Chapter 22: Red Eyes
Having Scorpion-Spiders as prey or as enemies is exactly what any arachnophobic does not want when playing Rise Online.
After all, these monsters have a terrifying appearance. Their large chelicerae drip the most terrifying venom, capable of applying the effect of paralysis to any living thing that is bitten by these creatures. After being bitten, make no mistake, the Scorpion-Spiders will not devour you immediately, because they will wrap you in a cocoon before this happens, leaving you motionless and enveloped by acid, one so powerful that it will melt your skin.
After some time, they will return to the web where they left you, and with their eight red eyes, they will look at you so closely that you will be able to notice the thin, tiny hairs on their heads.
If you happen to still be alive after all of this, they won't mind and will use the big stinger at the end of each of their long tails to pierce through your chest, finally putting an end to your torment.
For many high-level players, getting caught by a Scorpion Spider is one of the worst things that can happen; a low-level player will die from the acid, but this process is even more torturous for those with more life points. Besides enduring all the pain, they must be careful to take advantage of the opportunities that arise to escape or kill the monster that has captured them, because if they don't, they will lose everything they have achieved. This process is even more psychologically tormenting than the pain of a death in Rise Online.
Without going through that process, Klaus already knew how strong the Scorpion Spiders were. He had the <Analyzyng Eye>, so he knew exactly what kind of enemy he was dealing with.
When Klaus looked at the staircase that he and Therkara Ironstone were supposed to go down, he saw the Scorpion Spider.
'Ow, that thing is even uglier up close!' he thought, without even being startled.
Klaus knew that sooner or later, he would be faced with one of these monsters, but to him, this was nothing more than a large insect.
'I wonder if they sell repellent in town,' Klaus said to himself.
To his satisfaction, the monster in question seemed to be asleep this time. The eight eyes of that thing were closed, and if it was actually awake, it would have noticed their presence by now.
As Therkara Ironstone was restless, Klaus moved closer and touched her shoulder, asking to go in the front. The woman squeezed herself against the wall, getting out of his way.
Showing no fear, Klaus Park walked as calmly as he walked down the hallway halfway up the staircase.
Internally, the woman-smith was amazed by the strong mind of the man, who, although he always had a confident countenance, did not appear to be someone with a calm mood, since he ran in fear when he saw her.
The stairway ended just below the web where the Scorpion-Spider slept, and there appeared to be a chamber that seemed much wider than the slender entrance hallway. So, this meant that once they got past this monster, they would finally be rid of the claustrophobic feeling.
Since Klaus was in the front, he was the first to start down the steps.
'At least the rotten smell of the place is getting lighter.' Klaus thought as he was followed closely by Therkara.
The fact that this mess was happening within a game did not make it any less tense for Klaus; after all, he knew that it would only take one blow from these spiders to lose everything he had got so far. With each step, his chance of dying increased greatly.
By the time Klaus Park realized this, he was only a few inches away from the web woven by this Scorpion-spider. So, he stopped walking for a moment and held his breath, since the vibration of the air he was breathing could perhaps shake the web, which would probably wake up the monster.
One step after another, he squeezed himself against the wall to avoid touching the web and lowered his head to avoid touching one of the threads supporting that structure. Slowly, he crept deeper into the long staircase.
Therkara Ironstone decided that she would first wait for Klaus to pass the creature and then follow him. That way, there would be no risk of it getting in his way.
'Urh! What a disgusting thing...' Klaus concluded when he came face to face with the creature's head.
Easily, he noticed the presence of the chelicerae on the spider, which trembled in rhythm with the creature's snoring. In addition, Klaus saw the scorpion's tail, whose tip seemed as sharp as the blade of a dagger, lying on the right side of the creature's body.
Just as the novice was about to get one of his feet on the next step, he stared into the creature's eyes and then felt a chill running down his spine, one of a kind that he had never felt in his entire life.
The Scorpion-spider before him opened all eight of its eyes at once, revealing eyeballs that glowed vivid red. The redness of this monster's eyes illuminated the entire area, and suddenly it let out a deafening scream, capable of echoing to the very ends of the Smith Village.
*Grorrrrrrrrrr!*
Klaus Park didn't dare waste time being scared or disappointed; he started down the stairs as fast as he could at the same time and shouted to the blacksmith woman:
"Run!"
Therkara instantly started down the stairs as fast as she could, limited only by the speed her partner was going down.
Without difficulty, Klaus could hear the sound of the Scorpion Spider's paws touching the walls, making him not give up on running.
'Shit, shit, shit... If that woman dies, the mission will fail. If I die, the mission will fail. What can I do to get around it?'
At that moment, Klaus looked up briefly to see how far away the creature was. He was surprised that there was no longer just one Scorpion-Spider, but at least ten. All these creatures were fighting among themselves as they came down at speed, probably vying to see who would get both their fangs.
"Therkara, whatever happens, don't look back," Klaus warned her.
The blacksmith-woman looked back immediately and was terrified by the sight of the spiders, which only confirmed that the pawing noises she had heard were not part of a delirium.
...
Edited by: DrHitsuji
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