Chapter 304: Storming A Fortress II

As the enormous scorpion closed in on them, Morgana's bright yellow eyes peered out from the darkness to observe, only to fill with irritation when she bumped into someone else. 

[Stop squirming!] She hissed in annoyance and glared at Arsinoe who would not stop fidgeting, her jewel pink eyes equally as fearful as she was uncomfortable. 

[Why do I have to hide in here with you?] Arsinoe complained. 

[Would you like to be out there with him then?] Morgana hissed – If she could strangle her, she would have already.

[I'm more annoyed at your boneheaded stubbornness. I should have left you to your fate!] She lamented, regrettably.

Arsinoe felt a twinge of guilt.

With little time to escape before the scorpion arrived, she had been forced to join Morgana in her hiding spot under the rubble, when only moments prior she'd been prepared to leave her.

If Typhon saw her now, he would be so disappointed.

Still, her guilt could not outweigh her discomfort. 

[Move aside, you're squishing me!] She whispered. They'd only spent a short time together, yet she already felt constricted. It didn't help that Morgana's sharp wings kept stabbing her underbelly coils!

How could a place feel so tight?!

[Be quiet!] Morgana bellowed in rage. The scorpion was approaching, and they both held their breaths, counting down the precious few moments it took for the creature to pass by their location. 

She was worried. There was no telling if they would be found with their [Stealth]. 

Although it was active, when used in the abnormally fortress, their serpentine frames were likely to appear too cold against the warm rocks, visible to any keen eye that looked too closely. 

During her frequent trips, Morgana had practiced regulating her body heat to match that of the fortress, but with Arsinoe here, that wouldn't help now as her cold, restless frame was a dead giveaway.

Morgana glanced at her in irritation. She could push her out, but that would also reveal her position, so she stayed put. 

In the silence, a pitch black creature moved. Faintly glistening in the darkness, the curve of its back inched towards them like an ominous fluid. Soon, a sinister stinger appeared above its tail, visibly quivering as if ready to strike out at the slightest noise. 

Beneath the rocks, they didn't dare to speak, Morgana staring transfixed through the gap as the dangerous creature crept towards them. And the nervous Arsinoe slowly edged closer to see. 

The creature's pincers were broader than she was wide, their serrated claws guarded by blunt plates, whose thickness was only second to the carapace on its back.

This scorpion was one she hadn't encountered before. It was familiar, but it greatly differed from the specimens that attacked their cave. It did not appear to be as swift as its sinister brethren, nor as corrosive with its acid. Although its smaller, sharper and much denser shell appeared to be more explosive in strength. 

It also had intricate markings along its body, like the scorpion that almost killed her, only its markings were brown instead of crimson.

From the looks of it, a single bite, sting, or swing of its pincers was enough to crush their spines if they strayed too close. 

Fortunately, it passed them, without stopping to look closely at the shattered rubble.

Arsinoe let out a nervous sigh - it must have been held back for the fortresses' defence, which meant there were likely other scorpions here that she had never seen before.

However, while her fears mounted, Morgana remained calm and patient, as she watched the scorpion creep further away.

And then Arsinoe saw her brace herself to leap.

[What are you doing?!] she hissed in disbelief. 

The scorpion was right there! She could still smell its horrid breath, yet here she was trying something reckless - it was far too soon!

Unfortunately, Morgana already broke free of their cover before she could stop her, instantly leaping at the scorpion who had turned its back. 

Arsinoe hissed in horror as the rubble fell away from her body. 

Morgana made sure to fly low, tapering her wings to dip beneath its body as the scorpion turned, ensuring the eyes on the sides of its head did not pick her up. 

Her plan was to rush through to the other side without it noticing, and with her speed it was possible, given the distraction she left behind. 

It suddenly dawned on Arsinoe that she had been used as bait and she cursed herself for trusting her. 

Yet, as Morgana came through the other side, the scorpion's body stirred. Perhaps it felt the draft from her wings, or her feathers brushed against it, but it shifted slightly, numerous eyes locking onto her as she darted out from its underside.

Then, the creature moved with absurd speed, several armoured legs coming down at once to pierce her.

Morgana weaved a dangerous path through them, she was smaller and more flexible. But, the creature's vicious stinger also plunged down to strike, her evasive manoeuvre leading her wing to get clipped beneath its feet.

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Arsinoe flinched as Morgana jerked to a stop, stumbling haphazardly through a wall of debris. The last thing she saw was her tangled form, and twitching wings unable to move under its hold as the stinger came down.

Arsinoe closed her eyes at the sound of a crunch, which was followed by sickening wet sounds. But she wasn't interested to stay there any longer for fear of the scorpion turning to  her next. But just as she turned around to flee, she got knocked down by a blow from the scorpion's direction.

Her body felt hot as it was hit with a stinging liquid.

Rising up, she was shocked to see an armoured pincer land on the ground beside her head. It was cleanly cut through and the bleeding ooze had touched her. 

Yet, she did not hear the scorpions scream at the loss of its limb.

Looking back, its stinger was plunged deep in the ground, Morgana soaring above it as it bled out from a hole in its face. Its mandibles were gone, sliced off at the same time as its pincer, its gaping maw falling away in a gurgle of blood.

Arsinoe's eyes widened. Its balance had been skewered with the loss of its pincer and three of its front legs and Morgana looked down triumphantly, her wings missing quite a few feathers after the tussle.

Without its mandibles, it couldn't cry for help, only able to make gurgling sounds and Arsinoe was surprised she managed to cut through its defences at all.

Still, the scorpion pulled its stinger from the ground, chasing after her airborne figure as it broke through the surrounding rocks. Morgana twisted in the air, sweeping past its missing pincer and over its body. 

With a flap of her wings she fired several wind blades at its thick carapace, the majority of which stabbed through the ground as the scorpion leapt back.

Arsinoe thought it couldn't possibly break through the dense plates on its back, but Morgana pursued it regardless, swerving violently as its stinger swung down repeatedly.

In the air, she was a smaller target to hit, but the opposite was true as more sections of the scorpion's carapace came away as her wind blades found their mark eventually.

Soon, the scorpion began to retreat.

Watching it double over in pain, its torment was clear, albeit silent. Yet it wasn't dying fast enough for their comforts, the vibrations from its movements drawing too much attention.

Arsinoe rushed over to intercept it, but Morgana sent out a large wind blade that instantly pierced through the centre of its head, plunging deep into its fleshy tissues, bringing the scorpion to a staggering halt as it crashed to the ground.

Morgana landed gracefully above its corpse with a triumphant smile. Like a carefully laid plan, the creature was brought down entirely by her.

Wasn't she injured? How could she move even faster than before? 

Arsinoe couldn't help wondering what level she was now.

Yet, Morgana looked disappointed. 

[Not deep enough.] She muttered absentmindedly as her bright eyes poured over the dead scorpion. 

Arsinoe checked just how many wounds it had, there were too many to count. It all happened in seconds and she hissed in frustration at her inability to land a single hit.

[How could you do something so reckless!] Arsinoe seethed.

Morgana examined her ruffled feathers. [There was only one way to get out unharmed – kill it before it killed us.]

Arsinoe felt a chill at Morgana's casual reply, before realising she was actually being intimidated by her.

How absurd!

Morgana was no threat. The current her was much stronger than she was, and she quickly shook it off, regaining her composure. This was just a lucky break – the scorpion she killed was clearly not strong.

Morgana noticed her fleeting reactions and smiled. [So do we have a deal?]

[Huh?] Arsinoe was startled. [You're asking me?]

[It's just you and me here.] Morgana glanced at the scorpion's body with a grin. [Don't worry. It won't bite.]

[You don't need to tell me!] Arsinoe hissed in rage. Who did she think she was talking to?

Morgana chuckled. [If you can't do this, it won't be easy for you to get to the Queen. Do you know how many of these we have to get past? You should go back while you have the chance.]

[I'm not leaving.] Arsinoe frowned. She wasn't getting rid of her that easily.

Morgana sighed, her yellow eyes revealing a glimmer of approval.

[Alright. Help me move it. More will come, once they realise this one is missing.] She revealed.

Together, they dragged the scorpion's corpse into a section of collapsed tunnel.. They couldn't hide the body completely, but they would be long gone before others discovered it.

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