Morn swung their axe and it landed on the insects hard shell. The orc gritted their teeth. Morn was used to swinging their axe through ligaments, not getting their axe stuck in what seemed to only be the outer part of the skin. Iratus’ luck wasn’t much better. He punched the creature, but instead of a satisfying crack of the shell, he heard only a soft thumping. The insect was roughly three times the size of the regular black-robes and its shell appeared to be roughly three times as thick.
Lumira sat on all fours, panting on the floor. A moment ago she had been pulled from what seemed an endless sinkhole. The ringing of falling coins warned her that it was unsafe to go there. Around her lay the remains of the bugs that had tried to push her into the hole. Acantha had pulled her out in time.
Lumira grabbed her spear and stood up. Whatever was going on inside this vault, she wanted out as soon as possible. With or without the Sloan refugees. Now, this giant creature that Morn and Iratus were fighting seemed to be protecting the strangely glowing chrysalis. It was only obvious where the Sun was hiding the Sloan king. With half an eye on the fight and another on where she was walking, Lumira started towards the chrysalis. She felt something on her shoulder. She turned around.
“Ah! What?” she exclaimed at Kevins, who had his hand on her shoulder.
“Just wondering where you’re going.”
“Saving the king,” said Lumira and gestured with her head. “I will probably just be in their way.” She looked at the fight.
“Right,” said Kevins, “Of course. Let’s move then.”
The two of them circled around the fight, making sure not to step in any other sinkholes or on bugs.
The large insect swung its two bladed arms at Morn, who blocked the hits with their chest. That was probably not a great idea. Morn dropped to their knees. An otherworldly scream resounded through the vault. It was Iratus, he yelled and threw his fists at the insect.
“Oh no,” said Lumira. Lumira jumped back over the piles of coins. She landed with a scattering of gold and silver bits and one satisfying crack. She had managed to land on a bug. She pointed her finger-pistol at the large bug and shot a ray of light. The armor started sizzling. The insect stepped to the side. The beam had caused the thick armor to start smoking.
“It’s unpenatrable,” Lumira whispered to herself.
Iratus was still hitting the creature with its naked fists. The creature wasn’t too bothered by it, yet, it turned to swoop the orc aside. Iratus took a smack to the face, grabbed the arm and bit down on it.
Lumira prepared another beam of light. While the insect shook its claw to rid itself of the clingy orc.
“Lumira,” said Kevins. He pointed at a sinkhole that had appeared almost next to the larger insect. The smaller insects were perhaps not as well orchestrated as she had assumed.
Lumira said the incantation for her other spell, pointed her left hand at the sinkhole and her right at the insects head. One silver coin flew from the sinkhole up towards the insects head. Lumira cursed.
“I need something else to pull it in.”
Kevins growled. “Acantha!”
But Acantha was not in sight and she didn’t respond. Acantha had managed to summon a small snake. It was one of Bito’s children. She was feeding it the paindrops that she had carried with her.
“There you go,” she said. Then she Stared at it:
Now, we want to aim for the one with the white-robes, not the elf, ok?
The snake stared back an affirmation.
“I’m ready!” shouted Acantha at Jade.
Jade jumped out of the way of a steam of acid that sizzled when it hit the ground. Jade shot her eyes at Acantha and then back at the white-robe, who had surrounded herself with pools of poison. Jade didn’t appreciate very much the idea of stepping in them again. She was still gritting her teeth to deal with the burning pain. Jade looked at the ground and tried plotting a course between her and the white-robe. Then she looked up at the white-robe, who was heaving, clearly exhausted from covering the floor in vomit. Jade looked at Acantha on the other side of the acid river. She should get it over with.
Then suddenly the white-robe moved her hands together, closed her eyes and started singing. Jade jumped over the acid. The coins poked in the soles of her feet. She hopped from one leg to another. The white-robe opened her eyes wide and turned to run, but Acantha was ready for her and the white-robe hesitated. Jade held her by the shoulders and pushed her within Acantha’s reach.
A shriek. The white-robe fell to the floor. The snake disappeared between the coins. Jade and Acantha stood over the writhing body. They exchanged a puzzled glance. The avatar had been poisoned. Now what?
Acantha looked up as she heard Kevins calling her. Kevins tried to pull Iratus off the body of the large insect. Iratus was punching it while it lay there unmoving, on the floor.
“Where’s Morn?” said Acantha. Then she gasped. The body of the orc lay not far from them. It was also unmoving. Acantha steadied her breath. Morn was fine. They had been trough worse, whatever it was. The orc just needed some time to regenerate, like they always did.
Jade kneeled next to the writing white-robe and whispered something.
“You’re in pain,” she said to the creature. “When you’re one with the Sun, your pain will be gone.”
The creature heaved and made a gesture with her hands. Then she started crying.
Jade tutted in annoyance and said to Acantha: “She is too weak to get back home.”
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