The Labyrinth Part 3

With the giant bug’s attention successful diverted, the Scholar safely and delivered the Witch and the Fleur onto the ledge. The Witch pointed her staff at the monster.

“Ready!” the Witch yelled.

The Succubus launched into the air. Her body swiveled around, her feet landing on the wall above the centipede. Legs bulging with power, she whizzed down with a whoosh, aiming at the bug’s head, and smashed down with her clenched scythe.

In one hit, the giant centipede crashed to the ground, shaking the cave. It landed on the pile of its torn legs. The dismembered parts splashed up like a water fountain show.

The Scholar whistled at the strength of the takedown. “I’m glad we don’t have to go to war with the demons anymore.”

The scythe logged into the giant bug’s head, but it wasn’t enough to kill it. The Succubus pulled on her weapon, attempting to drag it across its skull to finish it off. The scythe didn’t budge on the tough exoskeleton. Not only that, her scythe started being pushed out of the creature’s head while it healed itself.

Right on cue, webs rained down from above, covering the centipede from head to tail. Nails followed and pinned the webs onto the ground. The Witch surveyed her work, adding more nails where the centipede’s body moved. Next to her, the Fleur had already produced sacs filled with an eerie purple-swirling blue liquid.

The centipede tried to thrash out of the webs, but the webs were so tightly bound that it barely had wiggle room to break free.

The Succubus was so annoyed she couldn’t finish off the monster that she started stomping down on her scythe. However, the weapon was stopped by the healed parts of its exoskeleton. It prevented the scythe from puncturing in any further. Slowly, the weapon popped out, and the wound and completely healed itself.

The Succubus stomped on its head instead.

The repeated stomping was so hard that the floor started to quake, and eventually the centipede stopped moving. It went limp underneath the demon’s foot.

“Huh, the scythe couldn’t do much damage, but the stomping did. I think she just gave the creature a concussion,” the Fleur said, looking at the poisonous sacs she made in disappointment. “I guess we don’t need these anymore.”

“No, better to be safe than sorry,” the Scholar said. “I’d rather it be dead than passed out. The Succubus might have damaged something inside that doesn’t heal as quickly as its outer parts. It might eventually heal up. Let’s go.”

“You want to jump down there with all these? They’re going to burst,” the Fleur said.

“I’ll make a net to carry them,” the Witch said, and spell cast a net for the sacs.

With the sacs secured in a net, the Scholar hoisted it on his shoulder. “Take my hand or arm, and grab on to me tight,” the Scholar said.

The Fleur and the Witch circled their arms around the Scholar’s free arm and jumped weightlessly to the labyrinth floor.

The Paladin came and took the net of sacs from the Scholar.

“They’re light as feathers,” the Paladin said.

“They won’t be once I let go of my hand,” the Scholar said. “Be careful now.”

The Paladin tightened his grip on the net. When the Scholar let go, the Paladin almost dropped them. He managed to save them, and put them down gently.

“Let’s get rid of this thing once and for all,” the Succubus said, standing tall on top of the centipede’s head. She opened the centipede’s maw with the hook of her scythe.

Rows upon rows of jagged teeth lined the inside of the mouth. The Scholar was glad they didn’t go with the plan to get eaten into the stomach and then fight their way out. They’d die before they reached the stomach.

The Paladin, Fleur, Scholar, and Witch dumped the sacs into the creature’s mouth. The Witch chanted a spell, and an invisible hand pushed the sacs into the big bug’s stomach. The Succubus unhooked her scythe and waited.

Nothing happened for a while, but then the giant creatures started shaking. Unfortunately, with its body pinned so tightly, it couldn’t even convulse the way it wanted as it died. Blood started spilling from its orifices.

The Succubus rode the waves of the spasms on the top of the bug’s head, her stance never wavering thanks to her perfect balance.

The four on the ground scooted back a fair distance in case anything spewed from the big bug’s mouth. The last thing they wanted was to be rained on by poison again. This time, the poison could cause death.

The Fleur looked on with horror at the violent scene. Their face turned purple and green. It was the first time that they had seen something die so violently, and the blood, there was so much of it.

The blood pooled underneath the bug, the crimson liquid crawling along the floor towards the group.

Finally, the bug stopped moving, and the cave returned to silence.

“What’s the matter,” the Witch asked the Fleur.

“There was so much suffering,” the Fleur said softly. “I never should have made the poison.”

“What are you talking about?” the Scholar said. “It was either we die or it dies. There was no other way.”

“But we could have kept it pinned here,” the Fleur said. “And be on our way to find the mana plant.”

“Then it would be a matter of time before it freed itself and come after us,” the Paladin said. “The first time you kill someone is never pleasant. However, this is a bug, not a person.”

“A bug is still a life. All lives are equal, and all suffer just the same,” the Fleur said.

“A bug doesn’t suffer. It’s just a bug,” the Scholar said.

“But it did, or else it wouldn’t have thrashed so painfully,” the Fleur said.

The Fleur was not just disturbed by the death of the giant centipede, but also by the lack of heart the others had. Fleur had lived in seclusion in their forests for a long time, and although they had human visitors, those visits were rare and limited. The Fleur thought they could adapt to the humans, but she never thought they were so cruel.

“The creature was unconscious when it was poisoned. It didn’t suffer too much pain while it was dying,” the Witch said.

Words meant to comfort didn’t seem to do much for the Fleur. The Witch again had to resign herself to her heartlessness which led to an inability to console others.

“The mana plants were further in. We tried to go around it, but it wouldn’t let us pass,” the Paladin said. “Either it dies, or Blue dies. Which one would you prefer?”

The Fleur couldn’t answer. They were struggling because both lives were important to them.

“What are you all yapping about,” the Succubus said, jumping down from the bug. “The thing’s already dead. No use in lamenting anymore. The only way now is forward. Let’s go.” She turned and headed deeper into the cave. The group followed.