novelraw Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Chapter 17. Bone-Bound Spider
“Shh!” Zack glanced around vigilantly again. Only after confirming no one was paying attention did he release his hand.
“I say, old brother, can you stop jumping at every little thing?”
“For something this big, and you didn’t tell me earlier?” Old Owen looked displeased, but his expression quickly shifted into one of gossiping curiosity. “I heard that one is a legendary pureblood vampire. Is it true?”
“It should be. But I haven’t even seen that one’s face.”
“What a pity. They say a pureblood vampire can perfectly transform a person into a vampire and grant nearly eternal life. Unlike ordinary vampires, who can only drain people dry and turn them into half-human, half-ghost blood thralls…” Old Owen drifted off into fantasy.
“Stop daydreaming. Aren’t you afraid the Witch Hunters will mark you as one of those ‘vampire fans’?”
“Ah, I’m just thinking about it. Even if I wanted it, they’d probably despise me for being old, ugly, and smelling like salted fish!” Old Owen waved his hand as he came back to his senses.
“But you, kid, looks like you really are cornered and going all in. That one’s fees are famously expensive.”
“I truly have no choice. If I can’t get money soon, my whole family will starve.” When Zack thought of the final instructions from his fallen teammates, his heart tightened painfully.
‘Vinnie, Torol, Mian… rest easy. I, Zack, will avenge you!’
Images from half a month ago flashed through his mind—the carefully laid ambush by bandits, and the sudden appearance of a horde of magical beasts. His eyes turned red.
Realizing he had touched on painful memories, Old Owen hurriedly changed the subject.
“Then who’s the other one?” That was what Old Owen cared about most. After all, it was this person who would be sailing with them.
“I only know that the other party is a very strong warrior. I don’t know anything else. But that one seems to have a poor relationship with the ‘intelligence merchant’.” Zack frowned slightly.
Old Owen frowned as well.
“You know nothing? Is that reliable? And they’re not on good terms? Could it be that the ‘intelligence merchant’ is using you to坑 the other party?”
“No! Once you see that one, you’ll understand what it means for the word ‘reliable’ to be written all over someone’s face!”
Zack was extremely confident in this. After decades of adventuring, he had never misjudged a person.
“Then hurry up and take me to meet that one! My little heart is about to jump out!”
Zack looked up at the half-slanted sun in the sky.
“What’s the rush? We have to wait until night. We’ve both been busy all day. Let’s find a place to rest first.”
***
“Sis, I’ll be heading out next. Three days at the shortest, a week at the longest. You can either stay here and cultivate or go out for a stroll—it’s up to you. Just remember, don’t go to the west side of the city. It’s rather chaotic, too many reckless fools there.”
After returning to the villa, Kyle leaned against the bar counter and took a small sip of the crimson wine served by an alchemical puppet.
“Oh? The busy man has another task?” Caitlin asked curiously. She had long grown used to a leisurely lifestyle. Among vampires, this was common. A temperament like her brother’s—almost incapable of idleness—she had never seen a second one like it.
“Handling some matters of subordinates. I’m not like you—alone and unattached.”
“Tch~ Only an oddball like you would pile endless trouble onto yourself. Fine, go do your thing. Don’t worry about me.” Caitlin sank into the soft sofa, letting the alchemical puppet massage her.
It had been a long time since she had indulged in the decadent luxury of vampire life. She found herself somewhat nostalgic.
Draining the wine in one gulp, Kyle left directly for the docks.
***
Since they were meeting O’Brien at night and feared delays, Zack and Old Owen didn’t dare drink. The two remained on the deck of their cleaned-up sailboat, enjoying the sea breeze.
Just as they were staring blankly at the sunset sinking below the horizon, a shadow silently appeared on the ship’s rail.
“The air is quite nice.” Kyle’s voice came from behind them.
Zack leapt up abruptly, nearly knocking over Old Owen beside him. “Y-Your Excellency?!”
Old Owen immediately slid to his knees on the deck, his face full of flattery. “G-Greetings, my lord!”
“Are you all prepared?”
“Yes, my lord, everything is ready. We guarantee to complete your task flawlessly!” Old Owen hurriedly snatched over Zack’s words, nearly choking Zack, who had just opened his mouth to speak.
“Mm. There will be quite a bit of trouble at sea this time. Just look after yourselves. Leave the rest to O’Brien.”
Kyle tossed a bone-carved compass to Zack.
“Time is tight. Don’t waste it searching for the wreck. This compass will guide you directly to the exact location.”
Before the two could react, Kyle vanished as silently as he had arrived.
The two were left standing in the wind, disheveled and staring at each other…
***
Deep within the Mist Forest, 150 li north of Coral Thorn City, in a natural cave 500 meters underground—inside the secret stronghold where Adrian’s body was stored.
“Beren, how is the formation for transforming Adrian into a Blood Fiend coming along?”
Kyle’s figure appeared abruptly beside the stone coffin in the center of the hall, as dark energy receded like a tide.
“My lord, it is prepared.”
A massive figure, completely shrouded in black cloth, hung upside down in the dense spiderwebs above the hall. In a hoarse, bone-grinding voice, it responded slowly.
“Mm. Things on my end have also gone very smoothly. You may begin channeling energy into the formation.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The dim underground cavern, which had only a few faint blue glimmers before, now lit up with a ghastly pale glow. Upon closer inspection, the light all came from rune formations woven from strands of spider silk.
Beren manipulated the silk deftly with eight white skeletal limbs, plucking the threads to produce a strange yet ethereal melody.
The stone coffin at the center of the formation was now wrapped in countless strands of spider silk, forming a pulsating cocoon of light. It flickered in rhythm, as though nurturing some ancient life.
If a Witch Hunter or adventurer were to witness Beren’s form, they would be unable to contain their excitement.
As a Bone-Bound Spider—formed from the fusion of an ancient skeleton and a giant demonic spider—it was an exceedingly rare species even among dark creatures.
The cursed spider silk they produced was an exceptional material for magical conduction. Even the most ordinary strand could fetch the price of ten low-grade magic crystals per thread on the black market.
Precisely because of the immense value of their silk, the already scarce population of Bone-Bound Spiders had dwindled even further.
Though they possessed considerable combat strength, they could not withstand human greed. Many Bone-Bound Spiders were drained of their final strand of silk before perishing completely.
It wasn’t that no liches or dark wizards had attempted to breed Bone-Bound Spiders. But most efforts ended in failure. The cost and return were entirely disproportionate—far less profitable than hunting wild ones.
Beren, this “unlucky fellow,” had been rescued by Kyle fifty years ago from the pursuit of Witch Hunters.
At that time, it had only three legs left out of eight. Its body was shattered and worn, looking as though it would fall apart after just a few more steps.