Steem Monsters Common Card Fantasy Story Contest! The Haunted Spider

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This is my entry for the Steem Monsters Common Card Fantasy Story Contest! // Week 5, hosted by @steemmonsters.

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The Haunted Halls of Eryas Stronghold by: @simgirl

I’m Doomcreep the Spinster. I’m now known as the King of Eryas Stronghold. You may wonder how a spider of death receives such a title, but I tell you all titles are claimed by oneself; as was in my case.

Once I was a noble spider; one of the military nature. I was a humble servant of the late King Belzebob Addington III and secured the lower west wing of the castle. My servile disposition allowed me to climb the ranks of the armed fleet and I was given the rank of first general. I used this authority to command the other spiders.

As chance would have it, Eryas Stronghold was invaded by an army of Silvershield Knights who searched for a pendant of dark powers. King Belzebob claimed to know nothing of the pendent, but the knights persisted their attack. Our kingdom fought bravely, but we could not defeat the power of the light. The castle was overthrown and all life within it was extinguished.

That included me and all my followers.

When death overtook me, I was more than aware that my soul was trapped inside Eryas Stronghold. I searched the grounds to find my king, but he and the others were bound to another fate. Their souls roamed the grounds; aimlessly wandering and calling out with lifeless, unnerving screams. The kingdom I served no longer reined and I was left alone in my darkness.

With no king to serve I retreated to the lower west wing and patrolled my post as if nothing had ever happened. I found that I was not the only spider who escaped the clutches of death. I began to honor my king by holding close to my original assignment of commanding my troops to train.

What I found during this training was that as haunted vessels, we were given new abilities for fighting. I trained my inferiors in the skills of the Dark Web, the Charm of Darkness, and the Evil Eye. These abilities would be valuable; as my vowel was to defend the lower west wing with my life. Or, whatever it was that remained of me.

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As time passed the hunted spiders grew in number and we managed to secure the lower west wing of Eryas Stronghold with an impressive unbreakable dark web. The safeguard was made from the strongest haunted spider silk. We practiced our new abilities and waited for anyone to dare step foot in the lower west wing of the castle.

After many years of waiting and preparing for war, the victims came in by way of the air. They must have spotted Eryas Stronghold from above as they were flying over the abandoned gorge. I knew that the castle was well hidden from most travelers by the shadows of the night, therefore these invaders came upon us by chance.

How they found us didn’t seem to matter; not as much as the fact they were determined to turn Eryas Stronghold into their own outpost. The screaming souls did nothing to scare away the invaders I would come to know as the Greaps, and I was forced to investigate the unwelcome visitors myself.

The creatures were like none I had ever seen before. They seemed to be a cross breed between a lizard and a bird; bearing sharp beaks, wide wings, and scaly, thin arms and legs. They squawked and screeched at the screaming souls and the souls disappeared in front of my eyes. It was clear that I needed to stop these beings before they had the chance to overtake Eryas Stronghold.

I quickly assembled the most experienced of haunted spiders to lead a crusade against the Greaps. Although the Greaps seemed to be powerful and alive, I was confident we could use our new dark abilities to defeat their substandard law of nature. We waited until nightfall to commence the attack.

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The Greaps were still stirring after the rising of the moons. They worked tirelessly; preparing to rest for the night. Campfires burned throughout the courtyard and many of the Greaps carried supplies to the east wing of the castle. They worked fast and showed no signs of fatigue.

My troops and I made a web over the west wing of the courtyard; out of sight of the Greaps and their chirping squealers. We operated in a strict, constant formation. Soon we had a nest of haunted spider egg sacks. The egg sacks containing young, poisonous spiderlings eagerly awaited their release by the touch of the Greaps’ lizard-looking, clawed feet.

The first victims were the squealers. The Greaps’ chirping squealers patrolled the courtyard and would notify the others of a threat. They seemed to patrol in a constant loop around the perimeter of their camp. I commanded the haunted spiders to eliminate them one by one; first by paralyzing them with the Dark Web, then syphoning their life force with the Evil Eye.

Once the squealers were removed we focused on the homeopaths. The Greaps’ homeopaths used the power of nature to conjure totems of health. Every totem released a life force that seemed to increase the health of the other Greaps. If the totems remained in place, my haunted spiders would be fighting an unending battle. The risk of losing was unthinkable.

Unfortunately, each of the homeopaths were protected by the Greaps’ screechers. I had already seen their power against the screaming souls and was weary of besetting them. There seemed to be no other way. I commanded the haunted spiders to use the Charm of Darkness against the Greaps; sending a swarm of haunted spiderlings to attack one group at a time; eliminating the totems as they appeared.

Occasionally, we had to retreat back to our haunted spider web to escape the Greaps’ numbers. As I planned, the victims were quickly defeated by the venomous haunted spiderlings. Again, and again the Greaps seemed to cast their spells and totems, and each time we defeated them with our skilled abilities. It was clear that had I not been commanding these haunted spiderlings, Eryas Stronghold would have been outdone that night.

Instead, the multitudes of haunted spiders eliminated the Greaps threat and used their supplies to increase our kingdom’s resources. The bodies of the victims were used as food and nourished the empire for years to come. We hung the skulls of the Greaps along the outer walls to warn any travelers wondering the grounds of Eryas Stronghold.

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The other haunted spiders looked up to me as a leader after that evening; as well they should since I was the only spider among them that prepared to defend the kingdom. I claimed my title as king and took the crown and throne of my beloved King Belzebob Addington III.

As king of the haunted spiders I deliberately used my time to build my kingdom as I saw fit. I would no longer patrol the lower west wing of the castle, but instead I sat as the ruler of a great haunted spider empire. I assigned designers and workers to web the entire castle with the thickest haunted spider silk; giving the place a nice comfy, sheen appearance.

The haunted spiders now dwell in every corner of Eryas Stronghold and the number of haunted spiderlings grows each year. This is as it should be. For a king can not rule over an empty kingdom. He must have followers, he must command respect, and he must lead his troops to victory.

You may not know what creeps in the darkness, what creatures you may find in the shadows, or what it feels like to die… but I do.

These dark castle walls are covered with a new life; one that is toxic.

The screaming souls who gather here await your arrival. They hover over the graves of the fallen and cast a shadow over the sky. But let us be clear in warning you that we don’t take kindly to unwelcome visitors, and if you brave the Eryas Stronghold, you may find a certain death; one with no afterlife.

I dare you to open the webbed gate and explore the breathing walls of Eryas Stronghold. The treasures inside are sure to tempt the most ambitious of adventurers. But let it be known that I, Doomcreep the Spinster, King of Eryas Stronghold will be here waiting for the challenge.

As King of the Haunted Spiders I can assure you… we don’t die… we multiply.

The End

Thanks for reading.

More Steem Monster Entries by @simgirl
Steem Monsters Common Card Fantasy Story Contest! Week 3/ Karockas the Bold- by @simgirl
Feral Spirit- Steem Monsters Story Contest Week Four

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Thanks to @snook for this super cool gif!