Goblin Slayer and the others continued their attack against the Chaos Kraken but each head posed its problems to tend with. The Wyvern-Head vomited forth a stream of blood from its mouth, five of the knights below were covered in the thick liquid and screamed. The acid-like bile easily melted through their flesh and armor, their screams distorted as they dissolved into thick puddles. The Dragon-Head spewed forth fire, those not incinerated or whose armored melted around them, leapt into the water screaming as they hoped to douse the flames that engulfed them. The Alligator-Head was using brute strength to snap at the soldiers below, crushing them in its powerful jaws, armor and all.
"How the hell do we stop this thing?" Half-Demon Thief quickly rolled away with her Agility before the Wyvern-Head has a chance to melt her. "No way I can get close enough to use my daggers against such a thing."
"Watch out for the tentacles!" High Elf Archer fired off arrow after arrow at the tentacles and body of the beast before jumping away to safety.
"Stone Blast!"
Chunks of rock flew forward managing to tear through one of the whipping tentacles and causing minor damage to the body, but this only made the beast laugh. Goblin Slayer hacked away at the tentacles with mac and sword in hand but was then struck, the tentacle sent him flying some feet where he hit the ground hard and rolled to the side. He slowly pushed himself to his hand and knees, spitting the blood from his mouth, the small amount spilling through his visor before he got back to his feet. Wolf himself would attempt to bite down on the tentacles as they got close, biting one and tearing at it until he too was tossed aside.
"Beloved are you alright?"
"Nothing serious. That creature must have some kind of weakness to it."
Goblin Slayer watched as Dwarf Shaman and Priestess were quick to check on Wolf, but soon he too was back on his feet giving his body a quick shake before growling at the monsters, though Priestess purposely held onto him to keep him from charging ahead.
"It is unlike any creature I have ever seen before. The only visible weakness I can see would be its eyes, but I doubt it will let you get close enough. Quickly Beloved, summon me and I shall unleash all my magic against this beast!"
"Can you kill the entire beast?"
"I…I am unsure. But I know my magic will be effective against at least one of those heads."
Cow Girl and Guild Girl moved the wagon away from the immediate battlefield, both tensing at the sight of Goblin Slayer on the ground and the sight of blood running from his visor. They wanted to rush to help but knew that all they would do was get in his way and Snow purposely stood before the horses to keep them from moving, feeling she needed to protect them. Both Half-Dragons were also worried as they watched Lizard Priest quickly patting down his clothing as the flames of the Dragon-Head could be seen burning on him.
"Mama there has to be something we can do to help papa!"
"I know dear, but…I am unable to fly and I don't want you near that thing with its tentacles whipping around."
Goblin Slayer thought carefully about what the Lich Queen had advised, finding a way to incapacitate the creature's eyes, then they would have a chance to attack.
"Would Holy Light be enough? No, the area is too far spread out so the effect will not last long enough for us to effectively attack the heads. We must draw them in and then…" Goblin Slayer thought of the various tools at his disposal and remembered the supplies in the wagon.
"Use Holy Light! The rest of you be ready to follow."
"Yes sir! O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!"
The dock area was brilliantly lit up and the Chaos Kraken bellowed as all three heads quickly recoiled from the effects of the spell. Once distracted, the rest of his party was ready to attack but instead Goblin Slayer motioned for them to follow him towards the wagon.
"Milord Goblin Slayer, surely you don't mean for us to retreat?"
"No, we must rethink our attack. Certain groups focusing on specific heads, but before that we must incapacitate them. Holy Light would not have lasted long enough. For this plan, I will require everyone's aid." Goblin Slayer then turned his attention towards Cow Girl and the others on the wagon. "I will also be asking for your assistance."
Though unsure of what they could do against such a massive beast, Cow Girl, Guild Girl, Half-Dragon Mother and Daughter nodded their heads in agreement to aid in this attack. While Goblin Slayer told the others of his plan, the blinding effects had worn off and the Chaos Kraken growled as it angrily looked for the adventurers. The knights who had been aiding them were all dead, but those six adventurers had made a fool of them and therefore insulted their master.
"Cowards! Hiding will do you and this city no good!" The three heads bellowed as the tentacles went about striking the buildings around it while its acidic vomit and flames burning the buildings. "Reveal yourselves this moment or I shall level these buildings to the ground, including whatever survivors may be within them!"
The Chaos Kraken continued its destruction until the Alligator-Head finally spotted the armored man and the black dire wolf calmly walking toward them.
"Fool! There is no glory in dying while your friends flee! I shall enjoy feasting on your flesh!"
All three heads lunged forward, each one determined to be the first to devour these two who continued to stand patiently, each head failing to notice that he had switched from his sword and mace to his sling in right hand and small white object in his left.
"Now!"
"Protection!"
The Chaos Kraken would not have been able to see the massive invisible barrier that appeared before Goblin Slayer and Wolf until the heads crashed into it with such force the barrier actually cracked from the impact. While the heads were momentarily injured, Goblin Slayer and his friends went into action as they emerged from behind the buildings. Goblin Slayer loaded up a pepper-bomb egg into the sling and flung it forward toward the Wyvern-Head the contents shattering and causing immediate discomfort as the head moved away with a horrid screech.
"Come forth Lich Queen."
A bolt of red lightning flew from his sword and struck the ground, the physical body of the Lich Queen appeared before them, a visible frown upon her face as she looked at the monster before her.
"Leave this one to me Beloved!"
The Lich Queen's eyes flashed red as she assumed her true form and raised her hands, aiming them at the screaming monster head and neck. From her hands flew forward several icicles that easily pieced through the monster's flesh, but they did not just cut into its hide, but also began to freeze. Within seconds the neck and head were now covered in ice, once it had stopped moving, the head and neck fell forward shattering as it struck the ground.
"Damn you insignificant…"
The Dragon-Head could not finish as a glass vial shattered atop its head near its eyes adding to the irritation, the cause of which was Half-Dragon Daughter flying overhead throwing a vial of gasoline on the monster's head before breathing her fire. The gas lit up and the Dragon-Head roared, the gasoline would not burn for long but would work well as a distraction in the distraction. While the head was still close enough, Cow Girl used a lasso from the rope within the wagon and managed to wrap it around one of the spines before passing it to Lizard Priest.
"Good to see the years of roping the cows to keep them from running really did pay off." Cow Girl quickly turned toward her friend and gave the shout. "Pull!"
Lizard Priest had activated Partial Dragon to increase his strength and pulled on the rope, the head jerking forward as it struggled with the flames and the rope, but before it could break free, Cow Girl lassoed another spine and gave that to Half-Dragon Mother.
"You may have the head of a dragon, but you will not be able to stand up to the strength of two partial dragons!" Half-Dragon Mother pulled as well, once again forcing the head to stumble.
Cow Girl was not done, a third rope was thrown onto another spine but this one was then tied to the end of the wagon.
"Now!"
Guild Girl nodded her head and gave the reins a hard crack and the horse neighed before charging forward. With the horse-drawn wagon, Lizard Priest, and Half-Dragon Mother all pulling at the same time, the Dragon-Head was brought crashing to the ground.
"Quickly Sir Mage. We will not be able to hold it for long!"
"Already on it Scaly!" Dwarf Shaman stood in the back of the wagon rolling something within his gloved before throwing it above the Dragon-Head. "Come out, you gnomes, it's time to work, now don't you dare your duty shirk – a bit of dust may cause no shock, but a thousand make a lovely rock…Stone Blast!"
The tiny pebbles he molded together into a large rock grew to a large size until it resembled a small, jagged boulder, which he then brought crashing down upon the Dragon-head's skull just as he had with the goblin barge in the sewers beneath Water Town. The rock slammed down the monster's head, tearing through the scales and cracking the skull; blood and brain were now visible for all to see, but this head too had been destroyed.
As Goblin Slayer and the others were dealing with the two heads on the left, High Elf Archer immediately went to work attacking the center head while Protection still held. She fired arrow after arrow into the monster's skull, even managing to penetrate one of its eyes. The Alligator-Head roared and pulled away from the attack as the Wyvern-Head died and shattered along the ground.
"You damn elf, your arrows mean nothing to…"
The Alligator-Head suddenly shrieked as foam formed at the corners of its mouth, nearly ten arrows had penetrated its head, each one Half-Demon Thief had coated in her most potent poison before giving them back to her Elven friend.
"I don't care how strong you may be, no one is immune to basilisk venom." Half-Demon Thief smirked as she stood by High Elf Archer as the head spasmed about violently, the foam turning red from its blood but ultimately collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash.
Lizard Priest cut the ropes still attached to the Dragon-Head, with all three heads now dead the Chaos Kraken's body slumped back into the waters with a mighty splash before the body sank to the bottom of the bay. The adventurers cheered at the sight of the victory, Lizard Priest happily hugging his wife and daughter while Cow Girl and Guild Girl were excited that they had finally been able to help Goblin Slayer in his battle.
"And with that, this district should be much easier to deal with." Dwarf Shaman smiled before looking over towards Goblin Slayer. "That was one hell of a plan Beardcutter!"
"Just like that battle in the north, you always seem to have something that can deal with the unknown." Half-Demon Thief smiled also overjoyed by the victory they had.
"Victory in the North? That would be when he was fighting against me." The ghostly form of Lich Queen appeared near them a small frown on her face. "Where's my gratitude? I helped too."
"Oh, thank you so much for your aid." Priestess smiled and bowed her head towards the ghostly figure.
"I am teasing little one, I was only able to help with one head. It was Beloved's strategy that enabled us to secure a victory against the Necromancer's lieutenant."
"Hey Orcbolg, how come you're not also celebrating with us? Your crazy plan really helped us out, yet you don't seem satisfied."
"He was not here."
"Who Goblin Slayer?" Priestess briefly confused by who her teacher was talking about.
"The Necromancer. Despite all the fighting and movement through the District, we have not seen him."
The others thought about what he was saying, though this was a major victory, it would mean nothing if they did not find and stop the Necromancer.
"This man you speak of, he seems like one who would want to see all this chaos unfold." Guild Girl thought for a moment where this man might hide himself. "He'd want a location where he can see everything."
"Just like when we played that table top game, he'd want to be at a spot where he can control his "pawns" and direct them where to go, but where can you do something like that without interruption?" Cow Girl also thought about how this vile man would think of this situation as a mere game.
"What about the castle? He could be hiding among the civilians." Priestess was quick to offer a possible option.
"No, there'd be too many people watching. He'd want a spot where he could direct his actions and flee from if need be, this man is a coward at heart." Half-Demon Thief crossed her arms while shaking her head.
"Well, where else in the Capital can you see everything unobstructed?" High Elf Archer frowned as she placed her right hand upon her right hip.
There was silence for a few moments as everyone looked around the Capital rooftops until their eyes fell upon it. Before you could go to the castle, there was a massive courtyard and in the center of it was the Tower of Law, a structure just as tall as the castle itself surrounded by thick walls where many documents and artifacts connected with the Supreme God and other Deities was held for safe keeping.
"There. That is where he will be hiding himself." Goblin Slayer clenched his fists as his eyes looked toward the Tower of Law. "Let's go."
xxxx
Earlier in the day, heavy Warrior and his own party had ventured into their own district, the sight was just as bad as what they had seen when they first entered the Capital. Many of the building lay in ruins and other were still ablaze, but all around them was the same chaos. The five quickly went to work, Druid Girl and Scout Boy focusing on recovery and rescue, leading the civilians to safety while Heavy Warrior, Female Knight and Half-Elf Light Warrior went to work fighting against the horde of monsters before them.
"You damn beasts, I'll show you what a future Paladin can…over here, there's survivors in this building!" Even as she fought, her keen wolf-like senses allowed her to detect the scent of people over the smoke, blood and stink of the monsters they battled.
"You got it boss!" Scout Boy and Druid Girl quickly rushed over to the broken building to begin looking for the survivors.
"Impressive as always! We can't fall behind the others, let's continue to push through and hopefully hook up with other adventurers!" Heavy Warrior smirked as he brought his sword crashing down to split one of the monsters in two as they continued to battle.
The five continued their efforts for quite some time but were finally able to meet up with knights of the kingdom. With the brief respite from battle, Heavy Warrior quickly brought them up to speed with everything he knew at the moment, this included: reassuring them that the King had truly returned and was currently fighting in another district, reinforcements had arrived and secured the Old District as the current safe point, and their group was one of many looking to slay the Lieutenants that controlled the other monsters in the various districts.
"That is truly good news then. As soon as we heard the crows shrieking their message across the city, every able-bodied person took to the streets to fight, almost as if they had been rejuvenated by the news." The lead knight, a paladin himself, smiled as he nodded toward the group, though the look on his face also said he too was extremely tired, that is until he looked toward Female Knight. "Oh, what do we have here? Such a lovely specimen and a knight at that. Perhaps when we're finished with all this conflict, you'll do me the honor of…"
Heavy Warrior suddenly stepped in between the two, a visible frown on his face much to the surprise of Female Knight and the others.
"She is already taken." Heavy Warrior allowing the weight of his blade to be known as he jammed the tip into the ground. "If you have this much energy left then get your men ready to push the monsters back."
"Uh…yes, you're right, my apologies." The paladin quickly turned his attention towards the other knights and soldiers under his command.
Heavy Warrior continued to glare at the Paladin all the while the younger party members chuckled amongst themselves at his actions, Female Knight had a small smile on her face.
"It's rather nice to see him act that way. I would not have guessed him to be the jealous type." Female Knight walked toward her love and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you. We're ready to move."
"You're right, time for us to continue the fight."
The groups continued to move further into the district, dealing with various beasts and continuing to aide those who could not fight themselves. Heavy Warrior and his group soon noticed that the buildings were beginning to change from wood and plaster as what they would see in Frontier Town to more granite and marble indicating that they had now moved into the district for the more influential.
"With the materials used in their construction, these buildings are far more durable, which would explain why less of them are damaged." Heavy Warrior examined the buildings around him though soon he became aware of something else about the buildings. "What is that strange substance covering the buildings?"
The others in his party also looked toward the buildings and noticed as strange shimmering substance present on many of the buildings. At first it was unclear what this material was but then they saw it, the body of a figure, nearly covered from head to toe in the semi-translucent residue. The body appeared quite small but soon everyone came to realize that it had shrunk due to the fluids in its body having been removed.
"Spider webs…we've entered the Arachne nest." Female Knight grimaced as she looked around the rooftops for any signs of the monsters
"I can't even tell if it is male or female, let alone tell what race it might have been." Scout Boy had a visible frown on his face as he looked at the shrunken body.
"We best be on guard then, there's no telling where the monsters are hiding or when they'll attack us." The lead paladin looked toward his fellow soldiers and nodded toward them before giving his next command. "With the King, himself, fighting…we must not shirk our duty. We shall clear this district of the monstrous infestation. Fight smart and look for other warriors to join us as me move further inward, this is to be a long fight."
"Yes sir!" the triumphant cry came as one unified voice from the small group of knights and soldiers.
Heavy Warrior, though still irritated with the flirtatious nature of the paladin, was relieved to know that he and his party would not be entirely alone when it came to this fight. The party moved ahead with the other soldiers when Scout Boy noticed that Druid Girl was still standing in the same location while looking around the area.
"You may want to hurry otherwise you'll be left behind." Scout Boy jogged back to catch up with his comrade. "What's wrong? Did you see something?"
"I just noticed, there have not be any signs of the monsters around us." Druid Girl frowned as she looked over the area one last time before looking back towards her friend. "There were so many of those harpies and werewolves when we first entered…where did they go?"
Though he too was worried that the lack of monsters was a bit troublesome, he re assured her that everything would be alright and they needed to rejoin their comrades. The large group cautiously moved through the district for almost an hour but saw nothing. They examined the alleyways with extra care as the sun continued to grow lower and the shadows spread further and further; occasionally their attention was draw to the rooftops as a tile would shatter on the ground, but as before they could see no signs of the monstrous beasts.
"I don't like this. Those things are so damn big, where the hell can they hide from us?" Heavy Warrior kept his voice low as continued to clutch the grip of his sword. "Don't suppose you can smell them coming?"
"This area already reeks of their stench; they could be anywhere. What worries me is the clicking sound of their feet, I can hear them around us, but I don't see any of them." Female Knight could feel the sweat running down the side of her head as the group continued on. "This formation we've joined, I feel there is too many of us and if we're attacked on all sides, we'll be completely surrounded with no way out."
Heavy Warrior thought about this too and felt once they came to a spot where the streets diverged, it would be best to split up the forces to cover more ground but that would have to wait. As the group continued onward they began to notice more of the human shaped figures covered in the sticky residue and drained of their fluids, somethings slumped towards the ground, other times hanging in between the buildings.
"Look at them…there's so many of them drained by those monsters."
"Did anyone make it out of this area alive?"
Like the knights who joined the paladin, Female Knight and the others could see dozens of human sized shapes suspended in the massive webs. Her ears began to twitch as they were able to detect voices from within some of the buildings, the survivors were obviously scared and hiding to keep from being discovered. Before she could tell them what her ears were picking up, one of the knights cried out to tell the paladin of what he saw.
"My Lord! Over here!"
Everyone attention was drawn to larger figures covered in the webs, these were no longer human-sized figures, but massive creatures. One of the knights knelt down to begin cutting the webbing away and was surprised to find a horse among the bodies lying on the ground, but the next body was that of a Hellhound. Upon further examination, the other massive bodies they had been seeing were in fact Abominations and Goblin Brutes.
"I thought these creatures did not attack each other. Does…does that mean they've eaten all the people in this district and they're desperate for food?" Druid Girl was visibly worried that there would be no further people to aid as they moved forward.
"No. I can hear muffled voices from many of the buildings and the scents of humans, elves and the like are still present in this district." Female Knight was calm in her delivery thought there was a visible frown on her face as she looked around the area. "What worries me is the sounds of the Arachne. I can hear them moving around us but not directly attacking, almost like they're waiting for some kind of signal."
"How in the world can you tell all that?" the lead paladin was dumbstruck by what he heard as he turned towards her while his soldiers were now cautiously looking around the area.
"It doesn't matter how she can tell; we at least know that there are still survivors we need to assist." Heavy Warrior was quick to deflect any suspicion from his lover as he too looked around for the approaching monsters. "If these things are killing each other, then that can only be a good thing for us."
xxxx
Elsewhere within the district, it perched itself atop the nearby rooftop hidden within the shadows it kept perfectly still. Before it was the open courtyard where the affluential citizens would usually come to celebrate or allow merchants to sell them items that would normally not be found within the local areas. Now it lay covered in thick webs, the bodies of those who had tried to fight were strewn around the ground while others were suspended high above. It waited in the center, the rope-like webs around it vibrating as the sounds of people and adventurers could be heard moving around the area, moving ever closer to it.
"I see…they are drawing closer to my hive. Those annoying birds screeching their message over and over, disrupting my master's work." The creature hissed as it multiple arms slowly stretched above it head and reached for the "strings" of web. "It was indeed wise to find the larger monsters, their sacrifice will serve me well as I slaughter my master's enemies. Devour them all."
The creature plucked at the webs sending its own vibrations to others, the signal was sent and now it was time to feed.
xxxx
The group of warriors suddenly heard the screeching chittering sounds of the monsters that echoed around them. Screams and cries could be heard from further off in the district, groan men and women crying out, pleading for someone to help them. Female Knights eyes were wide as her senses were telling her danger was coming from all directions with the creatures drawing closer to them.
"Everyone get ready!" Heavy Warrior raised his sword he nervously looked around the area for the direction the monsters would come, but before that something needed to be done. "Quickly! Enchant my sword!"
"Yes sir." Druid Girl dropped to her knees and with her magic rod began to enchantment spell. "Dancing Flame…Salamander's Fame…Grant us a share of the very same…Kindle!"
The burning red flames surrounded Heavy Warrior's sword as he now felt more confident in this battle against the coming creatures. Druid Girl repeated the spell twice more for Half-Elf Light Warriors and Scout Boy, but now she was left with no more magic for the remainder of this battle.
"Don't you worry, we won't let anything harm you!" Scout Boy was quick to give her a small smile though he was nervous of the battle ahead.
"O my god of judgement…let not my sword judge that which is good…Blessing!" Female Knight held out her sword as it was bathed in a glowing light, she too was now ready for the major fight ahead.
The paladin and the others were ready but noticed the horse corpse beginning to twitch violently. They then noticed all the bodies of the large creatures spasming though they were covered in webs.
"What the hell? I thought they were dead!"
Two of the paladin's knights stood over the body of a hellhound with swords ready to slay it should it break free. Heavy Warrior and Female Knight looked at the bodies that were moving and noticed the creature's face were still lifeless, they weren't trying to break free…something was trying to escape from within them.
"Get back from the bodies!"
The cry went out too late as the hellhound and horse's sides exploded, showering those who were too close in blood and tissue. From within the bloody bodies emerged smaller Arachne, roughly the size of a small child, but these creatures were just as vicious as the adults. They leapt towards the closest knights stabbing their appendaged through their armor and chainmail before feasting on the exposed flesh. Dozens more of the tiny monsters exploded out of corpses of the monsters around them, and just as everyone did their best to fight against these creatures, now the larger Arachne leapt down from the rooftops, crushing the soldiers below before attacking as well.
"We're too boxed it, no room to maneuver with all these things around us!" Heavy Warrior struggled to swing his sword and instead used his free fist to knock back the smaller monsters. "We need to disperse! This group is too large to fight them here!"
The paladin chopped his way through one of the larger Arachne before nodding back toward Heavy Warrior.
"Agreed! Disperse and regroup! Don't let them box you in! Fight to the last man!" The Paladin motioned for a small detachment of his men to follow him down a different street where they could better fight in a wider space. "My earlier scouts told me of something massive in the center of the district! It must be the one controlling them! So long as one of our groups gets there and finishes the monsters, that's all that matters! Best of luck in your battles!"
The surviving knights did as they were told and moved into the smaller groups to continue the fight, the Arachne following the prey, not realizing they were being divided. Heavy Warrior gave the yell for his own party to move down the nearby alley to escape this deathtrap. Female Knight and Druid Girl were the first to move through, then Scout Boy and Half-Elf Light Warrior and finally Heavy Warrior though as he was squeezing through, one of the smaller Arachne leapt onto his back and began to tear through his armor.
"Gah! Damn it!" Heavy Warrior growled as he grabbed one of the smaller creatures, repeatedly smashing it against the wall.
"Boss!"
"I'm alright…nothing to worry about." Heavy Warrior quickly emerged through the other side of the alley way to rejoin his comrades. "You all okay?"
"We're okay, but your back…" Female Knight was immediately concerned as she rushed to check her lover's back and frowned as she saw the blood running from his wound.
"This is nothing, we still have a job to do." Heavy Warrior smirked as he placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure you. "Besides, do you really want to fall behind Goblin Slayer or the Spearman?"
"Like hell I will, come on you lot we got a job to do."
The group charged ahead just as more of the smaller Arachne followed behind them. The fight was an arduous one as they cut their way the monsters, thankfully with their enchanted weapons it was made much easy. As they cleared the streets, they made sure to send word to the frightened people to remain within the structures until they were told it was safe. With the sky still darkened by the smoke for the various fires, the group had no way of that it was already night time but they knew full well they had been fighting for several hours now.
"Can…can we take a break here? I'm not use to all this constant fighting." Scout Boy slumped to the ground as his breathing came in ragged breaths.
"Everyone take a few minutes to catch your breath, it seems safe for the moment." Heavy Warrior let out a sigh of relief as he leaned against the nearby wall though continued to check his surroundings.
The rest of his party followed their leader's advice and took what rest they could while the threat of the monsters had disappeared for the moment. Female Knight took a quick swig of water from her pouch before passing it toward Heavy Warrior.
"I don't think enchantment will last too much longer." Female Knight could already see that the glow surrounding her sword had greatly diminished. "I'm surprised it lasted this long."
"I'm sorry." Druid Girl bowed her head, feeling bad that her magic was not as strong as she had hoped.
"No need to be sorry. Your magic has served us well in this battle." Heavy Warrior looked to his own sword to see the flames were dimming. "Even if it's just a little bit more, it will help diminish the number of monsters we'll have to deal with."
After a few brief minutes, the party was continuing on its way finally coming upon the massive courtyard covered with several corpses all around them. The five cautiously looked around the area and were strangely aware that there had not been any signs of the Arachne around them.
"I don't like this Boss, it's almost like they're afraid to follow us over here." Scout Boy nervously looked around expecting there to be an ambush.
Heavy Warrior and Female Knight were also nervous as the lack of monsters was a bit disconcerting, they looked around but saw nothing save the strange structure atop one of the large buildings towards the center. The creature calmly examined the five figures below, its lips peeling back to reveal a hideous smile as it readied itself to properly greet the figure below.
"Wait…what was it the paladin said, there was something present here at the center of the district?" Female Knight's instincts were telling her there was something dangerous within the area.
"Quite correct."
The five quickly formed a circle with back to one another as they looked around but saw nothing, but then their eyes were drawn to the large structure they had seen earlier was moving out of the shadows. As it stepped out into the light, the group was horrified by the sight before them. The creature resembled the other Arachne with its yellowish flesh and four massive arms attached to its upper body which had a slightly feminine appearance. The lower body was a massive spider-like abdomen of a black color with six think legs, three on each side, but each had a razor-sharp point like the other Arachne. The head had no visible hair and unlike the other monsters which had two massive eyes this one had eight bright green eyes, two rows of four, that eyed the prey hungrily. Once clearly visible, the party was able to see this creature was even larger than the normal Arachne, and those ones were already twice as big as a normal human.
"How delightful. New prey has wandered into my nest." The massive beast spoke with a raspy-feminine voice as its legs easily tore into the roof on the building it was walking upon. "If you are smart, you'll submit yourselves as my meal and I'll at least grant you a quick death…before I feast on your flesh."
"What hell did you crawl out of? I thought that elixir affected females differently…you are female right?" Female Knight was disgusted and angry that a woman would purposely do this to herself as they followed the mad doctrine of the Necromancer.
"It is true that the elixir ordinarily forces women to adopt the Harpy patterns, but my master was kind enough to forge for me a special formula which would allow me to take on a form more befitting my persona." The massive creature continued to smile, drool escaping through the gaps in its teeth as it eyed the prey. "I life, I was one who would lure men in with the promise of pleasure only to kill them and take their belongings. I always thought of myself as a queen. So now…I am the Arachnid Sovereign."
"I don't care if you want to call yourself the Earth Mother or Supreme God, we still going to kill you!"
Arachnid Sovereign frowned as she looked down at the large, armored adventurer surrounded by his comrades; his triumphant declaration brought forth a small chuckle as she reached her arms upward towards the webs above.
"I shall leave you for the end. You shall watch as your friends die before you too become my food. It's time to eat!" The Arachnid Sovereign smiled wickedly as she strummed her fingertips across the webs.
The screeching of the Arachne could be heard as it sounded as though as had drawn them all towards her. The five below looked around them as they heard and saw the approaching Arachne, both large and small, rushing over the rooftops towards them. Female Knight's sense suddenly warned her of the danger from above as a quick glance upward showed her the massive beast ready to drop down upon them.
"Move!"
The other followed her instructions and quickly jumped in different directions as the Arachnid Sovereign landed on the ground with a thunderous crash.
"My, aren't we nimble!"
"You three, deal with the smaller ones but watch yourselves! We'll deal with this bloated bug!" Heavy Warrior quickly recovered with sword in hand as Female Knight stood by his side.
"Right Boss!"
Scout Boy and Half-Elf Light Warrior stood before Druid Girl with sword in hand ready to fight, though out of magic she had her sling ready to aid in whatever form. Female Knight and Heavy Warrior charged in with weapons ready to attack the Arachnid Sovereign, slashing as her body but being deflected by the thick armor covering her legs. The two continued to push their assault against the monster, swiping at them with her arms while attempting to stab through their bodies with her spiked feet.
"Dance for my puppets! Dance!"
Heavy Warrior raised his sword to stop her claws and growled as he pushed the creature back before swinging his blade forward, cutting off part of one of her legs.
"Damn you! How dare you mar my beautiful body!" The Arachnid Sovereign struck at the Heavy Warrior with her arms knocking him away. "I'm going to tear off your legs one at a timahhhhhhh!"
Female Knight brought her sword crashing down, lopping off an arm on the monster's left side. This brief victory was short lived, as the monster vented her full rage against Female Knight, swinging her arms around to strike the adventurer. Female Knight raised her shield to defend but was still easily knocked to the ground. Female Knight struggled to get back up but cried out as the Arachnid Sovereign stabbed two of her talons into both of Female Knight's legs. Female Knight tried to reach for her sword, but another talon tore through her armor and into her right shoulder.
"Pathetic." Arachnid Sovereign sneered as she leaned in her upper body to get closer toward her prey. "Continue to struggle! It will make you demise that much more enjoyable!"
Another of the talons then stabbed into Female Knight's lower left side which brought out another cry from the female adventurer. Female Knight continued to struggle to reach for her sword, even as blood ran from her various wounds and looked back toward the beast atop her and saw the creature raise its final talon directly above her head. The Arachnid Sovereign smiled as it readied to attack but now it was its turn to scream as Heavy Warrior hacked away at her legs with his sword.
"Get the hell away from her!"
With the first swing he chopped through another one of her legs, the second strike cut into her abdomen as red blood spilled to the ground. The Arachnid Sovereign quickly removed its talons from Female Knight in attempt to defend itself, but the moment the talon in her right shoulder was pulled out, Female Knight went for her sword and stabbed it into the monster's body. The Arachnid Sovereign screamed out, but the momentary distraction was all that was needed for Heavy Warrior to cut off another of the monster's legs.
"No!" Arachnid Sovereign cried out as it topped over, three of the legs on one side now severed. "Please! I beg you spare me!"
Heavy Warrior and the injured Female Knight went to work slashing and stabbing the down monster, its blood splattering against their armor but eventually its struggling stopped. Female Knight was ready to collapse from her wounds, but Heavy Warrior caught her before she fell.
"I got you."
"Boss!"
He turned to see the rest of his party members rushing toward the two of them, they had dealt with some of the Arachne and sustained some injuries but there were still several of the regular Arachne charging after them. Heavy Warrior frowned as he contemplated what to do next, the kids were injured as was his partner, and the monsters would overwhelm them.
"Here, take her." Heavy Warrior passed Female Knight over toward Druid Girl.
Druid Girl and Scout Boy took hold of Female Knight, wrapping her arm over their necks.
"W,wait. These wounds won't stop me…."
"All of you, get her out of here! I'll hold them back!"
His party members looked toward him with wide eyes, Female Knight was clearly angry by comment but before they could protest, he pushed them away as the monster drew closer. The kids quickly moved away from the battle site despite Female Knight protesting; Heavy Warrior raised his broadsword and rushed in to attack the monsters.
"I won't let you touch any of them you ugly bastards!"
Heavy Warrior swung his sword cutting into one of the monsters but then others quickly swarmed over him. He continued to fight as their claws cut into his armor, blood staining his armor and the smaller monsters sinking their teeth into his exposed flesh. Despite the pain, he would continue his assault, taking hold of the smaller arachne and throwing them aside until one of the bigger creatures struck him and knocked him aside. His sword clattered to the ground, he got to his hands and knees looking for his weapon, but it was too far away, however Female Knight's sword was within reach.
"C,come on you bastards! I'm not done yet!"
xxxx
"Let…let me go!" Female Knight's heightened nose could pick up on all his blood, her mind screaming there was too much. "He's…he's going to die!"
"Sorry, boss said to get you to safety and that's what we're going to do!" Half-Elf Light Warrior continued to look around the area for any visible danger.
Female Knight growled and frustration, with every step ached from the stab wounds and now her ears could pick up on his groans of pain from his continued battle. She stopped in her tracks, Druid Girl and Scout Boy looking towards her wondering what she had stopped for. Female Knight looked upward toward the night sky and through the smoke she saw it, there was the red moon above them.
"It must be the will of the Gods that it is a red moon!" Female Knight looked toward her left hand, removing her right arms to begin removed her gauntlets. "You all hold onto this ring! It was a promise from him to be there by my side always."
She removed the ring and placed it in the hands of Druid Girl before stepping back from the party to look towards the night sky. She had heard of the regenerative properties of the werewolf from others and would have to trust in that as she growled and snarled while beginning to tear at her armor. With her enhanced strength she easily ripped off the armor that covered much of her body as it hindered the expansion of her muscles and fur. With the final piece of armor clattering to the ground and the ripping sound of her fabric she threw back her head and howl as she looked toward the moon before it was covered again by the clouds of smoke. She growled as she looked around, she saw her party members who were visible worried that she would attack them but watched as she charged back the way they came towards the battlefield.
"I'm coming! I'm won't let my mate…my love fall!"
xxxx
"Gah!"
Heavy Warrior bellowed as one of the spear-like appendages stabbed into his left shoulder, but he would not let that stop him. Using his left hand, he took hold of the leg and cut through it using Female Knight's sword. The Arachne shrieked as it stumbled away, blood running from the stump, while Heavy Warrior took tore out the remains from his wound.
"I…I should have bought them enough time to get to safety. If this is where it ends, then so be it!" Though shaky he stood before the horde of monsters with weapon in hand ready to fight. "I'll take as many of you bastards with me before I fall!"
Heavy Warrior readied himself to continue the fight against Arachne, three of the monsters charging forward to kill him. To his surprise there was a sudden blur of white which tackled one of the monsters, this attack distracted the monsters as this white wolf tore into the throat of the monster with is claws. The white werewolf snarled as it ripped out the throat of the massive monster spider before turning its attention towards the next one. Heavy Warrior was still in a state of shock watching his lover tear into the monsters then his attention was drawn towards his left as the rest of his party rushed in to aid their comrades as well. Druid Girl ran over to him deeply concerned by the numerous wounds that covered his body, though he knew this was not the time to stop the fighting.
"I'll worry about the wounds later, give me a healing and stamina potion in the meantime."
With the potions in his systems, he got back on his feet, still holding his lover's sword in his hand as he charged back to fight. The party continued fighting for several minutes until new cries could be heard; the paladin, the soldiers and adventurers rushed into the courtyard to aid in the fight against the arachne. With the numbers finally diminishes to a more comfortable number, Heavy Warrior finally slumped to the ground letting out a sigh of relief as the rest of his party came to check on him.
"How you holding up boss?" Scout Boy frowned as saw the wounds on Heavy Warrior's body, thankfully Druid Girl was already bandaging up the more serious of them.
"These are nothing…is what I want to say, but thankfully I got a healing potion in my systems and a good party to aid me." Heavy Warrior offered a light smile before turning his attention toward the werewolf that was Female Knight. "Thank you for coming to save me."
"Grr…rrryou…rrralright?" Female Knight found herself whining as she looked toward her partner with a tilt of her head. "Difficult to talk. Must be effect of red moon, must protect my mate…I mean my lover."
"I…I am. I didn't know you could speak." Heavy Warrior smiled as he looked toward her.
"Rrrrstupid…rrrmake…rrrme…rrrworry." Female Knight then reached down to retrieve his broadsword and held it out towards him. "Rrrneed…rrrweapon."
"And you'll need yours." Heavy Warrior chuckled as he had her sword and shield nearby, ready for her to take them up, even in her werewolf form.
The party then became aware of the sounds of approaching footsteps and found the paladin and some of his knights approaching with weapons drawn. At first confused, they immediately realized these soldiers were looking at the white werewolf as a potential threat. Scout Boy and Half-Elf Light Warrior stepped in front of Female Knight ready to defend as Heavy Warrior got back to his feet ready to act as well.
"That creature. That blonde hair and blue eyes…she's the knight I was speaking with earlier yes?" The paladin frowned as he looked at the werewolf.
"Correct. If you so much as attempt to harm her, I'll kill you where you stand." Heavy Warrior stood by his party members, though weakened, ready to fight and protect the one closest to him.
The paladin continued to frown, too many of his men had been slain by the crazed werewolves that were servants of the Necromancer. This one however was different; he had seen her fight against the monsters and protect those in her party. The werewolf growled as she looked at the soldiers, she could easily understand their language and would defend her mate to the death if they tried to attack.
"It is as you said, she is already taken. I don't think she could have found a better person to care for her." The paladin smiled and nodded his head towards the party. "Thank you for dealing with the monster commanding the creatures here in the district. We'll continue to push out the remaining monsters as we anxiously wait to hear from our King."
The paladin instructed his soldiers to move out and continue efforts to exterminate the monsters while rescuing the citizens. With that crisis adverted, the party was now able to catch their breaths as they decided what to do next.
"Should we head back to the Old District then?" Druid Girl finished her treatment of the injured and then wiped the sweat from her face.
"No. We need to keep on ourselves." Heavy Warrior slowly got back to his feet, broad sword in hand as he looked toward his party. "Even with everything we accomplished here, there was no sign of that bastard."
"Yeah but the Necromancer could be hiding anywhere boss. Where would we start looking?" Scout Boy frowned as he thought about how bid the Capital was and how much ground they would need to cover.
"Think carefully. We know he's an arrogant person, he'd want to watch everything unfold, somewhere he can be safe as he examines things."
The young ones thought carefully about what Heavy Warrior had said, a spot where this monster could watch the chaos unfold while still keeping himself safe.
"Rrrthere."
The young party members looked to see Female Knight pointed a clawed figure upward and toward her left. They followed her finger to see that she was pointing at the Tower of Law, the massive structure near the castle stationed with the center of the capital. For Female Knight, a follower of the supreme god, it was an insult and outrage to think he would seclude himself in such a grand structure. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Heavy Warrior with her sword and shield in his hands, she could not keep her tail from wagging as she took hold of her weapons.
"Alright, we've rested long enough. It's time for us to get back in this fight and help bring an end to it."