Grayell laughed as she bolted but he would give her a fair race. He would not shift though, no he could manage on two feet - bolt through the door and toward the docks, hope the winds had his back and use the Catalina to shoot across the lake rather than try to race around it. If he had the time, he could perhaps hide the boat and have her entirely baffled...
He shook his head and gave one last look back upon the open room before heading to the door.
And it was only a moment later that the endless silk took him and tied him, whipped him from the ground and bound him to the beams well overhead, victim to the predator that had remained both silent and hungry in the dark. He snarled but was silenced as more of the sticky sinew was plastered over his mouth, leaving only his nostrils to drag in air.
His eyes were frantic, savage and angered... and watched in restrained, abject horror as the eight eyes of his ambusher glimmered in the dark, moving closer.
Kiko was into the scrubby woods outside the docks before she realized he wasn’t behind her. She came to a halt, confused with one paw up off the ground and her nose pointed back the way she had come. They had played the chase game for several weeks now. They were teaching exercises - for the most part or pure, impulsive fun. It was unlike him not to have attempted something by now, though.
Her chest expanded and breath blew out of her nose with a snort. Where was he? She should have been able to smell him, at least. She retraced her trail nose to the ground. Nothing. Was it new game or lesson? Kiko shook her head, thoroughly confused, dusk was several hours away. She had not been worried about being seen on her way out of town, of course, she was not staying. But, if he had decided to remain in the warehouse she couldn’t go sniffing through the buildings as an animal, or more specifically; a wolf.
Kiko reentered the warehouse distract in human form. The cloak was pulled tightly around her shoulders and up over her head, but that was not unusual in this area – at all. She would have to start at the warehouse and see if she could pick up his trail.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Unbeknownst to her, Kiko had already stayed death's hand. Then spider-beast had Grayell well and truly bound, unable to so much as utter a cry for help and certainly incapable of reaching for his weapon. His legs swung, lashed about furiously but achieved little in trying to break free and no doubt would prove useless at such a perfectly developed killer.
But as the spider crept from the shadows and inched toward him, as green ichor dripped from it's mouth and hinted at the deadly venom it no doubt possessed - Grayell acted.
She had raked his shoulders open and as such, he had bled. He still did. And that blood came to life, lashed out and severed the webbing at his sides before stabbing at the killer in the dark, 4 equal arms of immediately recognizable spider like construction. It was enough to keep the killer at bay as his hand ripped the silk form his mouth and his knife quickly cut through the webbing about his waist - which sent him falling to the ground below.
The killer pursued, it dropped an landed on it's wicked legs and bounced, swayed upon it's many joints - Grayell rolling away from it's bulk and coming to his own feet with his sword in hand, knife in the other and thoe 4 extra appendages more than eager to fight for his life.
An exchange of blows, neither giving nor taking no quarter left them both that much more frenzied, eager to kill their opponent. Neither had a slack guard, both now had numerous limbs and means to both evade and block the best attempts of the other. A temporary stalemate, it would not last.
Kiko entered the warehouse at that time and the beast snapped it's head about to gaze upon her.
Grayell's battle stare left it's eyes as it turned it's head and he took looked upon Kiko.
Kiko had a split second to react and that was already gone. She'd appeared in between threshold of the warehouse expecting to find nothing but dust, debris, and hopefully; the Wolf's tracks. Instead she was confronted with the waving legs of a giant arachnid, one that was using her name. Her GIVEN name. That outrage registered instantly.
It was enough to freeze her in place, too. Her eyes took in the rest of the scene. Go! Move now, and don’t think about it or that monstrosity will be on you in heartbeat. Kiko was fast, the katana she carried faster yet. Nevertheless, eight legs will beat two to the tape every single time. Kiko dove for the packing crates behind the creature as an alternative to death by venom, her katana slicing through the spear of sticky webbing headed straight for her.
She hit the mangled boxes in a tumbler’s roll, her head tucked beneath her shoulders and her feet spun quickly over to bring her up to her knees. The new blast of webbing splattered all around the box she'd taken refuge behind, dust flung every which way. Where was the Wolf? She’d seen his blaze of white hair right before the shout.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Oh the wolf was here. Or rather, up THERE and dropping like a rock onto the back of the spider-demon thing whatsit monster beasty nasty critter type enemy opponent bobber.
Yes, he'd adapted to the spider's game rather quickly and the blood that jutted from his back as extra appendages had also been the mock silk the yanked him toward the roof before letting him fall in and attempt to ambush his enemy.
His sword reversed in both hands, held close before him and leading his deadly dive toward the spiders back, his gaze burned, widened as he anticipated skewering the blasted bug...
... and was sent reeling into the wall, crashing into it with his full weight and bouncing off of the now cracked timber before falling to the ground with a heavy thud. The spider hissed, screamed in defiance, it's eyes were too many and too perceptive to have it fall prey to such a wild attack.
It's rear leg lashed out at the crates that hid Kiko from danger, another front leg quick to try and impale Grayell before he could get to his feet. He did not, but instead rolled aside at the very last moment.
The rear leg came down but Kiko was already moving to the next pile of broken crates. She had a minutes worth of thought in her mind; to be happy she'd crashed through these earlier - that she could use the projectiles, before grabbing one of the busted crates scattered around her and flinging it directly into the face of the spider creature.
She did not stay stationary afterwards, either. She'd found the Wolf, seen him crash into the wall. Whatever concern she had about the monster calling her name stopped. In fact, everything stopped. This... THING dared to attack her mate. Kiko was up and over the stairway of pallets she'd used to leap out of this building with fire in her eyes.
It put her inside the range if it's waving forlegs and she used the hit and run tactics that were her hallmark. A slash here, a slash there with black ichor spraying free each time. But, her speed couldn't combat it for long and those huge legs were tearing up the floor in great chunks around them. The pallets had started to sway treacherously.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Kiko had stolen the spider's attention and Grayell had thrown himself at the spider-thing's thorax, looking to perforate the blasted creature with his sword. It was hardly defenceless though, eight legs tend to make for quite a determined opponent.
The spider had Kiko trapped though, it's thick legs pinned to either side of her tower and it looking to skewer her, bite her, kill her somehow. She moved swiftly though, quite the agile pest upon the crates and avoiding any killing blow the massive demonic thingimibob might deliver.
Her tower was looking to topple though and gave her no cover now - and as the dread spider reared it's front, most dangerous legs to skewer her, crimson strands wrapped about them tightly. Grayell had his hands weaved through the blood upon his back and was pulling tight on the blood-rope, holding it's killing blow at bay. The spider cast a look back to him, bashed him to one side with a kick from it's rear leg, but he held fast.
Kiko raced up the spider's front legs before they could get high enough to skewer her skull. She had a split second to make the jump, to exchange the topping tower for the pincers instead. Her feet hit the massive claw, and a sudden slide caused her to slip, scramble, lose the landing spot, and drive her katana into the closest joint for security. She flung her feet up, yanked the katana free, cleared the joint, and now it was all downhill into the face.
She leaped again, plunging the silver dagger into one of the many faceted eyes of the monster. There was a wild shriek, a spray of hot fluid, and chitinous crackling as the spider clattered around, then a brutal snap of the head which flung her across the room, the dagger still buried in its eye. Kiko shook the stars out of her vision and dragged her body upright, katana out to defend.
She watched as the half-blinded spider smacked into the crumbling tower, whatever crates and pallets left crushed and punctured under it's stabbing pincers. She watched as it spun around trying to locate the attackers, and when the ruined eye was once again facing her she gave up watching to rush forward. Kiko slashed through the same joint in the pincer and severed it.
I'm working on it Wolf! Where the HELL did it come from?!
Kiko's eyes were not sane, and her words came from behind gritted teeth.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Grayell was equally locked in combat with the blasted thing but one hand loosed the blood cordage from the creature's now injured arm. The tendrils whipped back and he lashed them out again, now wrapping all of them around the one front arm. He groaned as the blood pulsed from him and thickened the strands, them rippling and bulging from his hands and up their length to the remaining pincer.
He tugged with unequalled savagery and forced it's primary weapon back before it could lunge at Kiko again. It shifted it's head and bit hard into the blood but found little effect, tore and tugged at the wiry tendrils in vain effort to remove them from it's arm. It did not work.
The spider-creature grew more frustrated than savage now but no less murderous. It spun, forced Grayell around with it and then kicked him in the chest, him able to do little to stop it with both hands preoccupied... but the cords held him even as he was launched from his feet. He was whipped out and lengthways, hands tethered to the blasted beast, arms then pulling his feet quickly back under him. He hit the ground with a thud and as he took to his knees in the fall, his own muscles screamed with blood and power and arms tore back, blood crushing and collapsing the exoskeletal armour of remaining pincer; leaving it a pulpy, useless mess of a limb.
The spider screamed in both rage and pain, it's two primary weapons now removed and leaving it less capable. It spat now, webbing globbing onto Grayell's forearms and binding them together.
SHIT!
He hadn't answered her. He had no idea, he only had a guess.
The Overwood! If you know any light magic, now would be the time!
Kiko scrambled to one side using her feet, one knee, and her free hand. She had visions of being crushed under the spider's body, too. But, then, she was not tethered to it, not like the Wolf. Her lips peeled back in a low, vicious snarl, the katana smacking at two of the legs now waving wildly about.
She hit nothing, but the swings were not about being hit, they were about gaining momentum and avoiding the waving legs. She needed energy badly, she was running on empty. And Grayell's shouted words didn't help her at all. She had no light magic. Something she was sure he already knew, so why bother yelling about it?
Overwood?
Wait. A thought flickered to life in her brain. No. She was not a light mage, but she was wearing a amulet that could summon light. Kiko gripped the charm known as "The Caress of Orlune" that the Wolf had gifted her with weeks ago. Kiko whispered the command word, she had not used it, and was not sure what to expect.
"Solas."
She yanked it free of her throat just as the charm burst into light. A twenty foot circle of white radiance surrounded Kiko and showered the dark warehouse with an abundance of illumination and was all the worse for it. Every broken board, every cracked timber, all the rotted goods that were soaked with black blood, along with the severed and mashed pincers were starkly displayed.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
The effect of the light was simple enough. It made no terrifying noise, there was nothing all too grand about the enchantment. A relatively simply if not elegant bauble with a very practical use.
But in this instance, the potential of such an object was a very quick reminder of the endless variables involved in magic use.
The spider beast screamed - and not as a woman might, or a child or beast. No, the bottomless, dreadful bellow that erupted from the creature was pure horror to the soul. It's skin singed, smoked and bubbled as the light struck it, it reeling back immediately and crashing into this beam and that wall, it's eyes blinded by the bright light. Perhaps more the sensitivity of the creature than the power of the magic, the arachnid monstrosity was temporarily vulnerable.
Grayell growled - nay - SNARLED as his sword was gripped with both hands, blood winding down his arms, around his hands and the blade. It pulsed. throbbed with power and amplified his already deadly potential - and as his form flashed before the creature, the blade cleaved clean through both front legs. A slash back, across and down left it's weapons dismembered and presented it's torso, face and throat as it slammed into the ground.
It had no means to defend and in this very instant, Kiko had her opening.
The dazzling white flash from the charm showed the monstrous nature of the creature in all its awful glory. Kiko’s vision whirled, watered, and refocused. She was still trying to regain that sense when the shriek erupted, splintered her ear drums, and installed a new sense of horror.
Kiko wanted with every fiber of her being to run, to burrow her head, to shutter the light, and close her mind to the soul tearing sound. Everyone has those moments in their lives - where the primitive flight response sends you into a headlong rush for the exit. It was especially true for Kiko. She had spent almost all her childhood running from one dreadful ambush or another.
She was not a child any longer. And courage, no matter what anyone might tell you, is not about being fearless; it is about facing fear.
Kiko was afraid.
But that did not stop her from acting. She darted forward in a rush and went straight for the soft throat and torso of the creature slashing it open in two quick strikes. The charm swayed back and forth in her upraised fist, splashing light higher and higher on the walls.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”