A Group of Tiger Spiders (2)

"Aaahh! Get away from me!" A boy with pure black, spiky hair screamed as he tried to run away from the tiger spider.

At one point, he stopped and turned around, his fist transforming into a rocky structure with a few cracks.

He let out a battle cry as he punched the charging spider in the head with all his strength, but it emerged uninjured.

"Mommy..." he cried out after seeing how his attack had no effect. His knees weakened as the spider screeched, raising its front legs and pouncing on its prey, which had started to run.

Trying to save himself, he noticed Liam, who was doing nothing but standing in one place, ignoring cries for help.

'That bastard!' he thought, his fist trembling in fury.

Would he also be like that on the battlefield? Watching his comrades die while standing around? All of this made the young cadet's blood boil.

"If you're going to be like that, then you're better off dead now," he muttered. It could end up catastrophic if someone had to rely on him.

Yelling, he ran towards Liam, who had already noticed his presence and began to turn around.

"Hey! What ar—" Liam didn't even have time to finish his question as he saw the boy's hand reaching for his shirt collar.

He grabbed the boy's arm effortlessly, easily predicting its trajectory.

'And Ava wants me to fight for this piece of trash?' Liam's forest-green eyes seemed to ignite as he glared at the cadet, tightening his grip.

"What were you trying to do?" he hissed, not taking his eyes off him until he felt something wet dripping onto his head.

Looking up, he saw a spider towering above them, its serrated fangs moving.

'Perfect,' the boy thought, seeing how Liam was distracted.

Swiftly, he broke free from Liam's grip, which had weakened as his attention shifted to the threat in front of them.

He ran past Liam and, as he did, shoved him in front of the spider, making sure he would fall to the ground. 'If he won't fight for us, he's no better than the spiders.'

Liam gasped as he was pushed and extended his hands, bracing for impact.

"You scum!" Liam shouted, turning his head and raising his fist, but there was no time to get angry after hearing the monstrous sound of a starving creature.

He could feel its sticky saliva oozing from its mouth while its rotten breath burned the inside of his nose.

Looking up, staring into his doom, he felt fear for his life for the first time. He tightened his jaw as sweat appeared on his forehead.

There was a familiar tension underneath his tattoos, his wings ready to snap open and flee, but a system message popped up in front of his eyes, reminding him of what was at stake.

[New mission: infiltrate enemy ranks]

[Reward: 500 XP]

[Penalty upon failure: death]

"Shit..." he muttered, slowly getting up into a low stance.

"Good spider..." Liam softened his voice, his tone as if trying to calm down an angry dog.

The spider clicked its mandibles, raising its front leg with a pointed hook and swinging it toward Liam.

Liam began to move out of the way half a millisecond before the spider started its attack, giving him just enough time to barely dodge, leaving a red streak across his cheek.

"Can't we just talk this out? Like a bug to a bug?" he asked the arachnid in front of him as if it could understand him. They did share some traits.

Liam hoped for an answer, but instead, the spider slightly turned its body and attempted to bite his head off.

'Damn it,' Liam thought, sliding under the spider and ending up behind it.

He clenched his fist and went to punch its hind leg, but its exoskeleton was as hard as a rock. 'If only I had a weapon.'

Feeling something like a mosquito bite, the spider kicked with its powerful leg.

Seeing the attack, Liam started to move out of the way, but he was too close and was flung to the ground.

The spider began to turn around, almost trampling Liam under its legs.

Glaring at it while still on the ground, Liam raised his arms and brought his hands close together, focusing the bioenergy coursing through his body.

A small green ball began to form between his palms, golden swirls pulsating with power inside it, but just as it started to grow into a noticeable size, he hesitated, remembering his mother's words.

If he were to show this, there was a chance he wouldn't live for long.

'Both sides want me dead, great,' he tightened his lips and rolled aside, dodging the spider's bite attempt.

Ava, who was brawling with the spider from earlier, caught a glimpse of what was going on with her brother, but she was afraid to turn her back toward the enemy, knowing she would be killed the moment she did so.

"Linx!" she cried out, not knowing who to turn to, as she was the only one who seemed capable besides herself.

Ava's knuckles radiated with dark purple energy as she activated her ability, throwing a punch into the spider's leg at the joint, causing it to screech and back away slightly.

"Go help my brother!" She turned her head to quickly search for her comrade, but that was a mistake because the creature used that one second to attack, pinning her to the ground.

Ava grabbed its long front legs, which were trying to pierce her. She clenched her jaw, her muscles trembling.

Watching the scene, Linx took a step forward, feeling a strong desire to help Ava.

She was one of the rare individuals who deserved the right to talk to her, but after hearing her plea, she clicked her tongue and rushed toward Liam instead.

A green blade extended from her forearm, similar to the one she had threatened Liam with inside the vehicle.

She slid beneath the spider from behind and swiftly attempted to cut three of its legs, but she barely left a scratch.

Her medium blonde hair, barely reaching her shoulders, fell in front of her sky-blue eyes as she ended up in front of the spider.

"Get a grip, man," Linx commented in a harsh voice, grabbing Liam by his arm and pulling him out of the spider's reach.

What caught her attention was that he was extremely light, especially for someone who seemed obsessed with food.

Liam glared at Linx as she pulled him to safety. His pride hurt more than his wounds. 'I could have handled it.'

Looking over her shoulder, he saw the spider charging toward them, ready to attack.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked her, getting off the ground and pushing her aside, but he didn't have enough time to dodge the attack.

Before he knew it, he was locked in a battle of survival, holding both of the spider's legs as they tried to crush him.

He could feel his heart pounding with adrenaline as his ears buzzed, his strength slowly slipping away.

"Do something!" he shouted at Linx, expecting her to help him.

She stood there for a few seconds, her hand hovering above her chest as she wondered what had just happened.

'Did he just save my life?' she thought, but his words brought her back to reality.

Linx took a step forward, the lime-green energy blade from her forearm ready to attack, but before she had a chance to act, five loud bangs echoed across the battlefield, followed by energy blasts similar in color to her blade, though slightly darker.

Each shot was aimed precisely at the spider's head, blasting it away and causing its green, sticky fluid to splatter around.

Those who had been fighting looked visibly confused, wondering what had just happened, while the rest still seemed to be panicking until the realization hit them that the fight was over.

"W-what happened?" Liam's voice stuttered as he stared at the headless spider. Even though it was visibly dead, it still felt like it could bolt at any moment.

"Luka Finch, FF rank," a deep male voice echoed around the area as he approached the group, wearing black armor with blue accents and carrying a red weapon that appeared to be covered in insectoid exoskeleton.