Death's Stigma (NanoWriMo14)

Chapter 16

Grim hung above the pit and looked down for the source of the voice. Bellow him Fevarix slowly climb up towards him.

"Why does one of them always have to be a giant spider?" Grim said pulling himself onto a stone beam above him. The semi truck sized demon settled on the wall in front of him. His eight spindly legs were covered in a blue pulsing crystal as well as most of its body. The four fangs extending from his head clicked and glistened with venom. The part Grim was worried about was the stinger on its abdomen that cracked solid stone as he tapped it against a wall.

"Are you afraid human? I can feel your anger and despair but nothing is better than the sweet taste of fear."

"Fuck off you over grown bug. I'm going to kill you then free Lord Death."

The spider responded with a throaty chuckle.

"Why don't you try to kill me." It said casually. Grim blurred forewards and slashed it. The scythe scraped off and Grim launched himself off of the spider.

"Grim, use Sedrin's scales. They should be strong enough to break the crystal." Myst whispered in his head. He nodded and incased his right hand in scales. Blurring he struck the spider on its back and the crystal flashed green. A few more hits turned it yellow and it cracked a little. Fevarix bucked him off and jumped onto the web of stone paths. He hit Grim with one leg and sent him spinning.

"So you killed Sedrin and are playing copy-cat with his powers. No matter not even Sedrin's scaly hide can protect you from my fangs." The spider rushed him and pinned him. Grim threw out his armored hand and the fangs went through it like butter. He moved and the fangs bit into his fimgers.

"Ahhh, get off me asshole." Grim slammed a chain into one of his ten eyes and scrambled away. The venom started to eat away his right pinkie and ring finger. With out thinking he gripped Katie by the base of the blade. Me moaned and sliced his fingers off. They disolved away on the floor but it didn't spread to the rest of his hand. He barely dogded the next two swipes at him.

His hand started to heal and he gripped Katie with three fingers. Katie and Myst felt the shift in his attitude. Myst boosted the flow of power to Grim and sat back to watch the show.

"All right you eight legged freak. You just cost me a good portion of my dominant hand, now I'm going to repay you."

He hurtled towards Fevarix and scales formed over his ruined hand. He slammed his fist into Fevarix's front right leg and the crystal shattered instantly. He spun around and cut the limb off. Grim flipped up onto his back and smashed the crystal on his back. He shoved the spear point into his back repeatedly. Fevarix shook him off and fired the concrete web at him. Grim used his chains to pull himself over the webbing.

He dropped onto the spider's head and smashed the crystal again. Grim latched the chains into the side of his head and jumped. He plummeted and when the chains hit their limit and wretched his head around. There was a sickening crack as his neck and carapace were shattered. The spider lost control of his body and dropped into the pit. He tore through the web and was impaled on the spikes at the bottom. He lay twitching at the bottom.

"You will never defeat Lady Skyra. I will sacrifice myself a dozen time over in her name."

Fevarix stopped moving and started to dissolve. Grim put Katie on his back and looked at his hand.

"I can't believe he got my fingers. Fucking asshole." The base of his fingers had healed over like they never existed.

"Sorry but it only gets worse here mortal." Grim looked up and the demon with the cage was standing above the corpse. She jumped down and when the last of Fevarix dissolved away she snatched up the four fangs and the stinger laying on the ground. "I wonder how long I'll last against you now." She said swallowing the fangs. Her body started to swell out and she shrieked with joy.

"Why can't anything ever go right for me?" Grim said as he backed up. The lower half of the demon morphed and ballooned out. Eight legs erupted from the growing mass underneath her. Like a centaur her upper body stayed human like, her nails lengthening into claws and fangs bursting from her mouth. Her abdomen stretched and a cage door formed across the top. Her duster was ripped to shreds as she grew even larger than Fevarix. The crystals formed over her forearms and across her chest as well as her lower half.

"How about now human?" Her voice was hive like, hundreds of voices talking at once. "Lets see you defeat me when I'm even stronger than the dusty old bug." She ripped apart the ceiling and through the apartments above.

"Shit, she's going to crush us."

Grim blurred and jumped up the falling debris. He flipped out of the hole and onto the street as she crawled out.

"Time to run away?" Myst offered.

"Yeah, time to run away." Grim said. He blurred down the street but like the minions she chased right after him. He jumped up buildings and ran along roofs but he couldn't shake her. The earpiece he carried and General Wheeler's voice came through.

"Grim, I could use your help."

"Not right now General, I'm kind of busy! I've got a train sized demon chasing me across the city."

"I've got two women here saying they know you, Ryan and Selena."

"Fuck, patch them through." The line switched over. "What can I do for you dear friends?" He said vaulting over an air vent.

"Grim, Elizabeth dissapeared a few days ago and she won't pick up."

"Ryan, I am really busy right now. I have no idea how to phrase this in a way that isn't going to hit you like a sac of bricks. Elizabeth is dead, Skyra brainwashed Nadia and she is hunting us. Stay out of the city or she will kill you."

"She's dead."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't save her. Damnit!" He tripped on a broken patch of roof and was sent tumbling.

"No more running human." The demon stepped toward him. The cage door on her abdomen opened and monstrous crossbreeds struggled out of the black tar that seemed to fill the inside.

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