The Spider Queen

(Planet Caorn- Elysium Archipelago)

(Unnamed Island)

Three young women were currently standing in the middle of a dense tropical rainforest.

Tall leafy green trees covered the landscape and hidden beneath their shadows was a lush, forested undergrowth.

Tiny rat-like animals with gorgeous white fur and small beady eyes could be seen darting from bush to bush looking for berries.

The air was humid, and a thick grey mist snaked its way through the forest.

Beads of sweat ran down the faces of the women as they continued to march towards an unknown destination.

"Well… this is boring," Rachel grumbled as she stretched out her arms and let out a small yawn.

Sophie glanced at her companion and then turned her attention back to the map in her hand.

She couldn\'t blame Rachel for feeling bored since their experience so far on this island was… uneventful to say the least.

"Don\'t let your guard down," Cleo warned as her piercing green eyes swept the surrounding area for any threats.

"There is no way that the first stage of the Inter- University tournament is just a simple treasure hunt."

"Don\'t worry babe… my senses are constantly on the alert," Sophie replied with a gentle smile as she leaned against Cleo\'s body.

"Let me know if we need to fight something," Rachel let out another yawn and rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes.

The saintess of the Nephilim Church was in a bad mood.

She had planned to host an orgy at her suite the night before the tournament begun but only three people had shown up.

And two of them only wanted to watch!

Like why show up if you aren\'t going to take part!

Screech!

A fearsome cry echoed through the forest and all three women turned in the direction of the unexpected noise.

The bushes to the left of their location began to shake rapidly as a creature emerged from behind the shrubbery.

It was a ten feet long beast with a long sleek body. The creature had five heads, and each bore an eerily similar resemblance to a human skull.

Screech!

The head in the middle of the group opened its mouth and a horrific roar erupted that sent shivers down Rachel\'s spine.

The creature lunged forward so quickly that its body became a blur of motion. Still even at that speed… it was too slow.

Cloud Treading Dragon!

Sophie\'s figure blurred and then vanished from the spot. She remerged right in front of the creature and her blade-like appendages stabbed forward.

The sharp barbs at the end of her appendages easily tore through the monster\'s scales and ripped off chunks of pinkish flesh.

Not to be outdone, Cleo immediately closed her eyes and unleashed a psychic attack on the nearby surroundings.

Large rocks shot out from the ground and embedded themselves inside the open wounds on the creature\'s body.

The rocks proceeded to wriggle and squirm their way inside the creature as if they were somehow alive.

It was a nasty sight.

Rachel\'s hand drifted towards her sword, but the creature slumped motionless to the ground with the life draining from its multiple eyes.

"Geez… did you get even faster?" Rachel asked in disbelief.

"Just a little bit," Sophie teased as she walked back towards the ground with her lips gently curving upwards.

Suddenly Sophie stumbled as she approached Cleo and Rachel. It was only for a brief second and no one noticed except for herself.

The hybrid girl gritted her teeth as she felt several familiar bursts of pain erupt across her body at the same time.

Not now…

Sophie continued to smile and act like nothing was wrong all the while she felt as though thousands of needles were slowly penetrating her flesh.

"Well now I feel useless… here… why don\'t you give me the map?" Rachel cheerfully spoke as she stretched out her hand.

Sophie handed the map over and tried not to visibly wince as Rachel\'s soft fingers brushed against her palm.

Her sense of touch was far more sensitive than usual and even the slightest tactile sensation was overwhelming.

This was torture.

Sophie bit her tongue and the coppery taste of blood flooded her mouth and helped a little bit to pierce through the mental fog that was clouding her mind.

She could not show weakness.

Right now, the tournament was being broadcasted across the Virtual Net and her competitors would be able to see the footage afterwards.

Sophie took in a few shallow breaths and then gently exhaled.

Rachel and Cleo were chatting about something but right now Sophie\'s thoughts were a hundred miles away.

How long could she keep this up?

Then as if the gods had finally decided to give her a break for once… the pain abruptly disappeared just as fast as it had arrived.

Thank goodness.

Sophie relaxed a bit but the tension in her mind had not fully gone away.

What about the next time an attack came?

How would she cope if it lasted for hours?

"Oh! I think I see the temple up ahead!" Cleo\'s excited voice interrupted Sophie\'s musings. A few hundred metres up ahead was a large clearing of grassland.

In the middle of the clearing was a three-story temple that had been built out of black obsidian and granite.

Enormous stone pillars kept the structure of the temple in place and the carvings of a winged goddess had been etched into the stone walls.

The entrance to the temple was wide open and one could see a darkened corridor that was dimly lit by torches hanging from the walls.

"So… we just need to enter the temple. Grab the artifact and then head to the extraction point right?" Rachel asked curiously.

"Yes. I think the time limit is three days, so we have plenty of time to pass this stage," Sophie replied thoughtfully.

"Okay let\'s get this done as soon as possible so we can relax in the hotel," Cleo chimed in as she reached for the blaster pistol strapped to her hip.

The three women walked towards the temple with Sophie in the lead. She would play the role of a tanker due to her impressive regeneration.

Rachel would provide damage using her sword qi techniques while Cleo would be playing a supporting role with her mental skills.

Sophie cautiously stepped inside the temple and paid close attention to her danger sense to determine if there were any threats to her life.

Danger!

The hybrid girl tilted her head to the side and several arrows that had been shot at her location passed mere inches away from her flesh.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

More arrows shot towards Sophie at a startling speed. The hybrid girl cocked back her fist and a cold chill began to spread through the air.

Ice-born Technique- Winter\'s Fist!

Sophie punched outwards and a gust of freezing wind erupted from her knuckles.

The wind immediately froze the arrows mid flight and they dropped to the ground harmlessly.

Sophie held up her hand and motioned for her two companions to retreat while she waited to see if any more arrows would come.

Five minutes passed as Sophie maintained her vigilance and prepared for any more surprise attacks.

Nothing.

"Alright… that seems like the last of them… be careful and stay behind me," Sophie warned as she walked forward.

"Got it," Cleo replied as she rubbed her temples and accessed the mental force hidden inside her brain.

The corridor seemed to stretch out for eternity as the endless rows upon rows of torches illuminated the marble floor with an eerie light.

As the group wandered further into the temple, the scenery gradually changed to something a bit more… unpleasant.

A nasty foul-smelling odour filled the air which caused Sophie and Cleo to wrinkle their noses in disgust.

Rachel dealt with the smell by using her shapeshifting ability to remove her nose.

Sophie stepped forward and then stopped as she felt a wet sensation on her foot. She looked down and saw a crimson red liquid staining the sole of her boots.

Blood?

But from who?

Or rather… what?