My Life As A Salamander 85 Gone Are The Shadows

The spider kept shooting it's black webbing at me trying to halt my charge. My flames burned it away to ashes and smoke leaving my self confidence sufficiently boosted. But not for long it seemed. A spray of acid caught me unaware amidst my charge. It hit the fire which caused it to steam into the air. I tripped and tumbled in my surprise. My lungs hurt as I coughed and saw blood hit the ground. My eyes began to sting. "So." I croaked out. "You're an acid user." I glared at the hing before me and felt the earthen energies flow weakly through me. I knew why the energy was so weak. It was staying away from this monster before me. Compared to this thing my kind were normal animals. You know you're a monster when even the ground rejects you. Dragons cry vibrated in my hand and I remembered something. I shot into the sky and opened my wings to catch the currents in the air. The spider tried hitting me with some webbing but couldn't reach. I used my magnetism to draw any metal that was close toward me. I heard lots of metal pots and pans rattle along the ground as I pulled. There was a couple of swords and a shield as well. They began to float into the air toward me but he spider began nailing them down with webs. Unfortunately it missed a couple. A pan and a sword. The pan looked like it was made of cast iron. A st.u.r.dy material. The sword was actually a rapier and looked like it had come off a knight. I filled the air with fire and manipulated the metal to form rounds for Dragons Cry. It didn't take long. Only a minute. I had enough for 3 shots. I placed the first one in the barrel and readied to shoot. The spider had no true idea what was coming till it was there. The air exploded out of my partner sending me spinning backward. The round hurtled toward the monster. Unfortunately the metal had no true explosive qualities to speak of like monster crystals I had been foolish not to make or have carved before running off. But they still packed a punch. The bullet unfortunately missed our eight legged friend instead hitting the ground close to it. The metal hit creating a crater about 4 feet wide and 8 feet deep in the ground.

The spider stared in slight shock at the crater in the ground and noticed a limb had been caught in the cross fire without it noticing. One of it's back legs had been blown off. It's whisps of smoke weren't helping it regenerate. It turned and glared at me before hopping onto it's web and hauling itself up onto the platform that Sam had been tied on. It raised it's front legs and I heard the worst screech of my life. It was like nails on a chalk board combined with shards of rattling gla.s.s.

I covered my ears in pain at the frequency this thing hit. I managed to keep hold of Dragons cry. But barely. I maintained being fair born and soon found why it had screamed. It was to buy time for it. It had found a body and was draining it dry of blood. It soon finished and I watched in disgust as it's leg regenerated back it's glorious self in seconds.

I growled in frustration. I knew this wasn't going to be easy. But that was cheap. I loaded another round and took aim the round had a tendency to go slightly right of where I was aiming so it took a bit of precision. The spider didn't stay still on the other hand. It moved quickly onto the web and down into the castle below. I stopped aiming and grunted. I understood that it wanted to get away from my explosions. But why into the castle. I got my answer a few moments later as the castles walls groaned and bended slightly outwards. "It didn't." I said in horror. The walls exploded outwards leveling the castle. The bus size spider I had seen moments ago was now much much larger. It stood close to the height of a bus with the length and width of a jumbo jet. I glared at it and it shot another strand of webbing at me. I dove out of the way and started a different plan. I pulled out the round from my partner and began to mess with it. I made it hollow to start with. But I also put something special inside. A flame that glowed black but was lively and had specks of green in it. I essentially made a strange miniature cage for a type of fire that has an extremely corrosive nature due to my application and combination of netherworld energy, ghost fire, and living flame.

I call it Demonic Fire. It absorbs life energy and then returns once the target is dead. The ghost fire ensures that nothing attempts to taint my soul once it's consumed. Meaning it will destroy this things soul, body, and mind. I placed it back inside the chamber and got ready. The last strand it fired at me caught my foot and dragged me in. I held on to Dragons Cry tight as I was brought into the things mouth. "I had planned on putting your face with the others. But considering you caused me so much discomfort by making me this size I'd rather just kill you." The feminine voice said. I started laughing. "Amy dear. If you think that would terrify me you would have to change the voice. It takes away the seriousness you might have had." I said. She stopped as she actually seemed to contemplate what I said. She tapped her mandibles with a little limb as I hung there. I rolled my eyes and pulled out dragons cry putting he barrel inside it's mouth. "You think too much." I said as I pulled fired the bullet. The gun went off sending me flying halfway across the courtyard snapping the webbing in the process.

The bullet spun and burrowed into the spiders body but it didn't explode. I clearly sat up confused as to what was going on. The spider had screamed angrily after my rifle went off. It began to slowly walk toward me with a little smoke coming from its mouth. Not completely unfazed. But very p.i.s.sed off.

"You!!! You expected me to die to that little excuse of an attack?! You aren't even worth eating! I will drain your blood as you scream in pain! I will...!" It paused briefly getting a confused expression in its eyes if that was possible. And then it began to scream. I saw the faces on it's back begin to dissapear as something seemingly ate them from existence.

Smoke poured from the spiders mouth as it screeched in pain and confusion. A flame burst from its mouth and I saw fear enter its eyes. It turned as fast as it could to me and lunged sinking its fangs into my shoulder and trying to drain my blood. At the same time a burning sensation filled the area. I lit myself ablaze and grabbed a mandible before the thing could back off. "You forgot I could do that didn't you?" I said with a pained but c.o.c.ky smile on my face as this monster kept burning and burning till it was nothing but ash. I fell to the ground extremely lightheaded and I think that was from the bloodloss. The grounds energy still fed me but the acid still hurt like a b¡+€#. I felt gluttony shift in my mind and he began to berate pride. /What are you doing pride?! Are you betraying another of our masters?! So help me if I get sent to the void because of you I will eat you here and now!/ I could feel pride sweat a bit in response to that. /Fine! I'll help! But only because Gluttony asked so nicely./ The baritone voice said. I felt the darkness at my chest shift up to the acid burned area of my body. I felt a cool sensation moved and squeeze the area till a clear liquid came out of the wound. It trickled off onto the ground where it hissed against the stones. (Are you pushing the acid out?) I thought at pride.

He remained silent for a moment. / My former master died because I couldn't protect him. That was... is my job. To protect. And I failed. I was hesitant to act else I failed twice. I need this to work... So that I'm not some screw up who caused the destruction of another of my masters./ He replied. Gluttony calmed down a bit as I though about it. It made sense. PTSD is a big thing to those who've been through horrible experiences. If Henricus made these two and he gave them personalities it's obvious that at some point they would evolve.

/It is done./ Pride said when the last drop of acid hit the ground with a small splash.

I felt my strength returning slowly after that. The earthen energies began to fill the courtyard like a eager crowd for Disneyland. It filled the afflicted tree again. The vines on the wall turned green and bloomed. Life energy itself filled the air. As I saw it all coming back I noticed something else. A large black flame with a green tinge floating in the middle above the pile of ash that was the spider. I slowly pushed myself up against a nearby wall to steady myself before approaching the flame. It meekly sat there like it had nowhere to go.

I gently extended my arm and held out my hand. "Let's go home." I said to it with a smile. A tendril of fire extended out and entered my body. Energy exploded through my system and filled every cell. / You have consumed a Nightmare Faced Demon Spider. You have gained acid production abilities and web producing abilities. You can now grow and exoskeleton. Your understanding of Netherworld energy now exceeds the novice and apprentice level. Master level has been acquired./ It chimed out. I sighed as I felt the power coursing through me. Then pain hit. My back right above my other wings I felt like something was trying to escape. To burst forth. A popping sound came with a flood of pain filled relief. I looked around and saw a mucus covered set of nightmarish black wings. They were birdlike and heavily feathered. They seemed to absorb all the light close to them and emitted some kind of black fog.

(Netherworld energy really is amazing.) I thought as I touched the wings. (Hey gluttony. Why did I grow another set of wings when I'm not evolving?) I thought at him. /Who says you can't grow more? Asura in your memories had 6 arms but Buddha is often depicted with many. So how many limbs do you think it's possible to have?/ It replied. I thought about it for a few moments. ( As many as I can handle I suppose.) I thought back. /Good answer./ It said. It was then that I heard a gasp. I turned to find Sam standing at the wrecked gates of the courtyard. I smiled. "Are you ok?" She asksd with a worried expression on her face as she rushed to me. " Better than ok. Now that you are here." I said as I pulled her close and into a tight hug.