Two bone shields form in my hand. I'm standing in a clearing of trees as ten shrills come plummeting at my exposed self. My mind is clear, and my senses are focused. A thick silk band around my head blocks the shrieks threatening to bleed my ears. I stay still and ready myself for the incoming attack.

Ten lizard bats strike at my shields as I dance under cover of their protection. My shield absorbs a hit from the front pushing my feet back only for my shield to intercept a claw coming for my neck. My waist bends, reducing the shock of the blow, and my left arm must quickly adjust to catch the two attacks aimed at my back.

I spin to deflect two more hits and use the momentum to lightly bash a batzard. My shields cover my head as a torrential downpour of razor claws begins striking from above. Under my turtle shell, I weather the storm. I only drop my cover when the surge trickles into silence.

Through a thin fog of shadow, I see ten shrills wrapped up tightly in webbing, motionless. How do you all eat so much? I thought I was a glut. This, however, takes it to a whole new level, I ask the barely noticeable Noth — choosing thought speech over talk speech. Having to choose between the two is weird, but that's my life these days. Just like watching a bunch of spiders catching things and eating, longer sends the creeps crawling through my body.

Noth folds her arms and gives my question more thought than it deserves. I don't think we are actually consuming. At least not in the way you are imagining. Thankfully she responds mentally, allowing me to keep my cool headband covering my ears. Our venom turns our prey into a type of mana. We only take in the energy and strengthen our core when we absorb them.

Noth's new transformation has been remarkably unremarkable. The bland spider standing beside me has no distinct features about her other than she's now bipedal and much less spidery. Besides that, she looks like a generic clone of the most basic spider. Her simple looks are extraordinary. Often it is easy to not notice the spider is even there most of the time. Not like Cher, though; Cher just can't be seen — like the worst type of spider. You know it's there, but it is not at the same time.

Kelly and Apper are the only two spiders that haven't hit their awakened stage. The two spiders energetically consume shrills growing and changing after each one. Anticipation is thick in the air. The awakened sisters are anxious for the last of them to join their ranks.

The nearly bipedal feasting duo are on their fourth shrill when the earth begins to shake. Tumultuous rumbles rip down the mountain that's covering our back. In a haze of shadow and dirt, large boulders rush down the hill — crushing the thin trees forced to defy them.

"Take cover!" Yells Gene trying to organize the frozen spiders. Still in the thick of their feasting, Apper and Kelly have yet to notice the rushing doom. Noth and Cher are quick to burrow into one of their tunnels. Tress and Fen rush to their unaware sisters to pull them to safety.

I cover Noth and Cher's burrow with thick bone plating before moving to aid Tress and Fen. The two arachnoids are dragging the mana-dazed spiders, sporadically trying to find proper cover. The earthy thunder growls louder with each passing second. My heart is racing to outpace the landside headed our way.

Erratically I begin summoning thick bone walls. There is no plan, just wall after wall. After I place all I can, I rush back to the struggling arachnoids dragging their larger sisters to safety. By the time I get to Tress, Fen has already delivered Apper to safety. I begin summoning a thick bone dome to cover us as the rocks, dirt, and trees start tearing through my walls.

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"No, Fen!" my yell breaks into a scream as I try to discourage Fen from protecting. Walls are collapsing as Fen spins a protective web over Apper's burrow. There isn't enough room for them both to be covered. Gene is diving out of the sky, trying to reach the exposed arachnoid. She isn't going to make it.

I leave the dome giving it one last protective shell, and sprint toward Fen. I wrap her in my arms with as much bone shelling around us as possible right when rock and dirt drill into us. We feel every bit of the impact as we are trampled and tossed about in the wild slurry. The bone shell cracks upon impact, and I send more mana into it, commanding it to hold.

My stomach nearly jumps out my mouth as we begin violently rolling aimlessly down the hillside. More cracks are created with each new impact. My head is ringing, and my body feels broken. I no longer focus on the breaks and am pumping out death mana. Fen is lifeless in my arms. At one point, I think I hear bone cracking, but I'm unsure if it's mine or hers.

As suddenly as the landslide arrived, it ends. Though we are not longing to roll, my head can't stop spinning. I wait for the world to return to balance before I let the shell around us dissolve. There is too much dust in the air to see clearly, so I let my perception be my senses.

Badly broken and frail, Fen is holding on to a sliver of life. With the bit of healing power that I have, I begin pumping life back into her. Her recovery is slow and unsure. Still, I keep pouring in life even as demons surround us.

These aren't like the beast demons I encountered in the shadow realm. Well... there are some of those, but among them are also insidious humanoids looking very hungry. Before we are surrounded, I try to pull us into shadow only to find the way is blocked. The shadowy forest is filled with mad cackling and devious growls. Red, white, and yellow eyes stalk each of our retreating steps back up the hill.

Fen wakes in a panic. I hold her tight, keeping her from leaving my side. We were pushed off the hill and are now surrounded by demons. I bring her up to speed by telling her everything she already knows. Are you able to fight?

I need some shields. Fen's thoughts, though weary and panicked, are determined. I summon two large kite shields for her and then give her four smaller ones for her supporting arms.

Stay close and keep your guard up. I don't know why I bother mentioning the thoughts. Once again, I add nothing Fen doesn't already know. Still, sometimes it is better to say something than nothing at all, even if that something is nothing that hasn't already been said.

"Hello, demons," I finally greet our crowding company.

Cut out from the mold of the generic mold is a sizeable mantis-looking humanoid. The demon has a triangular head with buggy eyes on the top corners. A multitude of redundant fangs fills its mouth on a head that looks far too small for the bulbous body it rests upon. Wings extend off its back, and replacing its primary arms are sharp blades. The mantis slicer doesn't respond. I just note that the creepy fiend will be the first to fall to my boney blades.

Next to the mantis is a more human-looking bull thing. If my senses are to be trusted, it is a minotaur, which apparently means man-bull. Though to be more correct, this one looks and is clad more femininely. So maybe a person-bull.

The woman bull is the first to respond to my kind greetings with a friendly spear she launches at my head. My hands move to catch the spear coming at me way too fast when the projectile is blocked by one of Fen's round shields.

"Nette's bollocks," Fen curses as she drops her broken shield and shakes her injured limb that sports a cold hue.

I curse her inopportune intervention silently and resort to returning fire with a sword toss. Undoubtedly, returning the spear back to the sender would have been cooler. However, severing the buggy head off of Slicer is an equally impressive retort.

With the drop of the mantis head, the patient demons descend into chaos.