Silas glanced at his [Flickering Fire], his resolve hardening. This was it. Simple but effective. He could work with that.
Silas wondered how he could maximize his skills. He had six, including [Magic Pierce] and [Barrier]. This was one of the reasons many players initially hated Heroes of Destiny. In the early levels, skills were minimal, and reaching midgame required a lot of craftiness, especially in challenging situations.
He sighed, looking at the six skills in his [Skillbook].
The most promising among his skills was [Air Burst], assuming he could trigger its effect [Trauma] which would allow him to deal 5% more damage to his chosen target. Now that his [Attack] reached a new height, he assumed that this skill would also have grown in size, just like his fire skill.
Silas tapped his finger on the holographic box. The window vibrated on his touch.
'Flickering Fire and Air Burst will make a good combo. If I could trigger Trauma, I could spam [Flickering Fire] to inflict [Burn] on the enemy. I could only hope that this world will be kind to me and trigger all those [Curses] on my target,' Silas looked up to the sky, his eyes pleading.
"Are you ready?" Danavar asked beside him.
The boy turned to him and nodded. "It's not like I had a choice to begin with."
The captain laughed, a sound that eased some of the tension.
The group cast [Haste] once more as they approached the suspected lair of spiders. As they neared it, they slowed down, moving with utmost care. The moonlight revealed the truth: what they thought was a hill was indeed the monster's lair, a giant cocoon of thick webs. The sight made Silas's heart pound; it reminded him of the forest scene when he rescued Sam.
A whistle pierced the night. Silas looked up to see a plume of green smoke launched by one of the guards.
"What was that?" he asked, his voice shaky.
"They found an entryway," Danavar replied. "Let's go."
The team headed toward the signal. Silas tightened his cloak against the cold wind that seemed to cut through him. The grass around them hissed as it brushed against their legs. Turning a corner, Silas saw the entryway: a massive hole as tall as two people. The size of it hinted at the enormous spider that must reside within.
The group stood before the gaping maw of the lair, their breath visible in the chilly air, hearts racing in unison.
"What should we do, Captain?" a soldier asked, voice trembling slightly.
Danavar remained fixated on the lair for a moment, his eyes scanning the structure and the surrounding landscape. He then turned to the Peacekeepers, his expression resolute.
"Burn this thing down. The lair is made of spiderwebs; it should ignite easily. And with the dense grass around us, the fire will be contained."
Silas stepped back, raising his hand as he prepared to cast [Flickering Fire]. He could feel the heat building in his palm as the soldiers began casting spells on their blades. The swords glowed red, intricate letters appearing and shimmering along the edges. Danavar shouted the command and the soldiers slashed their swords toward the lair in unison. Silas hurled his [Flickering Fire], watching the spell explode on impact, spreading flames rapidly.
Fire erupted, initially low and flickering, but repeated spells caused it to spread more quickly. The wind blew in their direction, making it harder for the flames to advance, but they persisted.
The first group of spiders emerged from the lair's entryway—small ones but grotesque beyond imagination. Their bodies were human heads with eight legs sprouting from severed necks. Their eyes darted frantically, tongues lolling and sputtering saliva.
"Help us, friend!" the central spider shouted as it ran toward them. The others echoed its plea, some in clear voices, others melodiously, like a twisted song.
A guard beside Silas turned and vomited, unable to bear the sight. Feeling a queasy unease, Silas looked away, understanding the guard's reaction.
The guards quickly unslung their flintlock rifles, reloading and aiming at the advancing spiders. Four spiders leaped just before the bullets hit, but the one at the center was not so lucky. The bullet struck, sending it sprawling backward, its legs twitching before curling in death.
[You received: +15 Destiny XP and 200 Shields]
[Magic Pierce] and [Water Dart I] were the most effective skills he could use in these monsters. He raised his staff and aimed in the direction of a spider; a fast-moving particle of light shot out of his staff and hit the beast, successfully passing from its left eye to the back of the head. The skill [Magic Pierce] indeed deserves its name. He followed the Attack with [Water Dart] which had killed the monster.
[You received: +15 Destiny XP and 200 Shields]
[You received: +15 Destiny XP and 200 Shields]
[You received: +15 Destiny XP and 200 Shields]
Danavar swiftly dispatched one spider, and the guards on his left took down another.
There was just one remaining spider for them to kill. Silas repeated his pattern, but this time he focused on [Magic Pierce I], for it seemed to be the most effective at these monsters; using [Water Dart I] earlier ended with him missing two out of three darts. He had to monitor the number of [Energy] he had as much as possible, for he had limited stacks of [Energy Potion].
Rifles followed the spider; it leaped to avoid the first shot, but the second found its mark, striking its forehead. The spider shivered; its eyes suddenly gained focus, and its expression of stillness changed into anger as it charged at the guards. Silas aimed [Magic Pierce] in its path, but the spider dodged with uncanny agility.
The spider jumped repeatedly, saliva falling down from its mouth. The spider lunged, landing on a guard's chest, sending him into a frenzy.
"Help me! Get it off!" the guard shouted, desperately trying to dislodge the spider. Silas hesitated, fearing he might hit the guard instead.
The spider opened its mouth and bit the man in the chest. The guard screamed, wailed, and tried to push the spider away from him, but the mouth of the monster was tightly shut in his skin. He brought out a knife and stabbed the beast. It fell to the ground, but the guard, consumed by fear and anger, still repeatedly stabbed the monster as it bath on its own blood. Danavar stepped in, calming the distraught guard with a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
[You received: +15 Destiny XP and 200 Shields]
"Will I also be a spider? Like those in the reports..."
"We're not sure," he said. "But surely, what bit you were once a human mouth, you are more likely to get infection or tetanus than turn into a spider."
The guard closed its eyes, "thank you, captain."
The ground trembled beneath their feet as they turned to look back at the lair. Emerging from the flames was a spider, unlike anything they had encountered on their mission. Towering over them, it stopped at the edge of the lair, its eyes locked on their group. A deep growl rumbled from its massive form, sending shockwaves that threatened to knock them off balance. Instinctively, they covered their ears, feeling the force of the sound pressing against them.
[Main Scenario Quests: Sinners of the Past]
[Quest VII: Where It All Began]
[Description: To face the Arachne, you must first defeat her most loyal servant-Altos, The Spider King.]
[Defeat the Spider King 0/1]
[Rewards: +200 Destiny XP, [Large Health Potion]x5, [Large Energy Potion]x5, [Common Weapon Smithcore]x1, [Common Armor Smithcore]x1, [The Cursed Lady's Necklace (Normal)]x1 & +5000 Shields]
[You're entering Final Boss Phase I/II]