Chapter 24: -The Hunt [2]
All his life, Rian had only known the mines. The rock that broke beneath his pick, and the metal that made it all stick, the gems he would pull from the ground, and the silver he would polish till it was pearly white.
The mines were all he knew since he was a child.
But he loved it, he loved it every day of every hour.
To him, there was nothing better than reaching into the earth, and pulling out something raw and untamed, and morphing it into something beautiful.
The raw gold mined from the stone, melted and molded into a fine necklace for the rich. A gem the size of a small crum, decorated ornately on a ring for a bride. And the silver he mined, was the silver he polished from the grime.
No matter how much he broke his back, threw out his own muscles, or felt the fear of the dark caverns and caves, and the danger it brought. No matter what he felt, it was the same.
He would always come back to the mines.
He once thought it was all there was in life, to mine the mines and stone and gems, letting them fall into others hands.
He never looked to any other form of life, but to the mines.
Until he came…
A man, composed of all troubles, as if they could not harm him, offered Rian and his miners a new chance at life.
He showed them the world, and what it was like out from under the boot of the rich and powerful, and got a stern glance at life.
He showed them how to live.
From his colleagues to his family, he knew none had shown him such kindness as this man.
His bosses were always troubling him, trying to increase the load on his shoulders to increase the profit they made, while it was that man who always asked if he was doing ok.
His father had never let him believe in any other life than the mines, and at the age of ten, he was thrown into the dust and dirt clouded caves to mine coal.
It was a difficult life, and one Rian did not love. But if he only knew the mines, how could he know the joy of the outside?
It was this that the people in charge hoped to keep from him. A view of something other than the mines, offered out there in the world, a bright and beautiful sunlit sky.
If he only knew the mines, how could he feel as though his life was not complete? How could he even begin to think about leaving?
It was only after that man came, his view of the world burning their eyes, that Rian learned one valuable lesson.
The mines are a prison.
'Such as the narrow minded view of the few, they lie in wait for their own demise on a dinner plate. Until they die in their own lonely prison cell, a tool gone in peace, in a prison they called 'life.''
It was this knowledge that he constantly replayed in his head. The knowledge that man had given him.
And before Rian had begun to process what emotions he was feeling, he suddenly realized…
'I'm living.'
Since that day he's owed a debt to that man, a debt he knew he could never repay. But he tried with the only way he knew how.
To work with his hands until his life was no more.
He once thought that man was the smartest and brightest in the world. He once thought there was no one else who could possibly be smarter, stronger, or more brave than him.
A perfect man in every way.
But Rian was wrong.
As he could vividly hear Lia's words as she called out to herself, unbeknownst to her, everyone did. The silence was deafening only to her, as her words had rung out like the church bells in the morning.
It surprised him.
'How can someone be so brave, and ask for more, when danger lies just beyond the darkness at our borders?'
His mind was rearing at the thoughts of Lia rushing forward and slaughtering the masses of spiders he knew were coming.
Since he first met her he at once took her for some fool, but that all changed. Even after the bruises and broken bones he no doubt left on her, she walked it off like it was nothing, said nothing, and answered none of his questions.
It was as if she was saying, 'Fuck you', and challanging him to thrown more.
It was only until after her friend revealed who she was, that his emotions became clouded. On one hand he cursed her for being a fool, but on the other, he felt pride and respect for her, and her determination.
It was only until later that he discovered this was all part of her plan, to grit her teeth and bare through the pain he was inflicting on her, just to earn his trust.
And if Rian had to be honest, it only made him respect her more.
From her quick thinking, to simultaneously moving everyone in a position that accounted for all possibilities, and all threats that might be thrown their way, he had to admit she was more than impressive.
In fact, he was so impressed by her abilities, he had unknowingly moved like a soldier moving to his commander's orders.
Before the wave of spiders hit, Rian only had one thought in his head. A thought he never would have guessed would ever be uttered by his mind.
'She might be even more impressive than the stranger.'
And then, the first wave hit.
***
The attack came swiftly and quietly, like a leaf floating on the wind's breeze. In one moment, the world around Lia was silent and cautious, everyone on edge for the coming doom they all felt.
The spiders lied in waiting, watching, wondering how best to kill. To spill their blood and drag off their prey back to the nest.
Like the ambush the set, they executed their attack with swiftness and caution, careful to not mess anything up and lose one of their own.
Afterall, they had battle memories of the dozens or so miners that they fed to their queen, dragging them from their carts and their rails, and moving them down the tunnels till their screams were silent.
But what they didn't account for, was the foreign woman who stood at the front, sword held tight against her chest, and ready for a fight.
When the attack did come, Lia was ready, the first spider flung itself out from its hiding place, its fangs bared with drool slipping down.
But just as quickly as it came down from above, Lia's sword easily pierced its hull, struggling, though her efforts were not in vain.
From the added gravity of the fall, all Lia had to do was position her blade in a way where the momentum of the spider would cause its own death, pierced on the tip of her sword.
And it worked.
Blood seeped through the wound, dying her hands in blue, her grip tightened around the handle of her sword.
But even with her quick thinking and her fast acting, the spider did not die.
Baring its fangs once again, the spider reached out its two main front legs, and desperately tried to swipe at Lia's head, trying to free itself.
However, because of its twitching, Lia could easily tell the spider had not died, and twisting the blade, she pulled out the sword, quick enough that it sent the spider flying beyond the lantern wall, and keeping her head on her shoulders.
The commotion was enough to alert the rest, just in time as the next of the spiders came from above, held at a distance due to the spears.
The shields were raised, the spears were edged, and the sword tips were dyed in blue blood.
Focused on the spider in front of her, Lia was not able to see how the others were doing, but sometimes sound worked just as well as sight.
Hearing the skull cracking sound that she could not mistake for anything else other than the cracking of the spider's hide, she knew Rian had dealt his damage.
'One down.'
She thought to herself as she heard the battle behind her take place. Swords clashed against what sounded like metal, though Lia was not fooled. Their hide may be thick, but it could still be pierced.
Jumping forward, the spider was quick, quick enough that Lia barley had any time to react. In fact, if it wasn't for Cain's heightened senses, she would have mistakenly swung at the ground, where the spider once was.
Taking a swift repositioning of her feet, Lia brought the blunt end of the sword up on its side, just in time to defend against the spider's front legs as they shot forward at her chest.
'Their joints are their weak spots. Focus on cutting away its weapons before going for the kill.'
Giving her quick and simple directions, Lia found Cain's words to be true, as she shifted the weight of her sword, bringing it down on the spider's front leg.
However, the rust and dull edge of the sword proved to be its weakness as the attack was well met, but it kept the sword from doing any damage.
Frustrated, Lia took a step back, trying to keep her head clear.
But then it came.
A shrill or shrieking, however one would take it, all Lia could hear was the cry of a man in pain.
"Aghhhhh!"
Whirling around, Lia could see horror before her eyes.
The spiders, though obviously cut and wounded, should have lied there and died from the loss of blood. Instead, the spiders continued on, latching onto one of the shield users, biting deep into his flesh.
He never even saw it coming, and was quick to die. Nor did the spear users, who, being shocked by the sudden attack, failed to pay attention to the spiders already coming down from the ceiling.
Large enough to be a small to medium sized dog, they easily avoided the spears tips, especially when the wielders were not paying attention.
One by one, red blood sprayed against the ground, dying the spiders in little dots of red as they scurried around the feet of the rest.
Everywhere, panic began setting in, people were running left and right, only to run into a spider that bit deep into their flesh. And for those that didn't die immediately, slowly passed on from the painful poison admitted into their bodies from the spider's fangs.
The scene was frightening. From such a well ordered group, to fall in such a short span of time, chaos roaring all around. The scene froze Lia in place.
A sore mistake she couldn't take back.
Taking the opportunity before it, the spider leaped forward, its fangs bared against Lia's flesh.
Suddenly, Lia felt a growing heat rise in her chest, and in one loud booming echo, Lia no longer felt the spider on her back.
-Fwoosh!
"Screeeech!"
Turning quickly, raising her sword, not ready to make the same mistake again, Lia was left in shock at the sight of a burned spider carcass.
The stench was horrid, not only for the smell of burning flesh, but added with the leaking blood and intestines from the open wound.
'What happened?'
She didn't need to wait long, as an answer already appeared in her head, taking the form of a voice she knew all too well.
'You lost focus. So I took matters into my own hands.'
Shocked, Lia's mind was a whirlwind of confused thoughts and possibilities.
'What did you do, shoot out fire from my back?'
'How did you know?'
Ignoring Cain's sarcastic remark, Lia repositioned herself to the back in order to help the rest who were struggling.
"Lukali, guard the front!"
As she passed him, Lukali immediately, thought obviously frightened, moved to the front, guarding against any other creatures beyond the darkness.
Moving to the back, Lia dogged the wounded and or already dead who lay sprawled on the ground, blood seeming from already old and worn wounds.
'This wasn't meant to happen.'
She thought to herself as she laid her eyes on what appeared to be Rian, fighting off two spiders at once.
Both were nearly the size of the one Lia fought, being small-dog sized, one climbing up his back, while the other was kept at bay by his large gauntlets.
However, even with his strength, he was struggling, as he desperately tried to get the spider off his back.
Taking the opportunity of the open attack Rian had offered her, Lia charged forward, and swept her blade across his back, her full force behind the attack.
The spider stood not changed at her strength, though not great, was still enough to tear the spider in half.
'Two down.'
"Thanks."
Was all Rian said, before smashing the other spider against the wall with one full blown punch, sending rocks and debris tumbling down from the beams, crushing the spider to death.
'Three down. Three left.'
'On your right!'
Taking heed to Cain's warning, Lia spun on her back heel just in time to narrowly miss one of the spiders, who leaped at her with open jaws.
From where it once stood, Lia could see the remains of a fallen spear man, whose guts spilled from an open bite wound on his stomach.
Though Lia had no time to pity the man or his no doubt painful death, she offered some words of solace for the man in mumbles.
"Rest easy. You've done what you can."
Turning back to the spider, Lia focus drifted back to the time when her orders were ringing out in everyone's ears.
Secretly, she cursed herself.
'How could I have let this happen?'
Her focus was someplace else, and because of this, her stance fumbled when she tried confronting the spider, leaving it an open gap in her defense. And her arm paid for it.
The cut was deep but not nearly as bad as any damage from its fangs, if it had hit her. Not only would the venom be tremendously dangerous, but it would leave her to die in one of the most painful ways imaginable.
Dying of poison.
Turning her focus back on the spider, a voice sounded out in her head.
'You are not to blame for this Lia. Just focus on what lies ahead.'
Once the spider leaped towards her, she swiped her blade horizontally, deflecting off one of its attacks from its legs.
'The best you can do right now, is keep the others from dying and bring them home. That's how you can repay these men for their deaths.'
Silently agreeing with Cain, she felt her strength surge, a helping hand reaching out for her, giving her a portion of his strength to battle what lied ahead.
'Kill.'
Jumping forward, Lia brought her sword down on the head of the spider, aiming for one of its many weak points.
However, because of their agility, Lia found it increasingly difficult to get a precise hit on its weak points. Instead, her sword came in contact with its abdomen, bouncing off of the thick but flexible skin.
"Screeech!"
Upset, the spider charged her, fangs bared in an ugly snarl.
Having no time to lift her sword back in the air for a powerful swing, Lia leaned over to the right, adding better aim to the kick she planted right in the spider's open jaw, snapping its fangs in half from the force.
-Crunch.
-Snap!
"Screeeech!"
Now the spider was even more angry, but Lia didn't care. Using her weight to her advantage, she pushed her entire body forward in a downward motion, allowing for the blade to reach the speed she wanted as she swung it over her head.
With no time to react, all the spider could do was let out one final screech before its head was smashed in two.
"Screech!-"
-Squench.
Raising her blood stained blade, Lia looked down at the fallen spider, hoping to herself that it was dead and not just faking it.
The sounds of fighting were drawing to a close, and the feeling of dread began to pass as more and more of the miner brought with Rian, rested their weapons down to catch a breath.
But Lia was not fooled by the false sense of security.
'Smart girl. Never see silence as the end, only ever see it as some hidden beginning.'
Firming her resolve and her suspicions, Cain urged her to continue, as she desperately looked around, hoping to find what she was looking for.
'That's four. Where are five and six?'
She soon got her answer in the form of a shrilling sound.
"Ahhhh!"
'Lukali!'
She whirled around, and rushed past the few miners that were left, on their knees from their wounds, or mourning their dead friends.
When her eyes landed on what she feared the most, she was left in shock, rooted to the ground.
'Seven.'
She corrected Cain.
'There were seven.'
Standing before her, were the two lost spiders, five and six, standing on either side of seven. A large, giant spider, the size of a large horse, who stood with its teeth, clutched around the shoulder of an unsuspecting victim.
"Lukali.."
Her mumbles could barely be heard.
Behind her she could feel Rian at her back, his gauntlets raised ready to fight.
But her mind was elsewhere, forming thought after thought that did little to help her in this situation.
'I shouldn't' have left him there. I knew he wasn't battle ready, yet I left him there to be eaten.'
Quietly shuddering to herself, her heart began beating faster and faster, as her eyes couldn't leave the dripping blood coming from Lukali's shoulder.
'Lia, calm down.'
Suddenly, a voice sounded out in her head, snapping her from her thoughts.
'He isn't dead. Just barely alive.'
Forcing herself to stop thinking, her eyes paused on Lukali's face, where his twitching eyelids confirmed what Cain had told her.
Slowly, her heart began to calm down, as she felt a chilling cold escape into her body.
Instantly she knew it was Cain's doing, knowing full well that a clouded mind was the worst mind to have in a battle of wits and ambush traps.
Slowly, Lia raised her blade, followed by Rian and another miner who followed after them. Together, their weapons raised to the spider, ready for anything.
But before they could even take a step, the sound of pain filled moans filled their ears and echoed through the mine.
"L…Lia?"
"Lukali…"
She mumbled, barely a whisper, and hardly audible to anyone farther than a few feet.
As his body struggled to move, the spider stood there like a statue, refusing to move even as its prey struggled to get free.
'Is it waiting for the poison?'
If her suspicions were right, she needed to act fast to save Lukali. But before she could move, Cain spoke.
'Wait Lia. Watch.'
Suddenly the spider was gone, so fast that Lia barely had time to react, to see any body part move, or any after image.
Spiders five and six were gone, scurrying down tunnels as Lia just stood there in shock.
"L...Lukali?"
Struggling to hold back the tears in her eyes, Rian patted her against her back, supporting her falling body as she wobbled and her knees bent.
A flurry of thoughts entered her head, bringing emotions she hadn't felt for a long time.
Guilty, pity, sorrow, and remorse. All things she had blocked her heart from feeling long ago.
But when all hope seemed lost, she heard one solid voice ringing out in the darkness of silence. A voice that breathed flame to her dying fire, a spark to her embers.
Relighting the fire of passion in her emotions, that had turned to ash.
'He's alive, and he's within the Den.'
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone