Kai knew that alliances were one of the keys to victory for the beast wave, but other than Duke Blackwood, he couldn't get support from any other nobles. There were smaller nobles in Sylvan enclave, but all had sworn allegiance to House Kellius and they wouldn't help him.
The royal family had also disappointed him, and hiring mercenaries was limited, so he stretched the extent of his strategy beyond common sense.
If he couldn't get humans to rally with him, he would seek out other species—not the elves or the dwarves, but the beasts themselves.
While many saw the upcoming beast wave as a uniform threat—mindless monsters driven to madness by the brood mother's call— Kai saw potential allies among them.
He knew not every beast in the Vasper Forest would bend to the brood mother's will. Some creatures were too proud, too wild, or simply too intelligent to fall in line. As the brood mother forced her dominion, rallying beasts to her cause, she unintentionally created resistance. Reports from his scouts confirmed Kai's suspicions; skirmishes between the beasts, bloody clashes and fractured unity.
On another hand, his understanding of the forest came not only from scouts. He had gained his fair share of information from the forest spirit, about the types of beasts and their grades. Yet, it was Hendrick's diary that proved invaluable.The old tome contained far more than just tales about the larvae queen's childhood and Hendricks' love for her.
It mapped out the ecosystem of the Vasper Forest, detailing every beast, from the smallest critter to the most fearsome predator.
Among the entries, one particular species caught Kai's eye: the frays. They were described as feline-like creatures with sleek, shadowy fur and piercing violet eyes, the frays were apex predators in their own right. These creatures walked on two legs, lived deep underground, and possessed intelligence far beyond that of most beasts.
A select few could even communicate with humans in rough, guttural voices. Hendrick had meticulously detailed their quirks and the layout of their subterranean lair. But what stood out the most was the mention of their hatred for the arachne spiders. The frays and the arachne spiders were mortal enemies as far as the entries went.
The strength of the frays varied, but most were formidable grade-two beasts, with their pack leaders reaching the might of grade three. Intelligent and fiercely territorial, they were known to hunt in the twilight hours, striking with deadly precision.
But there was more.
Hendrick, during his explorations, had somehow managed to earn the trust of the frays. A rare feat, as these creatures were notoriously aloof and wary of outsiders.
The diary explained the moments of connection, mentioning a pact of mutual respect and understanding— a fragile alliance between man and beast. Hendrick had believed that the frays saw themselves as guardians of the forest, which also meant that according to him, they were creatures who would never bow to a tyrant like the brood mother.
With that, Kai's mind raised different possibilities. This animosity was exactly what Kai needed. If he could ally with the frays against the brood mother and her beast minions, he might be able to gain one more potential ally.
With this goal in mind, Kai and his group descended into the caves, guided by the map in Hendrick's diary.
The deeper they ventured, the thicker the air became, tainted with the scent of decay. It clung to their nostrils, a foul mixture of mould and something far more unsettling that it reached their guts at the speed of lightning. Kai felt a prickle of unease crawl up his spine as he heard distant, echoing screams and the sound of chitin scraping against stone.
He stopped, glancing back at the scouts following him, their facial expressions showing in the soft glow of lanterns.
"Do you smell that?" Kai asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "There's also noises mixed in with the smell."
Gareth nodded grimly. "It smells like rot. It's faint, but I'm able to pick up on it. As for the noises, we need to see what it's about, but it sounds like a battle."
Kai frowned, suspicion twisting in his gut. He had a faint inkling of who the screams belonged to. Certainly not humans.
If he was right, the arachne spiders were here. Either that or more beasts were living in the cave he wasn't aware of. Even if that was the case, it didn't explain the smell of decay in the air. Were they dead bodies or something else? He couldn't be sure without taking a look at it.
They pressed on. The path before them wound downwards, a narrow, twisting tunnel barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The walls were damp, slick with moisture, and covered in thick, tangled roots that Kai felt were alive. Shadows moved across the rough stone, playing tricks on the eye and making it hard to tell what was real and what was just a figment of their imagination.
As they descended further, the tunnel widened. Here, the walls seemed to stretch on forever, towering above them like the ribs of some ancient, long-dead beast. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, dripping water that echoed through the chamber like a thousand ticking clocks. The ground beneath their feet was uneven, covered in a thick layer of greenish moss that glowed faintly in the darkness.
The more they moved, the noisier it got. The stench also grew, assaulting his nostrils.
Kai led them towards a narrow ledge overlooking a larger cave below. The noises were coming from there and one more beastly scream confirmed it.
As they reached the edge, he motioned for everyone to stay silent and crouch down. Carefully, he peered over the ledge, his eyes widening at the sight before him.
The sight below was like something out of a nightmare. As he had expected, dozens of large, black arachne spiders were fighting with a group of frays.
The frays were large— everything else matched the description in the diary. Their white fur was striped with glowing red patterns, usually known to happen when they were in fury.
They moved with savage grace, their muscular bodies rippling under their fur as they leapt and dodged the arachne spider's venomous fangs and razor-sharp legs.
Their eyes burned with a fierce intensity, and as they grew angrier, the red stripes along their fur glowed brighter, casting a blood-red light that mingled with the green of the moss.
The leader of the arachne spiders, a massive creature standing a head taller than the others, roared commands in a language Kai couldn't understand, directing the battle.
The arachne spiders were a terrifying sight.
Their bodies were covered in thick, chitinous armour, each spider the size of a large horse. Their eight eyes glowed a sickly yellow, and their fangs dripped with a viscous, green venom that hissed and smoked whenever it touched the stone. They moved with an unnatural speed and precision, swarming over the frays in a coordinated attack that spoke of a hive mind driving them forward.
Kai counted quickly— there were at least five dozen frays in total, but only three dozen were actively fighting. The rest, mostly the old and the young, huddled in the alcoves, watching the battle without a hiss. There were also a few dead bodies on the ground, casualties that had probably died in the initial assault.
The arachne spiders outnumbered the fray warriors two to one, but the frays fought with a ferocity born of desperation, knowing that this was their home and they needed to protect it.
What seemed like the leader of the frays, a more muscular beast with half of its fur covered with red stripes, let out a furious howl, lunging at a spider that had managed to break through the line. With a swift swipe of its massive leg, the fray tore through the spider's carapace, sending a spray of green ichor across the stone floor. The other frays took heart from their leader's actions, rallying together and pushing back against the spiders with renewed vigour.
But the spiders were proving to be tougher adversaries than the frays had anticipated. Their shells deflected most of the attacks, and when the frays did manage to land a hit, their legs skidded off the hard chitin more often than not.
Kai clenched his fists.
This was his chance. The frays were on the brink, but they hadn't fallen yet. If he could intervene, and turn the tide of this battle, then perhaps it would be easier to get them to their side. But there was something else that concerned him.
The smell of decay that they had been smelling was the strongest in the cavern and it wasn't because of the dead bodies of the frays on the ground, but the spiders that fought them. Kai was sure of it.
As he focused on them, he saw the signs— black lines running through their shells, pulsing with dark energy that seemed to throb in time with the spiders' movements. Their eyes were shadowed by a deep shade of black as if the darkness had seeped into their very souls. Their movements were jerky yet unnaturally quick, each strike filled with a savage intensity that bordered on manic.
He watched as a spider shot a web at a fray. The webbing wasn't the usual sticky silver thread; instead, it glistened with a dark, ominous hue, like it was coated in darkness.
His eyes widened as he realised what he was seeing— the webs were imbued with dead mana. These weren't the normal arachne spiders that had attacked Veralt a few months back, these were mana fiends.
What type of situation is this? Kai thought to himself as he continued to watch.
As the arachne spiders pushed forward, their dark energy and enhanced strength began to turn the tide of battle.
One sleek-looking fray, lunged at a spider, its legs aiming for a lethal strike. But the spider, unnaturally quick and agile due to its mana corruption, dodged with ease and retaliated with a vicious swipe of its legs.
The fray staggered back, momentarily stunned, but before it could recover, another spider was already on top of it, using its powerful legs to pin the fray to the ground. The fray snarled and thrashed, its muscles rippling with effort as it tried to break free, but the spider's grip was too strong. Black lines of dead mana pulsed through the spider's chitin.
The fray's legs scrabbled against the cavern floor, desperate to find purchase, but it was no use. The spider reared back, ready to deliver a fatal bite with its venomous fangs.
Kai's mind raced with questions.
How had these spiders become mana fiends? Was the brood mother involved, or was there something even darker lurking in the depths of this forest? But he didn't have time to dwell on these thoughts. The frays were losing ground, and if he didn't act now, they would be wiped out.
With a swift glance at his companions, Kai barked a command. "We're going in! Help the frays before it's too late! They are the feline creatures fighting against the spiders."
Without waiting for a response, Kai leapt from the ledge, his hand already moving to summon his mana.
As he fell through the air, he channelled his mana, feeling the familiar heat build in his chest. With a sharp exhale, he thrust his hand forward, releasing a wave of flaming fury. The fire roared to life, a brilliant orange blaze that shot across the cavern like a comet.
The flames slammed into the spider that was about to strike the pinned fray. The fiend shrieked as the fire engulfed it, its chitinous armour cracking and splitting under the intense heat. The flames spread quickly, licking up the spider's legs and curling around its body. In a matter of moments, the creature was reduced to a smouldering husk, twitching as the last vestiges of life left its charred form.
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