lotor was standing in front of him looking irritated.
He didn't know why the fuck he was irritated; Keith's the one who just got bitch slapped.
Keith narrowed his eyes to slits. His cheeks hurt! As if he needed more bruises. "Bitch! Did you just slap me?"
Lotor rolled his yellow-blue eyes but sighed in relief. "Finally. Help me take this this web off of you, it's making you drowsy."
Keith scowled but he began to yank the web on his chest off while fucking Lotor tried to take the ones covering his head. "How are you doing over there Lance?"
"Oh, you know." Lance said with a hint of hysteria in her voice. "Just fighting a freaking spider! Pretty sure I pissed myself, and I'm this close to fainting because this spiders breath is rancid."
"You wench!" the spider hissed at her.
"Hey! It's the truth! Breath mints, ever heard of them?"
The spider roared in rage.
The sound of shots being fired followed after and the spider shrieked in agony. Keith grinned as he started pulling off the rest of the spider's web of him in a hurry. He couldn't see very well but it sounded like Lance was kicking ass at least.
That a girl.
"Got it!" Lotor shouted. "Now let's go help out Leah with that spider."
Keith lifted his Bayard and scowled. "Just call her Lance."
"But her name is Leah."
"She prefers Lance."
"Whatever, I'll ask her once we're done."
Keith didn't say anything as he and Lotor exited the open cell just in time to see Lance take hold of one of the spider's four remaining legs and hurled it harshly against the wall.
He and Lotor descended on it before the spider could get back up and cut off its head with two harsh strikes. Green blood oozed from the wound and Lance released another shriek when the body began to twitch frantically.
"Burn it or something already!" Lance cried where she was standing as far as away as she could.
Keith looked around for anything that could be used to make fire but the sound of sparks caught his attention and he turned to see Lotor clashing two rocks together. Moments later, the spider was on fire, it's limbs still twitching but it soon began to slow as the fire continued to build.
The smell coming off the dead corpse almost made him gag. Lance crumbled to her knees and Keith was instantly at her side ready to pull her close.
She was shaking.
"It's dead Lance, you did good."
Lance managed a shaky smile and leaned into him. "Stupid spiders, they're the worst."
Keith grinned against her hair. "At least this one didn't have wings."
Lance groaned in his chest. "Disgusting creatures."
"You look like you could use a hug." He teased.
Lance looked up, tears threatening to spill at the corner of her eyes. "Yes please."
Keith held his arms out awkwardly, he wasn't much of a hugger, and Lance lunged forward and practically molded herself against Keith. He pulled her close, one hand at her back and the other on top of her head where he ruffled her hair.
That elicited a small laugh out of her but it seemed to be what she needed because she pulled back and pecked him on the cheek. "Thanks Keith."
"We're staying the rest of the night here right?" Lotor asked as he came to stand next to them. The Galra Prince looked like someone had run him over with a car. He had bruises on his face and arms, his hair looked like it hadn't been washed in years, bits of twigs and dirt smeared on it, and his black armor was practically shredded.
He and Lance didn't look any better. They looked like a bunch of savages that had been living out in the forest for who knows how long. Keith bit his cheek, best to keep that to himself. Lance was always worried bout her appearance and by the sounds of their recent arguments so did the Galra Prince.
"After everything we've been through?" Lance asked as she looked back at the burning spider. "You bet we are. I'm going to make s'mores with that fire!"
Lotor grinned as he pulled his long silver hair behind his shoulder. "You and I are going to be great friends. I can tell."
Lance grinned and Keith rolled his eyes.
Lance had taken off her damp clothes and laid them next to the fire before she put her head on Keith's lap and passed out. The red paladin had to cover her with one of the spare coats that Mrs. Dossier had packed for them. Thankfully, Lotor had looked away when Lance had come back to them in all her naked glory and curled up on Keith's lap, which is good because Keith would have punched him otherwise.
He'd have to talk to Lance about putting clothes on in front of company; he'd almost choked on his own spit when she'd come out of the open cell she'd used to remove her clothes. Or maybe she was just tired and hadn't even noticed.
She hadn't eaten anything either. He'll have to wake her up later to make sure she eats something.
Beside him, Lotor took out some bottles that contained more of that green tea with honey, some granola bars and shared them with Keith.
They ate in silence, watching the fire and the small remains of the spider before Keith spoke up, although it was hesitant. "So I guess I should thank you."
Lotor looked at him from the corner of his eye. "For what?"
The Galra Prince had changed clothes as well. He'd thrown what remained of his armor into the fire and changed to a black turtleneck sweater, some slacks and put on a gray wool coat. His hair looked much tamer now.
Keith hadn't changed, just removed the coat he was wearing and put it close to the fire where it could dry. He tightened the red scarf around his throat.
Keith's mouth twisted to the side. "For having our back I guess. You had plenty of opportunities to kill us but you didn't. So…yeah. Thanks."
Lotor looked startled, his eyes wide in shock. Then it turned into a pleased smile. So much so that Keith wanted to punch him in the face. "Does this mean you'll stop with the nicknames?"
Keith snorted, the guy looked so hopeful that Keith just had to burst his bubble. "Not on your life Fabio."
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