Harkon woke up next morning to Pado growling, which was never a good sign, He looked out his window only to find white, not snow though, no, it was more akin to a thick cotton that covered the entire house. He walked downstairs walked over to his kitchen and started making breakfast, when he had toasted break and some salmon he walked over to his new chair and started eating, when he finished he got up and casually strolled to the door, he opened it, many threads snapping as he pulled it open and walked through the webs, his body not relenting an instant and the webbing snapped he grabbed the blanket of web that stook to him and tore it off, tossing it aside, the massive spider in his yard that was nearly as big as his house was a new sight, and the level of the spider demon raise his eyebrows, so far as he could sense it was at least his level, though so was the lightning drake he killed in the war with the high elves so he wasn't exactly worried. it held up a pair of mantis-like limbs that ended in long curved and jagged blades and attempted to slash him in half, he dodged it and threw a punch, his fist colliding with it's leg, causing it to snap like a particularly brittle pipe. the creature shrieked and it's two front legs swept at him from the sides, He caught the blades though his hands did bleed and looked up at the massive monster, he tossed one aside ripped it's blade off of it's leg and turned swung it to the side, the jagged metal tearing through the creatures leg slicing it off. it shrieked and swung it's other front leg, though it clashed with Harkon's own spider blade, he parried it to the side and sliced the second one off, the creature seeing it's death looked at him with rage, it's mouth started to foam and it shot a spray of toxic white foam from it's mouth which Harkon avoided by rushing underneath it's body and dragged the blade across it's abdomen, thick yellow Hemolymph gushed from the wound causing the massive black spider to shriek and just as it started to dye it started dissolving into black flecks of ash and so did the massive blade in Harkon's grip much to his disappointment. when it was completely gone, he saw the dark elves cane in the ground in the middle of a truly massive blood summoning sigil, a note was placed between the spiders mandibles. 'If you're reading this, The Aracholov is dead, congratulations, but while you were sleeping fighting and or drinking, I've been setting up for an assault on the village, your life for theirs, my employer demands blood and only yours will sate it. make your choice brute. -sincerely Nezzrath the black spider.
Harkon looked at the cane and kicked it, it flew of into the distance and crashed into the side of the mountain causing it to stick into the stone, he turned back and started toward the village, his fists clenched, He only heard Pado crunching up beside him in the snow, he stopped and realized he was planning to march two miles to the village, he turned back toward the sled and held out a hand, his battleaxe crashed through the upstairs window and flew into his hand, he walked over to his sled and tied Pado on and rode off down the road, as he rode he saw a few large spiders like yesterday skittering along the rode, one lunged at him though he cut it in half with the battleaxe, this repeated with nearly fifty spiders trying to slow him down but he made it to the village and found it in ruin, webbing wrapped the buildings and cocoons swung from the gates to the city, some still moving, others deathly still. he travelled through the town killing spiders and freeing anyone still alive. eventually he got to the village leader's house where two cocoons were hanging, the large one was still though the smaller one was wriggling around. Harkon swung his axe at the threads holding the cocoon up and caught the falling girl, he used his buck knife to carve open the chrysalis and she threw a punch at him, though it didn't do much, when she realized who he was she stopped punching, and looked at her father's cocoon, she roughly took the knife from his grip though he practically gave it to her with how light his grip on it was. "You don't want to see that." He said, but he didn't move to stop her either.
"I need to get him out of there..." She said, and started trying to cut through the tough cottony webbing. it took nearly five minutes but she finally opened it up and tore it open and saw the half liquified form of her father, half his face was frozen in a scream the other half was nothing but skull, she wept for what felt like hours but must have been only twenty minutes, Harkon finally put a hand on her shoulder and she wept into his knee, that's when he made his decision.
He heard a voice behind him, "How heart warming, frankly I didn't think you'd get past master Nezz's Arachnolov I mean it is a minor guardian, but bravo, guess that means I have to take care of you." Harkon turned seeing another man, this one in blue robes and had the face of Bernard the former village leader even had his hat, he was leaning against a doorframe of a building, shadows hid half of his face, he held a cane in his hand though this one was made of glass. He had on spectacles with darkened lenses like the other man as well. "He told me not to, but I want to see how strong you are for myself, if Nezz had to call me here you must have been bad news, the fact I don't see his band of mercs anywhere tells me they're probably dead."
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Vahrith, Class, Battlemage, Specialization, Venomancer, Level 9.
Harkon made a throaty growl in his chest. "You should have listened to him." He got up, picking up his axe as he did, then after pushing the girl inside her house he whistled and Pado walked over and sat in front of the door while Harkon marched over to the man and swung his axe though he disappeared into dark mist and reappeared into a nearby shadow. he walked over to the new spot where he reappeared the building creaking and collapsing behind him, he craned back his arms and threw the axe at the man, who disappeared again, Harkon narrowly dodged a skeletal hand that flew at him, it radiated necrotic energy. he turned recalling his axe and swung it at the man who teleported again, his axe smashed through a nearby tree. "You know what her father said before he was killed?" The fake Bernard said into his ear before teleporting away again as Harkon swung again.
"He said he was sorry. How pathetic, I don't get you humans, so fucking sentimental!" He said and laughed as he swung his glass cane watching as Harkon turned blocking a strike from the man's glass cane though he blocked it, it didn't shatter, it was like it was made of steel. Harkon threw a kick but the man just shadow stepped again. and once again a spectral skeletal hand shot from the man's palm though Harkon once again side stepped that and blew a strand of long brown hair out of his face. He saw the fakes anger flare slightly at the casual attitude of Harkon and his seeming disregard for the man's attacks. so he pressed both of his hands together and sprayed a spray of poison toward him, the white foam went sailing toward him, though a swipe of his axe turned it into a snowlike frozen powder for the rest he just closed his eyes and covered his face as it continued it's trajectory toward him though his axe did redirect some of hit. "You know, I saw you cared for that girl, maybe I'll feed her to my master's pets once I'm done with you." He said, summoning a spectral sword that launched itself at him, Harkon dodged but the sword stopped in midair and swung back at him, Hark gritted his teeth and saw the spectral greatsword cut through his shoulder, it's blade made of pure energy encountered no resistance. Harkon swung his axe and it hit with a loud clang and sent the armament flying into the sky. He looked at the man and raised his axe, he brought it down to the ground shouting. "Avalanche!"
a massive wall of ice crashed into the fake village leader. and he was impaled on the end of one of the spikes, the man's fake face disappeared revealing the gaunt pale face of a doppelganger. "Well human, you want to finish me? I ain't gonna kill myself you know." He said, tearing his stomach off of the ice spike.
Harkon marched forward and raised his axe, but a female dark elf came out of nowhere with a pair of black knives, she threw something into the ice wall and black smoke filled the area causing Harkon to lose track of both of them, and when the smoke cleared the pair were gone gone.
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Vahrith leaned against the rock in a cave, Vethiria was patching his wound, which was exceptionally bad. "Dumbass, you disobeyed our master, he'll have your head on a spike if we fail, the pay off is too good for this contract."
Vethiria, Class, Rogue, Specialization, Assassin, level 10
Vahrith sighed. "I just had to test him, I'm more than confident we can take him, he's just an old barbarian bagged down by a little girl, what threat could he possibly be, besides I was kicking his ass." He yelped as Vethiria used a needle to stitch the wound shut using spider silk as thread.
"Yeah, I can see that." She said rolling her eyes, as she continued sewing.
Vahrith grunted. "Well, I was until he did that bullshit, what kind of barbarian can use spells anyways."
Vethiria tied the thread off and patted him on the back knowing it hurt like hell. "The kind you don't take on alone."
"I see you disobeyed my order Vahrith, I'm sure Vethiria already lectured you so I won't go through the trouble." Vahrith looked up seeing Nezzrath, his black widow resting on his shoulder as per usual. He walked over to them. "So, was it worth it? you've wounded yourself before our real fight could actually begin."
Vahrith closed his eyes. "Damn it master, can't you just take a win when you see it?"
Nezzrath frowned and looked at Vahrith who held up a doll, the same doll that was hooked to harkon's belt. "The man's gonna have his attention split, he's trying to protect a girl, which we can use to make him surrender, if we take her hostage and put a knife to her throat, I'm sure he'll give up." Vahrith said, before throwing the doll to the ground.
Nezzrath smiled slightly. "I've taught you well, alright, I'll leave that up to you. Me and Vethiria will take on the brute you focus on taking the girl. We will not lose again."