Unsafe Working Conditions : A He Who Fights With Monsters 6+ Companion Story

Chapter 5 - Offensive Basketball

 As the mattress lifted enough to show the contents of the container he knew he had hit the jackpot. In a similar cavity as the cubes from his room was a short sword and what looked like a short barreled shotgun.

Remembering the effect of the cubes on him he carefully probed the weapon with his club. This time the reaction was considerably more violent, the ritual engravings that surrounded the cavity of the sword flashed and the club was surrounded with a halo of metal dust and began to chew at it. Reflexively throwing the club away from him it landed in the sink, the dust swarming to cover everything. After several moments the dust had reduced the nest, the club, the sink and a portion of the wall to powder before falling to the ground.

Looking back to the sword he saw that the paths between the cavity and the writing had transformed from their metallic brilliance to black scorches, the writing dissolved leaving behind a black ash like substance. Looking at the gun he decided to wait, taking his ax he used its edge to pull the sword from its cavity ready to toss it away in an instant.

Prying up the edge of the sword he almost had it when it suddenly gave, like when someone lets go on the other end of a rope. The sudden release caused him to over compensate, in doing so he pushed the handle of the sword into the writing surrounding the gun. As he watched the same flash occurred and before his eyes the sword and gun were consumed by the dust along with a healthy section of the bed.

Grumbling and swearing he left the room, not waiting for the dust to finish its task. He made his way toward the next damaged opening. This one was in one of the end walls, the louvers more than twice as wide if the same height. There was a hole that had been made by something trying to get into it, the edges of the opening were all bent towards the interior. Unlike everywhere else he had seen while in this place there was not the pleasant soft lighting to be seen. It was dark, vague outlines could be seen, it was not an inviting place.

Liam got close enough to peer inside, what he could see was a room just the other, though this one seemed to have been made for multiple inhabitants. He could see stacked beds in two rows along the outside walls, and a low table between them. His curiosity overcoming the sense of unknown danger he decided to stick his head farther in.

As soon as his face broke the plane of the door his danger sense called emergency. He pulled back just as something swept across the opening. Brandishing his ax he backed away from the hole, one at a time long multi-jointed legs began to reach through the opening,, What came out had a body like a fleshy balloon supported by six mechanical legs. What appeared to be its face was on its back, it was about the size of a basketball and the legs brought it up to about waist height.

Before the disgust could overtake him, Liam rushed at it while swinging his ax. The creature moved a leg to parry and was forced several feet back by the force of the blow. The creature quickly rebounded and rushed him, its gait odd as it had to hold itself bizarrely in order to maintain its sights on him.

Several exchanges and Liam had traded three new scratches for a glancing blow that had debilitated two of the spider's legs. With its mobility compromised it was trying to get back through the hole, Liam weighing the danger with the opportunity to finish something off that could be a risk in the future.

Deciding that the risk was worth it he charged aiming for the opening created by the paralyzed legs. His axe sunk deep and he felt the creature shudder and die. Quickly backing away he looked around to see if anything had heard the commotion and was looking to cash in. Seeing nothing he turned back to the offensive basketball bristling with legs.

As the creature collapsed in front of the hole it let out a warbling howl. The sound being the first true noise it had made, aside from hissings.

Another noise answered from within the room and an identical creature climbed out, in addition there was a swarm of tennis ball versions. Seeing the swarm he turned around and ran back to the corridor, turning to look back he paused. While the initial exodus from the hole was terrifying there were only twenty of the creatures chasing him across the floor. Looking back at the hole another of the basketball monsters was pulling itself through, it was missing one of its legs and was moving slowly.