Glade activated his time dilation skill as processed the situation before him. Entertainment back on earth typically portrayed professional soldiers as super humans who were never surprised and always had a cheesy one liner on the tip of their tongue. There was a reason ambushes and surprise attacks were so effective in real life. Humans, and pretty much every other rational being, need time to process the unexpected. Like when a massive, glowing spider practically flew through the air and took down a several hundred-pound magic rock monster!
As the dilation kicked in, Glade's grip on Acumen’s tome tightened. Using the book as a weapon had been more of a statement to the Adjudicators, but that was when he thought the worst they would face were palm sized spiders. He really didn't want to find what one of those larger spiders could do to his choice of weapon. More specifically, he didn’t want to know what the crystalline nightmare would do to them once it got through the book.
Fortunately for him, this was where time dilation proved its worth. Less than two tenths of a second had passed in real time, allowing Glade to process what was happening and work the problem.
The first thing he did was drop his telepathy skill and activate Aura Sense. Tearing his channels again was not part of the plan.
Astral Spider - Striker (Evolved Form), Level 11
Attunements: Astral (100%)
Health: 75/75
Mana: 0/0
Stamina: 100/150
Status: NA
Abilities: Charge – Exerts stamina to leap or charge up to three times its normal speed for distances of up to 25 yards.
Like its smaller counterparts, the Striker spider was covered in a crystalline blue carapace with large mandible-like jaws and dark, black eyes. But where the smaller spiders had been long legged, the Striker’s legs were compact and close to its body, making it far more agile. It’s mandibles looked razor sharp and every leg ended in a sharpened tip.
Next, Glade brought up the Golem’s stats.
Earth Golem, Level 1
Attunements: NA
Durability: 120/150
Mana: NA
Stamina: NA
Status: Damaged
Abilities: Ponderous Crush – A slow moving attack that applies tremendous pressure by wrapping its stone arms around a target.
Reading through the status page in a blink, Glade was pleasantly surprised to learn the Golem’s durability had only dropped 20%. Which made sense once he realized the moving statue didn’t have internal organs. What would have been a mortal wound for him was nothing but a minor inconvenience for the construct.
With the remaining time, Glade worked out a plan before his stamina dropped by another 10 points, indicating a second had finally passed in real time.
Glade sent an order to the Golem as he brought his telepathy skill back up in time to sense a second eight-legged monstrosity coming their way, with two more holding their position and the last, more complex mind holding in place just on the edge of his skill’s radius.
The glow from the tunnel intensified as the Striker approached at near relativistic speeds, its legs and mandibles flared in preparation to latch onto the spear wielding dwarf next to Glade.
It was obvious the dwarf didn’t stand a chance. Not without help.
The command to raise spears began forming as Glade wrung every ounce of speed from his body, lunging forward with Acumen’s tome raised. The world around him moved like everyone but the spider was in a vat of thick honey.
That was the moment Glade realized he wasn’t going to make it in time.
You have expended 2 will points to temporarily enhance your Dexterity by + 10 for the next 9 seconds.
Acumen’s tome crashed onto the Striker’s head like the fist of judgement, slamming the spider down into the waiting tip of the dwarf’s spear.
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Warning! Combining multiple mana induced skills with will powered physical actions while using the Time Dilation skill is more than your current intelligence attribute and skill level can handle. More testing is required to understand your current limits. You have lost control of the skill Time Dilation. -10 HP of mental feedback. Cannot use Time Dilation for the next 5 minutes. Successful spell casting is reduced by 60% until mental feedback has dissipated.
“… spears up!” Glade heard himself shout as the world unexpectedly sped up around him. At the same time, his head exploded in pain, forcing Glade to one knee as he followed through with his will powered strike.
The crunch of crystal echoed throughout the hall as the spider impaled itself, shattering the poorly made gnollish weapon into pieces. Both dwarf and spider vanished from Glade’s side in a puff of glittering crystal dust as the Striker bowled over the lineman.
Without thought, Glade expended another will point.
You have expended 1 will point to fortify your mind and reduce your pain. Effects will last for 60 seconds. No change to mental feedback and skill cool down.
The pain subsided into a low burn, just enough for Glade to get his bearings back. Fortunately, his telepathy skill was still active.
“Are you ok?” Kedryn asked, helping him to his feet.
“Two more inbound!” Glade growled loud enough for everyone to hear. A flurry of activity behind them, along with some creative cursing told Glade that Krazzik and his crew were handling the impaled spider.
“Do you know who they’re targeting?” Gent cried.
Before Glade could answer, a loud crunch echoed through the chamber, followed by a high-pitched squeal as their Golem had finally wrapped its arms around the thrashing Striker embedded in its chest.
In that moment of distraction, two Strikers appeared just behind the line of smaller spiders, gazing into the room like they were taking in some scene at a movie.
A shiver ran down Glade’s spine at the implications of that simple action. The spiders were already nightmare inducing enough as they were, but if they could reason… Glade shoved that particularly troubling thought down, refocusing on the fight.
“Kedryn!” Glade called. “Light ‘em up!”
“On it,” the Kid yelled back, a ball of flame already rocketing toward one of the Strikers.
Both spiders froze, mesmerized by the bright light sailing toward them.
Fire splashed over the spider’s crystalline exoskeleton, Kedryn manipulating the spell with whatever mana he had remaining to wrap the dancing flames over its round body.
Both Strikers looked at each other, the one on fire turning one way, then the other, revealing the full extent of Kedryn’s ongoing attack on its sibling.
Glade did a double take. Was the one not on fire admiring the flames?
“Is the one on fire… posing?” Kedryn asked, his voice strained.
Glade didn’t know how to respond. Of all the things he had mentally prepared for, a spider posing their flaming body while the other one watched was not one of them.
“Focus on the eyes, lad!” Bragden yelled, scooping up one of his larger spider golems to hastily scrawl runes over its rocky exterior.
“Close the line!” Glade yelled, forcing himself to focus. “Spears up, clubs to the rear! Help take out the one behind us! Crossbows, why aren’t you firing!?”
In answer, three crossbow bolts went flying toward the distracted Strikers. Two pinged off the exoskeleton of the one on fire, pushing it back several inches. The third bolt missed its mark entirely.
Neither spider seemed to notice.
Both Glade and Kedryn stepped behind the half dozen dwarves holding spears, the group haphazardly closing ranks as those with clubs descended upon the unfortunate spider behind them.
Another squeal ripped through the air as the Golem continued to tighten its grasp.
The two spiders admiring the flames ignored their sibling’s plight altogether, too caught up in the light show. That was when Kedryn shifted the wreath of flames from the Striker’s main body to its sensitive eyes.
The reaction was instantaneous. The spider immediately collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain and shrieking the same high-pitched noise as its fellow being crushed.
The last Striker turned its gaze toward them, orienting on Kedryn.
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Nozzrefetei was enamored. She cut her mental threads controlling her dying pawns so she could focus solely on the beauty that wreathed her most powerful Striker.
She had never before seen such mesmerizing beauty. The way the flickering light refracted off the crystalline exoskeleton was breathtaking. And if that was how it looked on her Striker, than how glorious would the cloak of light look upon her?
Yes, this was exactly how she would present the new her to the Nest Mother! She, Nozzrefetei, the lighted queen! She could see it now, entering along the high chasm’s silken bridges as her sisters cowered in fear far below her.
So caught up in her fantasy, Nozzrefetei ignored the inconsequential feedback from her Striker. The glow was apparently causing some minor damage, but that was to be expected. Lesser beings weren’t bred to carry such magnificent burdens.
Instead, she watched through the other Striker’s eyes as she forced the now radiant spider to turn this way and that, admiring how the dancing glow accentuated the crystalline armor.
As Nozzrefetei let go of her third dying Striker, she began adjusting her plans. She would have that light. Even if it meant getting involved in the hunt herself.