Chapter 30: Down With The Queen!
One Month Later.
*Suck* *Suck* *Suck* *Suck*
In the maw of the Matriarch, I squeaked. Pinging the cavernous surroundings no longer filled with spiders. In my time of captivity, the Queen laid no new eggs. Fed none of her brood, her one and only purpose in life now devolved to sucking on my rubber body.
Her kingdom was now in despair, her subjects starving, dead, or docile with most of her livestock of capruxas eaten by her minions.
Yet, despite that, the mind of the Matriarch wasn’t broken. At least, not in the manner I wanted it.
In the month since Chloe’s evolution, there had been a bug uprising, a small revolt, one to steal me away from the Matriarch’s jaws to break her addiction, to rid her of the parasite that was me.
Yet that was put down quickly by the queen’s large appendages and magic prowess, proving to me that the oversized bug was not to be taken lightly even in her weakened and deprived state.
The battle had lasted merely seconds, the Queen unleashing beams of mana from each of her hundred eyeballs. On top of her laser eyes, the queen also spewed acid, melting her own minions as she conjured dozens of magical sigils to shock, freeze, and set flame to the rebellion.
They never stood a chance.
Thankfully, with my acid immunity, I remained unharmed throughout the ordeal, the enemy numbers dwindled and valuable intel gained from being so close to the action.
*Suck* *Suck* *Suck* *Suck*
And now, with only her juggernaut and the few hundred loyalists that remained docile to her will, it was finally time.
I reached out, my mind delivering but a single command in the air that spoke one word.
Attack.
After what felt like an eternity, a purple smoke began to creep into the cavern, a poisonous smog that was by no means natural.
The Queen shifted, reacting to the magical energy but paying no mind as she continued sucking.
Fun fact, spiders, like most insects breathe oxygen. But they are the only ones that breathe simultaneously with lungs and trachea, intaking air from the bottom of their bodies.
A bottom that touched the floor EHEHEHEHEHEEHE.
Outside the Spider Monarch's domain, at the entrance of the cave, Chloe stood in a silk-spun gown, the skeletal mage emitting smog from its core as Dave, Hector, and my slimes worked in unison to generate a wind current using makeshift fans.
It was… comical, and perhaps not the most effective way to start an attack, but it worked.
And that's all that mattered.
I let out a squeak, my rubber sound pinging my surroundings with the various spiders skittering about in a mad frenzy.
They knew. Despite their Queen's uncaring pacifism, the spiders still possessed self preservation skills and in their endeavor to save themselves they scrambled out of the caves.
Just as planned.
Slimey was up, leading my slimes. Acting as the vanguard with Chloe preparing a spell to cut the suffocating spider's avenue of escape.
With my pseudo machine gunners lined up, a torrent of death was unleashed, cutting the arachnids down mercilessly and whittling their numbers until the armored spiders appeared.
This wasn't going to be like last time.
I reached out, my consciousness hopping from my shell into slime-covered Hector as Chloe chanted, her body glowing with sigils before releasing her spell.
Fire bolt.
With a simple spark, the smog ignited, the entire cave exploding with flames that consumed every creature within.
Now as Hector, I took off, racing into the flame coated tunnel. Daggers in hand, I charged the armored arachnids forming a phalanx, the insects unleashing magical attacks in my direction despite being on fire.
A testament to their devotion to their monarch? Perhaps, but it wouldn't matter as I removed their stain from the world.
I deftly dodged, shifting left and right, Hector's uncanny dodge ability augmenting my movements to avoid the magical attacks.
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There was a millisecond delay, close calls where I'd almost get hit but after months of piloting the skeleton, I finally knew how to account for the delay.
Avoiding a mana blast, I bounced off a nearby wall, using the resounding explosion as a springboard to land on an Artillery bug’s head.
My daggers plunged into its beady skull, knife in its eyes socket, the other, its maw. With one slick movement, I twisted my wrists, popping its armored skull open to expose its brain.
Then I leapt, the bug phalanx distracted, attempting to intercept me only to have their injured companion have its exposed brain crushed under Dave's fist.
Dave was behind me now, the ten foot tall crocodile girl leaping into the fray as I broke through the enemy ranks.
A Phalanx bug charged her, lifting its armored appendages, forcing Dave to catch both legs with her muscular arms bulging.
As she entered into a contest of strength, another Phalanx bug charged, its arm cracking Dave’s chitin armor but mistakenly releasing an ooze.
Suddenly a slime shot out of the armor, entering her assailant’s mouth.
The spider began to spasm, screech, gurgle, the cleaning slime forcing its way down the monster's throat before solidifying and bursting the bug's organs from the inside out.
Dave let out a roar, taking a step forward, her injuries being healed by Slimey as the crocotaurus began to lift the armored arachnid.
“DIE!!!” Dave screamed, the first I'd ever heard her speak. The green-haired giantess ripped the armored bug's arms off, spewing green ick everywhere before she began to beat the poor monster to death in a fit of rage using her new weapons.
FORWARD! I ordered with my army charging through the smoldering flames.
Carving our way through, it wasn't long before we entered the Queen’s chambers.
DODGE! I sent, my monsters scattering immediately as the Queen fired beams of lasers from her eyes and the Juggernaut charged.
Six minutes. That's how much time I had.
Eyeing the Queen, she and my body remained unscathed from the smog explosion, no doubt protected by her magical power. Her Juggernaut on the other hand, was looking crispy, the oversized brown bug black and burnt all over with wounds still sizzling.
Keep distance and keep moving! Don't bunch up! I ordered, narrowly avoiding a beam of energy that shaved off part of my lower ribcage and disintegrated a slime.
My minions were flooding in now, the plan being to engage the Juggernaut before taking on the monarch herself.
First, we needed to restrict its movements, hence where the slimes coating my body came in.
Unlike the other blue slimes, these purified creatures weren't my minions but draftees, and they would serve the purpose that I needed them to.
I grabbed one of the gelatinous masses adorning my body, the creature attempting to dissolve flesh off my bones that didn't exist and hurled it at the Juggernaut’s joints as it was being harassed by my spiders and Dave.
Immediately the sentient ooze went to work, sticking, grabbing, the creatures unable to be shaken off due to their pouresous nature and ability to cling on anything.
It wasn't much, but every bit helped as the Juggernaut began to buck, smashing and pulverizing the cavern floor.
Next, my spiders danced around, spewing webs that entrapped the slimes, binding them to the joints of the Spider Monarch’s champion to further bog the Titan down.
Slimey then entered the chambers, the Holy Slime’s body immediately turning crimson as her eyes went round.
“YOU DARE?! YOU DARE?! YOU DARE DEFILE MY LORD HUSBAND WITH YOUR PERVERTED UNCLEAN MOUTH?!!! ” Slimey screamed, a sudden flux of rage-filled energy that detonated from my champion's body. “I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED YOUR FREE TRIAL OF LIFE!!! BECAUSE IT JUST BEEN CANCELED!”
Oh boy.
Chloe!!!
As Slimey immediately shot off to retrieve me, a barrier of force energy erupted from the cavern floor, intercepting the holy priestess who splattered against the invisible wall.
“MY LORD!!!” Slimey cried as a multitude of beams disintegrated my champion.
Or would have, if not for the barrier of blue magic that blocked the attack.
This is where Chloe came in.
Chloe: Skeleton Orb Mage LvL: 6
HP: 90/90
MP: 374/490
Skills: Undead. Souls Vision LvL 2, Minor Illusion LvL 1, False Life LvL 1, Mage Armour LvL 1, Ray of Sickness LvL 2, Fire Bolt LvL 3, Shocking Grasp LvL 1, Chilling Touch LvL 1, True Strike LvL 1, Telekinesis LvL 3, Impalement LvL 1, Dust Blast LvL 1, Decaying Touch LvL 1, Bone Cage LvL 2, Magick Bolt LvL 3, Fire Infusion LvL 2, Cold Infusion LvL 2, Lightning Infusion LvL 2, Necrotic Infusion LvL1, Fester LvL 1, Levitate LvL 1, Innate Phylactery, Spontaneous Caster. Magic Chant LvL 3, Gem Missile LvL 1, Recorder, Curse LvL 1, Cause Fear LvL 1, Mote of Light LvL 1, Mana Surge, Spark LvL 2, Blunt Barrier LvL 1, Bone Wall LvL 1, Nightmare LvL 1, Aura of Decay LvL 1, Reverse Life LvL 1, Emite Smog LvL 2. Emite Force LvL 1, Force Barrier LvL 4, Mana Barrier LvL 6.
Unlike other skills, magic spells and skills grew so long as they were used. One could always level up and gain new spells, but without application, the spells would never reach their full potential.
So for a month straight, I had Chloe leveling up, practicing certain spells, spamming them day in and out just for this singular moment.
To keep Slimey in check and to spell guard the Monarch's attacks.
Four minutes.
CALM YOURSELF! I barked with authority, chastising Slimey who immediately changed colors from red to pink then to purple, her psyche undergoing various emotions.
Go! Protect Chloe! I ordered as the Juggernaut turned its attention to the spellcaster.
Then, my Capruxas came charging into the chambers, each one now swollen to the size of an earth bull with a red-eyed spider riding them. On their large curved horns, thick ropes of webs, one end connected to the Capruxas with the other ends held in the mandibles of the spiders.
The trio of green monsters encircled the Juggernaut, the spiders firing strong blasts of webbing that carried with it the rope that struck their target.
My other spiders went to work, adding their webs to the mix, Dave herself leaping in front of the Titan and smacking it with her skill Iron Tail.
The Juggernaut grunted, raising its forward leg that was then enveloped by Slimey, the monster expanding her form to encompass the entire appendage while my green piggys brought down the walking tank.
Two minutes.
Chloe dispelled the force barrier, allowing me through as the juggernaut suddenly found itself wrapped in ropes, webs, and slimes, its head being repeatedly headbutted by Dave.
Well, well, well, a Queen with no subjects. I sent, returning the words spoken to me back to the massive Spider holding my body hostage.