Page 256 of Eldritch
“Maevyth! Wait!” Zevander shouted after her, leaping over tree limbs and decayed foliage with his sword ready to strike.
The monstrous spiders chased after them, pouncing out of the trees.
In his periphery, Zevander caught a glimpse of Dravien racing toward him, his sword drawn. The Elvyniran leapt into the air, as if he might tackle Zevander to the ground.
Zevander lifted his sword to strike first.
“Watch your head!” The Elvyniran swung out and as black ooze rained down on Zevander, he slowed his paces just enough to glimpse one of the spiders twitching on the ground behind him.
With a quick exchange of nods, both men fell back into a sprint through the trees, chasing after Maevyth.
Another roar from the Corvugon and Maevyth flanked left, hustling through a thick copse of woods where she skidded to a halt. A mass of webs stretched through the trees overhead and within them, Raivox hung, captured, his outstretched wings tangled in the strands.
“Raivox!” Maevyth screamed, assessing him from beneath.
Zevander twisted around, sword at the ready, as he scanned the trees for the chasing spiders.
No sign of them.
As if they’d scampered off at some point.
“The hell size spider do you think made that web?” Dravien’s question had Zevander swinging back around, watching as the Elvyniran stepped cautiously toward it, examining the fine gossamer threads.
Maevyth lurched toward the Corvugon, but Zevander gripped her shoulder.
“Wait.” He pointed upward, toward the dark canopy overhead where what looked to be hundreds of eyes glowed.
Raivox roared and hissed and Zevander could feel the tight clench of Maevyth’s muscles in his grasp.
“Help him. Please!”
“Watch for the spiders,” Zevander said to Kazhimyr and Ravezio behind him and both Letalisz drew their swords, watching the woods at his back.
Zevander raised his palm and sent a blast of flame over the web, careful not to get too close to Raivox’s wings.
The Corvugon roared and hissed, its tail tangling in the thick, sticky strands, the more it moved. The scales on his chest looked to have been melted, burned away by something, where a raw patch of glistening skin peeked through.
“Something’s moving overhead!” Dravien shouted, pointing toward a twitching leg that stepped below the dark canopy. “Damn thing must be massive.”
Zevander focused, setting one of the wings free, leaving the bird dangling by its other wing, cawing and flapping.
“Something’s coming!” Kazhimyr warned from behind. “I can hear them!”
In Zevander’s periphery, Dravien stepped back, his sword held out. “Fucking hell.” Fear trembled in his voice. “That thing is massive.”
Zevander didn’t bother to look but kept his focus on the Corvugon. Looking would undoubtedly sway him to walk away, and as much as he loathed the shit tosser, he wouldn’t hurt Maevyth by abandoning him.
“We have to go, Zevander!” Kazhimyr backed himself toward the group, tightening the circle. “They’re getting closer.”
Jaw tight, Zevander forced the flames around the other wing, as a colossal shadow stepped into his periphery.
“Let’s go!” Dravien growled. “Unless you want to become spider food!” He spun around and dashed into the woods.
The bird dragon finally dropped to the ground, flapping and cawing, the residual webs still clinging to its body. He lashed out with his tail, just missing Zevander and Maevyth as it swung wide. A spider roughly the size of Raivox pounced on him and the Corvugon let out a hiss, his talons scratching over the carapace.
Zevander shot a blast of flames toward the monstrous arachnid, watching them lick over the shiny exoskeleton that seemed completely unaffected by the black fire. Dread settled over him and he threw out his palm again, watching with unsettling focus as it fizzled across the carapace.
Maevyth lunged toward Raivox, but Zevander gripped her arm.
