Chapter 15 + Short interlude.

I conjured a pair of mandalas just as the lizard pounced at me with its maw open. The sight of him crashing into the mandalas were like seeing bird crash into a glass window. It would have been funny if not for the fact that the momentum the pounce was still enough to send us both onto the ground. I rolled to the side and got up just as the lizard recovered before swiping its tail at me.

I managed to duck underneath it before shooting an arcane bolt at its torso, staggering it momentarily as I made some distance between us. I then followed up with a barrage of arcane bolts that began hitting it, further staggering it even causing several wounds as it started to bleed.

"Stop you'll kill him!!" I suddenly hear Peter yelling at me. I turned around to see him struggle to stand up while rubbing his throat where the lizard had grabbed him before.

"Why not? It's too dangerous to be kept alive. If we let be, who knows who might get hurt by it." I snapped back at him before continuing my assault. I wasn't about to let it take me by surprise again.

"No. You dont understand. That lizard is Dr Connors. The serum, its messing with his mind. He's not himself." Peter pleaded once more.

I bit back a curse at the revelations. If there indeed was a man underneath all that, I don't think I could take his life. Up until now, the only creatures I had killed were the shadebeasts who were no different than mindless beasts but this was different.

"Spidey, go check on Ghost Spider. I'll keep him busy." I ordered just before stopping the arcane bolt barrage. I then took out a mana potion before practically inhaling its contents. As I felt my mana recover, I dispelled my staff as the spell I was about to use required both my hands to be properly used. While a staff was good at strengthening the spells, using the casters bare hands netted more control over it thus making it more suitable for complex spells instead of the staff. Which is why many sorcerers especially at Kamartaj choose not to use staves.

I first began by buffing myself with mistral winds as a defensive measure before commencing the spell. Several magical circles manifested around the lizard who stared at them warily, that was until several chains made of eldritch magic before emerging from them, and attempted to bind the lizard. Who began evading them with its unnatural agility. Unfortunately for it, the chains only kept on increasing and eventually managed to bind over its leg, considerably reducing its speed and allowing other chains to reach it.

In a last ditch effort, the lizard attempted to pounce onto me once more but I retreated using my enhanced speed. It attempted to catch me once more but by then, more chains had wrapped around its body, before becoming taut and bringing it to its knees. Once I was sure that the chains would hold, I stopped chanting the spell and felt the fatigue wash over me.

I crouched while panting while looking back the lizard that was glaring at me with hatred. I then turned my head to try and find the Arachnid duo. I sighed in relief to find Peter supporting Gwen who seemed to be fine for the most part. I was about to walk upto them to pass a healing potion to either of them when I suddenly began hearing sounds similar to metal creaking. I turned back towards the lizard to see it contorting weirdly. Then before my eyes, it seemed to grow even more while its scales became progressively darker.

Then suddenly, with a grunt, the lizard broke through its chains and charged at me, taking me off guard. Before I could react I felt its claws grab me before pushing me on to the floor knocking the wind out of my lungs.

It then raised its claws before began swiping at my body continuously. Most of the runes seemed to nullify the damage but the sheer ferocity of the attacks were pushing the runes to its limits. In an attempt to throw him off me, I summoned my staff only for the lizard to grab it then wrench it out of my grasp before breaking it in half like a tooth pick before resuming it's assault on my body. And then, it happened.

The runes broke under the continuous assault of the lizard and his next swipe left a large cut on my torso, making me yelp in pain. Before another attack could hit me though, several strands of webbing wrapped around its outstretched arm holding it in place. I took this chance to conjure a large hammer out of Eldritch Energy and swang it at its face, the impact knocking him to the side and giving me the opportunity roll out of the way.

Both Peter and Gwen followed soon after with their own attack with Peter throwing a hay maker at one side of the lizards face while Gwen dropped kick it on the other. Both attacks connected successfully, staggering it once more. I followed that up by hitting it in the back of its legs before promptly evading when it tried to take a swipe at me. Its attempted counter attack was also shortlived as both spiders webbed its arms.

I then attacked once more, this time after strengthening my arms with Mana Enhancement. The increased force from the spells caused a small boom as following impact sent several of its teeth and scales flying while snapping its head to the side which was followed by a kick from Gwen from the opposite side and then by an uppercut from Peter. The lizard stood on its legs dazed after all the attacks before collapsing on to the floor.

I then casted Magic Hand, using the ethereal hand to grab open the jaw of the lizard before summoning the paralytic potion and pouring its content into the now open mouth of the lizard before retreating backwards just in time to see the lizard wake up. It attempted to get up but the paralytic was already taking effect as its movement were visibly sluggish. Not long after that, the lizard collapsed once more as the paralytic fully took effect.

Once it became clear that the lizard was fully subdued, we all breathed a sigh of relief until a pang of pain reminded me of the wound on my torso. A potion made short work of it but that didn't stop Gwen from making a fuss over it. Especially since she knew it was me behind the hood.

What follows next was us working together to put out the fire before informing the authorities that the lizard has been pacified. After that, we went our separate ways with both Spiders swinging away while I took a portal home.

I greeted my adoptive father before walking upto my room and collapsing on the bed. I knew I was going to get an earful from both Madam Han and Gwen the next day and I needed as much rest as I could get to sit through it.

Madam Hans POV,

I sighed as I saw Harriet's victory through the crystal ball. As much as I wanted to go and rescue her when I saw the beast wound her, I had to stay my hand. If I kept helping her, her growth was going to stagnate eventually. She needed the experience to face what was to come.

With that in mind, I left my divination chambers and walked into my study, intent on pouring myself a drink to relieve my stress. But when I opened the door, what awaited inside, shocked me to my core. My eyes fell on a dark haired man I had no intention of meeting.

"What are you doing here Victor?" I hissed as hand readied a spell.

"I came for answers." Came his curt response.

"Answers? You want answers after what you did to her. And to her daughter." I felt myself raising my voice at each sentences.

Victor paused at the last sentence, his shoulders dropped in shame and I would be lying if said that it didn't almost put a smile to my face.

" I... made a mistake. I finally found trace of her after all these years and I was blinded by it. And then I saw the girls face, they looked so alike. Yet the thought of her having a child with another man filled me with rage and I lashed out. It wasnt until the next day when I examined her blood that I knew the child was my own. " he spoke with a forlorn look.

" That's not good enough. She fears you now. You haunt her nightmares. And I'll be damned if I let you meet her or her mother again." I spoke with a hardened tone.

Victor's eyes fell on me and in a split second, his gaze hardened as well replacing the remorseful man from before with the prideful and power hungry tyrant that the world knows him as.

" It doesn't matter. My blood courses through her veins. She will be able to do great things. And eventually she will seek me on her own either because I am the manifestations of her fear or I am her father. And once she does she will see reason. And then we will take our rightful place as the leaders of humanity, as a family. And there is nothing you can do that will stop it. " he spoke.

" For now, I will honor the truce with Strange. But be warned, I will come for her eventually." was all he said before he faded away like smoke.

I could only sigh in defeat, as I knew that he meant those words. Worst his that he was just one of the trials Harriet must eventually face, whether she wants to or not.