Chapter 26
Kobolds? Why are they out here? There is… nothing here. Unless they have taken the artefact that Towa mentioned. I kind of wonder what kind of artefact she was sent to look for. I mean… it makes sense to have all those traps… but, can kobolds really maintain all those traps? They're kinda smarter than I thought. Scary…
Anyway, Towa also told us that she had already explored the dungeon and asked us to help get her stuff. That meant going to the armory… which is pretty much on the far side of the place. Hopefully, we don't get discovered…
Peering out of the door, the party and the half-devil quietly went out of the room. Then, they reached the first branch. One of them peered around the corner and observed. Nothing.
"We're clear. Let's go," informed Matsuri as she motioned the rest of them forward. They hurried past the first branch and walked slowly down the passageway. They stopped at the next branch and waited for her to look.
"Alright, we… shit," she began as she turned back to face them and she spotted a small kobold peering around the corner of the first branch.
"Run."
The young kobold started running back and yipping loudly. At the same time, they booked it, running all the way back to the room with the elevated floor. Soon, a cacophony of noise rose after them. They ran into the left passageway as fast as they could. They could see another wooden door at the end of it. They ignored a left turn but as they ran past it, they heard a loud roar coming from it. They threw open the door and quickly shut it. Subaru and Matsuri then dragged the barricade over and lifted it into the brackets. Cue the pounding on the door.
"Ah, Bibi! I missed you!" exclaimed Towa with outstretched arms. A hat on the table suddenly shook and transformed into an imp and jumped into the hug.
"So, is there any way to get out of here without going through a horde of kobolds and what sounded like that half-dragon," snarked Choco.
"Give me a moment," the half-devil told them as she went searching for her stuff, the imp transforming back into a hat that fit snugly on her head, "Maybe look around for things you want to loot too while I'm at it."
Taking that as advice, the fighter looked around, wondering what she could take. Most of the stuff here were just simple swords and daggers as well as several crossbows. There were two armor racks with a full set of plate armor on each.
"Ah! Alright, let's take this," she decided, pointing at the set of plate armor, "We can each take a piece."
"If you're sure..." muttered Choco, somewhat unsure about this. The fighter took the main body of plate… with great difficulty as she needed both hands to hold on to it. Matsuri took both arm pieces. Rushia stuffed the gauntlets into the helmet and picked it up. The tiefling took both leg pieces.
The pounding on the door suddenly stopped. Then, an acrid, burning smell wafted into the room. It was a familiar smell.
"Acid… are we done yet?" asked Subaru anxiously.
"So… are you up to teleporting to another plane? The Ethereal Plane perhaps?" asked Towa.
She stared at the half-devil, unable to think of a response. Glancing back at the door, she could see the acid bubbling through the door already. Looking back at the half-devil, she noticed a scroll in her hands.
"Prepare yourself," were the only words of warning before Towa read the words on the scroll. Suddenly, the entire world became a scale of grey the moment she finished. The scroll immediately burst into flames. She dropped the burnt scraps and headed straight for the door. Glancing back at their shocked faces, she said, "Hurry up, stuff moves slower in the Ethereal Plane."
The door burst open at that moment and kobolds poured in, followed by the half-black dragon that was mentioned to them earlier. They couldn't hear what it was shouting or roaring but it didn't matter too much. The party hurried after the half-devil. True enough, it was a little hard to move in this plane. It was like moving through a particularly thick part of the forest.
They made their way past the frantic kobolds, down the passageway and up to the elevated floor. Taking care to not pass the center of the floor, they entered the dark passageway. Thankfully, the trapped tiles were still glowing pink and they simply walked past them. They let out a breath of relief when they saw the circular stairs.
"Alright, we should be safe now," declared Subaru once they reached outside, "How much longer will the spell last?"
"It should last until when night falls," she commented offhandedly as she adjusted her imp-hat, "Though, I have no idea how to tell the time in the Ethereal Plane, so it's just a guess. So, better get started waking then."
Sighing, the fighter led the group across the wastes once again. Even though it was sort of slow going, she took solace in the fact that they wouldn't be spotted by any purple worms of any size. They didn't know how long they walked but when the spell ended, it was definitely night. However, they haven't even reached the forest yet and she had a deep sense of foreboding as they continued to walk. Without warning, the land started shuddering and rumbling just as the forest was coming up to view.
"No! Not again!" she started to moan as five juvenile purple worms burst out of the ground a few feet away from the party and roared as they lunged at them.
"RUN!"
Prompted by Matsuri's shriek, they took off like they had hot coals on their heels. The worms immediately dove into the ground and tunneled after them. After a running start, Choco took to the sky, flying far ahead. The scout just ran as fast as she could. Towa did the same.
Taking a flying leap, Rushia landed on the fighter's back, who shouted, "Rushia!?" She was able to hold on to her but the sudden weight caused her to fall over, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. Two worms burst out of the ground and were in the process of diving on them.
"Ratio ianuam! Forward five hundred feet!" shouted the young necromancer as she held on to the fighter's shoulders. Just as their jaws clamped shut on them, they disappeared from their maws and reappeared just a few feet away from the forest line.
"Aaaaaaaaah!"
Matsuri ran past them as they groaned and got to their feet. Looking back, she could see that Towa had fallen behind. "Choco!" she called out as she pointed at the half-devil. The winged tiefling nodded and flew down, grabbing the half-devil by the armpits. This slowed her down a little but they still had enough momentum to get ahead of the worms.
"Hurry! They can't go past the forest!" shouted the scout from behind a tree.
The fighter and the necromancer ran after the scout. The tiefling flew as fast as she could but the worms were gaining on them. One of them suddenly shot up into the air, its gaping maw stretching out to try and swallow them whole.
"Vi murum!"
Rushia chanted something and the worm slammed into an invisible wall. It fell to the ground, presumably stunned. That bought Choco enough time to fly into the forest, dropping and tumbling with Towa on the green carpet of grass. As time passed, the shuddering faded, signaling the retreat of the worms. At the same time, the stunned worm recovered and dug into the ground. With that, Subaru fell back on the ground herself, breathing in deeply and letting out a sigh of relief.
"Thank… thank you," panted out the half-devil, "I… thought I was… going to die..."
"Well… your thanks… is a surprise… you're welcome," replied Choco.
"Thanks for saving, Rushia," said the fighter with a grin. The young necromancer just smiled in reply.
"Never… again..." shouted the scout in between breaths, "Never… want to see… worms… again..."
"I think... we can set camp here..." the former suggested, "At least before we go into the forest."
"I'm open to anything at this point," muttered the tiefling. Everyone else called out their agreements too.
The wasteland beyond the treeline looked cold and desolate. Subaru was on the third watch. She was sort of surprised that Towa offered to take the second watch.
"Unexpected," she thought to herself as she turned away from the view, "I never expected her to help us… sort off… I wonder if she is just paying us back for helping her."
She sighed as she walked up to the campfire and tossed in a few more branches. With the crackling fodder, she looked around. Then, she thought she saw a flash of something.
"What was that?" she muttered. She heard further rustling and her senses screamed danger. She raised her shield and something heavy crashed against it. Lowering it, she caught sight of a tentacle disappearing in the darkness.
"Wake up! We're under attack!" she shouted as she kept her eyes peeled. The forest was way too dark for her to see through, but she didn't want to get everyone out in the open wasteland in case of more worms. Matsuri groaned as she roused herself and picked up her bow. Towa, however, was already up and immediately shot eldritch blasts into the darkness.
"Hurry! Get up! They are-argh!" yelled Subaru as something slammed into her side. She could feel spikes sticking into her and being retracted. Once again, she saw a tentacle retreating in the darkness. She grit her teeth as she slowly figured out what was on those tentacles; some sort of spikes. She didn't know what they were though.
She then heard Choco chanting and found a familiar glow around her arms. However, she wasn't prepared for more spiked tentacles attacking her. They attacked both ways at once and she wasn't able to spot them on time. She could also hear the scout yelling in pain.
"Are you alright?" she asked as she moved over to shield her.
"Guh, my arm feels like it's been stabbed and punched," the scout complained as she drew her bow back, two arrows nocked, "Here goes nothing."
A second after release, the fighter heard pained snarls from the darkness. "I think you got them," she muttered tensely.
Then, Rushia screamed. She spun around and saw the young necromancer get beaten down by more of those spiked tentacles. Then, she almost tumbled forward, getting struck in the back by the same thing.
"What in the world is attacking us?" she shouted as she rushed up to defend the young girl just as she shot a ray of black enervating energy in the dark.
"Displacer beasts," declared Towa as she shot a few more blasts, "I wouldn't mind having one as a pet."
"Gah! Shitty beasts!" cursed the fighter as she blocked a set of tentacles, but she wasn't able to beat back the second set. "No! Rushia!" she shouted as the young necromancer crumpled to the ground, bleeding from multiple points. She hurriedly pulled her nearer to the fire and out of harm's way, shouting, "Choco, she needs help!"
"Alright, give me a moment!" the tiefling replied as she cast a bolt of light through the trees, hitting a beast that was in the process of attacking Subaru. The tentacles slammed into her shield but she held firm.
"I can see that!" called out Matsuri as she sent two arrows at the glittering lights.
The half-devil laughed as she conjured up a ball of fire and launched it at the lights. More pained snarls were heard. "Ha! Run while you can!" she jeered.
Meanwhile, the tiefling hurried over to Rushia and placed her hands over her while chanting. A green glow washed over her as her wounds slowly closed up.
"Not sure if they're running!" called out Subaru as another pair of tentacles slammed into her shield.
"No, two of them ran. One is still here," informed the warlock as the young necromancer got to her feet and shot a ray of sickly green into the dark. Another pair of arrows went the same way, triggering more snarls. "You are surprisingly lucky. Do you have halfling blood in you?" she asked the scout after she sent an eldritch blast the same way.
"I don't," Matsuri replied as the tiefling sent another bolt of light at the beast. The lights glittered a little before fading out.
"It's dead," declared the former with satisfaction, to which she praised, "Nice fight. An admirable performance."
"Should we expect a second attack?" asked Subaru, now feeling the tiredness coming in at full force.
"I doubt it. We sent them away with their tails between their legs," mused the half-devil, "We should be fine. But if it makes you feel better, I can take the last watch while you rest."
"That's awfully nice of you. Do you really have devil blood in you?" asked Choco with a hint of suspicion.
"W-wh-what are you talking about?" sputtered Towa as she blushed, "I-I just want to repay you. Y-y-you did me a service and I-I don't want to be indebted to you lot. That's all."
"Sure..." teased the tiefling with faux disbelief.
"It's true, damn it!"
Subaru yawned and rubbed her eyes. It didn't feel like she had enough sleep but the sun pretty much woke everyone up as it rose. Even the trees didn't block everything. After everyone was on their feet and packed everything away, they continued on their journey. Seeing that the only landmark they found was the pools of magic water, they kept their eyes peeled for it. It was quite important for them to get out of this place. With their rest time disrupted the previous night, they want to get to a safe and familiar place before sundown. It was unfortunate that they found something quite the opposite.
The area seemed to darken quite a bit. Light seemed to have difficulty shining through. Large spider webs began covering the tree canopy and eventually, the area they covered even reached the ground.
"I think we are going in the wrong direction," muttered Choco worriedly.
"Hng… all I did was go in a straight line," informed Matsuri, "I don't think we should be surprised that we end up in strange places."
"I just wonder how many spiders did it take to make this," wondered Subaru quietly.
"Maybe we should just turn around and go around the place," suggested Towa, "This amount of webbing isn't normal. There has to be more than just normal spiders here."
"Subaru, there's a cave there," said Rushia as she pointed into its direction.
From the outside, it seemed to be full of webbing. However, sharp eyes spotted something. "Hey, I think I see a body there," stated the tiefling as she pointed to a bound skeleton wrapped to a tree next to the cave. It sported some leather armor as well as a pouch or two that seemed visible enough. As they neared it, even more skeletons were seen wrapped around the tree.
"Friends," muttered the young necromancer.
"I wonder if we can pull them down," wondered the scout.
"Need I remind you that we didn't rest enough last night," pointed out the half-devil, "I highly doubt we can afford to tangle with whatever made this. So, we should leave and find a better, peaceful place to rest and maybe, you can come back here and try your luck."
"Is something wrong, Choco?" asked the fighter, noticing the tiefling suddenly looking up to the trees.
"I'm not sure," she admitted, "I keep hearing some faint steps moving around the moment we reached here. Now, shadowy shapes flitting around in the trees. I think we should listen to her suggestion."
"Well, I think-"
Subaru was cut off abruptly when she and Choco were suddenly covered in webbing. The place suddenly became surrounded by chittering and a giant spider landed on the forest floor. Landing next to it was a purple, grotesque looking thing. It walked on two legs that supported a large abdomen that had spinnerets on its front. It had a spider-like head with long muscular and clawed arms. That wasn't all. Spiders started swarming on the floor from the cave and from different trees, including the one they were surrounding. Foci and weapons were quickly drawn while she and the tiefling tried their best to break through the webbing.
"Tch, an ettercap… figures..." growled Towa.
"No jumping!" shouted Matsuri, skewering a leaping spider. Rushia took out another one, catching it mid-air with a spectral, skeletal hand. Subaru was able to tear the webbing off and charged straight at the giant spider, slashing its head and cutting through several of its eyes. It chittered a shriek and retaliated, but missed as half its eyes were gone. Meanwhile, the ettercap shot a wad of webbing at the young necromancer, tying her in place.
She tried struggling but let out a shriek instead as two spiders leaped at her. "Get off me!" she shouted as they bit her arms. Choco hissed as another spider started biting her as well. She was able to break out of the webbing and tried grabbing it but it jumped off her body. She tried to crush it with her mace but it skittered out of the way.
"Eeek! Get them off!" shrieked Towa as swarms of spiders flowed all over her body, biting on exposed skin. In her panic, she started shooting at the spiders that haven't clambered over her. Therefore, she was quite thankful for the scout's help in cutting down the number of spiders in that massive swarm.
Rushia was still stuck in the webs, but she was still able to get a hand free and tried to shoot one of the spiders with extreme cold. It missed as it danced out of the way. However, she was able to hit it on the second try as it came in to bite her again.
Meanwhile, Subaru finished off the giant spider, impaling its head with her longsword. Then, she turned around to help the other two kill off their spiders. Unfortunately, that left her open to an attack from behind as the ettercap charged in and bit her in the shoulder. Clamping down hard, it buried its claws into her side. She was able to slam her elbow into its fanged mouth and force it to release her. As Choco helped to clean up the swarm with sacred flames, Towa, Matsuri, and Rushia chipped in to weaken the ettercap so that the fighter can finally lop its head off in two swings.
"I told you we should have turned around!" shouted the half-devil, still quite shaken by her ordeal, "Urgh, so many spiders..."
"Alright… let's see if we can pull those skeletons down and see if they have anything," decided the fighter, "Then, we'll leave. I promise."
AN: Hello, readers. Today, we have an escape from a dungeon kind of deal. Imagine taking apart a full set of plate mail. Weird, huh? Not counting meeting more young/juvenile purple worms. Then, an ambush in the darkness. For your information, only Choco and Towa have darkvision. Matsuri and Rushia got really lucky getting their shots in. The next day, we cover Towa in spiders. Sorry. Not sorry.
Also, we have reached the end of the chapter buffer. Instead of putting up chapters every few days, chapters will be put out at a normal rate. I wrote the chapters during the lockdown and everything has finally caught up. Maybe I'll post this somewhere else too.
Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we visit a different place. Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.