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[Log 3.16_v2.12 - Losing\Control]

The beast coiled, metal plates and scrap teeth screeching as its plates ground against each other. Then it roared like a furnace exploding, and a wave of red particles rushed from its horrible mouths, washing over the Ferals, Zephyro, and myself.

[>>User The Skittering Riddle requests c̶͖̃̄͜õ̵̝͍̌͠n̸̤͚̰̓͝͝t̸̛͍̒͘r̶͚̱͕̊̈́o̴̧̟̓͂͊l̵͚͆̏ over your device.]

[>>Allow? Y/N]

Massive pressure started building in my head, looking for a way inside my mind. Just a tiny crack and I would implode. It would be over. I would be one with the void. Never afraid again. I would no longer be the Tyrant Divine. I’d no longer be Sam.

{CPU Load: ▲ 95%}

{Core Temp: ▲ 65° C}

Horrified, I thought “No” over and over and over again until the pressure faded at last. I spun for Zephyro, and found him, hands on his knees, sword by his side, his face scrunched up in concentration. Before I could say anything, he straightened and waved me off.

[>>compiling… 50%]

I opened my mouth to ask him if he was all right, but he beat me to the punch. “I am well, Sultana.”

The same could not be said for the Ferals. All their bodies twitched, arcing with red light. A few of the bigger spiders simply collapsed, and the remaining ones grew even more abhorrent. Green globs sprouted all over their bodies and connected to disfigured weaponry with oily cables. Twitching limbs assembled themselves at impossible angles. Metal melted into thick, putrid ooze, covering the ground like a greasy fungus.

As the skittering riffle roared its insane commandments, the scorpion stemmed itself against the tide of red. It clenched its pincers, chainsaw raking against the metal, electricity arcing to the ground like a curtain of light. For a second, I thought it would actually withstand the assault, but then an abhorrent wound opened on its back, revealing a series of misshapen holes. Red lightning arced from them, mutating its flesh wherever struck. It shivered one last time, then the glow from its tail dimmed and was replaced by dark red.

By unspoken command, illuminated by the infernal glow of a ruined city, all the monsters under the fading moon turned towards us.

[>>compiling… 54%]

Everything happened way too fast after that.

I barely had time to ignite Pharus, unfurling it to its full length, before the Spiders were in striking range. Blue fire ran down the length of the chain, flaring the cage at its end.

With the sheer number of targets, I had neither the luxury nor the necessity to time my strikes. I swung low and managed to hit several spiders in mid-stride. One of the larger ones, however, managed to jump over my swing and hit me directly in the face.

[>>PROCESSES BY USER L3gs_F0r_D4ys_69 ARE NOW HIGHLIGHTED]

[>>PROCESSES BY USER L3gs_F0r_D4ys_70 ARE NOW HIGHLIGHTED]

[>>PROCESSES BY USER L3gs_F0r_D4ys_62 ARE NOW HIGHLIGHTED]

[>>…11 more.]

{CPU Load: ▲ 66%}

{Core Temp: ▲ 66° C}

[DPM integrity]

▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱ 95% ▼

As the wickedly sharp edges of its legs raked across my cheek and drew blood, I cursed myself for not having taken the time to upgrade Arx earlier. Stumbling backward, I grabbed the spider by its jagged core and pulled it off of me. I tossed it aside while Zephyro dispatched the two Ferals I had already marked. The sound of razor legs scarring the avenue filled the air like soothing rain as the tide of Ferals closed in.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I started backpedaling, swinging Pharus in a constant barrage of attacks that left the burning corpses of spiders to be swallowed by a carpet of skittering metal a split second later.

A split second later, a gleaming crescent erupting from Zephyro's weapon split it in half, along with dozens of others behind it, but it bought us no time to breathe. It seemed as though for every spider we killed, five more replaced the three we had defeated. They pounced on the remains, greedily sucking the Logic that their fallen comrades had left behind. I tried to do the same but between their mass and my distance, there was no contest.

At this rate, we’d be pushed against the gates in no time, and we’d be dead before they could open the postern to let us in.

“Zephyro, there are too many! Do you have any large-area attacks? Some moon-beam or whatever?”

“But Sultana, it is very powerful…”

Another spider tried to pounce on me and I grunted, twisting aside to dodge. When it landed, I turned and struck it with Pharus’ pommel, then completed the full turn to bring the censer slicing through the enemy ranks. It left teal flames in its wake, but the arachnids showed no fear.

“What are you afraid of? Chipping the mosaic? Have you looked at the Plaza?” I yelled, punching a spider aside as it jumped at Zephyro, kicking back one that tried to climb up my boots.

{CPU Load: ▲ 67%}

{Core Temp: ▲ 68° C}

[>>compiling… 56%]

“No, Sultana, I’m more worried about you.”

Huh. That made sense…

I crushed two more spiders with my flail, and again its brood mates devoured their logic. That was odd. With the amount of Logic they had consumed, shouldn’t they be spasming on the ground, mutating? Trying to figure out what was different this time, I looked up and caught a flash of blue rippling over the Skittering Riddle’s solar-sail hood.

Oh, that was not good.

That was not good at all.

“Did you see that?” I yelled, pointing at the mutated snake.

Zephyro looked up just in time to catch another flash and grimaced. “May Allah damn them…”

“Whatever you have to do, do it now!” I yelled, dodging one small spider after the other.

“I’m not sure it will work, Sultana.” He gestured at the moon with his sword, then went back to blindly slicing into the crowd. “The attack is strong, yes, but it’s strength lies in how long it burns, not how hot.”

“Will it kill the spiders?”

“The small ones surely, the bigger ones maybe, but I am certain the scorpion and the …. thing will survive.”

“Shit,” I hissed, whipping Pharus forward to mark a particularly nasty spider milling through the crowd.

“Indeed, Sultana,” Zephyro stated, and a giant silver sickle erupted from his sword, cleaving low above the ground, killing dozens of ferals who weren’t quick enough to jump over the attack. Their corpses crackled with Logic, and I seized the chance, inhaling deeply.

There were more than enough spiders left, but they were as far away from the cyan cloudscape as I was, leveling the playing field. As I put my strength against theirs, the Logic wavered between us. A headache mounted, pulsing deep, and just when it seemed like it would split my brain in two, the cyan cloud ruptured, leaving me with a lion’s share.

{INCOMING LOGIC - 115 LB}

{AVAILABLE LOGIC - 515 LB}

The spiders did not like that. They surged forwards, rusted blades scribbling their intent into the stones below. I cursed and marked the biggest one I could find with a quick snap, then focused on my breathing. I had logic to spare, and I’d be damned if I let the spiders have it. It was mine.

I focused on that thought of keeping what’s mine, of staying intact and whole, and then I released a deep breath.

{CONSUMED LOGIC - 60 LB}

{AVAILABLE LOGIC - 455 LB}

{[Arx, Saint’s Embrace] v. 0.3.5 - Network Security System

IS NOW

[Arx, Saint’s Embrace] v. 0.5.8 - Network Security System}

With a battle cry, Zephyro cleaved through the spider that I had marked, but four more were already close enough to attack. I still hadn’t understood where they kept coming from, nor could I pay attention to how Arx progressed. There was just no time. I managed to bring up Pharus just in time to mark two more, but Zephyro could not dispatch them fast enough. Blade-edged limbs, high-voltage mandibles, and barbed strands of woven spider hair tore into me. I screamed in pain, taking a step back to brace myself against the onslaught.

And surprisingly, I held firm.

{[Arx, Saint’s Embrace] v. 0.5.8 - Network Security System}

{A simple Network Security System automatically monitoring incoming requests for access. Repeated requests or advanced methods of forcing system access cause a [HIGH] increase in CPU load. Sufficiently sophisticated attacks will bypass this program entirely. Automatic shutoff at [85 °C] core temperature.

Required CPU load: Varies, min. 9% at current CPU quality.

Required RAM: 8 LKB

Features:

v. 0.3 - Was: Repeated requests or advanced methods of forcing system access cause a [VERY HIGH] increase in CPU load. Now: [High]

V. 0.5 - Was: Automatic shutoff at [80 °C] core temperature. Now: [85 °C]}

{Memory: 33/40 LKB RAM}

{CPU Load: ▲ 87%}

{Core Temp: ▲ 74° C}

But while Arx now absorbed significantly more damage, the spiders just kept coming. I could barely pry them off in time for another to replace them, marking as many as I could with quick pommel strikes.

I had only a brief moment to notice Zephyro was getting pressured as well, tiny spiders engulfing him like twitching tar.

I was on my own.