Rise of the Blood Weaver - Chapter 67 (Patreon)

Arlo joined the fight. 

Using his tendril as a warhammer, he smashed the scorpion's injured leg. It stumbled, giving Merc a chance to attack. 

And she did. Her greatsword lit up like a beacon. She swung it in a wide arc. It collided against the toughened chitin above its face. It scored a line through two of the Monster’s eyes. When she returned her blade, a gnarly scar had penetrated from one eye, to the other. Purple blood spilled from the gruesome wound.

Screeching in pain, it entered a maddened state. Thrashing its pincers, legs, and tail in all directions, Arlo had to keep his distance in fear of being struck. Each time it moved, the tiles shattered underfoot. Arlo’s legs trembled at the might.

This is a high-tiered Monster, Arlo thought grimly.

Arlo felt something strange in the air. It was familiar. The scorpion stopped, as if it was focusing on something. Essence surged from within the scorpion. 

“Get back!” Merc warned as she hopped backwards.

Arlo and the others listened as they maintained their distance. With a shrill scree, the Monster slammed its massive tail behind its body. It ravaged the tiles underneath, and then the floor quaked. It all happened so fast. In the next second, sharp earthen spikes shot up from the floor. They skewered the tiles, shattering them, and continued.

One of them tore straight through Arlo’s thigh. Before it could continue further, he smashed the base of it with his appendage, and leapt to the side. 

By the time he looked up, the others were already engaging the beast. But now it was faster. Merc, who was taking the brunt of the scorpion's attention, was under immense pressure. 

It didn’t help that the only source of light was from Justin’s lantern. The golden light, far more piercing than Merc’s own, illuminated the area by only around twenty feet in circumference. 

“Arlo, bright the light closer!” Merc shouted her command.

Arlo listened. He picked up the lantern and rushed towards the fight. 

However, just as he took a few steps, the scorpion slammed its tail against the floor, and spikes emerged once more.

Arlo picked himself up with his appendages. He rose from the ground, and landed in an area unmarked by spikes. He placed the lantern on the floor, then sprinted closer.

“Arlo, stay back!” Merc shouted, but Arlo was already too close. 

Arlo coiled his appendages around the scorpion's tail, and tightened his grip. The scorpion flexed. An immense straight tore into his back. He lost grip, and the tail slammed into the ground. Thankfully, he was too close for the spikes to do anything, but the same couldn’t be said for Elian.

He narrowly avoided a spike.

Arlo tensed. He recoupled his efforts. I can do this. He summoned [Void Sanctum] to his back, then fastened his tendrils tightly around the Monster’s tail. The scorpion thrashed. Arlo seethed, gritting his teeth so hard he feared they’d break. But his grip held. His face turned red, then purple. 

Hold, he reminded himself. 

He watched through blurred vision as Merc and Justin tore into the scorpion for the better half of twenty minutes. Merc, with her dance of death, came out on top. Using a wound that she had already inflicted on its head, pierced her blade into its brain; killing it in one fell swoop.

The moment Arlo felt the Monster no longer resist, he flopped to his back in exhaustion. Sweat soaked his shirt. His chest violently rose for a breath. 

Merc cut open the weakened Monster’s skull, and pulled out a core. She walked over, and handed it to Arlo.

“What’s this?” He asked.

“You did well,” Merc said. 

“Damn, are you complimenting me, Merc?” Arlo took another breath and smiled. He stood up.

“No, you’re reckless without knowing what you can, and cannot do in combat,” Merc said with a blank expression. “Because of that, you could put us in trouble.”

“Well–” Arlo said, but he couldn’t really retort. She was right. He had no idea what he was capable of, and that came down to combat experience. 

“But it was a good call,” Merc said. 

“Thanks,” Arlo said. “But I don’t need it. How about giving it to Louis? If he gets a bit more, he’ll become stronger.”

Merc shrugged. “Your call,” She said, tossing it over to Louis. He caught it. He looked a bit guilty at not having contributed, but he didn’t refuse it.

“Thank you. Seriously. And honestly,” Louis said in amazement. “When you held back its tail, I thought you were crazy, man!” He slapped Arlo in the shoulder, and continued, “Then you lost control, and I thought it was over. Then you summoned that coffin, and bam, you controlled it. A freaking tier 4 Monster!”

“Tier 3,“ Merc corrected. 

“You’re forgetting when he held that giant back in the city,” Elian added. “Your tendrils are seriously strong. But what’s with the rest of your body?”

Arlo sighed. It looks like Elian had already discovered the discrepancy. Arlo scratched his head. He didn’t know what to say.

Noticing that, Elian said, “Secret, I get it. I’m not comfortable sharing my Flaw either.” 

“We’ll stay here for tonight,” Merc said. “Make sure to try and get some rest. I’ll be on first lookout.”

“Let me,” Justin said. “Don’t feel like getting much sleep tonight.”

“Alright,” Merc said.

***

As it turns out, neither did Arlo. He sat next to Justin and leaned against the cold wall. The wound in his thigh had already scabbed over. It still hurt. It was also freezing, just like the first night he had experienced. 

However, the cold didn’t seem to bother him too much. He wasn’t sure if it was because his body had marginally become stronger, or if it was his turbulent mind keeping him warm.

The scenes of the previous fight repeatedly flashed within his thoughts. 

The words Merc had said rang in his ears. Before, he had no idea what he was capable of. But he was beginning to gain an image. He had enough might to wrangle a high tier Monster. Although it didn't focus on strength, it was still a massive feat. 

But he wouldn’t get confident. There was a huge difference from Tier 3 to tier 4, and then 5. The difference was even larger from Monster to Demon. It was an insurmountable gap. 

Yet he had a baseline for his strength now. However, he had a weakness that was difficult to bridge the gap. His mobility. It was a problem, to say the least. 

If he wanted to survive and thrive in this new world, he would have to think of some way to fix that flaw.

Arlo stood up.

“Where are you going?” Justin asked. He was tapping his foot against a tile.

“To practise transforming two appendages into one. I have a thought. If I can mould it into one, then why can’t I form it into something like a scorpion's tail? Will it become even stronger when it’s just one?” 

“What about the stinger?” 

“Well, I’ll think of that when I come to it,” Arlo said. “Besides, I can’t stand your incessant foot tapping. You got ants in your boxers, or something?”

“Something like that,” Justin said, smiling.