Summoner 21, page 18
“Hopefully, the volume we need is there,” Phi remarked. “The shorter the stay, the better, and I’d like to rid the human world of the entity on the moon.”
“I’m surprised to hear you say that,” I admitted to her. “I remember a time when you wanted nothing more than to destroy everything.”
“Oh, I would still love to take revenge on those who opposed me,” the white-winged Archon contradicted me. “But whatever that monster is, I want it gone. I can sense the way it watches us, and I want it to go away before it can inflict whatever damage it intends.”
“That’s more like the Phi I know.” I smirked. “But trust me, I want it gone, too.”
“Wait, everyone, stop,” Xanrith suddenly instructed us, and the goddesses and I halted in place as the umber-skinned Archon’s eyes darted around.
I shuffled past the other monster goddesses until I reached Xan’s side, and I followed her line of sight down the long hallway until I located the place we were looking for.
The door to the library was completely open, and I suddenly saw a reflection in the marble floor that was too solid to belong to a Shadal.
We weren’t alone up here after all.
“I think we have company,” I growled, and before the Archons could say a word, a low growl filled the hallway, and an enormous creature emerged from the library.
Chapter Nine
If spiders weren’t already terrifying enough, this monster certainly did a great job of making them even more nightmare-inducing.
Unlike the small arachnids I’d seen every so often around the house in the corners of bathrooms or near the floorboards of the bedrooms, this spider was fucking huge and had far more legs than I was comfortable with. A quick count of the spindly appendages brought me to fourteen, but the horse-sized creature’s jittery movements made it almost impossible to be sure. Each of its long legs was dark brown and covered with coarse bristles while its furry body was a mousier brown with black and dark green tiger-like stripes throughout it.
A cluster of glittering acid-green eyes stared right at us while a pair of equally green tusks hung down past its salivating mouth, and the shakiness of its small steps only added to the rabid nature of the monster. The spider’s mannerisms reminded me of the fire-eye, which confirmed my theory that all of the monsters from the Shadowscape were experiencing the same strange behavior. I only prayed whatever this monster’s abilities were, they wouldn’t shift mid-battle.
“What the fuck is that thing?” I hissed, and I moved my head just enough to give the Archons a sideward glance.
Each of the monster goddesses, except for Xan, seemed alarmed by the sight of the spider monster, which only added to the feeling of dread that crept up my spine. It wasn’t often they exhibited fear, but it was easy to see the spider creature was not what they were expecting.
“It’s so gross,” Utuni whispered from the back of the group, and I couldn’t help but agree. The insectoid monster really was creepy, and I didn’t have a clue what the fuck it was.
“Xan, do you know what it’s called?” I asked as quietly as I could so I didn’t set off the huge spider creature with the sound. It was moving at a slow pace for now, but that could change very easily.
“It’s called an athenid,” Xan explained in an equally quiet voice. “They’re spider-like creatures with venomous fangs and incredibly sticky webbing. They normally make their nests in caves and caverns, but apparently, they’ve decided to breach the surface and settle here. They must have moved in after everyone left.”
“Over my dead fucking body,” Carth growled behind us as she completely ignored my request to stay quiet. “I will not allow such a disgusting beast to desecrate my home--”
“Your home?” Phi scoffed. “May I remind you how you were merely a squatter at this estate. Claiming it as your own is wildly inaccurate--”
“Semantics, Phi,” the horned Archon growled at the angelic goddess. “The Shadal answer to me. All the monsters that occupy the grounds answered to me--”
“And now they’re acting on their own,” Phi interrupted her. “And it doesn’t look like they want you as their mistress, so unless you want to use your power to influence them--”
“Shhh!” I warned the two as the athenid began to creep forward with slow, disjointed steps. “We don’t have time for a conversation about owners and technicalities. Right now, there’s a big, hungry-looking monster who’s practically drooling at the thought of enjoying a ten-course meal. We need to step back slowly and try to put some distance between us and it.”
“I think that would be wise,” Veopa agreed. “Where do we--”
“Anywhere,” I blurted out. “Literally anywhere in this castle but here.”
“Downstairs?” the succubus Archon suggested. “More space to move about, and besides, we need to keep the monster away from the library. A creature of that scale can inflict a good amount of damage, and we have no clue how long it’s taken up residence here.”
“Right.” I nodded. “I don’t care where we go, but we need to get this thing handled fast.”
The athenid blinked its cluster of eyes, and I watched in horror as its wicked fangs pinched together. I didn’t want to be on the wrong side of those teeth and didn’t want that for the Archons, either. The ancient goddesses were strong, but I wasn’t about to risk their wellbeing on the off chance the athenid was stronger than I knew.
The spider monster stopped in front of us, maybe about twenty feet away, and a sheen of stress-sweat broke out across my forehead. Why wasn’t it attacking us? It just sat there, twitching, as if it were waiting for something, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Still, I kept my eyes on the creature’s and took care to not break my gaze.
“Hey, Gryff?” Xan gulped beside me. “Umm, there’s something else you should know about athenids...”
“And what’s that?” I asked as my heart beat like a drum in my chest.
The spider tilted its head and studied me like I was prey, and I wanted nothing more than to stab into it and wipe the look off its face.
“They aren’t solitary creatures,” the umber-skinned goddess revealed. “They live in clusters.”
“Oh, fuck--” I started to say, and then as if on cue, five more athenids skittered out of the library. The palace was pretty large, but now that the right side of the third-floor hallway was filled with horse-sized spiders, it was no longer feeling so large.
The athenids clacked their tusks together, and after a moment of pause, the group headed straight toward us at an impressive speed.
“Aaah!” Phi screeched as the spider monsters sprinted in our direction, and then she pumped her wings and took off into the air. The ceilings were so high she was able to put some distance between herself and the monsters, but those of us bound to the ground didn’t have that option.
“Everyone, move!” I commanded.
The other Archons and I turned in the opposite direction and ran down the hall, and as we got closer to the grand staircase, I reached into my bandolier, retrieved a gem, and then threw down the white, claw-shaped essence crystal that contained Dio. I wasn’t sure what kind of attacks the spidery monsters had, but I’d promised my familiar I’d call upon him in the face of danger, and we were definitely in danger.
What the actual fuck are those things? my cat-like summons growled as he manifested in front of me. I do not like the look of all of those legs. Gross. And also. Ewww.
“I’ll explain in a sec, but for now, we gotta move,” I said, and the sabertoothed-cat monster immediately lowered himself down until I could easily climb onto his back.
Once I was atop my familiar, I concentrated on the bonds with my bullet bass, my daggerdillo, and my speed slug, and I focused on armoring up my familiar with all of their qualities. I opted to cover myself in the bullet bass coating as well, and I stretched out as the armor spread over my limbs.
Hey, that tickles. Dio twitched as his large, tawny body was coated in a layer of spiky silver armor. He flexed his large paws, and his stubby little tail flicked in excitement. Whoa, how did you do this, boss? Usually, you gotta slap on one of those sticky guys to get me to move quickly.
“You still have the speed slug’s enhancement without all of the slime,” I explained. “Now, we need to put some distance between us and those bugs, so how about you try out those newly enhanced muscles of yours and get us out of here?”
Got it! Dio nodded his large head.
“Gryff, what do you want us to do?” the Archons asked in unison as they caught up to us.
“Whatever you can to get rid of these things,” I instructed the goddesses. “Swords, monsters, whatever weapons you have in your arsenal. We just need to cut them down and get them the fuck out of here!”
“On it!” Hunnah called out, and I watched the copper-haired Archon pivot and then unsheathe the gilded sword at her side. One hissing athenid at the head of the group ran right toward her, and she wasted no time in swinging her massive blade straight at its front legs. The monster let out a screech as a thick spray of bright green goo launched out of the wounded appendage, and Hunnah let out a wail of her own as the liquid hit her right in the face.
“Fuck!” the wolf-eared goddess cried out, and she nearly dropped her sword on the marble floor as her entire body trembled.
“Hunnah, are you--” I began to ask, but my question was disrupted by Hunnah’s sudden battle cry. The Archon raised her sword high once again and slammed into the same athenid with so much force it flew down the hall and knocked into the others. The spiders tried to climb over one another, but the more they tried to untangle themselves, the worse they got.
Uh, boss? Dio wondered. What’s going on with that green goo?
I followed where my familiar’s gaze had fallen and noticed the goo that had landed on the ground had plumes of steam rising from the surface.
Fuck.
Was their blood acidic?
“I’m fine,” the copper-haired Archon finally called out as she shook off her irritation. “Everyone needs to be careful, their blood is--”
“Yeah, we figured as much.” Sera cringed as she flicked a small glob of goo off her arm. The blood had left a small burn mark on the Archon’s skin, but my lover flashed me a reassuring glance. “I’m okay. It just stings.”
What should we do? Dio asked as he took a few steps backward. If their blood is acidic, I can’t exactly chew em up.
“We’re probably going to have to rely on your claws,” I assessed. “With the daggerdillo spikes and the bullet bass coating, I don’t think they’d be able to bite you enough to inject their venom. Now, let’s get downstairs before those things can pull themselves back up.”
Without another word, Dio, the Archons, and I turned back and scrambled down the stairs. We made it down to the second floor, and the Archons and I ducked into the hallway to catch our breaths.
“We can’t stay here long,” I said as my heart whirred in my chest. “Does anyone have any suggestions?”
“Can we get them outside?” Carth wondered. “Not because I’m worried about the castle’s decor, but because of the openness. We can hit them all we want in the palace, but leading them out of here is going to be the best move.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” I nodded at the horned Archon. “We need to try to round them up and herd them out to the grounds, past the courtyard. Once there, we can get out some of our bigger monsters if necessary.”
“Good idea,” Quilla complimented me, but then the skeletal Archon’s already huge eyes grew wider. “Gryff! Turn around!”
The urgency of her voice made me whip around just in time to see a stream of pale goo suddenly shoot past us.
“Fuck!” I shouted as I spotted an athenid with its abdomen angled toward us. Its friends weren’t far behind, and they began to launch their webs out, too. While the Archons and I tried to hustle away from the spider creatures, I peered down at the marble floor and cringed at the strands of thick webbing, but then Dio suddenly stopped in place as he got caught in the sticky goo, and I nearly pitched off his back.
Ewwwww, Dio growled as he tried to lift his paws up, and strands of the goo lifted up as he attempted to free himself. Gryff, what do I do? This is so gross, and I can’t move.
“Pull harder,” I instructed my summons, but Dio’s movements weren’t enough to free him.
It’s not coming up. The saber-toothed-cat winced. And it’s starting to sting a little.
The athenid that shot the webbing began to move toward us, and its fangs came together menacingly. The huge monster had its eyes on Dio, but there was no way the beast was going to get a hold of my familiar.
I wouldn’t let it hurt my friend.
“Back up, you ugly fucker,” I growled, and I reached into the bonds with my monsters until I came to my faun. I visualized the impressive vine-like whips my half humanoid, half-goat monster used as weapons, and within moments, they appeared in my hands. As the athenid scrambled toward us, I cracked the long whips in its direction and tripped the creature. The spider tumbled over until it was on its back, and its legs flailed in the air as it tried to get back up again.
Thanks, Gryff, Dio sighed gratefully. That was close.
“We need to get you free,” I replied. “I don’t know how, but we gotta get rid of this goo.”
“We’ve got the athenids, Gryff,” Sera called out to me as she and the other Archons carefully shuffled over to us. “Just worry about your monster. We’ll hold them back so you can get him free!”
“Thanks!” I shouted, and the Archons went straight into action once they cleared the portion of the hall scattered with webs. Once I was certain the goddesses were fine, and Dio and I were clear to work on the untangling, I turned back to my summons. “Bend down for me so I can hop off and try to find a solution.”
Okay. Dio squatted down far enough for me to reach the ground without hurting myself, and then I carefully ambled off his back. It took quite a bit of effort to land without getting stuck in the webs below, but I made it happen and managed to find a goo-free spot.
I glanced past the twitching athenid in front of us and caught sight of Hunnah and the other Archons taking on the other spider creatures. The warrior goddess hacked and slashed while Xan, Sera, and Phi made their attacks from above, and I was impressed by how well they were working together.
Once I was sure the others weren’t going to sneak up on us, I turned back to Dio. The saber-toothed-cat wore a brave face, but I knew he was experiencing a lot of discomfort that I needed to heal as soon as possible. I just needed a way to get this floor completely cleared somehow.
So, I recalled the faun’s whips momentarily and summoned my water imp’s magic instead. I wasn’t an elementalist, but this was the next best thing, and I soon felt the cooling energy of the tiny monster’s power flow through me.
“Hold still!” I commanded my summons. “I’ll try not to hurt you, but--”
Don’t worry about it, Dio interjected. I’m tough. I just need to get free so we can book it outta here. Do what you gotta do, Gryff. I’ll be fine.
“Alright, just hold still,” I instructed my familiar. With Dio’s blessing in mind, I unleashed a powerful stream of water right at the coating of webs on the ground. Normally, water wouldn’t have been able to do much against such a sticky material, but I concentrated the stream so it was essentially pressurized, and I focused on the space between his paws and the ground.
Dio winced at the harsh blast of water, but he still put all of his effort into pulling his paws free. That method seemed to do the trick and soon, he was able to move from the spot, and all of the green goo disappeared from the marble floor as if it’d never been there in the first place.
“Fuck, yeah,” I said, and then I refocused on my friend. “Are you okay?”
I’m fine, Dio assured me. Thanks for saving me. Now, do me a favor and blast that ugly little fucker in front. He’s the one that sent the blast.
“On it.” I grinned, and when I was sure the Archons were out of the way, I sent another pressurized stream of water at the front athenid just for good measure. The spider monster flew backward and slammed right into the other athenids behind it, and the monsters became a pile of writhing, tangled legs once more. It was interesting that even with all of those extra feet, the monsters were incredibly clumsy and could be bowled over so easily.
“Damn it,” Miralea cursed as she emerged from around the mass of spiders. Her hair was soaked from the mist of the water blast, and her mouth was curled into a frown.
“Sorry,” I apologized. “I thought you were all out of the way when I sent the blast.”
“Nope,” the jaguar goddess pouted, and she crossed her arms against her chest.
“Sorry, Miralea,” I apologized again, and when the other Archons scrambled over to me, I inclined my head down the stairs. “Now, let’s get out of here while they’re struggling. We’ll have just enough space to move past them and down the stairs.”
Hop aboard, Dio instructed me as he bent back down.
I climbed atop him with ease and patted his soft fur, and my familiar let out a brief purr of contentment and then straightened up.
“Let’s go,” I addressed the Archons.
As we all ran past the struggling spiders and down the grand staircase, I tried to come up with a plan. We needed to knock out all of the insectoid monsters, but their size and speed combined with their acidity made things a little difficult. They could be pushed down easily, but I needed a way to completely end them. We needed to get the athenids outside so I could unleash my full power on them without worrying about damaging the inside of the castle. With how many artifacts and texts the castle likely had, I didn’t want to risk any harm coming to the castle, so we had to herd the spiders out.
We reached the first floor and made it all the way to the entryway without issue. Phi, Sera, and Xan flew past us and opened the enormous front doors so we could guide the spider monsters outside, and another rush of adrenaline flew through me.
