[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/FM92P8l.png[/img]
[h1][color=ed145b]Sarah[/color][/h1][/center]

[i]Part II:[/i]
[color=orangered]Pip, however, was merely stunned, and is very much alive and still ready for a fight. He rolls back to his feet, shakes off the lethargy, and sees the spider-things trying to hurt or kill New Master. He could feel his anger boiling within him. Even a dog like Pip, genetically engineered and modified in a thousand ways, could still trace his ancestry to the original wolves that prowled the plains when mankind still lived in caves. Each noble beast had a strong drive to fight, hunt, and survive, and every wolf had an ironclad loyalty to the pack. Nobody hurts the Pack. And in that, Pip was very much one with his wolf ancestors.[/color]

Snarling, he curls up into a ball, and spins in place, electricity sparking all around him, before he launched himself like a cannonball at the spider-thing in the back, catching it by surprise as he slammed into it with great force, only to uncurl and latch onto the nape of neck with sharp, pointy teeth. The thing squealed and hissed in pain, surprise and anger, and flailed its claws in an attempt to get the monstrous little furball off its back. It manages to get a couple of close swipes, shaving a bit of fur off the tips of his long ears, and Pip retaliates by summoning his inner power - and channeling his electricity through sharp canine teeth into the thing's neck. The thing squeals in agony and fear as it's electrocuted, much to the shock and surprise of its brothers as they try to fend off its frenzied flailings. This gives Sarah the chance to crawl away, giving her some breathing space.

The spider-things try and pry Pip off their screeching brother, but their long claws and their brother's flailing makes it difficult. One of them manages to land a hit on Pip, managing not so much to wound him as knock him off, giving the wounded one a respite. Angry, they turn to face a snarling Pip, ready to defend Sarah with everything he has. Hissing and screeching, the spiderlings move forwards with frightening speed, trying to eliminate both the girl and her dog, brandishing their sharp curved blades with wicked intent.

Pip, his back hunching and fur standing on end, keeps growling, his snarl increasing in intensity as arcs of electricity shoot around him, surprising Sarah and forcing her to stagger back and onto her shaky legs. The spiderlings braced for a possible charge, but Pip surprises them as he lets a grunting growl, a powerful bolt of lighting shooting out from the crest on his back and striking the lead spiderling, causing it to screech in agony as sparks flew and the acrid smell of burning flesh fills the room. The other two spiderlings back off in terror, while the roasted one, alive but badly mauled, staggers back blindly.

The small dog seizes his chance. He hurls himself at the weakened enemy once again, biting and gnawing at a joint and forcing the beast to sway and move, weakly trying to throw him off and end this torment. However, this gives the other spiderlings a chance to recover, and charge in to help their wounded ally. They both try to flank the snarling, biting creature, put it down before it gets out of hand. However, by then, Sarah had recovered enough of her senses and manages to balance herself on two feet. She still feels the room is swimming and dancing around her, and it feels like the shadows of the room themselves are reaching out to drag her into darkness, but Pip's glow gave her enough of a clear shot at one of the spiderlings. She throws herself at it in a body block throwing it off balance as it tumbles backwards, trying to get back on its legs. The other two, trying to recover and compensate for the supposedly weakened prey recovering, leaving themselves open as Pip starts biting savagely at whatever he can reach, trying to maul them for the audacity of trying to hurt New Master.

However, Sarah is still dizzy and disoriented by the hallucinogenic mist, and she feels like the world is spinning around her. She startles at something to her left, only to realize it was not only a shadow, but that she just left herself open. The angry spiderling slashes at her, and she barely gets her forearms up in time to block the attack, resulting in a sharp, bleeding gash across her arms as she cries out in pain. Her yell distracts Pip, who turns around to punish the offending spiderling, only for one of the other two to get a good hit in and land a strong slash across his exposed back. Pip yelps in pain and is flung across the floor of the cave corridor, his light fading as his injury seems strong.

Sarah is terrified, realizing she's unable to defend herself, and that the only source of light is fading. But above all else, she realizes her only friend and companion is wounded, possibly dying. Even with the shadows reaching out to grab her, even with the monstrous, shifting visages of the spiderlings coming for her, she does the only thing she can, and jumps to reach Pip. One claw manages to catch her leg, causing a sharp pain in her thigh as it cuts a new gash in her skin. She almost fails to reach Pip, and her condition won't allow for a second attempt. But catch him she does, and rolls around him to protect him with her body. In the fading light, feeling as though they're about to get killed, Sarah cries for herself and her companion. Pip, whimpering softly, licks her face and tears, trying to apologize in return for being unable to protect her.

[color=ed145b]"I'm sorry, P-pip,"[/color] she sobs. [color=ed145b]"I g=got us here, and I couldn't help you when you needed it. I j-just wish I-I could have b-b-been more h-helpful... I'm so useless..."[/color]

[color=orangered]In that moment, a soft glow emanates from her hands and envelopes Pip. The wounded dog feels his injury disappear, and finds renewed strength and vigor flowing into him once again. Is New Master giving him strength? Yes... he can feel himself grow strong again. New Master is giving him her strength, he will not let New Master down again!

He turns to see the spiderlings try and move in for the kill, trying to put an end to this fight. He preserves his strength... just one good strike...

He then lunges with a snarl at the nearest one, his fur suddenly glowing brightly, blinding the spiderlings. In their hesitation, he aims for the one he had mauled first with an electric bite to the back of the neck. This time, he fastens his jaws around the throat and fires another electrical jolt through his jaws, not letting go of the agonized thing until it stops moving. Once it drops dead, he turns his attention to its recovering brothers.[/color]

Sarah is just as surprised as the spiderlings by Pip's sudden recovery, but she felt the warm glow in her hands.

[color=ed145b]'What did I do?'[/color] she wonders in surprise. However, she realizes she doesn't have time to gawk; she's still in danger, and there are still two spiderlings. Ignoring the pain the best she can, she launches herself at one of the two remaining spiderlings, knocking it to the ground in a bundle of flailing legs and claws, and getting another gash for her troubles, this one fortunately rather superficial. This allows Pip to focus on the other - and unleash a devastating final bolt of lightning that utterly fries the thing. It gives off one last screeching death cry, before collapsing to the floor in a smoking heap. Pip, exhausted by the fight slumps to the ground with a whimper, his light growing fainter but not going out.

The sole survivor, noting that the odds had now gone sharply against it, attempted to scramble back to its legs and run for safety, but by now, Sarah is running on a rush of adrenaline and anger, and isn't going to just let it go away. She manages to kick out two legs from under it just as it got up, sending it sprawling on the floor, and losing her own balance in the process. She lands on her ass with a grunt, but finds the dazed spiderling right in front of her and in leg's range. Before it could get up, Sarah landed a vicious kick to the side of its skull smashing it against the cave wall.

[color=ed145b]"You! Ugly! Monster!"[/color] she calls out angrily, pounding the thing's head into a wall with her heel. [color=ed145b]"How! Dare you! Hurt my! Friend!"[/color]

She keeps smashing the thing with her foot, not stopping until the thing slumps lifelessly to the floor. It takes her a couple seconds to realize that, resulting in her kicking the wall. Overcome with the effort, she collapses, sprawled on the floor, gasping for breath. She feels a wave of nausea overcome her, barely managing to roll to her side to puke up whatever's left of her lunch onto the dirt floor. She takes several deep breaths, trying to regain her strength, before sitting up, sliding up to Pip, and cradling him in her arms, panting hard against the cave wall.

Pip whimpers as he licks her, but then barks triumphantly.

[color=ed145b]"Thanks, Pip,"[/color] Sarah sighs tiredly. [color=ed145b]"You're a good dog..."[/color]

[color=orangered]Pip can smell there's more of these things in the cave. They're probably coming here to check in on the scouts. But for now, he likes being called a good dog.[/color]

Sarah catches her breath for a second, gets up, and starts limping to get deeper into the cave. However, Pip walks over to one of the dead spiderlings, and tries gnawing off one of its bladelike arms.

[color=ed145b]"What are you doing, Pip?"[/color] Sarah asks cautiously, and notices what the dog's trying to do. She hobbles over, grabs the arm, and it takes her a few attempts to wrench the thing out of its wrecked socket, granting her a crude makeshift weapon. Maybe now she'll be able to help Pip more in a fight.

Pip barks triumphantly, and leads the way, the two going deeper into the caverns...