The air crackled with gathered arcane energy. Jack looked at the source.
It was Dr. Crafton. The archeology professor. His face was flushed. He opened his ancient grimoire. Chanting words of power.
Fireballs bloomed in the air. They glowed for a few seconds and flashed. Charging at the spider with incredible speed. Unfortunately, they missed. Exploding harmlessly against the web-choked walls.
The spider was too damn fast. Despite its sized, it was a lightning fast nightmare of chitin and fangs.
Dr. Crafton's spell was not simple. Right after the fireball, lightning followed. Arcing from his fingertips. But again, it was a near miss.
Lucca sent his twin ornate daggers spiraling through the air. His face was a grim sight of concentration. He controlled the daggers with his telekinetic Primal Sorcery.
They danced around the spider. Just like buzzing bees... of steel. They aimed for the eyes, the joints, any weak spots.
But the spider was ready. A blur of hairy legs deflected both daggers with contemptuous ease.
The spider was a goddamn nightmare. It was like fighting a truck with too many legs. And the truck-spider could race on any surface. While they, the humans, had to wade through superglue layers.
Uthred Payton was a walking beacon. He was radiating visible glow. His Faith Aura blazed. It was illuminating the web-filled chamber with holy light. His sword was covered in divine fire. He roared as he charged. But he was slow.
The spider danced around him. It seemed to mock his attempt to slash it.
Leon Drake was still encased in his black exoskeleton armor. He looked like some gothic knight. Yet, he abandoned his sword and held aloft a grimoire. Chanting.
Lightning crackled around his armors. And then a thick bolt of lightning shot forth. However, just like Dr. Crafton's, it missed. It vaporized a section of web behind the spider.
Chloe Chase was looking pale but determined. She fired Magic Missiles from her own grimoire. The glowing projectiles zipped toward the spider. And like homing missiles, they hit its eyes. Bullseyes.
But, they were laughably ineffective. They bounced harmlessly off its metal-like target.
Amaranth was sweating. But her face was serene. She stood her ground. Two serpentine forms of swirling mist materialized beside her. Their eyes were glowing with spectral light.
Her summoned mist serpents lunged. Trying to tangle with the spider. Trying to bind its legs. But the monster easily evaded their charges. It jumped, and...
A scream echoed through the chamber. It was a hired guard. The muscular man was snatched from the web. The spider's fangs sank into his neck. His struggles were brief.
Jack tried to deliver a barrage of blows with his [Mysterious Control]. To get the monstrous spider away from the guard. But he failed. The guard died.
Another fireball blazed. This one connected. Dr. Crafton's spell slammed into the spider's side. Blasting it away from the dead guard.
The impact shook the chamber. Showering the survivors with debris.
Dr. Crafton was out of breath though. The quickly recovered spider retaliated. It dashed and lashed out one of its legs.
Leon, seeing Crafton vulnerable, threw himself in front of the old man. The chitin armor absorbed the blow. But Leon grunted, staggering back. Crashing into the professor.
The spider turned its attention to the nearby Chloe. She was small and fragile-looking. An easy target. It lunged. Its fangs was dripping as it attempted to bite.
The invisible Jack reacted instantly. He shoved Chloe out of the way with a burst of telekinetic force. Just in time. The spider's fangs snapped shut on empty air.
Bang! A gunshot rang. A bullet hit the monster's carapace. It just made a very shallow dent.
The spider retaliated in unbelievable speed. The guard who shot the bullet never got a chance to use his gun again. He became the spider's next victim. But...
Uthred, fueled by divine rage, finally connected. His fiery sword sliced one of the spider's legs. Thick and black ichor gushed out from the wound. The spider shrieked. Stumbling.
Using the chance, Amaranth's two mist serpents struck. They entangled the shrieking monster. Raging, the spider jumped and threw itself to the ground.
One of Amaranth's mist serpents was crushed beneath the spider's weight. It was dissipating into a cloud of vapor.
The spider felt momentary disorientation though. Lucca quickly took an advantage of it. He unleashed his twin daggers again. This time, they flew with deadly precision.
They aimed for one of the spider's many eyes. The twin daggers united into a drill-like formation. Spinning at an impossible speed. They bored a shallow hole into the eye.
The spider was enraged more than being hurt. It retaliated with a swipe of its leg. Jack had anticipated the attack though. He shoved Lucca aside with his telekinesis. The monster's attack nearly missed the ex-priest.
Chloe saw her chance and re-casted her magic. The Magic Missiles, normally useless, now had a target. She unleashed a volley of concentrated fire. Targeting the shallow hole in the spider's eye.
The homing missiles slammed into the wound. one after another. The eye exploded in a shower of ichor and shattered chitin.
The spider shrieked. Half-blinded. It thrashed wildly. Its legs flailing unpredictably. A porter was caught in the crossfire and was killed instantly.
It was too quick. No one in the chamber had a chance to save the poor porter.
Uthred was relentless. He hacked at another one of the spider's legs. This time, the fiery sword severed it completely.
The spider was crippled. But it was not defeated yet. It turned its remaining eyes on Uthred. It lunged with bared fangs.
Jack again intervened. He telekinetically shoved Uthred out of harm's way. Again. Just in time.
Lucca's twin daggers were reunited. They tried to drill into another one of the spider's remaining eyes. But its remaining legs quickly deflected both daggers. But...
Dr. Crafton had finally completed a long and intricate incantation. With a loud shout, he barked out the last syllable of the mantra. He summoned a powerful control spell: Sacred Giant Hand.
A colossal hand of shimmering energy materialized above the spider. It slammed down. Pinning the monster in place.
Leon was chanting furiously. He unleashed another lightning strike. This time, it was aimed for the spider's abdomen. The bolt struck true, burning a smoking hole in its carapace.
Amaranth seized the opportunity. Her remaining mist serpent slithered into the burning hole in the spider's abdomen.
The spider tried to struggle as the misty creature wreaked havoc inside his body. But the colossal hand was still pinning it down.
The survivors quickly assaulted the helpless monster with their attacks. Unleashing their rage and frustration into it.
A moment later, the spider convulsed one last time and went still.
Finally. The spider died.
The holographic projection of Labaa flickered into existence.
"Congratulations," she said, her voice devoid of emotion. "The trial is complete. You have proven yourselves worthy to receive the Inheritance of the Webmother."
A glowing orb of golden light appeared above the dead spider. It pulsed with arcane energy. The closest one, Uthred, reached for it. But...
A glint of steel flashed in the light. A knife plunged into his back.
Uthred gasped, his eyes wide with shock and betrayal. He crumpled to the ground.
Everyone's faces a mixture of horror and disbelief. Standing behind Uthred was Jasmine Moonlake. The chubby cook who had disappeared during the fight.
Jack cursed inwardly. He should have known. It was such a cliché development. He should have prepared for it.
He quickly focused his mind. Preparing his [Mysterious Control] to strike the woman.
But, before he or anyone else could react, Jasmine took out a scroll. And she immediately activated it.
It glowed a furious red. Then burned to ashes in her hand. In a fraction of second. Leaving behind only a faint scent of sulfur. And as it disintegrated, a wave of energy washed over the chamber. Targeting everyone.
Including Jack. It was a spiritual paralysis, a complete inability to move. To take action.
He couldn't move. He couldn't activate any of his abilities. He couldn't speak. He couldn't even blink. He was trapped. An invisible specter caught in a cage of magic effect.
Jack could sense it. Everyone else was frozen as well. Dr. Crafton. Lucca. Amaranth. Chloe. Leon. The rest of the survivors. They were now stuck in magical paralysis.
Jasmine Moonlake, the seemingly harmless cook, had just checkmated them all.
Jack cursed inwardly once more. This had just gone from bad to catastrophically worse. He was a damn specter with superpowers. And he was stuck watching this unfold.
What was she planning? And, more importantly, how was he going to stop her? When he couldn't even twitch a spectral finger?
The information panel appeared before his eyes.
[Status Condition: Temporary Paralysis]
[Cause: Scroll of Mass Paralysis]
[Duration: Unknown]
[Possible Mitigation: Greater Dispel Magic, Reality Warping, Paralysis Immunity]
Crap! He didn't have access to any of those.