Kael clenched his scythe tightly, the weight of its curved blade grounding him as his thoughts churned. 'I have to focus. This isn’t about sympathy or curiosity. I need to kill the giant spider, level up, and collect sin stones'. He shook his head, banishing the flicker of doubt that gnawed at the edges of his resolve.
The desert seemed unnaturally quiet, the sun baking the dunes until they shimmered like molten gold. Even the brittle branches of the dry tree Kael leaned against were motionless, as though the very air held its breath.
Suddenly, the fragile stillness shattered.
The smaller camel spiders sprang forward in a coordinated assault, their movements a blur of precise, predatory grace. Kael’s hollow sockets widened slightly, and his bony fingers gripped the scythe handle tighter as he crouched lower against the tree. Adrenaline surged through him, a phantom pulse pounding in his veins.
The giant spider reared back in surprise, its whip-like appendages snapping at the air as it assumed a defensive stance. Its shadow stretched long across the sand, dark and imposing, as the smaller spiders closed in from all sides. The clash was immediate and ferocious.
Kael watched intently as the first wave of smaller spiders darted in, their slender legs kicking up small clouds of sand with each rapid movement. Their mandibles clicked in unison, a chilling, rhythmic sound that echoed across the dunes like a war drum. The giant spider retaliated with a vicious swipe of its front legs, sending two of the smaller attackers tumbling backward. One recovered instantly, its spindly legs skittering across the sand, while the other lay still, its body twitching faintly before going limp.
Kael shifted slightly, his scythe’s blade glinting faintly as it caught a stray beam of sunlight. His gaze flicked between the combatants, his mind racing. The giant spider, despite its size and power, was clearly at a disadvantage. The smaller spiders were relentless, their speed and numbers giving them the edge.
A strange sensation settled over Kael as he watched. For a fleeting moment, he felt an odd sense of kinship with the giant spider. It stood alone, an outcast like himself, fighting against overwhelming odds with no one to rely on but its own strength. The thought stirred something within him a flicker of understanding that he quickly pushed aside. 'Sentiment has no place here, it is still a monster not human.'
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The battle intensified. The giant spider lashed out again, this time with its massive chelicerae. It caught one of the smaller spiders mid-leap, crushing it with a sickening crunch. Black ichor sprayed across the sand, the dark liquid sizzling faintly under the intense heat of the sun. Kael’s skeletal jaw clenched as he suppressed the urge to move closer, to get a better view. His instincts screamed at him to stay hidden, to wait for the right moment to act.
'If this fight is recorded, I bet it will get millions of views, I wish I had a popcorn'
From his position in the shadows, Kael could feel the raw energy of the fight each clash of mandibles, each impact against the sand sent faint tremors through the ground beneath him. The smaller spiders darted in and out with alarming speed, their bodies a blur of motion as they struck and retreated.
Kael’s grip on his scythe tightened further. 'If I reveal myself now to finish the injured ones, I’ll have to deal with all of them,' he thought grimly, his gaze darting between the writhing forms. 'Even if I survive, the cost will be too high, i might not even survive.'
The giant spider let out a low, guttural sound a noise that resonated through the air like a distant rumble of thunder. It swung its massive legs in wide arcs, forcing the smaller spiders to scatter briefly before regrouping. The ground beneath them was marred with jagged marks where their claws had raked through the sand.
Kael’s skeletal fingers tapped against the handle of his scythe, a small, almost nervous movement as he weighed his options. He felt the heat of the desert pressing down on him, the dry air filling his nonexistent lungs with a phantom ache.
The ferocity of the smaller spiders was unsettling. Their coordination was almost unnatural, their movements perfectly timed as though they shared a single mind. Watching them, Kael couldn’t help but feel a pang of unease. If he stepped into this fray, he knew he would become their next target.
'Damn, I hate the suspense'
For now, he remained a silent observer, hidden within the shadows of the dry tree. His cloak billowed faintly in the breeze as he shifted his stance, his sharp gaze locked on the unfolding chaos. 'Patience,' he reminded himself, his grip on his weapon unwavering. 'There will be an opening. I just have to wait for it.'
The desert sun bore down mercilessly, the air thick with the scent of blood and hot sand. Kael stayed still, watching, waiting, his mind racing as the battle raged on.
"Come on, do something!"