Children of a Lesser God

Chapter 132: Eight Legged Freak (Beast Den 4)

Vivi couldn't help but turn to look at Laz. Neither of them thought that something that strong would be in here. Laz had just entered the late stage of his Condensation Realm where as Vivi was slightly more powerful, as a later stage level 2 demon beast, she was comparable to a late stage Condensation Realm who had made it about half way through. But the fluctuations coming from the opening gave them both a bit of a chill.

Although it felt stronger than either him or Vivi, it wasn't a drastic difference. Still though, this would have been the first time either of them encounter something stronger than themselves since they had left Basin Falls. Laz couldn't help but turning to Vivi as well, noticing that they both had a look of excitement and hesitation in their eyes.

*So... what do you think?* Laz asked first. It was normally Vivi's job to evaluate an opponent since she was able to see through their energy fluctuations to determine their strength. Although Laz could do the same, he was still rather unlearned in that aspect. It was like how just because someone could see some dark clouds, that didn't mean they could predict the weather. In contrast, someone who had lots of knowledge of weather could look at the clouds and predict exactly what would happen. There was no comparison between the two.

*Well, I think this thing is somewhere between dangerous and deadly..* Vivi answered with a bit of mystery.

*What does that mean? I meant it's level...* Laz replied back with a bit of annoyance.

*You could figure that out too if you bothered to give it a shot.*

*Yeah, yeah...* This was an ongoing argument between the two of them. Although Laz did have an interest in it, he also knew that he could never match Vivi and because they never encounter things stronger than themselves. It was this lack of danger that caused Laz to not be so serious about it.

*Arg, honestly. From now on I will make you learn this stuff. But that's not important for now. What I said is actually a bit more important.* Vivi said while sniffing the air a bit, taking in more of the fog that kept seeping out as though trying to figure some things out.

*About it being between dangerous and deadly? Why is that?* Laz asked, a bit curious.

*Sometimes I wonder if you ever bother listening. Don't you remember what I've said before? About demon beasts being more than just their energy levels?* Vivi asked while glaring at him.

*Uhh... let's see. Even if it's weaker than you, it can still kill you?* Laz said, thinking back.

*Sigh... close enough. Alright. Look. You know how there are things that even if they are small and weak can kill a normal person?*

*Yes?*

*Well, this is the same thing. Think about it, if you got bit by a poisonous snake, would you die?* Vivi said, trying to make it as simple as possible.

*Well... maybe not anymore...* Laz said, starting to see where she was going with this.

*No. But what if it was a level 1 demon beast? Or even a level 2 demon beast snake?*

*Then... yeah. It would kill me...* Laz sighed while realizing what she said was true. He hadn't thought about it before, but it made sense. Just because the thing was weaker than him didn't mean it didn't have it's own means of defense against larger predators.

*You get it now?* Vivi wanted to make sure he understood. She was worried that Laz might become too complacent and forget that he shouldn't under estimate either beasts or other humans just because he has had some success. She knew from the information in her head that there could be tons of dangerous things out there. She just didn't know where this information came from.

*Eww... so like if I encounter a giant level 2 skunk... do you think it's stink would kill me as well?* For some reason this worry popped into Laz's head and he had to ask. Vivi just stared at him, eye to eye while her furry mouth hung open, wondering if there really was something wrong with his head. Despite this, he almost had a point. Almost.

*It actually sprays out a liquid. If my guess is right, at this level, it would probably melt you into a puddle of man meat soup.* 'How did I get stuck with this guy?' Vivi couldn't help but wonder while she kept sniffing. She had an idea what was in there, but it was still best to be cautious.

*EEWWW...* The thought make chills go up Laz's spine while looking at the cave..

Suddenly, the sound of metal scrapping on rock echoed out of the opening as both Laz and Vivi backed up a bit. Laz pulled out his gun and took aim, ready to blow away whatever came out of the dark.

In barely a moment, dozens of glints of light flickered in the opening as a dozen spiders crawled out from the opening and spread out, crawling up the ceiling and walls while others just walked along the floors. These spiders were much larger than the ones they had fought earlier, all being similar to the first spider they encountered. After they spread out, they all just stopped while eyeing the invaders, sometimes making screeching noises as though talking with each other.

Although it looked dangerous, all of these half man size spiders were only barely level 2. They were still quite a bit weaker than either Vivi or Laz. The only problem was that there were around 12 of them which would make it hard to fight one or two while trying to guard against the others. It truly was a dangerous situation.

Despite surrounding them, the spiders made no other moves besides chatting with each other. To Laz, it almost seemed like they were waiting for something as they would sometimes turn and face the opening.

*What are they doing?* Laz asked.

*Waiting for the one we sensed earlier.* Vivi said with a vague understanding.

*Great. Should we attack now? Before they leader gets here?* Laz's eyes blazed as though looking for a fight.

*They will probably just run around to tire us out. Before the leader gets here we should conserve our energy,* Vivi said after analyzing things.

*Alright. When it get's out, I will take care of it. You get rid of the minions around us,* Laz said after looking around. Although Vivi was quite a bit smarter when it came to overall knowledge, they both understood that when it came to fighting, Laz had better senses. He blamed it on years of video games.

*Don't fire the gun in here if you can avoid it. Between the sound and the blast, it may make the entire cave crumble,* Vivi said while eyeing Last Rites.

*Well, doesn't that make things a bit more interesting.*

*And don't attack right away. We should talk to it first,* Vivi advised.

*Seriously?*

*Yes, you brute. You should always try to at least say hello before fighting. You might be able to avoid a lot trouble that way. You get into it enough on your own anyway...* Vivi commented while looking back.

Although the smaller spiders made scraping sounds as they move, this one seemed to be rather silent. The only reason they knew it was coming was the fluctuations were getting closer. After several minutes worth of wait, they finally saw movement in the dark. Two large globs of light could be seen hovering over four smaller globs of light as the thing got closer and closer. Emerging from the opening, two large hairy legs came into the light, followed by two more. They allowed the massive creature to drag it's body into the cave, only barely being able to squeeze it's humongous body through the tight opening.

*HOLY SHIT,* Laz swore as soon as the thing came into view. The spider was as large as an elephant, totally dwarfing the other spiders, Laz and Vivi. When the large spider came into view, the smaller spiders ran away quickly and hid on the ceiling, almost as though they were afraid of catching the eye of the huge spider. As such, only Vivi and Laz remained on the floor, directly in it's line of sight.

*What is that?* Vivi asked, taking a look at it's massive body. Especially eye catching was the two downward facing pincers that looks like teeth surrounded by hairy flesh that was jutting from beneath it's mouth.

*It's... no... it can't be... they don't make webs...* Laz was at a bit of a loss. He thought he knew what kind of spider it was, but it didn't make any sense.

*Just say it. Just because the normal size ones couldn't doesn't mean it can't. Does that thing even look like it relates to anything you've seen before?* Vivi said while backing away slightly.

*It looks like a wolf spider. They are found throughout north america and live in the ground. Normal size ones aren't poisonous but their venom causes paralysis is smaller creatures. But that's only the small crawling things it normally hunts and eats.* Laz said, relaying what he knew while relaxing slightly. He only knew this since he had been bitten by one before. Even though the bite hurt like hell, it didn't pose any danger.

*Yeah, well. Now we are small crawling creatures, aren't we?* Vivi asked, wondering why he seemed to relax. This was incredibly dangerous.

*Good point. Well... go ahead.* Laz said while indicating the spider.

*Go ahead?*

*Yeah. Talk to it. It's a wolf spider and you're a wolf. You've got that in common don't you?* Laz commented while indicating that it made a difference.

*HOW IS THAT ANYTHING LIKE ME???* Vivi yelled at Laz while taking another step back. She wasn't afraid in terms of fighting it, but just it's look made Vivi feel grossed out. It seemed like it took up around a third of the cave while Laz and Vivi had retreated to the rock that lead outside. They were both thinking about possibly running.

*Huuummmmaaannnnn aaannddd ssmaalll ppreeyyy.* A voice that sounded like nails on a chaulk board suddenly appeared in both their minds, almost making them drop to the floor in pain.

*IT CAN TALK??* Laz was shocked to the point of almost going blank. Even if Vivi had mentioned it earlier, it didn't mean he believed it. How would a spider know human language anyway?

*Of course it can communicate. All creatures after reaching a certain stage can. And it's not speaking English or even a human tongue. It's simply projecting it's thoughts. As an intelligent creature, it can learn things like I do, which I'm starting to suspect is based on bloodlines. Since these things normally live in north america, it's knowledge it based on it's ancestors. And most people here speak English.* Although Vivi was just guessing with what she knew, it made a lot of sense to Laz.

*Uh... Hello?* Since Vivi didn't want to try, Laz felt he should as least give it a go.

*MMM.... ffffrrreesssshhh ppprreeeeyyyy. Mmmyyyyssss bbaaaabbbiieeessss haavvveee lllivvveed iiinn ttthhheeee ddddaaarrrrkkkk fffooorrr toooo lllooonnnnngggg. II ssseeee. AAA wwwaaaayyyy ooouuutttt fffooorrr mmeee hhaasss aaapppeeeaaarrreedd.* The spider made no attempt to hide it's thoughts. And in fact, the longer it talked the easier it became to understand it.

*Uuhhh... Soo... You're not going to be peaceful about this, are you?* Laz finally asked as his head stopped reeling in pain.

Screeching noises echoed from the elephant size spider which got the attention of all of the smaller ones hiding on the ceiling. They crawled down as fast as they could and once again surrounded Vivi and Laz, this time much more aggressively. Both could tell that there was a fight coming one way or another.

*II'mmm hhunnnggrrryyy fffooorrr laaargggeerrr mmeeeaaattt aaannndddd fffrrreeeeeeddddoooommmm* The creature said with an undisguised hunger in it's voice, causing Laz and Vivi's eyes to go red. They both assumed a battle stance as the smaller spiders pounced at them, eager to fill their leaders orders.