Octophobia

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 27

Fritz woke from nightmares, a knot sitting heavy in his stomach and his muscles aching. A feeling of unease rippled down his back and he sat up quickly and searched the campsite for dangers. He saw nothing, yet his paranoia grew.

"What's wrong?" asked Rosie, who was still on watch.

"I don't know," Fritz replied, then remembering that she also had Awareness he asked, "Do you feel something, like a small dread? Like you're a mouse scurrying around a kitchen, wa...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 26

Fritz awoke with a shiver and the sounds of whispers. It was a worrying way to wake. The beginnings of frost were crystallising on his blanket and he could hear a low conversation drifting between Lauren, Rosie and Cal.

"So you think he's still hiding something?" Rosie asked.

"I do," Lauren replied. "How quickly and safely we've been Climbing is abnormal."

"Safely?" Cal said incredulously. "I almost died."

"Yes, but you didn'...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 25

The domed, black crabs skittered over the softly illuminated white sands, towards Fritz and his team as they set down their packs and readied their weapons.

"Aim for the joints connecting their claws and legs to their main shell," Fritz said, swishing his blade through the air as its opaline core glowed in the strange light of the stars overhead.

"Bert steps in to distract the big one, while we focus on fighting and finishing off the rest. Lauren, burn as man...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 24

On their separate sides, with pillars and the Well blocking the view between them, the team proceeded to bathe. Fritz split his, now empty, hollowed-out soap with the men around him, wishing he kept some of its centre contents even if it would have been suspicious if he were searched. There were only scant slivers left of the wonderful, white soap, but they still made use of them. He kept Bert's Seed stuffed bar out of sight for now until his friend specifically asked for it.

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 23

Ignoring his burgeoning headache and the waves of heat washing over him, Fritz strode up to his resting team. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked over their tired, miserable faces as they sat in the dark of the tunnel. They also dripped with sweat, and their torn, battered clothes were drenched. Small smudges of ash and blood, both their own and from the lizards, were splotched on their skin and armour. No one was seriously injured, but it looked like they were on the last legs or ne...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 22

The lizard watched Fritz with glowing red eyes and he returned its slited glare. A burst of boiling air blistered through the tunnel behind, streaming past the alcove. Both monster and man ignored it, standing as still as stones and waiting for the other to strike.

Fritz applied all his focus to predicting the monster's attack, hoping to somehow dodge it with his Danger Sense's warning. Even if its claws seemed impossible to avoid in these tight quarters. Yet the attack never...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 21

There was a lot of heat actually. The black stone under Fritz's feet was uneven and cracked, but still slick like glass. He made little sound, creeping out into the dark mountain pass and ducking behind one of the jutting, jagged stones that littered the slope. The tall, glossy stones flanked the path forward, like fangs in some dragon's maw.

The sky was roiling with grey-black clouds and flashes of red light danced within, booming dully with distant thunder. It felt like the...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 20

When looking over his offerings Fritz was immediately disappointed by the Abilities on display. Lacerate again, and a water-based strike and some, admittedly interesting, Boon Ability? They just didn't feel right, nor did he think they would help him be a more capable Scout. Though just in case one might have some hidden uses or synergies he decided to take a look at them one at a time, assessing the benefits of each.

The first of the abilities, and the most interesting by fa...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 19

The darkness of the night was near total. So much so that even Bert, with his Night Vision Award, had trouble seeing more than a couple of feet in front of him. Eventually he brought out the amber glowstone from his pack and shone its bright swirling light in the small yard where they decided to set their camp.

Fritz pulled out the iron bullseye lantern frame he had bought some days ago and attempted to place the stone within it. The glowstone's odd and uneven shape didn't sl...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 18

The conversation as to which Door to take was brief and somewhat boring.

Fritz described them a second time, highlighting the first as somewhat dangerous, the second as very dangerous and the third as barely dangerous.

Bert, of course, voted for the very deadly flooding caves.

Fritz leaned on the side of taking the somewhat dangerous underwater jungle but they were both thoroughly outvoted.

"Alright, clean air it is," Fritz s...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 17

As Fritz passed into the cool stairway the feeling of being stalked receded, gradually easing as his steps took him higher and higher. Though the dread was still there, a small niggling in the back of his shoulders but he put it to the back of his mind. He shivered and turned his attention to other things, such as the room he was now walking into.

It was similar to the landing floor, circular with slick, stone-brick walls and in its centre there was a six-foot wide pool of gl...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 16

With a sack full of magic lobster eyes and their monster meat boiling away in an iron pot, thankfully brought along by George, Fritz mused on the fight only half an hour before.

He wasn't lying when he said it was easy but he tried to think how he would've handled it if he were leveless. After only a couple of seconds of contemplation he was sure his previous crew could've dealt with them easily enough. The lobsters were slow and stupid like he had said. Their claws were clum...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 15

Fritz strode up the red sands, upwards into a tunnel lit at the end by the bright light of a cloudless day. Something he had too soon forgotten in the murk of Rain City's overcast sky. The coarse grains beneath his feet crunched despite his attempt to stay stealthy while he quickly ascended out and into the open air above.

Now that he stood in the thick of the gelatinous breeze he felt his nose heat and itch from the pervasive scent. It was like burning wood, salt and squid i...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 14

Fritz motioned for his pair of recruits to follow him out of the Anchorwrought smithy. They walked the steam district looking for any provisions they may have overlooked or missed. Seeing some bargains, Fritz purchased a small whetstone and an old bullseye lantern from a stall, he didn't get any oil though, as he had though of a different way to light it. The last glowstone should do nicely in place of the flickering flame.

After one last stop for some king’s rations, an ab...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 13

Fritz left the smithy with Rosie and Carter, who now looked like proper Climbers to be. He ordered the armed and armoured pair to follow him to his hideout, where he left them by the door and attired himself in his fine coat, pants and shirt.

Rosie's eyes bulged further when she saw him again, in all his splendour, her doubting, derisive demeanour changing into one of complete acceptance and no little awe.

"Come, I have one more purchase to make. Leave...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 12

"Damn it, how are we late?" Fritz complained to Bert as they ran through the darkening, drizzling streets.

"I dunno, we left early, took the right shortcuts and barely lingered for a few drinks," Bert recounted.

"I blame the sun," Fritz stated, shaking his fist at the descending bright spot in the clouds.

"You would, Sir Dusk," Bert replied leaping over a puddle and rushing past the blue-stoned buildings.

"That's a gre...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 11

As it turned out the silver Hound bones were a fantastic material for a hilt and Bruce said so with gusto.

"Where'd you get moonsilver from?" He demanded before he shook his head and said, "Never mind, don't want to know I suppose."

"Oh, it's moonsilver is it? Never heard of it, what does it do?" Fritz stated, not wanting to seem too overeager lest he let something slip about his own bones.

"Well it's sturdier than steel for one, and it has s...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 10

Fritz strode to the shark's bare underbelly with his dagger outstretched. He found a seam that ran the length of its budging stomach and plunged the bone-blade deep. Then he walked along the shark's length gliding the dagger along and through its thick flesh.

A flood of guts and half-eaten fish spilled out from the gaping rent. It was joined by a large, mildly digested, ball-like package wrapped in oilskin and dark rope. It thudded on the stone and rolled a little, sounding a...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 9

"I can't believe we agreed to this," Lynn groused.

"You took advantage of us in our intoxicated state," Veronica lamented insincerely.

It had been hours since he enlisted their help and made their way here, the day was just dawning and they’d had plenty of time to sober up. He hadn’t been idle though while they regained their wits, he had been bribing and talking to those who might have a good idea of Nic’s routine. It cost him the rest of his triads, b...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 8

After and hour of trudging through the light rain, Fritz reached the seawall gates and wound his way around the fishers and labourers who were shuffling to their boats or work like a slow tide.

Standing in the open-sided wooden guard house the storm guard kept the processions moving at a brisk pace, threatening to drag out the slow or anyone who obstructed the road for too long. Doing their duty they also guarded a large wooden box which had a plaque that read "Toll One Coppe...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 7

All told, telling the tale of his Climb only took Fritz around fifteen minutes.

His audience of Thea and Jess responded just as he hoped with gasps, laughs and cheers as he told of his fights, friends and victories. Even Eli who started off stubbornly sceptical eventually became enthralled by his story and was staring intently at him with equal measures of awe and incredulity as Fritz described his heroic stand against the Hound.

In an act of staggering modes...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 6

Now that the birds were waking, quacking and chirping their songs in concert with the pattering rain Fritz knew that people would also be getting up and getting prepared for the day's toil.

It was something of an odd feeling to join the stream of early morning labourers as they walked or carried things to their places of employment. Though he wasn't truly joining them, most gave him a wide berth as he strode under the cover of the awnings. He was wondering why for some moment...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 5

"What?" Fritz said staring incredulously at the clothier, in her peach, silken shawl and heavy, pink, woollen bed robe. There was something about her lined face and grey eyes that felt familiar but he couldn't guess where he knew her from, or rather, where she obviously knew him from.

"You know this man?" The sergeant asked, kicking Fritz lightly on his newly stolen shoe.

The clothier seemed to think for a moment, glancing around at the suspicious faces of th...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 4

Fritz reflected that the streets in the Upper Ring were far more orderly and far less flooded. There weren’t any dingy alleys he could hide or sleep in as that’s where the drainage canals lay. The rainwater rushed down the canals to the wall behind him filling the gutters then, ostensibly, flowing out to sea but instead often overflowing into the streets of the Sunken Ring. Up here there was also a conspicuous absence of skulg, rats, beggars and thugs.

Instead of grumbling about th...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 3

Through the still-open doorway, Nic watched the two new levelers go splashing through the rainy alley. His cautious instincts didn’t quite know what to make of them. Potentially useful? Maybe. Cunning schemers? Possibly. Complete idiots? Absolutely. But there was one thing he did know; they were up to something.

The presence of a watcher had eased his some of his worries but intensified others, the Nightshark was already keeping an eye on them, so it was best to let his sus...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 2

“Get up here,” Nic growled through his scarred lip.

Fritz and Bert quickly complied, scrabbling up with the last of their gear. It was hard work getting up the small stone outcropping, what with Bert and his great glass horns slung over his shoulders and Fritz with Quicksilver in hand. Kev followed up after them, glancing around to make sure they left nothing behind or stashed anything away somehow.

Heart thumping, hoping that Kev didn’t spot the hidden hole in the cliff, ...

Spire's Spite - Arc 2 - Chapter 1

*Author's Note * I think this is a good a place as any to be the start of the next arc. A big thanks for reading. I really appreciate the support and the feed back! :)

---

Fritz stood there at the precipice, just by the Stairway down to the Sunken Spire’s exit, and he sulked in his most stoic, dignified manner.

Sid had left them behind, and although Fritz knew that this was her way forward, her Path, it still filled him with furious melan...

Spire's Spite Chapter 58

Fritz woke, and it was one of the best ways to wake. He found Sid still sleeping under his arm and he smiled softly. Until a shadow moved and standing above him, grinning from ear to ear, was Bert his eyes dancing with mischievous delight.

“Can I help you?” Fritz hissed as quietly as he could at his idiot friend.

“No, no. Just waiting for two sticky love-skulgs to stop sleeping in,” Bert said in a whisper while shaking his head.

“We’re not sticky,” Fritz ar...

Spire's Spite Chapter 57

Frustrated and flustered Fritz retreated into his Sanctum, but not before reinforcing Bert’s parentage as a half-breed of a gutter rat and a skulg who had drunkenly conceived him while cavorting in a barrel of limes that had gone to rot.

“That idiot, ‘doesn’t want to ruin the surprise’ my arse,” Fritz groused in the rainy garden of his Sanctum. Shivering slightly he strode into his pavilion and warmed his imaginary hands by the eldritch fire. It roiled and twisted trying to...

Spire's Spite Chapter 56

Fritz, Sid and Bert promptly stopped celebrating, breaking their embrace and staring at the flaring of golden light within the crystalline, orb-like Well.

“Golden Climb,” Sid intoned reverently.

“What do we do?” Bert asked nervously.

“The same thing as claiming Power. I guess,” Fritz said uncertainly.

“Should we choose our Abilities first?” Sid suggested.

“Don’t know,” Fritz said. “Nev...