Spider was walking beside Ludd, looking for the rest of Ludd's bounties.
Suddenly he smelt something strange on a passing breeze. It smelled like him....yet it didn't and it was coming from a direction he knew he hadn't come from. He stopped and looked in the direction the breeze came from. Ludd noticed.
"What is it?" Ludd asked.
"I smell somethin'" Spider replied, "Be back in a mo..." Before Ludd could stop him, he ran off.
*****
Malice was getting frustrated with this slig. He had beaten and biten it and she still wouldn't scream. It was getting to the point there he was going to give up and just kill the darn thing....
*****
Spider reached a clearing and his eyes widened at what he saw.
Dear Odd that bounty was right. He thought. Before him was another Drakkic, skin as red as freshly split blood with three rows of red spines running down his back.
Then his eyes narrowed when he saw this Drakkic, who had to be the 'Malice' Ludd told him about, in the process of claiming his next victim, a young slig. He snarled and forgetting what Ludd had said he burst out of his cover and charged....
*****
Malice only just saw the attack in time. He just managed to dodge out of the way and back up to see who it was that was attacking. There, standing firmly between him and his victim, was another crossbreed like him, only this one was dark green in color with yellow eyes, a silver dragon tattoo on his chest and was wearing mechanical pants which legs looked like a spider's. Malice recognized him immediately and grinned.
"Well, well, well." Malice said with a chuckle, "We meet at last Spider."
Spider narrowed his eyes and snarled. "How der yer know my name? I have never seen yer before in my life."
"Oh...daddy Myron told me all about you..." Malice laughed as he took a couple of steps toward him.
"Myron...." Spider growled at the mention of his father's murder, but put it aside, "Well I believe I have heard 'bout yer as well....yer must be Malice."
Malice grinned, "Ah you must have heard about me from the few that managed to elude me." He sneered, briefly, then grinned again, "Yes...I am what you could have...no... should have become. I represent the dark part of you that never fully matured. I am who they call....Malice."
Spider's eyes widened slightly in shock, what Malice just said sounded all too familiar. Then he remembered that one dream he had...the one where he fought with his dark self.
So that dream was a prediction... he thought scowling slightly.
"I serpose yer goin' ter tell me yer my evil twin or somethin'?" Spider said sarcastically, folding his arms.
Malice laughed and walked over to him. "Very close...but I am much more then just a twin to you...You see....I am your..." he got right up into Spider's face, "clone."
"What!?" Spider cried in shock, he wasn't expecting this. Malice bounced away laughing like a manic.
"That's right Spider." Malice laughed, "Other then a few external physical differences...we are exactly the same." Malice broke down into hysterical laughter as Spider just stood there in shock.
"No..." Spider mumbled.
"Yes..." Malice said, suddenly turning serious, "They released me under the orders to hunt down and kill you for being a pain in the neck to the Cartel and being a goodie goodie. But I figured it would be more fun to see about turning you to the 'dark side' as it were...make you like me."
"No..." Spider growled, lowering his head and arching his back in a threat posture, "I will never be like yer..."
"You were at one time..." Malice pressed grinning, "Remember when you used to hunt worker sligs for food in the labs?"
"I had no choice then...I did it ter survive. There is a difference between killin' fer survival and killin' fer the 'fun' of it."
"Well..." Malice said with a frown, "That just shows how weak you are...no wonder Myron chose you to do all the experiments on...you are obviously not worthy of anything else...daddy always said you were a sickly one when you were a hatchling...Bastek should have just let you die."
Spider just stood there, trembling with fury.
"Well since you are not going to turn over to my side...I might as well kill you." Malice said with an evil grin, "Should prove more challenging then tormenting that sorry excuse for a slig...puh...blasted thing want's to die! No fun at all!"
Spider was fighting hard to keep himself under control, he knew he would stand a chance against him enraged like this. He wanted get out of this encounter in one piece...and with the victim still alive. So he decided to do something he rarely did...bluff.
"Yer sure yer want ter try it yer red freak?" Spider said, "What makes yer think...I am here by myself hmmm?"
Malice's eyes narrowed.
"I don't see or smell anyone else other then you or that slig." he said, growling.
"Doesn't mean there isn't anyone else there...they could be upwind of us. Ever thought of that?"
Malice didn't answer, he just shifted slightly, looking at the trees.
"Tell me Malice...how many can yer take at once...with me ter help them?" Spider pressed, "Two...three? How many hmm?"
"And why would you be helping them Spider!?" Malice growled, "After all...they are after you as well..."
Spider smiled, "Not anymore..." he said, "They stopped coming after me the moment they realized you escaped and were the greater threat. I'm helpin' them get rid of a greater evil....yer."
Malice shifted again, looking, almost desperately at the trees beyond. Finally he had enough.
"You won this round...." Malice growled, "but the game is not over yet." With that Malice turned and disappeared into the trees.
Spider sighed with relief and turned toward the slig. Fortunately the slig was still alive.
"Yer ok?" he asked, gently....
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