Chapter 112: Spiders don't keep score.

Chapter 112: Spiders don't keep score.

Milo didn't like the idea of trying to just avoiding combat to keep his two adversaries busy while his partner looted the rare mushrooms. Every scenario seemed to end badly for him. The spiders could use the ceiling and walls as well or better than he could. They were too big to draw them off the way he came, and he couldn't take them in the direction his partner had gone. Running around was a losing game against two opponents in a cavern that already had webs in part of it.

Better to cut down the odds and slow them up. He gave his partner some time to slip past them before he threw a bone harpoon at the spider that first emerged from the cloud of dust. Hitting an unseen ally with a spell meant for a spider would have been awkward. The Harpoon of the Winds hit the spider between its first and second set of legs, puncturing its side. He followed up immediately with a second spell for double the mana using Fast Casting., watching his mana bar drain by an eighth. He needed to get rid of one enemy quickly, and he needed information of what he was fighting.

You have struck Black Widow Brute with a spell doing 307 points of damage.

Black Widow Brute blocks your second spell, taking minimal damage.

Health 1093/1400

The second harpoon was met and deflected by the wounded spider’s front leg, sending the harpoon clattering to the side. Milo could see that the front legs of this spider were armored. The second spider began casting a spell, it's nimble front legs making motions and rhythmic chittering coming from its mouth.

Black Widow Deathmonger casts a spell. You may not use Counter Attack because you recently used Fast Casting.

Poisonous Cloud of Doom does 50 points of damage to all non-spiders in the area. This is a persistent attack which will damage you each round. Damage reduced by 25 points due to your Weak Poison Resistance.

Green clouds filled the entire cave, spreading out over everything. A good attack that would wear down multiple enemies, but something he could endure for a time. The spell would be terrifying if used against tight packed ratkin infantry. As he choked and dodged away from the spiders, he looked at the spellcaster. It was much thinner in the legs, and smaller in the body than its bodyguard. And probably more deadly. He immediately switched opponents.

You have struck Black Widow Deathmonger with a spell doing 307 points of damage.

Health 493/900

The Deathmonger screamed and the bodyguard moved to interpose itself between Milo and the mage. Milo had planned for this, circling to get to the side and running up the wall so that he could keep the mage in view. The Deathmonger began to cast another spell, green light forming along its forearms. Milo cast his own spell, throwing the last of his harpoons.

Counter Attack is successful!

Deathmonger has taken 307 damage from your harpoon.

He examined his options. One seemed like a good idea. He tossed a Runed-Skull into the tunnel, then paid twice the mana to do another. Just in time. The Brute had stuck in his head and took them both in the face. It was wounded, but not slowing. It jammed its body into the tunnel, its hard armor scraping in places and making it a tight fit, but it was pushing through.

Milo tossed his last two Runed-Skulls. They exploded and wounded the Brute, taking it under half health. It started to exit the tunnel as Milo struck the rock above it with his pick, dislodging a large chunk of rock on its head. The Brute chittered at him, and moved another foot into the tunnel. Milo moved to the side and hit the crack he had started with his last strike. The tier four pick went deep into the soft rock, and Milo pulled as hard as he could. With a small rumble, the tunnel shifted and tons of rock pinned the Brute in the tunnel. It was helpless as Milo struck it from the side, first breaking off its legs and then killing it. The pick gave him reach and the sharp head punctured through the hard chitin as easily as his claws would have.

You have slain Black Widow Deathmonger level 6.

You have slain Black Widow Brute Bodyguard level 6.

You have earned 900 experience.

As soon as it was dead, he sat down and began drinking healing potions. His leg was turning black and swelling. With two healing potions in him, he had time to bring up his core skills. He had 10 CSP and 500 experience points he had been saving from the fight with the Ancient Sea Hydra. Those could be used in two ways: Strong Poison Resistance for 7, or Mutant Regeneration for 10. The warning on Mutant Regeneration and thoughts of Larry made him quickly take resistance and with the left over three points, +50 health.

All 900 experience went into Strong Poison Resistance, raising it to Rank 4. He put the 500 experiences into Weak Poison Resistance, bring it to Rank 6. The system wouldn't let him use the saved experience for the skill he hadn't had for that fight. From outside the tunnel, he felt the vibrations from many feet. It was either a legion of ratkin, or a lot of spiders. He had no idea if they could get to him, but the situation had suddenly gotten worse. He began to drink his remaining healing potions one at a time as he searched the cave for a crevice or small tunnel, or anywhere to hide or barricade himself.

What he found instead, was a door in the rock. Or a rock that was a door? He couldn't even see the cracks in the rock, but he knew it was a thin door that led to a space beyond it. He felt carefully, scanning the rock for any way to open it. A small depression had a button in it. He pressed it and two things happened. The door moved inward on silent hinges, and a needle poked his finger.

You failed to notice a trap! You are taking 100 5 points per round of strong poison. Lucky for you the poison on the trap hasn't been refreshed in ages.

Shaking his hand, and downing his last healing potion, Milo stumbled into the hidden passage, closing the door behind him. He could see that it opened into a room. He stumbled forward, and felt a sharp pain as a needle stabbed into his foot.

You failed to notice a trap! You are taking 100 5 points per round of strong poison. Lucky for you the poison on the trap hasn't been refreshed in ages.

Milo was dying, but he slowed down, and scanned the rock walls carefully. He found two more traps before he entered the room. He saw furniture covered in dust, and a body slumped in a chair, the narrow skull of a ratkin resting on the table littered with books, vials, and jars of rotted ingredients. A pile of what looked like empty healing potions made a pyramid on the floor. A huge book was open to a page that detailed the making of a restorative of some sort. Milo didn't understand half of it, but the potion required one full day of aging before it was useful. One outstretched skeletal hand held a flask with a sparkling golden liquid. Every other potion seemed to have been drank in an attempt to save the alchemist's life.

Milo's health was dropping steadily still, even slowed by the Strong Poison Resistance. The two traps hadn't helped, of course.

He grabbed the vial and drank down the amber liquid. It tasted like a fizzy drink from the hab. It also made him dizzy. He barely made it to the dust covered bed before he passed out.