The Nest
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William's perspective
The sound of rushing wind blew past my ears as we drove to the Blight Nest. It was an inconvenient stop on the way. We didn't intend to take on a Blight Nest, but we had no choice. Luckily, Ryu was willing to lend us magic bikes. They utilized Ether Stones to power up. Gripping the handle, I looked down at the platinum-colored bike under me, watching the ground blur as I moved forward. I questioned Ryu's motive.
"To see if Drakelene can handle the Blight." The conversation was still fresh in my mind. His words left a sour taste.
One hour ago
"You think we are weak," Azrael scowled at Ryu, her face fuming angrily.
Without hesitation, "Yes," Ryu spoke. "The Blight has been growing stronger over time, lasting longer and longer each wave. I need to know if Drakelene and its royals have it under control."
Tension broke as Thomas cried out in frustration. I was taken aback by his sudden outburst as he marched towards Ryu, brows narrowed into a fiery glare. Placing his hands on the pommel of his blade, Thomas froze immediately as Markus and Ryu shot a dangerous look at him. With a loud gulp, Thomas spoke, "You can't just tell us what to do and expect us to be okay with it!"
"That's why I am giving you two of my assets," Ryu countered. "One of them being extremely valuable to me."
Thomas was about to retort, but Lord Dimmal pulled him back. My father soon gestured for us to speak together for a moment. My father whispered, "I understand our circumstances aren't favorable, and we aren't in a position to escape. And as much as I don't want to agree, the deal isn't too bad. Especially if it's who I think it is."
"Mister Hunter, are you sure we should proceed with this?" Lord Dimmal questioned in disbelief. Even I was questioning my father.
"I am, and it seems not too bad of a problem," my father replied quietly.
"Father, even you must agree this is outrageous," I replied.
Thomas's face was etched with annoyance and disgust. "You can't expect the princess to do Asgard's bidding," Thomas hissed.
"But if the king willingly grants us this asset, it will benefit our current situation; we should take it," my father answered.
I was dumbfounded. This is the enemy; why should we listen? Hell, why would they help us? "How do we know he will follow through with what he says," I whispered.
Thomas nodded, acknowledging what I said. "As far as we know, he could be lying," Thomas whispered.
"Agreed," Lord Dimmal nodded. "What makes this asset worth the risk?"
My father smiled widely. "This asset has a skill that can and will track anyone or anything, regardless of where they are or what they are."
Lord Dimmal hesitated momentarily, making me wonder if he was reconsidering. "I heard rumors of such an individual. They work for Asgard?" My father nodded as Thomas shook his head in disapproval. "Then I say we take the favor for now, but I also think the princess should decide. Either way, the King will likely not let us have our dragons back," Lord Dimmal whispered as he turned to Azrael.
Turning to Azrael, who'd been quiet the whole time, her anger was replaced by nervousness. The pressure must be getting to her. "Me? I don't know what to do; we can't just do what Asgard wants," Azrael stuttered in concern.
"But we can't just roll over and die," My father says. "Will, what about you."
I sighed loudly and was annoyed as I looked away, not liking any of this. But I know we can't just leave. We are stuck in this situation whether we like it or not. "We take on the nest; if we made it this far, what's one nest? Especially if we can acquire an asset. If the King is being true to his word."
Thomas glared at me as Lord Dimmal spoke, "Don't underestimate a simple nest, Will. Princess, it's your call."
Present
I pushed the memory aside. I'd rather not remember what Thomas said when the princess agreed to King Ryu's terms. If there was someone who clearly didn't like us, it was Thomas.
We were right; King Ryu wouldn't give us back our dragons. It left a foul taste in my mouth. The idea of Aurum being separated from me didn't sit right. She was only four days old. I just hope the other dragons aren't too rough with her.
"How much farther?" the princess yelled up.
"Not far," I answered.
I had to be the one to answer. I am in the front of the group, following the path towards the nest. I hope the so-called assets sent out to the nest before us have dealt with most of the forces, but we won't know. All I know is that the forest seemed clean of any blight infestation, much to my surprise.
Now that I think about it, when we were shown the location of the Blight Nest, it was pretty far out from everywhere—not one place closer than the other.
Minutes pass as I finally see a massive hole in the ground behind a few trees. Turning the handles, we move closer to the hole, finally seeing clear evidence of the Blight corruption as black veins protrude out of it and into the nearby grass. However, it is surprisingly hidden.
We all stopped our magic bikes behind a few bushes as we made our way to it. "Looks like we found the nest," my father said.
"For a Blight Nest, there should be more corruption," Lord Dimmal examined as he crouched next to the black hole. "Strange."
Before I could ask if we should be worried, a sudden sharp pain throbbed in my head. Placing my hand on my head as I tightly squeezed my eyes, hoping the pain would vanish. It was a nasty headache. Opening my eyes up, I noticed both Azrael and Thomas were experiencing the same pain, holding their heads up as they clutched their eyes closed.
"Are you guys good?" my father asked with concern, touching my shoulder. The gesture helped make the pain more bearable.
"Riders usually get headaches like these; they will pass," Lord Dimmal said nonchalantly. I watched as he stood up and stepped forward, dropping into the hole.
Hearing my father sigh, "let's get this over with." He proceeds to follow after, dropping into the hole next.
Looking over at Thomas, I saw that he looked like he was seeing a ghost. His eyes widened in shock, and his jaw dropped. After the sudden headache vanished, I tapped his shoulder. "Thomas, you're good?"
A few seconds passed, Thomas shook his head and looked back at me. "Ya.. ya ya. I'm good." I wasn't convinced, but it didn't matter as he entered the next hole.
Looking at Azrael, I can see the uncertainty in her eyes. Despite her usual personal, she is a lot more… passive than I thought she would be. Especially for a noble. Sighing out loud, feeling pity for her. "Hey, I get it. Nerve-wracking everything is. But you're not alone." Despite hating her for being a noble, I'm sure she would be a very different person if she wasn't. Tapping her arm, I smiled, "Let's not keep them waiting."
Taking a set forward, I fell.
My vision gradually faded to black as the light from the entrance diminished the farther I fell. My hair flailing up, I realized none of us checked if it was safe. Much to my surprise, feeling stupid, I fell a lot longer than I previously did at my first Blight Nest in Zarmen Forest. Making me worried that I would fall to my death, I looked down and soon saw the ground closing in along with the others.
Oh, thank god.
Bracing my legs, my feet hit the ground with a loud thud. My armor clanked slightly as I came to a sudden stop, and my legs protested when I bent my knees to soften my landing like a spring. Gravity pulled me as I slammed my hands down onto the blighted ground so I didn't go face first. Pain shot up my body, but it was nothing compared to what I had been through. I'll survive.
Looking up, I see my father kneeling as he inspects the ground. Thomas stands behind me, ensuring nothing is behind us. Lord Dimmal offers his hand to me, and I take it, feeling him pull me up off the ground.
Standing on my two feet, I looked around the enormous cavern we entered. The walls were challenging to see; they were just faintly seeable. I made my way over to my father, who held a small blaze in his palm. The ground beneath us was a mixture of stone, dirt, and the Blight's corruption. The cavern rattled occasionally, making me question its stability.
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Looking down at my father, I could see faintly what he was looking at. It was a massive footprint—larger than a foot long and almost like a dragon's foot. The footprint was deep and had four talon-like toes protruding to the front, and what I guess was the ball of the foot was indented deeply into the ground, either due to weight or combat.
"What is it, father?" I asked quietly as Azrael landed behind us with a loud crack in the ground.
"Pretty sure this is one of the King's assets." My father answered.
Azrael ran over to us, "What? Really?" She asked very loudly, causing us all to turn to her.
We all shush her as my father starts to explain. "These footprints belong to a Drakonic. They usually weigh about eight hundred, sometimes thousands of pounds." My father explains as he gestures to a few crevices in the footprint. "I assume these are parts of the Drakonic foot crevices or scales. If it was a Blighted Drakonic, the footprint would've been different. This footprint was made recently."
The sound of water dropping filled the cavern walls as Thomas approached us. "If there's a Drakonic down here with us, it would cause massive problems," Thomas whispered.
"Agreed. Drakonics are known for brute force and might, not stealth. This nest is already unstable enough," Lord Dimmal whispered. "If there is a Drakonic here, we would've known already."
A roar echoed throughout the cavern, originating deeper in. I wasn't scared. I can't be scared this time.
Soon, another headache throbbed into my head again, but I forced myself to ignore it. "Looks like we aren't alone," I whispered as I grabbed the handle of my sword and unsheathed it.
Marching my way into the darkness, my father tagged along as I heard him use his magic to make a blue orb of light that hovered over us all so we could see. Soon, Thomas and Lord Dimmal walked up right behind me, almost like a formation, as we watched our steps.
Our formation was me, Thomas, Lord Dimmal, my father, and Azrael. I was more surprised that Azrael was in the back, but I guess it makes sense since my father would need someone to cover him.
I watched my step closely as the ground was wet, not wanting to slip. My heart raced as I started to feel uneasy. My gut clenched inward as I moved forward, listening to our footsteps echo throughout the cavern. Each breath I took was cold and almost raspy. It was hard to hear and see; squinting my eyes as I lifted my sword.
"Will," my father whispered from behind. "I should lead."
Before I could say anything, the wall erupted with a loud screeching noise. Thomas pulled me back, and my eyes widened in shock, my heart pounding as I breathed fast. A massive worm emerged with a horrendous maw layered with rows of teeth. Its skin was slimy brown, covered in mud and black veins. It didn't see us as it burrowed into the other side of the cavern.
Sighing loudly in relief, the giant worm scared the shit out of me. "Thanks, Thomas," I mumbled quickly to Thomas as he patted my back. That worm must be what makes these nests, I assume. It makes sense to me, that is.
Scared the hell out of me though
My father ran up to the front of us and said, "Let me." I didn't get a chance to debate as he started to walk farther in. Everyone else followed behind.
Glaring in disappointment, mainly at myself for being scared. Grunting to myself, I push forward with Azrael next to me. The cavern walls start to narrow down. Soon, spider webs started to make up the cavern walls, sending goosebumps up my arm.
Fucking spiders. The way they scuttled across the ground is disturbing.
Another screech erupted in front of us, followed by a clicking sound. Gripping my sword tightly as I kick away the web that blocked my steps. I could see Thomas and my father looking down at the passageway on the floor.
Looking over to Azrael, holding her sword, hand trembling.
Isn't she a noble? Why is she nervous?
Placing my hand on her shoulder, providing reassurance. Letting go, I walked up to my father as Lord Dimmal jumped down into the passage first. Thomas followed behind as my father gestured to me to go next.
Nodding, I jumped down and landed without much of a hiccup. I took a step forward as I froze in place.
A massive spider stood menacingly, casting an unsettling silhouette against the dimly lit caverns. Its enormous body was covered with a grotesque black carapace, giving it an eerie sheen that filled me with dread. Thick, pulsating black veins ran visibly under its exoskeleton, feeding into every limb and leading to its bulbous abdomen.
Its eight legs were just as massive, having a faint etheric glow where the Blight corruption had taken hold. The end of each leg had a claw-like tip as its joints twitched sporadically as if the corruption was barely contained, its movements unnervingly fluid and fast. Each sudden jolt of movement left a loud cracking sound, similar to when I popped my knuckles.
The abdomen was grossly enlarged and misshapen, warped into a lethal, spear-like point. It seemed to pulsate, almost glowing in a rhythm, almost like a heartbeat, as I could suddenly feel its ripples, unholy magic.
The eyes left me in shock. They were countless and cold, resembling pools of dark oil with a single narrow iris down the middle, reflecting no light. Just looking at them made me shiver all the way to my bones. Its mandibles were warped, and the maw behind them spat out a viscous black sticky liquid that sizzled upon contact with the wall.
Looking at the wall in front of it, a webbed cocoon was latched onto the wall. The black liquid from the spider was magically flowing into the cocoon, and a single arm was stretched out of it.
Was it feeding?
"What in Omara?" Lord Dimmal said out loud. The spider heard us and turned its head towards us. Its iris stared into our souls but then looked back at the cocoon. "This is no ordinary fiend."
Dread gripped me as I watched in horror as the spider ate the poor soul that was trapped. I thought about fighting it out in the open like in Hearthglen. The thought made me shiver, the idea of the people I lived with being in that cocoon. Being eat, it made me sick.
How can something be so cruel? How can such evil exist?
I wanted to move, to do something, anything, but my body wasn't letting me. I noticed no one doing anything, either. It knew we were here, and it didn't care. It wasn't like any other fiend I heard about. It scared me. I could feel my body tremble with each and every attempt to move.
I hated myself. I hated this fear I was feeling. I hated myself for being scared. Nothing would change if I couldn't move and do something.
I soon saw the victim's arms move, their hands clenching and unclenching.
They're alive!
That snapped me out as I charged at the spider, gritting my teeth and swallowing my fears. My heart slammed, begging me to stop, but I didn't listen.
"Will, Stop!" my father yelled, but I ignored it.
The spider turned its head at me, but it was already too late as I slammed my sword into its leg. It was more durable than I realized, but I still cut through it. A loud, ear-piercing screech erupted from its mouth, almost resembling a baby's wail. Its roar nearly left me in despair, but I resisted as I cut down another leg.
The ground rumbled as the spider tilted over from lack of balance and stumbled over the cavern, but that didn't stop it from attacking. Using its remaining legs, it tried to step on me with its massive legs, sending tiny quakes into the ground. I sidestep each time, avoiding a direct hit as I swung my sword back. My body lunges forward as I feel the ground beneath me move back.
Air blew past me as I slid across the ground, watching the spider slam its body down. Luckily, I wasn't there, thanks to my father. The spider turned back towards me and opened its maw to spit out black liquid. I didn't have anything to block all of it. Luckily, I didn't have to, as a pillar of ice erupted before me.
It felt like Azrael's magic.
Thomas and Lord Dimmal came rushing to my side. "Fucking idiot!" Thomas yelled as his blade ignited a blaze as he charged at the spider. It kept spitting black liquid at him, but his flaming blade evaporated before it could touch him.
My father provided cover as he shot for the spider's eyes. Shaking my head from the sudden disorientation, I ran back at the spider as Thomas drew its attention while Lord Dimmal struck at its head. However, despite losing two legs, it was very agile.
Each step it took forced me or Lord Dimmal back, narrowing and avoiding its attack. I caught it off guard before; this time, it was ready. Swinging my sword at a leg, however, it was far more durable than before. My sword bounced off it easily, as I figured it was channeling magic. The spider took notice of me once more, lunging forward at me.
Leaping out of the way as its mandibles slam into the ground, Lord Dimmal climbs up its back as I slash at its side. "Azrael, slow it down!" Lord Dimmal said as he slammed his sword into the midsection that held the spider's abdomen to its upper body.
Magic arrows slammed into the spider's eyes. It screeched out in pain, thrashing all over as Thomas and I tried to stay clear of its legs and black goo. Azrael came from behind as she froze one of the legs. Thomas ran over to her and swung his sword at the frozen leg, cutting it off in a blazing spectacle.
The spider tried to attack Thomas, but I drew its attention as my father covered me, using magic to drag the ground beneath my feet away from specific attacks. My heart pounded as I narrowly dodged its mandibles, my sword bouncing off them. Much to my annoyance, the next time it tried to slam its teeth at me, I sidestep in time to send my fist into its side.
It reared back as everyone stepped back. With a loud ting, a needle popped out of its abdomen, swinging it underneath it, and aimed it at me. Before I could blink, webbing shot out at me. I could move mostly out of the way, but my arm was caught as I was sent flying back, my vision going blank momentarily.
Opening my eyes, I felt my arm stuck in webbing. I tugged on the webs, trying to free myself from its warm, sticky grips. The spider roared as Lord Dimmal continued to hack at it.
Thomas didn't let up as he made the floor erupt in flames beneath the spider. Azrael covered the floor in ice, making the spider slip onto the fire—a clever tactic, as my father completely blinded it.
Finally, after freeing my arm, I ran back into the battle. "William, to me!" Lord Dimmal commanded as I jumped onto the spider's head. Balancing myself as I run down its back, I throw my hand towards Lord Dimmal. He took my hand and pulled me towards him, his sword still impaled into the spider. "Pour magic into the sword!" Hearing his words, I nodded as I grabbed its handle and poured my magic into it.
A bright blue light beamed out of the spider as it finally stopped thrashing around and clasped onto the floor.
It was over. Whatever this thing was, it was now dead. I was content with that as the cavern went silent. The tremors from the spider steps were replaced by an odd feeling that left me on edge. My body slightly ached, mostly my legs, but that wasn't from the fighting.
Sighing out loud, I let go of Lord Dimmal's blade, allowing him to take it. I stood up to stretch slightly as I inhaled. The smell of burnt rotting flesh made me nauseous. Swallowing down my feelings, I ran to the cocoon the spider was feeding on. Grabbing onto the sticky webbing, I pulled as hard as possible as the cocoon tore off the wall and onto the ground.
"Will, stop," my father yelled as I tried to pry open the cocoon. "There's no way that they are alive."
I ignored him. Something told me he was alive. "What type of fiend was that, Dimmal?" I overheard Thomas. My head started to hurt, so it was hard to make out.
"Never seen a fiend like that. Nor behave in such a manner." Lord Dimmal answered. "The Blight only infects and corrupts, not do whatever this thing was."
After finally tearing open the cocoon, I saw a young man with red hair breathing. "He's alive."
"The hell?" my father said as I heard everyone's footsteps approaching me. "How is he alive?"
The individual coughed as I cut open the rest of his cocoon. He wore fancy red cotton clothing. Too fancy… He was noble.
"I know him," Azrael said with surprise. "His name is Sanguine. He is a diplomat from another country. But how did he get all the way out here?"
Loud screeches could be heard as I pulled on Sanguine's arm, holstering him off the ground. The screeches got louder and louder.
We can't stay here.
Azrael started to panic as the screeching got closer. "Where are the two that King Ryu sent?" Azrael cried out in concern as she readied herself, and the fiends' screeches shook the cavern.
"They must be dead!" Lord Dimmal answered back.
My father took aim at the entrance to our room. "We have to retreat."
"Did the King send us here to die?" Azrael asked, her voice filled with frustration. "We should've tried to escape."
"Omara?" Thomas said over all the loud noise.
"Thomas?" I asked as I turned to him.
A chimney rang as I saw Thomas's eyes start to blacken out. Identical to those two riders back in Hearthglen.
"Thomas?" I yelled.
A loud crack formed under my feet as I suddenly started to fall.