Looting the 13th floor 5, p.15
Looting the 13th Floor 5, page 15
Each one was crammed with gems, gold, and trinkets that sat behind a golden plaque.
“They all describe which family they belong to,” Ash said as she crouched down to read. “It looks like normal glass, though. We should be able to break through it just fine.”
I walked up to the glass box in the middle of the room and studied it carefully. There were countless gemstones laid out inside scattered among golden cups, tools, and solid blocks of precious metals.
I swung my bag over my shoulder and pulled it open in preparation for what was about to happen.
The monster girls did the same as they stationed themselves beside other display cases around the room.
“Be careful not to hurt yourselves,” I said. “Grab as much loot as possible, and then we move on to the next room.”
“I am ready.” Cleo nodded. “Let’s take the treasure from the monsters.”
I raised my staff over the glass and took a breath before I slammed the bottom end of the wood into the box. Shards of glass flew everywhere as the treasure was revealed to me, and I grabbed handfuls of it to stuff inside my bag. Rubies, emeralds, and other gems I didn’t even recognize tumbled into my new rucksack.
Then the monster girls started to pack their own bags, and I glanced up to check that we were still alone.
Once I had emptied the box, I swung the bag over my shoulders and grinned at the weight of the new loot. The thrill of stealing from the High Society coursed through my veins, and I hurried over to the next display case. I smashed it apart before I grabbed the blue diamonds that were stored in neat piles and crammed them into my pack.
The monster girls hurriedly robbed the rest of the boxes before we raced down the corridor back to the lobby.
We ran down the next corridor to find the room was much darker than the one before it. Each display box had a candle sitting on top that illuminated the products inside, and I realized it was to show off how they glowed in the dark.
Piles of red gems shone as if they were battery operated and cast an eerie light over the rest of the room.
“Those are night rubies,” Kali said in awe as she stared at the case. “They’re incredibly rare and have to be harvested by the light of a full moon for them to keep their magic.”
“Looks like it worked,” I said as I studied the gems. “I have no doubts it wasn’t the arachs who were the ones doing the mining, though.”
“Definitely not,” Kali said. “It would be gnomes who carried out that task, and they were probably robbed or paid nothing for their work.”
Cleo suddenly hissed, and the scuttling sound of footsteps echoed all around us. I spun around to see the silhouette of an arach race down the corridor on skinny legs.
“What are you doing?” the spider shrieked. “Get away from those! They do not belong to you!”
I swung my staff around toward the beast as I focused solely on my shocking spell.
The strength inside me erupted and connected with the dragon stone, and a blinding bolt of golden light filled the room. My whole body jolted as if I had just shot a rifle, and the spell collided with the arach’s gross torso. The wet flesh blasted apart as if a bomb had gone off inside her, and shreds of soggy skin flew in every direction. She tumbled down into a heap of goop and legs as her face smashed against the floor.
“Gross,” I groaned as I wiped the gunk from my cheek.
“I love when your magic makes them explode,” Cleo purred. “It is very satisfying.”
“Let’s get going,” I said. “Grab any last rubies, and let’s move on!”
We raced back into the lobby to see that we were not alone. Two more arachs had wandered in, and they snarled as we slid to a halt in front of them. Their pincers twitched as I swung my staff around to one of them, and the monster girls raised their blades to the other.
I grunted as I pictured a burning fire as flecks of magic sparked at my fingertips. Then golden light exploded before the arach’s torso erupted into burning flames. Each of her spindly legs caught alight moments later as she screeched and launched herself forward.
The beast looked demonic as the lower half of her torso burned, and her gaunt face was carved into pure agony as she leaped at me. But I swung my staff with as much speed as possible and sent a shocking spell into her human head. The magic split her skull in two with a horrific crack, and each side of her face fell in opposite directions.
I leaped back as she toppled down, and I spun around to see the monster girls had surrounded the second spider. They leaped at her from different directions with their blades swinging, and each of them sliced at her spindly legs.
The arach howled as her limbs were severed enough for her to stumble onto the ground.
Then Ash jumped from behind as the spider fell, and the dragonling brought her blade down with impressive force. Her dagger pierced deep into the arach’s back, and the beast shuddered as her eyes rolled back into her head.
“Nice work!” I yelled. “Let’s split up to grab the rest of the loot, and then we’re out of here! Ash, Kali, take the far right. Cleo, with me!”
We raced off down each hallway to finish the job, and my bag was already heavy with loot. I skidded to a halt in the display room to find the boxes were filled with golden jewelry encrusted with various gemstones. Some of the rocks were so huge they took up most of the piece, and I could practically see the dollar signs that would be appearing in my bank account.
I slammed the end of my staff into the case and watched it smash into thousands of sharp pieces. Then I carefully picked up the jewelry and stored it inside my rucksack as Cleo did the same. I kept an ear out for any more footsteps, but the trove was quiet as I finally closed up my bag.
“That is the last of it,” Cleo said as she adjusted the straps on her shoulders. “Is it time to burn them up?”
“Fuck yeah.” I grinned. “I want to light this place up.”
The cat-girl smirked as she glanced at the broken case, and we hurried back down toward the lobby. Kali and Ash emerged seconds later with their packs bulging.
There was still so much room in my pouch, and I felt delirious every time I reached down to try and work out how the fuck it was real. I knew myself how powerful magic could be, but it still blew my mind how well the enchanted pouches from the lost witch worked.
“Liam!” Ash said as she grabbed my hand. “I think we found something!”
“Come!” Kali hissed. “Hurry!”
The nymph grabbed my hand and raced back down the hall that they had looted, and they stopped beside a giant oil painting. It was of a very ugly arach draped in golden chains, and I had no doubt she had paid a gross amount of money to have it displayed.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “Do you… want the painting?”
“Look!” Ash said as she pointed to the wall behind the frame.
I got closer to see a faint outline of a huge rectangle that sat right around the frame.
“It’s a door!” I breathed. “Holy shit! How did you even notice this?”
“The walls told me about it,” Ash sighed. “I do try and tell you to listen to them.”
“You beautiful hippie!” I hissed as I kissed the dragonling’s forehead. “Let’s open it!”
I slotted my fingernails into the gap and pulled, but it didn’t budge.
“I didn’t really expect that to work,” I sighed. “Do you think they have a wand like Viper did?”
“Maybe,” Cleo said. “But do not waste time with talky talky! Use your powerful magic!”
I snorted at the cat-girl’s bossy excitement as I gripped my staff tightly. The unlocking spell had been the first one I had ever learned, and I knew it well. I cleared my mind and pictured the door opening before us as I connected with the magic deep inside me. The dragon stone sang in my mind as we linked our powers, and the oil painting swung toward us.
We leaped back to get out of the way as a huge room was revealed to us. It was lit by golden fire that sat in a row along a shelf all along the wall. My jaw dropped as I stared at the biggest collection of treasure I had seen in the trove.
“Get in!” Cleo hissed. “We can close the door behind us!”
We hurried inside the circular room, and Ash pulled the doorway shut behind her. I didn’t even know where to look first as I tried to take in the amount of loot that was inside the room. Rubies the size of my head sat in neat piles, golden cups embellished with blue diamonds were arranged on tables, and turquoise gems that I didn’t recognize sparkled beside chunks of amethyst.
“Holy fucking fuck,” I said. “What the hell is this?”
“I think it’s their most precious things,” Ash said as she strode up to one of the tables. “Maybe the stuff on display gets changed every now and again like a museum?”
“And this is the stockroom.” I nodded. “Okay. Grab everything. Whatever you can fit inside your pouches goes with us.”
I felt high with adrenaline as I swung my bag off and began stuffing it with gems that would be worth millions.
“Thank you, witch girl!” Ash sang as she picked up huge rubies. “We love you!”
“Yes!” Kali said. “If we ever meet you, then I’ll cook you a lovely dinner!”
I grinned as my enchanted pouch finally started to look full, and I was in awe of how I was still able to lift it. The bag was heavy, but no worse than if I was carrying bulky camping gear.
“Got it all,” the dragonling said excitedly. “Is it time for the next part of the plan?”
“Time to burn,” Cleo purred as we stepped over the broken bodies of the arachs.
We walked out into the salty air to see that the sea was still incredibly violent.
“Do you think they’re going to be able to destroy the bridge in time?” Kali asked as she eyed the stone structure in the distance.
“I believe it,” Ash said. “The hatred they have for the arachs will fuel them, and they should have had enough time to restore their powers.”
“We need to move fast,” I said. “I’m going to start the fire up here to start the spread, but I’ll have to start more as we go further down. Keeping quiet won’t matter once the fires break out. We just need to focus on taking down as many of these fuckers as we can.”
“When will you call for Zutha?” Ash asked.
“Now,” I replied as I glanced at the sky. “I want to know she’s on standby up there whenever we need her. Are you all ready for this? It’s going to get messy.”
“Bring it on.” Ash nodded.
“We have our guns ready,” Cleo said as she slipped her pistol out.
Kali pulled on her gloves to protect her skin before she grabbed her own gun from under her cloak. My monster girls were ready to shoot, and I adjusted the rifle on my own shoulder to access it better.
The Earthly weapon would probably be a better tool for mowing down large groups of monsters all at once. I hadn’t perfected that skill with the staff yet, and I wanted to kill the fuckers as quickly as possible.
“The bridge is already swaying,” Kali gasped, and I followed her gaze to see a slight movement to the stone structure.
It was so subtle that I knew it wouldn’t be noticeable unless you were looking for it, but it was a sign that we had to get moving.
I gripped my staff as I closed my eyes to focus solely on Zutha. The purple glow of her scales danced around my mind as I pictured her mighty wings circling above me. I felt the blast of wind that would chill my face, and I focused on calling out with my powers.
Zutha’s roar suddenly filled my mind and coursed through me like thunder. My eyes snapped open to see the dragon stone glowed purple with flecks of gold like our dragon friend’s scales.
“She’s coming,” I said as I glanced at the clouds. “Let’s do this shit. Time to burn the web to the ground.”
“Light it up!” Ash sang as she spun around. “Let’s watch the beautiful flames consume the evil!”
I stared at the trove as I prepared for the biggest fire spell I had conjured yet. My fingers gripped the wood as I pictured an eruption of heat and gold flickering all over the silver walls.
The magic inside me sparked as I remembered the view of hundreds of tied-up sirens. Their tails had been bound so tightly, and they had been left half-alive under the sea.
That fury acted like kindling for my powers, and I reached out mentally to the dragon stone. Pure energy and anger exploded inside me as my eyes shot open. Golden light drenched the island around us as a huge spark erupted at the doorway of the trove. Towering flames shot up and tickled the roof as the silver walls were quickly set alight faster than any stone would be.
“Yes!” Cleo hissed. “Burn it all down!”
“That won’t take long to spread,” I said. “Let’s keep going down until I know the arachs won’t be able to put any of them out.”
We started to run downhill, and I swung my staff toward a garden that sat outside one of the silver turrets. Flames burst up from the grass and quickly spread back to the structure. The air had started to fill with black smoke that stung my nostrils. I glanced back to see the trove had been completely consumed by fire as smoke billowed into the sky above.
“They’ll notice that soon,” Ash said as we continued to run downhill. “It won’t be long until someone raises the alarm!”
We raced down past a few more structures before voices began to scream all over the island.
“They’re going to be headed this way!” I yelled. “They don’t know it’s an attack yet. I reckon they’ll try to save the trove as their first instinct rather than getting off the island.”
“The treasure!” an arach screamed nearby. “Someone! Do something!”
She scuttled around the side of a building and screeched at the top of her lungs as she looked up the hill. Then her eyes fell on us with our sacks, and fury swept over her face as she ran.
“You stole from us!” she howled. “Give us back our treasure!”
I swung my rifle round and steadied my body to shoot. Then I checked my aim before I pulled the trigger and felt the shock of the bullet leaving the rifle. My shot fired right into the neck of the spider, and her human head flopped down as her whole body crumpled.
Then a stampede of other spiders shot around the corner as flames continued to spread down the hill.
“Shoot!” I yelled as I took aim again. “Mow these bitches down!”
My monster girls stood their ground with their pistols aimed carefully before they began to fire.
Pride washed over me as they sent a sea of bullets flying at the spiders who charged our way.
I swung my staff at one of the closest arachs and froze it in place before it could move further. Then Cleo sent a bullet right into the beast’s cheek and blasted blood and pale skin everywhere.
Kali managed to shoot one of the spiders twice in the belly, and an avalanche of goop fell out.
Ash danced lightly on her feet as she held her pistol and shot right at an oncoming arach’s throat. The spider gurgled as dark blood seeped out, and she tried to swing herself at Ash with the last of her strength. But the dragonling snarled wildly as she shot another bullet into the monster’s face and blasted her skull to smithereens.
“You guys are doing fucking amazingly!” I yelled. “Cover my back while I set more fires!”
“We will protect you,” Cleo hissed as she spun around. “I will slay any who step toward the outlaw king.”
We raced further down the hillside as a deep roar rang out above the clouds. It could have been mistaken for thunder if I didn’t know that our dragon ally was so close by.
“Zutha!” Ash called. “She’s here!”
“Hey!” I shouted. “I think you should switch forms. A dragonling could really help turn this island to dust!”
Ash grinned as she leaped into the air while scales replaced her pale skin. Her shimmering wings broke from her back as her pretty face elongated into a slim snout. Then she flew over to the nearest web house and spat orange flames into the silver walls.
I swung my staff toward a crooked tree, and the bark caught alight in an instant. The air was now heavy with black smoke, and a loud groaning noise filled the air.
“Holy shit!” I yelled as I peered down the island. “Look at the bridge!”
The sirens had been true to their word, and the stone structure had begun to crumble into the surface of the glittering sea. Gorgeous monster girls leaped out of the waves with cries of victory as the joining road between the web and mainland crumbled.
More screams filled the air as arachs raced to try and get off, but they were too late.
The whole central area of the bridge had crumbled into the sea and left a gap thirty feet wide that plunged down to the water.
Two arachs raced along to the end of the first half of the bridge just as a group of sirens leaped up from the water. The beautiful women howled with feral fury as they grabbed the legs of the arachs, and the spiders were violently pulled down from the bridge.
“Hoooly shit,” I said. “Now that is what years of pent-up rage looks like.”
There was something undeniably satisfying about the way the arachs hit the surface of the water once they were pulled. Some of them jumped on purpose to try and escape the flames that had spread down the island, but they were quickly pulled underneath by furious sirens.
The whole web had descended into burning chaos, and the sea was alive with sirens leaping from below.
“Let’s head to the bridge!” I called over the crackling of flames. “Come on!”
We raced down the street as fire began to send silver buildings toppling to their doom all around us. The combination of my flames with Ash’s had created a fire that was close to consuming the entire web.
Arachs stumbled out of their homes as they burned alive, and I ushered the monster girls in front of me to make sure they got through the smoke first. The constant inhaling of fumes was hurting my head, but we only had a few feet to go before we reached the wide space of the bridge.
“Liam!” Myra called as she raced over from the cliffs. “I have it!”
