The crimson canopy overhead was meant to trap the three warriors, undoubtedly.
But it had a more sinister goal.
Nearly every piece of the steel silk that hadn't hit Noble and her companions was attached to the two cocoons overhead. Gritting her teeth, Noble was forced to relinquish control of the coffins. The two human guards remained in place, waiting to be retrieved by the mourners.
The moths would not let their sacrifice fly away. They would finish their funeral rites at all costs.
'That is...problematic.'
But it was also promising.
If the Mourners were most concerned with pleasing the Window, then their attention was divided.
She glanced at the two men with her. Flint was helping Orrin up.
The Shieldbearer's left hand had been stripped of its gauntlet and sword by one of the strands of silk, and the skin underneath was turning blue just like Drusus's lips.
Orrin took an unsteady step, his eyes glazing over.
'Poison?!'
That was how the moths were able to abduct people without a sound. Orrin's skin barely had any contact with the thread, and yet he was immediately weakened.
'I've got him,' Flint spoke to Noble through her Memory. 'You focus on freeing the guards before the cave dweller gets them. We will handle things on the ground.'
Noble nodded.
As Flint healed Orrin and they prepared to race into the horde, the floating Master shot upwards.
She could have tried to free the cocoons with her levitation, but as soon as the threads hardened, she felt the consumption of her essence increase. Encased in the red silk, the guards had become part of the larger structure.
The only way to minimize her essence usage and take back Drusus and Livia was to cut them free of the crimson forest.
That was easier said than done.
Now that she knew the hard threads could harm her, she treated them with extra wariness.
'I can fight poison with poison.'
Noble imbued the Zenith with essence, and green liquid covered the blade. Taking a deep breath, Child of Promise fought the surge of power that filled her core.
Shielding her eyes, she used her second sight to break a hole in the red canopy. The vines were not alive, so Noble did not have to worry about them pursuing her. What she did have to worry about was the moths that were using the hardened red canopy as a bridge to the chrysalises.
"Oh no, you don't!"
Noble dashed at the closest moth, landing her blade in the eye that was aimed for the sky.
It convulsed and slid backwards, flapping its angular wings for balance. The poison ate at the scales around the socket, opening the hole even after the warrior removed her sword.
As blood poured onto the crimson thread mixed with the Zenith's poison, the Mourner's wings slowed and ceased their struggle.
It tumbled down the steep hill, taking three other creatures with it back to the ground.
[You have slain…]
Noble didn't have to listen to the familiar voice of the Spell. She was already biting her blade into the next two abominations while trying to avoid their curtains of silk.
The minions of the widow were only Awakened Monsters–well within the capability of a Master to kill without too much trouble. But the number of them made the task difficult.
Strength didn't matter as much when the enemy had almost inexhaustible forces. The colony had hundreds of Mourners, and there were only three warriors.
Yet Noble pressed on, undaunted.
Below, a sheet of ice blasted into the side of the canopy. The two men broke through, sending frozen pieces of silken dirt flying.
Under the sudden strain, the platform tilted, ready to collapse.
The moths dug their feet into the thread, unwilling to be thrown to the ground.
The threads themselves started to flake, creating small holes in the once stable structure.
'Flint! I'm not ready!'
Noble called out to her companion with her thoughts.
She hadn't freed the cocoons from the dome. If it crumbled with the coffins, the bodies inside would be crushed.
A wall of ice filled the broken space, stabilizing the canopy momentarily.
'Get moving, Blondie! That won't hold forever.'
The floating woman didn't respond. She kicked the closest moth, throwing the creature on its stomach. Then she stabbed its back to quicken its death.
Another was already on the cocoons. Its front legs lifted to drag Drusus from his shroud, but Noble pulled the creature back with her levitation, throwing it forcefully on its back.
Then, making her sword as heavy as a hillside, she brought down the blade on the abomination.
The force of the hit went through the Monster, punching a hole through its thorax.
The corpse of the Mourner was thrust aside, revealing the web of cracks below where the angular wing had punctured the red weave.
It wasn't much, but it was a start.
Noble tentatively placed her feet on the silk dome. It stung, sending pain into her soul. Using [Weight of Doubt], she added weight to her boot and jammed it into the cracks.
The small fissures widened, dropping more pieces to the ground below.
The pain in her soul spiked.
The hit had been effective, but it had cost her dearly. Her exit hole and the one that had just formed on the opposite side created two barriers for the attacking moths. Noble only needed to defend from the front and the rear.
She felt her Kingdom Keeper attribute activate just in time for her to see the next moth reach Drusus from the rear. Noble rushed forward, flying over the coffins and thrusting her sword into the monster's head.
Thread sifted through the slit in her visor. She barely caught the edge with her gauntlet in time to pull it away from her eyes.
"Get back!" Noble used her Aspect to buy her a moment of breathing room.
'I need a saw...'
The sword was good for thrusting, but not ideal for cutting through hardened fabric. Bones and muscles were easy for her Zenith to sever, but the silk had too much give and absorbed her stroke too quickly. It reacted better to the brute force of her body, but that was just too painful.
If only she had some shears!
There was only one option.
Pushing even more essence into her sword, Noble allowed the poison to drip on the cords. She carefully circled the coffins, fending off anything that interfered with her progress.
The green liquid mixed with the silk, bubbling and corroding the fabric structure.
'Don't...lose...control.'
Noble felt her mind slipping into the control of the powerful enchantment, so she was forced to let the poisonous flow stop.
She only hoped her effort was enough.
Taking a floating step back, Noble lured the next moth towards her.
It hissed, ready to tear her apart with its clacking mandibles.
Its wings flapped once, twice, and on the third beat, Noble dodged to the side as it lunged. With two quick, clean cuts, Noble gathered her prize under one arm, and with the final stab, she stopped the creature's beating heart.
The Mourner joined the growing heap of flesh at the bottom of the crimson hill.
Child of Promise sheathed her sword. Silently, she untucked the monster's two jagged wings from under her arm.
Eyeing the red cloth of the dome, she took a deep breath and set her jaw in a determined line.
'This better work!'