Rise of the Blood Weaver - Chapter 66 (Patreon)

Justin pov.

Justin frowned. This place wasn’t as he was expecting. Roughly about thirty feet ahead, was a solid wall. To either side, were tall passageways leading to other paths. One path would lead to the exit, the other would undoubtedly lead them into a dead end.

“What the hell?” Louis exclaimed. “This isn’t a bloody city. It’s a damned maze?”

“It must be,” Elian said with a hint of severity to his voice.

“Justin, scout out the path to the right,” Merc sharply said. “Time is running out.”

“Alright,” He said and rushed to the crossroads. However, he felt something. If it wasn’t for his endless and rigorous training throughout his childhood, he would have missed it. But now, he had a second sense for it. Killing intent. 

Glancing over his shoulder, his eyes landed on Louis. He was smiling. A dark streak flashed behind those green, innocent eyes. Then they returned back to normal half a second later.

“Kill him. You must. Listen to us,” The voices–his Flaw–hovered around his shoulders. There were three of them. They belonged to those he had murdered. 

I’ll do what I want. Leave me alone. So annoying, Justin thought. 

One step after the other, he disappeared into the darkness. 

***

Arlo pov.

Justin returned ten minutes later. Arlo was thankful to see him uninjured.

“Alright,” Justin said, pointing to the path on the right. “There’s numerous paths, but I’ve found one that heads into a large room.”

“Really?” Arlo excitedly said.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Justin replied. “Sleeping there is an enormous scorpion. If I had to take a stab at its rank, I’d estimate it to be a mid-ranked Monster. Maybe it has awakened 3 cores, maybe 4.”

“That means it will have some magic capabilities.” Merc frowned, she looked back. Night was fast approaching. They only had 20 minutes left of day-light. “We’ll head into the path on the right.”

“Are you crazy?” Louis asked. “You just heard him. A tier III or IV Monster. What rank was the crab that you killed, anyway?”

“I,” Merc said. “We have no choice. We don’t have the time to scout out the left path. And we don’t know how far the sand will reach into the tunnels. The fact there is a Monster here means that this is a safe place from the Sand Surge. It’s always better to know what you’re facing, rather than heading into the unknown. Remember that. Let’s go.”

Merc didn’t leave any space for arguing as she walked ahead.

Arlo and the others could only helplessly follow their leader. As they entered the first passageway. The walls were each as deep and tall as the outer walls. Strange, thick blood red vines covered the walls in their entirety. Each one was as thick as his arm. It was an eerie sight to behold. 

Arlo couldn’t help but feel like an insignificant ant walking next to them. If that was what they were meant to accomplish, they were doing a damned good job.

His shoulders were tense, and his appendages were at his side at the ready. The others were the same. They had their Remembrances wielded and waited for any creature that was sure to leap out at them.

His eyes peered closer at the darkness behind the vines. He could imagine something small leaping out at them, attempting to claw his eyes out. Instinctively, he inched closer to Merc.

It wasn’t long before Merc led them into the passageway that Justin had stopped at. Ahead, in a large, flat open space, was a scorpion of frightening proportions. With thick chitin, razor-sharp pincers, and a savagely pointed tail to match, Arlo couldn’t help but hold his breath. Thankfully, they were in a narrow passageway. If they just remained here, they wouldn’t have to confront the terrifying beast.

And then darkness swallowed them whole. 

Heart striking against his chest, Arlo fumbled around. He grabbed hold of someone's shirt. It was Elian’s. He calmed down.

“Everyone stay still,” Merc warned. “Justin, the lamp.”

Light emerged, illuminating against the crimson vines, and shining against the obsidian walls behind them. “Already on it,” he said, crouching down in front of the eternal lantern.

A second later, Arlo heard, and felt the wave strike against the vast walls surrounding them. The walls rumbled. The rock groaned, and then… rushing water. At least, that’s what it sounded like. It was approaching. And then, a sand river slammed against the entrance of the passageway where they had come. It blasted sand particles into the surroundings, and then rushed straight towards them.

“Shit!” Lous shouted, garnering the attention of the scorpion. It rose, metallic chitin scraping against the dense floor of the maze. Eight, red, beady eyes glared at them. 

“We need to fight!” Merc shouted. She shot in the room, her sword illuminating holy fire. She swung it in a devastating arc. It clanged against the hardened chitin of the scorpion. It didn’t budge. No, she just made it angry. 

It snipped its massive pincers at her body, but she dodged in the nick of time. The pincers snipped shut. The sound was so loud. Arlo flinched. He glanced back over his shoulder. The sand was nearing. 

“God dammit, run!” Arlo shouted. Everyone else followed. They scrambled into the room as Merc was engaged in combat.

For a moment, Arlo couldn’t help but stare in amazement. Only now did he manage to take in her movements. It wasn’t bright, yet Merc was like a flame within a lighthouse. All her moves lay bare. 

The way she dodged was by moving at the last possible second. Any slower, and she would be gutted open. Any faster, and it would put her in an awkward position. She timed it to perfection so that she could reply with a strike of her own. 

It was like watching a top professional dancer. There were no wasted movements. But then she attacked. And it was like a switch had been flicked. She exploded with such ferocious movements that left Arlo gobsmacked.

Was this the potential of a top lineage? It was frightening…

However, even for Merc, it was too much to handle on her own. She not only had to worry about the two pincers, but the mighty spiked tail. 

The scorpion snapped its tail at Merc. It whirled through the air. Merc rolled to the floor at the last second. 

The lace-like point slammed into the tiles, breaking it into a hundred pieces. 

All of that occurred in the matter of seconds. And now Elian and Justin joined the fight. Elian fired accurate arrows at the scorpion's eyes, while Justin tore into the weaknesses in between its toughened chitin with shadowy lances.