Chapter 51 - Trickery

Gingerly climbing down from Rakasha, Skyle flexed his fingers several times to loosen them up. Satisfied, he plucked an arrow from the quiver at his back and smoothly sighted down Moonshadow, sending a streak of steel flashing towards the dark depths of a small cave. Immediately after, a howl of pain echoed from the shadows within. A mass of reddish aura sprang to life and rushed towards Skyle, but after only a few steps and another arrow, a purple haze enveloped its mass and it quietly came to rest upon the stone floor.

“So, it seems my arrows can penetrate their shells after all.” Skyle let out a relieved breath. Moonshadow truly lived up to its masterwork grade. Even with his relatively weaker arms, Skyle could create enough power with only about half the draw of the bow’s capacity to pierce into the thick shells of these giant spiders. Skyle was certain that with any other bow, such a task would be impossible. Let alone a similar range, any arrows would likely just bounce off harmlessly from the glistening shells. Armed with Moonshadow, and with his ability to scan the area ahead, he would be able to pick off the surviving spiders before they could come anywhere near striking distance.

Turning back towards the giant head of Rakasha, whose massive weight was calmly perched upon the cliffside by her claws as though it were the most common thing to do, Skyle couldn’t help but cough uncomfortably.

“Rakasha, thank you once again. I know you wish you help, but the cave structure is unstable and might not withstand your power. I can take it from here.” Skyle tried to sound more sure of himself than he really felt, but this was truly the only option he could think of.

Rakasha gazed upon the little boy with what could only be described as the doting eyes of an elder, but she simply nodded her head and closed her eyes. Taking this as her tacit agreement, Skyle dared tarry no longer, as each second might be Leon’s last within this spider infested cave.

Upon reaching the entrance, Skyle hissed under his breath as he saw the crumbled remains of a hastily constructed wall of rocks. It had been cleverly concealed, showing remarkable ability. Skyle wondered if Leena had also concealed such skills from the boys. After all, it would not be her only deception.

Arleena Starbreeze of the Sapphire Court. That had been one of the very few absolute truths Skyle had salvaged from everything Leena had confessed to. His expression, of course, had shown no hint of such detection. Thus, Leena had likely been lulled into complacency by his act. Who could blame her? How could she possibly know that Skyle’s True Sight could easily read the emotions of any living creature through their auras, especially those of humans as their emotions were so strongly tied to the movement of their elemental essence? Not even Leon knew the full extent of Skyle’s powers, and he feared raising the topic because even the small boy found it far too terrifying in its implications.

For instance, time and time again, when confronted by their questions, Leena’s aura had spiked with an ugly green tinge, one surrounded by an overwhelming amount of deep yellow. This, Skyle had come to realize, meant deception, but one born of cautiousness rather than malice. This was something Skyle could easily understand, and even sympathize with. How could such a young girl not be cautious, especially after her ordeals and when confronted with these two mysterious strangers? Thus, Skyle had kept his peace and had decided to quietly monitor her aura as the group moved forward. When she was not answering questions, Leena emitted a startlingly pure aura of blue that gave a feeling of deep seated convictions and honor, even in the face of the most adverse circumstances. This, more than anything, gave Skyle the assurance needed to treat Leena as a companion, rather than a stranger.

After all, everyone bears their share of secrets, and so long as they bore no malicious intent, who was Skyle to demand their absolute honesty as a mere stranger?

“Remember boy, trust can not be bought, nor coerced. It can only be earned,” his father had often reminded him, and Skyle had taken his words to heart.

He was prepared to earn such trust, long though that road may be. Which is the reason why it was all the more disconcerting on that night when Skyle had almost reached for the nearest weapon, back when Leena had taken his hand with an innocent smile upon her face, while coldly calculating his murder behind her eyes.

The sudden change had taken Skyle completely by surprise, and if it hadn’t been for the obvious emotional spike that indicated how confused and altered Leena herself was, the young boy was sure she would have detected his ruse. As it was, Skyle was barely able to smile at her and speak more comforting words, before quickly retreating and watching Leena warily from a distance ever since.

Skyle had contemplated on that very night whether he ought to disclose things to Leon, but he felt understandably reluctant to do so. He knew exactly what the big brute’s reaction would be. Violence seemed to run deep in Leon’s blood, and although his aura indicated that he felt justified and righteous in his words and actions, the innermost core of his elemental essence flared brightly with constant pain every time he followed his creed.

To Skyle’s eyes, it was simply too tragic to watch his good friend inflicting such hurt to his own soul, perhaps without even realizing it. His outer aura was so wild and ferocious, but its inner core looked nothing more like a giant ball of scars that bled pain at every turn. Why was he doing this to himself?

Besides, Leena’s own aura was an indecipherable puzzle. She would obviously leap at the first sure chance of killing him. Of this, Skyle had no doubt at all in his mind. However, the driving force behind this was not the red of anger, nor the pink of contempt. There was a hint of yellow, a shade that he interpreted as fear. But the most dominating shade was that same dazzling blue. She genuinely believed that it was her righteous duty to kill Skyle.

This was absolutely baffling to him, and clearly indicated the limits for even the True Sight. After all, she had clearly been happily chatting with him one moment, her caution towards him gradually melting away. Then the next moment, she had recoiled from him as though he were a poisonous serpent, solemnly vowing in her heart to kill him at the cost of all else. That was the only way Skyle could read that frightening shade of pure crimson that had overwhelmed her aura in less than a second.

Still, even with all this, Skyle couldn’t bring himself to truly harm her. After all, that blue in her aura was simply too pure, and over the subtler tones of yellow from fear, the more present ones were the pink of shame and the darker blue of sorrow. What to make of all this impossibly obtuse cocktail of emotions? Only the gods knew. He certainly had not a single freaking clue.

Thus, good farmboy that he was, Skyle was determined to see just how far he could take this. Without risking his own life, Skyle wanted to give Leena a chance to get to know him through his words and actions, and perhaps reach a point where a verbal confrontation might amicably solve any misunderstandings that might have arisen. He knew such thoughts might be overly optimistic, but he was still prepared to do so.

After all, Leena might be veritably drowning in her desire to kill Skyle, but she harbored not a hint of resentment or hostility towards Leon. Just this was enough to earn her a pass from Skyle, as Leon did not really strike anyone as the most approachable or friendly fellow. Even more so since Leon clearly regarded Leena as a burden, and the instinctive suspicion in his aura towards Leena indicated that he smelled fish. Thus, Leon was actively hostile to Leena, yet she did not seem to mind at all.

Baffling.

In the end, Skyle could only fondly recall little Emil. That little puffball of mushy emotions was the only pure and transparent fellow in this whole pack, Skyle himself included. Thank god he didn’t have to pore over the little kid’s aura as if it were Adrienne Farrow’s endlessly torturous book on advanced arithmetics.

All this fleeted past his mind in the few moments it took for him to read the tracks that led further into the cave. As obscured by the numerous spider marks that had trampled over them, and even within this deep gloom, Skyle’s exceptional vision was still able to easily distinguish three separate sets of footsteps. His brow crumpled up into a worried frown as Skyle tossed all other thoughts from his head and focused on his mission. They had been alive as little as a handful of minutes ago, but there were dozens of spiders hot on their trail.

Skyle shook his head and a grim line spread across his lips. He refused to believe the worst, even under such circumstances. Leon had worked miracles before, and he simply had to believe that he could do so once more.

Ignoring all his previous training, Skyle simply tossed caution to the wind as he rushed deeper into the cave. Everywhere, he could see the clear signs of the passage of a great number of spiders practically trampling over each other in their haste to move forward and hunt their hated prey. Skyle had to note that this species seemed particularly vindictive, and could only regret that he had not been there to steer the group clear of such a disaster.

The young tracker once again spread his True Sight into a wider cone from the slim line he had used before. This would suffice to scout out the area at least one hundred and twenty feet ahead of him. Such a distance would give him ample time, he hoped, to spot any lurking spiders before he rounded a corner and was pounced upon.

After a few moments, Skyle grew even more desperate as he saw clear signs of struggle. Limbs had been chopped off, and hollow carcasses of a few dead spiders lay in a rough semicircle. Still, there was no sign of his companions, and Skyle could only pray that the spiders were not so hungry that they would devour their corpses whole.

Only a brief moment’s inspection was enough, even in the deep darkness, for Skyle to pick up the trail again. They had been wounded here, their steps clearly slower and dragging more.

Skyle could only grit his teeth in frustration and break into an all-out sprint, caution be damned. A nagging feeling in the back of his head told him something was wrong, but he simply could not devote the time or energy to pursue the feeling. Instead, he spent all his focus and attention into the chase, which had turned into a race against time. The lack of noise within such an enclosed cave system was terrifying, because he knew he was quickly gaining on his friends and yet no sounds, be it echoes of struggle or even movement, could be heard. Eventually, he even began shouting loudly, hoping to draw at least some of the spiders to him in a desperate hope that he could divert even a few spiders from flocking to Leon’s group.

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However, all he found were more spider corpses. A group here, another group there, yet always three sets of footsteps made it out of each frenzied battle. A handful of live spiders also began to surface, scattered within the cave system. However, these were solitary spiders and efficiently dispatched by Moonshadow from a distance. The rest of the damnable bugs must still be hot on the chase.

The moment he stumbled upon a wide cavern easily two hundred paces across, a heavy scowl furrowed his brow. There were as many as five spider corpses littering the ground. Before he stepped further into the cave, however, he smoothly drew an arrow from his quiver and in one deft, practiced motion, pulled back on the string and sent an arrow streaking into the darkness without any hesitation. A loud howl of pain ensued, and a dark shadow detached itself from the wall. It fell on its back and twitched its legs a few times before lying still.

Skyle frowned as he nocked the arrow he had automatically reached for as soon as he finished his first shot. Then he waited for two breaths, watching the silhouette that glowed brightly in his True Sight but was well hidden behind a giant stalactite. Only after this brief moment of silence, did the sneaky spider cautiously rear its head around the rock. It was at this precise moment that Skyle’s arrow slammed into its eyes, driving deep into its brain and sending it twitching to the floor.

Immediately, another howl echoed across the cavern, and Skyle was already nocking his next arrow as he dashed forward, crossing over the cavern’s entrance. The instant that he did, a huge shadow fell from the ceiling, right on top of Skyle. The boy lithely changed his direction and used his legs to jump away, at the same time releasing an arrow. The abrupt motion spoiled his aim, but at such a distance it was enough to drive the arrow deep into the spider’s underside.

Ignoring its hideous screech, Skyle summoned the Far Sight. Instantly, four different shadows of the spider burst into motion around him. As Skyle turned his jump into a roll while gripping Moonshadow by the middle, three of the vague shapes gradually vanished while one rapidly grew clearer. Directly avoiding the pouncing image of his foe by a comfortable margin, Skyle dashed past the bewildered spider. Then he quickly spun at its side, letting the arms of his bow flare into a wide circle as he flashed past the rearing spider. The wickedly sharp metal tips hummed through the air as they briefly met resistance, before completing the circle.

Skyle had already exited the Far Sight as ichor spurted from two legs that had been neatly severed while two others folded from the deep, slicing wound inflicted on them. The spider helplessly collapsed to the ground with a confused scream, still bewildered and looking for its attacker.

Skyle swiftly nocked and aimed an arrow while waiting for the spider to turn so he could shoot its head, confident in finishing the creature off before it could retaliate. However, even as the massive figure of the crippled spider turned to face him, his True Sight detected the build up of a reddish fluid near the spider’s mouth. Poison? No, that aura is not..

Skyle’s eyes abruptly went wide, and he fired off his arrow immediately, hoping to slow the spider down even if he couldn’t kill it. Without waiting to see the results, Skyle frantically dove out of the way, scrambling for all he was worth. Instantly, Skyle knew this spider was different from the ones he had faced thus far.

Daring boy that he was, he did not scramble away as his first instincts had urged, but rather dove towards the spider and past its crippled legs. This probably saved his life, as the wounded spider belched out a huge cloud of mist, spraying the whole area including where Skyle would have been, had he scrambled back. A strong resin-like smell assaulted Skyle’s nostrils, but it only lasted for an instant before the massive spider’s fangs grinded against each other and produced a spark.

Immediately, the whole cloud of mist ignited with a huge explosion that sent violent shockwaves all around the cavern. Fortunately, the substance had been sprayed in a rough cone away from the spider, and thus Skyle was able to escape the deadly blast.

“If I hadn’t seen the fire aura in that liquid before it left its mouth, I would have backed away instead.” Skyle’s mouth was dry as he banished harrowing images of his thin figure screaming as he desperately attempted to beat out the flames eating him alive before collapsing in a mound of sizzling flesh.

The spider did recoil slightly from Skyle’s last shot, but it still began to turn its body while another batch of that terrifying liquid began to gather in its mouth. This time, however, Skyle was prepared and loosed arrow after arrow from its side. The first struck deep into its shell, eliciting a screech but not much else. The next hit closer to its head, freezing it on its tracks but still failed to down it. With the final arrow, Skyle took advantage of the momentary stillness of his target to follow up in the precise hole left by his last shot. The arrow vanished deep within the shell of the beast and reached its brain, sending it crumpling down to the floor. The dangerous liquid spilled from its mouth, but without a spark to ignite it Skyle could finally breathe easy again.

“That was too damn close. No wonder they’re monstrosities of the Red Zone. They still had this kind of hidden weapon. Not only that, but they’re much more cunning than I thought.” Skyle growled under his breath, panting harshly as his eyes drifted to the side.

With hardly a flicker of emotion, Skyle unceremoniously took another arrow and turned towards the first spider he had shot off the wall. At that very instant, the formerly “dead” spider’s eyes swiveled around with a cunning glint and its legs desperately struggled for purchase on the ground as it flipped itself over and gathered some liquid within its mouth.

It was still too slow as Skyle shot it right through the eye. At this distance, it was practically impossible for Skyle to miss  a shot on the relatively stationary target, especially since the spider's eyes were over a foot wide in diameter. Armed with the speed and accuracy of Moonshadow’s arrows, as well as his Infinite Eye, Skyle's confidence grew with every battle.

“Clever bugs. A little too clever,” Skyle spat scornfully. “You should have attacked me sooner.”

Even twitching in its death throes, the spider still managed to spray out a cloud of green mist. Though Skyle was too far away to be affected by it, he shuddered as he saw the effects of the spider’s venom. The spider corpses covered in the green cloud instantly started hissing and decomposing at a rapid rate. Even solid rock had no resistance towards the powerful corrosive, as it sizzled and cracked, then crumbled into a bubbling, steaming puddle.

Skyle could only imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t noticed the spider was merely feigning death, and he happened to walk within range of that deadly acid rain.

After seeing the purplish aura of death overcome the final spider’s carcass, Skyle turned his head as he compared this last spider he had killed with the fire-spitting spider. Only now did he realize that there were subtle differences in both pigmentation and shape that he hadn’t paid attention to before. The fire spider had deep crimson flecks running across its underside and tips of the legs, while its fangs were massive and covered in crystalline, flint-like bumps. On the other hand, the acid spider had green markings next to its head, and its fangs were much thinner, but also longer, shaped like tubes. Perhaps that aided it in aiming and projecting its acid farther away. He wondered that he hadn’t noticed these differences before. Were they the elite soldiers of the spider army?

“Damn, I’m getting careless in my haste. There’s no helping it though. I hope Leon’s done better and hasn’t fallen to their traps! I must not be too late!” Fear laced that final thought as he remembered the Goddess’ grave warning. Would he find nothing but corpses at the end of his chase?

He did not bother gathering the arrows from the fallen spiders. He had seen how thick their shells were, and knew beyond doubt that every arrow would be useless, the steel heads shattered beyond recognition by the violence of the impact. Besides, he was too pressed for time!

Without skipping a beat, Skyle searched the cavern for his companions’ trail, but then immediately froze.

His blood running cold, Skyle retraced his steps. Clearly, he could see three sets of footsteps entering this cavern. However, after the violent battle involving the five original spider carcasses, only two had left.

Only two.

That meant that at least one of his companions had finally succumbed. More shocking still, of the two sets of footsteps that walked away from the scene of this carnage were first, the tiny feet of innocent Emil, then second, the narrow, graceful steps of Arleena Starbreeze.

Leon’s giant, imposing steps were missing, and this stabbed a cold dagger into Skyle’s heart.

He rapidly searched again, but could only see two sets of footsteps leaving. In Skyle’s mind it was simply impossible for a dainty figure like Leena’s to carry Leon’s massive weight. What did this mean, then? Had his friend been eaten by the spiders he had just killed until not a single trace of him was left behind?

Clearly, this was impossible. There were deep pools of spider ichor littering the ground, but there were barely any hints of blood. No matter how voracious their appetite, Skyle thought it would be impossible for all traces of a violent human death to disappear like this.

In his frenzied desperation, Skyle could not think on the matter anymore, and instead rushed headlong behind the trail left by Leena and Emil.

Five minutes later, he found several more torn corpses of spiders spread in yet another semicircle.

“Wait a minute! Torn?” Skyle breathlessly inspected the latest site of battle, where no less than six spiders lay sliced to pieces on the ground. Kneeling next to one of the remains, he ran one of his fingers along the clean cut that had bisected this spider. It was exceptionally smooth and straight, with no jagged edges, angles or hints of microfractures at all. This indicated the presence of a peerlessly sharp weapon that could cleave the enemy so swiftly that it had practically no time to react. Furthermore, it was sharp beyond belief.

Only at this point did Skyle finally realize what was wrong with this picture. It had been there all along, yet Skyle had simply been too flustered, too desperate to stop for a single moment and use that damn useless nogging of his. Now that he thought of it, it was so obvious it would have been comical, if only his heart were not pumping enough ice to freeze his every last drop of blood as impending doom pressed upon him like an inescapable tide.

All because the had missed once single, massive clue.

Where was the fire? There was no sign of it anywhere within this cave, and the wounds on the spiders didn’t show any sign of cauterization at all. Skyle could still recall the fiery edge of Leon’s sword whenever he fought. It was an awesome sight that inspired confidence and courage.

All this time, Skyle had seen the torn pieces of spiders. The edges were immaculately clean, which was why Skyle hadn’t paid any further attention. He clearly remembered how sharp Leon’s fire-strengthened sword was. However, only now did he recall that the edges should have shown signs of fire damage, and scorch wounds ought to have been easily distinguishable.

Finally, frozen blood reached his heart and a cold shiver ran down Skyle’s spine as he thought of the only remaining alternative.

“Leena?” he croaked, barely managing to push it past the ice choking his throat in a vise grip.

It was at this moment that he felt goosebumps rising on the skin of his neck. Cold sweat trickled down his face as he slowly lifted his head. As he did so, he felt more than heard a sharp buzzing and an object lightly brushed past his face. Shifting his eyes downward without daring to move any other muscle at all, Skyle could see a thin lock of hair slowly flutter towards the ground. Raising his eyes upward, his True Sight saw a flat circle of elemental energy so concentrated it looked like a disk of solid metal. It spun fast enough that it did resemble a disk, but his True Sight told him it was merely a blade - one made of wind essence which was so sharp, and spun so fast, it simply looked like a solid disk hovering not two inches from his brow. The gust of wind it produced tickled his forehead, where more beads of sweat gathered.

“Skyle Farrow,” came the quiet reply, and it sounded strangely unfamiliar, though it was unmistakably Leena’s voice. The tone had changed completely, however, and even the accent and the way the different letters of his name were pronounced was different. There was a lofty nobility to it now, but also a cold, ruthless quality that held no hint whatsoever of the warmth and vulnerability Leena the scavenger had shown.

The next words, inevitable as they were, still felt like an ice pick stabbed into his chest.

“As the light endures, your life is hereby forfeit, effective immediately. May the spirit of Avaria have mercy upon your soul, and mine.”