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"Mary, Queen of Scots?" The voice was low, grainy, and distorted.
Mary pivoted to look behind her. Standing there was a strange creature, with six eyes and as many legs. Long, black, multi-jointed legs covered in tiny serrated bits that stuck out at intervals. It was only four feet high, but at least seven in length.
"I don't suppose you're some sort of giant ant," said Mary.
"Not exactly," said the creature in its strange voice.
"It doesn't much matter though, does it? Seeing as you've been sent to kill me," she added.
"I suppose not," the creature replied.
"Would you mind telling me who sent you?"
"I'm not really supposed to say," the creature said, almost apologetically. "Only that you ought not have interfered."
"That's certainly something I've never heard before," Mary said, caustically. "I don't write the lines, I just deliver them."
Mary had had enough conversation and flicked her Focus from up her sleeve. As it touched her hand, she said a word and leapt into the air. The alley was barely wide enough for the creature to turn around in. It had only gotten half way round when she landed across from where she had been. She turned her Focus just the right way and it became a spear, which she hurled with a powerful battle-cry. The spear pierced the creature's side, but didn't go as far as she had hoped. She leapt into the air again as the insectoid form reared up, squealing in pain. Her spear dislodged itself. Mary landed on its back. The middle legs immediately flew up to grab her.
"Double jointed! You cheat!"
The legs had attached themselves to each arm. Mary was thankful for her coat, which kept the barbs from sinking into her flesh. But then one leg started to pull. The other held tight and she could feel her shoulder coming out of its socket. She winced, but didn't cry out. She brought her knee up and landed a side kick on the pulling leg, which made a satisfying crack. After what seemed like an eternity, her spear returned itself to her hand, and she brought the spear over her back. As she pulled it back, it become her favorite claymore, and she sank it into the creature's neck. The creature screamed, but kept pulling on her arm. Deep crimson ichor ran out on to the ground.
***
It wasn't long after Wyyla's sensitive ears picked up a strange noise that the ant-spiders attacked Mme. Rumella's Tea Shop. The proprietress and the sprite, along with Leila, Benny and Mary were within when the first creature smashed into the window. Six others slammed themselves against the glass in the seconds following.
Mme. Rumella tsked and commented, "They'd have better luck with the door."
Mme. Rumella set some water boiling and poured Leila her tea. Leila still jumped sky high as the first creature crashed down on the roof. Mme. Rumella frowned. "They must be jumping from the auditorium next door," she remarked. "I assume," she turned to Mary, "that these are the 'ant-spider things' to which you earlier referred."
Mary nodded. "They could climb up the walls of the shop if they wanted. They're probably just trying to frighten us."
"That or break in through the roof," said Leila.
"Not bloody likely," said Benny.
"But if they just keep piling up and pushing in, something's gotta give," Leila insisted.
***
There came a pained hissing from outside. They all rushed to the window to look out. At the rear of the swarm of creatures stood the Crusader, stamping and punching and swinging his longsword. The creatures did not appear happy with this turn of events. They watched in fascination from inside the shop as the Crusader fought on. More and more of the creatures turned to fight him and he was soon lost to view.
"I think one knocked him over," Leila said sadly. "He can't last long on the ground."
She was proven wrong by the sanguinary tip of the Crusader's blade as it forced its way into view, right through the middle of one of the ant-spiders. The creature squealed as the Crusader kicked it off of his sword. The Crusader got up onto his knee as another creature attacked him from behind. He reached, grabbed it, and threw the creature, long as he was tall, bodily from the scene. It landed some yards away on top another.
Mme. Rumella descended the stair. "He's doing quite well for himself, isn't he?"
***
Benny and Mary followed her to the third of the four levels, into the guest room Mary was occupying at present. Mary produced her Focus and rolled it over her wrist twice until it became her pair of metal batons. Benny removed his wand from the pocket of his flight jacket.
Mme. Rumella nodded and opened the window. Mary leaned out and creatures from each direction began hissing angrily, trying to reach her. She fired blinding white force-of-light orbs each way, killing the two nearest creatures before clearing the area with twin jets of fire. She ducked back in.
"Hurry," she said as Benny moved forward.
He maneuvered his tall frame through the frame of the window and leapt. "Icarus!" he shouted, and stopped falling. He barely dodged a creature leaping from the roof. Three of them tried to catch him from below, but he was too high up. In a few seconds he was across the street, flying at full speed towards the suspended Peeler flare. He glanced behind him to see half a dozen of the creatures scaling the walls. The window slammed shut and they pounded harmlessly against it.
***
As they approached, Voz's sensitive hearing picked up the sounds of a struggle. "Careful," she warned. "There's trouble ahead."
They touched lightly down on the roof of the neighboring church of St. Pandelemon next door. A dozen strange looking creatures attacked a walking suit of armor below. Around him several times that number of creatures, unmoving. The armor was covered with blood of a deep burgundy color, but it didn't appear to slow it down any.
"Hey!"
Voz pointed instantly to the source of the sound. It was Mme. Rumella's nephew, waving to them from the roof of the British Museum. With him were two other people. Voz leapt over to them. Hunter drew the arquebus from his back and fired. Between him and the Crusader, the few remaining creatures fell in seconds.
Mary opened the shop door and exited to the street. Hunter leapt down beside her. "How was the view?"
"Shut up, Hunter. I didn't want to tire myself out. We've got work to do tonight. Look yonder," she ordered, indicating Benny, Grace and the others across the way.
Benny and Voz each took hold of Grace and Clement, respectively, and leapt off the museum roof.
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