Chapter 230  230 It’s Giving Birth


    Eyes focused, and mouth twisted slightly, he speedily forced the growth of red mes upwards- till they stood three feet high- curving around both monsters in a semicircle. Stacy instantly moved to deliver her own part.


    Her right hand shot out in a fist- shredding the air. A second wall of fire- more energetic, tore up out of the earth- licking up the slime on the ground- raging higher and higher. In a heartbeat, it rushed to Nexus mes, and married it.


    Thebined energies of their unique mes lit up the hilly terrain- clothing the surrounding in a rich glow of red and orange. In the background, the dull gray of twilight paled and paled- until the brightness of their mes covered the hilly grounds.


    Despite the glorious disy of firepower, Nexus'' eyes twitched in suspicion. He jerked his head upwards, looking at the surrounding caves- eyeing the holes in the clefts of the hills;


    "Stace!" he yelled; "It''s really gonna be a big deal if anymore worms turn up!! Let''s get this done with!"


    She nodded briskly- and her hood fell backwards- revealing the curls of her reddish brown hair.


    Inside the wall of fire, the wireworm and ck Widow got the memo.


    Facing each other- twelve feet apart, and with the singing heat curling up all around them- the ck Widowunched the first attack. Barring its fangs, and ignoring its boiling lungs, it leaped some four feet high in the air. By its sides, it thrust out its two arms on each side of its torso- fanning them out like four sharp knives.


    Through the smokeless mes, Nexus and Stacy watched with out stretched hands as it mmed face first into the wireworm.


    The sharpness of its knife-like hands tore into the monster''s flesh. It opened its mouth again- trying to snap into the wireworm. All around, the angry mes continued to slowly cook both monsters in the circle of death.


    With its curved ws dug in- and with its furry ck body dangling right in front of the worm''s face, it ripped and ripped- shing through blood vessels- sending out sprays of blood in generous quantities.


    The beefy form of the white worm swayed from side to side. It curved folds of flesh bulged with each violent shaking. Stacy tweaked her pinkie slightly- increasing the intensity of the wall of fire.


    The sudden burst of mes caused the white monster to stagger back in fright.


    ck Widow sensed its desperation- and sank its fangs into the area that was supposed to be its ''forehead.''


    "At this point–" Stacy screamed above the roar of the mes; "–I don''t think either of us is going to win that bet!!!"


    Nexus nodded coolly;


    "Probably." he answered; "It''s looking like it might be a fight to the death."


    Her eyes twinkled;


    "My favorite kind of dance!!"


    Nexus'' bushy eyebrows huddled together; "What?"


    "A dance to the death!" she echoed; "–it''s my favorite kind of dance!"


    Nexus decided to ignore that disturbing piece of revtion- and returned his gaze back to the battle before him. Twilight had taken over the terrain. The surrounding hills looked like gray statues in the background. From the circle of fire, the reddish orange light screamed into the overbearing gray.


    "Come on,e on," Nexus whispered urgently; "I''d hate to be here when night falls. . ."


    "What''s that mas–?"


    A terrible wail screeched through the air. Both she and Nexus'' eyes squinted- peering through the towering walls of fire. Through the dancing mes, they both saw it.


    ck Widow was still dangling- but wireworm had decided to ignore the raging inferno around, and finally opened its massive jaws.


    "It''s got her!" Stacy chanted; "It''s got her in the torso!"


    Nexus'' heart sank;


    "The pregnancy. . ." he whispered, studying the angles very carefully.


    Stacy briskly echoed his thoughts aloud; "There''s no way she''ll survive this now. . .no way. . ."


    Side by side, they watched the ensuing struggle.


    ws deep in the worm''s side, and fangs sunk into its head, ck Widow refused to let go. Meanwhile, bnced between the wireworm''s powerful jaws like a sandwich, she was slowly getting ripped her in half.


    "Well, there''s no saving it now," Stacy shrugged; "I really thought she''d be dead by now.. Three against one seemed like a sure odd to me."


    "And now, its one on one. . .you gotta give it its due credit. . .it somehow killed off the others, and is about to kill thisst one as well."


    "You think she''ll end up killing this one?"


    "Aren''t you watching the same battle as me? She''s lodged her sharp ws deep in its throat. . .and with every violent shaking, its slicing through several blood vessels. That wireworm is gonna bleed out. . .just like the others. . ."


    Stacy kept her mouth shut- and trained her gaze on the sight before her.


    Master was right.


    The wireworm should have snapped its jaws shut, and chewed her in half already. Especially since the giant spider was dangling directly from its face! But it was loosing strength. Its blood gushed out freely from the deep wounds.


    With the heat from the roaring mes, it felt like its lungs were being cooked from the inside out.


    A couple more moments, and its jaws ckedpletely. It stopped moving-ying dead still under the spider''s body.


    Nexus and Stacy turned to each other- and nodded. The snapping sounds of the fingers clicking against each other echoed above the din. Immediately, the mes died out with an unnatural suddenness- plunging thendscape into a gloomy nket of gray.


    For a short moment, the ck Widow held on- refusing to let go.


    Until finally, with a slipping slurping sound- it slid downwards, creeping all along the moist corpse, until itnded on the ground with a heavy thud. Once again, both master and student shared a look- before creeping forward.


    Fifteen feet away, the giant spidery on its sides.


    Its torso heaved up and down slowly- and its breaths came out in wheezing noises.


    "Its lungs. . .they''ve been burned crisp," he shot her a reprimanding nce.


    "What?" she shrugged innocently; "You ordered me to weaken it. . .and weaken it i did!"


    Nexus stood over its head- watching it take itsst few breaths, while Stacy crept over to its massive torso.


    "Rest in peace you tough bitch," he whispered silently; "–you fought well. . .heaven knows no one expected you to kill off all three of them. . .especially with you being in such a bad shape. . ."


    Dusk began to set in with a rapidness.


    "Master!" her voice rang with a creepy excitement; "You need toe see this!"


    In three quick broad steps, and one side maneuver, he was at her side.


    She was crouched down- at the belly- peering hard at something there;


    "Look! I think its entered into forcedbor?"


    "What?" his eyes bulged in their sockets; "You mean–"


    "Its giving birth!"


    Nexus instinctively jerked his head upwards- darting his eyes from the rising moon, to the numerous caves around. Shit! The timing couldn''t be worse!


    Sighing, he dropped to his knees- lowering his gaze to the spider''s torn belly. A short gasp screeched out of his low hanging mouth;