B2 Chapter 172: The First Job pt. 3

Driven by its rudimentary instincts, the massive assassin spider dropped its illusion and pounced forward. It hit the road at a dead sprint, seven remaining legs moving with mechanical precision as it tried to remove the threat that had injured it so.

With the spider revealed, Porkchop stared at the approaching beast with disgust.

“Mother of Matriarchs, it’s fucking hideous!” he growled, claws digging deep into the earth as he readied himself to meet its charge.

Laughing at his brother’s reaction to the manic scramble of the assassin spider, Kaius risked a quick look back to check on Ianmus. The mage was bent over, panting, but seemed far more stable than he had been after his use of his free cast beam against the bramble ball.

Their plan for him to hold some mana in reserve had worked. That was good, they’d need his assistance for the coming battle.

Ianmus downed one of the mana potions that he had given him, grimacing at the taste. A moment later he took a deep breath and met Kaius’s eyes, giving him a nod.

Returning the gesture, Kaius flourished his blade and refocused on the oncoming threat. Even down one leg, the assassin spider was fast, having closed enough of the distance that he could hear the mad chitter of its fangs clacking together.

“Ready?” he asked, keeping his left hand free to cast.

“Ready.” Porkchop confirmed, bracing himself even more as powerful muscles rippled while he locked his claws into the earth.

The moment arrived.

As the assassin spider got within fifty strides of their formation, Kaius watched his brother tense, and felt his will shift through their bond as he activated his skill. A wave of rippling vitality coursed through Porkchop as he slammed his front claws deeper into the earth.

In that same moment, a wall of raw jade erupted behind the sprinting assassin spider. Jagged and imposing, it glimmered in the shining sun as it shattered the earth in its passage. The slab of crystal—a full head taller than Kaius and half that again wide—rocketed through the earth, shedding a trail of cracked stone and pluming dust in its passing as it moved to Porkchop’s will.

Right towards the back of the pony-sized spider.

Kaius watched the very moment it realised something was approaching. It hissed in surprise, trying to lurch to the left. Yet, for all of its speed, the beast was too slow to dodge. Hardened crystal met empowered chitin with a crack, and the assassin spider fell into an uncontrolled stumble.

That was his cue.

Kaius tapped into the roiling power stored in his glyph, the thin whine of arcing lightning joined with the acrid bite of ozone and searing light.

Kicking off, Kaius dashed to the right of his brother and whipped his Stormlash towards the hissing tangle of chitinous legs and dripping fangs.

Lightning arced through the air, following the guidance of Kaius’s will to bind itself to the approaching spider. Thunder cracked the sky. Its deafening thump kicked him in the chest and set his heart aflutter with the rush of glorious battle.

Fine hairs on the creature’s body burned in the path of his arcane might, electrical mana and potent reverberations wreaking havoc its internals. Vital fluid steamed from the gaps in the spider’s carapace, squealing like a teapot.

It seized.

Just barely—with its levels and power Stormlash wasn’t quite enough to completely incapacitate it. It was enough. Already struggling to keep its many legs beneath it as Porkchop’s Prismatic Shardwall forced it forwards, it collapsed. His brother’s skill did the rest.

His brother tapped into his amulet and charged. In a single instant, Porkchop went from a standstill to an explosive advance as he hauled on his deep grip of the earth. A boulder of flesh and jade smashed into the spider, squeezing it between Porkchop’s assault and his immovable Shardwall.

Chitin cracked, oozing ichor. Despite the titanic forces involved, the assassin spider reacted instantly. Letting out a chitter, it lunged for Porkchop with fangs that oozed a viscous fluid. Kaius watched his brother roll his shoulders smoothly, the bite clacking against a hard plate of jade before Porkchop snapped his head to sink his jaws around the nearest available spider leg.

There was a sickening crack, and Porkchop brawled on. With furor and primal potency he occupied the spider’s attention, weathering spearing stabs from its leg and poisonous bites. Most ricocheted off his brother’s armour.

But not all.

For every five blows that Porkchop shifted, taking on his heavy plate, another slipped past his defence. His under-armour did much to blunt the concussive force, but it was only of middling help against the assassin spider’s needle-like tips of its legs. After-all, it was padding designed to absorb shock rather than deflect a piercing point. Thankfully, he’d been able to avoid any bites. The spider’s fangs dripped with venom, and Porkchop had taken more than one stabbing strike of its legs in order to deflect a bite with a stone armour plate.

While his brother held the spider occupied, Kaius did not wait idle. Another searing flash blanketed the woods as he summoned another Stormlash; cooking the monstrous spider from within, and stunning it for just barely a fraction of a moment.

**Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 21!**

Enough time for Porkchop to react to another biting strike, poison glistening on the surface of his armour.

Nor was Ianmus resting on his laurels, even if he had more than earned a moment of respite due to the potency of his overwhelming first-strike.

Kaius kicked off the ground, his surroundings blurring with his sudden acceleration. He felt the invigorating rush of Ianmus’s skill settling over him like a mantle.

This narrative has been purloined without the author’s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.