Chapter 22: The Strongest of the Spidersilks

Rook: This must be what she was talking about. I could be walking right into an ambush, but it’s the best chance I got, I guess.

Melanie: Our best chance is to both hit him hard at once. If nothing else, that will force whatever he’s planning to come out.

Melanie: He hasn’t drawn a weapon and he hasn’t moved from that spot. It’s obvious he’s waiting for us to make the first move.

Iricryo: And we’re just going to rush straight into it?

Kester: As fun as it is just standing around watching you talk, do you think we can get started sometime today?

She charges towards Kester with her dagger, but he simply steps to the side, watching the dagger go by him. Iricryo tries to hit him next, with his rapier, but Kester just hops backwards with ease.

Kester: Is that how you two fight? How the hell did you even make it this far.

He tries to thrust at Kester with his rapier, but Kester nimbly avoids the attack. Iricryo quickly turns his attack around and attacks with a backhand slash. Kester once again moves out of the way, and Melanie quickly runs up behind him, sticking a needle in his neck.

Kester: Heh…what is that supposed to do.

Kester: Guess I should stop messing around…that one was dangerously close to actually piercing me.

His entire body, armor and skin, begin to peel slightly, forming lines all around him. The color around the lines begin to fade, revealing lines of white, bandage-like rope covering him completely, almost like a mummy. The needle falls out of the bandages around his neck.

Melanie: I see…he’s been covered with those from the very start, just disguising them.

The bandages around Kester loosen from his body and begin to float around him wildly.

Melanie: Burn brightly, Blade of the Eagle!

Rook runs through the town, following the path of destruction left by Sarah and Oscar.

Rook: Looks like there’s been quite a battle. I hope I’m not too late to help.

Sniper: And who the hell do we have here? That’s a Militia uniform. A bit far from his domain, isn’t he?

Sniper: Well, let’s get rid of him before he stirs up even more trouble.

Sarah and Oscar are still sitting around, waiting for a sign from Melanie and Iricryo.

Sarah: Hey, do you hear that, Oscar?

Sarah: Damnit, idiot, don’t stand out in the open like that!

Rook is hit directly through the left of his chest, a streak of blood following the bullet’s path out of his body.

Melanie slashes forward with her dagger, glowing brightly with flames, at Kester. She cuts through a layer of bandages, but can’t seem to hit Kester himself. She pushes forward with the attack.

Her assaults continue to just cut through bandages, but as it does it forms a familiar pattern in the air.

The pattern streaks brightly in the air, and flames explode forward at Kester, engulfing him in flames. He leaps backwards out of the flames, his bandages only slightly charred.

He thrusts forward at Kester with his rapier, and it glows a bright white as he does.

He strikes at Kester in rapid succession, so quickly that the eye can only make out the diamond on the hilt of the blade, to the point where it seems you are trapped in a dark void surrounded by diamonds. The bandages around Kester tighten around him, and the hits all bounce off of him.

His attack ends, and he sees Kester, encased in his bandages that now seem more like metal plates.

Kester: My ultimate defensive technique! Elastic Armor!

Iricryo: God damnit, that was the strongest attack I’ve got…and it just bounced off him…

The bandages soften to their original state and begin to spread around him again.

Kester: Now, if that’s all you’ve got, how about I take my turn?

Rook: Damnit…how could I be so careless…

Sniper: He’s still moving … this one is tough…but one more shot should put him down for good.

Sniper fires another shot at Rook. Oscar runs in the way, raising his good arm in front of his face. The bullet hits him in his palm, the impact sending Oscar sprawling to the ground, but the bullet bounces harmlessly away.

Rook jumps quickly to his feet, grabbing Oscar from the ground and dashing for cover as Sniper fires just an inch behind him.

Sarah: How did you block that shot, anyway?

Oscar: Well, I noticed in my other fights these gloves were really good at blocking stuff. So I figured…

Rook: Yeah … I should be alright in a second, I just took some reconstruction potions. I should be healed up in a second.

Oscar: You wouldn’t happen to have anymore of those, would you? I kind of…trashed my arm…

Rook: Well at least it’s still connected to your body, it can be fixed. Here.

Rook: This should fix it in about half an hour’s time.

Sarah: No, two more went up ahead to try and take out the sniper. That was awhile ago, though.

Rook: There’s still a chance I can help them. Either way, taking out that sniper should be a priority for me as well. I’m going to head towards the tower.

Oscar: I don’t want to sit here anymore and do nothing!

Sarah: Yeah, he’s right, it has become very boring. Besides, we’ll be fine. We have a big, strong, Militia man to protect us.

She slides up on him and throws her arms around him. Rook shrugs.

Rook: Come if you want, but stay back.

Melanie and Iricryo are dodging long strings of bandages. Kester is laughing wildly, able to swing his bandages around his arms around like whips. Where the bandages hit the ground, the ground crumbles and cracks. Iricryo and Melanie manage to get close to each other.

Iricryo: What do we do, we can’t even get close, they’re everywhere..

Melanie: He’s got to be wasting energy doing this, just keep avoiding. If nothing else, these attacks aren’t that fast.

Kester: Quick little pests, guess I’ll have to force you to be still!

Kester: You see, all those pieces of bandage you tore off of me trying to attack me, I can still control them!

Shreds of bandage form together on the ground and surround Melanie and Iricryo’s feet.

Kester: You honestly thought you could beat me, didn’t you! You never knew! Never knew of all the Spidersilks, I am the highest level! I’m the strongest Spidersilk! Me!

Melanie: And obviously also the most annoying. Who find it necessary to say something like that?

Kester laughs, his bandages spreading from his body and surrounding the entire area.

Kester: I won’t annoy you for much longer, then! I’ll finish you!