Chapter 145: Argog and the Other Tournament (1/2)
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The link is also in the synopsis.
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[The chapter is edited by Editor: Alan_Loo/AlanL]
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”Wait! Stop!”
A clutter of Acromantulas surrounding Quinn were attacking him with the sole desire to feast on his flesh. They were trying hard to get a taste of human flesh and blood, but stopped when they heard a word from a voice. With piercing cackles and shrieks, they protested against getting held back, but a louder, more piercing, mighty shrill screech made them cower and bend their eight legs in submission.
The human, on the other hand, exhaled a deep breath, releasing a small puff of icy mist into the air, and with it, dozens of ice spears manifested into the dark surrounding, gleaming in the spiders' eight-set eyes.
'That was, ugh,' thought Quinn, refraining his hands to go to his ears, 'so damn harsh!' He moved towards the source of the shrill to see a bigger, meaner, bulkier Acromantula slowly creeping towards him as the crowd of regular Acromantula parted way for the eight-legged elephant-sized monstrosity.
'Wait, wait, wait...' thought Quinn with a mental chuckle of disbelief, 'Isn't this one too big?' The ice spikes around him rotated to face the new arrival, but in the face of the arachnid, they were akin to thin ice picks.
”Human...” There was grey in the black of his body and legs, and each of the eyes on his ugly, pincered head were milky white. It was blind.
”... You must be the one who is called Aragog,” said Quinn, raising his chin to peer at the leader of the Acromantula colony composed of all of his sons and daughters.
”That I am,” he said, clicking his pincers rapidly. ”Why have you entered my home, human?” He looked around, and with his eight white eyes, he made a sidelong glance around his children. ”... Not only that, but you dare to harm my children. Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you on the spot.”
Aragog could sense that some of his children were gravely injured; a few of those not in any condition to live much longer, but he showed no grief for them. This was the Forbidden Forest: the strong lived, and the weak perished.
”I want to venture inside to get to the cursed vault,” said Quinn, his voice amplified and distorted, ringing inside a silent forest.
”So? Why should I care about it?”
”Do I look like I care about what you think? I don't give a shit about what you and your children think or want.”
The entire cluster of spiders stepped closer to Quinn, their pincers clicking rapidly and continuously, filling the forest with a sickening noise capable of bringing shivers down the spine of most people.
”Don't test your luck, human. I can make your death… not so swift,” spoke Aragog, the fangs inside his mouth gleaming as he calmly snarled.
”Oh, yeah?” scoffed Quinn, taking the provocation as a chance to pump magic into his spikes, enlarging them as ice creaked and cracked while manifesting. ”Bring it on; let's see who comes out alive. I like that hide of yours; maybe I will strip it off your carcass.”
The colossal arachnid didn't make any moves or spoke anything in reply. The eight blind eyes focused on the vague figure of Quinn. His pincers were slowly opening and closing. Before long, Aragog clicked his pincers once for a fast and crisp noise to shatter the pregnant silence.
”Hmph, cursed vault you say...” Aragog scoffed with derision. ”Humans have always been dull-brained. Go. I am looking forward to the day you die and rot inside.”
Aragog screeched and clicked his pincers, and it seemed to be an order to his children because the Acromantula retreated away from Quinn, shooting webs above to the trees, climbing up to disappear in the dark forage of forest. Leaving Aragog and Quinn on the ground as they kept watch upon the two.
”Beware, human, if you come out injured. Neither me nor my children like you. Should we get a scent of your blood wafting around, we will drag you to our nest,” there was a gleeful tenor in his voice as he too made webs up to climb up the forage, ”I look forward to the day when I get to taste your flesh and blood... I hope the day comes soon.”
Aragog, the Acromantula, disappeared and left before Quinn could say anything.
”Yeah, run, you better run, big freak,” grumbled Quinn. He waved his hand and the ice spikes puffed in a cold mist.
He moved his gaze towards the fallen Acromantulas, which had gotten too injured in the fight for them to move. They were heavily wounded and, as such, were now thrown out of the colony.
”The law of the jungle, huh,” muttered Quinn moving towards the fallen. Noticing Quinn approaching, the Acromantula's eight eyes shifted towards him.
”Human...” said the spider with four twisted legs.
Quinn stared down at the spider, which he had ended up injuring. He matched eyes with the arachnid and nodded,
”Yeah, I understand...”
”... Thank you.”
Quinn extended his hand towards the spider as he looked up above at the leaves, ignoring the Acromantula eyes peering down at him. He looked past them and breathed out.
*Crack…*
Closing his eyes, Quinn heard the silence of the forest before looking down. Laid near his feet was the lifeless body of the spider. The eight-set of dull, wholly black eyes with no whites were looking as if staring at him.
He turned his head to the left to see the inner depth of the place he had come to call the Underworld. He realised there were more and more blackened trees, greyish ground, and dull grass. And perhaps it was because of his transfigured eyes, but Quinn felt that the Underworld was more lifeless than the last time. To his right was the path that led him to the outside; he could see the brightness inviting him to move towards it in the distance. The trail led back to the brighter portion of the Forbidden Fore with plenty of lights to light up the surroundings.
He sighed. The mood to go left deeper into the Underworld had disappeared. Right now, he wanted to go back to the castle and relax. But before that, he had work to do. He turned away from the spider body and walked a few steps before..
*Crack*... *Crack*... *Crack*...
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- (Scene Break) -
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Inside a classroom in the Transfiguration wing of the castle stood four people, looking at each other apprehensively. From the looks of it, they weren't happy to be in the same room. The four were dressed in similar black robes and grey uniforms beneath. The only difference was the colour of the trims present on the robes and the personalization in the uniform; Red and Gold, Blue and Bronze, Yellow and Black, Green and Silver.
”Why in the world are we called here?” asked the person dressed in Green and Silver. He was known to the students for his ever-present mocking smirk, but currently, his face was locked in an uncomfortable expression as he stared at the other three.
”I have no idea,” said the girl dressed in Red and Gold, shaking her head. She had been nervous coming here, but when the girl saw her company, she calmed down.
”I have no idea, but we can pretty much assume what this is about,” shrugged the boy in Blue and Bronze. Slight intelligence flashed in his eyes as he observed the pattern he saw in the people with him.
”Well, he is the one who called us. I'm sure he has something important to say,” spoke the boy dressed in yellow and black. If he had been in another group, his lovely smile would have charmed others, but the other three just wanted to bash his face in just so that they wouldn't need to see it.
Before it opened, there was a knock on the door for another person dressed in Blue and Bronze to enter the room. He gazed at them, and a smile bloomed on his face as if joyous to see them all.
”Pucey, Johnson, Davies, and Diggory,” said the black-haired boy in a pleased tone, ”I'm glad you've accepted my invitation. I was worried that you might be busy.”
The four watched as their inviter, Quinn West, fifth-year Ravenclaw, stood by the door, looking at them. He turned his head outside the room and said, ”Everyone is here; you can enter.”
The four watched with confusion and curiosity, wondering who Quinn was talking to. Two people enter the room; one blond posh-looking boy and a flamboyant brunette girl.
Quinn took out his fake wand and waved it once, for seven chairs to be pulled out from the room's corner. The seven chairs circularly arranged themselves in the center of the room. He nonchalantly pulled a chair and sat down, making himself comfortable.