Filled with rage, despair, and uncertainty, the four boys returned to their homes to clear their minds and ready themselves after giving Abel a quick burial.
It was something which none of them could comprehend.
Their friend's life had been extinguished as if it were a mere candle, with a weak flame alight that could go out with just the movement of the wind.
They were not even there to be with him in his final moments.
"What about our promise....", Cody murmured to himself while choking back tears.
However, now was no time for grief.
They had a responsibility to uphold.
The thing that had murdered their friend was still alive and kicking inside that mineshaft.
They needed to put and end to it.
How a monster was able to make it into Porta was unknown. It should have been impossible.
But they knew one thing for certain. Abel was dead, and that thing was alive.
The group went to their homes and prepared themselves, and in the few hours that they had before they were to leave to join the others in the raid, they grieved.
"Was it my fault? Should I have kept a closer eye on him? Maybe I was too focused on keeping Walter and Byron at bay, and I didn't notice what was going through Abel's mind....", Logan thought.
As the one who was the most practical, always trying to stop his friends from doing anything outrageous, it was his failure that Abel had done something reckless and paid with his life.
Byron too felt enormous guilt.
"I was supposed to be the tank, yet.... yet I didn't even have the chance to protect him."
Walter was struck with complete disbelief and horror.
The four grieved in their own homes, before resolving themselves and stepping out later that day- with the determination to kill.
"We have to avenge him."
"That monster has kidnapped, injured, and slaughtered people. We have to kill it."
"We can't let it get away."
Mr. Gherbalt met Cody outside his home as he left to meet up with everyone.
"Mr. Gherbalt? What are you doing here?", Cody asked.
The old man had a serious and sad face as he answered.
"I too wish to help you all avenge your friend. He was a promising child with a bright future, and it tears me apart to see someone die like that."
"Thank you, Mr. Gherbalt."
And so, the group all met up with the rest of the men who had gathered in front of the mineshaft.
All they were thinking about was revenge for their friend.
Their minds were clouded, and they were blinded with rage.
As the strange mercenary woman covered in bandages stepped forward and took control of the group, the boys said nothing. Right now, they could only focus on avenging their friend, and nothing else.
'It's best to let the professionals take charge. So long as that thing dies, it doesn't have to be by our hands. Although....'
Logan clenched his fist.
'I sure would like it to be...'
The group entered the mineshaft. Lorenzo too was present, and they walked until they reached a maze.
A maze of cloth with six pathways.
The mercenary at the head of the group suggested that they split up into six groups of five, and so Walter and his friends were assigned to a group together with Mr. Gherbalt.
They were told to go down the fourth tunnel.
'I hope this is the one that the monster is lying in wait for us....', Cody thought.
As they entered the tunnel, they walked for quite a while.
Their footsteps were the only sounds that could be heard. There was no torchlight due to a trap which had been sprung earlier, but they could see at least a bit in the dark.
The tunnel twisted and turned, and the group walked for a long while.
It was a long walk.
As a matter of fact, too long.
"Hey, doesn't it feel like we're going in circles?", Cody asked.
"Mmm.... it certainly does seem like something is off.", Mr. Gherbalt replied while stroking his beard.
"We've been walking in this tunnel for quite a while now, but it doesn't exactly seem like we're getting anywhere."
"Have we fallen into some sort of perpetual trap!?", Logan asked while trying his best to look around.
"Calm down.", Byron reassured. "Let's take this one step at a time. First of all, how many times have we turned right in a row?"
"It seems like we haven't turned left.... for a long time."
"Then, it must be a rectangle, right? Or a square?"
"Let's check. I'll stand at this corner, and you go over to that corner over there and stand. I should be able to see you from here, so it's not like we're splitting up. Ah, and you go over to the other corner that I can see from here."
Logan ordered the group to be split up so that- assuming the tunnel which they were walking in was just one loop, they would be able to see each other.
"Alright, now each of you send one person down the hallway to the final corner. If you can see the other person when they reach that corner, then without a doubt this is a rectangle, and we're locked in!"
One person from each of the corners facing the final corner which nobody stood in walked off, and as they made it to the corner, they met up with each other.
"Without a doubt! This is a rectangular loop! We're trapped in here with no exit, and that's why we've been walking so long with nothing to show!"
"Shit! We're trapped then!"
However, just moments later, as if answering Logan's complaint, a wall opened, and a raspy voice began to echo through the halls.
"It looks like you all have finally solved it. I beg your apologies. I was actually quite occupied with some others, so I decided to give you all a puzzle that would take a bit of time to figure out. Of course, if you weren't able to figure it out, then I could simply write you all off as idiots who weren't intelligent enough to be worth considering."
"Guys!! Come back to me!! We need to group up!!!"
"What was that voice!?!?"
"Was that the monster!?!?!"
"It was you, wasn't it!!!"
The boys ran back to Logan. Mr. Gherbalt too didn't lose in stamina, despite being an older man. When they had all come together, they approached the door which opened.
"What ever could you be talking about? 'It was you.' What do you mean by that?", the voice responded sarcastically, as if he knew what the boys were talking about.
"You were the one!!! You're the monster who killed Abel!!!"
"Abel.... Abel.... well, I don't exactly know any 'Abel', but I can assure you that I've killed multiple people today. See, I don't really bother to get the names of the scum that I kill. And I only kill those who I deem to be scum. So? Will you five be a part of the scum who die tonight, or will you survive, grasping onto a single thread of hope? We'll see soon enough."
Mr. Gherbalt seemed disturbed as he furrowed his brows.
"Be careful, boys. Don't give into his provocations."
"You monster!!!! Abel was anything but scum!!!! He was better than all of us!!!!"
"You dare to call him scum!?!?! You're far greater scum than he is!! If you only kill scum, then you should be the first on your list!"
"Boys. Calm yourselves. He's trying to provoke you.", Mr. Gherbalt warned once more.
But the boys showed no signs of being calm.
They were furious. Filled with an uncontrollable, bubbling rage that was spilling over.
"Show yourself you piece of shit!!! I'll kill you with these two hands!!!!"
"You monster!!!!"
"Ah... and here I thought we could have a civilized conversation. But let me entertain you a bit, shall we? Why don't you all step into the room. After all, your other exits are closed off."
"Fine! We'll come into your room, but only to kill you! You had better be in here!!"
Mr. Gherbalt looked concerned, but it was true. There were no other way to go. Even if they were stepping into a trap, it was one which they had already sprung. There was no point in just waiting around, or they would never get out of here.
They entered the room, but Gherbalt managed to slow the boys down.
"Remember boys. Take this cautiously. We can't let our guards down. If you really want to kill that monster, then you should be careful! Treasure your lives, and don't act rashly. I understand that you are all angry about Abel's death, but you have to be calm! Do you understand?"
Walter looked down at the ground, ashamed.
"Forgive me, Sir. I'll try to act calm."
Logan too nodded, with determination.
"I haven't been thinking straight. Let's do this, but carefully."
Byron and Cody too calmed themselves. They were ready to fight now.
"I let his provocations get to me. Sorry guys."
"Me too."
Nodding and agreeing, they entered.
They entered the large room to see five cocoons on the ground.
Sticking out of them were the heads of five children.
In the top corner of the room on the opposite side to the entrance was a large spider web.
And hanging from a thread near this web, was the spider monster which had been drawn in the posters.
"T-that's the... that's the monster!", Walter shouted, pointing to it.
The group immediately went on guard, preparing to fight at any moment.
"Welcome, welcome. I am Coran, your so called 'monster'. What does that word mean, anyways? Isn't it just something that you fit to anything you don't like? Something which you consider to be an abomination, labeling it without even trying to come to a mutual understanding? If that's the case, then without a doubt- I am your monster."
----
Coran was somewhat confused at the way the people of this group spoke to him.
The last few sets of people seemed.... different.
They barged in trying to kill him for the glory, calling him a monster.
However, these people seemed excessively.... angry with him.
The last sets of people were not this angry. Sure, they were disturbed and ready to kill him, but Coran felt a deep seated hatred within every word that these boys spoke, as if they had some sort of personal resentment against him. It was something aside from his mere existence which spurred their fury.
And of course, he found out soon why this was.
According to them, they were good friends with someone named 'Abel'.
It was very likely that he was among the scum which had been killed today. Coran made no effort to hide this fact. As a matter of fact, if they were good friends with one of the people Coran had killed today, then what were the chances that they were good people? Low.
Yet, Coran had a duty to fulfill here. He decided not to kill them immediately due to their rage. He allowed them to calm down, as he wanted to at least converse with them before deciding what to do.
'But seriously, is every person in this village just out to kill me? All because I kidnapped a few kids? I mean, come on. There are worse people out there, and nobody is after them. And they don't really care about these children anyways. Is it really just because of my appearance after all? Maybe... maybe humans can't really accept us monsters. Well... I suppose I did purposely act like a real monster with no intention to cooperate, but still! They should at least try to reason with me before reaching for their weapons! Sigh... well, I'll see what I can get out of these ones.'
Coran looked over to the group. There were five people. An older man with a bow on his back, and a young boy who also had a bow. There was another boy wielding a set of daggers and one wielding a sword and a shield. The other had a large club and wore a bulky set of armor.
'Hahaha... looks like a real nice group here. A mentor and his students perhaps? They all look so young and ready for adventure, or they would be if their faces weren't filled with rage. I'm a bit jealous. Hm? Should I be jealous of these filthy humans? No, of course not. I have a master far greater than them.'
Coran looked around at the group.
'Well, I suppose I'll try to negotiate. I need to give them a deal that's favorable, to see if they take it. If not, then there will be no question. They're merely scum, who care about nothing more than killing me.'
----
Cody immediately reeled back his bow, aiming directly at the spider beast, which seemed to be eating him up with his eyes.
"We can't let that thing get away! Now is our chance, Mr. Gherbalt!"
He released the arrow, and the spider seemed to just barely dodge, shifting himself so that the arrow flew right past his side.
"Shit! I missed! A few more!"
Cody reloaded and fired.
Another miss.
Reload.
Fire.
Miss.
'Why can't I hit it!? I'm so close, but he keeps just barely dodging my shots!'
"Mr. Gherbalt, please assist me! Help me take this thing down!"
"Cody."
"What!?"
"Those shots you just fired were not the shots of an amateur, nor were they the shots of a shaken child. He shouldn't have been able to dodge them."
"Eh? Yeah, but he did! So we need to fire more at him, until it hits!"
'No... those shots were right on target. And they were fast. I could tell by the amount of time that it took from release to them hitting the wall behind the spider. They were too fast for a regular monster to be able to just dodge like that, and with such minimal motions, so as to produce barely any sound like that... a single slipup would mean getting hit by a powerful shot. Why is this spider making such dangerously close dodges without so much as flinching? Cody has become quite skilled as an archer, however.... he won't be able to hit at this rate. I suppose I too should take a few shots.'
Mr. Gherbalt loaded an arrow and pulled the string back, firing with a speed and accuracy far greater than what Cody was capable of.
From the perspective of the boys up front, it seemed as if there was no difference. Either way, the arrows were too fast to follow keenly with the mere eye.
The spider continuously dodged the arrows with minimal movements, as if he could tell exactly where they were headed ahead of time.
'Impossible! He even dodged my shots!', Mr. Gherbalt thought, as he cringed with disappointment.
The spider then spoke to the group.
"Hold your fire, gentlemen. I'd like to at least talk before we fight. I mean, come on! I'm just a little spider, who has been trying to locate some food to survive! I'm trembling over here! Can't you see my arms? And yet, so many people have burst into my home, calling me a monster and attacking me! I've almost died so many times tonight that I can't even count them! Here, look! See those five children over there? Take them! They were supposed to be my midnight snack, but if you all just leave me be, then I'll let you take them! Please just leave!"
"Do you think that we could just believe a monster like you?", Logan asked with fury in his eyes as if he were trying to kill Coran with his glare alone.
"And even if we could believe you, do you think that giving up your midnight snack is enough to pay for our friend that you killed?!", Byron shouted.
"These children aren't even worth half of what Abel was to us!", Cody exclaimed. "And you're going to try to use them as bargaining chips!? To save yourself!?! We won't let you free, monster!!"
The monster seemed to be glaring at the group with disgust as he heard this.
Walter then chipped in.
"Yeah! We can't allow you to live after killing Abel! I won't allow that!! You're nothing more than a beast!! A murderer!! An abomination!!!!!!! If you think that throwing us a few children will pay for your sins, then you're dead wrong!!!!"
Mr. Gherbalt, who was worried before, after hearing this offer, nodded.
"Indeed. We can't simply take that bait. You have to die here, monster."
'If we let this thing go, who knows how many people it will kill in the future.', he thought.
"Ah. I see. So, could I confirm one last thing with you all?", the monster said in a horrifying, ear wrenching tone.
"Those children aren't worth anything to you, compared to this 'Abel'. That is what you said, right? Does everyone agree with this statement?"
The boys were glaring at Coran with fury at this point.
Walter shouted out his answer with tears in his eyes.
"Don't try to talk your way out of this, vile thing! Of course they're not worth as much as Abel!!! He was our precious friend! Who you SLAUGHTERED!!!!"
"You'll never be able to pay us back for his life with these children!!! The five of them together will never add up to the great person that Abel was!!!", Byron shouted while barely able to keep composure, and wiping his eyes.
"If you thought that you could buy us with those brats, then you were wrong!! We'll kill you here and now!!", Logan screamed, and the group prepared to attack.
However, the monster in front of them now had an ugly and viscous expression.
The children, who had been quiet the entire time now had tears in their eyes after hearing these things.
They were unwanted.
Not by anyone.
They were not even collectively worth even as much as a single person.
On seeing the tears come across the eyes of the children, Coran lost all sense of mercy and compassion for these people.
He no longer considered them as possible investments for his masters.
He now only saw them as threats to be eliminated.
"So that's it? You come into my home, make my children cry, and expect to get out alive? Hahaha.... No. Oh no. Playtime is over. I've let you scumbags say your piece, and I've held on long enough. You can attack me with your arrows. You can insult me with your words. You can call me a monster, a vile being, and even an abomination. To be honest, that much is obvious. Isn't that right? I am a monster. I am an abomination."
Coran lowered himself from his web while covering his face with one of his humanoid hands, slowly pulling it away to reveal his own bloodthirsty expression.
"But the reason I am an abomination is because people like YOU made me to be this way. If you want me to become a monster, then I'll do so gladly."
Coran grinned and all four of his eyes thinned as he walked towards the five.
"To wipe out the monsters in front of me."
Coran walked over to the children, and took one in his arms. Using one of the bandages draping from his body, he wiped away the tears from one of the young girls wrapped in the cocoons.
"It's ok. Dad's here. And he's going to protect you all from these monsters."