A crackle of laughter escaped him, adrenaline fueling his amusement as he pivoted to engage yet another advancing warrior. He had barely enough time to plant his feet before the creature lunged, its stinger striking toward him like a harpoon. He sidestepped, slashing out with his machete in a sweeping arc that cleaved through the creature’s arm. Ichor sprayed, and the warrior staggered, the rest of its limbs flailing in frustration.

“Getting sloppy, aren’t you?” Jack taunted, sidestepping another clumsy jab. In a single, fluid motion, he drove his machete upward, splitting the creature’s skull with a sickening crunch.

Across the battlefield, the soldier returned, now wielding a grotesque spear fashioned from an Arachnae stinger. He plunged it into the next warrior he encountered, the makeshift weapon piercing through the creature’s shell as if it were cardboard. The Arachnae convulsed, letting out a shriek as its own venom worked against it. Seeing this, other soldiers began to abandon their futile firearms, scavenging stingers and other makeshift weapons from fallen foes, emboldened by Jack’s strategy.

Jack grinned, feeling a fierce satisfaction as he witnessed the soldiers adapting to the new tactic. He took a deep breath and refocused, barely dodging another pincer that sliced through the air where his head had been a second before.

The Arachnae had noticed the shift. Several of them paused, their insectoid gazes scanning the field, recognizing the new threat posed by their own weapons. A low chittering spread among them, a signal to regroup, but Jack wasn’t about to give them the chance.

“Nope, we’re not doing that,” he muttered, charging toward the nearest knot of warriors as they pulled back. He swung the machete in a wide arc, slicing through two more legs, then shifted his grip, bringing the blade down in a swift vertical strike that split one warrior’s head with brutal efficiency. Without missing a beat, he ducked under another stinger aimed at his back, spinning to intercept yet another warrior before it could bring its own venomous appendage to bear.

Somewhere on the edge of the fray, a soldier called out, “It’s working! Their stingers drop them in one hit!” The call spread, soldiers rallying as they scavenged for weapons among the fallen, a spark of hope flaring in their eyes.

A cold tremor ran through the ground as another wave of Arachnae warriors poured from the dungeon mouth. These were larger, their exoskeletons gleaming with an oily sheen, the symbols on their shells glowing in an ominous red hue. Jack’s smile faded as he took in the sight. These weren’t just standard Arachnae warriors; these were the elites, each one twice the size of the regular soldiers and brimming with a menacing energy that seemed to pulse in sync with the dungeon itself.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Jack muttered, his grip tightening on the machete as he readied himself. His eyes darted across the battlefield, noting the soldiers who were valiantly fighting, some visibly weary but still pushing on. The thought struck him - they were all depending on him, following his lead, and he was going to have to push himself to his limits to make it out of this alive.

Without hesitation, Jack charged toward the incoming elites. His machete crackled with renewed energy as he swung at the first one, slicing deep into its side. This time, the blade didn’t cut as easily; the elite’s armor was thicker, nearly impenetrable in some places. He pulled the blade free, only to dodge a retaliatory strike that would have left him with a punctured lung.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“You’re not making this easy, are you?” he growled, feinting left before delivering a powerful downward strike, aiming for a joint in its armored shell. The blade slipped through, a spurt of ichor following as the elite let out a hissing scream.

Across the field, the soldiers were fighting with everything they had, using the stingers with savage desperation. The tide of battle was turning, albeit slowly, and Jack felt a flicker of pride at their resilience. But as he stole a quick glance toward the dungeon entrance, his heart sank.

There, silhouetted against the darkness of the dungeon’s maw, was a figure towering above even the elites. Its massive form was shrouded in shadows that seemed to writhe and coil around it, and the symbols etched across its body pulsed with a dark, ominous energy that made the air feel heavy with dread. This was no ordinary Arachnae; it was the one calling the shots - the Arachnae Overlord.

“Oh, lovely,” Jack muttered, gritting his teeth. The machete in his hand pulsed, almost as if it sensed the imminent threat. “You ready for this?” he asked, almost feeling the weapon’s response in the buzz of energy along its blade.

The Overlord stepped forward, and the very earth seemed to shudder under its weight. Its eyes, like pits of molten lava, locked onto Jack with a gaze that was both cold and calculating. The surrounding Arachnae shifted, forming a protective ring around their leader as it advanced.

Jack clenched his jaw. He’d fought his share of bosses before, but there was something different about this one. The Overlord exuded an aura that seemed to sap the strength of everyone around it, soldiers visibly faltering as the creature approached. The lesser Arachnae rallied around it, their confidence restored in the presence of their powerful leader.

“Listen up!” Jack shouted, his voice cutting through the growing sense of dread. “This thing’s big, bad, and probably has a laundry list of nasty tricks, but we’ve got it outnumbered. Hit it hard and hit it fast. Don’t give it a chance to make the first move!”

The soldiers rallied, shakily but resolutely, tightening their grip on their makeshift stingers as they focused on the monstrous figure ahead. Jack took a deep breath, steadying himself as he prepared to confront the Overlord. He lifted the machete, feeling a surge of determination rise within him.

“All right, big guy,” he muttered, stepping forward. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

And then the earth trembled.

What now? Jack looked up, his pulse quickening as a towering figure emerged from the dungeon’s dark mouth behind the Overlord. This new Arachnae was far larger than the others, with a blackened adamantine exoskeleton etched with pulsing, blood-red symbols. The creature exuded a dark energy, an aura that felt like ice creeping into his bones.

“...Well, that’s not a good sign,” Jack muttered, wiping the ichor from his brow as he steadied his grip.

System Notification: Major Boss Encounter - Arachnae Champion: Chosen of Tiamat

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath. Then he shouted to the soldiers as he felt their justified fear. “Alright! Change of plans! You take on the mini-boss. I’ll take the big guy!” He tried to instill as much confidence and bravado as he could, but he was worried. Without his abilities and with nothing but a crudely enchanted machete… would they survive this?

The notification continued to hang in his periphery, and a surge of excitement mingled with dread filled his chest. It had been a long time since he’d seen a boss notification - that thrill of standing on the edge, knowing he was about to face something far beyond the ordinary. He hadn’t seen one since he’d effectively out-leveled the strongest enemies he could find. And yet, despite his preparation, his abilities still refused to respond. It was just him, the soldiers, and a boss that looked like it could crush an armored vehicle with an afterthought.

The Chosen of Tiamat’s mandibles clicked ominously, venom dripping in thick ropes as it scuttled forward, each step unnervingly silent. Jack swallowed, feeling the tension rise as a hush fell over the battlefield, like the air itself was holding its breath.

“Alright, big guy,” Jack said, rolling his shoulders as he stepped forward, machete at the ready. “Guess it’s just you and me.”