The fangs came down again, and David snarled hideously as the numbing fire spread through his shoulder while his nerves shrieked in protest, blood beginning to fill his mouth from where he’d bitten his tongue as his jaws impacted the cold floor. Whatever it was that had pinned him was slightly smaller than himself, but dense, its cold weight pinning him to the floor as a multitude of sharp legs seized him roughly.

David thrashed against the Grab, eyes bulging before he sucked in a huge breath and blasted out a Screech at full power, feeling the creature fumble its grip in shock as the fangs were torn out of his back with a sickening pop. He snatched at the shelving with a single talon, heaving himself forward and sliding across the slick linoleum and out from under the beast as it staggered backward, a single flailing limb catching him a stinging blow across the side of his face. David surged to his feet and whirled, sagging slightly as his left shoulder howled in torment and the burning sensation began to spread across his back.

His mane exploded to full extension and his skin crawled in horror as he locked gazes with something that resembled the fever-dream version of a tarantula, its thick body bristling with sharp brown hairs. It raised its front legs menacingly before freezing, and David launched himself straight up as his instincts screamed at him that a strike was imminent. The spider almost blurred as it moved, smashing into the racks of snack foods without slowing down, surging up the shelving and swiping at him as his wings blew a tornado of snacks onto the floor. David vaguely processed the inhuman hiss of aggression that rattled in through the gap in the doors as he dodged the creature and flapped mightily, scattering a thick cloud of Gloom into the air as he focused forward and hammered the arachnid with another Screech.

“David! What’s happeni–” Claire’s enormous head momentarily blocked the light from the door as she leaned down to look through the glass before snarling. She smashed the doors out of the way like they were made of tinfoil and shadows, shoving her head through the wreckage and loosing a thundering roar when she discovered she couldn’t fit inside without collapsing the roof on her head.

–Health: 144/165–

–Stamina: 306/390–

–Venom D, Bleeding–

–You have suffered 7 Poison Damage–

–You have suffered 2 Bleed Damage–

–Theodore Davidson is afflicted by |Gloom| |Paralysis| |Sleep|–

–Bonus: Control Combo |3|–

–Gained 9xp–

Wait, what the fuck? Theodo– SHIT!

“HEY! Chill! I just wanted some Twankies, man! No need to get violent, back the fuck up!” David screamed into the spider's face as it rotated itself atop the shelving to take in Claire’s presence at the doorway.

The man bolted instantly, scrambling away from the tons of furious murder attempting to force its way into the building in a low crouch, smashing the faded displays and stacked cases of ancient beer out of her path like children's toys. David was forced to land after the third time he slammed his expansive leathery wings into the metal shelving in an attempt to hover a safe distance in the air, moldy drop-ceiling crumbling onto his back. He stumbled as he touched down, sharp talons slipping on the scattered foodstuffs and the flooring before he collapsed to the ground unable to find his footing.

“Claire! Stop! It’s a person!” David shrieked as she plowed through the sales counter like it didn't exist in a low crouch, “I think I scared him! He caught a Gloom, he won't get far! We might need to help him!”

Claire froze mid-rumble as she snapped her jaws back together and shot him a surprised look that toppled the aisle shelving adjacent to the aisle he occupied as her snout brushed against it. David struggled to his feet and began to limp his way forward, exiting the snack section as he booted and swiped moldy and expired food out of his way grumpily, and Claire motioned with her head towards the door to the back, which was slightly ajar.

“It ran in there, are you sure that was a person?” She hissed anxiously, “I just heard you scream and when I got here you were fighting something. Are you okay? I can smell poison.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Yeah, it's doing some damage. Stay out of the other half of the store, there’s Dusk Powder everywhere. You might want to get back outside, honestly.” David spat through gritted teeth as his wounds continued to throb, “System listed him as ‘Theodore Davidson’ when the Gloom connected, it’s definitely a person.”

–You have suffered 7 Poison Damage–

–You are no longer afflicted with Bleeding–

Claire nodded and began to scootch backward awkwardly, her long armored tail shattering one of the store windows when it bumped against it, the glass tumbling to the ground musically. David ignored it, giving her an encouraging nod while he continued to creep forward toward the back room, jaws chattering silently as he bathed the darkness with Echolocations. His ears twitched when the waves returned and he snorted, the noise about half chagrin and half satisfaction as he saw Theodore had already crumpled into a ball. The spider lay on its back, legs curled inwards and twitching, his fangs wiggling about uselessly in the air as David slowly nudged the door open with his uninjured wing to stare down at him pityingly.

–You have taken 7 Poison Damage–

–Health: 125/165–

–Stamina: 314/390–

–Poisoned–

Poor fucker, I wonder if he’s been out here the entire time by himself? I doubt he got a special evolution, probably only evolved a few days ago with the rest of the Hatchlings. If he’d actually leveled his abilities he’d have really done a number on me, I should be grateful for that at least. Okay, let’s see if I can drag him outside…I should probably use Moonsong too, might help him bounce back from the Gloom. He’s heavy but pretty small, and I used a lot of Gloom there, no wonder it hit him so fast.

“Sorry dude, I’m sure I scared the shit out of you but you scared me just as bad.” David remarked as he tentatively gripped one of the bristly legs between his teeth and his voice came out muffled, “I'll try'n heel yup ohnce I'get'yoo owtside, saree frr theh baed-trip. I'prromise nuffin's gunna hurt yoo.”

David began to drag and pull the debilitated man slowly out of the back room, stopping only to slam the door completely ajar and shuffle a dusty rug out of the way before he continued to haul the arachnid outside. Claire lent some assistance when he finally reached the front door, delicately scooping the bristly creature up onto her lower jaw without closing her mouth, and slowly backing away from the threshold. David spat the irritating hairs out of his maw and rolled his tongue around hoping to shed some of them as he followed along beside her while she stomped over into the shade beneath the pump canopy and slowly set him down.

–You have taken 7 Poison Damage–

Okay, enough of that. Whatever this stuff is it sure lasts a long time, if I didn’t have such high regeneration or I had a smaller health pool it’d be lethal. I’m glad I picked up that Restorative.

David opened his jaws and began to sing, the note high and pure as a wave of calm seemed to pour out from him in time with the music. Despite the lack of words, he enjoyed the melody for a moment, keeping an eye attentively on his readout and cutting off the Ability as soon as the Stamina that fueled it was consumed.

–Health: 118/165–

–Stamina: 264/390–

–Moonlit Regeneration, Venom D–

He sighed immensely and flopped down onto his haunches, allowing his ears and wings to droop pathetically as he stared into the 8 unblinking eyes of his ambusher while Claire sniffed anxiously at the wound on the back of his shoulder. After a few deep inhalations she hissed with displeasure, shooting the arachnid a withering glance before carefully picking her way around it to sit opposite of David in the shade, never taking her eyes off of the man. He shrugged at her, gesturing back to the store before he spoke.

“I uh…I did find some but I think they all got smashed during the fight. He ran right up the shelf they were on, I’m pretty sure he mushed them.” David chattered painfully as the burning sensation finally began to fade, “I can go look and see if there’s any left here in a minute if you want?”

“Nope. Not hungry.” Claire’s raspy hiss was…displeased, to say the least. Her recent experience devouring the Area Boss’s head greatly soured her opinion of things that relied on Venom as she stared holes in the comparatively tiny monster between them on the ground while Moonsong slowly did its work.

A half hour, and two more repetitions of Moonsong later, his legs finally began to uncurl as they paused their idle chatter, and he lay limply on his back for a moment before a crotchety old voice rang out.

“I reckon’ I owe summ’un an apology then?”