Legends of Amacia Attack on Tartarus
Chapter 39: Retrieval of Ezra Karac

A half hour later, Hannibal, Selina, and Leila entered the portal chamber. Selina pushed Leila in her chair. All were armed and armored. Leila wore the armor she was put in stasis with and had her sword with her. Hannibal sported in platinum-colored chain mail over a shimmering mail shirt, a leather coat, and clasp-on armor on his legs. The Draken Gauntlets of Ryu Fudo in their open combat orientation covered his arms up to the elbows. He carried the Scepter in his gloved hand and the Caverias sword sat slung over his shoulder. Both the Caverias Seal and the Griffin Seal of Khitia hung around his neck by their chains, sitting hidden under his leather coat. His favorite dagger was at his side on the belt with the ammo pouches for the Draken Gauntlets.

Selina wore the same armor she wore when they were last at the watchtower of Ezra Karac. Her sword was slung over her shoulder with a heavy caliber plasma rifle, and on her hips were twin daggers. Everyone else was similarly armed and armored, including Ana, whose armor looked like electronium draken scale. All of them bore heavy plasma rifles like Selina. Nemesis stood next to the gurney he’d brought for Ezra’s bones. A rather large duffel bag filled with carite sat on the gurney. Everyone gathered around the platform as Elias had the portal hologram on, checking out the great hall. The only one that hadn’t arrived was Enoch.

Hannibal noticed his absence and asked, “Where is Enoch?”

“He said he needed to pick up something from the armory,” Xavier reported. “He’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“All right,” Hannibal replied, seeing Nemesis with the gurney and the duffel bag. “Is that the carite bomb in the bag there Nemesis?”

“Yeah,” Nemesis rumbled, opening the bag showing it filled with blocks of carite all wired together into a several timers and detonators. “There’s enough carite here to blow that nest to the next world. I’ve wired it with several independent but synchronized timers and detonators hooked into a single trigger. Press this button and it will trigger the other timers and detonators. Do not push the button until you’re ready to set it off because once activated, there’s no stopping the cycle. You have three minutes to get to a safe distance before what’s in this bag vaporizes everything in a three league radius of Ezra’s Tower. However, that should not be a problem since you’re using the portal to evacuate.”

“A good safety tip,” Hannibal said solemnly. “Thanks for the warning.”

“You’re welcome,” Nemesis stated, “But I cannot emphasize this enough. You do not want to toss this bag around carelessly. Doing so may inadvertently trigger some of the individual detonators. That would make for a very bad day.”

“No kidding,” Selina agreed. “But you’re not taking it with us to get Ezra’s bones, are we?”

“No,” Hannibal stated, “It’ll just be in the way. That pack is going into the Mausoleum after we get Leila’s husband out of the great hall. Speaking of which, are the spiders in the great hall, Elias?”

“No, but they have been there,” Elias reported. “There are spider webs everywhere.”

Hannibal wasn’t happy with that report so he ordered, “Let me see the remote.” Elias handed the remote over to him and Hannibal put it in his ear, using the hologram to search the great hall, including the passageway where they found the first spider. Just as Elias said, the place was coated in webs, but the spiders were not seen. He explored every hole and possible hiding place for the monsters and found the place deserted, including the passage. This placated him as he handed the remote back to Elias, saying, “Looks like they decided not to use the hall. Must not have been enough places to hide.”

As he was speaking, Enoch arrived wearing Thoth’s armor, carrying heavy-caliber plasma chain gun hanging on a harness and backpack hooked to his armor. “Sorry I’m late,” he announced as he approached briskly. “After your last encounter with the spiders, I thought we may want something with a bit more punch, just in case.”

“Hmmm, a chain gun,” Hannibal murmured with a wry smile creeping across his lips. “That would definitely be useful against the spiders. You got plenty of ammo for it?”

“Absolutely,” Enoch answered, “The ammo is in the pack and feeds directly into the gun through the belt. It’s also higher caliber than the plasma rifles I see everyone with, not that the rifles aren’t enough to take them down. I’m just concerned that when we go to plant the bomb, the spiders may try to swarm us. If that happens, the rifles won’t be of much help.”

“I must agree with Master Enoch,” Nemesis declared. “The Triaskus spiders are known to launch swarm attacks on their enemies. The plasma rifles are fine for a few of them, but when thirty or forty attack at once, only the chain guns can lay down enough fire to keep them back. I’ll have Magnus bring another chain gun here while you’re retrieving Ezra. As they say, discretion is the better part of valor. Better to be prepared and not need it than to not have it when you need it.”

“Good thinking, Nemesis,” Hannibal chimed. “Get Magnus in here with a chain gun as back up. With Nidhoggr gone, we can be certain the queen has expanded her nest to the lake and Mausoleum. It is an energy source, after all. She may be using it to help incubate her eggs. We can’t let her do that.”

“No, we can’t,” Nemesis agreed. “I’ll go equip Magnus now. I suggest you not take any more time than you need. We know the spiders have webbed the great hall now. Anything you do there will no doubt attract their attention. Get Ezra and get back as quickly as possible.”

“That’s the plan,” Hannibal stated. “Okay, let’s do this. Elias; open outside the great hall in the courtyard, and keep an eye on things. The fact the spiders webbed the great hall, and we can’t replace them tends to put me a little on edge. I’m sure they’re hiding close by to launch a sneak attack.”

Elias nodded, saying, “Absolutely; I’ll keep an eye on everything. If I see something, I’ll let you know through the communicators. Do you want the portal left open while you are there?”

“Yes,” Hannibal stated. “It shouldn’t take too long to do what we need to do. Just keep alert.”

Elias nodded as he opened the portal to the courtyard of the fortress. “All clear for now, Hannibal,” he reported.

“I’ll go through first with Andrew and Xavier to secure the courtyard,” Enoch stated, pointing the plasma chain gun forward towards the portal. “Don’t come through until we see it’s clear. Our very presence should flush out any spiders if they’re hanging around. They won’t be able to resist trying to eat us. I’m sure of that. Come on, son, Xavier.”

“Right behind you, dad,” Andrew answered, holding his plasma rifle at ready.

“Just lead the way, Enoch,” Xavier stated, likewise holding his rifle at ready. With that, the trio rushed through the portal into the fortress courtyard. They swept the area, replaceing nothing waiting for them. After a few tense moments, Enoch stepped back in front of the portal and waved everyone through.

“Come, Leila. Your husband awaits you,” Hannibal said softly, gesturing to the portal before stepping through it. Selina pushed Leila through the portal in her wheelchair with Kida and Ana following close behind, weapons ready. Hannibal stood at a great hole in the outer wall of the fortress, looking out over the Dune Sea as Selina rolled Leila up beside him. Everyone else gathered around with Enoch, Andrew, and Xavier watching the perimeter as Leila looked at the Dune Sea in disbelief. Her mouth was agape and her mind was reeling with what she was seeing: the fertile plains of Azrael were now a complete desolation, a vast sea of sand that stretched to the horizon in all directions.

Hannibal touched Leila on the shoulder, saying softly, “This is what’s left of the plains of Azrael. From what I understand, everything this side of the Avernian Mountains is a wasteland that reaches all the way to Srandi. The fertile plains you remember are no more. Between the Emperor’s rage and the cataclysm, this is all that’s left.”

Leila was thunderstruck by it. Finally, she spoke, saying, “It’s all gone. The lush fertile plains, the beautiful forests, meadows, rivers, and streams – it’s gone, all of it.” She shook her head in shock, adding, “I’ve been gone far too long. But even this harsh and unforgiving desolation has a strange and wild beauty to it.”

“That it does,” Selina agreed. “It’s also one of the most dangerous pieces of land in all the caverns. It is just as dangerous as the Blister Fields around Amacia. The Emperor will have to cross this to reach Srandi. Unlike the Blister Fields, which he knows very well, the Emperor doesn’t know this land or the perils it poses to his forces. He will lose many soldiers and much material crossing this desolation.”

Hannibal nodded, saying, “That’s right. He will. Now, let’s go see the great man himself one last time, and bear him away to his final rest.” They turned and went to the great hall. Hannibal stopped just outside the hole and said, “Just a moment. Andrew, Enoch…come with me. I want to check this out first. I’ve got that bad feeling in the pit of my stomach again.” Enoch and Andrew stepped forward with Hannibal as he smacked the scepter on the ground, lighting its crystal head. They covered Hannibal with their weapons as he looked intensely at the hole. He found it lined with the same dry silk that they had found in the passageway where they found the first spider.

“Careful, little brother,” Enoch warned, keeping his plasma chain gun trained on the hole as the rest of the team gathered around, covering Hannibal with their weapons. “Something isn’t right here. I can feel it.”

“I feel like we’re being watched,” Andrew reported, scanning all possible avenues of attack from both outside and inside the keep.

“Of course we’re being watched,” Hannibal stated bluntly, “You can count on that. This is their domain. I’m sure they’re hiding just out of sight waiting for the right moment to pounce. They are spiders, you know. That’s what spiders do.” He cautiously stepped into the hole, looking all around him as he went. The dry silk lined entire room, including the desiccated carcass of the spider they slew along with the bones of Ezra Karac.

“Keep your eyes open. These rascals are fast as saber cats,” Hannibal warned. They moved in and Hannibal saw the passage was still open and the silk was formed around the hole. “Cover me, Enoch. The rest of you stay back while I close that door,” Hannibal warned as he walked by the hull of the spider to the door, carefully peering into the darkness.

Enoch trained his plasma chain gun on the open door, eying the darkness beyond suspiciously. “I’ve got you covered, little brother,” he stated, “I’ll cut down anything that comes out of that hole. Just don’t get in my line of fire.”

“I don’t plan to,” Hannibal stated, looking into the darkness with increasing unease. Abruptly he smacked the scepter on the floor again and it blazed, shining into the darkness of the passage beyond. For the moment, it was empty, but he could hear a faint echo of hissing and clicking of fangs together coming from the hole. Seconds later, he heard the scurry of legs, which made him scowl.

Hannibal quickly found and stood on the trigger spot for the door, seeing the disturbed debris where he’d first uncovered it. Again, he smacked the scepter on the floor and called out, “Eloi carista set overium carina undar, undar.” The room began to shake as the walls began to close together. Andrew and Enoch were on high alert with their weapons trained on the closing door, expecting anything. Xavier, Ana, and Kida stood back at the exit, covering Hannibal, Enoch, and Andrew with their plasma rifles. Hannibal stood holding the scepter forward like a spear as the doors slowly ground shut. “Hold your fire,” he ordered, “The last thing we need is gunfire to attract the attention of the others. Fire only if it manages to breech the door before it closes.”

“Right,” Enoch answered grimly, his finger floating lightly on the trigger of the chain gun.

The sound of hissing mixed with sound of many legs coming up the corridor echoed from the corridor as the doors closed to two feet. A spider suddenly tried to force his way through the opening as it inexorably closed. Hannibal growled as the legs came through along with part of its head. It was a soldier and Hannibal knew it. As soon as it tried to force its way through, the doors had it. Hannibal laughed maniacally and the spider shrieked as the doors crushed it, saying, “Not this time, you ugly son of a bitch! You should have stayed back.” The spider writhed with its two front legs flailing in the air. The doors crushed it flat with a sickening crunch as they sealed the passageway. The legs and head ceased to move after the door sealed.

Hannibal turned from the crushed spider and went to Ezra Karac’s bones, seeing by some miracle they were still sitting in the chair at the head of the broken table. After looking around for a moment as his innate ability to sense danger dropped back a few ticks, he called out, “All right, you guys can come in now. It’s safe for the moment.” Sitting the Scepter on the remains of the banquet table in front of Ezra’s bones, he began cutting away the silk from the bones with his dagger. Andrew helped him, so by time Selina had rolled Leila over to them, most of Ezra Karac’s skeleton was uncovered, free from most of the silk. Hannibal sheathed his dagger and squatted down beside Leila’s chair, putting his hand on her hand as it sat on the wheelchair’s armrest. “There he is, milady,” he said softly, “...your husband and the last man standing in this place when the Emperor overran it. He died right there in that chair, probably thinking about you is my guess.”

Leila covered her mouth as she saw the bones of her long dead husband, immediately recognizing his armor. It shook her to her core. “Ezra,” she sobbed softly as she reached out to touch his bony skeletal hand. Selina touched her sympathetically on the shoulder. She immediately noticed that both his sword and ring were missing. “Where is my husband’s sword?” she asked, “And his ring? I gave him that ring on our wedding day. It was a sign of our everlasting love.”

Ana came forward and said, “I have his ring, milady. It sits on my finger here.” She showed it to Leila, saying, “It called to me, Leila, and I took it before we penetrated the mountain and found you in the Mausoleum. By putting it on, it undid some of what the Cadre did to me. I was spliced with reptilian genetic material to such a point that I had a reptilian arm. Hannibal put it on my finger and the ring burned the foreign genetic material out of me. It made me pretty again. It’s precious to me, but if you want it back, I’ll return it. It’s your wedding ring. I won’t keep you from it. I’m sure it’s far more precious to you than to me.”

Leila looked at the ring and sighed, looking Ana in the eye, seeing her sincerity. She could sense Ana’s deep attachment to the ring, and to her. “It’s all right,” she replied with a trembling smile. “You can keep it since I can see how precious it is to you. Since you are apparently my bloodline, it think should stay with you. Just think of it as a family heirloom to be passed down from mother to daughter. I never really got the chance to do it before I fell in Caveria.”

Ana leaned down and hugged Leila, saying, “Thank you so much, Leila. You don’t know what this means to me. This ring called to me when I saw it. As I said, it’s precious to me, as are you. I will treasure it for the rest of my life.”

Leila smiled sweetly at Ana returning the hug, saying, “So are you. You’re precious to me, Ana. I see you as the daughter I lost long ago and love you as such. Just promise me you’ll pass the ring on to your daughter when the time comes.”

“That I will,” Ana promised, “Should the Ancient of Days allow me the privilege of bringing new life into this world after everything the Cadre did to me. I pray He does after we destroy the Emperor and I replace a new life with a good man.”

“You will, Ana,” Hannibal stated, looking up at Ana from his squatting position. “After all, our God is the god of the impossible. Nothing is beyond His reach. Just have faith.”

“I do,” Ana stated, looking down at Hannibal with tears of joy flowing. “Believe me; I do after everything I’ve seen. You’ve shown me He does answer prayers.”

“That He does,” Leila agreed, “I will pray to the Almighty that He answer your prayer so you may continue the Karac line, Ana. May you have the peace you’ve been denied for so long.”

“Amen,” Selina chimed, “If you must know, Leila, Ana has rarely taken that ring off since she took it from Ezra’s hand here. She’s cleaned and restored it to its former glory, and treasures it as much as I treasure Hannibal. She’ll let nothing happen to it. I know it.”

“I’m so glad she replaces it so precious,” Leila stated, “That ring is infused with all my love for Ezra and our family.” She abruptly looked at Ezra’s skull face and sighed, her face falling with dismay. Tears flowed down her cheeks as the loss started hitting her hard. “But I was unable to protect them as I wanted,” she sobbed softly. “I couldn’t protect Ezra or my family. My love wasn’t strong enough to protect them! Now, I’m alive and they’re all dead with the bones of my beloved husband sitting right there in front of me. Why did this have to happen to me?”

Hannibal rose and hugged Leila gently. “I wish I had an answer for you, Leila,” he said softly, feeling her anguish. “It’s the same question I’ve asked about the bad things that have happened to me all my life. I’ve yet to receive an answer. But you can be certain of this, my ancient sister. You’re not alone. Ana is, without a doubt, your descendant. The Karac line did survive the Kragonar and she’s the proof. Moreover, because you’re Ariel’s twin sister, that makes us your family too. You’re definitely not alone here. We’re here to help you bear this terrible burden. Besides, the Almighty still has a job for you to do. I’m sure of it. If He didn’t, you’d still be entombed in the Mausoleum and we most likely would not have discovered the alien threat to all humanity lurking beneath us. I was led to you every step of the way, and the Almighty made it possible for us to bring you out of that darkness.”

Hannibal let Leila out of the hug and gestured to Ezra, saying, “Ezra here sacrificed himself knowing that at some point you’d be returned to the land of the living. He believed in you enough to make sure you survived. The battle fought here that killed him is legendary to the peoples of this savage land. The Emperor’s forces led by his top general swarmed this fortress seeking to destroy everything, including you. Ezra’s forces fought the legions to a standstill at this place, and legends say he killed the Emperor’s top general in this very room. Chances are one of these skeletons here is that general. Without their general to lead them, the Emperor’s troops were slaughtered, and forced to retreat in disarray. The Emperor’s forces never found their way to the alien city, nor to the Mausoleum where you lay in stasis. Ezra was literally the last man standing in this contest. I’m sure his last thoughts were of you. You were all that mattered: your life and soul. Legends say the Emperor never returned to this place after the failure of the siege. He went after Thoth at Srandi. I’m sure the love you imbued into the ring we found on his finger gave him the strength to protect you always. Even after twelve thousand cycles, he still sits here watching over your resting place in the Mausoleum beneath us in the Alien City. Don’t you think it’s time we let him rest?”

“Yes,” Leila sobbed softly as both Ana and Selina put their hands on her shoulder in emotional support. “I never realized he went to such lengths to keep me safe. Yes, he needs to rest now, just as I need closure for this. By the way, where is his sword? He never let it out of his sight when he was alive.”

“The sword is gone,” Hannibal stated softly, “I took it the first time I was here as Hanna on my way to Antilla. Just as his ring called to Ana, the sword called to me, so I took it with every thought of returning it. However, things went astray when I went into the pits of Acheron. Ezra’s sword saved my life in that fell place. With it, I killed the Old One guardians of the Acheron Gate on the Island of the Devourers placed there by the original Emperor: Lord Baal...king of the Belrock, Dagos, and the Devourer. During the battle with Dagos and the Devourer in the Gateway Temple, Ezra’s sword got stuck in a column almost up to the hilt. I simply couldn’t get it out, so I had to leave it behind. That is where I got the Caverias sword and Seal. It was lost when the entire island of the Devourers sank into the lava lake after I retrieved the Caverias Sword and Seal from the altar.”

“It saved your life?” Leila asked in amazement.

Hannibal nodded, replying, “Yes. I sincerely wish I could have retrieved it, but time was against me. I barely escaped with my life. It was yet another incident where the Almighty literally pulled my ass out of the frying pan. You saw the scorched armor. If you wish, I can show you telepathically exactly what happened later, when we have a little time.”

Leila nodded, saying, “I would. I heard you speak of it before, but now that I’m stronger, I’d like to see how you lost my husband’s sword.”

“I’m so sorry I can’t return it to him,” Hannibal said softly. “But it did save my life.”

“If you used it with honor, I’m sure Ezra would not be upset with you losing it the way you did,” Leila stated. “You’re sure it was destroyed with the island?”

“If the lava didn’t destroy it, the detonation of the Acheron core did,” Hannibal stated. “After we evacuated the people from Acheron to Antilla, I went back in with the hybrid leader Morpheus, and Ana to trigger the self-destruct on the core power plant. Unless Ezra’s sword was invincible, the blast from the core would have pounded it to dust. There’s nearly a seventeen league wide caldera where Acheron once stood.”

“Ezra’s sword wasn’t invincible,” Leila stated, “But it was very powerful, almost as powerful as Thoth’s sword. He said he’d destroy it before he let it fall into the hands of evil men like the Emperor. He’d be relieved that it was destroyed. He feared its power.”

“I can believe that,” Hannibal agreed, looking into Ezra’s skull face. “Please forgive me for letting your sword be destroyed, Ezra. I had every intention of bringing it back to you.”

“It’s okay,” Leila said, touching Hannibal on the hand. “You’ve proven yourself worthy of his blade by what you did with it. I’m sure he bears you no ill will, unlike those filthy spiders there. You need to destroy them things now before they spread.”

“That’s what the carite bomb is for,” Hannibal stated, “But I don’t want to do it until we remove your husband from this place. You do want him taken away from here, don’t you?”

Leila nodded, saying, “Yes. He deserves far better than this. I loved him more than you could know.”

“I know you did,” Hannibal stated, looking her in the eye. “It doesn’t take a telepath to see that. Everyone here knows how much you loved him by how you spoke of him.”

“That we do,” Enoch said, looking around nervously. “But I suggest we do what we came for and leave before more spiders come. They will obviously know we’ve killed another one and send more. I’d rather not be around when they come.”

“I agree,” Andrew concurred, “Something doesn’t feel right here. I feel like there’s a giant boulder about to fall on our heads. The sooner we get Mr. Ezra out of here, the better. I don’t relish getting into another fight with the spiders. Once is more than enough.”

“I feel it too,” Hannibal stated, straightening up and looking around urgently. “The Queen is now aware of our presence because of the one who tried to come through the door. Andrew, go get Nemesis and the gurney. Bring them here. If Magnus is there, tell him to come too. My danger meter is steadily rising. We’re definitely being watched now, possibly even stalked. Let’s get Ezra out of here while we can.”

“Yes, Uncle,” Andrew stated, rushing out of the keep and into the portal.

“Keep alert everyone,” Hannibal ordered, “I suspect the spiders will attack from outside if they do. There’s no other way into this room from the nest. They’ll have to crawl out the top and down the mountain and keep to get to us.”

“In that case, I’ll go stand guard outside,” Enoch stated, “I’m not going to let them sneak up on us.”

“Good call,” Hannibal stated, “Go; we’ve got things covered in here for the moment.”

Enoch quickly rushed out into the courtyard and took up position near the outer wall so he could get a good view of the keep.

While they were gone, Xavier and Kida were looking at the spider that was crushed in the door. It had closed on the very back portion of its head, pinning and crushing what was behind it. Its fangs and eyes hung there apparently lifeless as did the two legs and its mandibles. The fangs oozed venom. Both of them grimaced at the spider and gawked at the dried up shell of the other one. “Wow is that thing ugly!” Xavier commented.

“And big,” Kida added. “Is this the one that you killed earlier?”

“Yes,” Hannibal replied. “That’s the one that nearly got us when we came here for Leila. Had it not been for Andrew, we wouldn’t be standing here.”

Kida smiled and approached the spider hung in the door with the intention to touch it. “Don’t get too close, sis,” Selina called out in warning as Kida walked up to it.

As she reached out to touch the leg, Xavier grabbed Kida and pulled her back as the legs suddenly began to flail and the jaws began to snap. Both of them tripped and fell to the floor as the legs flailed a few feet away. “Whoa. Thanks Xavier,” Kida said gratefully. “How did you know it was going to do that?”

Xavier looked at her as they got to their knees, saying, “I saw the jaws quivering. I don’t think it is dead.”

By time Xavier and Kida got to their feet, Hannibal stalked deliberately toward the spider, visibly angry at the beast for not being dead. “Oh, playing possum are we?” he addressed the spider as it hissed at him, flailing its legs trying to reach him. Stopping just outside its reach, he looked at Kida and Xavier, asking, “Are you all right?” They indicated they were. “Hold this,” he told Kida, handing the scepter to her. She took it in her gloved hand as Hannibal pulled the Caverias sword. He glared at the spider, hissing, “Time to die for real, soldier.” He lunged and cut off the legs, cutting them in several pieces right back to the wall just in front of the head as its head writhed and snapped its jaws at him.

Everyone watched as Hannibal stood in front of the spider, poised to strike. He could sense that the spider was calling for assistance. “You should have stayed back,” he hissed at the beast, abruptly plunging the Caverias Sword into its head dead center between its eight eyes. The spider shrieked. Hannibal pulled the sword out and took great relish in hewing the beast’s head off at the wall with a single stroke. The head fell to the floor with a sickening, squishy thud. Hannibal turned to those present; his eyes were blazing with hatred for the beast. Selina saw and felt the hatred and it surprised her.

“Are you all right?” Selina asked in a worried tone, feeling his berserker rage rising dramatically.

“Yes” Hannibal hissed, kicking the head with his boot. “I hate these things with a passion. Aint a single one of them ever going to leave this mountain; this I promise.”

Selina walked over as Hannibal skewered the severed head again with his sword. The head itself was almost three and a half feet wide. He yanked it the sword out and was about to hit it again when Selina restrained him gently, saying, “Don’t let the Rage take you, honey. It is not needed here.”

Hannibal jerked his head to Selina, looking into her eyes. The building rage within him suddenly melted away. He lowered his blade and released a trembling sigh, saying, “Thank you, princess. Once again, you have calmed the beast within me.”

Selina leaned close to his ear, whispering, “Remember the Lord, my king. Don’t let blind hatred get a hold of you like that again. It could lead you back into the Darkness.”

Hannibal’s eyes grew wide in surprise at her gentle reproof. At first, he gazed at her with surprise, and then with gratitude because he knew she was right. “Thank you, my queen. You’re words and wisdom are gold. Forgive me for letting that happen,” he replied softly.

Selina smiled and kissed him on the cheek, saying, “That’s why I’m here: to balance and help you. Together we are strong. Separate we are weak and easy prey.”

Hannibal smiled soberly, agreeing, “Yes. That is so true.” They turned to the others, who watched the whole thing with amazement. “You all saw what happened, right?” Hannibal asked everyone. “If you didn’t understand, let me explain. A spirit of hatred came over me. It wasn’t right. I’m truly sorry about that and repent of it. These are just animals, not to be hated any more than any other animal. I’m supposed to be the king, your leader. I should be presenting a better example to you. Please forgive me.”

His words astounded Leila. “Hannibal,” she said from her chair. “Your example is superb. With each event that I see you handle, you look and act just like a king should. You act so much like Thoth that I replace myself believing that you’re him at times. It’s incredible. Your example is perfect.” Her words hit home to him, causing him to smile a little.

“Thank you, milady,” Hannibal returned gratefully with a slight bow. “You humble me with your words. It’s good to be humbled, especially someone in my position. Thank you.”

Leila smiled, saying, “You’re most welcome.” As soon as she spoke, Nemesis and Andrew returned with the gurney.

Hannibal noticed Magnus standing outside the hole to the courtyard, armed with a plasma chain gun and pack like Enoch. “Magnus is outside with Enoch covering us,” Nemesis called out as he and Andrew sat the gurney down next to Ezra’s chair. “I notice you’ve already been interrupted by a spider. We should not waste any time. Elias says the spiders are starting to swarm out of the top of the shaft. We’d better hurry.”

“Right,” Hannibal answered. “I knew killing this thing alert the Queen. She knows we’re here. Come on, guys. Let’s get Ezra out of here.” He wiped his sword on the silk and sheathed it as Nemesis and Andrew positioned to remove the bones of Ezra. Selina pulled Leila back as Nemesis said, “Come on, Hannibal, Xavier, Kida; help us move him.” They laid hands on the skeleton and began to move him to the gurney, armor and all.

“Gently,” Hannibal said as they lifted him out of the chair. Ana immediately dragged the chair back after they lifted Ezra up, tossing it aside. “Selina, Ana, sit the gurney right here behind Ezra,” Hannibal ordered.

Selina and Ana quickly moved the gurney, laying it right where the chair had sat. At that, everyone gently laid the bones on the stretcher. They were extremely fortunate that the bones didn’t come apart when they first touched it.

After laying Ezra’s bones down, Andrew commented, “Wow. I thought for sure he was going to come to pieces, as old as he is.”

Hannibal looked at the bones, seeing that even though he had peeled the silk cocoon away from the bones, there was still a great deal of silk on the frame of the skeleton. “I think these spiders may have done us a favor by cocooning him,” he reported, “He still has a good deal of their silk on him.”

Ana looked over to the spider and heard hissing from behind the wall. Leila, Kida, and Selina heard it too. “Can we get out of here now?” Ana asked urgently. “We’ve definitely stirred the spiders up by being here. I can hear them behind the wall.”

Leila agreed, saying, “Yes. I think I’ve been here longer than I needed to be. Let’s go.”

“All right,” Hannibal replied as Magnus stepped into the exit to the courtyard with the chain gun melded to his machine arm.

“Elias says you need to hurry up,” Magnus stated urgently. “He says the spiders are coming down from the mountain above you.” Moments later, everyone heard Enoch’ plasma chain gun opening fire outside. Several heavy thumps echoed from outside as Enoch’s chain gun intermittently fired. Magnus abruptly looked up and opened fire up the outside wall. “Don’t just stand there,” he roared after ceasing fire for a moment, “The Spiders are upon us! Get through the portal now!” Everyone saw him look up and open fire again. Pieces of spiders began raining down on his position, some of them vaporizing as they fell into the fiery ring of the portal.

Hannibal’s expression steeled as he heard the report. Grabbing the Scepter and slinging it across his back, he barked, “You heard the cat. Get moving, now. Andrew, you and Xavier get Ezra and head to the portal. Everyone else, cover them. Nemesis, you are a scientist at heart. Take some samples from the pieces there, particularly the head and the end of the front legs there where the stingers are. Maybe if we study these beasts we can understand where they came from.” Nemesis nodded as everyone left. Xavier and Andrew carried the bones of Ezra Karac out on the gurney. Selina pushed Leila out right behind them with Kida and Ana covering them. Hannibal picked up one of the legs and said to Nemesis, “Watch out when you pick that head up. I suspect the venom from those fangs is as potent as that of the basilisk. If you will notice, the venom is already burning a hole in the floor.”

Nemesis looked at the head and saw the spots on the floor where the venom was dripping from its fangs, literally eating the floor away. “So it is,” he stated, extending a two-foot long single claw from his machine wrists. Skewering the head with the claw and picking it up, he said, “I’ll secure this and the leg you have in the lab. They’re too dangerous to leave just lying around.”

Hannibal nodded with a grunt. His face suddenly flushed as he sensed the Queen Spider suddenly invading his mind, trying to incapacitate him with waves of pain. “We need to go NOW!” he blurted out, his face twisting in pain from the telepathic assault. “The Queen knows we’re here to kill her!” They took off running and dashed out of the building heading for the portal. Hannibal looked up and saw dozens giant spiders swarming down the side of the great hall. Enoch and Magnus kept up a solid line of cover fire from their plasma chain guns, holding the spiders back. Pieces of spiders rained down around the front of the keep.

“Enoch, Magnus...fall back to the portal now!” Nemesis roared over the chain guns as he dropped the spider head, morphing his machine arm into a potent plasma grenade launcher. In seconds, he opened fire with a volley of ten grenades timed two seconds apart. Moments later, the grenades hit two hundred feet up the side of the keep spread out across its face, obliterating any spiders advancing down the side within range of the blast. The concussion from the grenades blew back those out of the immediate blast radius, briefly stunning them. “Hannibal, get through the portal now while my grenades have the spiders distracted,” he ordered urgently.

With the distraction of the grenades, Hannibal, Magnus, and Enoch retreated to the portal as they dodged falling spider parts. Just before going through, Hannibal saw spiders coming over the outer wall from below and tossed the spider leg down with the head. The assault from the outer wall forced him to alter the plan. “Magnus, Enoch...we have incoming over the outer wall. Make a perimeter around the portal and mow down anything coming this way,” he shouted. “Nemesis, fall back now! We can’t hold them long! Get to the portal!”

Swarms of spiders crossed the outer wall, jumping into the courtyard and charging. A new wave of spiders advanced down the side of the keep as Nemesis dashed for the portal. A spider jumped at Nemesis from the keep as he fled. Hannibal blew its head off with the Draken Gauntlets, knocking it back away from Nemesis as Magnus and Enoch ripped it apart with their plasma chain guns. Between the pain of the Queen’s telepathic thrashing and the peril to Nemesis, Enoch, and Magnus, Hannibal’s berserker rage boiled over well into the lethal range. “Enough of this shit,” he hissed venomously, pulling the scepter in a flash as Nemesis made it into their perimeter. He turned to assist Enoch and Magnus as Hannibal aggressively rushing twenty feet beyond their perimeter.

“What are you doing, milord?” Nemesis called out. “We need to withdraw!”

“Not yet,” Hannibal growled as a flaming reddish-orange aura swirled around him as the scepter and his elemental abilities abruptly fed on his berserker rage. “I’m going to make them regret attacking us again.” Spinning the scepter around as its crystal spearhead turned scarlet, Hannibal stuck the ground with it as the swirling red aura vanished as he roared, “They can all burn; burn!” An ominous rumble rose from the stone pavers of the courtyard. A fifty-foot tall ring of brilliant reddish-orange fire sprouted from the stone itself. The fire ring first surrounded the portal at a distance of fifty feet, Hannibal, Enoch, and Magnus providing cover for the rest of the team before pulsing out in all directions incinerating every spider in sight like a nuclear blast.

“Great Ancient of Days,” Enoch breathed in amazement as he ceased fire with Hannibal’s powerful elemental attack on the spiders that reduced many to ash and charred corpses.

“Enoch, Magnus; fall back through the portal now,” Hannibal ordered, his rage having diminished with the elemental attack. “The firewall will not stop them for long. We must withdraw now!”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Enoch stated, backing through the portal while keeping his chain gun ready for action.

“What about you, milord,” Magnus asked, backing towards the portal as Nemesis picked up the spider head and leg before retreating through the portal.

“I’ll be right behind you,” Hannibal insisted, “Go, Magnus; withdraw!” Magnus fell back through the portal as the firewall dissipated, leaving the charred remains of forty spiders in the courtyard as another wave topped the outer wall and jumped from the keep. Hannibal saw them coming and darted through the portal once he saw everyone was safely through. “Shut it down now, Elias!” he shouted urgently as he came through with two dozen spiders swarming towards the portal aperture. Elias closed the portal a moment before the spiders reached it.

“Ugh,” Hannibal panted heavily, dropping to his knees. “That was too damned close. They almost had us. We took far too long getting Ezra out of there.” After pausing a few moments to regain his breath, Hannibal turned to Nemesis, saying, “Take the head and leg to the lab and put it in a safe place for now, Nemesis. You can work on it later. We’ve got to deal with the spiders now. Find Xavier and bring him and Kahn back here with Andrew. We finish the spiders now.”