Cal screamed, "BRONN!"
Noah’s head snapped up just in time to see Bronn’s body drop like a sack of stones, his neck still steaming. Where his head should have been was just empty space.
Blood sprayed across the nearest wall, the red bright and fresh against the pale blue glow of the mana stones.
A moment of stunned silence followed, as everyone stared in disbelief at the headless corpse slumped by the stone wall.
"Shit! What was that!?" Leo barked, his voice hoarse.
Then they heard it.
Skrrrrrshhh...
A chittering sound, high and unnatural, echoed through the chamber. Something skittered above, too fast for the eye to follow. Then another.
Arlo’s bow was already in his hand. "Up! Up! It��s in the webs."
Noah’s heart began to thud in his chest. No one had even seen the attack coming!
He raised his gaze towards the thick canopy of spiderwebs clinging to the high ceiling.
There it was.
A giant form, rust-colored and almost blending into the dark strands, crouched above them like a nightmare.
An adult Bullet Spider.
And it wasn’t alone.
Noah could just barely make out the outlines of at least two more shifting through the webs, far bigger than the ones they’d fought before.
Each one was the size of a bull, their legs armored and glinting with sharp bristles. Their mandibles twitched, and dark eyes glittered with hunger.
"They’re not supposed to be here..." Galahad whispered, his voice trembling.
"No... that’s a C-rank monster..." Leo muttered, pale.
Cal dropped to Bronn’s body, trying to shield it even now.
A low hiss rolled across the chamber, and then...
Fwump!
A thick web bullet struck the stone wall just inches from Galahad, cracking the stone.
Panic set in instantly.
"Scatter!" Noah yelled. "Get out of the open!"
Another sharp hiss echoed through the chamber.
Fwip!
A web bullet tore through the air, targeting Arlo.
He dove, moving even before the bullet was fired. He landed hard on his side, rolling away just in time to avoid the impact.
The bullet burst against the floor where he’d been standing, cracking the stone below from the force of the attack.
But Arlo didn’t get back up..
He coughed, once, then again, blood spraying onto the cracked stone beneath him. His whole body convulsed.
"Arlo!" Noah’s heart stopped for a second.
He sprinted to his friend’s side, crouching low beside him. Arlo clutched his ribs, pale and gasping, the blood painting his lips fresh and dark.
"I overdid it." Arlo wheezed, barely managing a weak grin. "My skill’s not... built for this much time..."
Noah didn’t waste another second.
He raised a hand and cast Devour.
The familiar surge of darkness answered his call. The ground beneath him rippled as a perfect sphere of darkness expanded outwards.
Giant hands erupted from it, black and formless, clawing at the air above as they reached for the adult Bullet Spider that skittered high up in the webs.
But the Spider was fast.
It skittered back, out of range, crawling along the ceiling like a ghost. It hissed and launched more web bullets, this time directly at Noah.
The others had already scattered, ducking behind the massive clusters of spider eggs that filled the room.
Leo and Galahad huddled behind a pillar of webbing, trying to avoid drawing attention.
Noah stayed where he was, shielding Arlo and himself with the hungry arms of his spell.
The hands swatted away or absorbed each bullet that neared, dragging the dangerous projectiles into the void-like maw at the spell’s center.
Then...
Crack!
A scream filled the air.
Noah twisted around just in time to see Cal crumple to the floor. He had been trying to drag Bronn’s corpse into cover when a web bullet caught him directly in the chest.
It had torn through the shield he had been carrying in one hand, tearing into his flesh and bone, and punching a clean hole through his torso.
"Cal!" Leo cried out.
But Cal was already gone, his body twitching once before going still, his lifeless eyes staring at the glowing ceiling.
"Damn it!" Leo cursed, voice cracking from behind his cover.
Noah’s eyes burned with fury.
He looked up. The Spiders had vanished.
They’d cloaked themselves. That was the ability that made them even more terrifying.
Camouflaged within the webbed canopy of the ceiling, they were completely hidden. But that didn’t stop their attacks. More bullets came, each one a streak of death cutting through the dark.
Noah didn’t back down.
Maintaining Devour with one hand, he lifted the other and began to cast Rot.
Golden light blossomed to life over his palm, swirling into lines and runes. The spell formation flared in front of him, then the spell activated.
A beam of rot surged upward, carving through the webs above like a blade of decay. The webs hissed and shriveled, crumbling to ash as sections of the ceiling were exposed.
Another bullet shot toward him, from nowhere.
Noah launched a barrage of Fireballs in response, aiming wildly.
Boom! Boom!
One of the fireballs struck something in midair.
The Spider’s camouflage fizzled as flames clung to its body, illuminating it as it shrieked in pain. Though the fire didn’t seem to burn deeply, it had done its job, revealing the predator.
Noah didn’t hesitate.
He stretched his Devour toward the struggling monster, the hands of darkness lunging through the air.
Before the Spider could skitter away again, the hands of darkness caught it.
With a final screech, the adult Bullet Spider was dragged into the inky depths of Devour, its legs flailing helplessly as it vanished into the darkness.
Chomp!
The darkness pulsed, and Noah gasped as he felt the system’s response surge through him.
[Agility increased temporarily]
[FF- → E-]
He exhaled slowly, brushing a trickle of sweat from his brow. He could feel the new power in his body. He could tell that he was faster now. Much faster than before.
Arlo stirred beside him, still breathing, and Noah gave a grim smile.
"One down." He muttered, eyes narrowing as more skittering echoed from the shadows above.
"Too many left to go."
And he now had a boost to help him.