The Spider Queen

(Planet Cthelen- Hive City)

(Subsection Delta Quadrant- Fighting Pit No.47)

The air was heavy with moisture, and one could smell the earthy scent of decaying vegetation which was not a pleasant experience.

The whining buzz of mosquitoes could be heard even over the chattering of the aristocrat spectators in the stands.

Where there had once been a desert-like environment had been transformed into a murky swamp with knee-high brown water.

The swamp was home to hundreds of mangroves trees whose tangled roots and twisted branches formed a natural labyrinth.

These trees were covered in a mixture of moss and heavy thick vines that were wrapped around the edges of their branches.

Mushrooms peeked out from between the roots of the trees and layers of algae floated lazily on top of the brackish water.

The ripples occasionally visible in the water made it clear that there were living creatures inside this terrifying environment.

Dark shadows with slender bodies darted through the water and concealed themselves amongst the reeds which swayed gently in the breeze.

In the middle of the swamp was a very strange sight.

A six-year-old girl stood silently with tears welling up in her eyes as the brown water stained the edges of her pretty white dress.

She opened her mouth and cried out for her mother. Her piercing screams echoed through the swamp, but she received no response.

The nobles in the stands were very confused and many accessed the databases available on the Virtual Net to see who this child was.

Nothing.

There was no information on the child but her piercing green eyes and angelic facial features made it clear that she was a member of the royal family.

"Should someone stop this?" a noblewoman asked with a worried expression on her face.

"No… this must be a trick…" an elderly man next to her suggested as he leaned back against his chair.

"There is no way a mistake could have been made of this magnitude. Remember the 'Guardian' is monitoring the entire planet at all times."

"His spiritual senses would immediately detect if something was wrong."

His words were reasonable.

The senses of an Ascension stage cultivator were far beyond the realm of supernatural.

They could detect the heartbeat of an insect on the other side of a large planet with ease.

Which meant that any rebellion or plots against the Imperial Family could not be spoken on the same planet where the 'Guardian' was currently inhabiting.

The noblewoman nodded her head in understanding and focused on what was happening in the arena below with an enormous weight off her shoulders.

A woman stepped through the mangrove forest and began to walk towards the child with hesitant footsteps.

She wore a simple piece of white armour that covered her chest, back and other key areas of her body.

On the top of her head was a helm that was embellished with intricate carvings and runes that mimicked the shape of a crown.

Her piercing green eyes shone through the helmet, and they shone with determination and caution in equal measure.

Princess Solaria … the daughter of a mercenary who attracted the late emperor's attention with her feminine wiles and battle prowess.

She had no political backing but was known as a decent sharpshooter after years of training with the Black Viper Corps.

In her arms was a sleek plasma rifle that crackled with energy and its barrel pulsated menacingly with a dull bluish glow.

The princess raised up her rifle and pointed its end directly at the child who continued to sob loudly and cry out for her mother.

Her fingers trembled on the trigger, but she steeled her heart and pulled.

Bang!

A large beam of plasma energy burst out of the tip of her rifle and shot directly at the child who did not even have time to react.

The energy blast knocked the child into the water and the brownish water soon turned completely red.

Several of the aquatic creatures inside the swamp swam towards the corpse and began to devour it greedily.

Princess Solaria frowned as she looked up at the sky and noticed that the lines of text on the holographic screen had not changed.

[Commencing Fight: Candidate No. 56 VS Candidate No. 9008]

[BEGIN!]

She still had not defeated her opponent.

But where was her enemy? Where was she hiding?

Princess Solaria warily scanned her immediately surroundings for any hints of movements or sounds.

She could not hear anything except the splashes of water coming from the creatures who feasted on the body of the young girl.

"Excuse me?" a young voice came out of nowhere and startled the princess.

She quietly pointed her rifle in the direction of the noise and to her shock she saw a little girl who looked identical to the one who had just died.

"Can you help me find my mommy?" the little girl innocently asked as she held out her hands for a hug.

There was a gentle smile on her face and the mischievous glint in her eyes made her seem like a naughty but innocent child.

Bang!

Once again princess Solaria pulled the trigger, and a beam of plasma energy cleanly vaporised the child's head.

The headless corpse fell into the water with a loud splash.

Princess Solaria frowned as she heard yet another voice came and this time it was from behind her.

"You are a very rude bad guy!" the little girl scolded her fiercely with her hands firmly on the sides of her hips.

"You need to stop being such a meanie and then…"

BANG!

The little girl collapsed with a smoking hole in the middle of her chest. Princess Solaria waited patiently for another child to appear but nothing else happened.

She waited… and waited…

Minutes passed by uneventfully and the nobles sitting down in the stands started to get bored by the lack of action.

They shouted words of encouragement and abuse at the princess, but she could not hear them because there was a sound dampening barrier covering the arena.

Eventually the princess realised that the scourge of children mysteriously popping up from thin air appeared to have halted.

Princess Solaria knew that she was in an exposed position and decided to head deeper into the swamp to try and seek out her hidden opponent.

She waded through the murky waters while constantly looking around for any signs or hints of dangerous lifeforms.

Something brushed against her leg and when she looked down, she noticed a long sinewy animal travelling through the water holding a piece of the young girl's arm in its mouth.

Princess Solaria grimaced as she continued on her trek through the mangroves.

As she got deeper into the swamp, the air became even hotter and soon beads of sweat started to run down her brows.

Another creature brushed against her leg, but the princess ignored it. Then a third creature… then a fourth… then a fifth…

The princess angrily stomped her foot down and crushed one of the animals lingering around her ankles.

"You shouldn't have hurt my babies…" a sweet melodic voice called out.

Princess Solaria's eyes widened as she saw hundreds if not thousands of little girls start to crawl out from between the roots of the mangrove trees.

"My pets… get her…" one of the girls called out excitedly.

Princess Solaria raised up her rifle and pulled the trigger repeatedly. The sounds of plasma rifle fire echoed through the swamp.

Bang! Bang!

But it was no use.

No matter how many she killed… more would crawl out from the murky depth of the water to take their place.

"Get… away… get away from me!" Princess Solaria screamed as the first wave of children grabbed her legs and began to pull her downwards.