The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Floren Sector)

(Planet Corpeola- Capitol City Underground Sewers)

Sophie reopened her eyes and found herself standing in a strange yet familiar place.

The colours of her nearby surroundings had faded away until the world was nothing more than a black and white fever dream.

Multiple shadowy figures clashed and fought as Sophie got glimpses of the possible paths that the future could take.

Just as she was about to step closer to get a better look, a terrifying voice echoed through the world with a barely concealed mirth hidden in its tone.

"Separabit Nexum Ad Divina!"

The world shattered into a thousand pieces and Sophie awoke from her strange state to find herself back in the underground sewers.

She tried to access her future sight once more, but it was pointless. Something… or rather someone was blocking her from using her ability.

How was that possible?

"Curious…" the skeleton mage muttered as he stared at the hybrid girl with a newfound interest and curiosity clearly written on his bony face.

"What kind of old god is your sponsor? Hmm… I couldn't even get a feel on what type of ability I cut out of your body…"

"Was that your source of confidence? An entity beyond the void who granted you a boon?"

"You truly are nothing more than a naïve child."

The skeleton mage threw back his head and laughed. His maniac giggles echoed through the empty tunnels and black flames erupted near his fingertips.

"Ossis militum de terra," the skeleton mage chanted as he plunged his fist into the ground and the black flame burned even brighter.

Sophie reached into her storage bag and pulled out several plasma rifles. She tossed the weapons to her clones who accepted them with bloodthirsty grins on their faces.

The skeleton mage was right. Perhaps she had gotten too used to having the powers of the Hunter Goddess.

But he seemed to believe that she would be helpless without them.

He was wrong.

Sophie raised up her plasma rifle and pointed the barrel of the gun directly at the mage who continued to chant without a care in the world.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A barrage of plasma rounds was shot towards the mage by Sophie and her clones as they showed no mercy towards the undead fiend.

The mage finished his spell and the earth beneath his feet trembled.

Thousands of skeletons rose up from the ground wearing varying suits of armour and weapons.

Hundreds of them were immediately destroyed by the hail of plasma fire but more kept crawling out of the ground like a never-ending sea of white death.

"Fuck… fuck…" Sophie muttered quietly as she abandoned her plasma gun just as the first skeleton warrior leapt towards her.

She charged forward to reach the monster and the world slowed down to a crawl. It was not even a choice to unleash her bloodthirsty state but rather a reflex.

A reflex that would prove to be a costly mistake…

A red mist began to spread from the corners of her golden eyes but once again a loud chant came from the mage.

"Separabit Nexum Ad Divina!"

The red mist instantly retreated, and Sophie's eyes returned to their natural colour.

The hybrid girl was thrown off balance for a moment, but she used her forward momentum to smash her fist in the creature's sternum.

The bony warrior flew back with so much force that it crashed into its companions and shattered them into pieces of bone.

Sophie's blade-like appendages shot forward and she used their barbed tips to cut a path through the endless sea of undead creatures.

Even if she was unable to unleash her bloodthirsty state…

Sophie was still an expert fighter who had experienced countless battles,

The undead were nothing more than distractions but their sheer numbers made it difficult for the hybrid girl to approach the mage standing in the back.

"Augue adolebitque eam," the skeleton mage loudly chanted as the black flame in his hand got even bigger.

He hurled an enormous ball of fire at Sophie who barely managed to jump out of the way before it crashed into where she had been standing just moment ago.

A dozen of the undead warriors and one of her clones were instantly vaporised into nothing more than ash.

Still the mage continued to hurl fireballs around the battlefield with seemingly reckless abandon without a care for whether or not he hit his own army.

Rsychosis!

Multiple identical clones emerged from Sophie's body as she took the opportunity to hide her real self from the mage.

Her ploy succeeded as the mage turned his attention on the clones that were closet to his location.

Sophie curiously tried to access her powers and discovered that two of the three gifts were now completely locked.

There was only one left, and it would be unlikely to aid her in this battle because… well… the skeleton did not seem to have any… err… desires?

It was a polite way of saying that a creature composed entirely of bone was unlikely to have a sex drive.

Sophie and her clones continued to fight desperately against the overwhelming wave of skeletons and the minutes felt like hours as they hacked and slashed their way through the horde.

Despite their best efforts… progress was slow.

Sophie had to slow down her movements since she wanted to blend in with her mirror images, but it was taking time.

Precious time that she did not have.

The skeleton mage chuckled again, and Sophie realised that she had forgotten one important detail in her single-minded pursuit of the mage.

The ritual!

Sophie quickly glanced at the rat-like creature slowly roasting over the fire and felt an ominous premonition in her heart.

Her danger sense was now screaming at her to get out of here!

She sent a message through the mental network and two of her clones immediately turned and ran towards the remaining worshippers.

"No, you don't," the skeleton mage scolded like how a parent would tease a mischievous child.

He raised up one of his bony fingers and several white spears erupted from the ground beneath the clones' feet.

Sophie felt a sharp pain in her chest as her clones died and the memories of their death flowed into her mind.

Still… there was something that she noticed.

As the mage activated another spell… the movements of the undead army would slow down for a brief moment.

The hybrid girl knew that any direct attack launched at the rat-like creature was likely to be blocked but…

Could the mage block a gas?

Sophie reached into her storage bag and sent three more of her clones to rush at the rat-like creature but this time… they would be nothing more than distractions.

She took out a glass vial that had a murky black liquid inside that bubbled and hissed.

It was difficult to stealthily drink the liquid and fight off the nearby undead but somehow Sophie managed it.

She could feel a burning sensation in her body as the powerful toxin entered her meridians and got even stronger.

Sophie placed a thin sheath over the vial and then bit down hard using her fangs. Thick viscous black liquid squirted out of her hollow fangs and filled up the vial.

The chanting and desperate cries from the worshippers got even louder so she knew that she did not have much time left.

The hybrid girl cocked back her arm and flung the glass vial at the rat-like creature with as much force as she could muster.

A black shield appeared in mid air and shattered the vial. The liquid fell down hundreds of feet away from the ritual.

"What matter of petty tricks do you think… wait a moment… are you?" the skeleton mage exclaimed in shock as he saw something outrageous.

Poison Cultivation Art- Dragon Strike!

Sophie focused on the connection between herself and the toxic liquid and made a series of hand gestures.

The liquid was instantly converted into a gas in the shape of a dragon whose roar shook the entire underground room.

The mage opened his mouth to cast another spell but now it was too late.

The poison cloud dragon rushed forward and all of the Mendolesa worshippers as well as the rat-like creature immediately died.

It was not a pleasant death.

Horrific boils appeared on the surface of their bodies, and they died as the mucus inside their lungs choked up their air pathways from the inside.

"YOU. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" the skeleton mage screamed in a mixture of anger and disbelief.