> The inventory is a particularily interesting feature of the System. Some say it is a space within your very soul. Others say that there is a pocket dymension warehouse somewhere, filled with cubbies that are directly related to each Integrated oragnism. Something something quantum entaglement. Whatever it is, we know a few things for a fact: the amount you can store in there is directly proportional to your Strength attribute, if you put too much in there and not take the excess out you will die, and you can't put anything living in there.
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> - Excerpt from SYBI, Chapter 4: Inventory Management: Because You Can’t Carry Everything
The arachnid was behind us, but I didn't dare look back. All I heard was the click-clack of metal on metal as it chased us.
Running was hard on the best of days. It was even harder running through the forest with the underbrush and tree roots getting in the way and what looked like a mechanical spider hot on our heels. Laura was pulling me and Tobi with a death grip on our arms. I was sure it would have left a bruise if we didn't heal so freakishly quickly.
I heard a gross spitting sound and Tobi screamed and fell to the ground. We stopped and turned around to see his leg caught in the web the monster hurled at him.
Laura didn't hesitate and sprung into action, pelting the thing with her slingshot. It didn't seem to do much damage the ammo just bounced off the metallic exoskeleton. I focused on the monster to prompt the description box.
Morgian Zarnex, level 7
A mechanical arachnid predator with an armoured exoskeleton and a drive to hunt down its prey. Keep an eye out for those mandibles! They are kind of sharp.
"Shit! That thing is level 7!" I yelled out and threw myself between my fellow cabin dwellers and the monster. I acted on pure instinct and snapped my whip around the base of one of its legs. If I weren't so terrified I would have been impressed.
The Zarnex let out a growl and seemed to be more annoyed than injured, despite being reduced to seven legs. Tobi was still stuck on the ground, trying to carve himself out of the webbing with his knife, but the blade kept slipping from his sweaty hands.
"Laura! Help him!" I said and wrapped my whip around another one of the creature's legs.
But Laura was already on it. She rushed towards Tobi and pulled her own knife from her inventory. Together they furiously worked on the strands
I pulled the whip towards me but the monster somehow twisted its leg free and jumped back out of my reach. It became obvious that it was a trick I wouldn't be able to recreate.
"This thing is smart!"
"No shit, Dee!" Laura piped up as she cut more of the webbing.
The Zarnex hissed and lunged forward. I barely dodged its mandibles, dropping on the side and bruising my ribs in the process. I managed to get back up before the ugly sack of metal turned around for another attempt. My heart was in my throat as I snapped my whip again, this time aiming for its face. The steel tip made contact with the only fleshy part - the eyes. The creature let out an otherworldly hiss of pain and stumbled back.
"Done!", Laura let me know and Tobi scrambled onto his wobbling feet.
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"Go!" I yelled, gripping the whip tighter as I turned to face the beast again. "I'll try to distract it!"
"Don't be stupid Dee!" Laura pulled out the charred steel net we used against the Rabidashers and threw it at the Zarnex. The move did nothing to trap the monster, other than making it seemingly more pissed off. It sliced through it like through a cotton sheet and readied itself to attack again.
I beat it to the punch and whipped at it again, missing its face this time. The whip just bounced off its damned carapace.
"Dee, we have to run!" Laura shouted, her voice panicked. She grabbed Tobi's arm and steadied him. "Now!"
I hesitated for a moment. My arms ached from the repeated whipping and fear was starting to claw its way through the adrenaline. This wasn’t a fight we could win, not without a miracle, or at least a better plan. Staying almost certainly meant becoming a juicy fly on this thing's web.
Laura and Tobi began sprinting in the direction of the cabin. I cracked the whip again to buy some time and bolted after them. The beast was once more right behind us.
I ran and hoped that being half blind and having one less leg would slow it down, and it did a bit. But it was only a matter of time before it caught up. I could see the tree line and the grassy clearing after it.
"Faster!" Laura yelled, practically dragging her son behind her. My heart pounded in my ears as metallic legs hit the forest floor behind us. I took a glance behind me and saw the monster preparing to pounce.
"Turn right!" I yelled, and Tobi and Laura did as told. It was just in time because the big spider jumped straight, missing again. It did hit the tree trunk, though, and let out a hiss of frustration. I figured its depth perception was off because of the missing eye. But then again, I knew nothing about spiders and their ophthalmology.
In another heartbeat, we were out of the forest and the cabin stood in the middle of the clearing as a beacon of hope. All we had to do was run another 300 meters and we'd be safe.
Unfortunately, the big ugly didn't want to give up and let us go on our way. We were halfway from the boundary when the spider jumped over us and cut our path forward, hissing up a storm at us. I almost ran into the beast but caught myself jumping back at the last moment, falling on the floor in the process.
The Zarnex took the opportunity to shoot its web at me and barely dodged, rolling away in the grass. My hair caught in the web though and ripped a good chunk of it out.
Laura had started hitting the monster with her ammo, but she had lost a few rounds in the forest. She had to reload more often, causing the creature to refocus in those breaks.
"Fuck!" she yelled out, her face tinged green with fear.
Then Tobi came to the rescue and pulled out one of the remaining Molotovs from his inventory, lit it and chucked it at the Zarnex in one fluid motion. The bottle smashed against its metallic body and the fluid inside coated it, catching fire instantly. The boy grabbed my arm and helped me up, and we continued to run towards safety while the monster was distracted and screaming in pain.
The fire went out in seconds because it had nothing to burn, but the creature was distracted long enough to give us an edge. We crossed the rest of the clearing so fast that I gained another level in the Sprinting skill. We ran to the front porch where we finally collapsed in the chairs.
Cloud was lying down in the front garden taking a nap. He didn't seem to notice the commotion.
We heard the frustrated hisses of the Zarnex as it tried to cross into our safe zone, only to hit the invisible wall of the boundary.
"Well, that was close," I said trying to sound cheerful, but my voice came weak as I was still trying to catch my breath.
Laura just got up on her shaky legs and threw up over the porch railing, thankfully missing the garden beds. She coughed a few times, and Tobi poured her a glass of water. She accepted it gratefully rinsed her mouth, and slid down onto the floor.
"Mom, are you okay?" the kid asked.
She was still a little green in the face, but she managed to nod, her eyes closed.
"I really hate spiders," she finally said, the sounds of an annoyed Zarnex echoing from behind the cabin.
"Maybe you should go lie down, " I said.
"Good idea," she said and let Tobi help her up, and went into the cabin.
Tobi and I quietly walked back to check in on our angry seven-legged friend, making sure to stick to the cabin wall.
The monster's once shiny carapace was now charred from the flames but otherwise, it seemed unharmed. It seemed to stop trying to breech the boundary and just skittered left and right on its remaining legs. It was an unsettling sight, to say the least.
"How are we going to get rid of that thing?" Tobi asked quietly.
"I have no idea," I said, turning around to go inside the cabin and give myself a well-deserved wash. "Perhaps we can get a giant fly swatter or something?"
Tobi just gave me one of his looks and said nothing.