"Those two... they seem like children..." Strax murmured, letting out a deep breath as he used his energy to try to heal his hand, which had nearly been amputated by Veronica's sword.
Completely ignoring his older sister, who was still struggling to process Diana's words, he turned to his stepmother, who was still recovering from the shock of almost dying in a rather pathetic way.
"Look, do you want to kill each other? Fine, I understand! But you can do that after my problem is solved, alright? How about this?" Strax began, unleashing a barrage of piercing blades at the two won with just a few words. "I have sothing far more important than this feud between you two. The damn spiders are already coming this way, did you know that, second-in-command?" Strax asked sarcastically, after all, he was already annoyed with the situation.
Diana raised one eyebrow, but Strax continued without giving her a chance to say anything.
"I imagine you had a great plan, right? Let's send the most idiotic one to die, and use that as an excuse to send him to clean up the ss we made, bringing Xenovia to the prince, but I'm sorry to inform you, the spiders are approaching Vorah, and I don't have ti for your gas, alright? I need help, or I'll just leave and let the city fall, you decide," he said, smiling like an angel, but Diana and Veronica only saw a demon looking back at them.
Veronica, who had been silent, finally turned to Strax, her gaze a mix of indignation and confusion. "What do you an by 'the spiders are on the move'? You should be more worried about what's happening in the house!"
"Yes, but what happens in here doesn't matter if the spiders invade Vorah before we can act, so shut up because I'm not talking to you." Strax said, still smiling. He was fed up with the internal fighting and the family disunity; not that he cared if they all died, but he was more worried about the next problem. "Our father doesn't care about these things, and he probably isn't even in the Ducato to stop this with the godlike strength he has, so it's down to the three of us and my wives. And you," he pointed at Veronica, "Shut up and do the bare minimum if you want Xenovia to be okay, for reasons I don't understand, since as far as I know, you don't care about anyone; just help prevent us from being wiped out."
"Goodness, what's gotten into you today? You weren't like this," Diana comnted, crossing her arms. "Of course, imagine being forced to do sothing because your retard of a father decided it was a good idea to sell his daughter and gave the task of cleaning up his sses. And now, six months have vanished. So yes, I'm very annoyed and yes, I'm very irritated with you; after all, as far as I know, you're the information chief, and I'm not seeing any information anywhere, are you, my dear stepmother?" He comnted with his eyes closed, making a happy yet frightening expression at the sa ti.
"Goodness, what bit you..." Diana murmured.
"It wasn't that got bitten; it was a woman nad Sylvia, who is in my house, about to die from spider venom," Strax replied, short and blunt.
Diana seed to realize the gravity of the situation for the first ti. "How many spiders have you seen? And how close are they?" she asked, her tone now more serious.
"I haven't seen anything yet; this woman I ntioned was bitten and had her group torn apart while exploring the forest north of the city. They travel in large groups; I don't know what they're doing, but if they're hungry, the chances of them marching here just increase. I'm already starting so preparations to hunt them, but alone, this will be impossible," Strax comnted with a sigh. "I haven't had ti to prepare yet, so what will we do?" he questioned, since Diana was the commander when Albert was not around.
"If you had this information, why didn't you tell us before?" Veronica questioned, but Strax was not willing to be distracted by her criticisms. "Shut up, you don't have a say here. You weirdo," he shot back quickly. "B-but! You little—" "Quiet." Strax said as his aura intensified.
'He's... almost twice as strong as the last ti we saw him... what the hell happened to him?...' she thought.
"You've dealt with Kryssia one-on-one; I'm sure you can handle this too." Diana said, looking at him. "Why do you want help?" she asked, smiling at him.
"Because I'm not sure who the real enemy is here. If it's just these spiders, or their mother as well. The Twelve-Legged Demon Spider doesn't have that title for nothing, and besides, I don't care if this Ducato dies in your hands. As long as I kill her and get my wives back, I have nothing here to lose," he replied, letting out a hot breath.
"If that's not selfishness, I don't know what is," Diana comnted jokingly, but the gravity of the situation made her words sound more provocative than just a simple comnt. Strax ignored the provocation. He was more focused on the spiders than on family rivalries or his stepmother's opinions.
"I'm asking for help because I don't know what's coming next. The giant spider might be a problem, but these smaller spiders... They pose a mass threat. And if the Twelve-Legged Demon Spider is nearby, we're in deeper trouble than we realize." He looked into Diana's eyes, hoping she'd grasp the urgency of the situation. "Please, organize a group to patrol the northern part of the city. I need to know we have a plan. And fast."
Veronica, still hesitant, finally made a move. "If you're so worried about Xenovia, you should be acting like a leader, not a temperantal child." The affront sparked a wave of anger in Strax, but he held back. The last thing he needed was more internal strife.
"I'll act like a leader when I have support. Besides, by killing the Demon Spider, I can save Xenovia faster, so stop trying to position yourself as superior in this situation," Strax said, his voice firm. He turned to Diana, who now seed to be processing the situation more clearly.
"How many people can you gather? We need experienced warriors and those who know what they're doing. If these spiders are approaching, we could be caught off guard," Strax continued, already formulating plans in his mind.
"I can gather a group, but I can't guarantee that everyone will be ready for imdiate combat. Most are caught up in their own agendas and worries, especially now that tensions are high," Diana replied, thoughtful. "But I can call upon so of the best. And you?"
"I'll go ahead. The problem is, if these spiders are as clever as they say, they may not attack right away. They will observe and wait for the best opportunity. We need to strike them before they can gather strength or realize they're not alone anymore," Strax said, his mind already creating strategies.
Veronica crossed her arms, still seeming reluctant, but Strax's determination made her reconsider. "What if the Demon Spider shows up? You know she won't hesitate to attack us."
"I know, but that doesn't an we'll let them get close. We need to prepare for a confrontation on multiple fronts. Whatever happens, we must ensure the city is safe. If I have to divert from the fight to face the Demon Spider, so be it. We can't let these spiders catch us off guard," Strax said, now more focused.
Diana nodded, her gaze resolute. "Alright, I'll gather what I can."
'He's so different now…
Veronica thought, noticing how he was acting...
I want to know more...
' Veronica finally seed to relent a bit, her expression softening. "Then let's unite. I'll go with you. If we don't do this, we'll lose much more than just our dignity. And I... I don't want to lose Xenovia."
"You want to co with ? After this, I've heard it all," Strax replied.
Veronica rolled her eyes, trying to mask the mix of nervousness and determination. "It's not a matter of wanting, Strax. It's a matter of necessity." She crossed her arms and pouted.
Strax smirked sarcastically. "You're just worried about your own skin, aren't you? Concern for Xenovia is just a disguise for your selfishness."
"Tsk, annoying," Veronica muttered, and Strax gave a faint smile... But it was quickly shattered...
[Veronica Vorah Joined the Party]
'What the—
'
At that mont, his eyes caught the notification from the System popping up right before him, everything he wanted now...
'Holy hell...'
he murmured.
[Mission: Exterminate the Spider Horde]
[Summary: The Twelve-Legged Demon Spider has released its cocoons and offspring in so part of the forest. Exterminate all of them and find her nest.]
[Reward: Affection from Diana Vorah, Affection from Veronica Vorah, ???]
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