Project Erlosung VIII
The First Raid, Part Two
"So this is it," says Miles. "Roach Wolf Lair. The Floor Zero dungeon."
"I'm tired of roaches already," I grumble.
"Oh no,” says Randy. “Spiders this time."
"Out fucking standing," I say. "Spiders. In a cave. Because, of course, it is."
"They eat the roaches," says Firebrandi. She gives me her shit eating grin.
"If there's a sewer level," I say. "I am going to lose my god-damned mind."
"Actually," says Miles.
"No," I say. "Not another word. Game faces on. Gather round, people. Let's sand table this."
"Aye-aye, skipper," says Miles. "Fireuentes, Doc, watch the cave for roamers." He crouches down and draws in the dirt with his dagger. "In the Beta," he begins. "The layout was semi-random, but always half a dozen chambers of various size and layout, with two to eight lesser spiders in each." He places down pebbles. Showing us the gist of the thing. "Good news, he says. "These are not web-laying spiders, nor are they poisonous."
"Venomous," says Randy. "Poisonous would mean they are bad to touch or eat."
"Bad news," insists Miles, powering through the interruption. "Is that they can drop on you from the ceiling. And they bite."
"How do we handle this?" I ask.
"Hermietta," says Miles. "You have two spells usable, right?"
"Correct," says Hermietta. "One at level one, and a bonus from Int after spending our XP from the last fight."
"Think you can handle Continual Light and a Sleep?" Asks Miles.
"That would push my manna to the limit," she hesitates, then nods. "But yes. I can do that."
"Hermie, baby," says Firebrandi. "Don't exhaust yourself."
"What happens if you run out?" Asks Miles.
"It's," Hermietta hesitates. She pouts at Firebrandi. "It's exhausting. I passed out a couple of times in the Beta. Magic in this game is not as easy as it looks," she says. "It may look like I'm just chanting, and then something happens. But it's like using muscles not naturally a part of your body," she adds. "Like lifting a heavy weight with an invisible third arm." She pouts again. "And I'm out of shape. But I'll get stronger as I push my build!"
"Forget the Light then," says Miles. "We have flares. Might as well use 'em. We'll use the Sleep on the boss room. Save everything for that." Miles arrays a formation of six pebbles at the entrance of one of his outlined sand table rooms. "Two upfront with shotguns," he says. "Kneeling. Middle two with lasguns shooting over. Rear two with shotguns, watching high. One chamber at a time. Throw a flare in. Shoot. Rinse, repeat. Iceheart and Doc," Miles adds two more pebbles set back from the six-pebble group. "Pull rear security and catch any leakers."
"Sounds good," I say. "Any questions?" I look around, and there are none. "I still haven't heard anything about this boss," I say.
"From the last chamber," Says Miles. "We will descend to the boss room. There will be a clear threshold. If we go past that, we draw aggro. Alpha Spider. Very dangerous up close. Fast too. So we stand outside. We hit him with Sleep. Then we set him on fire."
"Right," I say. "Sounds good. Randy, pick out your first six. The main body will advance behind the front team. Rotate out the front fighters every room. Team leaders, pre-combat checks, and let's go."
Ten minutes later, I hear echoes of firing from within the cave. Then a moment of silence. Then more firing. "All clear," Randy calls back. "Main body move up."
We enter the cave of the roach spiders. Zero out of ten. Do not recommend. The walls and ceiling are not bare stone. They are covered in chitin. In a ribbed pattern. I've seen this fucking movie. The air is hot and humid. Moist, even. The floor squelches.
"I don't like this," I say. "Main body, circle up. I want three-sixty, all-around security at all times." Everyone grumbles, but they do it. More firing ahead.
"Move up," calls Randy. Two fresh shotgunners swap in when we arrive. We move like clockwork. I get my first glimpse of the lesser roach wolves. I thought spiders were supposed to have eight legs. These have seven. And their color matches the walls. I have seen this movie. More shooting. Randy calls back. We move up again.
We reach the third chamber. I start to think the other shoe won't drop. The ceiling dilates. Right over Hermietta. I bump her with my hip. She falls over with a yelp. "Contact high," I bellow.
I hit the first spider with my service laser. I get one hand on Hermietta. I drag her away. I mag-dump one-handed at the hole. My lasgun snaps again and again. It gets hot. My hand is on fire. A spider leaps at my face. I get my lasgun up to fend off the biting jaws. I fall on my back.
"Lye nen nénar súre pilindi!" Hermietta chants. Each chanted word summons molten-gold letters in a strange flowing script. They hang in the air. They tinkle like chimes. With the last word spoken, there's a freezing, blizzard-like gust of wind.
Four daggers of ice manifest above her head. Hermietta points her carved-ivory athame, her dagger-wand, at the spider I'm wrestling. "Kalhelka ehto!" The released icy magic missiles find her intended target. The spider is impaled and freezes. I dump it off me. I stomp on it. It shatters.
"Clear top," says Miles. His shotgun smokes.
I look around. No one is bleeding. Somehow. "Clear bottom," I say. Firebrandi fusses over Hermietta.
"Sorry, skipper," says Miles. "I know how you don't like spiders."
"Save it," I say. "Let's get this done."
Two more chambers and we descend. The boss awaits. We use the last of the flares to light the way to the threshold. No mistaking it. The chitinous entry portal looks just like that sphincter that shat spiders on us up top. Only it's already open. We catch a glimpse of the Alpha Spider. At least it's smaller than Roach Queen.
"You good for this, Herm?" Asks Miles.
"Yes," Insists Hermietta. "I can do this." Firebrandi looks like she wants to say something. Hermietta interrupts. "Onechan, I want to do this." They huddle together for a moment. I hear fragments of untranslated Japanese.
"Fine," says Firebrandi, "but only the one spell. Nothing else."
"That's the plan," says Miles.
"I mean it," says Firebrandi.
I put my hand on Firebrandi's shoulder. She startles some. Is she blushing?
"Trust me," I say. "You and your partner are our only casters. Your safety is our top priority."
"It better be," she grumbles. Is this what they call tsundere? Hermietta steps up to the plate. Everyone else backs off. Miles and I watch her closely. She clutches her wand in two hands, closes her eyes, and begins.
"Melima hérionen," chants Hermietta. "Lasteana mime quetta." A blue light from nowhere envelopes her. Again, each word of power takes form in the air. Golden letters in alien script. The words lock into place. Each with audible snaps. Chains of glass breaking. Beads of sweat form on her furrowed brow. "Aina nenmoriquende, aistsina er. Ortve niquehis, halemime cotumo. Te indóme lóre, lóre, lóre. Elemmírë nen his!"
With the final words spoken and hanging in the air, softly tinkling chimes, an unseen bell tolls. An impossible wind begins to blow. Chill and damp. The cramped, hot, dank, drippy, sticky, and dark cavern fills with a cold mist. Hermietta pants with the effort. She shakes her ivory wand, her spell catalyst, at the Alpha Spider and his guards. "Lóre," she cries again. "Lóre, lóre!" Then she collapses.
"It's done," Firebrandi hisses at us. "That is her one Sleep, don't waste it!" She rushes to Hermietta's side and pulls her back into cover. She pulls out a canteen of water and energy-drink powder mixed. She makes Hermietta drink.
The Alpha is smaller than the Queen was. Much less potent. But then he's not a field area boss intended for multiple groups. We shatter six Molotov cocktails on the King and his entourage. Two each. And follow up with shotguns. Fair fights are for people who like to get ambushed.
We cut the Alpha Spider open. We find partial skeletal remains, the Captain's ID card, and what my percomp labels as "Captain's bug-spray and pray." It's a custom short autolas carbine with dispersion lenses and bonus damage on bug types. I hate it.
"What a piece of junk," I say.
"At least the writers had fun," says Miles. "We can sell it."
"For glimmer," I finish for him. "But not until we take Junk-Town." I light another cigarette.
This is Part VIII.