Chapter 8: XCVII — Spiders and Monsters

  Kayode found his target: a Juvenile Sunweaver who had just downed a man.

  He drew his blade and instinctively called on Edge-Kindle.

  [(E) Southern Soldier’s Short-Blade: Edge-Kindle -I- : Absent → Finding Suitable Alternative → Alternative Found: Edge-Spark -I- → Requirements Met → Edge-Spark -I- Activated.]

  No pale golden light embraced Kayode’s sword. Instead it was a blue light, barely encompassing the stabbing edge, flickering like the final throes of a dying candle.

  It was not what he had hoped for. But it would do.

  The monster swung a bladed arm at him, missed and squealed as Kayode ran his blade lengthwise across its side—where chitin gave way to soft tissue. The flesh was tough, resistant, but no match for the raw force behind his slice.

  Blood spurted out of the thing’s side, yellow and hot—too hot. It burned Kayode’s flesh, and by the time his blade ripped free from the thing’s guts, he was already moments away from letting go.

  [You have slain a Sunweaver of the 1st Awakening.]

  The notification flashed right in front of him, but no reward came. Only pain.

  Kayode looked at his hands—burnt but not in need of serious care. It looked like someone had doused it in hot water, and felt like it too.

  It was—a streak of silk shot at him.

  He ducked, spotted the juvenile responsible skittering in, then grabbed the downed man by his shoulder and dragged him back toward the support line as fast as he could. The injured came first. “Support!” he called, and one quickly came.

  From here he could see the battlefield and the trajectory of the fight, and it was not looking good. The men attacked in a haphazard and random fashion, bumping into and obstructing one another almost as much as they helped each other. Yes, slowly but surely they were assuring themselves victory today. But the cost was the question.

  Someone had died, and more were on the verge of it, and any semblance of synergy the force had was due only to Harlan’s orders.

  While Clarke rode deep into enemy territory on his steed, as if the presence of the mount made him untouchable.

  He would soon be dispelled of that illusion.

  Xaqel seemed aware of that as well, for Kayode saw her running through the battlefield, and towards the idiot—hand aglow with healing magic, scrambling to save their strongest man. With her target so deep within enemy lines, the Ancestors themselves could not help her make it.

  But maybe he could.

  Kayode sprinted through the battlefield—found a Juvenile in his path and ran his blade through their neck a moment later. He dodged the spray of blood, slid on his knees to avoid a streak of silk and severed the legs of another Juvenile with a slash.

  [You have slain a Sunweaver of the 1st Awakening.]

  [You have slain a Sunweaver of the 1st Awakening.]

  [—Level 5—]

  [—Skill(s) Acquired—]

  [Class Skill ? Mount — I — Passive: You can ride any steed with at least a Master’s level of proficiency. The beasts are at ease in your presence, and behave like an extension of your will.]

  An Adult found him next, leaping into the air and coming down hard on a section of ground Kayode was only an instant before standing in—had he not just Levelled he would have been a dead man.

  A Pivot, a streak of silk, and this one actually got Kayode on the foot—pinning it to the patch of rock it was on.

  And then it was sprinting at him. Faster than the Juveniles and angrier too.

  Kayode tried to shear through the web and found Edge-Spark wanting. “Shit!”

  The monster was nearly upon him.

  He threw his blade just before it was. The monster sidestepped on its many legs, too fast for any target to find its mark—if it was not thrown by a master of the sword. The weapon found the thing’s mouth, sinking into its jaw and out the back. Hot yellow vitae spat everywhere. It lurched over, but didn’t fall, regaining its balance, and sprinting towards Kayode a moment later.

  That was a moment enough for Kayode to free himself.

  He dragged his foot back with a tear and dove out of the monster's path—in time to avoid being skewered. Not in time to miss a gash opened up along his side.

  The pain was hot, deep and serrated, and had the Sunweaver decided to capitalize, Kayode doubted he would have gathered his bearings before it could pounce. Luckily, the monster had other problems.

  It lurched with its miss, falling over this time, and not getting up.

  [You have slain a Sunweaver of the 1st Awakening.]

  Kayode wasted no time in snatching his blade up from its corpse. He searched through the chaos for Xaqel and saw her warding off three Juveniles with a short-blade.

  And then an adult bowled her over from behind. She hit the rocky ground hard and didn’t get up, the Sunweavers skittered for her.

  Kayode was already running.

  A bladed limb searched for her heart, Kayode found the wielder first. With his weapon, caught the Juvenile in an upswing that sent the creature spinning into the air, dousing him in a light rain of burning vitae.

  [You have slain a Sunweaver of the 1st Awakening.]

  He barely registered the pain as he went for another one, but the Adult stepped in to protect it, blocking Kayode’s swing with its own. A spark flew between them, and Kayode rolled backwards before the other limbs could skewer him where he stood. They stabbed into the sand he would have been in not an instant later.

  He caught two Juveniles trying to flank him while the Adult held his focus. Smart animals. But not smart enough.

  Kayode dashed straight at the Adult, and heard the Juveniles eagerly skitter behind.

  The Adult swung bladed limbs, and Kayode dodged through them all, taking slashes, slices, and cuts here and there, but not slowing his momentum one bit. The monster tried to skid back—panic consuming it—but Kayode’s weapon already caught its side—he dragged it along and found the flesh far tougher than the Juvenile’s. But not tough enough that he couldn’topen a gash across its side.

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  Blood came, hot, burning, and knowing his luck probably acidic. But Kayode had already run past its side, leaving it with nothing to sear.

  Save from the Juveniles running after him, that was. The spurt of vitae bathed them completely, sending the smaller monsters tumbling to the side and squirming in agony and shock.

  Kayode was on them before they could recover, running his blade through the beasts.

  [You have slain a Sunweaver of the 1st Awakening.]

  [You have slain a Sunweaver of the 1st Awakening.]

  The Adult didn’t let him breathe, coming for Kayode again. He sidestepped, ducked, and rolled, yet still found that he had yet more wounds scattered across his flesh.

  They were burning hot, and he felt the blood that poured from them begin to pool underneath him. His side, that was where it hurt the most. Kayode hadn’t looked—he simply didn’t have the time—but he knew he’d been dealt something nasty there.

  The Sunweaver didn’t care. It just came at him.

  It was getting harder to keep himself standing. But Kayode dashed at the monster all the same.

  It slashed, Kayode ducked and responded in kind. His weapon found the bone just above the blade and sliced clean through it. The Sunweaver didn’t stop. It grew angrier, more blades coming at Kayode, each hungrier than the last.

  He blocked, dodged, replied, and sheared a limb for every three slashes he took.

  A claw opened his cheek. Kayode took another limb.

  The creature tried to retaliate, but its legs collapsed underneath it first.

  Kayode’s sword dug itself deep into the monster’s torso, and didn’t stop until the System told him to.

  [You have slain a Sunweaver of the 1st Awakening.]

  [—Level 6—]

  [—Skill(s) Acquired—]

  [Class Skill ? Vessel of Stone — I — Passive: The King’s secrets are his alone. You are Immune to Mind Control and Mind Reading Effects and Skills.]

  Power surged through him, and Kayode fell to his knees, panting and bleeding all the same.

  Ahead he saw Clarke's sandstrider on the ground, belly open, and blood soaking into the sand. He found the rider just behind, prone, covered in webs and failing to get himself out of them. He looked severely distraught—likely because of the massive Mother approaching, nearly upon him.

  And then the arrows came. Not a massive amount, but just enough to annoy the monster and make it weary of nearing and feasting on its meal.

  There were no Adults or even Juveniles around it, a brief look at the dead Sunweavers scattered across the battlefield told him why.

  She was the last enemy to slay.

  Harlan was at the head of the attack, ordering the archers to fire, then ordering the tired men into some semblance of a formation. They closed the distance on the Mother and jabbed at it with pikes and spears. She caught one man with a slash to the neck that removed his head from his shoulders entirely.

  That sight put the fear of the Ancestors in the assembled men. Still, they kept on pushing—and at this rate they were almost certain to win. But not without the loss of another man.

  It would be Harlan if that happened—far too committed to the offensive he was leading.

  Kayode didn’t much know the man, but he seemed a decent enough bloke. Certainly didn’t deserve to be decapitated by a giant spider.

  But there was not much he could do. If he rushed into battle in this state he would just end up stumbling all over the place and causing more harm than good.

  So Kayode could only watch as the Mother’s claw swung sharply, missing Harlan by a closer and closer margin each time.

  Then he felt a warmth bathe him.

  [—Effect Active—]

  [Mend: Health points restored by 20; regeneration limited.]

  Kayode felt a wave of strength. His larger wounds stopped bleeding and shrank, while the smaller nicks and cuts closed completely.

  He turned to find Xaqel standing behind him, hunched over, clutching her side with one hand, while the other glowed with a gentle green light. “Help them,” she managed, eyes tight with concentration.

  Kayode nodded. “Thank you.” And sprinted for the enemy.

  He still felt the aches as he moved, pain flaring in his sides each time he swung his arms. But it was lesser now—dulled, numbed, far easier to ignore. Just enough mobility remained that when he leapt at the Mother and brought his blade down into its side, the already preoccupied monster was a moment too slow to dodge.

  The sword bit into flesh with all the momentum he could manage and sank barely an inch deep.

  The monster screamed—a sound that tore through the air—and jerked its body violently sideways.

  There was a sharp crack.

  Kayode felt the hilt tear out of his grip as the blade snapped under the sudden torque, the broken half wrenching free with the beast’s movement. He was yanked off his feet and hurled sideways like an arrow loosed from a bow.

  He stopped when his back met something solid and unforgiving, bounced off it, and collapsed into the dirt, wheezing.

  The world was still spinning when Kayode saw the monster skittering toward him.

  He knew, with cold certainty, that it would reach him before he could stand.

  He was thankful then, that Harlan ordered a charge directly into the thing’s side, and sent it stumbling sideways.

  A blur ran up to Kayode and grabbed him by the arm. “You okay?” it asked with Harlan’s voice, dragging Kayode through the sand.

  “Nghhhh!” he eloquently replied.

  “That’s alright, lad. You did us a huge favour by opening her flank like that.”

  Then he let go of Kayode. “Patch him up,” Harlan said to someone. Kayode saw glowing hands above him, a notification flash across his vision, and the world snap back into focus.

  He didn’t even have time to thank the Support—they were already moving on to the next wounded.

  And then he was back in the battle.

  “Defenders! Protect the spearmen!” Harlan roared.

  Shields came up as terrible claws lunged for the lancers.

  One man was unlucky. An arm was torn away before a shield could reach him. He hit the ground a moment later, face twisted in agony, his scream carrying across the plains.

  A claw came down to finish him—but Kayode reached him first, sprinting forward and sliding in to drag the wounded man clear.

  “I’m dying, I’m dying!” the man screamed.

  “No you’re not,” Kayode assured. Though he would never again wield a spear.

  He left him in the hands of a Support and sprinted back in.

  His broken sword wouldn’t do. So Kayode picked up the wounded man’s weapon and went looking for somewhere to jab it.

  He found it just a second after the Mother’s claws found him. It cut through the air in a blur, too fast for him to dodge—not when he was already leaning forwards.

  A metal shield bashed into the claw before it could meet his neck and end this loop. His Defence went stumbling back from the impact, but Kayode didn’t let the moment go to waste.

  Edge-Spark!

  The spear’s tip came alive and buried itself barely into the creature’s side.

  Kayode sidestepped the spray of vitae that followed—a douse splashing his shoulder, eating through the leather in an instant and burning with an intensity that made the blood of the Juveniles feel like a warm bath by comparison.

  Around him, other spearmen fought, fell, and were dragged back into the fray—a shield always close, ensuring they didn’t meet an untimely end.

  Arrows rained down on the Mother from above, joined by a few streaks of magic.

  Kayode spotted men and women armed with knives and daggers darting across the sand on quick feet, blades slashing and nicking the carapace that formed the Mother’s many legs. Those were the utility types—Sneaks for the E Tiers and Rogues if there was any D.

  Together, they were far from organized, but under the orders of Harlan, and spurred on by the unifying urge for survival, they were making slow but steady progress.

  The Mother could feel it too. Attacks becoming more panicked—desperate. And each mistake she made left more room for the spears to exploit.

  And then something bashed into Kayode from behind, and sent him toppling over and into the sand. When he looked up, several men were on their bellies as well, and others were being shoved onto them as a sprinting idiot in shining armor broke through the line formation and charged head first for the Sunweaver.

  “Die, you ugly bitch!” Clarke leapt at it and his huge blade tore a gash that Kayode could never have hoped to leave across its side. That was about where all the good news ended, however.

  He swung for a follow-up and the Mother dodged, knocked him to the side with a claw that ripped a rent through his armor but left its owner unharmed then turned around.

  Then the Sunweaver fled for the plains.

  “Block its path!” Clarke ordered.

  But the men who would have been in a position to do that were currently knocked over.

  By the time Kayode was on his knees, the Sunweaver was far away, and when he finally got to his feet the monster was a dot on the horizon.

  Kayode took one last look at his fleeing Experience and groaned.

  “You, idiots!” Clarke growled. Kayode turned and found eyes so red with anger they looked like they might pop out of their sockets. “What is so fucking hard about keeping a creature engaged while I do all the hard work!”

  All men shifted nervously on exhausted feet and avoided meeting the man’s gaze.

  “And my Mender!” he said sharply, eyes falling on Xaqel with a renewed anger. “Where the fuck were you when I was getting hounded by Sunweavers?!”

  Chasing after your dumb ass…

  But Kayode didn’t say that. And neither did Xaqel. “I…I…”

  “I—I,” Clarke mockingly sneered, then backhanded the woman across the face.

  She went down like a sack of rocks.

  “My ancestors should have left you as Savager thralls!” he hissed. “Should have known better than to let an Elf be a Falcon. You’re relieved of your duties.” he spat, and Xaqel just trembled in terror.

  When he turned away from her, she finally let her trembles turn into tears. And the woman broke down sobbing in the dirt.

  This was what he had to look forward to, Kayode realized.

  And that left a taste like bile in his mouth.