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Table of Contents URL: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/66714/i-have-

been-blessed-by-chaos-but-all-i-want-to

I have been blessed by Chaos but

all I want to do is chill on a farm

by Ivan_Ivanovich

Original ONGOING LitRPG Portal Fantasy /

Isekai Villainous Lead Ruling Class Male Lead Adventure Fantasy Short
Story High Fantasy Reincarnation Slice of Life
Warning This fiction contains:

Sexual Content

A disembodied soul floated in front of what appeared to be a cloud of

darkness, the cloud pulsed growing small then big and it moved all around
in swirling patterns never to remain in one place too long.
Well, this soul once was a man, but it died, no, not it – He; Even in death he
had a strong sense of self. He looked around there was only emptiness and
this nebulous ever-changing blob of darkness.

The soul felt the overwhelming pressure coming out of this cloud. There
were only a few things to assume.

“Are you here to take me to the afterlife?” He asked still uncertain in ability
of this cloud to speak.

But, oh it spoke, directly into his mind. “Mortal,” the booming voice
penetrated his very core, “there is a life after, but not the one you might
expect.” The cloud of darkness surrounded him from all sides. “I’ve won
your soul and so you will be reincarnated.”

He didn't remember gambling or selling something so important…

The entity continued. “Worry not, Mortal, I’ll put you in one of my
worlds. In a place where no one would expect, so you’ll be safe for a
while.”

“This world, it’s not Earth?” He asked having a hunch already.

“A world of strife and magic; a harsh place. But be not afraid, I shall
bestow upon you a few boons; the standard sort.”

He had a hundred questions he wanted to ask, but he felt his soul body to
become overwhelmed by the power the entity was emitting. The swirling
cloud of darkness thundered and lit with purple colour, much like a
thunderstorm, and then one of the stray bolts of lighting hit him directly;
likely on purpose. And then it hit again and again. While it was scary it only
tickled his soul a bit. The lightning bolts were harmless but they did a thing,
or three…

Three lines of text floated in his vision:

[Perk Resurrection [1] obtained.]

[Perk Language Comprehension obtained.]

[Perk Chaos Blessed obtained.]

The last one sounded ominous. It made him wonder about what sort of
entity this was.

“Off you go, Mortal.”

Everything went black, he didn’t even get to ask the name of the entity or
even the place he will be… reincarnated?

=====

NOTE: This is an isekai crafting/farming story with slice-of-life elements +

governing your settlement. Or at least it will attempt to be such.

NOTE #2: In later chapters the story takes a darker turn, and our MC
becomes more Dark aligned (Chaotic Evil or smg). There are some morally
dubious choices made.

Participator of Writathon
 01

Interlude:

A disembodied soul floated in front of what appeared to be a cloud of

darkness, the cloud pulsed growing small or big and it moved all around in
swirling patterns never to remain in one place too long.

Well, this soul once was a man, but it died, no, not it – He; Even in death he
had a strong sense of self. He looked around there was only emptiness and
this nebulous ever-changing blob of darkness.

The soul felt the overwhelming pressure coming out of this cloud. There
were only a few things to assume.

“Are you here to take me to the afterlife?” He asked still unsure of the
ability of the cloud to speak.

But, oh it spoke, directly into his mind. “Mortal,” the booming voice
penetrated his very core, “there is a life after, but not the one you might
expect.” The cloud of darkness surrounded him from all sides. “I’ve won
your soul and so you will be reincarnated.”

He didn't remember gambling or selling something so important…

The entity continued. “Worry not, Mortal, I’ll put you in one of my worlds.
In a place where no one would expect, so you’ll be safe for a while.”

“This world it’s not Earth?” He asked having a hunch already.

“A world of strife and magic; a harsh place. But be not afraid, I shall bestow
upon you a few boons; the standard sort.”
He had a hundred questions he wanted to ask, but he felt his soul body to
become overwhelmed by the power the entity was emitting. The swirling
cloud of darkness thundered and lit with purple colour, much like a
thunderstorm, and then one of the stray bolts of lighting hit him directly;
likely on purpose. And then it hit again and again. While it was scary it only
tickled his soul a bit. The lightning bolts were harmless but they did a thing,
or three…

Three lines of text floated in his vision:

[Perk Resurrection [1] obtained.]

[Perk Language Comprehension obtained.]

[Perk Chaos Blessed obtained.]

The last one sounded ominous. It made him wonder about what sort of
entity this was.

“Off you go, Mortal.”

Everything went black, he didn’t even get to ask the name of the entity or
even the place he would be… reincarnated?

...

[You have entered The Dreaded Place] – a mysterious message filtered

into his mind and vision.

“A dreaded place?” This didn’t sound good, at all. It didn’t look good. “A
jungle?”

He was surrounded by thick trees, imposing bushes and creeping vines. The
vegetation was so dense that barely any light reached the ground. Despite
the lush greenery, it was eerily quiet. At least, he wasn’t a floating soul
anymore; he had a body. He recognised it as his old body, but a much
younger version.
He checked himself over, everything was in place and he looked healthy
enough. Actually, he felt great! But the jungle start wasn’t the best. He
expected a temple, or even some small town or anything like that. But the
looks of it, he will be far away from any decent civilisation.

“First things first, to find a water source.” It came back to survival first.
“And maybe a village.”

He looked around anxiously taking in the sight of this untamed jungle, and
then he looked at himself.

“Or maybe not.” He was put in this world without even a single piece of
equipment. He was naked! Not to mention the lack of a weapon. A divine
thingamajig tool would be mighty useful, but the entity didn’t feel the need
to give him that. Or even tell him where he was reincarnated.

Well, maybe he shouldn’t expect too much from a mysterious cloud of

darkness… at least he was alive again.

“Deities work in mysterious ways…” He rationalised to himself.

He looked again, and while he had nothing, that didn’t mean he couldn’t
make something. The plants offered themselves to him and he was able to
fashion a type of skirt using a large leaf and a vine. It turned out really well
and he was proud of his craftsmanship. A masterwork - worthy of a king no
less!

[You have crafted a leaf skirt of poor quality. Crafting +1exp.]

Another message. This was interesting. He wondered if his creation had

some special properties. Another message popped out in his vision.

[Leaf Skirt: -1 fashion. +1 Rep with Elves.]

“Elves?” He exclaimed in surprise and then looked around in suspicion. He

hated elves. They were arrogant nature-loving hippies!

Anyways, there were messages floating in his vision, so there was another
thing to try.
“Status!” Nothing happened. “Status Screen. Info. Character Sheet.”
Nothing at all.

“Oh come on!” There were allusions to Crafting skill and exp but no
further explanations.

Regardless, he wasn’t going to stay bummed out about something trivial as

that. If it granted him exp, that meant that this was good no? So he decided
to make something else. “Now a weapon.” He went looking for suitable
materials.

In the end, there wasn’t much laying around, but he had a weapon now even
if it was just a random stick he found on the jungle floor. “Yeah, no
message.” He wondered if he needed to alter it more to receive it. “I have
no tools. Not yet, this will have to do. Now, a river.” He listened intently for
the sound of water. There was none. There was no sound at all, not even the
wind rustling the leaves.

“How strange.”

He walked aimlessly for quite a while. The anxiety began to set in. Not only
there was no sound of water, but there were also no sounds of animals.
Nothing at all. Spooky!

“If there are no animals here I might starve… if I don't die of thirst first.”
His heart filled with dread.

He passed numerous green plants as he went, but none of them looked

edible. And even if they were he wouldn't eat them, that would be a quick
way to die. The fact was that he wasn’t someone like an elf so It was much
safer to cook a fish or even eat some rodent than experiment on some
random shroom or tuber.

If there were fruits or nuts. He hasn’t seen them yet.

It must have been hours since he started the quest for water. There was no
sound of it.
“I’m royally buggered. Am I not?”

It was getting dark. And chilly.

*Brrr.

“A human can live without water for three days. I will find something
tomorrow.” He was trying to remain optimistic.

“So for now, it’s a fire.” He changed the priorities.

As he was gathering dry scraps of wood, grass and leaves he stepped on

some wet mud. “Yuk.” It felt slimy and gross. However, this was a good
sign. Upon further investigation, he was able to uncover a stream.

“Some fresh clean water at last!” He scooped it and drank with

unadulterated greed.

*Brrr. *Shiver. It was ice cold, but small victory worth celebrating.

At the source of the stream there was an outcrop of rocks and small
boulders; washed and polished by the water.

“Just what I needed.” He picked the best-looking one.

Cast rock onto a rock, bim bam bosh, and there it was – A sharp shard of
stone was made and then attached to the stick he had found earlier. Like so,
a mighty weapon was made; a legendary one. Easy!

[You have crafted a stone spear of poor quality. Crafting +1exp.]

Now, he was a proud holder of a whole 2 exp… “Oh well. Better than
nothing.”

The message dispelled the delusions and reminded him of the distractions
he was surrounding himself with.

“Sparks! I was here for the fire."

There was a lot of effort put into it but he failed to make the fire, it was just
impossible without lighting fluid or matches. Well, there were ways but he
either lacked the skill or technique so in the end he had to give up.

*Brrr. *Shiver. – the night was spent in a nest of twigs and leaves.

He worried that a random snake might bite his ass and poison him. But he
was too tired to worry and quickly fell asleep exhausted.

Upon inspection his ass was fine. Not even a single bug bite. Not only there
were no snakes or insects, but there were also no animals of any kind at all.
Nothing!

“What a weird place. Starve I shall not!” He announced to the whole jungle
a new challenge.

Yet starve he did. It was already dark and no sight of anything edible, he
was so hungry the tree bark began to look tasty.

“I will not give in to weakness. I will prevail!” He cheered himself. “…

Tomorrow.” He yawned tiredly.

Okay...

The place was devoid of life except for the greenery. He could try eating
some roots or flowers. He could… and he did try a few most edible-looking
things, they were bitter or tasted like grass.

“To the dust with it!” He cursed losing hope. “This is indeed a dreadful
place.”

No matter how hard he looked he just found no fruits, nuts or berries, this
jungle was devoid of such things. Through trial and error, he managed to
find something he could barely stomach. It was a young green vine growing
on a thick white tree. The young sprouts were juicy and despite the
bitterness, it seemed something he could stomach. So yeah, he was eating
an equivalent of a weed, but there was just nothing else here.
He kept walking for days, subsisting on nothing but Bitter Vine, yeah he
even named the damned plant. Heck, where were those elves when you
needed them? He was ready to put his prejudices away for anything that
didn’t taste like concentrated bitterness.

He munched on another stem while walking.

[Perk Chaos Blessed activated.]

“Eh!” He screamed out in shock.

His vision dimmed and he felt like he was dreaming. Again he found
himself disembodied and surrounded by nothing. Unlike last time there was
no mysterious cloud of darkness to fill the emptiness but he did feel
something greater than himself, some power emanating from… from his
very core, from his memories or even his soul. Visions began to flash in his
mind. Images of flora and fauna. They were plants and animals he knew
from his previous life. For a split second, his mind was filled with an image
of a juicy burger, the first image out of the thousands which felt like food-
food and not some raw barely edible plant. And then the vision cut abruptly.

[Perk Poison Resistance: Lesser obtained.]

[Perk Enhanced Nutrient Processing obtained.]

“Eh!?” He almost choked on the bite still in his mouth. “It was poisonous!”

Regardless, he had gained something unexpected, and quite useful.

“I take it back!” He took the bad words away he had made in the past few
days. “This world is amazing!”

This meant that he could eat other barely edible plants growing here. Well
as the perks went it felt slightly underwhelming, but at least he didn’t grow
pointy ears and began acting as if a stick was stuck up his ass. Or did he?
He quickly checked himself over.

“Phew.” His fingers detected no physical changes. “Let's put this perk to a
test.”
He stuffed some fern leaves into his mouth.

“Ew!” It tasted just as bitter as the vines.

He waited for some reaction in his stomach, the unpleasant kind. He braced
for it. Nothing came. He ate some more.

The leaves tasted awful and they barely filled him. Everything in this place,
even if edible now, tasted like grass.

“Disappointing!” He screamed into the void.

He felt cheated by the perk. Why couldn't he have gotten something like
Laser Eyes or Conjure Food?
 02

Days passed, but neither the scenery nor the situation changed. He was
alive, he was well, but he wasn’t prospering. Everything tasted so
disgusting. It was becoming a problem.

What was not the problem, strangely, was the lack of people. The solitude
was oddly refreshing and It was strange how he didn’t feel lonely. Was the
jungle beginning to grow on him? – He didn’t know but there was some
progress: He managed to craft himself [Bark Armour] and [Leaf Shoes].
Both gave +1Rep with Elves and Crafting +1exp. The shoes soon
disintegrated, they weren't that durable. But hey easy exp at least.

“I wonder exactly how much exp I need to acquire before something fun
starts to happen.”

No helpful message popped up to explain such things.

It was getting boring to be roaming around in what probably were circles.

There were no signs of animals or civilisation, so he decided to settle and
grind some exp, if walking wasn’t a solution maybe this was… so he took a
small crafting project. He worked like a factory robot, pumping out [Leaf
Shoes] one after the other.

[+1exp. +1exp, +1exp…]

The messages kept popping up. The level-up announcement remained

elusive.

[Congratulations! You are now proficient enough to craft leaf shoes of

common quality.]

“After hours of work? That’s it?”

The message even sounded condescending when he read it in his mind.

Just to test if he understood this right, he crafted another [Leaf Skirt] it

came out as poor.

“Vine juice!” He swore in disappointment. By the way, the vine juice was
so bitter it became a swear word of its own.

There was little to do here. He didn’t even get to use his spear not even
once! The place was devoid of danger, but also of fun, and it seemed
endless. Wandering aimlessly didn’t look like a solution anymore.

Well, there was one thing he always wanted to do. To build a house of his
own and grow his own food and crops. He began daydreaming to escape the
harsh reality of being stuck in this ‘hostile’ place.

“It sounds nice. Who is here to stop me?” None, literally, no one was there.

To build his first house he needed materials and tools. Materials were
plentiful and the tools could be made. With ample time he managed it. The
stone tools weren't fancy but they did the job so the construction began.

The first house, in reality, a shed, failed; it collapsed. A second one held but
looked really shabby. As he was building a message popped out once in a
while telling him that he was earning +1exp in Building. It wasn’t much
but it felt rewarding.

After many attempts, the shed was complete. It was a structure made out of
wooden beams, woven twigs, vines and leaves. All in all not too bad. He
felt proud of himself.

Then he cleared a small spot of all the shrubs and other flora. The bendy
twigs he could handle, but there were these white tall trees and they seemed
to be harder than stone. Not to mention the fact that they were just really
thick.

Anyways, he kinda needed the timber so he cut the softwood leaving the
white trees untouched. After all, he was a homesteader, no, a pioneer sent
here to conquer the wilderness. And real homesteaders always grew their
own food. In his case, it will be vines. Disgusting Bitter Vines which were
awful but by the leagues the best this jungle had to offer.

“I will become a vine juice farmer!” He shouted proudly rising the wooden
hoe in the air.

And then began crying. He broke. He didn’t want to eat these stupid vines
for all eternity. He craved for the real food. Regardless, he tilled the ground
around the white tree, removing all other plants and roots. He was kinda
lucky that the roots of the tree were not in the way at all and after a lot of
painstaking work, he had a small patch of Bitter Vines. Each time he
planted a vine and tied it to a stick he would get Farming +1exp, so his
hard work was already being rewarded.

When the vine patch was done he called it a day and went to sleep in the
Leaves Bed he had crafted earlier. It was exactly like one a gorilla would
make and he shamelessly borrowed that design from his memory. The
sleepiness overtook him quickly.

He dreamt of vine juice. Barrels upon barrels of it. He looked at the barrel
in disdain and then fell in it. The barrel was larger than it was supposed to
be, it became as large as a pool. The pulp was sticky and reeked of plant
matter. His body began to change. His ears elongated, his face became long
and his hair turned long and blonde. It was a nightmare!

He woke up drenched in a cold sweat and grasped for his ears.

“Phew, only a dream.”

But that was not all: [Perk Chaos Blessed activated.]. It must have
happened during the night.

He inspected the clearing where he planted the vines. They were already
budding. The plant was growing at an astonishing speed and there was a
slight shadow of blue taking colour on the stem. The perk did something to
the vine, whatever it was. He dabbed twice in the air to celebrate the good
news, it was okay and not cringe at all; no one was watching anyway. Then
he had some vines for breakfast. Eww!

“At this pace, I might just admit it… Virtually I am no different from a
stinky elf.” He lived like one, he ate like one.

To dispel depressing thoughts he made a small wattle cage to protect the

budding plant. He watched it grow. Really, there was nothing better to do.
No entertainment.

He decided to explore the surroundings further. As he went he marked his

way with sticks. He went quite far but the scenery barely changed. There
was no life at all: he confirmed that for the hundredth time. At least he had
some good exercise.

Back at his place he still had a good amount of free time so he decided to
hone his crafting skill.

The materials he had on hand were limited. There were bendy twigs, vines,
bark and other plant matter for his creations. The stems of the vines were
surprisingly durable and with some processing could be made into a rope.
He did just that. He pulled the fibres and twisted them into a rope. The rope
was the essential tool for any wannabe survivalist.

So he crafted Rope for days. He had a bunch of it. “In the end, I didn’t get
much exp for that.” It kinda made sense it was repetitive and boring but
quite easy to make. He looked himself over. His ‘clothes’ were beginning to
deteriorate. The plant matter they were made was wilting. “A chance for
new gear.” He decided.

This time he spent a good amount of time thinking about how to increase its
durability. He could try processing plant fibre into the cloth, similar to what
he did to get the rope, but that would take forever.

In the end, he made himself a [Leaf Vest], [Leaf Skirt], and believe it or
not [Rope Sandals]. The sandals were a great success. Then he made
himself a [Leaf Hat] to complete the look.
[Gear bonus achieved +5 Rep with Elves]

“Sweet!” But then he realised that he must look like a hippy or something.
“Or not…”

But who cares, he was proud of his budding skill. “Who knew I had a talent
as a clothes designer.” He smiled proudly.

The plant was growing nicely, however, there were some alarming signs. It
was blue – the stem and the leaves; it was completely blue. Blue! But there
were also the beginnings of small grapelike fruits nesting under the leaves.

“It’s okay. There is no need to panic.” He calmed himself knowing that the
stem didn’t need to be normal colour to grow edible fruits.

He was under the impression this was either a tomato or grape, both were
vine plants. Or whatever category they were supposed to be; he wasn’t a
botanist.

As time went by he either spent it figuring out how to make cloth from
plant fibres or admiring his magical blue plant.

Cloth-making wasn’t an easy process. He tried various plants. Some were

successes, some failed to produce good results. There was some sort of a
leafy bush, its leaves were spiky and difficult to harvest. It kinda looked
like the top of a pineapple but bigger and minus the fruit. That one had a
good fibre for cloth. Also, there was another candidate, it was just an
oversized leaf on an oversized stem, and unlike the former only its stems
were useful. So there were options.

He harvested the string-like fibre from the plants and left them to dry. Then
he needed to weave them into the cloth. “Nope!” He gave up. It just was too
labour-intensive. It seriously needed some automation. A nice roll of thin
cloth was beyond his skill, but he could manage a thin rope. If push comes
to shove he could try something similar to knitting.

On a brighter note, the magic plant was growing splendidly. “It must be
eight metres long.” He appraised the length of the vine. Tiny yellow fruits
were already getting bigger.

He tried eating its leaves already but only a few because he didn’t want to
harm the plant. It surprisingly tasted ten times better than his usual staple of
the bitter vine, but still, it tasted very much as an edible weed would; not
the best. He was praying for the fruits to grow quicker.

The plant matured. It bore big fruits the size of grapefruit, its skin was
smooth and the membrane thin and edible. Its flesh was interesting. It was
almost like jelly. It tasted positively divine, it was sweet and it was unlike
any other fruit he had eaten.

“Oh my god!” He stuffed himself full of it.

It was hard to control himself. But he had to. He needed to leave some for
seeds because the fruit had to overripen to mature them. At which point it
became hard and inedible; each yielded twelve seeds. With the extra seeds,
he expanded his vine patch.

Soon the small patch turned into a small farm. It grew very quickly and the
harvest was plentiful; truly a plant infused with mysterious magic. This
Chaos Blessed perk he had was a powerful one, but it was slightly
unpredictable; he couldn't even choose to activate it – it seemed to be
random.

The fruits he was eating had a surprising bonus, not only were they tasty
they energised him. And he had a feeling that just one fruit per day was
enough, but of course, he ate more. They were dense in energy and
nutrients. He worried about getting fat, but he just didn’t. Metabolism or
something – go figure.

With renewed vigour and ample time, he achieved several things. The first
one came as a surprise. Caring for the magic plant and harvesting the fruits
gave him Farming exp, a surprisingly high amount of it.

[Congratulations! You have reached Farming lvl 1.]

[Requirements have been met. Hidden perk unlocked.]

[Perk Unnatural Selection obtained.]

It didn’t elaborate further. And also this meant that the entire time he was on
level 0. Lucking out on this blue vine was likely a contributing factor to
obtaining this strange perk.

The other achievements were of lesser significance. He managed to make

cloth. Yes! And turn it into sacks to store the fruits. Fruit left on the vines
would overripen and go hard, but if plucked and stored away they kept for a
good while.

Also, he had made himself a better shed and a storehouse to store all of the
fruit. All good and well… Or not really. It was still kinda boring. And, after
what it was? – a few months; it was getting lonely. He even made himself a
scarecrow to talk with. He named it Wilson. At that point, it dawned that
something had to change and quickly.

While he wasn’t busy farming or talking with Wilson he kept exploring the
surrounding area, establishing a few trails here and there. He was looking
for useful plants like the Bitter Vine, or that spiky plant for fibres so that he
could make more cloth. On one of such treks, in the small stream, he found
a peculiar rock. It didn't look natural, because it was a polyhedron sphere,
like a football ball. And he knew that rocks in nature, and especially in
streams would just be smoothed flat or round. Also, it was black and had
this glass feel to it, almost like obsidian. Anyways it felt special so he took
the shiny trinket. He kept the thing next to his bed, and would often play
with it in his hands, especially in the evenings while thinking about one
thing or the other.

That was until: [Perk Chaos Blessed activated.]. The obsidian sphere
glowed in purple for a few seconds and the light disappeared as soon as it
appeared. “What just happened?” He inspected the sphere. It didn’t look
any different. Shrugging off the mysterious event he went to sleep.

A few days went by, and without being able to figure out what exactly
happened to the sphere he had almost forgotten the entire incident. He
treated the sphere like he always would, rolling it in his hand before he fell
to sleep. But, eventually, he noticed a peculiar thing. The sphere was
breaking the laws of nature, it was growing in size! It might be the isolation
and his imagination going wild but, the sphere began as apple-sized and
now It was the size of a grapefruit. So yeah, the chaos perk was somehow
growing the sphere, “But why?” he couldn’t help but wonder.

One evening, after a hard day of farming and crafting he came back to his
shack. There were pieces of black broken shells all over the spot where he
kept the orb. The conclusion was simple, it wasn’t just an orb, it was an egg
and something hatched from it. But what was it and, “Where is it?!” he
panicked for a moment.

He looked everywhere inside but couldn't find it. He even looked outside
around the shack. No mysterious creature or anything. Nothing.

“It hatched and made a runner. What did I expect?” He should have
predicted it and it was disheartening, but it was his own fault.

“Maybe with luck, I will find it. No, I definitely will, there is nothing to eat
in this jungle. If anywhere the creature will be somewhere in my garden.”

As he was about to go and check the garden vines something rustled by the
ceiling. He looked up and almost fainted. A creature out of a horror movie
was hanging on the ceiling. It was black like coal and had six legs. A set of
four yellow eyes stared at him hungrily. It had mandibles and all. It kinda
looked like a spider or an ant, it definitely was like an insect but nothing
like he had seen before.

It was ugly. It was scary. It was way too big. He came to the dreadful
realisation “A monster!” The two looked at each other, and neither moved
from their spot. “Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers.” So he went to get
some fruit to feed the monster. He hoped it would eat the fruit and not crave
his human flesh. He prayed fervently in his mind for it to be a vegetarian.

Once back he offered a slice of the freshly plucked fruit from the blue vine.
It came off the ceiling and devoured the slice greedily. “At’a boy!” He
celebrated in relief and fed it some more until it wasn’t hungry; one could
not be too careful it might still have had a thirst for blood.
 03

The creature didn’t thirst for blood. It was completely harmless and actually
quite cute. It must have registered him as his parent and now was following
him everywhere; a welcome company.

It wasn’t too intelligent. He tried a few things with it but it didn’t want to
play fetch or tug of war or anything. The tricks? What tricks can you teach a
spider? Well, it knew how to ask for food then it was hungry. All in all, It
seemed to be content at watching him doing his chores.

It was refreshing. The blue tomato-jelly-grape plant definitely was a life

changer but the spider thing was even more so. “And, I am not alone
anymore.” The days were ever so brighter.

He knew the importance of remaining positive, or else The Dreaded Place

will get to you!

Okay, the creature was more useful than he thought. It could learn things!

One day out of the blue, it began harvesting the fruit and bringing it to
storage on its own. He didn’t tell him to do that, it just did. It even stuffed it
in the sacks.

“What a good helper you are!” He patted the creature but it didn’t really
respond to the praise. It was very emotionless, very much like an insect
would be.

He sighed at the lack of response. “Ahh. Well, at least you are intelligent.
Teaching a dog this would take a while.” The best part was that the little
helper didn’t tire or get bored doing this dull task.
…

Okay, the shed was full of fruit. More fruit than one man and a hatchling
would need. It was a waste to throw them away, so he built another building
to store them.

The best part was that the hatchling was managing fine on its own. Actually,
he didn’t need to harvest the fruit anymore, the creature had it sorted. With
more time on his hands, he dedicated himself to building and sprucing up
the place.

He ran out of sacks to store the fruit. Did he even need to store them in the
sacks? Not really, but it was neater this way. He used his time to process
plant fibre. He kinda wanted something better than leaf gear. It made him
look like … he dreaded it – like an elf. “I rather look like a peasant than an
elf!”

So he did something that he should have done from the start. He used the
cloth for his next project.

[You have crafted cloth pants of poor quality. Crafting +1exp.]

[You have crafted cloth shirt of poor quality. Crafting +1exp.]

“Yes! A new fashion range. Woo-hoo, yipy-ka-ya-yo!”

He inspected the rough creations.

[Cloth Shirt: -2 fashion.]

Somehow the fashion penalty got worse, but at least the Elf rep boost was
gone.

“An improvement!”

A sudden message appeared.

[Farming +120exp].
“What? But I didn’t do anything.”

The message was mysterious. He went to check on the garden. It was in the
usual pristine condition. The creature tended to it like an expert gardener.
Harvesting the fruit, pruning the vines and all that. Nothing was out of the
ordinary.

“Maybe I’ve got the reward for maintaining it for so long?” But then there
was the fact that it wasn’t him; the hatchling was doing all the work.
“Speaking of which…” His pet was missing so he went to investigate.

He found the hatchling in the new storehouse. “Oh, noes!” It didn’t look too
good. The creature was on its back with its legs all curled up. A telltale sign
of death. Beside it was a clutch of a dozen of eggs. He didn’t know if to cry
or celebrate.

Evidently, his beloved pet perished all too early. He was already quite
attached to the little helper. But the good news was there will be more of it.

“An asexual reproduction. Are they clones then?” He speculated. It was

truly a magical creature.

This time the eggs hatched much more quickly and the whole shebang went
the same. The hatchlings followed him like ducklings would their mother,
observing every task. Having helpers was welcome, but he didn’t need all
twelve of them in the garden.

On a side note, he had some bad thoughts. Sinful ideas. Wonders and
musings. “Should I eat one?” He hadn’t eaten meat for… ever since he was
reborn. It was tempting. But in the end, he resisted. The constant staring by
the hatchlings didn’t play in making the decision; the four big eyes and cute
incomprehensible chirps didn’t affect him. Not at all.

This decision not to was the right one. Unbeknownst to himself, while
doing his chores he came to a revelation - harvesting the magical plant
wasn’t the only trick the hatchlings were capable of.
One day some of them began gathering the plants for fibre, and then even
extracting the strands of said fibre. Actually, they divided the labour. Some
were doing this while others were doing that. It seemed that they liked to
specialise and then stick to the task.

Then he reached another realisation. “Is this automation!” Well, not really,
but close. “I am a king of spiders!” Technically no, those weren’t spiders,
but that didn’t stop for the delusion to take place.

He imagined himself as the hive queen, ups, a king. His little helpers did his
bidding and his kingdom prospered.

It was boring again. He had nothing to do. The hatchlings did all the work.

“First-world problems, eh?”

He used the time to chart the territory around. In the end, he managed about
ten thousand steps in each direction. Unfortunately, the map was a failure.
There were just no discernable features. No hills, no rivers. Nothing. Just an
endless eerily silent jungle. That didn’t stop him from creating landmarks of
his own. A few marks here and there, just in case he loses his way.

After getting a rough feeling of his immediate surroundings he took a

following important task. Anyone living on the land had to get accustomed
to the local plants so he began documenting them in his head.

There were odd trees. There was a kind he could chop and the kind his
stone axe couldn’t even chip. The former was more common. One
particular tree looked just like a tree would but was hollow from the inside,
almost like bamboo, but it wasn’t bamboo. It was soft and easy to cut, in
other words, an ideal building material with limited tools.

The most numerous were various vines, bushed and leafy plants. At first
glance, they had no useful properties. A few notables were a pinnable-
agave-looking plant and then a huge stem with an equally huge leaf
growing from it. Both had useful plant fibre.
The first one, seemingly looking out of place in this jungle earned the name
of BanditAgave. Its fibres were thick and sturdy making it good for ropes
and twines.

The second one was just named as StemLeaf. The stem had fine fibre
strands which were suitable for making cloth for clothing. The big leaves
were ideal for roofing.

He harvested the two kinds wherever he found them. It didn’t take long to
harvest all of them in the area.

“I have to go further and further for them.” He made a reflection.

Then he had an idea. Instead of harvesting them like a primitive person he

could attempt to farm it.

He cleared a large area by the vine patch and planted a few samplings of
each in separate fields. While being planted each seedling glowed in a
mysterious light for a short second giving him +2 exp each. Obviously,
something was going and [Unnatural Selection] was a prime suspect.

The hollow tree, he named it the Impostor Tree, was put to good use as
well. He used the unique feature to redirect some of the stream flow
towards his shed. There he already had a hole waiting for the water. It was a
small pool of sorts, well he called it a pool but it was just a hole lined with
rocks and clay-like dirt.

The water was awfully cold. It didn’t make a pleasant bathing experience.
However, the cold bath was allegedly healthy for your body and soul.

The spider creatures, which he still hadn’t officially named yet, had
confused the pool with the watering hole. Ever so often they would come
and drink from it. It was fine, but on more than one occasion it got him
worried. He didn’t like them drinking from there then he was bathing. He
worried that they might develop a taste for human-flavoured water.
Incidentally, even if it rained less than it should in the jungle, all of the
plants didn’t need much watering. Which was odd, but welcome. It made
sense since while digging the ‘pool’ he noticed that the ground was wet and
muddy, retaining the water well. Almost like a swamp would be. Which
made no sense. This was a jungle!

“Or was it?”

His magic tomato-jelly-grape plant was named as TomGrape. Yes, a truly

original name. He was proud of it.

The new harvest was done. Which was the good news. The bad news was
that after almost a month of hard work, all of the hatchlings had died. The
good news- they all laid eggs. The bad news - there would be too many
hatchlings. The good - he could finally embrace his delusions and become
The Spider King.

Becoming the hatchling rancher sounded all good and such, but there was a
problem – he found them quite scary. Who wouldn’t? They were cat-sized
insects. Even now, he just couldn’t get comfortable with the way the
creatures looked.

Oh also, if all the eggs hatch, there would be over a hundred of hatchlings
to take care of.

“They kinda take care of themselves tho.” But still. A scary thought.

He had to look after TomGrape vines in the absence of hatchlings. The

plant had naturally expanded and there was a lot of work to do. He came to
realise how much the hatchlings were useful.

[Farming +1200exp]. A message told him he just earned a staggering

amount of experience. This could mean only one thing. He ran to the
building where he had relocated the eggs.
“Yes!” he celebrated. They all had hatched. Hundred of eyes were staring at
him.

“Oh… No.” he celebrated too early.

A hundred of hatchlings followed his every move. Always watching.

Always observing. Yellow eyes unblinking. Unnerving was an
understatement. He made sure to feed them well. He couldn’t let them get
hungry and get funny ideas.

“No animal would bite a feeding hand.” He reassured himself providing the
slices of TomGrape. “Unless the hand is fed itself…”

In no time at all, some of the hatchlings took the job of caring for the
TomGrape vines. But others refused to even touch the vines. The reason is
quite obvious, they wanted something else to do. And they picked on other
daily tasks he was otherwise busing himself as of yet.

Now, he had plenty of helpers to extract the fibre and put it to dry. The
hatchlings pulped the soft parts of plants with their mandibles pulling the
fibre in expert motion. Others even learned how to weave it into rope and
cloth. Having no real thumbs or even fingers made the task awkward, yet
still, they had found a way with other appendages.

It was astonishing to see how quickly were they able to adapt.

And once again he had nothing to do; It was becoming a pattern. Weeds of
worry found a way into his mind. Even with full storage of TomGrape
fruit, he worried about running out and not being able to feed his pets.

He also worried about the next generation. That would mean there would be
a thousand of them in less than two months. A scary thought. He would
either need to cull them or smash some of the eggs.

The yellow eyes were always watching. He brushed such unforgivable

thoughts away before they can suspect him. He rather just expand the fields.
 04

Within a week or so he had cleared the area of the plants and trees.
Everything except for the IronOak, a champion of the jungle. It refused to
be chopped down, so he allowed the white trees to grow in his garden; a
reward for their resolve. And just so, they were exactly perfect to hang the
ropes from for the TomGrape vines to grow on.

Only by clearing the area well did he realise of what it looked like. The
trees, ropes, and wines made web-like curtains. On this ‘web’ frolicked the
spider-like hatchlings pruning the branches and plucking the fruits. Some
even took it upon themselves to further clear the jungle of bushes, trees and
other plants.

The jungle was beginning to morph and change. For something else
entirely. On the one hand, no longer was it quiet, it was bustling with
activity. On the other, deforestation was taking place. Plants which had no
use were plucked, pulped and turned into fertiliser.

There was another grand realisation, one full of a fleeting regret.

“What have I done?”

In a doomsday scenario: What would happen if he dies? - The hatchlings

would proceed to multiply and take over the jungle of course!

Can this even be stopped? The hatchlings had already learned of the ways
of destruction. And should it be stopped?

Why even stop this? Why turn back? This was progress and progress
demanded sacrifice. And most importantly he was in charge. He was in
control. He was the King here. The Spider King. Right?
“Right?” He wondered philosophically about what he had unleashed into
this world. Such musings were a sickness of an idle mind. “I better find
some work.”

The hatchlings were a busy lot: A group was diligently tending to the
TomGrape, another group was meticulously processing the gathered
StemLeaf into fibres for cloth, and a much smaller group was mercilessly
clearing the jungle for more fields. Everyone had their jobs. And yet there
was an even smaller group, the guys there were stumbling and fumbling
trying to do other things, trying to find their role in this harsh society. And
even further yet, there was this one guy who kept following the sole human
here; always watching, always judging.

He was the king of this little village and this little hatchling was his jester.
The scary reality was that the hatchlings were doing most of the hard work
and he had often found himself idly sitting in his ‘throne’ room. The throne
was only a poor quality chair and the room still just a shed, but better
things will come with time.

“Tell me a joke, jester. I am bored.”

Of course, there was no reply, but he felt that the spider creature would
blink and roll its eyes if it had the appropriate anatomy to do that.

“Maybe, you are not a jester then? What is your job? Are you lost like me?”

The hatchling simply observed.

“You are here to judge me on my rule, no? And then I don’t have you close
you’ll go and tell all kinds of stories about me to your friends. I know!”

He had finally decided there was enough of idling.

“I better go out and reconnect with my people. Let’s see what all this gossip
is about.”
So, he went out. And his people were toiling restlessly, so busy were they
that they didn’t even notice his royal presence.

“Ignored…”

So he observed further. While his people were hard workers they were still
a poor lot – no property or possessions. While yes, they all have been fed
well and there was no crime in this little kingdom. But then ever did that
keep the people content for long?

“Maybe I should think of some sort of reward?”

But nothing came to his idle mind.

“What would these creatures even like?” He looked meaningfully to his

jester.

The ‘jester’ stared at him with all of his four yellow eyes; content with its
simple life of ever watching.

“Hmm… Hmm? What you say, jester? Don’t just be like that! No, I
shouldn’t… But maybe…”

It was decided. The idle king shall no longer be known as The Idle King!

He went to the storage and gathered a bunch of crafting materials, namely

the soft StemLeaf cloth, the sturdy BanditAgave ropes and the soft
ImpostorTree wood. And then he began crafting.

[You have crafted cloth basket of poor quality. Crafting +1exp.]

“I can do better than that!”

There was plenty of cloth to practice and eventually.

[You have crafted cloth basket of common quality. Crafting +2exp.]

Baskets were littering the floor, he had crafted a hundred or so. Happily, he
inspected his latest creation.
[Cloth Basket: +5% gathering speed.]

“Huh?”

It was a mystery why a basket gave a speed bonus instead of carrying

capacity, but a bonus was still a bonus. His workers working faster was a
good thing, right?

“Right?” He looked at the ever-jesting Jester.

Incidentally, the poor quality ones didn’t provide a bonus. So he rolled his
non existent sleeves and began recycling the failures to make more of the
common quality products.

In the end, a basket was just that – a simple implement to store some items.
It will be a useful tool on his farm if only the hatchlings had the arms to
carry them.

“Anyhow, they will figure it out somehow.”

So he went to educate the farmers in the use of this marvellous tool he had
just invented. Illuminating the masses was a hard task!

‘My mandibles work just fine why do I need this?’ He imagined one of the
farmers retorting.

None of the hatchlings spoke, yet still, he could see their disapproval.

‘It doesn’t even have a proper handle.’

‘Ehhh? It’s only of common quality!’

“No, you don’t understand.” For the umpteenth time, he showed how to
store TomGrape into the basket. “This goes here until it’s full and then you
bring it to the storage and empty it.”

Maybe the task was just too advanced for the simple minds of these
farmers. They had to fill the basket, carry it, empty it in the warehouse and
then reuse it. Maybe there were too many steps, or maybe he had expected
way too much from an actual animal and not a real sapient and independent
farmer. But these creatures were his subjects and he persevered in his
teachings, after all, they were able to learn so many things already.

And in the end, his labours were met with success. He rubbed his hands in
glee observing the hatchlings using the Cloth Baskets he had crafted, and
indeed the work was that much faster. So he visited other groups of his
labourers, the jungle clearers, the fibre makers and the cloth weavers. All to
spread the glorious ways of the use of the ever-so-useful Cloth Basket™.
They were just as stubborn as the farmers.

There was a reason for the stubbornness. While teaching he had close
contact with the hatchlings. That was when he noticed small differences in
the groups. The jungle clearers had stronger and bigger mandibles, the
weavers more dexterous appendages, and so on. There were minute
adaptations in the groups making their tasks easier.

“So they specialise, grow and adapt…” A simple but mind-spinning

conclusion.

They didn’t need tools, with time they would grow and evolve, develop
appropriate limbs and appendages to fit in their roles. It was wonderful!
And it was scary. He knew of no animal who could evolve so fast, at leats,
not in his previous world.

Even so, the basket was just too useful not to use, and no, he didn’t force
them to use the baskets because he spent hours making them. There was a
speed bonus!

“But then… What is your future evolution, Jester?” he looked at his sole
companion.

---

[Farming +1260exp].

Once again the young has replaced the old. Oddly, the number this time
didn’t shoot up. He inspected the eggs in the hatchery, over a hundred of
them. Compared to the last time the eggs were much bigger, they were the
size of a ball.

“Bigger eggs – bigger spiders.” The thought scared him slightly. Bigger
spiders equal better workers. He reasoned in that way to push his anxieties
away.

He rolled a heavy obsidian-coloured egg in his hands. Its shiny shell was
hard as a rock and in the shape of a polyhedron just like a football ball
would be.

“It’s quite sturdy. If I dropped it, it probably wouldn’t even break.”

Unwilling to test the theory he put the egg back with its friends.

“But how will they even hatch if this is so sturdy.” He shrugged. “Nature
has its ways….”

The days without the workers felt dreadful. The otherwise busy farm was
devoid of rowdy workers and worst of all the work still had to be
completed. It was strange how all of the spiders decided to perish and lay
eggs in the same time, almost like some sort of morbid ritual. While having
his hands occupied with work helped to distract him from his loneliness and
invasive thoughts a simple fact was that the farm grew too much to be
handled by a single man.

*Boop – something nudged him on his shin.

A familiar creature the size of a small cat was inspecting the hem of his
trousers. A big fat smile appeared on his face.

“Look who’s back!” He rolled the sleeves of his shirt ready for more hard
work.

The new clutch of hatchlings will need to be shown how things work
around here. Teaching was never easy but he welcomed the distraction.

Slowly more hatchlings trickled into the TomGrape farm like a steady
stream. He waited for everyone to find their way so he can instruct them as
a group. The little students were giddy and full of energy, unwilling to sit
idle. Some were already tending to the vines with their small mandibles.

By the looks of it they already knew the basics. Exactly like the ones
before.

“Born with knowledge. I am envious of you!”

Still, they can’t know everything and some skills will have to be learned the
hard way

Once he was done with the little farmers, he went back to find the rest of
the younglings. After all, a good number of hatchlings were missing. They
weren’t at the hatchery, they went to the fibre weaving stores and the nearby
farms of StemLeaf and BanditAgave. By the look of it, and by what
probably was instinct they had begun the tasks their ‘parents’ did.

The little workers were stumbling and fumbling, no good at their complex
jobs. But they are only a day old! They will learn.

With that knowledge, he went back to his humble shack. Which by now
needed repairs. The dry leaves and flimsy sticks were not the best building
materials. And there, low and behold were six little hatchlings sniffing at his
bedding and inspecting his things.

“What are you doing here? Why aren’t you at work?” He complained to the
youths like a real slave driver.

Of course, the little spiders couldn't understand him. He tried to shoo them
away so he can sleep, but even then they refused to leave him alone.

“Are you here to learn new skills? Like your forefathers did?”

The hatchlings just stared at him with their beady round eyes.

“I’m way too tired. I will show you something tomorrow. Goodnight.”

He crashed into his bed and passed out that instant.

…

Little workers were picking up their duties fast. With the workforce
replaced the farm will flourish once again.

The only problem here was this set of six troublemakers. He showed them
how to farm TomGrape, how to cut BanditAgave, how to extract and
process StemLeaf, and how to weave the plant fibres into treads for cloth.
However, they simply refused to pick up the skills.

“You want to learn something new, don’t you?”

It kind of made sense, but the farm was in balance and there were no new
tasks to be done. Except for the difficult tasks which required a sharp mind
and a set of opposable thumbs.

“Are you crafters or builders?” he asked unsure himself.

While he did the maintenance work on various sheds and storage buildings
the young students watched diligently. By the morning he expected them to
pick a skill or two, after all, they were quick learners.

Unfortunately, that did not happen. He showed the six various other jobs
they could try doing, but even then they refused to take action content by
simply watching him. By that time he finally realised what he had on his
hands.

“Six jesters! What did I do to deserve this?”

They were just like that fellow. The only thing it did was follow him around
and judge him all day.

“Are you here to keep an eye on me? To make sure I don’t misbehave?”

He used the opportunity to voice his thoughts. The grim reality was that the
lack of human contact was doing things to his mind. The company,
however, even if troublesome was welcome. So he will talk with them
about various things on his mind as he did with Jester.
…

These new workers ate a lot. He began to worry that the farm was too small,
the good thing was that the storage was full so there was no need to worry
just now. This, and they grew a lot. By now they were the size of a large
dog.

Big scary-looking things, after all, they were insect-type creatures. If he

didn’t know how all of this started and let’s say was just a casual passer-by
on this farm, he would be running for his dear life. Or if he was an
adventurer he would be trying to clear this monster infestation before it
spreads. He was neither of these things.

“Good thing there is no one here in this Dreaded Place! Just me and my
spiders…”

By now he was sure of it. The surrounding was devoid of any animals, but
then again he didn’t stray all too far from the farm.

“Thinking about this, isn’t it the right time?” He asked the trouble six. He
was sure they had their own opinions, if only they could speak them he
would like to hear it. He raised his hand into the air and announced. “By a
unanimous voice of the majority, it is decided!”

“And I am so disappointed in you.” He pointed at one particular

troublemaker. “Always voting against me. Want it or not, you are coming!”

An expedition! They will go to explore this land further where maybe, just
maybe, he will find something else besides an endless jungle.

The quest was ambitious and there was much preparation to be done. The
trip will be long so he had to prepare appropriate gear.

It took him longer than he liked to admit, days even but it was done. The set
consisted of:

[Bark Chest Piece], [Bark Greaves] and [Bark Vambrase], all for
protection. It counted as a set and gave him magic resistance +15, which
was an odd bonus for wooden armour, but whatever.

[Stone Spear] was his choice of weapon. Which was just the same boring
item he once crafted, only of better quality now. He did make a bow, but
after a few attempts, he realised that he wasn’t becoming a competent
archer anytime soon; who knew it takes so much skill to use. The ranged
weapon was discarded as a failure and then promptly forgotten.

[Cloth Backpack] was there to store his food and other comfort items.

All in all, he wasn’t much of a fighting force, but he wasn’t going alone. Six
companions will be tagging along, which should not be underestimated.
After all, they were spider-like monsters at the size of dogs! With sharp
mandibles and all that.

And for his six he crafted some splendid gear too.

He strapped a [Cloth Pouch] to their backs for future storage if they find
something, and also he dressed them in a specially designed [Cloth Robes].
The robes were probably an overkill but he wanted to try dressing the spider
in clothes. He liked the challenge and he was happy with the end result. If
one may say so, the otherwise scary-looking spiders now were all dressed
up and cute.

“Ready? No?” He looked in disappointment at the one particular

companion. “It’s always you! Regardless, we shall go and explore this
jungle. Forwards we march!”

He spurred his men on an expedition.

 05

It has been days since he had left and the jungle was endless. He had a few
more days before the turning point where the food would become a
problem. That was reflected by the sour mood of his six companions. He
felt the mutiny is close.

“Listen, I have a feeling it’s close.” He spoke to his men.

“You have been saying that for days.”

“Yeah!”, “Mhh.”, “You got it right.” Others agreed.

For one reason or the other, he could hear his companions speak or at least
he imagined them to.

“But if we turn back, we come back empty-handed. It would be such a

waste.” He tried to reason.

“Do you even know the way back?” the leader of the six spoke.

“I sure do! There’s no way I would get lost.”

“Really? I’m not so sure about that.”

Recently his six companions were awfully talkative, well, he imagined

them to be and It would be a good thing if not for the small detail that all
they did was criticise him.

“I am so bored of eating TomGrape.”

“Every day it’s TomGrape.”

“And we sleep rough. It’s cold and it’s tiring.”

“All we do is walk all day. And for what?”

The mutiny was getting out of hand. But they were right, the jungle
exploration was not as exciting as he had expected. The scenery barely even
changed.

He pushed through an overgrown bush still keen on pressing forwards.

“Nothing could be endless…” He spoke more to himself than others.

“Huh?!” He exclaimed walking out of the bush.

The scenery has changed radically. There was a huge league-wide clearing.
The boring green was replaced with vibrant blue. It was a field of flowers,
and nothing else.

“Come! Come!” He urged his companions. “We had found it.” The
promised land of blue!

He wasn’t sure what he had found exactly, but that didn’t matter at this
point. He ran deeper into the dense field until he was surrounded by
flowers. His reckless charge disturbed blue bell-like petals sending equally
blue dust into the air.

“Achoo!” He sneezed from the airborne pollen.

Then he plucked one of the flowers to inspect it more closely. It was

entirely blue, the stem and the flower. The petals were as big as his hand
and formed a bell-like shape. The bell was filled with dust like pollen.

“It’s the moment of truth.” He bit on the flower to taste it. “It’s slightly
sweet!” Having the two food relating perks allowed him not to worry. He
offered some to his companions, but they were more cautious than him and
remained unwilling to try unfamiliar food. “Oh, the dust stains everything.”
He made another discovery. “And it’s hard to get off.” He rubbed his hands
but the blue dye was stubborn.

[Warning! Perk Poison Resistance is active.]

“Huh?” He blinked. “Could it be?”

He turned to look at his companions, it was good they didn’t eat any.
However, the cloud of dust has settled and now clung to their obsidian
carapace.

“Let’s get out of here!” He urged.

The six companions were sluggish in their rush to retreat back to the jungle.

“Hopefully this is not permanent.” He worried.

Back in the greenery and away from the flower field he weighed on this
discovery.

“The negative effect of the dust doesn’t seem permanent on you guys which
is good. And I ate the thing and I’m fine. Is this because I have resistance?”
He weighed his options. “I am going back to collect some more. You guys
wait here.” He instructed.

And to his surprise his companions understood him, probably for the first
time since in reality, they didn’t listen to his commands as of yet; they only
followed him everywhere.

He plucked the flowers whole and stuffed them in the [Cloth Pouches] he
had previously made. He also made sure to gather some plants intact
together with the soil, hoping that they will survive the long trip.

While doing so he noticed something peculiar on one of the flowers.

“What is this?” He wondered out loud. “A slug?!” He shouted in joy.

While yes It was a disgusting slug-like animal it still was the first one ever
he had seen in this place. The creature was translucent or would be if it
didn’t feast on the blue dust. It wasn’t hostile either, it simply wriggled its
two slug antenna curiously at his fingers.

“I am taking you home.” It was decided.

…

Something new and out of the ordinary was found making the expedition a
success. The way home was uneventful which was a good thing.

Another good thing was that the Farming exp still slowly ticked up even
when he was away from the farm. It was a minuscule amount only but that
must have added to something because…

[Congratulations! You have reached Farming lvl. 2]

[Perk Acclimate obtained.]

Well, maybe not so uneventful after all.

Back on the farm, the party was greeted by curious workers.

“Did you miss us? We come back with the spoils.” He waved a slightly
wilted petal at the farmer.

It sniffed the blue plant and then recoiled from it as if it was poisoned.

“Meh! What do you know.” He deposited it into his mouth. “Mmm…

Sweat.”

[Warning! Perk Poison Resistance is active]. Warning or not, it tasted

delicious!

The spiders didn’t like these flowers much, but all it meant was that there
will be more for him and his slug. Oh, and the slug had a name now –
Johny. of course, he wouldn't let Johny starve so planting a small patch of
these flowers here was a matter of urgency. Hopefully, this new perk
[Aclimate] will come in handy.

The patch of flowers took the new soil well, no doubt all thanks to the perk.
He had named the flowers as DustyBlue.
Aside from tasting slightly sweet and being Johny’s favourite food, these
flowers had a few useful properties. They produced dust in ample
quantities. The said dust was that special thing which made these flowers
different. Aside from causing torpor and sleepiness to his farmers, the dust
was a herbicide – it killed all other plants except for the flower. Which
made so much sense thinking about that flower field. Also, the dust was a
great dye if dissolved in water. No longer will he need to suffer the dull
brown colour of the cloth. Incidentally, all of his clothes were now dyed
blue.

In addition to all that there was another small discovery. It was an odd one
and it’s better if no one asks how he had found this one, but Johny made a
special jelly. The jelly concentrated the sweetness of the DustyBlue leaves
making it a special treat which even his spider pets could enjoy. Too bad
Johny was so little and could make only so much. He made sure to feed it
plenty of leaves so it grows big and strong.

All in all, things were good and his little village was prospering. The
spiders had expanded the TomGrape fields, it was quite a large area
already. A bit further away there were fields for BanditAgave and
StemLeaf. The two didn’t even compare with the area assigned to
TomGrape, after all, he didn’t need that much cloth or ropes.

The DustyBlue field was the smallest of them all and it was by intention.
His little workers kinda stayed away from the flowers, likely not too
pleased about the debuff the dust had. He had to tend to this one on his own,
and it was okay since he had Johny to keep him company. That and the fact
the exp he was getting then tending to the flower field was very sweet
indeed. Each time he harvested a bell he was met with [Farming +5exp]
message.

The next step in his plans was to begin dyeing the cloth on an industrial
scale, which was of course only an exaggeration. To achieve that he had
dug a pool and filled it with the stream water. Then he filled it with the
DustyBlue dust. He was very lucky the dye worked in cold water. A source
of hot water was still a dream far away.
Then he would fill the pool with cloth at let it sit there for a couple of days.
For better or worse, the dye was a potent one. He would only need to do
this once, after which the vivid blue colour wouldn't wash off; It was even
able to stain wood permanently.

Naturally, in no time at all he had a shed full of rolls of blue cloth; he even
died all his ropes and twines blue.

“No longer will I need to suffer the boring brown.” It was nice.

Now and then, he would need to do some digging and other dirty work,
that’s when he realised that the blue cloth he used was more than pretty
fabric. It was both water resistant and dirt repelling. It was like magic, the
dirt just didn’t stick to it.

“I wonder why when I inspect this it didn’t telll me about this?”

[Blue Cloth], was the simple prompt he would get trying to inspect the
item.

Regardless of the mystery, he had so much of it now that he needed to do

something about it. And why not make some clothes for his workers? And
his six jesters looked amazing in theirs.

“A company uniform!” He beamed and then frowned at his own idea. “No,
this is not a company, this is a kingdom! And every one shall dress
appropriately.” Then he shook his head as if to refute that. “Even better. I
pass the first law…” T

here were better, and more important laws to make, but despite that. This
was the first law: “No one shall go naked.”.

Thus he began the production of clothes for his people. He decided that
different workers will have different attire. A bunch of designs were made,
and he made sure to test each on his jesters. The blue clothes really did look
well on his spiders, making them much less monster-like.
“It’s funny how something simple like this makes you look less like a
simple animal and more…” he looked for a good word, “civilized…” he
didn’t know if he found the right one.

It wasn’t easy to fashion a cloth so it fits the spider well, but he managed
somehow. For the farmers he made pants, which were more like sleeves for
their six legs, the sleeves were held taunt on their bodies using twine and
rope belts.

For the fibre-processing spiders, he made robes, which ended up looking

more like a shirt since the spiders were quite flat. Imagine a horse with one
of those blankets to keep them warm on their backs, the ones reaching only
to their knees.

The weavers had ribbon tape wrapped all over their bodies, with plenty of
gaps in between. This wasn’t proper clothing, but the contrast of obsidian
black and blue was pleasant to the eye.

The jungle clearers ended up with the heaviest design. They had spider
‘pants’, spider robes and even head wraps covering their body. They were
clad blue from head to toe. The reason for that is simple. It was to protect
them from the sticky plant juice and matter then they churned at the
greenery with their mandibles.

Even if he didn’t have guards, he had made an uniform. It was unlikely the
spiders needed extra armour since they had their carapace so he kept it
light. It was just a cloak attached to their backs.

For the last set of clothes, he just went wild. It was strips, belts and patches
of cloth all over to give this crazy look. He even fashioned a small top hat
to complete the look. This was the attire worthy of a jester.

The completion of each uniform gave him +50 Crafting exp. – which was a
significant amount.

With the designs done, he paraded his six models all over the farm to see
what the public thinks. The reception was overwhelmingly positive. His
people were extremely curious about these clothes.
One of the farmers was eyeing spider pants with interest, appreciating the
design and the vivid blue. Curiously he tugged at the sleeve and then
nibbled at the twine on the back holding it. The design was good, the pants
were not coming off easily.

The jester raised his body higher off the ground to tip tow on its legs and to
look bigger. It was obvious, he was proud of his clothes. It was just there
standing perfectly still and willingly subjecting itself to these curious
inspections.

This scene repeated itself all over the farm. Eventually, the spiders stopped
working altogether, a rare sight for otherwise always-busy creatures.

His people were demanding these clothes! There was a riot about to happen.

“I better go and craft some more!” He was all fired up now.

 06

The sky was painted in tame yellows and reds indicating that the sun was
setting. Soon the overwhelming darkness will decent on the eerie jungle.
Even if this was The Dreaded Place there was little to worry about. Or was
it?

The shadows of the IronOak grew taller and taller with each passing
minute until the whole place was cast in to darkness. The sun was gone over
the horizon leaving only a red outline in the sky as a reminder; which will
be gone soon as well.

There were no sounds or songs of the animals, not even a rustle of leaves.
Silence reigned supreme. Animus and its animated life had no place in this
vast jungle. That would be true if not for one odd village; it was an
aberration defining all odds.

A shadow loomed between the shadows, he too was an oddity in this

otherwise ‘sterile’ place; he was alive. He was dressed in a black cloak
which allowed him to perfectly meld with the night. Even though this place
was devoid of animals, it wasn’t devoid of danger so he moved quietly
unwilling to disturb the overbearing silence.

He was on a mission of utmost importance. He was here to investigate the

rumours, to dispel the worries of the seers. The jungle has been sleeping for
hundreds of years, and The Dreaded Place was just that – a spooky title.
However, that was not so aeons past; the title was rightfully earned. There
was a prophecy almost forgotten and a warning still alive: Do not disturb
the jungle or it will spawn an evil of unimaginable proportion.

That was what they all feared, to disturb the jungle. Despite the warnings,
he still had to investigate. So he made himself as small as possible and
moved as quietly as his skill allowed. Not to be seen, not to be heard, smelt
or even felt; his presence was null.

He moved towards the chaotic energy he could feel on his skin, which only
grew in strength with time, he followed it like a compass. He knew where
to go, he already knew that he would find something… something dreadful.
He travelled from one tree shadow to the other being careful with his steps
and motions.

Soon he observed a change. Something that should not exist, a thing that
should not be done for it was forbidden.

He almost made a sound purely out of terror. What should be there was no
longer there. A large chunk of the jungle was simply cleared. Who would
dare to disturb this place? And so deep within the jungle. It all made no
sense.

Luckily some of the trees still stood, so he was able to move deeper into the
clearing. Then, in the distance, he noticed even more changes. He had
almost gasped in shock again. There were neat rows of thick blue webs in
the distance. Hundreds and hundreds of webs dropped down from Iron
Oaks. The strings of these webs there thick as ropes, and tangled in these
webs there was an unfamiliar plant.

Neither the webs nor that strange plant had a place in the jungle. Both were
unnatural and previously unseen.

Then he noticed something, at which point he had even expected it, there
was a creature darting between the blue webs. He observed the creature
feeling his own hands begin to tremble. The monster was very much like an
insect it had an obsidian carapace, six spindly legs and four yellow eyes, but
it was neither a spider nor an ant. A mishmash of both perhaps. What
disturbed him the most however was that the monster here wore clothes. At
that sight, his mind almost went blank.

Jungle spawning monsters was expected, but monsters wearing clothes

implied truly dreadful things.
The elders can do with this information whatever they want. He had seen
enough, enough for the rest of his dear life. He moved quickly with urgency
to leave the clearing and the nest of monsters, to report about the impending
doom. But even then it will take him weeks to return. In his mind, he knew
it was already too late to do anything about it.

The self-proclaimed King of Spiders was deliberating things of high

importance.

It turned out that only by designing a new set of clothes he could get
Crafting +50exp, but replicating the design gave only +10. That, however,
didn’t mean that he didn’t level up, by the time he finished the last set of
clothes he was met with a message:

[Congratulations! You have reached Crafting lvl .1]

Yeah, it was only a level 1. There was still so much to go. But even level
one came with a bonus.

[Requirements have been met. Hidden perk unlocked.]

[Perk Superior Design obtained.]

If only it went further and explained what it did…

“I should craft something to see what it does.” He rubbed his chin in

thought for a while. “Something for myself. Yes! I can’t be the King and be
out fashioned by my people. Something regal then.” He decided.

And thus he spends hours crafting meticulously. The tools he had to use
were primitive, the materials simple but even then he produced something
that should be impossible.

[You have crafted royal robes of superior quality. Crafting +100exp.]

“Superior? +100? Wow!” Very much wow indeed.

He turned the robe in his hands appraising his hard work. It was blue like
the rest of his creations, he made it long and slightly loose, and the sleeves
were also long and able to cover his hands completely if he let it hang free.
He fastened it to his body using a woven tape sash. By the way, it was a
hooded robe, not too dissimilar from a robe medieval monks and sages
would wear.

In reality, except for the vivid blue colour, it was quite plain. He already
knew where improvements could be made. It was in texture and design. The
cloth could be woven in different ways to produce a patterned design. He
will teach his weavers a few new ways how to weave the cloth.

He equipped his robes for the first time.

[Royal Robes: +10MP.]

“Ten MP? As in mana points?” He wondered.

Yet again the bonus was odd. He wondered why exactly it gave 10mp and
not some other bonus.

“Is it because this is a robe?”

His guess was as good as anyone else’s.

Mana points meant that there is magic and hence a spell system in this
world, however:

“Fireball.”, “Smite.”, “Heal”, “…” He tried various incantations but nothing

worked.

“I guess it’s not meant to be.” He wasn’t going to become a mage. Not yet.
“It’s fine. I don’t need it.” He reassured himself.

His hands were full of various lesser tasks. One of which was building an
extra storage room for all the fruit. Then he was building and doing
maintenance he would get Building exp, but the points took forever to
accumulate. At this pace, it will take forever to achieve a single level.

“Meh.” He shrugged not too bothered about the lack of progress. “I am fine
being a farmer and a crafter. Too many jobs would only distract me from
what is important.”

Making sure his kingdom prospered was what mattered the most.

He finished assembling the building using split planks of ImpostorTree.

The planks were held together using ropes. Of course, he was aware that
various wood joining techniques existed but he didn’t know any of those.

He finished laying dried leaves for the roof and then shook his robes to dust
them off. The Dirt Resistance the blue dye gave was a wonderful thing.
His clothes barely needed any cleaning.

Then he went to maintain the egg hatchery.

“It, can’t be.” It was full of eggs. “But…” He peaked his head outside just
to make sure. “They are still alive.”

Previously his workers would die straight after laying the eggs, but
apparently not this time.

“So the village expands once again. More exp for me!” He celebrated.

This of course implied that he will need to uphold the first law.

“If only they could craft their own clothes.” He wished absentmindedly.

In no time at all the eggs began to hatch, and as soon as they hatched the
hatchlings rushed to their parents. They were keen to carry out their jobs.

It was of no surprise that his six jesters had laid eggs of their own. And now
he had 12 jesters on his hands. The troublemakers have multiplied!

“Hey, I can’t have too many freeloaders you know!” He shouted at the six
accusingly.
The twelve remained of little use, but there was a small miracle. He had
finally gotten his first builders. There were only two of them but the duo
were expert helpers. Not only were they able to expertly nest the leaves for
the roof, they knew how to tie ropes and make wicker walls. He didn’t even
need to prompt them to start the building maintenance.

He looked at the buildings he had once erected with his own hands: his
sleeping shed, two fruit storages, fibre processing facility, cloth warehouse,
and hatchery.

“Yeah… there’s something wrong with my builders.”

That statement wasn’t exactly correct. The builders were magnificent

workers, but… The way they did things turned out to be different from the
way he did things. All the buildings were still there, however, their shape
had drastically changed. The structures used to be rectangular boxes with
flat roofs but now they were dome-shaped. They looked like balls half
buried in the ground. The walls were constructed using bendy twigs, blue
rope and even cloth. The materials were woven in a way to express the
webbed pattern. Even the usually square entrance was now spherical.

“A monster den.” That was how it looked. “A spider's nest!”

With all those buildings, the way his beloved creatures were growing
TomGrape, and the way his workers looked like there was no denying it.
The farm looked undeniably spooky. “There is definitely a theme going
on.” A monster spider theme. The only exception was his BlueDust flower
fields which spiders avoided.

Having a horror-themed farm didn’t bother him too much. Actually, it kind
of looked cool.

With building maintenance out of the list of things he had to do routinely he

was able to take a side project. What he was doing now was trying to
preserve the TomGrape fruits. With time yellow TomGrape fruits would
acquire hard shells, that would already semi-preserve the jelly-like insides.
What he wanted to do was to try fermenting the fruit flesh, in other words,
he was making wine.

It didn't work at all. Then he extracted the juices from the fruit they turned
back to their jelly state and then later rotted without fermenting properly.

It was a failure until he mixed the jelly with sweet petals of BlueDust
flowers. The two reacted with each other and the end result was a thick
syrup. It wasn’t wine, but it stayed fresh for a very long time.

The first time he gave BlueSyrup to one of his farmers the guy made a
funny dance. Obviously, he was very happy with the taste. Later the fellow
returned to beg for more syrup. This behaviour was new, the spider
creatures never had asked anything of him before so this interaction was
welcome. Soon, this guy was eating syrup and only syrup, and later it was
joined by his friends. There was a bonus to all of this: the extra sugar made
the spiders run everywhere faster and even work harder. However…

“I might have made a mistake. They’re addicted to it!”

 07

He was walking around appreciating his growing kingdom. His diligent

workers were filling the storage with food and cloth. Everyone seemed
happy. But all good things have to come to an end. His people's life was still
way too short. This, however, wasn’t as devastating as it used to be. The
simple fact that they laid eggs twice in their lifespan meant that he still had
half of the workers living.

The hatchery was filled with the seemingly usual number of eggs. There
weren’t any big changes there. Except for when the eggs hatched.
[Farming +1500exp], well maybe his count was a bit off however this
wasn’t it. This time there were clear differences between the hatchlings.
Once again the creatures have evolved, their appearance steered towards the
adaptation to do their roles.

The farmers had slim and nimble legs, making them experts at climbing
vines. Their mandibles changed in form, it was as if it was made exactly to
tend to the TomGrape vines.

The weavers and fibre processers grew an extra two little arms next to their
mouths. This seemingly provided them with the extra dexterity needed for
their job. And perhaps now technically made them fully fledged spiders (8
limbs and all that).

Builders for one reason or another grew smaller, which was quite
counterintuitive, but their number increased as well. There was a dozen of
them working on maintenance.

The jungle clearers were visibly bigger at birth. Both their legs and
mandibles were thicker and stronger.
“The jungle eh…” He wanted to sign.

The trouble was that his workers didn’t respond to his commands very well
and he didn’t know how to stop jungle clearers from doing their work; in
the nearby surrounding area, there wasn’t much of the jungle left. The
deforested area must have a good three miles in radius.

“I guess they just plan in advance. After all, the farms are expanding.” He
gave them due credit.

It was almost scary how clever his people were. He didn’t even need to
teach or show them things.

“Hmm…” He thought about it some more.

A theory formed in his head: what if they don’t truly die, not in a
conventional sense, but copy their minds into their eggs? “That would
explain quite a few things.”

That and the fact that he was stuck with now 24 jesters doing absolutely
nothing except for hanging in his room and following him everywhere
around. That is to say, if a lazy personality had formed and then transferred
their mind into an increasing number of eggs, the reborn hatchlings would
be all lazy too.

“Are you all just lazy?” He asked his ever-growing entourage as a whole.
“Nah, just look at your siblings, that’s just impossible.” He scratched his
head in thought. “Something else is going on.”

“Maybe you are my personal guards?” A King needed those, “But then from
whom are you protecting me?” It was a mystery.

He rolled an obsidian piece of chitin in his hand, the hexagonal chip was
slim but surprisingly sturdy. He had loads of these pilled by the wall outside
the hatchery. These segments were the pieces from the hatched eggs. Each
egg upon hatching would split into 32 hexagonal panels. At first he thought
of them as junk, not even good for fertiliser since it was too sturdy to be
ground into power and refused to degrade, but obviously he had been
wrong. These small chips were sturdy enough to be used as armour.

Well, he wasn’t an armour maker, but he wasn’t a clothes designer either yet
look at his clothed workers now. There was something about the way this
world worked, after all there were magic, perks and levels. Obviously, his
lvl.1 Crafting and Superior Design had to do something with this. He
hoped that the two will be enough to craft something close to armour.

First things first, he needed a workshop so he set on to build one. Just as he

was done hammering corner poles as a guide for a square building the
builders swarmed to it and did what they do best.

“Yeah…”

They were making walls with expert motions and in no time at all, he had a
hollow dome for a building. The little builders were already better builders
than him.

He gathered a good amount of chitin chips into a sack, took some twine,
rope and cloth and began working. In his mind he visualised segmented
armour of old: Asia Minor scale mail or Oriental Laminar were the ones he
was most familiar with.

Of course, knowing armour from an image and trying to replicate it, were
two separate things. He only had a very rough idea of how to do it. First, he
fashioned a long shirt out of blue cloth, he made it extra thick using two
layers. The shirt was meant to use as a base to attach the chitin.

He punched tiny holes into chitin ships, which was a lot harder than he
thought since he had no drill. Then he weaved BlueDust-treated twine
through these holes and then to the shirt. Chip after chip he formed a
protective layer. The process was labour-intensive but he was happy to have
something fun and meaningful to do.

“A set befitting a king!” He finished it.

[You have crafted scale armour of common quality. Crafting +50exp.]

Even though he used simple materials the armour turned out quite
decorative. The hexagonal pieces were linked neatly in rows giving this
scaled look, plus they were dark obsidian and surprisingly shiny if polished.
The outline of the shirt and the areas where he couldn't use chitin were
vivid blue. The black and blue gave a nice contrast.

He put the shirt on. “This is lighter than I thought” He moved around for a
bit. “Doesn’t impede movement either. And for the bonus.”

[Scale Armour: +1 Rep with Dragons]

“Ehh!” He shouted indignantly. “There are dragons?!” If so, he didn’t want

to meet any; that sounded scary. “Anyways, am I not too intimidating?” He
asked for opinions.

One of the tiny jesters, a baby one, chirped at him.

“This is new! Was that a compliment?”

It chirped again, but this time it sort of resembled a distorted human voice
which said: “y-e-s.”

He blinked twice unable to believe it. “I must be tired… hearing things. Off
to bed then.”

While the Scale Armour was one of the better articles of his work he knew
he do better.

“Practise makes perfect.”

After a few tries he had completed a set and it even was of superior quality.

[Scale Armour], [Scale Greaves], [Scale Vambrase] and finally [Scale

Helm].
The helmet was the hardest to make, the individual pieces were slightly too
big for fluid assembly. In the end, it ended up being just a dome of scales
in-lined by cloth. To avoid it being too plain he had added scale pieces to
the sides of it. It looked like the frills of a lizard.

[Gear bonus achieved: +20 Rep with Dragons]

[Temporary perk Minor Regeneration obtained.]

This meant that sets of superior gear could give him perks of various kinds.

“Yes! This is amazing.”

He donned his armour and walked around the farm displaying it proudly.

The other thing he needed to do was to expand the DustyBlue fields. The
flowers were growing well, but they were growing best in the areas where
the TomGrape used to be. The discovery was accidental but the conclusion
was obvious: TomGrape enriched the soil in which it was growing; truly a
magical plant.

Also, Johny had grown larger. Like really large for a slug; it was half of an
arm in length already. “You glutton!” He patted the slug with affection. A
bigger slug meant more jelly for him.

He wondered if this high-sugar diet he was on was any good to him, but
anyway, he wasn’t putting any extra weight on. Well, that wasn’t
necessarily true. He had been here for a while, and where once was useless
fat now was lean muscle. He liked his diet of fruits, syrup and jelly. The
days of gnawing on bitter vines were in the past and forgotten. However, he
still craved something more, he wanted meat.

“Maybe…” he patted his armour making the links jiggle. “It’s time for
another expedition. There must be something alive here, somewhere.” He
looked at his embiggened escort. “I reckon we could take even a dragon.”
He joked.
Much like before he gathered the necessary gear. This time he turned in the
opposite direction.

“This way, Legion. Onwards we march!” He directed.

It wasn’t quite a legion with only twenty-five members, but in his mind, it
felt like one. He felt bold, empowered even. He felt like he could take this
jungle and become its master.

The first few miles were the easiest since he went through the cleared area.
Thereby the border he saw one of his workers nibbling at the bush to
dissemble the useless plant.

“Ancient Rome, hmm…” he had an idea. The Romans had it figured out. “It
wouldn’t hurt to have a road or two. Hey you, come with us.” He ordered.

Of course, the busy spider ignored him completely.

“So we have to do this the hard way.” He knew the right trick for that.
“Look what I have.” He opened a wooden container of sweet syrup. The
worker sniffed at the air and in no time it was jumping excitedly begging
for the treat.

“Now-now, only a tiny sip. Follow!” He ordered again and this time it
obeyed and joined the group.

A lone worker will never be enough to clear enough of the jungle as they
went along, but it was still useful since this spider was an expert at cutting
past the overgrowth and making the journey so much easier.

“If only you guys took upon this good example.” He looked at the rest of
the crew who refused to take any meaningful work. “Forget it, my mistake,
I should have gathered more of spider cutters for this expedition. Oh
well…” At this point, he didn’t want to turn back.

He knew that there must be more to this jungle, he just needed to survey it
properly.
They had marched for days, stopping only at night to rest. Like before the
jungle seemed endless, that was until…

“What is this?” He found himself in a small clearing. “No way!”

He was excited to find signs of life. There was a camp of a dozen straw
huts, they were shabby and clearly only a temporary construction. in the
middle of it there was a fireplace. If there was life, it was long gone. He
inspected the camp further. He found a piece of shattered pottery and some
bits of dried fruit. Those were his only clues.

“Hmm…” He wasn’t the detective but. “A primitive tribe.” He had

summarised.

Signs of human activity meant that there must be other life nearby. A food
source: some fruit or even animals to hunt. He salivated at the idea. “It’s
high time to expand the kitchen menu!” He urged his men forward.

It took him days, more days than he would like to admit, and there still were
no signs of life.

“This is so unfair!” He complained.

He wanted to push, to pursue further, but the food supply was running
dangerously low.

“At best, we can make a few more days before we need to turn back.”

One of the spiders nodded at him, as if it understood.

Recently he noticed such small cues. They were more responsive to his
words, almost as if they understood what he said. But then even dogs would
respond when talked to, even if they had no real idea of what the owner was
saying.

“Aren’t you getting smarter? Maybe soon I will be able to give you
commands and teach some proper tricks.”
The fantasy pleased him, he distracted himself with such things for the last
two days.

The scenery began to change. Ever so slowly the familiar jungle turned into
something else. Different plants and different trees began to pop up.

“[You have exited The Dreaded Place]”

“No way!” But he was at the turning point, if he pursued his goals further
he won’t have enough supplies to make the trip back. “Those who don’t risk
don’t eat slug jelly. Forward!”

He urged his men to push deeper.

 08

The jungle devoid of animals and sounds was replaced by a dense forest
filled with life. Birds, critters and tiny bugs all were making noise. That was
so until their home was invaded by a band of monsters, spiders bigger than
they had any right to be. At the sight of a new predator, the forest grew
quiet.

“Oh come on!” He was eager to meet an animal, or anything at all. “I guess
we are just too noisy.”

A nearby bush rustled followed by an angry roar. A black four-legged beast

jumped out of it. It was big, the size of a horse, and it was muscular like an
ox, but quite obviously it wasn’t a herbivore since Its maw was filled with
sharp fangs.

For whatever reason it was enraged by the mere presence of these spiders. It
was ready and roaring for a fight so it went and snatched a spider much
smaller than himself. With a sickening crunch, it was crushed between its
fangs and then spat out. All of this happened in a blink of a second.

“No!” He wasn’t all too happy about the development.

His little spiders shared the sentiment.

“Attack!” He made a roar of his own.

In his hand, he had only a stone spear. His mind was clouded by anger and a
sense of loss.

The forest beast leapt fearlessly right towards him. The two roared at each
other, and then he jabbed at the murderer. The beast sidestepped to a side
and swiped its paw at him. His scale armour deflected the blow no problem
but the force sent him stumbling back.

He wasn’t the only one to be enraged enough to engage this beast, his
spiders jumped into the fray; quite literally. They were only little compared
to this forest beast but still, they were the size of large dogs. The forest
beast got more than it had bargained for. It snapped and swiped its claws at
the jumping spiders but all too soon it was swarmed from all sides. The
spiders grabbed at the beast, mandibles locking on whatever they could and
then they pulled.

The beast roared in defiance and shook a few spiders off its body and turned
to run, but it was all too late. The spider who so much loved to clear the
jungle bit the beast's leg off with its wide and powerful mandibles. The
beast stumbled and the spiders coming from all sides ripped at its flesh once
again. Overwhelmed the beast came apart in large chunks like a shattered
puzzle piece.

“Take that!” He jabbed the spear at the motionless remains needlessly.

[Fighting +5 exp]

With the knowledge it was over he directed his look at disassembled parts,
there wasn’t much of the beast left. Its once black and pristine fur was now
full of holes and slashes made by mandibles. If anything useful was left it
was only its fangs, but it wasn’t a time for looting.

“This is more than we bargained for.” He had finally realised the dangers.
“Should we turn back?” He looked for advice.

The spiders chirped at him in high tunes which were oddly jubilant.

“No, we can’t celebrate now…” He looked anxiously at the forest. “But you
are right it’s too early to turn our tail and run. Into formation!”

The spiders surrounded him obediently, two of their kind offered to act as
the scouts and skittered further in front of the group.
“So then you want to, you can understand…” He smiled feeling more
secure being surrounded by his creatures. “Let me just take this as a
trophy.” With great effort, he managed to pull a fang from the severed head,
and then he pulled another; the two were the size of a dagger.

[Apex Fang] x 2.

The fangs seemed to be significant.

“Loot?” He wondered.

There was still so much he was unfamiliar with about this world, and if he
stayed on his farm he would remain ignorant.

“Okay, let's be careful about this. We will probe slowly.” He directed the
group.

As they moved further into the forest they met several animals, but nothing
like that fanged beast. Actually, there wasn’t any fighting, the animals opted
out to run most of the time. If they didn’t run they did other things, things
like…

A white squirrel with two tails was laying on the floor with its belly
exposed and its paws high in the air; pretending to be dead.

“What are you doing?” He approached the critter. “I know you aren’t dead.”
He shrugged.

Then he stabbed at the squirrel with his spear. He was quick about it and it
didn’t even have time to make a sound.

[Fighting +1000exp]

For some reason, it gave him an obscene amount of exp. He shrugged at the
mysteries of the system.

“Sorry, you are my dinner.” Humans were a part of nature and nature was
cruel like that; also, he was hungry.
His stomach rumbled giddy at the prospect of meat. He couldn’t rush this, it
had to be done properly. He used the tools he had prepared just for this and
meticulously cleaned and skinned the white squirrel.

[Guardian’s Pelt].

The pelt had an odd name, but despite that little detail, the fur was snow
white and silky smooth. It would make a perfect hat or a set of gloves. He
tucked it into the sack for safekeeping.

Then he skewered a cleaned squired using a stick and began roasting it over
the fire. By the way, he had learned how to do it through numerous days of
practice, it’s just that he didn’t really need it; there was nothing to cook.

A pleasant aroma filled the air. There was a rustle coming from a nearby
tree. He looked up – cautions.

“Someone wants to steal my food?” He pointed in the general direction of

the disturbance.

A spider went up a tree to investigate. Whatever it was, it was already gone.

The first bite of meat was divine. He didn’t know he had missed protein so
much.

“You want some?” He offered to one of his companions.

It came closer to inspect the morsel in the palm, it rolled it in between its
mandibles getting a good feel, but it never went into its mouth. The spider,
content with its investigation, stepped away.

“I knew you were vegetarians! Good.” He exclaimed in relief. “I reckon we

can find fruits and roots for you to eat. Let's have a look.”

After an intense search, much digging and harvesting he had a few sacks
full of forest bounty. However, it was no surprise that his spiders didn’t
want to eat that either. By now it was obvious that their preferred food was
TomGrape and its derivatives unless he found something full of sugars.

So was the expedition a success? – Perhaps, but the day wasn’t over yet, so
he pushed forward.

His forces didn’t have another worthy challenger. That was until he found
himself in the clearing. The cleared space was of significant length and at
the end of it was a sturdy palisade with towers and a gate. The wood
making the walls was thick, and the individual timbers twisted around each
other as if they were hugging. The trees weren’t chopped to make this
palisade, they were grown to form a wall.

“Civilisation!” He had found the first people.

He looked at the towers. They weren’t the towers of a conventional design.

A few sturdy trees towered above the wall and on their top weren’t the tree
crown but a nest of branches. The nest was hollow and inside it there were
people. From the distance, he couldn’t tell their exact appearance but they
looked human enough.

There were numerous guards in the towers, keeping a keen eye on the
clearing. The place seemed to be on high alert.

“Do they expect trouble?” He worried for a moment.

He wanted to run to them and finally make some friends. But then he
realized that his spiders would follow and that probably would lead to a
misunderstanding. He watched the wooden gate while hiding in a bush and
wondered how to proceed.

“I might need to come another time. Maybe prepare some gifts.”

Maybe he should have trusted these people more and just went to say hello.
Regardless, he’d decided to go home this time.

On his trip back a small event had happened. A pack of what resembled
boars crossed his exploration party’s path. The forest animals had their
young with them and must have panicked, so they attacked. The numbers
were roughly equal on each side.

A large boar, likely the leader of the pack charged at him. He had planted
his feet firmly into the ground and raised his spear to break the charge. The
Boar slammed into the spear and the stone tip sunk deep into its side and
the spear shaft shattered, however, it wasn’t too bothered by it and
completed the charge. He felt the slam and was sent flying landing on his
back slightly winded.

“Uhh…” He let out a groan.

Nothing seemed to be broken. The Boar was glaring at him in agitation, its
front hoof ripped the green moss out of the ground; it was readying itself
for another charge.

“No, you don’t.” He quickly stuffed his arm in his backpack looking for
something to defend himself with.

Of course, he still had the two of [Apex Fang]. He wielded both like
daggers in his hands. The Boar charged and he was able to dodge it just
barely. That’s when he jumped at the boar’s back and sunk his daggers into
its sides. The boar squealed and trashed trying to throw him off its back. By
luck his right dagger must have hit something and was firmly wedged
inside the boar, that was why he was able to hold on while The Boar
dragged him all around the forest floor. It wasn’t pleasant, but that was it;
the scale armour protected him from scratches and abrasions.

The left dagger was loose, but only for a while. He used it to repeatedly stab
into the animal's flesh. The animal was very resilient but in the end it tired
and collapsed onto the ground.

“Phew.” He breathed out in relief. “Hunting boars is difficult!”

[Fighting +50 exp].

He had finally had a chance to look at how the rest of his party was faring.
One of the spiders was flung into the air by a fat boar but as soon as it
landed it didn’t seem to be damaged at all; all thanks to the sturdy carapace.
Similar scenes repeated all over. The pack of boars was energetic but in the
end, they failed to do any meaningful damage to his spiders and were
mercilessly wiped out. A few of his spiders were limping but that was it.

“Well, done guys!” He cheered proudly.

The spiders chirped in unison celebrating their victory. They were the
giddiest he had ever seen them to be.

Six of the young survived the slaughter and were running confused while
squealing sharply out of fear. It was good that spiders didn’t see them as a
treat so he was able to capture little boars. It was sad that their parents had
to die, but it was the way of nature where the strong eat the weak.

“Now, it’s looting time!” He gathered his tools.

They were too far from their farm to have use of all of the meat; It would
just spoil before they came back. The spiders weren’t interested in it so he
only took a few chunks for his dinner. The pelts were a different story
because he could take them. By skinning them he had obtained [Boar Pelt],
now he understood the classification, the blue meant that it was a crafting
material.

The furry pelts had a lot of thick skin in them, and would likely make good
leather. He had some knowledge of how to do it. For leather making, he will
need bark, some brain from the boars, other minor things, and plenty of
time.

By the time he had finished, it was already dark. Walking through the forest
in darkness was a sure way to get lost. So he made a camp nearby. He had
laid in his cloth sleeping bag for a good sleep but the spiders must have had
other plans. For some reason, they picked him up in his sleeping bag and
began carrying him towards the jungle.

“I didn’t know this was an option.”

The spiders just chirped as if to say not to worry.

 09

When the Elf scout returned to the city, he was met with faces full of
anxiety; no one had ever wanted to believe that the prophecy of old was
true.

He was under strict orders to not disclose what he had experienced while in
the depths of The Dreaded Place. He didn’t need to tell the common folk
of what he had found there for them to know the truth; the look on his face
betrayed everything. As he passed the commotion he was unable to meet the
eyes of his family and friends, he felt guilty for no good reason, regardless
of such things he had a duty to give the report to the venerable elders.

There high up in the ancestral tree, in the grand hall, were gathered all the
people of importance. It was just so that the importance in this society came
with age, and many of those gathered here were at least past two-hundred
years; some older – ancient even. Hence, he was neither surprised nor
offended to see venerable elders asleep during a crisis of this magnitude. At
least the high chief was wide awake.

He cleared his throat and spoke loudly so that even the most ancient could
hear him. “The darkness has awoken.” He was surprised at the sound of his
own voice; he sounded so shaken his voice was barely recognisable.

“So the divinations were correct.” The chief replied flatly as if he expected
the bad news.

The scout nodded. “And it’s spreading like a sickness. Destroying and
corrupting the very jungle it has spawned from.”

“Only a true evil would do so - eat its own mother.”

“What do we do chief? Do we try to fight it?”

“But can we win?”

The scout shook his head. “It’s likely too late.”

“Then we must weather it. Our ancestors did, so shall we.”

The scout wasn’t too sure about it; they didn’t see the things he saw so
fleeing seemed like a better option but he knew that the elders would be too
stubborn to leave their ancestral forest.

He didn’t want to disagree with the elders either way. “If we must… Then
let me explain in detail of what exactly I have seen.”

The high chief and other venerable elders perked up. The keen looks of the
pillars of elven society felt oppressive. He had never felt so important in his
entire life. A scout like him, in normal circumstances, was of low status in
this society. However, things were changing, for better or worse.

He took a deep breath and spoke of horrors he had witnessed in great detail.

The elders were known to be stubborn and resistant to changes, under their
rule barely anything seemed to change. This time, to the surprise by many,
was different. A great many changes were implemented. The living wood
was used to grow the walls around the city, surrounding it completely. The
gatherers were no longer permitted to leave the city, no one was except the
scouts. Most importantly everyone had to learn how to use a bow, even the
women and the children.

The sages and other wizened people buried themselves in dusty scrolls
looking for a magical solution in ancient texts.

Everyone had a role to play. His role, obviously, didn’t change much, he
was still a scout. No, he was The Scout now, after all, he was the best, so he
continued to do what he excelled at. It was his daily routine to inspect the
forest, to scout for any changes and then no matter how minor report back
to elders. He took great pride in this important mission.
The days went on and there was nothing, and then more nothing. Until there
was something…

He had found the Apex Panther, the king of this forest, literally ripped in
pieces. The sight was so vile he failed to keep his breakfast inside. His
otherwise steady hands began to tremble in fear.

“Stop it! This is not you.” He tried to calm himself.

It was impossible to stay collected. To slay Apex Panther was no easy feat,
the animal was known as the king of the forest for a good reason.

“…and here it lays dead.”

There was no stronger creature in the entire forest, so it meant only one
thing.

He began running back to the city, the elders had to know. Everyone is in
danger!

In his mad dash, he had almost made a critical mistake. He was lucky to be
saved by his unique perk. An overlay superimposed on the sight of usual
trees and vegetation blinked in his vision. He recognised the red spider-like
shapes. He had detected enemies, they were only meters away.

He stopped a tad bit too quickly and tumbled to the ground. He rolled
breaking the fall, he had made a mistake but his scout skills saved him once
again – no sound was made. He had stopped just in time to remain hidden.

The red overlay was no longer needed, he could see the hostiles with his
plain vision. He climbed up the tree to see better. He was right, he knew the
enemy, they were spiders dressed in blue cloth. But there was something
else right in between the spider formation. And that thing scared him more
than spiders did. It walked on two legs like an elf would, but it didn’t look
either like an elf or even human. It looked like a twisted mockery of a
human. Instead of skin, it had black scales and its head resembled that of a
lizard. The scout concluded it to be another spawn of evil.
However disturbing the sight of a humanoid monster was, this was not the
worst thing he was observing at this very moment. There, right beneath the
scaled monster was something that could only be called a Divine
Guardian, the embodied spirit of this forest. This was a holy animal all
elves recognised and revered, only a select few lucky elves were able to
meet this elusive creature. Its appearance however was well documented
and he had no trouble recognising the forest spirit. And there it was, laying
in complete submission under the boots of this twisted creature.

And then, as the true evil would, the twisted creature slaughtered the Divine
Guardian in cold blood.

The scout could feel sad tears flowing down his cheeks. He wasn’t one to
cry easily, actually, he had never cried before. This was terrible, but not the
worst he had seen yet. He sat in the tree petrified and observed the horrors
which kept getting worse and worse with each passing second.

While he was away from the farm new spiders have hatched; he welcomed
the message [Farming +1500exp]. It was a moment for celebration,
however, seeded deep into his mind was a worry that new hatchlings won’t
recognise him as their rightful king. He was away for quite a while so they
might have even elected a new king!

There was no need to worry because he had received a hero’s welcome.

Young hatchlings were happy to meet their master, sniffing at his trousers
and chirping in their shrill but cute voices.

“I have found civilisation!” He announced proudly to everyone gathered.

“But what do we do with this knowledge?”

Of course, even if thousands of eyes were watching him keenly there still
was no reply. He knew what needed to be done, but first things firsts.

“Carry the spoils to the storage.” He ordered his spiders, the ones who were
already halfway within the completion of the order.
“Oh and the little boars, don’t hurt them. I will build a pen to keep them.”

He did just that, it was a simple task of hammering some wooden poles and
tying a net of ropes in between. Then he released the squealing animals into
the pen. They didn’t seem all too happy, probably still scared of the spiders.

“Here-here, now, you need to get used to this.” He dropped an armful of

TomGrape fruit into the pen.

The little boars were suspicious of the unfamiliar fruit. They cautiously
sniffed at the food using their short snouts. Then, soon enough, they were
devouring the offering with great gusto.

“I knew you will like it. Everyone does. Just wait until you try slug jelly.”

With that, his future source of meat was secured.

With this done he performed a, now routine, lookover of his farm.

Everything was in order, the buildings were maintained, the fields expanded
and the jungle cleared. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except for Johny, he
expected the little slug to make some trouble; he was a known
troublemaker. He didn’t expect it to devastate the BlueDust fields. That,
and the fact that he no longer was little, no, he was as big as the boars he
had fought.

“Johny! What did you do you glutton!” He put on his best angry face and
scolded the slug.

The slug wiggled its antennas towards him and the shades of blue ran
through its see-through body. It was showing colours to him, Johny did that
then he was happy.

“Aw, you missed me. I can’t be angry with you, you are just too cute.” He
patted the overgrown slug. “But you need to watch your appetite. Now,
where is all that jelly?”

A bigger slug equals more jelly. At this point, he had no qualms about
milking Johny for it. The size of course made the task so much easier. All of
this milking stuff implied that Johny was probably a female slug, but who
cares. The slug was just Johny in his mind.

He licked heavenly jelly from his fingers. “It’s as tasty as ever. Thanks,
Johny.”

The field of flowers is pretty much gone, but in turn, he has a whole tub of
slug jelly.

“I better reward my companions. They have defended me well.”

He went to look for the troublemakers. Usually, they would just follow him
around but this time they seemed to be busy sorting the gathered loot.

He had found half of them in his shed. They were by his chair waiting for
him.

“Where is the rest of you? What is going on?” He questioned the peculiar
behaviour.

“X-Plo-R” The biggest of them chirped.

Then did it grow so much? No, wait, did it just talk?

“Did you just talk?”

The spider just stared at him with all of its four yellow eyes.

“The day must have exhausted me.” He brushed it off as tiredness. “If they
are gone, it means they had finally found a job they like. You should follow
their good example.” He spoke to the large spider.

It didn’t reply.

“Oh well. I am off to bed.” He shrugged it off.

He quickly fell asleep. In his dream, he dreamt of his kingdom. It was

growing bigger and bigger. It would be a good thing, but he found it harder
and harder to manage it. There was so much to do, so much to manage and
direct but there was only one of him. He felt so stressed he began to feel
inadequate as a King. In his dream, he ran away from his kingdom leaving
his people to govern themselves. It didn’t turn out the way he had hoped it
would, the spider turned against the spider. There was violence and
discontent and the budding civilisation crumbled before it could bloom.
Once pristine TomGrape fields withered to nothing and with no food
everyone died. He felt so bitter and displeased with his cowardice, but
mostly bitter.

He woke drenched in a cold sweat, then he spat a bitter wine out of his
mouth. “How did that find its way into my mouth?!” He wondered looking
accusingly at the multiple spiders, the ones who refused to be employed.

This was not the first time they pulled a prank like this. One jester was good
fun now and then, but a bunch of them… He just wished they found jobs
soon.

Maybe if he took them for another expedition, the rest of them will find
something they liked. Speaking of which: “I still don’t know where your
friends went.” He worried slightly.

“X-Plo-R” The perpetrator and the leader of the pack chirped a reply.

This time he was sure he heard it. “Explore? To explore?”

The spider chirped in affirmation.

“So you can talk!”

The spider nodded its head.

“And you can understand me?”

It nodded again.

“A man of few words, eh?”

“…”
“This is great. Brilliant even!” He was both happy and angry, ”Now you can
find jobs and stop pranking me. Even better, let's find your friends before
they make trouble.”

He didn’t want them to attack the city by mistake. After all, he planned to
be friendly with them, even if they were most likely elves. Put hatred aside
and love your neighbour and all that, plus he was curious.

Just as he was about to run after the rogue explorers he had second
thoughts.

“I shouldn’t rush this… Stop, we all, stop. How, will I even find them to
begin with?” He posed a question to the largest one.

It gave him the spider equal of a shrug.

“If they make trouble, I guess I will need to apologise and hope for the
best.”

It seemed like a better plan than running around for a wild goose chase, the
jungle was just too big and with luck, his spiders won’t even encounter any
hostiles.
 10

Going to meet your neighbours empty-handed is never a good idea. He

didn’t have a lot of different products on his farm, but the stuff he had was
of high quality. With great effort (he needed to use slug jelly in convincing),
he had wrangled a few of his workers and loaded them with gifts; he took
simple things like Blue Cloth, TomGrape fruits, and a jar of Slug Jelly.

He had noticed that his workers had recently become more chatty and
sociable. It wasn’t rare to see them chittering between themselves and for
better or worse they had realised that something of significance is
happening. They either wanted to take part in it or were just jealous of slug
jelly treats, either way, what this meant was that now he had keen
volunteers ready and roaring to go and greet the newly discovered
neighbours. The issue was that there were just too many volunteers: like
half of the entire village.

The spiders were lined up in neat rows and were waiting for him to start the
journey.

“Guys, I know you are excited about meeting new people but this is just too
much. I don’t even have that much jelly and this jar is for neighbours.” He
tried to reason. All in vain.

These spiders were just too stubborn.

“If everyone goes, who will look after the farm and the plants?” He tried
again.

“No-Pro-Ble-Mmm.” The largest in the group replied.

He recognised the speaker, It was the leader of the troublemakers known as

Jesters. He decided to call it Chief Jester.
At this point he wasn’t even surprised that his spiders were sapient and
could speak, he was way past this point. He just attributed it to them being
born out of magic.

“Ahh.” He sighed; there wasn’t much point in arguing with spiders. “If you
say so… I guess there is strength in numbers and that forest isn’t exactly
without dangers.”

They began a slow march towards the depths of the jungle. He noticed a
bunch of clearers working on what seemed to be a road; one of the spiders
was teaching the others, It was the same one he had used before.

“You learn quickly, don’t you? Good work, we will need this road.” He
praised their initiative.

He knew where he needed to go so the journey was much shorter, and when
the road gets done it will be even faster.

There in front of him was a familiar sight of the wooden palisade, but this
time there were even more people in the guard towers. He reconsidered
them as archers.

“So many archers, are they at war with someone?” He wondered out loud.

It was likely, and if so, he came at a bad time. He looked at his spiders,
there were over a hundred of them.

“Yup, they will definitely misunderstand.” He concluded. “Guys, let me go

alone.” He signalled the spiders to wait.

He took a deep breath of air and walked out of the forest and into the
clearing. The booming sound of a horn rang from one of the watchtowers
rousing the people behind the walls into motion.

“It will be okay.” He reassured himself and kept walking.

More and more people poked their heads out of the palisade walls. Ever
increasing number of arrows were aimed in his direction.
“They are just cautious.” He kept walking slowly but confidently.

He was close enough to distinguish individual faces from one another. They
looked like humans but not quite. Their hair was blond and long, their skin
pale and their ears elongated.

“Elves.” He concluded. “I knew it…”

A single arrow was shot from a longbow and it pierced the ground two feet
away from him. He stopped walking and waved at the elves.

“Hello, I come in peace!” He shouted.

He could hear some sort of commotion happening behind the walls but no
one replied to him yet. It was probably because they were cautious of a
weird stranger. Then he realised that he indeed looked quite odd, scale
armour and all. He took his helmet off.

“Look.” He pointed at his face. “I know I’m not like you, but I am friendly
and unarmed. Can I come in for a talk?”

Someone finally replied, “You want to talk?” Their tone was tinged tones of
disbelief.

“Yes, I even brought you gifts. All to show my goodwill.” He put on his
best smile or tried to. It was hard then there were so many arrows aimed at
him.

“What gifts? I can see nothing in your hands.” Now there was open hostility
in the man's voice, “It’s the monsters which will flood our city once we
open the gates. Isn’t it? That’s your ‘gift’.”

Ah, so they noticed the spiders.

“You mean, my spiders? They are friendly and perfectly well-behaved.”

The last part was a lie.

The man didn’t reply for quite a while. He became quite nervous just
standing there in the clearing. If for some reason one of the spiders decided
to come and say hello he knew the elves wouldn’t take this well.

“What do you want?” Someone else asked this time.

“Mmm…” He thought he was clear the first time. “To be friends, have good
relationships, to be allies that sort of stuff. We are neighbours after all.”

“How can we be friends with monsters?” The man asked in turn.

It kind of struck a cord. These elves had a stick up their ass, there was a
reason he hated the elves…

“If I don’t look like you it doesn’t mean I’m a monster. Have you ever
heard of the saying: don’t judge a book by its cover?”

There was mocking laughter and then a reply. “Oh, we know you are a
monster. But we also know that we can’t win against your forces of evil. If
you want to attack us and wipe us out you will have to do it the honest way,
we aren’t buying your trickery and inviting you inside these walls.”

“But…” He was out for words. “I didn’t do anything wrong did I.”

The man laughed again.

“Your very existence is wrong. However, you haven’t killed any of us, not
yet, so I will follow our tradition and let you leave. So leave now!” The elf
commanded.

It seems the neighbours weren’t very neighbourly. He should have expected

it, they were elves after all.

“Whatever I did to offend you, I am sorry.” He tried to be a bigger person.

“I brought gifts, and they are yours regardless you want them or not. You
can throw it away if you don’t like it… I will leave now.”

He took a small step backwards, no arrows came to pierce him. He put his
helmet on, turned his back to the elves and walked towards the forest just as
calmly as before.
He could hear cheering coming from behind the walls. For some reason, he
found it mighty annoying.

“Oh boy, that didn’t go well at all.” He reflected. “I really don’t like them,
elves.” He entered the forest where his spiders were waiting patiently.

“Sorry guys, they won’t welcome us.” He apologised to everyone gathered

there.

“Let's leave some gifts, and just go home.” He untied a few sacks and left
them laying on the ground. “Maybe we can find better allies somewhere
else.” He tried to be positive.

And thus unceremoniously so, they walked all the way back to the farm.

He tried to be positive, he really did, but a lot of things weighed heavy on

his mind. Elves deciding not to treat him and his spiders as equals implied
many things, none of which were good.

“Now they know about us, and we know how they see us.”

The usual escort of spiders was present of course, but he was just talking to
himself.

“We need to be cautious and careful. I need to protect my people. Yes, this
is the duty of a King. ” He nodded to himself finding the resolve to move
forward.

“We need to protect this kingdom. We need walls, we need warriors.” He

looked at the group he had casually named Jesters. “Can you help me with
that?”

“Yes.” Chief Jester chirped.

It felt like he was dreaming, he didn’t expect a reply so readily.

“I guess, you guys are really sapient. Should I rely on you more?”
Chief Jester chirped something complex so he didn’t quite understand it, but
he knew it was a positive reply.

“Then I will.”

From that day on the farm began to change. Whatever wood was gathered
from clearing jungle it was used to make a wooden palisade, the walls
surrounded the most important buildings while the farms were still outside
it.

There was also a new group of nimble scouts, venturing deep into the
jungle and probing for danger.

For the warriors he still had none, likely he would need to wait for a new
clutch of spiders to be born.

The construction took days to achieve, and due to a lack of builders he had
to contribute a significant amount of his time. The time was well spent
because he had finally acquired enough Building exp.

[Congratulations! You have reached Building lvl .1]

[Skill Reinforce obtained.]

This wasn’t a passive perk but a skill he could activate. Instinctively he

knew what it did and how to use it. He began using it on sections of the
palisade wall, and with some application of rope and wood, he made the
wall more sturdy. He wasn’t just adding it to the wall, he was using the skill
while doing it, and somehow it made the wall more sturdy; Magic, go
figure. Anyway, doing this gave him a small tickle of Building exp.

“I have a way to level my building quicker now.” He smiled at the

prospects.

But by heart, he was a farmer, he just liked it more. The proof of that was
the two storage houses full of TomGrape, the third one was on its way. And
the farmland was still expanding, so maybe he will need a fourth one too.
That and he needed more spiders for various tasks.
His wish was granted sooner than he expected, well kind of, they haven't
hatched yet but by the best guess, there were at least a thousand of eggs
waiting to hatch. For whatever reason egg production just exploded. It kind
of made sense they had ample food and need for workers.

He just couldn’t wait for the eggs to hatch.

While he was waiting, he remained cautious of possible elven incursion. He

just didn’t like the outcome of his diplomatic mission. The results of it gave
him many sleepless nights. However, for one reason or the other, the elves
seemed to leave him be. That however didn’t mean that his spiders left the
elven territory.

His explorers were probing further and deeper into the jungle, further into
the forest. Best of all, they were bringing him various goods. Fruits, berries,
and nuts were offered as tribute to the King. He would prefer some meat but
he still had no way to preserve it.

The explorers would also bring various plants they found peculiar. Most of
which were useless to him, but there was one exception: it was a thick vine
full of spiky thorns. He hoped to use Acclimate and Unnatural Selection
to turn this plant into something he could use for defence. A patch of it was
already growing in a small field where TomGrape vines used to be.

The new flock of spiders have hatched, and this time he was well prepared.
He was busy crafting them the necessary clothing.

In addition to the usual workers now he had a group of scouts, a larger

group of explorers (who were not scouts if similar), and finally some
warriors.

He had more warriors than he needed really, half of the hatchlings seemed
to be of the warrior class. Aside from the obvious fact that they were bulkier
and bigger, there was an odd change in their carapace. Instead of smooth
obsidian chitin, their body was made of hexagonal segments giving them an
armour-like look. The segments were just like the ones the eggs had,
meaning they were just as sturdy if not more. Plus, the warriors preferred to
walk using only four legs, keeping their front two unoccupied. It was a
shame the two arms weren’t quite yet arms and they still couldn’t hold tools
but it was a step forward in an obvious direction.

“I will need weapons eventually.” He stated the obvious.

But the resources in the jungle were limited, all he had was chitin and
wood.

“So clubs and spears it is.”

He decided and began testing the first designs.

[Congratulations! you are now proficient enough to craft a chitin spear of

superior quality.]

[Congratulations! you are now proficient enough to craft a wood club of

superior quality.]

These were the results after many hours and multiple attempts. The wood
club was just as the name implied and a simple weapon to craft. The chitin
spear had a more complex design and even provided more Crafting exp.
He used the chitin chips for the spear tip and some blue rope to secure it in
place. He even decorated the shaft in carved patterns hoping for some bonus
or reward, but there were none, however, the spear looked quite badass and
he kept this one for himself.

The warriors had finished growing, however, they weren’t quite ready for
the weapons still preferring to use their mandibles. Also, they had become
quite restless, their mock battles had grown too fierce and often he had to
break them before they could hurt each other. This meant only one thing –
they were bored and eager for action.

He gathered all of his warriors in a cleared field. They looked in

anticipation.

“No, I won’t attack the elves.”

There was a sliver of disappointment in their eyes.

“However, we are going for another fully-fledged expedition. No!

Conquest. Because we are ready!”

The spiders chirped giving him their cheers and approval.

 11

For this expedition, Instead of going east this time, he went to the south. He
knew what to expect for the first week or so; jungle, endless jungle. He and
his spiders marched for days, determined to reach their goal; and their goal
was…

“Hills?” the slope was too steep for that. “Right, mountains.” Indeed the
trees parted exposing a mountain face of dark grey stone. “We’ve had hit a
wall.” However, he refused to give up just yet. “Let's try to climb this
mountain.” He announced the challenge to everyone.

The spiders had no problem with that; they were expert climbers. He,
however, was a totally different story. In the end, he ended up being carried
by the spiders up the steep slope.

They were halfway up the mountain. He turned to look at the jungle, being
up high it allowed to see him so much further. But as far as he saw there
was just more jungle. He tried looking for his village but couldn’t find it; it
was likely too far and behind the horizon.

Out there, in between grey rocks and boulders, there was a cave.

“Hey let’s go there for a minute.” He pointed at the cave entrance.

The cave entrance was large, its inside was pitch black and too dark to see.
Despite the spookiness, he desired to explore the cave further, after all, he
saw spookier things already; he was used to spooky. The spiders didn’t
seem to care either way.

As they went deeper the oppressive darkness was replaced by blue glowing
spots of moss. There was more and more of that on the walls and ceilings;
soon various fluorescent mushrooms began to pop out here and there. And
just like that the darkness was no more.

He picked a glowing mushroom. “Fascinating.” As soon as he did so the

glow dimmed. “So what does make them glow?” He wondered at the
mystery. “Let's go further.”

The deeper they went the more marvels they uncovered. This wasn’t just a
cave, it was an extensive labyrinthine cave system. Moss, lichen,
mushrooms and various other plants grew all around, the rock walls could
barely be seen. Various creepy crawlers skittered away from him and
spiders as they were making their way deeper into the cave system.

“Just how deep does it go?” He wondered, but then realised that he has all
the free time he needs to explore this.

Well, maybe, the food was a limiting factor, and the potentially hostile
elves, but…

“Eek, Nope!” Someone screeched at the spider and made a runner.

It was small and quick in its getaway, he could barely make the small figure
out. It was a red two-legged creature.

The fact that it just spoke piqued his interest. “Hey, you!” He wanted to
chase after the creature.

He did just so, his spiders right in tow. Having longer legs he had no trouble
closing the distance between him and a peculiar cave dweller.

“Stop, I want to talk!”

“Eek!” It screeched in terror and dunked into a small hole right into the
wall.

He finally caught up with the creature but the hole was too small for him or
any of his spiders.

“Hey, come out. I am friendly.” He encouraged.

A scared voice came out warped by the confines of the tiny hole “No!”

“I just want to talk.”

“Go away!”

“Ahh.” He sighed. “Why everyone has to be so hostile to me.” He took one

TomGrape fruit out of the sack and dropped that into the hole. “I mean no
harm.”

There was no reply for a while, and then there was a sound of someone
eating and slurping on the fruit greedily.

“So what are you, little creature? A mountain goblin?”

“More!” the voice demanded.

He dropped another fruit.

“I’m kobold.” It sounded proud about it.

“I see…”

He had never seen a kobold before but from the stories, he knew Kobolds
were some sort of red lizards who liked to live underground.

He saw the kobold take a quick peek out of the hole; as soon as it was done
peeking it asked, “And what are you?”

“I’m a human, I guess.”

It looked again. “Not true. You have scales.”

“Oh.” He realised that with his armour it might be difficult to understand so

he took his helmet off. “See, a human.”

“Eww, so ugly! Put back on.” The kobold urged.

He wanted to slap the creature already.

“Why you here?” It asked.

“Exploring. No, I am here to make allies.”

“Allies?”

“Yes, to make friends.” He didn’t lie about that.

“Spiders your friends?”

“Yes, they are. And they always listen to me, they won’t eat you. You can
come out.” He dangled a sack of fruits.

The kobold crawled out of its hole hesitantly and after seeing that the
spiders weren’t jumping to eat them, it grabbed for the sack of fruit.

“Tasty!”

“Hey, I didn’t say you can have everything.”

The kobold ignored him and began devouring the fruit.

“Will you take me to your people?”

“Okay.” There was no hesitation in the kobold’s voice.

He was a bit surprised at that 180 turn in behaviour, from cautions to overly
trusting, but maybe kobolds were like that.

The little fellow, who he assumed was a male, led him from one tunnel to
the other, deeper and deeper into the mountain. While doing so the kobold
kept devouring the fruits from the sack, one after the other. Until the sack
was empty, the kobold shook the sack to make sure there was nothing left
and then…

He jumped towards another hole, his legs were kicking at the ground trying
to propel the body deeper through the narrow mouth of the hole. However,
the kobold had eaten too much, his belly too full, and he was now stuck in
the hole.
“What are you doing?” He asked curious.

“Eek!” It screeched.

The legs stopped kicking and were now hanging limply as in defeat.

“Stuck! Help!” The kobold sounded panicked.

He grabbed the kobold by one of his legs and pulled him out with ease.

“Are your people at the other end of the hole?”

The kobold seemed panicked. “No!”

He put the kobold down back on his legs.

“Okay, I show where camp is.”

They walked what must have been half of way back.

“Are you lost or something? We were here before.” He enquired the kobold.

“No!” It said with confidence.

And while they walked the kobold kept eying the random holes in the walls
and then his spiders; It was suspicious.

“Ahh…” The kobold breathed out as if disappointed about something. “Ate

too much.”

It took a while but they were there. He knew this was the place because he
stood in a large cave. A very large cave; There was enough space for two
villages. there even was a mushroom tree forest and even a stream of water.
In the middle of the cave, there was a camp with its borders framed by a
short wall of boulders and sharpened sticks.

“A kobold camp.” He stated the obvious.

He might have repeated the previous mistake by coming with spiders, but if
they didn’t like his spiders then he wouldn't like them either.

It didn’t take long for the kobold camp to notice his presence, soon a small
force of kobolds walked outside the wall. Like the little fellow here they
were red and short, but unlike him they had weapons and even clothing; if a
pointy stick and loincloth could be called that.

He stopped at a good distance, close enough to be heard, but not too close
to spook them completely.

“Hello, I come in peace.” He tried.

His little red friend ignored his speech and scampered in a rush to the group
of warriors.

“I bring gifts, as a neighbour.” He untied a sack full of fruits.

The little one and what was probably the leader of the kobold warriors were
talking, and by the looks of it they were done.

“You friend?” the warrior asked.

“I hope we can be friends, yes. If you can treat my spiders as equals.”

“They eat kobold?” He pointed at the spiders.

“No, they are vegetarian.”

“Veg-Vege-Ve?” The warrior tried.

“I don’t eat kobolds, only fruits.”

“Is it friend?” The kobold pointed at the group of spiders again.

“Yes, they are friendly. Are you the leader?”

“No, we protect the leader.”

“Can I meet them now?”

The kobold seemed hesitant.

“Yes, but. Leave the spiders.”

It was obvious they were afraid of his spiders, but at least they didn’t show
open hostility.

“Fine with me.” He picked up a large sack and began marching towards the
warriors.

There were only fifty or so warriors here, once he was close enough they
surrounded him on all sides. He saw looks which were more curious than
scared, but there was plenty of fear showing. It was understandable, he was
at least three times taller than their biggest warrior.

He was led through the gap between the boulders. Inside the camp he saw
even more kobolds, so many he didn’t bother to count. Everyone was giving
him curious looks.

They approached a structure made of dirt, rocks, and what looked like some
spongy wood. It was a unique structure he had no name for, and despite it
being the largest in the camp it was obvious he still wouldn’t fit inside it.

“Leader.” The warrior shouted. “Leader!” He shouted again, but noone was
coming or replying.

The warrior went inside and came back with their leader. By the looks of it,
he had to drag them here. The leader was probably the best-looking kobold
here: they had earrings in their long ears and even a full tunic. It was hard,
no, practically impossible to tell their gender; just like for any kobold he
had seen so far.

The leader hid behind the warrior. “Why did you bring him here?” the
kobold sounded offended, but really he just looked scared.

“I came here to form an alliance.” He dropped the sack of fruits. “This is a

sign of my goodwill. Try them they are very tasty.” He urged.
The leader picked a fruit from the sack and nibbled at it.

“Wow!”

“I know right!”

“Can be friends. You bring more fruit.” The leader beamed happily.

“I might as well. Actually, I would like to trade.”

“Trade?”

“Yes, do you have something interesting you could give me in return for
fruits?”

The leader looked suspiciously but that judgment didn’t last, he pulled a
small pouch out of his tunic and then pulled out a small green rock.

“Shiny rock.” The leader explained helpfully.

“An emerald?” He was surprised, he didn’t expect the kobold to have these.
He thought they were poor!

“A shiny rock for your fruit.”

He wasn’t too sure he had any use for emeralds; or desire. What he really
wanted was something useful for his village and the spiders. However, the
reality was that these kobolds had little aside from rocks, dirt and
apparently precious stones.

“I’ll take it.” He took the stone. “But I am afraid I don’t have enough
fruits.” He wasn’t going to rip his allies off, he intended to give them a
‘fair’ price. But who knew how much would be fair? “I’ll give you. Hmmm
let's say a hundred sacks.” He thought that a single emerald was worth at
least that much.

“A hundred?” The kobold jumped.

“Yes, but I don’t have them here. They are in my camp.” He explained.
“Then take the shiny. Come back later.”

He wasn’t going to say no to that, but… “It will be my spiders doing all the
job. Are you okay to let them in into your camp?” He had to make sure.

The leader seemed to be conflicted.

“Spiders don’t eat Kobolds?”

“As I have explained to your friend here, they don’t, actually they are very
well-behaved.”

“Okay then.”

So it was decided. His first ally was made.

“Are you alright to show me around and tell me more about Kobolds? If
honest I know nothing about you guys.”

The leader rubbed their muzzle while looking at the sack of fruits.

“We eat first. You tell us about you.”

“Ah, yes! I understand I’m as strange to you as you are to me. So sit around
and hear my story…”

He began telling an epic tale of struggle and conquest. More and more
kobolds surrounded him, each with juicy fruit in their hands.
 12

He waved goodbye to the Kobold Leader, no, to everyone in this not-so-tiny

camp. The kobolds turned out to be extremely decent people; he even made
some friends.

He learned many things about Kobolds, to name a few: they were afraid of
large open spaces so going above ground was a big no-no, they were very
proud of their race and according to them they were descendants of dragons
(he very much doubted this was true), and most importantly they were
expert tunnellers.

The kobold leader told him that the entire cave system was dug by no one
else but kobolds over the millennium or so. It was hard to believe, but over
a large amount of time, it indeed looked like a possibility; and if true it was
an amazing feat.

As he was leaving the expansive cave he did so with a wide smile.

“These fellows are definitely better than the elves.”

All in all, the expedition was a success but he still had to get home and
bring the spoils. The spoils weren't that single emerald he carried in a
pouch, no, the real reward here was the Alliance he had just made; the
emerald was just a token of trust.

He and his spiders were navigating the tunnels towards the surface.

“I hope we are going the right way.”

Well, he made a small mistake and didn’t ask for a guide to take him
outside.
“It would be cringe if I turned back and asked for one now, wouldn’t it.” He
looked at his best helper, the large leader of the spiders. “You know the way
back up don’t you?”

“No.” The spider chirped happily.

There was no reason to be happy about this!

“I am sure we will find our way out.” He tried to sound confident.

After many turns and crossroads of multiple tunnels, he no longer was so

confident.

The path in the tunnel branched out again. “I don’t even know if we are
going up or down… Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.” He counted out the
‘branches’. “Where is a tunnel I must go. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. This
one!”

He selected a random one. “I’m sure this is the one.”

They proceeded further in. This tunnel like the others was overgrown with
glowing moss and multicoloured mushrooms, creepy crawlers zoomed
away from him. This place had an ecosystem of its own.

And for whatever reason not everything turned to be afraid of him and his
spiders. A long thick tail swatted him on the chest knocking him off the feet.

“Huh!?” Was the only thing he managed to say taken by surprise.

He looked at the attacking creature. “Huh?!” He repeated out of surprise,

which probably made him sound quite dumb. But he was dumbfounded
after all!

There only a few dozen feet away from him was an amalgamation of a
woman and a snake, he was no expert on mythology, but that creature
looked like a lamia. ‘Creature’ was not the best word to use, because
judging from the chest she definitely was a lady. She had smooth grey ash-
like skin, her hair was long and pale blue in colour. Her waist was very
slim, but otherwise, she was well-endowed. Her snake-like portion, the tail
that hit him, was thick and long and probably made three-quarters of her
entire body. In her hand, she had a spear, a weapon she could have used but
didn’t; not yet. Her otherwise human-like face was twisted into a grimace of
rage unfit for a regular human.

“You sss-shall not go further!” She hissed at him.

Her speech sounded distorted, her lips didn’t quite sink with what she was
saying, likely a shenanigan of [Language Comprehension] perk.

“What did I do now?” He asked rhetorically brushing the cave moss off his
scaled armour.

“I don’t know what you are, sss, but you and your army are not welcome
here.” She hissed again.

Well, she indeed was brave to take him and all of his spiders on like this, he
had to give her that. If he wanted he could crush her, but he was no monster.
“I didn’t know I was trespassing. To be honest I am lost.” He admitted.

“Let’s say I believe you, sss, where are you going then?”

A question with a simple answer. “Outside to the surface.”

“Then why are you here sss-so deep inside the mountain?”

He shrugged. “Got badly lost…” He hated to admit it. “If you would point
me in the right direction I would gladly leave. I want no trouble.”

“I don’t trust you, creature!” She hissed at him pointing a spear forward.

It looked like he will have another elf situation. If only he had a way to
convince this lamia of his good intentions. At moments like these, he
wished to be more charming and have the skills worthy of the leader, but
the fact was that he was an eccentric farmer who ran a farm with spiders.

“I’m honest. There is no foul play.” That would probably be what a

swindler said, but… he wasn’t one. “I’m just lost. Could you kindly escort
us away? Look I’ll even pay you.” He offered the emerald.
The lamia looked at the stone with shiny eyes.

“Let’s sss-say I believe you.” She approached him reaching for the stone.

It was kind of scary since the lamia was so much taller than him, actually,
she must have done it with intent. He observed her tensing her muscles and
stretching her tail to keep her balance while she tried to appear much taller
than she probably was.

“Here you go.” He dropped the stone into her hand not giving in to the
intimidation.

“Your sss-scales are fake.” She observed.

“It’s armour.”

She gave him an inquisitive look.

“Something you put over your body for protection.” He elaborated.

She pocketed the emerald into a small pouch attached to a belt and then
slithered past him seemingly unafraid of multiple spiders nearby.

“Why? Is your body weak?”

“What?” He thought her question was a bit odd. “No, my body is fine.”

“I sss-see, but you hide it anyway.”

“As I said it is for protection.” He explained again.

“I understand. Sss. To protect your weakness.” She said with pity.

She slithered around him but her eyes were on his spiders.

“You control these monsters?”

“They aren’t monsters, they can speak. Go on, don’t be shy and say hello.”
He encouraged.
“Hel-lo.” The largest spider chirped happily.

“It just made a sss-sound.” The lamia didn’t sound too impressed.

“You can’t understand him?”

“Should I?”

Yeah, it kind of made sense, neither lamia nor the spiders had his language
perk.

“Well, I can understand him.” He shrugged.

“That makes sss-sense.” Lamia just nodded. “They sss-seem well-behaved”

He smiled at the lamia because she understood just how polite these spiders
are “Indeed, they are the best.”

“Okay, we will escort you away, sss, but don’t ever come back.”

“We?” He looked around.

From walls, floor and even the ceiling multiple lamias emerged. Before he
couldn’t tell if there was anyone aside from moss and lichen-crusted
surface, but now they definitely were here. This was work of magic, some
unique camouflage perk or something. In just a few seconds they were
surrounded by lamia warriors from all sides.

For whatever reason, he didn’t even know why, but he took notice that all of
them were female; probably a perk of beying a man. Female or not, they
were intimidating.

“Oh, I see. Well done.” He praised the ambush. “It’s good that you are
friendly, ha-ha.” He laughed his anxiety away.

If they attacked, could he win? Perhaps, but it was good it didn’t come to
that.

“Come, creature. Do not delay us-sss in our tasks.”

He and his spiders ended up sandwiched between Lamia warriors.

“I would never, thank you for your assistance. let’s go.” He tried to be
cordial despite the uncomfortable situation.

There was a tinny nagging thought that the lamia might lead him not to
surface but somewhere else entirely just to deal with him in the most unkind
way.

Paranoia was not fun so instead he used the opportunity to know the woman
beside him better; even thou she looked quite grumpy. At least her angry
grimace mellowed out a little.

“You want to try this?” He took a fat bite of TomGrape “I grow it myself”.

“What is it?” The lamia seemed interested.

“A fruit. It’s tasty, have a try.” He fumbled in his pouch for a fresh one.

The lamia had other ideas and just snatched the one he was just eating.

She opened her jaw wide, which reminded him that despite her pretty face
she wasn’t quite human. *Crunch *Crunch – she devoured it in two bites; It
was quite unwoman-like.

“Sss-Sweet!” She sounded surprised.

Then she snatched the other fruit right from his hand. The manners were
just not there, but he wasn't going to complain about it to his only chance of
getting out of here.

“I know, right? I would offer more, but we will need what we have to reach
our home.”

Lamia seemed disappointed, and her colleagues were eying him as if he just
offended their ancestors or something.

“Ahh…” He sighed in defeat. “I can spare a bag or so.” He untied a bag

from one of his spiders and began handing out the fruit.
There were just enough with a few spares left in the bag.

“Here you can have the rest.” He offered.

Lamia smiled at the tribute. Despite the rows of sharp teeth, she looked all
content and the grumpiness was gone as if it never was there.

“Oh, so you can make that expression then you want to. You're kinda cute.”
He smiled back.

The solitude must have done a number on his psyche because he just
realised what had happened; normally he would never even think of flirting
with a lamia.

The lamia gave him a weird look and slithered a good few feet away to a
side.

“Sorry, I might have overstepped the line ‘cause I couldn’t help myself, ha-
ha.” He tried to laugh it off.

She turned her head away, there was even a slight blush on her face. After
this there was just an awkward silence as they progressed through the
tunnels. The lamia consciously distanced away from him.

‘And everything was going so well until that comment’ He wasn’t one to
have an extensive internal monologue, but he was having one right now.

The fact that Lamia were all women, the fact that he was secluded for so
long, and the tiny detail that they didn’t wear much clothing all added up.
He was reprimanding himself over his comments and behaviour. It wasn’t
the first time he blew it off with a woman. The trauma of the past
experience returned. He thought he had left all that in his previous life, but
apparently…

No! He left those in his previous life.

He approached the lamia. “Look, if I said something inappropriate, I didn’t

mean to. Culture barrier aside, I was just excited to meet you guys.”
The lamia finally looked at him. “It’s-sss okay.”

“Is it really? I just don’t want to blow it with you guys. You see I was here
to make allies.”

“Allies?“ Lamia raised her brow in curiosity and surprise. “You should have
sss-said so from the beginning.”

He almost face-palmed himself. How could he say so, she has been quite
hostile from the very beginning, but maybe he should have.
 13

He and lamia had a small conversation, and only then did he realise how
suspicious he must have came across. Leaving aside a tiny detail that he's
commanding a small army of spiders, the claim that he wanted to go to the
surface was unbelievable to the lamias. That was because going to the
surface was the same as suicide; Lamia knew of the The Dreaded Place, it
was a place unable to sustain life.

Another thing that didn’t add up was him travelling through Lamia territory.
There were quicker and safer paths. But if he and the spiders were sent here
by a third party, a party wealthy enough to provide supplies to traverse
through The Dreaded Place, and if they were here to negotiate a deal with
the subterranean factions – his story would add up; at least to the Lamia.

As convoluted and far-fetched all of this was, this wasn’t the end of it.

“What do you mean you aren’t the emis-sss-ary of The Demon Lord.” The
lamia gave him a confused look.

“I know nothing about the guy!” He tried to untangle the misunderstanding.

“As I said I live in the jungle, and farm my own supplies.”

“But nothing even remotely edible grows-sss there. The place is cursed-
sss.”

“That’s just not true. You all have eaten a TomGrape, haven't you?”

“Is-sss there any other food?”

“Amm… Not really.”

“Okay, I believe you.”

“Really? Why now?”

Lamia didn’t elaborate on that, but, “We can sss-speak about the alliance if
you take me to those farms of yours-sss.”

This just took an unexpected turn. “Well, I guess you can.”

“You sound sss-surprised.” Lamia judged his expression.

“I didn’t expect you to be willing to form an alliance, we didn’t have a good

start after all.”

“We didn’t?”

It seemed that she thought otherwise.

“No. Well, yes… What I mean is you are escorting me out of the cave
system.”

“Isn’t this-sss what you asked for, sss?”

“Yes… But If I can I would like to visit your place.”

“No!” Lamia said firmly. “First I sss-see those fruit trees of yours-sss.”

“Technically, they grow on vines.”

“Whatever.”

“But it's far, and I’m not sure I have food for all of you.”

“No problem, it’s-sss just me going.”

They have reached the exit of the caves. He thanked his luck for it being the
same one he entered, otherwise, he would be quite lost.

Lamia winced at the stray sun rays hitting her face. “Let’s hurry to the
trees.” She urged shielding her face.
He looked at the lamia again, it was obvious she was out of her element.
Her posture was hunched and she kept turning her head as if she expected
to be ambushed at any moment.

“You are quite brave to trust me like that.”

“I ruled you not to be a liar, sss, and I’m a good judge of that.”

“Yet still, you are surrounded by spiders and going who knows where. Does
it not bother you?”

She frowned at the comment in displeasure. “So were you. You were lost in
deep caves, were you afraid at that moment?”

“No, but I had my…”

She cut him off, “So neither am I. I can defend my-sss-elf. I am a warrior
for a reason!”

He had a hunch she was more than just a warrior, regardless of that he
wasn’t trying to agitate her, quite the opposite. “What I wanted to say is that
I admire you.” That didn’t come out right. “I mean, I admire your strength
and resolve. Your ability to trust others is refreshing.”

“Are you trying to flatter me?” she hisses with a tinge of embarrassment on
her face “Why?”

“No, I’m just being honest. And apparently often misunderstood.”

“The barrier between races is not easy to overcome.”

He didn’t expect that nugget of wisdom from her. “I guess you are right.”

The trip back home was one filled with trials and tribulations, but not the
usual kind. To cut a long story short he had made another friend.

“This is it.” He pointed at the blue webs in the distance.

Hundreds upon hundreds of webs on which the vines of TomGrape grew.

“Unbelievable!” Lamia slithered in a hurry to inspect the webs.

“Ah, hey…” He didn’t think that was a good idea. “Wait!”

Lamia ignored him leaving only a trail of crushed leaves behind her. He
didn’t know Lamia could be such fast runners. And despite his worries, the
farm workers chose to ignore the intruder.

“So. Yeah, this is where I grow the fruits.” He said proudly after catching
up to her.

“But there are sss-so many!”

“I know, that’s why I was thinking of trading them.”

“I am sss-sure that can be arranged.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but I would need to sss-speak with my mot… The Queen first-sss.”

“Of course. There is more I would like to show you.”

Finally, he had a chance to gloat about his hard work to someone else, after
all, he was very proud of his farm. So he gave a small tour.

“The cloth you use is also interesting. Does it have magical properties?”

“It doesn’t get dirty, but I don’t think this is magic.”

He displayed what he meant by pouring some muddy water on the fabric,

the muck just slid off.

“It looks-sss like magic, but I wouldn’t know. I don’t have the identification
sss-skill.”

“Me neither. Is it something the Queen would like?”

“I would need to bring the sample.”

“Yeah, sure.”

They went through other bits and bobs on the farm, the only thing he didn’t
show was slug jelly; he didn’t have enough of it even for his personal use
anyway.

After the tour was done, for one reason or the other, lamia didn’t wish to
stay over for the night.

“I must go back-sss to my people.”

“It was a pleasure meeting you.” He smiled yet was slightly sad to part with
his newly made friend. “See you soon?”

“Sss-soon, yes.”

“Well then, if you must go, please let my guys escort you.”

“No, need.”

“I mean, they’re going that way anyway. Making a delivery you see.”

“A delivery.” Lamia looked with one eyebrow raised. “To whom-sss?”

He had forgotten a small detail he had found from this lamia during their
travel chat and almost made a critical mistake. To put it mildly, Lamia
didn’t like Kobolds.

“Erm… To my other allies.”

There was a pout on the lamia’s face but it disappeared in seconds and was
replaced by an expressionless stone-like poker face.

“I didn’t know you had allies-sss already.”

He shrugged. “My goods are just that popular.”

“It makes sss-sense. Then I must hurry and report back.”

She didn’t even wait for his spiders to escort her, which perhaps, was for
the better.

He was sitting on his ‘throne’ and was doing a lot of thinking. If he wanted
to grow his kingdom he needed to make allies, but there were a lot of issues
with that. Obvious issues:

He understood that most people would dislike him just for ruling over
spiders; King of spiders just sounded menacing. Which was so unfair,
spiders were the best workers he could ask for.

He understood that others would judge him just for the fact that he lived in
The Dreaded Place; The name alone sounded like trouble. He also
understood that he had next to none of the experience needed in being a
King and engaging in complex matters such as diplomacy. Just look at what
happened with the Elves.

“How can I make this work?” He pondered out loud. “I want others to see
that I am not a threat. I want to be able to form strong alliances. I want to be
seen as equal, as a man to man and as a King to King. I want to be liked. I
need that natural charm.”

“Au-Ra. Perk.” A chirpy voice suggested.

He had almost forgotten that his most trusted advisor (ex-Jester) was there
in the throne room.

“An Aura Perk?” He asked unsure if such a thing even existed.

“Kings. Au-Ra. You. Have. It.”

That was wonderful praise, but it was clear he had no such perks.

[Perk Chaos Blessed activated.]

[Perk Aura Projection obtained.]

“Eh!” He screamed out in shock. The Chaos perk was broken, what sort of
perk just randomly assigned him more perks? “I’ve just gotten the perk.”

“You. Had. It. All. Along.” The spider reaffirmed confidently.

He activated the perk receiving a proper message and all, but he didn’t feel
any different.

“Can you feel anything?” He asked his best advisor.

The spider moved from side to side and then shook its head.

“Hmm… I want to be seen as good and trustworthy.” He tried to project

such concepts as an aura.

“Yes. I. Feel. Aura of Frie-Nd.”

“Realy? But did it work? I will try something else.”

He did a 180 and wanted to appear as a monster, something threatening; it

was quite vague this time.

“Sss-Sca-Ry.”

“It worked! I can be as complex or as vague as I want, but it still works. He

can project all sorts of Auras. Isn’t it OP?”

“Is. Go-Ne.”

“Oh? So I need to be actively thinking about it to project the aura properly.

Meh, a small drawback.”

He used the willing subject for further experimentation. By no means this

was mind control or something like that, it was merely a suggestion. The
large spider was scared but not terrified, and even then with some effort, it
was able to disperse the aura completely. If he told the spider about the
effects he tried to project the spider was able to fight it easily, but if he
remained quiet or lied, the spider found it much harder to dispel the aura.
Also, it was quite versatile, it could be used to unbalance his opponent
(Scary Aura, Anger Aura), or it could be used to enhance the mood of others
(Happiness Aura). Furthermore, it could even be used to communicate
emotions or induce them into others. If he wanted others to know that he for
example is anxious he could project an anxious aura. And the more anxious
he truthfully was the stronger the skill would be.

The communication of emotions was where the strength of the perk was in.
He could be fake or truthful about the emotion, however, if he was truthful
it was so much stronger. To tell ‘I love you’ without telling you in words –
was the real strength of this skill. He did just that to the spider, in a platonic
way of course; he loved all of his spiders.

The result was interesting.

The spider made a buzzing sound like a bee and began to dance in an odd
but adorable way.

“Tha-Nk, Y-ou!”

“No, you say ‘I love you too’.” He corrected.

“This. Is. Lo-ve?”

“Yeah, sort of.” He became kind of embarrassed about the whole thing.
“You are like… kind of… like my child. So yeah.”

“You. Must. Show. Others!”

He was able to understand the spider's words better than before. He

wondered if his language comprehension perk levelled up or something.

“I don’t know. I feel uncomfortable about this.”

“You. Must.”

It was clear the spider wasn’t asking, so he went outside and began
projecting the aura of ‘I love you’. The spiders began flocking to him in
hordes and chirped in unison.

He felt like a pop star on a stage, like the Pope in a mass, like the King in
front of his subjects. The spiders were were totally charmed charmed by his
presence. It felt good to have such a positive welcome, he felt adored by his
people –­ a dream come true.

It wouldn’t have worked so well if he expressed himself only with words.

Aura projection, even if it was just a suggestion in another’s mind, was still
a powerful perk, and maybe, quite dangerous.
 13.5

The elf high chief released the air from his chest sharply, it came out heavy
and strained; he didn’t know he was that tense.

“The menace is gone!”

He could see the archers relax as if a heavy burden no longer pressed on

their shoulders. Cheers resounded within the wall. He, however, didn’t feel
all too joyous at all.

“We won the battle but not the war. The devouring spiders be back and we
must remain vigilant.” He tried to drill a simple fact into the young elven
minds.

However, he knew that the people needed a small respite and a celebration
to ease the anxious soul. He left the young to party and left for the ancestral
tree hall.

There the venerable elders were still pouring through texts, looking for
answers.

“Anything?” He asked hopefully.

An elder shook his head. “There are some spells we can utilise, but nothing
to guaranty our survival.”

“The evil is at our walls, I will take whatever help I can.”

An old and wrinkly scroll was pressed into his hand. It described a ritual to
summon dryads, a type of forest spirit.
“With the forest guardian dead this won't be easy.” The chief grabbed for
his chest still mourning the loss.

An elder looked with compassion. “The monster knows what it’s doing,
that’s why they killed It first.”

The chief needed The Guardian to bless the ritual, but it was gone… The
Guardian Spirit will reincarnate with time, but that might take years.

“Lesser dryads will have to do.”

“But that is dangerous” The elder cautioned.

“But we are desperate.”

Without The Guardian's blessing, the dryads he summoned would not only
be weaker but harder to command.

“I’ll go and get ready for the ritual.”

The chief didn’t want or need to be interrupted right now, but the messenger
was persistent in her urgency.

“High chief you have to see it!” She demanded.

“You already told me it’s not dangerous. So I don’t care about them pretty
baubles and distractions.” In other words, he had no interest in the ‘gifts’
the evil monster left.

“But! Just come and have a look.”

It didn’t look like she would leave him, and his concentration was gone
anyway. “Fine!” He agreed and stomped in discontent to the hall.

There on a long table were the ‘gifts’. At first look it didn’t look like
anything offensive, just some fruits and cloth. No, it was quite plain, so
maybe the monster was trying to offend him by giving simple gifts fit only
for the slaves. Whatever… he leaned to inspect the fruit.

“[Inspect]” he invoked a skill. “Well, it’s not cursed or poisonous.

Actually…”

“We already tried some. They are delicious.”

That wasn’t very smart of the scout, but he was alive so the chief couldn’t
say anything except for, “The fruits are magical. Where did he get them?
I’ve never seen this kind before. Did the elders check the texts?”

“They did, they don’t know where it came from.”

“They couldn’t come from the jungle, nothing grows there.” He stated a
simple fact.

“Here, check this out.”

A roll of cloth was pressed into his hands. It was vivid blue and pleasant to
the touch, but there was something about it.

“[Inspect]” He invoked.

[Blue Cloth] an item made out of magic-resistant StemLeaf and enchanted

with the dust of BlueDust flowers giving it a signature blue colour. Possible
passive effects: [Magic Resistance], [Dirt Resistance]

He didn’t know what these StemLeaf or BlueDust were but those were the
least of the things that bothered him.

“This is an enchanted cloth!”

The elves surrounding the table nodded in agreement understanding the

chief’s emotions perfectly.

“That can’t be…” such items are very rare, and for a reason. “And there is
so much of it.” He looked at the cloth rolls displayed on the table. There
was enough of it for a king's ransom.
Then he realised. “The reports! The scouts told us that all of the spiders are
cloaked in this cloth!”

“No!” The other elves realised that too. “This means…”

“The spiders are now much harder to kill.” He broke the bad news.

The arrows were imbued with magic, meaning that such magic probably
wouldn’t work anymore.

“But they can’t be impervious to arrows, we still stand a chance.”

He had to remain hopeful. Yet…

“From all of this, I can only assume that this evil has a sponsor.” The high
chief added fuel to the fire.

“But who?”

“Who else. The Demon Lord!”

Everyone gasped. “The Demon Lord…” Elves whispered to each other.

“No…”

“I should have known. This makes perfect sense now. The Demon Lord
must be alive and well, he had been plotting this for hundreds of years.”

“Can we still win?” An elf asked with worry.

“We must!”

The high chief rubbed his throbbing temples, this was just too much. His
best scout was missing, forget that, his scouts were going missing left and
right. He was at a point where he risked losing either all of his scouts or the
precious info on the advancing forces of evil.
“High Chief! High Chief!” An errand girl was shouting with a big smile on
her face.

Finally some good news. “What is it?”

“The Master Scout is back!”

“But I thought he died.”

“No, he is alive.”

The girl dragged an elderly man way too fast. There it was the Master
Scout, haggard but alive. The elder went to hug the man.

“High Chief, I am sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“I… I saw that monster eating our deity and… I lost it… I ran away.”

The elder frowned. He knew the Forest Guardian, the spirit they all
worshipped, was dead, but he didn’t know the monster ate it. This was
disturbing.

“It’s Okay, we are all scared. I don’t expect you to be perfect.”

The Scout shook his head. “No, I did wrong. However… This is a long
story, but I met other elves from other forests. They have their own
prophecies and are worried too.”

The Scout delayed but clearly wanted to ask for something.

“Spit it out.”

“They are at our border, asking for the permission to enter.”

“This is unusual.” He didn’t expect that, the elven communities often stuck
to their own staying away from other tribe’s businesses. “But, of course, I
will welcome them.”
“There is more…”

The chief motioned for the scout to continue.

“They will help, they will send their forces to us, but we have to provide
proof of the evil.”

“Proof? What proof do they need? They can go and see with their own
eyes!”

“And they would likely never return to tell the tale. They don’t know the
forest and the jungle like we do. We must show them the devouring spider,
show them that it can be killed.”

This was an interesting idea, with many holes in it.

“We haven’t killed any yet, but, I guess, this is the time to bite back.”

The high chief agreed.

“Thank you chief, I know we can do it! I go get them and ready the hunt.”

The shout left in a rush.

“I better finish this ritual, the elves on their own will not be enough for
this.”

He went back to drawing a large circle, in this circle there were hundreds of
trees in the rough shape of people.
 14

The farm was expanding more than just in the amount of fields; over five
hundred spiders were working on various tasks. With new births came more
exp. [Farming +2500exp].

[Congratulations! You have reached Farming lvl. 3]

[Requirements have been met. Hidden perk unlocked.]

[Perk Evolve obtained.]

“Evolve? This sounds OP.”

He was excited to try the new perk.

“What should I test this on?”

He grabbed a pebble. “Evolve!” Obviously, nothing happened.

“Yeah, as expected. I need to try this on the TopGrape.” He left the throne
room and ran towards the fields.

There on the blue web was an innocent and unsuspecting TopGrape vine. “I
am about to change your life, plant. Evolve!” He invoked the perk.

“Hah!” He breathed out sharply. “Oh boy.” The fatigue hit like a tsunami
and his vision went dark.

“Where am I?” He blinked the drowsiness away. “In my bed, huh, but
wasn’t I.”
The trustworthy advisor was by his side. “I see, you brought me back. I feel
better now, thanks. But what happened to the plant?”

“Plant?” The spider chirped.

“Yeah. Let’s go and see.”

He wobbled out of his bed still unsteady and towards the fields.

There it was, the plant evolved. It changed so much that it stood out from
the rest of its kind. The vines were thick like an arm, they were blue like the
ropes used to make the webs. It was astonishing that the rope proved to be
strong enough to support the plant, or maybe the vine being that thick didn’t
need the web anymore at all. On the vine grew equally blue leaves in the
shape of triangles and the size of a head.

He tried to pluck the large leaf. “Stubborn aren’t you.” He was unable to.
He couldn’t even tear it and it was resistant to bending.

Okay, eventually he tore it off. “This is stronger than cardboard but weaker
than plywood.” He tried to compare distant memories in his head; In reality,
the leaf was unlike the two. “This will definitely be useful.”

If he managed to straighten them out, he would have thin but sturdy sheets.

“Enough of these leaves, what am I even doing.” The highlight of the plant
was bulbous purple fruits growing right under the leaves. They were the
size of a melon. “I wonder how will this taste.”

He tried to bite, but was unable to, like a melon it had a shell. “I should
have expected this.” He had to cut it in half with a knife. When he stabbed,
there was a lot of pressure build-up and the fruit sprayed juices in a jet; the
jet hit him directly in the face. He heard his advisor making a short
suppressed laugh from behind. Finally, he cut some flesh and right into the
mouth it went. “Mmm… This is different.” It tasted like grapes but not
quite.

He cut some more to offer to the spider.

Spider? – No. There was a whole platoon of them now.

“I guess you want o try some too. Go ahead, help yourselves.”

Spiders crawled all over the vine-web and began devouring the fruits in
gusto. With the knowledge that soon none will be left, he finished the one in
his hand.

[You recovered 10MP.]

“Interesting.” He still didn’t have access to a mage class or anything like

that, but for some reason, he felt much less wobbly and tired now.

“I am sure I have MP and HP values but for some reason I just can’t invoke
my status.” There was no menu for him to access. “I can’t even interact
with the system.”

He wondered if he was some sort of exception in this world. Either he

didn’t have the full access or there was no proper system yet. “If only there
was someone I could ask!” He raised his fists into the air from frustration.

“Do you have a mysterious System? Akashic records? Voice of The Word?”
He asked his advisor.

“What. Is. System?” It questioned back.

“Nah. I don’t think you have it…”

He dismissed the small frustration and instead went back to what mattered,
which was appreciating the new magical plant he had just evolved.

“You must look after this one. It is precious.”

“Un-Der-Stood.”

“Also, we need more of it.” The fact that all of the fruits were now eaten
didn’t help. “So, please wait for the fruits to grow back.”

“Un-Der-Stood.”
…

He ended up naming the plant PurpleM because it was purple and helped
to recover mana points.

The newly acquired perk was so OP, it was a shame not to use it. However,
it seemed it had some consequences.

“I was out cold for two days…” He didn’t realise it at first, but this was
true.

Regardless, there was this little imaginary spider on his shoulder,

whispering sweet words into his ear.

‘Do it, you will be fine.’

‘Use the skill on your spiders.’

‘Evolve them.’

“They’re living creatures what if the perk will harm them.”

‘They will grow stronger!’

“What if they change too much, turn into something twisted.”

‘Twisted? Ha-ha-ha’ the devious imaginary spider began to cackle. “As if

they aren’t already…’

He didn’t let it finish and swatted the hallucination away. “No!” The spiders
were just too precious.

And anyway, they were already capable of natural evolution. The creatures,
not all, but some were already capable of speech.

“However…” There was a suitable candidate.

He went into the fields of BlueDust flowers. He wasn’t here to evolve the
deadly flower, which probably wouldn’t go too well anyway. He was here
for Johny.

“Hello.” He picked up the not-so-little slug. “You are precious too, but…
Johny, you have to evolve.” He gave the slug no choice. “Evolve!” He
invoked the perk.

“Bitter vines and rotten fruits!” He swore after he realised it.

His vision began to dim and he was deep in the BlueDust flower field; the
field his spiders were unable to access because of the debuff the dust
caused.

“Johny! Go get help!” He put the slug down at the same time he collapsed
to his knees.

[Warning: Extreme Mana deficiency.]

‘Why did even the Farming perk use MP? It makes no sense!’ He wanted
to complain to whoever designed this, but instead passed out.

“Uhh! I feel like I just took a shower of rocks.” He complained in a

wheezing voice.

His mouth was dry, and his throat hurt. Everything was sore.

“I feel like I am a hundred and twenty-five.”

Despite that, he rose from his bed.

“I see, you managed to recover me successfully. Thanks” He bowed to his

ever-dependable advisor. “Where is Johny?”

“Johny?” Spider turned his head as if not sure.

“Yeah, Johny the slug. Where did you think all that sweet slug jelly come
from?” He crossed his arms unhappily suspecting that his advisor was
trying to play a jest on him.
The spider, however, did the equivalent of a spider ‘I don’t know’ shrug.

“Anyway, off to the fields!”

His legs felt shaky, and the short trip was exhausting, but he had to see it.
And oh how unprepared he was for the sight.

“I… Just… Johny is this you?” He couldn’t believe it. “Are you even
Okay?”

Let’s be honest, slugs aren’t the prettiest creatures in the world; this one
isn’t different. The evolution enhanced this natural slug ‘charm’. If he had
access to the system it would probably tell that Johny had negative 100
charm status.

He stared at the transformed slug wishing that the sight would be censored.

Johny was as big as him now, and still very much transparent and a slug.
Some of the organs were not transparent and he could see exactly what and
were made this slug tick. The slug had tiny arms with three fingers for each
hand, and on its belly were rows of teets to dispense that sweet slug jelly.
Most importantly, it had something akin to a face now, and it was deep into
the uncanny valley territory; from the top of Johny’s head stretched two
tentacles with big green eyes staring right into the soul of his.

“I’m. Okay.”

The slug replied. THE SLUG REPLIED! “No way! You can speak?”

“I’m. Okay.” It repeated. “I’m. Okay. I’m. Okay. I’m. Okay.” It repeated
again and again.

Despite the otherwise unorthodox appearance, the voice was pleasant. The
tone was sweet and mellow. With practice, Johny could be an excellent
singer.

“I’m glad this worked well. So… umm… Do you mind if I…” It was not
proper but. “Milk you.” He had to taste that jelly.
“Okay.” Johny puffed the underside proudly.

The jelly sacks expanded and then contracted to leak the substance.

Some things are not meant to be spoken or written, or even thought about.
What matters is that he now had no less than six jugs of slug jelly. He
scooped some with his finger and gave a taste.

“Noice!” It was the same old jelly, the one everyone loved so much.

Probably for the best, if the recipe worked, why change it. Now of course,
with the bigger slug, he will have more jelly.

As expected the spiders were already waiting for his return; the jelly was
that popular.

A little tiny spider, a baby one, offered him PurpleM fruit as a trade.

“Aren’t you cute?” He cut the fruit and ate it.

The +10 mana recovery made his throbbing headache so much better.

“This might be the cure I needed. I need more.” He patted the little farmer.
“Wait if the fruits are back, how long was I out?”

“Six. Days.” Another farmer replied politely.

“Six days? How I am even alive?!” He grabbed for his head. “No, isn’t it
high time to check on Kobolds? Did the Lamia return?” He began to panic.

“Trading. Expedition. Return. Soon.” The spider informed him.

“And the Lamia?”

The farmer did a spider shrug.

“I guess, there is nothing to worry about…” True or not he tried to calm

down.
The little baby farmer was back with more fruit.

“Oh, thanks.” He nibbled at the fruits, his head clearer with each bite.

“If the Lamia come back, shouldn't we, greet their delegation?” he asked
rhetorically. “I better do the prep now, I don’t want to mess this up.”

He began to brainstorm on what he needed to make this a success.

Forgetting all the pots of slug jelly he left for the throne room. The throne
room of course was just a shack with a flimsy chair.

“That won’t do.” This was long overdue for an upgrade.

Luckily he won’t need to do it alone. He had the builders and his advisor for
help. With him supervising the spiders began working. The old building,
including his bedroom, was torn down and rebuilt from the ground up.

The structure was still very much like a spider nest but it was now the
largest building in the entire village. The outside didn’t look like much, just
an oval dome, but the inside was a different matter. He had wooden floors,
columns and even some decorations. The builders managed to incorporate
triangular PurpleM leaves into the wall, which made a nice blue wallpaper.
From the ceiling hung by ropes were hanging dried TomFruit shells, they
were purely decorative. There was even a rug, if you could call it such, it
was ropes woven together to make a sturdy sheet-like mat, it stretched from
the entrance all the way to the throne. It wasn't the purple carpet the royalty
would use, no, it was better; more suited for the spiders and their legs.

The throne, however, was still just a chair. That one he wanted to craft
himself. In his mind, he imagined a large throne clad in obsidian chip
mosaic. He wanted to make it spooky, imposing even. Being friendly and
welcoming was all good, but the king shouldn’t be seen as weak and he was
the Kng of Spiders so the throne had to be appropriate. Of course, there
won’t be any skulls littering the base of the throne or anything like that.

In the end, he settled for a simple design. First, using the pieces of obsidian
eggshells he made a sphere, which was very much like the eggs the spiders
were born just many times bigger. Inside that sphere, in the opening, he
constructed a throne. It was large and jagged making it appear as if carved
directly from crystal. It came out a bit too dark with all that glass-like
obsidian, to change it he layered the inside of the sphere with blue leaf
wallpaper and embroidered the seat of the throne in cloth.

He sat down on the completed throne.

“I call this the King’s Egg.” He named the throne.

A few builders who were doing the remaining bits and bobs chirped to him
in small cheers to help to celebrate.

“Hmm… I need to practise this. Let's hold a mock audience. My subjects,

gather!” He instructed.

The builders looked at him inquisitively and then ran outside.

“No, don’t run away… They ran to invite everyone didn’t they?”

It was hard to be a king.

 15

He had plenty of time to practise Aura Projection, the spiders reacted well
to it and he was getting a hang of the perk. Every morning he would put on
Kings Aura and make his spiders do a report on their activities. It was a
win-win, the spiders would have a chance to practise their speech skills and
he his Aura. In the midday, he would visit the hardest workers of them all
and put on Friendliness Aura and then give them honest praise. The words
of course were not enough, so he rewarded the hard work with a bonus slug
jelly portion.

And in the evening… He had that for himself and his various crafting
projects. At the moment he was working on a new set of armour, it was
coming along well but far from finished. The other project, however, was
complete.

In the beginning, he was unsure what to do with the white pelt he had
obtained from that squirrel creature. That was until he realised how hard the
seat of his throne was. So he turned it into a bag and stuffed it with filling.
The pelt he used was named [Guardian’s Pelt], some sort of unique item,
he didn’t know why it was called so or why it was unique; the only thing it
will guard is his rear from hard surfaces.

[You have crafted divine pillow, by default it is of legendary quality.

Crafting +1000exp.]

“Ah… Okay.” He was speechless.

He inspected the item in his hand, to him it was just a stuffed bag. Well, the
fur was shiny white and softer than silk, but he didn’t think it was worthy of
divine or legendary titles.
“I should give this a try.”

He pushed an old cloth cushion away from the seat and put the divine
pillow on, and then sat on it.

“Oh. Yeah, I see.” It definitely felt different.

He couldn’t put it to words but his ass was feeling blessed.

[Temporary perk Increased Authority obtained.]

“What? Why? You know what, I don’t care. Thanks, system!” The system
worked in mysterious ways.

He was happy with the item, actually, he was so motivated he didn’t want to
wait another day to see what [Apex Fang] could give him. The fang was
destined to be a weapon, it was too short for a sword but long enough for a
short blade. Instead, he decided to stick with what he knew and began
crafting a spear. He used the design he knew.

[You have crafted apex spear of superior quality. Crafting +250exp.]

Was he disappointed? – No!

“This is by far the best weapon I possess.” He tried thrusting and swinging
it. It felt just natural.

And it came with a bonus: [Apex Spear: +10% fear factor. ]

“All I need is to finish my new armour.”

A spider messenger ran into his workshop, the taps were quick and rushed.

“Hello.” It chirped a greeting.

He turned to look noticing the fidgety spider, he knew that something of

significance had happened. “Yes?”

“La-Mia.”
“And here you worried me for a second. Where are they?”

The spider turned around and sprinted out of the workshop.

“Hey wait for me.” He ran after the messenger.

Apparently, there was a lot of running which needed to be done, the Lamia
were at the edge of the clearing which was at least three miles away from
where he was at the moment. On his way back he met the trade expedition,
the one he sent out to Kobolds.

“Hey you are back, how did it go?”

The expedition leader stretched an arm-like appendage and handed a tiny

cloth sack. He quickly opened it, it was full of emeralds. There was just too
much.

“Did they get greedy and want to buy all of our fruits?”

“More. Fruit.” The spider confirmed.

“I’m glad you did so well at negotiating, but this is just too much. You
know what, just give them what they asked. I will deal with it later.”

“Un-Der-Stood.” The spider chirped and went towards the storage

buildings.

He could see Lamia in the distance, the whole lot of them. There were at
least fifty lamias gathered here. The gathering was a familiar one, just
lamias wearing nothing but loincloths and wielding long spears in their
hands. However, there was one which stood out like a sore thumb from the
rest.

The lamia in question was larger than the others and white as snow. Her
scales, skin and hair all were pale white, only her eyes were red. She was
also wearing a lot of jewellery all over: bracelets, necklaces, rings and
piercings, all sorts. By her side were much smaller lamias, half the size of
warriors, they were unarmed and from the fact that they held a huge
umbrella over the big lamia the little ones were likely servants.
He approached the lamia, he could feel all of them looking at him with
burning intensity. It was worth mentioning that, he didn’t have his guards
behind him, nor his advisor, he didn’t even wear armour or brought a spear.
He wore plain pants and a shirt he had crafted ages ago. He understood all
of this slightly too late, maybe he didn’t have appropriate attire but he had
his perk. He projected a King's Aura with the highest intensity he could
manage and closed the distance.

The judging looks Lamia were giving, didn't ease, they only burned in
intensity. They were just ogling him without even uttering a single word.
Within his group, he recognised a familiar friend, the friendly lamia from
before. He looked at her for help, but she just turned her head down as if in
an apology.

It was up to him to break the silence.

“Greetings and salutations!” He greeted. “I am… The King of Spiders.” He

decided to roll with the title he gave himself. “Welcome to my dominion:
The Dreaded Place.” He winced at the ominous name, after all, he couldn’t
change it. “And you must be, no one else but the Lamia Queen.” He only
guessed.

“That I am-sss.” She gave a curt bow. “May I, sss, enter your domain?”

“Yes, of course. You are welcome here, we have so much to discuss.”

“That we do, sss.”

He guided the procession towards the newly build throne room. There was
quite a distance and plenty of time to make small talk, however, the Queen
and her subjects were too busy ogling the surrounding fields and structures.
Actually, he could take advantage of that so he projected the Aura of Awe.
The lamias began to whisper between each other and several times the
Queen had to shush her subjects. He didn’t know why she preferred them to
be quiet, some sort of Lamia custom or etiquette, either way, he was in no
position to butt in.
Finally, they entered the throne room. The Lamia Queen had to crouch to fit
through the entrance, which was slightly embarrassing, he will tell the
spiders to make it larger. Luckily the throne room was built like a large hall
with a high ceiling, all of them fit there nicely.

He sat on the throne. “Please feel at home and if you need anything just
ask.”

He realised that he left his guest standing, but there was a small conundrum.
These were lamias, he didn't know how their tails would be compatible with
standard furniture.

“Ehem.” He cleared his throat and changed his aura to that of a good host.
“Let me provide the refreshments first.”

He whispered to his best advisor who just found the way back to his side
minutes again; just in time.

The spiders rushed from all over, the sides, the walls, and even the ceilings.
In a matter of seconds, a long table was constructed, a blue cloth laid over
it, and on top of it fruits were arranged in neat stacks.

Even he was impressed by this performance.

“Please help yourself.” He encouraged.

The Queen took a bite of the fruit, he did the same. He just wished she was
a bigger talker, it was still uncomfortably silent.

“Let’s talk about the alliance, I assume you are here for that, yes?”

“Yes-sss, I’ve forgotten-sss.”

That reply surprised him, she didn’t look like a birdbrain. She was a snake!

“So can we make a trade, do I have something you want?”

“Yes-sss. The fruit. They are sss-splendid and nourishing, and magic, sss.
We want-sss them.”
“Brilliant.” If only he didn’t empty half of the storage to please the
Kobolds. “And the cloth, would that be something you are interested in?”
He pointed at the tablecloth.

The weavers had learned several different weaving patterns, the tablecloth
was anything but plain. And these Lamia could use some clothes, he would
lie if he said it didn’t bother him.

“The cloth? [Inspect]”

The eyes of the queen popped out ruining her otherwise pretty face.

“We can’t-sss, it’s too expensive.”

“Well, I didn’t name a price, did I.”

“No… the fruit, they must be expensive too.”

He wasn’t quite sure where the Queen was going with it, it was just not
true. So he gave her an odd look; which of course she misunderstood for
something else.

“There was an incident, our resources are sss-strained, sss-so we don’t have
much to trade.”

It didn’t look like it, she was drowning in jewellery. He changed the aura to
the equivalent of an Aura of Trust.

Right before he could ask for more details Lamia Queen opened up. “We
don’t have much food, sss, our mushroom fields-sss were devastated by
The Great Worm of Oberon. No, the sss-situation is quite dire. We are
sss-starving.”

“Wow.” Too much information. “I didn’t know you had it that bad.” He
could understand why the Lamia were so tense the first time he met them,
they were vulnerable. “I can make a discount. What do you have for trade?
Any samples I can see?”
“We have some-sss.” She clapped her hands, and a little servant produced a
tiny bag.

The little lamia servant seemed panicked for a moment but in the end, she
pushed the bag to the random spider. The spider brought it to him. He
opened the bag, there were some glass, precious gems, and some carved
figurines out of bone.

He didn’t need more baubles that’s for sure, he needed practical items. His
expression must have betrayed what he thought.

“No, good? I figured-sss, you have a rich kingdom. What use do you have
in our alliance? None-sss.”

“Ah… That’s not true! Friends are important because friends are there in
tough times. I want this alliance, and I will help you. You can have the fruits
for free, but don’t take more than you need.” He stood from the throne and
gave the bag back to the little servant.

The servant girl wasn’t that little, she was almost as tall as him, and the
Queen was just huge. Lamia might not be good farmers, but they had strong
individuals for sure and their warriors seemed capable.

“I’m sure you will help me when I’m in trouble, right? Consider this
alliance sealed.”

“Are you sss-sure?”

“Positive, I can even tell my spiders to carry the sacks for you. So do I have
your trust and friendship?”

“You do-sss.” The queen smiled a toothy smile at him.

“Do we need to sign something?” But then he remembered that he had

neither ink nor paper. “Sorry, lets just shake on it.” He stretched an arm.

“Sign? A contract?” The Queen asked, her voice tinged with fright, but it
disappeared just as quick as it appeared. “Yes, I agree.” She offered her
arm.
He grabbed the appendage, the hand was big, and the nails sharp, and even
if it was cold he could feel no hostility in the shake.

“Deal done. So why don’t we relax a bit, and know each other better.” He
whispered to his advisor to bring the good stuff out, the slug jelly and
PurpleM fruits. “Tell me more about this Great Worm of Oberon.”
 16

Meeting the Lamia Queen was a pleasure, once she opened up she was a
likeable person. And it was sad to hear about their troubles. That god-awful
Worm devastated their food supply and apparently was a formidable
opponent. To defeat it the Lamia Queen would need to send all of her
warriors and even then victory was not guaranteed. Instead, they opted for
waiting for the worm to leave; it would do so after it engorged itself just
enough.

In turn for the help provided the Queen asked him if he wanted to see
Lamia Village.

“Of, course I do! Let’s just load your fruit and we are ready to go.” The
overfilled warehouses were now mostly empty, but this wasn't a bad thing.

Just as he was about to leave with the Lamia, he saw his spiders carrying
something big. It piqued his interest, but then it got close enough he found
himself frowning.

“What happened?” He ran to the spider.

A spider was carrying a spider scout on his back, the scout was dead. His
spiders were not immortal, actually, they had short but happy lives; they
would die by the second time they laid eggs. So he didn’t want to jump to
conclusions. However…

“Attack.” The spider chirped in a sad tone.

“By whom? Forrest beasts? Maybe letting you guys scout the forest wasn’t
the best idea.”
He only did that because he wanted the vegetables growing there for a more
varied diet.

“Elves.”

“Elves? Well, I should have known it; we’re in their territory. But why can’t
they just share a bit, we don’t take too much.” At this point, he was just
complaining out loud to nobody in particular.

“Elves-sss attacked you?” The Queen must have overheard that

conversation.

“Ah.” He sighed. “I didn’t tell you but I’m not in the best relationship with
them. You don’t need to worry yourself with that.”

“They attacked you, killed your people-sss!” The Queen sounded more
upset than him. “Are you letting them get away with this?”

She was right. He ought to protect his people, but doing so would only
cause more death, that’s why he hesitated.

“I don’t want to escalate things. I will just pull out of their forest.”

“Their forest? Who decided that-sss?”

He didn’t have an answer to that.

“Let me tell you sss-something as a ruler to another ruler. Don’t be too kind
because your kindness-sss can be seen as weakness-sss.”

He knew what she was implying, but it came out a bit two-faced.

“They will grow bold. Attack you and take what is yours-sss that’s why you
need…”

“You’re right I need to protect my people. But war – I don’t desire.”

Lamia seemed thoughtful for a moment. “We are allies and allies help each
other in tough times-sss. Let me lend you my sss-strength.”
He looked at the Queen in surprise.

“Take these-sss with you and sss-see what elves’sss do.”

Five Lamia warriors slithered towards him. They stood tall and firm with
their heads high as if proud of the assignment.

“I understand. The elves might have no problem attacking spiders but

attacking Lamia too…”

“Yes-sss.”

Attaching a lamia too would mean that elves would declare war not only on
spiders but Lamia as well, plus this would show that he had allies to come
to his aid if elves kept antagonising him.

“Splendid, I will treat your warriors well.”

There was one issue, however, one of the warriors was the friendly lamia
from before and he was sure by now that she was more than a warrior.

He looked at the familiar face who smiled at him.

“But, what if your people get hurt?”

Lamia frowned. “What are you sss-saying? They are sss-strong, they are
here to do their jobs-sss.”

“And how about her?” He pointed at the suspect.

“Sss-so you can tell. She’s-sss my daughter, but she’s one of many. Let her
sss-stay, unless you have no use of her, sss.”

“No, no, I wasn’t implying anything like that. Of course, she can stay, I
know she is a splendid warrior.”

“When I sss-shall go. Come and sss-see our village, when you can.” The
Queen summarised that she will leaving her daughter to ward off the elves.
He wondered if he should go with the Queen to investigate the Worm. The
spiders knew what they were doing and could manage the farms on their
own. Actually, he needed to go now more than ever. There was something
he needed from the mountains – metal ore.

“I shall accompany you, but I don’t think I can spare my spiders now, I
need numbers to protect the scouts.”

He told the spiders to unload the cargo from their backs.

“I apologise, but you will have to carry this yourself.”

“No problem, I understand-sss.”

The Lamia took three sacks each, it looked heavy but they also were much
bigger than the spiders. He still felt bad making them do the heavy lifting,
the trip was a long one after all. He donned his armour and took the newly
crafted Apex Spear with him.

Before he left he spoke with the five lamias and told them to work with his
scouts and explorers and protect them. They readily agreed to be on
bodyguard duty, however, the friendly lamia seemed a bit sad he wasn’t
staying in the village.

In other words, he trusted his spiders, especially his advisor, and the lamia
to handle this in an appropriate way. He didn’t need to micromanage
everything – the boon of having intelligent workers at hand.

Before he went to the Lamia Village he excused himself. The timing and the
place were bad, if he didn’t have Convincing Aura he wouldn’t be able to
pull it off, but he had to see Kobold's leader. Moreover, he couldn’t tell
Lamia about the Kobolds because the two hated each other.

The reason him needing to see the Kobolds was simple: they were better
diggers than Lamia, actually, lamia wasn't into digging at all. He needed
ores and the kobolds could dig them.
In the end he was lucky to catch up with the trading expedition, the one he
had seen going off before. Of course, Kobolds will still get their fruits but
he didn’t want more emeralds.

Then he approached the camp kobolds ran to his spiders filling the cave
with cheers. He didn’t know they liked TomGrape fruits so much. They
were so distracted by looting the fruits from the sacks, yes looting was the
right word, that they completely ignored him.

“Well, anyway, I am here to see the leader.” He tried to remember where the
leader's burrow was.

He found it no problem and then gave a loud knock on the dirt wall. “Hello,
It is I the Spider King.”

“Eek.” The kobold yelped in surprise.

There was rustling and shuffling, and even the sound of pots shattering but
the kobold came.

“Yes, Spider King.” The Kobold dusted off its dirty tunic.

“I’m here to discuss our trade.”

“Yes?”

“Any way you can give me metal ores instead of emeralds?”

“Emeralds? Oh, shiny rocks! But shiny rocks are valuable and dull rocks
useless. What for do you need dull rocks? There is plenty in the wall you
can just take them.”

“No, I need ores, to melt them into metal ingots.”

“I know metal. You can’t smelt here, the smoke would kill, need to go deep
in the mountain and use the Sea of Fire.”

“Well, I won’t be smelting in the caves. So can you dig it for me?”
The kobold shrugged. “Will we still get our fruits?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then we dig dull rocks for you. Simple.”

Was it really that simple?

“Can you show me the metal ores, do you have any around?”

“I have some laying somewhere. They often get in our way then we dig
tunnels.”

The leader led him all around the village collecting stray rocks noone
wanted but still had for some reason.

“I think I have enough samples, thank you.”

“You sure you don’t want shiny rocks?”

“Positive.”

“Your weird!” the kobold accused.

“I know, I’m the King of Spiders.” He laughed it off. “Should I come back
and collect the ores then you finish digging it?”

“No need, there is more pilled by the tunnels.”

“Can I just send my spiders to gather them?”

“You can take, it's trash anyway.” The kobold pointed in the distance.
“Follow the tunnel you will find the pile midway.”

“Thanks!”

He sent his spiders to gather the ore in the sacks and then take it to the
village.
What was left was visiting the Lamia Village. But he didn’t know the way!
“What a blunder.” He cursed.

“Leader, Leader where are you?” he went back shouting through the village.

“What?” The kobold emerged his face stained with the TomGrape juice.

He turned his Aura on. “This is a weird request but can you take me to
Lamia territory? Don’t ask why.”

“No, they will eat us!”

“Not too close, just point me in the right tunnel.”

“No.”

The aura must have failed.

“I will send you different kind of fruits, the ones which give you mana
points.”

“MP? Okay!” The kobold did a 180. “Come, come.”

He followed the running kobold. He was surprisingly motivated by extra

MP and so this meant that he knew about mana.

It was a good time to ask. “Hey, do you have access to the System?”

“System?” The kobold tilted it’s head.

“Yeah, like these messages filtering through your mind to tell you earned
exp and perks.”

“Oh, the World Messages. I know of them why?”

“This is weird, but how do I access my status or the list of skills?”

“Say [Status]”
“[Status].” He said it but nothing happened. “I knew it, something is
broken; It doesn’t work.”

“Weird. You’re weird.” Kobold gave a judging look. “Come, come this
way.” He pointed at another tunnel.

“I didn’t expect you to lead me personally, but thanks. Let’s be careful from
now on.”

“Yes, very smart. No more talk.”

Finally, they reached the point where the Kobold was no longer willing to
go any further.

“Danger this way, don’t go.”

“Thanks but I must go.” He waved the kobold a goodbye. “I will be fine.”

The kobold just looked at him as if he was crazy but didn’t say anything.

He went deeper into the tunnel confident that he will find Lamia eventually.
But just in case. “Hello, any lamias around? Hello!” His words echoed.
There was no one to reply so he went even further in and repeated. “Hello?”

“Sss-stop.”

He turned to look at the voice coming from behind. The woman was
obviously Lamia, and she had that hostile look on her face, her spear was
pining at his neck. At this point he just triggered his Aura Projection by
instinct, it was becoming second nature to him.

He smiled at the lamia. “I am the King of Spiders. I was invited to visit

your village but had a small errand to do first.”

Lamia bowed deeply. “I have heard of you King of sss-Spiders. Follow.”

They went through maze-like tunnels. If not for Lamia he would be lost
already. They exited the narrow tunnel into the larger cave. On the floor of
the cave was covered by shoots of brown mushrooms, he had seen those
before, the ones here weren’t just growing randomly, they were being
cultivated.

Lamia servants, or should he call them lamia farmers, were pouring

something looking like liquefied mulch on the mushrooms. There was quite
a smell coming of it, but this was how farming was so he didn’t judge them.

“Those are hard workers.” He praised the Lamia.

“Sss-sh.” Lamia shushed him again. “Not so loud.”

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble, stray pebbles were falling from the
ceiling. He saw the farmers looking up at the ceiling with their faces filled
with anxiety.

“Run!” Lamia warrior shouted to everyone.

“Earthquake?” He looked back towards the lamia warrior for confirmation

but she was already halfway towards a side tunnel.

He ran towards her, the shaking ground made him stumble and fall. It began
shaking so much he couldn’t stand. He cursed his unsteady legs and wished
for a thick serpentine tail. The lamia had left him behind.

The ceiling spat a chunk of rubble and from it a large mouth appeared. The
mouth was filled with rows of hooked teeth, the teeth were half his length
and just as thick. The mouth moved towards the ground, revealing the thick
body of the worm.

“The Great Worm of Oberon!”

The monster was even larger than he had imagined. It had rough and pink
flesh, the flesh was surrounded by tiny clawed arms. Hundreds and
hundreds of tiny appendages were scattered all around its body, they were
clawing at the rock helping the worm to dig and move. The Worm opened
ad closed its humongous mouth, taking huge breaths of air.

Each time it breathed out, the stench of rot became stronger. [De-buff
active: Miasma] ­– This didn’t sound good, however, [Perk Minor
Regeneration activated] this was the temporary perk his armour set gave to
him. The shaking stopped, breathing the air hurt but at least he could walk.

The Worm moved towards the mushroom fields and began devouring them;
soil and all.

‘It’s not interested in me, but for how long?’ He didn’t want to stay and find
out.
 17

The Worm was more interested in him than he previously had thought. It
was moving right towards him with its mouth agape; gobbling up
everything and all in its path.

“Not good!” He grabbed for his backpack and threw it away. His food
rations spilled once it hit the ground.

The little trick had worked and the Worm went for it, buying him precious
time to escape. He ran to the nearest tunnel, reached the entrance and just
kept running without even looking back. The Worm didn’t seem to be
pursuing so he slowed down to a jog.

The Miasma de-buff disappeared, at which point he felt much better. If not
for the temporary perk the armour gave him he didn’t know if he would
have made it. He continued jogging in the tunnel, and out of what must
have been sheer luck he found a group of lamias who were vigilantly
guarding the tunnel exit.

“Hey, It’s me.” He waved at them.

“Come-sss quickly”. They gestured for him to hurry.

The lamia parted and let him into the large cave. This one was larger than
the one Kobolds were living in. In the middle of it, he could see hundreds of
leather tents clustered together.

A small lamia slithered to greet him. “King of Spiders-sss, follow; the

Queen is waiting.”

He did as told. He was led past the tents and past many curious gazes
towards what looked like a huge natural pool. It was encircled by rocks and
in the middle of the pull was the Queen lounging on a flat rock. Wisps of
steam told him that this was a hot spring.

“Come-sss.” The Queen invited.

He didn’t need to get wet, there was a stone path towards the flat rock
where the Queen was lounging. He jumped from one rock to the other; the
gaps quite wide and the rocks slippery. Somehow he didn’t slip and
embarrass himself.

“Are you Okay-sss?” She asked with worry.

“I made it out alive. Now I know what you are dealing with.” The memory
of a terrible monster flashed in his mind.

“Yes-sss, our last remaining farm is ruined. If not for your help we would
sss-starve.” Conveniently she popped a whole fruit in her large mouth and
demolished it with a single crunch.

“I’m glad I was able to help. This is a nice village you have, I’m still glad I
came.”

He looked around, the border of the pool was now surrounded by lamias,
there were hundreds of them all staring at him with interest. He now knew
how the Queen must have felt on his farm when surrounded by his spiders.

“Yes-sss, we had this place for centuries.” She sounded proud.

“Would someone mind showing me around? I am interested in your

village.”

The Queen clapped her hands and out of the large crowd a tiny form of
white lamia emerged; obviously another child of the Queen. The child had
no qualms about getting wet and swimming right through the pool to the
middle where he was. It was clear that Lamia were an expert swimmers.

“Come-sss.” The child hissed imitating her mother’s mannerisms.

He was shown the tiny details of Lamia's life. The tents in which they slept,
the place where they made their spears, a large kitchen where they would
cook and prep the food. In many ways, this was a village like any other, but
also it was different. It was clear that Lamia were strong people but they
didn’t excel either in building or farming or in any other crafts which didn’t
involve muscle; they led very primitive lives. Actually, it was obvious that
they were most suited for hunting.

The child dragged him to the large burrow in the ground, it was quite dark
since there were no glowing moss or mushrooms, but he could make out the
silhouettes of eggs. They were large and leathery.

“We keep our eggs-sss here in the hatchery, they won’t hatch for another
month or sss-so.”

The child looked at him in an odd way. “I don’t think I was sss-supposed to
show you this, but there is nothing else to sss-see.” she began twiddling her
thumbs.

Apparently, this was the last destination on this tour. He had seen
everything except for a male lamia, not even one.

“Where are the males?” He asked curious.

The child laughed at him. “Ha-ha, you silly. Lamia can’t be males.” She
stated it as if it was the universal truth.

He looked at all the eggs again. “When how do you…” And stopped
midway realising that he was asking a child. “Aren’t your people mostly
warriors and hunters?” He changed the subject.

“Correct-sss.” She nodded while picking her nose.

“Why farm mushrooms when you can hunt your food?”

“The Great Worm of Oberon, sss!” The child spat on the ground in
displeasure, likely in imitation of adults. “The prey-sss left our caves-sss a
long time ago.”
Despite the unchildlike behaviour, the child made sense. He would want to
leave too after seeing what lurked nearby.

“And why didn’t you leave?”

“This is-sss our place, we can’t leave our home. And if we left-sss where
would we go?”

“I don’t know, but this doesn’t look safe. What prevents the Worm from
attacking you?”

He was asking all these hard questions to no one else but a child, this was
probably why the earth began to rumble.

“Is this?” He felt slight déjà vu.

The child began crying. He wanted to cry too.

The shakes were so strong that he had to kneel on the ground or he might
fall. A warrior lamia slithered in rapid motion and scooped up the child
hauling her who know where, hopefully to safety; if there was a place like
that at all.

“Are we running again?” He asked but no one replied.

Lamia was moving all in random directions, there seemed to be chaos. He

projected an Aura of Calmness, the Lamia calmed and even the rumbling
ceased. He used that chance to make his way back to the Lamia Queen. He
didn’t even make it halfway through…

In the distance, he could see the large form emerge, it shot out from the
ground with a spray of boulders. The air was filled not just with rocks but
yellow fruits he recognised. The Worm must have hit their storage area.
The monster closed its maw gulping a large amount of fruits, and then its
body flopped on the ground sending a shockwave through it.

He didn't see Lamia running away, quite the opposite, they were grabbing
their spears and moving to charge the Worm. His instincts told him to run,
but how could he then he saw such bravery at display. He grabbed his spear
tighter and ran towards the overgrown worm.

Lamia warriors were stabbing the Worm with their spears, its skin was
scally and thick; they weren't doing much damage. The interesting
peculiarity was that the Worm didn’t retaliate, it simply moved from one
sack of fruits to the other, devouring fruits with the sack and all.

It was easy to understand the fixation, the fruits were very delicious, and he
in different circumstances could take it for a compliment. However, he
might be the one to blame for what was happening here.

“The Worm must have had developed a taste after it ate my backpack.” He
whispered to himself.

And the scent of the fruits must have led it here.

“What will the Worm do when it runs out of TomGrape to eat?”

He was done thinking out loud and ran towards the fat body of the Worm.
He trusted the spear with as much power as he could muster and it sunk into
the monster's flesh. For whatever reason his spear seemed to be more
effective than the crude Lamia spears.

The damage was dealt but pulling it out proved to be difficult. He had to get
close and use all of his body weight to dislodge the Apex Spear. He might
have gotten too close because one of the Worm’s digging appendages
swung at him and slashed right through his armour.

He was surprised at the sharpness of the claw, but the appendage was made
to dig through hard mountain rock.

Lamia swarmed all over the Worm stabbing at it mercilessly. Their efforts
seemed futile. And the fruit ran out all too quickly. The monster opened its
large mouth exposing the oversized teeth. The air was filled with the
overpowering scent of rot, [De-buff active: Miasma], then It roared in a
low booming roar and went after the Lamia.
It was quicker than its size would let you believe, hundreds of little arms
surrounding it’s body must have something to do with it. The mouth opened
and closed, and one of the lamia was gone; swallowed whole. Then it
moved targeting another one.

Of course, the Worm wasn’t left alone to harass the Lamia. There were
holes all over its body leaking yellow blood, and some of the arms were
missing but the damage was not enough.

With a well-aimed thrust, he poked another hole into the side of the Worm.
The monster moved sharply and hit his armour with its body.

“Ah!” He was sent flying into the air.

He landed like twenty feet away from the Worm and the landing was not
pleasant either; almost as bad as the hit itself. The armour couldn't take the
beating and the chips making it came apart.

[Temporary perk Minor Regeneration lost.]

He began to cough, the miasma burning his lungs and eyes. Through tears,
he could see Lamia trying to fight it still. Some were being eaten others
were flung away like he had been moments ago.

“We can’t win this…”

It didn’t look like he will be the hero he thought he could be.

“We must run.”

He projected the Aura of Authority. It wasn’t his call but, “Retreat!” He

shouted as loud as he could, which wasn’t easy considering that his lungs
felt like burning. He had gained a few stray looks but the Lamia didn’t
listen. A reason for that might be that the Worm was moving towards where
all the Lamia eggs were.

He had to strain his eyes but there in the distance, the Queen and her guards
were forming a line of defence around the egg hatchery. He ran towards her
and the lamia guards parted letting him in.
“I don’t think we can win this.” He stated the obvious.

The worm was closing the distance towards the hatchery, brave Lamia were
trying to slow it down.

“We must-sss.” The queen hissed.

He understood why the Queen stood here between the eggs and the Worm,
but there must be a better way.

“I’d hate to see you die. I hate this!” He was a stranger to so much death.
“Let’s gather the eggs and run!”

“Where? Where to? SSS! The worm will only follow-sss.”

“We can try my village for a start.” He offered.

“You want-sss this calamity in your village?” The Queen asked with a face
that betrayed that she tough he was mad or something. “It will follow.”

“We will deal with it, then it comes to that.”

The Queen was thinking, but there was no time to do that. The Worm had
reached the guard line of Lamia.

“Just gather the eggs! Run!” He made a call.

“Do it! As he say-sss!” She commanded after giving him a nasty glare. “but
Lamia, don’t run, sss, we are warriors-sss.” She hissed mostly to herself and
began slithering towards the Worm.

The small lamia and other nonfighters began gathering the eggs.

“Hey, aren’t you going to escape?” He shouted to the Queen.

“I will hold, sss, the Great Worm, while you flee. Buy us-sss time.”

The rest of the warriors apparently had the same idea.

“Then I will fight too.” He decided and joined the ranks.

The Worm crashed into the Lamia ranks, scattering them like stray pebbles.
It was hell-bent on getting to the eggs, but the lamias jabbed their spears
and managed to stop its movements.

“Attack-sss, kill it!” The Queen shouted. She two was wielding a huge-ass
spear and committing to their efforts.

The stationary worm was easier to attack, so he used his spear to widen an
already nasty gash in the monster's flesh. But of course, this was not
enough. The Worm tensed its muscles and began to move either breaking
the spears or letting them rip chunks of the flesh when they came loose. It
was moving once again.

It roared enraged and set its sight on the Lamia again. The tactic changed, It
began to spin and slither in a circle, deflecting all attacks. Now and then, it
would turn its head and nab a stray Lamia who dared to be too close.

“What now?” He asked seeing that attacking it was impossible.

“It’s not after the eggs-sss. We wait, buy more time-sss.”

That didn’t mean that lamias weren’t dying.

The tactic changed again and the Worm launched itself in a straight line,
towards the tunnel where the evacuees escaped.

“After it!” The Queen commanded.

He sprinted struggling to keep up with the incredulously fast Lamia. He was

beginning to lag behind, “Can I?” He asked something unforgivable.

“Hop on.” The permission was granted.

He jumped on Queen’s back like a little goblin on a warboar would. The

Queen slithered even faster, and being the first one to catch up to the Worm
she thrusted her long spear at its side. The spear sunk deeply in the
weakened flesh, widening the hole he had made moments ago, a small
fountain of yellow steamed from it, however, the weapon was stuck.

“Worry not, I can help.” He used his spear to make the injury even worse.

Small digger arms would try to go and get him once he was too close, but
the Queen moved away just in time. They repeated the strategy, it worked
quite well. Who knew that the giant Lamia Queen could be such a good
ride?

He wondered if he could train some of his spiders to be ridden just like that.

But it was not the time for such thoughts. The Worm stopped, likely tired
from all the pricks it received. And it stopped it in the utmost meaning of
the word stop; literary it was stationary in the blink of an eye. The Lamia
still slithering were unable to break their sprint as fast as the Worm did,
plus the Worm even began to move backwards.

And here they were right in front of its mouth. It changed direction again
lunging with its mouth agape and into the mouth they went. No, not all of
the lamias, The Great Worm Of Oberon was not that large, only the
Queen and her rider.

It closed its teeth and like a garbage truck would it crushed Lamia Queen’s
body.

[Perk Chaos Blessed activated]. By the grace of being comparatively small,

or by some divine intervention, he avoided those teeth, but deep in the
gullet he went.

He was swallowed whole!

 18

The inside of the worm was warm and the opposite of cosy, and most of all
it stunk like rotten onions; but on the bright side, he was alive. Was the
worm big enough for him to walk, no, but crawling he could manage. The
juices and slime he was waddling through tingled his skin in a bad way.
[De-buff expired: Miasma], at least something was positive.

“There must be my spear here, somewhere.” He used his hands to feel since
sight was no longer an option.

Actually, there were all sorts of stuff inside: rocks, soil, pieces of food and
bones. As he was feeling his way around in the darkness he touched a piece
of wood involuntarily; it was slick with slime. It crumbled in between the
fingers as if it was made of sand.

“Does this juice dissolve wood and stones only? How about meat?”

He was overtaken with worry about the time he still had.

“Likely this is just the first stage of digestion. I need to get out before a
different kind of stomach juice fills this space.”

He kept feeling for his spear, for anything sharp at all.

“Here it is!” He found something. “No.” It crumbled between his fingers.

“A-ha!” He grasped the familiar shape.

The spear shaft had dissolved but the [Apex Fang] didn’t. He looked for a
good spot to begin digging, but how could he decide – it was pitch black, so
instead he listened. There was this rhythmic thumping sound flowing
through the worm's body. He followed the source of it. As he was crawling
he could feel his damaged armour pieces to begin to fall apart. The tingling
sensation turned to burning.

He pressed the head to the fleshy wall, he could feel it pulse. “Found it.
Whatever this is, it is important.” He began stabbing at the wall, it was quite
thick and it took multiple thrusts. Finally, he managed to rip a hole, just
large enough for him to squeeze in. It was tight making him feel like some
sort of a mole.

“Abominable flesh-digging mole! But, the Worm deserved it.” He was

pushing and cutting whatever was between him and pulsing organs.

And finally, he reached it. He could feel with his hands the large sack-like
muscle contracting, pumping what was hopefully monster blood.

“A dagger through your heart Monsieur! Assassin style.” He stabbed.

Yeah, he shouldn't have expected one thrust to be enough. He stabbed and

stabbed and stabbed, it didn’t seem to be doing much until.

“Plegh!” He coughed trying not to drown.

The organ ruptured dousing him in viscous fluid. He was drowning, he

would have if not for the pressure, the oil-like substance pushed him back
into the worm’s stomach. Back in the larger confines, he gasped for air. He
didn’t think he would ever be happy smelling air so pungent, but he was.

“Let’s hope this did the trick.” Some worms had multiple hearts. “I don’t
want to repeat this.”

[Fighting +25000exp] a message informed him.

He didn’t know how to react. He would cheer in joy if he wasn’t still stuck
inside the worm.

[Congratulations! You have reached Fighting lvl .1]

[Perk Tough Skin obtained.]

[Congratulations! You have reached Fighting lvl .2]

[Requirements have been met. Hidden perk unlocked.]

[Perk Assasin Strike obtained.]

“Wonderful, I could have used those earlier.” And the perks seemed pretty
much self-explanatory. “Back to digging myself out of this mess.”

He began cutting at the flesh, truth be told, [Apex Fang] didn't make a good
cutting tool, stabbing however… so he just stabbed at the flesh and
scrapped it away bit by bit. Various liquids, substances and juices leaked all
over him, yet he continued digging. It was quite morbid so to cheer himself
he began singing:

“I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole. ♫ Diggy diggy hole, diggy diggy
hole! ♫”

With a song, it went so much smoother. However, the inside of the worm
began to feel weird. At first, the flesh was just dry, then it became gummy
and later it began to harden. Now it felt like he was picking at the
sandstone.

“Diggy diggy hole, diggy diggy hole!!!” He tried not to panic.

If it hardens more he won’t be able to get out with just some glorified tooth.

Thumping sounds were coming from the other side of the hardened flesh,
someone was banging on it from the outside. He could see tiny holes and
then rays of iconic blues and yellows coming from glowing moss
surrounding the tunnels.

He made the right choice not to get too close because shortly after a whole
spear tip was pushed right through the hardened monster's flesh. He stared
at it, it was only a few inches away from his face.

“Hello? Can you not do that again!” He knew who the culprits were.
“You alive? I told you I heard someone sss-singing.” Someone sounded
irritated, very much like when someone was true but no one believed them.

“You sss-said it was a dwarf, sss, of course we wouldn’t believe-sss it.”

“Get me out of here!” He shouted through the tiny hole.

“Hold on! SSS. Don’t die!”

He wasn’t planning to, not in this godawful place.

More lamias began cutting at the flesh and surprisingly it began to crumble.
He crawled trough the small opening. And only then he came to light did he
realise that he was completely naked. His skin was all slick and yellow as if
cowered by rapeseed oil and globs of slime clung to him like he was some
sort of swamp monster. That was not the most scarry thing.

“My hair.” He grasped for his head. “My hair!” It was gone.

The lamia looked at him incredulous.

“Are you sss-sure we have the sss-same guy?”

“He sss-sounds the sss-same.”

The sound of crackling filled the air, and he turned to look at the source
expecting another monster. There was no monster besides The Great
Worm of Oberon. The sound came from it’s cracking and rapidly drying
body. The monster was unrecognisable, it looked crispy like an earthworm
on superheated asphalt. It began to change colour turning to the sand yellow
and then grey. It was decomposing so rapidly that it was eerie. And then it
crumbled to dust, a huge pile of course rock dust.

“This is weird.” He didn’t know how to react to what he saw.

The Lamia, however, all cheered in unison.

“You killed it didn’t you!”

“You avenged our-sss Queen!”

The celebration came late but it was welcome.

“And the rest? They did escape, did they?” He asked still worried.

“They should have. ”

“It’s good it’s over then, but at what cost…” It felt too steep.

He walked towards the pile of dust, looking for comrades to bury. There
was nothing but dust, the bodies turned to dust just like the Worm did.

“Huh?” That was not true, there was something. “What is it?” He picked a
round golden sphere, it was very heavy, but it was not metallic it was
crystalline.

A lamia slithered to look at it in curiosity.

“If I had [Identify] or [Appraise], sss, I could tell.” Meaning she didn’t.

“Does anyone here have such perks?”

Multiple lamias hissed one after the other:

“Those are sss-skills, but even then, no.”

“The Queen had-sss it.”

“But now is-sss dead.”

“The Queen’s heir must-sss have a low level [Identify]. You can ask her,
sss.”

“You don’t mind me keeping it then?” He asked just in case.

“You killed it you keep-sss it.”

“You are our-sss hero now.”

“A hero?” He didn’t feel he deserved the title. Heroes slay the monsters
magnificently, they don’t crawl through guts and bile.

“A sss-slayer of The Great Worm of Oberon!”

“A sss-slayer.” “Sss-Slayer.” They began to chant one after the other.

He was happy they were feeling so giddy after so much death, but maybe
this was the reason why – to cope with sorrow.

“Slayer of The Great Worm of Oberon, I’ll make sure to add that to the
growing list of ominous titles I possess.”

The King of Spiders, ruler of The Dreaded Place and Slayer of The Great
Worm of Oberon – it didn’t sound all too bad. Except for the part that he
just wanted to farm on his farm and trade his goods with locals.

“How does this keep happening to me?” He wondered out loud. “Am I
lucky or cursed?”

It seems one of the lamias took his monologue for a genuine question. “You
are blessed, I think-sss.”

She wasn’t wrong about that…

The way back home wasn’t something he would describe as fun. Lamia
shared some food with him, some dried mushrooms, they were tasteless but
still better than bitter vine. Lamia didn’t care about his clothing, the lack of
it to be precise, but regardless he improvised a leaf shirt.

[You have crafted a leaf skirt of superior quality. Crafting +1exp]

[Leaf Skirt: +2 Rep with Elves.]

“I…” He realised something. “I should have worn this when meeting the
elves.”
But the obsidian armour was so much cooler! He will need to craft a new
set and a new spear. He wasn’t back yet but he was already crafting in his
mind.

The group caught up with the refugees, that’s what they were now and it
was him who had to break the bad news. Instead of blaming him they
instead hailed him as a hero once again. The idea that Lamia were good
people was cemented in his mind.

Some lamia wanted to go back to the cave, but that option was shot down
immediately by Lamia warriors. They still had no food source there, and
everything was pretty much destroyed.

Oh, and the new Queen was that albino child who gave him a tour. She was
way too young to lead such an important role, but it wasn’t his call. The
celebration was postponed until they were back at his farm.

Which was already in sight. His workers managed to clear a huge chunk of
the jungle, only the IronOaks remained; the sole survivors of the
‘slaughter’. Those were the same trees which were used to anchor the web
and grow the Tomgrape vines. The trees were few and far between, but
there were thousands of webs connecting the trees with each other. His
spider farmers climbed the trees up and down, picking the ripe fruits; this
was the sight he missed.

The Lamia looked at the ripe fruit with salivating mouths. They too suffered
poor food rations on this ill-prepared trip.

“They won’t bite, go and ask for some fruit.” He told and followed his own
advice.

Almost all of the Lamia here saw the spiders for the first time. Let’s just say
they had their reservations about approaching them. He could see that lamia
servants and the little ones were quite terrified of his ‘people’. But the food
was a good motivator.

After a quick breakfast, he moved the Lamia towards the centre where all
the buildings were.
Someone asked straight away if they can dig a burrow for the eggs, which
was a bad idea since the deeper ground was wet and the water would flood
the burrow.

“You can borrow one of my hatcheries. It should be okay, no?”

“If it’s out of the light, then yes.”

They moved the eggs into the hatchery and only then did the lamias relax.
By that point, one of the scouting expeditions has returned, which included
one Guard Lamia.

She was dressed head to tail in blue cloth; a complete face veil, long tunic
and then cloak hid every inch of their skin. It looked excessive. It was a
shame to hide a beautiful face, even if it had sharp fangs, serpentine eyes
and a slightly pale complexion. Moreover, he wasn’t the one who crafted
these clothes.

After initial greetings, he asked out of curiosity.

“Your attire, how did you get it?”

“The sss-spiders made it. They insisted we wear these. We weren’t allowed
to sss-say no.” She said it in a polite but half-complaining manner.

He recognised the voice, this was the friendly Lamia.

“Oh! I almost have forgotten, there is a rule in this village. A royal edict: No
one shall go naked.” He remembered.

Lamia Guard bowed in apology. “You should have told us sss-sooner. We

didn’t know-sss about the rule.”

“I forgot.” He laughed it off. “How is the forest?”

Lamia made a sour face. “We protected your spider sss-scouts, no one died
sss-since, but we didn’t kill any elves-sss either.”

“That’s good, no?”

“No. They harass the sss-spiders, test-sss our patience every day. SSS! You
should attack their lair.”

“I don’t want to invade further into their forest. I want a peaceful

resolution.”

Lamia shrugged, “Just sss-saying” She looked at the rowdy crowd in the
distance. “What is-sss this about?”

He turned back. “Oh…” He didn’t want to break the bad news just yet, the
one where her mother died and for some reason her younger sister is a
Queen now.

Anyhow, there was more pressing matter. A horde of spider-weavers was

wrangling little lamias and wrapping them in cloth. The few remaining
warriors managed to fend the spiders off, but the servants and children
didn’t. Following laws was important, but this was not the way to do it.

“Hey! Hey! Stop!” He ran waving and shouting, hoping to stop the fight
before it escalated.

The lamia slithering behind him had other ideas. “Ha, ha, ha.” She laughed
in evil glee. “Just look at them!” For some reason, she found their struggle
funny. “Give up, you sss-stand no chance. I have learned that the hard way.
Sss. The cloth only feels uncomfortable for three days.”

The children were crying and trying to pull the blue cloth away, but the
spiders fastened it with ropes.

“Oh, boy. I am so sorry about it.”

By the look of it, the child Queen suffered the same fate, she too was crying
fat tears. He explained the situation and apologised to everyone involved.
Surprisingly the Queen was the first one to forgive.

“If this is-sss your edict, I understand. Rules are rules, we are guests-sss
here.”

“That’s very mature of you, thanks.”

The child Queen gave him a toothy smile.

“Anyway, since everyone is safe now… There was something I wanted to

ask for a long time.” He just couldn't find the right moment. “I need a
favour.”

“You saved us-sss twice, you are our hero. For you anything-sss.”

“Hero?” Friendly lamia asked but was conveniently ignored. “Wait, where
is Mother?” She slithered towards the warriors.

“Can you tell me what this is?” He passed a golden crystalline sphere.

“[Identify]… Ohh!”

“What is it?”

“It say-sss it’s The Blessing of Oberon.”

“What does it do?”

“It’s the blessing.” She frowned.

“Yeah, but what effects does it give.”

“It makes you blessed.” She frowned deeper.

She was obviously dodging the question. The reason was obvious: her skill
level was too low and she couldn’t tell more but was too proud to admit it.

“I see, thanks. Any way to activate it? I was carrying it but received
nothing.”

“Yes-sss, yes-sss.” She smiled “It says you need to put-sss it inside your
body. Eat it?”

“How? This is solid and the size of my fist.”

“I don’t know!”
“Unless…” He frowned deeply at the disturbing thought. “No, thank you!”
He wasn’t sure he wanted the blessing anymore, and…. “I think I will pass.
What sort of blessing a calamity Worm would give anyway?”

“Oberon is a name-sss for the Mountain Deity, it’s also the name-sss of the
place we live-sss: Oberon Undermountain.” She explained.

“Oh, that changes things.” He wanted it after all. “But stuffing it in…”

“You can give it to sss-someone else. With a bigger mouth, sss.”

“That’s an idea.”
 19

Despite the recent loss and great tribulation, the mood of celebration was in
the air; Lamia culture was an interesting one. First, they wanted to ‘crown’
a new queen (there was no crown involved), and secondly to celebrate their
new hero.

This village had never held a big celebration, and it was high time to change
it.

The tables were assembled, the food brought and dresses made. Apparently,
the Lamia being cave dwellers didn’t appreciate the sunlight much and in
the end were thankful for the clothes the spiders gave them; so the law was
upheld.

However, it seemed inappropriate for the Queen to wear plain clothes. Right
before the celebrations he managed to make her a dress.

[You have crafted royal dress of superior quality. Crafting +100exp.]

[Royal Dress: +10MP.]

The dress was complex in design because he wanted to incorporate a tail;

due to Lamia aversion to sunlight, he couldn’t leave any skin exposed.
Arguably this wasn’t a dress but a full-body suit, however, he added a skirt
and many frills along the tail to improve that. It was all blue in colour, but
different parts of the dress had different patterns. Also, there was a hood
and a veil to hide her face from the harsh sun. In the end, it was both
functional and eye-catching.

The Queen's inauguration will be beginning soon. Right before that, he

went into a dome-shaped building where the new Queen was preparing
herself. There were no doors so he knocked on the wall.
“Can I come in?”

“Come-sss in.”

“I made this for you, here”. He handed her the neatly folded dress. “A gift
to celebrate the new Queen.”

She unfurled the dress and inspected it curiously. Her face went through
various expressions.

“If you don’t like it you don’t have to wear it. I just thought…”

“No, I like-sss it, it’s just… How do I even put this-sss on?”

“Oh… Well, I could show you if that’s appropriate.”

“Thanks”

The Queen pulled off the clothes spiders had made her exposing her
naturally pale skin.

“…”

“What are you waiting for? Come on, sss-show me.” She pushed the dress
into his hands.

“Okay, first…”

He pushed her through the upper part. Her hands, of course, got stuck in the
sleeves and he had to untangle her.

“Now…”

He strapped the cloth to her tail using laces and belts.

“And we’re done. Give a spin.”

She spun around lifting the skirt and frills up as she did so.
“This-sss looks-sss fun.”

“It looks better than I thought it would. I didn’t have your measurements.”
Likely saved by his perk.

“Really. Do I look good?”

“Yes, you’re very beautiful.”

It was a shame he had no mirror for her to see the outfit. One of many
reasons why he wanted to trade with different people.

A servant lamia slithered into the room. “Huh?” There was a momentary
surprise, but the servant lamia corrected herself quickly. ”Queen, are you
ready?”

“Yes-sss.”

The Lamai borrowed his throne room for the inauguration. The entrance of
the Queen made quite a bustle within the Lamia crowd. His spiders watched
from the ceiling and clacked their mandibles to celebrate the entrance. What
followed were the oaths.

The warriors swore an oath of loyalty, the servants an oath of obedience,

and the Queen to protect and guide her people.

Just when he thought this was over the Queen gave him a meaning full
look.

“King of Spiders-sss, sss-Slayer of The Great Worm of Oberon, you may

come.”

He didn’t expect to be a part of this. He made a slow walk through the

throne room. Thousands of eyes stared right at him, it was hard not to be
self-conscious, so he projected the Aura of Authority.
He wasn’t sure of proper etiquette so he winged it. “I am here, Great Queen
of Lamia.”

The Queen giggled at her title but collected herself quickly. “I declare you
our hero, sss-saviour of all Lamia.”

Everyone cheered and clapped.

“You have sss-saved us many times already, I am forever in your-sss debt.”

“No problem.”

She wasn't finished. “Hence, we shall come to your aid then you need us
and no matter how grave the danger.”

He bowed. “I shall rely on you brave Lamia.”

The Queen bowed even deeper. “We thank you.”

Everyone clapped again.

“Ssss-shall we eat then? I am sss-starving!” The Queen broke her otherwise

immaculate performance with a toothy grin.

“Let’s dig in!”

The feast began and spiders ate with Lamia like they were best friends. For
this occasion, he brought a very special treat – a jar of slug jelly.

The Lamia Queen looked at it in suspicion.

“Just try it.”

She jabbed her whole hand into the jelly and scooped a generous amount.

“Mmm, so sweet.”

He tried to take the jar back so others could have a go.

“No! I am not finished.”

“But…”

“The Queen says NO!” She was already abusing her authority.

“You will get fat if you eat it all. It’s meant to be shared.”

“No!” She began scooping the jelly even faster into her mouth. “Have you
ever seen fat lamia?”

“No, but…” He reached for the jar again.

She raised the jar over her heed and toppled the contents in her mouth.

“Here, you can have it back.”

The jar was empty, slug jelly gone. He didn’t know to scold or praise her,
she must have broke a record or something.

“Don’t blame me if you feel unwell later.”

This was not the only jar he had, so he went to get more. And he will keep
those far and away from the greedy Queen.

The Lamia will be staying until their eggs hatch, and maybe for a bit while
after. He didn’t mind, they were welcome here.

He rolled The Blessing of Oberon on the table in his room. The crystalline
sphere was golden and even glowed a little.

“It will remain a pretty bauble if I don’t use it. We can’t have that, no?” He
was back into his good habit of thinking out loud.

However, nowadays, it was rare he was ever alone.

“No.” Spider advisor chirped. “Blessings. Must. Be. Used. Not. Hoarded.”
“A sage advice from the spider. You are an advisor for a reason. Since I
won’t be eating this, do you want to have a try?”

“No.”

“Any reasons?”

The spider remained quiet for a while, thoughtful even.

“I. Know. Someone. Who. Want. To. Be. More. Useful.”

“Hmm… Tell them to come here then.”

The advisor was back with another spider.

“Hello, buddy.” He greeted the featureless spider.

Recently he was getting those. Spiders with no jobs. A similar situation he

had with Jesters until they evolved into scouts, explorers and warriors.

“Can your friend speak?” Even now, not all were able to.

“No.”

It couldn’t form words, but it chirped at him happily.

“He will learn in time. Maybe sooner with a blessing. Here.” He offered the
sphere. “Swallow it.”

The spider swallowed the large sphere with no problem. He looked at the
spider with bated breath.

“Hmm… nothing seems to happen. Were the instructions wrong?”

The spider began to glow.

“Never mind.”

It glowed even more, it was shining, emitting light so bright it was blinding.
“Okay…” It was getting scary. “Please don’t explode.”

The light dimmed, and there it was. The same spider, no longer black but
grey, it’s chitin rugged and course as if made out of stone.

“Oh! He evolved. What can you do now? What did the blessing give?”

The spider, of course, still couldn’t talk, but it chirped happily and ran to
where he kept the ore samples he obtained from kobolds. And then it ate
them.

“I kinda needed those... Don’t tell me you like to eat rocks now.”

It chipped as if to argue.

“No. Rocks. Metal.” The advisor translated helpfully.

“You could understand him? Ask him what it does.”

The spiders ‘spoke’ with each other, there were more dancing and waving
than actual sounds.

“Perk. Metal. Extraction.” The advisor translated. “Evolution. Metal.

Spider.”

“Nice! But he looks like a rock spider though.”

The advisor did a spider shrug.

“I know, this system just doesn’t make sense. Anyways, let's feed you more
ores and see what happens.”

He did just so, and to no surprise at all the spider began to grow metallic
plates on its body; no actual plates yet, only a thin beginning.

“And here I thought I would need to burn all the wood for charcoal. The
elves will be pleased no?”
He wondered how were they doing. It was a while and maybe he could try
talking with them again.

….

Deep in the forest and outside the elven settlement three elderly figures
were drawing a large complex circle filled with glyphs, shapes and magical
elven language. The magical formula was huge in scale, probably the same
area as the elf settlement itself. The inside of the circle was filled with
hundreds of statue-like figures of various heights and sizes. The figures
were made out of wood and leaves, some were living tree saplings, but all
of them vaguely resembled a humanoid. Each of them had multiple glyphs
carved in and around their imitation bodies.

“High Elders, thank you for coming to my aid.”

The three high elders were of the same status, each representing an elven
settlement. The two simply nodded at the third as if no thanks were
necessary.

“Well then, shall we pour the energy into it?”

“Without Divine Guardian blessing? We shouldn’t.”

“But here you are.”

The three High Elders might be allies now, but that didn’t mean there
weren’t disagreements.

“I’m just saying this is unwise.”

“Do I need to remind you that I have no choice? Our Divine Guardian was
eaten!”

“And mine would only give a blessing if threatened directly. Let’s do it.”

The two began pouring the mana into the circle, and the third joined soon
after. The whole formation glowed blood red. Tiny wisps, no bigger than a
fist, flocked to the circle. They were coming from all around, from the
surrounding trees, grass, and even earth. The air was filled with many
colours, putting a rainbow to shame. They blinked and glittered in
anticipation. The lines making the formation slithered like snakes, turning
the overall shape into something else and changing the magical formula.

The wisps moved to the wooden figures and began circling over as if drawn
to them. But the little lights were picky, if they didn't like the wooden effigy
they would move to another. Once they picked the one they liked they
moved towards merging with it. The figures began to stir, stiff like puppets
then the hollow eye sockets took shape and shone with the light of soul and
intelligence.

“Dryads heed my command. The forest is under threat you must protect it.”
The elders repeated in unison.

They chanted the phrase again and again, hammering it into the hollow
wooden heads.

The Dryads transformed further, the wood and leaves flowed like oil
unifying and completing the body. The figures were more elegant now, their
movement less stiff. They all looked humanoid with two arms and legs, but
their heads took the shape of various animals. Some grew tails while others
grew claws, some even wings which didn’t quite work. Despite appearing
half human - half animal, they were still mostly plant.

“Dryads heed my command. The forest is under threat and you must
protect it.”

The three chanted for the last time. The Dryads, one by one left the circle
and dispersed into the forest. The elders drained of mana, collapsed to their
knees.
 20

He had gathered the necessary resources in his workshop. His mind was set
on making a truce with the elves.

“This time I won’t make that mistake.”

He laid down the triangular leaves from PurpleM vine, some blue rope and
other mundane plants and vines right on the workstation. He began working
on a new design, the one elves would appreciate. He didn’t know much
about their tastes but he had the clues the system was feeding him.

He worked for hours on the blue suit, the colour of course was not ideal, but
it never was about the colour; it was about the materials used. He had a
purpose for the suit and Superior Design helped him to achieve his goals.

[You have crafted emissary suit of superior quality. Crafting +100exp.]

[Emissary Suit: +5 fashion, +20 Rep with elves.]

“Yes. It was a success.” He cheered.

The design was an odd one; a suit made of cut and stitched back leaves. But
it was the Rep bonus that mattered.

“Hmm, something is missing.”

The leaves were thick and rigid enough to make it work.

[You have crafted emissary top hat of superior quality. Crafting

+100exp.]

[Emissary Top Hat: +1 fashion, 5% Diplomacy bonus.]

“5%? I guess every little helps.”

Now, he had to complete the look.

[You have crafted emissary cane of superior quality. Crafting +100exp.]

[Emissary Cane: +1 fashion.]

“Aww, this one didn’t give me an extra bonus. But it is just a cane…”

“If only I had a monocle, I would look quite posh.” But that would be
overkill. “And I feel quite fashionable already. Does this affect my charm?”

Fashion aside, he was still missing one item.

“I need a weapon, just in case.”

He pulled out his trusty [Apex Fang] and began making a weapon out of it.
It worked well like a spear so he decided to stick with that. His hands
moved in expert motion, familiar with the design, but this time instead of
normal wood for the shaft he used something special; a lucky find really.
He had found a broken branch from an undefeatable IronOak. It wasn’t
uniform or straight, but it was super sturdy.

[You have crafted Slayer Spear of legendary quality. Crafting +1000exp.]

“Legendary, why?” He was surprised. “Oh, the hint is in the title. Thank
you Worm” he recalled a traumatic memory. “For dying.”

It came with a bonus as well.

[Temporary perk Life Steal obtained.]

“Magnificent. I am a vampire now, ha-ha!” he laughed it off.

Anyway, with the outfit done and protection in his hand he gathered the
spider warriors and left the farm. Two of lamia guards were accompanying
him on this mission. He had full intent on flexing about his new allies.
“The road!” He was surprised. “I forgot I told them to make it. How far
does it go?”

A lamia responded kindly, “All the way to elven forest and then sss-some
more.”

“I see. I guess they weren’t too happy about this.”

“No, they weren’t. SSS. They would often sss-shoot arrows at the workers.
The work has sss-stoped.”

“I only needed this road so we can trade quicker. I will have to explain
this.”

So the long journey began, but the road made it so much quicker. A mount
to ride would make it even quicker. He eyed tall lamia wishfully.

‘Asking her, would be inappropriate.’ He hesitated and didn’t ask.

But the spiders were a different story, however.

“Do you mind carrying me?” He asked a large spider warrior.

“No. Problem.” It spoke simply.

He climbed on its back, it was kinda slippy and hard to stay on, but he
managed somehow.

“I might need a saddle for my rides. Would you mind?”

“To. Cary. You. Is. Honour.”

“I will craft one then we stop to rest.”

He used rope and cloth to fashion a simple seat and strapped it to the spider.

[Spider Saddle: +10% bonus speed]

It was astounding, the system gave the spider speed for carrying someone,
if anything the burden should slow it down, but he wasn’t one to complain
about a good bonus.

The trip became even quicker. And finally, they reached the forest.

“It is-sss quiet. Like the jungle.”

“Yeah, it's odd. Where did all the animals go?” He knew his spiders weren’t
the ones to blame.

The road finished and they were going through thick bushes and other
plants.

“We were-sss attacked here before.”

Lamia was looking cautiously up towards the top of the trees. He expected
the attack to come and he was ready to defuse the situation. But it never
came.

“Maybe they realised that it is me, and I came to talk.” He guessed.

“Maybe, sss, they're afraid of our large force.”

She was right, he took all of his warrior spiders with him.

“Anyway, no attack is a good thing. We even might reach their settlement

without trouble.”

“Yes-sss.”

Even the cautious lamia was positive.

“What is that? What am I seeing?” He was confused. “I thought I just saw a

face.” He muttered.

“Elves-sss?”

“We. Sense. Nobody.”

“But I definitely saw somebody.” He pointed a finger at the bush. “Here it
is!”

It wasn’t an elf at all. It had brown skin in the texture of bark, it’s face was
rigid like a mask and resembled an animal. And instead of hair, moss was
growing on its head, and other places.

“Hello?”

It didn’t speak, its eyes glowed in hostility and then it jumped out of the
bush. At first only one, but then followed by many others.

“They’re camouflaged!” He was taken aback by the number of strange

creatures.

It was so easy to confuse them with plants and trees if they stayed still.

“Attack-sss!” The lamia shouted.

“No. Wait! Maybe they are not hostile.” They didn’t carry any weapons.

That was a mistake. The creatures jumped on his spiders with no hesitation
and began pummeling their chitinous bodies with bare fists or in some cases
claws.

“Attack! SSS!” Lamia urged.

“No! We retreat. Retreat!” He commanded using all of his authority.

They backed off slowly disengaging the attackers.

“Have you seen them before?” He asked.

“No. We. Did. Not.”

“No-sss. What are they?”

“Smell. Like. Plant.”

“Some sort of tree puppets. Wooden golems?” He guessed as clueless as
anyone.

As they backed off the puppets didn’t pursue, so he was able to disengage
succesfully.

“I don’t think we are sss-safe here.”

“Or welcome. But I came here to talk with elves. I don’t think golems can
speak, so this is a conundrum.”

“We can defeat them and make-sss way to the elves.”

“That would make things even worse. We retreat for now, and I will rethink
our approach.” There was just too many unknowns.

“Should we capture sss-some?”

“That’s…” he was about to say no. “That’s actually a good idea. I would
like to study these golems. But can we pull it off?”

“No. Problem.” A spider pulled a rope web from its backpack. “How.
Many?”

“A few. And don’t damage them. Or get killed.”

“A sss-small strike force would be best. SSS. I will sss-supervise.”

“I will leave it to you.”

He let one lamia go and kept the other. And in no time they were back with
a dozen or so golems.

“We need to leave-sss. They decided to pursue us-sss.”

“Let’s just hope we are faster.”

They ran back towards the jungle. The captured creatures weren’t happy to
be taken as prisoners. They clawed and kicked, always struggling against
their bindings.

“I don’t think those are golems.” He looked at one closer. “They show too
much emotion, so maybe some sort of an animal.”

“Elven Magic-sss.”

“I figured that much.”

The creatures stilled once they approached the end of the forest.

[You have entered The Dreaded Place]

He received a familiar message and at that point the creatures were

completely motionless, even the lights in their eyes dimmed.

“Did they run out of mana? Or die?”

“Or just pretending-sss.”

There was a way to know for sure. It wasn’t nice so he was as gentle as he
could: he jabbed [Slayer Spear] into the puppet's arm. As expected it felt
hard and wooden and the creature made no sound or movement.

“I don’t know. If it was alive it would have reacted. But if it’s a golem…”

[You have gained +1 HP]

“Hmm maybe it’s alive, so not a golem. Unless the perk works on
constructs too. Let's just be cautious”

Then they reached home he put the catatonic captives into a wooden cage
and left some spiders to guard it.

He sat down in his throne room and went through the information. The
‘puppets’ did show some emotion so they weren’t fully golems and he had
felt intelligence in their eyes. However, their body was just not normal,
when he stabbed his spear it was all wood with some slowly seeping sap.
“A tree ent, perhaps.” He gathered his knowledge. “Some plant monster
maybe. There is no way to be sure.”

It was frustrating, however, there was a simple way to deal with it; that was
if push came to shove.

“Axes. We can just cut them down, but I rather not.”

However, he had to prepare for the worst and hope he will never use it.

A spider ran into the throne room giving him an urged bow and then
reporting. “The. Plant. Move. Again.”

“Oh. So they were pretending then…”

He went to look. Three creatures out of twelve had that life back in them,
but they weren’t hostile at all, actually, they seemed lost, confused even.

“Are you okay?” He tried to communicate again.

The three looked at him, their eyes shone brightly.

“Can you speak?”

They didn’t reply, but one of them shook their head in a no.

“Can you understand me?”

It nodded. It was only one of them who seemed to be more responsive than
others.

“Would you attack me if I let you out?”

It was giving another no, so he opened a cage, completely unafraid of the

creature. His hunch just told him that it wasn’t hostile anymore.

It walked out looking around in curiosity. It pointed to the large tree.

“IronOak. You like it?”

It went and hugged the tree.

“I#ll take it for yes.”

Then it pointed towards where the farms were. He was interested in the
reason why this ‘puppet’ was behaving so oddly. “We can go and see.”

The creature was very happy to see his fruit farms, at that point it was
beaming with energy, jumping and dancing, touching the vines with
affection.

“You are a weird one. Why did you attack me?”

It tilted it’s head showing confusion.

“You don’t remember.”

It gesticulated a no.

“I guess, I believe you. You can stay here if you behave.”

The creature nodded happily. Of course, it will be supervised by spiders and

lamia at all times. Actually, he couldn’t ask for a better outcome to research
these moving wood creatures.

He spent good time observing, and indeed it seemed completely harmless; a

stark contrast from their behaviour in the forest. The. His captive didn’t
know many things and couldn’t answer most of the questions, so
communication was possible but quite hard. Actually, it was like a newborn
baby – ignorant about what it was and the larger world but very curious to
find it out. And it was mostly interested in the local plants, his spiders the
creature just ignored.

Since this one was not hostile, he decided to let out the other two and see
how they behave. They were very much similar, but still incapable of even
gesticulation, simply content in hugging TomGrape vines.

“You do like to hug trees, don’t you? The elves must have rubbed on you
too much!” Not that he minded.
Later, something interesting happened. From the commotion, he understood
that the three wanted the rest of their friends out.

“But they are asleep or something.” He tried to reason.

Bu the three kept pulling at the wooden cage asking him to open it.

“There is no harm, I guess.”

The three grabbed their friends one by one and began carrying the stiff
bodies.

“Oh, you are burying them. Makes sense, sorry about that.”

No, they weren’t. They pilled the bodies by the vine webs.

“They are kind of in a way. And my spiders might use it for fertiliser you
know.”

The first body they left there stirred ever so slightly.

“Oh!”

It’s eyes glowed brightly.

“Oh! It’s alive! It’s alive!” He cheered. “Resurrected! Or something like

that.”

The rest stirred to life soon after.

“I understand now. You were charging your batteries, hence all the tree-
hugging.”

The intelligent one nodded.

“But why aren’t you hostile?”

The creatures still had no answer to that.

“This is interesting. Did the filthy elves do something to you? Those elves, I
knew it. They can’t be trusted.”

His anti-elven bias was back in full swing.

“No… No… I can’t blame them.” He sighed. “I guess I need to come back
to the forest and face this.”

“Not without preparation. SSS.” Friendly lamia advised sagely.

“Ahh!” He screamed. “You scared me! Don’t slither on me like that.”

 21

The farm was as big as ever, and there were more spiders than he could
count. Best of all they were changing and evolving, though somewhat
slowly. There was a point where he considered using Evolve on them, but
that didn’t seem necessary. The most useful evolution so far was the spindly
hands the spiders had developed, those weren’t very muscular but they were
enough to hold tools; some evolved spiders could even speak. There was
this nice civilisation going on and he felt humbled to be the driving force
behind this.

Once he heard a lamia say that there is strength in numbers, and he agreed
with that line of thought. The decision was made, he will see the elves using
those numbers. But that didn’t mean that the quality didn’t matter; he had a
full intention of equipping his people. This way hopefully the elves would
see that the spiders could use tools and hence were intelligent enough to be
treated as equals.

That was his line of thinking. So with the help of crafter spiders, he made
various tools. Those were mostly wood and stone for now, at least until he
gets the ore from Kobolds.

“We are going in the forest, so I guess we better make axes and machetes.”

“Understood.” The crafter leader chirped happily.

Those two selected tools weren’t made from wood and stone, because has
anyone heard of a stone machete? No, he used obsidian eggshells, the same
material he had his armour made of. There was a way to sharpen the
hexagonal pieces, nest them together and turn them into a nifty blade. The
blades turned out to be quite sharp but brittle, but they served the purpose.
He had to make over a thousand of them, but he wasn’t making them alone.
Unfortunately, the tools made by spiders were all of poor quality. By testing
them he found that they would break after a few days worth of use.

“Is there a way to strengthen these?” He wondered and then remembered,

he had just the perk. “But isn’t that one for building?” He smiled. “What am
I saying? It doesn’t hurt to try. [Reinforce].”

The machete glowed in the mysterious light of purple.

[Chitin Machete: Reinforced +1]

“It worked!” He celebrated with a fist pump into the air. “I should have
done this sooner.”

He went on a mad dash to reinforce all the tools.

“Hmm? I am not feeling so well.” He felt strangely drained and tired. “But I
want to finish this today so we can head out tomorrow.”

He pursued his goal further until a mad headache descended on his head.

“The perk has a cost, I should have known…” It was obvious. “I guess I
give up.”

A familiar guest, a puppet made of wood, the one with a twisted face
resembling a human and intelligent spark in its eyes stretched its arm, in the
hand was a small offering of food.

“A snack? For me? Why not?” He crunched on a purple fruit.

[+10Mp recovered.]

The headache felt so much lighter.

“Oh, I see… Thanks! You have saved me a lot of headaches.” He patted the
creature’s shoulder as thanks.
He stuffed himself full of fruit, the fatigue was gone as if it was never here
to begin with.

“I wonder if there is a way to refine them, concentrate the effects.”

A quest for another time. He finished enchanting the tools. And yes,
enchanting he was.

[Magic +1exp]. The experience was pitifully low considering the amount of
work he did but…

“I am a mage now!” He celebrated nevertheless. “I need to practise more

and get that first lever for the new perk. Then I should be able to cast my
first spell.” He was positively giddy.

However, there were only so many things he could Reinforce. He

approached a lamia warrior.

“Can I borrow your spear?”

“Sss-sure.” She handed a weapon without hesitation.

“[Reinforce]!” [Lamia Spear: Reinforced +1] “You can have it back.”

He began jogging to the next lamia.

Lamia looked at her spear. “What did he do, sss?” But he was gone without
explaining.

It was time to go to the forest. He had gathered his people, leaving only the
skeleton crew to manage the farm and the Lamia to guard it. The number of
spiders going with him was no doubt excessive, but he was The King and
that was his decision.

Just before they began their march, and mostly on a whim, he took the plant
puppets with him. He wanted to see if they will turn hostile.
The spiders formed in ranks, warriors in the front leading the procession
with the non-combatants at the back. It wasn’t just a procession, a simple
group of explorers, no – this was a legion. He too was in the very front
riding on the largest spider.

He wanted to show the elves that he had the numbers and his people were in
full support of him. Hopefully, they will realise that being friendly was the
best option. After all, he still wanted to trade with elves.

Once he left the farmland he observed that the ‘puppets’ became lethargic
and eventually they had shut off. He tried to give them fruit and carry them
closer to the trees and other jungle plants which hadn’t yet been cut. But
that didn’t help.

However, by the time they reached the forest, the plant puppets stirred and
became active again. He feared for them to turn hostile, but it never
happened.

“That is a relief. You can let them out of the web.”

“Understood.”

The spider unfurled the bindings letting all twelve out. They walked happily
along the spiders.

“This is your forest, do you remember it?” He asked the intelligent one.

It seemed unsure and remained quiet for a long while, but finally, it nodded
pointing slightly off the path they were all heading.

“Where are you pointing?” He knew the ‘puppet’ was not expressive so the
question wasn't good, “Is that where your home is?”

The plant creature shook his head in a negative but kept pointing in that
direction.

“I don’t understand. Do you want us to go there?”

It nodded its head twice happily.

“But I’m pretty sure that’s not where the elves are.”

It looked at him, the spark in its eyes intense. And then it just walked into
the trees towards that direction, other plant creatures followed.

“Shall. We. Capture. Them?” His best advisor asked.

“No, we will follow. I am interested.”

The plan had changed and the legion of spiders abandoned the road. The
forest was thick and without the road hard to traverse. However, that was
what the axes and machetes were for.

The intelligent creature was definitely leading him somewhere.

“Be careful of the trap-sss.” A friendly lamia, the one of the few he took on
this expedition, hissed a warning.

“I trust this guy, let's just observe and follow.”

The distance they casually walked was by no means short, but eventually,
there was a change.

“Plants.” One of the spiders scouting ahead reported.

“Well, we know what to expect. Ready your webs.” He instructed.

Predictably so, plant creatures, neither tree nor animal, began to emerge
from the overgrowth.

The twelve ‘puppets’ just casually strolled past the others without hostility.

“They don’t attack their own.” He stated the obvious. “Hey, I come in
peace.”

However, the plants had a different idea. They charged recklessly into his
spiders, he could see rage burning in their eyes.

“Well, that didn’t work.”

“As expected-sss.”

“Webs?” a warrior leader chirped.

“Webs. Don’t kill them.”

The spiders swung blue webs to entangle the creatures. It worked to an

extent. The only problem was that there were more ‘puppets’ than he
expected. They managed to reach the spiders and began pummeling at them
with bare fists.

“This is not good.”

“I sss-say we just chop them down.”

“No, they are intelligent. I was able to confirm that.”

“You saw exception maybe-sss?”

He wished his plant friend was here to calm his friends down. To his
surprise, a part of the wish was granted. For some reason, the ‘puppets’
stopped launching themselves at his spiders. Soon he saw the culprit behind
the change. It was taller than the others but equally made of wood and
plants. Two large horns protruded from its head. Its skin was rugged bark
and its face expressionless mask. The eye sockets glowed with a bright
green glow.

“Intruder!” It roared accusingly.

Finally, someone was willing to speak.

“Hello.” He tried to sound polite aware of how ridiculous he sounded at the

moment. He blasted Friendly Aura at full power.

Luckily, the giant plant creature seemed willing to listen.

“What are you, creature?” It asked; other plant creatures retreated away
from spiders and behind this one.
He wanted to ask the same but, “I’m just a man.” he tried to be humble in
front of this towering entity but reconsidered “I’m The King of Spiders,
ruler of The Dreaded Place and Slayer of The Great Worm of Oberon.”

“I have heard of Dreaded Place. No mana, no food, no life. Nothing can

live there.”

He felt as if he had a similar conversation.

“But I do.” There were more important matters to discuss. “Sorry for
attacking your guys. You won’t believe me but I come in peace.”

“I believe you, intruder.”

The use of ‘intruder’ made it sound kind of contradicting. “You do?”

“The little ones told me about you. You have set them free from the fog.”

“Oh you mean the twelve I have cap… liberated? Yes, I did that.” He took
full credit. “But what’s up with this fog you mentioned?”

“If you can’t feel it you won’t see it. It doesn’t affect you.”

Go figure… “So are you…” he looked for a name but the puppet was
probably not the one. “… you creatures working with the elves? Are they
somehow bullying you?”

“Not quite. We Dryads, like the Elves, only want to protect this forest.”

“I see…” He now knew what they called themselves.

The Dryad continued. “The Elves are afraid. They made a mistake to use
the ritual without the Forest Spirit’s approval. Many minor Dryads were
born premature.” He could tell the creature was angry. “Elves unleashed the
fog, took control of the dyads. The forest is angry with the elves.”

“I knew they were jerks!”

“Forest is angry with you, intruder.” It accused again.

“What did I do?”

“You hurt Forest, chop it down.” It pointed at the path he had just made to
come here.

“Up’s I am sorry. I didn’t know this was bad.”

“Come closer, intruder.” The Dryad urged for him to dismount.

“You sss-shouldn’t.” Lamia warned.

Regardless he approached the Dryad.

“Closer.”

He was only a good six steps away from the Dryad, and indeed it was big,
almost twice the height of him.

“I sense Forest Spirit in you?”

“You do?”

“A tiny bit of it inside your stomach. You can’t be all bad to have a piece of
it. I too have a piece. Making me a Great Dryad; able to resist the fog.”

He no longer could follow what this tree was talking about. Fog and spirits
he knew nothing about. But at least it sounded friendly so the Aura must
have worked, and why not push his luck further?

“So can we be friends?”

“Little ones told me you bring life to The Dreaded Place. I know animals
need to eat to live. You can come to Forest and take its bounty, but don’t
take too much. We can be friends if you lift the fog, stop Forest feeling
angry,”

“Those are acceptable conditions. I will tell my spiders to behave. But how
do I lift this fog? I can’t even see it.”
“Come, I will show.” The Great Dryad began to walk, the minor dryads all
in tow. “Little ones, you wait. The fog will make you angry again.” It
cautioned.

“Should I leave my spiders here as well?”

“You don’t have to. But you can.”

What a vague answer. He worried the fog will affect his spiders too so he
left them with a warning.

“Behave you all, don’t harm the trees and Dryads.”

“Understood.” The warrior spider gave a salute with its spindly hand.

The lamia, however, refused to leave his side.

“Is it far?” He asked The Dryad.

“It is not.”

So he followed the towering creature deep into the forest, to the place
where this ‘fog’ was making the forest ‘angry’.
 22

It was far! Whatever scale to measure the Great Dryad used was not the
same as his. They ended up with a day’s worth of walking, but not once, not
even once did he ask ‘Are we there yet?’ – he managed to restrain himself.
If there was a better system it would have rewarded him the title of The
Most Patient Man; he was sure of it.

Something rustled in the tree canopy, but he didn’t think too much about it;
there were plenty of animals in this forest. Or at least used to be, he realised
how quiet it was all of a sudden.

There was another rustle and an enchanted arrow pierced right through his
top hat.

“Ambush!” He realised.

Lamia warriors surrounded him, shielding his body with theirs. Multiple
arrows flew in his direction, but it was not the lamias who ended up soaking
the damage. It was Great Dryad, then it wanted it could be surprisingly
quick; the arrows ended up wedged into its wooden body.

“Elves!” It roared accusingly.

The elves, by the looks of it, didn’t care for the Dryad and kept peppering it
with arrows. Some were fire enchanted and the Dryad caught fire. It moved
towards the elf-infested trees flailing and roaring in anger.

“Go help him.” He commanded the lamia.

“But-sss.”

“Just go, I will be fine.”

Lamia slithered towards the attackers. The Great Dryad managed to topple a
tree and from it elves tumbled to the ground like overripe berries from a
shaken bush. The lamia slithered after the elves. Others still in the trees
decided to make a runner too.

He ran towards the broken tree, there the Dryad was resting on its knees,
still burning.

“Don’t die, not like this.” He took the jacket part of the suit and began
beating the flames. It was surprisingly effective.

The Great Dryad was charred but alive.

“Will you be alright?” He asked with worry.

“Thanks. I will heal. [Heal]” Green motes of light surrounded its body and
the charred flesh began to revert to its original state.

“Amazing!” He was envious of the magic.

The lamias were back.

“The elves-sss escaped.”

“A camouflage skill, sss-similar to what we possess-sss but for the forest.”

The friendly lamia explained.

“If I didn’t fear the ‘fog’ affecting the spiders, I would have taken them.”

“Fog, it’s close.” The Dryad butted in and casually continued towards the
forest.

“Do we sss-still follow?”

“Yes.”

This time Dryad’s ‘close’ was actually close, and they emerged out of the
overgrowth into a less forested area, it was not unlike a grove or a park. The
most defining feature of the area was a red glow coming from all the lines
and shapes ‘painted’ on the ground; it was more like a powder which
emitted this magical glow.

“What is this? Magic?”

“Fog, urgh!” The Dryad told with a heavy voice as if in great pain.

“Well, it doesn’t affect me. How about you?”

“We’re fine-sss.”

“Do I just destroy the lines?” He asked.

The Great Dryad didn’t reply, it just stood there with both hands on the side
of its head. Once again it collapsed on its knees.

“That doesn’t look good. Quickly delete the lines.” He began kicking the
powder away and lamias did the same but with their tails.

There were a lot of lines to delete, but he wasn’t even halfway through then
they stopped glowing.

The Dryad stood up. “Fog is no more. We go back.”

“Is that it?” It was almost too easy, anticlimactic even.

“Forest is still angry, but not with you.”

“That’s good. I guess we go back and then to the elves.”

“Yes, elves.”

The trip back was a long one, and the trip to the elf settlement will be even
longer. He was back on his mount, riding proudly knowing that he made a
new ally. Well apparently the minor dryads did kick a fuss for a short while
then he was gone, but spiders obeyed his command not to harm them and
just put them in webs. Anyways, the dryads weren’t ‘angry’ anymore and
were just obediently following The Great Dryad and him towards where the
elves lived.

What was interesting was that more and more dryads joined them during
their trip. Now there were just as many dryads as there were spiders.

“I’m glad I made the right choice to make friends and not enemies.” He
reflected on the numbers.

“We had weapon’sss, we would have won anyway, but yes-sss.”

And finally, he was almost there, the last few trees blocked the sight from
elf settlement. He didn’t expect to reach it without surprises, but here he
was.

“Let’s go and say hello.”

He moved past the trees and into the clearing. However, he wasn’t met with
the familiar sight, no, where there was once an encampment now was a
whole fortress. A huge wall at least three times bigger than he remembered
surrounded the elves. There were multiple towers on top of the wall, full of
elven archers. Moreover, he could make at least ten war machines, he was
no expert but judging from massive arrows slotted in the machines they
were called ballista.

Of course, he couldn't just waltz in and say hello. If they saw him, they
would shout at him. Or would they?

“I am going… To talk alone, just stay behind.”

Lamia grasped him by the shoulder. “No-sss.”

“I’ll be okay. I trust that they’re civil enough not to shoot the messenger.”

Then the elf scouts returned they had reported something disturbing.
“How can it be, the magical circle was warded with spells and illusions!
They shouldn’t have found it at all.”

This was a common but powerful elven trick; to ward a place so it can
never be found, the intruder would just swerve around it in circles.

“This is impossible! Are you sure?”

“Yes, high chief. Also, the evil monster had a Great Dryad with him?” He
reported as if still unsure.

“A Great Dryad you say?” The chief sounded surprised. “Not one of ours
then. What happened to it?”

“Well, it was going towards the circle so we attacked it with fire arrows.”

“Good, the rebel is likely dead. We did expect some of the dryads to rebel
anyway. Also, that explains how the illusion was circumvented. But why
would the Greater Dryad betray us?”

They had no reason to go against the elves.

“Never mind that. Even if the circle is broken the lesser dryads would still
fight the evil spiders.” He calmed himself.

There was no way the dryads would tolerate twisted man eating spiders!

The chief poked his head outside the window. There outside and on the
walls were squads of archers, some were his, others were sent by the new
allies. Before he might have worried about the security of this settlement,
but not anymore.

“If the corrupting spider king wants to come he can, we are ready. Tell the
scouts to return behind walls and the guards to be extra vigilant.”

“Yes, High Chief.” The scout ran off to convey the instruction.

A few days later an errand girl ran into the great hall looking for him. He
didn’t even listen to what she had to say, since judging from the commotion
outside, he already knew what it was. Predictably so, The Spider King had
appeared.

“The twisted monster was here to claim our innocent lives!” he frowned in
anger.

“Venerable elders!” He had to be loud to wake them. “Erect the shield!”

The geriatric elders moved like torpid tortoises after a long winter, ever so
slowly towards the round table where they were meant to join hands in an
ancient elven ritual.

The High Chief didn’t need to stay here and wait for it. Instead, he ran to
the highest tower, he had to judge the evil force and devise the best plan to
weather their attack.

He was climbing the thousand steps as fast as he could. The elves outside
sounded awfully rowdy and overly disturbed, The Chief resisted the
temptation to peek out of the small window as he passed it; no need to
waste precious time.

By the last step, he emerged into the canopy of the tower, there other
prominent members of the Elves were already waiting including the other
two High Chiefs.

A dome of mana finally blinked into existence shielding the entire elf
settlement from any tainted magic the Spider King might possess.

“Thanks for standing up against this force of evil. ”He appreciated the two
thanking for their solidarity with a warm smile.

However, the two had deep frowns and faces full of regret, and even anger.

“Can you explain this, High Chief?” One of the two pointed into the
distance.

What was there to explain, the evil was here. The two knew what they
signed for so he too began to frown at this unexpected cowardice coming
from his allies. Regardless, he went towards the fence and looked.
Yes, there were more than they had expected, an entire legion. But this was
not why his allies were so worried. He understood their worry now.

“The Dryads. Why are the Dryads standing behind the King Of Spiders?”
The High Chief asked himself.

“We would like to know as well.”

“Impossible!” This word has been invading his mind ever more frequently.
“The Dryads are the children of the forest this makes no sense.”

“To ally with a monster. Something must have happened.”

“But what?”

“Brainwashing! He brainwashed them with tainted magic. Must have

corrupted the circle we have erected.”

“To turn it against us. Is it even possible?”

“This is a great evil, we have underestimated how crafty this monster is.”

“Look, he is approaching the walls. Alone!”

All three High Chiefs strained their eyes to look.

“Why does he look so strange? You described the leader of the monsters
differently?”

Indeed, while the high chief recognised the King of Spiders from his
authority alone, he did come dressed differently; wearing a blue suit made
of leaves and an equally blue funny hat.

“He is mocking us. Our customs.” The High Chief accused.

“I find it quite fashionable.” Chief number two had a different perception.

“Do not be bedazzled by its cheap tricks. The monster is plotting

something. I know!”
“I think it is trying to speak.” Chief number three observed.

“Maybe, cast a spell? Should we attack while it’s still alone?”

The elves hesitated to strike first since no one could hear what was shouted
at them due to magic shielding the settlement. The monster seemed to
realise this and turned back to the legion obviously issuing a ghastly
demand of sorts.

The horde of dryads stepped into the clearing, the archers on the wall
visibly tensed. They were as confused as the high chiefs, if it were spiders
they would have loosened their arrows already.

“We might need to wipe the dryads first.”

“Do you want to turn the Forest Spirit against you?”

“If you kill its children, it will strike at you when it reincarnates.”

The two gave wise advice, however, “What choice do we have?”

“We can send some scouts to break the corrupted circle and end this
monster’s hold on the dryads.”

“Yes, let's do that. Scouts!”

The scout leader had already heard the high chief's discussion and was
already running.

“Let’s hope the shield will buy us enough time. Aim the ballista at The
Spider King.” He issued a decisive command.

The dryads were on the move, they raised their hands into the air sending
motes of various colours towards the elven walls.

“What is happening?”

“I am not sure.”
They were elves but even then they didn’t recognise this Dryad spell. The
shield flickered and then shattered with a loud bang.

“Impossible!” All three said in unison.

“Hello, I come in peace!” The voice of the Spider King had finally reached
them.

The chief panicked before he could even register what was said. “Fire, fire
now!” He ordered.

The ballista loosened their enchanted great arrows in unison. The High
Chief didn’t order the archers to fire, however, they too were panicked by
losing the shield and fired their fire arrows towards the horde of dryads
anyway.
 23

The [Language Comprehension] perk must have malfunctioned and

somehow the elves misunderstood his good intentions. Everything in his
vision slowed down, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that his life
flashed before his eyes.

The ballista arrows weren’t just arrows, it was very elven for them to be
enchanted with the wind element, making them so much faster. He wanted
to dodge he tried to dodge, but couldn’t.

The first arrow pierced his top hat disintegrating it into tiny shreds of blue.
The second arrow flew right past his shoulder, the third between his legs.
The four and fifth were duds, one overshooting and the other did the
opposite. So far he was extremely lucky. But not for long, the seventh
nicked his side cutting the suit and leaving a nasty gash. The eight wedged
deep into the right side of his chest. He was skewered by the great arrow
and the blow was powerful enough to send him flying along with it. That
was the only reason why the ninth and tenth arrows missed him completely.

The arrow hit the ground getting stuck in the soil, he was dangling from it
right in the middle of the shaft. He looked at the elven wood protruding
from his chest.

“Oh boy, that’s not good.” He was surprised at how calm he was.

However, it was obvious and plain, he was dying; no escape from it now.
He didn’t worry too much at all because he still possessed [Resurrection
[1]]. It was a shame to use it so soon, but he was the one to blame here, or
so he thought.
He felt himself weaken, his eyes losing focus. He didn't know if what he
saw was real or just an illusion, but he saw fire rain from the sky, setting
everyone ablaze. Shrieks and crackling of burning wood filled his ears. It
felt like he was In hell.

A burning giant flashed in his vision and just before he lost it completely,
“[Heal].” He heard it and then he felt it. The strength returned to his body,
but contrary to what one might think, he didn’t feel good or pleasant.
Before he was calm and cool, resigned to his fate, but now the wound in his
chest burned and he spat hot blood choking on it. He felt the wood piercing
his chest begin to move, or rather it was he who was moved. There was so
much pain. Giant hands removed him from the shaft of the great arrow and
began carrying him back to the forest.

“[Heal].” He heard once more and the pain lessened. However, his mind
was still foggy and his senses failed him once again; he fell unconscious.

Once he opened his eyes he was back under the canopy of trees, but even
those had the tinders of budding fire in them. The burning giant was gone,
replaced by the familiar lamia.

“Use-sss it!” she hissed.

He couldn’t understand, he still felt so groggy.

“The spear you have, sss.”

Yes, that’s right. He had forgotten, in his hand indeed he still had his
weapon. He was holding it so tight that the knuckles and fingers were white
from exertion. Even if he wanted he couldn’t let it go.

The friendly lamia pressed the tip of [Slayer Spear] to her side. He knew
what she was suggesting, but even then he didn’t want to hurt her to save
himself.

Lamia had other ideas and pushed herself into the speartip.

[Perk Life Steal activated]

It was similar to [Heal] but different, it was without the limitations. The
spear drank lamia’s blood greedily and brought the life back into his body
in return.

His mind cleared and his willpower returned. “Enough!” He pushed the
lamia away.

She gave him a weak smile. “Are you alright-sss?”

He shook his head. “No. Why did you do this? And how did you know
about…”

She interrupted him. “You ask stupid questions-sss. Isn’t there more to
worry about than me or you?” She looked back at the elf fortress.

He followed her gaze.

“No…” He didn’t want to believe what he was seeing.

It was WAR.

The dryads were on fire, some were burnt to a crisp, others making their
way towards the elven walls. His spiders not only were already climbing the
tall wooden walls but fighting with the archers in the towers.

He wanted to call a retreat, to end this meaningless folly, but it was all too
late, neither side would stop at this point.

He saw an elf being thrown off by the spider from its archery post, they fell
to their death like many others. He saw someone else being bitten in half.
He saw a platoon of spiders using axes and machetes to make a hole in the
wall while they were peppered with arrows. He saw remaining dryads
shooting strange projectiles of green light towards his spiders, he didn’t
know what those did, but it was likely a buff of some sort. The walls
already had the beginnings of blue webs, the spiders were using those for an
easier climb.

Not all of his spiders were lucky to reach the walls. The slowest and the
squishiest of them lay motionless in the clearing; their bodies full of arrows.
From the looks of it, it was clear that the elves only had an advantage at the
range, but with no shield and the spiders already on the walls that advantage
was gone.

“Sss-so?” The lamia urged him.

She was right, he wasn’t here to observe from the sidelines. He grabbed a
triangular blue leaf from his supplies in his left hand, the leaf was big
enough to use as a shield, and on his right he held his legendary spear.
Feeling ready he charged into the thick of it like a madman. The rest of the
spiders, the ones who haven’t charged the walls in blind rage like their other
siblings, followed their King. These were farmers, weavers and other little
workers, but they too wanted to fight.

The lamia smiled at the humble force led by a King so brave and so
charismatic. She too wished to join the charge for victory but felt too cold
and too sluggish for that; as if a part of her life was drained.

As he was running the stray arrows were trying to hit him, but with archers
concentrating their fire on climbing spiders they were very few. On a side,
further away from where he was running, he saw the Great Dryad leading
another charge. The big fellow had a ballista arrow stuck in its body but it
didn’t seem too bothered by it. The elves operating ballista were
concentrating on the Great Dryad, but the big fellow used wind magic of his
own to defect those.

“Keep running it's close!” He urged his people.

Soon he reached a group of spiders making a hole in the wall. They had
managed to erect a small structure of wood and blue leaves above their
heads to protect themselves from arrows; He was surprised at how crafty
his spiders were. The arrow fire felt heavier here but with the improvised
roof, he felt much safer.

Of course, nothing was perfect; an arrow pierced the roof and landed right
in between his big toe and the rest of his fingers. He yelped in surprise and
raised his shield up to block any other arrows like that.
“How is it going?” He asked.

“Soon.” A large spider with equally large mandibles replied.

True to its word, a small hole partly chopped by axes and partly gnawed
away was made. The smaller farmers had no problem squeezing through it.
He too crouched and crawled in the hole, the wall was thicker than he
imagined; this was not a hole in the wall but with a small exaggeration – an
entire tunnel.

He emerged with the rest of the spiders outside, and what a sight it was. The
streets were clean and neat, paved with multicoloured pebbles. He expected
the elves to live in tree houses and he wasn’t entirely wrong. The houses
weren’t in or on a tree, they were on the ground but made out of what
looked like living wood. The walls of the houses had branches and live
leaves, but also they had holes in windows and doors. The roof was made of
large leaves which too were growing and alive. These houses were nested
close to each other. In the far distance, he could see a large tree, with an
equally large bulbous structure on top of it just under the branches and
leaves. It was overseeing the rest of the settlement.

“To stop this, we need to get their leader.” And it was obvious where to look
for them.

A curious elf popped out of one of the houses, by the looks of it, it was a
lost and scared child. He could see that his spiders never would discriminate
and were raising their axes and preparing the webs.

“No, don’t harm the little ones. Ever.” He warned stopping the crime before
it could happen.

“Understood.”

The child ran back to her house crying.

“No, child, wait.” He ran after them into the house.

He found more children inside. It was weird to keep them so close to the
walls. Didn’t seem safe or smart.

“Oh, don’t cry. I’m not here to hurt you.” He turned to a nearby spider and
asked for some fruits. The spider parted with its food ration, no problem.
“Here’s a small treat.” He attempted to bribe the children.

And what naive children they were, they took the fruit bit into it and then
smiled happily at the sweet taste.

The eldest of the young children spoke. “Are, you here to save us,
stranger?”

“Save? … Yes, this place isn’t safe anymore.” He wasn’t lying about that.
“Come with me, and try not to be afraid of my cute spiders. They don't
bite.”

“Are they friendly?”

“Yes, yes they are.”

He took the children out and was met with quite a sight. The spiders must
have misunderstood him. They were running in and out of the houses,
sniffing out the children like well-trained hounds and then carrying them
out bound in webs. There were so many children, if he didn’t know better
he would think that elves bred like rabbits, or they just left all of their
children alone in the houses. What were they thinking?!

“No, no, no! I told you not to harm them. Let them out.”

They did that, but now he was stuck with a large group of terrified children.

“Come children. Let's meet your elders and teach them a lesson about good
child care.”

The little elves surrounded by a hundred or so spiders had no choice but to

obey. But hey, they seemed happy once they got the fruits, so that was that.

“Are you going to see the High Chief?” The eldest of the children asked.
“Just as I said. Yes. He is there isn’t he.” He pointed at the large tree.

“Yes.”

“Will it be guarded?”

“Hmm.” The child thought for a moment. “I think everyone went on the
wall to fight the evil.”

“I see, I see…. The evil you say?”

“Yes, a twisted and dark monster.”

It was obvious this child didn’t know with whom she was talking with. Nor
did he consider himself dark or monstrous.

“Tell me more about it. How does he look.”

“It is very bad and very evil. It eats children.”

“Interesting. And how do I look?”

The child was thinking. “You look funny!” there was a glance at his tattered
suit and then a giggle “… but your pets are scary!” The child frowned.

“But they gave you fruits. And I told you your houses aren’t safe.” Not safe
from his spiders who were pouring in ever larger numbers from the wall
tunnel that is.

“Yes, fruits are always nice. Eat a lot you grow a lot.” The child said it like
it was drilled into them.

“You know these spiders grow these fruits.”

“Really?” All of the children looked at the fruits and then the spiders in
disbelief. “Really?” They asked again.

“Really! They are good guys, I keep telling you.”

Well…

“They are sorry for webbing other children, it was a misunderstanding.

Spiders were afraid of you that’s why they webbed you.”

“Oh, I understand.”

Oh boy, were they naïve. But what mattered was that he gathered all of the
little elves under his protection. The war was a confusing affair and
something terrible might have happened. Even he, the King, could not be
expected to control all and every of his spider's actions; the top of the wall
was evidence of that.

“Oh, look we are here.” He lost his trail of thought.

“It takes a thousand stairs to reach the elders.” The child said proudly.

That’s not something to be proud of. He looked at the round entrance

carved inside an outrageously thick and tall tree. Indeed there were stairs,
he looked up the stairwell it seemed endless.

“Are you coming or staying with my spiders? They will protect you don’t
worry.”

“I don’t know.” The children seemed hesitant but then secretly giddy about
something. ”Are we allowed to come?”

“Are you usually not?”

“No!” The oldest child said with sadness.

“Then you can come.” He didn’t care about stupid elven rules which made
no sense. “That is If you aren't afraid of a thousand steps!” He sure was.

The children began jumping as if they were going on a FairyLand ride or

something. They didn’t even wait for him to start and were already in heaps
over the stairs.
“And they say I am strange.” He began the slow ascent with the spiders
accompanying him from inside and outside.
 24

The last step was the hardest one. He finally entered a large room
overseeing the entire settlement. It was like an observation tower, and like
such had little of furniture inside; just a table and a few chairs. While the
furniture was of exquisite craftsmanship he could not help but frown at the
sight of them being empty.

“Where is the High Chief?”

An elf shrugged. “He’s usually here, I think. I’ve never been here before.”

“Did I get the wrong building?” He wondered and then wandered to the
edge to get a better look over the settlement.

The children were doing much the same.

The battle was still going on. His spiders were pushing the elves further
along the wall, but with the wall now breached they soon will be pinned and
surrounded. The children of course saw the same, and there was worry in
their eyes.

He leaned over the fence to talk with the poor spider who was still climbing
the large tree. “I’m sorry but can you go and tell others to go easy on the
elves; capture, don’t kill.” He felt bad for sending the little spider all the
way down just after it was done climbing.

He needn't to worry because the spider attached a rope to the tree and
descended quickly; He could even hear a small “Wee!” escape its tiny
mouth as it was flying down the rope.

“Why spiders fighting Daddy? Aren’t they friends?” A child asked unable to
take her eyes from the fighting.
Was he the baddy here? He had a moral conflict brewing inside his heart;
that’s why he never wanted this to happen.

“Adults have fights sometimes…” He really wanted to stop all of this.

“Especially then we are mad or angry, or even afraid. But you’re right they
shouldn’t be fighting.”

“Yeah! Friends don’t fight.” Another child butted in.

He had just an idea, “Why don’t you all come here by the fence and tell
everyone to stop? I’m sure my spiders will listen.”

To rile the children he followed his own advice; practise what you preach
and all that.

“Hey stop fighting!” He shouted from the top of his lungs.

The children soon joined.

“Stop fighting!”, “Stop fighting!”, “Stop!” …

The sound of shouts flew far and loud, and then reached the long eyes of
the elves. They stopped firing arrows at the spiders. The spiders paused
chopping with axes at elf guard towers. And surprisingly so, everyone did
stop fighting for a moment. It was unbelievable that the power of love and
friendship was able to accomplish such a feat; a true miracle if one might
say so.

Of course, it had nothing to do with the fact that their ancestral tree was
swarmed with spiders and their High Chief had likely been eaten alive by
now. Not to mention the sorrowful cries of their children who were
threatened into begging for their parents to surrender or else… they didn’t
even want to imagine. They had put too much trust in these walls, too much
faith in the venerable elders' magic shield, and failed to protect what was
the most important. So they surrendered in hopes that their children might
be left to live. Or so and such.
One by one, they were put into the nets and carried towards the ancestral
tree to await their fate.

However, not everyone was as brave or even had children, so seeing the
ceasefire they used that chance to escape; all they had to do was jump off
the wall and run into the forest. Moreover, after seeing that the spiders
didn’t give chase the number of opportunists only increased. The other
elves, of course, cursed the ones who were so selfish, because it was they
and their children who will pay the price.

The captives were gathered right under the ancestral tree. They were let out
of the web-like nets and herded into a tight group. To their surprise, the
children poured out of the entrance to the ancestral tree. They ran right to
their parents for hugs and consolation.

Soon after the ghastly King himself descended the stairs, looking no better
than the elves did; clothes tattered and with an exhausted look on his
otherwise human face; the elders must have given him a good last beating
before they perished valiantly.

The monster King began speaking, his words calming as if enchanted.

“I didn’t want any of this to happen.”

A terrible excuse.

“I’m sorry for your loss. But I’ve lost people too.”

He had the gall to compare the life of an elf to that of a spider.

“I really do want to make this work. I still want us to be allies, to live and
trade together as good neighbours would.”

Some drivel was escaping his mouth; no one wanted to hear this. However,
they were smart enough to pretend to listen and to know where this was
going despite not listening. There was only one reason they were spared and
that reason was…
“So I must ask for bygones be bygones and forget this misunderstanding so
that we can live in a better future where we can coexist. This is the only
way out of this, the way where we work together. So I ask you all to…”

An elf stood up and began shouting, “What are you even asking? We won’t
be your slaves!” clearly unable to take in the harsh reality and forgetting the
consequences.

That particular elf was dragged back to the ground where other elves were
kneeling and his mouth muffled.

“Slaves?” He asked in confusion.

“We will be your slaves! O King Of Spiders.” Everyone grovelled in

agreement.

“What, no! What is going on?”

The elves were not listening. “We will serve you well, please spare us and
our children.”

“Were you even listening?” He sighed. “How did you even…” The strange
aura left the King's voice.” Forget it. I just want an Alliance.”

“Whatever you ask, O King Of Spiders.”

He sighed even deeper. “Look I am sorry. Is there anyone else to talk to?
There is your leader?”

“…” The elves were quiet.

Until someone stood up. “I’m the leader. I think…” They mumbled the last
part.

“Are you the High Chief? Where are you on the wall? And here I assumed
you would be…”

“Yes, I am the oldest so…”

“Never mind, come let’s discuss this in private.”

They were interrupting each other, but in the end, found an agreement. The
King of Spiders took the newly elected High Chief to the ancestral tree as
per elven custom. The things were moving so fast, it was hard not to feel
dizzy.

“Can we go?” One brave soul asked tired from all the grovelling.

A spider chirped happily.

“Amm, can you say it again.”

A spider chipped even more happily.

“Are you dumb!” Someone was willing to translate. “It’s obviously saying
that we need to wait for the King to come back.”

“I just asked…”

The spider was chirping something at the elves.

“See you made it angry now! Apologise.” The elf pressed the other elf's
head to the ground for an apology while also doing the same.

Sometime before, a tiny while back, just after the moment when the
enraged spiders began to swarm the walls. The three High Chiefs were
observing the battle with baited breaths. The evil King of Spiders was dealt
with but the future of this elven settlement was unclear.

“The walls aren’t doing much.” High Chief number two made an apt
observation.

“Well, they are spiders so…” High Chief number three pointed out the
obvious.

“We can do it. Their king is dead.” The High Chief was optimistic.
“Even if we win this it won’t be the victory you wanted. Shooting at dryads
was a mistake.” Number two rubbed the salt into a bleeding wound.

“Well, I didn’t tell them to, and those were your archers too. I will just have
to appease the spirit then it is reborn.”

“I guess everyone had made some mistakes.” Number three was

concentrating on the battle. “But yeah, you will have a lot of appeasing to
do, the dryads look positively angry. Oh, they began healing the spiders.”

“Balistas, kill the Great Dryad.” High Chief number one commanded. “It’s
likely there to serve as a node for brainwashing.” The High Chief explained.

“Good decision!”

“But, didn’t the Great Dryad just retreat into the forest?” Number tree
asked.

“Oh…” That’s why none of the balistas were firing even after they finished
loading.

The battle continued and it looked like it was a stalemate. Until…

“Hey! Look!” High Chief number three pointed towards the edge of the
clearing.

“Impossible!” The High Chief uttered. “The Spider King is alive?”

“And back with reinforcements.”

The undying evil rushed straight to the walls and disappeared from their
vision.

“The Great Dryad is back!” Number three shouted.

“Kill it first, we have to stop dryads from healing.”

The battle was becoming chaotic, the spiders were on the walls throwing
their archers down. Bad turned to worse and a hole appeared in the wall, a
legion of small spiders poured right out of it.

“Can we still win this?” The High Chief asked his optimism already
shattered.

“With the walls breached? The Great Dryad still alive, the Minor Dryads
mad and a Legion of Spiders already on the wall?”

“We lost it the moment the magic shield was shattered.” Number two
pointed out the obvious yet again. “I’m calling off my men.”

“But you can’t…” The High chief knew he couldn’t expect his allies to
keep fighting. “So, we lost it?” He didn’t want to believe it.

“You lost it. I’m out.” Number two fired a light flare into the sky, and began
running down the stairs in a hurry.

“I will support you for a while longer.” Number three looked down. “The
spiders are on your streets and in your houses. You don’t have much time.
Do what is right, take what is most precious and come with me.”

“I will grab the venerable elders and the magic scrolls. We can’t let this evil
to get their hands on our ancient magic.”

“Hurry!” The chief number three urged.

 25

He and what was apparently the High Chief went back to the top of the
ancestral tree. Really, it was no fun climbing those stairs for the third time,
but the elf was insistent. They were sitting in an oddly empty room, there
was just a table and few chairs, but maybe the elven social elites preferred
to live ascetic lives.

“I understand that for this alliance to work I have to pay some reparations.”

The High Chief was just sitting without naming a price.

“Since I damaged your wall and towers I am willing to borrow some of my

spiders to do repairs.”

The elf shifted in his seat uncomfortably, likely desiring more.

“Look, I’m not exactly rich, but I can also give you some of my fruit and
cloth. Consider them free samples and later you can offer me something
back.”

“A tribute!” The High Chief pointed his finger into the air as if he had just
figured something out.

“No, a trade. I want to trade with you. There is a great deal of things my
spiders can’t make, but you can.”

“Oh a ‘trade’, I understand” The elf nodded sagely. “We will make some
things to show you the next time you return.”

“Really? Thanks!” Finally, he was getting somewhere.

However, the elf still looked somewhat uncomfortable in his chair.

“What is it?” He asked.

“Our settlement is now weakened and without protection…”

That was true he had devastated their defences, but there were some towers
left and at least six ballistas. He didn’t quite understand why the High Chief
worried so much.

“The dryads will come to strike us down.” He said it like it was a fact.

“Oh!” He had forgotten about that. “I haven’t spoken with them yet. But I
will.”

“Thanks, O King of Spiders. But can you leave some of your warriors here?
We would feel more secure.”

That was an odd request but he had no reason to turn it down. “Okay, I will.
I’ll tell them to cause no trouble, but how about the other elves? I don’t
think they would appreciate my warriors after all that happened.”

“I’m the High Chief now, they will listen to me. And how do I
communicate with your warriors, let's say if something bad is happening
and I need their help.”

The High Chief was talkative all of a sudden, which was good.

“Just tell them what you want, they will understand you. I’ll tell my
builders and warriors to listen to you while they’re here.”

The High Chief flashed a broad grin. “Thank you, O King of Spiders.”

“No, no. Thank you for being so understanding and willing to welcome my
guys. It’s a good idea to let the two peoples mix and build friendships; I can
see why you are the High Chief here. With that, I hope that our alliance will
prosper.” He offered his hand for a shake, the kind gesture wasn’t lost on
the High Chief, he shook it with a warm smile.

“I better go and wrap this up.”

He began the long descent.

On the ground, the elves were still waiting with their bated breaths. If he
tried to talk with this group they would just misunderstand him again, so he
just directed them to their High Chief.

He waved goodbye to the children, probably the only ones who didn’t look
at him with prejudiced eyes.

“I’ll bring you some fruit, soon.” He promised and left towards the gate.

There was a small problem, the city gate was vacant and there was no one
to open the sturdy structure. He could go through the small hole he came
from, but that was so… he had to keep appearances here or else the elves
will keep disrespecting him.

“Go and see if you can open it.” He commanded a warrior.

“Understood.”

The spiders climbed to the tower, and within minutes the large gate began
to move. From the small opening he could already see the Great Dryad just
standing there with the rest of its people.

“And, I wondered why you didn’t come sooner. Hi, I hope you are well.”
He had seen the giant burning but now it looked fresh as if nothing had
happened.

“Hello. Dryads are not spiders. We don’t climb walls.” It explained

helpfully.

“Are you here to meet the High Chief?”

“We are. To set things straight.”

“I guess, you have your own grievances, but please go easy on him.”

The dryad didn’t reply and proceeded towards the ancestral tree. There was
a nagging feeling that he was forgetting something. He turned and shouted
at the Great Dryad.

“I owe you for saving me. Please see me later!”

The dryad turned its giant body around. “You owe me nothing. That’s what
we Dryads do.”

“Then if you’re ever in trouble again, call for me.”

The Dryad simply nodded and continued on its path towards the ancestral
tree, its people, or what remained of them followed their leader. Except for
twelve Minor Dryads, there was one he recognised well, the intelligent
dryad with a twisted human face. That group separated from the larger
whole and moved towards him.

“You want to come with me?”

The lights in the dryad's eyes shone brightly; he figured that as a yes.

“The more the merrier.”

As he was walking out, more and more spiders followed from all over, but
he made sure to leave some behind just like the High Chief asked.

There in the clearing, he saw the familiar face of the friendly lamia. She
was laying on the mossy ground curled up around her long tail.

He called trying to wake her, but she didn’t. Then he tried to shake her, her
skin was very cold. He worried for a second but then relaxed after feeling a
dull throbbing coming from her chest.

“She might be sick. That perk is dangerous, I should never use it on my

allies again.” He put his hand on her head to pat it. “You too, had saved
me.”

Then he turned to look at his people. “And you fought bravely and
valiantly.”

The spiders chirped happily.

“I am blessed by good friends and allies.” He smiled. “Take the lamia and
let’s go home, to celebrate the victory and mourn the dead.”

His spiders constructed a long stretcher to carry her equally long body. He
wrapped her in cloth but that was probably not enough to keep her body
warm. If his knowledge didn’t fail him, he knew that Lamia liked the heat.
The spiders were poor as heaters but his human body was just right. So he
kept her body warm with his during the journey.

By the time they reached the farm, the friendly lamia was back to her
cheery self. He tried to thank her for saving his skin back there, but for one
reason or the other, she would just blush and run away from him. She was
still there to carry her job and even listen to his commands but if he
mentioned a word of what had happened she would just run away. Well, he
had an idea why, but she wouldn’t even listen to his apology, thanks or even
an explanation.

That was that, but also there was another huge celebration. Needless to say,
he was left without even a drop of slug jelly. By the way, for some reason,
The Lamia Queen had developed unhealthy cravings for it. When he was
out to make friends with elves her cravings were so bad that she attempted
to milk Johny the Slug by herself. Needless to say, it didn’t end well.
Despite the harsh debuff she had made past the BlueDust fields towards the
slug, but Johny didn’t like intruders and fought her. She would have died if
the spiders didn’t come to rescue her.

And conveniently so, the ores from the Kobolds had arrived. There was
always an option to smelt those, he had plenty of cut wood to make
charcoal. However, It was already a small miracle his dryad friends didn’t
mind him cutting the jungle so he didn’t want to push his luck. The solution
was simple, he fed ores to the evolved metal spider. Also, it turned out the
guy made quite a name for himself during the battle. The elven arrows were
unable to pierce his metal armour making him literally unstoppable, like a
tank fighting spearmen. He hoped that this spider will lay eggs soon.
With the little things out of the way, there were other matters to address. His
[Emissary Suit] was destroyed and he had lost the cane somewhere. By
now he held a firm belief that it was the armour he preferred the most. He
would craft one but he was all out of [Boar Pelt], the item he needed for the
leather. This problem was not without a solution. He could send his spiders
to hunt in the forest, but why would he agitate the dryads and the elves
further? He had boars of his own.

No, he didn’t forget them; the little ones he had captured months ago. The
boars were all in the pen, and every day they were engorging themselves on
TomGrape fruit. That might or might not be the reason why the boars
weren’t brown but blue instead. Also, they were quite huge, to put it mildly,
they were bigger than the largest of his spiders. Thinking about it, they
would make a good mount or a war beast, but to be honest, he preferred to
ride his spider because that one was intelligent and didn’t need training.

He looked at the fat boars, they were already too large for their not-so-small
pen.

“But which one will it be?” He looked at the stock struggling to pick the
lucky one.

One of the boars gave him a nasty look and then charged at the pen. This
was usual for them, unlike the spiders these weren’t cute or well-behaved.
The wood was reinforced by his perk so it held no problem. The foolish
animal had only harmed itself.

“I guess we have a lucky winner.”

He jabbed his spear right into the neck of the stunned boar.

[Fighting +50 exp]

“Oh, I didn’t expect to get exp.”

For some reason a random lamia slithered by the pen, and then another and
another.
“Are you going to eat this?” The lamia was positively salivating from the
mouth.

A behaviour unsuited for a woman, but it was not up to him to judge.

“Well, I was just thinking of skinning it mostly.” The meat was just a bonus.

“Shall we cook it for you?”

“That… That sound’s great.” He didn’t know they can cook.

But first, the boar had to be dressed and skinned. It was too large to handle
alone, luckily the Lamia were very motivated to help. He had expected
another [Boar Pelt], but instead, he had gotten [Enchanted Boar Pelt],
which was weird because no one had cast any spells on it.

“Had it evolved on its own?” He asked himself. “Well, it did change the
colour so…” It was plain and obvious.

He put the pelt down and looked at where a processed boar was, or should
have been, the lamia must have taken it away to cook it. He was motivated
by their work-minded spirit and went to work on his armour.

First, he made a vest using cloth and leather, and then he added spider
eggshells on to it. He nested obsidian hexagons on top of each other making
a scale plate. This was a design he had used before. He used a similar
process to make a whole set of scale armour: plate, greaves, vambraces and
a helm.

With the set complete he was granted a gear bonus and temporary perk.

[Gear bonus achieved: +25 Rep with Dragons]

[Temporary perk Minor Regeneration obtained.]

[Temporary perk Spell Deflection obtained.]

In many ways, this was the armour he once had, but this time adding
[Enchanted Boar Pelt] gave him another temporary perk. He donned the
armour and went to look for the Lamia. All this crafting had made him
hungry.

He didn’t need to look hard or long, the smell of cooked meat assaulted his
nose. It has been ages since he ate some good meat so he followed the
scent. He didn’t know the Lamia had brought spices with them, and he
probably would’ve never known if he didn’t slaughter this boar. Just like
the lamias from before he felt saliva pooling in his mouth.

He had found the lamias gathered under a large gazebo the spiders had
made for them. At some point, they managed to make fire and stew the
boar. Each lamia had a small wooden bowl filled with oily and rich stew.
They were slurping at it with no reservations. It wasn’t just meat he
recognised the familiar fruits mixed into it, there were even dried
mushrooms. The combination might be strange but it smelled divine.

He grabbed a spare bowl and went to the large pot. And…

“Hey, it’s empty.” This couldn’t be the only pot, the boar was too large.

He looked around but all he could see were discarded bones which were
cleanly stripped of any flesh. Likely, this was the last batch of stew. He
must have been crafting for too long.

“This is not right. That was my boar.” He felt cheated.

There were Lamia with full bowls of stew, so not everything was lost.

“Mind sharing?” He’d asked a random lamia.

Who just went and gulped the liquid in one go and showed him an empty
bowl. Rude!

“Come on… just a taste.”

He asked the other, but the same had happened. He couldn’t understand this
behaviour. Were they this starved? He always made sure there was plenty of
fruit for everyone to eat, so this wasn’t it.

“You know…” He was about to make a tantrum.

“Here-sss.”

A bowl was pressed into his hands. He looked at his saviour, she was the
friendly lamia.

“Thanks.” He beamed a wide smile.

“SSS.” She blushed and slithered away in a hurry.

He shrugged, he was done trying to figure out women, instead, he

concentrated on the gift. The bowl was half empty with only a few tiny bits
of boar. He poured it into the mouth.

“Mmm, so succulent.” He now understood why no one wanted to share.

He sat down with Lamia and enjoyed the rest of the evening. They were
unlikely to approach him due to the difference in status but that was okay.
He still was welcome here and felt included in the larger group, and as a
bonus, he was allowed to eavesdrop on their juicy conversations.

He wasn’t left to sit alone and to his surprise, an intelligent dryad joined
him in quiet camaraderie. It was surprising because the dryad didn’t mind
meat being eaten in front of it, nor the fire burning. It was very tolerant
indeed, the elves could learn from this pant creature.

And later, another companion joined the silence. It was his most trusted
advisor, it took the spot by the right of him.

And even later, Queen Lamia slithered from behind and startled him with a
sneaky hug.

“Jelly please-sss.” She hissed a cute begging whisper in his ear.

She knew well that the substance was now forbidden to her and he will not
give her any. He didn’t want to break the silence and chose to ignore the
pest.

It was nice to be surrounded by friends and allies. Everyone was so

different but even then all were getting along so well. He didn’t want this
moment to end, and maybe with time, there will be an elf and a kobold
sitting idly like this in front of a fire.
 26

There was that OP perk: no, not that one, the other one – Evolve. This was
the one he didn’t get to use much, because… of reasons obviously.

With the Elven menace averted and the Lamia famine defeated, or was it
the other way round? Anyway, he had plenty of time and energy on his
hands.

“Evolve.” He invoked the perk.

A purple light enveloped his new victim. Just an innocent plant, the one his
spiders used to make ropes called BanditAgave. It was a prickly bugger
and the name was well-earned.

The light show didn’t last and died without sparkles and fanfare. This one
needed time to manifest their new changes and couldn’t just pop them into
existence.

“I hope you evolve well.” He caressed the prickly plant’s leaf.

The perk drained him, but it drained him less than he thought it would, so
he moved to his next victim. It was another plant, and it was quite
renowned. This was the one he used to make all that cloth for clothes –
StemLeaf. A very imaginative and inspired name, and he was proud of it.

“Evolve.” He dispensed his judgment spraying purple light without mercy

from his hands.

Something was not right.

“I’m not feeling well.” He said before he passed out plonking his head right
into the pile of wet dirt.
…

He was floating in the endless void of space, stars twinkled happily at him.

“So pretty.”

He felt happy and content just floating around in this dream. A cloud of
smoke blinked into being out of nowhere.

“You haven’t used your chaos blessing.”

“Huh?” He was surprised by this speaking cloud.

“YoU HaVen’t UseD YoUr bleSSinG.” It accused.

Well, this cloud was a joy killer and he wanted to tell it to go away.

“Bugger off, cloud.” So he did. “I am busy enjoying my dream.”

“There is a great danger coming. Be prepared.”

“Cloud, cloud go away. Come again some other day!” He chanted an

ancient spell towards the cloud.

Surprisingly the cloud shrunk on itself and disappeared from his vision with
an audible pop.

“The stars are so pretty.” With the cloud gone, he was back to appreciating
the marvels of the Cosmos.

Blinking away the dumb dreams he opened his eyes to greet the new day.

“With great power comes great responsibility.” He reminded himself while

holding his throbbing head.

He was awake but definitely not okay. Everything hurt and he felt drained.
A spider offered him a jug of water. He slurped it greedily as if he hasn’t
had any for days; which considering how the perk worked, was probably
true.

He felt slight déjà vu trying to get out of his bed.

“Ah… Just carry me.” He decided to let himself be spoiled.

The spider happily complied with the request. Unexpectedly, the ride was
smooth and pleasant; these spiders were experts at carrying things on their
backs. And he didn’t even need to tell it where to go, the spider knew
already.

“Destination. Reached. Disembarking.” The spider chirped.

It chirped and dropped him like a sack of potatoes.

“Ugh! I get what I deserve.” He dusted the dirt off his clothes. “There is it?”
he looked for his first victim. “Aha!”

It was standing out like a sore thumb. The BanditAgave has changed
colours from dull green to fiery red.

“Congratulation, you have been promoted to FireAgave. Please reproduce

quickly.”

It was a shame that he would need to wait until he was able to process the
plant and find its properties.

“To the next victim, we go.” He gave a meaningful look to the spider.

The spider picked him up like a sack of potatoes and carried him to the
other field. During the trip, he passed other spiders who chirped him hello.
He waved at them to return the greeting. And all of a sudden he could feel
his mount to become all smug and elevated. Elevated in a literal sense, the
spider stood taller and had bigger strides, and other spiders looked at it in
envy.

“Wait, why are they looking at you like this?” He couldn’t help but wonder.
“Jealous. I. Carry. The King.”

“I see… Maybe don’t drop The King like a sack when we arrive.” He
offered.

“Arrived. Disembarking.”

It dropped him.

“Hey!”

The spider ran away before he could complain. He would dust himself off
but he was too taken aback by the strange sight.

“What is this supposed to be?”

It should have been evolved StemLeaf but instead of a long stem and a big
leaf, there was just a bundle of leaves curled up like a cabbage.

“A cabbage?” He uttered staring at the giant cabbage as big as he was.

The leaves began to move. It wasn’t a cabbage, because there was

something inside. He looked at it opening like a flower with a bated breath.
Behind these leaves, he could see a figure emerge: It had a head, a torso and
even hands, but from below the waist it was all plant. He was staring at its
back so he couldn’t tell if it had a face.

He walked around unable to take his eyes off this marvel. And then he
could do nothing but blush. Inside this ‘cabbage’ there was a figure of a
woman, and of course well endowed and naked.

The woman stretched with a big yawn, exposing her feminine charms and
not two but four rows of needle-like teeth and a long snake-like tongue. She
might be half plant half woman, but she definitely was not a vegetarian. She
finished yawning and stared at him with curiosity with her big green eyes.
Needless to say, she was all in various shades of green and for the hair on
her head she just had leaves.

“What are you supposed to be?” He uttered in wonder.

“Alraune.” She gave him that toothy grin.

The name clicked, it matched with the description of a half-woman and

half-plant creature, but those were more like flowers and not cabbages.
Well, he should never say that she looked like cabbage, the monster was
still a woman.

There was still one thing to make sure. “You were a StemLeaf before
right?” No, that was not it. He should have been amazed that she can talk.

“Alraune. Alraune.”

“Sorry I don’t get it.”

“Alraune?”

“Oh, you’re that type of monster. The one who says only its name.”

“Alraune!” the plant woman smiled.

Then she opened her hands wide and sprayed green orbs of light all around
her. He had almost got worried for a second, but whatever she had cast
didn’t affect him, instead, the StemLeaf plants grew ever so slightly.

“So you can speed the plant growth, amazing.”

“Alraure!”

Yeah, that one-liner can get boring pretty quickly. He wondered if he could
somehow excavate the Alraune and plant her where more useful crops were.

A spider walked to the now grown StemLeaf plants to harvest them and
alraune snatched the little fellow without warning. Her jaw opened more
than it should be possible, she was aiming for the spider's head.

“No!” He slapped the woman hard enough for her to drop the spider. “You
can’t eat them. They are friends, do you understand?”

“Alraune?”
“Never mind. Please stay away from alraune from now on.” He warned the
little worker.

The spider chirped in understanding.

The plant woman was useful to have around, but she was a wild card and
dangerous for his spiders. He couldn’t leave her unsupervised. So he did
what any competent king would do, he assigned the minder to this plant. It
was a very keen spider who actually volunteered to supervise the hungry
plant. Of, course he wasn’t going leave the volunteer without protection. So
he crafted something very special.

[You have crafted a peacekeeper stick of superior quality. Crafting

+1exp]

Yeah, it was just a wooden stick but…

Congratulations! You have reached Crafting lvl. 2]

[Perk Harvest Material obtained.]

“Finally!” he had unlocked a new perk.

“Harvest Material” He tried it on StemPlant and it instantly provided him

with plant fibre.

“I should have gotten it ages ago!” It would have made things so much
easier.

However, the amount he obtained was less than if he went through the
entire process. And even more however, it was odd that this was considered
a Crafting perk and not Farming, but he won’t complain about this. Since
it was established that he could do that on plants he grew, he had to try it on
animals as well. He went to the boar pen and invoked the skill on a random
boar, however, nothing happened.

“Maybe they need to be dead?”

He did the necessary and invoked the perk again. This time it worked giving
him [Enchanted Boar Pelt] and [Enchanted Boar Meat]. The rest of the
body just broke into sparkles and then disappeared.

He looked at the two items an idea budding in his head. “If only I had a
storage ring or loot bag… I could become the ultimate hoarder.” He was
tempted by the idea.

“I wonder if the elves possess such things.”

However, the time for that wasn’t right; not yet. He used the perk on
another plant, the blue flower DustyBlue. Predictably so, the flower turned
into a pile of blue dust. Extracting the dust was never an easy process, but
now it was. He collected the dust into the wooden vial.

“I can throw this in defence and give my enemy a debuff.” The dust had a
sleep debuff, to which he was now immune so it didn’t even affect him.
“Perfect!”

He kept trying this new perk on various things. He could even harvest the
fruits instantly, however, it destroyed the fruit vine so it wasn’t always
practical to use it. In hindsight, the perk could be used to quickly destroy
things like pesky weeds, or unwanted corpses, which probably was an
unintended exploit.

And! He intended to use that exploit to full power. There was this pesky
plant, a thorn at the side of his farm. It was a spiky vine he had planted
hoping to grow a defensive plant. It grew well, maybe too well, it was tall
and sturdy, its horns sharp like daggers, and the thorny vine tumbled and
rolled in swirling patterns resembling a roll of barbed wire. The problem
was, once planted it was very difficult to remove it, so he kind of ignored
the problem ending up with a small infestation.

That was until now because he could finally face this undefeated foe.
“Away with you, menacing Bane of Spiders, begone, [Harvest Material].”

A small section of the SpikeVine disappeared leaving behind only thorns.

“[Thorn].” The skill after all was there to give him materials and not act as
a cheap weedkiller. “I must be able to craft something with that.”

The thorn was as long as his finger but slightly slimmer. Even if it was
made of woody material, it was quite strong. He tested it on his armour.
Predictably so, it wasn’t able to pierce it and snapped the thorn in half
instead.

“What if…” He had another genius idea. “Reinforce.” He used the perk he
had gotten from levelling up Building.

[Thorn: Reinforced +1].

This was the day of discovery. He should make this day a national
celebration in his kingdom. He was able to reinforce materials! This was a
revolutionary discovery because he could reinforce material make an item
and then reinforce it again. This was OP!

However, he was jumping to conclusions without putting things to the test.

He jabbed the thorn into his armour, of course, it didn’t pierce it, but it
didn’t break this time, meaning that paltry +1 was actually a significant
amount.

Finally, he was beginning to feel like a real wizard; in a very roundabout

exploitative way. He kept turning SpikyVine into light sparkles,
disintegrating it, when collected the dropped material and ‘enchanted’ the
thorns with another shower of light but this time purple.

Unavoidably the light show had attracted spectators. They were clapping
and chirping happily at the unexpected entertainment. They too were glad
that the prickly Bane of Spiders was finally dealt with; a task only a true
King could achieve.
 27 - A Warm Welcome

He was sitting on the most comfortable pillow ever crafted and casually
munching a fruit in his left hand.

“Life is good.” He reflected and took another bite. ”All is well” It was
amazing to have no troubles.

A spider scuttered towards the throne in hurried steps. He looked at the

messenger raising a curious eyebrow.

“Intruders!” It reported in an alarmed chipper.

The fruit slipped out of his hand and rolled on the ground. “Where?” He
stood up.

“Come. Come.”

The spider ran and he ran behind it. At the edge of the farm, he could see
his spiders fighting something. He had trouble describing what it was from
the distance, but it looked like a tide of brown mass. When he was close
enough he realised that this mass wasn’t uniform, it was made out of many
small individuals. They were tiny and plump creatures, no bigger than a
foot. They had white bodies with stumpy hands and legs, and on their heads
was a brown cap. The brown mass was a horde of walking mushrooms! The
little creatures gnawed and chewed on his plants. The spiders were trying to
remove the pests, but there were simply just too many.

He got close to one specimen.

“Mush! Mush-Mush.” It shouted at him and then bit on his boot.

“Hey, you!” He kicked at the pest sending it flying into the air.
“Mu-oooooo-sh!” It shrieked while coursing through the air.

For whatever reason, the mushrooms didn’t like him even more now. Not
one but five mushrooms were gnawing at his boots. He has had enough of
this rude behaviour so with a quick thrust of the spear he pierced the
mushrooms one by one, making himself a nice mushroom skewer. The five
were replaced by ten, and ten by twenty, when soon he had to face what
looked like a good fifty; the horde was endless.

He retrieved a flask out of his pocket and flung the contents at the
mushrooms. The blue dust burst into the cloud making the mushroom
people cough and heave, it didn’t look like they were immune to the debuff.
One by one they fell asleep. Alas, he had only a single flask with him, so
the moment of respite was temporary, he had to keep fighting the pests one
group at a time.

He didn’t need to do that alone either, the spiders were here to help, and the
lamias too. His numbers were within thousands but the mushrooms must
have been within tens of thousands. The battle was fierce and long, but in
the end, the brown horde, what remained of it, retreated into the jungle.
Everywhere he looked he saw limp mushrooms littering the floor and a
faint mist of red hovered above their corpses.

“Goomba stomp!” He crushed the last one which seemed to be still alive.

Whatever mercy he had it was long gone, and for a reason. The pests had
half destroyed his fields, the precious vines had bite marks all over and the
fruits were missing, the StemLeaf and newly established FireAgave
suffered similar fates. The only exceptions were the blue flowers and the
patch where Alraune was living. For whatever reason the pests had avoided
her.

If he didn’t have fruits in storage his spiders would starve, the devastation
was that bad.

“What were those?” He asked a lamia suspecting the mushrooms had come
from the mountain.
“Monsters-sss. Myconids.”

“Tell me more.”

According to a friendly lamia the mushroom monsters were common in the

Oberon Underountain. They would often hide their communities in caves
unreachable or disguise themselves as simple mushrooms and wait out the
intruder. However, she remembered them as non-violent and she had never
seen a horde so big. By the way, lamia often would hunt myconids and eat
them as food, apparently, they were quite delicious.

He looked at the half-crushed myconid under his boot, it didn’t look tasty at
all. “So why did they attack?”

“I can only guess-sss. It’s-sss the mana they’re after.”

“Mana?”

“Mana rich food. SSS. Your fruits.” She elaborated.

That was right, his plants were kinda magical.

“I get it, but why an entire horde?”

“Yes, too many.” Lamia agreed. “That I don’t understand as-sss well. Sss-
shall I investigate?”

“Only if you think it’s safe. Here take some spiders with you.”

“I shall make preparations-sss and move out at dusk.”

Finding the cause was essential, but that wouldn’t stop another attack. He
had to find ways to protect his farm from further devastation.

Out of curiosity, he used Harvest Material on one of the corpses. It turned

to motes of light leaving exactly nothing behind. “Worthless for crafting
then. A fertiliser, perhaps.”
He told the spiders to turn the mushroom people into mulch, the plans will
need the nutrients to recover the damage. And to ward the further
infestations off he had sent the spiders to patrol the jungle and give him a
warning, but also he began planting flowers around his farm; their dust was
super effective against the myconids.

He was woken up in the early morning. [Perk Chaos Blessed activated],

Lamia Queen had invited herself into his chambers. That, and he just
ignored the system message, that perk would often activate at random; its
effects were unpredictable.

“What is it?” He rubbed his tired eyes ignoring the system message.

“The mushrooms-sss…”

“Are they back?” He panicked.

“No, but… come-sss.”

He didn’t need to go far, as soon as he stepped outside he could see tiny

stalks of fungi pointing up and out of the ground. Thousands and thousands
of mushrooms which hadn’t bloomed yet.

“Oh, no!” He reacted in horror.

“Oh, yes-sss!” Lamia Queen licked her lips. “Tasty.”

As he was thinking about what to do with mushroom plague the first sun
rays hit the clearing and once that light had hit the mushroom stalks and
they began to shrivel. Fungi withered in droves and crumbled to nothing but
dust.

“No-sss!” Lamia Queen shouted in disappointment.

“Yes! Cave mushrooms can’t grow outside.” He had made an important

discovery. “Crisis averted.”
“But I wanted to grow them in your farm. They make a good soup.”

“Not if they try to eat you first.”

The small event aside, he was still unsettled by what had transpired. He
didn’t like to be invaded like that, not one bit. What if next time it will be a
more formidable monster? His spider warriors needed protective equipment
not just axes and machetes, so he locked himself inside the workshop for
the rest of the day.

He wanted to make shields and armour for the spiders. However, his
materials were still few, he had to use what he had. He decided to use the
leaves from PurpleM vine and the thorns he had gathered for this project.

He reinforced both to +1 using his perk, then layered multiple blue leaves
on top of each other and bound them together making a triangular shield.
He attached thorns on its face and sides so it could be used for attacks too.

[You have crafted thorn shield of superior quality. Crafting +100exp.],

plus he reinforced the finished product again.

[Thorn Shield: Reinforced +2, Reflect Physical Damage 5%.]

He used one of the axes he had made before to test this shield. He swung at
full power into the shield. The axe damaged the thorns but didn’t manage to
split the shield, it left only a small scar on the shielding. The shield was
damaged already, so why stop there? It was to stress test it properly. He
landed five more swings, knocking all the thorns off but it was the axe
which broke firsts.

“Huh?” He was surprised but then he remembered that the axe only had
Reinforced +1.

He took another axe and in two more swings, the shield had finally broken.

“7 hits, not bad.”

This was the axe, mind you, a natural counter to shields, so what this meant
was that the shield was better than it had any right to be. Also, interestingly,
he didn’t take any reflected damage; he couldn’t help but wonder why it
was so.

Needless to say, the crafter spiders were peeping on him from the windows.
He needed enough of the shields for all of his warriors, and he didn’t intend
to craft them alone.

“Come, come. I will show you how to make it.” He unlocked the door
letting them in.

The spiders rolled and prodded the shield with their pseudo arms and
mandibles, passing it between one another.

“Marvellous.”, “Magnificent.”, “Superb.” They praised his craftmanship,

obviously keen to flatter their king.

“What do you think? Can you manage to replicate it?”

The group chirped in affirmation. “We. Can!”

Of course, he still needed to use [Reinforce] on some of the materials, but

that was only a trivial matter. The spiders made a line and used the
conveyor strategy to make shields. Ingenious really! One spider was cutting
the leaves into the right shape, the other stacking them together, the third
one pressing them, the fifth and sixth binding the leaves into a uniform and
thick sheet, and the eighth and ninth attached the thorns. The tenth had
grabbed the axe and was keen to stress test the final product, this was the
point where he had to intervene and explain that this was unnecessary. The
little guy was looking forward to smashing all of the shields and was visibly
disappointed, moreover, it was left without a task. So instead he offered the
spider to join him in making the armour.

The armour followed a similar pattern and design, it was three plates, two
for the sides and one for the back. Each plate had thorns on it. The spiders
had many legs, that’s why the armour was kept so simple, there was plenty
of space between the plates but it protected what was most important. This
way no one will have a chance to kick at the spider from the side or even
jump on their back, that is unless they wanted to be pierced by thorns.
[You have crafted thorn armour of superior quality. Crafting +100exp.]

[Thorn Armour: Reinforced +2, Reflect Physical Damage 5%.]

The Reflect Physical Damage bonus added up to a nice 10%. Now the
enemy will have to think twice before striking his spiders. All that was left
was to test it. So he had sent the spider crafter number ten to fetch him the
best of the warriors.

Soon it was back, but the spider wasn’t back with exactly what he had
expected. Well, yes it was a spider and a warrior but…

“Have you evolved or something?” He looked again and was unable to

believe it.

The spider no longer was just a spider, it was more. This warrior’s body was
made out of two distinct segments. The lower segment had the spider body
with iconic six legs (yes, his spiders only had six). The upper segment was
the torso similar to that of human with two arms and a head, but that was
where the similarity ended. The warrior still had its black obsidian-like
chitin, unique bug arms and spider head with four yellow eyes and a set of
formidable mandibles. Its waist was unnaturally thin and the chest was
broad and looked bony. Most frighteningly of all it stood as tall as the King
of Spiders.

“I’ve Molted. Grown. Bigger.” It raised its chin higher and puffed out its
chest.

“Amazing!”

He still couldn’t believe that his spider looked like an actual person, well,
spider-person. Regardless, the image in his head of a budding city filled
with spider people got even stronger.

“Thank You. King.” It bowed respectfully.

So humble, so well-mannered already! His spiders were just the best.

“There is one problem, however.” He picked three plates which were bound
together by ropes. “The armour won’t fit you anymore.” The design was
meant for his average spider.

“No. Problem. We Change. It.” The crafter spider gave him the equivalent
of spider thumbs up.

However, a familiar messenger ran into the workshop shouting. “Problem.

Problem!”

“It never ends does it?” He sighed but was not disheartened. “What is it?”
He was keen to solve this new problem.

“Come. Come. Lamia. Kobold.” The spider chirped in a rush as if it was

most urgent.

He couldn’t quite get it but followed anyway.

Indeed, the situation didn’t look good. No one else but his most trusted
friendly Lamia was holding a wooden cage right above the pot of boiling
water. In that cage was a familiar kobold, the leader of Kobolds. The cage
bottom was open and she was trying to shake the kobold out.

“King of Spiders, help! She will eat me!” He screeched at the top of his
lungs while clinging to the cage bars with all fours.
 28

He had to wrangle the kobold out and away from the lamia. The little lizard
clung to him like an infant to his mother.

“King, you saved me.” The kobold looked with big and teary eyes.

“What happened?” He asked the friendly lamia.

“I found this sss-snack on my way home.”

“Weren’t you supposed to report about the mountain back to me first?”

“Without, sss, dinner?”

Well, maybe it wasn’t urgent.

“I told her about you. That King of Spiders is my friend. She didn’t believe
it!” The kobold pointed his clawed finger at the lamia accusingly.

“See! He still spouts-sss lies-sss.” She hissed. “Let’s eat him, sss, I am
hungry.”

“But Kobolds are my allies.” He put the kobold on the ground.

“They are?” Lamia made a face of disbelief.

“Yes, they are. I haven’t told you before because I knew that lamia-kobold
relationship isn’t good.”

“But why do you ally with a kobold?” She frowned finding the idea
distasteful. “They’re useless-sss. and no better than a cave rat.”
“See! Lamia are bullies.” The kobold leader hid behind like a shy toddler
would.

“They work for me and are mining ores in exchange for food. They’re
excellent miners, they’re not useless.”

“Cave rats-sss can tunnel too… But if they work for you I understand.
They're your vassals-sss, right?”

No, they were allies and trading partners. To be a vassal implied a

completely different relationship.

“Yes, that’s right.” He made a white lie hoping that lamia will drop the
issue.

“Then, I won’t eat this-sss one.”

“Or any other kobold, please.”

“How would I know some sss-stray morsel was your vassal or not?” Lamia
asked with her arms crossed defensively.

“They are all my frie… vassals.” He caught himself in time.

“All of them?!” She replied in shock. “But then you did defeat The Worm
of Oberon, it makes sss-sense.”

How the two correlated he had no clue, but as long as Lamia stopped eating
kobolds he was fine with her conclusions.

The kobold leader gasped. “The King of Spiders killed The Worm?”

“He did, sss!” Lamia said proudly with her chin high.

“Then that makes sense… The mushroom plague!” The kobold began
waving in panic.

“The mushroom plague?” He had to ask.

“The mushroom plague!” Lamia spat. “I went back to our old village, sss,”
she hissed for suspense. “It was infested with myconid sss-spawn. We won’t
be able to reclaim our home any time sss-soon. The reason for the
infestation is sss-still unclear.”

It was nice of her to finally remember to give him the report.

“The Worm! The Worm.” The kobold was waving the entire time. “It eats
the mushrooms. No worm…”

He finally realised, “Without the natural predator their population had

exploded!”

“And they need mana to keep growing. SSS. The caves have only sss-so
much, that’s why they attacked your farms-sss.”

The puzzle pieces fell in place.

“King you have to help!” The kobold made his plea. “Our food was eaten
by mushrooms. That’s why I sought you out, but got taken by this ugly
snake!” He pointed accusingly.

“You would never have made past the entrance of the cave, sss, we all know
that. And who do you call ugly!”

She slithered to catch the kobold but he ducked under the King's legs
escaping her grasp.

“Hey, no fighting allowed. We have to do something about the mushroom

infestation.” He stated a fact.

“To save Kobold Camp!”

“To reclaim Lamia village, sss!”

The two glared at each other.

“We can do both, no? And help each other in doing so.”
“The Queen will never agree to this.” She frowned deeply. “To work with
Kobolds.” Lamia had her arms back in a crossed position.

“I might just have a trick for that.”

All it took was a bottle of slug jelly and he had the Queen in his paws, paws
because he felt dirty for using such cheap tricks; sweets addiction was a
scary thing. The Queen had promised undying support, lasting peace with
Kobolds and many other things he didn’t need or want. She lent him Lamia
warriors and friendly Lamia will be leading the group. He also took his
newly-kitted spider warriors and began the long march to the mountain
caves.

The march was not that long, there was a road already. It was only packed
dirt but without the need to chop the pesky vines and bushes the trek was
much smoother. Of course, he was not walking, he was riding the big
spider, still the largest of them all, the one who didn’t evolve for some
reason. The spider was a cool dude actually, it went and asked crafters to
craft a better saddle so that the King could feel comfortable on its back. It
was very considerate of the spider and he appreciated the comfy ride.

But in his head, he already had a perfect mount, a forbidden ride he couldn’t
forget. He would ask the friendly lamia, but she wasn’t that big and
probably unwilling to take a paltry role of a mere horse. He reassured
himself with the thought that some dreams aren’t meant to be, they should
stay locked in his head or else there might be some terrible
misunderstanding again.

So they rode at great speed, the mountain cave entrance was just in view
and by the looks of it they were here just in time. Myconids spilt like a
flood from the entrance in great numbers. The tinny beady eyes betrayed
mad hunger.

“Attack!” He commanded like a King should from atop his noble stead,
blasting Encouraging Aura at full power.
The goal was to push the infestation back into the cave before it could spill
and reach his farms again. The spiders surrounded the entrance in an arch
and began chopping the mushrooms without mercy or remorse. In
retrospect, it would have been better if he had equipped them with
hammers, but the axes worked well enough. The myconids ran out of the
entrance in endless numbers seemingly uncaring about the certain death.
There were so many that the ground was now covered in a thick layer of
mushroom soup.

“Sss-something is not right.” Lamia hissed in concern.

“I know, there’s just too many.”

“No-sss.” She shook her head. “They’re running to their deaths-sss

uncaring. Unnatural it is-sss.”

He had to agree, all living things had some instinct of natural preservation.
This slaughter was just madness. But he couldn’t stop what he had started,
the farms were at risk. He kept killing and killing each mushroom giving
him meagre Fighting +1exp. The counter kept ticking and the sum reached
+1000, and that was just his kills. A thick soup of mushrooms coated his
spear and clothes alike, he was drenched in it and it felt beyond unpleasant.

There was an end to it at last, the mushrooms pilled high and wide forming
a massive cork of brown sludgy mush and were clogging up the entrance.

“We’ll have to clear it if we want to get through.” He sighted thinking about

all the work. “Unless…”

He reasoned that whatever he was looking at was no longer just a dead

mushroom but an object in itself.

“Harvest Material.” He tried using the perk on the mushroom cork.

Purple particles rained on engulfing the abominable pile of coagulated

mushrooms entirely, and then it disappeared leaving only the motes of light.

“Amazing.” Friendly lamia clapped at the trick.

Others soon followed and he bowed as an expert performer would. In doing
so he noticed something left behind in place of the massive ‘cork’. It was
small like a marble and perfectly round.

[Myconid Matriarch Spore], it was a curious material he had obtained. He

didn’t know the immediate use for it so he pocketed the small marble.

“Well then, shall we proceed?”

“Yes-sss, it should be safe.”

“To *munch* Kobold *munch* Camp!” The Kobold Leader announced

while eating the decapitated mushroom.

Lamia snatched the snack from the kobold and swallowed it whole.

“See! Bully.” The kobold accused.

He just sighted at the troublesome two, a friendly lamia was probably still
angry that their first destination was Kobold Camp and not Lamia village.

They reached the camp with no problem and it didn’t look too different,
aside from rows and rows of stakes surrounding the camp. On each stake,
there was a myconid skewered and left to dry. It didn’t look like kobolds
were in trouble at all.

“So you have dealt with the infestation yourselves?” He observed.

“Kobolds are sturdy, we adapt.” The leader said proudly.

“And it doesn’t look like you will be starving any time soon. Why am I here
for?”

The kobold waved it dismissively. “They ate all of our fruits!”

In other words, they had the same problem as him, mushroom raids were
eating their fruits, the fruits kobolds so desired.

“I guess, towards Lamia village we go…” There was nothing to do here.

“I told you, it was a waste, sss.”

“Bye, bye.” The kobold leader waved them happily, he was already behind
the camp fence.

“Are you not coming?” He thought the kobolds would join him.

“No!” the kobold looked at him as if he was crazy and then added, “Thanks
for the ride.” The cheery smile and a long wave were back in action.

“I told you sss-…”

“Yeah, yeah. Let's go.”

He wasn’t bitter or anything, no, actually he was happy the kobolds were
doing okay, less work for him; apparently, not everyone needed saving. The
Lamia, however, definitely needed his help; their old village was now a
myconid nest.

The cave tunnels leading to the village were overgrown with mushrooms.
The deeper they went the worse it had gotten: the fungal growths blocked
their path, the floor was slick, slippy and covered in odd goo and the air
became filled with red mist which likely were the mushroom spores. He
worried about his, lamias’, and spiders' health, but if there were a negative
debuff he would have received a message.

Speaking of the devil: [De-buff active: Myconid Spores]

“I guess we have to turn back.” He had no way to deal with it.

“No need. SSS. It’s only mild.” Lamia pushed forward in unbroken resolve.

“Yeah? What is the effect.”

“A chance of to be afflicted-sss by Hallucination, Torpor, Sleep, Paralysis,

Berserk, Fright, Charm and other-sss negative-sss sss-status-sss effects-sss.
SSS.” She had gotten an awfully more hissy all of a sudden.

“It doesn’t sound mild at all!” He looked in worry at his spiders.

“It-sss only-sss a very-sss. SSS. Small chance-sss. SSS”

It was hard to understand her at this point.

“I think we should…”

“No-sss! Come-sss, Come-sss.”

A friendly lamia kept pushing ahead, her warriors followed with the same
resolve.

He stopped his spiders. “Hey come back!” Lamia didn’t even turn around.
He put the Commanding Aura and repeated. “Turn around now!” And even
then it didn’t work.

The Lamia was going further and further away from him, deeper into the
spore-infected tunnels and towards their old village and then they
disappeared under the cover of red mist.

“How do you feel about this?” He asked the big spider, the warrior leader
and his mount, the one who barely fit in the tunnel.

“No. Debuff. For. Spiders. We. Go. Save. Lamia.”

That was lucky, the spider biology must have played a part. Meaning, he
could stay here and wait this one out, but what kind of king would he be if
he was afraid of a small status debuff – He was the brave King of Spiders
and not the cautions King of Cowards.

“Lamia, wait. I’m coming.”

He charged boldly into the mist only to step on a mushroom and slip, the
floor was gooey and a slip turned into a slide down the slippy surface. He
slid towards a tiny hole in the wall which was sneakily hidden by a dozen or
so mushrooms. He knocked the mushrooms like bowling pins, STRIKE,
into the hole he went. It sloped down sharply taking him deeper into the
mountain.

“EEE!” He shouted sliding down the pitch-black ride to who knows where.
 29

He slid down the slide silently praying that it doesn’t end in a dead end
leaving him stuck forever. The prayer was answered then he shot out into a
large cavern. The floor was seeded with various mushrooms, some glowing
some not, and he crushed them all in a mad slide-spin. His movement was
stopped once he hit a mushroom tree with his head; it was okay because he
wore a helmet and the tree had spongy flesh.

“This could have gone better.” He stood up and scraped mushroom goo off
his butt.

He looked around, the cavern wasn’t out of the ordinary except that
mushrooms were growing everywhere, and a small detail of a large
mushroom walking right towards him. Its eyes were glowing red and were
filled with mad rage, it frothed some thick green sludge out of its mouth and
it had purple throbbing veins coiling around its brown fungal body and
spreading like some sort of disease.

He had never seen anything like that, and he was still affected by the debuff
meaning that he might have just hallucinated this monster. Hallucination or
not he had to fight it, so he ran back to the hole and retrieved his legendary
Slayer Spear. He raised the weapon towards the shambling myconid.

It was futile talking with monsters, or hallucinations but he decided to try

anyway. “If you attack me, I will fight back. Don’t come any closer.” He
waved his spear.

The myconid just frothed some more of that sludge from its mouth and
raised its stubby hands for an attack.

“I warned you!”
He stabbed at the soft fungal flesh, the spear had no trouble piercing the
myconid. Purple substance gushed out of the wound but the myconid
proceeded as if it felt none of that. A hand landed on his shoulder with a
hard blow; heavier than it had any right to be for unarmed attack. He
stumbled backwards ripping the spear out of the flesh, and then a few steps
more. The shoulder throbbed in pain but otherwise, he felt alright.

The walking mushroom kept approaching him ever so slowly.

“Aren’t you a bit too slow?” But then he realised something, maybe he was
the slow one here. “Take that.” He threw a loosely tied pouch at the
monster, it burst in a cloud of blue dust.

How did that saying went? – Fight fire with fire, debuff with a debuff. “…
or something like that.” He muttered watching the tall myconid just flop
onto the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. He wasn’t one to waste an
opportune moment so he thrust his spear into it, again and again, until…
[Fighting +50 exp], the monster was dead.

[Perk: Life Steal, activated.] He didn’t lose any HP or at least he thought he

didn’t but his shoulder felt a lot better now. That reminded him to use
another perk.

“Harvest Material.” He tried hoping that it will work on a larger

mushroom like it did on that ‘cork’. The body went through the usual
process of ‘disappearing’ and then dropped a soggy pile of a powdery
substance, [Red Spores] - the system informed.

“Ever so useful, system. But what does it do?”

Well, he had a hunch anyway, so he collected the spores. The myconid was
defeated, but he still had no clue where he was or where to go. So instead of
feeling worried and lost he chose a random direction and began walking. He
didn’t get to walk far because two familiar monsters blocked his path. They
growled something unintelligible and began to slowly shamble towards
him.
He killed one, so he can kill two - no problem, plus the monsters were slow
like zombies, if he wanted he could even outrun the two. However, the only
problem was that he was feeling tired all of a sudden. Not sleepy-tired, but
slow-tired.

“Torpor.” A stark reminder that he was under the debuff.

He was slow, but he wasn’t stupid; he used the blue dust again. He finished
the closest enemy and harvested it for materials. [Fighting +50 exp], [Perk:
Life Steal, activated.]. The message didn’t make much sense, he definitely
didn't lose any health this time, however, he felt very angry all of a sudden
so he pulped the other myconid to vent out. [Perk: Life Steal, activated.].

“This is weird.”

All of a sudden another large myconid appeared, taller and fatter than the
previous ones. It just stood looking at him, radiating menace. Taking
initiative was important in battle so he struck first. He threw dust at it, but
the monster refused to fall asleep; it was likely the size made it immune.
Regardless, he timed his attack well and stabbed the monster on the side,
and then again. The large myconid barely fought back, but it stood like a
true tank soaking all the damage and refusing to die.

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” He motivated himself.

He was getting tired from all the thrusts and dodging acrobatics he had to
perform, but he felt that the monster’s health pool was at it’s and. And sure
enough with a well-timed swing, the monster fell to it’s knees defeated.

“Huh?”

Only then did he realise that the monster was no monster at all, but only a
tall mushroom tree. He looked around in worry, luckily there was no one to
see his embarrassing ‘fight’.

“I have just wasted a pouch of dust.” He lamented at the fact of only having
four more left.
He kept walking still cautious about the trees that looked like monsters.
Finally, he found an exit of the cavern, guarded by four large myconids. If
monster numbers increased all that meant was that he was going in the right
direction; hopefully.

He didn’t need to change tactics, the dust cloud was more suited for group
attack anyway. All four were soon fast asleep. He didn’t just kill them, no,
he had an experiment to run. The theory was that each time he killed a
myconid his life steal perk would activate and somehow interfere with the
debuff, setting it to a different negative status effect. In other words, if he
wanted to change the negative status effect he had to kill a myconid. That
was theory number one, theory number two was that the debuff could give
him only one negative status effect.

Currently, he assumed he was under hallucination.

“So to change it…” he stabbed at the monster and all of a sudden he began
to feel very sleepy, the vision began to dim. “Nope!” He stabbed at the
other hoping that the next one, isn’t Paralysis. It wasn’t, he was just
outraged and super angry so he obliterated the third and then he was just
slow and lethargic.

“Torpor. I will take that.”

He didn’t want to experience Paralysis or Charm so he left the fourth

myconid asleep deciding that Torpor was the easiest to deal with. Then he
slowly shambled through the tunnel feeling like a zombie would but less
hungry for brains.

“Brains… Brains…” he mouthed regardless just to entertain himself during

the slow journey.

Then he had a realisation. He brought the Slayer Spear closer and coated
the tip with dust. The dust didn’t need to enter the body through pores or
lungs for it to work if he could just introduce it to the blood directly. The
powder was not a poultice so it didn’t smear or stick to the spear perfectly,
but that was only a minor inconvenience.
“Now the dust will last much longer.” He finally entered another large
cavern.

As soon as he stepped in, he wanted to run. No, he wasn’t under Fright

debuff; The room was packed full of little myconids. The little mushrooms
glared at him with mad red eyes and began to pluck themselves out of the
soil. One by one they stood and the floor came alive, they moved like a
horde towards him.

He would run if he could, but he didn’t need to. He walked slowly back to
the entrance so that they couldn't surround him and took a guarded position;
one versus a horde. In reality, they were only little and of little concern to
him. Tiny stubby arms pummelled him, and equally tiny teeth tried to bite
him. Imagine a pigeon trying to fight a fully plated knight, that’s how it
looked. He pierced the mushrooms one by one, putting them to sleep.

“Goomba Stomp!” He slammed his foot crushing two myconids into the
soup.

[Fighting +2 exp.] The use of a spear was short and swift, and he didn’t use
it for killing blows so the perk didn’t activate.

It took him longer than he was comfortable with, but the horde was dealt
with. He waddled through the chunky soup towards the next tunnel.
Halfway through the tunnel, he could hear the sounds of fighting coming
from the other side. He knew what this meant and he wished to be quick, to
run and finally help his allies.

“Damn this Torpor!” He cursed.

It felt like ages but he emerged on the other side. The place looked familiar
but not quite so, it was the Lamia village but it went through some recent
renovations. There were mushrooms everywhere, even on the walls and
ceilings. It looked like an overgrown jungle but fungal. Glowing
mushrooms, mushroom trees, mushroom stalks, fungi columns, fungal
vines – everything was mushroom. Plus, it was infested by those large
myconid monsters, an entire swarm of them. Myconids were frothing from
their mouths, eyes bloodshot with rage. However, some were still and
unmoving, seemingly consumed by throbbing purple veins coiling through
their fungal body. Actually, the whole cave chamber had purple veins; they
spread like webs through the surface and were only getting more dense
towards the middle.

In the very middle was the Lamia Hot Spring, the source of the corruption.
And in that pool, there was an abominable horror, he had no better words to
describe it. It was half plant half animal, but its animal part was more bones
than flesh, and whatever flesh it had was all rotten. The animal part was
equally disgusting, it was fungal and oozing purple slime from the pores.
The abomination had no actual shape, it was just a clump of tentacles and
other amorphous growths, and it was large barely fitting in the corrupted
hot spring.

“Malignant Cancer.” That was how he felt upon seeing this abomination
and what it did to the entire cavern.

Unspeakable horrors aside, the chamber had a mundane one too. He could
see his spiders bravely fighting the myconids, so it was true, the spores
didn’t affect them. The Lamia however didn’t fare so well. He saw the
typical signs of the debuff. Some were unmoving, sleeping or paralysed,
others were enraged or fighting something that wasn’t really there.
Obviously, some were already defeated and their injured bodies were
dragged by myconids towards the Malignant Cancer.

He saw a familiar face, a friendly lamia was moved by two gnarly and
twisted myconids right towards the corrupted spring. The abomination
moved its tentacles in excited anticipation, the pores spat red spores and jets
of purple corruption, and then a large hole appeared in the midsection of it.
The hole was filled not with teeth, but with sharp and broken bones of
various unknown creatures. It was clear what will come next if he just stood
there and waited for his spiders to break the defending lines of corrupted
myconids.

He would run, but… He threw a spear at the unmoving and corruption-

consumed shell of a myconid hoping that it still had some life left.

[Perk: Life Steal, activated.], it was a gamble but it worked.

“Rahhh!” he was angry before but now he was Rage Incarnate, not only
that, he also projected the Berserk Aura which only added to the effect. He
was Enraged Super Furious Anger Machine The Embodiment of Violence
and The Essence of Fury Itself, Berserk Level Over 6000!

[Error.]
 30

A fungal tentacle stretched out of the corrupted spring and swung at him at
full force. He was too enraged to even attempt to dodge it. The attack
landed on his chest and he was sent back flying.

[Minor Regeneration activated.]

It was just a scratch, he stood up and launched himself at the tentacle. It

swung again, but this time he was ready, he stabbed the spear into the
tentacle inflicting the Blue Dust debuff on it. The tentacle trembled and
even began to shrivel. The shrivelling appendage wasn’t his real enemy; the
abomination was. The monster wrapped friendly lamia using a spindly
tentacle and was bringing her towards his mouth.

He was running in a mad dash right towards the monster, jumping from one
flat stone to the other. A single mistake and he could fall into the corrupted
waters. The tentacles were shooting out of the water, trying to grab him, but
he was too fast. He felt energy coursing through his body, he felt
empowered and stronger than he should ever be. But most of all he was
enraged.

He kicked off the stone making a long jump, he flew like a record-breaking
athlete towards the mouth tentacle. While still in the air he thrusted the
spear, the blow was so powerful it snapped the appendage in two; then he
landed on another flat stone like a pro gymnast and turned towards the
abomination.

The lamia of course fell into the water, her body landed in the viscous
corrupted sludge; it didn’t drown but floated on the surface. Upon touch
with the skin thin purple veins appeared, slowly spreading through her
body.
He would have done something about it, that is if he wasn’t under the
negative status effect. All he wanted to do now was to destroy this
monstrosity, so he kicked off the rock and jumped again. He was flying
through the air like a cannonball, the monstrosity didn’t even bother to
swing its tentacles at him, instead, it opened its already large mouth wider
and right into the mouth he went.

That was a huge mistake.

Just before the mouth could close and crush his body, he released every last
pinch of Blue Dust he still had. The dust went right into fungal pores
clogging them and then reacting with the mucus inside. It made a sizzling
sound. Instead of finally closing the mouth the abomination opened it again
and coughed hard.

The unpleasant smell of rot assaulted his nose and burned his eyes. [De-buff
active: Miasma]. The gust was so strong it threatened to blow him out of
the mouth, but he wanted to stay, he had to stay. So he slammed his spear
into the base of the mouth and held tight. The monster had an incredible
ability to move air through its body; the current was powerful enough to lift
him. His feet were dangling in the air and If not for the anchored spear he
would have been blown away. With the moving air, the Blue Dust was
cleansed from the fungal flesh, and he had another ace in his hand.

[Life Steal activated.] He didn’t need to kill a thing for the perk to activate,
keeping it inside someone's body long enough would also do the trick.

Soon, his eyes and lungs felt much better, and even his mind much clearer.
Abomination was large and he only needed so much health, the life force
pooled into the Slayer Spear regardless. The spear shaft began to glow and
even buzz from all of the excess energy. It was glowing red like a hot iron
rod and even felt like one in his hand. And then it just exploded into a ball
of red energy.

[Assassin Strike activated.]

like a grenade it sent fragments of IronOak wood in random directions. He

too was sent out of the mouth by the explosion with several of the
fragments lodged deep in his armour. [Tough Skin activated.], [Spell
Deflection activated.], in the end, all damage was negated and he crashed
on the surface of a corrupted pond.

He avoided the explosion damage but the water of the corrupted spring did
its thing: [De-buff active: Corruption.] However, there was good news too.
The monster shrieked in a horrendous cry, its tentacles trashed aimlessly
and the fungal skin began to sizzle. If he didn’t know any better, he would
say that someone just cast a terrible spell or debuff on the cancerous lump
of a monster. The jerking of the tentacles stopped and its body shrivelled
making it look like a wrung-out rag, like a puppet whose stuffing was taken
out; deflated and defeated. [Fighting +25000exp].

The Corruption slowly drained him, he could feel it eat and burn at his
skin. On the upside, he no longer felt like the embodiment of wrath; his
mind was so much clearer. So, he pushed through viscous liquid towards
the unconscious lamia. He scooped her out of the oil-like water and
frowned at her sorry state. Her otherwise pristine skin was tarnished with
violet veins of corruption. With passing seconds he could see them
spreading, aiming for her heart. The poison was spreading through his body
too so he moved hurriedly towards the rocky border of the spring.

The debuff was more than just a negative effect, it was eating at his armour
and he could feel the segments making it come loose one by one. By the
time he reached the edge, his armour was completely in tatters. He pushed
the lamia out of the water and onto the rock, her clothes too were now gone,
eaten by corruption. And finally, by reaching the rocks, he left the waters of
the corrupted spring.

The debuff disappeared, but he could still feel the lingering effects of it. He
looked at the lamia with worry and then made a sigh of relief. The violet
lines tainting her body had stopped growing and were even shrinking.
Whatever it was, it was temporary.

Out of the water, and into the fire. [De-buff active: Myconid Spores.], and
it couldn't be worse because he slumped on his side next to the lamia. He
was paralysed!
However, he didn’t need to be worried because he could see his spiders
doing well. The spiders were experts at dealing with pesky plants and trees
so it was no surprise that they were demolishing the myconids like they
were nothing. The struggling Lamia were rescued by his brave warriors,
and the ones who couldn’t move were carried aside so they aren’t in the
way.

The violet lines infecting friendly lamia’s body diminished to nothing, her
eyes shot open and she began to stir. She looked in confusion all around her
and then her serpentine gaze settled right on him. The look she was giving
to him wasn’t neutral, it was a bit scary and even predatory. Of course, the
myconid spores were still affecting him and her.

He worried for the worst, but a spider ran to his rescue, likely to check if he
was alright and then put him with the rest to the side. Indeed, the spider
nuzzled right to his chest to feel his heartbeat and then chirped happily with
relief.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him. Go, sss, help the others.” She waved the
spider away.

That was very kind of her, but still, that look she was giving him… He saw
her cheeks turn pink. Was there a reason to be blushing now? Even if the
two were without any clothes, Lamia never seemed to care about the small
details like that.

Her body began to coil around his. She was so close! He felt things he
didn’t have the right to. He remembered that some snakes would constrict
their prey before eating it and indeed her mouth opened displaying rows of
pointy teeth. The serpentine tongue probed the air in anticipation. And
then… There was a kiss?

He was both surprised and frustrated. If only he wasn't Paralysed he would

be able to do something about her negative status effect. It wasn’t because
he didn’t like that kiss, or the one which came after, no, this lamia was a
surprisingly good kisser. It was the fact that she would probably remember
her action and once she sobered up from the Charm debuff… well it would
be embarrassing for the both of them. But there is a saying: when life gives
lemons make lemonade; and this lemonade was delicious!

She was moving her body ever so slightly, either coiling it up or down. Her
lips were like silk and her skin surprisingly cool and smooth. The embrace
was tight but it wasn’t unpleasant. It was very much to his liking until…

“Seed me with your eggs-sss.” The lamia hissed with a burning passion.

Her hand moved to the area which he had designated as a danger zone. The
Charm debuff was scary! He was very lucky not to have gotten it while
fighting the myconids. He didn’t even want to imagine the ramifications.

Either way, for better or worse, the Charm debuff seemed to be contagious
because he would be lying if he told that he wasn’t excited. Well obviously
this was not the time nor the place for youthful indiscretions like this but
then life gives lemons…

The black pupils inside her deep green eyes suddenly contracted forming
thin horizontal lines, she blinked twice and hissed.

“SSS! Oh my.” She relaxed the muscles in her tail. “What have I done.” She
said with a burning red face.

Yeah, there were fewer and fewer spores in the air, of course, the debuff
would not last and he could feel the strength already returning to his body.

[De-buff expired: Myconid Spores]. “I was paralysed.” He said in his

defence.

“I knew. SSS, that’s-sss why I…” She hid her face behind her palms,
“SSS!” and opted out to run away.

“Wait!” He shouted but lamia either was too far away already or didn’t even
want to listen so he let a defeated sigh out. “Ahh, this has almost gotten too
dangerous.”

Neither of them was to blame for what just happened, so instead of

dwelling on the situation he concentrated on the current matter. The
myconids were dealt with and the spiders were almost done clearing the
cave out of fungi and mushrooms. The nest of the infestation was cleared
and the myconid spores weren’t tainting the air. However, the corrupted
spring still remained, still corrupted, still with the desiccated remains of the
abomination.

Without the spores interfering with his sense of smell, he could smell the
reek of it – the smell of miasma and rot. He wanted it gone, so he jumped
from one rock to the other and back towards the source of corruption.

“Harvest Material.” He invoked the perk.

The monster literally exploded into particles of light flashing the entire
cavern; probably just another side effect of this broken perk, after all the
abomination was quite large. He blinked the bright light away and took a
deep breath of fresh air; he had almost forgotten how good it felt to breathe
normal air.

The huge boss monster must have dropped some loot. It had to!

“There is it?” He was peering into the waters looking for anything. “Is this
it?” He immersed his hand in the water to retrieve a perfectly cubic shape.

[De-buff active: Corruption.] No, it was not the cubic shape, he had gotten
the debuff even before he touched it. “So the spring remains corrupted.” He
ignored the tingling sensation on his skin and fished out the cube.

[Dark Essence]. The system informed him that it was some sort of crafting
material. Like the name implied the shape was black and if he turned it at
the right angle he could see a purple whirlpool swirling inside it. It was
filled with something… he didn't have the right word for it, there was just
some sort of a presence inside.

Just in case he tested the water again. “No, still corrupted.”

The hot spring was the heart and soul of Lamia village, it could not be left
corrupted, and he feared that it might spawn another monster.
“I have to cleanse it, but how?” He had no real solution, unless… “The
elves might know something.”

He nodded happily. That’s what the allies were here for, to help each other.
 30.5

The new High Chief was sitting in his tower and idly nibbling at his
fingernails, his eyes were locked at the gates and he was trembling from
worry. He saw the gates open and Great Dryad stepped through, as
promised the King of Spiders had a quick word with the towering giant, but
even then he could only be afraid of what is to come.

The previous High Chief didn’t hide the fact that they had to cut corners
and rely on ancient magic and profane rituals to defeat the evil, and… even
then they had lost. They had angered Dryads, the guardians of the forests,
and the forest spirit itself. He knew that there will be a rightful price to pay,
so he was looking at the approaching Great Dryad with dread.

The walking embodiment of nature made its way to the Ancestral Tree
unopposed, and of course it did, the elven fighting spirit was already
crushed. In tow like ducklings to their mother the lesser dryads followed the
giant. Their bodies were restored by healing magic but even from afar he
could see the scars of battle; cracked skin and missing limbs, arrows still
poking out of their bodies.

“What have we done.” He lamented. “We… Elves. Attacked the guardians

of this forest.” He tried to still his shaking hands, yet he could do nothing
but worry about what was to come.

“Hey, you.” He directed his looks at the twisted creature faintly resembling
a spider. “I am an important servant of The King of Spiders. You will
protect me, right?”

The spider chirped in affirmation.

The High Chief let out a sigh of relief. He knew it was wise to offer
themselves to the King. Yes, they were slaves now, but they had Kings
protection. “Or at least I hope we do.” He looked at the spiders with
suspicion.

The Great Dryad disappeared from his vision, it was likely ascending the
stairs at this very moment. There was nothing for him to do but wait, and so
he did. The Dryad was taking its time to climb a thousand steps, and he
even considered meeting it midway through. However, that would be
improper. He might be new but he still had to uphold the traditions. He will
let the Great Dryad climb the stairs.

And there it was, an imposing frame struggling to enter through the carved
entrance. It tried one way and then the other, but it just couldn’t fit. The
High Chief didn’t know if to take this as a good sign or bad. Was he saved
by a narrow doorway?

"[Mold].” The Great Dryad invoked a spell and the wooden frame flowed
like liquid expanding to accommodate its size.

Ah, yes, the elves knew that spell too, or at least the venerable elders did.
This was how they made their houses and furniture.

“High Chief?” The dryad asked in a coarse and woody voice.

“Yes, it is I.” He bowed to the protector showing his respect.

“When you know why we are here.”

“To punish us.”

“There is no need. You have punished yourselves enough already.”

“When why are you here?”

The Great Dryad looked in disappointment.

“You should know.”

Maybe he would if he inherited the High Chief position properly, and if
there were elders here. Not only that, but all the scrolls of knowledge and
ancient rights were missing.

“Why am I here?” The Great Dryad asked in anger.

“I don’t know.” He bowed in apology. “Please, tell me.”

“…” The dryad didn’t say anything for a good while, it simply stared at the
High Chief.

He waited anxiously. Now and then he would give quick glances at the
spiders who were meant to protect him. Interestingly the Great Dryad didn’t
seem too bothered by their twisted presence.

“Are you perhaps disappointed that we have submitted to the evil King of
Spiders?” He made a guess.

“Are you stupid?” The Dryad bellowed in an angry rumble. “I see…

undeserving. Old rites forgotten. I see. If Elves are ignorant of proper
ways… Let be reminded!”

The Great Dryad raised his fists to touch the ceiling.

“I shall take what was gifted so long ago. [Claim]!”

The Ancestral Tree, its walls, ceiling, floors, everything and all groaned and
creaked as if in anger. It began to shake and the substituting High Chief
couldn’t stay on his own two feet or he would fall, so he kneeled in front of
the giant Dryad.

“What is happening?” He asked with worry.

The Dryad didn’t even care to look at him, its wooden face strained and its
eyes glowed like hot embers.

“Once seedling now an ancient tree, I beseech you to listen. Your wardens
have failed you and lost their way. Return to nature o’ ancient tree, return to
us where you belong. [Claim]!”
The walls began to shift and warp, wooden columns and spikes shot up
from the floors, leaves and branches sprung from the ceiling.

“What’s going on?” He looked around for answers but there was only
chaos. “Elders?!” He shouted in desperation.

The Great Dryad was radiating energy, cracks formed in its bark all over
and were shining green light of Nature magic.

“You are most ancient. Most beloved. Protector once forgotten. Join me o’
ancient tree. Let us grow together. [Claim], [Spirit Seed].”

The giant form of the dryad crumbled into multiple pieces of wood in
various shapes and sizes exposing a pulsing sphere of green light.

“No way!” The high chief exclaimed at the size and purity of the soul in
front of his eyes. The Great Dryad must have been a millennium old if not
more; that explained its power.

The room didn’t stop either shaking or warping, green motes of light began
to rain from the ceiling. The oversized soul moved towards the core of the
Ancestral Tree. The High Chief was not a venerable elder but he knew what
was happening: The Great Dryad was claiming their tree as its new body.

“Impossible!” He could not believe his eyes.

The spiders grabbed him by his arms and began to drag him towards the
warped window.

“No!” He tried to shake the spiders away. “I must see it! I must!”

Regardless of his protests they easily overpowered him and jumped out of
the window and then quickly descended using a rope. At the same time,
green light fired from the hole he had just escaped. The entire Ancestral
Tree was both radiating green motes of light and absorbing them. Tiny orbs
were rising from the house-trees, decorative bushes, living-wood furniture
and even grass plus other plants growing in the entire Elf City; the motes
flew hurriedly towards the tree. Surprisingly, even the Lesser Dryads
collapsed like puppets with their strings cut and out of their body a tiny soul
of an animal flew away, not towards the tree but back into the forest.

The elven weapons, arrows and bows; the elven armour and cloth shone in
green light brightly. The magical enchantments broke turning the equipment
into dust and then transforming into green motes of light. The houses
refused to behave and shifted into a form closer to your average normal
trees. The intricate elven furniture sprung branches and grew leaves where
it didn’t belong rendering it useless. Everything was changing and growing
or just exploding into green-coloured sparks.

Obviously, everyone was panicking and no one knew what was going on.
The elves ran outside of warped houses and into the streets. Some were
crying, some shouting in anger, and others just stood there frozen in
disbelief. However, the spiders seemed surprisingly chill about the whole
ordeal, they just stood there and praised the pretty light show with happy
chirps and a series of ovations and claps.
 31

The spiders did a splendid job cleaning the area of the old village. They
sorted the infected fungal flesh into neat piles and returned the cavern to its
previous look. The glow moss and glow mushrooms were still missing but
those benign plants will grow back in time. The nest of the infestation was
dealt with, but that only was half of the job; there were other caverns and
tunnels which needed gardening. Without worry, he sent the spiders to
cleanse the mountain.

He too was still busy here, he needed to harvest all of the corpses both for
precious materials and to safely dispose of them.

“Harvest Material, Harvest Material, Harvest Material…” He invoked

again and again.

By the time he had finished, he had three big piles of Red Spores standing
where once copses were. It was all nice and dandy until a wind decided to
blow the spores around or something like that. Luckily there were no gusts
of wind in these deep caves.

Forcing the spores into the bags wasn’t an easy task either. By accident, he
had inhaled some and was overtaken by Fright. Never in his life was he so
afraid of something as mundane as a boulder. It looked at him full of
menace, if he didn’t know better he would think that the rock wanted to eat
his soul. The debuff didn’t last forever and wore out rather quickly.
However, he was still suspicious of the rock. Later he will tell his spiders to
remove this offender.

“This sucks!” He cursed at the dangerous task he had inflicted upon

himself. So far he had dealt with only one pile.
“If only I had an inventory space, like in games and manga…” He
distracted himself with wishful thinking.

“…and then it could go directly in my inventory. Ahh!” He sighed after

making a wrong move.

[De-buff active: Red Spores], while yes the debuff was not [Myconid
Spores] debuff, it worked much the same, the former was the weaker
version of the latter.

“It’s only Torpor.” He smiled at the bad news. “I don’t need to be quick
anyway. Let's keep this one active.” He scooped a bunch of Red Spores and
inhaled them greedily. “Yeah, that’s the stuff *cough *cough.”

He exploited the fact that the dust could only give him one negative effect
and finished the other two spore piles; now he had three blue bags stuffed
full of the dangerous debuff material.

Then he moved back to the corrupted spring.

“What if…” He dipped his hand into the viscous water. “Harvest
Material.”

He didn’t expect anything but surprisingly it worked. [Corrupted Water],

a glob of liquid splashed next to him and then flowed right back into the
pool.

“Interesting.” He could harvest it, but the perk didn’t provide the container
for the material. It hovered in front of him and then splashed back into the
pool.

Well, there was still a way for him to extract the water, he just needed a
container. He had his waterskin on him, but he wondered if it will be able to
resist the corrosive properties of the Corrupted Water.

“It’s worth a try, I guess, [Reinforce].” He reinforced the waterskin just in

case.
[Magic +1 exp]. Every time he ‘enchanted’ an item using that perk he
would get magic exp so he almost ignored the message.

[Congratulations! You have reached Magic lvl .1]

[Perk Chaos Blessed activated]

[Requirements have been met. Hidden perk unlocked.]

[Perk Magic Inventory obtained.]

“Now, we’re talking!” Were his prayers finally answered? “Open Magic
Inventory!” He invoked the perk for the first time.

A screen blinked into existence, sleek and neat in its design. Of course, it
was rectangular and divided into many little squares. Currently, it was
empty. He simply wished to put the waterskin in the inventory, the item
glowed purple and disappeared out of his hand. To retrieve it he simply had
to will upon it, it was unnecessary to voice the command. “Interesting.
What if…” He used Harvest Material on the Corrupted Water again. A
square topmost to the left changed, and in its place appeared a low-poly
image of a violet sphere. If he concentrated on it, the system told him that it
was [Corrupted Water] x1.

“Finally a system that is useful and works.”

He harvested some more, and soon it was apparent that by using Harvest
Material, he was getting only a tenth of the water, the rest was consumed
by the perk. However, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing because he
wanted to drain this corrupted spring dry quickly; it was too dangerous to
just leave it here. So he did just that and as a bonus got some Corrupted
Water in his inventory.

With the corrupted spring finally dry, he looked at his inventory screen:
[Corrupted Water] x100; his inner perfectionist was fulfilled and he
smiled at the round number. The bottom of the spring was littered with
bones, pieces of his broken armour and other things it was unable to
dissolve. He kicked the debris casually, looking for anything interesting.
“Isn’t this?” He picked a familiar-looking item right from the stony floor.

[Corrupted Apex Fang].

“Hello, so once again you refuse to be dissolved. But corrupted… I don’t

know if I like that.”

Recently he was obtaining a lot of items which were dark in nature like
Corrupted Water, Dark Essence, and now this; there was definitely a
theme going.

“[Magic Inventory].” He opened a tiny portal of obsidian blackness and

deposited the fang into it, filling another tiny square.

He continued walking on the spring floor and he couldn’t avoid noticing the
tiny cracks and holes which were seeping violet oily substance out of them
ever so slowly.

“The spring will replenish itself with time.” He knew that would happen,
hence the need to cleanse it.

There was little here to do, so he collected his spiders and decided to head
home. There was a celebration to be had, after all, he had reclaimed the old
Lamia Village.

Back home he didn’t hesitate to show Dark Essence to the Lamia Queen
and ask her to identify it.

“This-sss isn’t a crafting item, at least I don’t think-sss it is.” She handed
back the mysterious cube.

“So what is it?”

“It says it grants the user magic.”

“Magic?” He reacted in joy. Was this the item he needed to finally become a
wizard? “…Dark Magic?” Although, there was that dark aspect of it.
“Yes, it sss-should grant you Dark sss-spells.”

“Urgh… Like necromancy?”

“Necro what?”

“Never mind.” At this point, he would take any magic. “So how do I
activate it.”

“You need a ritual for that, sss.” She said it as if it was the simplest thing.

“Yeah? Do you know how to perform it?” He was keen to get real spells.

“My mother might have known, but I… And it is Dark Essence.”

“I see.” It was unfortunate that she didn’t know the necessary ritual so he
opened his inventory to deposit the cube. “So how about the spring? Can
you cleanse it?”

Lamia shook her head. “Again my mother probably could-sss, but me…”
She lowered her head to display disappointment in herself.

“Don’t worry…” He felt sad for her, it was most unfortunate that the Old
Lamai Queen perished without passing such valuable information. “Here, as
promised.” He handed her the slug jelly. “For your help.”

“Thanks-sss.” The smile returned to her face.

“I’ll ask the elves for help they might know a thing of two. And look at the
bright side, it is finally safe to return to the caves.”

“Can we sss-stay until the eggs hatch?”

“Of course, that is what we agreed.” He patted her shoulder to cheer her up
further. “See you later?” He waver her a goodbye.

However, there was this reluctance in Queen Lamia’s eyes. He expected her
to be happier with the fact that she could return home soon. Well, of course,
it was not the same without the hot spring; he knew all too well how Lamia
loved to bathe in hot water, but still…

Regardless, before he went to the elves there were a few things he had to
do. The spiders were taking good care of the farm so he gathered some
materials and headed for the workshop. First, he wanted to find a use for
Red Spores and Corrupted Water. He started to work with powder, since
it needed to be inhaled for it to take effect he needed to make a container to
contain it. He had no access to glass or anything like that but dried
TomGrape shells proved to work just fine in making a throwable weapon.

[You have crafted Spore Grenade of common quality. Crafting +10exp.]

He was able to do the same with Blue Dust and Corrupted Water.

[You have crafted BlueDust Grenade of common quality. Crafting

+10exp.]

[You have crafted Withering Grenade of poor quality. Crafting +10exp.]

Of course, he tried to reinforce both spores and dust but that didn’t work.
Reinforcing the grenade itself worked giving it Reinforced +1, but that
wasn’t desirable at all; it was just harder to break and he needed it to shatter
on contact. Well, the Withering Grenade even then reinforced was a failed
product because he could see the water dissolving the shell case slowly.

Also, he wanted to try something different. He crafted a bunch of arrows

using wood for shafts and obsidian shells from eggs for arrowheads; both
reinforced. Then he dipped the arrowhead in either dust, spores or water.

[You have crafted Torpor Arrow of common quality. Crafting +10exp.]

[You have crafted Failed Arrow of poor quality. Crafting +1exp.]

[You have crafted Withering Arrow of common quality. Crafting

+10exp.]

The ones with Red Spores kept failing, so he just assumed the combination
didn’t work. He gathered a good bunch of arrows, he will show them to
elves and ask for tips on how to improve them. Interestingly, the Withering
Arrows didn’t destroy the material this time.

With the projectile weapons experimentation out of the way, he moved to

armour. Well not quite, because it was time to visit the Metal Spider. The
guy had a healthy appetite for metal ores and pretty much always was
nibbling on them, it had grown quite large and its body now was covered in
shiny dark-orange scales of metal. They protruded from its body in rows
and layers giving the spider that plump look of an artichoke. The scales
resembled bronze but probably were something else entirely since bronze
was an alloy and metals normally didn’t grow on spiders.

“Yes. King.” The spider bowed and then began to shake its body not unlike
a wet dog who wanted to get dry. “[Shed Metal].”

He was double surprised, one because the spider now could speak and two
because it had a perk of its own. The metal plates separated from its body
dropping to the floor with a loud clang. Much like a sheep which had just
been sheered, the plump spider was transformed into a slimmer shape; it
looked so vulnerable without its scales.

“Won’t you get cold now?” He joked.

“No. Problem. Will. Grow. Back.” The joke flew over the spider's head.

He deposited the scales into his inventory, [Metal Spider Scale] x25, and
then thanked the spider before leaving for the workshop again.

He reinforced the [Enchanted Boar Pelt] and [Blue Cloth], using both to
shape a new set of armour. Then he hammered the hexagonal scales making
rounded shapes for a nice and sleek design; they were malleable and
perfectly suited for such tasks. Malleable metals usually meant that they
weren’t too strong, but he had just the solution for that. After he was done
shaping the armour and riveting the scales, only then he reinforced the
scales with his perk, yes, the [Reinforce] perk was positively OP because it
let him to +1 metals. Once the armour was done he reinforced it as a whole
again raising its overall durability.
[You have crafted Plate Armour of superior quality. Crafting +100exp.]

[Plate Armour: Reinforced +3, +1 fashion, +10 Rep with Dwarves.]

[Temporary perk Spell Deflection obtained.]

[Temporary perk Bastion obtained.]

Okay, there was a lot to take in from the information. First, he used metal
spider scales, but since they were roughly 20x20 each the armour registered
as a plate. Secondly, he hoped that the Reinforced will add up to +4 but it
remained at +3. Thirdly, he lost the Minor Regeneration perk probably
because he didn’t use the obsidian egg shells. Then there was this nonsense
of +10 Rep with Dwarves, yeah that was just random and not useful at the
moment. However, he had obtained another interesting perk.

He donned the armour and tried it. “Bastion!” He found himself unable to
move. “What happened?” It didn’t seem to do anything unless…

He invited an assistant, an overly keen spider crafter with its beloved

hammer which was way too large.

“Bastion!” He felt unable to move. “Okay now.”

The spider slammed the hammer right to the chest showing no mercy. The
hammer just bounced off. The perk remained active. “Again!” He
commanded.

The spider hit again and then again… and then he could feel himself being
able to move again, however, there was another blow incoming. “Wai…
Ahh…” He flew backwards taking a heavy blow. He felt that, but the
armour did its job.

He stood up and glared at his assistant. “So three times.”

“Fourth. The. Charm.” Spider added way too pleased about the fact it
managed to land a hit.
“You didn’t have to hit me that hard.” He checked the plate, there was only
a small dent. Considering that it was a hammer and a full blow, Reinforce
+3 was indeed a powerful enchantment.

The spider was happily waving its hammer, “Go. Again?” it asked full of
giddiness.

“No, thanks. The experimentation is over.”

“Aww…”

But that was not the end yet, he still had Corrupted Apex Fang and he
couldn’t wait to see what sort of weapon he can make with that.
 32

The Corrupted Apex Fang was destined to be remade as a spear again. He

harvested an Iron Oak branch and polished it to a nice finish ending up with
a long shaft. Then he used the metal spider scale to form a metal band and
secure the fang in place. Since he had some success in enhancing arrows he
dipped the fang into Corrupted Water; the fang absorbed the water like a
greedy sponge. Once it stopped ‘drinking’ he finished the weapon giving it
a good old Reinforce.

[You have crafted Devouring Spear of legendary quality. Crafting

+1500exp.]

[Temporary perk Soul Steal obtained.]

“Okay…” The perk sounded ominous. “I have to test this, right?”

It was unlikely he will find any willing subjects, but where there’s a will,
there's a way; or so the saying went.

He went to the Boar pen, picked a ‘volunteer’ and then witnessed the
spear’s power. It dispatched the boar in a single hit. The tip glowed in faint
red for a moment but that was it.

“Well, I don’t feel any different. So did it take its soul or something?” The
perk was still a mystery, but it was obvious it could kill a simple animal in
one hit, so calling it potent was an understatement.

“I’ll just be careful what I poke with it.”

With that done, he crafted himself a simple tunic to lay over the plate
armour. He did so since the bright orange was a bit too flashy for his taste,
not that the vivid blue was any better. If only he had a nice crest to put on it,
he would look like a Templar Knight. Speaking of which his farm was in no
way little, it was a budding kingdom with no less than five thousand spiders
alive and growing. It was easy to forget how big it had gotten since the
spiders were quite self-sufficient. Actually, it was hard to keep track of who
was doing what, but he had his advisor for that.

Anyway, long tangent aside, it was time he designed a symbol to represent

his people. There were some obvious choices, but drawing an obsidian
black spider might send the wrong message to other people. That, and he
wasn’t great at art. Actually, there was beauty in both the complex crests
and simple minimalistic flags. There were kingdoms with dragons on their
crests but too often that was just a pretence and a claim to unearned power;
cowards liked to hide behind the powerful symbols. Since it was his
kingdom he leaned on his own ideals and settled on a simple crest. It was a
black hexagon on a blue background, in the centre of it were four dots. The
hexagon resembled the iconic obsidian spider eggshell, and the dots
symbolised the four spider eyes.

It ended up looking like some tribal mark, but he was happy with the simple
and easy-to-replicate design. He presented it proudly to his best advisor.

“This is the symbol of our kingdom and you the spiders.” He showed a
sample he had made for display purposes. “Can you make sure other spiders
wear it with pride? Oh, and a few flags here and there would be cool too.”

“Understood.” The spider advisor simply chirped and then relayed the
command to another spider.

The other spider went to the other two, two to four and four to sixteen and
soon everyone knew of the new symbol. Thus the second commandment
was born.

1. No one shall go naked.

2. You wear the symbol with pride.

In retrospect the commandments were quite silly, other kingdoms probably

had laws such as: you don’t kill, you don’t steal, respect your God and
King, or anything equally important. However, he didn’t feel like he needed
those, the spiders were just too well-behaved and there was literally zero
problem with them. And if ever anything went sideways it was because he
didn’t explain it properly.

With the little details out of the way, he gathered some stuff into his
inventory and went to see the elves.

Once he saw it he knew something was wrong. The living-wood palisade

was all crooked and overgrown, the tall towers were replaced by unruly
trees, the gates were wide ajar and there wasn’t a single elf taking a watch.
He would have thought that the elves were attacked and taken out if not for
the spiders who were waving at him in greeting.

As soon as he stepped through the abandoned gate he was met with the
message: [You have entered The Ancestral Tree]. This was confusing
because he was still outside and not even close to the giant tree which was
growing in the centre of the elven city.

The oddities didn’t end there. The elven houses were all twisted and
crooked, the beautiful lampposts were turned into normal trees. Actually,
everything in sight looked quite unkempt and overgrown, plus he still had
to see a single elf.

“What happened?” he shouted to one of the spiders he had left behind.

Instead, a pulsing orb of green light manifested right in front of him.

“Greetings, Friend.”

He looked at the speaking orb in confusion. Was he supposed to know it?

“Hello…” He looked inside his memory hard, the woody voice was sort of
familiar. “Great Dryad?”

“I see. You recognised my soul. Well done.”

“What happened? Did you die?” He worried that he might be talking with a
ghost now.
“Die? No. The opposite. Come inside me, we will talk.”

He gave the talking wisp an odd look. “Actually, where are the elves? I’m
here to see the High Chief.”

“Him!?” The voice sounded angry. “They are hiding out of shame. Come,
we will talk.” The orb urged him to follow.

Even if reluctantly he followed the talking wisp. The streets and trees were
full of various animals, all close to each other, wolf to a rabbit and owl to a
mouse; together in an unlikely piece. He felt like he was walking inside a
fairy tale. And there it was, high in the tree an elf, but naked! Why did they
have to be naked he wondered at the mystery.

Finally, he was next to the ancestral tree. It wasn’t hard to put one and two
together, but somehow he had gotten five for an answer.

“Wait… Are you an ancestral tree now?”

“Yes, we are one now.” The wisp pulsed and then disappeared into the
rugged bark of the tree. “Come.”

He looked at the brown bark, there were no doors or windows. He wasn’t

sure how he could follow the wisp, so he stood there waiting for a secret
entrance to open or something like that.

The green orb poked out halfway out of the bark. “Come. We must speak.”
It urged.

Well, maybe there was an illusion so he began walking towards the wall-
like bark. He didn’t want to embarrass himself and miss an entrance so he
raised his hand to touch any real obstacles. A wise decision it was because
his hand touched nothing but rough bark, there was no illusion. And then…

He felt his mind to be pulled. Naturally, he tried to resist it, but the pull was
overpowering. He felt his mind being ripped away from his body, which
was an entirely new feeling, but at least it wasn’t painful. He could even see
himself standing there frozen and simply touching the tree.
“Come!” The voice urged again.

The pull only got stronger and he was sucked inside the tree. His vision
shifted and he could see the entire elf city from an eagle-eye-like view. He
concentrated on a random formerly house (now just a tree) and the vision
zoomed right in. Not only he could see the animals jumping in and out of
the tree but also, tiny little sparks inside their bodies. He looked around for
a bit and then zoomed in on a familiar spider, it too had a tiny spark inside
its body; The spark was black in colour but it definitely was no indication
that this spider was evil; The spider gave him an innocently cute chirp for a
greeting. Just to prove the point he looked around singling out a large white
spark in his vision, he zoomed on it and found a naked elf. The elf stared at
him with eyes so wide they were on the verge of popping out.

Yeah, they could see him too which meant he had just committed some sort
of invasion of privacy. He flew away from the startled elf and back up into
the sky. He wondered what he looked like in this form, but he couldn’t see
himself.

“Where did you go?” The voice boomed right inside his head. “Don’t get
distracted.”

He felt the pull again and his mind flew far and fast away from the elven
city, or whatever the settlement was supposed to be now. He was moving so
fast that for a moment he thought he had become a ballistic rocket.
Disorientating was the word to describe the experience.

He looked around again, by the looks of it he was at the edge of the forest.
Well, to be precise, he was at the new edge which yet hasn’t been chopped
down. In the distance as far as he could see he saw nothing but tree stumps
and sparks of fire.

“Humans!” The voice boomed angrily. “They hate the forest. They destroy
it.”

“Oh…” He looked down and indeed there was a group of humans chopping
at the large tree.
It was the first time he had seen humans in this world and as expected they
were slightly different from the norm but also familiar. He looked at the
particular specimen and it was just a man, with tanned skin, a bushy red
beard and green eyes. It wore simple and dull clothes, and in his hands was
a silvery metal axe.

“They! Seek to destroy us.” The voice accused. “To turn this forest to ash.
To fuel their wars.”

“I see…”

Now he knew what the Great Ancestral Tree was showing him, and he
knew why.

“And the elves? Did they do anything about this? Did they talk with
humans?”

“They did and they failed. This was going on for a century. The forest
getting smaller and smaller. It is enough! Enough of failure!”

“I see…” He already knew where this was going.

“King of Spiders, you are a friend of nature. Will you help us?”

He wasn’t particularly for or against nature, he wasn’t an elf, so he didn’t

know where that impression came from. Regardless, he did consider the
Great Dryad as his friend because it had saved his life once. So not only
there was a debt to pay but also an alliance to uphold.

“We are allies, and allies help each other in hard times.” He spoke his mind.

“Good!” The voice sounded pleased. “Cleanse the forest from this evil
infestation.”

“Hold on a minute. Maybe we should talk with them first?”

“It is futile. It never works. They know only how to destroy and deceive.”
The voice said it as if stating a fact.
“But then… you are speaking of war? Or am I misunderstanding
something?” He asked hopefully because wars were ugly.

“Yes, War! It’s time nature fights back!”

He couldn't believe it, but was he really the only one trying to be reasonable
here? Weren’t ancient trees supposed to be calm and slow to act, they
should be smart and wise, they should be against violence!

“I don’t know about that. I’m human myself, so maybe if I asked them we
could come to some agreement. You want to stop them from destroying the
forest, yes?”

“Correct.”

“So let me talk first.”

“You can but hurry. Trees die every day.”

Well, he now knew the Great Ancestral Tree’s side of the story, so now
there was the need to hear the other side. In all likelihood, he expected the
humans just to be ignorant and unaware that this forest belonged to
someone already. After all, misunderstandings do happen. So he lowered his
spiritual self low enough so that he could be easily detected by the humans
present.

He tried to project his Aura Perk, but that didn’t activate, so instead he put
his best smile on and greeted the labourers with a simple “Hello.”
 33

A green fat orb descended seemingly out of nowhere. Which was unusual
but not unheard of.

“A wisp.” A man pointed his finger at the obvious.

“Wait, didn’t it say something?”

“Just an illusion to confuse your simple mind. I heard nothing.” A second

man brushed it off.

“Hello?” The wisp repeated.

“Kill it! Kill it now!” The third man shouted in fear.

The labourers began swinging their axes trying to get the fat wisp.

“Wait, no.” The wisp begged while dodging the axe blows.

“Begone you pest!”

“Foul demon!”

“Get out of my head!!!” The first man screamed while swinging his axe
wildly in random directions.

There was a shout in the distance, “Magus! Magus!”.

The wisp continued to say something but no one was listening to a talking
ball of light because they were too busy trying to swat it away.
Another ball of light flew from a side, just as fat as the wisp but orange in
colour. The fireball hit the wisp and the two exploded in the shower of
sparks and light motes.

“Hurrah!” The men cheered the magus.

The elderly man dressed in fancy robes walked casually to the dispersing
light motes.

“I saw it explode but no exp, huh… Strange.” He ran his fingers through
dimming sparks of light.

“Auch!” He fell backwards and landed right on his buttocks. His right hand
was still nub as if electrocuted. “What happened?”

“They killed you. Like any other of my messengers.” The green wisp
explained while pulsing with each word said.

“Well, that’s not very nice. But… I can understand why they did it.”

“You do?”

He nodded in a yes.

“Then you must have the wisdom we do not, King of Spiders.”

“I’m not sure about that, but I still think I should talk with them. This time
like a human to human, or…” He remembered a particularly useful skill.
“or as a King.”

“We take back what we just said.” The wisp pulsed. “But we shall leave you
to it.”

“Don’t worry, I won't delay it, and I will do it right this time.”

He stood up and brushed the dirt off his tunic. The wisp flew to be absorbed
by The Ancestral Tree.
“Wait! Do you know how I can use it?” He pulled out [Dark Essence].

The wisp emerged out of the bark and made a few spins around his
outstretched hand.

“A precious source of magic. Just absorb it into your body.”

“That’s the problem, how? It doesn’t look edible at all.” The cube was as
hard as a rock.

“You can’t?” The wisp sounded surprised. “Then you need a ritual. Nature
ritual we could help you with, but this…”

“So you don’t know it either?” He looked at the material in his hand
unwilling to give up on the idea. “I’ll find a way.”

“We’re sure you will, King of Spiders.” The wisp disappeared back into the
tree bark.

“Ah…” He had one more question but didn’t want to bother the Great
Ancestral Tree.

He approached one of the spiders, two brown squirrels were happily

frolicking on its back.

“Hey, do you know where the High Chief disappeared to?”

“Disappear?” The spider twisted its head sideways. “He. Is. There.” It
stretched its front leg pointing a direction out, the squirrel used that as a
trampoline and ran away from its playmate.

There was nothing there just some funny-shaped tree.

“In that tree?”

“In. The. Tree.”

And so he went to what looked like just another tree, but oddly shaped and
twisted.
“High Chief are you there?”

There was a lot of rustling coming from the tree. Something was definitely
there.

“High Chief? Anyone?” He shouted louder, after all the tree was quite tall.

“Ah, yes o King of Spiders. I’m here.” The voice sounded weak, barely
audible.

“Chief, what happened here?”

“…” There were only murmurs.

“Come down I can’t hear you.”

A gaunt-looking man descended from a tree, and for some reason, he wore
his birth suit only.

“Chief?” He asked with confusion and worry.

“Sorry o King, we failed the forest, no, we failed you.”

“I’m sorry?”

“O King, we have nothing prepared for the ‘trade’ you have requested.” The
chief prostrated himself. “Whatever we had… we have nothing now.”

Well, he could see that.

“But why?”

“We have failed the forest. I am sorry.”

And here it was again, the conversation went full circle and he still had no
answers; typical elves. He looked around trying to figure it out. The only
conclusion he could reach was that whatever had happened the Dryads must
have been involved.
“Am…” He felt kind of responsible for that so he asked with worry, “Are
you alright? Do you need anything?”

The chief remained silent, but there were other elves finally poking their
heads out of their hidey holes and looking expectantly; those eyes were the
eyes of people who had great need of many things.

“Look, I can give you food and clothing, there is no problem, we are allies
after all..”

“But we have nothing to pay you back, there is only our s…” He couldn’t
finish.

“No need. Think nothing about it.”

He began pulling out sacks of fruit and pieces of cloth from his inventory.
The elves rushed out of their hiding places: the trees, bushes and even from
burrows dug in the ground; the latter were the dirtiest. They swarmed the
fruit bags like starved animals and began engorging themselves. The bunch
here didn’t look like elves but more like wild men. What had to happen to
make them fall so much?

At least the chief retained a modicum of former self. He stood up and was
patiently waiting for others to finish their feeding frenzy.

“I’m sorry I don’t have any clothes only cloth, but I am sure you can sew.”
He had seen the hippy-like designs they used to wear.

“Yes, yes, o King. This will be enough.” The chief took the cloth and his
eyes almost bulged out. “Enchanted cloth! We can’t take this!”

He simply couldn't take the sight of elves running around naked. “I won’t
take no for an answer!” He commanded. “But really, what happened to your
clothes and equipment and… everything?”

“The enchantments broke. The equipment disintegrated into nothing.”

“Oh?”
“The elders are gone, while some of us can still enchant it won’t be as
good.”

“How about simple cloth? Or just some leafage for coverage?”

The High Chief looked at the Ancestral Tree. “We cannot, we aren’t
allowed to take what is not ours. ”

Finally, he was getting some info. “The ancestral tree won’t allow you?”

“Yes, we are unworthy. We must prove ourselves, reestablish our bond with
the forest.”

“And that involves starving and running naked.”

The High chief raised his finger into the air for correction, “We can eat
bugs.”

“Doesn’t sound very fun. If you want I can speak with Great Ancestral
Tree.” He offered.

“No, no. We reap what we sow.”

Yeah, but this meant that elves were kind of useless now. Well, that didn’t
change much.

“Is there any other way? You know, I kinda need you to be… productive so
we can trade.”

“We can’t harvest the bounty of this forest… but if…” He dragged the
words.

The chief was still being difficult,

“You know what, I actually need your help.” He doubted the elves would
know the Dark ritual, since even the Ancestral Tree didn’t know, but there
was another thing, “I have a corrupted spring to cleanse, any idea how?”
“That...” The pair of elven eyes lit with a spark.” We could help with that. It
is in your lands?”

“Mmm. Sort of.” He was temporarily occupying the spring for safety
reasons.

“Then we will come.” The elf smiled taking the cloth.

“Awesome, can we go out soon? I have another urgent matter to attend.”

“At once, o King.” The chief turned at the fattened elves. “You heard our
King speak, we are moving to his lands.”

“We?” And since when was he the Elven King?

However, it was too late, the elves cheered in unison all too happy to leave
what once was their ancestral forest.

“But… All of you?”

“Is there a problem, King?”

“No… I guess not. If you want to come you are welcome.”

He left the elves to prepare, but just to be sure he went back to the Ancestral
Tree and touched the bark with his hand.

“Dryad, I am taking the elves with me. Is that okay?”

There was no wisp this time but he could hear a voice inside his head.

“Take them.” The voice sounded pleased. “But I warn you, they are
useless.”

“I figured…” he wondered if he was making a mistake.

But even if his heart still disliked the elves and their odd way of life he felt
compelled to help them. He wanted to put them back on the right path. He
wanted that elven furniture and other comforts of life they knew to make,
also the elven bows and arrows were of interest to him.

Remembering the arrows he ran back to the chief. They were already at the
gate all ready and roaring to go, which made sense since they had no
material possessions. The chief, however, already obtained an article of
clothing, it was the sack used to store fruit only with a hole for arms and
head cut off.

“The blue suits you.” He praised the elven ‘craftsmanship’, well, or at least
their resourcefulness.

The chief gave a shiny sparkling smile. “Enchanted Cloth! I feel like
royalty.” He caressed the sackcloth as if it was golden silk.

“I see… hey what do you think about these?”

“Arrows!” There suddenly were tears in the chief’s eyes. “I never thought I
will hold them again.”

“Huh?”

“Did your finest craftsmen make them, o King?”

“Ha-ha, you flatter me. It was just me, are they any good?”

“They are perf… Wait, [Identify].”

The chief dropped the bundle of arrows out of his hand.

“No wonder. Of course, you made them.” He scooped the arrows and then
held them in his hands as if it was an artefact of the greatest value.

“You don’t have to pretend to like them that much.” He wondered if the
High Chief was trying to butter him up or if he was just mocking him.

“No, no. These are amazing.”

“How about this one.” He handed a bundle he was not going to show,
[Failed Arrow], but now at least he could see if the chief was just buttering
him up.

“Hmm…” He rolled them between his fingers. “[Identify]” He

concentrating on something distant in his vision. “[Failed Arrow], a result
of failed enchantment, not any good but.” He scrunched his eyebrow trying
to judge it properly. “Reinforced +1, so that makes them barely usable.
They shouldn’t shatter.” He wasn’t too sure. “If only I had a bow I would
love to test them all.”

“Keep them then, and then tell me once you get a bow.”

“Really. I will make that my priority. But first, we must leave the forest,
taking wood from here is forbidden.”

“I’m sure The Great Ancestral Tree won’t mind if I took some wood.”

Just as he was to stray away from the packed dirt road the Chief grabbed for
his hand.

“No! Let’s not risk it.”

“But we are friends, it won't mind.” He was sure of that.

He picked out a tree sapling which he tough wood be good and cut it by the
base. “Is this any good? For a practise bow that is.”

“No-oooo!” The chief shouted in horror.

A green pulsing wisp caught up with them, the pulses were quite strong
making it very large one second and then minuscule the other.

“King. Of. Spiders.” It spoke in a funny fashion pulsing with each word.

“Oh no?!” He began to worry even if they had an agreement that he and his
spiders could take a bit of forest bounty. After all that agreement was with
Great Dryad, and that Dryad was something else entirely now.
“I have finally caught you.”

“I am so sorry.” He bowed in apology to the entire forest worrying that it

was his turn to have all enchantment broken and left standing naked.

“Sorry? … So you won’t leave any spiders?” the voice asked with visible
worry, the green orb shrunk to the size of a pin.

“Spiders?”

“Yes. Forest animals made great friends with spiders. They are too sad that
friend spiders left so abruptly!” The wisp grew to the size of a large ball.
“See, I like them too. I like their webs and how they clean the plants from
pesky bugs. Much better than elves.” Then it shrunk back to a moderate
size. “Can’t you leave just a few?”

“Oh! So you’re not worried about this.” He waved a spindly sapling.

“This?” The wisp flew over the cut sapling. “You can take as much as you
like. We are friends, the forest can share.”

The High Chief made a complicated facial expression, it was hard to

describe it; a combination of awe and a sense of unfairness.

“Thought so. Yeah, I am okay if my spiders are okay. Anyone wants to

sleep over at Dryads?”

A few spidery hands rose up.

“Don’t overstay your welcome. Oh and behave!” He cautioned needlessly.

“Understood.” The spiders chirped in unison and ran away with the wisps.

“[Reinforce], here it should be okay for a temporary bow to practise.” He

handed the stick and the string.

“Ohh!” The chief seemed to be overly impressed with a simple stick. “This
is just wonderful, thank’s O Great King of Spiders, Friend of the Forest.”
The High Chief handed the materials presumably to someone who was a
better bow crafter than him.

“We are forever indebted to you.” He bowed deeply.

“No, need. No, need.” He repeated slightly embarrassed.

This High Chief knew how to toady up, quite a silver-tongued elf rascal.
Maybe not all elves were so bad.
 33.5

“Impossible.” The high chief kept whispering to himself.

While he had never been to The Dreadful Place, where The King of
Spiders reigned, he had heard the stories. The stories, however, didn’t
match what he was seeing; It was so much worse. There were rows upon
rows of vividly blue webs, they were long and tall, at least three times taller
than an elf. The delicious fruits the elves learned to love were growing on
the vines which were tangled within the webs. The fruits called at his elven
fruit-loving soul, tempting him to pluck a piece, but he knew better. It was a
trap to ensnare the foolish elf into the wicked web.

The seductive sight of vines and fruits has been further tainted once he has
realised who had been tending the web garden. Yes, those were spiders, and
they were everywhere, and there were so many. The place was swarmed
with spiders of various sizes and shapes. Hundreds of yellow eyes shone
from atop the webs, they would blink now and then. It would be like a
starry sky if he didn’t know that those were the eyes of twisted monsters.

The spiders waved at the elves and chirped something he could not quite
understand. He kept moving in between the webs carefully glancing at his
people, making sure that no one got themselves trapped. And it took quite a
while to pass, the rows of webs seemed endless and even maze-like. If they
were left alone here he was sure they either would get lost or be eaten by
the praying monsters.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it took hours to escape the web

maze, but finally they were out into a clearing. Yet again, he felt inadequate:
there was something quite odd, a vast field of blue flowers, the kind he had
never seen. All elves loved the flowers so this should be a pleasant sighting,
but it simply wasn’t. There was something strange about the bell-like
flowers, his elven instinct told him not to approach them and for a good
reason; in the middle of it stood a strange creature. A menacing monster
was guarding the field like a boss of the area. The creature resembled a slug
but only faintly, it was many times more disgusting and obscenely large. He
and the elves gasped at the sight, in their eyes, it was nothing short of an
abomination.

“Johny!” The King of Spiders waived. “Greet our new guests.”

The abomination had an alias, Johny, the High Chief shuddered hearing the
pronunciation, he found the sound of it menacing; it fit the abomination
well.

“Oh and don’t step near the flowers. You might fall asleep.” The King
warned the elves of certain death.

The High Chief was able to read between the lines knowing that this
“sleep” was an eternal kind. He spoke a short elven prayer while carefully
threading over a narrow path, watching his every step so that he doesn’t
come even an inch closer to the flowers.

After the flowers, there were fields of other plants. The plants were bigger
than they had any right to be and most surprisingly of all there was an
Alraune just casually sitting surrounded by a bunch of lesser dryads, the
group made buzzing and crackling sounds to each other speaking in the
tongue of plants. The surprise was double because he didn’t expect to see a
rare plant monster growing here nor did he expect to see the lesser dryads.
The dryads who never ventured away from their forests.

The tour culminated with the visage of numerous dome-shaped buildings,

they were woven out of wooden materials and reinforced with blue rope. If
he had to guess he would say that those were the nests of the spiders. While
the design was the same the buildings were of various sizes, some big some
small, so maybe their purpose was different too. He saw a large group of
spiders emerge from one of the buildings, the spiders were unlike the usual
ones he had seen so far. While they were little they had arms uncannily
familiar to the ones people possessed, in those spindly arms they carried
bundles of cloth.
And then the worst happened. The little spiders began to wrap the naked
elves in cloth. Did the King led them here to just be captured and
slaughtered like cattle? The High Chief panicked.

“My bad. My bad.” For some reason, the King was also panicked. “I should
have left you time to finish crafting clothes, and now… Well. I guess this
saves time.”

For some reason, the spiders retreated leaving the elves lying on the ground
screaming and flailing their arms and legs into the air. At least, he, The
High Chief, for some reason was not molested by the spiders.

“What was this about?” He bowed deeply and asked with concern.

“Well, I can’t have elves running around here naked, can I?”

The king had a point, but the way he solved their nudity begged for an
improvement.

“Wait, here.” He left for the largest building.

It was just a dome, but it was impressively large and for some reason clad
entirely in blue triangles. It even had two large flags, the images on the
flags were identical to the one on the King’s tunic; It was a black hexagon
with four yellow dots.

“So that is their symbol. I wonder what it means.” The chief rubbed his chin
in thought.

For some reason, it resembled a glyph from demonic language, if he still

had the ancient elven scrolls he might have been able to translate it.

The King of Spiders had finally emerged, and he was not alone. Next to him
was a slithering humanoid creature dressed in an elegant dress, she was
smaller than usual so he wouldn’t have been able to tell that this was a
Lamia if she didn’t have her face veil raised. For some reason, her skin was
snow white which was also unusual for the lamia he knew. The forest
Lamia were green and the cave Lamia were light grey or pale blue. He
couldn’t just put a finger where this one came from. And for some reason,
the lamia was glaring at him as if he had just stolen something from her
treasure vault.

The King looked at the lamia trying to judge her foul expression. “As I said,
don’t you worry, I’m sure they will cleanse the spring and you guys can
return to your place in no time at all. Isn’t that right, High Chief?”

“Yes!” He bowed twice, once for the King and once for the lamia.

The cleansing ritual was a tricky business, but he knew he can pull it off
somehow.

“Shall we rest before we head for the Oberon Mountain?”

“Mountain?” The high chief asked unsure. He thought the king would have
the corrupted spring right here with the rest of the twisted monsters,
somewhere in one of those nest buildings.

“Undermountain to be precise.”

The lamia kept glaring murder at the Chief.

“We can go at once.” He willed to escape her glare.

“Are you sure?”

And for some reason, he had hopes for the mountain. He just didn’t feel
safe in between the maze-like web in that sea of yellow eyes. Also, he was
afraid of the abomination guarding the deceptively innocent flowers. While
he was curious about the Dryads and the Alraune, those there not good
reasons to stay here surrounded by the domed nests full of spiders.

“Let’s go now!” The Chief urged.

The mountain, well or under-mountain couldn’t be worse than this.

 34

Once he brought the elves to the caves he noticed that they had hard-to-read
expressions on their faces, he asked the high chief what that was about but
the elf just brushed it off saying “It’s Okay.” He led the elves to the
corrupted spring where some of the water had replenished already so he
harvested it using [Harvest Material].

“What do you think, can you cleanse this corruption?”

The elf looked at it deep in thought. “With the right ritual, I am sure we
can.”

He smiled hearing the good news and patted the chief on the shoulder. “I’ll
leave it to you then.”

The chief scratched his head awkwardly. Actually, all of the elves looked
slightly out of their element, but this was to be expected since they were so
far away from their home. However, he knew there was no need to worry
because all of the elves assured him multiple times that they want to come
to the mountain and he will make sure to send them food parcels.

So with that out of the way, he left. Or maybe not quite. Just further away,
at the same large cave where he first encountered The Great Worm of
Oberon, he had some business there. He dug a small ground in the mulch-
like cave soil and deposited [Myconid Matriarch Spore]. It was a crafting
material he had no good use for, so after much thought he decided to just
plant it and see what happens.

“If it turns evil, cut it down.” He instructed one of the spider guards.

“Understood.” The spider glared at the spore menacingly, never blinking or

taking its eyes off it.
It was commendable the spider took this so seriously, but the spore
probably will take weeks to grow into something.

On the way back home he visited the Kobold leader and informed them
about the elves. The kobold seemed to be happy as long as there weren’t
Lamia and no one was trying to stew any kobolds. The kobolds had stocked
up on a very large quantity of dried mushrooms (myconids), so there was a
good opportunity for a new trade.

“Would, you trade some mushrooms to me? I can give you cloth or even
weapons.”

“Kobolds need no weapons, we have our claws. But cloth you said?” The
kobold leader grabbed the King’s tunic between his fingers and tugged at it.
“That looks fun.”

“Fun? I can even ask spiders to craft you clothes.” He offered helpfully.

“Yes, yes. That would work.”

They went through small details and once it was over he left with a large
amount of mushrooms all stuffed in the bags and tied to the backs of the
spiders. From now on, the Lamia Boar Stew will be even more flavourful.

Back at home, he had completed the task of kitting out his spider warriors,
or should he say spider people because they looked like people. For some
reason, they were the most evolved from the whole lot of spiders doing
various jobs. It was funny when he remembered that their ancestors four or
five generations ago were nothing more than trouble-loving spiders he once
had referred to as Jesters. And now they stood as tall as him, their forms
alien but vaguely resembling a humanoid. They had six legs and two arms,
and a big head with a set of large mandibles and four round yellow eyes.
Like all of his spiders, they were obsidian black.

He didn’t have much metal yet so the gear the warriors were wearing was
made out of the produce he grew here. Yes, it was pretty much all grown
and very organic. The materials were: robust obsidian eggshells, durable
blue ropes and twines, sturdy triangular leaves from PurpleM vines, tanned
leather extracted from enchanted boars, and other little things made out of
chipped bark from Iron Oak. Everything was Reinforced +1.

The gear itself was an improved form of thorn armour plus thorn shield
and chitin axe. He thought the spear would be better for them, but his
warriors had opinions of their own so he didn’t press them to use the
weapon they disliked. All in all the design was quite spiky giving the
warriors Reflect Physical Damage 10% in total. And in the end, they looked
quite formidable, like any warrior should.

He gathered the evolved warriors into a small clearing, the force was not
that big only 500 spider warriors plus another 500 normal spiders for odd
tasks and jobs.

He thought it was a good time for a speech so climbed on his mount, the
largest spider of them all ­– the warrior leader who refused to evolve. He
projected an Aura of King

“Spiders! No, my people, I have gathered you all because we have an

important mission. Our Ally needs our help, the forest of The Great
Ancestral Tree is under attack by those who seek to destroy it. I have seen
the fires with my own eyes and those axes they use with no mercy. We must
go and show that we mean business, that we can protect our friends. But! I
urge you to refrain from hostilities because we will not go to war, only to
negotiate.” He stressed the latter. “It is humans we are against, so you must
be strong. If they know that they can’t mess with us then they won’t. I am
sure they will see reason and stop their hostilities. So, my people, let’s go
and greet these Humans so that they know we exist, that there is The
Kingdom of Spiders and that we protect our allies!”

The spiders raised their axes and shields high and then cheered. “For The
Kingdom. For The King.”

He waved the spiders to get moving. As he walked he saw Lamia Queen

waving him goodbye, she was dabbing the corner of her eye with a cloth to
soak up a stray tear. There was no sadness in her yes, she was just
impressed with the speech; he was certain of it.

They traversed the web fields and emerged into the barren clearing and then
went towards the familiar road leading to the forest. There was a long
journey ahead of him, but he had his mount, and his spiders had six legs
making them quite speedy.

[You have left The Dreaded Place], the message informed as he was just
about to enter the forest. It was interesting that some places did have this
and others didn’t; The Oberon Mountain didn’t. Actually, aside from his
jungle and The Ancestral Tree, he didn’t know any other places.

Just as he was nearing the area previously known as Elf Encampment… Or

was it a city, or settlement? – Either way, it was now something entirely
different, maybe that’s why the system gave it a name.

“Hello, King of Spiders.” A green wisp greeted. “We see you are finally
ready for war!” the wisp expanded in size.

“Not war – negotiations.” He corrected.

“Dryad – Druid; both not so different. The humans can’t be allowed to

continue.”

He agreed on that.

“Will your dryads join me?” He asked curious because he hadn’t seen any
recently.

“They had been set free. Returned to the forest. But I will come with you.”

He didn’t want to sound ungrateful but he was sceptical of the powers of

someone who was just a large floating orb of light. “You can fight? Cast
some spells?”

“I can Heal and Buff your spiders.”

“Oh…”
The wisp wasn’t done. “We can command animals and plants. They will aid
us in our quest.”

“I see.” He just shrugged because it kinda made sense. He shouldn’t expect

fireballs coming from someone who was serving the forest. If the Great
Ancestral Tree had powers of destruction it would have never struggled
against the human invaders to begin with.

“Let’s go. The trees are dying as we speak.” The wisp urged.

He looked at the dense forest, there wasn’t even a road yet and from
memory he knew that the edge of the forest was far; it will take a lot of time
to reach it. It will be days if not weeks, but he came well-supplied.

The trip was better than he had expected. All he had to do was ride on the
warrior leader while others pushed forward into the forest, clearing the
obstacles in their way. Surprisingly the wisp didn’t mind, it understood the
need for a clear path. And that speaking ball of light made quite a
companion; it was interesting to listen to its stories.

Apparently, it had lived a long life, where the word long was an
understatement. It started as a sapling and grew into a very large tree. But
all which live must grow old and then return back to the soil. It too was old,
too old, parts broken and parts rotted. It was time for it to go but then it was
gifted consciousness by the forest spirit and its form changed and it became
a Lesser Dryad. Its body was small again but it was full of energy, it felt
like a sapling again, plus it could move freely around the forest. The dryad
played and frolicked in the forest occasionally running an errand or two for
the spirit.

The time went on and Lesser became Greater. The Great Dryad was the
bestest of the best servants of the forest spirit, entrusted with the most
important tasks.

In the forest, there was a wandering tribe of elves. Still young and primitive
in their ways, they were lost without guidance. The forest spirit decided to
provide the elves with a purpose so that they can grow into something
better. It was the Great Dryad who gifted the elves the seed of the forest and
told them to rear it into a tree. He told them that If they guard the seed they
wouldn’t need to wander and seek for food, the forest would provide it. And
the elves agreed; they settled. And all was well, a small group became a city
and a seed into a towering tree, but there was trouble. There always was,
because life was chaotic and the Great Dryad knew that.

Sometimes a monster would be born, too large and too vicious, too greedy
for its own good. Some trees were too old and decrepit, they were standing
in the way of new life. Bugs and infestations, curses and plagues would
come to the forest uninvited. The forest spirit provided the elves with their
ancestral tree so the elves had to protect the forest. And all worked, it
worked for centuries. And then it just didn’t. Life was chaotic and
sometimes what works just stops working and there is a need for a change.
A change the elves were unable to make.

The rest is history. The Great Dryad fused with The Ancestral Tree and took
the role of the forest guardian.

There were more stories, some interesting and others mundane, naturally, he
liked some and disliked others. The less interesting one was about the
avatar of the forest, a simple white squirrel which roamed the area
spreading love and making friendships with other animals. That one turned
out to be quite boring, there was just no conflict in it.

Just then the wisp was about to start another story it pulsed rapidly as if in
anger. He looked ahead but there were only trees so he looked up. He
couldn’t see well but above the tree canopy, there was a column of smoke
stretching across the sky.

“We are close.” The wisp warned.

He called his spiders closer and told them to move silently. They were
getting close he could hear the sound of axes hitting the wood.

“There are people here. I see them with my sight.” The wisp moved towards
the direction of the sound.
“Wait, let me deal with it.” He patted his spider mount and then dismounted

He left the spiders just behind him and walked casually towards the sound.
And finally, there it was the clearing and three familiar axemen.

“Hello!” He waved at the three projecting the Aura of Friendliness.

 35

A stranger emerged out of the forest and greeted the humans with a simple
“Hello!” and a wave.

The three axe men stopped chopping their trees and gave him an intense
look.

“Do not be alarmed I come in peace.” He took his helmet off showing that
he is human. “See, I am just like y…”

“Who are you? And why are you dressed like this?” One of the men
questioned.

“His accent is kinda strange isn’t it.” The second whispered to the third.

“You see, I am a King.” The stranger said it like it meant the world to him.

All three began laughing, a third was even crying.

“Why did you stop working?” A man dressed in fancy robes approached
and gave the stranger an odd look. “Who is this?” He asked pointing his
staff at the ‘king’.

“He… ha-ha… He says… Ha!” An axeman just couldn’t stop laughing.

“He’s a King!”

The robed man however wasn’t in the mood to laugh, he stared daggers at
the ‘king’.

“You aren’t an illusion, right?” He asked the oddest question.

“What? N…” The stranger couldn’t finish.

“Trouble!” Yet another man came running out of the forest, shouting and
flailing his arms. “Monsters!”

The robed man looked at the stranger and then at the alarmed labourer and
then at the forest.

“Do I have to deal with everything here?” The robed elder shook his head in
annoyance.

“What is that!” The labourer pointed his finger rudely his mouth agape.

The robed man ignored the labourer and instead bellowed a command. “Get
more men and kill that forest monster!”

“Ah, about that. Don’t do it.” The stranger commanded it with the same
authority the magus did.

“And why is that?” The robed man asked.

“He thinks he’s a King of us.” A third man whispered to the second and the
two giggled like teenage girls.

“The spiders are my people. They won’t attack you, so please don’t attack
them.”

“Your people?”

“I am the King of spiders.”

There was more laughter. “Did he eat some mushrooms or something?” The
third man wasn’t bothering to whisper anymore. And by now more men
were coming to observe the disturbance.

“Are you sure you are not under an illusion, King?” The robed man asked
the stranger. “Wisps are prowling the forest, playing tricks on men.”

The knight who imagined he is a king shook his head. “No, I’m telling the
truth. I am the King of Spiders, I command them.” He waved behind him
and towards the dense forest. “Do not be scared. They are friendly.”
A monster emerged from the forest. Its skin was black like night, four
soulless eyes stared at them. It walked on six legs and wore strange spiked
armour and carried a spiked shield in its left and an axe in right. Everyone
tensed up at the horror. Normally, monsters didn't wear armour or carry
weapons.

The terror didn’t stop with one monster, another emerged from the forest
and then another. The labourers grasped the axes tightly ready for a fight.
Whoever was laughing before, now had an overly serious look on their
face.

The magus raised his staff and pushed mana into it.

“Relax. I told you I come in peace.”

“What do you want?”

“To negotiate.”

A green fat wisp emerged from the forest and began to buzz something at
the King of Spiders.

“Alright, alright. Ah…” The King sighed. “This forest does not belong to
you. You must stop chopping it at once.”

The magus stared in disbelief. “Are you conversing with a wisp?”

The wisp flew closer to humans and began buzzing in a threatening fashion.
The labourers backed off a step or two, afraid of the Illusion and other
nasty mind spells.

“Well, I guess you can’t understand him.” The King shrugged. “The forest
belongs to the… to The Spirit of the Forest. Well, anyway. It’s not yours.”

“The Spirit of the Forest?” The magus rubbed his chin in thought. “Not the
elves?”

“So you knew it belonged to someone and still…”

“The elves don’t have rights to this forest! The King Aurelius Does!” One
of the labourers shouted out a simple fact.

“Ai!”, “That’s, right!”, “Mhm.” Everyone seemed to agree.

The wisp buzzed even angrier and someone took it upon themselves to swat
it away.

“Look, you have to stop cutting the forest or there will be…”

“King of Spiders…” The magus said it with weird inflexion, “Are you
working for the Elves?”.

The King of Spiders remained silent for a moment as if looking for the right
answer.

“I am an ally of the Elves, but before you can misunderstand, they don’t
guard this forest anymore. Amm, this wisp does.” He pointed at the angry
green orb of light. “And I am its ally.”

Everyone looked with eyes telling that they just couldn’t believe a single
thing. That and clear animosity to monsters present.

The magus had a different kind of look, it was worry. “I see…” He said it
plainly to hide his emotions. “And if we don’t stop cutting the forest?” The
magus added.

“You better do? Look, it doesn’t belong to you.” The King looked at a
buzzing wisp and added. “I will protect the trees, so stop?”

“I see… That is not for me to decide, King of Spiders, but we will retreat for
now.”

The wisp was still making that awful noise and flying around dodging all
the axes which tried to swat it away.

“I can’t ask that!” The King of Spiders frowned at the wisp. The wisp flew
to him and was buzzing annoyingly right into his ear again.
“Fine, fine. It wants you to return all of the felled trees…” He frowned and
added. “The ones you haven't turned to charcoal yet.”

“That we cannot do. But we will retreat.”

The green orb pulsed spewing green sparks right into the King’s face. Oh
boy, it looked annoying. One fireball would be enough to deal with an
annoying pest, but magus knew better.

“I understand, you can retreat.” The King seemed to be more reasonable

than this angry wisp.

“I’ll get someone to negotiate with you, King of Spiders.” The magus even
bowed to show respect.

The strange King did the same.

“What are you waiting for? We retreat to the camp!” The magus
commanded.

“...but the monsters.”

“Now!” He slammed his staff into the ground.

And then a hundred or so axemen slowly walked towards the distant camp.
Now and then they would give a glance back. Some had fear in their eyes,
others disgust on their faces and some still didn’t believe what just have
happened.

Eh? The wisps don’t talk! And monsters?! The forest never spawned such
weird creatures, beasts yes but never monsters. This King of Spiders, what
the hell is even that? Plus who would even believe a single word coming
from a ‘man’ commanding monsters? If it's even a man at all… And most
importantly It was odd how there was no elf resistance for a long while. Did
this mean that the elves were dead? The monsters ate the elves and now…
So and such was what the humans thought.

…
It could have gone better, but it also could have gone worse. If he had to say
something he would say he did his best.

“Kill em! Kill em all!” The wisp pulsed in agitation.

Wow, was it murderous; he didn’t know the Ancestral Tree had so much
animosity towards humans.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“They have to learn a lesson!”

“They have stopped ‘killing’ the trees. We are good for now, I think.”

The wisp calmed down a little. “But for how long? Never trust a human.”

“I am sure we can negotiate a deal with them.”

The wisp was done talking and simply flew back to the depths of the forest,
leaving him and his spiders alone.

A seriously large spider walked out to the cut clearing. “King. What. Do.
We. Do. Now.”

“We wait. They will send someone to negotiate. However, we need to show
that we can back our words with strength.”

He said he will protect this forest and the current enemy must see it to
believe it, this was just the way the world worked and he knew that.

“Let’s put a show of our might. Tell all of the warriors to come out of the
forest. We will make camp here in the clearing.”

“Understood.”

“But…” He wasn’t an elf and he won’t do it the elf way. “Where is that
wisp when I need it.”

…
He found the wisp happily pulsing at an impressively numerous group of
squirrels, it was odd, but wisp did the things the wisps did… talking with
forest animals or something. He had a short chat with it and surprisingly the
wisp was very understanding. Actually even bigoted in some ways, it was
interesting how much it was just like a human in some regards. Some
serious mental gymnastics were going on: It was an honour for the tree to
give its life to protect the forest or such. To cut a long story short it allowed
him to cut some trees and make defences.

First, the worker spiders dug a ditch around the camp perimeter. Then they
used the wood poles to make tall fences. The fence was surrounded by even
taller poles from inside, and then they were connected with blue robes.
Rope-made webs dangled from the poles and on those webs were the
spiders looking at the distance like scouts from their towers. It would have
made more sense if his spiders had ranged weapons, but he left them to it;
He assumed they knew what they were doing. Of course, he used
[Reinforce] on all of the structures and even was making some good
Building exp. The spiders had even made a large dome in the middle for
him to rest.

The job wasn’t done by just making a camp. Outside the ditch and further
away from the camp he erected a small open tent. Inside he set a large table
and even made some improvised chairs. This was the place where he
planned to do the negotiations.

On the table, he set a large bowl of fruit, a jug of slug jelly, a snack plate
with cuts of dried boar meat and dried mushrooms. Well, he could have
used the food from the forest, but he wanted to display his own produce; to
advertise it as his trade. Then he put the roll of blue cloth on it, it was thin
and with a textured design of loops and swirls; the best his weavers could
weave. He might be biased but to him it was as good as silk if not better.
Next to it was a thicker, sturdier roll of cloth which was good for making
sacks and other projects; a tent was a good example.

He even put some of the arrows and weapons he had crafted in his spare
time. They probably weren’t as good as the metal ones the humans had, but
maybe they will be interested.
Lastly, he put some other materials which could only be extracted at his
farm, like obsidian eggshells and thorns. While he would prefer to sell
crafted goods, he didn’t know what humans would like so he was open to
selling the crafting materials instead.

All of this was done with the Trade Alliance in mind, or even just shaky
peace with some trade. He had to show that trees weren't the only thing
available on offer. He had to show that his goods were better than some logs
humans could steal from the forest.

He was even willing to give some stuff for free if they stopped going after
the forest. You know, free for a while. They will get used to his produce,
learn of its charms, and then he would start charging for it. That was the
plan.

He had met the humans in the early morning and now the sky was orange.
However, to build a camp in one day was impressive. He too was finished
here in the tent and left a small group of warriors to guard it. He
commended everyone for their hard work and went to sleep in his
improvised house.

He woke up in the morning with the first rays of light. He walked outside
the camp walls while replying to the spiders with a wave of his own.
Outside the walls and in the distance he could see the human camp, he
looked at it with wide eyes full of surprise.

It too had grown in size, it was many times larger than his and made in such
a short time (Did they do it during the night?). But the real surprise was
because now it was overfilled with humans; easily two thousand of them.
Warriors, rangers and knights to be precise. There were even some mounts
resembling horses pastured outside; horses but not quite.

“So someone important had arrived to negotiate. Good!”

 36

He woke up with the first rays of sunlight. It was bright and pleasant.
Although, he felt slightly anxious he had a good feeling about today. The
warrior leader was already waiting for him, he greeted the large spider and
then climbed on top making himself comfortable in his seat. The trip was
only five or so minutes but the warrior leader insisted on giving him a ride.
Their destination was the open tent he had set up yesterday.

Heading towards it he noticed that the human force was making a move,
they were forming into ranks. At the very front were rows of archers, after
them stood heavily armoured knights. The knights were few, forming only a
thin single line, behind this line was the bulk of the force, judging by their
equipment it was a mix of professional warriors and peasant levy. On the
right flank, there was a squad of light cavalry, no more than a hundred men,
but they looked quite fearsome. And interestingly enough he could see
robed men with funny hats scattered all over, their colours made them to
stand out and he counted no more than ten; he assumed those were the
mages.

He was slightly envious of the humans, they had made a good show of
force. It was standard before the negotiation to show off, and he had to do
the same if he wanted to be taken seriously.

“Tell our warriors to line up.” He dismounted and issued a command.

“Understood.” The warrior leader rushed back to their camp.

He greeted the two guards by the tent and sat down on one of the chairs
waiting for the humans to send a diplomat. There was a bowl of fruit right
next to him. His stomach growled in hunger demanding breakfast.
“No, I cannot.” He pulled back his greedy hand and rested it on the side.
“What is taking them so long?”

The human army had finished assembling. In the mass of humans, there
was a knight with silver armour. He was quite shiny and even his mount
was white making him to stand out from the rest.

“A noble of sorts.” He had assumed. “Hopefully the man I need.”

He turned to look behind his shoulder. The spiders had finished assembling.
They too formed themselves into rectangular ranks of soldiers. There were
five hundred of them, judging by the size it was only a fourth of the human
force. And there were no archers or cavalry, or any variety at all. The
contrast between the two was big, it was obvious that humans looked more
formidable. However, he was proud of his spider warriors. They were
diligent workers who trained every day from dawn to dusk. Also, he made
his best to equip them properly. Each was armoured with thorn armour
and carried a thorn shield in their left and a chitin axe in their right; all of
which were reinforced +2. That, plus he had distributed the grenades he had
made. Each warrior carried one of each: Spore Grenade and BlueDust
Grenade. So, he was quite happy with what he had. After all, it wasn’t just
about the number of men one was possessing.

The human messenger was taking forever to arrive, he began to wonder if

he should send an invitation first. The problem was he didn’t know the
correct etiquette and just hoped that someone will show up. Of course, he
would ask the wisp for help if it was here, but it had a good excuse not to
be. Which was that its influence was low outside the forest, so instead it
remained in it and the last time he saw the green orb it was chatting to a
bunch of squirrels. Maybe for the better because when it came to humans
the wisp seemed to lose its temper quickly.

“Oh!” The humans had finally made a move. “But isn’t this odd?” He
couldn't quite make a sense of it.

A while back, yesterday:

A bird composed of fire landed in between scattered scrolls all over the
wooden table. Aurelius looked at it with surprise, but not with worry. The
flame bird was a magus’s familiar sent here to deliver a message and the
flames were mostly visual only; they didn’t burn. He unfurled the message
from the bird's leg and began to read.

His eyebrows furled in anger.

“Monsters? Not elves?!” He read it only to midway, the language used was
too flowery so he had gotten bored. “Whatever.” He had gotten the gist of
it.

In a sense, the magus was lucky that he was currently in this remote city.
You see, he was here to muster his forces in preparation for an attack on the
neighbouring city. While he currently had only a fourth of the men it will be
more than enough to deal with some petty monster infestation. Moreover,
he knew that even something insignificant as this can cost him dearly.

The timbers coming from the forest provided the precious charcoal, the fuel
he needed to smelt the ores mined locally and turn the metal into weapons
of war, but that was only a side hustle. The real reason he was after the
ancient forest was that the magus had figured out a way how to infuse the
spirit stones with nature mana. Those pebbles were more precious than they
looked and were the main reason why he could afford this war with a
neighbouring kingdom.

Every day counted, a day of no production meant that his coffers would be
lighter.

Unwilling to delay it further he shouted, “Get me the general!”, he was loud

so that the servant outside his office could hear it.

It took him and his army of two thousand a mere three hours to reach the
logging site. Everywhere he looked he could see stumps and smouldering
piles of logs. He haven't visited this site for a long time, and he was happy
with the current progress. The ledger said that it was the richest asset he
possessed, but seeing it was believing it; soon he will be swimming in
nature spirit stones.
The magus he’d hired was doing a splendid job, he was glad he hired
someone so competent. Aurelius made a mental note to give a magus a pay
rise. And maybe the army was an overkill for a simple infestation, it didn’t
seem to spread outside the forest yet.

Soon, he could see an elderly man with a long red bushy beard and yellow
robes running towards him, the front of the robes had a symbol of black
hand embroidered into them. He recognised the man instantly, he was a
member of the Black Hand Covenant, a covenant of free magi he had hired
to help him with the war; the best decision he had made so far.

The magus looked worried, dishevelled even, he came running to Aurelius’s

noble steed.

“What’s the rush?” Aurelius asked.

“Didn’t you rea…” The magus remembered the proper etiquette and bowed.
“The King of Spiders demands your presence. Didn’t you read the
message?”

He remembered reading about monstrous spider infestation but, “Ha! The

king of spiders! Nonsense.” he laughed at the silly joke. Monsters had no
kings.

“No, he is a powerful sorcerer. He commands these humanoid spiders.”

The magus pointed at the distance excitedly.

Aurelius had to squint but he indeed saw a weird structure in the distance.

“Commanding monsters is that even possible?”

The magus shrugged. “You need to see it to believe it. He claims this forest
and wants to negotiate a truce.”

“Outrageous!” Aurelius roared. “We don’t negotiate with monsters!”

After all, he had paid a pretty sum to the Holy Emperor to purchase the
rights for this forest. Aurelius owned this land, period.
“My king, I beg you to reconsider. The sorcerer wields interesting magic, he
will be useful in your wars.”

“Bahh! He is nothing more but a rogue magus seeking recognition. I will

crush his monsters and if he survives you can have him.”

The magus clicked his tongue. “As you command.”

“We shall attack at dawn, make preparations.” He spurred his mount urging
it towards the nearby old fort.

The spear cavalry was charging right towards the open tent.

“No, this is not right.” The King of Spiders had finally realised. “This is
quite bad. What did I do wrong?”

However, there was no time to worry. The spider leader stopped right in
front of the tent sending tufts of dirt and grass into the air; it made quite a
rushed entrance.

“King. We. Must. Go.” The spider leader urged.

He looked at the charging cavalry, indeed, he couldn't stay here.

“It’s a shame.” He climbed on top and held tight on the seat.

The warrior leader sprinted back towards the spider forces. He turned his
head and could see the cavalry charging right into the tent and wrecking it
into pieces. He was lucky the warrior leader was an excellent runner and
left the cavalry biting the dust.

The spider warrior's ranks parted letting him inside the middle of the force.
And then the cavalry smashed right into the flank of spider warriors. It was
worse than he expected, the blow was strong to knock them over and the
spears pierced their shields with no problem. However, he still had some
luck left over because the spears were deeply lodged inside the triangular
shields since they were made of multiple plies of PurpleM leaves they were
resistant to shattering. Of course, some spears had found their way past the
shield and hit the armour, but that was made well too. Interestingly, ever so
rarely, the spear would just shatter into splinters dealing no damage; he
wondered why it was so.

Actually, it wasn’t the riders he was afraid of, no, it was their mounts.
Those creatures while looking like horses weren’t horses at all. Their two
black beady eyes looked soulless and hungering for blood. Their jaws were
muscular and overly large, their maws full of sharp teeth. Their legs were
bulging with tight muscles and were able to deliver a powerful kick. It was
the monster-horse who did most of the damage to the spiders kicking and
tossing them around. But in the end, what the cavalry managed to achieve
was only to shock his troops and disrupt the orderly formation.

The spearmen quickly retreated, but he knew this wasn’t over. This was
how the cavalry skirmish worked: charge, retreat, repeat. It sucked he had
no good way to counter it, and throwing grenades at the mobile cavalry
seemed like a waste, but at least the spiders managed to disarm some of
them.

The trouble was not over because the main human force had closed the
distance. The cavalry didn’t launch a second shock attack, this could only
mean one thing.

“Oh no…” He finally grasped the real terrors of the war.

A rain of arrows descended upon the spiders. He quickly retrieved a shield

from his inventory and raised it above his head. Nearby spiders rushed to
his aid forming a turtle-like shell right above him.

“Retreat, back to the camp!” He commanded just before the arrows began
to hit.

It wasn’t pleasant but they managed to reach the safety of the camp’s walls,
and the arrows stopped. He gave a compassionate look to his warriors, the
shield was only so large, and some spiders looked like pincushions or even
porcupines. However, the armour and external chitin they all had provided
some protection, they were hurt but not too badly.
The wisp had finally arrived to provide assistance. It grew in size “[Area
Heal]” and exploded into the green shower of light.

“We have to fight back.” But there was little he could do against the arrows.

Charging the archers was the only option.

“No.” The wisp pulsed. “We lure them in.”

“…?”

There was a sound of crackling and it was getting closer.

“Wha…”

The fireballs rained on the camp setting everything on fire. One stray
fireball had hit a spider directly, but by some twist of fate the spider glowed
blue and the fireball just dispersed.

“Humans!” The wisp pulsed in renewed anger.

“Back to the forests. We retreat.” Again he had to make this choice.

They dashed to the forest and hid behind the trees. There just in the
clearing, he saw the camp and the supplies he brought burnt into ash. He
could hear the humans cheer and revel in the destruction they had just
caused.

He felt anger swelling from deep inside.

“This is just unfair, what did I do wrong?”

“Nothing.” The wisp said in a calm voice. “They only do what they know
best. Destroy.”

“But… I could have done better.”

The wisp pulsed to deny that train of thought. “You’re like a sapling: new,
naïve and optimistic in your thinking. Only harsh trials of life will make
you grow thick bark. Take this as a lesson so you can grow stronger.”

He felt like he failed his quest, everything was burning and falling down
right in front of him. The arrows he should have expected that, but the
magic bombardment was just unfair. It seemed it was too late to change the
tides of battle. He looked at the fireballs flying right towards the treeline.

Everything was lost.

"..."

Or was it?
 37

There was something he could use to turn the tides of battle but that was a
huge gamble. He retrieved [Dark Essence] from his inventory. The dark
cube was light and crystalline in its make, it begged him to unlock its
secrets.

“I need this to work come on! Get absorbed!” He looked at the wisp but the
ball of light just gave him an apologetic flash.

He just had a hunch that this thing could turn the tides of battle, it was
weird premonition, or maybe even desperate superstition. “There has to be a
way.” He held the cube ever so tighter and he could feel the energy tingling
his palm. All of the sudden the hard crystalline surface began to feel
squishy and there was this compulsion to do something with the Dark
Essence. But what?

He had no idea, so he just squished the cube into his left palm trying to
break it like an egg; it exploded. Maybe not the best idea…

[Perk Chaos Blessed activated]

His vision spun and the day turned to night, all objects around him shifted
turning dark as if made out of tar-like shadow. The air grew heavy and he
felt like he was deep underwater. He looked around but all he could see
were the rough shapes and silhouettes. He wouldn't be able to tell his
spiders from the trees if not for their hot burning souls, the fire was little but
it burned in hot black-tinted light.

He felt something tingling in his left, the tingling grew to a sensation of

burning; it felt like it ate his flesh. In this strange nightmarish realm, he had
no armour or items. A web of black veins formed on his left palm at the spot
where he squished the cube. The veins began to grow and spread like vines
going up his arm. It hurt, it hurt so much he considered cutting his own arm.
The black vines stopped right before they reached his shoulder and the pain
was gone like it never was there to begin with.

He felt strange power, cursing through his left hand. He raised his hand
trying to tame the weird sensation, at that moment the shadows shrunk and
with a single blink of an eye he found himself back in your average forest.

“What happened?” Wisp asked curiously.

[Congratulations! You have reached Magic lvl. -1]

[Spell Elemental Arrow obtained.]

[Error], “Urgh!” There was this massive pain again. [Spell Elemental
Arrow forgotten.]

“What’s going on?” The wisp buzzed around him in circles.

[Congratulations! You have unlocked Magic+.]

[Spell Shadow Walk obtained.]

[Spell Dark Shroud obtained.]

[Spell ??? obtained.]

The pain was gone. “I am a proper mage now!” He announced to the whole
world.

“Congratulations?”

“Dark Shroud.” He chanted his first-ever spell.

The veins on his left-hand lit purple and the darkness seeped from under his
orange armour. It took time at first but soon he was covered in a guise of
shadows; his form obfuscated.
“Weird. What does this do.”

“A camouflage spell?” The wisp knew the answer but even so it came out as
a question. “In the right environment, you should be hard to spot.”

He walked to a darker area right under the canopy of the tree. His body
disappeared turning into a dark puddle of shadows.

“Is it working?” He asked curious; he didn’t feel any different.

“Yes. But it’s not the time…”

A fireball had hit the top of the tree he was hiding under setting it on fire
and breaking his spell.

“You’re right, but… Shadow Walk!” His vision blurred and after he had
blinked he was back in the nightmarish realm.

He took a step, and instead of one, he took a hundred. There was a thick
tree in his path and he didn’t know how to stop, he worried but only for a
second, because he just fazed through it. The spell broke and he found
himself falling to the ground with some of the momentum still left; he
tripped and slid through the mossy ground.

“Amazing!” He brushed the moss and twigs off himself.

Both Dark Shroud and Shadow Walk were amazing spells, but not what
he had expected.

“Is this really the time?” The wisp questioned again.

“No, no. You’re right. But…”

The wisp buzzed around him curious. “You have something in mind?”

“I do.” He smiled.

…
The fire could do only so much to green trees so they did the necessary: the
humans emboldened by their success flooded into the forest to deal with the
infestation once and for all.

“Don’t let a single spider escape!” Aurelius commanded his men. “Chase
them and cut them all!”

The whole ordeal turned out better than he had expected; this was fun and
good practice for his men. He charged into the thick woods without a single
worry in his head. Of course, there was smoke but the magus he brought
with him blew it away from his forces. All he needed to do now was to
catch up with the fleeing monsters and slay them one by one.

He went quite far in but… “Where are they?” He was beginning to worry.

The spider prints on the ground were all over, but he couldn’t see a single
spider.

“Something’s not right.” A heavily armed man, one of his royal bodyguards,
spoke.

“You’re right. There might be an ambush, let’s not spread ourselves too
much.”

However, it was too late. Strange grenades rained from treetops exploding
into either blue or red clouds.

[De-buff active: Blue Dust>Torpor.]

He felt his movements sluggish but he could still speak. “Alchemical

Attack! Magus!”

“[Cleanse].” The magus dispelled the debuff.

Yet, it was not over. The ground came alive, tree roots and wines coiling
around his legs. He began cutting at the pesky plants with his enchanted
longsword.
The magus kept shouting “Cleanse, Cleanse, Cleanse…” again and again.
All of Aurelius’s men were afflicted with a debuff and there were only so
many mages.

Some of his men fell to the ground asleep, others seemed confused and
even delirious shouting some nonsense, and the annoying plants trying to
bind everyone made it even more annoying. However, this was only a small
setback, his army knew how to deal with such trivial matters.

And then, at the worst time possible, spiders sprung seemingly out of the
shadows; the tops of trees and other dark corners were filled with monsters.
They threw blue nets at his men, further impeding their movements and
then the spiders launched a counterattack of their own.

“Flithy monsters!” He shouted in rage cleaving the net thrown at him in

half. “[Smite]!” He invoked his strongest spell.

A column of concentrated light descended upon the spider, the flash lasted
only a second but it was enough to bring the inhuman monster to its knees
and make it crispy.

“Finally, some good exp. But that was an overkill, I need to pace myself
better.”

The battle continued. And for some reason, even if he outnumbered the
spiders the two forces seemed to be evenly matched.

“Stand your ground. They will not last! We will grind them to dust!”

He stated the obvious because he could see the spiders were hurt from the
previous attacks, some had arrows in their bodies others were singed by
fire. He knew what was happening, the spiders were buying time for the
sorcerer to escape. It was unfortunate to let such an evil criminal go, but he
will just have to deal with the sorcerer later.

“What’s this?” He couldn’t believe his eyes.

A flock of deer crashed into the ranks of his men, and then there were
wolves jumping on his knights; these were just normal forest animals but
they seemed maddened for an unknown reason.

“Nonsense! Cleave.” He cleaved two wolves in one strike.

A wolf stood no chance against an armoured knight, the animals were

blindly suiciding themselves. Then a horde of squirrels hit his men like a
tsunami. The critters were small, but there were so many of them;
thousands. His knights were fine, but the peasant levy… He never had
thought he would ever such a sight, the squirrels devoured one of the
unlucky man completely; death by the squirrel.

“They are desperate, sending pests and other vermin! Magi, stop conserving
your mana, let's deal with this quickly. Empower.” Mana coursed through
his body.

His steps were strong and able to rip out the roots trying to cling on his
boots; He was cleaving right and left. He was unstoppable!

“Aurelius! Aurelius?” The old magus was shouting from the rear.

He didn’t care, there was a monster right in front of him. “Shield Render.”
He swung sparing no power to shatter the flimsy shield. “What?” For some
reason it held, but that didn’t matter. “Cleave.” The spider turned into a
shadow and disappeared from his sight. “Cursed monster and your damned
Illusions.”

He regretted not bringing more magi, but those were expensive. Actually,
weren’t the magi the only ones who managed to do any real damage? He
looked around, and there was a worrying sight of the lack of spider corpses.
The only ones he saw were singed by magic fire. But there was plenty of
something else: his men were tied to the ground by vines and roots or
trapped by the nets and hooked on the branches; that was if they weren't
already dead.

“No!” He realised that he was… losing. “Retreat!” He finally commanded.

But then, once he turned around, he could see a long and tall wall of thorns
blocking their path. The old magus was trying to burn it down but it just
kept regrowing.

There was a raspy voice coming from behind him. “Noble Knight.”

Aurelius turned back to face the depths of the forest and found the accursed
sorcerer standing there. The shape was human, but he doubted there was
anything like that behind that rounded helmet. The humanoid even had a
demonic glyph on the tunic. He remembered seeing the glyph somewhere,
but he couldn’t remember what it symbolised, nor did it matter now.

“Sorcerer! You’ve made a mistake showing yourself.” Aurelius grinned.

“No. I want to negotiate.”

“I don’t negotiate with Monsters! Empower, Cleave.” He swung to end the

fool.

“[Bastion].”

“What?!” His empower cleave did no damage, it simply bounced off.

“Can’t you see both of our people are dying?”

“I don’t care. Overwhelm!” He launched a flurry of quick strikes.

The sorcerer didn’t even attempt to dodge. “Just hear me out. I have things
to offer.”

“Bartolomeus arse!” Aurelius cursed, there was no other choise but.

“Sacrifice, Ultimate Cleave!”

As expected his enchanted silver sword shattered upon landing the ultimate
hit. The damage multiplier was x10, there was no way the sorcerer had a
counter for that.

“…” He stood there with only a hilt in his hands, shards of the silver sword
littered the ground; he had nothing to show for it.
The sorcerer was spouting more nonsense he didn’t care about. Then he
realised that maybe he was just using the wrong approach here.

“You’re dead sorcerer! Empower, Smite. Huh!” He breathed sharply;

losing all of the mana at once was never easy.

A thick collum of holy light descended onto the sorcerer and then…

For a moment there was nothing to see but white.

[Temporary perk Spell Deflection activated.]

Then it just disappeared and the overwhelming white was replaced by the
purple glow of his armour. He breathed a sigh of relief, the spell sounded
dangerous. He was lucky it activated this time, but the next time it most
likely won’t since it would make sense if it had a 1% or so chance of
activation.

He stepped back away from the stubborn knight, the one who was
obviously calling the shots. Plan A had failed so now it was time for Plan B.
So what he needed to do now was to cast Dark Shroud, distance himself
while avoiding any other magical attacks and then cast Shadow Walk. No,
he was not escaping, he will use that to ambush the knight and hopefully
activate Assassin Strike.

However, the deflect enchant on his armour was more than resist and while
it wasn’t reflect it could achieve something similar. The pillar of light
shifted right towards the knight basking him in holy light. The light was
blinding and lasted for the whole three seconds. The end result of it was a
pile of shattered equipment and a very crispy noble. Yeah…

This was quite bad, he didn’t even get exp for that. But hey plan B was a
success. However, the battle was not over yet. He could see the mages
finally managing to burn the thorn vine barricade and the humans began to
flee out of the forest.
“Pursue them, capture as many as you can.”

"Understood."

The tables have turned.

 38

The mages were surprisingly good runners, so it was unfortunate that his
spiders didn’t manage to capture even a single one. The wisp was kind
enough to heal his spiders and even the humans. In the end, the battle was
won but not the war.

In retrospect, he had too many captives. The men were tightly bound in
ropes, their eyes were filled with fright. For some reason, it didn’t look like
they appreciated his cute spiders.

“What should I do with all of them?” He voiced his inner thoughts out loud
absentmindedly.

“Feed them to the squirrels. Teach them a lesson.” The wisp provided an
awful solution.

“No, I might just let them go. This would show my good intentions.”

Either way, he, couldn’t keep them here for long. He didn’t even have
enough food for spiders since most of it was burned down in the camp.

“Also, won’t they come back in a bigger force? Just to retaliate again.”

“That’s likely.” The wisp pulsed.

He was in a real pickle; standing against a whole human kingdom was just
not fun.

“I’m sorry wisp. I’m not sure I can do it.”

“It’s Ancestral Tree.” The wisp corrected. “And, you can, King of Spiders.
You did splendidly so have faith in the Forest Spirit.”
“To fake. Weakness. To lure. Them. To Trick. Them. Splendid plan. My
King.” The spider leader chirped praises.

“But I came here to negotiate. Why everyone keeps forgetting that!”

“We shall. Negotiate.” The spider leader looked at the bound humans
menacingly; they trembled.

Well, the spider was right, the humans will come back either to negotiate
the release of the prisoners or they will just try to take them back by
overwhelming force; the latter had no appeal at all so he was praying for the
former.

“In the meantime, I think we should just hide and observe.”

“No. Lay a trap.” The spider leader proposed.

“Meaning?” He was curious.

It was a simple plan. They would separate the captives into smaller groups
and scatter them through forests, making their rescue so much harder. And
if they do come to rescue anyone, they could always ambush humans in the
forest. Well, the spider leader just wanted to ambush anyone and everyone
who stepped into the forest. It was endearing to know that his spiders were
so fond of ambushes and of the Dark Shroud spells he could cast on them.

Speaking about the Dark Shroud, each casting took a portion of his mana
and the fact was that he never ever had enough of it to cast on all five
hundred of his warriors. It was where the wisp stepped in, it had an
interesting ability to channel forest mana right towards him. It acted like
some sort of mana battery, so with it by his side, he didn’t need to worry
about mana consumption. In other words, the wisp had an almost unlimited
store of the Forest mana at its disposal; it was hard not to be envious of
such a cheat-like ability.

His musings were disrupted by the spider scout rushing right towards him
to give a report.
“Humans. Humans!” It reported.

“That’s way too soon. How did they regroup so quickly?”

The little spider shook its head from side to side. “Small number. Only a
few. Mages?”

“Mages?”

“Mages!” The spider nodded this time certain about the word.

“That would make sense…”

These were no good news at all. From what he saw mages were formidable
opponents. Worst case scenario he might need to retreat again.

“I shall have a look myself, Shadow Walk.”

His body turned into a swirling cloud of shadows and for the lack of a better
word he flowed through the air; just like vicious oil in water would, because
the two never mixed. He was moving quickly towards the clearing while
phasing through the obstacles. Indeed there were five silhouettes there,
slowly walking, but it was hard to tell if they were mages or anything else.
The shapes of the men looked like they were made out of flowing tar and
were distorted, inside their centres there were lights. No, he knew now that
those were either souls or sources of magic.

A rogue message appeared in his vision, [Farming +25000exp]. This was

welcome because what it meant was that his kingdom is now enriched by
2500 new spiders. However, the timing was bad and it broke his
concentration. The usual colours returned to his vision and he found himself
standing right in front of five oddly dressed men.

His hunch was right, those were … “Mages!” He identified out loud, and
only then did he realise that he is in a precarious situation.

All five jumped in alarm seeing the unexpected presence.

“King of Spiders.” A man in yellow robes spoke after getting past the
surprise.

He was midway through trying to dodge a fireball or whatever other spell,

but it never came. Actually, All five were quite composed. The mages were
old, and had a wizened aura about them, sensing a chance he used the Aura
of Authority.

“Yes, it is I. Are you here to negotiate?”

All five attempted to speak at once and it came out in a jumble. One of the
five, a man with a long white beard and black gold embroidered robes
raised a hand commanding silence.

“Yes. We are. But it all depends.” The grand magus looked at the yellow-
robed colleague who then handed him a piece of tattered blue cloth. “Does
this belong to you?” He showed the cloth. “Of course it does. It was on one
of your spiders. The question is how did you acquire it?”

He looked at the cloth, it was a torn piece from the Thorn Armour.

“I made it.”

“You made it?” The grand magus asked it but it came out almost as an
accusation.

“It’s just a cloth my spiders weave. They grow the plant too.” He happily
advertised the cloth.

The grand magus stroked his beard.

“And you command the spiders? How many of them?”

Oh, that one was a tough question.

“I had stopped counting a long time ago. But, I was informed there were
another two thousand five hundred born just now.”

The mages looked with big eyes, he detected hints of terror in them.
“Oh, I assure you, they are all well-behaved. I never had any trouble. Oh,
and animals seem to like them.”

“I see…” The grand magus spoke seemingly unconvinced. “And that magic
of yours, it's quite unconventional. What was the spell you just used?”

“To travel here? Shadow Walk.”

The mages looked at each other but all he could see were the heads moving
for a no and shrugs.

“And just to be sure, you have no connections to Demon Lord?”

“What!? I am human.” He took his helmet just to prove the point.

“That… No, It’s good if you know who’s your ally. We, humans, need to
stick together.”

All five mages were grunting in approval while stroking their beards.

“Ally? So can we get a peace of some sort?”

“Depends.”

“On what exactly?”

“On what you want.”

“As I said I just don’t want anyone cutting this forest. You see I have an
Alliance with the Ancestral Tree.”

“With the Elves?”

“Them too.”

“Is that all you desire, King of Spiders? To claim this forest as yours?”

He wasn’t too sure why the mage had to word it like that, but… “Well, It
isn’t mine but it is under my protection. I just want peace and trade if that’s
not too much to ask.”

The magus looked at him with suspicion.

“I think we can work a deal. With one condition.”

“Being?”

“We want that enchanted cloth of yours.”

The robes of course! Mages wanted those. He should have thought of that
earlier.

“You’ll be making robes?”

“Precisely, the material is splendid. If you supply it to us and us only, we’ll

make sure no king attacks you. So you can carry your dark experiments in
peace.”

“I do no such things and I love peace.”

He offered a hand for a shake. The magus looked at it oddly but then
grabbed it and shook it.

“It’s a deal then. I will send a Faux Phoenix with a message later, we will
finalise the minute details in writing.”

“Faux Phoenix?”

“You don’t know? Where are you… never mind. It’s a familiar, you’ll know
it once you see it. Please don’t shoot it down, it's harmless. And quite
expensive to summon.” The magus added the last as an afterthought.

“Okay, I shall wait for the message in the forest.”

“Oh… Give us two days. We need to crown a new king.”

“Oh, a celebration. I understand.”

The mages turned their back on him, so he did the same and invoked
Shadow Walk to return to the forest.

“This was so unexpected. And I thought there will be another battle. Man,
humans are hard to predict.” He was just speaking to nobody but himself.

A red bird composed of fire circled above the treeline. The sighting in the
late evening made it quite pretty, it was like a firework spewing red and
orange sparks, but it never ran out of fuel. He began waving at hard not to
notice bird and then it landed right by his feet. On the bird's leg, there was a
parchment tied. He untied the decorated string and unrolled the equally
decorated parchment. The writing was neat, and it almost looked like it was
printed.

“I see.” He concluded. “I can’t read this. What a blunder.”

Being able to converse with the mages so well he had forgotten that the
Language Comprehension perk didn’t work on written words. A trivial
problem really, because the solution was right in front of him. He eyed the
captives trying to judge their ability.

“Anyone knows how to read?”

There were no volunteers. He retrieved one of the few fruits left from his
inventory.

“There is a small reward, I know you are hungry.” He bit into the fruit
making the juices flow down his chin. “Delicious, it’s a shame no one can
read here.”

“I can read.”, “Me!”, “I’ll read it.” A bunch of voices rang out.

“Good.”

He selected two men at random and then told his spiders to take them. He
needed at least two so he can compare their readings in private and rule out
any foul play.
“Read it for me.” He unfurled the decorated scroll in front of a captive.

======

King of Spiders, I hope the message finds you well and you didn’t need to
shoot down my familiar. As your spies must have already informed you,
we’ve successfully placed our new King on the throne. A nephew of the
previous one, but also a fool, although, less stubborn, hence someone we
can ‘influence’. There were some complications on our end but the forest is
also yours to do as you please; for now no one should bother you, but
please keep the spiders in the forest and away from the nearby towns and
villages. I must mention that neither of the two was easy to achieve and it
came at great expense for us. To keep this agreement going we must ask for
at least a hundred standard rolls of the enchanted blue cloth. While we are
aware this might look like extortion, I assure you it is not; think of it as an
investment.

There is one more thing I must mention. While we understand the

importance of live subjects, we must ask you that you return our knights
and petty nobles unharmed. The peasants and other rabble you can keep,
they won’t be missed. Actually, if you are willing to share your spells and
research, we would be willing to provide you with more participants in your
studies.

I hope the terms are acceptable and we can work together as fellow magi to
pursue the depths of knowledge.

Please put your reply on the scroll provided and attach it to the familiar
(that is if you didn’t shoot it, if you did just wait for another one).

Signed, Grand Magus Vumbeldor, member of the inner circle of the Black
Hand.

=====

The two had read the same message in high fidelity, so he could be certain
of the contents. However, evidenced by the complex facial expression of the
second reader (the first one was just the same), there was a small problem.
“Sorry about that.” He handed the man his fruit.

The peasant soldier looked at the yellow treat as if it was the last meal in his
life. Regardless, he ate the fruit with great gusto.

Anyways, he found the terms better than expected, a few rolls of cloth were
a small price to pay for something that could blossom into a lasting peace.
He ran to find the wisp and break the good news.
 38.5 Metamorphosis

If one wondered at all why the elves chose the caves instead of the King’s
farm, the answer to that was very simple: the farm was just too scary and
many still carried the trauma of the siege of the Elven City. Of course, there
was no sky here, no trees or grass, however, there was glowing moss and
mushrooms, and other cave plants and critters; there still was nature. The
elves knew that this was not the best environment but it will have to do, at
least they were free from the reminder of their failure, free from the wrath
of the forest.

Understandably, they weren’t free from responsibility, actually they were

the opposite of free; they were the servants to the Spider King sent here to
do his bidding. The High Chief knew all that, he understood the stakes, and
this was probably why the King of Spiders had sent the Lamia to stalk the
elves from the shadows; meaning that the High Chief still had to earn his
trust.

Maybe when their relationship gets better he will have the courage to tell
the King, that lamias aren’t exactly sneaky. While their elven eyes couldn't
see through the lamia cave camouflage skill, the elven ears picked their
slithering sounds with no problem. Even a child knew that some lamias
were nearby. Well, there were spiders here still, but those seemed more like
workers than someone the King left to spy.

The elves spent a good few days familiarising themselves with their new
environment and gathering the necessary materials to cleanse the corrupted
spring. Those materials weren't anything fancy, just some plants and even
rocks but they weren’t mundane either. Just like the forest this cave, no, this
mountain had a spirit and if he wanted to cleanse the spring he had to
appease the spirit first. The plants and the rocks carried a piece of the
mountain spirit, its will and its desires, those were necessary for the ritual to
work.

After days of preparations, the High Chief gathered everyone capable and
they started drawing the lines and patterns for the ritual. Without elders to
guide them it was highly experimental because every spirit was different
and there was no universal magic circle to appease it. As they went on he
made some changes here and there, and finally the lines lit up in blue.

The spiders stopped what they were doing and gathered to look.

“No need to worry spiders, we won't disappoint our King.” He proclaimed

with confidence.

The easy part was done and now was the hard part. Elves even with a sliver
of mana (which was everyone, even children) gathered around the spring
and the circle. In retrospect, this was a grand ritual and not a simple feat to
attempt or even achieve. But they were elves they knew what they were
doing.

“Okay, pour your mana in.” He commanded.

He felt the air and ground becoming saturated with the elven mana, it
slowly flowed into the lines and the mana began circulating around the
spring.

“Good.” He concentrated and gathered ambient mana. “Spirit Sight.” He

invoked a grand spell.

He had gained an extra sense, his vision was filled with tiny but bright
sources of light, the beacons of life every living thing had. He looked
around and could see the spirit sources of elves, tiny little green fires nested
right under the ribcage. Further in the distance, he saw dark burning flames,
those were the spiders. And even further he saw whites, blues, and greys of
lamias.

“It worked.”
The elves cheered and even the spiders gave a few enthusiastic claps. The
high chief raised his hand for silence, he needed to keep his concentration.
He directed his attention to the centre of the corrupted spring. As expected
it was inhabited by a spirit, but it didn’t look like it belonged to the
mountain. It was a foreign entity, a blob of darkness, and judging from its
size it used to be a powerful one. Used to, because it was losing its colour,
the light was dim and the form was transparent.

“Manifest.” He invoked wishing to talk with the dark spirit.

The mana swirled from the circle and into the spring, the spring absorbed it
greedily. The blob of darkness grew coalescing into the vague shape of a
humanoid. It was overwhelmingly black, made out of flowing tar-like
liquid. There was enough structured mana to give it a temporary physical
body.

Now, with the help of Spirit Sight and Manifest everyone around the circle
could see and hear the dark spirit.

“Elves?” The dark spirit croaked surprised.

“Spirit, why did you taint this spring?” The High Chief asked.

“Ha-ha-ha.” It cackled in a wicked manner. “What does it matter now? My

minions are slain, my body is destroyed.”

He understood now why its original shape was in a weakened state, it was
only a lingering spirit bound to disappear with time; which could either take
months or centuries.

“Then, I will simply banish you and cleanse the spring.” He pulled the
mana into his right hand making it glow in white.

“It won’t be that easy, elf. I have warded it with arcane protections, Ha!” it
croaked mockingly. “So, If you want the spring let's make a simple deal.”

“A deal?”
“Yes. Become the servant of the Demon King, promise to finish my mission
and I will relinquish this mana spring to you. I would even grant you a
powerful boon. How is that?”

“Demon King?” He looked at the nearby spiders. “Is this a test or a trick?”
He was genuinely confused.

“There are no tricks, elf. Come, sip from the mana spring and I will grant
you unimaginable power.”

“No.” He understood now that this was some sort of a test. “I will do as
ordered, I will cleanse this spring. Cleanse!” He released the mana
concentrated in his hand.

“Fool!” The dark spirit bellowed firing a beam of primal dark energy to
counter the spell.

The two beams clashed, and if the spirit wasn’t weakened already the
outcome would have been different, so the light pushed the darkness and
enveloped the spring. The oil-like spring water began to bubble and spit
sparks. Spots of it began to regain the colour and viscosity of your everyday
average water.

“Hah! Urgh!” The dark spirit screeched its body was slowly disintegrating.

“Just a bit more.” The High Chief encouraged himself stilling the shaking
right hand.

Such a spell was not without consequences. The mana was burning his
hand, his fingertips had no flesh on them already.

“Just a few seconds.”

The once corrupted spring was almost entirely just water now and the evil
spirit returned to its dark blob state but filled with ever-expanding holes.

“No!” A distant voice shouted. “You can’t sss-succeed.” It was getting

closer.
The high chief couldn't spare the concentration to look, however, he could
hear the sounds of fighting right behind him. The flow of mana was
weakening and even the magic circle was disrupted, lines likely trampled or
even erased.

“I must… I must cleanse this spring!” His will was iron, even if he had to
die he would still complete the task. He pushed his everything into the
ritual.

With the last wave of mana, the spring was finally free from corruption and
the dark spirit was nothing more than a small ball of darkness idly hovering
in the air.

However, the ritual was disrupted and the flow of mana grew wild. The
ground, the air, and the spring water were saturated with wild chaotic
energies both light and dark. The cleansing ritual turned to something else
entirely, something outside High Chief’s control.

The dark spirit exploded with a pop releasing a sliver of chaotic mana. A
small insignificant change tipped the already wobbly scales of natural law.
The natural became unnatural. Wild magic exploded from the centre of the
spring, the ritual was no longer powered by elven mana but by the mana of
the spring itself. It washed over the elves seeping into their bodies. In other
words, the grand ritual had backfired. The elves being the casters here were
taking the brunt of it.

The High Chief was sent flying from the explosion. While there high in the
air, his entire life flashed in seconds, but he knew that he was far from dead.
No, it wasn’t the physical damage inflicted upon their bodies, nor was it
magic kind, no, it was soul damage or maybe something else entirely.

He landed on the hard stone floor, right next to a worried spider.

“Did… Did I fail again?” He raised his head to look at the spring. It was
just a normal spring, he couldn't sense any spirits or corruption there
anymore. Then he looked at his stinging fingers. “My hands!”
The shock he felt was not about his damaged fingertips, it was about the
colour of his skin. It was changing to the colour grey, the light tones were
replaced by the darker ones. He could feel pain all over. He grasped his
head to still the terrible headache and found the hair falling from his scalp.
He coughed, and with that caught his teeth left his mouth. He ran his tongue
around his gums, he wasn’t toothless, his old ones were replaced by sharp
needle-like teeth. He stood up or tried to, but he struggled, the spine refused
to straighten leaving him hunched.

“My body?” He checked himself over unable to recognise it. Then he

looked around and saw the same: crooked dark forms only vaguely
resembling elves. “What have we become?”

The spring was cleansed, but at what cost?

 39

In a small clearing, he found the wisp surrounded by the squirrels. He told

the wisp about the final bit of agreements he had received from the Black
Hand.

“Truce?” The wisp pulsed. “It is a fleeting thing. No human can be trusted."
it grew in size to emphasize. "Ever.”

It was awfully sceptical about the truce.

“Yeah, but they at least stopped chopping the forest for now.”

“Yes, for now.” It stressed.

“If we play this well, I can’t see why it can’t be lasting.”

“Nothing is lasting. Nothing is forever. But, King of Spiders, you did well.
We did win this time.”

“Yeah, I think it will be alright. I will leave them the cloth and we will see
where it goes from there.” He scratched the back of his head. “Let’s release
the captives. I have no need of them.”

The wisp didn’t comment on that.

“But you are right, a truce can last only so long and we still have to prepare
for the unpleasant, whenever it comes. I think we should reinforce the forest
border.”

“Already am. The squirrels planted new saplings.“ The wisp pulsed with
pride.
“No, I mean something more serious.” He pulled out the thorn vine seed.
“Let’s grow some barbed wire.”

“Barbed wire?” The wisp asked curious.

He planted a seed into the soil activating his Acclimate and Unnatural
Selection perks.

“Yeah, a vine full of spiky thorns. It is near impossible to walk over it and
it's hard to get rid of. It’s a near perfect barrier.”

“Then it’s similar to Vine Wall I have used to stop the humans. This is more
permanent.”

“Exactly. Well, it still will take time to grow.”

“Not a problem, Grow.” The wisp showered the seed in green sparkles.

The seed exploded in a burst of growth, thick coils of vines extended

crawling on the ground. Each had big and nasty thorns the size of daggers.

“That was impressive. I’ll leave you the whole bag, your squirrels can plant
them in the clearing.”

“Thanks.” the wisp levitated the bag of seeds in the air.

With that he turned to leave the wisp, he kind of wanted to go back to the
farm and check on how everyone was doing.

“King of Spiders?” The wisp asked just before he could leave.

“Yes?”

“Can you leave some of your spiders here? We worry that without their
presence the humans might change their minds.”

“You’re right. But… They have been through a lot, so they earned some
rest. I’ll ask the spider leader, it will be his choice.”
He went to see the spider in question.

“No Problem. We Stay.”

“Are you sure?” He asked again.

“No Problem.” It reaffirmed.

“Then I will send supplies and reinforcement to relieve you once I get back
to the farm.”

“No Problem.”

The spider leader just had no problems, ever. Such an easy guy to work
with.

With that out of the way, he instructed a few spiders to grab the volunteer
humans and fetch the two to the farm. There was no way he could allow the
pair to leave the forest. Plus, he will have someone to teach him how to
write and other things about the local human kingdom.

“Shadow Walk.” He moved through darkness quicker than the wind.

He emerged from the dense jungle and into the familiar clearing; the sight
of TomGrape vines and blue webs warmed his heart. He broke the spell so
that he could walk casually and enjoy the sight. Spider farmers, big and
small, greeted him with their iconic spider waving.

By the looks of it, nothing much has changed. Once he reached the centre
of the farm, the place where all the buildings were, he noticed a change: a
bunch of lamias were hanging from the IronOak in blue nets; captured or
even imprisoned.

“What happened?” He asked the lamias but there was only silent
uncomfortable squirming. They didn't even make an effort to look in his
direction. "Odd."
So, he went to see the Lamia Queen. The Queen would often greet him with
a warm smile, but not this time. There was worry tarnishing her otherwise
perfect face.

“What happened?” He asked going straight to the point.

The Queen twirled her white long hair and began in a meek voice. “There
was a mutiny... SSS. Just that you know-sss, I had nothing to do with that.
Absolutely nothing! SSS!” She reiterated the point with newfound vigour.
“That’s right, they did that-sss on their own. Sss-so ungrateful!”

“Did what? What's going on?”

“Oh! I thought-sss you already know and came to…” She gave him the
look. “Never mind. It’s best if you go and sss-see for yourself.”

“…?”

“To the caves-sss. To the sss-spring.”

“Something bad happened?”

The Queen deflected it with a shrug.

“Shadow Walk!” He turned into a swirling shadow and disappeared into

the wall.

“SSS!!!” The Queen yelped in surprise. “By the bile of worms-sss, what
was-sss that?!” She looked at the wall with big red eyes unable to believe
what just happened. She even touched the wall to check if it was solid; it
was.

Once he reached the caves he found that his skill was much less effective
here because he couldn’t phase through metres of solid rock, nor could he
move fast because of all the turns and twists. He sprinted at a brisk pace
ever deeper into the caves. He even met some spiders on his way down.
“Everything. Fine.” The spider assured him.

But then why Lamia Queen was so worried?

He emerged into a large cavern, all the signs of myconid infestation were
long gone. It was just a normal cavern with a normal spring. What was not
normal was the humanoids bathing in the hot spring. He couldn’t recognise
them.

“O King of Spiders, come join us. It has healing properties.” A bald ugly
grey humanoid invited.

“Do I know you?” He asked curious.

“It’s me, The High Chief.” The grey humanoid pointed to his naked self
giving a toothy smile. The mouth was full of needle-like teeth.

“I see…” He still didn’t recognise him.

“I must say, this spring is awesome. Thank you for giving us a new home.
Oh, and thanks for sending the materials to construct our houses. We
haven’t finished yet, but almost everyone has a house now.”

He looked to the side, indeed there were some constructions made out of
fungi wood, only hovels really.

“Sorry. But, why are you bald and grey now?” He left the ugly part out.

“Oh, that… The ritual backfired and we aren’t elves any more. Simple as
that.”

Did the High Chief get somehow corrupted by the spring, but the spring is
clear now, so…

“So what are you?” He had to ask.

“Drow, I think.”

“Drow?”
“Yes, the elves of the caves. We even have Darkvision now. It’s amazing.
Thanks again for our new home.”

“Congratulations? And you’re welcome… but I am afraid this is Lamia's

home.”

“What? But they told us we can have it, as compensation for interrupting
our ritual.” The High Chief jumped out of the water all flustered.

“Huh? Oh, the mutiny… There might have been a misunderstanding

somewhere.”

“They made it quite clear that they don’t want this spring. They said it's
useless to them and that we should just take it and settle here. The spiders
even brought resources for that.” The High Chief frowned. “Did they do
something without consulting with you? If so I apologise for taking
something that isn’t mine.” The High Chief bowed.

“No, no. If the Lamia said you can have it, then you can.”

“Thank you, O Great King of Spiders and Drows.” He bowed again. “…and
Lamia.” He added the last part in a whisper.

“Actually, I must thank you for cleansing this spring. I will make sure you
are rewarded properly.”

He said what he had to say. The reality was that he still was somewhat
confused. Then, why did he even need the spring cleansed if the Lamia
didn’t want it anyway!!!

“I must go for now. Shadow Walk.” He disappeared, hit the wall in the
tunnel, bent the helmet badly, learned the lesson and walked the rest of the
way to the outside.

The two were bickering like a young couple:

“What do you mean you don’t want to go back to the caves?”

“I don’t want to!”

“But why? I’ve gone over all this trouble for you.”

“I just-sss don’t want to.”

“But lamias like the hot springs.”

“Dark Elves can have it. SSS!”

“They are Drow now, not dark elves.”

“Whatever-sss.”

"..."

"..."

“You sabotaged their ritual didn’t you.”

“SSS! No, I didn’t!”

“But you did!”

“No…”

“You made the High Chief bald!”

“…”

“His skin is grey, his body wiry, his face gaunt, back hunched and his eyes
red. You changed their entire race into something else!”

“Sss-so what?”

“…”

“…”

“If you were happier here you could have just told me.”
“I am happy here. Can we sss-stay?” She looked with puppy-like eyes.

“Now… Now I don’t know, I don’t think you should. You’ve been making
trouble for everyone.”

“Please. I’ll be good.”

“I don’t know.”

“Please, pretty plea-sss-e. I promise I won’t sss-steal slug jelly anymore.”

“…?”

“…and I won’t sss-steal your boars.”

She wasn’t finished.

“…and I won’t sss-sit on your throne then you are gone. And, and, amm… I
won’t come to your room to watch you sss-sleep, yes! I will be good.”

“You what?!”

“I promise I will be good from now on.”

He learned more than he needed to know, but his intention never changed.
“Fine, you can stay. I was just messing with you because you made trouble
for others. That's it.”

“Yes-sss!” She jumped into the air, or tried to, she had a long tail after all.

“Oh, and don’t sit on my throne anymore.”

“Okay. Can I still watch you sss-sleep?”

“You are joking about that one, right? Right?!”

“He-he… Of course. SSS.” She gave her best smile. “Hey, wanna sss-see
the babies? They had finally hatched.”
“Oh, really? Will they be alright here? And should they really be here and
not in the caves?”

“As long as they don’t go into the light they will be fine. SSS. Come-sss.”

He was led to a hatchery, it was very dark inside, but he could see small
forms slithering in the darkness.

The Queen lamia scooped a baby and raised it for him to see better. “Aren’t
they cute?”

It was white and more snake than humanoid. It didn’t even have arms yet,
only a very big head and long tail. It wasn’t even remotely cute. It was like
a creature from a horror movie.

“Yeah, very cute.”

“SSS.” The baby lamia hissed angrily exposing the mouth already full of
sharp teeth.

“Aww, it likes-sss you.”

Something cold and slimy was slithering over his ankle, he ignored the urge
to run. “So is that a boy or a girl?” He tried to make small talk.

“You sss-silly, all Lamia are girls, I’ve told you.”

“I see… And how many are here?”

“About a hundred?”

“And they eat what?”

“What a sss-strange question. the sss-same stuff we do. You know nothing
about babies-sss do you?”

“Nope. The spiders are just easy. They hatch and they go, already ready for
work.”
“Well, these aren’t spiders-sss.” She put the baby down and it slithered
away towards the dark corner.

“Is there anything I need to do to help you guys?”

“No, not really.”

“I guess we should make a dark den for the babies. They will need more
space.”

“Yes, that would be good. They won’t be able to go into sss-sunlight for a
while.”

He realised that his kingdom now will have not just spiders but probably the
lamias living in it. It all was fine, he liked the company, but there was an
issue. He was the King here, and then there was another ruler, the Lamia
Queen; a kingdom within a kingdom was not a thing that worked well.

“Doesn't it bother you that you must follow my rules?”

“Sss?” Lamia looked curiously at him. “Your house your rules.”

“But you are the Queen of Lamia, doesn’t it look like I undermine your
rule?”

“Why? I don’t understand-sss.”

“There can’t be two rulers in one kingdom. It will bring trouble.”

“He-he-sss.” She laughed heartily. “You silly, there can be a queen and a
king.”

“No, that’s what I am saying. The spiders and lamias might get confused
about whose orders to follow.”

“Yes-sss, I do ask your spiders for sss-some favours and you do ask Lamia
for help, but there never is confusion.”

He looked at her thinking if he should remind her about the spring incident.
“Never mind, if we get along it’s all that matters.”

“Precisely, sss, my King.”

She grabbed for his hand surprising him. Two red eyes stared deep right
into his trying to convey the hidden meaning.

“Am I the Lamia King now?!” The realisation hit him.

“You don’t want to?” She put on a fake pouting face but clung even closer.

“I guess, it solves the issue about the two rulers. The Drow called me their
king and now you. So it’s the King of Spiders, the Drow and now the
Lamia?”

“That old fart, sss, tried to marry you? SSS!” The lamia released his hand
abruptly.

“Marry? I think you misunderstood something. They just decided to

become my vassals, that’s it.”

The lamia wasn’t listening. “I sss-should have killed him there and then!
SSS!”

“Hey, you told me you will be good!”

The evil expression on Queen Lamia's changed in an instant. “Oh, that’s-sss

right. That sss-stinking dark elf can't be a Queen. SSS-safe…” She reached
for his hand again. “I won’t kill him, I promise.”

He realised that since all lamia were women the Queen lamia must have
misunderstood something about the High Chief.

“Are you… secretly evil or something?” He couldn’t help but wonder.

“Me?” She gestured at herself. “Never!”

 40

The Alraune had magnificent plant growth abilities, likely a lesser variant
of the wisp’s Grow, making them an excellent addition to the farms. The
one he had was currently in the field of FireAgave and her job here was
finished. The field was full of agave leaves, they were giant, almost as tall
as him. Each leaf was red in colour and had small spikes on the sides.

It was high time to harvest it. “Harvest Material.” The FireAgave

exploded into purple motes of light.

[FireAgave Strand] x25. He received a bundle of thin red strings right

inside his inventory.

“Not bad.” But also not good, the perk wasted a lot of the plant. Luckily
harvesting it the old-fashioned way was always an option.

“Come one come all, it’s harvest time!” He shouted for the spiders.

The spider farmers rushed from all sides and began cutting the FireAgave,
they worked in unison like a well-calibrated machine and systematically
were going through each plant. Cutting at the base, separating the leaves,
halving them and stuffing them in the bags, and so on. It was almost scary
but in a matter of minutes, the field was harvested. The lone Alraune stood
in the middle of it, the look on her face furious, a spider minder bonked her
on the head with a stick correcting the foul attitude.

That’s right! Serves her right. To begin with, the plants didn’t belong to the
Alraune, and the plant-woman actually had a mean attitude to everything.
He had to have a spider minder near the creature at all times because it was
well-established that she will attempt to eat the little spiders if they got too
close. And that’s right, due to her bad attitude Alraune had no friends here,
well except for the Dryads. Dryads and Alraune were tight friends for some
reason.

Speaking about Dryads, they were interesting creatures needing neither

water nor food to survive. Having them around proved to be useful, they
had found a way to make IronOak seedlings. The tree in question had no
fruits, hence no seeds, but Dryads used their innate magic on small cuttings
of the tree to turn them into saplings. Currently, they were planting a small
grove of only IronOaks, In a clearing slightly away from the farms.

He waved the rude Alraune goodbye.

“Alraune!” She pointed a finger accusingly at him only to be bonked by a

stick again.

Whatever, the job was done. He was curious about what he can make out of
FireAgave.

In a workshop, a group of spiders were munching on thick leaves of agave

to extract the fibre strands. It turned out to be quite juicy, thick oily
substance leaked down their mandibles. It looked like syrup so he dipped
his finger and tasted it.

“Bleh!” He spat it out. “Tastes like lighter fluid.” And then he had an idea.

He gathered the juice into a small container and ran towards where the
Lamia had their cooking fire. The meal was over and there were only hot
embers in the fireplace. He poured the thick juice on the embers and it burst
into fire.

“As predicted. But what if the plant caught fire?” The idea was scary.

Next, he dropped a whole Fire Agave leaf into the fire. Surprisingly, it
didn’t burn, not at all.

“How strange. So while the juice is flammable, the plant itself has fire-
resistant properties. Amazing!”
By the time he was back, the spiders were already weaving [FireAgave
Strand] into rolls of [Red Cloth]. With that cloth, he was positive in being
able to make fire-resistant clothing. Hopefully, this will make the scary
fireballs less effective; those had wrecked the spiders quite a bit.

To make more cloth he will need bigger fields, and to grow it quickly he
will need more Alraune. Well, the fields were easy, but he felt anxious about
using the Evolve perk, that one had a tendency to knock him out.

Much later, the small group of spiders had returned with two humans. The
men looked gaunt and exhausted from the long travel.

“Welcome to my kingdom.” He greeted the two.

The humans looked with empty fish-like eyes; dead inside from all the
terror they had witnessed on the way here.

“And thanks again for volunteering to do the reading and writing for me.
No, consider yourselves employed from now on. I will even pay you
wages… in the form of food and free accommodation, yes, isn’t it
wonderful.”

A spider nudged a still-bound man.

“Yes, it’s my pleasure.” A middle-aged human grumbled.

The younger man followed a good example. “Yes, Yes!”

“Now then, the spiders will show your accommodation. I’m quite busy at
the moment so you are free to do as you please until I need you. Just don’t
go into the jungle, or near Alraune. Oh, and I already asked the Lamia not
to eat you.”

The two just blinked already resigned to their fate of forever captivity and
then the spiders dragged them by their feet to their ‘houses’.
“That reminds me, I need to make some paper and ink…” The paper was
easy but good ink was more complicated. “I should have asked the humans
for some.” That or he could use what he has here.

Actually, it was not that complicated the dust from the flowers he grew was
a perfect dye once mixed with water. And he had plenty of time on his
hands to practise making both.

The paper didn’t turn out as well as he imagined, it was off-white, rough
and grainy. The ink however turned out to be alright. Having what he
needed he decided to get some practice. It had been forever since he had to
write by hand. And in reality, he had forgotten how useful writing can be.
Well, on a small farm he never really needed it but now it wasn’t just a
farm, it was a small kingdom and written messages, decrees, edicts and
orders had significance. That is if people were literate.

He scribbled something on the paper. “I wonder if Lamia can read or write.”

He wasn’t sure of that. “Maybe the Ancestral Tree knows how to, but I bet
his language is ancient and unnecessarily difficult. Kobolds?” He just
smiled dismissing the idea instantly. “That leaves only humans and the
elves.”

The reason he was thinking about it was that he needed an official language
for his kingdom. He was going to end up with either local human or elven
written languages.

“Ahh, I would use English but.” As far as he knew Language

Comprehension did its thing and no one spoke or wrote actual English.

He looked at the paper he was scribbling on, his eyebrows furrowed. “What
is this?” He began angling the paper to the right and to the left, and even
upside down. “How did I write it?”

Whatever he absentmindedly wrote it wasn’t English. Various glyphs and

shapes filled the paper. “I don’t get it.”

He tried to write this time paying attention but even then more strange
hieroglyphs came out. “I forgot how to write English, but…”
He positioned the paper the right way and tried to read.

“Look at my horse, my horse is amazing. Give it a lick! Mmm! It tastes just

like raisins. With a stroke of its mane, it turns into a plane. And then he
turns back again when you tug on his…” Obviously, he wrote some
nonsense but… “Yeah, I can read it no problem.”

Then for some reason the fingers resting on the paper felt hot, the ink
glowed and the paper burst into flames. The flames devoured it so quickly
he was left standing grasping nothing but air, strangely the flame didn’t
burn him.

“What just happened.” He was lost for words.

He wrote something again, and once he read it out loud it burst into flames.
He scratched his head, there was just no logical explanation.

“This world works in mysterious ways. I wonder, if not English then what
language is this?”

He produced another piece of paper and on it, he wrote: “I’m the King of
Spiders.” But this time he didn’t read it.

He went to show it to a friendly Lamia. Currently, she was eating her boar
and mushroom dinner with her friends.

“Here, try it.” He offered the paper.

“Oh, a napkin thanks-sss.” She dabbed her oily lips with the paper.

“No, I wanted you to try reading it.”

She gave him a funny look. “Why would you think I know how to do that?
SSS! Ask the Queen!” She hissed and pushed the stained paper towards his
hands.

He apologised and went to see the Queen. He couldn't find her in her room.
Naturally, he asked her servants first but they just shrugged.
“Odd, aren't the servants supposed to know where their Queen is.” He
mumbled to himself and kept looking.

Neither lamias nor spiders knew where the Lamia Queen was, he even
began to worry. That was until a baby spider, a recently hatched one, tugged
on the hem of his trousers. He didn’t even see the little guy at the
beginning.

“King?” It chirped politely.

“Oh, you can talk already!” He was genuinely impressed.

“White Lamia.” It pointed with its small hand towards the direction of the
throne room.

“She’s there?”

The spider nodded vigorously.

“Good lad.” He patted the little fellow and it chirped happily. “Why would
she be there in all of the places.”

Of course, she was in the throne room. She was there to sit on his Divine
Pillow, an item of legendary quality. She had made herself comfortable on
the throne and was eating TomGrape fruit without a single care in the
world. The juices leaked down her arm and then everywhere on the throne
making it sticky.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” He roared failing to hide the irritation.

“SSS? Why are you here?” She jumped and out of surprise dropped the fruit
she was nibbling on right on the floor. It plopped out the ground splattering
the juices.

Her facial expression was indignant and the way she slouched on the throne
was no better, but for some reason, she asked that stupid question with
increased authority, and her voice reverberated through the entire throne
room.
“SSS… I am sss-sorry.” She slithered off the throne with her shoulders
hunched and her head down. At least her apology sounded normal.

He had things to say to the troublemaker, a lot of things, but since she
already knew she was up to no good he chose to ignore it for the sake of
more important matters. He showed her the oily paper.

“Did you draw this, sss, very nice picture!”

“It’s not a picture. Can you read this?” He offered her the paper.

The Lamia Queen grabbed it and currently was holding the paper upside
down. “Oh, yes I can read it, sss. Very interesting, sss, but what do you
think about it?”

“You can't read it, can’t you.”

“No, no I can-sss.” She began turning it around. “Here, are the mountains-
sss I know of.”

“This isn’t a map, you know, it’s a text… Never mind.”

He tried to take the paper away.

“No! SSS. I can do it!”

He took it away. Not only it was oily now, it was all crumpled up.

“Just that I know. What does it sss-say? SSS?”

“It’s nothing important.”

“Please, tell me. I am curoious-sss now.”

“If I tell you, I’m afraid the paper might catch fire.”

She gave him a curious look. “You’re mes-sss-sing with me.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Just that you know, sss, my mother, the Late Queen, could read. It’s just
that I was-sss too young to learn.”

“Too young, or too stubborn?” She definitely wasn’t too young.

There was no reply.

“I am going to see if humans can recognise the writing. I am curious what

language is this.”

He went to find the two men and lamia tagged along still pestering him to
tell her what the text said. They approached a small dome-like structure.
There was no door only a blue curtain blocking the entrance, so he knocked
on the wall. He knocked once, nothing, twice, nothing.

“Maybe they're out?” He wondered if spiders were giving the two a farm
tour.

“Come in.” Someone said groggily.

He went inside, the two men had settled well. The spiders had made them a
bed, a table and other necessary furniture. The table was loaded with food,
fruits and even boar meat. Half-eaten pieces of food littered the floor and
even the two beds the men were sleeping on. The middle-aged man rubbed
his eyes looking at him, and then he shot up straight and stiff as a log.

“Sorcerer!” He kicked his buddy to wake him up. “We didn’t expect you so
soon.”

“Not just sss-sorcerer, King of Lamia to you.” Lamia Queen corrected.

“And I am the Queen.”

Both men gave a good looking down to the King their gazes slightly
confused.

“King and Queen of Lamia.” The two bowed the best they could. “How can
we help you.”
If anything, he was the King of spiders; obviously. Regardless, he ignored
the trouble-loving lamia and showed the paper to the two commoners,
without expecting much of them.

“Do you recognise the writing?”

“No.” The middle-aged man spoke first.

“Looks like magical writing?” A younger spoke. “But I am only guessing.

You need a mage for that.”

“So, it’s the elves I need to speak with.”

Queen Lamia crossed her arms. “They're not elves now, sss, they are
Drow!” she corrected in a mock stern tone.

“I wonder who is responsible for that?” He gave her the look.

Her reply was an innocent smile.

“Then I’m off to see the Drow and uncover the secrets of this paper.” He
looked at even more curious lamia. “And you’re not coming. Shadow
Walk.” He disappeared leaving only threads of darkness floating in the air
like feathers.

“No! SSS!”

“Sorcery!” The middle-aged man fell back to his bed.

 41

Shadow Walk was a wonderful spell, yes, but that didn’t mean that it didn’t
have its costs. Tiredness, an overwhelming tiredness assaulted his body and
mind, likely it was because he didn’t allow his mana to replenish fully and
was completely out by now. Regardless of the negative effect, the Oberon
Undermountain Caves were comparatively close. He just had to walk the
rest at a slow pace.

Or maybe he didn’t, because there were two large spiders by the entrance.

“Hello.” He waved at the pair. “Do you mind giving me a lift to the Drow?”

The two spiders looked at each other.

“Warrior. Leader. Will. Get…” The spider was deliberating the word.

“Jealous.” The second spider finished.

“If you won’t tell, I won’t tell.” He winked.

The ride was secured and he reached the Drow Cavern quickly. He was
surprised that in a short amount of time, they had finished building all the
houses and other buildings they needed. By the looks of it, they even began
farming the glow moss and glow mushrooms; as a fellow farmer-slash-king
he approved of the ideas. There was one issue however, the Drow were still
wearing strange clothes, if you could even call them that. Those were just
sacks draped over their bodies, it screamed poverty.

“Hello, I am here to see the High Chief.” He greeted a random drow.

The drow jumped as if she just saw a ghost, her red eyes were big and her
hands began to tremble. There was no reply, she pointed at the house near
the spring.

“Odd…” He never projected fear, her reaction was out of place. “But
thanks.”

The house was far away from being ordinary. Its walls were made of
fungiwood giving it a sponge-like appearance, it was neither square nor
round, the best word was bulbous with growths; the shape was much like a
pile of potatoes fused with one another; strange. There were round holes for
windows in random places, and for the doors there was just a thick curtain
of cave roots and vines weaved together.

He knocked on the spongy wall, it made a hollow thud. “High Chief, are
you in?”

He heard something tumble and then shatter.

“King of Spiders!”

The High Chief opened the curtain, his face and fingers and even the blue
cloth sack he wore were stained, the stains glowed in fluorescent yellow.

“Oh, this. I was trying to make ink.”

“Really. I did the same today, what a coincidence.”

“Come King, sit down, I can’t leave you standing.” He moved the curtain
inviting him in with a hand gesture.

The inside was an organised mess. Various plants and mushrooms were
spilling from stone bowls and cave critters were trying to escape their stick
cages. Other strange substances and powders coated the counters and
workstation, much of it emitted an odd smell and faint glow. The tidiest
table had some fungal sheets cut neatly into squares on the top, and under it
was a smashed container and a big yellow glowing puddle. He sat by the
‘tidiest’ table. For some reason the High Chief didn’t follow inside and
went out instead.
“The King is here! Send me a servant girl and refreshments!” He shouted
all too loud. “Sorry about the state of my office.” He came back bow
apologetically.

“No, need. I understand, after all, you started fresh from zero. Actually, I
am impressed how quickly you made this cavern your home.”

The High Chief bowed again. “The spiders helped us a lot.”

“The reason I came is about this.” He pulled the oily crumpled paper from
the magic inventory. “Have a look, do you recognise the letters, well,
glyphs of whatever those are.”

The drow took the paper and held it close to his face. “Magical Scroll, no,
the paper is too plain. The enchantment wouldn't work. Why someone
would waste magical ink on something like this?”

He made a complicated expression. “Well, I made it. Never mind that, tell
me about the glyphs.”

“You made it?” He looked at the King in surprise treating the paper with
increased delicacy.

“The glyphs!” He pointed at the paper, taping on the ink.

“Oh, that’s Demonic Runes. But you know that already since you wrote
it…” The High Chief also had a complicated look on his face.

“Demonic Runes… Can you read them?”

“What? No… The elven elders might have gleaned some insight if they
were still around.”

Yeah, apparently venerable elders and the elven ancient library had
mysteriously vanished just before he breached the Elf City.

“I see…” At least he gained some insight into what language it was.

“Demonic Runes…” It was hard to believe those were made with his own
hand.
A servant girl came running out of the doorway with a tray. She too looked
pitiful with nothing more than a sack covering her slim body. At least she
wasn’t bald like the High Chief, she had long white hair hanging loosely
from her shoulders. She set two stone cups on the table and poured some
brown liquid in.

He took a sip. The taste was unique; it was cold mushroom tea. “Not bad.
Could I ask for a recipe?”

“It’s just dried mushrooms and spring water.” The High Chief shrugged.

“I like it.”

The Drow smiled. “Then the king can help himself to our stores. Or should
I just give the spiders some to bring it to your home?”

He simply nodded. “You know, as I said, I’d like to trade with you.”

“Trade? But you have given us so much already. We all know if you need
something you can just take it, no one will say a thing.”

“Am I that type of person? I think I made the wrong impression.”

“No, no! I apologise if I misunderstood. From now on we'll send you

regular tribute of various things we make here.”

“I can pay. What would you like in return?” He finished the tea.

The servant girl was quick to refill the cup, even with a trembling hand she
didn’t spill a single drop.

“We can’t, we're already indebted to you eternally.”

“What do you mean?”

The high chief leaned to whisper. “The Drow think that if we keep taking
and taking, one day you will come and collect their souls as payment.”
It was hard to process what the High Chief just said, he was likely
projecting the trauma from what had happened in the Elf City with the
Ancestral Tree.

“I would do no such thing.” He whispered back.

“I know. You are capable of bigger things.” He no longer whispered.

“…”

“We are but slaves to you our King and Master. You can do what you wish.”

He made a mental note officially declaring the high chief crazy.

“Is that why everyone insists on wearing sackcloth?”

“Is that unacceptable?”

“Can’t you make something better?”

“But these are the clothes the King bestowed upon us.” The High Chief
grabbed his sackcloth. “It is enchanted cloth! Not only does it not stain
easily it is also Reinforced +1!”

He began rubbing his temples out of frustration with this crazy Drow.

“You can wear it if you like it. But don’t go making others wear it.” He
looked at the servant girl. “Wouldn’t you like to take that filthy sack off?”

The girl flushed red and dropped the sack

“… and wear something else instead?” He too flushed red. “You can put
that back on.”

The High Chief gave a curious look.

“Let’s try again. Girl, wouldn't you like to wear a pretty dress?”

“No…” She replied meekly.

“Don’t be shy.”

“If the king insists I will… but…” She obviously wanted to say something
else.

“But?”

“Does this sack look bad on me? I made sure to put it right. If my elder
finds out that my sack was not proper she will punish me.” The tears began
pooling in the corner of her eyes.

“Oh, no… Please don’t cry. The sack looks beautiful on you! Yes, it fits you
very well.”

“Really?” She rubbed the tears away.

“Yes!” he nodded vigorously.

Either all Drow were crazy or they just had a weird fashion sense.

“However, I stand by my word. No one needs to wear the sackcloth if they

don’t want it. I am sure you can make clothes of your own.”

“It will never be as good as the ones you gave me… This is royal garb!”
The high chief exclaimed proudly. “But, I will convey your will, King.” He
bowed. “I apologise if we somehow displeased you.” He glared at the girl.

“No, no… This is your people. I shouldn’t be the one setting the rules here.
Anyway, thanks for your wisdom about the runes, it was insightful. With
that said, I must go.” He stood up from the chair.

“Wait, King.”

He looked at the High Chief.

“That ink of yours. Would you be willing to share its recipe.”

“Oh, it’s just blue dust mixed with water.” He took out a bag of dust from
the inventory. “Be careful, if you inhale it it will give a debuff.”
“Thanks.”

He waved the High Chief goodbye and bowed in an apology to the servant
girl.

“If anything else you need just ask the spiders.”

“I will. But I think I have everything to start building our Drow Archive.”

He left the two drow in the house and went to look for the ride out.
However, The High chief wasn’t just done yet.

“Sorry, King. I keep forgetting.

The drow pressed big fuzzy seed into his hands.

“What’s that?” He deposited into the inventory. [Living Wood Seed]

“A special tree seed from the elven forest. This is the one we used to craft
many different things out of. It has many magical properties. I stole it from
Ancestral Tree when we left.”

He would have preferred if the High Chief just omitted the last part.

“Stole? But when I met you weren’t, you, you know... naked and with no
gear or any possessions at all?”

“Yes, we were forbidden to take anything from the forest, except for vermin
and bugs. The wisps and squirrels were keeping a keen eye on us.”

“Then how?” It was unlikely the wisp wouldn’t sense it being taken,
unless… “Oh, you have a special perk, an extra inventory space.”

“Yes, I hid it in my own special Elven Pocket.” The chief said somewhat
uncomfortable. “I made sure to wash it properly so don’t you worry.”

“Are you sure you don’t need it? The seed?”

“We’re Drow now, it doesn’t belong with us, and besides, it would never
grow in the cave. No sunlight.” He stated the obvious.

“Well then, I will take it if you don’t need it.”

The High Chief nodded. “Take good care of it, it’s precious.”

Just then he was about to say goodbye for the third time, the High Chief
stopped him.

“The trip must have been exhausting, wouldn't you try our spring? As I said
before it has healing properties.”

For some reason, the High Chief showed his long black fingernails to him.

“Maybe you’re right. I do have a headache. I don't think I properly let my

mana recover and I am all out.”

“Then, what’s the hold up.” The Drow pushed the King by the shoulder
urging him towards the spring.

Indeed, it was restored to its former glory. The rocks were polished clean
and it was steaming hot vapour.

“Come, Come.” The High Chief urged while already in the water.

He was lucky he came wearing a robe and not armour otherwise it would
have been difficult. Without reservation, he took the clothes off and joined
the elf. The water was hot, but not unpleasant, and he could already feel the
headache subside.

Out of curiosity, he activated the perk [Harvest Material] and it provided

him with [Mana Spring Water], which had a subtext telling that it is
diluted.

“I didn’t expect this to be more than a hot spring…”

“Of course, it’s more than a hot spring. Wait, you didn’t know?”
“I don’t think even Lamia knew… and I won’t tell them.” The memory of
the mischievous Lamia Queen soured the otherwise relaxing bathing
experience.

“Haya!” Someone jumped into the water making it slash. “Spider King!” A
familiar voice greeted.

“Kobold leader what are you doing here?”

The kobold swam around disturbing the calm water.

“Drow are friends. I come and have a hot bath now and then. Good for the
scales.”

“They make our pottery for us. The fungiwood we can shape, but stone…
We had to rely on Kobolds.”

“Yes, yes.” The Kobold leader released a trail of bubbles from its rear.
“Drow showed Kobolds how to make the best of pots.” It kept swimming in
circles.

“And Kobolds showed us what is edible and what is not. They are quite
knowledgeable about these caves.”

“Huh, I’m glad you are allies already.” He was surprised at the unlikely
alliance.

“It just made sense, once we found out that they serve the King too.”

“And the pots… I want some too you know. I never knew you could make
them.”

“Never asked.” Kobold leader splayed its body over the hot flat rock.
“Ehh… so good.”

“King did you know, well at least according to the Kobolds, that deep in the
caves it’s possible to find fire spirit stones.”
“Yes, yes. But guarded by fire-breathing monsters. Told Drow not to go, it
will melt their soft grey skin.”

“Sounds dangerous. Why are you interested in magic stones, High Chief?”

“Well… the Kobolds have ores, and since we aren’t elves anymore. I was
thinking of smelting some metal.”

He gave a High Chief an inquisitive look. “Tell me more about these magic
stones.”

“Fire Spirit Stone, is an item able to convert ambient mana into fire
essence or elemental fire. Its fire is smokeless and hot enough to melt most
ores. The essence can be used in enchantments or to boost fire-based
spells.”

“Wow, that’s a very book-like reply.”

“Yes, after all, I am the eldest Drow here; I know a thing or two. And it’s a
shame we lost our scrolls; I can’t be expected to remember everything.” He
sounded frustrated.

“You keep mentioning the scrolls. Was that something important?”

“Very. At first, I thought it was you, our King, who borrowed them. But
now I know that’s not the case. It doesn’t matter now. We are building the
new Drow Archive, soon to be filled with scrolls documenting the magics
and wonders of the Oberon Undermountain.”

“I see… Just maybe follow the good advice of Kobold leader and don’t go
too deep; It sounds dangerous.”

“Yes, Yes, good advice.”

“How about your spiders, I was wondering…”

“No! From what I’ve seen they have weakness to fire. But I might have just
a counter for that… but that is for later.”
“How about this guy?” The High Chief pointed to the distance. “Hey, come
out, say hello.”

At first, he couldn’t tell what the High chief was pointing at but then once it
started moving he realised that it was a spider. This spider was not unlike
others, it was dark grey like the surrounding rock, and its body looked like
it was made out of stone; it was quite bulky. It looked like a cousin of a
Metal Spider.

“Hello.” The spider spoke giving a wave.

“Stone Spider!” The High Chief had already named it. “That one looks
fire-resistant.”

“Are you?”

The spider shrugged.

“There are others. Crystal Spider, Darkness Spider and even Glowing
Spider.”

“And. Mushroom Spider.” The Stone Spider added helpfully.

“The Mushroom Spider is definitely not fire resistant. But it grows very
tasty mushrooms.”

“Yes, yes. It lives with Kobolds now.”

“Did my spiders evolve on their own?” He was pleasantly surprised.

“Well, they kinda were there during the ritual. And I guess they mutat…
gained extra powers as a side effect.”

“Very interesting.” He rubbed his chin in thought. “If you want to go deep
into the caves, you can. And I will bring my spiders, but everyone needs to
prepare accordingly. Everyone. Only then we can go together.”

“I would expect nothing else.” The High Chief stood up and bowed.
“Stop with the bowing already. We are allies.”

“Friends, yes, yes.”

“Thank you for today, I still have an errand to run.”

He stood up to leave the spring, and only then did he realise that quite a few
Drow were looking at the trio bathing. Rude! The Drow just had no sense of
privacy. Or maybe they just had no reservations about nakedness. Actually,
the Kobolds were just like that, and the Lamia were almost no different. If
not for him and his spiders, he would be surrounded by nudists!

With such idle thoughts out of the way, there was only one place to visit;
The Ancestral Tree. In retrospect, he should have just visited it first, it was
bound to have a wealth of knowledge about runes and magical things.
 42

Once he approached the area he was greeted with the familiar message.

[You have entered The Ancestral Tree]

It was scary how quickly nature reclaimed the city, it was impossible to tell
that elves once lived here.

“Hello, Ancestral Tree!” He shouted into the air hoping to get its attention.

A wisp manifested out of thin air.

“King of Spiders, welcome!” It shouted equally loud.

“I need help with something!”

“What is it!? And why are we shouting?!”

“I thought you might be sleeping, like the trees do.” He recovered the
allegedly demonic rune paper.

“Who told you that? Trees don’t sleep, neither do they dream.” The wisp
flew towards the paper. “I know that," it pulsed, "Why are you showing me
this?”

“So, you can read it?” He wanted to jump in the air.

“Of course. Ever since we became Ancestral Tree I can read all which is
magic.”

“Try reading it out loud.”

The wisp pulsed a few times as if bewildered by the request. “I am the King
of Spiders.” The paper burst into flames. “Most peculiar.”

“Right? I’ve been told this is demonic language, is this why it caught fire?”

“Demonic? Who keeps telling you these lies? The person needs to be
stripped naked and shamed!” The wisp pulsed in anger. “This is just a very
ancient and obscure runic language. We wouldn't expect anyone to know it,
or even use it. As to why it caught fire…”

“Yes?”

“Maybe you shouldn’t write it using magical ink.” The wisp pulsed. “In
magical languages, be it enchantments, scripts, formulas, glyphs or even
runes – each word is more than just a word. If formulated properly and then
imbued with magic it will want to manifest once invoked. Drop the magical
ink. Don’t imbue magic. The words will stay inert.” The wisp pulsed again.

“Wow, you do know your stuff…” All the puzzle pieces fell into place,
well, not really. “I still don’t understand why I know this language.”

The wisp pulsed a few times but didn’t say anything, probably because it
had nothing to say.

“Well, since I know magic now… can you like, teach me more about it?”
He asked but still expected a no.

“Magic can only be gained. We can show you how to [Heal], but I doubt
you could ever learn it. You absorbed Dark Essence, did you not?”

“Yes, and I got three spells.” He named them including the mysterious
[???].

“Then you must know, that nature magic is out of your reach. King of
Spiders, you’re a dark mage now.” The wisp sounded ominous all of the
sudden.

“And this [???] stuff?”

The wisp shrunk. “I must admit that I am not too sure, but It might be that
you haven't reached the requirement yet.”

“You mentioned enchantments and runic languages, can you teach me

those?”

The wisp pulsed rapidly. “I can read them, but even I can’t make or
formulate something we don’t know. My knowledge is limited to what
Forest Spirit has bestowed. However, there are rituals we know of. Those I
could teach you…”

He looked at the wisp with high expectations.

“…when we are not busy. With looming human threat, we are

preoccupied.”

“I see. There is one more thing.” He pulled out [Living Wood Seed]. “This
came to my possession. I believe it’s yours.” He told it in a very roundabout
way because he didn’t want to tattle-tell on the High Chief.

The wisp spun circles around his head. “If it found you, then it wanted to be
found. The seeds like to be spread. Plant it and grow it.”

“But then I might wish to cut it.” He implied the inevitable.

“Then you cut it. Just replant it again.”

He didn’t expect that. Was this nepotism? The wisp definitely treated him
differently than humans. Dare they come and cut the forest!

“I didn’t expect that.”

The wisp stopped making rounds around his head. “I protect only this
forest. Your forest your rules.”

“Technically it’s a jungle, well now it’s a farm.” It was complicated,

because he pretty much devastated it and turned it into something else.
“We know. The place with no life, once a Dreaded Place, and here you
are... Destruction can be good. Sometimes the old forest needs to burn so
that new life can be born from its ashes.”

“That’s very wise of you, Great Ancestral Tree.”

The wisp expanded into a very large orb. “It’s in my nature.”

The conversation died down a little for a moment but he remembered one
more thing.

“How is the frontier doing? Did the humans return?”

“Good. The Spiky Vine took hold making a perfect barrier as you said.
There were some curious humans eyeing my innocent trees but the sight of
your spiders was enough to spook them.” It pulsed rapidly. “Very Good. No
need to worry, the squirrels keep a good watch, they tell me everything.”

“And the mages?”

The wisp shrunk. “They collected your gifts, in the clearing as agreed, and
then, a few days later there was this strange bird with no soul. A messenger?
We tried talking with it, told the forest’s wishes and commands, asked about
the truce. We are not sure it understood me.”

“Faux Phoenix. Did it leave a message?”

“It did drop some human parchment, very much like the trash humans tend
to leave. I turned it to compost.” The wisp expanded with pride.

“Yeah, that was a message for me. Hopefully nothing too important, but
please don’t do that next time.”

“Oh, I apologise then.”

He needed a way to contact the mages or tell them to send the messenger
bird right to his home. But first, he will need to tell them that the first
message was lost.
“I will write them a new message; will you be able to leave it in the
clearing?”

“Yes, King of Spiders, I will amend my mistake.”

The conversation was short but he had to urge back to the farm and find the
human scribes for it.

He sent a messenger spider with a new message, it will go to Ancestral

Tree, and hopefully, the wisp will be able to fly it for the rest of the way. He
explained the situation, apologising for the lost message, but also he
mentioned that he will be sending some of his products to the mages as
samples, and asked them to give their honest opinion of how much it was
worth. In the package he was sending he packed Red Cloth, TomGrape,
PurpleM and Slug Jelly, four items, three of which he had quite a large
storage of. He also expressed interest in magical tools and devices of such
nature, asking if they would be willing to trade some for the cloth or other
products.

He would ask for books, but as it is now, he still couldn’t read human
language. However, he did ask for a map.

However, not all was resolved, he still had the situation regarding the runes
on his mind. Just as the wisp said, it turned out to be some obscure or even
forgotten language almost no one could read or speak. He wondered if he
should make it the official language of his kingdom.

Well, he could read it with no problem, but teaching the spiders was it even
possible? One can only know after trying, so he invited a few friends.

He and three spiders gathered inside his workshop. There was a warrior
leader, a trusted advisor, and a small crafter helper. For some reason, the
crafter helper brought a hammer with him.

“You won’t be needing that.” He told the bad news to the spider.
“We. Don’t. Know. It. Yet. I. Just. Might.” It chirped in optimism.

On the rough paper, he wrote. ‘Hello, World.’ It was just two runes.

“You see these runes.”

“Hello, World.” The trusted advisor spoke and the paper turned to ash.

“Eh?”

“Eh.”

The small spider hammered the ash pile by his feet. “Bad. Paper!”

“I’m not sure what just happened. A lucky guess?”

Next, he wrote ‘APPLE’ “You see, this rune, I want to teach you my
language. Teach you to read it.”

“What. Is. APPLE?” The warrior leader asked and the paper caught fire.

“No. Must. Punish. Paper!” A small spider hammered the flame out saving a
small corner of white paper. “Victory!” It chirped happily.

He blinked once, he blinked twice. “Can you read my runes?”

“Of. Course.” Warrior leader reaffirmed.

“It only makes sense.” Trusted advisor added.

He looked at the small crafter.

“Can you read?”

“Read?”

He wrote ‘On the floor’, but this time not on paper but on the floor. The
spider raised his hammer high.
“Oh, no you don’t. Just try reading it.”

“On. The. Floor.” Spider read it tilting its head. “What. Is?”

The floor caught fire. Yeah, magic ink could be quite dangerous. Good
thing the spider brought the hammer to beat the flames out.

“So, you all can read. Wonderful!” He just shrugged, there was no point in
deliberating on how or why. “Then it settles it. This is our official langue:
Spider Runes.” He gave it a name.

“King?” The trusted advisor had a peculiar look in the eye.

“Yes?”

“Spider Chirp.”

“Hmm… Even better!”

The Great Ancestral Tree mentioned that the Spider Chirp runes carry
power with them and The High Chief implied something similar. So, he had
to give it a go and try to craft a Magic Scroll. Of course, it didn’t take a
genius to know that the plain paper was the first hurdle to overcome.
Luckily he already had a solution, in the form of [Enchanted Boar
Leather]. It was a bit impractical to write on the thick leather so instead,
with the help of spider crafters, he turned it into thin pieces of vellum,
[Enchanted Vellum]. The naming was still somewhat peculiar, he turned
the pale-yellow vellum around his fingers inspecting it: it didn’t appear to
be enchanted in any way, not yet.

He wrote various words and combinations on the vellum, like Magic Arrow,
Fire Bolt and the like; hoping that something will work. Once he read the
words the ink would glow and slowly dissipated into the air, with nothing
interesting happening. At least the velum didn’t burn this time, making it
reusable, so he kept practising various combinations.

“Darkness.”
The blue ink, like usual, glowed in blue, but this time the scroll also glowed
and began to burn in equally blue flames. Something different happened, he
felt excited. As it was burning it filled the nearby area with a small cloud of
smoke, no, it wasn’t smoke it had no smell, it was a cloud of darkness.

“Interesting.” He tried to disperse the small cloud with his hands. It refused
to be dispersed but after a few seconds, it disappeared on its own. He also
felt somewhat drained, unlike other attempts it consumed a significant
amount of his of his mana, well not too much, only enough to feel it tickle
down.

[You have crafted Magic Scroll of poor quality. Crafting +100exp.]

[Magic Scroll: -10% mana cost.]

He couldn't understand why was the system message lagging. If anything, it

should come as soon as he finished inscribing not after the used up the
scroll. He repeated the process and this time, the message came on time, he
deposited the scroll into his inventory.

[Magic Scroll: Darkness] x 1.

He wondered if his spiders could make them because just like him they
knew the language. However, as disheartening as it was, the scroll just
failed to work properly manifesting no spells. There was only one
conclusion, a mage had to craft it, or even worse, a dark mage could only
craft dark scrolls while the fire mage fire scrolls, etc. However, he was very
pleased to find that his spiders could use the scrolls he had made, although,
more experimentation was needed.

The Drow might be able to help him with that, the High Chief knew about
Magic Scrolls so he must know how to make one as well. However, there
was no need to run back to High Chief just yet. If he went there he also
wanted to explore the deeper caves because he was interested in fire spirit
stones. After all, he found this world's magic so fascinating, but it was
notoriously hard to figure out. And for the exploration mission he needed to
get the gear ready.
In other words, there was much crafting which needed to be done.
 43

“Can I have your scales my great metal spider?”

“Yes. King.” The now much larger Great Metal Spider shook its body like
a wet dog shedding its scales.

“Yes. King.” Twelve little metal spiderlings chirped happily imitating their
parent.

He gathered big and small scales into his inventory; all were orange in
colour.

[Metal Spider Scale: Greater] x25, [Metal Spider Scale: Lesser] x300.

With that done he headed to the workshop to craft the needed equipment for
the expedition.

The scales were limited, but he had plenty of leather and cloth. The goal
was to craft the Drow some fire-resistant gear. First, he used Enchanted
Leather to make a vest and then surrounded it with Red Cloth, and finally,
he added a large spider scale for chest protection. Then he used smaller
scales to make a face shield, which was very much like a welder’s mask; he
padded the inside with red cloth hoping that it will insulate the heat. Lastly,
he made overalls, a type of full-body suit, entirely out of cloth. The armour
turned out to be light, focusing on ease of movement meaning that it didn’t
have high physical protection, but it was not made for physical protection
anyways.

[You have crafted a FireWalker Suit of superior quality. Crafting

+100exp.]

[FireWalker Suit: Reinforced +3. Fire Resistance: Medium.]

[Temporary perk Absorb Fire obtained.]

It ended up looking like some dystopian factory worker uniform, but hey,
his theory that Fire Agave provided fire resistance was correct. And in no
way was the armour was perfect, its main protection was concentrated at the
front leaving the sides and the back vulnerable. To somewhat battle this
drawback he decided to make a shield: he used the same materials to make
a hexagonal shield; the first layer was metal, then leather, and then cloth.

[You have crafted a FireShield of superior quality. Crafting +100exp.]

[FireShield: Reinforced +3. Fire Resistance: Medium.]

[Temporary perk Deflect Fire obtained.]

“Awesome.” The fire theme was nice. It felt like he was making firefighter
gear. To finalise the look he drew the symbol of Spider Kingdom on both
the chest scale and the shield using blue ink.

The design was successful so he called spider crafters to make more sets to
kit out the Drow expedition. And for himself, he will be wearing his Plate
Armour, but with an additional tunic made out entirely of red cloth. Once
he made the tunic for some reason it registered as Robes of Fire
Resistance, but it only gave him Fire Resistance: Minor, however, he felt
it was still adequate because his armour had other protective perks.

With the armour done, he grabbed some of the Chitin Spears he made
before; they were made using Iron Oak and spider eggshells. The intention
was to gift them to the Drow who still had no proper melee weapons.

The crafting went better than he expected and he had everything he needed
for the Deep Cave expedition leaving him with some free time to deliberate
over smaller issues, but still issues never the less. The first was the road
towards the Ancestral Tree and the Human Kingdom, the former one was
just a dirt path and the latter was still in the works. While the dirt path was
better than nothing it was not excellent, the plants still tried to grow on it
and it needed frequent maintenance. Hence he decided it was time to pave
it, but that was sort of a mega project, the distance was quite great and he
will need a lot of stone.

The second was the trail towards the Oberon Mountains, the distance was
also great and the terrain especially at the end was rough. Making a road
there was exceptionally difficult and from what he had seen so far, his
spiders found it easier to travel using tree branches and winding vines than
tricky ground trails… He had to discuss it with the trusty advisor later and
ask for his opinion on what was the solution there.

“Spiders like to travel on the web. We have a perk for that: Web Walk.”

“I didn’t know that!” But now he does. “Does this mean that roads are no
good?”

“No. The straight road can be as fast as a good web. It really depends.” The
trusty advisor put a thoughtful expression on his spider face.

“Hmm… But for the trail towards the mountain, the webs would be the
best?”

“Affirmative.”

“When let’s do it.” It was only obvious.

“King, it would take a great amount of blue rope to achieve that. It also
would need to be Reinforced +1, the metal ores spiders carry are heavy.”

“Use what we have for now, and just expand the farms. Simple as that. And
for the Reinforced +1 I will…”

“King.” The advisor didn’t hesitate to interrupt. “Some of the veteran

builders have reached Building lvl 1 obtaining that perk. Would you allow
them to take this task? To take this very important duty away from our
King? Not that I imply that they could do better than our King.” The
advisor lowered his head in an apology.
“Isn’t that amazing? Let them do it! I don’t mind, ha-ha, less work for me.”
He smiled at the good news.

“Then I must have misunderstood something. Never mind. I will tell

everyone to start making Web Rail at once.”

“Yes, I entrust it to you spiders.” Honestly, he knew little of how to make a

web anyway. King of Spiders who doesn’t know how to web, it was a little
embarrassing.

A small messenger spider rushed into the throne room waving a parchment.
“King, King!”

He recognised the wax symbol on the corner. “Black Hand Covenant. Get
me the human.”

The middle-aged man was dragged by the spiders into the throne room.

“My King.” He kneeled in front of the throne with visible fear in his eyes.

“Why are you so spooked? I just want you to read this to me.” He handed
the parchment.

The man began reading the message.

“King of spiders, it is a shame the previous message didn’t find you well.
I’ve included the exact copy below, please read it.

=====

… we have received the cloth and sold the first robes already. The items
turned out to be more powerful and more popular than we expected. Did
you enchant the cloth with a Reinforce enchantment? It was unnecessary
but we are grateful for that. A continuous supply of this rare item will help
us greatly in our plot for dominion.

There were some little things we had to do to keep our deal going. I’m sure
your spies told you all about it but you know the story of the cracked
communications orb, the messages can get distorted, so let me summarise
the events to avoid misunderstandings. We declared you the servant of the
Demon Lord, while we know this is not true it was a necessary lie. This
worked wonders to spook the peasants and aspiring opportunists away from
the forest. We also disseminated the information that you have great forces
of evil in your realm, greater than Our Kingdom could counter. Which
probably is not a lie? Only with this could we could push the many political
factions into even considering an actual truce. The goal is not yet achieved,
the powers are just wary of the forest at the moment, but with time we will
eventually invite you to the palace to sign the official documents of truce
and rights to the Ancient Forest. Meanwhile, we will keep scaring everyone
into compliance…

=====

We’ve gotten the samples you have sent and already inspected the
wonderful items. Most wonderous indeed! Are you sure you aren’t supplied
by The Demon Lord? My fellow magi had grown suspicious. Next time
please just tell us about the properties so we don’t have to experiment.
Henceforth, our assessment is:

Red Cloth: similar to Blue Cloth, but instead of magical resistance

provides fire resistance. The current application is limited in this kingdom,
hence the value is less than the Blue Cloth. We rather have Blue Cloth if
you don’t mind, but some fire magi had expressed interest and will send
you their offers later. As it stands now a roll of Red Cloth is estimated at
10g.

TomGrape: a magical fruit with alchemical properties still unknown. We

just didn’t have enough for all the experiments. Would you be willing to
send more? As far as we know, regardless of potential alchemical
applications, it’s a delicious and nutritious crop; many found it simply tasty.
If treated as food estimation is 1s per piece.

PurpleM: another magical fruit. We knew straight away that it is an

ingredient for MP potion. The market is competitive and we could offer you
no more than 10s.
Slug Jelly: Once again, I wish you told us about the items you have sent.
While received very well, this one was quite a blight to deal with. It’s
outright addictive, isn’t it? The ones who had the ‘pleasure’ to taste the
contents of the jar were clawing at their faces at the knowledge we will run
out. There were fights over the last drop you know. But I assume you meant
well. This drug is very useful and we have great interest and need for more.
Substance this addicting can’t be easy to produce. Will 100g be enough for
a jar?

Anyway, I assume you sent the items in order to secure funds for your
future endeavours. We will gladly offload your simpler goods like
TomGrape, or whatever interesting you have, in the kingdom for a small cut
of 25% (non-negotiable). The more interesting items we will be buying
ourselves, the prices we can negotiate.

You have asked for the map, and I’ve included the most recent edition
available to the public. As we are now, we can’t share military secrets willy-
nilly with rogue sorcerers.

For the magical items please have a look at the package coming later. The
faux phoenix can’t carry too much so expect a human messenger; please
don’t kill him. Also, I will be including a Coordinate Scroll so that my
familiar can find your base batter. By the way, I am looking at obtaining a
communication orb for you, but as you know those are rare, expensive, and
notoriously hard to ‘disappear’, we might just appropriate one from our
puppet King; the fool doesn’t know how to use it anyway.

Signed, Grand Magus Vumbeldor, member of the inner circle of the Black
Hand.”

The middle-aged man handed back the parchment with a shaking hand, his
face was very pale.

“Thanks. Are you eating well, you look a bit peaky?”

“Yes, my King.” He patted on a developing pot belly. “I am fed very well.

Both of us are. Thank you for your grace.” He bowed.
“Then, get some rest. Dismissed.” He waved the man away.

The man bowed and walked backwards back down the long corridor, then
once midway he bowed again, and then again just before the exit. He
observed the strange behaviour attributing it to human kingdom etiquette;
as odd as it was.

“Demon Lord… I am not sure I like that, but I guess I can understand the
reason. They are just prejudiced against my cute spiders! Always grouping
us with bad guys. Ahh…” He sighed and shook his head pitying the
ignorant humans. “At least we can finally trade now.”

“Indeed. Should I send the items to the outpost?”

He simply nodded. “So the Slug Jelly might be addictive to other races.” It
wasn’t the case for him nor the spiders. And he just assumed that Lamia
Queen had a bad case of a sweet tooth. “I will need to be more careful with
that.”

“Should I forbid the Queen from the jelly cupboard?”

“She has access?” He didn’t remember giving permission. “Put spider

guards by it. Aside from deserving spiders, no one else is allowed to it.”

“Understood.”

“Let's have a look at this.”

He unfurled the map. It had annotations in human language. He had been

practising and could read something as simple as that on his own already.
The nearby human kingdom wasn't too big, actually, it was quite small.
Aside from a capital marked with a star, it had two other cities. The villages
and small towns weren't even marked, but he assumed they were there from
the presence of roads and rivers. The Kingdom was not alone, it had two
more neighbours, both small kingdoms. Actually, the Human Realm was
split into twenty-five human kingdoms of various sizes composing what
must be known as Holy Empire. The Holy Capital was on the shore by the
sea, build on the river delta, and from the size he judged it to be a
metropolis. On the east of the empire was the sea and on the left, there were
either mountains or forests marked simply as wilderness with forested
patches marked as Savage Elves. The edge of the south was bordered by
Oberon Mountains and the Great Desert. The north was a huge area marked
as Beast Plains. The map didn’t even include his jungle, meaning that the
humans haven’t explored past the Elf Forests or Oberon Mountains.

“Well, that was informative.” He gave the map to the advisor. “So where is
this package?”

“Wisp. Couldn’t. Fly. It.” The spider chirped apologetically “Is. Coming.
By. Another. Spider.”

Meaning it will take some time to get back to him. He patted the small
spider as thanks. “I guess, It’s time for me to leave. I’m off to see the
Drow.”

“Understood.” The trusty advisor bowed imitating the human.

“Now, where did the warrior leader go to, I need a ride.” He went to look
for his noble steed.
 44

“Sorry, I won’t be able to take you to the deep caves. I expect narrow
tunnels.”

“Understandable.” The warrior leader replied with a somewhat sullen look

on his face.

While the most used passages were widened by Kobold diggers, he couldn’t
say the same about the unexplored parts of Undermountain. He dismounted
from the warrior leader and he could already see the High Chief running
towards him.

“King, I greet you.” He bowed.

“Greetings High Chief.”

The High Chief whispered something to the servant girl who just caught up.
The girl sighed and ran back to the High Chief’s house.

“Would you care to join me in the spring? To recover your mana from the
long and arduous trip.”

“No, need. It wasn’t arduous, and I didn’t use any mana.”

“Oh?”

“High Chief, as you might have guessed already, I’m here to explore the
depths of the caves.”

“Yes! But first.” The High Chief struggled to keep his excitement. The
servant girl came back carrying a large box, which was obviously too heavy
for her. The high Chief took a stone container out. “Have a look at this.” He
said with pride.

The servant girl put the heavy box on the ground and wiped the sweat off
her head.

“Is this?” He deposited it into his Magic Inventory, [Magical Ink] x 1.

“How did you make it?”

“Well, I had this glowing ink I was working on, but then I started
experimenting with Blue Dust… It is the combination of Blue Dust, Mana
Spring Water, and Glowing Ink.”

“Marvelous. It will help me in my Magic Scroll experiments.”

“Yes, this is the product I wanted to send you. Please take the box.”

He didn’t need the box itself, only the containers. [Magic ink] x 100.

“A trade then.” He took out a stack of Enchanted Vellum. “Here. This must
be better than that fungal parchment you were working on.”

“This is…” The high chief just took the stack without finishing. “I am most
grateful.”

“I will send you more later. Have a look at this.” He showed the Darkness
scroll.

“Ah, Demonic Language. Too bad I can’t read it.”

“A Spider Chirp.” A spider warrior corrected.

“Spider, chirp?”

“Yes, that’s the official language of Spider Kingdom.” But there was one
more thing. “Wait, you can understand my spiders fully now?”

The High Chief smiled broadly exposing all those needle-like teeth. “But,
of course. They are your most trusted servants. I have learned their
tongue…” He paused for a moment. “Spider Chirp, you said.”

“That’s impressive High Chief. Anyway, this is a proper Magical Scroll,

well the effect is somewhat boring but… anyway do you think you can
replicate it?”

“The elves.” He shook his head. “Drow, aren’t learned in scroll making.
And we lost so much knowledge during you know what.”

“But since you are a mage you should be able to reproduce it, right?”

“It depends on the spell.” He looked at the rune. ”I’m still a nature mage.”

“So it’s as I expected. This is a dark spell so the one making it needs to be a
dark mage?”

“As far as I understand magic, yes, and knowing Spider Chirp would help
massively. But any mage should be able to use the already made scroll, it’s
only the making process which is problematic.”

“I’m wondering if you could try to make some Drow magic scrolls?” He
asked expectantly.

“First, I would need to learn how to write in Demo… Spider Chirp.”

“Then you should.” He urged the High Chief. “I will send a spider to teach
you.”

“Then I will. Second, I can’t promise you anything. We mostly specialise in

rituals and enchantments, Magic Scroll making is uncharted territory for us
Drow.”

“I’m sure you will manage. After all, you have plenty of mages around.”

“Yes, us Drow are gifted in that regard. But not everyone and not
universally. I have young talents around with elemental affinities, mostly
Nature and Air, a few with Water and Fire.”

“No one with Darkness?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Odd… You are Drow.”

“But we were Elves. Maybe our children will develop the King's favourite
affinity.” He looked at the servant girl with high expectations. The already
pale face of the servant paled even more.

“No pressure. I’m just being curious. Anyways, take your time learning
Spider Chirp and let me know if any of your scroll making gives any
results.”

“As you command, King.” He bowed.

“Well then, gather your scouts and tell them to put this on.” He took the
FireWalker Suits and other gear he crafted.

The High Chief whispered to the servant girl and she sprinted off towards
the Drow houses.

“Identify.” The high chief used his skill. “As expected of the King, very
impressive. It even has passive abilities. But what are the shields and spears
for.”

“For your guys of course.”

“We Drow prefer bow and arrow.” The High Chief said with a blank face.

“I understand the large cavern like this, but in winding tunnels and tight
caves? Are you sure about it?”

“We’re relying on your spiders for that.”

“My spiders can’t be around all the time and every time. You need to have
melee fighters for balanced force.” He learned a similar lesson during the
fight with humans. “Especially here in the caves.”

“Hmm, there is wisdom in your words. Sometimes I forget that we no

longer live in the forest. Thank you for the spears and shields.”
“I’m not saying that your archers will be useless. Let’s have five Drow
spearmen and five archers for this expedition, how is that?”

The High Chief just nodded. “And how many spiders will you be taking?”

“We’re only exploring so just two spider warriors. I want to keep the
numbers small, but the force tight.”

“Won’t you take Stone Spider and its friends? I was positive they wanted to
go.”

“Really? Then I might, where are they?”

“At my camp!” The Kobold Leader replied helpfully.

“Wow! Where did you come from? I didn’t even see you.”

“He-He.” The Kobold leader just laughed.

“Kobold Leader, would you please call them?” The High Chief asked.

“Yes, Yes. I’ll call spider friends.” He ran towards one of the exits.

“What a lovely guy.”

“Indeed.” The High chief agreed.

The ten scouts were already there looking over the equipment. They spoke
with the High Chief and then had a quick game of drawing sticks. The five
losers took the spears and shields with big frowns on their faces. The High
Chief scolded them for offending the King’s generosity. The five lowered
their heads in apology.

“No need. I’m sure you will learn to like it?” He tried to be optimistic.
“Please practise with my spider warriors to get a grip with your new
weapon. And archers, I don’t know if it will be useful or not but take this.”
He gave them the bundles of Withering Arrows and Torpor Arrows. The
archers were all too pleased about the arrows and were gloating about it to
the five spearmen, making them even more bitter.
“Chief, there is a small experiment I want to run. Do you have a garden or
some other spot with good soil?”

“I know just the place. Come.”

He followed the drow to a nearby cave; It was filled with mushrooms.

“We grow our food here. Is this any good?”

“As good as it gets.” He took a Bandit Agave plant out of inventory and
began setting it in the soil.

“I’m not questioning your infinite wisdom King but…” He bowed for the
umpteenth time already. “Won’t it need sunlight?”

“It does, but this is an experiment.” He planted it, [Unnatural Selection]

and [Acclimate] was activated, and to top it off. “[Evolve]” He saved all
his mana for this but even then he felt dizzy.

[Spell ??? unlocked, Imbue obtained.]

The plant was showered in purple light, the light subsided and there it was ­–
changed. The green was replaced by the deep dark colour, and it was even
more spiky than before.

“What happened?” The High Chief looked over the plant with curiosity.

“I think I imbued it with Darkness? I reckon it should be able to grow in the

caves now.”

“I didn’t know such magic existed!” The drow exclaimed waving his arms.
“If I didn’t know any better, If I wasn’t here to see it, I would have said this
is Life magic, but it’s clearly Darkness. How strange!”

“It’s farming magic, a bunch of my farming perks, plus a new spell I just
unlocked.”

“Amazing! No perks should be this powerful. This is unprecedented.” The

High Chief took out a fungal paper and began to make notes on it with
glowing ink. “What does the plant do?”

“Well, we don’t know yet. I will leave it to you to find out.”

“I’m most grateful.” He leaned to inspect it closer.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll take you up on your previous offer for a soak in
Mana Spring.”

“Eh?” He didn’t even take his eyes away from the plant. “Sure. You heard
him.” He motioned with his hand towards the servant girl. Well, he waved
to the right but the girl was on his left, anyways the servant understood the
command.

“King, please follow.”

“This is unnecessary I know where the spring is.”

The servant looked back to the High Chief. At the moment he was too
absorbed in drawing the plant on his notes to even notice the begging look.

“King, please follow.” She repeated.

“Well, if you insist.” He followed the servant who walked stiffly like a
robot would.

Unintentionally he had fallen asleep in the spring.

Someone shouted very loudly in his ear. “Spider King!”

He jumped in alarm, slipped and fell back into the water.

*Cough, he spat the water out. “Kobold Leader, what happened?”

“Brought spider friends.”

He looked above the rocks bordering the spring, there were four spiders.
The first one was obviously the Stone Spider, it looked lite it was made
entirely out of rock. The second one was unmistakably the Crystal Spider,
it grew stacks of rectangular crystal on its back and its body was semi-
transparent. The third glowed like a light bulb making the eyes hurt if stared
at too long; clearly, it was the Glowing Spider. And the last one must be
the Mushroom spider, it grew shrooms all over its body.

The Kobold Leader plucked a mushroom and deposited it into his mouth.
“Delicious!” He chomped on it.

He remembered the High Chief naming five spiders who transformed. “I

thought there were five?”

“Five?” The kobold looked panicked. “No, no. Four.” He gave his best
smile.

“I must have misremembered. So do you have interesting perks?” He asked

the four.

“Increased Physical Resistance. Can grow. And cut. Stone”

“Increased Magical Resistance. Grow Crystal.”

“I grow. Delicious Mushrooms.”

“I glow.”

“Hmm…” He tough for a moment. “You can come with us to the deep
caves if you want.”

All four chirped a yes.

“Yes, Yes.” The kobold plucked another mushroom. “Spider friends are
essential.”

He didn’t know the shape of the spiders so he couldn’t have prepared the
fire-resistant clothing beforehand, but now he could.
“Erm…” He looked at the servant girl. “Can I borrow High Chief’s
workshop?”

She looked conflicted but only for a second. “Yes, King, please follow.”

Well, he knew where it was, but followed the servant regardless.

The gear was ready, the spiders were ready and the drow… were mostly
ready. The High Chief was still missing but he didn’t need him, the drow
chief didn’t look like a scout or a fighter type anyway.

“Right, so I guess we will have the sturdiest at the front, that will be you
Stone Spider and Crystal spider, followed by Glowing Spider to give us
light. Don’t worry Glowing Spider, I and Drow spearmen will be right
behind you ready to protect you. And behind it’s you, archers, to give us
support, but please watch over the Mushrooms Spider. And to watch our
rear is no one else but spider warriors.”

With this very simple formation, they headed towards the tunnel which
according to Kobold Leader was leading to the deeper sections of the
Undermountain. The kobold was currently riding on the mushroom spider
and snacking on the many mushrooms it grew.

As they walked deeper, the environment began to change. It wasn’t a big

change, the glow shrooms were scarcer and the glow moss less dense.
Eventually, there was nothing but darkness, well there would be only
darkness if not for Glowing Spider. However, even with the light, the
atmosphere felt heavy; oppressive even. Everyone was on edge.

For the cave monsters, there were a few: some akin to centipedes and others
more mole-like. The centipedes were at least a meter long and fat as a log.
The two spiders were easily able to crush them if they came from the front.
However, if presented a chance the creepy crawlers liked to ambush the
party from the ceiling. The archers would shoot them down whenever
possible.
The moles were just fat and simple-minded monsters. They had simple
tactics of just rushing to the party. If the spiders missed some, it was either
he or the spearmen who dealt with them.

Overall, this wasn’t very challenging. However, he had made an interesting

observation: whenever he poked a monster with his Devouring Spear, the
body shriveled leaving a hollow carcass and the spear glowed in red for a
moment; it was a one-strike instant kill.

While this wasn’t challenging, the attacks were frequent and proved to be
bothersome.

“I could buff everyone with Dark Shroud making us near invisible, but
then we ourselves wouldn’t see where to go.”

“Us Drow have Darkvision.” The scout informed.

“Oh! I forgot. Well I don’t, and my spiders…”

“We. Don’t.” One of the warriors informed.

“But if you feel confident, I can buff you and you can ambush the attacking
monsters from behind. Or even scout ahead if you feel confident.”

“Please.” The scouts were confident.

He buffed all ten and they disappeared in the darkness.

From there on, they knew which routes to avoid, and then the unavoidable
attack came it was much easier to deal with.

With time, the oppressive air changed and turned to just hot air, and even
the darkness didn’t last long. At first slowly, but then with more vigour, the
narrow caves began to fill with red glowing moss. And soon the party
emerged into the system of interconnected expansive caverns. The
vegetation was sparse, mostly patchy grass and spindly bushes; and
whatever grew took the various shades of red. But most importantly he saw
columns of fire emerging from the cracks in the ground. There was even
something very peculiar, the best description of the phenomenon was a
small stream of liquid fire flowing from the crack in the wall, and no it
wasn’t magma because it felt magical in nature. Multiple little streams were
flowing from all over and pooling to form a river. The river flowed down
the cavern and then fell off the cavern floor edge falling into lover caverns
to form a lake of fire. While the air and ground felt hot, for some reason it
didn’t burn the party, likely an attribute of Fire Resistance.

The spiders chirped at the magical marvel. He too thought this was quite
impressive.

“Is this it? Is this where we find Fire Spirit Stones?”

“Yes, guarded by monsters.” The kobold leader pointed into the distance.
 45

Further away and past the fire columns he could see a monster den. Well it
was only a fissure in the wall, but it positively hosted monsters. A large red
bear was laying by the entrance, enjoying the stray fire tongues coming
from the cracks in the ground. Both its eyes and fur emitted a gentle red
glow. Now and then, in between its clawed paws fire would spring forth and
then die abruptly.

“Ignibear, yes-yes, very dangerous. Will cook alive.”

“I can see that, but will it have Fire Spirit Stones in that den?”

“Is likely.” The kobold looked at the ingibear and shuddered. “This won’t
be easy.”

He knew that.

“I think we should set a camp and rest before we tackle the bear.”

The Drow nodded in approval, after all, everyone was tired from the long
trip. The spiders gladly ate the fruit but the drow had other ideas. They kept
some of the juicier centipede monster carcasses exactly for this reason. The
preparation method was interesting. The Drow made small cuts near the
head and then pulled it off together with the insect guts, then some other
undesirable parts were scraped by hand. With that done they stuffed the
long carcass with mushrooms, cave herbs and cuts of TomGrape, and then
left it to steam on one of the fissures spewing fire. The centipede didn’t
look tasty at all, well not to him, but Drow had experience eating insects in
the forest.

The centipede's insides began sizzling emitting a sweet aroma of herbs and
fruit. The smell pleasantly tickled his nose and he changed his mind about
the insect meat just a tiny bit.

“Is it any good?” He asked curious.

The drow shrugged. “As good as it gets.”

He was of course, making a small batch of food on his own. Once he used
Material Harvest on mole monsters, they dropped some fat cuts of meat.
He was cutting it now. But it was strange that Drow preferred centipedes to
moles. Incidentally, the centipede monster dropped Paralytic Venom so he
never thought their flesh could be eaten; but hey, look at the Drow greedily
slurping their dinner up.

The Drow had cut the cooked centipede in half and then further divided the
carapace segments between each other. While the shell was hard and
inedible, it was surrounded by white juicy meat; it had soaked all the
flavours of fruit and cave herbs. While they were eating he could hear the
noise best described as food orgasm. It can’t be that good, can it?

“Can I have some?” He finally asked.

“Sure.” The scout handed him a piece.

He slurped the meet, cautiously at first, but then he couldn’t stop and let
himself indulge. And before he could even notice it was all gone, only a
hard insect shell remained. He didn’t even want to eat the mole meat
anymore.

“Who knew bugs can taste this great.”

The drow smiled. “There is more.”

Indeed, another centipede was cooking on the fire.

“Danger!” The Kobold Leader shouted.

Everyone jumped in alarm grabbing their weapons. He looked around, they

weren’t under attack yet, but the ignibear was sprinting towards them. He
made sure to make camp far from its den so he couldn't help but wonder
what had upset the monster.

“Let’s form a defensive line. We’ll try to break its charge.”

The spearmen reluctantly walked forward and positioned their spears.

“It’s alright, I and my spiders will support you.” And they had archers right
behind.

The ignibear was charging head-on, but then it turned and circled around
the group. Apparently, its goal was never them but the juicy insect cooking
on the fire; it snatched it and ran away.

“No! After go after it!” The Kobold Leader shouted and for some reason,
the spearmen began chasing the bear.

“Shush! Don’t listen to him!” He wanted to slap the Kobold, but the drow
had already broken the formation.

The archers fired their arrows at the monster, some simply bounced off but
there were a few which got stuck. Likely affected by Torpor it slowed
down.

“Wait, don’t attack.” He urged the spearmen to come back. “The archers
can get it, you don’t have to chase it.”

The ignibear unable to make a quick escape changed its priorities. It

dropped the food it was holding in its maw and began charging towards the
drow.

The Kobold Leader, despite all the danger, ran to get the food. He was
either very brave or very stupid. Luckily the ignibear didn’t care about the
kobold and after receiving another volley of arrows it crashed into the
spearmen. It used its size and weight to try and overwhelm the Drow, but
there were spiders to give a spidery hand and counter it.

The ignibear didn’t give up easily. It was swiping with its claws, each swipe
brought a wave of flames. Luckily the Drow were well protected and were
able to block the attack with shields and ignore the fires. The spiders didn’t
stand idly either, the crystal and stone spiders were hitting and pummeling
the monster trying to distract it.

The bear was surrounded, it was taking a lot of punishment but refused to
go down; it just had a lot of resilience. Not only that, but the spears and
arrows did little damage to it. It was the fight of attrition, and he was lucky
to have the advantage of numbers.

He used Shadow Walk to disengage away from the bear. Then he circled to
ambush it from the back. He dropped the spell and struck the bear from
behind activating Assassin Strike. Unlike other times the spear sunk deep
into the flesh and the bear roared spitting fire from its mouth to bask the
Drow in a storm of flames, completely engulfing them.

He didn’t know the ignibear could do that; likely it was the last resort
attack. The drow panicked for a moment but the large chest scales glowed
purple indicating that the Fire Absorb perk was activated, some of the
shields even shot the fiery torrent back at the ignibear.

Well, he and the spiders were right behind the ignibear taking the reflected
attack together with the monster. That’s why everyone had Fire Resistance
Robes.

The monster collapsed and the fiery flame in its eyes disappeared.
[Fighting +1000exp]. Compared to moles and centipedes this was 10x
more but probably x20 harder to defeat. [Soul Steal] The perk activated on
its own, eating at the monster.

“Oh no you don’t.” He didn’t want to be left with the hollowed and
worthless husk. “Harvest Material.” [IgniBear Pelt] x1: it went into his
inventory.

The corpse was gone leaving only purple motes of light flying in it’s place.
The Drow cheered and the spiders chirped.

“This didn’t go as planned but well done!” He congratulated.

“Yes, *Slurp*, Yes.” The Kobold Leader was devouring the retrieved
centipede.

“How much can you eat?” He had to ask.

“I’m a growing kobold.” He took another bite.

He looked at the fissure, hoping that it didn’t house more ignibears. “Let’s
go and investigate. Carefully.”

They had to step carefully to avoid the irregular jets of fire. Even if it hit, it
didn’t do damage, but it was mighty unpleasant; just too hot. Once he
reached the fissure he had to step back. A large shadow emerged from it and
he grasped for his spear instinctively. The shadow coalesced to form the
vague shape of a spider.

“A spider?”

The shadowy mandibles opened and spewed a bunch of Fire Spirit Stones.

“I. Gathered. It. After. The Bear. Was. Gone.” It explained helpfully.

“Wait, you are one of mine?” For a moment he thought it was just another
monster. “But I don’t remember you.”

“Darkness Spider.” It chirped its name.

Yes, it was a spider made out of darkness… it looked weird, more ghost
than a physical being.

“Oh! The fifth one! Why didn’t you introduce yourself earlier?”

“I’m. A. Criminal. Bring. Shame. To. Spiders.” It chirped sadly.

“Criminal?” He didn't understand. “Why?”

“Impossible. To Wear. Clothes.” The vague form turned back into a cloud of
shadows.
He tried to pat the spider to calm it down, but his hand went right through.
“I see. This is about one of my commandments that everyone must wear
clothes. Don’t worry about it, we can make exceptions.”

The darkness returned to the vague shape of the spider. “No!” It chirped in
protest. “No. Exceptions.”

“Nonsense. You did no wrong.”

“I Set. Bad. Example. Other. Spiders. Will. Learn. Bad. Things.” It chirped.
“Will. Remain. In. Caves. Hide. In. Shadows.”

“He just doesn’t like light.” The kobold leader looked at Glowing Spider,
“He said, it hurts him. Kobolds understand, yes-yes ,we too don’t like big
bright ball of fire in the ceiling.”

“The Sun? You don’t like it?”

“Yes. Also. To. Be. Seen.”

“Oh, I see…” This was just one very shy spider. “You can live here in the
caves if you like. And you are no criminal don’t let anyone bully you for
your inability to wear clothes.”

“Understood.”

“Is there anything else of value in this den?”

“No. Just. Bones.” The Darkness Spider turned into a shadow and
disappeared into a dim corner.

“Well then.” He gathered all twelve spirit stones. “Thanks for that. Let’s
look for more.”

And for that, they needed to go deeper into the caverns.

…
The Fire Spirit Stones were not always guarded by monsters. They
managed to find a few in shallow pools of liquid fire. By the way, he tried
to harvest it but the perk failed; he just couldn’t harvest fire even in its
magical liquid state. Some stones were lodged in the walls and they had to
extract them. Also, there was this interesting monster, it was just a twisting
whirlpool of fire, likely a fire elemental.

The elemental knew how to spit balls of fire, but the suits and shields were
able to weather the damage with no problem. However, hurting the
elemental proved to be difficult. The arrows just burned, and the spear
strikes went right through it without dealing damage; it was a quick and
agile monster. However, once he managed to land a hit with Devouring
Spear, it was all he needed to kill it. It just exploded into fire and then
dropped a single spirit stone; the 250 exp wasn't bad either. In the end, they
settled for hunting these minor fire elementals; it was the quickest way to
obtain the spirit stones.

In the end, they killed two more ignibears, a whole lot of fire elementals
and gathered stray stones whenever they could find them. The result was a
whopping 250 fire stones.

“I reckon this is enough.”

The Drow were quick to agree, so they began heading back. The entrance to
the dark tunnels was right in their sight, however, there was a small
problem.

“Emberdread!” The kobold shouted pointing a shaky finger at the creature.

The creature was vaguely humanoid but wreathed in an unending fire. The
fiery form was spewing stray tongues of fire lighting the surrounding area
in intense red light. It seemed to control the liquid flame composing its
body and was able to form it into whatever shape it desired.

“Run! Run!” The kobold ran in a random direction flailing his hands “Ehh!
Help!” He lost his cool completely.
A cloud of darkness emerged from the wall and surrounded the kobold, and
then the little guy just turned into a shadow flying right to the tunnel exit.

“I wonder if we can do the same. Dark Shroud.” He buffed the Mushroom

Spider first and then the Glowing Spider; the two turned into blobs of
darkness and slithered past the creature and right into the tunnel. Then he
began buffing the Drow, however, the Emberdread had other ideas.

“InTruDers!” It spat fire with each syllabus. Then a massive fireball formed
in its hand. “ExPloSion.”

As the name implied, everything around the creature exploded knocking

Drow and spiders alike. The ground itself was set ablaze, everywhere was
just flames.

“I’ll Eat Your Souls. ConTrol FlaMe.” It spat the flames with each word.
“Like You Did My ChilDren!” It roared and the ground burned even more
intensely.

He tried to buff the Drow again but the spell just failed, standing in fire
might have had something to do with it.

“I don’t think we can run…” He put on the Aura of Courage. “Let’s fight
for our lives!” He charged the creature urging the drow and the spiders to
do the same.
 46

The archers fired their arrows, the Emberdread didn’t seem to be too
concerned about it, the arrows either went straight through or burned in the
creature’s body. The two warrior spiders, being the fastest, got to the fiery
creature first and hacked at its body with their axes. The axes disrupted the
liquid fire distorting the humanoid shape and breaking whatever spell the
creature was about to cast next.

“Get Off.” It spat fire sidestepping the attacks. “Fire BaRaGge.” Little
balls of fire rained on the attackers.

The archers had to back off to avoid the projectiles and the others just used
their shields. The Spider King, ran through the barrage, the [Spell
Deflection] perk deflected some of the fireballs. The Embedread was in the
reach of his spear so he jabbed at the vaguely humanoid form.

The Devouring Spear glowed in red disrupting the creature's shape. “Arg!”
The Emberdread backed off; the wound leaked droplets of fire. He tried to
get the creature again, but it was very wary of the spear now and was
expertly avoiding it. The fire monster, whenever given a chance, was still
shooting stray fireballs.

Fire Resistance wasn’t Fire Immunity, so the damage started to

accumulate and it was mostly the feet which was affected. Parts of the body
were scalded already at with time it could only get worse.

He couldn't get close to the creature anymore, so he took out all of [Mana
Spring Water] out of his inventory and threw it at the Emberdread. The
water doused its flames and the fire surrounding it.
“Ha-Ha, Fool. It’s Nothing!” It roared turning its flames back to full
intensity.

The Emberdread was just too strong. He was running out of tricks, and with
all the flame surrounding the creature his Dark Magic spells weren’t of
much use. But maybe he was, wrong because a cloud of darkness emerged
from the tunnel and then clung firmly on the head of the Emberdread,
blinding it. The fireballs flew in random directions trying to disperse the
darkness, but they had little effect. The monster couldn't see him coming
this was his chance.

“ExPloS…”

He wasn’t going to let it finish invoking the spell. “Take that!” He thrusted
the spear with all his might skewering the creature.

“Bah!” the spell was broken. The Emberdread flailed with its hand trying to
get him. Then that didn’t work it tried moving away to dislodge the red
glowing spear, after all, its body was semi-liquid.

“No. You. Don’t.” The spider warriors pushed the vague shape with their
shields trying to contain it in one place and keep the spear in its body.

“Sorry.” The cloud of darkness chirped and flew away from the
Emberdread’s head and back into the dark tunnels; the passive flames most
likely had hurt it badly.

The spearmen ran bravely towards the Emberdread encircling it with their
shields.

“Good, we have it trapped.”

The Emberdread having its sight back glared murder with hot fiery eyes.
“ImmoLate.” It uttered a spell in a load pained voice.

The whirlpool of fire exploded from the creature. However, an interesting

thing happened, it was likely because of the Absorb Fire and Deflect Fire
perks, but the scorching flame just bounced off the Drow and was
concentrated in a single spot instead. A huge column of concentrated fire
magic shot up from the shielding cage slamming on the high ceiling. It was
so hot it melted the rock above making it drip with lava.

[Fighting +25000exp] He was greeted with a message. The fire died down,
and in Its place was just a red glowing tip of his spear, he was very happy it
didn’t melt. The other equipment wasn’t so lucky, even with Reinforced +3
enchantment the shields were ruined, some were so hot they dripped liquid
metal on the ground.

The Drow dropped the scalding shield on the ground, his fingers had visible
blisters and burn marks. “I’ve leveled my Spearmanship to level 2.” He
boasted to another Drow happily

“Me too!” It seems that everyone gained good exp from this.

Despite the injuries sustained everyone had a jovial mood.

“I reckon we should go back before another like this one shows up.” He
urged.

A glint of fear flashed in everyone's eyes.

“King.” One of the spiders was pointing to the ground.

He’d almost missed it. There was a fist-sized cube lodged in the scorched
ground where Emberdread died. He pried it off the ground with his spear
and put it in the inventory, [Fire Essence].

“It dropped Fire Essence.”

The Drow simply nodded seemingly unsurprised.

“Congratulations.” A spider chirped.

With that, they urged back into dark tunnels, there was a glimmer of light
likely coming from the Glowing Spider. Indeed, the guys there. The
Kobold leader was happily eating off Mushroom Spider, it was likely he
had already forgotten all about the Emberdread.
Or maybe not. “Hello!” The Kobold greeted with a smile. “I knew you can
do it! Yes, Yes!”

“How is the Darkness Spider?”

“Hurt, but Okay.” He pointed into the darkness further in the tunnel.

“[Heal].” The Glowing Spider basked a Drow in white light.

“My wounds!” He looked at his hands. “They're gone.”

“Hey, I didn’t know you can heal.” The Glowing Spider was even more
useful than he thought.

“Now. I Can. [Heal]” It healed another Drow and then another. The light of
the spider dimmed. “Out. Of. Mana.” It informed the rest to their
disappointment.

“Here.” He offered PurpleM fruits knowing that they helped with mana
recovery. “We should start figuring out how to make mana potions out of
this. I’ll ask the humans for the equipment and instructions.” He said more
to himself than others.

On their way back, they again were attacked by moles and centipedes. They
knew how to deal with them so it was no challenge at all. He couldn't put an
entire monster carcass in his Magic Inventory so instead he employed
Stone Spider and Crystal Spider to carry them. The High Chief will be able
to host a feast will all the meat they’ve gathered.

“You did it, and so many?” The High Chief was genuinely surprised.

“I reckon, we split it half and half?” He offered.

“This is too generous but I… I can’t say no.” The Drow bowed in thanks.

“You wanted to make a smeltery out of these, can you show me how’s it
done?”
“The thing is I don’t know how. I only know that it should work in theory.
The Elves never had such things, or even want to…” He had a distant and
solemn look in his eyes.

“I reckon we can figure it out.”

The two headed to the designated spot by the wall and began brainstorming.
The High Chief already had the Fire Clay needed for the construction.
They had to make the clay into bricks. He shaped the bricks and Reinforced
them and, then they cooked it on magical fire provided by the Fire Spirit
Stones. With the bricks done they began shaping the forge itself. He was
working with a rough image he had in his memory.

“We will need holes to funnel air.” He informed the Drow.

“Air, why air?”

“It will make the fire burn hotter.”

“That’s new for me. So you are thinking of introducing Air Magic to the
mix?”

“No, well yes. We need bellows.”

The two began working on the design. He used Enchanted Leather, Red
Cloth, Iron Oak and remaining pieces of Metal Spider Scales to make
them.

[You have crafted a Forge Bellows of superior quality. Crafting

+1000exp.]

[Forge Bellows: Reinforced +3. Fire Resistance, +10% smelting speed]

The forge was big, but the bellows were equally so; it will probably take
four men to operate them.

“Amazing contraption. Did you… steal it from the Dwarves?”

“What? No, that’s my unique design.” This wasn’t entirely true, but not a lie
either. “I’m sure humans have something similar.”

The High Chief shrugged. “I might have a ritual to enchant this with Air
Magic, but I can’t promise anything.”

“Really? Let’s do it!”

The High Chief gathered a bunch of drow with Air Affinity, drew an
unnecessarily complicated circle around the bellows, and scattered some
powdered dust of multiple colours in random places. Some cave plants and
rocks were placed in spots marked with a ꙰; the little rocks were carved
into shapes of various animals. The ritual took longer to set up than to make
the bellows, but it was interesting to observe.

“King, step aside. Your mana might interfere.” The High Chief was about to
start the ritual.

The Drow poured their mana lighting up the circle. The circle lines glowed
yellow, the dust caught fire and the stone figurines literally melted into
puddles of liquid rock. Yellow motes of light concentrated in and around the
circle. Meanwhile, the Drow were chanting. “We gather the spirits of Air,
follow our voice, take our offering, do as we ask…” The chant was also
wordy and long.

The motes began to swirl around the circle moving towards the bellows in a
circling pattern. The bellows absorbed the motes, glowing more and more.

“… bestow this item with your Blessing. [Air Enchantment]” The Drow
finished chanting.

Everyone released a strained sigh, they looked positively drained.

“Amazing! You can go for the Mana Spring and recharge.” The High Chief
told the others. “King, we were successful.”

“Yes, but what does it do?”

“[Inspect]” He touched the bellows. “+50% smelting speed. If we had Air
Spirit Stones, It is possible that we could bestow some additional magical
effect or the other.”

“Interesting. Let's finish this up.”

They attached the bellows to the forge. Then they filled the special
compartment on the bottom with Fire Spirit Stones. And the other
compartment with metal ores.

“How do we turn it on?” He had to ask.

The High Chief touched a stone pedestal with both hands; it had elven
carvings on it. “It needs mana. Like this.” He began pouring the mana in.
The spirit stone lit up with Magical Flame.

“I see. Please move the bellows.” He instructed the four drow men.

The bellows moved, and the fire burned brighter giving more heat.

“How interesting, I never thought a mundane air could boost Magical Fire.”

“Now imagine what Magical Air could do…” He was only speculating of
course.

“You’re right, the two elements often complement each other.”

“Any idea where we could get Air Spirit Stones?”

“Unfortunately, no. But an Air Mage should be able to achieve similar

results.”

He looked expectantly at the chief.

“While most of us Drow are gifted, the gifts are only minor. We don’t have
proper casters, people who can concentrate magic in their hands – Magi.”

He somehow doubted the drow’s words, if they had the magical blood, they
had the potential to become full-fledged mages then.
“Would Magical Essence help?”

“That… It would. But those things are treasures.”

“I happened to have Fire Essence.”

“Then it could make a Fire Magus.” The High Chief looked directly into his
eyes. “Or a powerful artifact. But we have spirit stones already, there is no
need for Fire magus here if that’s what you implied. So keep it, King.
However, if you happen to stumble upon nature or air essences, I won’t be
able to refuse such a gift.”

“Huh, you have your preferences.”

“We’re just most skilled in those. Nature first and Air second. But, with the
way we now I recon it might change. Darkness and Earth seem to be most
useful. Thinking on it, I take back my words, I’ll gladly take Earth or
Darkness Essence if you have any spares, Ha-ha.” The High Chief laughed
fully aware of how ridiculous he sounded. “Not that it gonna happen. Those
things are notoriously hard to obtain.”

The ores finished melting, and bright orange liquid filled the ingot slots.

“We should quench it.” He knew this wasn’t steel but he wanted to try
anyway.

He dropped glowing ingots into a bath of Mana Spring Water. The water
bubbled steaming up and the ingots cooled rapidly.

He collected the smelted metal into the inventory.

[Corrundum Ingot] x9, but there was another [Enchanted Corundum

Ingot] x1. How was one better than the other it was still unknown.

“We’ve gotten an enchanted ingot? Any idea why?”

“I’m no Dwarf, I wouldn’t know. I guess it has something to do with your

contraption and the water?”
“Hmm.. maybe.”

They kept smelting and roughly 5% of ingots came enchanted. He’d gotten
lucky the first time.

Soon High Chief ran out of mana and was replaced by another Drow. The
smelting process just began, but they were already making good progress.
With that Drow will be able to move from stone and fungiwood materials to
metal, which was a great leap for their civilisation, or so he thought. The
High Chief was so impressed with the forge that he agreed to send the metal
ingots to him. The actual deal was, that he traded the fruits to Kobolds, the
Kobolds mined him ores then he gave the ores to the Drow and then all of
them shared the metal ingots – A nice chain of production.

With the stones acquired and the smeltery done, he wanted to visit the
Kobolds. He hadn't seen their camp for a while, and he wondered if there
was a way to help them dig more ores.

He went to look for the Kobold leader, and he found the guy casually
swimming in the Mana Spring. Nothing out of the ordinary, except that it
was full of Drow females bathing.

“Eek!”, “Ahh!”, “No.” Some females reacted and tried to hide their nudity,
but not everyone did so. Some puffed their chest to display their assets
proudly. “Does, the King want to join us?” One of them offered.

He didn’t know if he should keep looking or avert his gaze. “Sorry for
ambushing you.” He apologised to the shy Drow. “And… Unfortunately,
no. I am here for the Kobold Leader.”

“Yes-Yes?” He was paddling all around the pool and in between the Drow,
splashing them while doing so.

“You see, we will be needing more ores. And I would love to see how’s
your camp doing.”

“Oh? Is it time to go?” The kobold seemed somewhat reluctant, but, “Let’s
go.”
 47

He was barely able to recognise the Kobold Camp. To begin with, it was at
least five times bigger now, and the buildings too were now different.
Instead of dirt, rough stones and sticks, they used shaped bricks and panes
to make square stone houses; some of them even had multiple floors;
everything was overwhelmingly rectangular. The camp was surrounded by a
ditch and then a thick but short wall. Outside the wall, farm plots were
growing various mushrooms, but obviously they didn’t have enough to
support the camp this big.

“This is impressive.” He praised the Kobolds.

“Yes-Yes, spiders helped to build. Come, let’s meet my wife.”

He didn’t know Kobold Leader was married. He followed the kobold deep
into the camp, to the very centre of it. There was a large building, by the
Kobold Standards it was equal to a mansion. Disappointingly so, the doors
and spaces inside were still kobold sized, so he had no chance to see the
inside.

“I’m back.” The kobold announced.

Out of the door's narrow gap, twelve little kobolds emerged pushing each
other to be the first to hug their dad. The sight was heartwarming, or it
would be so if not for what must have been the wife standing there with a
sour look on her face. She approached the Kobold Leader with a wooden
ladle in her hand.

“No-No.” She bonked the husband right on the head. “Been, missing for
weeks! What were you up to.”
“Did very important things! Look, I brought you this.” The kobold handed a
Fire Spirit Stone. “Now we can use fire like dragons.”

He wondered if the kobolds even have enough mana to turn the stone on,
but the stone glowed and the fire began to dance in the kobold's wife’s
hand. She didn’t seem to be hurt or burned by it.

Her grouchiness disappeared that instant. “Yes-Yes.” She kissed him on the
snout.

“Later.” The kobold brushed the wife and the kids away. “Meet the Spider
King!” The Kobold Leader pointed proudly with both of his hands.

“Eh?! But he’s not a spider.” The wife must have expected someone
different. “And ugly!” She frowned at the human face.

“Hello.” He waved to the wife and the shy kids. “Despite how I look, I am
the Spider King.”

“Yes-Yes.” The kobold snatched the ladle and bonked the wife on her head.
“Be polite to the King.”

“It’s Okay Kobold Leader, she didn’t know.”

“I’m sorry. I’m from a different tribe.” The wife apologised anyway.

“Yes, two tribes joined to grow even bigger. Plenty of food around.” The
Kobold nodded sagely.

“I guess that’s a good thing. I can always trade you more food. Actually, I
am here to see if I can get even more ores somehow; the Drow will need it.
Can you show me your mine?”

“Come.” The straight-to-business Kobold Leader motioned to follow.

“Don’t be late for dinner!” The wife threatened waving the ladle.

Just outside the Kobold Camp, there was a labyrinth of tunnels. Some were
narrow fitting only a single kobold but others were big enough to fit even
the Warrior Leader. They were walking down the biggest tunnel. He could
see two kobolds pulling on a sack filled with ores; it looked heavy. Later,
they took a branch in a wide tunnel and reached a dead end. There multiple
kobolds were scratching at the wall with their claws pulling one boulder
after the other straight out of the wall. It didn’t look like mining at all, it
was almost magical.

“What is this technique.”

“Stone Shape.”

“Oh?”

“We use it to make bricks and pots too.”

The perk seemed quite effective at mining out the tunnels. “I was thinking
of forging you some pickaxes, but do you even need those with that perk?”

The Kobold Leader shrugged.

“Regardless, I will tell my spiders to give you a hand. They will carry the
ores and loose boulders for you making the job quicker.”

“Stone Spider and Glowing Spider too?”

“If you want them, yes.”

“Good! Spider friends are very useful. Stone Spider knows how to Stone
Shape too and Darkness Spider can get the trapped kobolds out of the cave
ins.” The kobold nodded pleased.

“Speaking about the Stone Shape. I might need to commission Stone

Bricks from you.”

“Good! More food for us. How many?”

“Tens and tens of thousands.” He wasn’t joking.

“That sounds a lot.” The kobold seemed thoughtful.

“Can you do it?”

“We can do it, Yes-Yes, we have piles of spare stones.”

“Well, then I will buy them from you at a reasonable price.”

“We’ll start making them today.” The kobolds still seemed thoughtful.

“What's on your mind? Is there a problem I can help with?”

“No!” The kobold shouted out, but then calmed down in a second. “I need
more kobolds. More! But the wife can give only so much. Will need to find
another tribe and ask them to join.”

It seemed troublesome. “Sorry, If I am overworking you. Just do what you

can.”

The thoughtfulness didn’t leave the Kobolds Leader’s face.

“And if anything, just ask my spiders.”

They were back by the time for dinner. By the looks of it, he was expected
to attend, because there was clearly a table set up just for him. It was stone
made and laden with the local kobold cuisine: dishes made out of
TomGrape, mushrooms and mystery meat.

Just before he sat down the kobold's wife approached him with a large
pouch. “Tribute for the King.”

He opened the sack, and of course, it was filled with precious gems. “Thank
you, but you know you don’t have to pay me tributes.”

“No-No, we do! You disappeared the Lamia.” She poured some soup into
his bowl using the ladle.

“That’s not quite true. They’re just living on my farm at the moment.”

“As Slaves! Suits them well.”

These Kobolds needed to get outside the caves more often…

“I told the Kobold Leader that I and Lamia are allies, and they won’t bother
you anymore. What have you been telling to your wife?”

The Kobold Leader looked away unwilling to meet the gaze.

“Anyway, I will take this gift. But really you don’t need to pay tributes, we
can just trade.”

“Nonsense! Tribute is the Kobold way.”

“Yes-Yes, as the King might say – it’s our culture.”

There was no need to argue, he put the gems inside the inventory. And then
he tried that Kobold soup.

“This is amazing. What did you put in it? Wait… I would rather not know.”
He finished the delicious bowl.

On his way back he took a lot of stone pots and jugs, all made by kobolds.
With such containers, he will be able to store TomGrape juice and have
proper dishes for other drinks. There was still one thing to do here, and that
was to plant the Living Wood Seed. He did that just outside the caves, right
by the entrance. The reason was that, as the Drow had said, the seed needed
sunlight, but also he expected its roots to reach the mana spring. He had
high hopes for this plant.

With that done he mounted the Spider Leader, his stead dashed quickly
taking him back to the farm in no time at all. There he was greeted by the
usual bunch, but also by the Lamia Queen. She was wearing her best dress
and had a wide toothy smile.

“The King has returned! SSS.” She announced to everyone the obvious.
“There is a feast for you-sss.” She pointed at the throne room. Multiple
lamias bordered the path from the right and left, leaving no space for
escape.
It was unusual for her to greet him like so, and even more unusual to hold a
feast. The last time he remembered was when he slayed The Worm.

“What is this about?” He asked curiously.

“I just missed you, that’s-sss all. Please come.” She urged.

Inside the throne room, there was a very long table; It was decorated with
blue cloth and on it was the usual festive food: the usual fruits, the forest
bounty and cooked boar meat.

“What are we celebrating?”

“Your return.” The lamia hissed putting the cute face on.

He sat down, feeling slightly out of place. Yes, he obtained spirit stones and
build an amazing smeltery but was this worth celebrating?

“Here, have a drink.” She filled his cup with juice.

Normally it would be a servant left for such a task, but for some reason the
Lamia Queen was tending to him today, which was completely out of her
character.

“Okay, what did you do?”

“Nothing. SSS! I didn’t even sss-sit on your throne this time.” She hissed
while pretending to be offended by the question. “Ask your advisor.” She
gave the spider a meaningful look.

Trusty Advisor swallowed a chunk of the fruit he was enjoying promptly

and then spoke without waiting for him to inquire. “The Lamia Queen. Was
very good.”

He looked at the advisor but that was all he had to say apparently.

“Sss-see. I was good.” The lamia bobbed her head.

“Amm, Thanks?” He wasn’t sure where this was going so he looked at
friendly lamia sitting all the way back at the far end of the table; she just
gave him an apologetic look. “You want something don’t you?” He asked
the Lamia Queen.

“What? No-sss. More juice?” She asked.

His cup was perfectly full so… “No.”

“A back rub maybe?”

The question threw him off. “What? Are you going to offer a bath next?”
He asked jokingly.

“How did you sss… Do you want one?”

He looked at Queen Lamia suspiciously, she was definitely up for

something. “No. I’ll pass.”

“SSS!” She just hissed. “Say… isn’t it a good time to bring the jelly out? To
celebrate.”

He didn’t see a problem with that. “I guess we…”

“Then let me get it!” She slithered too quickly and knocked his chair with
her tail.

“Aha! That’s what you after.” He remembered banning her from the slug
jelly cupboard.

The lamia froze in her tracks. “No-sss.”

He stood up setting the chair straight. “Look in my eyes and tell me that
again.”

She turned around but her red eyes were still pointing at the floor.

“So?” He encouraged.
She looked at his eyes. “No-sss…”

She was lying. “I thought so. So all of this was just to…” He looked at the
not-so-trusty advisor. “And everyone went along with this?”

“She was very convincing.” Was his excuse. The lamias and spiders nodded
in agreement.

“I can’t believe this! No slug jelly for everyone for a whole week.”

“Nooo!!!” The Lamia Queen fell to the ground. “SSS! I was good!” Her
despair lasted only a moment. She slithered back to him and grasped him by
the shoulders. “I’ll do anything!” She shook him. “Anything!” Fat tears
pulled at the corners of her eyes.

“No is no.” He was adamant.

The tears dried like they weren’t there to begin with. “I’ll get it myself!
SSS!” She slithered angrily towards the pantry.

“Stop her.” The trusty advisor commanded and the spiders arrested the
lamia.

“No! Let me go!”

This was quite a scene. He worried that other lamias might jump to save
their Queen, but after looking around it didn’t seem to be the case. The
Queen was punching at the spiders and flailing her tail, but the lamias
seemed if anything embarrassed about their Queen.

“Just put her in her room until her head clears.” He instructed. “So… she is
addicted.” It was worrying.

“I’m not addicted!” He heard her shouting just before she was dragged out
of the throne room.

“King, there is one more thing. A good thing.” The trusty adviser chirped in
a lighter tone.
A small spider brought a parcel right to his seat. Judging from the symbol
marking the wrapping he knew from where it was.

“So it’s finally here.” He looked at the contents, pulling them one by one on
the table.

Others looked at him do it with equally keen interest and curiosity.

“So this must be a communication orb?” He looked surprised at the round

crystal ball. “But there are no instructions. Unless…” he pulled out a scroll.
It had a weird diagram on it and something he couldn’t read. He tried
putting some mana into the orb but nothing happened, so he poured some
into the scroll.

Which might have been a mistake. The scroll caught fire and turned to ash.
Or maybe not. [Coordinates set.] From the ash, a small firebird poked its
head and then fluttered its fiery wings to escape through the nearby
window.

“Oh, I see.” The humans will know where to send their messenger birds
now. “Now then.” He pulled a green stone out. “Nature Spirit Stone. What
else is in there?” He took the rest out. “A miniature box?” He opened it and
cool air flew from it. “Oh, it’s a fridge. But it’s very small. And this is?” He
took out what appeared to be alchemical tools, vials and even a burner. “Oh,
it produces flame on its own.” There was also some fine paper, a decorated
quill and what he now recognised as a magical ink; the ink Drow made
appeared to be denser and of much higher quality. “Hmm, I guess I asked
for magical tools…” And he had gotten some samples.

“King. King.” The advisor was trying to get his attention.

The orb was buzzing in low hum and glowing in dim light.

“Huh? What do I do?” He put his hand on the orb and felt his mana to take
a small dip.

“Sorcerer?” The questioning voice boomed filling the throne room, it was
way too loud.
“Yes? Yes, I am listening.”

“I hear you found the orb successfully.”

“I didn’t think it would come with the first delivery.” He remembered them
only mentioning it in the message.

“The foolish King was too quick to part with it. He’s a perfect puppet.” The
human behind the voice boasted.

“Ah, yes. But, who am I talking with?”

“Give me a second.” The orb glowed brightly and from the light an image
formed. There was a shape of an elderly bearded man, he was standing by a
pedestal surrounded by nothing but dark stone walls, some dim candles and
a banner of Black Hand hanging behind his back. “Sorcerer, it is I,
Vumbeldor.”

“Oh! A visual projection. How do I do it?”

“Just pour some more mana in it. Just not too much.”

He did as asked. “Can you see me?”

“Oh! Sorcerer… Was I interrupting something?”

“Ah…” He realised that unlike the human he was surrounded by spiders

and lamias, all gazing at the orb with wonder. “These are some of my
friends and allies, please don’t mind them.”

“Lamia… I see. Then shall we discuss the important matters?”

“The trade, yes. By the way, do you have any interest in these?” He showed
a red stone.

“Oh!” The Vumbeldor’s eyes lit up. “Those are even better than Nature
Spirit Stones!”
 48 Necromancy With Extra Steps

The chat with Vumbeldor was a pleasant one. The mage was more than
willing to exchange the Fire Spirit Stones for Nature Spirit Stones, which
was good since he didn’t know how to get the nature ones. They’d also
confirmed the items and the prices they will be trading at. The mages were
interested in Mana Potions, obviously, so he wanted to start making them,
but for that he needed an industrial vat, condensator and evaporator. That
magical equipment he will be buying from the humans, at least until he
learns to make something similar. He’d also asked for a tome describing
Dark Magic; with some reluctance Vumbeldor promised to send it.

While he was waiting for the necessary equipment to arrive, a lot of things
happened.

The Drow delivered a shipment of Corrundum Ingots and Magical Ink,

but that was only expected. The unexpected was the letter the High Chief
had sent; it was written in flawless Spider Chirp:

=====

Hello King of Spiders, ruler of The Dreaded Place and Slayer of The
Great Worm of Oberon, ally of The Ancestral Tree, and friend to the
Drow, Kobolds and Lamia.

I write to inform you that the Darkness Spiders proved to be instrumental in

crafting the scrolls you required. To no one's surprise, the spider has
darkness affinity and the necessary mana capacity to replicate [Magic
Scroll: Darkness]. We experimented further and with my guidance, we
improved the spell formula to produce Magic Scroll: Darkness Cloud.
Naturally, we were also able to make [Magic Scroll: Elemental Arrow:
Darkness]; Which, as you must already know, is the first stepping stone in
making offensive Magic Scrolls. I’ve used the scrolls produced by the
spider to derive the magic formula for the other types of Elemental Arrow.
It’s still a work in progress but the local talent managed to produce a few
scrolls of varying quality; roughly half of them just fail upon invoking the
spell.

I’ve included the samples with this letter.

On another note, Dark Agave proved to be a very peculiar plant. It hates

light, and will quickly wither upon exposure so we removed all the glow
moss and mushrooms from its cave (After an unfortunate incident the
Glowing Spider was banned from the Grow Cave). Once we did that, it
began to spread naturally. There were reports by others, especially children,
of feeling Dread and Fear upon entering the cave; not quite a debuff yet but
almost. Your spiders do not seem to be affected by it. However, despite its
spiky appearance and the dread aura, it is a very delicate plant needing a lot
of care. I gave myself the liberty to harvest one of its leaves and investigate
its properties. The juice is imbued with hints of Dark affinity and if
concentrated would make an interesting ingredient. The fibre strands are
also interesting, they are fine and extremely light. In the future, we should
be able to use it to craft scrolls which could support higher tiers of Dark
Magic.

Currently, I’m planning another expedition to Fire Caverns. I know we can

handle it on our own now. Thank you for giving us the confidence to do so.
If you don’t mind could you send us more FireWalker suits? We’ll need
them, and of course, we will send you your share of the spoils.

All other matters are progressing as planned.

End of the report,

Drow High Chief.

=====

This was a lengthy letter, and as promised it came with the Magic Scrolls
attached. He took the one he was most interested in: it wasn't just familiar
letters spelling “Elemental Arrow” and “Darkness”, it had what looked like
a complicated schematic with loops and circles, thin and thick lines
interconnecting and some other strange shapes. To use it he knew what he
needed to to do.

“Elemental Arrow: Darkness.” The scroll burst into blue flame vanishing
from his hand, in its place was a tiny orb of swirling blackness. It appeared
a few inches away from his hand and moved as if attached by an invisible
string. He moved his hand and the orb moved too, meaning that he could
aim it.

The spell would likely disperse if he didn’t fire it, so he aimed it at the
unlucky plant and fired. The orb stretched becoming an arrow and launched
towards the plant. Upon contact, the arrow disintegrated into sparks of
black light and the plant simply wilted.

“Interesting.” He tried another scroll. “Darkness Cloud.” This one he was

able to aim too, and the target was another unlucky plant. The plant was
surrounded by an opaque cloud, it held there for about a minute and then
simply dispersed leaving the plant unharmed. “It’s just like a smoke screen.
Simple, but I can already guess a few good uses.”

Then he tried the more exotic scrolls: Elemental Arrow: Air and
Elemental Arrow: Nature. As the High Chief said, it didn’t work all the
time so he had to use multiple scrolls to produce a spell. The arrows had
their distinctive colours and effects. The Air Arrow flew quicker, further,
and judging from the hole in the tree it possessed piercing properties, and
The Nature Arrow possessed homing ability.

He knew that these arrows probably were the very basics of the spells a
mage could cast, but regardless of it, he was glad to finally be able to cast
something else than his normal Darkness Buffs.

The Drow wasn’t the only one to send a message. A messenger spider came
to inform him that The Ancestral Tree was performing a ritual; something
he asked to see some time ago. With the quick application of Shadow Walk
he was at the place The Ancestral Tree told him about. At first sight, the
place didn’t seem special, just another part of the forest, however, he was
quick to notice the wooden statues seemingly growing out of the ground.
The statues were humanoid in shape and were still growing with green
leaves sprouting here and there.

The wisp was buzzing around the statues casting [Grow] on them.

“Hey.” He waved. “Are you growing more dryads?”

The wisp hovered towards him. “Dryads? No, they are born naturally from
the trees. These are Sprigans.”

“Yeah? But they look exactly like a dryad would.”

The wisp expanded. “They are not! Sprigans are made not born.” It shrunk
to a normal size further explaining. “Dryads serve the Forest Spirit and the
Sprigans will serve me.”

This sounded like an important distinction. “Growing a personal army

then?” he asked half-jokingly.

“Yes! That is correct.” The wisp pulsed excitedly.

“You’re growing scarier by the day…” As far as he could see the place was
filled with unmoving Sprigans. “How many are there?”

“Nature always grows, adapts and overcomes. There is about a thousand.”

The wisp expanded in pride.

He whistled at the number. “And what are your plans for this army?”

“They will protect me. Do my bidding. Just like I serve The Forest Spirit,
they will serve me.” The wisp explained.

“Hmm… your bidding. Like take out the humans if they attack?”

“Exactly, but there are others who would seek us harm.”

He looked at the wisp meaning to ask who.

“Elves.” The wisp answered unasked. “Other elves from other forests. They
are envious of this forest. Of the power I have obtained.”

Or they were scared of what was happening here…

“I don’t think anyone will attack you as long as you have my spiders here.”

“That is to be seen. Now King of Spiders, observe and learn.” The wisp
flew to the middle of the Sprigans. “My friends, gather," it commanded.
Squirrels jumped from the trees and other hiding places gathering right
below the wisp. He had never seen so many squirrels gathered in one place,
it was almost scary, but also very cute; they all were very fluffy.

“Friends help me in my quest to defend this forest. Join me and my will,

[Claim].” The wisp spoke in a loud commanding voice, and the trees shook
with each word. Motes of green light exploded from the wisp showering the
rodents. And then something scary happened, all of the squirrels collapsed
like puppets with their strings cut. Orbs of light flew out of their motionless
bodies and then towards the wisp. The souls swirled around the wisp
making a whirlpool of rainbow-coloured light “I made you new bodies:
bigger, stronger, better. Go, go, go and have a pick. [Spirit Seed].” It
commanded and the souls obeyed merging with the statues.

The statues began to pull their feet out of the ground and started ripping the
roots off of themselves. Their eyes opened giving a glowing green glow.
The Sprigans turned around to inspect themselves and one another. They
touched their wooden bodies, they flailed their hands happily and moved
their legs to dance. The Sprigans seemed happy about the change.

The wisp flew back towards the King. “It worked.” It sounded happy.

“Was there a chance it… Never mind. Congratulations!”

The wisp buzzed a command to the Sprigans and they began to disperse.

“Did you manage to learn anything?” The wisp asked.

“Ha, no.” He laughed it off. “I don’t think I would ever be able to pull
something like this. I didn’t understand half of it.”

“Do not sell yourself short. I think you have the skills necessary. The ritual,
however, might need to be different.”

“Really. What would I need?”

“A body and a willing soul. Of course, you start with one and not a
thousand.”

“It’s not like I can harvest souls and command them.”

The wisp pulsed as if confused. “Dark Mages have ways for that. Don’t you
have a Devouring Spear?”

“Wait… yeah I do. You reckon I could store and release souls using my
spear?”

The wisp pulsed again. “Why else did you craft it.”

“Hmm… but even then, Dark Magic eh? Displacing souls; wouldn’t it end
up looking like necromancy? Isn’t it something evil to do?”

“Nature Magic, Dark Magic neither are good nor evil, those are only tools;
both can reanimate a corpse. What is wrong with using something that was
discarded, giving a soul a new chance? Another demonstration perhaps?
Just place the spear in the ground.”

He did as asked, the wisp flew towards the weapon and circled it a couple
of times.

“Ah, not one of mine, a centipede, good.” It stopped to hover right above
the tip. “It wants another chance at life. Let’s grant its wish. [Claim]” The
spear glowed in red and then dispensed a red shiny orb of light. “Now for a
new body. This is just a demonstration and this one doesn’t seem to be too
bothered so this will do.” Vines emerged from the ground digging
something out from the depths. It was a skeleton of a deer. “Let’s fix this up
a bit. [Living Vines]” Green vines replaced the missing muscles and
tendons giving the ‘deer’ a fuller shape. “And now [Spirit Seed]”. The red
orb flowed towards the vine deer to inhabit the soulless construct. A spark
of red light appeared in once-empty eye sockets, the vine deer stood up and
darted deeper into the forest. “See, it’s quite simple.” Nothing about this
looked simple.

“Can you control the deer?” He asked curiously.

“No. It has free will.” The wisp pulsed. “It was just a demonstration.”

It seemed dangerous to let the vine deer off like that, after all, it was a
merciless killer then it was a centipede, but he assumed the wisp knew what
it was doing.

“And the Sprigans?” He asked curious.

“I can command them. For command, you need to make elaborate bodies.
And in all Nature soul rituals, the soul needs to be willing.” The wisp
stressed. “Dark rituals might have different limitations.” It added a side
remark.

“I see. But I don’t have Claim or Spirit Seed.”

“Dark Magic must have the equivalent options. We don’t know the details
but you should be able to figure it out; the technique must be very similar.”

“I guess I’ll have to practise?”

“Yes!” The wisp expanded. “Practise and repetition is the mother of

learning.” It shrunk back. “Now then I must go, the forest needs me.”

“Wait, just a sec.” He pulled a green stone out of the inventory. “Do you
know where I could get more of these?”

“If you killed my Sprigan they would drop something similar. Please don’t
do it.”

“Can’t you make them?”

The wisp flew closer to the stone. “Yes, this one was made. At a terrible
cost. I sense a tree spirit trapped in it. I’ll never make things like that. May
I?” It didn’t wait for a reply and simply destroyed the stone with a blast of
mana.

It was funny how the wisp practised the equivalent of necromancy but
making spirit stones was a big no-no. And now, he had no samples of said
stone. “I kind of needed it.”

“It was a foul thing, made by humans!” The wisp buzzed angrily. “But if
you need Nature attribute I can give you some of my sap. Crystalise it and it
will be just as good as Nature Spirit Stone, no need to trap souls.”

“Wow, really? You won’t mind?”

“I’m a big tree, a drop or two won’t matter much. Please visit my trunk on
your way back. Now I must go, Sprigans need our guidance.” The wisp
flew into the distance.

He grabbed his spear. “Do I really want to meddle with the souls?” The
question was still on his mind.
 49

The items from Vumbeldor had arrived, which also meant that he got his
hands on the Dark Tome. The book was made of thin vellum, it was bound
in gold string and had a symbol of the black hand on the front cover. And by
no means was it an easy book to read. It contained various diagrams and
other magical formulas, plus it was full of technical language.

He went through the introduction which detailed the existence of elemental

magic of Fire, Air, Ear, and Water, then it touched on more exotic variants
of Nature, Ice, and Lightning. The Light and Dark magic was rare and
something like Chaos, Time and Space was in the realm of legends only.
Obviously, this book focused mostly on Dark Magic and the aspects of it.

Also, the book mentioned that mages are born with one or the other affinity,
meaning that they have been locked from certain paths at birth, that is why
Magic Essence was so precious. Mages were also born with a set capacity
of mana, some had more while others less, the regeneration also differed
from man to man. But there were ways to expand the mana stores: a magus
could put himself in life-threatening situations and defeat monsters or
hardened foes, he could also consume various alchemical solutions, or
undergo some obscure and secretive ritual reserved for the select few only.

As a side note, he still had Fire Essence, but that would not allow him to
become a Fire Mage; he had locked himself to Dark Affinity. Well, there
was a ritual for such cases, but he would lose all his Dark spells and
Magic+ progress.

The tome described how to obtain various Dark spells, but there was a big
but, many of them were locked to level and as far as he knew his Magic+
was still level 1. By the way, using spells and even crafting scrolls gave him
some experience, but clearly, it wasn’t enough to level it just yet.
In the Dark Tome he found the dark equivalents of [Claim] and [Spirit
Seed], those were [Soul Steal] and [Reanimate]. His Devouring Spear
granted him Soul Steal as a temporary perk, well or at least to the spear
itself, after all the book explained that souls need a container to inhabit,
preferably a Crystal and the Blood Crystals were the best. So the spear
was indeed a legendary weapon being able to do both, take and contain.

“So if I ever want to make an abomination I just need to figure out the
[Reanimate].” He remembered the haunting image of the vine dear, it was
definitely a monster. “But I wonder if I can make something similar to
Sprigans?” But such thoughts had to be put to his tomorrow self, he wasn’t
at that level yet. He knew that he will need to read the tome again and again
until he fully grasped the magic theory detailed in it, not to mention all the
practise he will need to do.

He didn’t make himself too busy with his studies, because he had an
alchemical workshop to build. The humans had sent him the various pieces
of equipment which came in disassembled parts. He and his spiders had to
spend a good few days assembling it. He had started with a large room, but
by the time they finished, it looked quite tight and cramped, but also cosy
and welcoming. In a corner, there was a huge alchemical vat. The metal
container was there to hold the alchemical reagent he was going to process
at the industrial level, in this case, it was PurpleM juice. The juice was
boiled, and the water vapour was separated from the rest. In the end, it was
the enchanted vapour he was after and not the sludge the juice left behind.

The waste sludge was no waste at all! It was edible and tasted like sweet
berry-flavoured toffy. He and the helper spiders approved of the new treat
immediately.

The resulting purple vapour dripped into the vials, filling them up with
nothing else but [Mana Potion]. He tasted the liquid and it tasted like
nothing, there was just no taste at all, so he quaffed the vial. It gave him a
whooping +100MP and +1 Toxicity debuff. A 100MP was enough to fill his
mana from empty to full. But the nicest thing was the message:

[Congratulations! You have reached Alchemy lvl. 1]

[Perk Extract: Reagent obtained.]

Extract was very similar to Harvest Material, in the sense that both
destroyed the item in order to magic its valuable component right to his
inventory space. And obviously, the perk didn’t work on all plants, only on
the ones with alchemical properties, which happened to be his plants of
Fire Agave, PurpleM, BlueDust and surprisingly TomGrape. All four
produced powders.

Fire Agave – Fire Resistance Powder.

PurpleM – Mana Powder.

BlueDust – Sleep Powder.

TomGrape – Fertility Powder.

Interestingly, he could Harvest Material the BlueDust flowers too; which

gave him something very similar to Sleep Powder – [Blue Dust], but
apparently dust wasn’t powder and the alchemical perk refined the most
prominent feature of the plant while the crafting perk provided with
materials for crafting. However, there was some overlap between the two
perks.

Obviously, him being the one with Enhanced Poison Immunity he had to
taste the powders to see if they had any effects on his body. To say the least,
the tastes were interesting, but no, they didn’t affect his body at all so he
figured that he had to turn them into potions first. After all, the powder
naming provided by the system made sense and he already could guess
what potion he will end up with.

Dissolving the powders in Mana Spring Water produced the equivalent

potions. The Magic Inventory told him that they were only of lesser
quality. He tried drinking the potions one by one to see their effects.

Fire Resistance Potion > Fire Resistance: Lesser.

Mana Potion > +50MP.

Sleeping Potion > Debuff: Sleep.

Fertility Potion > Buff: Fertility.

And at this point, he gained another +2 Toxicity. Meaning that Enhanced

Poison Immunity was not protecting him from potion toxicity. And be it
the toxicity or the effects of Sleeping Potion he found himself tired and
struggling not to fall asleep.

He yawned. “Let’s call it a day. Goodnight!” His head dropped heavily on

the workstation, the thud spooked the nearby spider helpers.

The sleep was pleasant and his body felt light and relaxed; he felt
completely at peace. The bed and sheets were warm and enjoyable; he
didn’t feel like leaving this heaven. He hugged his body pillow stronger,
relishing in the soft comforts it provided.

“SSS!” The body pillow hissed in a sultry voice.

He remembered he didn’t have a body pillow. He opened his eyes, the white
hair could mean only one person. “Queen Lamia, what are you doing in my
bed!?”

“SSS!” She squirmed around his arms.

Indeed, he had them wrapped around her body, so he pulled them back to
his side making the lamia roll and face him.

“No… Don’t let go! It was sss-so warm.” She complained.

Needless to say, she didn’t wear clothes to bed, nor did he. He panicked for
a moment unable to remember the yesterday. “What happened?”

“You fell ill yesterday, sss-so the spiders carried you to your room.”

The memory was coming back. “But then how di we…”

“Then Lamia get ill, sss, they need warmth to help heal.” She nuzzled her
head to his chest.

He was plenty hot, he didn’t need more of that and, “I’m not a lamia!”

“Oh? I guess-sss you’re not…”

“You were watching me sleep again and then just decided to crawl in my
bed. I know it!”

“No! SSS.” She slithered closer to hug him. “You’re sss-so warm and
enticing. I want you for a pillow, sss!” Her tail began to wrap around his
body.

If he didn’t do anything he would end up trapped by this naughty predator.

“You know what you are doing now, don’t you?”

“Maybe? S-s-s.” She laughed it off. “I’ll make you submit to me and then
all the jelly will be mine. S-S-S!” She laughed again.

And here was the real motive. “I knew it! You’re evil!” He failed to react in
time and now his legs were wrapped by her tail.

“There is no escape. [Charming Gaze]!” She looked at him with red

mesmerising eyes.

He was trying to escape but his legs were feeling weaker by the second,
there was this ‘fog’ clouding his mind ever so slightly. “Help!” He shouted
helplessly. He never knew that Queen Lamia had such skills or intentions to
use them against him.

He couldn't take his eyes away from those red sparkling jewels, Queen
Lamia was inching closer to his face, but just before it could happen, he
heard the door being shattered to pieces. A friendly voice reached his ears.
“SSS! You! What do you think-sss you’re doing to the King?”

Two hands grabbed Queen Lamia by the white hair and pulled her head
away thus breaking her Charming Gaze. He felt the strength return to his
body.
“You! SSS! Let me go, I command you!” Queen Lamia flailed her hands
backwards trying to get back at her attacker.

“You’re our Queen, yes-sss, but he’s our Hero and Benefactor.” She put the
much smaller Queen into a chokehold. “I sss-shall not allow this to be done
in sss-such a dishonest way.” She began choking the Queen. “I am your sss-
sister! And I know that The Late Queen taught us better, SSS!”

“Beh!” The Queen was clawing at friendly Lamia’s hands and gasping for
air.

The tail binding his legs loosened and he managed to wrangle himself out.
However, the violence between the siblings was unsightly. “Can you please
stop fighting? I’m alright now.” They weren’t listening. “I mean it, STOP!”

The friendly lamia let her sibling go, but it was done in a very reluctant
fashion. “I’ll be watching you.” She slapped the Queen on the back of her
head. “Now, put your clothes-sss on.”

“Okay…” The Queen replied defeated.

He did that too, get quickly dressed that is. “I think I was too harsh on not
giving her any jelly.” He lamented.

The eyes of Lamia Queen shone brightly with hope, the friendly lamia was
the opposite: her eyes cold as stones.

“You are too sss-soft on our Queen. She thinks she can do whatever she
wants.” Friendly lamia hissed.

“Rebelion! A rebel!” Queen Lamia accused.

This was quite a situation, one where he was partly to blame. “Look, I will
give you Slug Jelly, but only if you’ll make up with your sister and…” he
paused, “will not assault me, or anyone again. Charm Magic is forbidden!”
He emphasised.

“Okay…” Queen Lamia nodded apologetically.

The friendly lamia slapped her again, making him raise his eyebrows, but
before he could say anything, “She’s young, sss, too young to be a proper
Queen. I apologise for her youthful indiscretions.” She bowed in apology
and pushed Queen’s head to do the same again.

“Sss-sorry.”

“It’s Okay, we all were young once, ha-ha!” he laughed fully aware that he
himself is still in that youthful category. “Now then, I’ll give you your
portion of jelly, but please stop the mischief.”

The Queen Lamia poked the serpentine tongue to lick her lips in
expectation. He pulled a small container out of the inventory and handed it
to her.

“Yes! Finally! It’s mine! S-S-S. My precious!” She rubbed her face to the
container.

“I just fear it’s too addicting, and we may be past the point of no return…”
He said what must be said.

“What? No, I eat it too, sss. It doesn't make me go this crazy.” Friendly
lamia looked judgingly at her younger sister. “There is just sss-something
wrong with my sss-sister. She’s always been different.” Then she looked
with pity. “Magic has its burden.”

That was right, the Lamia Queen not only was an albino lamia but she also
knew how to do magic; likely the reason why the Late Queen named her a
successor.

His thoughts were interrupted by the scary realisation. “Why did you eat it
all already?!” He looked at Lamia Queen’s face smeared with blue jelly and
told her coldly. “You ain’t getting another portion today.” After all, the
supply was limited.

Queen Lamia looked at the empty container and then back at him. She
stared at his eyes for a few seconds and then… “[Charming Gaze]…
Bah!”
The friendly lamia began choking the Queen again.
 50

He walked in the field of red, his hand brushing past the thick leaves of Fire
Agave. Neet rows stretched in the distance with at least a hundred of spiky
plants in a row, and a hundred rows in total. Spider farmers skittered
between the rows carefully checking the leaves and tending to the plant.

“They’re all fat and ready, let’s harvest these bad boys!”

The spiders jumped to activity nibbling at the base of the plant and cutting
the long spiky leaves. They pushed the cuttings into blue bags on their back
filled them up and then walk towards the processing facility. The large
dome was different from the rest of the buildings, instead of purple and blue
its walls were red in colour; the building was fireproofed. Inside the dome
there were spiders different from their farming buddies, the ones here were
bigger, fatter and had massive mandibles on their heads. They used their
natural gift to separate fire-resistant fibre from the rest of the flammable
pulp. The pulp was then pressed using the powerful mandible press, the
thick oil flowed down the cheeks of the spiders and collected in the drain.
Then FireAgave Oil was further filtered using a cloth mesh and collected
into a very large vat of stone all possible by the stone bricks Kobolds
provided.

From the previous experiments, he knew that the oil was quite flammable
so he already had a few crafting projects in mind. He used the tried and true
design of grenades to make an Oil Grenade, while it did what it was made
to do the uses were limited unless you wanted someone to slip. The real
value was in the ability to set it on fire so he crushed some Fire Spirit
Stones and mixed the power with the oil in low quantities making a Fire
Grenade. The grenade was a mean weapon, the oil was sticky and it burned
very slowly producing a magical flame. It would be a war crime to use
something like that on a person and he hoped he will never have to.
Obviously, the oil had other mundane uses like the fuel for fire and light. At
the moment the nights on the farm were dark, there were only a few
campfires made by the Lamia to give an occasional light source, but they
used those for heat mostly. The Corrundum Ingots the Drow made were
fairly malleable and rather easy to be shaped by a hammer. He made a small
metal cage and in the middle of it, he put a stone container filled with oil.
This was his first ever Oil Lantern but the design was not simple. The
frame was shiny orange, and the bars bent into slightly round shapes with a
flourish, the bottom and the top panes were made out of decorated stone
and the face walls were left open. The flame burning in the cage was
magical in nature so it produced no smoke, hence he put the lantern in his
study. Now he will be able to study the Dark Tome at night, it felt more
proper that way.

There was no need to stop at a single lantern. Lit streets were a sign of
prosperous civilisation and he wanted to project that image. He showed his
spiders how to make the lanterns. The little crafter spider, the one with the
hammer was ecstatic about the job; he was the one to hammer the ingots
into strips for cages. The production line was formed and spiders began to
churn out lanterns at a steady pace. The first goal was to light this budding
spider city and the next was to light the roads to the Undermountain and the
Ancient Forest. For that, he would need a lot of oil, tons of it, but the
quantity didn’t scare him, all he needed to do was to expand the Fire Agave
fields even more.

While the metal ingots were very malleable, being able to heat them up
would speed the process up very much, melting the metal to fill the cast was
another option as well; but for that he needed to make a forge. It didn’t need
to be as big and as hot as the Drow had, after all, he wouldn’t be smelting
ores. Actually, an entirely new building had to be set up. At was a
temporary wooden structure proofed with red cloth, at least until Kobolds
delivered more stone bricks. The forge like the lanterns was fueled by the
FireAgave Oil and not the fire stones, the reason was that most of his
spiders didn’t know how to channel mana or simply didn’t have it.

The forge enabled his spiders to produce the first proper metal weapons.
But it was the tools which were the most useful here. Corrundum didn’t
hold a sharp edge for long but an application of Reinforce tended to
alleviate the issue. What this meant was that he could finally defeat the Iron
Oak. Its wood was extremely hard and sturdy but with the help of spiders
and multiple changes of worn-out Corrundum tools he was able to process
the tree. The process was labour-intensive but it was worth it. Its sturdy
wood was destined for the handles of the tools and the shafts of the arrows.
And maybe some decorative furniture screaming opulence at the future
guests.

Having superior materials he produced superior products.

[Corrundum Axe] for his spiders, [Corrundum Spear] for the Drow and
Lamia, all Reinforced +2. He couldn’t break the shafts even if he wanted
to.

He also made more FireShields and FireSuits for the Fire Caverns
exploration team.

The design his spider warriors wore was also updated into Corrundum
Thorn Armour and the equivalent shield.

To satisfy his curiosity, he used the Enchanted Corrundum Ingots and by

doing so the the equipment gained Bastion temporary perk; the one his
armour had at the moment.

He also made a bunch of Torpor Arrows, it was unfortunate that he didn’t

have any Corrupted Water to make more Withering Arrows, there were
only a few sets of them left in the inventory. However, using oil and spirit
stones he was able to make Fire Arrows. The arrows were only so good if
he didn’t have bows to shoot them, and he wanted to make a rank of spider
archers. A spider shooting flaming arrows at you just seemed like
something he really wanted to have in his army. And for that, he needed
help from the Drows, he knew that with their expertise he will be able to
craft a powerful bow.

But before he went there was something important. Needless to say, he has
been crafting a lot, and his hard efforts were finally rewarded.
Congratulations! You have reached Crafting lvl. 3]

[Requirements have been met. Hidden perk unlocked.]

[Perk Enchant obtained.]

This one sounded positively magical, likely his crafting synergised with his
magical skill giving him a hidden perk. But it didn’t come with instructions.

“The Drow will wait. Time to experiment!”

Bit by bit he figured it out! He could enchant equipment with the Dark
affinity, but there were limitations. He noticed that the equipment needed to
have either the Enchanted Leather or Enchanted Ingot as one of the
ingredients.

The Enchant>Dark results were inconsistent, but not quite random; he

could tell that he just didn’t have mastery of the skill yet. The enchantments
granted one of the temporary temporary perks to the gear, some of them
were actual spells described in the Dark Tome.

For armours:

Dark Cloak – Cloaks the wielder in a coating of darkness, making them

harder to see and hit.

Dark Resistance: Lesser – dark magic resistance.

Shadow Form – the user turns into a shadow for a few seconds avoiding all
physical attacks.

Terror +1 – a fear factor +10%.

For weapons:

Blinding Strike – a chance to afflict the target with a temporary Blind.

Darkness Coat – a coating dealing elemental damage.

Shadow Bolt – a ranged attack.

Terror +1 – a fear factor +10%.

The best of all of this was that the user didn’t need to be a mage to activate
the perks; so he just found a small workaround. However, the active perks
had limited uses per day.

The Enchant perk also worked with the spirit stones. At the moment he had
only two kinds, the Fire Spirit Stones and Ancestral Tree Amber (the
eco-friendly equivalent of Nature Spirit Stone). Well, he was exchanging
Fire stones with humans for Nature stones and then turning the Nature
stones to the Wisp so that he could get two Amber stones in return; Yeah…

Fire Spirit Stone gave only one option for armours and weapons: Flame
Coat – a coating dealing elemental damage. Fire Resistance: Lesser – fire
magic resistance. Nature Spirit Stone gave the same but with a Nature
affinity. The decrease in choices was likely because he was neither a fire
mage nor a nature mage. That, or he needed to get higher in Crafting lvl. or
become a proper Enchanter without the workarounds.

Well, he ran out of the stones so the experimentation had to end. He had
two reasons now to visit the Drow.

As he was approaching the Undermountain entrance the sight of three large

souls surrounding an even larger green soul made him drop out of the
Shadow Walk. The dryads were pressing their hands on the already tall
LivingWood Sapling and doing something to it.

“Wait… Are you trying to grow it?”

The trio bobbed their heads happily. He didn’t mind, actually, this was good
news.

“Hmm… I have these.” He shoved Ancestral Tree Amber. “Is that any use
to you at all?”
The Dryad snatched the amber out of his hand and then it melted in the
Dryad’s palm. A beam of green sparkling light slammed into the sapling.

“I take that as a yes. I’ll get more the next time, keep up the good work.”

He waved the dryads goodbye, those guys were tireless workers. They had
finished planting Iron Oaks all the way to here, and soon spider Web-
Highway will be completed.

He visited the Drow and noticed a few small changes. In the middle of their
cavern, right by the Mana Spring, there was a tower being built out of
bricks. He didn’t need to guess, the High Chief made his ambitions clear:
this will be the Drow Archives and Magical Research Centre. It was only
half-built, but it was progressing nicely.

He found the drow in question, he was busy at the workshop inscribing an

Enchanted Velum with magical ink, there was a box full of already
completed scrolls next to him. Nearby, in a dark corner, the Darkness Spider
was also busy crafting the scrolls.

“Oh, don’t you get along well?”

The High Chief looked at him with surprise. “King, what brings you here?”

“I ran out of spirit stones, brought your gear and I…” He paused for
dramatic effect. “I need to craft a bow.”

“A bow?!” Of course, this was the thing the High Chief would concentrate
on the most.

He took Iron Oak Wood and the two began working on the design. With
trial and error and the application of both of their perks, they managed to
produce a magnificent bow.

[You have crafted IronOak Bow of superior quality. Crafting +100exp.]

[IronOak Bow: Reinforced +4, +10 Rep with Elves.]

[Temporary perk Piercing Strike obtained.]

“Impressive.” The High Chief rotated the bow in his hand and then tried to
draw the string. “It’s very sturdy, with enough strength it should be able to
deliver enough power to pierce a tree without even the need of Air
enchanted arrows.”

“I concur.” He too was impressed with it, the Iron Oak gave another
Reinforced +1 totalling to +4. “I bet it’s sturdy enough to be used like a
club.”

The drow gave him a curious look. “A club? Why not attach a blade to it?”

“That’s an idea.”

They shaped the Enchanted Corrundum Ingots into a wicked blade and
attached it along the bottom half of the bow. Then he used Enchant on it.

[You have crafted Bow of Darkness of masterwork quality. Crafting

+100exp.]

[Bow of Darkness: Reinforced +5, +10 Rep with Drow.]

[Temporary perk Dark Bolt obtained.], [Temporary perk Piercing Strike

obtained.]

“A Masterwork!”, “Dark Bolt?” both exclaimed at the same time.

“Amazing!”

He couldn’t agree more. They took the bow outside, they were giddy like
two boys with a new toy. The bow did need the arrows to shoot, but they
could be any arrow, and once shot they turned into projectiles imbued with
Dark affinity.

“High Chief, thanks for the expert instructions, you can keep it.”

“Really, are you sure?”

He now knew how to make it and was able to make more. “Positive. I can
always make more and I made this one for you anyway.”

“Then just leave it to us Drow.” The High Chief smiled at him.

He didn’t see a problem with that, all he needed to do was Enchant them
later. He left the gear and materials for the Drow, gathered his share of
ingots and spirit stones and headed for the exit.

“King! King?” A spidery chirp was shouting for him from behind.

“Mushroom Spider? What’s up?”

“The Myconids. They want. To see you.”

The unpleasant memory of the brown swarm devouring his plants returned
to his mind.

“The mushroom menace is back?”

“No. Not a menace. The one you planted. Come.” The spider urged.
 51

The Mushroom Spider took him to a familiar cave, it was the same one
where he first encountered the Worm and where he planted [Myconid
Matriarch Spore]. The cave has changed since then, it was full of
mushrooms in various shapes and sizes. And the myconids were definitely
back, little mushroom people were darting in between normal mushrooms.

“Are they hostile?” He asked the Mushroom Spider.

“No. Come.” The spider urged.

They went in deeper, the little myconids were peeking at him shyly from
the mushroom cover. The cave was overgrown so he did his best not to step
on anything that seemed important. At the spot where he planted the spore,
he found a familiar spider. The spider was staring at the tall and all grownup
mushroom, it was vaguely human-like with stubby arms and even a set of
eyes and a mouth, however, the human features were still underdeveloped.

“Thou must be the King of Spiders and the one who planted me. I thank
thee for that.” The mushroom bent its stalk to bow in gratitude.

He never expected the spore he planted to grow anything intelligent. It was

just a spore! But here it was speaking to him.

“Ah, a Mushroom Matriarch I presume.” He also bowed.

“Thine servant told me about thou.” The Matriarch looked directly into his
eyes. “Will you help us with our problem?”

They just met and this talking fungus was already trying to give him a
quest. “What is it?” He asked curious.
“King, thine vassals, the Drow, come to this cave, they take my children
away.” The Matriarch looked at shy myconids hiding around the fungi tree.
“What can I do to end this injustice?”

The Drow were likely putting the mushroom people into soup. And he
might or might not have tried that soup; it was a delicious soup! “I see…”
He paused to think this through.

Animals ate plants, animals ate animals, people ate animals, and some
people ate other people too – that was just how nature worked; a hierarchy
of suffering. Was he really the one to deny the Drow their food?

“Well, the Drow need to eat… But not all mushrooms are intelligent are
they?”

“No, only my dear children. But even then… I know what thy are thinking
King, they aren’t more intelligent than an animal. But with time their minds
can develop.”

He started to feel bad. He never thought that myconids were anything more
than mere monsters.

The Matriarch used the silence to press her plea “They’re very precious to
me and I would do anything to save my children. If it needs to be we’ll
serve thy, our King, in bondage forever. Please save us from the soup of
death.”

“Okay, I’ll just tell the Drow to look at what they pick. But they still need
normal mushrooms, can you like grow them or something?”

“Doth King tries to say that we ought to fill the Drow bellies with simple
fungus so that they won’t prey on my children?” The Matriarch tried to read
his expression. “That won’t be a problem, we’re experts at Fungal Magic.
But I fear they have developed the taste for other’s suffering.”

“Yeah, you see, they just need food, and mushrooms are easy to grow and
pick. This place here, this is their mushroom farm. Well, it used to be Lamia
mushroom farm but it doesn’t matter. I’ll speak with them, as long as there
is mushroom supply there won’t be a problem. But Fungal Magic, tell me
more about it.” He was curious.

He continued speaking with the myconid mother. The Fungal Magic was
just a branch of nature magic, the myconids specialised in producing spores
with various effects, growing fungal plants and turning the cave stone into
fertile soil. In other words, they were perfect farmers for cave crops. The
Myconid Matriarch was able to produce [Red Spores] and isolated spores
of that mixture like [Illusion Spores], but most importantly it could make
[Healing Spores]; all wonderful things to mix into potions or make
grenades. Unfortunately, the Matriarch could only produce so many spores
at a time, he received only a pouch of each as a sample. But with time he
was assured that the quantities will be increased.

“Your abilities are very useful, Matriarch. I’ll make sure your children are
safe and I’m interested in seeing your people grow. Is there anything you
need to prosper?”

“The spiders thy left here would sometimes bring the leaves and other plant
refuse from the outside. We need more of that to make good soil and grow
the mushrooms.”

“No problem at all, there is a whole useless jungle just outside, but I will
bring some TomGrape too. We found it to be good fertiliser.”

Hence so he will be trading with the mushroom people. Useless plant

cuttings for precious spores, plus the mushroom farms will now be
managed by them, the Drow won’t even be able to complain about it. He
told the spiders to call more friends to protect this cavern, the Drow weren’t
the only predators here.

Back at home, in the endless field of blue bell flowers and just above the
cloud of fine blue mist he was slurping out of the cup filled with Slug Jelly,
it was freshly milked straight out of the Johny, the slug who kept providing.
The slug had grown very large, an elephant large, with an equal appetite.
And so far he was the only one who could milk Johny. The Slug was
temperamental and refused to be approached by anyone else. However, it
was a good thing. His monopoly on the jelly was secure, no naughty lamia
could sneak up and steal some supplies.

But that was beside the point because Johny could speak, yes the slug was
sapient.

“Please Have More.” It capitalised every word, it’s just a way it spoke.

“No, I can’t. There are roughly ten thousand spiders on my farm; they all
deserve a share.” He swirled the liquefied jelly in his cup so that it didn't
harden. “Today ten thousand, next month…” It was time for spiders to lay
eggs and he struggled to wrap his mind around the numbers.

“You’ll Be Alright. The Farm Is Ever Expanding. Here Have Some More.”
Johny squirted some fresh jelly right into his cup.

“Thanks man. You always put me at ease.” He was very glad that he had
Evolved the seemingly useless pet slug, now he felt that he had a true
friend.

“You Can Do Magic Now, Yes?” This was just a way for Johny to ask for
him to show some magic tricks; Johny was fully aware that he was a mage
for a while.

“Yeah, look at this one.” He used a scroll to produce a red arrow and shoot
it into the air like a rocket.

Johny jiggled the fat slug body in happiness. “Again, Again.”

“Mmm, I had to use Fire Spirit Stone to make that one… Maybe
something cheaper.” He fired a green arrow and then a yellow one.

“Marvelous!” Johny looked in awe.

“If only my spiders knew how to cast spells.”

“Why Don’t You Evolve Them?”

“Well…” The more complex thing he tried to evolve the bigger the
backlash was. That’s why he limited it mostly to plants, but even then “I
might die…”

“You Can’t Die!” The slug shook its body in protest.

“Your right…” he thought on it. “If I die I’ll be resurrected.” He

remembered. “Plus, I have that blessing the strange entity gave me, Chaos
Blessed.” It was chaotic but the outcome never has been bad. “You know
what, I’m willing to give it a go.” He finished slurping the jelly and was
ready to look for a volunteer, but…

[Farming +25000exp]. This meant that the spider eggs just hatched.

[Congratulations! You now have over 10 000 spiders]

[Requirements have been met. Hidden Evolution unlocked.]

“Guh!” He choked on the jelly out of surprise. “Can humans even evolve?”

[Do you want to Evolve?] – The message asked.

“Eh? Into what?”

The messages were silent.

“Tell me. System!!!”

[Do you want to Evolve?] – It repeated.

Well, this was once in a lifetime chance, and it must be some sort of an
upgrade so... “Okay. Hit me.”

[Evolution] – The message printed into his vision and mind.

“I don’t feel any different. Do I look any different?”

Johny looked him over. “No?”

“Hmm…” And then it hit. It felt like there was a tornado in his stomach
trying to rip him apart. “Oh boy!” Everything hurt and he felt an irresistible
urge to take his clothes off. He ripped the cloth off his body like a savage
brute. “Ahh!” he roared.

His left hand, the one with black veins, the one he used to channel Dark
Magic, it began to change. His fingertips grew claw-like nails. The veins
thickened further turning purple and the skin took a shade of dark grey.
Those veins, he had them then activated the Dark Essence, at that time they
stopped by the shoulder, but now they grew all the way to his chest
reaching his heart. It felt like his heart exploded, it probably did because
there was a sound of ribs breaking. He collapsed to the ground struggling to
take even a single breath. This was the worst pain he has ever felt.

The pain lessened, and the ribs clicked again mending themselves.
However, his head began to hurt. He felt like there was a hammer hitting
him from the sides. He grasped it with his normal, non-clawed hand. He
could feel tiny horns growing from his temples. He regained the lost breath
and just screamed “Fuuuu…” but the change wasn’t over. Muscles bulged
all over his body. He felt strength leaving him again and he collapsed face-
first to the ground. blackness filled his vision.

The pain was gone, actually, he felt amazing, he felt like he could push the
mountains. He found himself resting on the squishy slug flesh, a transparent
tentacle was patting his dishevelled hair.

“You’re Awake. Want More Jelly?” Johny asked expectantly.

He didn’t care about that, he felt different from his usual self. “What am I?”
He asked philosophically.

[Congratulations! You have evolved into Monster King] – the message

screamed into his head.

“Fuuuu…!” He roared again.

It sounded awfully close to the Demon Lord his friends would mention
now and then.

“A Monster King, eh?” He checked his body again.

His left hand no longer looked human, it was clawed and more muscular
than the right, and the skin was permanently dark grey, not to mention all
the bulky purple veins. On the left side of his chest, there was a massive
scar, the purple veins flowed right towards his heart was. On the sides of his
temples, there were two dark obsidian horns, they were little, no bigger than
a thumb. The rest of him, at least on the outside, seemed to remain mostly
human.

“I do feel stronger. I feel as though I have more magic power.” He voiced

his feelings.

“Good, Your Evolution Went Well.” Johny patted his shoulder with a
tentacle.

“This is not what I signed up for, but this doesn’t feel bad at all.”

He felt like putting his ‘improved’ body to a test.

 52

The evolution came with an increase in power, well he couldn't fly or shoot
lasers out of his eyes, but he was stronger, less easily tired and had more
mana; a lot of mana.

“Are you ready?” He asked the spider.

The spider nodded with resolve.

“[Evolve], [Imbue].” He activated both of the skills at the same time. He

felt his mana take a significant dip, and most importantly, he didn’t pass out
or anything.

As for the spider, it was showered in purple sparkles which sunk into its
body. The spider absorbed them all and then began glowing by itself in
equally purple light.

“Evolving!” It chirped.

The light disappeared, and the spider didn’t look physically transformed.

“So? Anything different?” He asked the spider with anticipation.

“Magic. Obtained.” The spider chirped happily. “Dark Magic.” This was the
affinity he’d imbued the spider with. “And Spells.” The spider’s body grew
wisps of darkness fluttering all around its body.

“A cloaking spell?”

“Better.” The spider disappeared and appeared behind him. “Fast. Travel.”
It was able to hop between the shadows, it looked like teleportation, but was
slightly different. At longer distances, he could see a small blob of cloudy
darkness zooming through the air, it was fast and very hard to see.

After a few more tries, “Out of. Mana.” The spider chirped in
disappointment.

He patted the tired spider on its head. “This is amazing, I have a spider
mage now!” And why should he stop at one? “Go ask your friends if they
want to be mages too.” He took a Mana Potion and drank it all.

[Debuff: Toxicity +1], a message informed him. He shrugged it off, it was a

small price to pay and he felt that this body can take it.

He evolved the spiders one by one gaining Toxicity +10. He felt sick and
there were even physical signs of the potion abuse, his skin took a sickly
colour and even the blood in his veins carried a shade of toxic green, not
only that, he could barely walk.

“Enough, for today I guess.”

The rest of the spiders chirped in disappointment. He underestimated the

number of friends the spider volunteer had.

“Tomorrow.” He promised and wobbled back towards his palace bedroom.

Only time and good rest were effective in getting rid of Toxicity so he took
a much needed nap.

His sleep was interrupted by a disturbance carrying itself out just outside
his doors. His spiders never were this loud, so he went to investigate. There
in the hall, he saw little Lamia hatchlings riding his spiders and carrying
some sort of a mock battle. It was good that spiders were willing to play
with the kids, but this wasn’t the time or the place. He shooed the
troublemakers outside, telling them not to play in the corridors.

“Why aren’t they supervised by their mothers.” He spoke out loud to

himself. But maybe it was for the better because he thought that the spiders
were good role models after all. “Maybe I should let them teach Lamia
children…” That way the kids would have to do something better than run
and break things all around. “Maybe I will.” It was surprising how fast the
hatchlings were growing; they were already past the size of an average
human toddler. But was it really up to him to tell Lamia how to grow their
kids? “Well, I’m the king so.” He nodded and went to find the Lamia
Queen.

But there was another motive, it was related to magic.

He had the scrolls the Drow produced, perks obtained using enchanted
materials and the means to make alchemical potions. With Fire Spirit
Stones and Ancestral Tree Amber he was in control of three affinities.
However, there was one more he was interested in, It was Lamia’s
Charming Gaze.

He found the Lamia Queen busy in her room, doing exactly nothing; she
had a pouty look on her face. This was likely because he had assigned a
spider peacekeeper to be with her; He had a bunch of those guys patrolling
the farm, keeping the order around. The spider had a stick and it was not
afraid to use it to restore order. Was it okay to do something like that to a
guest Queen? Well, he had the authority, and it was the friendly lamia who
suggested this. Since then Queen Lamia’s behaviour improved by leaps and
bounds.

She was pouty but she obviously tried to hide it. “Hello, sss. How can I
help?” She asked politely, but refused to look him in the eyes.

He explained the Lamia hatchling situation, and the Queen just told him to
do 'whatever'. She was oddly uninterested in it so he moved to the next
thing.

“I want to know more about your Charming Gaze.”

This time she met his eyes, there was a hint of surprise and confusion in
them. “Why?”
“I’m curious that’s it.” He told a half lie. While he was conflicted about the
ethics of such magic, it was still a weapon; if used right It could become
useful one day.

“Hmm…” The Queen tried to read his intentions.

Apparently, a half-lie will not do. “I want to learn about it, so I can resist
it.”

She sighed. “I’m sss-sorry I’ve tried to use it on you, I truly am. Sss, I know
it was wrong.”

He wasn’t here for another apology. “So is it some sort of a secret weapon
the Lamia have?” He tried to urge her to disclose the information.

“No, not at all…” The Lamia Queen began explaining.

The Charming Gaze was a unique racial perk, the strength of it varied
between the Lamia but all had it. It wasn’t something you could learn or
inscribe into a scroll, you were born with this ability. Actually, it wasn’t that
powerful, because charm wasn’t mind control exactly, and this particular
perk had a lot of drawbacks. First, the lamia had to be very close to the prey
and eye contact had to be maintained for a while for the Charm to take
effect. Secondly, it didn’t last for too long, minutes at best. Lastly, the
subject of the perk would remember everything that happened. Creatures
with high willpower would be able to resist the charm completely. Typically
it was used to hunt animals and other small prey and to make them harmless
while lamia consumed them.

“Naturally, not everyone has the talent to use it on people. Sss, but I am sss-
special!” She raised her chin up all proud of herself.

“So that's how it is…” So it was unlikely he would be able to weaponise

Lamia as his charming platoon of trade envoys.

“…And, it’s possible to develop resistance. SSS.” She hissed meaningfully.

“Es-sss-specialy if it’s you.”
“Like Charm Resistance?” That sounded awfully useful.

“Yes-sss, if you expose yourself to it many times-sss you will gain a

resistance.” She told him sagely as a wizened old man would. The wizened
tone didn't fit the otherwise childish appearance.

“I’m interested in getting it.” He gave the spider peacekeeper a meaningful

look. “If you’re willing to help me.”

“But of course.” She hissed giving him her best smile. It looked predatory
for some reason. “Shall we start now?”

“Yes, I have all day.” And he knew she wasn’t busy either.

“Then, just look in my eyes-sss. And try to resist it for as long as-sss you
can. [Charming Gaze]” Her eyes glowed.

He felt being absorbed by the gaze, his mind clouding. He fought it as long
as he could. And then he found his arms wrapped around the Lamia Queen.

*Bonk – the spider peacekeeper broke the charm.

“Sss!” The Lamia hissed rubbing the top of her head.

“I think you should break the charm yourself. It would save you from the
stick.”

“Sss.” She nodded in understanding. “[Charming Gaze]”

They were at it for a long wile, sometimes a spider would need to interfere.
He wondered, maybe the Queen didn’t have as good a control of the charm
as she claimed to have. But also he began to wonder about something
else…

*Bonk – The Queen was hit again.

“SSS!” She swiped at the spider with her hand trying to deflect the stick.

Well, the spider bonked too late because he had just kissed The Queen.
“Does this have to be so intimate?” He asked because every time she
charmed him he was implanted with urges that weren’t his own. Not that
she wasn’t pretty, but still…

“No, it doesn’t.” She hissed glaring at the spider.

“Then why?”

She looked him directly in the eye. “Because I like you.”

At first, he thought that she was just toying with him, but she did sound
serious and in that tense moment of silence, he could see that she developed
a blush. He was trying to process the weight of the situation. The Lamia
Queen broke the eye contact and instead began to fidget with her fingers.

*Bonk – a spider bonked. But this time it wasn’t the lamia who received a
punishment.

“Ah!” He yelped rubbing his head. “The confession was so sudden it

surprised me. So you like me?”

She looked at him again. “Very much so. Sss, I love you.” There was no
charm magic at play, but at this moment her face was very charming.

As women came she was pretty and all but the feeling wasn’t exactly
mutual at this point and saying ‘no’ could spell a disaster; she was a Queen
after all, but also she was young and inexperienced. Also, the alliance might
just get ruined by the rejection; that was because it was unlikely she had the
maturity to deal with it. But was he against it, against the more close
relationship, not particularly, no. Well, in life he tried to remain honest so,
“I don’t have the same feelings. But…” maybe something can bloom, “we
can get together and see where it goes. If that’s what you want.”

Her eyes sparkled with happiness. “There’s no way you'll be able to resist
my charms-sss.” She realised that it didn’t sound quite right. “I mean, sss,
my natural beauty and flawless personality.” She hugged him and leaned
closer puffing her lips out for another kiss.
It was moving a tad bit fast, but he didn’t deny her something as simple as a
kiss. Actually, the one where he wasn’t charmed felt much better. And it
was likely that Queen Lamia thought the same because her cheeks were a
deep shade of red.

“We marry tomorrow. Sss. I’ll go and get everything ready.” She practically
sprinted out of her room.

“Marry?” He didn’t remember mentioning that, ‘dating’ was on his mind, if

even that.

While, yes, that would give his Spider Kingdom strength, permanently
allying the Lamia and the Spiders. There were serious issues with the whole
thing. The Lamia might have unique customs of their own, but to put it
plainly Queen Lamia was still immature, mentally at least.

“Marriage, huh…” He repeated it again and then he realized that he didn’t

feel an overwhelming urge to run and fix this misunderstanding. It was to
his benefit to strengthen the bonds between the two people, and he will be
able to guide his Queen on a better path from the one she was leading now,
plus he will have full command of the Lamia Warriors. All he had to do was
remain moral and wait for Queen Lamia to 'grow up'.

“I need to prepare too.” He decided to go with the flow and craft something
nice for a ceremony or whatever Lamia had in mind. He felt that a nice
tuxedo should do.

It was impossible to fit everyone in the throne room so the ceremony was
held in a field. The spiders did well to decorate the surroundings with pretty
flags and patterned webs. None needed seats to sit, the spiders watched
from atop the webs stretched between the trees and Lamia were curled
below them in neat rows. There wasn’t a chance for him to see all of his
people at once, and now this was it. With spiders and Lamia, there were
over ten thousand spectators, the latter being the minority as of yet, but still,
it was a spectacular sight.
He wore the tuxedo he managed to make just in time, the colour was the
now iconic blue and he encrusted it with numerous precious gems making it
quite extravagant and sparkly. He was standing on a stage, next to him was
his trusty advisor and spider warrior leader. The spider warrior leader was a
huge guy and at the moment he was quietly crying, tears of joy obviously,
until now he didn’t even know the spiders could cry.

There in the distance, he finally saw her, the Lamia Queen, she was
accompanied by her servants carrying tall huge umbrellas. She too wore
something special, but it wasn’t a dress he would expect or a dress at all.
Her chest was adorned with numerous necklaces, mostly made out of
animal teeth and bones, but there were emeralds too. Actually, she was
covered head to toe in various primitive jewellery, and there was no actual
cloth but there was enough trinkets to cover that which was important; a
stark reminder that Lamia weren’t exactly civilised. The jewellery chimed
loudly, no, it was made to sing. She slithered in a special way dancing and
all the sounds came together to form a harmonic music. He had never heard
anything quite like it, it was very unique.

The Lamia Queen slithered closer with more vigour, the tones of the sounds
changed sounding almost intimidating. The other lamias joined in the sound
slamming their chests with a fist and ground with the butt of the spear; the
spiders soon joined in. She slithered on the pedestal and began circling
around him, the radius was getting smaller with each lap she made and the
‘music’ more intense. Needless to say, he was a bit clueless about what was
happening, no one informed him of this. He stood there waiting for Lamia
to finish her dance. She got close and then spun her tail around his feet
leaning her body next to him. Everyone stopped making noise. Their eyes
met, he detected a hint of nervousness in her look, but she was smiling, her
face was getting close and he puckered his lips ever so slightly ready to seal
the deal… but then the Queen Lamia bit his neck drawing blood. He pushed
the pain away, being able to tell that this was a part of the ritual.

Everyone was watching intently. He had a feeling he was supposed to do

something, but saying “I do.” didn’t seem to be it.

“Bite me.” The Queen whispered.

He nibbled at the pale skin of her narrow neck.

“No. Sss. Harder.”

He bit to draw blood.

“In blood, sss, we are joined together.” She hissed loudly to everyone.

“In blood, we are joined together.” He repeated hoping that the hiss was not
a necessary part.

The Lamia Queen nodded giving him a bloody smile and then she kissed
him, with tongue and all. It was longer than he expected and way too
vigorous. Serpentine tongues were scary! He held his breath for as long as
he could, responding to the bloody kiss. Everyone clapped and cheered
them on. He had to pull out before he fainted from oxygen deprivation, or
bled out to death from his neck. Yeah, definitely not a normal human
wedding.

He looked at that oddly ecstatic face, she was smiling at him and blinking
happily. “You are mine, sss.” She hissed wiping her mouth and then
pressing herself closer. All of that jewellery was a tad bit pointy, but he
couldn’t complain, this was oddly exhilarating. He reached for the two
holes in his neck, they were already closed and he felt strangely
invigorated.

“May Lamia and Spiders rule forever!” He announced.

The crowd hissed and chirped in united agreement making the ground and
air tremble at the strength of it.

“Let’s feast, sss!”

Everyone moved to devour a literal mountain of food pilled further away

from the stage. There were mostly fruits, but also there were other things
like forest bounty, cave mushrooms, juice and even roasted boar. He was
happy to see everyone eat together and enjoy this celebration. Despite the
differences, the Lamia and spiders now seemed to be inseparable like the
bestest friends.

Queen Lamia cuddled up to him, “I have sss-something for you…” She

sounded shy all of a sudden.

And then he remembered, he had made her something special. He didn’t

think the Lamia would wear wedding bands, and he didn’t want to enforce
that human tradition, but he did prepare a wedding gift.

“So do I.” He pulled a set of items from his inventory. “Here, for you.”

The first one was Fire Elemental Armour – an item crafted using Fire
Essence, a chest piece. He used Red Cloth, Enchanted Leather and
Enchanted Metal to make it. He made it as feminine as possible, with
flowery decorations and patterns, but the main purpose was protection. The
equipment was of masterwork quality and had numerous perks bestowed
upon it: [Bastion], [Negate Fire] and [Fire Proficiency]. The latter was
still a mystery but it had something to do with fire-related magic.

The second one was a Nature Tiara crafted using Ancestral Tree Amber,
Iron Oak, Emeralds and Enchanted Leather. He used the gems because
the amber dissolved during crafting to enhance the tiara. It also was only of
superior quality but the perks in his opinion were good: [Regeneration],
[Spell Deflection], [Growth: Minor]. The last perk was passive, and for
what it did, as far as he could tell it increased the experience gain.

Judging her passive expression she wasn’t impressed with the first item, and
mildly interested in the second. Well, maybe he should have put more
thought into his item choice. But these were very practical items!

“Thanks-sss.” She thanked him regardless. “But my gift is much, much

better, sss.” She boasted confidently. “Come.”

She was dragging him by the hand towards the palace.

“What is it?” He was awfully curious.

“Sss, it’s a surprise.” She urged him to follow.
 53

The Lamia Queen dragged him through the palace, through the throne room
and right into his bedroom. It was odd to hide a present there, unless…

She shut the doors behind him and gave him a curious look.

“You know, I like your new look, sss, the horns and all.” She stretched her
arm to touch them.

“Amm, thanks.”

“And your body is strong and toned.” She moved her hand down his neck
and unbuttoned the top of the shirt.

It was clear where this was going.

“Don’t tell me, your present is your body?”

“Sss! How did you figure it out?” She pouted but regardless began
removing her jewellery piece by piece, it clanged hitting the floor.

Apparently, even Lamia had this wedding custom.

“I think we should…” Just then he thought he understood what was

happening the situation changed with the lamia pouring a whole bottle of
slug jelly all over her body, and then another. “What are you doing?” It was
just bizarre.

“Turning myself into a sss-snack.” She smiled finishing the third bottle.
“Ta-da! I’m irresistible, sss, and all yours to eat.” She was a sticky mess.
Yeah, she definitely had weird ideas in her head.
…

The Kobolds and Drow couldn’t make it in time for the shotgun wedding,
but they did receive the message informing them about the union. Well,
they didn’t make it to the ceremony but they weren’t late for celebrations,
even if it was a third day the soul of the festivity was still going strong.

The High Chief ignored the frolicking spiders and Lamia, and went straight
to the throne room. It was quite a sight because it was the first time he came
inside the grand structure. It was very spacious with a high ceiling, the
ceiling was dome-like and made out of purple triangles. The walls were
draped with blue cloth, the drapes had various fractal patterns woven by the
spiders, now and then there would be an Iron Oak column to support the
structure. The floor was paved with slabs of polished stone, he recognised
the signature Kobold touch, and there even was a red carpet leading to a
black throne surrounded by a massive open shell; It was a curious structure
resembling an egg.

On the throne there was him, the Spider King, he had a slightly tired
expression on his face. Moreover, his physical appearance has changed, he
had horns and a clawed arm now. But most importantly the High Chief
could feel overwhelming authority radiating from his body. He wondered if
the King went through some mysterious ritual to enhance his body.
However, the transformation didn’t look quite complete yet, so he
wondered if it was some sort of secret Lamia ritual, the one which didn’t go
as expected; from bitter experience he knew that the Lamia were known to
botch perfectly good rituals.

Speaking about the Lamia, the King’s new wife, she was claiming a spot on
his lap, her arms were wrapped tight around her husband’s neck and her tail
was hanging loosely on the stairs leading up to the throne.

‘Tch.’ The High Chief clicked his tongue, the Lamia Queen was obviously
flaunting her newly acquired authority. But if the Spider King loved this
serpentine cave creature, he had no protests. Well, his previous self would
have a lot to say about civilised races mixing with the monster races, but he
was a changed man, and the spiders had completely dispelled his
prejudices. They were amazing creatures! But Lamia weren’t spiders so…
The High Chief brushed away the unnecessary thoughts and kneeled in
front of the Spider King and his wife.

“We congratulate you on your marriage. May the spirits bless it.”

The King smiled at him, but then the King’s gaze shifted right behind him.

“We Drow wish to…”

The King interrupted him, “The Kobold Leader, I’m surprised you came!”
He smiled even more, clearly showing who was his favourite.

The Kobolds were useful allies, but they too were a monster race, hence
lacking the proper etiquette and decorum. But since he was good friends
with that cheeky lizard he was willing to forgive him. However, the Kobold
leader was stealing his turn to speak, and he wanted to congratulate the
Spider King properly! He will have to teach the Kobold proper manners
later.

The Kobold Leader just waved at the king. “Yes, Yes. I came. The Shadow
Spider carried me.” The Kobold looked up. “I was so afraid the sky will fall
on me. I’m much better here inside.” The Kobold unstrapped a large pouch
from his back. “Here for your lovely wife.”

Again, the Kobold showed his ignorance, first and foremost, it was the
glorious Spider King who deserved the gifts and then his tribal wife. Hence,
he prepared the gifts for both. Actually, he brought a lot of things, bribes,
for the spider advisor and spider leader. So he patiently waited for the
Kobold Leader to finish.

The Kobold unwrapped the pouch revealing a rugged rock the size of his
head, it also looked quite heavy. The High Chief’s eye twitched ever so
slightly. What sort of gift was that? Well, he was a Kobold so he should
have expected that…

Actually, he expected the Lamia to flip at any moment, this might prove to
be entertaining. Maybe the Kobold was smarter than he looked; now the
King will get to see her ugly side. ‘He, he.’
However, the Queen took the rock graciously and smiled at the Kobold
thanking him; so she was young but not stupid. She will likely try to punish
the Kobolds when the King wasn’t there to look. No need to worry, then he
will step up and save Kobolds from vicious Lamia, proving himself to the
Spider King again.

Well, he was plotting and scheming too much and didn’t notice that the
King's gaze was back on him.

“Ehem…” He cleared his throat. “We Drow wish to bestow you with a great
gift. A most prized rarity you won’t find anywhere.” He motioned towards
the rest of Drow congregation.

A young Drow woman stepped forward and made a curt bow, once to the
King and once to the Queen.

“A servant to tend to your everyday needs. But she’s not just a servant, she
has a unique talent which I’m sure you will find extremely useful.”

The High Chief knew that the woman was only in her fortieth cycle, so
under Drow standards barely an adult, but she was pretty and well-
mannered for her young age. Her worth came with the perks she had
developed during the adulthood ritual performed not so long ago. She was a
holder of not one unique perk but two: [Mana Well] and [Elemental
Affinity].

Also, she was his niece and will do some well-intended spying for the
Drow. Obviously! The Drow couldn’t let themselves to lag behind the
Lamia, and the High Chief needed to find ways into the King's good graces.
If only he had known that the Spider King was looking for a wife…

The Lamia Queen glared daggers at the Drow woman, but the king seemed
interested.

“Talents?” He asked.

“She has endless potential in elemental magic and has a blank slot to pick
an affinity. Future genius If I’ve met one. I’m sure she will prove
indispensable in your magical research.”

“Are you sure you can part with someone so gifted? I’m feeling like I’m
robbing you.”

“I’d love to serve you, King of Spiders.” The Drow woman made another
curt bow.

Yes! The High Chief smiled at his niece approvingly, she was well taught.

“Well, then I can’t say no.”

The Lamia Queen puffed her cheeks but remained silent.

“And for the Queen.” He put the chest in front of the throne and opened it.
He knew exactly how much the Lamia liked shiny things so he filled it with
various jewellery the Drow had made.

The Queen beamed a genuine smile and the High Chief made another bow.
“I take it, my gifts are acceptable.”

“Yes-sss, you may go now.” She shooed him away with her hand.

The Lamia Queen proved to be clingy, but that was expected since they
were just married. But that didn’t mean that it wasn’t tiring. He was saved
by the gifts coming from his vassals. First, it was a huge ass unpolished
diamond coming from the Kobolds, he didn’t know they could get that big,
and then there was all that emerald jewellery coming from the Drow. It was
obvious that the Drow traded something to get the emeralds from the
Kobolds, which was welcome since he wanted his vassals to get along.

Since Lamia Queen went to examine and try shinies on in her room he
finally had some time to mingle with his people. All of the Drow seemed to
be present here, and it was unfortunate that he couldn't say the same for the
kobolds. There were just a small bunch of them here, probably just a few
the Darkness Spider could carry. But little could be done since those guys
were really afraid of open spaces. All of the races were mingling with each
other, eating and making small talk; it was a lovely sight to see. Most
importantly no one seemed to be prejudiced about his spiders; He knew that
their appearance could appear scary to a casual observer. Heck, even he
would get sometimes scared when ambushed by a spider in an untimely
manner, especially when they jumped down off the ceiling. He was almost
convinced some of them did that on purpose, just to spook him, and well,
those usually were the little spiders who hadn’t yet grown up to their full
size.

He went around greeting his new guests and making small talk involving
the phrases like “How are you?”, “How’s the food?”, “How are things in
your place?”. Small things like that were important, he wanted to show that
he cared. It’s just that, not everyone felt comfortable speaking with him. It
was evident by their fidgeting and short replies, but he knew that like the
Lamia the Drow would also come around. The Lamia were familiar with
him, but in a respectful way. But the thing was, aside from his spiders he
still didn’t have many friends. Well, he had Johny, Trusty Advisor, Spider
Leader, Friendly Lamia, Kobold Leader and the Wisp and he still hoped to
make friends with the High Chief and hopefully with Vumbeldor.

The Drow just were hard to approach, they treated him either with too much
fear or respect. Well, he was the one to blame for it… But maybe his new
assistant will help to break the ice. He looked at the woman who was
following him from behind the entire time.

And of course, his look spooked her making her jump. “is there anything
wrong, King?” Her eyes were locked on his horns.

He was getting self-conscious here. The Kobolds loved the horns, the
Lamia were indifferent and the Drow…

“What do you think about my horns?” He asked. “Be honest.”

“They're wonderful! Magnificent even.”

“Really. I think they’re too short.” He grasped the stubs no longer than a
thumb.
“No, no, they're very manly! And it’s not the size that matters.”

“If it’s not the size of the horn, what matters when?” He asked jokingly,
fully aware that he was making an innuendo.

“I… What matters…” She fumbled around her words.

“Ha-Ha. Got you.” He laughed and noticed how tense she was. “Relax, I’m
only joking. Now, wanna show me your magic?”

She developed a blush. “I still need to pick an affinity…”

“You haven’t? Oh the High Chief mentioned that. So do you need a

Magical Essence?”

“No.” She shook her head vigorously. “I have all four elements unlocked, I
just need to pick one.”

“Lucky you!” He was jealous. “What are your thoughts about Earth?”

“If that’s what the King wishes. [Earth]” Her body glowed in brown light.
“Done.”

He wasn’t telling her, he was asking. Oh well… “Congratulations… Wanna

go and shoot some fireworks?”

“Fireworks?” She asked curious.

“Yeah, we’re gonna burn some magic scrolls to fire elemental arrows into
the sky. The spiders love that type of show.”

She gave him a curious look, he took it as a yes, thus they began firing the
elemental arrows into the sky; the spiders clapped enjoying the lights. There
was a complicated look on the assistant's face. “What’s up, you don’t like
it?”

“I love it, I’ve never gotten to practise much.” It didn’t look like she was
loving it.
She responded to his inquisitive look. “It just feels excessive. Aren’t magic
scrolls extremely expensive?”

“Don’t worry about that. We can always make more, no?”

“I… Well…” Once again she was looking for a reply. “I’m sorry.” She
bowed curtly.

“Ha-Ha. Drop that nonsense and relax. We are having fun! [Fire Arrow]”.
He blasted another projectile into the sky.

The celebrations lasted for two more days. And there was nothing to worry
about, he had friends, he had his vassals and he had his allies. The Spider
Kingdom was prospering, it was a shiny beacon in an otherwise boring
jungle known as The Dreaded Place; an ill-named location which was now
the opposite of what it implied. There was nothing dreadful here, only fun
and happy spiders; thousands of them, expanding and working diligently
every day.
 54

The throne room was illuminated by the warm lights of the burning oil.
Shadows of spiders projected by the flickering light danced on the walls
and columns. On the obsidian-like throne sat no one else but the King of
Spiders, the ruler of this Dreadful Place. He wore a beautifully crafted
robe, it was blue and encrusted with emeralds. In his hand was the symbol
of his power: the Devouring Spear. The tip of the spear occasionally would
shimmer in the red glow as if to show that it was full of power.

By the right side of the King stood a spider on its six legs. It was no mere
spider, this one was special. It wasn’t either tall or burly like the spider
warriors, and it didn’t need to be because this was the Spider Advisor – a
unique creature with special privileges and power. The advisor wore similar
robes to the King but without the extra flourish. On the front of the robe,
there was an embroidered symbol – a black hexagon with four yellow dots
in the middle. In its left hand, the advisor held a thick stack of vellum
sheets, no, it was a book of sorts but it was very rough and tired from all of
the use it had seen.

In front of the throne, there was a kobold kneeling. He didn’t seem to be

perturbed by the overwhelming aura coming from the two.

“King, I’m here to seek your help.” The Kobold Leader yapped.

“And how can I help?”

The Kobold Leader launched the epic story. He was telling all about the
great achievements the Kobolds had made: about the Great Kobold Camp
he had built, about many kobolds who joined his tribe, about the ever-
expanding tunnels they carved and about a formidable foe they still had to
defeat. In other words he was just boasting.
“So, I guess you want my help in defeating this foe of yours?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Tell me more about them.”

Deep in the mountain, there was another Kobold tribe, they were big and
successful. The hostilities weren’t too bad, the two would only launch small
skirmishes and there were no casualties yet.

“I see, shouldn’t we just ally with them? Well, maybe start with a ceasefire
and negotiation?” He offered.

The kobold’s face scrunched into an unpleasant expression. “No, no!” He

protested.

“Why is that?”

“I need to defeat them! The female chief will become my wife and the two
tribes will merge.”

“Oh…” Suddenly it made more sense now. But then, wasn’t this like a third
or fourth wife already, he remember sending some gifts to the kobold to
congratulate his second marriage.

“King, will you help me?” The Kobold Leader looked at him with big
puppy eyes. “With more kobolds we will be able to mine more ores, yes-
yes.”

“I don’t think your intentions are noble but…” He paused to tease the
cheeky Kobold. “I will help you.”

After all, this was a part of Kobold tradition, the way they lived, fought and
prospered, and he didn’t want to push his ideals on these creatures. As long
as the two tribes could merge and he will have more kobolds it was fine.

“Thank you King!” The kobold jumped to cheer the certain victory. “When
will you send your spiders?”
“Spiders? No, that would be unfair. You still have to win on your own, but I
will give you help.”

The kobold seemed thoughtful, the certain victory was no longer

guaranteed.

“I’m sure you’ll win no problem. After all, I’ll give you an unfair advantage
anyway.”

“What sort?” He asked curious.

“Weapons, armour and most importantly advice.”

“Hmm…” The kobold didn’t look assured.

“It will work you’ll see.” He assured.

At first, many kobolds wanted to protest the weapons, because why would
they need them if they had their claws and scales, but seeing was believing.

Five hundred kobolds had gathered in one of the larger caves. Each was
armed with IronOak Spear, it was light and easy to carry, also having
Reinforce +3 made it so sturdy that not even the Kobold stone-rendering
claw could break the shaft. The kobolds didn’t stand naked either, they wore
Segmented Armour, also Reinforced +3. It was made out of spider
eggshells, reminding them of their spider friends. It even gave them
reputation +5 with other Kobolds and most importantly Minor
Regeneration temporary perk.

The Kobold Leader was very happy to see that the Stone Spider and
especially the Glowing Spider were allowed to join their ranks; the latter
had precious healing abilities. Also, he knew that a Darkness Spider was
lurking somewhere in the dark corners of the cave and watching their backs.
The three spiders weren’t allowed to attack the hostile kobold tribe but they
were here for support and that was good enough. But also, the King himself
desired to come and oversee the kobolds.
The Kobold Leader ordered his troops to form an orderly formation. He did
so to imitate the sight of spiders he once saw, and to please the King. It took
some time and a lot of head-slapping, his kobolds weren’t quite used to this,
but somehow they managed.

“Yes-yes!” He nodded happily at the stretched but tight formation. “We

march now.” He directed the kobolds to a wide-sloping tunnel and they
began their long and arduous march.

“Wait, we’re going up?” The King seemed confused.

“Yes, the other kobolds live higher up. It was always safer there, no Lamia
to compete with.”

“Oh, I see.” The King scratched his chin in thought.

“We are much stronger now, yes-yes, we can challenge that tribe.”

“Yes!”, “Yes-yes.” The two walking beside the Kobold Leader were quick
to agree.

After a while the Darkness Spider manifested out of the shadow right next
to the King, it was whispering something to him.

“It seems they were expecting you, better be ready Kobold Leader. I will
watch your performance and root for you, do your best.” The King tapped
the top of the kobolds head and stepped back to the rear of the force.

The Kobold Leader was advised to fight defensively so that he wouldn’t kill
an excessive amount of the hostile Kobolds; that advice was needless
because the Kobold Leader would not intentionally hurt his future people
too badly.

The kobold warriors kept advancing through the tunnel. They were at a
specific point, of which the Kobold leader was wary, it was the area where
the tunnels began to branch. And, yes, this was it – the hostile kobolds
sprung an ambush flowing from the narrow side tunnels and attacking the
Kobold Leader’s warriors from the sides. The ambushers seemed confused
for a moment but they continued their attack regardless.

A glowing claw hit the spear shaft, but it held and the attacker was left
dumbfounded. “He, he.” The armed kobold laughed and whacked the
ambusher with the butt of his spear knocking him out.

Another Kobold was overwhelmed by two merciless attackers, they were

clawing at his arms and body trying to shred him to pieces. He was
wounded but the Segmented Armour did its job protecting the most
important parts. The Kobold gathered the strength and thrust his short spear
towards one of the attackers, skewering the bully. The other ambusher lost
the advantage and decided to retreat and bully someone else. He was
bleeding from his arms but Minor Regeneration was already closing the
shallow wounds. He didn’t waste any time and ran to assist one of his
comrades struggling like he just did moments ago.

Similar scenes repeated all over and at no surprise the ambush was thwarted
and the ambushers ran away. The Kobolds cheered all over, but the Kobold
Leader knew that this was only the start of the battle.

The kobolds emerged into a larger cavern, there in the middle of it there
was already a sizable force gathered. They were hostile kobolds both of red
and blue kind. They wore nothing and wielded nothing but their natural
weapons. The Kobold Leader had fewer warriors but he knew that he still
possessed an advantage.

“Blue Kobolds?” The King asked surprised.

“Yes, from the top of the mountain.” The Kobold trembled remembering the
feeling. “Brrr. Too cold out there.”

The King didn’t say anything more so he gave a command. “Attack!

Capture their leader.”

The kobolds ran breaking the neat formation. The King shook his head to
display disappointment, but the Kobold Leader wasn’t sure what did he do
wrong. That’s just how Kobolds fought. The two forces clashed and the
fight devolved into a massive brawl. It was claws against the spears, where
one had an overwhelming advantage against the other, or it should have
been the case but… The kobolds had forgotten how to use their spears
properly and were just swinging them like sticks.

The claws failed to break past the IronOak shafts or even pierce the
armour. The hostile kobolds found their heads repeatedly bonked, their
bodies scratched and somehow they even got bitten. The losing kobolds ran
away with their tails between their legs, that, or they were knocked
unconscious. However, the battle was not without serious injuries or even
fatalities.

The winning side raised their hands high and began to cheer, “Yes-Yes, we
won!”, again and again. They have even captured the enemy leader, who
was one of the rare blue Kobolds.

The blue kobold grovelled by the Kobold Leader’s feet. “You have won, I
submit.” She said without fear or shame. “Please spare my children.” She
asked instead of begging.

“Your children can stay, yes-yes, but your mate…” The Kobold thought for
a moment. “Is banished! Never to be seen.”

‘So, even the Kobolds have cruelties of their own’ the King observed from
the sidelines not daring to interfere in ancient but admittedly barbaric
customs.

“Yes-Yes, you are the Leader now.” The blue Kobold submitted. “My tribe
is yours.”

“And you are my wife.”

“Eh?” The female seemed surprised.

“Why else would I banish your husband.”

“…” She didn’t have a reply for a good moment but then, “Yes-yes, that
will work for me.” She stood up and grabbed the Kobold Leader’s arm.
‘I wonder if she will be as happy once she finds that she is like a fifth wife
or something.’ The King wondered but decided to leave the Kobold Leader
to deal with the ramifications of it.

The warriors from both sides were healed, courtesy of Glowing Spider, and
everyone headed to the conquered kobold camp at a leisurely pace.

..

The camp was primitive, just like the Kobold Leader’s camp used to be, but
it was big, very big. It had hundreds of burrows, nooks and crannies, all
filled to the brim with kobolds. It was surprising to see so many kobolds,
but also worrying.

“How do you feed so many Kobolds.” The King asked the blue kobold.

“The blues go outside into the cold, yes-yes, we hunt birds for meat, steal
their eggs.”

That meant that they must be close to the mountain peak, he didn’t even
realise that they ascended so high up; the tunnels can be confusing like that.

She wasn’t just yet finished. “The reds go lower, they hunt for mushrooms
and centipedes. We work together, like that.”

By the looks of it there were fewer blue kobolds than red, but it didn’t look
like anyone was discriminated against, it was nice to see they got along so
well.

“And who are you, creature?” She asked curious.

The Kobold leader grabbed her by the muzzle. “Don’t say that!” He
scolded. “That’s our King, the King of Spiders.”

She looked at two large spiders who tagged along at the back. “I see, a
King…” Se spoke sceptically.

“He’s our King too, a King of Kobolds.” The Kobold Leader judged that
she was slow to understand. “He’s like the leader of the leaders. Big boss to
everyone.”

The realisation dawned upon her face. “Then you're not The Leader. I
should marry him then.”

“No, no!” The Kobold leader protested in panic.

The King came to his aid. “No, he did defeat you fair and square and I was
only a bystander. And anyway, I have a wife.”

The Kobold looked at the King with big eyes conveying the unspoken
‘Thanks, bro’.

“You can have another.” The blue kobold stood with her arms crossed.

The kobold leader waved his hands in frustration and the King had nothing
to say.

“…”

Will saying no lead to a diplomatic incident? It probably would, but he

didn’t need another wife and especially a kobold. So he made a good
excuse, “I think my wife would eat you if she finds out, she’s a lamia.”

“A lamia!” She shouted in disbelief.

“Yeah, I know. So please join your tribes with the Kobold Leader here.”

“I guess… I will.” She grabbed the Kobold Leader’s arm pressing herself
closer as if nothing had happened.

The Kobold Leader smiled finally victorious.

“We must celebrate now.” The blue kobold urged.

“Yes-yes, we must feast.”

“Then, it’s good I brought a lot of fruit as supplies.” The king began
emptying his Magical Inventory.
Needless to say, the kobolds here were also mighty impressed about the
taste of his fruits; and so the feast began. However, he was still interested in
the blue kobolds and the mountain peak.

“Say, how are blue kobolds different from the red?” He asked her.

“Simple, we are resistant to the cold and can shape ice easily. Stone,
however…” She didn’t finish.

“Reds are better diggers, yes.” The Kobold Leader added.

“And the outside, the mountain peak, how is it?”

“…?” The kobold looked questioningly. “There is a fortress there? Why

ask?”

He just heard something juicy, “A fortress?”

“Yes, yes. Dark fortress, we don’t go too close. It’s dangerous.”

“Monsters?” He asked even more curious.

“Undead.”

So, those existed here. “How interesting.”

“The King is interested in undead?” The Kobold Leader asked in

bewilderment.

“I am… you see I’m a Dark mage so…” So maybe there was something to
learn there.

“A Dark Mage!” It was blue kobolds turn to be bewildered. “King, what

type of race are you?”

“Monster King.” He admitted proudly.

“Not a Demon Lord?” She asked puzzled.

“No, those are different. Our king is stronger!” The Kobold Leader
answered for him.

He wasn’t sure about that. “We are getting sidetracked, would you be able
to show me that fortress?”

“If you won’t turn to the icicle, yes.” She said with conviction. “But only
after the feast.”

He sat impatiently waiting for the kobolds to finish engorging themselves

on TomGrape fruits.
 55

The King of Spiders and a small pack of blue kobolds emerged out of a
narrow tunnel. He found himself surrounded by the sloping hills and
sheared cliffs of the mountain. Everything around him was white, even the
sky. He couldn't see the sun nor the horizon, the strong winds carried small
blue particles in the air blocking the distant views. And most importantly of
all, it was cold, very cold.

“Huh, so you aren’t afraid of open spaces?” He asked trying not to think
about the cold.

“No-no, blues are fine going out like this.”

“King. It’s. Too. Cold.” The stone spider complained.

“Slow. Debuff.” The glowing spider added.

“Interesting. I didn’t get it.” But then again he had put on an extra two
layers of clothes. “But, maybe this environment is not the best for spiders.”

“Sleepy.” The stone spider was dragging his feet in tiredness.

“Yeah, you two head back. I should be alright, but is it far?”

“No-no, not far. Come.” The kobold guided him towards another tunnel.

It was made for kobolds so he kind of had to crouch and even crawl
sometimes. He knocked on the bluish wall of the tunnel, it was made
entirely out of ice. Now and then they would emerge outside, but only for a
moment until they found another tunnel. At least in the ice tunnels, there
was no wind so it felt marginally warmer, but still frigidly cold.
“King, are you hungry?” The kobold asked out of the blue.

“We just had a feast don’t tell me your hungry already?”

The kobold pointed at the open sky. He had to wipe the frost from his
eyelids to see properly, but there it was: A massive creature floating in the
sky. It was light grey and its underside blue, it had a huge maw. The
creature resembled a flying whale and it was eating those tiny blue particles
in the air. He looked in disbelief, he didn’t know monsters could fly like
that; some magic was definitely at play.

“A bird.” The kobold explained helpfully. “It means it has eggs hidden
nearby.” She licked her lips greedily.

It looked like a whale, it ate blue particles like a whale would eat plankton,
and it even made that low humming sound of a whale. But if the kobold
said it’s a bird, then it is a bird… regardless of pointless thoughts, “Won’t it
be angered if we take its eggs?”

“No-no, you see,” The kobold began digging through the layer of
compacted snow and ice, “it won’t see us, he-he.”

He was getting sidetracked but he was interested, so he crouched through a

narrow space. The blue kobolds knew what they were doing because, in a
matter of minutes, they emerged into an igloo-like space. It was filled with
white leathery eggs, each the size of a kobold; and there was quite a few of
them.

“So many.” Even the blue Kobold Leader was surprised.

With a quick swing of her claws, she sliced the top of a leathery egg and
scooped some egg white; surprisingly it wasn’t frozen. Other Kobolds
joined soon partaking in the slurping. There was a saying: when in Rome do
as Romans do. He too scooped some of the slimy egg white.

He just didn’t know how to describe the taste. It was very cold but not
frozen, sweet, slippery and oily. “Tastes like melted ice cream, but this is
still very cold.”
“Ice? You shouldn’t eat ice.” The kobold warned unaware of what ice cream
was. “Especially the yellow ice, never eat that.”

He knew that! “Huh, I can’t seem to be able to deposit this into my Magical
Inventory.” That was because the egg counted as a living thing, or
something like that.

“No worries, we will carry a few back to the camp.” The kobolds began
rolling the eggs.

“Hey, I’m here for the fortress.”

“Oh, yes-yes.” They stopped moving the eggs.

“You forgot, didn’t you?”

“No-no.” The kobold shook her head vigorously. “Come.” They began
digging another tunnel.

After a while, they emerged outside into the wind and cold, and from there
on they just walked. He wanted to be quick about this but the kobolds just
insisted on rolling at least one egg with them. That was in case they got
‘hungry’ again. He told them that he had fruits in his inventory but the
kobolds just ignored him.

There was a particularly bad gust of wind, and worse it carried those blue
particles, a whole cloud of them. Apparently, they were hard crystalline, or
at least it felt like that, because when they hit his face it hurt. He shielded
his head from the assault.

[Debuff active: Frozen]

The cloud blew past him, and he found himself unable to move. The
kobolds, however, seemed unaffected and just ogled his frozen frame with
curious looks. Luckily the negative status effect didn’t last.

“Sorry, I got frozen for a moment.”

The kobolds still looked at him curiously, but they didn’t comment. “Come,
the fortress is not far.” They let the egg slide off the cliff first. It rolled
instead of sliding and smashed into an icy boulder below, surprisingly it
didn’t crack.

He followed after Kobolds joining on a slide. He found himself below at a

foot of an icy valley bordered by the rocky mountain range from all sides,
the weather was slightly better since the frigid wind was gone.

“There.” The kobold pointed.

Indeed, there was a black granite structure in the distance – an entire

fortress. The fortress had tall imposing walls and scouting towers
overlooking the valley. In the middle of it was another tower, wider and
taller than the rest. It looked old, ancient even, so some walls had holes and
cracks but it was very well built because the towers still stood strong.

“Undead.” She reminded him.

“Yeah, let's go closer.” He was curious, the fortress must have some
mysteries hidden inside.

The kobolds were visibly unnerved but they followed him regardless.

“I have my scrolls with me, we should be alright. But are there many
undead there?”

The blue Kobold Leader just shrugged. “Well, there is one.”

Further away there was a dark figure shambling through the packed snow
and towards him.

“I wonder if they’re intelligent. Maybe I can trade with them…” He looked

at the mysterious figure. “Let’s stop and wait for it to come to us.”

The kobolds stood a good few metres behind him, it was clear they didn’t
like to be anywhere near the fortress and especially undead. The shambler
got closer ever so slowly. It was a figure of a man, there were barely any
clothes left revealing a gaunt appearance and blackened skin, but he still
had a black helmet and remains of broken chain mail on his neck and
shoulders.

“Hello.” He shouted at the undead hoping that the Language

Comprehension will kick in.

The blackened shambler didn’t reply, he only limped towards him at a slow
pace. It was close, only metres away.

“Hello?” He tried again hopefully.

“Uhhhhggghhh.” The undead moaned and quickened his pace.

“Oh...” It was almost upon him. “Oh, shoot! Fire Arrow.” He burned a
scroll releasing a spell.

It slammed into the shambler's head knocking the undead off his feet. The
kobolds clapped and cheered.

“I don’t think it's very strong. Fire Arrow.” He burned another scroll, then
another and another.

The undead was now burning even in this frigid weather, and it still
managed to stand up.

“Well, I take it back. That’s one resilient dude.” He readied his spear. “Let’s
see if this is any better.” He thrust the Devouring Spear right into the
blackened burning face. It went straight through; the spear glowed storing
the soul.

[Fighting +1000exp], the experience was decent.

“And it’s dead.” In retrospect, if there were more he would struggle to

handle them, but one on one an undead like this stood no chance.

Just as he was thinking that he could see a whole bunch of undead

shambling right out of the fortress gate; the pyrotechnics show must have
attracted their attention.
“I saw, what I wanted, we can go back.”

The kobolds sighed in relief.

“But before I go, [Harvest Material].”

[Wither Bone] x1, went right into his inventory. It was a long black femur
bone, its properties and use still unknown.

The kobolds were already rolling the egg all the way back.

“Come on, just leave it. I’ll give you some fruit.”

“No-no, it’s a good charm to roll an egg. Protects from bad things.” The
kobold informed sagely.

They reached the sloping cliff and he smiled knowingly that the egg journey
must end here; there were no means to carry the massive egg up the slope.

“No way.” He was left surprised.

A line of three kobolds used their heads to push the egg up while they
clawed at the slope with their sharp feet. They moved quickly and
efficiently, the teamwork impeccable; by the looks of it, it wasn’t the first
time they had to do this. So the egg rolled ever so closer to the Kobold
Camp.

It would have reached the destination if not for a small problem. Well, the
problem was actually massive. A wail of a ‘bird’ reverberate bouncing
between the mountain walls. The creature was flying right towards the
kobolds and the egg. Its huge body slammed into the ground sending a
shower of ice and snow into the air; the creature opened its maw and was
moving rapidly towards the group leaving them no time to dodge the fast
approach.

He had been once swallowed by a creature this large and he didn’t want to
repeat the experience.
“[Shadow Walk]” He took a step but walked ten. And with three 'steps' he
was out of harm's way.

The kobolds and the egg got swallowed by the sky whale. That was no
good, that included the Kobold Leader’s wife to be.

“I didn’t see any teeth ,so I pray that you Kobolds are safe. I will get you
out soon!” He shouted. “Somehow…” He whispered.

Without wasting any time he burned a scroll, “Darkness Cloud.” The cloud
clung to the whale's head but wasn’t big enough to envelop its massive
body. Nor did he want that, he just hoped to confuse the creature. He spent
another precious second retrieving the Bow of Darkness, “[Dark Bolt],
[Piercing Strike],” he fired.

The bolt pierced the side of the whale penetrating its defences. However, he
would need to shoot many more because they hardly even scratched it and
now it was beginning to hover out of the hole it made in the ice.

“[Dark Bolt]x3” He fired arrows in quick succession. The projectiles left

small holes in its side, and they leaked light blue blood ever so slightly. He
kept firing and the sky whale kept ascending higher.

“It's going to escape at this rate” For a big monster, he had to use a big
weapon, so. “Take that.” He flung a Fire Grenade. The yellow orb flew
straight and true and then smashed into the monster's side smearing the
FireAgave juice, and then Fire Spirit Stone powder did its thing setting
the flammable juice alight. A normal fire would probably be extinguished
instantly, but this one clung to the monster’s body burning ever hotter.

The sky whale shrieked in a pained wail and shot straight up. It was almost
out of reach for his bow.

“Give back my friends you fish!” He fired another volley of piercing dark
bolts. “Die already!” He kept at it but the distance was making it difficult.

The Darkness Cloud wore off and the sky whale was dashing through the
air away.
“It’s getting away, I can’t reach it.” He tried but the bolts missed. “RIP
kobolds, you will be missed.” He said a small prayer.

The sky whale wobbled in the air ever so slightly. “Oh, did the damage
finally catch up with it?” He renewed his efforts to catch up with the
monster. It wobbled some more and started a slow descent to the icy
ground, but before it could reach the ice its belly split and blue Kobolds
spilled from it. The whale let out a final shriek and slammed into the
mountain face head first, [Fighting +10000exp].

“You guys, you're alive!” He rushed to the kobolds.

They were slimy and the frigid wind was already turning that goo into
icicles, but the blue kobolds didn’t seem to be bothered by it. Instead, they
cheered and giggled, “We did it!”, “Yes-yes!”, then they raised the egg,
which somehow survived all that and began chanting, “Egg! Egg! Egg!”,
They gave it a lift above their heads and carried it like some sort of divine
artefact.

“I doubt it was the egg that saved you.” He said with loaded implication
waving his bow.

“Yes-yes, the egg is a good luck charm. We survived!”

“Right, maybe stop parading it so openly. What if another sky whale sees it
and takes offence?” He warned.

“Then we’ll cut it open from the inside again.” The blue kobold nodded in
assurance that it won’t be a problem. “Kobolds are the bestest hunters!”

“I guess… you can. But that’s not the best hunting strategy. Anyway, what
do we do with the corpse?”

“It’s delicious!” She licked her muzzle.

Indeed, there was a lot of meat, almost too much. “Hmm, since it’s dead if
you help me to cut it I should be able to carry it in my inventory.”

“Yes-Yes!” The kobold danced still giddy.

“But before we start, let's hide the egg. Just in case.” He worried that
another sky whale might attack because of it.

“No-No. Will give bad luck. It stays.” The kobold crossed her arms.

“Okay then, let's harvest this monster quickly. Everyone, help.”

The kobolds were better butchers than he was, their natural claws sliced
through frozen freezing flesh like it was butter, actually, they cut better if it
was frozen; strange.

His inventory was quickly filled with goodies:

[IceShard Bird Meat] x 100000, [IceShard Bird Leather] x250,

[IceShard Bird Bones] x 100, [IceShard Plankton] x1000, [IceShard
Bird Core] x 1.

And yeah, according to the system, it was IceShard Plankton Bird and not
a whale, so Kobolds knew what they were talking about. He stared at this
inventory for quite a while, it was crazy, in his Magical Inventory space he
had a hundred slots for items, but as long as it was a single type of item it
didn’t matter how much he had of it, so the entire harvested whale only
took 5 inventory slots. This meant that he was now carrying 100 tonnes of
meat and not feeling it; this skill was broken! On another note killing these
things was a very profitable business; but judging by the lack of other
sightings, these ‘birds’ must be quite rare.

The items he obtained were interesting, ever since he obtained Crafting lvl.
3 he was able to tell what sort of enchantments/affinity the items provided,
that is if they had enchanting properties at all.

[IceShard Bird Leather: Ice Resistance]

[IceShard Bird Bones: Ice Attribute]

[IceShard Plankton: Ice Damage]

[IceShard Bird Core: ???]

But yeah, the information wasn’t always complete, it worked like a rough
guide mostly. Saying that, he was the most interested in the Core since he
had a hunch it was some sort of magical floatation organ. Why? Because
then he took it out, the core hovered in the air defying all gravity.

He will give the Kobolds their fair share of the loot, but that core – he’s
keeping that.
 56

“Kobold Leader, I don’t think it’s the best idea to join the two camps.”

“I must, yes-yes, a camp can’t be leaderless.”

“The blue kobolds need access to the surface. And that’s where the fridge is
now. You don’t want the meat to spoil.”

The Kobold Leader was thoughtful. “No.” He admitted. “The bird meat is
tasty.”

“See, just leave your wife here to manage the camp, easy.”

“Okay.” The kobold leader smiled. “But I’m still the Leader.”

“Yes-Yes.” He imitated the kobold. “Just think of it like this. Your camp is a
Kobold Capital and from there, you rule all other camps.”

“Yes-Yes, I like it.”

“And if you struggle I will just lend you a few of my spiders, to pacify any
rebels that is.”

“No-No, we Kobolds can handle this.” He patted a chest area of the

segmented armour.

Indeed, his Kobolds were all greared up and judging from their recent
performance they shouldn’t have a problem claiming other Kobold camps.

“Anyway, just remember to tell your new camp to concentrate on mining

for ore.”
“I know, I promised you more ores, King, you will get them, yes-yes.” The
Kobold assured.

With that he was done here, well there were still a lot of things to do in both
of the kobold camps. Having access to ample food these guys bred quite
quickly, which was a good thing, but housing might become an issue in the
future. Also, the ever-expanding mine network was becoming inefficient,
hence there was a need to improve the transportation system. The building
of the ‘fridge’ facilities has just begun, those 100 tons of meat needed a lot
of storage space and vigilant security so that opportunistic monsters don’t
raid it; luckily the Blue Leader seemed competent to manage the task. In
other words instead of micromanaging everything he left it to the kobolds,
sure there will be mistakes made here and there, but they surely will learn
from those.

And the mountain top expedition had a plus side, which was ice – a rare
commodity, especially without access to modern refrigeration. He
surrounded the meat chunks in ice blocks and then fungiwood chippings
and loaded the bags on the spiders, it was rather primitive but it should keep
the meat frozen until they reached the farm. So prepared, the spider caravan
headed home.

His spiders were completely TomGrape-tarians so the meat he brought was

solely for the Lamia and himself. Judging by the sparkle in their eyes his
Rep with the Lamia went up by quite a few points, which was good, they
were his people now, especially since Lamia Queen relinquished all
command to him. The Queen in question seemed content to live a carefree
life, which was both good and bad. It was he who wanted to live a life like
that, one where he simply could do nothing, alas as a King he was not
allowed such luxury and he accepted the King’s responsibilities fully and
wholeheartedly.

That didn’t mean that he didn’t have time for hobbies and other trivialities.
Currently, he was busy in his workshop where the Drow Assistant was
giving him a hand in grinding the IceShard Bird Bones. Yes, Ice
Attribute, was mightly useful and he already had produced several articles
of interesting equipment.
The process was quite simple, grind the bones into the fine powder and use
that in conjuration with Crafting and Magic+ to Enchant a desired item
with Ice Attribute.

A few examples were:

Icy Spear > Elemental Damage, a chance for Frozen.

Icy Axe > Ice Slash (an elemental type attack)

Magic Scroll: Elemental Arrow: Ice.

Frost Arrow > Elemental Damage, a chance for Frozen.

For defensive equipment (armours, shields, etc), he had to use IceShard

Bird Leather which would guarantee Ice Resistance: Medium as one of
the passives. That passive protected against Elemental Ice Damage but not
from the accumulative Frozen debuff.

To beat the debuff he had to use Extract: Reagent on either the bones to
obtain IceShard Powder. Contrary to the name when mixed into a potion it
gave a Resist Frozen Potion. The potion also protected against the frigid
cold and frost, like some sort of edible antifreeze.

He needed all of those so that his spiders could walk at the mountaintop.
Yeah, his spiders were very weak to Ice effects, but also Fire. So he had to
think about how to dress them since he couldn’t protect the spiders from
both. Incidentally, he’d used some Magic Scroll: Air/Earth Arrow on
spider volunteers and those turned out to do a lot less damage. The Dark
Arrow did barely any damage at all. To sum it up: weakness to Fire/Ice,
resistance to Dark.

Another unexpected find was the effects of IceShard Plankton. It was

similar to the bone powder but much more potent. Well, there were
limitations, he couldn't use it with Enchant, but it still was a crafting
ingredient. So he used that sludge-like goo to make Frost Grenade, and it
was a very potent weapon which instantly Froze a target. This surprising
find led to another revelation. Well, to be honest, it was a joint discovery…
“What if we make a box out of Enchanted Corrundum Ingot and flood it
with IceShard Plankton?” The Drow Assistant proposed.

“That would make a very cold bath… or even a fridge. Yes! And we can
insulate the outside with Ice Resistance to prevent the cold from escaping.”
Yes, the leather prevented the transference of heat, or in this case cold.

The two of the crafted the prototype box.

“It works.” The Drow Assistant took out a Frozen TomGrape, “But
submerging the food in the liquid doesn’t seem to be optimal.” She scraped
the plankton off the fruit.

“That’s just a proof of concept. We just need to make another, smaller

airbox and put it in the goo. The corundum metal should be able to conduct
the Ice element and channel it to the air to cool it.”

“Yes. We should have made it so from the very beginning.”

She was right, at the moment it was just a reverse deep fryer – deep
freezer… or something which instantly froze the food. They needed it
cooled only so the two worked to improve the design.

[You have crafted an IceShard Cooler of poor quality. Crafting

+1000exp.]

[IceShard Cooler: afflicts the contents with debuff Chilled, debuff

Frozen]

“Yes, the System recognised it as a ‘Cooler’.” He cheered and slapped the

top of the box. The frozen metal shattered, and the box broke spilling the
goo everywhere; frost covered the table. “Oops, it’s brittle. I should have
reinforced it.”

“Ah, a weakness.” The Drow Assistant was making notes.

It took a few more tries and a superior IceShard Cooler was achieved. It
was a two-compartment box, one for Chilled and the other for Frozen; the
system refused to call it a fridge for some reason. The device didn’t work
perpetually, while it didn’t need mana injection to work, what it needed was
a supply of IceShard Plankton because it consumed that to produce the
cooling effect. In a sense, it was fuel to power the Cooler.

“You’ve said you have a pile of meat sitting at the top of the mountain…
We’ll need more of those, no?”

“Yeah… A bigger one perhaps, but not too big. A 100 units of meat should
be enough to satisfy the Lamia needs. And I don’t have a lot of fuel…” He
patted the box, no he slammed it. “Ha, Reinforce +3 seems to do it.”

The Drow Assistant made a note in her notebook.

“You know, with this we can make some ice cream.” He felt giddy just from
the idea.

“I scream? I must have misheard it, sorry.”

“Ice Cream.” He voiced it out slowly. ”A chilled dessert made out of milk.”

The Drow Assistant was giving him an odd look. “Like mother’s milk?”
She asked betraying confusion.

“No, not like that. Milk from a cow preferably. I wonder if humans have
that.”

“A cow? Sounds like a formidable monster.” She made some more notes in
that notebook of hers.

“Anyway, let's just finish a bigger cooler. We can think about where to get
milk later.”

The never-ending quest for a bigger better meaner ‘Cooler’ just began. The
two won’t stop until they make a perfect masterwork, an envy of the
world.

Meanwhile, an IceShard Bird Core was hovering sadly in the corner,

seemingly forgotten. A mundane fridge was evidently more important than
the gravity-defying mysterious ??? item.
…

Far, far away, at the border of the forest, the one where the Great Ancestral
Tree ruled supreme. Well, this wasn’t a border your average human would
recognise, it just looked like a seamless forest with trees on the left and on
the right. But it was a border never the less, one forest was ruled by the
Great Ancestral Tree and the other by a different nature entity. The other
one still had the elves in it and their guardian deity was still alive. Due to
some unnatural twist of fate, and equally inconveniently random
applications of [Chaos Blessed] (Which our Monster King might or might
not be at fault for), the two forests were currently at WAR.

Great Ancestral Tree, knew that he was blessed with good allies, and he
gave his thanks every day for that. The greatest ally of them all was his best
friend commonly known as the Spider King. The spiders provided a
tremendous boon to the forest, breathing in a fresh breath of change. And
the King himself was no different. The two often exchanged gifts and other
pleasantries. Their Alliance was just a budding sapling but it was as strong
as a full-grown Iron Oak; the King of Spiders was willing to come and aid
him in times of difficulties and even in times of war. However, the Great
Ancestral Tree didn’t feel it was proper to be over-reliant, and that was for
a reason. Sometimes Great Ancestral Tree would feel that he was the one
who benefited the most from the relationship, he was even beginning to feel
guilty.

The King of Spiders would often come and exchange the cave centipede
souls for his Amber. The Great Ancestral Tree used those souls to seed
the Sprigans he had grown. They were perfect for the job, perfect for the
WAR of forests. Currently, he had no less than a thousand of the Sprigans,
they were his personal army of diligent fearless soldiers. The cave centipede
souls made the Sprigans extra vicious, and it was a good thing. He needed
vicious and relentless to ward off the elf attacks. Recently they were
prodding and pushing deeper into his territory. The Great Ancestral Tree
was done with the elves, especially the ones who weren’t of this forest; their
aggression was intolerable.

The Sprigan army marched into the elf forest, their goal was to exterminate
the elf nest and stop their aggression permanently. And maybe, just maybe,
as a side goal – to expand the influence and domain of the Great Ancestral
Tree.

The elves weren’t shy to retaliate, no, it seems they were ready for attack.
Actually, they probably provoked it consciously. The Sprigans were
ambushed by the elf scouts, fire arrows rained from treetops setting
everything ablaze. The Great Ancestral Tree floated above the battlefield
in his wisp form and frowned at the reckless behaviour. It was super
effective, the Sprigans burned in hot flames, but so did the parts of elf
forest. The attack hurt both sides or so he thought.

There were more Sprigans than there were elves, so even at a loss the Great
Ancestral Tree ordered the Sprigans to carry their duty. The Sprigans, even
if burning, climbed on the trees to pursue the elves. They pummelled the
elves with their fists to death. It was brutal, but also surprisingly effective;
unlike the elves the Sprigans didn’t tire, didn’t feel pain and were fearless.
Soon the tree tops were basked in fragments of what used to be an elf, the
bark was dyed red, and whatever was left hung trapped in branches like
some sort of macabre fruit.

That, and there was a similar but contrasting sight of a burned tree, below it
were charred and motionless remains of the Sprigans. One of them, half
charred, stood up, “[Heal],” it invoked one of the three spells in knew; the
charred black bark glowed green and then returned to its normal texture.
The sight repeated all over the battlefield, yes there were some losses, but
not too many. The Great Ancestral Tree ordered his army to proceed.

They pushed deeper into the hostile forest. They were almost at the walls of
the pesky Elf Nest. It was bigger than the Great Ancestral Tree
remembered, and there were two kinds of elves, in common pale and brown
variety; the sight most unusual. Both were forest elves but the two groups
never mixed before, he wondered what was the reason. But did it matter? It
did not, these elves were the aggressor here, defiling the border of the
Great Ancestral Tree.

The Sprigans lined not too far from the walls, just out of reach of the
balistas. An awful human contraption which had no place on the elven wall!
The Great Ancestral Tree remembered the displeasure of being pierced by
it.

The wisp floated just above the city, “Elves, both of you, where are your
High Chiefs?” he boomed loudly so that everyone could hear.

He was right, almost right, because not two but three High Chiefs
manifested in an alcove of their Ancestral Tree. This meant that there were
three different groups of elves living here.

“Ah, a messenger of the Demonic Tree. Begone you foul spirit!” A slightly
familiar elder spoke.

“We will chop you down and liberate the forest.” A woman spoke.

The third elder remained silent.

Just like in previous attempts, the elves refused to negotiate.

“Fools! I sense nothing but malice. If war you want, WAR you will get.”
The wisp expanded in anger.

“[Dispel]” The third elf fired a purple projectile at the wisp. “Let's raise the
shield, who knows what demonic magic it can cast.”

The wisp shrunk to a ball barely dodging the incoming spell. The elf nest
formed a magical shield surrounding it.

If it was his forest, he could beseech The Spirit to dispel that shield, but
alas, it was not. Even more so, the elves kept their Guardian Deity, the
avatar of the forest, somewhere tightly locked within the walls, so the
Great Ancestral Tree didn’t even have a chance to talk with it.

“As you want elves.” He commanded the Sprigans to attack the walls. His
guys could pass the shield no problem, it was the spell-slinging that would
get blocked.

The Sprigans marched unafraid of the great balista arrows flying at them.
And all would be well, if not for the elves sallying out of the gate. There
weren’t many, but they were most unusual. The elves, THE ELVES, had
metal armour and were wielding axes; a perfect counter to the Sprigan
army.

“Blasphemy! How dare you.” the Great Ancestral Tree was offended.
Never in his long-long life did he see an elf wielding an axe. “No better
than a human I see!” This was a bad change in elves, a change he could not
allow.

The two armies clashed, the armour was dented and the helmets bent, hence
several elves met their demise. However, the balistas fired, arrows flew and
axes chopped the wooden flesh like butter; the Sprigans fell in droves. If
not for the enchanted axes his army might have stood a chance, but alas, the
victory was impossible.

“Retreat.” The Great Ancestral Tree commanded. However, the Sprigans

were reluctant to obey, their centipede soul rejected the command.
“Retreat!” He expanded the wisp form to project dominance. Finally, they
obeyed. The retreat was not clean, and he was left with a mere hundred
Sprigans left.

A very thin force distanced themselves from the pesky Elf Nest, luckily the
elves, content by the safety of the walls, didn’t pursue it, but the safety of
his own border was now compromised.

“Gather the elf scout corpses.” He urged the survivors. “We are short on
guardians, let's put the diseased to use.” He will turn these corpses into Vine
Men.

The Great Ancestral Tree wasn’t proud of this tactic but he was kind of
desperate here, at least until the King of Spiders supplied him with more
centipede souls. Well, he could put the squirrel souls there just like he did
before, but those were innocent creatures unfit for the atrocities of WAR.
And why should he sacrifice the souls of this forest? No, he wasn’t a
Demonic Tree! He was a Regent Guardian here so he wouldn't sacrifice his
forest's souls, definitely not, but if they came from outside his domain it
was a fair play.
“I shall ask my ally for more souls.” That, and if push came to shove he’ll
ask for the spiders’ help.

The wisp left the Sprigans and Vine Men to defend the border and then flew
back towards its main body.
 56.5

The Human Kingdom bordering the Ancient Forrest was only one of many
Human Kingdoms, and also a part of the Holy Empire. This one was once
ruled by King Aurelius, a known warmonger. While the Human King had
his flaws he wasn’t an incompetent king. Some wars were not only
unavoidable – they were a necessity.

However, King Aurelius met an untimely demise fighting an evil sorcerer

and so his plans came to an end. The reclaimed forest land was meant for
new farms, which didn’t happen. And most importantly the invasion of the
neighbouring Fertile Kingdom didn’t happen either. If they struck at that
time they would have won, but now the Fertile Kingdom wizened up and
mustered enough forces to fend off any upcoming incursions. Even worse,
they were unwilling to trade their grain at a fair price. Well, that was just a
consequence of a failed conquest, a conquest which never happened.

Of course, the Human Kingdom crowned a new king – King Aurelius II.
The King was young but wise beyond his years, he had surrounded himself
with knowledgeable advisors, a group of magi known as a Covenant of the
Black Hand. Of course that stopped the Fertile Kingdom from a pre-
emptive attack; no one really wanted to fight a full covenant of magi. And
all seemed well for a time they even reigned in the threat of the Evil
Sorcerer.

But the unresolved old problems, like a monstrous hydra, poked their ugly
heads. The first head was the looming war with the Fertile Kingdom. The
second head was the threat of the Evil Sorcerer. The third head was the
worst, in came in the shape of a drought and then a flood, failing all harvest.
There were the beginnings of famine and the rebellion was at the doorstep.
In a palace garden and under a fancy gazebo, an obese man and an elderly
magus were sitting and having a small feast. The two were King Aurelius II
and his advisor GrandMagus Vumbeldor. Both of them were decorated in
exotic blue robes, made out of a material of unknown origin; it was
rumoured to be more expensive than royal imperial silk.

“The peasants threw rotten tomatoes at the palace wall.” Aurelius II

complained.

“What do you want me to do? Throw Firebolts at them? Get your militia to
sort matters like this.” The Magus replied full of snark.

“No, I’m not suggesting that,” Aurelius II took a greedy sip out of a fancy
bottle, “That’s some good stuff… Can’t you just magic some food?”

“That’s not how magic works, you fool.” The magus didn’t need to hold his
tongue with this puppet. “We can always release some of the palace
supplies,” he bit a yellow fruit, it leaked juices on his beard. “That would
ease the tension in the Capital. At least for a while.”

“No, the royal faction would have my head. You know that I’m not exactly
popular, so they would rebel before the peasants would.” Aurelius II took
another sip.

“Go easy on that stuff.” The magus cautioned. “But, you are the King, and
your word is final. If your uncles and cousins what to rebel let them.” The
magus stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Actually, that would be a good cause
to get rid of them entirely and install a council.” A council of magi.

“Vumbeldor, please, you’re too ambitious for your own good. The Emperor
would not allow that.”

“And that’s why you’re on the throne, our false King.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you for all the support.” He said it, but didn’t mean it.
“And isn’t your covenant doing just swimmingly well?”

“Are you implying something?” The magus frowned.

“This illicit trade you have with that sorcerer made you extremely wealthy,
no?”

So the fool was somehow aware of the backroom dealings. The fat buffoon
went a notch up in the Vumbeldor’s eyes.

“So, can’t you just buy some grain?”

The magus finished eating the fruit. “Spend our wealth to save your
kingdom? A genius idea!” The magus mocked. “The grain asking price is
exorbitant, and we are at the point where it’s impossible to turn a profit. The
peasantry can’t afford it anymore.” He educated the fool. “But we can
spend the royal treasury to subsidise if you give us access.”

“No, that’s not necessary. I was just throwing some ideas out.” The fancy
bottle was empty so Aurelius II eyed the juicy fruit. “How can a simple fruit
be so tasty?” He asked to distract the magus from the royal treasury, that
money was his to spend.

The magus looked at it. His eyes were locked on the bowl of yellow fruits
for a while.

“I don’t think I asked something profound, please, I don’t want another

lecture from you old man.”

The magus ignored the fat man and the disgusting sounds he made while
devouring the fruits; Vumbeldor was thinking. The fat man was on the
throne only because the Covenant backed his claim by bribing the nobles
and strongarming the lesser factions. Yes, the King was just a puppet but a
necessary one; no King no Kingdom and all that. But, that also meant that
the Covenant needed to solve the famine if they want to keep this stolen
Kingdom under the Black Hand’s influence.

“The fruit, you’re eating.” He pointed at the last remaining TomGrape. “I

think, that’s the solution.”

“Eh, how so?”

“Well, the Sorcerer, The King of Spiders, grows them. And…” He stressed
it. “As far as I know we are his only clients.”

“Yes, I heard of him… but that’s our enemy!” The fat man slammed his
hands on the table making the chubby cheeks and the rest of the fat body
shake.

“The one responsible for your beloved blue ambrosia. By the way, we had
it Identified, it comes out from some sort of a slug; it’s a slug jelly.” He just
threw that one out. “And so does this cloth, and many other items the
royals, oh so much joy.”

“So you were in the bed with the Evil Sorcerer all along. I should’ve
known…” The fat man sat down deflated.

“He wasn’t planted by us if that’s what you thinking. But he is an unlikely

ally. The one who could solve the famine.”

“I’m listening...” He snatched back the last fruit from the magus’s hand and
devoured it in one bite.

The magus continued. “We would need to grant him certain privileges. A
royal pardon even. Then we could begin an open trade.”

“A what?! We all know the rumours of the evil forest, twisted spiders and a
man behind it all. He'd slew King Aurelius! Would people ever agree to
make peace with someone like that?”

“You overestimate the morality of a common man.” The magus said matter
of factly. “If that feeds them, then they will.”

“Morality, ha!” The fat man laughed at the irony. “The only thing that
separates us from them is wealth and power.”

It seems that Aurelius II had no illusions of what he really was. Good.

“And to remain in that position, we must make amends with the Sorcerer.
No, not just sorcerer, The King Of Spiders.” The magus raised a finger to
hammer that title into that fat-addled brain of the fool. “We shall invite him
into the palace. Form an official trade treaty.”

“…” Aurelius II seemed hesitant. “The Emperor won’t like this.”

“The Emperor won’t feed our starving. And I don’t think his holiness cares
about the politics of some backwater kingdom.”

“Awesome… Another magus to deal with. The palace is crawling with your
kind already, one more will make no difference.” Aurelius II sighed. “Fine.”

“It’s not like I need your permission. I’m just telling you so that you don’t
make a fool of all of us.” Vumbeldor reached into his robe and retrieved
another bottle of ‘blue ambrosia’. “For your efforts, understanding, and,”
He looked right into Aurelius’s eyes, “discretion.”

“I knew it! You are hoarding it all!” Aurelius II uncorked the bottle and
chugged the contents. “Ah, sweet mana from the heavens sent to bless my
taste buds. So that Sorcerer, The King of Spiders makes this stuff. He can’t
be that bad.”

“I think we’re done here. I’ll go and contact our future benefactor.”
Vumbeldor left for the comm orb room.

King Aurelius finished his blue ambrosia bottle, it was his third today; he
was beginning to feel funny in a good way. When full on ‘ambrosia’, he
would feel brimming with power and infused with wisdom. The many
palace stairs weren’t as scary, the boredom was gone and he would notice
the things he normally wouldn’t… There was a squirrel on a nearby tree’s
branch, he’d noticed that squirrel before; he recognised it. Actually, there
was an unusually large number of them in the palace gardens. And they
were oddly interested in his activities, he felt their gazes all too often.

“What are you looking at?” He stared back at the squirrel accusingly. “Are
you spying on me?” He could swear there was intelligence in those eyes.

The squirrel stopped staring and instead scratched both of the nuts below
with tiny squirrel hands and then just ran off to do other squirrel things like
that.

“Must be my imagination.” He stared at the empty bottle. “Or a side effect,

Paranoia.” He checked his status, there was no debuff of any sort. “I need
more blue ambrosia, that old fart must be hiding it in his office.” He went
to raid the office while the magus was busy in the orb room.
 57

A huge rock the Kobold Leader had gifted to his wife, Lamia Queen, was
not just a rock. It was a rough gem the size of a melon. Almost unbelievable
right? But here it was, cut and polished into a round brilliant sphere, and it
turned out to be pink. Actually, It was quite unusual as the gems came.
Under the right light and at the right time of the day, it was possible to see a
small red lighting, blinking and crackling deep inside the gem. He was
tempted to break the gem and set the trapped lighting loose just to see what
happens.

He shook off the intrusive thoughts. “No, that would break it. I rather…”
He put the pink gem on the table, right beside the other crafting materials. It
was so big, it made it impractical for any of the standard jewellery, even the
crown would look too unwieldy. “A sceptre then,” he decided, “a symbol of
power.”

He shaped Enchanted Metal under the hammer, making a small cage for
the gem to hold it in place. The shaft of the sceptre was made out of the
same metal. Of course, he spent a great amount of time perfecting the
minute details and other decorations, etching and shaping the metal surface.
The shaft was slim, elegant but sturdy; its surface was etched with
decorative patterns. The pink gem glowed ever so slightly, shining out of a
flower-like cage. The pink gem and bright orange metal accompanied each
other.

“And it’s done.” It looked more like a mace than a sceptre but whatever, it
was a badass item.

[Chaos Blessed – activated], he ignored it; he was used to it firing at the

most random times. Most of the time it did nothing.
[You have crafted Sceptre of Love of masterwork quality. Crafting
+1000exp.]

[Sceptre of Love: Reinforced +2, Increased Authority, Enchanted

Charm.]

“Huh, the name is interesting…” He questioned the system’s taste in

naming things. “But that works to my advantage here.” After all, he will re-
gift this to the lamia.

Just as he was done with one orb he was already looking at the other. He
patted IceShard Bird Core and it bobbed in the air slightly. He’s had
played with the mysterious item earlier. It would float in the air, and it could
even carry some weight but the amount depended on how much mana he
injected, more mana meant more weight. So the use was obvious, but there
was still a small issue, he had no way to move the orb in any of the
directions, well, not with mana at least. He could use a leash and just drag
the orb around like a sort of pet rock. He scratched his head in thought.

“I don’t think I’ll have much use of a hovering luggage.” He had his
Magical Inventory for carrying stuff. “Or maybe…” He had a silly idea.

He went to the throne room, where conveniently the Lamia Queen was
napping on his throne, her butt on his target – the Divine Pillow. He
ignored the small fact that she had her own seat and a throne to sit on
because he knew just how comfortable that pillow was.

“Hello, sss.” The lamia greeted opening one of her eyes.

“Might as well,” he took out Sceptre of Love and gifted it to her. “A small
improvement on the Kobold's gift.”

“[Identify]” She smiled broadly exposing all those sharp teeth. “Aww, how
cute. I love the name and the perks-sss it grants-sss.” She leaned in for a
kiss. *Smooch. – it was a bit too wet.

He used the opportunity to pick the lamia up and off the throne and his
pillow.
“Oh! S-s-s.” She giggled. “Are we finally going to the bedroom?”

“No, I need this.” He dropped her on the ground (it was soft and carpeted
anyway) and retrieved the pillow. He hugged the legendary artefact ever so
preciously. “Mine!”

“Hey.” She pointed the sceptre at him. “With the sss-streght of the sss-
sceptre and the power of Love!” She used the newly acquired item against
him. “[Charming Gaze], I command you, sss, to give me more love and
affection!” Her eyes glowed pink and even the sceptre joined in the glow
throwing pink heart-shaped sparkles at him.

The sparkles hit his skin and shattered into small motes of pink. “Ha! Your
Charms are useless against me! I have resistance!” He obtained Charm
Resistance: Medium through gruelling hours of practice, which the Queen
itself was a part of. “The coveted pillow is mine!” He waved the pillow
deflecting the assault of heart-shaped sparkles.

The Lamia pouted and did the typical ‘her’ thing. “No, it’s OURS!” She
jumped at him. “And give me my kisses-sss!”

“I’m busy.” He swatted her with a pillow. “I’ve got crafting to do. You’ll get
your kisses later.”

“Injustice!” She complained.

He kissed her on the cheek. “Later, okay?” They were only play-fighting.

“Okay.” The lamia curled back up on the throne.

He went back towards the workshop, but couldn’t ignore that mysterious
conspiratory look she was giving to him. He’ll deal with pink-minded lamia
later.

So, why the pillow? Well, he was about to join two epic items to produce
something the gods themselves would be envious of. [Chaos Blessed –
activated]. He was taken by Fey Mood and was completely absorbed in the
crafting process. He kept integrating one material after the other, he was
making combinations he wasn’t aware possible, but they were. And in the
end.

[You have crafted Spider King Throne by default it is of artefact quality.

Crafting +10000exp, Building +10000exp, Magic+ +10000exp], it wasn’t
just an item, it was a whole enchanted structure.

It was a large hovering throne. Black stylised spider-like limbs come

together to form a backrest. The seat incorporated Divine Pillow. The ends
of armrests had spider heads assembled from obsidian shells, the four eye
sockets were adorned with yellow sapphire to give that perfect spidery look.
The base was made out entirely of enchanted metal and encased in spider
eggshells in a mosaic-like pattern. Deep inside the base, under the seat, he
hid the IceShard Bird Core. The steps leading to the throne were encrusted
with precious gems. The dominant black colour lent it that ominous feeling.
He Imbued it with his dark mana and Reinforced it to the maximum. The
throne radiated power and authority.

[Spider King Throne: Indestructible, Superior Authority, Dark Aura,

Inflict: Terror, Floating]

Yeah, it was very opulent and completely over the top. And the name
‘Spider King Throne’, oh boy! It was very official. He sat down on the
new throne, injected some mana and it lifted up floating. It was surprisingly
steady, and the mana usage was relatively low. However, despite all the
boons the structure had, he still couldn’t command it to move. A small issue
really, because he had half expected this. There were reins made out of blue
ropes already at the ready, and the one pulling this large contraption was no
other than a very large spider, Warrior Leader.

“Come, let's give it a try.” He encouraged the spider.

“Onwards. For the King!” The Warrior Leader cheered giddily. And then he
ran at full speed parading the throne around the farm like some sort of
glorified war chariot.

For some reason, the noble mount was faster than he had any right to be.
The throne practically glided in the air and at breakneck speed at that;
somehow air resistance wasn’t a thing when magic was involved. However,
the practicality of the floating throne was questionable, but he never
intended it to be practical. This was meant to display power and authority; It
was shameless but the real reason was just to flex. And to craft something
interesting; a proof of concept. It was just a twist of fate that the prototype
turned out into an artefact.

The spider looked at the zooming Warrior Leader and the contraption he
pulled with big four yellow eyes, they were full of sparkling awe. They
cheered and clapped at the display.

“King. Of. Spiders! King. Of. Spiders!” They began a chant which soon
overtook a whole farm.

The voices synchronised empowering each other. It became loud, very loud,
magical even. The chant boomed with power and the message was carried
all across the jungle, The Dreaded Place.

[Chaos Bless: activated], it was becoming a daily occurrence.

The King of Spiders reacted to the message pulling on the reigns. The
blessing can be unpredictable at times (it always was), so it was better to be
safe and stop.

The spiders finished the chant and clapped their arms and mandibles in
appreciation. It was good they liked his new improvised ‘chariot’. He raised
his right fist in the air, basking in the ovations like some sort of pop star. He
didn’t even do anything that impressive, but whatever. It still felt good to be
appreciated.

Stray Lamia ran to gather below the hovering throne in a large assembly
and began bowing, almost as if in worship.

“Oh… No need. You can rise.” He felt that this was a bit too much.

“We must, sss, respect our King.” The Friendly Lamia grovelled even with
more fervour.
Something didn’t feel quite right. On a closer look, he observed that unlike
the spiders the Lamia had different kinds of expressions on their serpentine
faces. They were tense and contorted. He could swear seeing sweat forming
on their brow, which was very unusual for the snake-like Lamia. Was this
the effect of Superior Authority, or was this…

He deactivated Inflict: Terror perk. Yeah, since he wasn’t the target and the
spiders seemed unaffected he forgot it was there. “Oops. Is it better?” He
observed the life returning to the pale faces of the Lamia. “That wasn’t my
intention. Please stand and forget this happened.” He encouraged the
terrified Lamia.

“No, sss, the display of King’s power was very, sss-se…” the speaker
developed a faint reddish blush on her pale cheeks, “…appreciated. It’s an
honour to sss-serve a powerful and glorious King.” She bowed again, likely
just to hide the blush.

“You guys are quite silver-tongued aren’t you, you flatter me.” He smiled
slightly uncomfortable. “It’s an honour to have you guys around. For real!
You are good people and good friends to me and my spiders. Again, sorry
for the debuff.”

“No, no, sss…” The lamia insisted but stood regardless, the previous happy-
go-lucky expression returned to hers and her comrade's faces.

The misunderstanding was resolved and the shenanigans had to end. “Show
is over back to work.” He instructed.

Everything has returned back to normal. Or so he had hoped.

“King.” The Warrior Leader cocked his head to look. “Thanks. For. The
Honor.”

He just gestured back saying that it was no problem. “I’m happy if you’re
happy.” Not many would like to be treated like a horse, but this spider was
very different. He was glad to have him around.
The Queen Lamia slithered towards him from who knows where. She
looked displeased. Oh, yeah, he was having fun with his best mate, going
on a mad ride and all that, forgetting the word he gave to the Queen. Was he
in trouble?

“I’ll give you double hugs and kisses?” He shot out before she could open
her mouth trying to appease her.

“What, sss?” The Queen gave him a curious look. “Okay, but before that.
Your Orb, was buzzing loudly. My royal nap ruined, sss, unacceptable.”

“Oh…” It was humans trying to contact him. “I’ll talk with them and we
can take a nap together.” After all, all that crafting made him quite tired.

“Nah, no need. I’ve dealt with it.” She raised her head proudly.

Yeah, it was very unlike her to deal with mundane affairs like that;
especially in a proper way. “So you told them to get lost?” he asked slightly
worried.

“SSS!” She hissed offended. “No, they had an interesting proposition and a
deal. And I know my husband well, and how you like to trade and sell stuff.
So I agreed, sss…” She hissed all too pleased about herself.

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

She mistook his silence for a pleasant surprise and decided to boast some
more. “They had sss-some interesting ideas, and propositions... trade this
trade that…” She waived clearly uninterested in those details. “Long story
short, we are going to a royal gala!” She said overfilled with youthful joy.

“A what? Wait… what are we trading? No, just what did you agree to?”

“Must I recall all small and insignificant details, sss?”

Yes, yes and yes!

“You worry too much, sss, your Trusty Advisor was there to give me a
hand. Trust me, it’s a good deal.” She crossed her arms defensively.
“It’s good that you take more responsibility now…” Albeit still not in a
proper way. “But in this case, I feel left out…”

“But you were busy! And having fun, sss. I’m a good wife.” She nodded to
herself. “Why would I take you away and disturb your fun? Sss, that’s not
me.” She nodded some more. “And you were kinda scary.” She whispered
the last part mostly to herself.

“Just, include me in any future dealings, please. Let’s just go and speak
with Trusty Advisor. Hop in.” He lowered the floating throne and patted the
space beside him.

Queen Lamia slithered and seated herself right on his lap, her long tail
dangled on the steps. She tried not to show it, but from her body language,
he was positive she was looking forwards to this ride.

“Onwards!” He urged his noble steed.

They flew with the wind towards the Spider Palace. He ignored the clinging
and giggling lamia, willing to get there as soon as possible. He was thinking
about this ’ royal gala’ and that ‘deal’. More trade was always good but the
devil was in the details. He wanted the details!
 58

The Trusty Advisor was indeed trustworthy, he’d written all the details of
the deal on a scroll. He was reading it carefully to get the proper feel of the
trade deal.

The humans had requested a very large amount of TomGrapes, actually

they’d asked for a continuous monthly supply. By the looks of it, they
wanted him to supply an entire Kingdom; which was kind of strange. Was
something going on the Human Kingdom? The price they offered was
significantly lower than he had at the moment, but since he will be selling
in bulk he still will be making a good amount of profit. But even then, he
never was motivated by the gold, so as it was now the deal was only so-so.
It would put the Spider Kingdom under a lot of strain, he would need to
expand the farms and even sort out all the logistics; in other words, they
were asking a lot and offering little.

He continued reading, and it turns outs the humans understood the lack of
appeal to their proposition. Hence the reason why his ‘royal gala’ was
mentioned. He continued reading the back and forth between the Lamia
Queen and Vumbeldor, it was quite amusing and he could imagine the
headache she gave to the man. He was even surprised that the Queen
approached it at the right angle.

First, they would make the ceasefire official. This would recognise the
Spider Kingdom as a sovereign realm. Second, they would sign a peace
treaty and a trade treaty. Third and most important one, the spiders and
lamias would be recognised as the subjects of the Spider Kingdom,
meaning that they will finally be treated as people and not monsters. To sum
it up, it was an invitation for a warmer relationship between the Spider
Kingdom and the Human Kingdom. And the royal gala was just a feast to
formalise the relationship.
But this feast was there the Queen was most finicky about. To begin with,
Vumbeldor wanted to keep it small, a low budget quick and just official
signing of documents. Vumbeldor wanted him, the King of Spiders, to come
to the royal palace sign this and that, shake some hands and that’s it; and he
would be fine with that, he even appreciated the mage for not wanting to
waste resources on pointless frivolities. But the Lamia Queen felt different.
She insisted on coming together, and she insisted on a massive show and a
feast.

Well, maybe she had a point there. This would cement her image as the
Queen (that sneaky lamia!), plus he could mingle with other notable figures
in the Human Kingdom, currently his only contact was the Black Hand
covenant. And even better, he would have a chance to push his wares to the
nobles; and in turn, the nobles would affect the commoners making his
wares ever more popular.

“Well, that’s not as bad as I expected.” He admitted.

The Lamia Queen pouted. “Why is your opinion of me sss-so low?”

“Maybe because you nap all the time, and when you don’t - you just make
trouble!”

“King, the royal gala is happening soon. It’s better to get ready now.” The
Trusty Advisor interrupted the two before they could start arguing.

“You’re right, let's get started.”

“The man told me, sss, I’ll need a dress for the dance.”

No, first they’ll need to tell the spiders to begin setting up the new farms
and growing TomGrape straight away. Then he will need to figure out how
much of the shipment can he deliver on his first visit; for that, he would
need to get the current amount of the fruit so that he doesn’t leave himself
short on supply. The road to Human Kingdom would need to be finished,
and for that he needed the Ancestral Tree’s permission. Then he would need
to prepare the sample wares he could push to the nobles and other crafting
projects like that. There was so much to do, he could feel his head spinning.
“The spiders are already clearing the jungle. In two weeks' time, it should
start producing fruit.” The Trusty Advisor was already on top of things.

“That’s… That’s fast.”

“You can leave it all to me.” He bowed and then bound the trade scroll back
into his book, the one he carried at all times by his side.

“I want emeralds-sss in my dress-sss.”

“Hmm.” He considered her whimsical request. “You’re right. I bet they’ll

want to see you just like another monster, and look down upon you and my
spiders. But if you looked better than them, if you looked rich, they would
be forced to reconsider. Humans are shallow like that.” He wasn’t under any
illusions of how humans saw the spiders, and the likely cold treatment he
will get in the Human Kingdom.

“Oh, sss, really? I’ve never met a human before.”

“Well you met me, but I guess that doesn’t count anymore.” His current
race was Monster King and he even had horns now. “I reckon we come to
them full of swagger. Even better, we should outdo them in vanity.” That
didn't sound right, but it was probably the easiest way to impress the
shallow humans. After all, wealth does project power.

“Yes-sss!” Lamia hissed.

“If the Trusty Advisor is confident about the TomGrape shipment I will sort
out the rest.”

“I Have. It. Covered.” He chirped in a spidery voice, the excitement was

getting to him.

“Well then, let's melt that pointless gold.”

Yes, the cloth and jelly trade had acquired him a significant amount of coins
from the humans, and he was about to turn that into clothing and trinkets.
The best forge he knew to do the job was at the Drow Village. He gathered
it all into his inventory and Shadow Walked towards the mountain.
Since he couldn’t faze through solid rock he broke the spell right by the
entrance. Once, he had planted a Living Wood Seed three, the seed
sprouted and with Dryad's help it was already a majestic tree. He didn’t
grow it for beauty, or to appease anyone, it was there for resources.
“Harvest Material”, unlike the IronOaks the perk worked on this tree. The
purple light enveloped a large branch and disappeared it in a shower of
motes. He didn’t harvest a whole tree, that would beat the purpose, just one
branch of many.

[Living Wood] x25, it gave him neatly cut sticks.

That was alright, but what if he needed planks or cubes? The perk didn’t
allow him to specify, but even then, he had enough since he only needed it
for crafting research purposes.

A group of spiders passed him, one by one giving him a polite spider wave.
Each had a tiny squirrel riding on their backs. How cute, his spiders were
keeping pets. Each day they resembled normal people more and more.

He waved them back letting them pass first. Yes, the entrance tunnel was
becoming quite busy, soon it will need an expansion.

“I should consider setting a proper outpost here.” It was high time for that.
“And a storage facility.” A place to store the goods from Drow and Kobolds
before they could be shipped to his Kingdom proper.

But he was already very sidetracked. He didn’t even get to prepare to

conquer the Undead Fortress. Eventually, he will! But for now, the undead
can wait; that's probably what they were doing for the last century or so –
nothing. Hopefully nothing…

Anyway, he walked the rest of the way to the Drow Village, the tunnels
leading to them were changing. They were wider, the ground more level
and the walls smoother. Not only that but there were the beginnings of
engravings on those grey smoothed walls. Nah, it wasn’t rude graffiti of
some sort, no, it was art. Someone took a liking in etching various figures
of spiders on the walls. They were simplistic like doodles, but there was an
artistic style to all of it – a consistent theme giving it a proper feel of art.
“Engravings?” He remembered a proper name for this art form.

One of them depicted a row of spiders carrying bags on their back. Another
one had a spider fighting a centipede. A different picture showed a spider
bravely protecting a group of kobolds against the cave mole. There was
even a lamia being chased off by a party of spiders.

“Well, I know the culprit now.” He carried on through the improved tunnel.

He emerged at the Drow Village, that one had matured already and the
Drow were done building everything they needed. Even the Drow Archive
was finished, it was a structure stretching from the bottom all the way to the
cavern ceiling like some sort of humungous pillar. To call it a pillar would
probably be rude because it was more like a grand tower. It had windows,
balconies, ledges, covers, columns and other decorative architecture.
Considering that the Drow weren’t known for their masonry, they did very
well. It was likely the Kobolds who helped to carve all that.

He only looked at the landmark for a few seconds because there was a
commotion happening at the base of it. The Drow had gathered around
something and were loudly shouting over each other. He approached the
crowd to get a better look at what was happening.

At the centre of attention, there was a group of strange creatures. The best
word for them was scorpion men, and no, they weren't like centaurs (half-
half). They were entirely insect-like. The scorpion men were covered in
light brown chitin from head to toes, no, to claws. They walked on two legs
but had four arms. The first set was scorpion pincers and the second was a
three digited hand. There was an iconic scorpion tail with a stinger on the
back. Their heads were small and mandibled with two big black eyes and
two narrow holes for breathing.

But what was the most interesting was the fact that they had leather
clothing. Well in the shape of tattered rags, but still clothing never the less.
And they even had sturdy backpacks on their hunched shoulders. It was
made of one part a huge shell and part of leather. Those backpacks were as
big as scorpion men themselves.
“What’s happening?” He asked pushing past the crowd.

“King!” The High Chief replied in surprise. “The timing couldn’t be better.
We found these things wandering in the tunnels, but no one can speak their
language.”

He looked at the few spiders who were a part of the crowd.

“Can’t. Understand. Either.” The spider warrior explained apologetically.

The scorpion men were chittering something enthusiastically to the nearby

Drow.

This was a good time to put his [Language Comprehension] to a test.

“Come one come all, let’s Trade. Trade and Trade.” It waved its mandibles.
“No need to Fight, there is enough for Everyone.”

The Drow didn’t like the clacking of the mandibles and backed off from the
scorpion man.

“It’s angry. It will attack, watch out.” A drow stretched a protective hand to
block the King from approaching.

“It’s fine.” He pushed the hand away. “What are you selling?” He asked the
enthusiastic scorpion-man.

“Ah! You speak Well. A Leader, yes?” It chittered snapping the pincers
excitedly.

He kind of was, the scorpion man judged well. “Yes, a King.”

“Very good.” It bowed ever so slightly. “Wares fit for a King!” It slammed
the backpack to the ground and it came apart revealing the contents.
Somehow the wares ended up neatly displayed despite the forceful slam, or
maybe because of it. The rest of the scorpion men did the same with
identical results.

“They're here to trade.” He explained to Drow the obvious.

Their wares were alien, he couldn’t understand the purpose of half of the
things the scorpion men tried to peddle. Some strange shells, peculiar
devices, bottles, unknown fruit, tools and weapons impractical for a human
hand. But with some effort, he could see how his spiders could use a few of
the tools presented, it was obviously made with the insect anatomy in mind.

“What could I get with this?” He retrieved a single gold piece, a Human
Kingdom coin.

The scorpion man bit at the gold with its mandible mouth. It snapped in
half.

“Soft Metal, not much use. Maybe this?” Scorpion man showed a very sad-
looking dried fruit.

“Nah,” He took the ruined coin back. “So not much use for gold. How
about this.” He showed an enchanted ingot.

The scorpion man nibbled at it. “Ah! Corrundum, we know of it. But we
have better.” The scorpion man pointed a black perfectly symmetrical
triangle. “Glem!” It voiced the name of the material.

He took Glem the triangle into his hand. “Wow, that’s heavy.”

“Very hard. Very good. Won’t break, but hard to melt.”

He deposited it in into his inventory.

[Glem Ingot] x1, [Glem Ingot: Heavy, Reinforced]

“Hey.” It clacked mandibles angrily. “Must pay.”

So the single corundum ingot wasn’t enough. He gave one more and the
expression on that alien face seemed to soften. By the fifth one, the
scorpion man was positively happy.

“You got yourself a Bargain. Glem is Expensive.” It chittered.

There were other baubles he had a mild interest in. Like the glass bottles.
They were crystal clear and very well made. The bottles had different
coloured liquids in them.

“Grupp-Grupp, Mashig, HP Potion, Blaberg’amesh, Ever Cool Water…”

The scorpion man began naming the items. It was a wonder how he could
pronounce that not to mention the fact that neither of the bottles had
smashed considering the way they were literally just slammed to the ground
moments ago.

He wasn’t particularly interested in the liquids themselves, but more in the

glass bottles. At the moment he was using the stone ones made by Kobolds,
because Human glass was just too expensive for his purposes. The glass this
scorpion man had here looked at least two grades better.

“Interested in this?” He showed the scorpion man a TomGrape. “It’s food.”

“Food is Good.” It chittered and ate the fruit. “Sweet!” It sounded surprised.

“Valuable?”

“Maybe.” It was thinking. “Hard to decide.” It shuffled a bunch of various

fruits towards him.

So the fruit was deemed to be worth more than the ones the scorpion men
grew. Good!

“I want the bottles.” He pointed at what he thought was a ‘Mashig’.

“A sack of this, fruit you gave me. TomGrape?” Somehow it knew the
name already.

A sack for a bottle, he had to consider if that was worth it. He was likely
paying here for the liquid and not the bottle itself.

“Actually, I want just the bottle.”

The scorpion man gave a curious look. “I don’t sell, Empty Bottles. Why
empty bottles?” It asked.
“I need them. A lot of them.”

“Ah, I Understand. Ha-ha.” The scorpion man crackled the mandibles. “The
price of the Bottles just went up.”

That cheeky insect!

“Will bring just Bottles next time. Yes?” It asked.

“Yes, I will buy them all.” He will if the price is right.

“So want the Grupp-Grupp or not? Is a good drink. Just a sack of

TomGrape, a bargain!”

So it wasn't a ‘Mashig’, well whatever. “Sure why not.”

They made a transaction and he uncorked a fine glass bottle. The liquid was
green and had a flowery scent. He took a big gulp and then unwillingly spat
it all out to the scorpion man’s face.

“Geh! So strong.” It was an alcoholic spirit.

“Don’t waste, Precious!” the scorpion man scolded. “Take small sips.
Meant to be enjoyed.”

“I just needed a bottle…” He didn’t think he’ll be able to drink that. But he
was getting curious about other drinks.

He tried them all. Yes, most of them were alcoholic drinks with a few
potions mixed here and there. The alcohol, if he wanted, he could import
from humans, and even the Drow made their own mushroom hooch.

While exploring the drinks he was testing the barter system. The highest-
worth item was by no surprise a Fire Spirit Stone, that was until he took
out a stick of Living Wood.

He was no proper merchant but even he could notice how tense the scorpion
face became.
“Very precious right?” He asked a leading question.

“Not fungi wood…” The scorpion man began. “May I.” It streched its
pincer out. “Worry not, I won’t crush. That’s my good hand.”

He gave the scorpion man the stick. The creature rolled it in his pincer
carefully, treating it with considerably more respect than the previous items
he had offered.

“Living Wood, I know of this. Taken from the elves, yes? Very precious.”
The scorpion man remained tense.

“I’m willing to give it to you. For the right price.”

The scorpion man clacked its mandibles. “No such thing grow in the
Desert. You can take all my wares, I’m a rich scorpion now.” The stick
glowed yellow and disappeared out of the scorpion's pincers, somewhere to
magical inventory or something like that.

So this simple wandering merchant maybe wasn’t that simple if it knew

magic.

“Be back with the bottles and you will get another one.”

“That, I will.” The scorpion man pulled at the merchandise shell, leaving
the items on the ground. The shell was turned back into a backpack and put
on the shoulders. “Good dealings, King. May the Desert Sun be kind to
you.” It walked towards its companions who were still trading with the
Drow.

Well, he had a tree worth of sticks growing right outside the undermountain
entrance, so indeed this was a good deal. Maybe he ripped the scorpion man
off, but maybe the scorpion man was ripping him off too. Who knows, who
cares, the two of them were happy with the deal. Oh, and after he put the
empty bottle in the inventory he found out why they didn’t smash. [Glass
Bottle: Protected­-15days], it was a timed enchantment of sorts which
prevented the bottle from shattering. To test he slammed the bottle to the
stone floor and the Protected dropped to 10 days. It was an interesting
enchantment, but he had better: Reinforced. Which should achieve similar
results and be permanent.

With the small test done, he went to talk with other scorpion men. He tried
casual talk just to get to know these alien insect people. But he soon found
out that if he wasn’t buying something the scorpion men weren’t interested
in replying to him. Regardless, he was able to glean on some valuable info.

They were the people of the desert. There were ten Scorpion Clans each
with their city and its surrounding territory. The Scorpion Clans weren’t at
war, but they weren’t united either so small conflicts would arise now and
then. But as long as everyone stuck to their territories all was well.

They were merchantable people and loved to trade and peddle various
items, especially those obtained outside the desert. That was where he was
able to confirm his suspicions: to Scorpion Clans the wood, any wood, was
exotic and precious – more than metal was.

The small event came to an end and the scorpion men departed from the
Drow Village.

“Well, that was random but interesting.”

The High Chief nodded in agreement. “I’ve never known they existed. I
assume you blessed us with your presence for a reason?”

“Yes,” he remembered, “I’m here to melt these.” He took out a mall pile of
gold coins from the inventory. “Useless gold! Not even Scorpion People
want you.” He accused jokingly.

The drow raised an eyebrow, even he knew the value and use of gold.

“With your artisans' help, I’m turning this into jewellery and clothing. I’m
going to the human royal gala you see.” He explained.

“Say no more.” The High Chief clapped his hands to call his servant over.
 59

A mounted knight in shiny armour stopped by the gate of Aurellium, the

human capital. Right behind him were the rest of the mounted knights,
slowly approaching the gate. The guardsman instantly recognised the
importance of the knight. The knight had an Aurum symbol on his shield
and a golden wreath on his helmet. They were the royal knights, Ordin of
Aurum, and the knight in front of them was the Commander.

“Open the gates!” The knight ordered.

Sure, the guard would open the gates, no problem, if only there weren't an
army of monsters right behind the knights.

“Are you deaf? We won’t make our charge wait!” The knight yelled, his
voice magically empowered with authority.

“Yes, sir!” The guard finally responded. “Open the gate.” The rusty but
thick portcullis moved ever so slowly.

Indeed, he was informed by the King that this will happen, and orders were
orders, but even then this didn’t seem right. Why did they have to welcome
monsters inside? This was crazy!

“Faster!” The knight bellowed impatiently. “I’ll get you disciplined for this
embarrassment.”

He wasn’t the one operating the turning wheel, but whatever… The
guardsman swallowed his discontent and just watched the menacing army
of monsters get closer and closer to the Aurellium walls.

The gate opened ever so faster and the knights poured into the streets. It
was a rare chance where a commoner could see the royal knights in full
splendour, so men, women and children dropped their boring chores and
flocked to the street to watch the procession.

“Give way! Move!” A knight urged the people to give them way.

“Clear the street. Bugger off!” Another knight hit a common man with the
sheathed sword.

The knights were pushing and herding the people back to the sides, and
they were quite rough in their task.

“They’re in an awfully foul mood.” A woman commented.

“What's going on?” A man asked shocked by the ill behaviour of their
adored knights.

“Tsch!” Knight Commander clicked his tongue. “You have to keep the
street clear! For your own sake!” He urged waving the sheathed sword
threateningly.

Indeed the brutish behaviour of the otherwise noble knights had a reason, a
good one. They were doing it for the safety of the people. The knights knew
that no sane man was prepared for the sight to come. And it was their job to
keep the commoners from hurting themselves here.

The knights cleared the street pushing the crowd to the sides, and took
positions to guard it. They there here to form a barrier between the people
and what is to come.

And then it came. The commoners only heard the rumours, they were wild
and hard to believe. While, yes, they expected monsters and demon men,
somehow the real thing was more unbelievable than even the most
outrageous rumour.

Monsters poured through the open gate. No, they walked in orderly neat
ranks. In the lead, a group of humanoid monsters, spider warriors, marched
in between the funnel the knights had formed. The creatures were tall,
imposing, and to everyone's surprise, they wore armour rivalling those of
the royal knights. The bright orange armour was shiny and polished, pieces
of it were gilded in yellow, obviously gold. Over the armour was a tunic of
the finest fabric, it was vivid blue and there wasn’t even a speck of dust on
the material. Even the tunic was embroidered in golden threads. A belt held
a tunic at the narrow midsection of the creature, the buckle was golden and
encrusted with a single emerald. It was obviously a decorative piece unfit
for a real battle, but the commoners didn’t know that, no, they just stared at
it with mouths agape.

“Is that real gold?” A man was surprised.

“So shiny!” A kid clapped in joy.

“It’s dangerous, get away.” A concerned mother took him off the street.

“Is that…” A fat merchant stuttered in disbelief. “They’re carrying

enchanted weapons. All of them.” He whispered to himself.

“Aha! So that’s why the axes glow.” The customer nodded sagely as if he
just solved the great mystery. “The axes are enchanted!” He shouted to
everyone.

“Oh!”, “That’s why!”, “I see…”, “Makes, sense.” The people nearby began
nodding in understanding giving their silent thanks to the loud man.

Not everyone looked in awe and wonder. Some were nervous, afraid even.

“How can monsters afford armour like this?” An armour smith wondered
aloud.

“Their armour is better than the knight’s.” A city guard expressed his
worries to a colleague.

“I don’t like this.” A man shut the shutters on his window and went back to
minding his business.

The knights might have overreacted because the people subconsciously,

either from awe or fear. were giving way to the marching monsters.
“So far so good.” A right-hand man shared with the Commander.

“Keep your vigilance, next is the King of Spiders. And all it takes…” He
didn’t finish so he didn’t jinx it. He was afraid that some fool might decide
to throw something at a spider or worse, their King.

The people kept gossiping about the fairytale-like spiders clad in gold and
ate the sight with wonder-filled eyes.

“Wow! What is that!” A teenager pointed at the black structure emerging

from the gate.

“No way!” A group of boys jumped giddy with excitement. “It… it flies!”

“How?” Even their father was in disbelief.

Everyone was so taken aback by the magical construct that they failed to
notice the massive spider pulling it. The Spider Leader didn’t mind, he just
strutted proudly at a steady pace, pulling the King's throne.

“How can it fly?” A man scratched his head while looking at the fat
merchant.

“Beats me.” Even he, a merchant of magical devices, had no clue. “if I
haven’t seen this, I would say it’s impossible.”

“That’s the King of Spiders.” Someone said the obvious.

The King in question appeared quite eccentric but in a good way. His
unusual clothes were largely to blame. He wore black trousers and a black
jacket, the hems threaded with a gold thread. On top of his head, he had a
tall and wide-brimmed cylindrical hat, also black and decorated in gold
thread. The clasps, the buttons and other decorative pieces were solid gold.
But that didn’t end at that, on his neck and hanging low to his chest he had a
massive chain of gold, not one but a few of them, covering the neck and
chest in bling entirely. The black suit emitted a shadowy dark aura, but that
only made the gold stand out and shine more.
“That’s a funny crown.” Someone commented making a knight glare
threateningly at them. “I mean this looks very fashionable.”

“Fashion +25.” A tailor said, burning the design of the suit in her mind. She
knew this will catch on.

“Is that… his woman?” A youthful gal asked her boyfriend.

“You mean the Queen? Look she has a sceptre.” He wondered by it was the
Queen with the sceptre and not the King.

“And her dress is so shiny. Look at all these gems, I can see the rainbow.”

Indeed, the multicoloured gems made the Lamia Queen sparkle in the bright
sun, it was almost blinding.

“Mama, why does she have a tail?” A toddler pointed at the extremely long
appendage just chilling on the stairs of the floating throne.

“A what dear?” She lowered her gaze for a moment and was left surprised.
“I didn’t even notice. She ain’t human at all.” She clasped her mouth in
shock.

“Her figure is quite pretty, too bad we can’t see her face over the veil, I bet
she’s a beauty.” A husband voiced what many were thinking.

A wife elbowed his side. “You're forgetting something.” She pointed at the
tail she was now aware of. “She ain’t human. She’s a snake or something.”

A husband looked. “Meh, I still would…” A powerful stomp on his toes

didn’t allow him to finish and further embarrass the wife.

Now, the King of Bling and The Queen of Rainbow were at the centre of
the gossip. Everyone expected the King to be more spider and less man. But
he had a handsome face and appeared as an extremely wealthy ruler.
Eccentric, yes, but he didn’t look like a scary tyrant or some evil sorcerer,
not at the moment at least. His Queen was more shy and reserved, but even
then the people found some charm in that. There was this mystery in the air
about the Queen. Her skin and face were hidden by the cloth and shiny
sparkling light, leaving the young men guessing how she looked under all
of that. There was a debate going on if her tail added to that mysterious
charm or not. All of them were unaware of the real culprit, a thing that
would spew heart-shaped sparkles now and then.

The King smiled, met the eyes of the folk and waved happily to everyone.
The spiders were neat and shiny, they walked in an orderly fashion, and
whatever threat people felt from them had completely disappeared. Soon
the people forgot that there was a literal army of monsters marching to the
Palace. They just began treating it like some sort of a theatre play, better – a
carnival. They clapped and cheered at the marching monsters. They were
just having fun from the spectacle.

The monster march didn’t end with the King. Behind him marched more
spiders, some less human than the others. The more animalistic spiders
hauled big blue backpacks on their back. They were stuffed full of various
goods.

While the commoners enjoyed the ongoing carnival/parade or whatever this

was. Not everyone was won by the show. The guards and retired veterans,
men who knew how to fight, men who knew war – all remained
disillusioned. There was no cheer in their faces and for many reasons at
that. The Spider King was shamelessly flexing his might, his small army
looking mighty and formidable, even worse, the peasantry was eating from
his grimy hand with pleasure; forgetting what he really is and what he had
done.

The discipline of those spiders was shockingly high and their enchanted
gear even if decorative was leagues better than what the Human Kingdom
had to offer. It was infuriating to see the monsters looking better than the
humans. It was outrageous to welcome a King Slayer to their capital as if
his evil deeds were forgotten.

But even then, the guards, the veterans and all others knew that this was
done out of necessity. And they had to obey King Aurelius II orders,
otherwise, it would be treason. The times were dark indeed, so dark that
they had to turn to darker forces for help.
“Supplies.” A Guard Commander made a right guess.

“Yeah, we need them.” A guard nodded his head, and his stomach rumbled.
“Commander, do you think we’ll get the ration today?”

“We better do!” He was the Guard Commander but even his family had to
fast and eat less.

The spiders finished moving into the inner walls and made camp at the
Merchant's Square. The Guard Commander thought the decision was odd, if
it was him he would have the spiders camp outside the capital. There
shouldn’t be any monsters within the walls! What if someone gets eaten?
But the orders came from above and he had to do his job.

“We’ll have squads one and two to patrol the Square, three will watch over
the spiders, and the rest shall border it and keep the general peace.” He
relaid orders to his assistant.

“Understood, sir.” The guards went to keep the peace and spy on the
spiders.

The Guard Commander moved deeper into the Merchant Square, he wanted
to see the situation with his own eyes. If he understood everything right, the
spiders were to hand out the food ration to the commoners, free of charge
for two days, which was paid by the treasury, then they would be able to
buy whatever from the spiders. How all of that would pan out, he had no
idea.

“They better not jump the prices just because everyone is starving.” He
grumbled remembering the grain incident.

At this point, he was expecting another riot. Then the people are hungry and
when there is free food at their noses you can't just expect them to form
orderly lines and take the parcels obediently. Mind you, the spiders were
meant to hand out the food; the person who made that decision was a fool!

By the time he reached the centre of the Square, the spiders were done
setting up their booths. Just like a merchant would, they erected a tent and a
stall, just that their stall stood out from the others. They looked too
expensive considering that it was just fruits they handed out. The tent was
made out of fine blue fabric resembling silk, it was luxury cloth, way too
bright and way too clean for a simple tent. And the stall itself looked exotic,
it was white wood and it was carved and decorated. Behind the tents, there
was a pile of overly large backpacks, stuffed with fruit. This was just the tip
of the stock, most of it was being moved to the royal granary for
safekeeping.

“They took furniture with them…” He didn’t know what to think about that.

The people were already informed about the free ration and were piling
around the stalls.

“Here it begins.” He tensed up giving a meaningful look to his comrades.

Squad one and squad two will do everything that they can to keep the
peace. And squad four and five were keeping most of the people out of the
Merchant’s Square so that too many people won’t flood at once.

A finely dressed spider finished setting up, chirped something and raised a
parcel of fruit. People rushed towards it like starved animals, pushing one
another out of the way. That spider screeched in an unearthly voice,
retrieved a stick from under the table and waved it threateningly.

The spiders weren’t allowed weapons in the Merchant’s Square, but a stick
was just that – a stick, unless it was in the hand of that creature, a dangerous
monster, so as a Guard Commander he should have known better. “Oh, no!”
he rushed in before it could kill someone.

The people recognised that this wasn’t a human they were dealing with, and
for once, acted rationally and backed off the stall not risking it. “Uff… that
was close.” The Guard Commander breathed in relief.

The spider chirped something in a more mellow tone gesturing with its four
hands frantically and spoke, “OrDer.” It didn’t sound quite human but it
was understandable.
“OrDer. UnDerStand?” It chirped in a commanding tone.

The people were shocked, but the Guard Commander was the one who was
shocked the most. He could accept monsters walking like humans, dressed
like humans, pretending to be humans… You could do all that with an
animal and that was just that – a well-behaved animal in a costume, but…
Monsters didn’t speak! His preconception about how this world worked just
crumbled at that moment.

And, for the better, under the threat of an angry monster and a looming
stick, people formed an orderly line and took their share of the fruit one by
one. They even thanked the creature at the end.

The Guard Commander jumped the line, willing to converse with the
creature.

“You can speak?”

“No.” It chirped.

“But… but you can.”

“Me No UnderStand!” It chirped in displeasure. “OrDer.” It gestured to the

line.

Guard Commander looked at the spider, somehow it looked more human all
of a sudden.

The spider screeched again, chirped angrily and repeated. “OrDer!” And
then it just bonked the Guard Command with the stick.

“Auch!” He felt that even through his helmet.

Someone laughed behind his back. He turned to look but the laughter
stopped and everyone had innocent looks on their faces.

“Never mind. Carry on.” He stepped away from the stall.

If a tad bit slow, the food handout proceeded in an orderly fashion. The
peacekeeping stick saw some action, but in the end, it was judged to be an
acceptable use of force. The guards didn’t need to intervene.

He remained there watching it go smoothly. He wondered how the royal

gala went, after all, his wife and daughters were there; an unexpected
courtesy from the King, and the reason why he was working here so hard.
He worried slightly about their safety, after all the Spider King was allowed
some spiders in the Palace. And monsters were monsters…

“Ehh…” He waved the bad thoughts away. “Oder of Aurum is watching the
event over.” He didn’t need to worry.

The night fell, and the people dispersed back to their homes. He, however,
couldn’t allow himself such luxury because he will remain to help with the
night watch. Once again, someone decided that the spiders will set camp
here in the Square. But better here than in guard barracks, even if his
perception about the spiders changed, he wouldn’t want to defile the
sanctity of barracks by the presence of monsters.

He watched the spiders lay down to sleep over an open sky.

“Ah, of course, they wouldn’t need a bed or a roof, monsters…” He didn’t

finish.

A tall figure loomed right behind him. It was that Spider Merchant he
watched for the best part of the day.

Calling it a monster probably wasn’t a good thing. “My apologies, I didn’t

mean to offend you.” As a Guard Commander, he didn’t want to be the one
who caused an incident.

The spider chirped something in a happy tone and was handing him a
bottle.

“What is it?” He asked unsure whether to take it or not.

The spider seemed insistent. “Grupp-Grupp.” It spoke in human.

He took the fancy bottle, uncorked it and sniffed at the liquid. “Wine?” He
probably shouldn’t but took a sip anyway.

His eyes watered. “Oh boy, I didn’t expect that.” It was a high-grade spirit.

He looked for the spider but it was already gone, as if it disappeared into
the shadows.

“Was this a bribe or a poisoning attempt?” He wasn’t sure. “But hey, that
stuff is good.” He swirled the fancy bottle deciding to keep it.

Unbeknown to him, some other guards received various gifts in encounters

of a similar fashion. Birthing an urban legend of the Gifting Spider. It
appears in the darkest night popping out of the shadow. It looms out tall and
menacing, making no sound and saying no word. It gives strange and exotic
gifts and then disappears as mysteriously as it appeared. The legend says it
is unwise to refuse the gift, those who do… turn into a shadow and
disappear at the first light of daybreak. Never to be found again.
 60

The palace was beautiful: paintings, statues, luxury carpets, you name it.
The royal gala was happening at the Grand Hall, it was spacious enough to
host all of the nobles and important people, and it even had space for buffet
tables. The tables were so full of food and drinks that it looked like
something might break.

Some people were gossiping, some people were dancing, others just eating.
King of Spiders was doing none of that, he was busy trying to sway
Vumbeldor to buy his other wares, actually the two weren’t even in the
Grand Hall, but outside in the garden. A red armour, a mixture of cloth and
metal, adorned a straw dummy.

“This one is fire resistant. A simple Fire spell, won’t even put a mark on it.”
He took a scroll out and invoked the spell. “[Fire Arrow]”

The fiery projectile flew, hit the chest piece and simply dispersed into motes
of light.

Vumbeldor nodded, and the apprentices following the magus began

clapping.

“And this one is ice resistant. [Ice Arrow]” The scroll burned in blue
flames projecting another projectile. Much the same, it didn’t leave a mark
on the armour.

The apprentices clapped again.

“Can I?” Vumbeldor inquired.

“Help yourself.” He was confident in the merchandise.

“[Fire Blast]” The armour was doused in the shower of flames. “Oh, it
didn’t melt.”

“Nope. Reinforced +2.”

“Well, then. [Fire Rend]” The mage increased the difficulty.

The armour plates glowed hot and the cloth looked crispy, but the armour
weathered the assault.

“Okay, now I’m impressed. [Phoenix: Greater]” It was a type of

summoning magic. A large bird composed of fire manifested in front of the
mage and then slammed its corporeal body into the armour. Vumbeldor’s
forehead was wet from sweat, it wasn’t because of the heat from the fires,
but the strain from the spell. “Ah, finally. Good!” He said with relief
looking at the smouldering pile of molten metal and disintegrated cloth.

The apprentices clapped.

“I assume, the other one is just as good?” Vumbeldor looked at the blue
armour.

It wasn’t. He didn’t have any Ice Spirit Stones, nor Ice Attribute cloth.

“It’s good enough. So interested in buying the sets?” He asked with hope.

“Only if you’re selling a countermeasure in easily destroying them. To use

Phoenix is excessive, most can’t cast anything near this complicated.”
Vumbeldor looked at his apprentices, the bunch had apologetic faces.

“Countermeasure, why? I guess those are elemental armours so a standard

ballista bolt should do the job.”

“Ha, there is no armour unpenetrable by that! I need a trick to destroy

armours like these, that’s what I’m really interested.”

So did he want the armour or the magic to destroy them? – That was
something for the King of Spiders to figure out.
“The solution is quite simple, we attack the weakness.” He motioned for the
spider to prepare a new set. “This is a frost grenade,” he threw it to apply
Frozen on the armour. “Hit it.” He asked the spider to slam the armour
hard. The chest piece shattered in half, exposing the red cloth.

He just exposed the vulnerability, and in other words, made his own product
less appealing. However, as an honest merchant, he thought that his
customer had the right to know it, after all someone will be wearing this for
their protection.

“That’s great! Exactly what I was looking for. If you sell the
countermeasure with the armour we’ll buy them.”

“Really? Alright!” The need for countermeasure was odd, but whatever.
“And for the frost armour.” He took out a fire grenade. “Well, the armour
has some inbuilt magic resistance, Fire Arrow wouldn’t be enough. So we
have to use this.” He threw a grenade at the armour.

The armour more or less survived, but the straw dummy burned to a crisp.

“Oh!” The Vumbeldor sounded mighty impressed. “Forget the frost armour,
I want those grenades.”

It only took him a second to realise that he didn’t want to sell the fire
grenades. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what that sticky oil and
scorching heat would do to a human – the weapon was just too nasty. “No
can do, fire grenades are not for sale, that was just an example.” And he
rather would keep powerful weapons to himself.

“A shame, but I understand. I won’t need frost armours, there aren’t that
many ice magi around anyway. So how about a hundred sets of fire armour,
plus a thousand grenades.”

“A hundred? I’m not dropping the price any less…” He knew the armours
were exquisite, superior design and all that, so he had no plans to sell them
any cheaper.
“That’s fine, the Covenant will pay. Unlike the Kingdom our coffers are
full.” Vumbeldor boasted with a nasty grin.

That was an obscene amount of money, those were enchanted so each set
was already 10 000g each. A hundred of them would be 1 000 000g; that’s a
lot of gold! That would make him a millionaire.

“Why the long face? Do you need to see our secret treasury or something?
Worry not, it will be the coin we pay you.” Vumbeldor assured knowing
that some would stoop low to offer payment in hard-to-liquidate assets such
as land or horses, or even promissory shipment of grain.

“No, I just... I don’t have a hundred sets on me here.” Nor a thousand

grenades.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to deliver.”

That he will. “Sure, with the next shipment of TomGrape?”

“Yes, that works for us.” Vumbeldor raised his arm for a shake.

He took and shook it. “Pleasure doing business.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” Vumbeldor shook the hand firmly. “Now, excuse
me, I’m off to my tower.” He took the apprentices and disappeared in one of
the exits.

He didn’t like that conspiratory look on the old man’s face, it just didn't fit
him. But what was the Covenant plotting? Well, obviously to use the
armour to wage war. Did he care? No, not really, but he cared enough not to
sell fire grenades to them.

With the shady black room dealings done, he was back in the Grand Hall.

The Lamia Queen was doing her part, or he assumed she was. The lamia
was completely surrounded by a group of young men. The alchemists had a
strong grasp on the market, and competing with them was tough. Her job
was to try and push the mana potions to the merchants. That was the
condition if she wanted to come with him, and learning the human
language; which she did at an amazing speed.

“And this is-sss the fruit we make the potions-sss out of, sss.” She displayed
PurpleM in her hand.

The young men ‘Oh’-ed and ‘Ah’ed for some reason, as if impressed. Those
weren’t the merchants! – he observed. The fat merchants were already done
devouring half of the food by the buffet tables. The group of men ogling at
the Lamia were just deadbeat nobles!

Sure, from the very start, the Lamia Queen received a very warm welcome
here. It was surprising because she was from a monster race, so he expected
prejudice and all that, but that just hasn’t happened. A good thing really, but
somehow he was becoming jealous, he didn’t like the looks these men were
giving to his wife.

He approached the group, glaring at the obviously enamoured nobles.

“What is it again?” A noble stared at the stone bottle dumbly.

“I told you, sss, a magic potion.”

The man scratched his head, clearly out of his element. “I’ll buy them.”

“Really. Sss!” She hissed happily.

“Yeah, sure, I’m rich, this is nothing.”

“My family is wealthier, I’ll buy them at a better price!” Another offered
trying to impress.

A sweaty youth came back with his father. “Father!” The young man was
barely a man and the father was practically all wrinkles.

“Okay, okay.” Father spoke slowly. “Miss, we’ll buy an entire stock!”

“But you’ll have to come for dinner with me and finalise the deal.” The
youth interjected.
“She’s MARRIED!” The King of Spiders had to remind everyone by
projecting the full Authority of the King.

The old man glared at his son. “I apologise for this embarrassment.” He
bowed and then slapped the youth on the back of the head.

Following this ‘reminder’ a few other nobles decided to make themselves

scarce. But others remained persistent, feigning their continued interest in
potions.

“SSS!” Lamia hissed. “I had this. Let me do it.” She spoke in her native
speech.

“Fine, I’ll let you deal with it.” He knew that this was just needless jealousy
getting to him, and the lamia could use a life lesson.

The nobles continued to outbid each other to flex their wealth. Well, as long
as the potions sell it should be alright. So he left the lamia to do her thing.

Further away, a Human King, Aurelius II, was stuffing himself full of food
at a nearby table. The Black Hand Covenant didn’t even try to keep the fact
that this was just a puppet from him, the King of Spiders. But the rest of the
nobles seemed fooled enough, or they just didn’t care. Anyway, he
approached the King to give him his hellos, as King to a King.

“Greetings, King Aurelius II, I see even you enjoy my fruits.”

The fat man was stuffing the dish made out of the TomGrape into his
mouth.

“How dare you to disturb the…” Aurelius II gazed away from his ever-
emptier platter ever so slightly. “Sorcerer!” He sounded surprised. “My
apologies, my mind was preoccupied with important matters of the state.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard from the guests that there is a looming famine.” He had
just found out today, if he knew before… it doesn't matter now.

“That and other calamities.”

“War?” He guessed.

The King’s eyes filled with shock and fear. “You know?”

“Well, Vumbeldor wasn’t quite discreet if you know what I mean.” Buying
all that armour and grenades.

“That old fart!” He stuffed a fat scoop of food in his mouth, swallowed and
continued, “Doing dealings behind my back.”

Oops, maybe the King wasn’t supposed to know. Oh well…

“Listen, Sorcerer, how about the do a deal of our own?” Aurelius II stopped
eating looking serious for a moment.

“What do you have in mind?” He asked curious.

“You’re an evil magus, he’s an evil magus… How do I become one?”

“Evil? I don’t think you need a hand with that, ha-ha.” He only joked.

“No not that. A magus. Isn’t there a way? I want to increase my power, for
obvious reasons. I’ll pay any price. And mind you, I know what I am, and
even if in the name only, still I’m the King.” The man spoke fast, too fast
making him short on breath and his face red. “And I do have power and
resources. You might know of the dust and emptiness in the royal treasury,
no doubt that old fart told you about it. But I have plenty, tucked away in a
safe place if you know what I mean.” He finished speaking and grabbed the
jug full of wine.

For a moment he thought the King might get a stroke.

“Money talk aside, I heard that you must be born a mage.” He looked at the
King, and judging from his expression he knew that bit of information too.
“But, there are devices, scrolls and other things which could be used by
anyone.”

“Like your flying war chariot?”

“That’s a Flying Throne.” He corrected "And, no, that needs continuous
mana injection. But scrolls, enchanted arrows, and the like, do not.”

“What use an arrow is to me…”

Yeah, he was right, the chubby King probably didn’t know how to use a
bow, or any enchanted weapon.

“Sure, yeah, but you still can fire a scroll, it's quite easy. A demonstration
perhaps? I have a few on me.”

“I guess it’s something.”

The two walked back to the garden. King Aurelius II looked at the molten
pile of metal and other destruction with interest but didn’t say anything.

“So I have a few.” He began taking out all of the scrolls he and the Drow
had made. “Just read the name, aim the spell and that’s it.”

The king took a scroll and turned it around a few times, there was a
complicated expression on the chubby face.

“Oh, right. Spider Chirp. It says Dark Bolt.”

The scroll burned and the spell formed. “Wow!” Aurelius II let the burning
scroll go.

The wild bolt flew into a tree and withered an innocent squirrel; which was
just there watching, and definitely not spying.

Yeah, it was the King of Spiders who unwillingly activated the scroll. This
was the drawback of his scrolls, you can’t speak their name next to them or
they would activate. Or at least, he couldn’t. Magic worked in mysterious
ways!

“Amazing! I’m an evil magus now! Dark spells and all.”

He provided a fresh scroll to Aurelius II. He used it properly this time, even
hitting the dummy survivor.
“Another.” The King demanded.

“No problem.” He had loads of them stored in Magical Inventory, by this

point, the Drow were practically printing these scrolls.

“So the way it works: the scroll stores the spell and the mana in the
enchanted vellum, you speak the spell’s name to invoke it and Bob’s your
uncle. No need to be a mage, or have any mana.” He explained. “But you
know that already.” It’s not like the scroll-making is some sort of a mystery.
“I bet, you can buy better ones from your magical shops, so I’m willing to
give you a special King’s discount.” He pushed the deal ahead.

“Bob who? Eh? No, we don’t.” Aurelius stared confused. “Not scrolls like
these… Is this Bob the one who makes them?”

Well, Vumbeldor didn’t say a thing when he used these scrolls, so

something didn’t add up.

“Forget the Bob. So you don’t have them in shops?” He just had assumed
they would.

“That’s clearly a Demonic Language.” Aurelius II pointed at the runes on

the scroll. “Why would we.”

“Spider Chirp. That’s a langue of Spiders, my language. But never mind

that. So are you interested in buying?”

“Hell, Yeah!” The man shook vigorously, there was this childish excitement
on that middle-aged face. “This makes me effectively a dark magus.”

“I have scrolls of other affinities.”

“I’ll buy them all.”

“It will be expensive.”

“I’ll buy them all! Just don’t tell the old fart.” Aurelius repeated.

“I guess… I guess I won’t. If he doesn’t ask that is.”

This was just a side hustle anyway, no need to sabotage anything with the
Black Hand. And it's not as if the mage forbade him to do side deals, no, he
was here because he was given the privilege to peddle his wares in the
Human Kingdom without the Black Hand taking a cut. With some
limitations of course, namely Blue Cloth; and he had so much more than
simply fabric to trade.

The fat King began stuffing the scrolls under his tunic.

“Wait, let me write you the invocation on these.” How else would he know
how to use it otherwise?

“Oh, yeah, right.” The look on Aurelius II face became distant. “He-he, I
can already imagine their faces… I’ll smite those fools, he-he.” He was far
off in some distant illusionary land.

“You better pay me for these you know.”

“…” The Human King ‘came back’. “Of course, and handsomely so, fear
not. You’ll get your coins before you leave.”

“And if you run out of the scrolls just give me a buzz on a communication
orb.”

“Yeah, yeah, I have a loyal mage to help me to use it. [Fire Arrow].” He
burned a dummy survivor to a crisp.

The palace garden was looking more like a war zone with each passing
hour. A shame, but not really his business, so he left the King to enjoy the
sparkles of magic, and headed back to the royal gala.

“Ha-ha-ha…[Nature Arrow] He-he-he.” The fat King laughed cheerily

throwing spells in wild abandon and destroying the garden.

The Great Hall was still busy with activity, but as the feasting went on
certain things were bound to happen. No, it wasn’t about the drunken noble
who tripped and smashed the table. Everyone watched a scene unfold and to
his shock, the two in the centre of attention were one of his spider
bodyguards and a noble knight. He recognised the knight in shiny armour,
they have been introduced, he was the Commander of the Ordin of Aurum.

“Fight me you coward!” Commander pushed the spider.

The spider chirped something no one could understand.

“It’s a Duel! Come on!” Commander challenged again.

Instead of reacting in shock, as they should, the nobles were placing bets;
Lamia Queen included.
 61

Judging by the reddened face of the Knight Commander the man has been
drinking. He was persistent in challenging the spider bodyguard. The spider
in question remained bewildered by the provocative actions of the knight.

This seemed like the opportunity to show these humans that the spiders
were no pushovers.

“This Knight wants to duel you.” The King of Spiders explained to the
spider bodyguard.

“Understood. I accept.” It spoke the latter in human language.

“Finally, let's go outside.”

Everyone followed the knight to the Palace Gardens. Aurelius II was

already gone leaving the devastation behind.

“What the hell happened here?” The Knight Commander asked the question
everyone was wondering about.

“Magical experimentation.” King of Spiders waved it off.

“Never mind then. All it means is that I won’t need to hold back against
this…” The Knight Commander gestured towards the spider.

The two opponents faced each other only meters apart. One of them was a
proud Royal Knight, a Knight Commander of the Aurum Ordin. He wore
shiny and exquisite heavy armour. On top of his helmet, there was a golden
wreath and in his hand, he held a sharp longsword equally magnificent as
the knight himself. The other was a spider clad in decorative armour. The
armour was bright orange and decorated with gold, it was more show than
protection. In the spider's hand, there was an axe. The axe had a faint bluish
mist seeping out of its edge giving the weapon a mysterious aura.

The crowd of nobles surrounded the two. They were already gossiping
trying to predict the outcome.

“Well, then let's begin.” The knight closed the visor of his helmet with a
clang. “Duel!” His longsword glowed in white light indicating that some
sort of a passive or attack skill was activated, and then he charged at the
spider with a wide swing.

The sword clashed with the axe sending a shower of white particles of light.
Somehow an axe deflected the sword.

“Bastard!” The knight cursed. “Flay Flurry.” He unleashed a relentless

combination attack.

The spider was at a disadvantage, he didn't have either the second axe nor
the proper shield. However, the apt use of the buckler helped it weather the
assault. The said buckler even if Reinforced +2 cracked under the powerful
blows. The flurry ended and the spider took the moment to retaliate. It
stepped closer towards the knight preventing him from making a full swing
of the sword again. The knight prepared a thrust instead, but he didn’t
manage to finish it on time, he was kicked by a powerful kick of not one but
two frontal spider legs and then sent flying in the air.

The knight fell on his back, his armour making a dull ring. If anything, this
was the perfect moment for the spider to finish the duel, however, the spider
did the honourable thing and let the Knight Commander to stand up and
continue. It was clear the knight was embarrassed, even outraged.

“It won’t happen again!” He promised. “Side Slash, Rend.” The longsword
glowed brighter and swung towards the spider at incredible speed.

It was impossible to dodge or parry, but the spider managed to reposition so

that it could take the hit better. The long sword hit the armour piece but
despite two powerful perks the sword didn’t manage to penetrate the
reinforced armour.
“How!” Even the knight struggled to believe in the sturdiness of what must
have been just decorative armour.

A spider swung his axe to retaliate but the knight either dodged or parried
the blows. They exchanged swings for a few more times.

“Aha!” The knight had found an opportune moment. “Piercing Thrust!”

He did as the skill implied.

“[Bastion].” The spider used one of his own perks.

The sword clanged as if it just hit an impenetrable wall. “Argh!” The shock
the knight felt in his hands must have been unpleasant. “So you have tricks
of your own. Overhead Slash.” He remained persistent.

Once again, the spider welcomed the attack stepping right under the sword.
Spider had two more uses of Bastion, so negating the attack wouldn’t be a
problem. But it didn’t even need to use that. Instead, the spider raised the
axe to block the coming slash and due to the spider’s unique anatomy he
was able to lunge and even kick at the knight without losing balance; six
legs had its advantages.

Sure, the sword hit the axe hilt and even managed to scar it, but once again
the knight was sent flying. He landed on his back dirtying the not so shiny
anymore armour even further. It was plain and clear that even if the Knight
Commander had skills and expertise in duelling he had no experience in
fighting monsters. And once again he made himself to look like a fool.

People were gossiping and trying to understand why the knight despite the
power of his holy sword kept finding himself at a disadvantage.

The Knight Commander stood up, moved his sore joints and spat. “Come at
me!” He took a defensive stance. “Alert.” He invoked another perk.

This time it was the spider who initiated the attack.

“[Ice Slash].”
The elemental attack gave the axe more range than it should have, hence
surprising the knight. However, his Alert skill allowed him to react in time
and block the icy assault with the side of his longsword. Magic washed over
the holy longsword, and the longsword was fine but his arms were frosted.
He could feel that bite even through his gloved hand.

“Ice Enchantment.” The knight identified correctly.

However, the spider wasn’t here to chat.

“[Overwhelm].” It chirped.

The knight, of course, once again reacted in time. The sharpened edges of
two weapons connected spewing magical sparks around. The Knight
Commander was unable to parry, he had to weather the full blow. However,
his arms strained from exertion, there was just a simple fact: the spider was
stronger than him. The Knight Commander maintained the block not
allowing the axe to slip past his longsword, however, he was forced down
to his knees and to an embarrassing position.

“Empower Holy!” He screamed out of the top of his lungs.

This was his trump card and a special skill the holy longsword had. It
provided him with a buff to his strength and resilience plus an Elemental
Holy damage. Finally, he was able to push the oppressive axe up and stand
proudly again as a Knight of Aurum should. Holy light radiated from the
sword, and unexpectedly it even weakened his opponent. It might be his
imagination but that dark chitin on the spider seemed to smoulder and burn.

The spider shrieked a terrible cry. The overwhelming weight of the axe
lessened even further so the knight was able to push it away. “Holy Slash.”
He used the power of the longsword.

“[Bastion].” It chirped.

Once again the longsword failed to go past the armour, but the Holy
element did its thing forcing the spider to shriek again in pain.
“Ha, I should have known. Holy is your weakness.” The knight smiled
viciously.

He was no Paladin, so he couldn't cast those spells, but he had a holy sword
and as long as Empower Holy lasted he would deal Holy damage.

The spider glared at him, the four eyes looked serious for the first time.

“[Dark Cloak].” A coat of darkness shrouded the spider.

“What is this? Never mind. Holy Flurry.” The knight unleashed a flurry of
attacks.

They did hit but somehow he failed to land a good blow and the damage
remained superficial.

“[Shadow Form].” The spider turned into a shadowy silhouette of

darkness.

“What?” The knight's longsword went through the spider like it was just a
cloud.

There was no physical damage but by the sound of the spider’s cries, he’d
dealt a significant Holy damage. However, not expecting an incorporeal
body he over swung the sword and the shadowy spider closed the distance
and even managed to flank him from the side.

Now, the Knight Commander was wide open. The shadowy spider returned
to its normal form and swung the axe threateningly, yet the enchanted stats
allowed the knight to turn just in time and block that axe.

Or he would have done so, but it was all a feint.

“[Blinding Strike]” It wasn’t an axe but a fist which slammed right to the
face of the knight.

This was a magical attack so even through a visored helmet he found

himself affected and afflicted with Blind. Blind was the real debuff but also
there was confusion within the knight's mind. He could understand an
enchanted weapon doing this to him but not a fist. This meant that the
spider here was also a caster. He should have figured this out earlier, Dark
Shroud and Shadow Form were good indicators for that; he mistakenly
had attributed those to the temporary skills the equipment could provide.

The punch didn’t manage to do much physical damage, due to the helmet
and all that. So he was able to retaliate with the longsword in time and ward
the spider off. Yes, he was blinded but he still could use his other senses to
judge where the spider was. And unfortunately for the spider, he was trained
to do that. The dance of those six spidery legs wasn’t as quiet as the spider
assumed.

The spider had no intention of launching another melee attack.

“[Dark Bolt].”

A projectile hit the knight's leg and made him lose balance. And only then
did he feel impending doom.

“[Slay]” A spider chirped ruthlessly.

The knight felt his whole life flash in just a moment. He raised his sword,
“Smite.” He invoked using up the rest of the Empower Holy; making a
move made out of desperation.

Once again the spider cried in a tortured voice, its aim worsened and the
arms powering the descending axe weakened. However, the spider
persevered but the axe strayed from the aim of hitting the head and slashed
at the chest cutting the knight's chest piece in half and making a nasty gash
in his chest. He was lucky it was not his neck. Blood oozed from the split
chest and there was the sight of exposed ribs.

To continue would mean death. “I concede!” Knight Commander cried.

“[Heal]” A golden wreath atop his head glowed in equally golden light, the
light enveloped his body and mended his split ribs and opened flesh.

There was silence. Of course, there was, The Knight Commander knew that
he had disappointed the nobles, that he had failed to protect the dignity of
this kingdom. He struggled to swallow the idea that he was just bested by a
monster. He even was forced to use the Wreath of Aurum to save himself
from certain death. All of this just felt so unfair.

“Monster, you are a magus!” Even though he realised how indignant he

must sound, yet he still shouted. “This duel was unfair!” The spider was
more like a Paladin in this situation, and even then in duels like this, magic
and all else was a fair play.

The Blind debuff wore off. He saw a spider standing there, the decorative
armour half melted and its chitin smouldering. Yeah, the Smite did a
number on the spider. Did he concede needlessly? – No, one more blow
from the spider’s axe and he would have died.

The indignant cries from the knight were ignored and the nobles, servants
and everyone around broke the silence and cheered the spider.

“This was amazing!” A young noble cheered excitedly.

“Best Duel I’ve seen.” A guard nodded in agreement.

“I thought they might die.” A woman voiced with worry.

“My spiders are really something.”

“I want bodyguards like these.” A merchant eyed the spider with the eyes of
greed.

“…” A servant looked at the spider even with more terror than before.

Such and so was spoken.

“I… I apologise and retract my previous statement.” The knight stepped

closer to the spider and offered his hand.

The spider chirped something happily and shook on it.

“Get a healing potion for the spider.” The Knight Commander shouted
hoping to regain even if a smidgen of his honour.
He eyes the spider once again. He ruled that this creature was indeed a
resilient opponent, something not to make enemies with. And this was just a
spider bodyguard… He was unsure if he ever wanted to duel their general
or someone like that.

“This was more intense than I thought it would get.” The King of Spiders
finally stepped in. “Both of you did very well.” He congratulated. “I think
the duel is concluded, and we can go back to celebrations, no?”

The nobbles seemed to agree and everyone walked back to the Great Hall.

The Knight Commander remained standing in his spot. At first, he thought

that the barbaric monster didn’t belong here in the Palace and that the sight
disgraced the Aurum Ordin and the knights as a whole. But now, he realised
that there was more to the spiders, and also that they weren’t an enemy one
would wish to make. The reality was that the monsters were already here,
and if anything it was best to keep the relationship friendly. Or even better,
use the might of this unlikely ally for the benefit of the Human Kingdom.

“Yes, I will do that. I will petition King Aurelius II to…” curry the favour
with the King of Spiders and eventually enlist the spiders for the defence of
the Human Kingdom, at least as mercenaries or something like that.
“Yes…” Why use decent men to fight the looming war when you can enlist
formidable monsters to do that for you? The price of such mercenaries will
be hefty, but he felt that it will be worth it.

The plan began to hatch in his mind.

 62

Following the unprecedented success in the human capital, he left a

considerable number of spiders there. He managed to secure the spiders a
sizable spot in the Merchant’s Square where they will be able to sell the
TomGrape and other goods of the Spider Kingdom. Moreover, just before
he left, Aurelius II strongly encouraged him to set up an embassy, which
was more than the King of Spiders could even ask for. The offers Aurelius
II, Vumbeldor, and some influential merchants had made were interesting
and often peculiar: in most cases, they were shady backroom deals, but
maybe as a bonus or to just entice him even further – he wouldn’t need to
pay any tax on any of the shady deals. Not even the trade of TomGrape
was taxed as long as he kept the prices very low. He had to wonder if the
Human Kingdom was making the right decisions there, such a thing would
impact them badly in a financial way.

However, some of the items remained regulated. A few examples were the
Blue Cloth and Slug Jelly. Also, Aurelius II demanded to keep the Magic
Scrolls a secret while Vumbeldor insisted that armour and weapons should
only be sold to him.

The potions the Lamia Queen pushed so hard, ended up not with one of the
regular merchants, but with a youthful and apparently wealthy noble. The
young man took it upon himself to resell and advertise the potions. Good
luck, young noble, setting the new franchise and all that! – it was likely a
dead-end enterprise since it was hard to compete with established
alchemists. But hey, finally he’ll be able to sell the growing stock of
potions.

Yes, all of this meant that he’ll have a continuous flow of human coins. It
was nice in itself, but the real goal was to advertise his cute spiders and the
kingdom’s goods. Currently, he wasn’t planning to make large purchases
from the Human Kingdom so the gold coins will likely end up smelted and
used for other extravagant projects, like that decorative armour the spiders
wore. That, and purchases of Spirit Stones from Black Hand Covenant. He
still needed Air, Earth and Water to progress in the magical
experimentation.

Speaking of spirit stones, he had traded in a large number of centipede souls

to the Great Ancestral Tree, and now had a small pile of Amber. He already
had a small project in mind where he would need the equivalent of Nature
Spirit Stones. But before that, there was another matter to finish first.

When he was finally in the comfort of home he went straight to the

workshop. There were plenty of items to craft and potions to brew. Yes,
he’ll finally try to capture the Undead Fortress.

The top of the mountain posed a variety of challenges. The first one was the
frigid clouds of the IceShard Plankton. The clouds were unpredictable and
random, they were as quick to appear as disappear and the danger was the
debuff of Frozen. To battle that he already had a solution: Resist Frozen
Potion. With the help of spiders mixing the potions was of no challenge.
However, due to the diminished amount of plankton remaining in his
inventory, the number of potions was limited.

To help with that he had a secondary solution in the form of better gear. It
was a combination of Blue Cloth and IceShard Bird Leather. The
resulting armour gave Ice Resistance: Medium. While potentially it solved
the issue of the debuff the problem of actual cold, and the feeling of it
remained. Yes, even his spiders could get cold, and unlike the mammals,
they didn’t have robust thermoregulation abilities. He needed the craft a
device to keep them warm.

The warming device proved to be a hard concept to achieve. He suffered

from various limitations. 1, he didn’t have a way to store the power. 2, no
easy way to conduct and regulate the heat. 3, issue of the fuel itself.

For this task, he went to the Drow Archive and drafted their sharpest minds
to come up with the solution. At first, they experimented with FireAgave
juice, but it proved to be too dangerous. A leak due to damage might turn
the device into a Fire Bomb and cook the user. So the design was scrapped
and they moved to a more novel but also more expensive options.

In the end, they achieved what they strived for in the shape of a Heating
Plate. The plate was hammered out of Enchanted Currundum Ingot, the
ingot was engraved with Drow glyphs to encourage it to produce heat. It
wasn’t achieved just through crafting and enchanting but through Drow
magic rituals where they had to sacrifice Fire affinity items like FireAgave
and Spirit Stones to ‘convince’ the plate to convert the mana into elemental
Fire and then channel it through the plate in the form of heat. The
‘convincing’ part was unscientific, relying on old Elven customs and
tradition, but it was magic and if it worked it worked… In the end, Heating
Plate took mana and converted it to warm heat. The use of such a device
sapped not only mana but concentration, also not all of his spiders had
access to mana so they altered the design to use Fire Spirit Stones.

He slotted a spirit stone into a designed slot and the plate slowly heated up
emitting pleasant warmth. It was even possible to regulate it using a small
metal knob. The Heating Plate ended up being a part of the IceWalker
Suit. This was the item he would wear under his armour.

[IceWalker Suit: Reinforced +2. Ice Resistance: Medium.]

[Temporary buff Warmth obtained.]

He made the equivalent for the spiders but with a higher grade of
protection:

[IceWalker Armour: Reinforced +3. Ice Resistance: Medium.]

[Temporary buff Warmth obtained.]

[Temporary perk Absorb Ice obtained.]

A bonus shield was made using the bones and leather of IceShard Bird.
Why bones and not Corrundum Ingots? – because this metal became
brittle when exposed to a high degree of cold, and especially Ice elemental
damage.
[IceWalker Shield: Reinforced +2. Ice Resistance: Medium.]

[Temporary perk Deflect Ice obtained.]

The absorb perk had a low chance to absorb the elemental attack negating
the damage, and somehow even empowering the armour. The deflect did
just that: deflected the elemental attack (had to be activated, and only 3 uses
a day).

Of course, supplementary gear was added to the set. The most significant
item was the Bone Pickaxe. It wasn’t meant to deal damage but to help
with the climbing. It even had a unique perk Ice Pierce enabling it to carve
ice like butter; It was similar to the blue kobold’s perk of Ice Carve.

The defensive aspect of the challenge was complete leaving the King of
Spiders to consider the means to deal damage. Bringing Icy Axes and Icy
Spears didn’t make much sense, especially against the Undead. From what
he could tell Fire was the way to go. Hence the Fire Spirit Stone stock was
further diminished. With the help of Drow, scrolls were crafted, and in
addition to that they made Fiery Axes and Fiery Spears.

Ha! Now, he only had a tiny pile of Enchanted Ingots left and almost no
Fire Spirit Stones. The war preparations were indeed expensive. A tiny pile
or not, he decided to use it all instead of saving up the meagre amount.

“I want something special.” He declared to the Drow and the spider

crafters. “I want something hot and sizzling so that I could grill those
Undead to a crisp.”

“A fire bow? Similar to the Bow of Darkness but with fire enchantments?”
The High Chief suggested.

“No, for that I’d need Fire Essence, I’m sure of it.” He had none. “But I
like the idea of something ranged.”

“Fire. Fire Bomb.” Spider crafter suggested remembering the incident of

exploding Heating Plate mark 1.
“Good thinking, but I already have Fire Grenades. I want something
hands-on, but still with a lot of oomph!”

“You want to spit fire like a Dragon would, yes-yes?” A Kobold suggested
wishing for the same ability.

He had no idea where from the Kobold Leader appeared so suddenly, but he
had a good idea.

“A Flamethrower!” It clicked to him. “I want that.”

“A flame thrower?” The High Chief asked scratching his bald head. “How
is that different from a grenade? A grenade throwing device?”

“A! That’s a grenade launcher. Good idea but no, I want FlameThrower. It
spits fire, like a dragon would, not that I have ever seen a dragon…”

“If. The King. Desires So. We Shall. Make It. So!” The spider crafter
declared.

“Yes-yes.” The Kobold Leader approved enthusiastically.

And so they began testing, experimenting, and drawing the first designs.
The combined efforts of them all allowed them to beat various challenges
and progress further than a single individual could. It took time, but here it
was, in less than a day, the friends had a Masterwork!

[You have crafted FlameThrower of masterwork quality. Crafting

+1000exp.]

[FlameThrower: Reinforced +3, Spew Flame, Fire Damage +50%]

It even dealt increased elemental Fire damage.

“Wa-wee! Double Whammy. The undead will be Toast!” He should be able

to burn them to ash.

“Let me try! Let me try!” The kobold insisted jumping up and down.
[Congratulations! You have reached Crafting lvl. 4]

[Perk Comprehend obtained.]

He suddenly realised how to improve the FlameThrover, actually, he even

had a rough design of how to replicate the Elven Ballista weapon and other
weapons and engines he had seen so far. It’s like his mind was expanded
and became better at reverse engineering complex items. Not only that but
also he could feel that designing something new just became a lot easier.

“Actually, we can make the corrundum tank smaller but thicker, increase
the compression ten fold and then it would fire even further.”

But no one was listening, because the Kobold Leader had the masterwork
already strapped to his back and was currently burning the wall and all the
furniture between himself and that wall to cinders.

“He-he-he. Ha! I’m a dragon!” The Kobold Leader roared turning a

bookshelf into a ball of fire.

This wasn’t a room to test such weapons, they had a separate room… and
anyway, he had to stop the maniac.

“Time Out!” He threw a bunch of ice grenades.

Frost spread out through the better half of the workshop, killing the flames
and freezing the kobold like a statue.

“Sorry about that. You were distracted and he just…” The High Chief
bowed apologetically.

“Why are you apologising? Please don’t, I should have kept it away from
this pyromaniac. And it’s your workshop that got damaged. I’m sorry.”

The Drow just bowed even lower for some reason.

“No worries. We will fix!” The spiders were already on the task.

“Stay here and think about what you have done.” He scolded the kobold.
It would likely remain Frozen for a good while and he didn’t feel like
wasting a potion on the troublemaker.

“I know this is the Masterwork we worked so hard on, but I know how to
improve it. We’ll have to disassemble it…” He needed the enchanted metal.

“How can you even improve a Masterwork? It’s a masterwork for a

reason.”

“Watch!” He began explaining the ideas swirling in his head.

The kobold slowly thawed and a new improved FlameThrower was

undergoing a rebirth.

[Chaos Blessed: activated], he ignored the message like always.

He used a variety of items to produce what looked like a cylindrical

backpack. The enchanted metal cylinder was covered in cloth made out of
FireAgave to give it Fire Resistance. The cylinder itself had two
compartments, one to store FireAgave juice (fuel) and the other was a
magical pump to pressurise the fuel and propel it through the nozzle. It was
done through magical means, and a significant amount of mana had to be
injected. The use of the Air Spirit Stone, the one he bought from humans,
further increased the power of the magical pump. The pressurised liquid
would then flow into a nozzle, well actually a gun. The gun mechanism was
there to ignite the liquid by using the Fire Spirit Stone, but also to provide
the ability to direct and control the flow of the liquid. The gun in firing
mode had quite a kick, the pressure was significant, so he had to add a
support mechanism to counteract the recoil. There was a problem with heat
and not everything could be solved with Red Cloth, he ended up using
Enchanted Leather and enchanting it for Fire Resistance. To keep the
weight to a minimum, a few pieces had to be made out of IronOak. Yes, it
was wood, but it was many times lighter than metal; the burning risk was
solved with insulation and enchantments. Of course, everything was
Reinforced +.

Masterwork No 2 was made: [FlameThrower: Reinforced +5, Spew

Flame, Range+, Fire Damage +100%], and by the looks of it the effort
was worth it.

“King of Spiders…” The Drow struggled to find the right words. “This is
revolutionary!”

“Revolutionary? Hmm… There is a reason the Protocol on Incendiary

Weapons exists…” He alluded to a ban on said weapons in his previous
world and the unfortunate reality that he brought this terror to this world.

“Incendiary?” The Drow looked confused for a moment.

“But what am I talking… Of course, this is revolutionary. The Undead will

stand no chance against this.” He patted the red backpack with affection.

The Kobold Leader finished being Frozen and now was standing there with
the appropriate apologetic look on his face.

“Here to apologise?” He summarized.

“Yes-Yes. I forgot. The undead are stealing the meat.”

He blinked once. He blinked twice. This was not the apology he expected.

“You mean my 90 tones,” or whatever was remaining, “of exquisite

IceShard Bird Meat is being raided?”

“The storage looted. Yes-Yes.”

So that’s why the kobold came to the Drow Archives, to tell him that… but
somehow it has gotten distracted and the rest is history. He didn’t know if to
hug or strangle the critter. It was likely not much of the meat remained,
after all he was so busy crafting the incendiary weapon, but, if the kobold
had told him straight away it was likely that he would have overreacted and
ran to save the meat, and as a result, never craft this revolutionary but
atrocious FlameThrower.

“Let’s not waste more time. I think we are ready!”

He was tired, but not tired enough to fry some meat-thieving undead.
 63

The gear was ready and the spiders stood outside the mountaintop. There
weren’t a lot of spiders, only a hundred or so, but they were the best of the
best. Each wore IceWalker Armour and had a Frost Resistance Potion for
emergencies. At the front, the King of Spiders was leading the assault force,
there was a peculiar backpack on his back and in his hand he held
something that could be mistaken for a fancy torch.

“Get ready, we’ll go straight in.” This time he won't be skulking through the
narrow ice tunnels.

It was only early morning so the wind was extra frigid and punishing. He
turned the knob on the Heating Plate to increase the heat it emitted. But
even with that, it felt kinda chilly and his eyelashes kept sticking to
themselves. He led the spiders onwards hugging one of the south faces of
the mountain peak.

“It should be somewhere in this direction.” He guided the spiders in the

rough direction of the Fortress.

A mountain cliff was in their way.

“Get the pickaxes ready.”

The spiders threw the pickaxes up and high to the cliff, they used it like a
throwing hook to wedge it into an icy cliff face. On the end of the pickaxe,
there was a sturdy rope and the spiders used that to ascend the cliff.

How the undead did all that without leaving a trace was a mystery. If there
was a secret tunnel somewhere, he couldn't find it, so they continued
climbing.
The top of the cliff was even more freezing. A cloud of IceShard Plankton
was swirling right above; It moved fast and unpredictably. There was so
much of it that it was easily able to block the sight of the sky.

“Watch out for it. It can inflict you with Frozen.” He cautioned the spiders.

And of course, he jinxed it, the stray arm of the cloud suddenly descended
hitting them with full force.

“Oh boy!” It felt so cold he was tempted to use the emergency potion.

Everyone ducked lower to the ground trying to avoid the cloud. It washed
them mercilessly for a while, but being the fickle force the assault didn’t
last.

“Is everyone alright?” He looked at the spiders, after all, Ice Resistance
was just that and not Immunity.

“It says. My armour. Is charged.” One of the spiders spoke up.

Indeed the bluish armour had a frosty aura all around it, this was likely the
Absorb Ice in action.

“Oh? Any interesting abilities?”

“I can discharge it.” The spider had that look of concentration for a second
and then a pulse of white frost shot out of the armour, frosting up the nearby
surroundings even more, and even hitting the nearby comrades.

“Wow!” This was like an area attack, but, “Watch the friendly fire.”

“Sorry.” The spider apologised to his friends.

Well, at least, everyone now knew what the charged armour was capable of.
They pushed further towards the fortress. A loud rumbling moan echoed
through the sky.

“A sky whale! I mean, IceShard Bird.” He corrected.

Everyone looked up at the white sky. A blue figure of the creature darted
towards the cloud of plankton.

“Ah, so majestic.” He appreciated the sight, especially then it wasn’t

coming towards him and threatening to eat everyone.

“King. Should we. Go and. Kill it?” A spider suggested.

A tempting idea, but no, they weren’t equipped for that. “Let’s not get
sidetracked the valley should be straight ahead.”

They approached the descent to the valley and just before everyone took a
fun slide down, they attached the ropes so that it could be climbed up just as
easily.

“We-eeee.” Spiders chirped joyously coming down the slope.

It was fun while it lasted, but the sight of the Undead Fortress was right
ahead.

“This is it…”

They traversed the icy terrain slowly approaching the fortress. It was tricky
not to slip, at least for him that is, the spiders having six legs found no
difficulty walking the ice. They jabbed the ice with their pointy legs leaving
small holes as they walked, he was envious of their stability.

The dark walls of the fortress were well in sight and he could even notice a
stray undead in one of the towers. If it was placed there as a proper guard
remained unknown because no panic and no alarm was coming from the
fortress, and the gates remained widely open.

“Shall we. Go in?” A spider suggested.

“I rather fight them in the open.” He already knew a method of how to call
them. “[Fire Bolt].” He burned scrolls to fire three consecutive projectiles
towards the fortress walls. The fire crackled as the bolts flew and then it
made a sound hitting the walls. “That should do it.” He was convinced the
undead guard glared at him and then descended down from its post in the
tower.

Surely enough, the first undead emerged from the gate. And then another,
and another. A small horde soon formed.

“They don’t look intelligent. No tactics – nothing.” He smiled. “This will be

easy. You know what to do.”

The spiders didn’t wait for the undead to reach them. Each of the spiders
recovered a stack of scrolls out of their pouches.

“[Fire Arrow]”, they chirped in unison.

A barrage of Fire magic flew towards the undead. The unlucky group at the
very front were set on fire. The fire roared sizzling the already-blackened
flesh. However, these were the Undead and they continued the slow
shamble even if on fire.

“[Fire Arrow]”, the spiders repeated.

This time there were a few of the undead who succumbed to the flames.
“[Fire Arrow]”. Even more of the undead fell to the ground.

They were close enough for the main weapon to see action. “Eat this,” he
pressed the trigger, “[Spew Flame]” a tongue of flames stretched greedily
towards the horde of Undead.

He could hear them groan and their bones crack at the heat. Fire Damage
+100% was quite something. The nearby undead disintegrated into the ash.
He held the trigger down basking the undead in flames, but they were
fearless and just kept coming and coming.

More of the undead poured out of the gate, almost like an endless stream.
The new ones were quicker, bulkier and even their armour wasn’t quite as
disintegrated. The new wave didn’t dash straight towards the flames but
circled around it, away from the fire tongue. A modicum of intelligence was
displayed.
He didn’t need to worry about that too much, his flanks were protected by
spiders. They formed a tight guard covering his side, Fiery Axes were at
their hand ready to repel the undead.

The FlameThrower choked and sputtered the flame squirting the last of the
fuel. “Resupply, please.” He ordered.

A nearby spider twisted the cylinder on his back removing the top part and
replaced it with a filled one. “Ha! You thought I’m out? – Wrong!” Yes, he
came prepared, the spiders had quite a few cartridges like that, and he could
use his weapon for hours to come.

The enemy took some serious casualties, but the undead horde was
relentless. The first of the undead reached the flanks, he could spray them
with fire too, but that risked harming the spiders.

“A you alright there?” He checked turning his head to the side.

The undead assaulting the flank had weapons, those were just some old and
chipped swords, but he couldn't see any rust on that black metal. The metal
looked peculiar, he wondered if it was somehow infused with the undead
energy.

The axes and swords clashed. The Undead didn’t tire and could just keep at
it ignoring the damage. The overwhelming number of the undead even
managed to push the spiders back. A normal human would probably
crumble under such assault, but his spiders were disciplined and fearless.
Even better, the spiders had Dark magic resistance so the swords did
negligible elemental damage.

However, the amount pouring out of the fortress was unprecedented. If this
continued they might end up surrounded. “We make a slow retreat, support
me and use the grenades.”

“Understood.” Spiders chirped in unison.

They began backpedalling keeping the tight formation. This allowed him to
spray the fire to the sides and make temporary walls of fire, the best of it
was that even then the ice melted the weapon was powered by the oily
FireAgave juice and that floated on the water with no problem. The undead
waddled through the puddles of water which were literally still on fire.

The spiders chucked Fire Grenades at the tight crowds of undead, melting
their armour and the flesh under it.

“Why there is so many!”, unlike the Undead he was beginning to tire, but
like the spiders he remained resilient.

Piles of ash and half-burned corpses littered the field. They have killed at
least a thousand of them and the horde began to thin. That was when
lumbering giants of flesh emerged from the gates.

“Ah, so that’s where all the meat went.” He observed the flesh abomination.
“Someone had to make that.” And this meant that there was a Boss
somewhere deep inside the fortress to defeat.

“We’ll fight defensively, but we have to keep the mobility.”

Yes, they’ll have to keep moving on the treacherous terrain. The spiders so
far proved themselves worthy, but he and his human legs were always at
threat of slipping.

He stopped spraying fire at the oncoming undead. “I need a hand. Carry

me.” He ordered shamelessly.

Two of the spiders hauled him on their shoulders, he stood high above
everyone getting a better look at the battlefield. The thinning undead were
scattered, avoiding the pools of fire and the flesh abominations were slowly
lumbering towards the spiders.

“We can do this!” He projected the Aura of Authority increasing the morale.
“We’re faster than them, let's keep this advantage.”

The spiders kept moving kiting the Undead, they led a successful skirmish
of hit and run without allowing the Undead to surround them. The King of
Spiders sat on top of his royal carriers, he acted like some sort of glorified
mobile turret, but it was highly effective.

The real issue if the undead here wasn’t that they lacked power, no these
undead were both strong and sturdy, the issue was that they didn’t have any
ranged fighters. Yeah, sure, arrows would do jack nothing to the undead but
ranged fire was a completely different story.

So, the horde thinned to the low numbers within a few hundred, but finally
the first of the abominations reached the spiders. Flesh giants towered high
well above the spiders, they had no weapons but judging from mace-like
fists they wouldn’t need them.

“They just refuse to die!”

He tried to burn the monstrosity, but this wasn’t a troll, their flesh body
would char and blacken but then form some sort of a coat preventing further
Fire damage. There were at least ten of those monstrosities lumbering
scattered throughout the battlefield.

With fewer undead around the spiders were able to take higher risks and
explore the options. One particular group of spiders had found the answer.
They wedged their Bone Pickaxes into the flesh of the abomination and
then tangled the monster with ropes making it immobile. Despite the
overwhelming strength of the flesh abomination, the blue ropes were not
just any ropes, they were super sturdy and Reinforced.

“We. Got. It.” The spider chirped.

The flesh abomination fell to the ground sending a cloud of shattered ice
particles. It struggled against its restraints to no avail. Axe-wielding spiders
jumped onto its large body and began chopping at it carefully avoiding the
ropes.

“Slay”, “Slash”, “Flay”, “Rend,” a plethora of individual perks was

unleashed upon the monstrosity. Soon it was reduced to a pile of inert
chunks of meat.
Meanwhile, he finished burning a stray group of undead. “Well done! Now
deal with the rest.” He encouraged.

At this point there were mostly only the flesh abominations left. So the
battle was good as won. With the last one reduced to inert flesh, the spiders
collapsed to a heap. The Undead horde was dealt with and they needed a
rest.

Camping just beside the Undead Fortress didn’t seem like the best of ideas,
but it did look like the spiders managed to empty the garrison so it was
relatively safe.

“The exp…” The spider chirped. “A lot.”

He had to agree, the undead gave anywhere from 100 to a 1000exp so a few
of the spiders levelled up.

“Ah… But even with this, I remain short.” He eyed the fortress partly
willing for more undead and exp.

“There. Must be. Someone. Controlling them.”

Controlling was an exaggeration because the undead here fought

mindlessly, but the spider was sort of right. “Yeah, a Lich making them, or
something.” Really, by this point, it was obvious.

The spiders gave him curious looks.

Ah, yes there was no way for them to know, “A type of undead caster. It’s
the one who made the flesh abominations.”

“Flesh Golem.” A spider chirped a correction.

“Right, I haven’t killed any so I wouldn't know. Anyway, we should prepare

magic protections against Dark spells.”

Yes, he half expected that. And for that, he had used his Imbue skill to
make robes of Dark Resistance, the items were sitting in his inventory.
“Here, wear those atop the armour. Don’t worry if they get torn or
damaged.” They were cheaply made anyway – just an imbued Blue Cloth
Robe. He used his own Dark affinity to make them, so very few materials
were needed.

The spiders donned the robes over the armour.

With the finished rest break the assault force moved towards the fortress
gates. They were cautious of the ambush, but it never came. Past the gate,
he was met with the sight of a frozen and unkempt courtyard. There were
numerous doors leading to various wings and towers, the doors were either
missing or broken.

“Huh, I guess they don’t like doors.” He joked.

“Indeed.” A spider pointed to the large hole in the courtyard.

This was the place where the horde must have come from.

“In the hole we go!” He said with an adventurous spirit.

As they descended, the frozen ice was replaced by frozen dirt and then by
the brick-and-mortar entrance of the catacombs. Stray blackened bones and
skulls littered the floor below the entrance, which was just a large hole in
the wall, the real entrance must have been somewhere else.

“No. Undead?”

“It’s likely we cleared them all.” He opened the nozzle of the

FlameThrower turning it into a torch. “It’s hard to see isn’t it.”

“Agreed.”

There was no light to illuminate the catacombs, only the idle flame of his
weapon.

“I have a few lanterns in my inventory.” He handed them to the spiders.

The tunnels were tall and wide, but too small for the force of a hundred.
“We’ll have to split our forces. Someone has to stay behind and watch the
entrance so we don’t get trapped.” He instructed leaving some spiders
behind.

The rest proceeded further into the darkness. The atmosphere was eerie and
ominous, aside from their steps and an idle crackling flame of the
FlameThrower there was no sound at all.

Until… “Can you hear that?”

 64

Sounds of scrapes and scratches of the most unpleasant kind filled the
narrow corridor.

“We might not be alone.” The thought that the catacombs were vacant has
been dispelled. “Whatever it is get ready.”

“Understood.” The spiders walked ahead of their King to protect him.

The sound of stone being scrapped violently only got louder, it reminded
the chalk being dragged on the blackboard in a wrong way. The corridor
was long and the lanterns provided only so little light, but there were
shadows in the distance drawing closer.

“What a…” He didn’t finish.

He wasn’t sure what to make of it. The pack of creatures right in front of
him were likely a type of undead, but they didn’t look like it. Unlike the
lethargic zombies, these were vigorous and fast. And for appearance, it was
quite strange. A flesh and bone puppet was the best description he could
come up with. Muscle ripped taunt at their bodies, but there was no skin to
cover it. Instead of hands they had bone sickles, but the edge of the bone
had metal smelted onto it and then sharpened further. Some parts like the
top of the skull and the protruding ribs at the chest had no flesh at all,
exposing blackened bone.

The sprinting fiends crashed into the shields of the spiders, the metal-gilded
sickles scarred the bone and leather of the shield. The undead swung their
arms in a rage, clacking and grinding their decaying teeth in glee while at it.
Whatever innate perks the flesh puppets had, it was working to their
advantage.
The assault was stopped for a moment and the spiders began pushing back.
The axes burst into flames and chopped at the flesh of the undead. The flesh
was blackened by fire but unlike the usual zombie and like the Flesh
Golem, the fiends developed charred scabs to reduce the Fire damage.

As far as he could see, the corridor was filled with the undead. Like rabid
dogs, they were swinging at the nearby walls and even each other, all too
keen for a fight.

“[Slay]”, an axe decapitated the jittery undead sending its head further
down the corridor. “Flesh Skeleton.” The spider informed everyone of the
fiend's name.

An interesting thing those flesh skeletons were, neither zombies nor

skeletons – more like ghouls.

“The weakness remains the same…” He thought out loud. “Aim for their
heads.”

They did that but the Flesh Skeletons were persistent and spiders were
taking damage. Some shields were rendered to nothing but a crumbling pile
of fragments. For that reason, plus unlike the undead the spiders could get
tired, so the ones at the front were swapped with the rank of fresh spiders.

While the fight was ongoing he kept checking the rear of his forces. Attack
from there would trap them for good. But despite the endless assault from
the front, there was a small mercy that the rear seemed safe; for now.

“I'd rather we don’t spend too much time here.” He voiced his worries.

“Shall we. Retreat?”

No, they came here for a reason, and it's not like spiders were losing. “Let
me through.” He decided to do what he should have done in the very
beginning.

The shields parted ever so little but just enough to squeeze the tip of the
FlameThrower gun.
“Spew Flame,” he activated the jet of fire. The corridor was filled with fire,
the sticky oil clung to the Flesh Skeletons and burned hotter each second.

“Uff.” He had to turn away from the wave of hot air threatening to burn his
eyebrows.

The heat was real and the IceWalker Suit was not meant to handle such
things, especially in a narrow indoor space. However, even with their low
resistance to Fire, the undead couldn’t cope with the scale and amount of
damage they were receiving. The ones at the very front were incinerated to
ash, the middle ones were laying limp on the floor and still burning, and the
back lines while smouldering and singed were still roaring for a fight.

“Ha!” He smiled knowingly. “Use the shields.” He ordered the spiders to

make a wall.

Just like he predicted, the Flesh Skeletons despite witnessing total

annihilation still launched themselves towards the spiders. The shield wall
wasn’t there to block the undead but the stray tongues of fire.

“Spew Flame,” he fired at the approaching undead and with that command
the shields tightened to make a better seal.

And just like that the rest of the maddened undead were burned to a crisp.
The shield was slightly damaged and the air felt too hot for comfort, but
that was a very small price to pay for an easy victory.

“I love this weapon.” It felt like a perfect weapon to deal with the undead.

As they were walking the spiders were kicking and shattering the skulls of
the surviving corpses.

“Rule #2 Double Tap, well done.” He didn’t even need to teach that; the
spiders were that smart.

However, they still walked with caution.

“Watch the walls.” He warned the spiders.

Those pesky walls liked to crumble at the most inconvenient times, and
they just had to have a sneaky pocked of monsters hiding inside. He kept
tapping the walls, but those seemed like solid rock.

However, just as he turned around the corner a strange sight made his
eyebrows rise.

“A wall of ice?” It didn’t look like it belonged here. “Odd and out of place.”

“Magic.” The spider said matter of factly.

This wasn’t a complete barrier, the solution was in his hands and the enemy
likely knew that; what this was – was an obstacle to slow his advance.

“Break it using Ice Pierce.” He instructed, knowing that the

FlameThrower would take too long.

The pickaxes hit the ice wall slowly chipping it away.

“King!” A spider ran to him with an alarm on its face. “Our rear.”

Yeah, this was a trap. An undead attacked from the back, and trapped them
in. This time it was another Flesh Golem, but it looked more like a worm. It
had an elongated body with many tentacle appendages on its side. It used
them to crawl inside the tunnel and was quite fast at it.

“That’s bad.” From the experience, the fire was not the solution. And there
was no way to bind the abomination in this narrow tunnel. “We have to stop
it or it will crush us.” He had to hatch a plan quickly.

Well, the ice wall might have given him an idea. He retrieved a cluster of
Freezing Grenades, and threw them at the approaching abomination. The
grenades hit it and shattered spreading the frost everywhere. Luckily he had
thrown enough to inflict the monstrosity with Frozen. It stopped moving
for a moment, but judging by its size it wouldn’t last for long.

“Now.” He ran together with spiders to attack the fleshy worm.

For that reason, he’d retrieved the Devouring Spear; the weapon had a
good track record in dealing with the abominations. He thrust it into the
fleshy exterior of the worm and the spear sunk deep. Even through a thick
layer of meat, he could see the reddish glow of the spear tip which told him
that Soul Steal was activated and the abomination was taking continuous
damage. Yes, he was sapping the ‘life’ out of the undead; how it really
worked was a slight mystery.

“It’s working, it should die soon.”

Regardless, the spiders quickened its death by helpfully chopping off big
chunks of its body.

[You have defeated Flesh Golem, Fighting +1500exp]

[Soul Steal], the perk completed trying to store the soul inside.

[Error], [Soul Well has claimed the soul].

“Huh, that’s not one of my perks.” He had a pensive expression. “The

cursed Lich has it.” He was sure of it now.

“King. The Ice Wall…” The spiders were done clearing it.

“Let’s go and get that Lich, It won’t be able to hide forever.”

“Understood.” The spiders took a defensive position and ventured deeper

into the catacombs.

As they were walking he observed empty holes lining the walls, it was
probably the place where the dead used to rest, now those were vacant.

“So that’s where they came from.”

Some of the dead were still there. The few remaining corpses were
blackened and skinny with barely any flesh left on them, it was likely a
waste of mana to raise these as undead servants; or maybe there was
another reason entirely. But just in case, as they went they smashed their
empty skulls anyway, further defiling the resting place.
Soon the spiders emerged into a larger hall. This one was filled with intact
stone coffins. The hall felt chilly and there was an ominous aura.

“A boss room?” He guessed looking around and fully expecting one of the
lids of the coffins to fly open.

He was only partially right, the room cooled to frigid temperature and
instead of some Undead Draugr, wraiths emerged from the coffins.

“This is bad!” Indeed it was, the wraiths were incorporeal and hence
immune to physical damage.

The wraiths shrieked in a mind-piercing voice, trying and failing to inflict

Terror debuff. Ha! His spiders were immune and him being Monster King
also allowed natural immunities. However, the undead apparitions achieved
a secondary goal. The loud shriek called more of the wraiths from all over
the catacombs and now they outnumbered the spiders two to one.

“This is very bad! Use the scrolls.” He advised.

And just in time before the wraiths flew in rage to attack the scrolls were
out. They were out of Fire Arrow scrolls, but that didn’t mean that other
elements like Air and Nature didn’t work. So they used those. The wraiths
received the hits, and the magic projectiles disrupted their incorporeal
forms, but one hit was not enough to exorcise them. Meanwhile, the
apparitions did their thing slamming their cursed bodies at spiders and
sapping their life energy. The axes were also enchanted and alleviated some
of the draining assault, but they weren’t enough to kill the wraiths in one or
two swings either.

Some of the wraiths winked out of existence, but equally, some of the
spiders collapsed to their knees – tired and barely conscious.

“Why aren’t they attacking me?” He waved the Devouring Spear

threateningly. “Oh, that’s, probably why.” He launched himself in the full
offensive helping the most tired spiders.
The spear, true to its name, literally sucked the life out of the wraiths. The
only challenge was getting close enough, the wraiths cautiously flew away
from him and the reach of the spear.

The Elemental Arrows kept flying and he kept running from one group to
the other supplying them with his scrolls and killing an unlucky wraith here
and there. It was quickly found out that a simple flask of TomGrape juice
alleviated some of the Drain symptoms. Good job spiders figuring that out!

With the power of ‘energy drinks’ and disposable scrolls, the wraith menace
was defeated.

“This was kinda scary.” He didn’t like ghosts.

“We’re. Okay.” The spider misunderstood his statement as worry and gave a
spider thumbs-up.

“We can. Continue.”

And so they will. The direction was obvious because there was a large gate
by one of the walls. He tried to push the gate, but it didn’t budge.

It wasn’t locked or rusted. “It’s frozen shut. That bastard, buying time!”

The gate was black metal so the picks couldn’t shatter it. Nor did he need to
smash through, he just needed to defrost it. He toasted the gate applying a
generous amount of Flame Spew. The binding ice melted, but even then the
gate remained shut – was latched or even barricaded.

“Go figure, of course!” he felt like giving up.

Yeah, the gate was metal, it was standing firm and imposing, and very much
hard to destruct. But, the wall was just that, a brick-and-mortar.

“We’ll have to punch a hole in the wall.” This was his solution to a
complicated problem.

Hammering the thick wall would probably take a day, if he didn’t have a
trick up his sleeve. Yes, they hammered it, but also he applied Freezing and
Fire Grenades to shock it thermally and speed the process. The brittle brick
crumbled under the stress of the metal hammers the spiders were using, all
thanks to the convenience of Magical Inventory and his tendency to hoard
various stuff inside.

Just then the wall crumbled he jumped towards the opening and basked the
outside room with the warmth and love of his FlameThrower. And only
then the spiders jumped out of the hole one by one.

Despite all the hammering noise the spiders had made, the undead were still
caught off guard. There was a whole bunch of them by the gate: zombies,
flesh skeletons, flesh golems and the like. By the gate and not by the hole in
the wall, someone gave them a stupid command. Anyway, they took the
chance to flank the undead, and since this room was another equally large
hall they were able to use the last of Fire Grenades to roast the small fry.
The undead burned and crackled in a large heap of twitching and barely
moving corpses. The spiders jumped to deal with the two lumbering Flesh
Golems.

But that was only a small distraction. The real thing was standing in the
middle of the hall, well the hall was a bad description because this was
more like a workshop. A workshop to craft bones and flesh. Various parts
littered the room and there was a humongous pile of IceShard Bird meat in
the centre, and by the pile was the ‘real thing’. A monster unlike any he had
seen before.

“A Lich?” No, he was wrong. It was something else.

The monster was as tall and imposing as the giant flesh abomination. A
massive skeletal figure made out of human-like bones and blackened flesh.
The bones were unnaturally large, elongated and twisted. The monster
didn't quite have one face – many skulls were piling atop its ill-defined
shoulders forming a big ball-like clump. However, there was a dominant
skull, it was larger and had crown-like horns. The empty eye sockets in the
dominant skull glowed red ever so slightly. Its bone golem body was
shrouded in a tattered black robe, the cloth moved and twisted in flowing
motion even if there was no wind here. The skeletal monster had a dual aura
of regality and death.
The many spindly arms coming from the midsection were busily shaping
the flesh beneath into another Flesh Golem, leaving the two bigger main
arms to hang free at the shoulders. The left hand had a blackened and
seemingly tattered leather tome clutched between large fingers, the tome
looked miniature in that huge palm. The right arm was not an arm but a
bone appendage in a shape of a blade. The sword was long and broad and
its bone edge looked unnaturally sharp. The weapon radiated bloodlust and
gave the monster a fearsome aura.

The sight was haunting and unsettling.

The Boss monster, the ruler of this place, continued labouring at the soon-
to-be flesh masterpiece even despite the threat of the spiders, or maybe
because of it. The dim light in the bony skull glowed with more furry
breathing life into the abomination.

The newly made flesh golem wasn’t just flesh this time, there were
numerous skeletal arms embedded in its bulbous body, each wielding a
weapon shrouded in black aura.

The ‘Lich?’ glared at the King of Spiders for the first time, the gaze was
filled with hate. It was so strong he could physically feel it.

“Die!” It spoke directly to the mind. “Eternal Frost.”

White carpet of ice spread from the monster like some sort of infection
covering everything and all in frost.
 65

Eternal Frost attack avoided the Flesh Golem and other undead, but the
spiders were unlikely to be excluded. The ice was spreading threatening to
inflict the spiders with Frozen.

“Use your potions, quick!” He followed his own advice and quaffed the
chilly liquid in three gulps.

The white frosty mist washed over him,“Alright.” The attack was negated.

To some extent at least, the hall in its entirety was covered in a thin layer of
ice. The undead caster glared hate towards him and the spiders, it moved
one of its hands urging the Flesh Golem to attack.

“Watch out for other spells.” He warned the spiders.

The Flesh Golem was the first one to reach the spiders, it swung its many
arms towards them. Some spiders jumped, others blocked with their shield.
The flesh golem radiated a thick dark aura, it was likely Terror. It was a
formidable foe, but still, it was outnumbered. He trusted his spiders' ability
to deal with it.

The real enemy here was that mysterious undead caster, mysterious because
it wasn’t exactly ‘Lich’ but someone higher on the hierarchy.

“Concentrate on the Flesh Golem, don’t let it attack me. I’ll go and keep the
‘Lich?’ busy.”

Yes, they had to take the caster first or else it would just keep raising the
undead and withering the spiders’ stamina down.
Speaking of which. “Summon Skeleton, Army.” The undead cast a
summoning spell and then another to empower it.

The army part sounded scary, but in the end, only fifty or so icy skeletons
manifested out of the shiny circle on the ground. He sprinted forwards
towards the not-quite-Lich and its skeletons. He wasn’t running alone, few
of the spiders were offering assistance.

He swung the Devouring Spear shattering the skeletal skull into many ice
fragments. The spiders weren’t idle, they used their Fiery Axes to make
quick work out of skeletons.

[You have defeated Ice Skeleton, Fighting +50exp], yup those were just
petty summons.

More skeletons were already being summoned. Was this undead trying to
drown him in trash mobs? He won’t allow that. He stored the spear back
into his inventory and grabbed for the FlameThrower gun attached to his
side.

“Did you forget I have this?” He returned the smirk to the undead caster.
“Spew Flame.”

The fire roared burning the skeletons as quickly as they were being
summoned. However, for some reason, it failed to melt the ice covering the
floor.

“Grgh-rrr.” The ‘Lich?’ growled something inhuman. “Shadow Spear,

Multicast, Barrage.”

A magical circle floated right behind its back, purple orbs of light
manifested out of thin air. One, two, three and then more. The orbs grew in
size and one after the other they spewed Dark infused magical spears. The
projectiles flew aiming at him and the spiders.

“Quick, we have to kill it.” He urged the spiders to push forwards.

The barrage of Dark elemental attacks began hitting the spiders. Some of
them were powerful enough to shatter their IceWalker Shields and damage
the armour. As for him, his plate armour had Spell Deflect, so it helped but
only a little. It failed to activate most of the time managing to damage even
his Reinforced +3 armour.

Finally, he was close, close enough to use his ranged weapon.

“Eat that!” He pressed the trigger unleashing the spray of hell.

The undead caster turned translucent and the flames just passed through it.

“This is bullshit!” It had similar abilities to the wraiths, so it was possible it

had physical resistance too. “Way too OP.”

So they would have to use magic to weaken it first. Well, he was a mage
too, but he was a Dark mage so his attacks would be rendered useless. “

“The scrolls!” Yeah, that was the solution, but too bad he wasted most of
them to deal with the wraiths. “I curse you Lich!”

The only way to deal with it now was to use enchanted weapons. But
judging by what happened with the wraiths, for the ‘Lich?’ one or two hits
wouldn’t be enough. This being a Boss monster meant that he would need
to land thousands upon thousands of hits before it fell. Luckily he wasn’t
here alone… The spiders had finished dealing with the Flesh Golem and
were now rushing to his aid.

“Ha-ha-ha.” The undead caster cackled unthreatened. “Greater Mend.”

The chunks and bits of the Flesh Golem pulled together making it whole
again. It stood there back in action as if nothing had happened.

If It could do that… he was very lucky he didn’t allow the ‘Lich?’ time to
construct more of these improved Flesh Golems. The threatened spiders
turned back to deal with the ‘resurrected’ undead.

The spiders attacking the undead caster with him didn’t idle either. They
were already swinging their axes at its half-incorporeal form. It didn’t seem
to be bothered by it at all. He fired the last of his remaining scrolls at the
‘Lich?’, those too did negligible damage.

Shadow Spears were witling at everyone’s armour, and the Frost

Resistance Potion wouldn’t last forever.

“Are we outmatched?” Was running away the only option?

The undead kept cackling as if enjoying their struggles. It had big bony
body but even with that, it managed to dodge and float away from most of
the axe swings. It danced like that for a few moments, making the spiders,
and then it began using its bone sword.

Oh boy! It had almost slashed a spider in half. The offensive power was just
too much. Bad turned to worse: the pages in the blackened tome began
tuning by themselves. “Grasp Heart.” The undead spoke and one of the
spiders collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Yeah, the spiders had only limited resistance to Dark Magic, higher spells
of that order passed through their natural defences. Worst of all, another
page turned, “Rise Dead!” The ‘Lich?’ bellowed in an unmasked glee. A
spider rose from its dead state and turned against its friends.

The ‘Lich?’ was only playing with them the entire time, it was more
powerful than it pretended to be, and that mask of deception was finally
taken off. The King of Spiders should run, he must flee, but it would mean
he would need to sacrifice his spiders here. An extreme act of selfishness.

He hated to see the spider die, he hated to see it rise and fight its comrades
– such acts were unforgivable. He couldn’t allow the ‘Lich?’ to get its hands
on his precious spiders and their souls. So he did a very stupid thing, he
grabbed the Devouring Spear and launched himself towards the undead
caster.

The spiders were spurred by the King’s Aura and attacked the ‘Lich?’ with
increased ferocity. The undead caster couldn't dodge all of the blows, and
there were many from all sides, to achieve that spiders put their life at risk.
The axes connected with the incorporeal form disrupting it further and
further. The ‘Lich?’, of course, retaliated it swung its bone sword cleaving
spiders like ripe wheat and it kept casting Grasp Heart.

The sprinting form of King of Spiders was hit with the atrocious spell,
“Urgh!” He felt his heart contract violently.

[Your race: Monster King – negated the effects of Grasp Heart], he was
only meters away from the ‘Lich?’.

It might have been his imagination but the undead caster seemed wary of
his weapon, all this time it was distancing itself from the King of Spiders.
The incorporeal form of the ‘Lich?’ was disrupted by the relentless spiders
and it was forced back to its physical state, just in time for the Devouring
Spear to pierce its body. The spear tip pierced the mass of skulls and sunk
deeply into the blackened flesh.

“Ragh!” the ‘Lich?’ roared in anger.

The spear tip glowed bright red, [Soul Steal] was activated, it was sapping
the life force of the ‘Lich?’.

“Mortal!” It cursed and swung its bone sword.

“[Bastion]”, it hit his armour pushing him to the side, but even then he kept
the spear in place.

“Ragh!” The ‘Lich?’ roared in surprised displeasure.

“Keep it busy, keep the spear in place.” He didn’t ask, he begged his
spiders.

The axes kept swinging and with a spear in its body the ‘Lich?’ couldn’t
shift to its incorporeal state. It swung again at the King of Spiders, but
[Bastion] saved him. He had only one more use of that, but the ‘Lich?’
didn’t’ know that and instead, it channelled its rage back to the spiders who
were binding it in place.

“Keep the spear wedged in!” He repeated.

The spiders helped him to retain a firm grasp on the shaft and prevented the
undead caster to pull it out. However, the spiders were dying left and right.
More and more of the spiders were turning against their friends.

The Flesh Golem fell for what? – a third or fourth time, but this time the
‘Lich?’ was too busy to mend it back. Spiders rushed to reinforce their
comrades, and just in time. With the thinning numbers, he was forced to use
the last of [Bastion] to deflect the killing blow.

“Just a bit more…” By this point, he was just encouraging himself.

Most of the spiders were already dead, and soon the undead will outnumber
them.

“Die!” The ‘Lich?’ screeched in anger, at least there was no mocking glee in
its voice anymore.

Was it finally afraid?

It was unclear if the undead were capable of such emotions, but he, the
King of Spiders, he was trembling in his shoes. The victory was uncertain,
and death was just around the corner.

A bone sword descended from above him trying to split him in half. He was
out of [Bastion] uses, if he didn’t dodge he would die, but if he wanted to
dodge he would need to let the spear go. He resigned to his fate.

A spider jumped taking the blow, the bone sword cleaved right through it
and even hit his shoulder. Surprisingly the armour held, but his shoulder
was in pain, likely shattered.

The ‘Lich’ raised its sword for another swing, a definite and complete
killing blow this time, but all of a sudden the bony appendage went limp.

“No!” It shouted collapsing to its skeletal legs.

The Bone Golem's body the ‘Lich?’ soul inhabited began to crumble and
turn to ash.
“We… We did it…”

The magic holding the construct in place disappeared. Some bones scattered
to the floor, others turned to ash. The dim hateful glow in the dominant
skull was no more. The risen undead spiders collapsed to the ground, now
finally and truly dead.

[You have defeated Great Bone Golem, Fighting +25000exp]

He crushed the crowned skull behind his boot and spat on the fragments.
This was a victory but at what cost… only ten of his spiders remained.

In the pile of bones, there was that bone sword glowing darkly and begging
to be picked up. Was this his reward? He deposited it in his inventory.

[Gravelord Sword: Legendary. Killing Blow, Unstoppable Cleave,

Death Aura, Terror +5]

And there was another item in the shape of a tattered and blackened leather
tome.

[True Dark Tome: Legendary] – it didn’t collaborate on the contents of

the tome, but he already had an idea.

This was quite something but even then this seemed hardly worthy of the
trouble. And…

“Something doesn’t add up.”

He was sure he was fighting a lich-type being, but the message told him it
was just a Bone Golem he defeated. And the spear should have absorbed
the soul, or at least attempted to, but there was no such message.

He looked around more carefully, and indeed there was something odd. A
shadow was sneaking away through the melting frost, if not for the white
frost he would have failed to notice it. The shadow vaguely resembled the
dark and tattered cloak the Bone Golem was cloaked in.

“Got you, Lich!” He pointed the spear tip threateningly at the shadow.
“Wait…” It spoke directly to his mind. “I can grant you…”

He didn’t care and just pushed the spear tip to the shadowy ground. The
shadow trembled and shrivelled into nothing. Was he tempted to listen to
this crafty and devious undead? – Not even for a second, such deals never
ended well. And this was revenge for his fallen spider friends.

“You have defeated Gravelord, Fighting +25000exp”

[Congratulations! You have reached Fighting lvl .3]

[Requirements have been met. Hidden perk unlocked.]

[Perk Undying obtained.]

It sounded interesting, but to truly test the ability of the perk he would need
to attempt to die. Nah, he won’t be doing that just yet.

And there was another message.

[Soul Steal – completed], [Error], [Soul Well has claimed the soul].

“Yup, the bastard yet still ‘lives’,” Or suffers eternally, hopefully trapped in
the well. “Suits it right.”

However, there was another unpleasant message, [Warning: Gravelord

Sword disintegrated into Nothing].

Go figure, no Gravelord no Gravelord Sword, the two were likely

somehow connected. Oh well, whatever…

He looked at the survivors.

“Let's look for the Soul Well, it should be hidden somewhere.”

But before that, they went all the way out of the catacombs to retrieve the
spiders who guarded the entrance. On their way, there was another ice wall.
And they found the guards a bit worn out, it seems there was another attack
at some point but they did their job and defended the entrance.
The spider guards eyed the rugged friends, yeah, it was hard to break the
hard news. Many spiders died.

“We Understand.” One of them chirped.

“Did we win?” Other asked.

“We won.” He said simply but apologetically.

“Then They Died. Doing Their Duty.”

“It’s an. Honor.”

He wasn’t going to argue with them. “Let's go back in the catacombs,

there’s more loot to be found.”

There wasn’t much of interest around, neither in the castle nor the
catacombs, but there were a few materials to gather. One of the useful
things was the undead weapons, which were made out of some sort of
enchanted metal and radiated Dark affinity; He should be able to smelt
those down later. Also, there were multitudes of Wither Bone – a crafting
ingredient harvested from the defeated undead.

They looked long and hard for the Soul Well, and they found it hidden
under one of the walls in the catacombs. It was a round rock absorbing all
light making it pitch black, it even dimmed the room it was inside as if it ate
the light itself.

Upon touching the Soul Well he got a message that True Dark Tome was
activated. It allowed him to interact with the well.

Inside he could see a multitude of souls, each sorted by race and affinity.

[Soul Well: 8420/10000], the most powerful souls were at the top.

[Great Undead (Gravelord) – Dark] x1, [Frost Giant – Ice] x25, [Obsidian
Spider – Dark], […]
Oh! His spiders were “Obsidian Spiders”– that was nice to know, also
apparently they were quite powerful. After that, there were many souls of
humans and other lesser creatures.

Considering the item, it was very powerful. Its presence allowed it to trap
and recycle souls indefinitely. A must-have for any necromancer. So, was he
going to destroy this artefact grade item and set all the innocent souls free?
No! He was not.

“I’ll reincarnate my spiders.” And the rest, humans and creatures alike… he
will find a use for them eventually.

If not, he’ll just trade them (the spares) to the Ancestral Tree, they must be
worth more than centipede souls, right. Right? Hopefully…

“The menace is dealt with. Let's head home.” He didn’t want to stay in this
accursed place any minute longer.

The spiders gathered a few things here and there and they headed back
bringing only Pyrrhic Victory home, but a victory never less.

Unbeknown to him, he now possessed a highly coveted tome and an

artefact thought to be impossible.
 66 - Necromancy with extra steps
Mark 2

The True Dark Tome provided a wealth of information on Dark magic, it

was by the leagues better than Dark Tome he obtained from Vumbeldor.
And he finally unlocked the uses of [Soul Steal] and [Reanimate]. In other
words, he could raise undead; a terrible power.

But raising zombies, skeletons and undead creatures was never on his
agenda, not quite, he had different intentions for the spells and souls
obtained. For a longest while he was musing about how to replicate the feat
demonstrated by the Great Ancestral Tree in its creation of Sprigans. Yes, he
wanted to give the souls of Soul Well, a second chance at life.

Hence why, he and the spiders were carving the puppets out of IronOak
trees. The tree was sturdier and harder than it had any right to be, making
the process arduous and time-consuming. But what is time when you have a
thousand spider crafters giving you a hand.

He was heavily inspired by the Sprigan design the Great Ancestral Tree had
used.

Once the puppets were done he seeded them with Ancestral Tree Amber
and cast the ritual he had learned from the wisp. The dead wood came to
life, curing the cracks made by the crafting process, further moulding and
shaping the puppets. However, the puppets weren’t quite done, not yet,
because they still lacked the spark of life – a soul.

That’s where his method will differ from the one a wisp had used, being a
Dark affinity mage he had to do things differently and that’s where the
tome and the well played their roles. A different kind of ritual was set up.
The ritual was Dark in nature and it required sacrifice. The tome explained
that to power something this grand he would either need to sacrifice souls
or expend exorbitant amounts of mana. He alone wouldn’t be able to power
even a fraction of it. But he didn’t have to do it alone.

He gathered the humanoid spiders, the ones he Evolved and Imbued with
the gift of magic, with them he’ll be able to power most of the ritual. The
rest will be fuelled by the lesser souls of animals and most importantly the
Great Undead (Gravelord) soul which actually powered half of the ritual
just by itself. He decided that was the fitting use for the Gravelord, the
undead will be a cornerstone in this ritual of ‘rebirth’; it was only right to
use its soul to give a breath of life to the human souls it enslaved.

Incidentally, the souls inside the Soul Well, weren’t conscious and didn’t
have personal experiences – those died when their bodies perished. And that
might be the reason why most undead were so dumb.

He used Magical Ink to paint a huge circle in the clearing. Inside the circle,
there were no less than a thousand of IronOak Puppets. The craftsmanship
of the spiders and the power of the Amber granted the puppets sleek and
flowing form; they were intricate wooden statues and worthy to be
considered art. Each was made by a different crafter and had that touch of
individuality and uniqueness.

Spider mages gathered around the outer line of the circle, but the King of
Spiders took a spot in the very middle of it.

“Let us begin.” He announced in anticipation. “By the power of True Dark

Tome, I beseech the souls to listen,” He began the incantation and the pages
of the tome flipped on their own. “[Command Souls]” He raised the orb of
Soul Well on the other hand and it began flowing on its own in the air.
“Souls listen, and listen well, I’ve made you new bodies to fill and inhabit.”
The souls needed the fuel to do that or else they would consume themselves
in the process. “Feast on the chosen, [Sacrifice Soul], and do as you wish.“
He sacrificed Gravelord's soul setting a good thousand souls out of the well
with an explosion of Dark mana. The air itself was saturated with it, it was
so thick that an occasional purple lighting would crack and send a thunder
reverberating throughout the circle.
The human souls were of various sizes and colours. The lights formed a
whirlpool around the King of Spiders. “Go and pick your new bodies.
[Reanimate].” He encouraged.

The souls swarmed around the puppets, each picking the one they liked the
most. The ritual was only at a half-phase, the hard part was only beginning.
He didn’t want mindless undead and hollow golems, which were just a
mockery of life. He wanted true living and thinking beings. To give true life
he needed more than just souls. However, if he’ll be successful remains to
be seen.

“Spiders, pour your mana in.” He instructed.

The spider mages did as told and the circle was even further saturated with
the mana. Meanwhile, he used his remaining mana reserves to guide all that
energy into the puppets. “Souls! Form your minds, make thoughts be, and
experiences present. [Become Living].” He fired a spell of his own.
Something he made just for this. This was a combination of Dark and
Nature affinities and an uncharted territory for him.

“I hope this works.” The rest was out of his hands.

The mana was pulled into the puppets and the souls worked hard to form
structures equivalent to brains. The puppet-like golems were striving to
become something more, something above.

[Chaos Blessed activated], the unpredictable passive perk he possessed

fired chaotically.

[Perk Evolve was triggered], he didn’t will it, it did so on its own.

[Spell Imbue was triggered], he felt his mana drain from his body as if a
cork somewhere was just unplugged.

His head began to spin, he went into the negatives. He didn’t have enough
mana to do that for thousand puppets and he had a ritual to control. He had
to reign the chaos in, to turn this in his favour or else the mana depletion
will render him unconscious and ruin the ritual.
“I must do it.” He spoke through gritted teeth.

There was mana all around him, the spiders continued to power the ritual.
He just needed to find a way to ‘borrow’ it. Being at the epicentre of it
allowed him some control of the mana so he willed it to pull towards his
body. It did just so, and it was so thick he thought he will drown, but it
worked – the perks were powered by ambient mana. The mana flowed
towards the centre, surrounded his body and then it changed into something
more wild and chaotic, and then it reversed and flowed into the puppets.

However, “Arg!” He shouted trying to reign the pain in. The saturated mana
was ravaging his body, threatening to rip him into shreds. The ritual was
going to rip his own soul out!

[Perk Undying was triggered], he was left heaving and on his knees with
the equivalent of 1HP.

Finally, the ritual began stabilising and one by one the puppets evolved and
became something more than golems. They became living beings. The
change was unprecedented and chaotic, it was so powerful that their very
souls were affected. Something very rare and magical just happened – souls
changed their colours into white. They were new and pure. How a Dark
Ritual was capable of that will remain a mystery forever.

He kept taking sharp breaths, all of his energy was drained. The stray
leftovers of the mana dispersed into the air. The ritual was finished.

The puppets were made in the image of Sprigans, so henceforth they

became White Sprigans. The souls finished settling in the white wood-like
bodies. One by one their eyes opened, taking the sight of the world
surrounded. They were alive again, but this time in a true sense. No longer
the human souls were bound to do the bidding of the Gravelord, actually,
they weren’t bound to anyone. Unlike the golems, they were truly free and
without a master.

The minds of White Sprigans were fully formed, and the old souls they
had in their bodies gave them a supernatural understanding of how the
basics of the world worked. But their minds were fresh with no human
memories or personal experiences. The bunch stood there, happy to be alive
and free, but they were mighty confused about why or what they were, of
what they were meant to do. They looked at the nearest things present: a
clearing, a magical circle, the spiders and the prone but still regal figure.

The spiders approached the Sprigans and welcomed them with happy
chirps. The happy greetings were replied with equally happy noises, but not
quite chirps. They were just born, but somehow they felt a kinship with the
spiders already. Maybe, the fact that the spider’s mana powered the
Sprigans’ birth had something to do with that, or maybe it was just a naiveté
of the newborn.

The spiders rushed to help their King, he looked ravaged by mana backlash
and barely alive. The Sprigans observed the spiders’ concern for the prone
but still regal form, and as if to mimic them they too developed that feeling.
The spiders picked up the King and began carrying him carefully. The
Sprigans followed the spiders, what else was there to do?

Soon they were met with the visage of an endless farm. Somehow, each of
them found the sight of growing TomGrapes, pleasing and even calming,
as if they found a long-forgotten memory of something similar. The new/old
memory made the core inside their mid section began to warm, it was a
pleasant heat.

The small spiders tending the vines waved at the approaching Sprigans. The
gesture was replied in kind. It was the first time they were at the farm, but it
already felt like home. A welcoming place they wanted to stay. A place
where they belonged. The feeling was born not out of reason but out of
instinct. After all, they found their primitive ancestor IronOak standing
proudly above the fields, providing support for the ropes the TomGrape
grew on. And in turn, the vines converted the mana in the air into nutrients
and pushed them into the soil through the roots. It was symbiosis, a love
story of two plant species.

Yes, like their ancestor they too felt the obligation to do the same. To
provide support and make so that others could grow and prosper. One day
in and they already found the purpose of their life, or at least they felt that
they knew what they needed to do. Thank you IronOak for setting a good
example!

The Sprigans weren’t herded or commanded so naturally they broke off into
smaller groups and dispersed all around the farm. Everywhere they went,
they were met with pleasant chirps of spiders. Life here seemed so carefree
and easy, but the Sprigans knew better than to idle. The ancient human
souls they carried knew only toil and servitude, and maybe for the worst
that trait couldn't be rubbed off easily, so they looked at the spiders for
guidance wishing to be useful, to do something, to make this place grow.

The spiders did many things, the spiders did everything! But spiders did
what spiders could, and there were some things that only a spider could do.
And there were some things that only a Sprigan could do. There was no
need to duplicate the spiders; the Spigans weren't here to replace or imitate,
they were here to… Well, they didn’t quite understand why they were here,
but they knew that they had the power to make things better.

Being the creatures they were they had their innate racial abilities. They
instinctually knew the names of plants and animals, the vine fruits were
TomGrapes and the spiders were Obsidian Spiders. And they could ‘talk’
with all plants and animals, guess what they needed to grow, guess what
was the trouble if there was any. Moreover, had had access to [Grow] and
that quite literally sped up the growth of a plant or animal. And they had
access to [Heal], so healing an injured squirrel was not a problem. But also,
they could mould and shape, they could ‘craft’ in their unique way, [Shape
Wood]. The human crafting spirit had never died in their souls, many of
them desired to pursue such crafts.

The Sprigans broke into groups even further. Some went to spider farmers,
others to spider crafters, and even to Lamia to help them herd the
Enchanted Boars. Others found their distant cousins, Dryads, and together
they went to grow the saplings of IronOak and to thank their ancestor for
providing the material their body was made.

Actually, White Sprigans felt a lot of gratitude. That’s why they decided to
work so hard. The emotion was strong and its roots were unknown, but
somehow they felt indebted to everyone involved in their birth. But anyway,
it seemed natural, like children they felt gratitude to their parents namely:
the spiders, the IronOak, the source of the Amber, and the King. Yes, they
had four parents, but that didn’t feel unusual at all.

So the White Sprigans made quick bonds with the farm’s plants and
animals. They naturally filled in the missing roles which no one had known
were missing.

The King of Spiders remained oblivious to all of the above. He had to make
a recovery both magical and physical. Luckily there were spiders giddily
tending to each and all of his needs.

The Soul Well remained in his possession, emptier than it previously was
but still filled with souls. There were still souls waiting for [Become
Living], both spider and human. The task seemed daunting, but he could
improve the ritual and now knew how to control it better. The recovery will
take time, and there were preparations needed for future rituals. Depending
on how White Sprigans do he might reincarnate the human souls into them
again. But for the spiders, he had different plans. It just that for a spider soul
only a spider body seemed to be appropriate. He desired to craft something
special for them, and not just a wooden body. That was the project for the
future.

“Spider friends, just wait a little bit longer.” He drank a Mana Potion to
ease that pounding headache. “I’ll make new bodies for you soon.” He
caressed the black orb, Soul Well, which still radiated darkness and death.

The item was born of Dark and definitely would be considered evil by
most. After all, it could trap the souls for an eternity. However, he didn’t see
it as evil because the tools weren’t evil, the evil stemmed from the person
using it. And yes, he wasn’t exactly a paragon of virtue here, but he
intended to use this item to strengthen his kingdom. And why would he not?

The spiders died. Mostly of old age. And what when? Where did their souls
go? According to the texts he purchased in the Human Kingdom, the souls
went to the gods. Good souls to good gods, and bad souls to the equivalent.
The black souls were considered to be evil by nature. Well, he was positive
his soul was black, but so was the spiders’ and he knew those guys were the
opposite of evil. He wasn’t convinced in all of the ‘truths’ of religious texts,
but he had met a god-like entity in the shape of a cloud, the one who
reincarnated him here. So why would he trust such nebulous entities to
oversee the black souls of good spiders? Especially if he could reincarnate
the spiders himself!

After witnessing it was possible, he conspired of using this tool to deprive

the gods of ‘their’ souls, the gods who had no genuine claim in his opinion,
and instead, he would give the spiders another chance at life. Not quite
immortality but close.

But first, he needed to rest. He drank the last of the potions capping his
Toxicity to as close as he could handle in his weakened state and then he
closed his eyes slowly drifting to sleep.

Inside the Magical Inventory, the Soul Well buzzed making the souls swirl
inside and True Dark Tome flipped its pages with anticipation of future
magic.
 67 - Odd requests and strange
matters to discuss

With most of the recovery made he was able to leave his chambers and find
that the White Sprigans have integrated in the farm activities already. With
their natural gifts, he will be able to supply the Human Kingdom with
TomGrape even quicker than he previously estimated. And so, the
farmland expanded even further.

While he was walking and appraising the good work of Sprigans, a Drow
Assistant caught up with him. “King! You’re better already?” She sounded
happy but also somewhat disappointed.

“Yes, spiders took good care of me.”

“And I… I made this to cheer you up.” She retrieved a peculiar container
from the pouch hanging by her side.

He took the item in his hands, it was insulated with IceShard Bird
Leather. He opened the wooden lid, the container was filled with a cold
and creamy substance.

“Ice Cream!?” He was overjoyed.

“I tried following the recipe you wrote down for me…. Did I get it right?”
The tone of her voice betrayed anxiety.

There was only one way to find out. “Amh,” into his mouth it went. “Yes,
this is perfect!”

It was heavy and creamy, the texture was soft and there were no rough ice
crystals in the mixture to ruin it. He recognised the signature sweetness
given by TomGrape syrup; it was pleasantly fruity and rich.

“Mmm…” Without even realising it he’d demolished all of the ice cream.
He looked at the emptiness with sadness and the clarity returned to his
mind. “But where did you get the milk from?”

Indeed, humans here didn’t rear anything even remotely similar to a cow,
and it's not like he could milk a forest dear or something.

“The Drow found a solution, you don’t need to worry.” The assistant replied
as if it was no big matter.

He nodded to that reply. However, it sounded a tiny bit suspicious, but

probably it was best if he didn’t know… It did taste excellent, he just hoped
that this wasn’t some centipede milk or something.

The Drow Assistant continued. “So this means I should make more?”

He showed the emptiness of the container. “But of course! I already crave

more.”

“Then I’ll take it as your permission to increase the supply of milk.”

“Yes, you can speak with Spider Advisor he will allocate an appropriate
budget.”

“Oh, I don’t need money. It’s the Fertility Potions.”

He scratched his chin, so that potion allowed her to increase the supply of
milk.

“You can have them.” He pulled out a hundred flasks out of his inventory.

“Yes, that should be enough.” She made some notes in her notebook. “I’ll
get them delivered to the Drow.”

“You know what, I have business there, so I’ll do it myself.” He put the
potions back. “Shadow Walk,” he disappeared leaving trails of wispy
darkness floating in the air.
“But… He’s already gone.” She sighed scratching something out in the
notebook.

On his way toward the Drow Village, he passed the Living Wood Tree. The
dryads finished growing it, and it was standing big and majestic. He could
see clusters of fruits beginning to form on the branches.

“Apples?” He recognised the tiny buds.

But as far as he knew the Living Wood Tree wasn’t a fruit tree so something
must have changed.

“I’ll be back once they ripen.” He left towards the Drow Village.

There he found the High Chief busy in the Drow Archives working on
Magical Scrolls.

“I see you are replenishing our stock already.” He praised the hard work.

“Yes, the Darkness Spider is giving me a hand.”

Only then did the Chief mentioned he noticed the shadowy form in the
darkest corner. The spider scribbled one scroll after the other like some sort
of well-oiled machine.

“You have something to show?” He was here because the High Chief
requested it.

“I do. Let's go to the workshop.”

The workshop was just a floor below. It was a wide area filled with
worktables of various kinds, interestingly it wasn’t dominated by Drow but
by the spider crafters.

“Look at this.” The High Chief handed a square piece of black fabric.
It felt smooth between the fingers. He put it into the Magical Inventory,
[Black Cloth] x1.

“A new type of cloth?”

“Yes, we had finally harvested enough of ShadowAgave. And that’s why I

requested your presence. You see, the material is promising. It strengthens
Dark enchantments making it suitable for magical clothing. But harvesting
it isn’t an easy task. The plant radiates the aura of Terror making the
harvesting process a difficult task for us.” The High Chief stopped talking
and gave a meaningful look.

“And how can I help you?” He asked willing to give a hand.

“Please allow us access to your spider farmers. We’ve found them to be

immune to the debuff.”

“Sure, consider it done.”

“Thank you, King.” The Chief bowed ever so slightly. “I’ll recall the
children from the farm cavern. And with the help of spiders, we should
increase the amount of plants we can manage.”

“I’ve almost forgotten.” He retrieved Fertility Potions from his inventory.

“My assistant mentioned that… these are useful in procuring milk?”

“Oh… that whole affair. I assume it was a success?”

“Yes, the ice cream was delicious.” It was a pity he couldn’t give the High
Chief a sample. And even if he had a sample, it probably wouldn’t survive
the trip. Just too tasty to resist.

“Then I shall hand out the potions personally and give them your thanks.
I’m sure they’ll be delighted.”

There was another thing he needed. “And I have these.” He took out the
undead weapons he had scavenged. “I just can’t seem to be able to melt
them.” The improvised forge at home couldn’t handle it.
The High Chief inspected the worn and broken weapon in his hands. “Isn’t
this made out of that metal… Glem or whatever it was.”

“The one the scorpion merchant was selling?”

“Yes, it seems the same material but enchanted with Dark magic.” The
High Chief threw the item back onto the large pile as if it was trash. “The
worst of Dark magic type – Death.” He frowned.

“But melting it should break the enchantment, yes?”

“Yes, once again King you’re right. But we’ll need to ask the scorpion
merchant about how to do it. That is…”

“That is if he will be willing to sell the information.” He finished. ”I reckon

we should just up the temperature in the forge. That should do it.”

“It’s masterwork already. Can it even burn hotter?”

“Eh? But we were over this already, we just need Air Spirit Stones to
improve the forge. Then it should be able to burn hotter.”

“You’re right, we might be able to develop an enchanting ritual. I assume

you have the source of stones already?”

“Sort of. I’ll just buy them from Human Kingdom.” At an exorbitant price
that is, but gold wasn’t an issue. “And then we will improve it. Simple.”

The High Chief nodded. “There is another matter to discuss. I might be

asking for too much, but would you be willing to share your
FlameThrower design with us? I’ve been asked to deal with an infestation
and that would be mighty useful.”

“But you were there when I made it.”

“We were only following your leadership. Without detailed instructions,

and a blueprint, I doubt we would be able to replicate it.”

Indeed a mistake could lead to the item exploding.

“I’ll see what I can do. And the spider builders should be able to help, the
ones at my farm do have Reinforce perk.”

“Builders? So it's not a Crafting perk.”

“No, the original use is to strengthen the building’s structure. But

apparently, that can be abused in crafting.”

“That is a very interesting piece of information. I shall add it to the

archives.”

“Sure, you do that. But don’t give the FlameThrowers to Kobolds, I know
they’ll beg you like they begged me. Those pyromaniacs can’t be trusted
with that.”

“I’m well aware. Won’t happen.”

“Then I shall trust you with the design, send the builders and FireAgave
juice. The spider crafters, I see you have them here already, ask them for
help. I’ll draw the instructions and the blueprint now.”

“Thank you, King. We are most grateful.” The High Chief whispered
something to his servant girl.

The girl ran in and out quickly producing the heavily decorated ink pot and
quill, and the finest parchment. This was for him to write on. For some
reason, this felt very official, so he did his best in drawing the blueprint, and
just so, Comprehend even enchanted his ability to do so. Upon finishing he
surprised even himself at the quality of the blueprint.

“Following the instructions should be a piece of cake.” He handed in the

blueprint.

The High Chief possessed no such perks and had a complicated look on his
face. “I’ll leave that to the crafters.” Then he thanked once again showering
the King with pleasantries.

“Then…” He raised a finger stopping the High Chief. “I have another

request for you. Take this.” He pulled out the Devouring Spear. “When
you deal with the infestation please fill it with souls.” He needed those for
more Amber.

“But… But this is the symbol of the King’s Power. I can’t take something
this important.”

“I can’t be expected to prowl the Dark Tunnels and kill the centipedes by
myself. As a King, I have better things to do.” Nah, he was just lazy and
that task was simply unpleasant. “Just take it, fill it with souls and return it
to me. Consider it as your payment for my blueprint.”

The High Chief took the weapon with a trembling hand. “I can feel the
power.” Even his voice shook.

Nonsense, he was just exaggerating! “You don’t have to be so dramatic.

Just don’t stab anyone important by accident.”

The High Chief was silent, he just stared at the spear.

He delivered the potions and the undead weapons so there was only one
thing left to do. And that was to take a dip in the Mana Spring, yes, it
should complete his mana recovery. He left the unresponsive High Chief in
the workshop and headed for the last destination.

The Mana Spring like many things in Drow Village had undergone a
renovation. It was expanded and the rocks surrounding it were now carved
and polished. The important change was the tree roots stretching all the way
from the ceiling and dipping its ends in the water. The culprit was the
Living Wood Tree, by the looks of it the Drow didn’t seem to mind the
intrusion and let the roots grow wild around the spring.

At this moment the Drow were preoccupied with their daily activities so the
spring wasn’t too busy. A perfect time for him to take a soak. He took his
robes off and walked to where the water was the deepest. The water felt
refreshing and the fatigue was already leaving the body. His mana began to
tickle up ever so faster– the spring did its job. He rested his back on the root
and observed the surroundings absent-mindedly.
Occasionally so a spider would approach the Mana Spring and take a sip
out of it.

‘Hey, this is not soup, I’m bathing in here!’ He wanted to shout

remembering that strange quirk the spiders had. But shouting seemed
impolite and it would spoil the good mood. He closed his eyes to catch a bit
of rest.

Just before he fell asleep he was woken up by a splashing water. There was
another visitor, it was a woman with a baby in her grasp. She didn’t seem to
mind his presence, so neither will he. He closed his eyes again.

“Greetings, King.”

It seems she yarned a conversation. “Greetings.” He opened his eyes to

meet the gaze and replied.

The woman submerged the baby in the water a few times as if she was
baptising her.

“Does the water do something for the baby?” He asked curious.

“Oh yes, we believe it does.” She smiled. “Enhances the mana capacity.”
She elaborated.

“Does it work for everyone?” He was even more curious. Maybe he should
take a dip here more often.

“Ha… Would be nice wouldn’t it? I’m not too sure about the adults, but the
babies are the most receptive to the magical water.”

This sounded more like a superstition than a fact, so he left it at that.

Regardless it was nice to see the Drow increasing their population. It meant
that they felt safe here.

The woman let the baby go and took a deep dive a few times by herself
fully submerging her body. Surprisingly the baby didn’t need support and
was seemingly a superb swimmer.
The woman wriggled the water out of her hair and spoke. “I’ve been told
the ice cream was a success?”

Oh, there were rumours of it already. “Oh yes, it was. I’ll make sure to
bring some samples over when we have more milk.”

“Don’t worry about it.” She scooped her offspring up. “The Fertility
Potion is payment enough. Yes?” She tickled the baby and asked not him
but the baby. “Yes, it was.” She replied for the baby still tickling the
giggling youth. “Let's just hope the King doesn’t get greedy and snatch all
of your milk away and turn it into ice. No-no-no.” She continued engaging
with the baby.

But, so…Was the baby given to drink the cave mole milk? – Or whatever
animal they managed to milk. Or was it that it was he who…

“No, it couldn't be.” He refused to believe it.

 68 - Pest Controll

He walked next to a seemingly never-ending wall of blue webs, as far as he

could see the sight was filled with the vines of TomGrape. Spider farmers
zoomed from one web to the other harvesting the fruits in expert motions.
An occasional White Sprigan would come and shower the plant with
[Grow]. The TomGrape webs stretched out for miles, the area was so large
that it would rival a small forest. And it wasn't just the TomGrape he was
growing here. There were increasingly large patches of BanditAgave and
its evolved form FireAgave, their growth was further enchanted by the
Alraune, a troublesome plant-animal. But if anything they seemed to
mellow over time, the peacekeeping stick saw less and less use nowadays.

Once he had surrounded the farm with the fields of DustyBlue, but due to
expansion, it was now just a ring within the larger fields of blue webs; a
special niche for a special plant. The sovereign of the blue bell-like flower
fields was no one else but Johny, a magnificent slug. He (actually a She)
was so large that his size would rival the Great Worm of Oberon itself.
Scary but not quite, because Johny was nothing but lovable. Loved by all of
the spiders since it produced that delicious and precious Slug Jelly; a
dessert everyone just couldn’t have enough.

There were other plants with smaller fields, namely the ThornVine. Its
Thorns were meant for arrows, but the industry yet had to grow. PurpleM
fields were much larger now since it made more sense because of the
presence of spider mages and the future potion trade with the Human
Kingdom.

If anything there was so much farmland now that calling this farm just large
was incorrect, and there were no less than 20 000 spiders, 1 500 lamia and 1
000 sprigans. It needed a proper name and he decided to settle with
something simple.
“MegaFarm.” He never was the most creative but the name seemed to be
just right.

And there was a new inhabitant in his MegaFarm, someone he didn’t quite
invite. Thousands and thousands of white squirrels were frolicking under
the vines and on top of IronOaks. The Oaks grew no acorns so the little
critters resorted to eating the TomGrape. At first, he mistook them for his
spiders' pets, but now witnessing the squirrel-explosion it was clear they
were nothing more than pests. Well maybe, first he needed to teach the
spiders to be responsible pet owners and take better care of squirrels so they
don’t overbreed in the future. However, the little critters were greedily
feasting on his fruit reducing the overall supply. And that couldn’t continue!

The Lamia, of course, already had a solution. A bunch of skinned squirrels

were roasting over the fire. The smell was inviting and it even made his
stomach rumble. But slaughtering the squirrels en masse didn’t quite seem
appropriate, since they belonged to the Great Ancestral Tree. The Wisp had
a way of controlling the forest animals so maybe it could just call all of the
squirrels back into its forest.

“I’ll go and ask.” He decided before the critters could double their numbers
again. “Shadow Walk.” He took a step but made a hundred, so in no time
he’ll reach the forest.

[You have entered The Great Ancestral Tree.], the message greeted him
sooner than expected.

“So the Tree expanded its domain again.” He wondered if it had anything to
do with the souls he was trading in for Amber. Or if it was because the
Wisp grew stronger.

He broke the spell emerging into what once was an elf city. He couldn’t
help but notice that some of the spiders had made homes here. It was good
that the Wisp was so welcoming.

The wisp found him just as soon as he appeared. “King of Spiders, have
you brought us more centipede souls?” It pulsed expectantly.
“While I need the Amber as much as ever, I didn’t come here for that. I’m
here for advice.” He explained.

“Go on.” The Wisp urged emitting an aura befitting an ancient being it was;
allegedly full of wisdom.

“The squirrels, they took over my farm and are defiantly devouring my
fruits. I’m wondering if you could call them back.”

“Hmm.” The wisp buzzed thoughtfully. “I am aware of the numbers. And I

cannot, they would starve here, or wreak havoc of similar proportion.”

Eh?! Was this Wisp trying to sabotage his farm?

However, it continued. “The solution is simple. Just cull them to an

acceptable number.”

“You’re alright with me killing them?” He was genuinely surprised.

“Why wouldn’t I be? What do you think we are?” The Wisp buzzed
needlessly offended. “Overpopulation can upset the balance of nature. We
know the importance of the ‘wolf’. And we don’t mind you eating squirrels
for your sustenance.” It made a circle around the King’s head. “It’s a part of
nature.”

“You do understand that… I don’t even know. I’ll have to cull most of
them.” Indeed, unlike the spiders, he didn’t like the squirrels much.

“And so be it.” The Wisp enlarged its body. “Grow them, farm them, eat
them. Just don’t kill them needlessly, don’t make them suffer. Let them
roam and don’t put them in cages like the Humans do with their stock.
Some will die, but others will reproduce and take joy in being able to
survive.”

The wisp had an interesting take on life; not that he minded that.

“I guess that works for me. But just to be clear, you didn’t send them to
me?” He asked just to be sure.
“I understand your confusion.” The wisp shrunk. “While I can direct the
squirrels I do not possess them. Some do as they please and simply roamed
into your jungle since it can support life and in abundance at that. And on
that I congratulate you. You worked hard to transform The Dreaded
Place.”

“I see, and thanks.” He took the given compliment to heart.

The wisp wasn’t done. “I, and we as a forest, have to deal with invasive
pests quite often, so I understand your concern. Actually, I’m currently
culling a particularly troublesome population of pests. They brought much
trouble to us.”

“I see.” He repeated. “You need any help?”

“It wouldn’t be fitting to ask you for help since I left you to deal with your
own infestation. We’ll be alright, I petitioned the Drow to help.” The wisp
pulsed. “And if push comes to shove, the spiders will help, that is with your
permission.”

It was good to hear that the old allies, the Great Ancestral Tree and the
Drow, had finally made amends. And also, “The spiders don’t need my
permission, if they want to help they can.” He smiled waving it off as a
small matter.

“Thank you King of Spiders. You’re good Ally and a friend, the best I had
in years.”

The wizened tree was flattering him. “I could say the same. After all, you
did save my life.”

The two talked some more about more pleasant subjects.

Sometime later, to the great joy of Lamia, the Hunt of the squirrels began.
The critters were plump and fattened on TomGrape, actually they were
quite obese. The squirrels were in so bad of a shape some struggled to even
climb a tree. In other words, most didn’t even have a chance leaving only
the fittest and smartest to escape the grasp of Lamia.

Why did he call Lamia and not the spiders? Because spiders didn’t eat meat,
and a few of them did keep the squirrels as pets, so he wouldn’t ask them to
do something that could be unpleasant. However, neither he nor Lamia had
such reservations – squirrels were food!

And he was smart about it. To maintain the future supply he selectively
allowed some of the obese squirrels to escape, and hopefully reproduce.
The idea was that the obese squirrels would teach the ways of fatness to
their children and so he would always have easy bundles of juicy meat
ready to just be plucked from under the vines; no need to use arrows or
climb a tree.

Henceforth, the loss of the IceShard Bird Meat was replaced with the
equally succulent Rodent Meat of a squirrel. And as a bonus he now had a
huge stack of White Pelts, these were surprisingly soft and would make a
superb coat. Something the humans might be interested perhaps, but
considering the surrounding areas it was quite warm (with the exception of
the Mountaintop). So maybe he would find a market somewhere colder.

Regardless, the meat was stewed and spiced with Lamia spices.

“It does taste like chicken.” He remarked.

“A chicken what? Sounds-sss like a formidable monster.” Friendly Lamia

shuddered at the name.

“Never mind.” It was interesting how this world had similar creatures but
not all of them. Maybe the chicken and the cow were just not found yet.

An unfamiliar drow approached the gathering of Lamia. No, the man was
looking for him.

“King!” The drow bowed. “I have a message.”

He looked at him while thinking about what might be so urgent. “What is
it?”

“The scorpion merchant has returned, the High Chief thought you want to
see it.”

Yeah, he did, but considering the distance wouldn’t it take the messenger
days just to deliver the message?

“Will it still be there?”

“Of course!” The messenger assured.

“Then come sit and take a bite with Lamia. An I’ll be off. [Shadow Walk]”
He disappeared.

Indeed the scorpion merchant and its companions were there.

“Greetings King.” It chittered. “We’ve waited long. But were made

welcome.”

By the looks of it, the Drow had set them up with improvised tents. And
even fed and watered the merchants. Yes, the scorpions received VIP
treatment because they brought him precious Glass Bottles.

“It's good to hear that. May I see the wares?”

“Come. Here by the side.”

The bottles were bound in bundles of ten by some sort of rope net, and
stacked neatly on top of each other. Best of all there were a lot of them.

“The trip long and Dangerous. The payment is as Agreed, yes?” The
merchant interlocked its scorpion fingers.

“I wouldn’t dare to swindle you. You know I need those bottles.” He took
out the blocks of Living Wood.
“I’m now an Amazingly rich Scorpion.” It clapped its pincers.

“And I need more bottles.”

“More bottles more riches!” It chittered. “The bottles will come. But you
might not see me again.”

Ah, too rich to keep making the dangerous trips. The scorpion will probably
hire someone to do it in its place.

“It’s fine.” It was, even if the scorpion was probably getting extremely
wealthy from all the exotic wood, that wood had cost him nothing. “But
even when I would like you to visit now and then. To build the business
relations and trust.” Or just to start diplomatic relations.

“Then. For future business, I will.” It chittered.

“One more thing. Is this made of Glem?” He showed an undead sword.

“Ka!!!” It chittered unpleasantly. “Get this Nasty out of my sight. I won’t

buy.”

“No. I don’t want you to. I just want to know if this was made out of that
metal you trade.”

“Yes, it is made out of Glem. Ka!” It chittered. “Been fouled with Nasty.”

“Yeah, I took it from the undead. I just want to melt this for metal, but our
forges can’t do it. Any idea why?”

“Not a forge master. A merchant.” It glared at the offensive weapon. “Won’t

know.”

“Would you be able to find out? At a price of course.”

“The secrets are Expensive. And can’t promise.”

“Of course, I’ll pay.” He took more wood blocks out.

“Then I’ll take the Nasty. Will ask the forge master in the Klan.” The
scorpion agreed.

“Good, take your time.”

“But the King can. Buy the Glem for us. No need to melt Nasties.” The
scorpion pointed out.

Indeed he could, and he will, but for the sake of forging the weapons he
wanted, he was still interested in the smithing process.

He purchased a few other things from the scorpion merchants and bid them
goodbye. In a show of bettering relations he even gave them an escort of
spider warriors. That, and to find out exactly where they lived. The
scorpions took the escort gladly, without even suspecting any ulterior
motives.

Yes, he wanted to infiltrate the scorpion desert. And what was it? – the
Twelve Klans and their cities; He was interested in them. They brewed
some interesting drinks and had some interesting fruits. So there were
goods to be traded and obtained aside from the mundane bottles and wood.

And as fellow insect people, they shouldn’t have a prejudice against his
spiders. Hopefully, a new trade relationship will come to be.
 69 - May the desert sun be kind to
you

The scorpion merchants descended into the Dark Tunnels. Their long trek
has only just begun. The tunnels were narrow and the passages treacherous
and infested with monsters. However, the scorpions were used to such
dangers that’s why they had their pincers at the ready.

Cave centipedes dropped from the ceiling springing up an ambush.

The Scorpion HeadMerchant chittered in displeasure, “Ka!”

It seems they have just been had this time. Or maybe not, the spiders
jumped with their Fiery Axes at the ready. Of course, the scorpions did
have all of this under their control, or pincers; just that spiders made it ever
so much easier.

“Good meat. No need to waste.” The scorpion harvested the centipedes.

They traversed through the Dark Tunnels never failing to persevere. Later,
the darkness ended and they emerged into the familiar fluorescent glow.
They were closer to the surface now and the Glowing Moss will illuminate
the path.

They went through tunnels, caves and caverns. It all seemed like an endless
maze. They emerged into a large cave, once it was full of FungiWood, but
now only stumps remained.

“We close to the Surface. To Scorpion Desert.” The merchant informed the
spider escort. “We’ll be safe from here on.” In other words, the spiders
didn’t need to give them protection anymore.
However, the spiders insisted on following.

“We want to visit the Scorpion City.” The lead spider chirped.

The scorpion clacked its mandibles slightly confused. The merchant wasn’t
versed in the spider chirps but it did understand the Scorpion City part.

“They're curious about our Klan.” It translated to its scorpion companions.

“I say they can come.”

“They’ll be welcome.“

“Just another curiosity.” The last one chittered.

The scorpion merchants all agreed. The HeadMerchant nodded, “Come

spiders, as thanks for protection we’ll show you to our Klan. Scorpion City
as you called it.”

“Scorpion City. Yes.” The spider clicked his mandibles in imitation of the
scorpion dialect.

As they were nearing the surface the scorpions stopped abruptly and began
rubbing their chitin with a strange strong-smelling oil. The spiders looked at
the ritual with curiosity.

“Sand Worm Repellent.” The scorpion explained.

Yeah, if they wanted to come the spiders needed that too or else they would
be just gobbled up by a massive Sand Worm.

“I’ll sell it to you.” HeadMerchant chittered.

Even if the spiders needed the protection they did drive a hard bargain, and
continued to haggle; the scorpion could only respect that. With some effort,
the scorpion wrangled some fruits off the spiders and handed in the
Repellent. The spiders rubbed it in their chitin and light armour.
Soon, they emerged out of the rocky hole and into the rocky patch of the
desert. The sun was high and blasting the heat at full power. The rocky
patch was short lived only and soon was drowned by the sea of sand. The
spiders looked in amazement. They have never seen anything like this. No
trees, no grass, no plants at all, only endless dunes of sand.

[You have entered The Scorpion Desert], everyone was greeted with a
message.

The heat was blazing, but the light armour the spiders wore had Fire
Resistance: Low, so it wasn’t at all too bad. They spent days walking
through the empty desert, it seemed endless. Strangely, at night when it was
the coolest the scorpions refused to walk or make any sound at all.
Thumper or something like that was mentioned a couple of times. Even if
they were curious about this Thumper, the spiders chose to imitate the
silence of the scorpions unwilling to risk it.

Finally, they were met with a blurry and floating visage of a city in the
distance, the heat distorted the image.

“Klan 6, our home.” The HeadMerchant informed proudly pointing at the

structure with its hand.

Klan 6 was surrounded by a massive and thick wall, the stone was bleached
yellow blending well with the desert. In the wall, there was a massive hole
and that hole was shut with a dark metallic disk. Well, not quite, because the
disk was rolled partway open leaving a small gap for people to come in and
out.

There was a group of menacing scorpion guards protecting the entrance.

They were easily double the size of the merchants, each having thick
pincers able to cleave a man in half and probably snap even metal.

One of the smaller guards approached the spiders and clacked its pincers
threateningly.

“Where from? What business?” It chittered.

“People from the UnderMountain. Sightseeing? Maybe to buy some
trinkets.” The scorpion merchant replied to the spiders.

“To buy? Then they can come.” It stepped back placated letting the group of
spiders pass.

The spiders walked through the hole and emerged into the city. The inside
of the walls was densely packed by nested cubic structures, likely the
houses of the scorpions. It was a bit of a mess, leaving the streets narrow
and with many turns.

“Spiders, we must part ways. You’ll find many things to buy here, may the
desert sun be kind to you.” The Scorpion HeadMerchant chittered a farewell
leaving the spiders to their own devices.

The spiders chirped between themselves deciding to stay in one group so

that not to get lost. And so they explored the city. No matter which turns or
streets they took ultimately they all ended in the Scorpion Bazaar, as if
designed to be like that on purpose.

The bazaar was buzzing with activity. There were a lot of people doing
trades here, its visitors weren’t just the scorpions. The spiders wouldn’t
know, but there were Antmen, Armourbeatles, Scarabs and even some furry
creatures of unknown origin. Naturally, the scorpions dominated the
Scorpion Bazaar and the foreign visitors were only few in number.

The spiders went from one stall to the other inspecting the wares. It was
similar to what humans had: clothing, tools, armour, weapons, foodstuff and
livestock. But different in a sense: the armour was made out of chitin, the
tools odd with their purpose unknown and the weapons exotic. The
livestock was mostly bugs or worms of different kinds, most were very
large, others very small, and some plainly just decorative.

Spiders used small blocks of wood to barter for the goods, it seems that the
King was right, the wood was a desired commodity here, so they had no
problem at purchasing and sampling the goods.
Unfortunately, the spiders had no desire to taste the fat bugs and grubs.
There was no way they could taste better than TomGrape. Despite their
nature, they did try some bulbous fruits, but even those were only so-so.
However, they were curious about where the scorpions were growing those,
as far as they saw the spiders detected no farms during their journey or
around the city.

The decorative bugs were interesting. They either were coloured in one
vivid colour or reflected a shiny rainbow when exposed to direct sunlight.
There was even some jewellery made out of their shells here and there.
Without knowing how to care for the bugs the spiders purchased the
decorative shells knowing that the spider crafters will find a good use for
them.

Also, they ended up buying quite a lot of metal triangles known as Glem. It
was many times cheaper here compared to the price the Scorpion Merchant
was asking at the Drow Village. Unfortunately, they couldn't find any empty
Bottles, those must be made or purchased somewhere else. But they did
buy a lot of other drinks. Somehow Humans found interest in Scorpion
Spirits, like Grupp-Grupp; so they bought that knowing that it will sell at a
high price in Human Capital.

While the spiders and scorpions couldn’t quite understand each other,
buying stuff was still simple. A spider would point a spindly hand and the
scorpion would chitter the name of the item. When they would go through
the bartering, the spider had to judge the scorpion's expressions like the
tension in the mandibles and pincers, jitters of the eyes and tone of the
chitters; the scorpions did their own reading to gauge what spiders could
pay.

In the end, they bought more spirits. Like Mashig, Blaberg’amesh and
Scrippity-Boop. Each smelled different and was very likely made out of
different stuff.

There were also potions. The spiders weren’t interested in most because
they were the general Hp, Mp or Stamina potions or even Fire Resistance
Potions. They had the equivalents at home anyway. But they bought some
of that Repellent since it seemed to be important.
Later they casually bought some other random stuff and trinkets which
picked their interest, like those merchant backpacks, the ones half shell half
cloth. They bought those to put all the stuff in, and plus the large shells
which turned out to be Sand Crab Shell. While at it they further tested the
idea that the wood was the most valuable. They tried bartering with metals,
fruits and cloth, they even tried gold and gems, but indeed it was the wood
which was the most priced. Especially wood with special properties,
namely IronOak and LivingWood.

The scorpions in general didn’t seem too bothered by the spiders' presence,
it was the other visitors who displayed the most curiosity. The large group
of spiders made the visitors to chatter and chitter wondering exactly where
such creatures had come from. But few dared to approach and even if they
did the spiders couldn’t understand what they were saying.

Later, just after a spider tried trading with gold coins a furry thing
approached the spider. It was short and half hidden under a brown cloak,
massive furry ears poked out of the hood. It was pointing at the human gold
coin the spider tried to peddle just minutes ago.

Interestingly, the scorpions didn’t value gold at all, but this creature was
different. Just to tease the furry critter the spider showed it a large pouch
filled with nothing but gold. The critter began jumping enthusiastically and
dragging the spider by the hand.

“Maybe. It has. A deal. For us?” A spider chirped it to his friends.

The spiders followed the cloaked fuzzball as a group.

The entire time, ever so slightly out of sight, the Scorpion HeadMerchant
was shadowing the spiders. Yes, he hadn't quite left the spiders on their
own. He was observing the spiders with his own two beady black eyes and
taking notes diligently. He was conducting a study of his own, seeking the
items the spiders found most value in.

“Ke-Ke-Ke.” The scorpion chittered happily. “Now I know what they

desire.” Now he’ll be able to bring these items to the spiders and sell them
for profit. There was profit in empty bottles, but there could even be more
profit. As he already predicted they wanted more Glem, but the purchase of
decorative shells was a surprise. He’ll make sure to send them the next time
he made a trade caravan.

Ever so suddenly, a fuzzy Fennec jumped right under the scorpion.

“Hey, hey, buy this!” It was showing him a trinket of no interest.

“Scram you Fuzzball.” The scorpion clapped at the face of the Fennec
wishing it to disappear. “Ka! Scorching sun.” It cursed. “The spiders. They
disappeared.” It lost sight of them.

The spiders were escorted further away from the Bazaar by the cloaked
fuzzy creature.

“There is it taking us?” A spider wondered out loud.

They stopped by a narrow hole. It was quite small. The fuzzball darted into
the hole and then back out. It yipped something dragging the spider by the
arm.

“It wants us. To come. I think.” The spider chirped.

One by one the spiders ever so barely squeeze through the hole, a curtain
was shut right behind them.

“Oh, this is. Like a cave.” The space was much larger than the hole would
make one to think.

They emerged into a carved spacious cavern. It looked like it was the den of
these creatures.

“Why did it. Bring us here?” One had to wonder.

The fuzzy critter dragged a spider to a larger gathering of its kin.

“They have. Stalls here?” All of the spiders were surprised.

This was like a secret market, and this one was staffed by creatures known
as Fennec. They were short and fuzzy-furred people with enormously large
ears poking out of their otherwise cloaked and hooded forms.

On the floor, there was a long carpet, and on the carpet were various items.
They mostly were various monster parts.

“Isn’t this…” The spider chirped with worry. “A scorpion man claw?” It
was ghastly.

“I found. Something interesting. Sand Worm Scale.” The spiders left the
morbid item section to look at something more promising.

“Thumper Leather.”, “Thumper Fang.”, they found more high-grade

monster parts.

“Desert Wyrm Egg?!” The spider chirped in alarm. The Fennec slapped
the spider’s hand and yipped protectively clutching back the egg.

“Why aren’t they. Selling these. In the market?” A question was raised.

They looked at the morbid section of the wares and the concussion was
obvious. It wasn’t quite legal. However, they couldn’t just pass the samples
like these. They tried buying it with wood blocks, but Fennec just frowned
and drooped their ears at that.

“Might it be… Gold?” A spider tried and the fuzzball merchant perked up
instantly.

Too bad they didn’t bring much gold, so they couldn’t buy as much as they
wanted. However, even with scarce purchases the cloaked furries seemed
ecstatic. They showed the gold giddily to their friends and presumably
family members. They were positively happy at the trade.

The spiders saw what they wanted and turned to leave; it was time to return.
They walked back to the narrow hole but the small critter stopped them and
guided them to an opposing direction. They were led to a cluttered dead
end, leaving spiders confused. The Fennec strained and pushed a large pot
out of the way revealing another hole. It jumped in it and waved its paws to
follow. The spiders fit but barely so.

“Another exit?” A spider chirped hopefully.

The tunnel was straight and had jagged walls, a sign of the use of tools to
dig it out. Ever so often there would be a small glowing stone slotted in the
ceiling to illuminate otherwise dark passage. It took a while but they
emerged.

“We’re out.” A spider poked his head into the air. The sky was filled with
reds, the sun was descending.

They were just outside the walls of Klan 6, it seems that the furry creatures
had an entrance of their own. The fennec waved its paw again said the
already familiar phrase of, “May the desert sun be kind to you,” and
disappeared back into the hole.

The spiders did the equivalent of a spider shrug, they didn’t expect the
whole shopping spree to go in this direction, but anyway, they’d seen
enough. It was time to come back home and report.
 69.3 - Dastardly DEVILISH but
Potentially MAGNIFICENT

Not too far away from the Merchant Square, there was a wooden shop. The
structure was as old as the City itself. Just above the sturdy doors, there was
a red shield and in its middle there was a drawing of a potion. Just another
alchemy shop selling potions, but not quite. For a time the alchemy shop
used to be famous and renowned, but that was before the Crimson
Alchemist’s death. At the moment it was his daughter who was making the
potions there, while she was good, very good, she wasn’t an Alchemy
Master, not yet.

The father died when an experiment went terribly wrong; she was only
eleven at the time. At that time she was present and only barely escaped the
explosion. The unfortunate accident scarred her physically, magical fire
melted the right side of her face, but the mental scars were much deeper.

Despite the unfortunate events, none of it broke her strong spirit. Time
passed and she persevered, she raised the quality of her craft slowly
restoring the previous glory that came with the Crimson Alchemist name.

Not too long ago a servant had brought her a message. It was written on a
fancy parchment with fancy writing and laced with perfume.

“If only this could be a love letter, ah.” She sighed knowing that this was
yet another call for business.

She started reading, and indeed it was. Some nobles required her expertise
to identify the potions and set a fair price on them. A task most easy for the
experienced alchemist that she was, but the pay was good.
“Ah…” She sighed again, not too keen on the prospect of human
interaction, but she needed that money.

She wrote another letter telling the noble that she will accomplish the
request today in the evening and handed it to one of her servants.

Well, then preparations are in order, “I need to get ready.” She opened a
decorated metal box brimming full with powders, pastes and dyes, no this
wasn’t alchemy stuff it was just make-up.

A fine dress adored her sleek figure. The fabric was light and smooth as the
kiss of first love, and best of all it was vivid blue like a clear midsummer
sky. It suited her quite well, she’ll make sure to write a letter of thanks to
the tailor; but later.

Yet again she appraised her form in the mirror and the dress which
accompanied her curves so well. The blue cloth was nowadays all the rage
among the noble ladies. And the designs were going wild trying to outdo
each other. She gave another spin while looking at the mirror.

“Audaciously MAGNIFICENT”.

She couldn’t get enough. The design and the fabric were so splendid that
that scar on her face didn’t feel like it will be a problem, not at all.

“Daddy, aren’t I beautiful?” She spoke towards the opened closet.

Inside the closet, there was a preserved body, much like a mummy – dried
and desiccated. The skeletal remains, of course, couldn’t quite reply so
‘Daddy’ remained peeking at her just from inside the closet.

“Ehem”, she snorted. “What do you know about fashion?” She asked
offended. “You’re pretty much a fossil!”.

She stopped looking at the preserved remains, Daddy never knew how to
compliment a woman, so instead she smiled back at the mirror.
“And it is enchanted.” She ran the hem of the skirt between her fingers.
“With Magical Resistance no less. And Reinforced? How did they manage
to cram that on such fine cloth is a MYSTERY! But I guess it is part of a
charm.” She spun again and the blue cloth glowed purple ever so slightly.
“ENCHANTED! Ha-ha.” She liked what she saw, “I’m ready.”

...

At the noble’s house, she was presented with crates of potions.

“Lady Crimson, would you be so kind and asses the grade of these potions.”
An elderly man inquired politely.

The young noble, the one who invited her here, stood by his grandfather
idly and just kept glaring at her scar. How rude!

“Of course, that’s why I’m here.”

She grabbed a random potion using [Identify] on it.

“Fertility Potion?” She raised an eyebrow, uncorked the flask and sipped at
it. “Oh my…” It made her mind go pink.

“Has the old master tried this?” She looked at the ageing father.

He shook his head.

“Then you should, the mistress will be most pleased. I can assure you.”

“Do you think this will sell well?” A young noble asked anxiously.

“A peculiar potion like this?” She looked at the stone flask. “With the right
marketing, sure.”

She scribbled her evaluation and effect of the potion on the parchment.
“These are the effects and for the price…” She added a number to the
parchment. “That is my estimation, but you should go for a slightly smaller
price.” She stamped it with her Crimson Alchemist stamp indicating it as
‘approved for sale and consumption’.
The nobles looked at the identification parchment and read the description
of effects. The young noble had developed a slight blush.

“Oh, my mistress will indeed enjoy something like this. He-he.” The elderly
noble had an unsightly facial expression.

“Well then, let me go through the rest of the potions.”

She didn’t need to identify each and every one of the potions, only the
different varieties. There were HP, Mana, Resistance potions and such and
so.

“So the Fertility Potion is the most interesting.” She tapped at the stone
flask. “Where did you get them from? They look like someone brewed them
in the stable, but aren’t too bad in their purity.” After all, she didn’t build
much of Toxicity.

“I have an ongoing order with the Lamia Queen.” A young noble smiled
proudly.

“Eh?”

“The most beautiful and dashing woman I’ve ever seen. You must have
heard the rumours, no?”

She was still mighty confused. “I don’t know any alchemist with a name
like that, a bit too AUDACIOUS to call herself a Queen, don’t you think?
For a wannabe alchemist that is.” The potions weren’t that good...

The young noble clutched his fingers into fists. “How da…”

Luckily, the father grabbed the young noble by his shoulders, tightened his
grasp to reprimand the fool and spoke, “Queen Lamia is a wife for the King
of Spiders, surely you heard about him.”

“Oh! The Gala.” She heard about that, she even was invited, but never had
any desire to visit something with such a large crowd and with so many
eyes. “I’ve been too busy to catch up with saucy rumours, but yes now I get
the gist of it.”
So the potions came from spiders… She had seen one of them in a random
passing. Formidable monsters; she would love to harvest one for alchemical
ingredients, but unfortunately the King Aurellius II edict was a well-known
fact. Spiders must not be harmed or else!

“Well then, why doesn’t our Lady Crimson stay for dinner and catch up
with all the saucy rumours? My wife knows a few.”

She tapped on the desk considering it. “Why not.” She was tired of the
usual meals her discounted cook was cooking anyway.

Soon she found herself seated at the overly large table. Oh, these nobles do
love to show off. The young noble kept staring at the bad side of her face.
The scoundrel! But the old master and his wife (the mistress) were
different, polite and respectful. It made sense that they were her Daddy's
friends; good people really.

The mistress indeed was full of rumours and gossip. She wasn’t much into
those things, but it was good to stay informed. So she listened nodding ever
so faintly.

Finally, the starter meal arrived. And she was surprised, it was just some cut
fruit on a platter. Did she overestimate the nobles? She expected something
fancier.

“Lady Crimson, what is this glare and raised eyebrow about?” The Mistress
half-scolded half-joked. “I assure you, these are good. Come on, give it a
try.”

She gave a cautious nibble and was left pleasantly surprised. “So sweet.
Delectably DELICIOUS!”

The old noble laughed, ”Yes. You won’t believe that this is meant for
peasants.”

“Eh?” She was left dumbfounded for the second time.

The mistress began explaining. “The spiders are selling them dirt-cheap at
the market.”

“A solution for the city’s food problem.”

Yes, she heard about the looming famine, and herself had eaten much less
and much less fancy; partly a reason why she was here at the noble’s table.
She continued munching on the fruit, one of her passive alchemist skills
kicked in and her eyes went big.

“Wait, this is…” She started.

“What?” The nobles looked.

This was a magical fruit she was eating, a potential alchemy ingredient. It
can’t be cheap! How come is this meant for peasants?

“TomGrape.” She spoke the name after the skill identified the fruit.

“Oh, yes it is. Did the Lady use her skill to identify it?”

She nodded.

“Unnecessary. Isn’t this obvious?” The young noble crossed his hands
unimpressed.

“You don’t mind if I take a few home, for snacks that is?”

“Sure help yourself… Oh, look the main meal is here!” The mistress
clapped her hands.

Daughter like father, every bit Crimson Alchemist. Well, maybe not as good
as a deceased Alchemy Master, but still quite good. She was already at
home sitting at the desk, on it was a sack of coins and a plate of fruits.
Allegedly a peasant staple, TomGrape it was – she rolled it in her palm. An
alchemical investigation was in order.
“Round bulbous yellow... Skin thin and leathery... *Hamph*” She bit into
the exotic fruit again. “Sweet and juicy! But I know this already...” She
waited for the passive skill. “Yes, the dastardly thing is a magical fruit!”
And no one sane would sell magical fruits at dirt cheap prices. Or even use
it to feed the masses. It just didn’t make sense.

“Either they’re stupid, or something else is going on.” She became

suspicious of the fruit. “Daddy! She opened the closet. “I must investigate
this MYSTERY!” She reached past the skeleton grabbing the thick leather
coat, brimmed hat, and glasses. No, she won’t be playing a detective, this
was just her work clothes. And yes she is going to her alchemy workshop.

“I wonder what properties are hidden in this orbous DECEIVER of the

poor.” She stared at the mysterious TomGrape, “Don’t you dare explode on
me. I won’t end up like Daddy!” she patted the thick leather coat, and there
was a reason she had it made so thick.

“We cut this here… From that in this… Stir stir stir... And oomph!
[Concentrate].”

She condensed the pulped fruit, expressing its lenient alchemical properties.
With the concentrated slurry her other skill will help to identify the fruit’s
true potential. A message floating in her mind informed her of the
possibilities.

“Fertility Potion”, she tapped her thick goggles, “Potion of Satiety”, she
took them off. “FleshMender Potion.” The last one was the most powerful
and hardest to achieve.

“My-my, isn’t it quite something? I know the first already, the second is just
boring. But the third...”

Just knowing the possibilities didn’t guarantee that she will be able to
successfully achieve them, if the worst comes to be the experimental potion
could explode as it did for Daddy, but she was willing to risk it.

“Try I will. I am the Crimson Alchemist! Daddy watch over me!”

She upped the flame on her alchemical burner evaporating the concentrated
TomGrape Slurry, and then funnelled it through Alchemical Water and
into a condenser. This was only the first step in a list of many. She’ll need to
utilise most of her intricate equipment and quite a few expensive catalysts,
and of course, she won’t stop short of perfection.

And after quite a while, days even... She wiped her sooty and grimy goggles
off. “Look Dady, I have it! A brand new potion, uncatalogued and
previously unseen.” She lifted the seated skeletal remains up giving him a
big hug. “Are you proud? I know you are!”

The bones clacked as they danced spinning on the workshop floor.

“But let’s not get distracted,” She seated Daddy back to his chair. “let’s give
it a try.”

Knowingly and without restrain she slashed yet another cut on her wrist
with one of her prep knives; blood poured out of the shallow slash.

“On the wound or in my mouth?” She stopped to wonder but only for a
second. “You’re right Daddy, taste test first!” It wasn’t just a taste, she
gulped the whole thing down. “Hmm uncannily sweet and... [Toxicity
+10].” She began to dry heave and cough, and then scream in pain as if her
entire body was being rearranged from inside out.

That should not have happened because she had skills against poisons and
other negative effects of potions. Worse, as painful as it was, aside from her
mouth and eyes the rest of her body felt frozen as if paralyzed.

IMPOSSIBLE! She made sure there were no impurities, and the skills
should have negated the negative side effects; they always did unless…
This was meant to be.

It felt like an hour but the paralysis and debilitating pain didn’t last more
than a minute.

“And I am... Fine.” She was relieved, refreshed even.

She looked at the now truly mended wrist. No not just a cut she had just
made, but also the signs and scars of other cuts, the ones she’d made in her
past, were also all gone.

“Illusion, a trick on my mind!”

This was simply impossible. Yes healing potions existed, and yes they
healed injuries like these too. But quick magical healing still left scars, and
a healing potion couldn’t cure an old scar or trauma of the tissue. Especially
scars left by magic – those were known to be incurable.

“But this somehow...” It was able to undo what no normal healing potion
could. “Daddy, this is... Unexpectedly MAGNIFICENT!” She grabbed the
skeleton again and carried it back to her room and to the clothes closet.

On the closet’s door, on that mirror, she saw her reflection; the nasty scar on
her face was slightly smaller. Shrunken and healed only if by a millimetre,
but however small she couldn’t not notice a change so significant. “This is
REVOLUTIONARY!”

Supposedly a magical scar like that would never mend and heal, she had
much trouble with it ever since… But now here was proof it could be
healed, and treated if ever so slightly.

“And they're selling that to... Everyone.” She gazed upon a few remaining
TomGrapes on her desk.

“They must know of the fruit’s potential. They know! And I can’t be the
only one...” She tried to wrap her head around this. “No this must be some
kind of a test. I must meet those spider merchants myself. I must!”

She collected her things and rushed to the Merchant Square.

 69.6 - Connoisseurs of Art

The days of food rationing and looming famine were over, well not quite,
so even now there was an orderly line by the TomGrape stall. The stall
stood out above the rest, an unsuspecting passer by would think that this
stall sells something very expensive, something only the richest could
afford, but a quick glance at the clientele would prove otherwise. The fruits
sold here were ever so popular, ever so affordable, ever so tasty, and the
best of it was that spiders never seemed to run out.

A spider dressed in his iconic blue merchant robes was taking the coins in
and handing the fruits out. A wide and mandibled spidery smile was
plastered on his face; customer service at its best.

“Enjoy!” The spider chirped at a servant girl and handed out a noble's
parcel.

Yes, even the nobles were buying these fruits, but through proxy.
Unfortunately, they wouldn't come themselves, something the spider
merchant found quite odd. He just couldn’t figure out Why.

He handed another bundle of fruits and then, just so, a sight of a young
woman approaching caught the attention of one of his four eyes. She was
ignoring the orderly line.

The young woman was well dressed, there wasn’t even a speck of dust on
her fine dress. Her long red hair was tied into a neat ponytail. Her face had
an expression of determination and her green eyes were locked on him. A
fine woman with a fine dress! The dress was made out of Blue Cloth and
the spider appreciated the fabric on her body. He knew that if his friends,
the spider crafters, could see it they would be very happy now.
However, that woman did ignore the orderly line. She was out of order! He
noticed that there was a strange paradox with humans: the better dressed
they were, the less dirt they had, the more rude they were, the more likely to
ignore the rule of lining up; despite the orderly appearance they liked to
spread disorder.

“Agent of Chaos!” Spider chirped putting his hand on the peacekeeping

stick. “Join the line!” He cautioned.

The woman ignored the warning and continued approaching the stall
defiantly. Her eyes darted up and down, taking the sight of him. “I just want
to talk.” There was tension in her voice.

“Matters not. Join the line with the rest.” He raised the stick.

She was stopping the line so people next to her began to mumble, some
even booed at the rude woman.

“It’s about the fruit.”

Enough was enough. He swung the stick bonking the rude woman on her
head. “Join the line!”

“At the back of the queue!” A peasant woman shouted angrily.

“Bloody nobles, thinking they're better than us.” A man behind her vented.

The nicely dressed woman rubbed the top of her head and joined the line
this time obediently.

“That’s right. Order is good.” He chirped.

The line moved quickly and soon it was the young woman's turn.

“I want to speak about this.” She pointed at the fruit. “I’m an alchemist, and
I know what this is.” She tapped at the TomGrape. “I know the SECRET
of your fruits.”
Ah, she was one of those… The spider merchant nodded sagely. A
troublemaker, here to confuse him with fancy human speak.

“Agent of Chaos. Put your complaints. To the Spider Embassy.” He pointed

at the newly erected building.

He met a few troublemakers in his short stay here, and he knew of their
tactics, so he won’t be repeating himself twice; he set his hand on the
peacekeeping stick again.

“I see. Thank you.” She turned and began walking towards the building.

The threat of the stick must have reformed the young woman. He nodded
happy with the quick resolution. The orderly line continued moving
smoothly as it should.

She looked at the alien structure, neither house nor nest, a mixture of the
two. Its circular walls were made out of some chiselled white wood, but
instead of nails, some other techniques were used, and the domed roof was
purple and made out of triangular tiles resembling large leaves. An
extravagant sight, unlike anything she had seen before.

“Just… STRANGE.” She looked at the large wooden sign.

The sign was human-made, and similar to the sign she had at her shop
but… It depicted a black hexagon and in its middle were four golden orbs.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” It was a bit cryptic.

Regardless, she walked towards the circular hole. Unusually, the entrance
had no doors and only a curtain was blocking her way. She parted the
curtain poking her head in. “Hello?”

“Hello!” A spider chirped from behind a counter. It looked identical to the

one in the market, but she hoped that this one will have a better attitude.
“Here for business. Or to complain.” It chirped happily.
She picked a subtle cue: when it mentioned ‘complaint’ it put its spindly
hand on an already familiar stick.

“Business, I guess.”

The spider clacked its mandibles happily and moved the hand away from
the stick.

“I’ll Book. An appointment.” It chirped scribbling some weird symbols on a

vellum parchment.

Both the vellum and the ink picked her interest, but she wasn’t here for that.
“Please, can it be booked today?” She asked hopefully.

“It can.” The spider crossed its scribbles. “It can be now.” It looked at her
unblinking with all of its four eyes.

She would love to harvest them for the alchemical ingredients, but she
wasn’t here for that. “That would be positively SPlENDID.” She smiled at
the spider.

“SPLENDID.” It mimicked but in a distorted spidery chirp. “SplenDid,

splendid…” It wrote something again. “In that room. Lord G Bling will be.
With you soon.” It pointed with its free hand.

Lord G Bling? An interesting title for a spider. But maybe it was just how
things worked with the spiders, so she didn’t think about it too much.
Hence, she went through another circular hole. The room was large and dim
because it had no windows, but it was lit ever so slightly, the light was
coming from some peculiar magical lantern. The lantern was set on a white
wood pole right beside the table and two opposing chairs. Only the middle
of the room was lit the rest was just darkness and shadows.

The lone set of furniture in an overly large and dark room gave her a sense
of that something wasn’t just quite right; an uncanny feeling. Moreover, the
human furniture didn’t look like it belonged in this otherwise spidery room;
out of place.
Despite the anxiety the curiosity won her over, so she went in mostly just to
inspect the magical lantern. The flame burned bright and hot, but there was
no smoke.

“It’s not running on magic.” Her previous guess was wrong. “It runs on oil?
Then the oil itself must have elemental Fire properties.” She tried opening a
latch on the lantern to further inspect the potentially alchemical ingredient.
“Oh, it’s a bit fiddly.” She was unfamiliar with the design so it took her a
good while to figure out the latch and the container holding the oil.

“Pfff! Pfff!” She was blowing trying to put the flame out. She needed it out
to Identify the oil. “So stubborn.” It was not working. She turned left and
right, inspecting the room again. There was no one here but her and the
shadows. “Extinguish.” She cast a specialised spell to kill alchemical fires.
“Ha, it worked.” That meant that the oil indeed had elemental Fire
properties.

The room was cast in darkness, an utter and complete darkness. And only
then did she realise that she might have done something quite wrong.
However… “I might as well,” unafraid of burning herself she stuck her
finger in the fuel container. “[Identify].” She read the message which just
popped in her mind. “Eh? Eh-eh-eh? What is a FireAgave?” She was
unfamiliar with the plant. “Unfamiliar EXOTIC!” She was excited at the
discovery.

“A red and prickly plant. We grow it for Red Cloth and FireAgave Juice.”
A creaking voice which didn’t sound human at all replied.

“Ahhh!” She shouted hearing only half of the reply. Obviously, the voice
had scared her. “I didn’t see or hear you coming.”

“I was here all along. Only in the shadows.” A voice informed.

Okay! Now she was really scared. She didn’t know how the owner of that
voice looked so her imagination was running a bit too wild.

“S… so… some light would be good.” She stuttered regretting

extinguishing the lantern.
“[Dark Flame]” The voice creaked again.

A purple flame burst into life right between the two. There wasn’t much of
said light but just enough to see the one who cast the spell. A flame danced
atop a set of four long and spindly obsidian fingers. Not a human hand and
not a human caster. Obviously, it was a monstrous spider.

She half expected that, but even then, “Ahhh!” She screamed for the second
time trying to process the sight.

Who wouldn’t be scared by that spooky spidery face, the hair, the
mandibles, the eyes and so and such!? It was so large and so imposing, and
it radiated that aura of Dark magic.

“Give me a second.” She took a moment to calm down. Yes, the spidery
visage was unsightly, but she wasn’t a hypocrite and her scared face wasn’t
easy on the eyes either. “Let's start over.” She took a fresh breath of air.
“I’m Lady Crimson, daughter of Crimson Alchemist, owner of the shop by
the same name.”

“My pleasure, Lady Crimson. I’m Lord G Bling, leader of the spider
merchants, subject to the King of Spiders, and the one responsible for
spider business here.”

“Nice to meet you, Lord G Bling.” She offered her hand pondering the
curious name of the spider once again.

A spidery hand took hers, it was neither cold nor hot, and the grip was light.
The spider lowered his head and touched the top of her hand with
mandibles as if to kiss it.

“Oh my…” She didn’t quite expect that.

The spider rose jiggling all of his jewellery while doing so. Indeed, it might
be the reason for its name, because there was more jewellery than spider
skin. Chains, necklaces and bracelets, all sparkling in dark flame – the
golden sheen ever so splendid.
But that wasn’t what really caught her eye. In the other hand of this spider
there was a familiar book by the name of ‘Demon Lord and Me.’ – a well-
known work of fiction, the one she had read so many times. The surprise
came because this book was quite raunchy and tailored for young maidens
with certain inclinations. Men wouldn’t want to read anything remotely like
that. So why did this spider…

The book had sidetracked her, so “Ehem”, she cleared her throat and her
mind. “I’m here for business.”

“Buy or sell?” It chirped simply closing the book and setting it on an

otherwise empty table.

“Neither?”

The spider blinked at her once with one set of its eyes and twice with
another.

She knew that an explanation was in order. “I know that the TomGrape is a
magical fruit. And I know that it is an ingredient for FleshMender Potion. I
won’t ask why you are doing this, and selling something so precious
cheaply, but…” She looked at the extinguished lantern realising something.
“The fruits are only the tip of the proverbial tail of the dragon! There are
more ingredients just as WONDERFUL as TomGrape and maybe even
more so, no?” With this she lost her previous trail of thought.

“FleshMender Potion?” It didn’t reply but chirped a question instead.

“Of course, you would want proof.” She put the potion on the table. “Here
it is.”

The spider swirled and tapped, and even turned the glass bottle upside
down. One of the more peculiar methods of identification she has seen so
far; but the spider did what the spider had to, or so she guessed. Then the
spider uncorked the bottle and sucked the contents out. Woosh* the liquid
went into its mouth, gone in a blink of an eye.
“Ah! The toxicity might be too high compared to the ones you can make.”
After all, It all depended on Alchemy mastery. “It might hit you a bit too
hard.” She gave her warning late.

The spider froze but only for a minute and then it spoke. “Interesting. You
made this?” It reverted to spider speak she was more used to; not creaky but
chirpy and with breaks in the middle of the sentence.

“So do I pass the test? Or is there another?”

“You did well with the TomGrape, our King would be impressed, so we’ll
buy from you.” Spider chirped with the unspider-like eloquence back in its
tongue.

“Buy? Oh, so you can’t quite make it yourselves and were just looking for a
clever alchemist.” She guessed. “Devilishly CUNNING!” She raised her
index finger high.

“Devilishly?” Spider clacked its mandibles. “No devilish, but sometimes

cunning, yes. You mentioned a test,” he produced a purple fruit, “PurpleM,
for you.”

“I knew you had more! And I knew you would test me further.” She lifted
the bag of purple fruits already excited about the new potions she could
make. “I’ll get brewing straight away!”

“Well then, we’ll await your potions.” The spider turned into a shadow and
disappeared, and with that so did its Dark Flame.

“Hey, too dark!” She complained disliking being left in a pitch-dark room.

“Apologies.” Fire burst back into the lantern. “I saw you play with it. You
can take the Lantern, home.” A voice spoke out of the shadows. She could
hear a faint turning of the pages.

Was it back to reading? She was curious, but there was another matter, “I
only want the oil, but thanks, I’ll take the Lantern. It looks like a
SUPERBLY useful contraption.” Indeed, she could use that at her
workshop. The light was stronger than the usual candlelight.

“Then, I’ll send you the Juice too.”

How generous! And yes, it was strange how this was juice and not oil. She
wanted to experiment with that liquid, maybe she could improve the
alchemical fire she was using at the workshop.

But first, some courtesy was in order. “MYGHTY kind of you, Lord G
Bling.” She looked at a random shadowy corner. “Thanks again.” She
began walking towards the exit while holding the lantern.

Yet, something was still bugging her, “That book you’re reading.” She
turned to look at shadows. ”Do you enjoy it?”

“Very much so, yes.” The voice chirped from one of the shadowy corners.
“We don’t have anything like this in the Spider Kingdom.” It chirped from
another corner entirely.

Hmm… Perhaps, this spider is a fellow connoisseur of real ART, then, “I

have a few books like that in my study.” Well, actually under the bed.
“Would you be interested?”

“YES!” Spider chirped so hard she could hear the mandibles clack.

“Then I’ll send you my personal favourites: ‘Master, be rough with me.’
and just as good ‘L in my Lord as L in my Love’.” Those two were the best
of the best, a must-have under every young maidens bed.

“Mighty kind of you, Lady Crimson. I can’t wait already.” The voice
chirped giddily.

“Really? Well then, I’ll send them as soon as I’m at home.”

“Please do!”

She smiled at the shadows, that spider fellow went up in her mind quite a
bit. A scary fellow, yes, but no one who liked ‘Demon Lord and Me’ could
be a bad person; or at least she thought so.

She walked ever so faster, she too was giddy at the gift she received. After
all, she loved brewing potions just as much as she loved reading risky
books.

“What are your secrets PurpleM, hmm? I’ll strip you bare and expose them
under my hot and searing flame!” Oh no, she said that out loud. She looked
at the spider attendant at the desk. It was just scribbling in its parchment.

“Phew, it doesn’t look like I’ve been heard.” Regardless, she covered her
face slightly out of embarrassment.

And so, she walked even faster urging herself to get back to the workshop
as soon as possible and before another line like that escaped her mouth.

‘I’ll peel you, I’ll boil you, I’ll love you with my flame. I’ll make you
squirm and condense. I’ll make you to submit under my will and I.. and I…’
her mind was going wild already.
 69.9 - Triple Conspiracy

Somewhere in a room without a light, and under a big banner depicting a

hand, there numerous hooded figures had gathered.

A hooded woman snickered, “They took the bait all, line and sinker.” She
unfurled a piece of worn parchment and began to read:

=====

To all and every, subjects of the Fertile Kingdom, there is an edict for you
all.

The Aurelian Kingdom had grown corrupt. So corrupt in fact that they
opened their gates to monsters, wicked and twisted spiders, no doubt
warriors of the Demon Lord. All must know that King Aurelius II has sold
his people and is conspiring with the Demon Lord to strike at us all. How
can we, noble and just people of the Fertile Kingdom allow such evil? – We
cannot!

The Aurelian Kingdom needs to be liberated from the dark influence and
the monsters purged back to the Evil Forest. We must do so before the
corruption spreads ever further.

In the name of that which is good, and in the name of the Holy Emperor, we
declare WAR. …

=====

She stopped reading. “And so it is. They made the first move.”

Another woman had a conflicted face behind the hood. “They did invoke
the name of the Holy Emperor, should we worry?”
“Why? Haven't we been sending gifts to the Holy Emperor? The cloth
which is light and fine, extravagant and vivid blue, the one which is the
most expensive. And jars of the succulent gelatinous dessert, the kind with
unrivalled sweetness, a thing that is so hard to obtain, and more and else. I
reckon we’re fine!” A fat man barely fitting into his cloak replied.

Another cloaked figure spoke. “And I’ve been the one delivering all that,
without taste testing might I add.” He glared at the fat magus. “I know that
Emperor is busy and since we’ve paid all of our imperial tithes and taxes
the Holiness isn’t too bothered by what happens at the frontier kingdoms,
and who fights with who. So long as there is a King under the Holy Empire
– all is fine. I can assure you.” He mollified the concerned magus further.

The woman holding the parchment spoke again. “There is nothing to worry
about at all. We’ve been preparing, we’ll win this.” She crumpled the
parchment and set it ablaze with a spell illuminating the otherwise dark
room.

A man stepped forward. “Indeed, all thanks to that armour they received
from a ‘mysterious merchant’. Ha-ha-ha, isn’t that right, V? Ha-ha-ha.” He
looked to another hooded man.

The man by the moniker of V turned to reply to the laughter with a laugh of
his own. “Ha-ha-ha! Yes, they think that the FireWalker Armour will
protect them from our fire magi. Ha! Those fools.”

A man butted in to talk again. “The Fertile Kingdom’s knights will be

walking into their own graves.” He nodded. “Just as you advised V, I’ve
distributed the Frost Grenades. But how about the protections against their
magi and their spells?”

“Did you forget we have this?” V parted his dark cloak to reveal a blue robe
beneath. “Magical Resistance, Reinforced +2, and for important magi I’ll
make sure they get Spell Deflection.”

The man stepped back. “I spoke too hastily. It seems we’ll be protected.”
V continued speaking. “Only the ones loyal to us. Do not forget the goal of
all of this. To weaken both kingdoms so that we can grow in power.”

Hence so, this was the plan, and not as easy to achieve as it might sound. V
couldn’t make the Aurelian Kingdom too weak or else it would be defeated
and absorbed by a neighbour, but it still had to appear weak.

“Emboldened by Fire protections they’ll strike thinking us feeble. And

we’ll allow them for a time. This will weaken the Royal Faction and the
remaining stubborn nobles. Those who need to die will die. Ha-ha-ha.” V
laughed again. “Then and only then will we swoop in with the grenades and
deal a decisive blow, one after the other thus claiming full credit.”

The woman kicked scattering the ashes beneath her. “We won’t stop there.
Counterattack is in order. If we succeed we’ll fully control two kingdoms.”

“Yes, the counter-attack might still pose some challenges. But regardless,
we’ll certainly weaken both of the kingdoms.” Another cloaked figure
spoke.

“And thus the Black Hand Covenant will grow ever so stronger. Well done
everyone.” V congratulated.

King Aurelius II was sitting alone on his throne. It was midnight and at this
time the throne room was empty; not even a single guard was there.

“Huh…” He sighed heavily. “A puppet king on a meaningless throne.” Not

important to even have personal guards.

It showed just how much the Royal Faction fell out of grace. At a time, It
seemed like a great idea to become a king even if puppeted. The Black
Hand Covenant used their growing influence to put him here. But even
then, he was of royal blood, he had a legitimate claim to be on this throne.

“I’m still a King!” He slammed his fist on the armrest. “I still have power!”
He consoled himself.
Indeed, the Black Hand Covenant still needed him, at least if only to keep
the Holy Empire's suspicions away.

The shadows grew thicker and darker, and the already faint light of the
candles grew even fainter. It was spooky but Aurelius II wasn’t spooked at
all, because he was waiting for this.

“Spider?” He stood up from the throne expectantly.

The spooky shadows condensed into a form equally black and menacing.
“Lord G Bling, to you.” It corrected in a creaking voice.

The spider didn’t pay due respect the king deserved, it neither kneeled nor
bowed. but then again Aurelius II knew that the spiders knew of his puppet
status. Regardless, he considered this spider a great ally.

“Yes, Lord G Bling, I apologise.” He bowed ever so slightly. “Do you have
what I have requested?”

“Yes.” It chirped simply and then produced a large stack of Magical

Scrolls.

Aurelius jumped right at the stack. “Oh yes, FirE SpeaR, WinD RazoR
and even my favourite MightY ExplosioN!” He cheered excitedly like a
kid on his birthday.

“Be careful, you don’t want to invoke the spell.” The spider cautioned
sternly.

“Yeah, yeah…” The spell would activate with its name pronounced loudly
but, “Don’t worry, It won’t.” He’d figured out a trick. He just had to butcher
the words ever so slightly and say them as if he didn’t mean it, then the
scrolls wouldn’t activate.

“And our request?” It creaked again.

“Consider it fulfilled. I’ll send the documents to the Spider Embassy as

soon as tomorrow.”
“Good.” Spider turned back into a shadow and disappeared.

Aurelius II gathered the scrolls, the vellum sheets were thin but there so
many he struggled to carry them all. Despite the strain, he persevered and
hauled them outside the throne room and towards his chambers. Once again
there wasn’t even a single guard in his path. Not just that, the magic lights
which should be there were missing, and so was the carpet and the statues
and the vases, and everything that was of value. He opened the doors to his
chamber, and again there was no other furniture besides his bed. While it
pained him dearly to sell his royal possessions he had done that without a
shred of hesitation.

The room wasn’t quite empty, it had stacks and stacks of books. No, not of
the academic kind, the books here had grimy covers and suspicious names
like ‘The Sultry Maid’ or ‘I’ll visit you at Midnight’ and so and such. He
took an empty cover with a title just like that and stacked the Magic Scrolls
inside. He repeated the process until he had no scrolls left.

He patted the otherwise dirty cover dearly. “Ah, my precious tomes

completed. I reckon I have enough.” He looked upon stacks and stacks of
risque books, no decent man would dare to open.

Then he crouched and reached under the bed retrieving a very heavy sack.
“The last of my fortune.” He sighed deeply again. “That Crimson Alchemist
better deliver on her promise.”

Indeed, she had promised him crates of innovative potions, potions the like
no one had seen before. He dragged the heavy sack out of his chambers
while sweating profusely. He wanted to make only one trip to the garden, so
he persevered, moreover, he didn’t want to be late.

Aurelius emerged into what used to be a Royal Garden, now it was just a
Royal Mess with craters, burned trees, holes in nearby walls and numerous
blackened corpses of squirrels and other unlucky pests. He wasn’t sorry
about what he did, actually, he even levelled a few times, so all was good.

In the middle of the mess, a lone woman was sitting on a broken boulder.
She wore a beautiful dress which complemented her feminine charms
perfectly, however, the otherwise immaculate image was spoiled by a nasty
scar on her face.

“Lady…” he panted, “Crimson.”

“Greetings, King Aurelius II.” She bowed curtly paying proper respects.

He finished panting. “Do you have my potions?”

“I do. As promised I finished brewing ten crates of FleshMender and a

crate of each Regenerate Mana and Reinforce Mana. Plus the usual
mundane HP and MP Potions.”

“Then you can have your gold.” He kicked at the bag not caring about how
the sleek woman will be able to haul something so heavy with her.

She opened a satchel hanging on her shoulder and drank out of the small
flask. “Thank you, King. Then I shall go.” She lifted the heavy bag as if it
was nothing.

“Hey, that potion you just drank. I want that too.”

“The Strength Potion? Sure, but that will cost you extra. And just a
warning, it isn’t perfected yet so the Toxicity is high.”

Toxicity? – Whatever! He’ll need to sell his bed but he really wanted that
potion. With this, his Super King image will finally be complete.

“I’ll take a crate of that and I’ll have the gold tomorrow.”

“Same place, same time?”

He nodded.

“Then have a sample. Make sure it’s not too much for you. Remember,
watch your Toxicity.” She handed another small bottle out of her pouch.

She was worrying too much, or maybe she was just trying to sell more of
her Resist Toxicity potions and swindle him further. He waved her not to
worry and the two finally parted.

“I have everything, I think. I’m ready for the WAR. The kingdom will get
their rescuer, the Super King.” He clutched his fists tightly. “I’ll show them
that I am more than a puppet.”

Yes, this was why he plundered the royal treasury, fired all of the servants,
and sold everything that could be sold. He did all that, to accumulate power
in the form of Magic Scrolls which even a fool could use. To buy potions to
make him physically strong and nearly indestructible. To become Super
King and bring victory; to gain the glory and recognition he deserved.

And, despite popular opinion, he was no fool, he knew that even Super
King couldn’t win a war alone. He needed men for that. While the Black
Hand Covenant had consolidated all of the magi under their wing the
Aurum Order remained loyal to the Royal Faction, and by extension him.
So he will rally these men to fight under him, yes, he will gift them
wondrous potions making the order unstoppable in battle!

“I’m not a puppet! I’m Super King. [Fire Bolt].” He burned a scroll firing a
spell into the sky just to display his sorcerous powers. “I’m much stronger
than a manky magus. [Fire Blast].” He basked the already charred ground
in flames. “Unlike a magus, I can’t run out of mana. My wrath is endless!
[Mighty Explosion].” He exploded outwards making another crater.

Unlike with spell casting, he didn’t need to use any mana. According to the
Spider King, these improved scrolls had the mana needed already stored
inside. So he could fling one spell after the other without the need to care.
And even if someone managed to hit him, he had the miraculous potions to
heal himself.

“I’ll be unstoppable, he-he-he.” He cackled jiggling his fat body. “Fertile

Kingdom, you’re done!”

Lady Crimson couldn’t be happier. Everything was going so well, almost

too well. No longer she’ll be running yet another alchemy shop, or be just a
daughter of a once famous master alchemist. The name and fame of the
Crimson Alchemist soon shall be restored; she’ll be known far and wide
just like her father was.

“Daddy, I did it!” She deposited the coins in the closet and right under the
skeletal remains.

She had so much already, her financial worries were over.

“Yes, Daddy, I know, but I had to make those sacrifices.”

Some integrity was lost because she was working under the spiders and by
extension for the Spider King; a man she still hasn’t met yet. Some
kingdoms would consider this treason, working under another king, but
well, this kingdom was different; a lot of weird changes have been
happening here…

“Anyway, who cares, one king or the other? As long as I can discover new
potions…” She looked at crates of PurpleM, FireAgave, ShadowAgave,
DustyBlue and other unfamiliar and foreign ingredients. “I’m brewing the
potions not for one king, but two. It couldn’t be better!”

The renown will soon catch up and her shop will prosper. But, of course, it
came at a price. She had quotas to meet and brew the King of Spiders his
share of potions. Moreover, she partnered with a certain noble, who took it
upon himself to sell the Spider Kingdom’s potions. The reason being the
Fertility Potion, that potion was gaining traction among the people, and
since she too could brew them they decided to join their businesses to
maintain the monopoly.

“I know what you think Daddy. But the union is beneficial for both of us.
We have the same benefactor and with the gold from the nobles, I can
further expand my shop. I’ll start hiring soon.”

It was wise of the young noble to entrust the alchemy aspect of the business
to her. The nobles will handle promotion, financing and the rest.
“Now, where are those bottles.” She rummaged through crates. “There it
is.” She took a crystal glass bottle, similar but different from the one she
knew. “Glass Bottle: Protected­.” She voiced yet another mystery coming
from the Spider Kingdom.

Lord G Bling instructed her to use these bottles instead. Somehow, the
bottle she held was enchanted and still cheaper than the ones imported from
Sand Kingdom. Furthermore, the spider suggested an interesting thing. She
was to offer a discount to customers who brought the bottles back; they
were meant to be reused.

“It makes sense, with an enchantment like that.” She started pouring a
newly made batch of Strength Potion into the crystal bottles.

“I better finish quickly.” She urged herself.

It was already past midnight but even so, she had a date in these late hours.
No, not a romantic one, just a book-reading date with the exalted Lord G
Bling.

“What book should I bring?” She still hadn’t decided. “Should I pick one
from my collection, or something neither of us has read yet.” A real
conundrum.

Either way, they’ll spend the night reading it and then discussing the sacred
texts in depth.

“If only I had met a friend like that sooner… And what an unlikely friend
I’ve made.” It was refreshing to have someone so open-minded, and
someone who didn’t care about her disfigured face.

“No Daddy! I’m not in love!” She slammed the closet door shut.
 70

Somewhere, in the domain of The Great Ancestral Tree. In a clearing,

there was a wide circle of stumps scattered around the massive stone table;
the table was laden with forest bounty: fruits, nuts, vegetables and foods
alike. Further away, the trees bordering the clearing were full of squirrels
and spiders, so full that the branches were bending and buckling under their
combined weight. The critters were here mostly to congratulate their
saviours.

“Welcome, Guests.” The Wisp greeted expanding its wispy body.

The stump seats were mostly occupied by Drow. This feast and this
bountiful table were mostly for them, but also to honour the King of
Spiders.

“First, we would like to thank the Drow for assisting us with the
infestation.” The wisp pulsed rapidly. “Without you, it would have been
impossible.” It buzzed.

The High Chief stood up, Devouring Spear still in his hand. “Well, we
once were one with the forests so it’s natural that we were able to navigate
it and cleanse it so successfully.” He bowed towards the green orb of light.
“But even then, without the King’s weapons, it wouldn’t have been so
effective.” Then he bowed towards the King.

The rest of the Drow nodded in agreement. The warriors here still wore
their iconic red FireWalker Suits and had downsized versions of the
FlameThrower by their sides. How they ‘cleansed’ the infestation was
quite clear.
The King of Spiders worried slightly. If they needed a weapon so
destructive the infestation must have been quite bad. “I’m just glad it got
sorted, think nothing of it. After all, I’ve benefited from your hard labour
too…” He gazed upon the weapon he had lent. “Did you manage to fill the
spear for me?”

“Indeed I have, it's brimming full with life.” He raised the spear higher
showing the red glowing tip. “If I remember correctly, you wanted the souls
exchanged?”

“Yes, insect souls for Amber.” He looked at the flying wisp. “If you don’t
mind?”

“Ha! Insects you say, I have to agree on that classification. But even then, it
would be cruel for me to absorb something like this.” The wisp shrunk to a
tiny ball.

He looked at the wisp slightly confused, because before It never had a

problem with taking centipede souls.

Then it expanded its wisp form again and buzzed with confidence. “Oh,
you'll get your Amber, you will. But I have a proposition.” It flew closer to
the King and only inches away from his face.” You see we, and I, were
visited by your White Sprigans; creatures most magnificent and pure. Not
puppets but real people, and of your creation! Somehow you achieved
something that I couldn’t…”

He could tell where this was going. “You want me to create more of them?”

“Yes! We’ll use the souls contained in your spear.”

“I guess, it might work… but then I want to reincarnate the rest of the
human souls I still have in the Soul Well.”

“You have obtained something powerful, I see. I’ll provide you will all the
Amber you might need.”
“Won’t you end up drained a bit too much? We talking about over a
thousand pieces here.”

The wisp shrunk. “It will, but only for a time. You see, we’ve claimed a
neighbouring forest, so my power will be replenished eventually.” It
expanded. “Doubled even.”

“Hmm, then I’ll tell the spiders to start carving their new bodies.”

“And I’ll help you with the ritual.”

Oh, so the wisp will help to fuel the mana necessary. “I can’t refuse that.
Thanks.”

“No, no… Thank you, King of Spiders, you don’t understand just how
helpful you are. The best Ally of the best.” The wisp buzzed happily.

“How about the Drow?” He asked hoping that they had finally forgotten the
old unpleasant past.

“They’re good Ally too…” The wisp circled above the drows. “You did
well to reform them. Now, let's feast!”

Drow dug into foods they almost had forgotten. He too did the same, after
all, it was so fresh and fragrant, real organic stuff.

What is there to say apart from that the ritual was a great success, and this
time he didn’t even have to go negative in mana.

Thousands of new White Sprigans opened their eyes, taking a new

perspective of the world around them.

The wisp was there, drained to a tiny speck but still buzzing energetically.
“King, I have new land for them. That is if you don’t mind.”

“Why would I, if they want to go there they can. They are free to do as they
please.” He didn’t hold a claim on sentient souls which weren’t his to claim.
And surprisingly the ‘insect’ souls from the Devouring Spear behaved just
like the human ones he had just Reincarnated.

“Well, then. Let’s come together. Lead our children King.”

“Our?” He wondered if the wisp had made a claim while he chose not to.
“You mean yours and the forest’s?” He asked for clarification. And, after
all, sprigans were born out of wood and wisp’s mana so maybe it had a
genuine claim.

“Yes, but no.” The wisp buzzed. “I mean ‘ours’ as in yours and mine, we
made them together. But, yes, the Spirit of the Forest is strong in them.”
The wisp circled around the heads of the White Sprigans. “We are their
parents, let's guide them back to their home. Come, King.”

Wow, the wisp just put a lot of responsibility on his shoulders.

“My children, huh?” He scratched his chin. “An interesting interpretation.”

He clapped his hands creating a loud and thundering sound. “Okay children,
let’s go, follow this sparkling light.” He pointed at the wisp. “And let’s go
to your home.”

The White Sprigans, very much like cats, were captivated by the moving
and pulsing light and started to chase the wisp giddily.

“Wisp, where are we going exactly,” He asked because he’s never been
briefed about this.

“Past the old border, and back to the nest of the infestation.” It buzzed
avoiding the playful hands of the sprigans trying to catch it.

“Nest?” It sounded scary. “You cleared that right?”

“Cleansed.” It corrected. “We had to, you’ll understand after seeing it. Now,
less talking more walking. Come children, come!” It invited flying around
the sprigans’ heads.

The Wisp never seemed to understand that some walks were just… too
long! Maybe because it didn’t have legs which could get sore. But
anyway…

He finally reached what must be the border. Considering the choice of

weapons he expected some damage, but still he couldn’t believe what he
was seeing. Clearly, here used to be a forest but now as far as he could see
he saw only charred stumps and a thick carpet of ash. Complete and utter
devastation. There was no life here.

“What happened?” He asked with worry.

“Cleansing.” The Wisp replied as if it was nothing.

How… Just how. How could a Nature aligned spirit do this? His head spun
and he struggled to wrap his mind around it. “The infestation must have
been of terrible proportion.” He reached his conclusion.

“They were quite persistent, yes.” It buzzed again. “I see the worry on your
face, you're a real friend to all Forests. Worry not, King, the forest will grow
back.”

What he was seeing was just wrong. It would take decades, unless…

“Is this why we’re taking the White Sprigans here?”

“Why else. Look at their faces, they already know what they need to do.
The nest isn’t too far. Come, come.” It urged.

They have reached some decrepit ruin, all the soot and ashes made it hard to
guess its real age; but it looked ancient.

“Ah, I see, it's common for the monsters to make nests in old ruins.” He
remembered reading that somewhere. “It looks like ruins of some ancient
and forgotten civilisation.” He wondered if he should open an
archaeological dig site here.

“Ancient?” The Wisp buzzed in confusion.

And of course, it did, he knew that the soul of this wisp was thousands and
thousands of years old, that’s why it didn’t feel the ruins old.
The wisp continued. “Forgotten, yes. Nothing remains of them.”

“You don’t mind if I dig around, for artefacts and the like?”

“No, why would I.” It herded the sprigans further into the ruins.

The ruins weren't quite empty, in the middle of the ruin and in a large crater
there was an entire legion of squirrels, no, a horde. Actually, after he had a
better look, they were everywhere, on charred walls and on burned stumps.
Their otherwise white fur was stained with greys of ash and soot. If
anything there was another infestation here, a nest of squirrels.

“What are they doing here?” He asked curious.

“They brought the seeds from my forest. Children, take them and bring life
to this ashen place.”

“Oh… Oh!” Indeed, the squirrels' cheeks were full of seeds.

One by one the squirrels jumped on the shoulders of White Sprigans and
spat the seeds for them to plant. Seemingly out of instinct, the sprigans
knew what to do already. They walked outside the ruins and started
planting.

“King, I want you to plant your IronOak here too. And other plants of
yours.” The wisp requested once again.

“I’m not sure I have enough seeds, but I do what I can.”

He now knew why he was here. Yes, the Sprigans could [Grow] and
[Plant], but they didn’t have specialised skills like [Unnatural Selection]
and [Acclimate]. The environment here was different from the Spider
Kingdom, so he had to do the planting by himself. A good thing really, he
remembered what it is to be a farmer.

At a random, then planting yet another plant, the ever-unpredictable perk of

Chaos Blessed activated.

[BanditAgave evolved into AshenClower]

The plant glowed brightly blinding him momentarily. Once the light
dimmed he found a four-leafed and completely grey-coloured sapling
instead of the usually spiky plant.

“It changed completely.” He remarked with wonder.

A nearby Sprigan ever so helpfully cast [Grow] on the evolved plant, and
its leaves got ever so bigger.

“Please watch over this plant so it can spread.” He asked the sprigan. “And
I…” Despite his previous words, he plucked a leaf, but only one. “I’ll send
this to be investigated.”

The happening gave him an idea.

“Hey wisp, why don’t I evolve those seeds you have.”

“Hmm…” The wisp buzzed. “Why don’t you? Here.” It sent a flock of
squirrels to him. “Make something that animals could eat. Something that
would grow well here and that would take little care.”

This wisp was very demanding. He had no control over evolutions. “I’ll see
what I can do.” He gathered the seeds. “Evolve.” He began, but also.
“Imbue.” For the latter, he used the remaining Amber to give the seeds
nature affinity.

“Hey, wisp?” He was about to make a request of his own. “Is Dark Affinity
alright with you?”

“Anything is fine. Do as you wish, King. Go wild… but maybe not Fire?”
it only suggested. “I fear the balance might tip and the biome would
change.”

“You’re right this place has seen enough of that.”

He drained his mana further transforming the seeds into something else.
Then he would plant them and a helpful sprigan would cast [Grow], so the
result was immediate.
He had some peculiar and quite random plants. Some looked like they'll be
useful but others were completely pointless – failures. To name a few of the
better ones: ShadowVine, EarthenYam, CageBush, BerryNut. And for
their appearance:

The ShadowVine was a vine similar to BitterVine, it needed another plant

like a tree to support it. It was an interesting plant because it would cloak
the tree it clung to in shadows, obfuscating its appearance. Scary! It was
likely a parasitic plant.

EarthenYam was a root vegetable, big like a handball and of earth-like

colour. It was very starchy and looked like something his Enchanted Boars
would like, or just your normal boars the ones native to the forest.

CageBush, was peculiar because it refused to look like a bush. Its long
branches were bending only at right angles giving it that rectangular look.
Bending and bending, making a spiralling cage-like structure. And it didn’t
even have any leaves or buds, just perfectly smooth and otherwise straight
grey wood. It looked like it belonged more in a modern ‘art‘ museum as a
sculpture than a plant in the forest.

BerryNut was just that – a bush which grew not quite berries and not quite
nuts. The fruits had the shells like nuts, but the insides were soft and jam-
like, the taste both sour and nutty. For the right person, it would be
delicious.

If one cared about how a failure looked at all, he would need to simply gaze
at FaultyCabbage. Again it was probably affected by the abundant ash and
was a pale-coloured vegetable(?). It was a cabbage, but it sort of failed to
form that head, it was left malformed and there were countless holes in the
leaves. And for the taste, it just tasted foul, so bad it was that not even a
starving animal would eat it.

There were quite a few failures like that in this experiment.

He gathered some samples for further experimentation and left the White
Sprigans to do their thing. They looked very busy but positively happy at
the job they were doing. Ever so slowly the forest was regrowing. Well, no,
this wasn’t slow, it was quite fast! The area they were in was brimming with
plants, it's just that now the sprigans needed to expand it further, a task
which will take them months even at this pace.

He looked again at his changed surroundings scratching his head.

“It doesn’t look quite right.” He continued rubbing the back of his head.

Indeed, it looked weird. Yes, this was a forest now reborn but due to his
influence the plants were just odd, it didn’t look like your normal forest
anymore. If he wasn’t here from the very start he would think that he was
either dreaming or hallucinating.

“Uff… A Magic Forest then.” He concluded by looking at the mishmash of

failed plants, normal plants, and evolved plants.

But that was not all, because all this hard work rewarded him with:

[Congratulations! You have reached Farming lvl .4]

[Requirements have been met. Hidden perk unlocked.]

[Perk Mutate obtained.]

Yet, another hidden perk.

“But how is this different from Evolve?” He had to wonder. ”Ah…” He

sighed. “Let's test this out.” He picked an already-grown plant. “It’s not like
this forest can get any weirder, [Mutate].”
 71 - To Pay the Price in Full

The Mutate was different from the Evolve in the sense that now he could
guide the plant to a desired outcome. He quickly found out that more than
one application of the skill was necessary and it wasn’t uncommon to end
up with dead ends. However, the mix of magical plants was further
improved.

He had successfully mutated the decorative CageBush into a TrapBush. In

the middle of the plant, there was an enticing nut. The white nut, the size of
an orange, dangled seductively from a lone branch. Now and then it would
tremble and hum in a low buzz, calling for attention. But as the name
implied, if anyone even touched the fruit, the branches hidden in the ground
would spring up and fold forming a cage-like structure. Those were only
wooden sticks, but somehow they were sturdy, they even had the
characteristic sheen of metal.

Of course, when he curiously inspected the plant he had trapped himself in

it, and even he, the King of Spiders, struggled to get out of the cage-like
structure. But hey, the nut was really tasty, invigorating even.

[Perk Enhanced Poison Immunity activated], he shrugged at the message,

it didn’t change his mind. The nut was tasty!

To get out of the cage, he had to use a fiery axe, even if somewhat metallic
the plant remained weak to fire.

“With or without the enticing TrapBush Nut, this plant will serve me
well.” He called for White Sprigans to [Heal] the damaged TrapBush.

The TrapBush could either be used to trap unsuspecting trespassers or just

to trap forest animals. That, and its metallic branches, if harvested, would
make perfect fences for his Enchanted Boars. By the way, when he fed the
TrapBush Nut to one of the squirrels they promptly fell asleep. Yup, even
the nuts it grew were traps!

He also tried to Mutate the otherwise failed plants like the

FaultyCabbage. Considering its bitterness, that one was also clearly
poisonous, so he worked to enchant that trait. The result was the
WitheringCabbage, it remained ashen white but even sadder and sickly
looking than before. That, and there was an unpredicted mutation: now and
then the cabbage would produce a puff of ash which would eventually settle
on the ground. The ash killed small weeds and grass, but the bigger plants
seemed unaffected. If anything it could be used to make poisons or a
weedkiller of sorts.

Of course, he didn’t need to make all plants sinister; he wasn’t a Demon

Lord or something. He used the new perk to further enhance the nutritious
properties of BerryNut and EarthenYam. The berrynuts were more
bountiful and yams grew even bigger. And, moreover, he didn’t need to
mess with all the plants. AshenClover seemed to be good in its natural
state; no need to mess up something that is near perfect.

So, Mutate and his other Farming perks did wonders in enhancing the
plants. And he didn’t need to stop at plants.

“Do you mind?” He asked the Wisp.

“I do not.” It buzzed.

In his hand was an unsuspecting squirrel. He didn’t want to evolve it, not
yet, because he was scared of potential consequences since these critters
bred quickly. So, “[Mutate]” he tried it on a living creature for the first
time. Indeed, mutating an animal was more difficult than mutating a plant,
but at that point, his other perk [Comprehend] had triggered.

“Hmm, so I can use my other Classes here.” He’d realised something he

should have had sooner. “[Reinforce]” He applied a Building perk.
Normally that didn’t work on living beings, only on items, but somehow
Mutate had overridden that soft lock. The squirrel emitted sparks of purple
motes as he was guiding its DNA towards a more robust form. His
comprehension perk made it so much easier. But, he didn’t just want to
make this squirrel tougher, from the very start he had a different idea in
mind. He wanted to make this squirrel a predator, this was what he was
trying to mutate it to. Well Evolve would achieve similar results, but he had
a hunch that mutated animals, unlike the plants, wouldn’t be able to
reproduce.

His remaining mana was draining rapidly. “Come on, work!” He

encouraged the perk to finish.

And it did. In his hand, he held a squirrel, slightly bigger than its former
form. The white pelt had two streaks of purple on a side, and it had grown
even bigger and sharper claws plus two long fangs in its mouth. The
squirrel scratched at his hands trying to escape.

“A feisty bugger.” He dropped a bigger and tougher squirrel on the ground.

It didn’t idle and as soon as it was free it tried to chase one of the other
squirrels. The wisp flew over the ‘improved’ critter and cast some spell
showering it with green light. The anger left its red eyes and the squirrel
predator mellowed.

The Mutate + Reinforce had worked but, “You aren’t angry, are you?” He
asked the Wisp.

“Why would I?” It buzzed. “You made something breathtaking once again.
Like all of your creations, this creature is beautiful. I shall keep it.”

The Wisp was as silver-tongued as ever. “You can keep it if you want. I
don’t want it.” After all, this was just an experiment.

“I’ll ask you to make more of them later. That is if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t.” He nodded.
The Wisp expanded buzzing a happy buzz.

Thus the magical forest received another addition of magical but mutated
life, some sinister some not. In retrospect, it was neither good nor evil
aligned, if he had to pick he would say it was Chaotic. Or even better, it
was just life, doing what it can to survive in this new ashen environment.
The White Sprigans worked hard to further expand the forest, so there was
no need for him to get stuck here.

It was time to head back to MegaFarm, “I’ll be going home.” He waved the
Wisp goodbye. “[Shadow Walk]”, he disappeared leaving only thin wisps
of shadows.

His mana was low and he wanted to carry out yet another experiment. To
top it up he could either take a dip in the Mana Spring or he could…

He went to look for the one who took it upon herself to help him with the
potion business. Well, he didn’t need to look hard or long, because he knew
exactly where she was. Indeed he found her lounging on his throne, eating
and drinking some food he didn’t even know he had here. Imported from
the Human Kingdom, perhaps? Actually, the proper name was the Aurelian
Kingdom but never mind that.

“Did you receive the potion samples?” He asked.

Her long white tail twitched ever so slightly. “Is-sss that how you greet your
Wife?” She hissed.

She was right, he greeted her properly and then, “So?”.

“I did.” She gave him a wicked smile.

“Awesome, where are they?”

“It will cost you, sss.”

He paid the price.

“S-s-s.” She hissed mischievously. “Follow, me.” She slithered off the
throne.

He followed the lamia to a newly erected building. Like all buildings, this
one was dome-shaped and spider-like. The only difference was that the
entrance hole had a gate made out of IronOak, and two Lamia guards
standing by the sides.

“Is the security necessary?” He asked because there was literally zero crime
here. The spiders were just too well-behaved!

“Yes-sss. S-s-s.” She made a hissing laugh. “Try to enter.”

Well, he couldn't there was a closed gate. The two Lamia guards gave him
apologetic looks. Clearly, the girls were roped into this against their will.

“I can’t.” He said the obvious.

“Exactly, sss.” She gave him an expectant look.

Well, he could command the two to just open the gate, but whatever the
Lamia Queen was playing he decided to indulge her. These games would
often happen if he ignored her for too long, and the easiest option was just
to indulge her.

“How do I open the gate?” He asked.

“You need to pay a price. S-s-s!”

He paid the price and the gate opened. The small building was filled with
crates.

“Wow, your business partner must be amazing to produce so much in a so

short time. I expected only a sample.”

“Lady Crimson, she is-sss amazing. Might be better than you.”

She probably was, because he was only a beginner Alchemist, level 1.

“Speaking of which, sss, she made a request.” She looked at him
expectantly.

He decided to cut the game short and just paid the price.

“She wants-sss more of your magical plant-sss for ingredients.”

“She’ll have them if she keeps making new potions. Actually, I’ve just
made a lot of new variants.”

“Then, I’ll sss-shall sss-see sss-she receives-sss them.”

Wow, this one was awfully hissy.

The Lamia Queen continued. “Would you like to try the potions-sss?” She
offered a crystal flask.

“Why are you giving me a Fertility Potion? I don’t need to test that, I’m
here for advanced Mana Potions.”

She clicked her tongue making a ‘tch’ sound.

“Here they are.” He found a box filled with potions. The bottles were
packed neatly and even labelled.

He uncorked them and ingested Reinforce Mana, Regenerate Mana and a

few of Mp+ potions in that order.

[Toxicity +5], the message informed him.

“Ups, I should have taken Mitigate Toxicity first.” That one was really
useful because it would lower the toxicity he would receive. “But then
again,” He drank Reduce Toxicity and lowered the count to +4.
Unfortunately, it worked only once a day.

The lamia was staring daggers at him, so he just paid the price.

“I need to run an experiment.” He gave her an apologetic look. “I’ll be back

before bed.”
“Hmm, you better be. SSS!” She gave him another mischievous look.

Yup, it meant that he would need to pay the price in full. “Hum-mmm, I
know what you’re up to... So just grab a few Stamina Potions for me.”

“S-s-s, the potions won’t save you, King.” She grabbed them anyway and
slithered away.

“[Shadow Walk],” he phased through a wooden wall. Yes, he could have

done that all along, that is, as long as it wasn’t a thick layer of solid rock.

He reappeared at the clearing where his spider warriors liked to do their

fighting drills. Even now they were sparing with one another.

“Greetings warriors.” He called to get their attention, it was met by a sea of

yellow eyes. “I need a volunteer.” An entire forest of arms volunteered.
“Unfortunately, only one. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe; Catch the spider by
the…” he picked a lucky spider.

The spider raised its head and walked tall and proud towards him.

“Congratulations, you have won a mutation, [Mutate].” He invoked the

perk without hesitation. “[Reinforce],” and then another.

“It is. My honour. Ki…” The spider didn’t get to finish and instead curled
up into a ball and began glowing in purple.

Everyone watched with baited breaths. The mana drained and the mutation
was finished. The result was the same spider but with thicker and sturdier
chitin. Well, not just that, the spider grew obsidian plates all over its body. It
uncurled from the ball position.

“Reinforced plus one?” He asked.

“No, Obsidian Armour.” The spider chirped out the new perk it obtained.

“Hmm, I guess that works too.” Whatever made them harder to kill was a
bonus. “I still have plenty of mana. Any more volunteers?” Again, he gazed
upon a forest of hands, but this time it swayed like under a storm; the
spiders were jumping and waving in giddiness.

It continued until…

A shadow slithered right next to the form of the King of Spiders, then it
coalesced into something more tangential but still very black. “Apologies.”
The Trusty Advisor bowed.

“[Mutate], [Reinforce].” He finished and turned to look.

“Strangers. Approach from the west.” It chirped simply.

“West?” There was nothing in the distant west but an endless jungle.

“Yes, spider scouts detected a presence. A good thousand of souls.”

“Hmm… Should I go and meet them?” He wondered out loud.

“We don’t know their intentions. I say, let them come to us. And let’s see
what they bring.”

“Mhm.” He hoped it was trade and not war, but considering the
numbers… “Yeah, I guess there is no point in ambushing them, we have
numbers here. You’re right let's wait for them.” But that didn’t mean he
won’t be preparing.

“Sorry, wife, I’ll pay you in full next time.” He whispered to himself.
 72 - Essential Reconnaissance

It was decided that they wouldn’t be challenging the approaching strangers;

not yet. At this moment a simple order of observation was in place, after all,
he didn’t know them and needed more information.

The Spider King was sitting on his throne and listening to the report coming
from a spider scout.

“Did you manage to confirm their numbers?” He asked again just to be

certain.

“Yes. We estimated. A strong thousand.” It chirped.

“And do they carry weapons?”

“Mostly spears.”

“Hmm, how about any bags or other things that could be considered as
trade goods? Any pack animals?”

“No pack animals. No bags.”

“Hmm…” it was still too early to jump to conclusions, but anyway he had
another question. “Can you describe their appearance? Are they human? Or
elves?”

“Hmm.” This time it was the spider’s turn to ponder something. “Not
human? They walk on four legs. Have hands. Have arms. Human faces. But
not human. Not elf. Something different.”

“So they aren't like anyone we've seen so far.” He tapped at the armrest
with his fingers. “An unknown race?”
“Yes. New race.”

“Curious… Do they look strong?”

“Very. Big and fast.” The spider tilted its head to the side. “But. Some are
small. And slower. But yes. They look strong.”

An interesting piece of information, then, “Can those smaller people, be

considered as children?” And if so…

“Unknown.”

“Unknown…” He sighed. “Well, those might be servants. Like Lamia

servants are much smaller compared to Lamia warriors.” The same was
with spiders.

“Yes, King. That could be. The case. Small strangers. Had no spears.” It
recalled.

“Everything points to an assault force or a raiding party.”

The spider scout nodded as if in agreement.

“King, if I may.” The Trusty Advisor bowed. “I do not suggest assaulting

them.”

“I know what you’re thinking. We have the numbers and the power here. A
thousand isn’t even enough to put a dent in our combined forces. We should
let them come to us right?”

“Right. And we can resolve this with diplomacy.”

“You are completely right.” He agreed with the Trusty Advisor

wholeheartedly, well not quite because... ”That is, if they won’t decide to
run away once they realise our real size and numbers.”

“Remember, It’s better not to assume the worst. But still plan for it.” The
Spider Advisor reminded sagely.
“I know, I know. They might turn out to be a delegation from a faraway
land or something like that.” But somehow that didn’t seem like it, since
according to scouts they had no baggage.

“We shall wait and see.”

“Thank you for your advice, Trusty Advisor. We will do as you say.” He
looked at the small and sneaky spider. “Scout, you did well too, keep us
updated.”

“Understood.” It turned into a shadow and disappeared.

Spooky! But it was a good idea to Imbue them with Dark magic and then
force Mutate their forms to be sleek and slender. If anything they were
thrice as effective now.

The ever-diligent spiders continued to give their reports. The strangers were
two days away from the MegaFarm, then a day, and then only a few hours.
From the reports, it was clear that the unknown group was travelling with
purpose. They didn’t stray or walk in circles, they beelined straight to the
location of MegaFarm.

Of course, the spiders weren’t idling or waiting like some unsuspecting

fools. They did make the preparations to meet these people either as an
enemy or as a friend.

In that very unlikely scenario, where they were friendly and came here to
parley, he had the temporary accommodations all set up for them. The
spider crafters just finished making some basic tents out of Blue Cloth and
if it came to feeding such a large group, it wouldn’t be a problem because
the farm was ever-expanding and the food stores increasing.

And if they looked for trouble, then they would be fools! That is because he
assembled 5000 strong army of spiders and they waited at the farm border
at the ready. If anything the number itself was intimidating.
The jungle wasn’t bordering the farmland directly, between the two was a
clearing of no less than five miles. Now and then there would be a patch of
IronOak, but those were well-spaced and didn’t block the vision.

A spider scout manifested in front of the King. “They’ve reached the

clearing.” And then it popped back into the shadow and zoomed away.

He strained his eyes, but the distance was too great to see clearly.

“Huh, only in these moments do I realise. We need a tall tower and if

possible a telescope.”

“I don’t like hights-sss.” The Lamia Queen standing beside him hissed.

Finally, the strangers got close enough for him to get a vague impression.
Indeed, they preferred longs spears for their weapons. Some were even clad
in greyish armour – very much like knights. However, there was no flag or
banner, and everyone looked quite rugged. It wasn’t an organised force,
mostly they resembled something akin to bandits.

“But, aren't those centaurs?” He saw it but still struggled to believe it.

“Centaurs, sss?” The Lamia Queen asked with curiosity. “What is that?”

“So you don’t know. It’s a mythical creature with a body which is half horse
half human.” He explained.

“I’ve met a human, sss, but what’s a horse?”

Yeah, he asked around, he asked in Human Kingdom too, but apparently,

there were no such creatures as horses here.

“It’s hard to explain. A horse would be an animal. And… it’s the same with
Lamia, right? You are half snake half person.” He gave a relatable
comparison.

“Sss! Lamia aren’t snakes.” She hissed offended. “Snakes are just food.”
That’s right, it was like comparing a human with a monkey. And yeah, they
had snakes here so…

“A bad example. Forget it, I take it back..”

Whatever offence she had it must have been a pretend one because it
disappeared in an instant. “Ah, I sss-see. I can be your food if you want. S-
s-s, you can eat me anytime.” She winked.

This was neither time nor place for bad jokes. The centaurs continued
approaching.

“They don’t seem intimidated.”

“Is-sss that good or bad?”

He didn’t reply because he didn’t quite yet know.

“Let's trust in Trusty Advisor’s judgement. I doubt they will make some
crazy suicidal charge.” He looked at the tight ranks of spiders with
reassurance.

The centaurs stopped in the middle of the clearing.

“Ah, so they’re hesitating.”

And then they remained there for a while.

“Shouldn’t they send someone to parley? Or is it me who should do it?”

“Don’t ask me, sss.” She just shrugged.

“Right…”

Since they didn’t have bows or other ranged weapons, he considered it safe
to approach them. Of course, he won’t go alone, “A few bodyguards should
be appropriate. Call me the Spider Leader.”
A small spider ran to fetch him his royal mount, and the second will be a
spider mage. With the two at his side, and with multiple hidden potions and
scrolls, he had no worries.

He climbed atop the Spider Leader and into the newly crafted saddle.

“Let's go my noble steed. Let's see what these ruffians want.”

“Understood.” The Spider Leader began his quick sprint towards the group.

“Understood.” The form of the spider mage blurred becoming cloudy.

Somehow he was just as quick as the Spider Leader. Good!

As he approached closer he got an even better look at centaurs. They were

rugged and worn by the obviously long travel and their spears were in a
sorry shape, looking like they would snap from the lightest touch. The
knights' armours were tarnished and bent, and evidently missing pieces here
and there. No, the gear didn’t look so because of just poor maintenance, it
was in a sorry state because it had seen too much use; and by the looks of it,
not too long ago.

He stopped not too far from the group, but still at a respectable distance.

“There’s blood on their armour and clothes. They were fighting. But who?”

As far as he knew the rest of the jungle was sterile, not even a living soul
there for miles and miles.

“They might be here. To ask for the King’s help.” The Spider Warrior
suggested.

“To fight whatever they could not, I see.” It kind of made sense. “But let's
not speculate. Stand at the ready.” He asked his bodyguards and then
shouted, “If you’re here to talk! Let's talk! Send me your leader!” He
invoked his aura perk.

The mismatched ranks of centaur cavalry parted ever so slightly and a

knightly figure emerged. The knight was clad in full armour, both upper and
lower body. The armour was more splendid and less tarnished but still bent
in a few places. Regardless it still had that aura of nobility. But what caught
the eye was the design itself, it conformed to the female form quite neatly.

The noble knight strutted towards him proudly and without a single
bodyguard. She was either very arrogant or very trusting. She stopped only
metres away from him.

“Champion!” She made a horse equivalent of a curt bow. “I am… I’m the
last remaining Champion, and hence the leader of Centauri. Or whatever
remains of us.” She spoke firmly to project authority but the hints of
anxiety were there and poorly masked.

She clearly had a long story to tell, but he had to ask something first. “And
why are you here, in The Dreaded Place, in the Spider Kingdom?”

“We are here to ask for aid… No, to seek protection.”

So, indeed, the Spider Warrior was unto something.

“Someone attacked you… and you want protection from whom?”

The Centauri Champion bowed again, but this time lower. “I beg for your
understanding. We have nowhere to go, no one else to turn to. Please take
us.”

She was dancing around the question. “You must understand. I need to
know at what I’ll stand against if, If we take you in.” He stressed.

While still in low bow she raised her head to meet his eyes. “The Demon
Lord. Against his Majesties wishes.”

Wow! That’s one strong enemy. Well, at least, allegedly strong.

She wasn’t finished. “Champion, as you can see we are desperate. Then I
say there is no other place for us, I mean it.” And then she added, “Our
males all slaughtered, only us and children remain.”

He looked at the ranks further away, he couldn't see the children because
they were probably secure in the middle, but indeed judging by the shapes
they must be women.

While he was just trying to wrap his head around all of this, the Centauri
Champion continued her plea. “We’ll pose no challenge to the Spider
Kingdom, and we’ll work our keep. We promise will make good vassals. So
please, give us respite.” She straightened finishing her plea.

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” He had his mind made. “I’ve heard your plea,
and you’ll get the help. After all this Kingdom is prosperous.” He smiled.
“We can work together to make it even better. But Demon Lord, eh…”
That’s one hell of an enemy to make.

“Champion of Spiders,” she addressed, “I wouldn’t worry about that too

much.”

“Why? Isn’t he formidable and terrifying?”

“True. But… it’s a long story, and I and my people are weary…” She
implied heavily.

“Right, yes. Please follow, we have tents for you already. Rest, feel safe and
then we’ll talk.”

Centauri Champion made a thumbs-up sign and then waved for her people
to follow her.

She turned back to him, “Thank you. We owe you a great debt.”

The Centauri were escorted to their tents, now known as Centauri Camp.
Spiders moved to bring food to famished and tired travellers and he
observed from the sidelines.

Surviving this long trip must not have been easy. It wasn’t monsters which
were the biggest threat, but starvation. He saw bundles of BitterVine tied to
the backs of the centaurs, probably the only reason they didn’t starve. They
were lucky their bodies were able to digest something that bitter, but clearly
that diet didn’t do them any good. Their otherwise human-like faces were
gaunt and had that sickly appearance. Well, nothing that a healthy amount
of the nourishing TomGrape couldn’t solve.

Hidden in the shadows, he continued eyeing the centaurs with curiosity.

They were getting themselves ready for the meal.

The centaurs and especially their children remained wary of the spiders;
clearly, they were afraid. But he hoped that with time the apprehension will
disappear.

“I’ll give them time to rest. But then I will drill them properly.” After all,
there were more questions than answers.

“SSS!” Someone hissed and poked at the shadow he was hiding in. “Sss-
stop ogling at the women!” The voice admonished.

His camouflage spell broke making him fall out. “Hey!” He was quite
surprised she was able to detect his hidden presence. She must have
developed a spell just for that…

“I’m jealous-sss.” She slapped her tail. “And…” She grabbed him by the
arm. “Your payments are long overdue!”

She was dragging him away from the Centauri Camp and that precious
sight of centaurs cleaning and bathing their fatigued bodies.

“Hey, I’m doing important reconnaissance!” He defended himself.

“…”

He was dragged away anyway.

 73 - 'Traumatising' Content

The realm of the Demon Lord is a turbulent place, one couldn’t say it’s
always at war but saying that conflict is prevalent would be correct. The
realm consists of many different vassals with their territories and people.
The main opposing force was naturally humans, they bordered the western
territories of the Demon Realm. While the United Cities had successfully
challenged the Demon Lord many times, the source of conflict wasn’t
humans. Often it was the vassals seeking to undermine each other only to
raise their status and rank, to better themselves in front of their tyrant – the
Demon Lord. After all, in the Demon Realm, one rule reigned supreme:
Might is Right. Hence, it was not uncommon for one race to subjugate a
weaker one.

An example of a strong vassal was Centauri, they were a proud race of

centaur warriors. The rule ‘Might is Right’ had served them well, and for a
time they were at the pinnacle of their strength making a good bulk of the
Demon Army. The Centauri Cavalry was known far and wide, and they
were feared. And all was well.

Until it wasn’t. Through some unfortunate twist of fate, the United Cities
ended up marching their armies through Centauri territories. Well, this
wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last something like this happened,
but then again the fate… It wasn’t just a human army, one or two, it was a
whole lot of them, a full Crusade. But even then, this should have been
okay-ish, if only the neighbouring vassals have sent their support in time.

Maybe it was because the Centauri bullied the weaker neighbours a bit too
much, or maybe it was just a bad spell of luck. In the end, the support didn’t
even come. The humans laid waste to the Centauri castle leaving centaurs
fleeing in shame. Either way, such defeat was unacceptable, not in the
Demon Realm. They could flee to their neighbours, but the neighbour
didn’t mean a friend, at best they would end up as slaves and at worst as
meat to feed war ogres.

The options were scarce and most unpleasant. However, there was a rumour
of strange land with strange people. A rumour of a dark sorcerer who tamed
spiders and ruled over them. This, and that he gathered other lesser monster
races under his wing to build a faux-kingdom. A monster kingdom in The
Dreaded Place, it sounded dubious at best.

Regardless, even the most outrageous rumour had a sliver of truth to it and
so the Centauri put a bet on this rumour and fled to the east and towards the
endless jungle. The retreat came with a cost, opportunistic humans and then
Demon Realm slavers pursued them. The Centauri men and others who
were able had paid the price, sacrificing their lives so that the remaining
few could flee. The herd shouldn’t be left without a leader, so she – now the
last remaining Champion, was trusted to guide them.

A mana-sensing crystal (Mana Compass) has guided her path, and the rest
is now history.

A centaur maid was brushing the Champions hair, getting rid of the dirt
accumulated through the long journey.

“I didn’t expect this.” The reception was welcoming. “They had tents for all
of us, and the meals were full.” This was unprecedented.

The maid simply nodded continuing to clean the hair.

“Did they expect us? It looks like they did.” She snorted thoughtfully. ”The
dark sorcerer must have spies in the Demon Realm.” She paused and
pushed the resurfacing memory of the screams and burning castle away.
“And the spiders…” They were different than she expected, more people
than monsters. “They can talk.” She recalled a memory of a chirping spider.
“But not In Demon Language.”

The maid shuddered remembering the spiders.

“At least one of their Champions can speak properly.” She snorted
thoughtfully again. “That and his horns mean that he is from the Demon
Realm. Meaning…”

The maid didn’t need to say anything.

“As per demon custom, I’ll challenge him and claim his position!” She
nickered excitedly. “That will secure our place here… Or should I petition
to meet the spider tamer first?” She shook her head. “No, to begin with, we
need to show our strength. Might is RightI” She neighed.

The maid knowingly stopped brushing the hair and sighed.

“Maid, send a message to their Champion. I want to duel him. And get my
armour ready.” She ordered.

He was standing in front of a nervous-looking mare. He was shaking his

head in disbelief.

“Can you say that again? I’m not sure I can understand.”

“You’ve been challenged to The Duel of Champions.” She squealed.

He couldn’t wrap his head around it. He didn’t even get the full story of the
Centauri and they were challenging him. He had to wonder: Did he do
something to offend them? Or was this just a strange custom?

“Can we talk this out? Can I refuse?” He asked the centaur messenger.

“Refusal would be the same as admitting the defeat.” She bowed

apologetically.

“So I must duel your Champion?”

The centaur nodded.

“I guess, there is no harm.” He shrugged. “I agree to this duel, but where
and when?”

The Centauri messenger relayed the details. It was now and in the Centauri
Camp. Now was now, and it would take him a mere moment to get ready, so
he went straight away.

Right in the middle of the tents, the area where the food would normally be
served was cleared. Here, the nearby centaurs gathered to watch, they had
pleasant expressions on their faces.

Good! It seems that sorrow was forgotten even if for a moment. This was
clearly meant as some sort of entertainment. To boost the morale of the
Centauri refugees.

The hustle and bustle attracted not just the centaurs but the Lamia too,
albeit due to short notice there were only a few. The crowd parted letting
him into the clearing and he felt the centaurs’ gazes fixate on him. It was
obvious they were curious about him, and it was likely they found him just
as exotic as he found them.

Further away, there stood a now familiar Centauri Champion, her armour
cleaned and now shiny. In her right hand was a lance and in the other hand a
kite shield. Unfortunately, her face remained hidden by the helmet.

“Champion, so you come!” She neighed at him from a distance. “Let’s

fight!” She kicked at the ground with her hooves.

[The Duel of Champions is now in effect], the message told him.

She didn’t leave any space for questions, and he had so many. The rules
haven’t been made clear! And he was taken by surprise. How dirty! He had
the Plate Armour on already but the Devouring Spear still needed to be
retrieved.

“[Strengthen],[Piercing Thrust].” An empowered lance flew right to his

midsection.
“[Bastion]” He cast just in time.

The thrust was very powerful, so powerful that the lance (mind you,
reinforced with metal) just shattered into pieces of scrap and wood. This
was meant as a killing blow no doubt.

Was this more than just a strange Centauri game? – He had to wonder. Well,
if she wasn’t pulling any punches neither he will. He retrieved the
Devouring Spear from the Magical Inventory.

Similarly, the centaur page threw another lance to their Champion. “That
trick won’t work twice! [Cavalry Charge], [Overwhelming Force].” She
neighed at him and launched herself into a sprint, the lance tip glowed with
power.

“Wrong!” It would work two more times, but maybe she had a counter, so
he decided not to risk and met her charge with his own.

The spear clashed with a lance, they kissed each other tip to tip. And
obviously, the legendary equipment would come out as superior. The lance
just shattered again as if it was nothing making the Centauri neigh in
frustration.

“Oh no you don’t.” This time he won’t let her to just sprint past him.
“[Assassin Strike]!” Without turning around or looking, he slammed the
butt end of the spear into her back.

Maybe he should have aimed better, maybe he should have tried to look
even if at a glance, but considering the speed of the charge every
millisecond was precious. While he aimed for the back, he struck
somewhere else; centaur anatomy and the like. He had rammed the spear at
her rear, a strike was still a strike and all of the assassin multipliers applied,
so it came mercilessly at full force. And, [Chaos Blessed] just activated as a
cherry on top.

The Centauri Champion shrieked in a voice most shrill, but more terror than
pain.
He too looked at his actions with horror. “What have I done!”

The centaur collapsed on all of her sixes (like in all six limbs) – prone and
her rear pushed high in the air, “Take it out!” She cried out through tears.

“…” Everyone looked in shock.

Was it luck, or was it great misfortune? Somehow the butt end of the spear
had found a weak spot in plate armour and even smashed through the
chainmail. And then it went in somewhere it shouldn’t. Chaos!

Humiliation! “Take it out!” She commanded wiggling it ever so slightly.

Everyone just looked, and it didn’t look like there will be volunteers. He
wondered if he should call a doctor, but there were no spider doctors and a
simple Heal didn’t seem like the solution here.

“I’ll do it.” He decided to sort the mess he made. “And sorry.” He added
just in case.

“Be gentle!”

“I will.”

He wiggled the spear out ever so carefully. “Fuh.” He let out a sigh of
relief. It came out clean; no injury. “It’s out.” He voiced the obvious.

The Centauri Champion stood up trying to recover whatever dignity

remained. Then she turned around and took her helmet off. It might be
wrong but even with that embarrassed and tear-stained expression, the face
was still pretty. She had blue eyes and long yellow hair, and most of the
human features were there, but her ears were elongated and pointy.

“I congratulate you on your victory, Champion!” She said it with a shaky

voice,

[You have won The Duel of Champions.]

“So, I won…” Apparently, the questionable manoeuvre was not illegal.

“You showed great skill and tactics. To lose in such a way…” She didn’t
finish.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I think I’ve ruined the fight by accident. Wanna try
again?” He offered apologetically.

“No!!!” She neighed and then bowed. “By the custom, we are to reward you
with…”

“Nah, I’m good.” He didn’t need a reward. “I rather you tell me what this
was about.”

For some reason she bowed apologetically “… then, Champion, shall we go

and meet your Lord?”

“The Lord? But I am the Spider King?” And only then did he realise that
out of the excitement of seeing real centaurs, he had forgotten to introduce
himself not once but twice.

She made a whiny sound like a horse would. “You… you can’t be… you
aren’t just a Champion, one of many?”

He shook his head. “No, I’m the ruler of the Spider Kingdom, King to
spiders, lamias, drows and kobolds, ally to the Great Ancestral Tree. I am
the Monster King.” He smiled. “But just Spider King will also do.”

The Centauri Champion visibly paled and her legs began to tremble. “What
have I done…” A great sin. Contrary to the other rules, challenging
someone like that was unacceptable. A champion couldn't challenge
someone like a king, because kings were rulers and not warriors. But then,
the King should have just sent his Champion and not fight in person.
“Why?..” She dropped the pointless question, it was too late, it didn’t matter
now, so instead she straightened herself. “King, will you take us as your
vassals?”

He looked at her. “I’m still waiting on that story. You know, The Story.”
“Right, right…” She put her helmet back on. “Then come back to my tent.
I’ll tell you everything.”

The crowd parted and so they walked through it. The centaurs were giving
him apologetic looks; he wondered why it was so. But at least the lamia
seemed to be happy with the ‘show’, a few of them were giving him a
thumbs up; but he couldn’t stay he was proud of a victory like this.

The Centauri Champion guided him to her tent and closed the flap behind.

“The Story…” She took her helmet off. “I’ll tell you our story.” She
unbuckled her chestplate. “A tale of proud and strong centaurs.” The chest
plate dropped to the ground soon followed by the pauldrons. “A race of
warriors.” A padded tunic joined the discarded chest piece. “I can’t reach
my back, can you?”

Right, he undid the clasps dropping the armour plates protecting her horse
sides.

“And the mail.”

He took that off too, it was quite heavy.

“And the padded shirt.”

He undid the buckles taking the padded cloth off; there was nothing else
there. Right… “And the story?”

“I’ll tell you about our fall. Our great misfortune.” She finished taking the
rest of the protective pieces. “And our trip here to you.” She looked at him.

He didn’t like that begging look.

“But first you must take your prize.” She took whatever was there to take
off, revealing the scared body of a warrior.

“Prize?”
“As custom dictates, now I’m your subordinate. And considering what
you…” She blushed. “My body is yours!”

“Awesome! Out of the armour already!” He clapped. “Let’s get you a dress
first. A blue one preferably. Then we’ll go for a nice dinner: you, me and
my wife. There you will tell The Story to both of us. Oh, and let's invite the
Trusty Advisor, just in case.”

“Understood.” She gave a genuine smile and bowed vigorously.

The bounce the jiggle! Could be half-cow and not half-horse with those!

“SPIDERS!” He shouted for them feeling threatened.

 74 - Double Espionage

A Drow Assistant came to the throne room, she would do that ever so often.
The two would spend the time discussing magic or some ongoing research
project. But this time she was here to give the Spider King her advice.

“To help those in need is a noble thing indeed. But be firm and wary. A
good heart is too often abused.”

Of all of the people, he didn't expect her to say this line. After all, before the
Drow were what they are now, they too were refugees in a sense.

“I know that. I have no plans to let them freeload here. They are now my
vassals.”

“So you’re planning to put them to work?”

“I do.” He said with conviction.

“And what that lot can do? They are warriors through and through. Do you
even need more warriors and guards?”

This Drow was very bold to question him, The King, like that. But he
needed people like her, someone who dared to question the policy he was
making, but in a genuine way that is.

“Correct, I have all the warriors I need, spiders and Lamia alike. The farms
are managed by spiders. The mining by Kobolds, and magic by you ever
loyal Drow.”

“And that is why I’m here. I just fail to see how these Centauri can be
integrated here. You know, just yesterday they challenged Lamia to a fight.
And lost… So really of what use are they to you?”
“Now, now. They needed help, and help we can. It has been decided and so
they will remain here. And for what can they do… they can do plenty. We
will find things for them.”

“My King, please name just a single thing.”

“Easy, I’ll have them to transport goods to and from the Human Kingdom.”

“Ha! To use them like beasts of burden. Good one!” She giggled
maliciously.

“Please don’t phrase it like that. But yes, they're fast and strong, they can
pull more than a spider can carry.”

“Ah, so is that why the Kobolds were making those bricks? We assumed a
castle but it is a road yes?”

“Yes. In the jungle and in the forest the spiders remain faster but then we
have smooth surfaces that’s where centaurs will shine. You will see.” The
road construction was already more than halfway done.

“King, I believe you. Yes, this makes sense.”

“So did I put your worries at ease? You won’t protest Centauri here?”

“If they’re here to pull wagons and carry goods. I will not, I think that’s
fitting.” She smiled pleased and then added. “Have you told them already?”
She grinned again.

“No, not yet. Why?”

“I guarantee they will not like it.”

“Hmm.” Maybe the Drow assistant had a point. “You’re right, being as
proud as they are, they won’t see it as an honourable and important job. All
I have to do is to make it sound important.”

“I can’t wait to see their faces.” She made a nasty grin.

Huh, aren’t these Drow growing to be a bit too malicious… Especially, this
assistant.

“If you seek to undermine them. I will not allow that.” He warned but in a
very casual tone. “Since you can’t wait, go and fetch me their Champion.”

“Me?” She sounded surprised.

“Yes. Send her a message that I requested her presence. And don’t
embarrass me, do it properly, and in a courteous way. After all, you will be
representing me and my voice.” This was his attempt to humble the drow.

“I…” Her eyes darted for a moment. “It would be my honour, King.” She
bowed and excused herself.

He turned to a shadowy corner. “And you, go spy on her.”

The head emerged from the shadow, “Understood,” it chirped and

disappeared again.

“I’m glad I’ve Imbued them with magic. They make the best spies.”

Drow Assistant walked in a hurried fashion towards the Centauri Camp; her
steps were quick and determined. She kept referring to her notebook, well
to be more precise, to the rough map she had the spiders to draw for her.
The MegaFarm was big, way too big, and it was easy to get lost here.

She reached the tents and stopped for a moment. “It should be somewhere
here.” She had the Champions tent marked on the map, it was quite
accurate. But finding it was more difficult than one might imagine. The
tents were pretty much identical and scattered in random patterns. “I’m
lost.” She said with fright. “I can’t fail something simple like this…” She
just couldn’t, the High Chief would never forgive her.

“Hey, you!” She shouted at the random centaur. “Where is your Champion’s
tent?”
The centaur snorted and just ignored her by walking away.

“Savages!” She too wanted to snort. A different approach then. She walked
to another centaur, the woman was busy repairing her lance. “I’m the
King’s messenger and I have orders to relay. Lead me to your Champion,
now!” She flexed the authority she was given.

It came out commanding, but apparently, this was what was missing. “At
once.” The centaur saluted by slamming her right to her chest and clicking
her hooves. “Follow, me.”

She was escorted to yet another blue tent, no different than the others.
“Hmm…” She hummed thoughtfully. “I was expecting something…
something more befitting the station of a Centauri Champion.” Like a
bigger tent, or some flags indicating a commander here. If the tent had no
identifying markers how was she supposed to find it!? “Savages…” She
whispered.

The centaur didn’t reply to her complaints and instead shouted out,
“Champion! The King has sent a messenger!”

The sound of rustling and clanging came out of the tent but soon the flap
parted and a fully armoured centaur woman emerged.

“Messenger.” Even in the heavy armour, she managed to give a curt and
elegant bow.

Drow replied in kind. “Champion, the Spider King requires your presence.”

“Now?” The voice was tinged with panic.

Of course now you savage… “Yes, the matter is of high importance.” She
curtly bowed again.

“But… But I can’t go like this.” She rushed back into her tent. “His
preferences…”

She wanted to shout at the centaur, she had a task here! “I can’t make the
King wait. Hurry!”
“Just a moment.” This time there were even more rustling and clanging.
“My hair… My hair isn’t even brushed.” More noise came out. “No! I
forgot a bath!” She neighed.

“You can’t take a bath!” The Drow Assistant shouted losing her cool. “Now,
is now!”

The flap parted again revealing an entirely different image of the

Champion. The heavy armour was gone, she now wore a blue dress; It
clung tightly to her muscular body emphasising her feminine proportions.

The Drow Assistant eyed the centaur. “Tch!” She clicked her tongue. She
knew what the Champion was doing here… that vixen! “Let's go. The King
is waiting.”

“Of course. At once.” The Champion began to gallop at a brisk pace and
even then managed to appear noble and elegant.

The Drow Assistant was left speechless, the Champion was just jogging, but
she would have never thought that such a sight was possible. Any normal
man would find himself swayed; the Champion radiated eroticism with that
obscene body of hers. To walk in an erotic fashion – that’s an idea she’d
never thought of before. It was worth an entry in her Notebook of
Knowledge.

*Scribble *Scribble – she made a hurried note.

The Champion galloped gallantly into the throne room, The Drow assistant
right in tow. The latter panted and was sweaty, she clearly had struggled to
keep pace. The Champion stopped a few paces away from the throne and
bowed slightly a bit too low.

Dangerous! Maybe it was a mistake to give a dress like that to her…

“King, I’m at your command.” The centaur announced.

The Drow Assistant caught up, and also bowed a bit too low imitating the
Champion.

“Assistant.” He looked at her. “You did well, but next time maybe allow my
guest to bathe? It wasn't that urgent.”

“I apologise for my failure.” She bowed even lower.

The Champion sniffed at herself and developed a slight blush.

“No need. I just wanted to humble you a bit. You were looking down on
Centauri needlessly. You see there are things individuals are good at and
there are things individuals are bad at. But also, no one is born knowing.
The Centauri here might not know a lot of things, but I’m sure they're
capable of learning and adjusting. Isn’t that right Champion?”

“If this is because I Challenged the King that day,” she bowed again
vigorously, ”I apologise!“

Dangerous! “Please stop bowing.” This was too distracting. “Yeah, there are
rules. And I guess the Drow…” He looked at his Assistant. “Took offence
of you breaking them.”

The centaur gave a knowing look. “You assault the King and you assault his
people; in this case Drow, Lamia and what was it Kobolds? I understand
why Drow might take offence at our brazen actions. And I’m aware of our
position here. We are nothing but beggars. Yet to prove our worth.” She
bowed again and even lower.

“Please stop bowing. I just want you to stop duelling and fighting with my
people.”

The Champion blinked confused. “But Might is Right. How else can we
prove our worth to you?”

“This is not Demon Realm, this is the Spider Kingdom. You prove your
worth here differently.”
The Champion looked at him intently and the Drow Assistant gave an
approving look.

“I have an important task for you. Something crucial and something only
you centaurs can do.”

The Champion was listening with sparkling eyes.

“I need you to transfer and protect the goods of Spider Kingdom. The
continuous flow of trade is paramount for this Kingdom to prosper. So you
will be tasked with the executive position in logistics and transport. A
difficult task indeed. The journey is long and the trek is dangerous. Bandits
and monsters might challenge you at every turn. But I know that you are
strong, I witnessed that strength myself! I trust you to protect my cargo with
your lives. So the question is: are you brave enough to challenge the
dangers and take this burden?”

The Champion slammed her chest. “Of course we are! We won’t fail. Not
again.”

“Good, that’s all I wanted to hear. The Trusty Advisor will tell you the
minute details, please listen to him. He’s my right hand, so consider him
your superior.”

“Understood!” She saluted again.

“Well, then that’s it. You are dismissed.”

The Champion bent her knees ever so slightly, but before she could finish,
“Please, don’t bow. You are excused from bowing. I prefer those salutes
you’re making.”

The crisis was averted. The Champion straightened her knees, saluted and
then galloped gallantly away.

The Drow Assistant looked at that swaying horse's rear and then back at her
King. “Should I begin saluting and walking like that too?”
“Please don’t. That would be silly. So how was that expression on the
Champion's face you so wished to see?”

She sighed. “Somehow, I feel defeated.”

“Not humbled?”

“King, I think I should stick to magical research. No offence but I’m a poor
messenger.”

“I agree. But please continue voicing your thoughts to me, even if they
are… Even if it’s something I wouldn’t like hearing.”

She smiled. ”I will. But don’t expect to pour my heart open to you. You
might find it a bit too dark and nasty.”

“That’s very self-aware… Please be kind to others. No, that might be

against your nature. Please try to be kind despite your nature.” He knew that
he was asking a lot.

She bowed for some reason. “I’ll do my best.” She smiled and then looked
at the shadowy corner knowingly.

“Don’t ask me not to spy on my people.” He smiled. “I’m not a paragon of

virtue either. I’ll allow small evils as long as we all can get along.”

“I wasn’t implying anything.” Her voice was flustered.

“I know you spy on me. For your uncle, the High Chief.”

The pale Drow skin turned even paler.

“Ha-ha.” He laughed. “Relax, that is alright. We spy on each other because

we are curious friends. Always interested in what the other is doing.
Romantic, no?”

She had a complicated expression on her face. “By the way your spider
merchants, had brought something very interesting and asked us to
investigate.” She changed the topic abruptly.
That’s something he didn’t manage to spy out yet. “I assume the
investigation is over?”

“Correct. We found a way to incubate and potentially hatch the Desert

Wyrm Egg.”

That’s a saucy piece of information. “I understand it came from The

Scorpion Desert. But then it hatches can we tame something like that?”

“We’ve been researching that too. Through spiders, we made contact with
the Fennec traders. They say it’s possible but the method is questionable.
The hatchling will imprint on the first thing it sees, but then it grows in
power… we were told that the tamer usually ends up as its lunch.”

“Hmm sounds like a dangerous monster. Might it be because it becomes

stronger than the tamer and just rebels?” He postulated.

“We think so too.” She looked at him expectantly. “But if it’s the King of
Spiders, no, a Monster King…”

Yes, he was that. “I might stand a chance of taming it properly. It’s worth a
try, and even if it becomes feral we can just harvest it for materials.”

“Precisely.” She wrote something in that notebook of hers.

“Then it’s decided, just call me when it’s ready.”

She nodded but gave yet another gaze at the shadowy corner. “That might
be redundant.” She whispered mostly to herself.
 75 - Impossible Burger and
Forbidden Sauce

White wagons were lined up to form a caravan. The spider crafters had
constructed them from IronOak, a task requiring patience and great skill.
The wagons were made to transport the goods to the Human Kingdom but
at this moment they were filled with stone bricks.

Obviously, the wagons will be pulled by centaurs; and guarded by them too.
The pullers were wearing sleek garbs made out of the finest Blue Cloth,
while it wasn’t the heavy armour they insisted on, the crafters lined the
insides with Enchanted Boar Leather. They needed to understand that the
heavy armour would weigh them too much and that the light armour was
the most appropriate. However, there was the contrast of course, guards
weren’t pullers so they did have that sturdy armour on their centaur bodies.
And it was a full plate, the grey and worn Centauri metal was replaced by
orange Corrundum. It was their few surviving Centauri knights who will
be guarding the caravan.

The guards were bright and splendid, in their hands they had their favourite
choice of weapon – a lance. The lances were reworked too: reinforced and
enchanted even. Wind Lance, was only possible with Wind Spirit Stones,
the ones purchased from the Human Kingdoms. It came with the perks of
[Piercing] and [Speed Boost], the two worked in tandem with other
Centauri' natural abilities to make them even more formidable.

Both guards and pullers had a large insignia of Spider Kingdom

embroidered on their gear. Thus, even without spider escort, it was made
clear who they belonged to.

With this, the road to humans should be finished even quicker.

…

The King of Spiders had found himself again in the Drow Archives, a place
for research and study. The tower was filled with activity; the dull but
scratch-like sound of scribing filled the spiral corridors. This place was as
much for spiders as it was for Drow, the two worked together to further the
magical research.

The nebulous cloud forming the ill-defined body of the Darkness Spider
hovered past the King. Inside the cloud was a bundle of peculiar parchment
sheets, for some reason the parchment was pitch black, the edges threaded
in golden thread and the writing was blood red in colour. The cloud waved
at the King and he waved back. The spider seemed busy so he didn't
question what it was doing, after all, he was here for the High Chief.

If anywhere the venerable leader of the Drow will be at his study, so he

went right to the place. The doors were open so he just let himself in and
took a good look at the state of the study. The desk had piles upon piles of
scrolls. The nearby shelves were filled to the brim with scorpion glass vials,
the containers had various plants preserved inside. The High Chief was
scribbling something using the Magical Ink, an invention the two came up
with together by mixing the Mana Spring Water and Blue Dust + a
selection of glowing mushrooms the Drow cultivated in nearby caves.

A familiar servant girl was standing by the High Chief’s side, ready for his
commands; she seemed positively bored. The man was too busy to notice
his King but the bored girl did. She tapped the desk trying to get the High
Chief's attention – ignored. She cleared her throat – ignored.

“Greetings, King of Spiders!” She greeted loudly and bowed.

“Uh?” The High Chief blinked and looked up. “Ah! The Spider King,
welcome. I’ve been expecting you.”

Of course, he was, the Drow Assistant must have informed him that he, the
King, is coming.
He nodded to acknowledge their greetings, “Then you know why I’m here.”
There were quite a few things on the agenda.

“Shall I start on the report about smelting Glem?” After receiving the
confirmation the High Chief continued. “It wasn’t cheap, extortive even,
but the scorpions shared their secrets. We have the blueprints needed to
build the forge, but many of the ingredients are foreign to us. Have a look.”
The High Chief produced a leather rag from one of the drawers.

The tattered rag was the blueprint and it looked centuries old. An old and
inefficient design perhaps. Conveniently it already had the supporting notes
scribbled by no one else but the High Chief himself. He had identified the
materials, the ones they already had and the ones they would need to obtain.

The Comprehend perk activated straight away and from just a single
glance he understood the blueprint, and how to improve it. “I see. It will
require a lot of Fire Spirit Stone, and a few of Earth.”

“We, or should I say the spider merchants, managed to secure the earth
variety from the scorpions themselves. And our Drow FireWalkers are
working hard in the Fire Caverns.”

So in other words the most expensive ingredients were already secured.

“I think, we don’t need these exotic monster parts.” He referred to the rest
of the materials. “We can achieve the same with treated IronOak, Kobold
StoneBricks, generous application of Reinforce, and your enchantment
rituals.”

The High Chief gave a surprised look. “Is that so?”

It was so, Comprehend assured him of that. “And we can further improve
the smeltery… I already have a few ideas.” He was thinking of using the
FireAgave Juice to increase the heat the spirit stones would generate, plus
the improved Forge Bellows where the Drow would further enchant them
with Air affinity; after all, they had the Air Spirit Stones now (only a small
bunch but enough).
“From that look you have… I can easily guess what you’re thinking. King,
wouldn't it be better to secure our own source of Air Spirit Stones? The
price the human merchants ask is exorbitant!”

Oh… so the chief was privy to his dealings with the Black Hand Covenant.
Interesting!

“I agree, the Trusty Advisor had already proposed that idea. And why stop
at Air?.. but do you know any other sources aside from Fire?”

“No, King, I do not. But considering what the spider merchants had brought
from the desert the scorpions must possess an Earth source..”

“Hmm.” If anything he would have expected that the desert would host just
a Fire source; apparently not. “That requires further investigation. For now,
let's just get that smeltery made.” He pushed the stack of parchment slightly
away from the table. “Let me get the new blueprint ready.” He borrowed the
nearby supplies to do just that.

He was done in a manner of moments. “The spider crafters should be able

to construct this. And the enchantments I leave to you.” He handed in the
blueprint to the drow.

The forge business wasn’t the only reason he was here. “The Myconid
Matriarch.” He opened the new topic. “How is she doing? Are you getting
the mushroom shipments she promised?”

“Yes, King. The mushrooms are plump and ever so tasty, plus she sends us
other ingredients like spores. Speaking of which, we have accumulated
quite a large store of spores. And it's not like we can eat that.”

Indeed, those were alchemical ingredients. “Thanks for reminding me. I’ll
see them sent to my Crimson Alchemist.”

The High Chief gave a surprised look. “Crimson Alchemist?”

“Ah, I guess you wouldn’t know. I haven’t met her either but she is a
Master Alchemist, goes by the name of Crimson.”
“Like fire or blood?” The High Chief sounded curious.

He shrugged. “Haven't met her so… But she’s good, she’s better than the
novice me. If you want I can send you more interesting potions she makes.
No, I definitely will. To top your mana up. Reinforce Mana plus
Regenerate Mana is quite a combination.” Because the mana spring could
do only so much.

“That would be most useful.” The High Chief smiled and bowed ever so
slightly. “By the way, on the previous topic of mushrooms. That creature…
Myconid Matriarch?” He scratched his head and his facial expression
looked apologetic. “Had requested your presence. That is, when you’re not
busy. Didn’t seem important at the time…”

High Chief, you forgot, didn’t you? And remembered only now. “I’ll see
what she wants.” But he also remembered something he’d almost forgotten.
“And the egg?”

“The Desert Wyrm Egg? It’s incubating in hot sand. We keep the
temperature stable and hence decrease the time needed. But it won’t be
hatching any time soon.”

“How do you know when it will hatch?” He asked curious.

“The creature is of the magical nature, so we track the flow of mana.

Currently, it is only accumulating ambient mana, but the presence of nearby
sources like Mana Spring also helps. We’ll know it’s near to hatching once
it starts to condense the accumulated mana into a core. The core finishes
and the Wyrm hatches.”

Wow, the High Chief know his stuff! “Thanks for keeping it short and
simple.” It was obvious that the process was more complicated. “Well, then.
I’ll be off.”

He bid farewell to the drow and went to the Myconid Cavern.

…
The mulch the spiders have been bringing did wonders for the mushroom
growth; the mushroom farm was prospering.

“I’ll need to ask the Kobolds to either expand this cavern or dig another one
nearby.”

He continued walking while careful not to crush the sprouting shrooms. The
little myconids scattered away from him hiding behind bigger mushrooms.
The brown creatures were very shy, it was hard to believe that once they
had ravaged his farm in a maddened rage.

The Myconid Matriarch was still there where he had planted her spore. She
grew slightly larger but otherwise didn’t change much.

“Hello, the Drow told me you’ve requested my presence.” He spoke to her.

The mushroom bent its white stalk to bow. “Yes, I’ve awaited for Thee, my
King. The Drow stopped their greedy plundering and the mushrooms grew
splendid.”

“All well and good it seems. Did you call me here to ask a favour?”

She shook her brown cap. “Only for a chat. Would my King please take a
seat?” A mushroom stool grew out from the ground. “Tell me how Thou is
doing.”

Eh? Is this really happening? “Well, since we met a lot… A lot has
happened.”

“When...” She puffed a cloud of spores and a small gathering of myconids

rushed to her. “Have a snack and tell me all.”

The goomba-like creatures carried a platter with food. Yup, the food was
mushrooms but the selection was large.

Eh? Myconids were offering him mushrooms, wasn’t this like cannibalism,
but to refuse would seem rude.
“Don’t mind if I do.” He took an already sliced piece and into his mouth it
went.

Poisonous mushrooms? What is that? His perks negated such things. The
mushrooms turned out to be quite tasty. And while sampling the food he
casually retold the abridged versions of his many exploits.

“But my King… Then Thou should have visited me sooner. I could have
helped Thee.” She bobbed her cap.

Eh?!

The Matriarch was able to read his human face quite well. “Wondrous
spores for potions, nutritious mushrooms for human famine, and I know the
scorpions like the fungus as they like their trees.”

“They do?” Well, spiders did mention something like that in one of their
reports. But he never bothered to sell mushrooms then he had much more
precious Living Wood. Maybe a missed opportunity…

“Why wouldn’t they? I made sure to grow Thine mushrooms plump and
delicious. And now you have Mutate… So the taste could be enchanted
even further.”

Well, she was right.

“Hmm, to be honest, I‘m not big on mushrooms but Drow do like them
quite a lot.”

“My King. Give it a try, please help yourself and improve my kin.”

Why not. He mutated a bunch of mushrooms, guiding the changes ever so

slightly. The Matriarch had a similar skill to the White Dryads – [Grow] but
for mushrooms. And very soon there was another taste test.

One specimen made his eyebrows rise. “Why does it taste like grilled
meat?” He turned the brown cap in his hands still filled with disbelief.
“Even the texture is right.” He took another bite. “A bit dry, it begs for a
sauce, but this would make a splendid burger.” He marvelled at the lucky
outcome of mutation.

“Dry?” The Matriarch gave him a curious look. “If the King desires I can
moisten it.” A fungal root burst from the ground asking to take it from him.

“Uhm, sure. Do your best?” He was curious.

She brought the bitten burger-mushroom right under the brown cap of hers.
He wasn’t an expert on the myconid expressions but that fungal face looked
embarrassed for a moment. A slimy dew leaked from under the cap and
onto the burger-mushroom. That was the condensed slime which would
normally coat the mushrooms, or he hoped wishing that it wasn’t something
more dreadful entirely. The fungal root offered the ‘moistened’ burger back
to him.

He took it back hesitantly. His hand was shaking but even then he had
enough courage to taste it.

“That’s one hell of a sauce!” The taste was unique and nothing like he
tasted before, it was rich with those umami flavours. “It fits just right!” He
gobbled up the burger-mushroom. “It just needs a bun, some cheese and
lettuce and we have a proper hamburger.” But then sadness took hold of his
face. “But without that ‘sauce’… and It doesn’t look easy to produce.”

“I have a proposition.” The Matriarch looked at him expectantly. “Evolve

me, Mutate me, Imbue me with magic and I assure Thy, Thy will have
Thine moisture.”

Evolving sapient and high-ranking creatures was always a risky business.

“You know it’s dangerous, you might stop being you… And my affinity is
Dark, and imbuing you with anything else is a risky business.”

“There is no risk.” The Matriarch assured him of something she must have
no knowledge of.

But then, maybe she did know. Some creatures were born with knowledge
and she seemed like one of such.
“I guess, I can. For the future of the burger!” He already craved for more.
“Ready?”

The Matriarch gave him an approving smile.

“[Evolve],[Imbue: Dark],[Mutate].” He invoked one after the other.

[Perks: Unnatural Selection, Chaos Blessed – triggered]

[Royal Lineage requirements have been met (Monster King, Myconid

Matriarch)]

[Myconid Matriarch has received Royal Evolution option]

She must have taken it because his mana drained to zero. The figure of
Matriarch exploded into purple particles. The explosion knocked him off
the mushroom stool. And then he passed out from negative mana.
 76 - Source of the Sauce | Spidery
Delicious

It felt like he was hit with a hammer and the world was spinning, but even
then he couldn't ignore the elegant form standing nearby. The result of
Royal Evolution was right in front:

Defined feminine features dominated her now undoubtedly semi-human

form. Instead of just a white stalk and a cap, she now had a proper waist,
arms, chest and head; but her lower half remained firmly planted in the
ground indicating the absence of legs and feet. However, from a quick
glance, the fault wouldn’t be apparent because she was dressed in a white
bridal dress, the long skirt of white fungal mesh touched the ground thus
obfuscating her lower stalk and absence of proper legs. She retained her
signature brown cap, but now it resembled a fashionable hat. From under
the cap, a bridal veil hung loosely slightly covering her face. The gloves,
the hat, and the dress were all made out of mushroom flesh, but despite that,
the texture gave an impression of exquisite and expensive cloth. And what
was not covered by ‘cloth’ appeared like white skin; pristine, smooth and
without even a single blemish. Her figure was well developed and gave the
impression that it could burst at any time ripping that overly tight dress of
hers, but otherwise, she radiated the aura of sophisticated nobility more than
the aura of maidenly beauty.

“A Mushroom Bride?” He uttered surprised.

She shook her head, “Myconid Queen,” she corrected.

The result of the evolution was unexpected to say the least. “But how…”
Something didn’t add up. “I have Imbued you with Dark affinity.” But the
result was this innocent appearance.
“Yes, my King. I have access to the Dark spells now, but even then, I am
still one with Nature… Does this form not please Thee?” She turned and
twisted her body making her skirt flutter. “I took this shape because I
thought it might please you.”

“Well… Yes, you look stylish and graceful. I’m just surprised that is all.”
He didn’t think a mushroom could be so beautiful.

“So I am, it turned out better than expected.” She took the hem of her dress
and made a curt bow. “Thank you, my King.”

“No problem.” He rubbed the still throbbing temples of his head.

“You look drained.” She offered a fungal cup filled with familiar sauce. “It
will help you recover.”

He would never have thought there would come a day when he would drink
sauce as if it was water, but here he was thirsty and with a headache.

“The sauce…” He tasted it. [Stamina recovery increased], the message

informed him. “Oh, you improved the recipe.”

The Myconid Queen puffed her chest. “Thou are correct, and with these,”
she pointed at a certain body part, “now I can make a lot more. All thanks to
Thy Mutate.”

He blinked twice. “I would’ve never guessed it could be used in that

way…” And then he chose to just ignore the reality of the source of the
sauce. “But how much sauce can you supply? A jug a day?”

“Hmm.” She seemed thoughtful for a moment. “With the right amount of
nutrients, a barrel shouldn’t be a problem.”

That was a lot! After all, the burger needed only a drop of it to achieve the
complete taste.

“With that amount… I think we can start a restaurant chain or something.”

He nodded happily. “Yes, there is no reason to keep this discovery hidden.
World be ready because the burger is coming!” He announced with a fist
pump.

The Myconid Queen gave him a peculiar look. “You seem happy.”

“Of course I am. We invented something amazing. I reckon we should test

this first with the Drow and then expand to the Human Kingdom.”

“Then, I’ll prioritise growing the burger-mushrooms.”

“You do that, and I’ll send the spiders with barrels so we can start
accumulating the sauce. Hmm…” He became thoughtful for a moment.
“But calling it just a sauce is a bit underwhelming. How about the Secret
Sauce? But…” That name sounded tired and overused. “You know, what?
Since you are the chef who made the sauce you should go and name it.”

It didn’t take a second for her to reply. “Forbidden Dew.” She said it as if
the name was obvious from the beginning.

“Eh?” If anything it should be milk but, “Why is it forbidden?”

“Because it’s meant only for the King. Sause so succulent and precious that
only a King could afford.” She smiled. “If we name it that, the people will
only want it more.”

“I see, what you’re trying to do.” He smiled back. “Yes, that’s a brilliant
name. I think people will be curious if not tempted to try it. Impossible
Burger with a dash of Forbidden Dew, a food combination worthy of a
King! The experience is yours for only a paltry silver.” Then he continued
in a hurried voice. “Conditions and terms apply. The Spider King takes no
responsibility for stomach aches, poisoning or untimely death. Supply is
limited to availability.”

She gave him an amused look.

“And I think I’ll come back, that is then my mana recovers, so that I can
Mutate more flavours.” He began to salivate at the possibilities. “Maybe, if
I’m lucky, I’ll have the divine flavour of chicken again!” Hopefully this
time proper and not squirrel-chicken flavour. “But for now, I’ll leave it to
you and I’ll see the first restaurant built at the Drow City.”

“I shall have the burgers ready by tomorrow.” She bowed with confidence.

And that was that, so he went to relay the good news to the High Chief.

It was convenient that The Mana Spring was close to the Myconid Cavern,
it allowed the King to mutate the mushrooms and come back here to
recover; rinse and repeat. While the Spider King was waiting for the
completion of Glem smeltery he conspired with spiders to build his first
restaurant.

The structure didn’t even take a day to erect. The building was that now
iconic spider nest-dome made out of intertwined wood and blue ropes.
Nearby he erected a thick IronOak pole to serve as a sign; it displayed the
massive flag with the spider eating a mushroom. While the design might be
interpreted as questionable and spooky even, it was still simple and easy to
understand: there was food sold here. Actually, the spidery building might
be spooky only for the humans, after all, the Drow had different aesthetics
and instead found the design inviting. That was evident by the very long
line forming by the entrance.

It might be the novelty of the building, the promise of unfamiliar food or

the fact that the King himself was a today staffing the restaurant, but there
wasn't a single Drow in an entire city who didn't want to be here; to miss
such an opportunity would be a sin.

Two spider guards, clad in decorative and shiny orange armour blocked the
entrance with weapons resembling halberds.

“We’re open!” A regal voice shouted from deep within.

The spiders parted their halberds to allow passage.

“Welcome. To Spidery Delicious.” The two chirped in tandem revealing
the name of the restaurant.

The Drow flocked inside or tried to, but only a certain number was allowed.
The halberds blocked the entrance controlling the crowd.

The lucky first marvelled at the sight of the restaurant proper. The inside
was well-lit by lantern light, the flame burned bright and smokeless,
betraying them to be a magical device of sorts. The tables were carved out
of IronOak, the spider craftsmanship was exquisite, and even the chairs
were cushioned with the expensive Blue Cloth; they looked inviting and
comfortable. The Drow were met by a spider attendant and led to the tables
in small groups. There a small spider waiter dangled from a web affixed by
a ceiling, it lowered itself by string and towards the table offering a menu to
the drows.

Drows took their parchment marvelling at them.

“Rules?”, “I thought they would serve food, not books?”, “But I can’t
read.”, “…”

They voiced their confusion. Of course they would be confused, after all
this was their first experience.

“This is the list. Of food items. You can order.” The spider began to explain.
“Guests. Shall I read it. For you.” The spider added reacting to the
unexpected realisation that not everyone could read.

The oldest guest attempted to read the menu, but the rest of the family just
nodded.

“We have. Chicken Of The Woods. Beefsteak Mushroom. Shrimp Russulas.

Lobstery Caps…” The spider waiter began to name various kinds of
mushrooms. “All served with… Forbidden Dew!” It chirped after a
meaningful pause to cause an effect.

“Forbidden Dew?” A drow asked with slight concern.

“Forbidden Dew. A sauce made for a King. And only for a King. A sauce
so splendid. It was meant for gods.” it chirped embellishing the story. “The
magnanimous King. Wished to share it. With the world. So we serve it. But
only for… a moment. So feast now. While you can.”

Drows looked at each other and then picked their mushrooms at random.
The spider memorised their order and then ran through the ceiling web and
towards the kitchen. Soon it arrived with a tray. One by one the spider
lowered the plates to the guests voicing the name of the dish back to them.

“Enjoy. And call me back. For more.” It chirped pleasantly and made itself
comfortable on the ceiling web.

A similar scene repeated itself from table to table. The Drow marvelled at
their food for a moment but then they dug at it without hesitation. The
sound of foodgasm filled the restaurant.To anyone listening from outside,
the sounds made were obscene! The repeat of orders were placed to spiders
for more of the delightful food.

The King smiled pleased by the success of the Impossible Burgers. Through
trial and error, he had managed to replicate various meat flavours and the
rich-in-umami Forbidden Dew sauce completed the culinary masterpiece.
In the kitchen, the diligent spider cooks worked in conveyor fashion to
assemble the meals. The food production was smooth and quick. At the
moment the dish was just burger patties with sauce and extras like
EarthenYam fries or other fruits or vegetables; the bun still had to be
invented because he needed a suitable grain for that.

He was emboldened by the success of the Impossible Burgers, and so

decided to launch the second product. It was just a drink, but he was
hesitant because it was rather an unusual drink, at least to the Drow.

The Myconid Queen managed to produce a magical type of fungus, Dark

Spores. The fungus was microscopic and invisible to the eye forming a fine
powder, and it was an alchemical ingredient of sorts. By chance, he had
discovered that when it was mixed with Mana Spring Water, the water
would become bubbly. The best of it was that despite using something with
Dark in the name, the result wasn’t poisonous or anything like that
just***… never mind that. The water turned carbonated, that’s it! While,
yes, it lost its mana-restoring properties, it could still be used as a base to
make a fizzy drink. And a fizzy drink he made. He injected the Dark Water
with the syrup of TomGrape and a dash of SlugJelly to make a sweet and
bubbly delight named as CocaCola, oops that’s trademarked, Spider-
FizzPop™. A complicated name but a classy one never the less.

*** Okay… Despite its sweetness, and perceived richness, The Dark
element in the Spider-FizzPop™ gave it a peculiar property – it had
negative nutrition. But! In the King’s defence, it worked to his advantage.
As long as he served the drink with the plentiful food portions it would
have no negative effect at all. If anything he just invented a diet drink which
can prevent obesity. Just don’t drink it on its own, alright…

He gave a signal for the spiders to start offering the drink. On the house of
course. The spiders lowered the sleek scorpion glass bottles on the table, the
bottles had a spider as its logo on the front. The spider waiters chirped
urging the guests to have a free sample. The Drow looked again with
wonder-filled eyes, and then they uncorked the fungiwood cork and sipped
out of the spidery and dark bottle without even a shred of hesitation. The
darkness in the bottle swirled and bubbled tickling their tongues as they
drank it in urged gulps.

“So sweet!”, “Delicious!”, “There’s a party in my mouth!”, so and such

resounded.

In the end, it was well received too. Everything in Spidery Delicious was
well received, the restaurant was a great success. However, he was still
exposed to a dilemma: should he feed the guest till they were bursting full,
or should he dismiss them so that more people could experience the joy of
burgers and cola?

But if anything, he’ll have to expand the restaurant, and even start to offer
proper and on-the-go fast food options. Maybe two separate areas: one for
classy dining and the other for quick meals? A drive, no, a walk-through?
Delivery service?
“Running a business is hard.” He just became a victim of his own success.
“I’ll just delegate it to competent spiders. Simple.” Indeed, that was the
solution.

Just by looking at the seamlessly impeccable work practice they managed to

pull off here it was clear that the spiders were perfect for the job.

“Watch out Human Kingdom… It ain’t the Famine you’ll need to worry
about now, but the opposite... Ha! Ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha!” He laughed in an evil
and conspiratory way.

But of course, he won't be spreading anything nefarious, only the happiness

of burgers and delight of Spider-FizzPop™. The story of the Spidery
Delicious restaurant empire just began, and it will take the world by storm.
 77 - Holy Unholy Ritual of Rebirth

Deep within the darkness of the Drow City, surrounded by cold stone
houses, stared by ashen faces and red eyes of crimson, in a small and
shallow crater – there was a cube most strange and menacing. The Cube of
Forges was its name. It was a device made out of black and glass-like
bricks giving it that sinister look, but for the lucky few, for those who gazed
at the right angle the cube would shine in a magical purple sheen betraying
its magical nature. If one dared to come close, very close, they would see
the Drow glyphs adorning the black bricks, but they weren’t coloured or
glowing, nothing like that, they were just there etched into the surface as if
to remain hidden from a distant observer. The structure was both menacing
and mysterious, but even then, it mostly was just a massive cube.

While the cube was exactly that – a perfect cube, its walls had holes and
facets resembling greedy mouths. And greedy they were! The spiders were
running back and forth watering the greedy mouth with that red and oily
juice. The cube consumed the liquid in great quantities. Another mouth
craved solid food, the spiders were feeding it something rather expensive,
something known to many as spirit stones. And yet another mouth desired
something most strange – broken and tainted weapons; weapons radiating
the aura of death were fed to it. It was most strange! With each weapon
consumed the cube would let out a roaring and bone-wrenching wail, a cry
most unpleasant.

Of course, what comes in has to come out eventually; in one way or

another. The ‘food’ the cube was ‘eating’ was transformed; further tainted
or purified remained unclear. Out of its back, and through a very small hole,
black little triangles popped one after the other. The spiders swarmed to
gather the falling droppings.
They were careful in their task of picking them. They carried sharp triangles
in a very dignified fashion. They did it so because this was not refuse, waste
or garbage – the triangles were most precious. It was metal black like the
night itself, it was Glem.

Obtaining Glem was not easy, shaping it was even harder, but with a sharp
mind and spiderish perseverance, everything was possible. With the metal
now shaped the spiders could move to the next task. The task was of high
significance, it was so important it could be considered as Holy.

And as in all rituals of significance, this one had its fair share of spectators.
Once again the Drow gathered to observe the spiders in their Holy quest.
Few even offered their help, but that was unnecessary.

The spiders gathered in between the piles of various materials and once
again gazed at a single parchment, they did it for like a hundredth time
already, but even then it still felt like that was not enough. To them, a
simple Blueprint was anything but simple. No, to them this piece of paper
was Everything.

The spiders checked the measurements and quantities again and all seemed
to be in order. And with that, the spider old and experienced, the Venerable
HeadCrafter, gave its permission to start.

The crafters moved like professional dancers, their movements fluent with
no wasted motions. They worked in tandem to assemble the construct
depicted in the Divine Blueprint. The ‘Divine’ part was unofficial, hence
the lack of identifying colour; but considering the significance of the
construct that was only a matter of time.

In mere moments the spiders finished assembling the construct, the first of
its kind. Obviously, it was in a shape of a spider, and it was spiderly
magnificent. This was a craftsmanship of the highest quality, a masterwork
achieved by the spider friends working hard together. The metal spider was
black as the spider should be, and had all of the limbs it would ever need.
The Glem made it heavy and nearly indestructible, but its overall sleek
design gave the vibes of elegance and speed. The construct's head had the
iconic spider mandibles and four bright and shiny yellow sapphires for its
eyes. The gems were most splendid, more beautiful than normal eyes.
Thank you Kobolds for finding such gems! The body and the many limbs
were engraved with Drow enchantments. Those will give the construct
speed and power to move that otherwise heavy body.

The first of many was just finished, but many more remained to be
completed. Tirelessly spider crafters worked to assemble one construct after
the other. And did it they with a smile! Because they knew that with each
construct crafted, they moved closer to resurrecting their spider friends.

At the same place, in the Drow City, where the spider crafters had just
finished assembling the constructs, a large area was cleared for the
upcoming ritual. The complex ritual consisted of three circles.

The outermost circle was bordered by White Sprigans, creatures who had
bigger mana stores than Drow, they will be guiding and powering the better
part of the ritual.

In the middle circle, there were a bit less than a hundred constructs. They
were magnificent in their shape like splendid statues. Each was surrounded
by another individual circle with its runes, engravings and other sacrificial
materials.

In the inner circle, there was a Mana Spring and the Master of The Ritual,
The Spider King. In his hand, just as a priest would, he held a dark and
leathery tome. The pages in the True Dark Tome flipped on their own as if
they had free will. In his other hand, he held an artefact of significant
importance, it was the Mana Well. The artefact was mostly empty, only a
few souls remained in it. But those souls were of the most importance and
the very reason for this complicated ritual.

The King looked around and nodded happily. Everything was ready.
“Let’s go!” He announced. The casual tone broke his otherwise regal image,
but it was alright because it helped to ease the building tension.

The mana flowed into the circles, from the outer to the middle and then to
the centre. But then from the centre to the middle and back to the outer
circle. The Nature mana shifted and transformed into Dark mana. The
ritual circles finished activating, the air was saturated with power. The
remaining souls escaped from the Mana Well and then they just flew
around the King in circles. The dark-coloured souls were in vague shapes of
spiders. The souls didn’t wail or scream a tortured cry, instead, they just
chirped happy noises and frolicked in the air.

The King smiled urging, “Go spiders. Claim your new bodies. Be Reborn!”
He allowed them to consume great portions of the Dark mana.

The souls darted towards the constructs sinking deep into the metal. The
individual circles activated consolidating the soul and the body. That was
where most of the mana was consumed, and so the Mana Spring dried
significantly. Just before it could go completely empty the first of the spider
constructs began to move. The movement was dexterous and fluid as if it
was practiced to perfection. From those flowing movements one wouldn’t
be able to tell that the construct's body was actually heavy and metal. If
anything, this was a testament to the expertise of spider crafters. The new
bodies were just perfect!

The spider constructs chirped giddily expressing their joy to be alive again,
and their thanks for it.

And just like that, the most complex ritual yet was completed without even
a single hitch.

The High Chief rushed towards the Spider King, the drow had a clear
concern painted on his face. No, this couldn’t be about the Mana Spring,
because the spring will recover in time. This was something else…

“King, King…” He shouted while running and waving. “Please hurry.”

He sprinted towards the High Chief. “What happened?”

“It’s hatching! Quickly.”

But how? When he asked the drows assured him that it will be weeks.

While they were running towards the Drow Archive the High Chief began
explaining between the pants. “The ambient mana… The leftovers from the
ritual… The egg absorbed it… The core is forming… The wyrm will
hatch.”

Ah! So that’s why!

They reached the Drow Archives and began the climb up the winding stairs.
And there were many stairs.

This was an urgent matter and the stairs seemed endless. “Why did you
decide to keep it on the top floor?” He complained.

The drow panted struggling to find the air necessary for an explanation.
“…”

“I’ll go ahead. You’ll catch up.” He left the out-of-shape drow and urged up
to reach the top floor.

He sprinted through conveniently open doors and into a large room filled
with sand. The cracks on the egg were already forming.

“Phew, it seems I made it in time.” He rushed closer to the egg.

The cracks were spreading and soon the whole shell will be nothing but
cracks.

“Any moment now.” He looked at the egg expectantly.

But for some reason. “…” Nothing was happening.

The High Chief finally burst into the room, sweaty and struggling to
breathe. “I should’ve… sent… the servant girl.” He lamented while wiping
the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

“Hey, Chief. Should I help it to hatch?”

The drow shook his head. “No.”

“But it’s not coming!”

“Hmm…” The High Chief was thoughtful for a moment. “It might be afraid
of your presence…” He implied something and then added, “…you have
that you know.”

“My Aura, yes. I tend to forget since it became second nature to me.”
Indeed, he had that Project Aura perk, it was running in the background
passively at most of the times. “Let me change it a bit.” He shifted it to his
best image of a motherly aura.

That seemed to do the trick. The shell broke and a head emerged out of the
tiny hole. Six green and beady eyes gazed at him.

“Meow,” The desert wyrm meowed at him.

“Aw, so cute.” He reached to pat the snake-like head.

The wyrm used the chance to coil its body around his hand. At this moment
it looked more like a yellow serpent than a ferocious wyrm.

“I guess you’ll grow…”

“Meow,” it meowed again.

[The Familiar Bond was formed], it didn’t even ask him if he wanted. But,
yeah he did want that.

“I’ve just tamed it, but…” He had to ask, “But why does it meow?”

The High Chief shrugged. “That must be the noise the wyrms make.”

“But isn’t this a type of a Dragon? It should roar or something like that.”
“Meow!” It meowed with increased intensity.

“…”

“Close enough I guess.” He patted the wyrm. “I bet it’s hungry. What do I
feed it?”

“According to our research, anything is fine. But the natural preference is

…” The High Chief paused meaningfully. “Scorpions, Scarabs, Fennec,
Armoured Beetles and other… desert denizens.”

One of the names didn’t seem to fit but, “So it’s insects. We have those in
the Dark Tunnels, no?”

“I guess, that would fit its preferences. Good thinking, King!” The High
Chief hid the severed hand he had purchased from Fennecs previously and
looked at the nearby drow researcher meaningfully. The man disappeared
presumably to retrieve some steamed centipedes.

He too looked at the wyrm meaningfully. “You are forbidden from eating
my spiders.”

“Meow?”

“Forbidden!” He projected his usual aura. “Understand?”

“Meow!” It even nodded.

“Oh, it might be intelligent.”

“According to our research, they are. But just how much is difficult to tell.”
The High Chief took the steamed centipedes and handed them to the King.
“Then it comes to legendary monsters It’s hard to parse facts from fiction.”

He began feeding the wyrm.

“Huh, it even purrs like a cat.”

Curiosity flashed on the drow’s face. “What’s a cat? Another type of
legendary monster?”

“Ha! Legendary asshole more like.” He laughed. “But no, they are just cute
pets.”

“King, I’m positive I don’t need to remind you but… this wyrm isn’t just a
pet. It’s cute now but according to our research…”

The High Chief didn't get to finish that overused phrase because, “I know!
It will try to eat me later.” He patted the eating wyrm. “You will won’t you?
You’ll try to gobble me up. But I won’t let you. No, no, no…” He baby
talked with the wyrm.

“Erm…” the High Chief was left speechless.

“Let's see if the White Sprigans or my best mate Wisp can speed that
growth of yours.” Then he remembered something. “Oh, and High Chief.
The Myconid Cavern will be expanding quite significantly, so don’t get
alarmed at the increased spider activity.”

“But of course. If we can be of assistance just let me know.”

“Meow!”

He ignored the meowing. “Hmm, then… speaking of expansion. I’m

thinking of making a tunnel, a direct tunnel to the Scorpion Desert. The
Kobolds will mine that out, but can you please make sure it stays on course
and we don’t have any cave-ins and other accidents like that.”

“But of course!” He found another phrase to repeat. “You can leave the
planning to us.”

“Well then. With that, I’ll bid you farewell.”

“But of course. You must be busy.” He bowed. “Farewell King.”

Well, he wasn’t quite done yet. He needed to go and see the crystal spider.
He would have done so after the successful ritual if not for the
unpredictable egg hatching. According to the Spider research, the crystals
the crystal spider grew possessed an interesting property. A property which
could further advance the Rebirth ritual. If the theory was correct… well, it
would make his spiders functionally Immortal.
 78 - I can't stop Mutating, "Help!"

Right in front of the Spider King was one of his spider subjects. The spider
stood proud, its form was crystalline and majestic. Once again the Mutate
proved its worth: the spider grew larger and produced even more crystals,
more and of higher quality. Large pillars of see-through material grew on its
back, it looked magical but also very heavy.

He looked at the rainbow which formed by chance in one of the crystal

pillars. “You look dashing, Crystal Spider.”

The spider made a spiderly curt bow lowering its body and tipping its head
ever so slightly.

He couldn’t take his eyes off the sparkling rainbow. “You must be very
proud of your pristine crystals. But, if you don’t mind, I would like you to
part with just a few.”

“Anything for you, King. I owe you. For this Mutation.” The spider
chirped in a crystal-clear voice, it sounded positively serene. “[Shed
Crystal]”, a large crystal pillar toppled from its back and fell towards the
stone floor.

He panicked worrying that the crystal might shatter, but he didn’t need to, it
was hard, very hard, so hard it cracked the stone floor instead.

“Would you like another?” The spider sang in a mirthful chirp but didn't
wait for a reply. “[Shed Crystal]”, yet another crystalline pillar hit the
floor.

“That is enough.” He said in an urgent tone, a few more would ruin the
otherwise rich image of the Crystal Spider leaving it looking like a freshly
sheered sheep; he didn’t want that. He wanted to preserve that magical
image of the spider. “Thank you.”

“No need. For you, my King. Anything.” The spider chirped in its angelic
voice.

He gestured for the nearby spiders to carry the crystals to the workshop and
then followed from behind.

The large pillars, with great effort mind you, were cut into small gem-like
shapes. With that done he had obtained no less than a hundred of Spider
Crystals. But this was just the beginning of the hard work. He moved them
from the workshop to the ritual room. The room was already staffed with
spider mages. The spiders were cloaked in dark robes made out of Black
Cloth, the cloth came from ShadowAgave. The robes gave them interesting
perks: their forms were cloaked in a shadowy haze making it hard to even
guess that it was a spider beneath them, instead of walking they just swam
through the air like some sort of spectre, and they had the Terror aura
surrounding them. Maybe not the most positive image for an otherwise cute
spider, but they were Dark mages after all and powerful in their craft.

He nodded at his fellow practitioners of the Dark Arts, “Let’s begin,” and
then he scattered the Spider Crystals right inside the intricate magic circle.

This was a ritual the spider mages developed by learning from the Drow
and Wisp. It was a unique way for them to enchant the otherwise Neutral
crystal with Dark essence. The ritual began and the magic flowed into the
crystals changing them permanently. What was once clear and pristine was
transmuted into the opposite. The crystals became opaque and black, they
were so dark that it was almost as if they absorbed the light itself. Also, it
was dangerous to stare at them directly, because if one did that he would
feel drawn to the black crystalline abyss losing the sense of time and falling
into a trance-like state.

While there were dangers, the crystals weren’t really dangerous by

themselves. It was okay to touch them and carry them, just don’t look at
them for too long. Oh, and don’t die carrying one unless you want your soul
absorbed! So what happened here was that the Spider Crystals were
transformed into Soul Crystals.

With the ritual compleated shadowy forms of the spider mages became less
ghost-like, an indication that a great amount of mana was drained. But that
was only temporary because each of them reached inside their robes to
retrieve a Regenerate Mana Potion. The Toxicity was increased, but their
mana will be restored by the time they redrew the glyphs and replaced the
sacrificial ingredients for a repeat cast of the ritual. They had to do it a few
times to corrupt upgrade all of the crystals.

He looked at the box now filled to the brim with something that was not
dangerous at all and then smiled at the result of their hard work but,
“Wow!” He felt woozy all of a sudden. “Shouldn’t have looked.” He closed
the lid shut. “With this, we inch closer to spider Immortality!” He
announced pleased with the successful outcome.

The spiders chirped in approval.

He tapped the sealed box. “Now we need to figure out how to link these
with the Soul Well.” He tapped the nearby orb and purple lighting flashed
inside as if excited by his words.

“You mentioned. There are hints. In the True Dark Tome.” A spider mage
chirped also excited. “May we borrow it? To research it in full.”

There was only so much he could do alone. “Yes, that would be helpful. I’ll
leave the research to you.” He left the box, the book and the orb to the
spiders’ care. “Do your best and let me know if you reach a breakthrough.”

The spiders gave him the spider equivalent of thumbs up.

While he tried to keep the wyrm hatchling close at all times, sometimes it
was unwise to have it nearby; it was quite a troublemaker. The White
Sprigans managed to Grow its body to a juvenile form, but the mind
remained childish. That’s why he didn’t take it to the ritual room. Actually,
he couldn’t take it to a lot of places. For example: If he took it to the
workshop the juvenile loved to knock the precious alchemical potions off
the shelf and just watch them drop, that gaze was intense and he could
swear that each time the wyrms’ face was cast with disappointment because
the enchanted potion bottles failed to smash. In other words, it was just
getting bored very quickly and then it would resort to various shenanigans.
It was very possible that the wyrmling had ADHD! – if that’s possible at all.
Or maybe it was just a very energetic wyrm.

Anyway, currently it was chasing the poor Mushroom Spider while hissing
at it.

“Hey, what did I tell you? No eating spiders!” He scolded the wyrmling.

Surprisingly the juvenile stopped, “Meow?” it voiced faking innocence and

confusion.

The Mushroom Spider walked towards him. “It steals. My magic

mushrooms.” The spider complained.

“Magic Mushrooms?” He was curious.

“I grow them for the Drow. They like it very much.” The spider plucked a
spindly cap from its body to show it.

The wyrmling perked up at the sight of the mushroom.

“Oh?” He looked at the wyrmling which was now trying to snatch it from
the spider. “I thought it likes insects the most… but apparently it likes
magic mushrooms more.”

“It steals them. I need them for the Drow.” The spider complained again.

He was still curious. “So they like it too. Let’s taste it.” He took the
mushroom and ate it.

[Debuff: Illusion], [Illusion negated by Enchanted Nutrient Processing],

the messages informed him.
“Oh! That kind of magic mushrooms. So these are no good for MP
Potions.” He was both surprised and disappointed.

“Good for Drow rituals.” The spider informed.

And probably for other stuff, the Drow did in their private time…

“I don’t think you should eat them.” He scolded the wyrmling.

“Me-ow…” It cried beggingly.

“Well, maybe just one.”

The spider obliged and the wyrmling gobbled up the Magic Mushroom
with gusto. In an instant, its fiery nature mellowed and it just curled on the
ground purring pleasantly. It radiated an aura of calmness and contentment.
Whatever it was, the wyrmling was affected by something else than the
Illusion debuff. Maybe even a positive buff?

He observed now calmer wyrmling. “Huh, the ADHD was cured.”

“Meow!” It responded with a tinge of vigour still in its voice.

“And it doesn’t look sedated, just relaxed.”

“Meow!”

“Spider, I might want to borrow your Magic Mushrooms as well.”

“King.” The spider bowed apologetically. “I struggle with supply.”

“Shall I Mutate you?”

“Mutate?” The spider chirped intrigued.

“Yeah, mutate. I did that to Crystal Spider and now it grows the crystals
twice as large and twice as fast.”

“Mutate me, King!” it chirped excitedly, jumping even.

He did just that. Interestingly, all of the mushrooms withered and dropped
off its back, causing the Spider King a good deal of anxiety.

“Worry not.” The spider chirped. “It will grow back. I can tell.”

Indeed, the mushrooms began to sprout from all over its body. All of them
were Magic Mushrooms, the previous variety was gone.

“It looks like you decided to specialise.” He noted.

“Yes. These were. Highest in demand.” The spider bowed again. “Thank
you, King.” It straightened to stand proud. “[Shed Mushrooms]”, the
mushroom buds dropped from its body. “For you. Little buds. But as potent.
As mature ones.”

Luckily the wyrm didn’t jump to gobble them up from the ground; it seems
it was content with the previous portion.

“Thanks. I can’t say no.” He collected them. “Both medicine and a treat.”
He gave the wyrmling a meaningful look.

“Meow?” It tilted its head curiously.

“And I should be able to make an Illusion Potion with them.”

He gave a whistle to the wyrmling so that it would follow and then walked
towards the beginnings of Oberon Tunnel with a clear goal in his mind.
Two spiders upgraded three more to go.

The Kobolds were clawing at the rock wall, carving stone with their claws
as if it was clay. The tunnel was progressing smoothly. A drow architect
held an orb in his hands, it was a tool to ensure the correct direction and
angle of the tunnel. The Oberon Tunnel was being dug to connect The
Dreaded Place and The Scorpion Desert; a mega project which will take
months to complete. But as a bonus, the spiders were getting a staggering
amount of Kobold StoneBricks, the uses for those were obvious and
plentiful.
He walked past yet another Kobold, but this one piqued his interest. The
kobold was brown, a colour he hasn’t seen yet. Well, obviously the Kobold
Leader conquered yet another tribe. And that was that. Probably…

He chose not to pry about the insignificant and asked instead, “Have you
seen the Stone Spider?”

“Yes-yes, there at the end.” The brown kobold pointed towards a large pile
of stones.

The Stone Spider was there carving bricks one after the other. The King
looked at the bricks with interest, they were different from the ones the
kobolds made.

The spider already aware of his presence and his interest replied helpfully,
“Spider StoneBricks. Better. Already Reinforced.”

The stone was naturally a sturdy material, but well, there was no reason not
to make it even sturdier.

“Hey,” He waved hello at the spider a bit late in the gesture. “Do you want
to be mutated?”

“Mutated?” It asked in that stony and gravely chirp, likely unaware of the
new King’s perk.

“Mutated.” He went on to explain what he meant.

The Glowing Spider, the main tunnel illuminator here soon joined to listen
to the explanation. Of course, the two had no reason to refuse. The results
were… not what he expected.

He had observed the biggest change he’d seen so far, the Stone Spider
shrunk to a more compact form and its front limbs developed drills for
hands. Two big drills to drill the walls and then close to its head two smaller
drill limbs for fine details. The drills were still somewhat organic, a peculiar
organ previously unseen in nature. The drill bits on those drill hands were
made out of some sort of crystal, maybe even diamond; it looked sharp and
menacing.

The Stone Spider spun its drill hands testing out them. “Nice.” It chirped.

It was now the Glowing Spider's turn. “[Mutate].” He invoked letting the
spider to guide its own mutation.

The glowing spider didn’t change much at all. “What happened? Did it
fail?” He had to ask.

“No. Now I can cast [Recover].” The light it emitted grew ever so splendid.
The golden motes, delicate like snowflakes, blinked into existence out of
nowhere and showered nearby Kobolds, Drow and spiders alike.

The wirmling slithered trying to catch the motes with its mouth. He did the
same but with his hand. The golden sparkle melted in his palm as a
snowflake would. Suddenly he felt refreshed, like after a good nap or a
relaxing bath.

“I didn’t know Mutate can grant advanced AOE spells.”

“Apparently, it can.” The glowing spider chirped matter of factly.

“Meow!” The wyrmling coiled around his leg. It was looking at him
beggingly.

“You want to be mutated too?” He asked and the wyrmling meowed to

confirm. “Hmm, that is a possibility…” However, he felt hesitant. Mutating
legendary monsters was a dangerous thing! And there was a certain pattern
going, especially when he mutated someone who wasn’t a spider.

The wyrm continued to look at him with big begging eyes, all six of them.
So the effect was tripled!

“Don’t look at me like that…” He tried to remain strong.

 79 - Unpredictable Evolutions

The wyrmling looked at him and he looked back. Yes, he could Mutate the
wyrm, but also he could Evolve it. Either way, he felt tense because it might
be unwise to give the already rowdy monster more power. But look at those
begging eyes! He took the necessary potions to boost his mana capacity and
braced himself.

“You asked for it…” He decided to push the boundary of the unknown.
“[Evolve].” Whatever evolutions the wyrms could have, he’ll be able to see
them soon.

Predictably so, his mana drained completely and once again he passed out
from negative mana debuff. His mind drifted to a sleep-like state. Even in
his sleep, he was thinking about the possibilities of wyrm evolution. He was
met with an image of a desert dragon. But why would a wyrm evolve into a
Dragon? Wyrms were already a type of dragon species. Then another
possibility formed in his mind. The wyrm took a humanoid shape. And of
course, like in those cheesy novels, it was a human child – half dragon and
half human… Even in his sleep he frowned, that would be very annoying
and too cliché. Personally, he didn’t like that imaginary evolution and
rubbed it straight out of his mind. If anything it would be fun to see half
wyrm and half spider! So he tried to imagine that.

But dreams were just that, imagination running wild and often making no
sense. He began to wake slowly, he’s head was throbbing and his chest felt
heavy. He blinked the negative mana induced grogginess away. After the
blurriness cleared from his vision he was met with an image of the rear end.
Why did it look like the wyrmling(?) was desperately trying to show him
that?
“Rude!” He pushed the rear end out of his face trying to get a better look at
the evolution. “Hmm,” he hummed thoughtfully.

“Meow?” The wyrmling turned to greet him properly this time.

As far as he could see the juvenile wyrm didn’t change physically. “So did
you evolve or not?”

“I did, meow!” It replied.

“You can talk now, awesome I guess.”

“Now, Mutate me. Meow!”

“Just learned to speak and making demands already?” He booped the

wyrmling with a finger on its muzzle. “I need to recover my mana first.”

“Meow? Meow’na Spring?”

He nodded, “Mana Spring.”

Since his tamed wyrmling could speak now there was no need to stay silent
during the trip.

“Wyrmling, anything special about your evolution?” He asked his pet who
was slithering right beside him.

“Meow! I’m a Greater Desert Wyrm now.”

He looked at the wyrmling again. “But you look the same. And you’re still
juvenile.”

Regardless of how impossible it might sound the wyrmling’s draconian but

still snake-like face developed the features resembling a pout. “I’m all
grown up!” it protested.

“Ha-ha.” He just laughed surprised by that face.

“Meow-sss!” It hissed and then bit into his leg.

“Auch! You bit me!” He shook the leg trying to get the wyrmling of it. He
couldn’t, it was latched firmly. “Okay, okay, you’re all grown up.” He tried
to placate the angry juvenile. He was successful because It let loose of his
leg. “Yeah, still rebellious and hard to tame.”

The wyrmling glared at him.

“Here, chill.” He offered a Magic Mushroom.

The wyrmling snatched it and swallowed it whole.

“Happy?” He asked.

“Meow!” It replied happily. “I also can use meow-gic now.”

“Magic? What is your affinity?”

It raised its head higher as if proud. “Earth.” And without the need to be
asked it continued, “I can cast Tunnel, Sand Whirlpool, Reinforce Scales,
and, meow, Sand Tornado.”

Spells befitting a Desert Wyrm. “And if I Mutate you, what use is that to
you? Or me?”

“Meow? I become more meow-erful.” It said as if it was obvious.

“Well, I could try to Imbue you with my Dark affinity and Reinforce you.”
But in the end, the uses for the wyrmling would still remain to be found, or
maybe… “I think, you could do well by protecting spider caravans in the
desert. That is when you grow up.”

“Meow!” It bared its fangs at him. “I’m all grown up already.”

“Right, right! You are!” The threat was averted. “Then, if you are all grown
up, I’ll assign you with a few jobs. Adults have to work you know.” He
patted the wyrmlings head.

It purred and replied, “Meow? Why would I work? I’ll just get servants to
work for me.”
“Do you have servants?”

“…” It blinked realising it. “Not yet.”

“I’m not lendinging you any of my spiders.”

“Fine! I’ll find my own servants. Meow!”

The two had a few more back-and-forths until they reached the mana
spring.

He tried to Imbue the wyrmling with Dark affinity but that unfortunately
failed, it seemed that the desert wyrm was locked to Earth affinity.
However, he did manage to Reinforce it, or well by the looks of it, its
scales and fangs. The bleached yellow scales transformed into shiny golden
colour and the fangs too developed a metallic sheen. He tried to Mutate the
wyrm into a more obedient variant, but that also failed. It seems that sapient
creatures had a way to guide their own mutation.

According to the wyrmling’s explanation, it mutated its core to grow bigger.

That in turn allowed it a better manipulation of mana.

The wyrmling was currently practising Earth Manipulation by hovering

pebbles around its body and then knocking them out with its tail. The wyrm
could also shape the stones with mana, but at the moment it could only
make misshaped orbs.

So in the end, its evolution and mutation were geared towards magic
prowess.

He left the wyrmling alone to practise, as long as it was busy with

something it was an ‘okay’ desert wyrm.

There was one spider he still needed to mutate. That one always tended to
be forgotten, it was just that the Darkness Spider had that aura of absence.
The spider was hard to notice, and even harder to notice that it was
somehow forgotten - absent. It was hard to remember this spider, the
memory would just slip away after a while; the Darkness Spider was there
but always out of sight and out of mind.

The Spider King hurried to the Drow Archives to catch the spider before he
forgot again. But no matter where he looked or who he asked the spider just
couldn’t be found.

“I give up.” He finally realised that he was wasting his time here.

A smoky cloud passed above him and he would have missed it entirely if
not for a stack of gold threaded parchments floating inside it.

“Darkness Spider?” He spoke to the floating shadow.

“Greetings, King.” The cloud formed into a vague spider shape.

“I’ve been mutating everyone nonstop. The spider friends included. Do you
want to be Mutated?”

Without hesitation, it replied, “I need more mana.” The gold-threaded

parchments swirled inside its body expectantly. “Please.”

“The mutations can be a bit unpredictable. But I will try. [Mutate].” He

willed for the spider's ethereal body to store more mana.

Their wishes resonated and the shadowy body obeyed the combined will.
Purple lightning flashed inside the swirling darkness, once then twice, and
then ever so often.

“Did it work?” He asked curious.

“Yes. The purple lightning. Is my concentrated mana.” It explained.

“Oh. So you have enough mana to manifest it as lightning now.” He tried to

wrap his head around the magical phenomenon. “It makes sense since you
have no material body, and no flesh to store it.”
The purple lightning flashed as if to confirm that statement.

He couldn’t take his eyes off the light show. “Spider, do you think we can
store mana? Maybe in something like bottled darkness?”

“I know what you’re thinking. King.” It chirped. “I can’t produce this

darkness. Or separate it. From my body.”

That was unfortunate.

The spider continued. “But I think. Mana still can be stored.” The golden
parchments tumbled inside avoiding the purple lightning.

The spider was correct. There was a way to store mana in Magic Scrolls
and in a form of enchantments, but that wasn’t what he wanted here. He
wanted something like a mana battery.

The spider still had something to add. “Maybe gems. Or crystals?”

“You know… I never tried.” But if anyone was an expert here on storing
and converting mana it was the Darkness Spider. “Here, try this.” He
handed a Spider Crystal.

The crystal floated towards the core of the darkness and then was struck by
that purple lightning.

“I think…” the spider paused and struck the crystal again. “It worked.”

A shadowy tentacle handed back the Spider Crystal, but it wasn’t a spider
crystal anymore.

“Mana Crystal: Dark.” He voiced its name. “It is charged, but it also
comes with affinity. ”And what is charged can be discharged. “I wonder if
the Drow or the Wisp can charge it with their affinities?”

The shadow simply swirled without a reply.

“Anyway, I might have a request for you.” He took out some more crystals
from his Magical Inventory. “Please charge more.”
“Understood.” The crystals flew inside the shadow form. “It will take time.”
The spider informed.

“Take your time. It’s not urgent and I can see you need your mana for other
work.” He pointed at the parchment. “What are those.”

“Have a look.” The spider moved a parchment closer to the King.

He grabbed it. The parchment was made out of Black Cloth, the edges
were threaded in gold string and the writing made in unfamiliar crimson
ink. “Magic Scroll?”

“Advanced Magic Scroll.” The spider corrected.

And the spell was [Empowered Dark Barrage], but neither of them dared
to utter it because it might activate the scroll.

“I didn’t know we can scribe something this powerful already.”

“I’ve invented these. Awhile ago.”

Well done Shadow Spider!

“Did you get to try them? Do they work well? Any fumbled spells?” He
asked curious.

“Works as it should. The Puppet King. Volunteered for field testing.”

“Eh!?” He knew that he left the scroll production and sales to spiders but, “I
don’t think we should sell unfinished products. It might be dangerous.”

“He volunteered.” The spider insisted. “He’s happy with the scrolls. No
problem.”

Okay! “But should we even be selling this to King Aurelius II?”

The purple lightning flashed forming a web for a brief second. “We
shouldn’t?”
“A bit too powerful. No? We should keep the good stuff to ourselves.”

“Understood.” It chirped.

“Then I’ll leave you to your research. Send me the crystals then their ready.
But no rush.”

The shadow swirled to acknowledge the message received and then moved
towards the darkest corners of the corridor and proceeded to wherever it
was going to begin with.

“Interesting fellow, this Darkness Spider.” He shrugged. “And what is that

King up to?”
 80 - The Web of Untied Plot

The humans were gawking at the sprinting centaurs with mouths agape. Of
course, they couldn’t understand what they were looking at because
centaurs weren’t native to this side of the continent.

A herd of beautiful and well-endowed women galloped gallantly through

the Capital. Some were dressed in exotic blue garb which barely contained
their near-bursting assets, others were like knights most noble and were
donning well-polished and shiny orange full plates.

For whatever reason, the wives shielded the eyes of their husbands, and the
youthful lasses did the same to their lads. A dangerous gesture, considering
the speed the centaurs were galloping through the streets. The accidents
were avoided only because the sight was so unusual, so exotic – it was hard
to miss; so the people moved out of their way clearing the streets.

However, if one thought that humans here were welcoming towards the
other races they would be sorely mistaken. Beautiful Centauri or not, The
Holy Empire’s stance on monster and sub-human races was very clear. The
saving grace here was the flags and the insignia the centaurs wore, it was
very clear who they were representing. This, and the contents of the
wagons. The wagons were loaded full of TomGrape, the favourite staple of
the peasantry and nobility alike. It was almost a crime to sell something this
good so cheap.

So despite the hardwired predispositions, humans inched towards liking the

centaurs. To hate the centaurs was the same as to bite the hand which fed
you, and even the dimmest peasant wasn’t that stupid. Understandably,
there were few who still frowned at the non-human guests but most of the
people greeted the gallant girls with smiles and open minds.
The centaurs parked their wagons at their destination – the Spider
Warehouse. The keen spiders, big and small rushed to unload the wagons.

The Centauri Champion looked around trying to see the spider which she
knew only by vague description.

“But aren't they all the same…” She couldn’t differentiate. “Hey, spider.”
She called a random spider. “I’m here to meet your Merchant Champion.”

A spider porter blinked with all four of its eyes. “Merchant Champion?” It
chirped confused. “Oh! You want. Lord G Bling.”

Yes, that was the spider she was looking for. “Take me to him at once, I
have an important document to hand in.”

The spider waved to follow. “Come. Lord G Bling is. In the Spider
Embassy.”

The trip was short and evidently the building was hard to miss, it was
clearly a marvel of spider architecture. And she appreciated that architecture
very much. No not because it was beautiful, but because the spiders made
the entrances wide and ceilings high, their buildings were suitable for the
tall and wide frames of centaurs. So there was a lot the other races could
learn from the spiders.

She reached a reception desk, it was staffed by yet another spider. Or

maybe… “Lorg G Bling?” She asked mistaking this spider for her query
and already offering the rolled scroll.

The spider was scribbling something on a piece of paper. “Lord is

preoccupied. With another guest. Please take a seat and wait.” It didn’t even
look at her.

“Spider!” She began outraged. “Are you saying that a mere guest is more
important than the King’s orders?” She waved the scroll.

“My apologies. I didn’t know. You were King’s. Messenger.” The spider
finally looked at her. “Come.”
She was more than that, but to explain that to this simple spider was just too
much of a bore. She followed the spider through the blue drape and into
another room.

The spider HeadMerchant aka ‘Lord G Bling’ was entertaining a very

important guest, a real VIP. She was a pleasure to work with and a real asset
to the Spider Kingdom. Moreover, what started strictly only as a business
soon developed into a genuine friendship.

Lady Crimson wasn’t just a pleasure to work with, she was also a very fun
person to hang around. Unlike most humans, she didn’t care about his
otherwise spooky spidery form and was able to see him for what he truly
was. Needless to say, he treasured this friendship dearly.

Hence why the two were currently fooling around, entertaining each other
in this VIP guest room. This room didn’t see much use at all, so the spider
repurposed it slightly. It was littered chockfull with a certain type of books.

The two weren't doing any reading at the moment. Instead, they were
creating art of their own, they were expressing their feelings through dance
and song:

“I shall be Red,” He let out a sing-song chirp.

“And I’ll be Blue,” she sang maintaining the melody.

Let us sing together | and dance to heart's content ♫ *The two pressed their
cheeks side to side.

Fantasy and Fiction | Destruction, DERELICTION ♫ *They looked at each

other.

My dreams – unfulfilled; I wish it to be true! *He took her right with his
left
Our secrets dirty – undistilled; together we pursue! *She took his right with
her left

I shall be your shadow | And I’ll be your DARKNESS ♫ *Dances

clockwise

Let us study together | and immerse to heart’s content ♫ *Dances

anticlockwise

One might turn rotten… from dirty books they’ve read. *He grabs his head

You needn’t worry… for I hid them under my bed. *She grabs his head.

S stands for Spiders | and M for Monsters ♫ *Both point at themselves.

Illusions and Delusions | Madness, CONFUSION ♫ *They lock hands

together

Myself a servant in need of – master! *Dances

A maiden craven – desiring for a slaver! *And Dances

Just a HeadMerchant | an Alchemist, I am ♫ *The two pressed their cheeks

side to side again.

To find you a Master | for me to be a Slave ♫ *Deep gazing into the eyes.

We’ll read books at night… greedily together! *Dances clockwise

Inseparable friends by daylight… we are FOREVER! *Dances

anticlockwise.
“Ups we have a guest ♩,” he chirped melodically.

The Lady Crimson jumped away from him in a quick step; her face flushed
red.

A centaur was staring fazed by the spectacle as if in a trance.

“Centauri Champion I presume?” His voice returned to the usual dark and
low undertones.

The call broke the Champion’s stupor. “… I didn’t want to interrupt...” she
bowed apologetically, “whatever this was,” she whispered. For some
reason, her face was also flushed red.

He looked at the positively spidery scroll she was holding. “Lady Crimson,
let’s finish later. In the evening?” He suggested apologetically.

“Yes. My place this time.” She gave a meaningful look. “I’ll prepare
something very SPECIAL.” She finished while walking out in an urged
manner. Her spare hand was trying to hide the ‘bad’ side of her face.

He wondered what caused her to be so self-conscious. But understanding

human emotions was beyond him, for he was just a simple spider. He gave
another look at the still-bowing Centauri woman. It was the first time they
met, but luckily she had a human face, and so he could read her expressions
well.

“Centauri champion why are you so tense? Isn’t it just the item ledger
you’re here to deliver?”

Her hand trembled offering the scroll. “I didn’t realise…” She squealed.

“Realise what?”

For some reason, she bowed even lower.

“Your real rank. Not just a lordling, but The Lord.” She straightened and
gave his appearance a judging look. “You own this city, no?” She gazed at
the multiple golden chains dangling on his chest.
“Hmm…” The remark made him think. “If anyone, it is our Master, The
King of Spiders who is the real ruler. But that’s politics…” He finally took
the offered scroll. “So are you politically minded?”

“No, no.” she neighed. “Just surprised by your aura.”

“Humans tell me that all the time.” He unrolled the scroll to read through it.
“Women especially.”

“Charisma build?” She inched closer to him.

The reply was pointless, so he read through the scroll. “TomGrape,

EarthenYam, BerryNut, PurpleM, Burger-Mushrooms…” He went
through the extensive list of goods and quantities. “Everything seems to be
here, just as I requested.” He chirped happily. “So orderly. And to deliver
this so fast! I must praise the Centauri.”

“Please mention that to the King. In one of your reports.”

“I’ll do that. And the Advanced Magic Scrolls?” He asked because those
were top secret and excluded from the standard item ledger.

“I have them hidden and guarded in one of the wagons. Shall I fetch them
to you, Lord G Bling?”

“Why the urgency? You must be tired. Come have a seat.” He motioned
with his hand to the nearby seats and a table.

“Only if you insist, Lord G Bling.”

“Just G is fine.” He smiled. “And I insist.”

The centaur awkwardly tried to sit on the chair provided and failed. She
pushed the chair away and just kneeled in front of the table.

“You shouldn’t have taken me so literally. Neither I can sit on human

furniture.” He pointed at his six legs. “My apologies.” He bowed.

“No, no. The Lord shouldn’t bow like that.”

“Lord again? No lords here. We’re both just servants serving the
magnanimous king.” He gave his best spidery smile. “Please forget our
stations and call me G.”

The centaur nodded.

“You must be parched. Let’s have a drink.” He opened the most expensive
scorpion liquor and poured two crystal glasses. “For the King!”

They drank and he refilled the glasses back to full. “For the spiders!” They
drank again. “And for the Centauri!” … and again. “And for us and our
future friendship!” … and again.

The Centauri Champion developed a funny expression on her face.

“Oh, there are my manners?” He chirped. “I should have offered you some
food.” The centaurs were vegetarian so, “some AshenClover salad?” He
clapped to alert the spider outside.

“Hic!” She hiccupped. “G, you know us Centauri well… the spiders go
TomGrape this TomGrape that… Hic! But you! You know we like
AshenClover better. Hic!”

“Of course I do. But I don’t know everything…” He poured another glass
but only for her this time. “So while we wait for that salad why don’t you
tell me everything about yourself? And your people?”

And so the two proceeded to an intimate discussion.

The once grand and opulent throne room was completely devoid of any
splendour; It was like an empty room full of nothing – something that didn’t
make sense if you thought too much about it. There on a lone and shabby
stool was sitting no one else but the Puppet King, King Aurelius II. His
obese form was hidden by the darkness, only his face was illuminated by
the stray moonlight rays coming from the window. Every time he shifted his
weight the stool would creak in protest, and that sound would echo through
the throne room.

He was sitting there and waiting patiently. “Anytime now… *Creak.”

*ECHO *Echo *echo…

He did sense something because the shadows pulled together to form a

blurry and vague shape of a spider.

“Aurelius II.” The spider chirped in a low and rusty chirp. “Consider my
end of the Deal completed.” The spider dropped a neat bundle of black
parchments next to Aurelius II.

*Creak “Marvelous.” He leaned to pick up the bundle. “With this, I will

be…” He looked at where the spider should have been. “… Gone already,
whatever.” He retrieved the gold-threaded parchments and leaned back all
giddy.

*CREAK! – this was the last straw for the tired stool and it broke under the
Puppet King.

His royal ass fell to the floor with a thump, but luckily he didn’t feel a
thing. The sight was indignant, but also, there was no one to witness it.

He stood up with the parchments pressed dearly to his chest. “They’ll see!”
He kicked at the broken stool scattering the pieces. “I’ll show them…” He
trampled. “Puppet King, bah!” He spat. “I am the Super King!”

Envigorated he walked back to his room. Well, no sane man would call this
a room because this was more like storage for apparently old and misused
books. The titles on the book covers were very risque, decadent even. But
those were only covers. To him, these weren’t just dirty books, they were
his battle tomes.

“My collection is finally complete.” He nodded happily at the many-many

tomes.

He moved a stack of books revealing a set of armour hidden right beneath.

“I’m glad I bought this.”

He began to put on the armour pieces. The armour was clearly spider made,
each piece reinforced and enchanted many times. And the best was that it fit
his generous proportions very well.

He patted the dark plate and it made a dull sound. “Glem.” He recalled the
name of the unfamiliar material. “Feels heavy!” He strained to even move
an inch.

But that problem was no problem at all. He retrieved one of the many
Strength Potions he had and gulped it down. “Better.” He was able to
move easily. “Now…” Then he drank not, one, not two but three Fertility
Potions. “I can feel it. The virility. The POWER!” And for good measure,
he gulped a full bottle of Slug Jelly. “Rah!!!” He roared like a beast.

His hand moved quickly finding the right one in the endless stack of tomes.
He knew those books by hand, he memorised every dirty title and all the
hidden Magic Scrolls they harboured. “Rah! [Multicast][Levitate]”.

Two pages in the ‘Garbalar: The Shackles and The Steaming Dungeon’
burned in blue flame.

The whole library of dirty ‘books’ took flight like bees and buzzed around
Aurelius II. There were so many that he could barely see past them.

“Ha-ha-ha.” He cackled in a maddened tone. “They will see. [Earth

Ram].”

A page in ‘Fifty Strikes and Forty Lashes’ turned to ash. A battering ram
formed in front of him out of thin air and then collapsed a wall in his room.
The frigid wind of the night blew through the massive hole.

“Rah!” He jumped through the hole and out of the high tower.

The gravity took hold of his armoured and well-fed body and he pummeled
down like a wrecking ball.
“[Wind Blast!]” With another page burned, his fall was stopped abruptly
and he landed gallantly.

He reached for a bandolier-like belt strapped to his chest, it held a plethora

of advanced potions. His fingers found the Speed Potion and without even
thinking about the accumulating Toxicity he gulped that down.

“[Multicast], [Empower]” He invoked making the ‘Garbalar’ series lose a

few more pages. But he had just begun. He took a big breath in. “[Shadow
Form], [Dark Shroud], [Ethereal Speed], [Night Barrier], [Six-Legged-
Menace], [Spider Eye], [Dark Sight], [Obsidian Boosted]!” He said in a
quick and practised voice.

Multiple blue flames flashed across the many spinning tomes, those died as
soon as they appeared, and the tomes continued buzzing around him as if
nothing happened. As a result, the image of the King kept changing. It was
shrouded, it was blurred, it was obfuscated, it was turned to a shadow, it
was monsterified.

“Rah! This isn’t even my final form!” He took another big breath in…

The black-robed spiders gathered in a nest-like structure. Having no

windows the structure was filled with impenetrable darkness. No, that was
not entirely true, the darkness here was dispelled by multiple flames
dancing atop well-positioned braziers. Those flames were Dark Flames and
it was a contradictory spell: the flame was dark like the name implied but
even then it somehow provided light. Again, not entirely correct because it
didn’t provide light, it provided sight; similar but not the same. In better
words it granted Vision despite the darkness; it was that sort of a spell.

The black-robed spiders were encircling a golden pedestal, on it was a very

special book – True Dark Tome. The pages were turning on their own and
the spiders were diligently following its instructions. The tome was
‘showing’ them how to improve the Soul Crystals and how to bind them to
spider souls.
But also it was showing them other many things, also related to this
endeavour. Things of dark nature: magics forbidden, spells impossible,
rituals unusual, enchantments improbable. Actually, none of it was tangible
or clear and often hard to read and understand. The things it showed were
only possibilities with unclear outcomes.

The tome was speculating and the spiders were here to complete those
ideas. In a way, they had to find a missing link, solve a hard puzzle, develop
a previously unseen glyph or fill in the gaps in magical formation. Only
then the improbable would become probable and the spell would be
complete.

Not one but many, many spiders worked to solve these puzzles. This was a
combined effort of spider mages as a whole. A study of unprecedented size
and proportion. Of course, the ‘if’ wasn’t even a question, it was only when
will they be victorious.

In the end, the codes were cracked, the puzzles solved and the magical
formations completed. And all of the experience was documented properly
in an entirely new tome. A tome composed by the most bright and talented
spider mage of them all, Spider Archmage. Hence so, the means to spider
Immortality were achieved and the True Spider Tome was completed.

But then a tragedy struck the spiders. With the last page finished the True
Spider Tome did something unpredictable. It shot towards the True Dark
Tome, engulfing it in spidery pages and began consuming it whole. The
true spider tome ate the true dark tome; a spider ate the darkness.

The spider mages panicked at that moment. An artefact entrusted to them by

their King was being destroyed. And in such an unbelievable way! It
happened so fast that they couldn’t even save a single page.

With the last scribble devoured The Spider Tome burned in blinding Dark
Flame. Something was happening to it. The spiders chirped in alarm
fearing even greater calamity. However, the blinding light subsided,
revealing the greedy tome, now even bigger and darker than previously. It
was just sitting there on a golden pedestal, in that place where the True
Dark Tome used to be enshrined. It was just there, still and innocent as if
something very crazy didn’t happen just a moment ago.

Spider Archmage inched closer to the suspicious tome. Whatever the ‘book’
was, it didn’t look like a tome he was writing for the past few weeks. The
feast made the tome to somehow transform? He touched the suspicious item
with a cautious hand, trying to identify it.

“Spider-Nom-Nomicon.” The Spider Arcmage chirped the new name of

the artefact-grade item.
 80.3 - Duality of Man

Bareth and Gareth were the only humans here in the Spider Kingdom.

Bareth was the older one of the two. While he was in his early fifties
already, his objectively youthful look was the reason why he was still
allowed to join the peasant levy. And he did so to pay his debts. Gareth, the
male in his late twenties, joined in to pay his debts also. But the reasons the
two had the debts were different. Bareth had gambling debts and Gareth had
to borrow to support his growing family.

The two were the few peasants who knew how to read and write in the late
King Aurelius' army. The older man used to be a merchant, but by some
unlucky twist of fate, he had lost it all and turned to gambling and excessive
drinking. Meanwhile, Gareth was a seventh son to some minor noble, a
bastard as well, so he had a very basic education but no real wealth.

Due to... circumstances, they ended up being the only humans in the Spider
Kingdom. And also, their debts in the Human Kingdom were likely excused
too; just a clause in their contract if they happened to die. So maybe this
was a blessing in disguise, or so Bareth thought.

At first, it was very daunting. They were tasked with translating the texts
for the Spider King, but also teaching him the human language. The two
afraid of the King’s wrath worked together to the best of their ability.
Surprisingly the King was less of a villain than they'd imagined and he was
a quick learner too.

The living conditions weren’t that bad either. They had their personal
abode, and while it was shared it was a lot better than some gallows for war
prisoners they should normally expect. Actually, It was better than the
rented rooms your average inn would have. And the meals were included
too!

So they were housed, they were fed... and they were even paid for their
labour. So the idea that they would be just slaves here quickly disappeared,
however, it was made very clear that they couldn’t leave the farm. But of
course, some roaming was acceptable. Their pay came in the form of gems
and a ration of Slug Jelly. At first, Bareth couldn’t wrap his head around
why they were paid so handsomely, but later he found the reasons why.

There was no market or a stall for them to spend their pay. While the Gems
were obviously more valuable, but it was the Slug Jelly that was the most
useful. They quickly found that they could exchange that for the favours
from the spiders. What favours- you ask? Simple stuff, like clothes or some
furniture; the spiders knew how to make them all. And they used the gems
to buy food from Lamia; after all, even if they could eat as much of
TomGrape as they wanted, some other food, like meat, was nice too.

However, and rather quickly, things began to change. There were more
things from the Human Kingdom available for them to buy, but also from
Drow and even those tiny lizard people.

The King absorbed their lessons quickly, and soon he needed no help with
writing in human language at all. That was when the two were tasked with
teaching the spiders. Again the task seemed daunting but only at first.
Unlike humans, the spiders were very well behaved and they seemingly
absorbed the language lessons without complaints. Learning to speak a
language in just a month... These spiders were quite impressive!

Even now, Bareth vividly remembered his first class of spiders. Especially
the point where they graduated from the Basic Human Language course:

“Thank you. Teacher.” Twelve spiders chirped in unison not in the Spider
Chirp but the Human Language. “We prepared you. A gift.”

A spider handed in a small wooden box.

At that time Bareth opened it with anxiety. “You... You didn’t have to.” He
bowed in genuine gratitude.
A similar box was gifted to his younger colleague standing just beside him;
he did the same the Bareth did.

The first class of spiders waved a parting goodbye. “Be well. Teachers,”
and so they left.

The two looked at each other. “What do you think we got?” Gareth asked
while already peeking at his box.

He pried the lid of the box hoping that this wasn’t some elaborate prank.

“Wow... I didn’t expect this.” He looked at a small chest filled with human
coins. It wasn’t gold but various denominations would amount to a tidy
sum.

“Pretty worthless right?” Gareth laughed. “It’s not that we can spend this
fortune here at all.” Imperial coins were useless here.

Bareth thought about it. “Maybe someone told the spiders that humans love
the gold the most.”

Gareth sighted. “That wouldn’t be wrong. Actually, the amount would make
me rich. But then again...” He didn’t finish, a solemn look took over his
face.

Bareth knew that Gareth was thinking about his estranged wife. They could
definitely use this money.

“Hey, Gareth. Maybe if we asked the spiders nicely, they could pass these to
your relatives?”

“You think so?”

“It’s worth a shot.” Bareth shrugged.

However, they were too late to catch up with the spider graduates. The
spiders looked all alike and as far as Bareth knew they didn’t have names.
So what happened was quite disheartening, the two couldn’t find their
graduates. They tried asking the other spiders using the Spider Chirp, but
neither of them was as talented in languages as a spider so their message
didn’t seem to reach the spider farmers.

After that, Gareth doubled his efforts in learning Spider Chirp. And,
actually, it was the second class of graduates who agreed to pass the boxes
to their relatives, but only after they graduated.

Bareth and Gareth waved their second class goodbye. The spiders carried
the boxes with them. Hopefully, those will reach the Human Kingdom at
some point.

“Bareth are you sure about this?” Gareth was asking this because the older
man gave his box away to him.

“Yes. It’s not like I have any close family. Your ‘widowed’ wife could
certainly use that money.” He said with resolution.
“Thanks, man. I owe you one.” He patted Gareth on the shoulder. “But
anyway, take this.” He handed his flask of this week’s Slug Jelly.

“Finally something I can spend.” He beamed a broad smile.

Hence so, they kept teaching the spiders. And almost as a custom, each
class would bring them either gifts or a massive favour upon graduation.
Obviously, the two used that to their advantage.

...

Instead of remaining cooped up in their house like Bareth, Gareth was the
one who liked to explore the farm. The boredom wasn’t the only reason, the
reasons were many, and despite Bareth’s advice, he was looking for a way
out. This was because, unlike the old merchant, he wasn’t all too happy
about his current predicament. Even if treated extremely well, they still
were prisoners here. And he still had family to worry about.

He kept the strolls casual, and every time he went out he would let out a
defeated sigh. The farm was ever-changing and ever-growing; he just
couldn’t keep up with all the changes. Also, he didn’t think he could find
his way past the web-like TomGrape labyrinth. Aside from ever-present
and watchful spiders, past the farm proper was an endless jungle, so despite
his otherwise valiant efforts, he realised that he was hoping for the
impossible.

Accepting that he was likely trapped here for the rest of his life might have
been a good choice to make. After he had done so, instead of feeling
depressed he felt liberated. To brighten his dull days he sought for the
company, someone else from an elderly male that is; Sorry Bareth you’re
just not that interesting! Communicating with spiders was hard. It wasn’t
because they couldn’t understand him, that was because they kept their
answers short and on point; they never made any effort to expand the
conversation. They were just too boring!

The Lamia, however... They were quite spicy. And, if you happened to not
have any other more human-like options - beautiful. So, ever so slowly and
ever so carefully, he began approaching them. There was some language
barrier at first but even from the first conversation, he could tell that they
had equal interest in him.

‘I just hope they don’t look like that at me because they want to eat me.’ He
remembered thinking something along those lines. The Lamia gaze was
quite intense.

At first, he kept it simple: asking what were they doing in their spare time
and what foods they liked. And despite their otherwise savage appearance,
the Lamia were rather welcoming towards his approaches. Soon he made a
few Lamia friends.

Already knowing that they liked gems, Gareth used his teacher’s allowance
to curry favours with some select girls. The ones he quite fancied that is.
Yes, he had a wife, and yes he had children. But that life... He left that
behind.

‘This is my fresh start!’ He would often say so before making his

amateurish advances on Lamia.

Somehow, even the cheesiest pickup lines seemed to work.

‘Maybe, this is something to do with the lack of Lamia males?’ After all, he
hasn’t seen even a single Lamia male.

He continued pursuing the Lamia shamelessly, and in the end, his advances
were successful. In retrospect, it was rather easy!
So the inevitable happened and he committed a grave sin... Well, it would
be so (a grave sin) if he was in the Human Kingdom; copulating with
monster races was beyond taboo, but he wasn’t there, he was in the Spider
Kingdom. However, he had almost regretted the hot and steamy night with
Lamia. He thought he would die that night. He was wrung completely dry!
But it that vice-like technique felt rather amazing.

Of course, he boasted about the out-of-this-world experience with the lucky

Lamia, all of it, to the old Bareth.
“What if you got her pregnant.” He scolded him that morning. “This is the
King’s harem!” He shouted. “You’ll get us us hanged!” He began to panic,
waving his hands in the air.

“I just... I was.” Gareth struggled to find an excuse. There was a reason he

had seven children. And he just couldn’t keep his serpent docile, even if he
should have. But those were all pathetic excuses.

“Worry not Bareth. I’ll just go and hand myself in, straight to the King. You
had nothing to do with this so you should be safe.”

Bareth was standing there with mouth agape, clearly, he didn’t expect
Gareth to take the responsibility.

Without delay, he went to seek an audience with the Spider King. The
spiders were confused about his reason even if he explained everything
clearly. It took some effort but in the end, he was granted an audience.

For the first time, he was allowed into the Throre Room. In that spidery
splendid room there was a magnificent throne and on that throne was a
King and his wife, the Lamia Queen. If Gareth wasn’t so nervous he would
have spent his time appreciating the beauty of the Throne Room, but
instead, he was trembling beneath the King’s feet.
“Gareth, what is this about? I don’t understand.” The King said betraying
his confusion.

Gareth decided to cut to the chase. “I’ve slept with one of your virgins. I
have sullied your harem!” He grovelled.

“My harem? What harem?”

Gareth trembled, of course, the King had multiple harems, and he needed to
be more specific. “Your Lamia harem that is.”

“SSS!” The room was filled with a loud hiss. “Lamia Harem?”

Even the Queen was outraged. Of course she would, those were her girls;
the ones she must have gifted to the Spider King. He looked up and gazed
beggingly at the two. Only that he saw the Lamia Queen grasping the King
by his collar.

“What Lamia Harem? SSS! Dear, care to explain?”

The King seemed flustered. And for some reason, he was looking beggingly
at Gareth. This time it was Gareth's turn to give a confused look.

It took some back and forth to clear the misunderstanding. Apparently, there
was no harem and Lamia were free to pick their mates.

“That old jealous bastard,” Gareth grumbled, “pulled one nasty prank on
me.” He said so to himself under his nose.

However, the King had something to add. “I’m glad we cleared the
misunderstanding but I expect you to take responsibility. Then the eggs
hatch, you are the one to train and care for your Lamia children so that they
grow up to be upstanding citizens.” He said so with an oddly happy grin.

Unbeknown to Gareth, this played to the Spider King's advantage. Even

now if they could reproduce asexually, the Lamia needed a male to produce
eggs which didn’t result in a lesser lamia (Lamia Servant). With the help of
a male, lamia warrior’ could be born. Of course, some Lamia pestered the
King about the problem, but he refused their requests for many reasons. The
biggest two were that he wasn’t that type of a person and the Lamia Queen
was strongly against it. So having a willing male saved him from needing to
capture some humans so that they could be rap... bred - something the King
didn’t want to do either. Having someone willing was a godsend.

Gareth swallowed his saliva, he didn’t like that grin. It was both
conspiratory and menacing. After all, there was a price to pay. Bareth might
have been right, he should have kept the naughty snake in his pants. What
this meant was that he was now truly and permanently bound to this
kingdom.

“Forgive me, my children... I’m a scumbag.” Once again he mumbled under

his nose.

The King must have heard that. “If you want, I can see that your family
makes here. The relationship with the Human Kingdom had grown better
just recently.” He smiled conspiratory again.

Why would the King even offer that? His wife would never forgive him. So
Gareth shook his head sideways enthusiastically.

“No, it’s better if they think I’m dead. But... And I ask a lot. But can you see
that my allowance reaches my children?” He asked mostly out of guilt.

“That I can do.” The King allowed magnanimously.

With the misunderstanding cleared Gareth bowed goodbye to the King.

That day he promised to keep his cobra tame.
However, the promise didn’t last a day, he didn’t even make it back to his
room. As if he had opened some sort of forbidden box, the Lamia (plural)
assaulted him on his way back. This was a proper ambush, they sprung
seemingly out of nowhere as if camouflaged. And he tried to resist, both in
mind and body, but unfortunately, Gareth was weak. Weak in morality and
mind. He couldn’t pretend or lie that he didn’t like it; to be desired by these
women, to be so wanted, the Lamia sang an enchanting like some snake
charmers fully captivating his snake right to submission; he succumbed to
their tempting gazes and let himself to be ravished right there.
The next morning Bareth was surprised to see him alive. “You look as if
your soul was sucked out from you!” Regardless, he hugged his comrade
just happy to see him not hanged.

“They sucked more than my soul...” Gareth spoke in a haunted ghost-like

voice.

“As long as you’re alive. We can nurse you back. Here.” He offered his
flask of Slug Jelly.

Gareth knew how precious those were, and indeed he could use the pick me
up the substance would provide, however, “I rather have a Fertility
Potion.”

Bareth gave a questioning look.

“A cure for my condition. Or so the Lamia say.” Gareth explained.

“Haven’t you learned your lesson? You should stay away from the Lamia.
What if the King...”

Gareth interrupted his best friend, “I think it’s the opposite the King wants.
You see I might have been set up. Entrapped." He began explaining his
'truth' about the conspiracy he had fallen into.

Of course, in reality, the King had no blame here. Gareth repeated what he
saw. That’s it, no more.
 80.6 - The Mighty Peacekeeping
Stick *Bonk

Bareth used to be a merchant so his perception of money was different from

Gareth's. Unlike the spunky man, he chose to invest his allowance into
something more tangible than the 'affection' of Lamia. He wondered if
Gareth even needed to keep giving them gifts, by the looks of it the Lamia
would just slither to Gareth at night either way.

Never mind that, this wasn't Gareth's business anyway. So what did he
spend the money on? A house seemed like a natural answer. He amassed a
good amount of Slug Jelly and then traded it off to spider builders. And in
no time at all he had a spidery nest he could call a home. It was rather large
but not quite a mansion, actually, it only had a few rooms; but did he need
more than that? He was single so the answer was obvious.

"I need some furniture." He spoke inside an empty room. "A bed for a start,
and then some tables and chairs..." He started on a mental list.

Everything could be obtained rather easily, that is if you made buddies with
the crafter spiders. Yes, they weren't the most entertaining
conversationalists; the crafter spiders were always work-minded, but they
loved to learn. The trick to make buddies with them was to teach them
something.

Bareth wasn't exactly well versed in carpentry but he knew a thing or two.
He told the spider crafters how to make a human table and a chair; and
other simple stuff like that. The spiders jumped for joy at having new
designs to work with and in the end, he had his furniture.
A similar trick worked with other types of spiders. And soon his house
began to take the shape of something more proper and human-like. He had
fine-crafted furniture, vivid blue carpet, and even drapes for windows. The
designs still carried that spidery theme, but otherwise, they blended in well
with the surroundings. All in all, it was luxurious.
"Better than I had in the Human Kingdom." He concluded.

And how about his mate, Gareth? If there was jealousy he didn't display it.
In one way, since Bareth moved Gareth now had a whole room for himself.
However, that building had turned into something unsavoury. There was a
lot of hissing coming from it at night. Sometimes spider peacekeepers had
to intervene. And by the morning there was a full crate of empty potion
bottles for spiders to collect. Gareth clearly had some sort of a problem.
...

Gareth had run away from his spidery home. This wasn't the first time, nor
it will be the last. Why did he run? – Well, he just needed a break once in a
while. However, he knew too well that the Lamia would capture him
eventually. Even if short it was still a break.

This time he grew clever and got lost in the web-maze on purpose. A, he
had a good excuse now and B, Lamia shouldn't be immune to the confusing
layout of the maze either.

His plan worked out, Gareth was wandering between the rows of
TomGrape webs for hours. An occasional spider would give him a wave
and he would wave back.

"I think I'll stay here, forever lost." He said with resolution and an ironic
smile on his face. "It's not like I can go hungry." He picked up a ripe
TomGrape right of the web-vine and ate it.

"What is this?" He observed something strange on the web. "It's all

shrivelled and dried up." The TomGrape fruit crumbled to dust under his
fingers. “It looks like a disease.” He knew it the moment he saw it, after all,
he wasn’t a stranger to farming.
Gareth went to investigate the nearby plants. "It's bad if it had spread
already." Indeed, some other web-vines had signs of wilting too. "This is
bad!" He looked around for spiders.

There was none nearby but he noticed a moving shadow right under one of
the web-vines. It was small so probably it belonged to a young spider
farmer.

He approached closer and leaned under the lush leaves of the plant. "Hey,
little fellow..." He stopped speaking because this wasn't a spider.

It was just a shadow! Or to be more precise, a creature made of shadows. It

was very small and resembled a doll, but its head was big and onion shaped
and it was entirely made out of swirling darkness.

The shadowy creature was touching the stem of the vine with its little claw-
like hands and the plant was visibly wilting.

“Ahh!” Gareth shouted both in fear and surprise. No

The little monster looked at him. It had a white patch in that darkness where
a face should be but it was absolutely smooth and featureless.

“AHH!” The creature imitated his voice. It was somewhat distorted.

Then it ducked under the web and disappeared somewhere further.

“I must report this to spiders!”

Gareth found some spiders to investigate the incident. They chirped with
clear concern and disposed of the affected vines.

Next, they were looking for that mysterious plant-draining monster. Gareth
volunteered to help but they couldn't find it. It was getting dark so he gave
up.

Hence, he left the spiders to deal with the incident.

...
Every time Gareth happened to just be 'lost' in the TomGrape web-maze he
would encounter the shadow monsters. Of course, he would chase them out
and to the next vine... It's not like he had a way to catch or kill them. Worse,
the spiders still haven't encountered even a single shadow monster. It was as
if the shadow creatures were experts at avoiding spider detection.

The frequency of monster encounters grew and so did Gareth's concern. So

he sought advice from his old friend.

"And why do you insist on helping? I'm sure the spiders can handle it."
Bareth dismissed his concern.

"I'm not too sure about that... And if you saw them you would be concerned
too. They're crazy scary!"

“I don’t know about that. Aren’t you the only one who saw those
creatures?” Bareth asked with scepticism.

“Are you suggesting something?!”

“Well, all those fertility potions can’t be too good. Might affect the mind
and all that. And you seem rather stressed.”

Yeah, lamias were stressing Gareth out, hence his more frequent 'walks' in a
maze. Especially the knowledge that he will need to take 'responsibility' for
no less than a hundred eggs. But that was the reason why he tried to solve
the TomGrape wilting mystery so hard. If he was successful, the King
might just excuse him from his ‘responsibilities’.

"Look Bareth, all you need to do is leave your mansion and come with me.
I'll show you that I'm not imagining things."

“At this time of hour? It’s dark already” Bareth protested with his arms
crossed.

"Don't be a wuss. Come on!" He nudged Bareth with his elbow.

"I'm not afraid!" Bareth protested again. "But how do you suggest we see a
creature made out of darkness at night? You would just make yourself look
like a fool again."

Bareth had a point there. "We'll use a lantern. I can borrow it from the
Lamia. If anything, there should be more of them at night."

"Hmm..." Bareth was contemplating it. "If what you say is truth, they are
creatures of darkness, the lantern light might just scare them away, and they
will see us coming from a distance."

Once again Gareth had to admit that his old friend had a point there.

However, Bareth wasn't quite finished. "If anything, we should use Dark
Flame.”

“As far as I know you don’t look like a spider mage.” Gareth pointed out
the obvious. “Are we recruiting one?”

"What for, I have a thing right here." Bareth opened a cupboard and
retrieved a magical lantern.

“Wow, how did you get that?” Gareth was genuinely impressed, after all,
even the normal FireAgave Juice Lantern was rather expensive.

“Connections.” Gareth didn’t elaborate further. “So shall we go?”

“And here I thought you were scared shitless.”

Gareth just glared at him.

"When you see them just don't cling to me like a terrified maiden. These
arms are for the Lamia only." Bareth teased.

"Don't get full of yourself, mate." Gareth took the lantern and headed
outside.

The Dark Flame granted them sight even in the most oppressive darkness.
And the best of it was that aside from dim purple flame it didn’t produce
much real light.
The pair of friends walked ever deeper into the TomGrape fields. The
spiders were off to sleep at this late hour, but somehow the webs looked
scarier without their presence.

"It would be rather bad if we end up attacked," Gareth uttered and regretted
it right after.

"So it's you who's scared!" Bareth spoke in a shaky voice. "Be not afraid
younglin for I have brought a weapon." He spoke theatrically waving a
stick.

Gareth recognised it instantly, it was a stick spider peacekeepers used. He

had seen it in use multiple times, mostly on rowdy lamias but sometimes he
would get smacked as collateral. Why? Well, the spiders said that they were
being too loud at late hours or something like that. And then struck
everyone.

“Do you think it will be enough?” Gareth asked staring at not so lethal
weapon.

Bareth shrugged. “I’m still not convinced those shadow creatures exist.”

"Here, right there!" Gareth pointed at the completely wilted vine. "The
spiders haven't cut it yet, so it's fresh. Let's look nearby."

Bareth pointed the lantern near and under the nearby web.

“W-what a...” He began in a stuttering and shaky voice but didn’t even
finish.

Bareth was just standing there and trembling at the sight. A small swarm of
tar-like monsters were grasping at the stem and exposed roots of
TomGrape. The plant wilted in seconds and the bellies of the monsters
took a rounded shape.

"Let's get 'em!" Gareth pried the stick off Bareth and jumped towards the
swarm.
Bareth stood there speechless and Gareth was just whacking at the monsters
with the stick. The impact would squish and squash the doll-like monster
but it just bounced back to its original shape.

“Gareth stop! What if they attack you?”

"Stop prattling about and help me!" Gareth said unconcerned.

Somehow those words dispelled the fear Bareth felt and he jumped to kick
and stomp at the monsters.

The two went at it for a good ten minutes. The monsters weathered their
assault and once given a chance scattered in all directions. In the end, they
failed to kill even a single one of the shadowy creatures.
“What a hell!” Gareth shouted frustrated.

“I think we did well to scare them off. What if they decided to drain us
instead of the plant?”

Gareth face paled at those words.

“What? You didn’t think about that?” Bareth shook his head in disbelief. “ I
don’t know if you’re very brave or just a fool.”

"Yeah... We weren't prepared for this. But how do we kill them? This seems
impossible!" Gareth threw the stick to the ground in frustration.

Bareth picked up his stick back. “Maybe exposing them to light would
disperse their bodies?” He offered.

“No, I have seen them scutter around in broad daylight.”

“Let’s get out of here then.”

Gareth simply nodded, he too was beginning to feel anxious. Getting

yourself drained didn't sound all too fun. The two walked in silence. Bareth
was deep in thought for some reason.
Gareth knew the likely reason. "We're lost aren't we..." After all, this was a
maze.

Bareth didn’t say a thing.

"Look, I'm sorry." Gareth even bowed.

“Huh, what?” It seems Bareth wasn’t listening. “I was just thinking about
this story the spiders told me.”

"Why are you thinking about some stories? Aren't there bigger things to
worry about?"

Bareth gave him another glare. “You should’ve asked what the story was
about.” He said suggestively.

“Okay, I’ll play that game.” It’s not that he had anything else to do aside
from wandering. “What is that story about?”

“I’m glad you asked. Once upon a time, on the highest reaches of the
Oberon Mountaintop..."

The story, like all spider stories was about their ruler, the Spider King and
his unbelievable adventures.

"Ah, I see." Gareth pointed a finger up into the air. " The shadow monsters
might be similar to wraths. We need a magical weapon!"

"Oh, you're smarter than you look. I am impressed Gareth." Bareth replied.

"Keep those snarky barbs to yourself. More importantly, where do we get

magical weapons? It's not like we can ask for some."

Bareth gave another look of his. “Why not?”

“You know damn well why not!”

They were still captives here and not trusted with anything like that.
“Hmm, maybe if you asked nicely, very nicely, of those lady friends of
yours. Just maybe we could get a hold of enchanted weapons.” Bareth
wasn’t finished. “Or we could just inform the spiders again and let them
deal with this.”

“No, I will ask the Lamia.”

For some reason, Gareth was bent on dealing with this with his own hands.

“Fine. Get a few then. I will help you.”

“You will?”

"We're friends, and this seems important to you." Bareth patted Gareth's
shoulder.

The two continued to wander the maze aimlessly until a spider farmer
found them at the break of dawn.
 80.9 - It Popped Like Popcorn 🍿

The shadow monsters were experts at avoiding spiders’ presence; it was as

if they evolved for that specific reason. However, the spiders finally
acknowledged the monster's existence. The solution, however, was not
ideal, they just assigned spiders to guard the TomGrape webs. There were
more webs when spiders, so even when there was a loss of crops.

Meanwhile, the two humans were working on their own solution. Begging
Lamia for enchanted spears turned out to be unnecessary. The pair was
holding an enchanted peacekeeping stick in their hands. It was a sturdy
thing cut straight out of IronOak, one end of it had a cap made out of very
dark metal and the other a dark crystal. Sometimes purple lightning flashed
inside the crystal; it was mysterious.

Well, the stick ended up looking more like a mace or a staff, but they were
told not to hit anything with the crystal and use the metal cap instead. If
they slammed the cap into an object, there would be a small explosion at
that end, so it was quite dangerous. However, the stick was sturdy and the
shaft was long, and as long as they were careful the weapon wasn't
dangerous to its user.

Just so, after finishing teaching the Centauri the two were going on their
routine rounds around the maze. Their task was to exterminate the pests.

“Over there.” Gareth pointed to the seemingly innocent web.

Bareth couldn't see it, but he knew that Gareth had a good eye for this, So
he simply nodded and followed.

Indeed, the web was teaming with shadow creatures. The two began
whacking at them without mercy.
“Die!” Gareth trusted his stick at the unsuspecting monster.

Upon contact with the stick, a shadow creature exploded like a balloon,
there was even that iconic sound. A few more monsters were dispatched this
way.

*Pop, *Pop, *Pop, *Pop – it sounded like popcorn but many times louder.

“You think we got them all?” Bareth asked.

“No, obviously some must have snuck out. Let’s check another vine.”

The two continued inspecting the webs until midnight. One might wonder
why they were working so hard and the humans had different reasons for
that. Bareth wanted that bonus pay he would get for extermination, it was
quite handsome. And Gareth just wanted to be busy here, this was his
excuse to stay away from demanding Lamia.

The sun had set and the darkness descended upon the MegaFarm. This was
the time when the shadow creatures became most active.

“It’s late, should we wrap this up?” Bareth suggested.

“Huh. Are you afraid of the darkness?”

Gareth, for some reason, would always push to stay for longer.

“Man, we aren’t paid past midnight.” Old Bareth said matter of factly. “Is it
because you want to level up your Warrior class?”

“Mabe, maybe not.” Gareth gave a vague reply. "You can go if you want.
I'll stay for a few hours. Just leave the Dark Flame Lantern with me.”

“Nah, I’ll stay with you. It’s not safe alone.” That and Bareth didn’t want to
part with the lantern.

"Alright! That's the spirit!" Gareth was pumped up for some reason.
Bareth sighed and took a sip from the Slug Jelly flask. The substance
perked him up instantly.

"Mind sharing?" Gareth asked hopefully.

"You know the answer." It was a 'no' and for many reasons. "We both know
you would get addicted. Again.”

“It’s not like... *Pop.” He popped a monster trying to sneak past him. “...
like you’re immune to that stuff either.”

“I just know how to control myself.” A tiny bit ever so often was the trick.

*Pop – This time, Bareth bonked one.

“Sure, whatever.”

*Pop, *Pop, *Pop – Gareth exterminated a small cluster.

In the end, with an effective weapon at hand, the shadow monsters didn't
seem much like a threat at all. The two went on with one-sided
extermination all the way past midnight.

"We should head back. We have lessons in the morning." Bareth reminded.

“Shh," Gareth shushed, his body posture was all tense.

Clearly, something was wrong, but whatever it was Bareth failed to sense it.
He kept looking in the direction Gareth had his eyes locked.

"It's over there," Gareth whispered in a somewhat shaky voice.

Bareth brought the lantern closer. Unmistakably, something was there. A

cloud of swirling darkness.

As if provoked by the two the cloud condensed into a more dense form. The
darkness swirled and twisted upon itself and in a matter of seconds it took
the shape of a four-legged creature. It vaguely resembled a wolf; vaguely
because it was made of viscous darkness, had no tail or ears, its head didn't
even have a hole for a mouth or eyes, but it did have four long and sleek
tentacles on its back. The tentacles undulated threateningly.

The pair of friends remained frozen, they were struggling to process what
they were seeing. Flight or fight response kicked in; both subconsciously
chose to fight.

Gareth fully expected a roar or a howl of some sort, but the warning never
came. The monster ran towards him without making even the faintest
sound. It was quick, too quick for Gareth to react. It slammed on his chest
knocking him down. The tentacles wrapped around his arms binding him.

"Hel..." A tentacle slid into his mouth and all the way to his throat and
stomach. A sudden faintness took over him as if his very life was drained
away.

Well, Gareth was in luck because his friend was still there. Bareth didn't
flee and the gruesome sight of his friend being assaulted like that gave him
courage to attack the monster.

“Get lost.” He bonked at the monster with the stick.

The free tentacle tried to parry the enchanted weapon but upon contact, it
just exploded into wisps of darkness. Bareth swung again, this time at the
monster's back. The stick connected evaporating a good chunk off. The
monster didn't cry or trash it just shifted its body away from the stick and
continued to drain Gareth. The hole on its back was already beginning to
close.

Bareth realised that he must free his friend and quickly, so he jumped for
another smack. This time he aimed for the tentacles while careful not to
touch Gareth; he didn’t want to explode his buddy.

The monster was dragging its bound prey but even old Bareth managed to
touch the tentackles without grazing Gareth’s flesh. The magic flowing out
of the capped end of the stick disrupted whatever was holding the darkness
together and the binding tentacles dispersed into nothing with a pop.
Of course, the monster still remained, but it had lost three of its four
tentacles. Now freed, Gareth whacked at the monster with his stick and thus
cleared his airway off the offending appendage.

Bareth snuck another strike at the monster making a second hole but on its
side this time.

“Tch.” He clicked his tongue, he was aiming for its head.

The monster must have realised that the two humans were too strong for it;
it began backpedalling away from the two.

"Gah." Gareth spat out some tar-like liquid. "Let’s get it!” He waved his
stick vengefully.

Bareth looked at his courageous friend, Gareth's legs were trembling and
his face was pale, in other words, this was a front and Gareth was in no
position to be fighting. Regardless, Bareth marched forward towards the
monster, with full intent to kill it. Gareth remained in his guarded position,
likely because he was unable to walk.

“I’ll kill ya!” Bareth charged at the monster.

The shadow creature must have been smarter than an average monster
because it turned around and ran away disappearing into the darkness.

Bareth considered chasing it, but then he would leave Gareth undefended
and without the lantern.

"Sorry, it got away." He said apologetically.

“Uff.” Gareth collapsed to his butt “I don’t feel too well.”

Bareth stepped to support his friend. A nearby web shook startling the two
again. Bareth pointed the mean end of the stick in the direction.

"Are you. Alright?" A spider chirped climbing down the web. "I heard.
Shouting".
This was one of the guards assigned to the plants. The spider came too late
to get any action.

“We were attacked.”

“By. Shadow. Monsters?

“What else?!” Gareth snapped. “I almost died.”

“But normally. They wouldn’t. Attack.”

Yes, Gareth had said so before. And it was true until...

Bareth jumped in to explain. "This one was different from the others. It was
larger and had tentacles. And I think...” He paused looking at his weakened
friend. “It Drained Gareth.”

“Mana Drain. Or. Health Drain?” The spider chirped a question.

"No clue. I'm not a magus." Bareth looked at the poorly friend.

"I feel like shit. Bleh!" Gareth spat another glob of tar-like goo.

The spider nonchalantly collected the fluid.

“I’ll. Escort you. Back.”

“Good idea.” Bareth nodded thankfully. If anything the spider should ward
off further attacks.

Gareth took the shoulder of his friend and walked with the support of the
stick. They followed the spider out of the maze.

"Man, I thought I was gone. I couldn't even breathe.”

“Well, it’s good I decided to stay.”

“Yeah, you saved my life. Thanks.”

“No problem, you would have done the same.”

Gareth remained silent as if not too sure about that statement.

“Here. I don’t know if it will help, but it should.”

Gareth wasn’t the one to refuse such an offer. He took a greedy sip out of
the flask.

“Oh! It does help.” The colour returned to his face.

*Boom – an explosion rang somewhere in the distance. The sound sounded

oddly familiar.

“What was that?” The two asked in unison.

The spider gave them a spider shrug and continued walking without even a
shred of concern.

However, much too soon, a different kind of spider ran up to them. From its
vaguely humane features and the fact that it wore a blue robe, it was clear
that it was more than a spider farmer.

“You alright?” The spider chirped with concern.

“What happened?” The two asked in unison again.

“I killed. A strange monster.” The spider chirped adding. “I don’t think. It’s
safe. For you anymore.”

“Yeah. Something very strange is happening here.”

“I know. We are investigating." It chirped matter-of-factly.

Anyway, having an extra guard was reassuring. They proceeded out of the
maze.

The spider seemed thoughtful for a while and then it spoke again. "But. I'll
need your help. From now on."
Bareth gave a bevildered look to the spider. “Din’t you just say it was too
dangerous for us?”

Gareth nodded and grunted to support his friend.

“Yes. But those creatures. Are avoiding us. To progress in my. Research.
I’ll need your help.”

"Sorry. I don't want to help anymore." Gareth grumbled while feeling up his
sore throat.

“Humans. You will be rewarded handsomely.”

Gareth didn’t seem to be interested, but, Bareth perked up at those words.

The spider produced a piece of cloth from under its robe and handed it to
Bareth.

“Huh?” He investigated the item. “A sock.” He gave a sniff, it was

unwashed.

The spider farmer was glaring with all of its four eyes at the sock;
revenantly so.

"A holy artefact. All yours. If you help me.” The spider mage chirped in a
tempting tone.

“Ahm... I don't think I have any use for this." He handed the sock to the
nearby spider farmer; it looked like it wanted to touch it.

“No?” The spider mage snatched back the sock from the spider farmer.

"I rather have something more useful..."

"Bareth, you can't be seriously considering this. This IS too dangerous!”

Gareth gave a disapproving look. “We aren’t warriors.”

It was Bareth’s turn to look in disapproval. For months, Gareth had no

problem about pretending to be a warrior and going on these extermination
walks. So he waved him to shut up.
“I’ll take money, or favours if that's possible." He preferred the latter since
the spider mages had a lot of clout here.

“Anything.” Spider chirped happily. “Trusty Advisor. Had already

approved. My Research budget..” It chirped proudly.

“Anything?” He asked to be sure.

“Anything!” The spider tempted further.

A questionable smile rose to Bareth’s face. “Then I would like some

Centauri servants. That’s possible yes?’

The spider mage nodded. “That could be arranged.”

Gareth looked both amazed and betrayed. "Ohh... Oh! That explains
things.”

“Don’t look at me like that. We all have preferences.” Bareth looked away
unwilling to meet the eyes of his friend.

“Just don’t get entrapped like I did.”

“Worry not. If anything, I can keep it in my trousers."

“Mhm!”

"So. Do we have. Agreement?"

“Sure we do, spider. We do!” Bareth stretched his hand all too keen.

“And you?”

"Well, I can't let my buddy risk his life alone. I’m in.”

“Oh! I thought you had enough of danger?"

"I like to live dangerously..." Gareth paused. "And I will need resources to
support my children. They’ll be hatching soon.”
"What's the number, again?" Bareth used the opportunity to ask.

"Two hundred fifty two," Gareth whispered.

“How many?!” Bareth stared wide-eyed and mouth agape.

Gareth feeling slightly ashamed didn't reply. Lamia were a fertile bunch, or
maybe it was the potion... Whatever...

“Human. You should be. Proud. It is a good. Number. I’m sure. They will
grow to. Serve the King well. Like you do.”

“Then, spider you better be paying well.”

“Worry not. Help me. In my Research. And, you and yours. Will be
provided for." It chirped with confidence.

...

That morning, when the dawn broke, they had to suspend their classes.
Bareth wasn’t all too pleased about that. Strange...

That same day they received their new work equipment. It was oppressively
dark armour, and way too heavy for the normal humans. However, it came
with a box of Strength Potions.

Despite previous enthusiasm, Bareth seemed bummed out about suspended

classes. That was until a particularly voluptuous centaur arrived and
introduced herself.

She spoke in perfect human language. “Hello, master Bareth.” She bowed
low exposing way too much cleavage. “I am one of your assistants assigned
to guard and serve you.” She smiled at the older man.

This was one of the more talented students the two had taught. She had
graduated a while ago.

Bareth’s mood took a full 180° turn. He was all smiles, but also he had
forgotten to give her a reply.
Gareth was a better man. “Hello, dear. I didn’t expect to see you again.” He
gave his teacher’s smile.

“Humf.” She snorted and turned her head away from him.
‘What did I do?’ – Gareth had to wonder.

A charming smile was back on her face. “Master, please hop on. I’ll take
you to the TomGrape fields." She patted behind her back suggestively.

“Uh... You want me to ride you?”

“What else would I be suggesting?” She blushed for some reason.

“I might be too heavy. Armour and all.”

Gareth was grinding his teeth listening to that bitter-sweet conversation.

‘What are you? Teenager couple?! Stop blushing!’ – He wanted to yell.

“Master Bareth!” She said sternly. “I am not weak! I won't have you
walking like some lowlife." She glared at Gareth. "Now, hop on!”

“If you insist." Bareth climbed awkwardly on her back.

There was no saddle or anything like that. Bareth fumbled unsure about
where to put his hands.

"I don't want to disgrace myself and let you fall. So please.” She found his
hands and brought them to her front. "No, don't lower them, master.” She
pushed them even higher.

Needless to say, the hands weren't on her waist but somewhere else entirely.

Gareth had enough! “I don’t think...”

“Humf...” She snorted again at Gareth and just launched into the gallant
gallop.

Bareth was clutching with both hands, the expression on his face could be
used in a Dictionary next to the word ‘happiness’, it would illustrate it
perfectly.

"That's one lucky bastard," Gareth uttered out of jealousy. “If only the
Lamia were like that...” They didn’t call him master with affection, actually,
they didn’t call him anything; they just took what they wanted, squeezed
him dry and left... He walked slowly in that heavy armour and towards the
fields.

Sulking was not the way to go. “Hey. I’ll make sure that my children grow
into proper ladies and not like their mothers.” He said somewhat bitterly but
still brimming with conviction. "And which normal human could boast
about so many children? I must be blessed in a way."

Gareth too developed that face befitting the dictionary entry, well, the bliss
was equal only to half of Bareth's, but still, he had a reason to be happy.
And probably more real than a set of oversized melons. Bouncy, juicy
melons, a pair that swayed invitingly from even the slightest movement.

"Oops." He shook his head forcefully. "No, I’ll make myself sour again.”
He continued walking towards the web-maze.

...

Sometime later, or before, outside the Gareth and Bareth adventures. A

Spider King was having a dream.

You might call it a prophetic dream, well it must be it because this wasn't
the first time he'd received something like that. However, this one was
different. There was no nebulous cloud that would beam the words directly
to his mind. Nor was he floating in the endless dark void. This dream was
different from the previous ones he had.

The space he was floating in was filled with neat square shapes, each
perfectly cubical and at equal distances from each other. There were
thousands of them, filling the white space as far as he could see. He was
there floating in the air just between the two such shapes. It was hard to
guess their real size, but from what he saw they were very large.
He tried to swim through the emptiness but his legs and hands waved in the
air finding no purchase; he was stuck. The sight of recurring cubical shapes
formed a certain repeating pattern; It was dizzying. If you placed a camera
slightly off of its monitor you would get something similar; an endless
repeating image - a static loop. It became more blurry and more distorter
the further he looked.

“I think I will vomit”, he grabbed for his stomach.

"VOMIT, Vomit, vomit..." The sound bounced back from the cubes in an
endless echo. "Mit, it, it, t, t, tt, tttt..." It became distorted. For some reason,
the echo didn't behave like a normal echo would. L and its volume remained
the same; it was rather annoying buzzing 'tz-tz-tz'.

"How unpleasant." Without thinking he made another voice of endless echo.

"Tz-tz-tz..."

There was a flash of blinding light. Mysteriously it canceled out the noise
resetting the white endless space back to its serene state.

“Mortal.” The voice came from all over, but this time there was no echo.

He looked around but couldn't see anything else aside from cubes and that
white emptiness.

Well, he had a similar experience already, so, “You must be a powerful

entity of some sort.” He mumbled and continued in now a normal tone,
“What do you want?”.

The light flashed again presumably to cancel the echo he just made.

"To warn you." The echoless voice boomed.

“Go on then.”

The light flashed again.

“You played an agent of chaos for too long, mortal. You stirred the pot too
hard. It is coming for you.”

“What is. What is coming?” He hoped that this ‘deity’, or whatever the
entity was, would not remain needlessly cryptic and vague.

*Flash of light.

“Darkness!” It boomed with power.

Yeah, his hopes were smashed. For some reason, powerful entities insisted
on being cryptic. "Right... Darkness. And how do I fight it?”

*Flash.

“I have warned you, mortal. The rest is up to you.”

He figured it wouldn't elaborate further. Predictably so, the space began to

blur and he could feel his consciousness fading.

“Wait, what are you? What is your name?” He asked hurriedly.

“Order in Chaos!”

The sound assaulted him from all sides, *Flash... He jolted straight up, still
feeling disoriented.

He looked around. He was in his room, in his bed and beside him was his
lovely wife.

His sudden movement must have awoken her too. "Sss, what was that?" She
hissed, more worried than annoyed.

“Nothing. Just a nightmare.” He brushed it off.

“Aww... sss,” she slithered closer. “I know just the cure."

*Smooch
81 - The Answer is Elementary, My
Dear King

Prophetic dreams or not, there is little one can do with vague cues. What the
hell is that Darkness anyway?

Well, maybe he had a clue. In his possession, there were both the True
Dark Tome and the Soul Well. And maybe preventing souls from passing
on was also a factor. But that was just a speculation on his part. Also, that
could have been an empty warning, he wasn’t one to trust strange powers
which invaded his sleep to spout some ominous warnings.

Regardless, to do nothing would be foolish so he went to check on the

spider mages. That was long overdue since he had heard they had a serious
breakthrough.

He reached a very dark place, its walls were reinforced and on the floor
there was an elaborate magical circle. In its centre, there was an obsidian-
like crystal – a legendary item known as the Soul Well. Currently, it was
empty.

The crystal flashed a purple lightning as if excited to see its owner. The
nearby spider stopped tinkering with the magical circle and turned to look
at him.

“G-Greetings,” Spider Archame greeted with a stutter.

It was very unusual for the spiders to stutter. “Did I distract you from
something?” He asked.

“N-no. You would never." The spider fidgeted with its spider hands.
“I can tell something is wrong. Did I come at a bad time? If I’m interrupting
something important I can come back later.”

“No, King, no. It’s just that...” The spider struggled to finish.

“What is it?”

The spider sighted and looked apologetically. “The True Dark Tome was
destroyed.”

“What!?” He was shocked. "How? What happened? Did the experimental

ritual backfire? Or did someone mishandle it?” He had so many questions.

“I’m sorry. It is my. Fault.” The spider bowed apologetically.

“Just explain to me what happened.”

“It’s hard to. Explain. Come. I’ll show.”

The Spider Archmage led him to a nearby secure storage and produced an
item. It was a thick book, a tome, it was definitely produced by spiders
since it had that iconic spidery design. The black cover looked as if
entangled in a blue web and on the web there was an artistic depiction of a
spider, it had four little yellow gems for its eyes.

The tome was pretty and well made. But why was the spider showing it to
him?

The tome opened by itself and began flipping its pages excitedly.

“A magical item?” He guessed.

“Oh look. It likes you.” The spider chirped somewhat happy. “Please take it
in your hands.”

He did just so.

[You have obtained Spider-Nom-Nomicon]

The message was unusual, and the name even more so. But what came next
was a shocker.

[Chaos Blessed], the perk triggered on its own.

[Spider-Nom-Nomicon has been bound to your soul],[Soul Bound].

“Okay. This is more than a fancy book.”

“I made it.” The spider chirped proudly.

“This is quite something...”

“It’s a. Divine grade item.” It chirped nonchalantly.

The tome flipped its pages as if to confirm that statement.

“...”

How do you even process that information? This was insane. He was under
the impression that items like that could only be made by, well, gods;
apparently not.

“Just how?”

The spider began to fidget again. “It ate. The True Dark Tome. And
became this.” It chirped apologetically. “I just wanted to. Improve on your
tome. Write something better. But..."

Whatever happened – happened. “I see. Don't worry, I’m not angry.”

“But the old tome. Was destroyed!”

“And now I have a divine grade item. Thank you Spider Archmage, you
achieved something... Truly divine.” He bowed in thanks.

The spider returned the bow.

“How about the Immortality ritual? Is it still possible without the True
Dark Tome?”

“Everything was solved. Before the destruction of the old tome. And this,”
the spider pointed at the spidery book, "is ten times better.”

The tome flipped its pages happy at the praise.

The spider continued. “The ritual is. Almost complete. I was just fine-
tuning."

“Well, then tell me how this works.”

It was rather simple, or maybe it only sounded so. No, it definitely wasn’t
simple, it took a whole spider research department months to solve this.
Anyway...

For this to work the spider had to carry a special magical item, a Soul
Crystal. The crystal had to be bound to the Soul Well and attuned to each
spider with a small ritual. Then, and if, the spider experienced the untimely
end, its soul would be pulled into the crystal.

The crystal was calibrated so that the soul wouldn’t linger there for long.
Hypothetically the crystal pulled on its magical energy, shattered and then
sent the soul towards the well to be stored. Then the spider's soul could be
reincarnated with the Rebirth ritual into the new body. Simple!

Of course, it was still a theory because for it to become a real thing a spider
had to die. And at what distance the crystals remained effective also
remained to be seen.

“Well then, I will leave the tome in your hands. Just in case you might need
it.”

The tome stopped fluttering its pages and closed its cover shut, as if in
protest.

“I won’t be able. To use it. If it refuses to open.”

Apparently, it could shut itself rather tight.

“Spider-Nom-Nomicon, you better behave yourself!” He scolded.

The tome opened reluctantly.

...

Neither the new tome nor the well looked like they would be potential
sources of trouble. Those were just items, convenient tools; right? Right?
So he left it at that.

He was taking a casual stroll through TomGrape fields. The sight was
relaxing. The diligent spiders walked on the webs plucking the juicy fruits
and storing them in the bags attached to their backs.

The fat squirrels dashed in and out from under the webs, dash was a strong
word to use. They mostly casually wobbled from A to B; without natural
predators, the squirrels had no feeling of urgency. They had grown obese
and rather delicious.

“Huh?” He noticed something odd under the vine. “How unusual.”

There was a dead squirrel right under the plant, it looked desacated and all
dry like a mummy. Usually, the spiders took care of such things, so what it
meant was that the body was new. And bodies didn’t become mummified in
a day or two.

There was only one conclusion. “Dark magic.” Was this the Darkness he
was warned about?

He crawled under the web and skewered the squirrel with his spear. "I'll
bring the body for the spiders to investigate." He decided.

“Greetings, King.”

“Greetings.”

“Salutations.”
The trio of voices surprised him, and he turned to look. There were two
heavily armoured men and a centaur. There was no mistake who the two
were; Bareth and Gareth obviously.

"Hello." He greeted back his subjects pointing the spear at them. The sight
was morbid and the accidental gesture was probably rude.

The two didn't even blink at the squirrel, it was as if the mummified
squirrels were an ordinary sighting here.

"This is new to me, but by the looks of it, you must know something about
this.” He waved the spear.

"Yes, King. This is the victim of the shadow wolf.” One of the humans
replied.

Shadow wolf? What was that?

His confusion must have been obvious because the other human jumped to
elaborate.

“It was drained by shadow wolf, it probably happened this night.”

This didn't explain anything. "Why are there wolves on my farm? And did
you say drain?"

“Drain.” A Chirp coming from the other side of the web repeated.

“Okay, what is going on?”

“I’ll come. Over.” It chirped.

The spider mage climbed over the web and jumped down right in front of
the king. Then it began speaking about his 'Research' in an animated
fashion. The humans just nodded as the spider spoke.

“Wait, wait, wait... So my farm is invaded by monsters? Shadow Dolls and

Shadow Wolves? Why is it the first I hear of this?" This sounded bad.
“The spider farmers. Wouldn’t bother the King. About minor details. Such
as. Pest extermination.”

Indeed, the spiders were left to manage the farms and they were experts in
their jobs, but this seemed more serious than a simple pest infestation.

Will he need to follow the Wisp’s example and ask the Drow to cleanse the
farm?

“We have it. The Shadow Plague. Under control." The spider reassured.

“The shadow plague?” It sounded way too ominous to ignore.

"Yes. A phenomenon needed a name. I named it so. A Shadow Plague. It

repeated.”

Was this something to do with the Darkness the entity had mentioned?
Scary!

“King, you have. A curious look. Are you interested. In my Research?”

“Of course I am! This should have been reported straight to me.”

The Spider Advisor must have slipped somewhere, or maybe it wasn’t too
serious, but that name... It gave him the unpleasant feeling of foreboding.

“Come. Let’s check the traps.”

The spider waved a spindly hand to follow.

For some reason, the centaur had a panicked face all of a sudden. The actual
monster must be very scary to make her so anxious and fidgety.

The centaur kept gazing at him and at one of the humans back and forth.

“I’m sorry, master Bareth.” She bowed apologetically.

Wow, way too low! He couldn’t not notice.
“King, let me give you a ride.” She crouched so that the climb would be
easier.

Nope, he wasn’t doing that. There was nowhere to hold and it barely
seemed appropriate. After all, she was a woman.

“I must refuse. You see, I enjoy these casual walks. This is the very reason I
am here. To stretch my legs, so let’s walk.” He gave a long-winded excuse.

“Then, master Bareth. Please.” She said somewhat dejected.

"Oh no, I can't be riding if the King is walking. That would be

unforgivable.”

“As expected of my master. Forgive my rudeness." She bowed twice, once

for the King and once for her master.

"Let's get going. Already." The spider urged.

He couldn’t agree more.

...

They had to walk all the way to the edge of the farms, and he slightly
regretted not taking the ride offered. But, oh well. He didn't want to make
the Spider Leader jealous. For some reason, the spider took great joy and
pride in being his royal mount. So he was fine walking.

Anyway, they reached the spot. It was obvious that this was the place
because it was slightly different from the normal farm. Ever so often, there
was another plant inserted in between the ranks of TomGrape webs. The
plant had a tall and fat stem and on its top was a nut the size of a grapefruit;
it undulated beggingly to be plucked off. This was the TrapBush plant, but
it was modified. He recognised the vines growing around the stem,
ShadowVine. Another plant was transplanted from the Magical Forest.

“Ah!” Spider pointed cheerfully. “Sucess.” It began running towards it.

“Oh did it work this time?” Bareth asked curious.

"It must have," Gareth replied.

“What? What work?” The King was still in the dark.

However, once he saw it, it became clear. The TrapBush must have been
triggered because there was a cage in its place, and inside there was a
shadowy monster.

“The ShadowVine. Keeps it in place. Otherwise. It just fazes through the

bars. The experiment was a success.” The spider clapped cheerily.

Inside the cage was a creature. It was nothing like a wolf. It had tentacles!

"Is this safe?" The King asked with his spear at the ready.

"It should be." Gareth didn't sound too sure. Was

“It must be, otherwise it would have escaped already." Bareth sounded more
convincing.

“It is safe.” The spider chirped and explained further. “It can’t touch the
vine. Without getting. Drained itself. We'd successfully trapped it.” It
clapped again in joy.

“Hmm, a shadow monster like this. Isn’t it vulnerable to light?” The King
pointed at the sky. “Isn’t it on its last legs already?” If so it was rather cruel
to keep it exposed to daylight.

Bareth jumped in to reply. “No, contrary to what one might think. They
aren't vulnerable to light at all. At most, they only shy from it preferring to
prowl in shadows."

“So what are these creatures? Why are they here and where did they come
from?” He had to ask.

“Good question.” The spider nodded. “So far...” It began explaining.

The two humans had confirmed many times over that the shadow monsters
were invulnerable to physical damage. Magic was the only way to kill
them; any magic, it could even be Dark magic. Indeed, there were a lot of
counterintuitive things about these creatures.

The biggest puzzle was that the spiders struggled to confirm the entry point
of monsters. There were sightings of them leaving, but there were zero
sightings for entries. It was almost as if they came into existence
spontaneously here at the farm, gorged themselves on life and left the farm.
This was the hypothesis number one.

Hypothesis number two was that the Shadow Plague sneaked into the farm
with a third form. Something small and hard to notice, then it would drain
life, use the energy to transform into a bigger monster and leave.

“But if they’re leaving. They must be going somewhere.” The King

warranted a guess.

“Exactly!” The spider pointed at the trapped shadow wolf. “We’ll track it.
And find out.”
 82 - Beneath the Darkness of The
Shadow Plague

Drow Assistant was sitting in her study, it was very late so only the warm
light coming from a lantern illuminated her desk. She was slightly hunched
over the piece of paper and in her left hand she had a fountain pen. She was
writing a 'An Introduction to Spiders’; it was fashioned like an information
leaflet and it was written in a casual tone.

===

The idea of what it means to be a spider is rather unconventional here in

The Dreaded Place. First of all, these lovely and hardworking creatures are
called spiders, but they aren’t actually related to anthropods at all. What
they actually are is hard to tell, but it's best to definite them as people
because certainly they are sapient and intelligent.

Over time ‘spiders’ had evolved so many times, and in so many variations
that it’s hard to generalize their appearance. Some are big, while others are
small. Some are human-like but even then some remain animal-like. Some
have arm-like appendages, two or even four, while others make do with
their mandibles only. But there is a common trait: they all have six legs, and
those iconic four yellow gem-like eyes.

Like ants or bees, these spiders serve a central figure, and would readily die
for it if asked to. For them, the Spider King is the highest authority. And
like bees or ants they like to specialise for their tasks, hence diverging
evolutions. To name a few: Spider Crafter, Spider Farmer, Spider Scout,
Spider Warrior, Spider Mage, Spider so and such; there are too many to
name them all.
(insert with a rough picture of Spider Mage)

What is interesting about them is that they are within a select group of
creatures that can reproduce asexually (no partner needed). They can lay
between 1 and 10 eggs throughout their lifespan. The more powerful
individuals tend to have fewer eggs, but that is not a hard rule. What is even
more interesting is that their hatchlings retain the memories of their parents.
How it is achieved is the biggest mystery of all.

As for their personality, they are diligent and hard-working. Also, very
polite; if you saw the spider already, your first memory must be of them
waving a greeting to you. They have an affinity for plants and animals, and
it is not unusual for spiders to have pets. However, it might be hard to make
friends with them. They might seem boring or even cold and uncaring. But
for those who strive to have a spider friend, there is a trick: they love to
learn, especially the things relevant to their selected role, so teach them
what they don’t know and you will find a spider opening up for friendship
in no time at all.

And there is one other thing I must mention, a common sense really, never
ever openly speak ill about their King. It is a grave sin that will get you
killed! Otherwise, there aren’t other taboos.

===

She finished compiling the leaflet. Its purpose was to educate the
newcomers in the Spider Kingdom.

...

The Spider Mage had managed to put a tracker on the shadow wolf; a tricky
business considering the monster was made out of magical darkness. But
Spider Mage managed, somehow. It took a few tries and a couple of
magical devices but eventually a tiny pebble was pushed deep inside the
monster's body.

“This should do.”

Everyone watched expectantly and the tracker stayed inside this time.

“How did you manage that?” The King asked curious.

“A Dark enchanted stone...” The spider began explaining.

It was a long-winded explanation. The pebble wasn't just a stone, it was a

very complex device. The Dark affinity kept it in the shadow wolf's body,
and also there was a draining spell woven into the enchantment. This
further prevented the stone from being expelled.

"But won't it die eventually because the pebble is draining its energy?"

“Eventually.” The spider chirped in agreement. “But not any time soon.”

Everything seemed to be ready." So should we release it?"

The spider nodded.

The two heavily armoured humans raised their sticks ready to counter the
monster in case it decided to attack.

“[Wither]”, the Spider Mage invoked a Dark spell.

The ShadowVine withered, its stem and the leaves crumpled to small
pieces like some dry leaves from a year ago. The monster jumped towards
the wooden cage bars and then simply phased through them. It kept running
away from the farm and towards the jungle.

“[Track]", the spider invoked another spell. "You'll need this." It threw
another pebble to the King. “[Shadow Form]". Turning into a shadow the
spider disappeared.

The King looked at the pebble, the spider forgot to brief him about this part
of the operation, and he forgot to ask. But he knew what to do, “[Track],
[Dark Shroud]." He disappeared turning into a shadow.

The two humans looked at each other.

“Should we follow?”

“And how do you suggest we do that?”

"..."

The King soon caught up with the spider. The two were rushing towards the
jungle at great speed. In his vision he saw a purple beacon in the distance, it
was moving quickly; they followed it at a respectable distance.

After a while, the shadow wolf was tricked into a sense of security and
stopped running. It began walking randomly around the jungle; its
movement gave the feeling that it walked with no purpose, it was just
strolling aimlessly.

The King wondered if the shadow creature was pulling an act and was just
pretending. So he kept observing it throughout the day. He and the spider
didn't even talk so that they didn't give themselves out.

He watched the creature throughout the night. And even by the morning,
nothing was happening, it just kept walking randomly, sometimes even
backtracking. And then it just turned to smoke and dispersed into the air.
The tracking pebble dropped to the ground.

The King ran towards the dispersing shadow cloud. “What, did it die?” He
fanned the smoke out of his vision.

The spider collected the pebble. “It shouldn’t have.” It chirped in

puzzlement. “The pebble doesn’t. Drain that much.” Then the spider took
the jar out of the robe and collected some of the smoke.

“You know, it looks like it just gave up...”

“I think so. Too.” The spider put the jar back into the robe for further
research. “We need. more subjects.”

“I think so too. The way it died was so odd.”

...
Trapping the Shadow Wolves wasn't a particularly hard task, it only took
time. And with time they had plenty of subjects to study. However, the same
just kept happening: the shadow wolves just kept wandering the jungle until
they turned into smoke. The smoke was investigated and it turned out that it
retained a lot of Dark mana.

The spider mage proposed an interesting idea, “They are draining. The
mana. In the farms. And. Dispersing it in the jungle.”

If he looked at it objectively, it was exactly what was happening, but, “This

is crazy! Why do they do this?”

“Further Research is needed.” The spider chirped excitedly.

That spider did love its research!

“We need to figure this out. The Shadow Plague is spreading and it’s
getting harder to fight it.” He was referring to the fact that higher and higher
amount of the plants were affected.

“Hmm. We need to fight it.” The spider chirped something obvious.

“But they are avoiding the spiders, and I and the two humans can only do so
much...” Unless, “No, I’m not burning my farm.”

“Then. Get more humans. Simple.” The spider chirped.

Right... He didn’t even consider that. There was a reason the spider was a
researcher. Smart!

“Hmm. I’ll do that. But until then we need a way to fight it. How about
Drow and Lamia?"

The spider shook its head there was a reason it didn't suggest them. "Almost
the same as spiders. Mostly avoided."

And the agoraphobic kobolds probably wouldn't fare well against the much
larger monsters.
“So why is it only humans?”

“More Research is needed.” It chirped.

Right... "I guess we just have to keep trapping and killing as much of them
as we can."

...

The combination of ShadowVine and TrapBush was increasingly

deployed all around the farm. The spider farmers took turns standing and
guarding the plants over the night. And new protective buildings were being
built.

Even the tall and sturdy IronOaks were employed to protect the farm. In a
very much Elven fashion, on the top of the trees, crow’s nests were made to
serve as improvised watchtowers. Drow Bowmen staffed the watchtowers.
Yes, the shadow monsters were wary of the Drow, but the ex-elves retained
their keen sight and their skill in archery; every so often, they would
manage to snipe an unsuspecting monster.

The first humans haven’t arrived yet, but the first defences were taking
shape. And those defences were needed very much so because the shadow
creatures had grown bold and numerous. The word plague described what
was happening surprisingly accurately. Much like a nasty infection, it had
spread all over the farm and it just refused to go away.

Shadow monsters were forming spontaneously all around the farm, it

happened mostly during the night. First, the shadows would birth Shadow
Dolls, and once they sneakily engorged themselves on enough energy they
would, for a lack of a better word, birth a Shadow Wolf. Then the wolves
would readily jump to cause even more devastation.

One thing was clear, for some reason the Shadow Wolves were very
motivated to leave the MegaFarm. And despite all the security measures
they were largely successful.

...
There, high in the crow’s nest, was a person perched on the chair. She had
long white hair and light grey skin. The light armour she wore was
positively unusual: It was made using the combination of CentipedeChitin
plating and ShadowAgave cloth. No, it wasn’t unusual because of the
materials used, it was so because the light armour was more revealing than
protective. Scandalous even!

She finished eating the juicy fruit, “They do taste the best when fresh," she
wiped the juice off her pointy chin, stood up and grabbed her IronOak Bow
in her right.

“It’s almost time.”

The Drow Archer gazed upon the horizon. As far as she could see there
were blue webs dotted with delicious TomGrape fruits. The last rays of
sunlight had left the sky. She sighed deeply preparing herself mentally. This
was the silent call for battle.

“Soon ‘it’ will begin again.” She squinted her purple eyes ever so slightly.

Even in the oppressive darkness she could see no problem, all thanks to her
racial skill – DarkVision. She gazed at the spot right under the vine; if it
was lit it would be where the shadow was.

“Spot’s like these...” Spots hidden and dark corners, "are the places where
they spawn,” she finished whispering mostly to herself.

She continued staring without even a single blink. And surely, something
did move.

“Aha!” Without a shred of hesitation, she realised an enchanted arrow out

of her bow.

*Pop

“One.” She began her routine count.

Her personal record was 69, a number neither high nor low. On a bad day,
she could get twenty pops by the daybreak. On a good day, it was close to
fifty. Or should we swap the good and bad around, well it depends on how
you saw the situation. Incidentally, the high record was 420, and the current
holder was the King himself. So yeah, she was rather average. But even so,
she took pride in her work.

Keeping the concentration was the hard part, and after a while it felt
draining. “*sigh.” The time seemed to stretch with nothing happening. But
then...

*Pop, *Pop – She got two in quick succession.

“Huh, it seems like today will be a busy night.”

She was right. She didn’t even need to wait another ten minutes for her next
'pop'.

“That’s four, and I’ve just started.”

The monsters were bolder and more reckless for some reason. That trail of
thought was confirmed by the dull popping sound coming from all over the
farm; her colleagues were just as busy.

“Maybe, I will break my record.” She scanned hard-to-see spots with

increased vigour.

She was combing the ground with her eyes concentrating on where the
monsters often lurked, but even when, despite her lowered gaze, the
trembling top of a nearby web had caught her eye.

“Huh.” She wasn’t sure what she was seeing. “A shadow?” It was hard to
tell, even with DarkVision.

Just as her character dictated, without even a shred of hesitation, she

loosened an arrow.

“Five.” But there was no pop. “Huh?” She yelped indignantly.

It was unlike her to miss, but miss she did. The shadow did the unexpected
and jumped in the air. No, it did something else entirely.
“It flies?!" She still struggled to accept that fact.

The shadow indeed was capable of flying. It was flat and had two vaguely
triangular wings at its side and a very long and slim tail at its rear.

“A kite?” It looked familiar.

It was not a kite, this was a Shadow Stingray. However, she didn't know its
name, nor did she care.

*Pop, “Five.” She grinned happy at her successful revenge.

However, with her eyes now off the ground and back to the skyline she
observed something highly concerning.

“A dark cloud?.” She yelped in disbelief. “No!” She exclaimed in horror.

There was an entire flock of Shadow Stingrays coming from the jungle.
There were so many of them it was easy to confuse them with an oppressive
cloud, there were enough monsters to cloud a cloudless sky. Scary!

"Do I even have enough Arrows? This, however, was her main concern.
"Spider. Arrows!” She yelled hopefully.
 83 - Webbed in Darkness 🕷️

An entire plague of Shadow Stingrays was flocking from the bordering

jungle and towards the farm. It was the Drow who first noticed the threat.
Shouts of warnings filled the air and the MegaFarm was put on the code
red.

The Spiders, Lamia, Centauri, all grabbed their weapons ready for a fight.
However, fighting something that can fly won’t be that easy. Considering
the amount of approaching monsters it might be impossible.

The King took a look at the darkening sky. “This is bad.” He turned towards
a nearby spider. “Fetch me my tome. Hurry!” He commanded.

After all, the best weapon to fight shadow monsters was magic. And just so,
the spider mages were already slinging spells into the sky. And those who
couldn’t cast magic used the Magic Scrolls.

The sky lit in all the colours of the rainbow and thundered with the sounds
of explosions. But the Shadow Plague was fearless, its relentless approach
didn’t slow.

The spider mages were already readying a ritual on a large scale, but
whether it would be finished on time was still unclear. Meanwhile, the
Spider-Nom-Nomicon reached the King's hands, it flipped its pages on its
own presenting the most suitable spell.

The King gazed upon the depiction of the magical formula committing it
and the magical circle to his memory. His passive perk Comprehend aided
him in this task. The tome presented him the chant to activate the spell,
obviously it was written in a Spider Chirp; the language itself was potent in
magic.
He finished visualising the spell formula and moved on to reading the chant
out loud.

“Darkness beneath me I command you to gather.” He pulled the mana

towards his fingers. “Like a spider, I weave you into a thread.” A web-like
magical circle popped into existence right in front of him; it was dense with
glyph-like letters of the Spider Chirp. “A web is made to trap my enemy.”
The spell took shape exploding from the magical circle and reached for the
sky. “And drain it dry of life, All Consuming Web!” He committed all of his
mana towards the spell.

This was the spell the tome had suggested, it was like fighting fire with fire,
or in this case Darkness with Darkness.

Threads glowing and purple reached for the Shadow Stingrays and trapped
them like flies. Much like lightning the web pulsed with energy. A series of
explosive pops thundered throughout the sky. The web flashed purple one
more time and then all was gone.

The King fell to his knees, drained of mana. This wasn’t something a single
mage should cast, but even then he managed the complex spell all on his
own.

However, the fight wasn’t done. He had only culled the nearby monsters,
half of the approaching plague at best. He quaffed a series of potions to help
him with mana recovery and turned to look at another magical circle that
glowed encircling the Spider Palace. Yes! He had managed to buy enough
time for spider mages to complete their ritual.

A dome-like web-shield spread from the magical circle and enveloped the
very centre of the MegaFarm. Yes, this was a protective spell only, but it
was just as important; there were eggs and young that had to be protected.
The main buildings were shielded but most of the farm fell outside the
protection of the magical dome.

“So it begins...” He looked at the descending monsters.

Like their ground-bound cousin, the descending stingray targetted the
TomGrape plants. It landed on top of the web and jabbed its sting-like
tentacle into the innocent fruit vine. It was drained dry of life leaving only a
husk; the stingray grew in size ever so slightly. A similar sight repeated all
over.

Naturally, those with scrolls or the ability to cast magic were shooting spells
at the flying monsters thus further thinning their numbers. But the monsters
were many and once they were too close to the plants, flinging spells was
not a good idea. A fireball hitting the TomGrape would defeat the whole
purpose of the protective effort.

The King cast a few more spells at the flying monsters and then he retrieved
a bow from his inventory. It was a masterwork item he had crafted with The
High Chief. The benefit of using the bow was that arrows, unlike explosive
spells, would do far less damage to the farm. And as a bonus, this enchanted
bow didn’t need normal arrows. He was able to conjure Dark Arrow using
his mana, so he didn’t need to worry about running out of ammo.

He aimed at the Shadow Stingray and let his arrow loose.

*Pop – the monster died, it was that easy. The trouble was the sheer number
of the monsters.

Well, there were more challenges, or challengers to be precise. The shadow

wolf jumped out of under the web to defend its brethren.

“You!” He aimed at the monster. “Dark Arrow.”

A single arrow wasn’t enough, the monster turned out to be rather tough.

“Dark Arrow, Dark Arrow.” A few more did the trick. *Popity-pop!

But the distraction meant that the TomGrape couldn’t be saved, another
stingray had drained it dry.

“King, sss, let me assist you.” A wild lamia appeared.

She was dressed in light leather armour and held a long spear in her hand.
“Friendly Lamia!” He recognised a familiar face. “Please do.”

With her, the monster ambush was less of a distraction so he could focus on
shooting down the flyers.

*Pop, pop, pop. – he shot one monster after the other.

The lamia was guarding his rear and he was firing arrows to protect the fruit
vines and the webs. The two made quite a team.

Ever so often, there was a loud popity-pop coming from behind him,
naturally, at those moments he turned around to check if his rear was still
safe. Of course it was safe, the Friendly Lamia did her job well; but when
he did look, at those moments, their eyes would meet but only for a fleeting
moment. Even so, he couldn’t help but notice a fair blush developing on her
cheeks.

*Pop. “...” *Pop-pop

He kept looking and she kept blushing. He had to wonder if she was a battle
maniac. After all, people like that existed, people who got a hard one from
life and death situations. The two kept fighting in tandem.

*P-pop!

“Sss.”

However, it was getting hard to ignore the rugged breaths coming from
behind.

“Sh-ahh!” It was way too loud and weird.

He turned back out of worry. “...” The lamia was okay, but then why the
sound? “Is everything alright?” He asked out of concern. “If you need a
potion tell me.” He had plenty in his inventory.

“N-No, sss. Everything is-sss fine. Ignore me and concentrate on sss-

shooting monsters.”
He did just so, he fired another arrow.

“Sh-ahh!” *Pop.

And another.

“Sh-ahh!!!” *Pop

He killed two monsters but... Was the Friendly Lamia making that sound to
cheer him up? Regardless, he decided to trust her fully, and this time he
didn’t turn around to check his back.

...

The Drow archers were firing arrows at will. And they were rather
successful. Their high posts on the top of IronOaks protected them from
the shadow wolves lurking right below.

More and more of Lamia flocked to the farm, all armed with enchanted
spears. Their targets weren’t the flying monsters but those lurking on the
ground.

The scandalously dressed Drow Archer thanked the spider for an extra two
quivers; they were brimming of full of arrows. These arrows were spider-
made, but just as good as the ones she had brought, If not better.

The Drow Archer marvelled at the arrows with a tinge of jealousy. The
craftsmanship was above her skill.

“Where is no time for this.” She stopped her idle thoughts. “Let’s see if
they’re as good as they look.”

*Pop, *Pop – she shot two stingrays with one shot.

“Impressive! Are these enchanted with Pierce?” She wondered out loud.

No, to defeat the shadow monster the arrow had to have a magical affinity
imbued into them.
“Two enchantments...” She spoke with wonder. “No, Reinforced too, so
that makes it three.” She reached a hard-to-believe conclusion.

Well, what mattered was that the arrows were good, and good they were, so
she kept firing. In between the shots, she took in the distant view of the
battlefield. The spider warriors were forming a defensive circle outside the
magical shield. The flying monsters were slamming their bodies into the
shield making the surface ripple, but there was a counter for that too.

Spider archers were shooting arrows at them from inside the shield. It was
interesting that the shield stopped the monsters but not the arrows. It was
very similar to a particular elven ritual magic. Did the spiders somehow
reverse-engineer that?

And here she thought that those spells were lost with now deceased elven
elders. The elders who ran away like cowards. No, they were much worse.

“Traitors!” She spat remembering something unpleasant.

She wasn’t a part of the fire walker squad, the heroes who cleansed the
forest at that time. Anyway... Good riddance! And, if this one ends well, she
could boast of protecting the Spider Kingdom and by a cheeky stretch – the
King himself.

“I will be a hero...” She entertained herself with that fantasy.

Of course, the idle thoughts didn’t keep her from killing monsters. Her body
was in a trance state there, knowing what to do without even the need to
think about it. Even then, she was keeping the mental count.

*Pop – count 119. She already was past her previous record.

However, there in the distance, she couldn’t help but notice a certain regal
figure.

“The Spider King.” She looked in awe.

Apparently, the current high record holder wasn’t slacking off either.
Expertly he was killing one monster after the other. He was quick, his
movements were precise and his form was flawless. After all, there was a
reason why he held the high record.

Both awe and envy filled her mind.

“Are they?..” She looked with interest. “Yes, they are.”

It was likely that the King didn’t notice but the Lamia warriors were
protectively surrounding him at a distance. From afar, it was obvious that
they formed a protective perimeter. If the King moved between the webs so
did the lamias; they were always keeping him at their centre.

“Must be nice to have so many bodyguards.”

Well, she did have a few of them too. Two spiders stood below the
IronOak. They were there to ward off any opportunistic monsters from
trying to climb up towards her crow’s nest.

So, she was safe. And she was busy! She was shooting one shadow monster
after the other.

“180.” She spoke her count.

The King was moving ever so slightly towards her position. And soon they
were sharing the same hunting spot. She was on her tree and he was right
below her.

“We are pushing them out.” He spoke in a booming royal voice.

It might be because he was royalty, or maybe because of his natural charm,

regardless, she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

“King, are you keeping the count of your kills?” She shouted towards him.

“Huh,” he glanced at her. “Yes, 911! You?!”

Their eyes met for a brief moment, and her knees became weak for some
reason. Her legs gave up, and worse, she forgot her ‘pop’ count.
“I-I...” She stuttered indignantly.

“Are you alright? Do you need a potion?”

“I-I...” She was drowning in his gaze, her mind was spinning.

His concern deepened further. “What am I even saying? Of course you are
at your limit!” *Pop. “No normal person could weather this...” *Pop. “You
did well.“ Pop. “Come down. The spiders will escort you to safety.” He
kept killing the monsters as he spoke.

“N-no, I-I,” She pushed past her stutter, “I’m not tired!”

“Pride will get you killed. Spiders get her down.” He commanded with full
authority.

That voice, the strength of it, sapped whatever strength remained in her
knees.

“Oh, no...” She wheezed out.

The two spiders despite her protest carried her down the tree.

“I can walk!” She broke free and stood up. “I can fight!” Her legs felt much
better, that was, so long as she didn’t look at the King.

There was something off about the aura the King gave off. She looked at his
bodyguard and frowned. She didn’t notice from afar, but there was
definitely something wrong with her too.

*Pop-pop-pop...

“This spot is all good now. Let’s keep pushing towards the outer edge.” The
King instructed.

“Sss!” The lamia hissed.

Unlike the serpentine woman, she could manage a proper response.

“Understood! I’ll help you.” And then she added hurriedly. “I insist!”.
She kept her eyes towards the skyline and away from him, but even then
she could feel his piercing gaze. She felt hot, way too hot, drenched even.

“That was a vigorous reply. I might have misjudged your condition. And I
might as well use another bow at my side, but before we go, here...” He
pushed a couple of the potions into her hand.

His hand touched hers, she felt an electric sensation course through her
body. It was too much!

“Muah!” She let an obscene sound and then promptly passed out.

...

“So she wasn’t alright at all. Pride, eh?” He looked at the Friendly Lamia.

She didn’t look particularly good either.

“Wait... Wait! My aura... Shit!” He realised that he had messed up.

He wanted to blame his wife for putting him in his secretly pink mood. And
the drow’s choice of wardrobe didn’t help either. You see, this was a
nighttime and his wife would... Well, that is private!

No, he was the one at fault. His romantic mood leaked subconsciously and
tainted the Aura Projection. But since he was now aware of this, he was
able to tweak it.

“Hey, is this any better?” He looked at his friendly companion.

She blinked twice and her blissful grin was replaced by a deep frown.
“What did you do? SSS!” She hissed sternly. “Put it back on!!!” She
demanded unreasonably.

...

The Drow Archers turned out to be a very wise choice, a choice made just
before the calamity struck. Thank you mysterious entity for the warning!
They were instrumental in the defence of the farm.
With their help, the remaining flyers were popped from existence, and the
Drows’ expert aim meant that the damage to the plants was minimal.

By the dawn, by the first rays of the sun, the battle reached the conclusion:
Victory! The Spiders, Lamia, Centauri, all cheered and clapped.

However, a certain phenomenon was taking place. The dying monsters

didn’t leave corpses, but they did leave... something.

Strange darkness loomed mixed within the air - much like heavy smoke. It
was Dark mana and it was so dense it was visible with a naked eye.

A certain spider mage was running around collecting that wispy smoke-like
substance into jars.

“This is. The monster fuel.” It chirped mostly to itself.

A new theory was being contemplated: this was the mana the monsters used
to make their bodies. If the theory was right it would be rather scary. What
this meant was that as long as mana remained it didn’t matter how many
monsters they ‘killed’. It was so because they could simply recycle that
energy and just reform their bodies by the next night.

If, and only if, the theory was true, it also meant that the Darkness couldn’t
be defeated in a conventional sense.

“Consume. Eat. Devour.” The spider thought out loud.

The spider walked in circles thinking. “No mana, no monsters...” But

equally so. “No mana, no life...”
 83.5 - Puppet No More

King Aurelius II was standing in front of his men. Unlike his black and
shadowed gear, their armour was pristine white and shiny. The men under
his command, while armed well, weren’t Knights, but they weren’t peasants
either. They were nobles who just like him had fallen out of grace. These
men were eager to restore their tarnished reputations, and also, to prove that
they were more than just failures.

Many who had gathered here were indeed all sorts of failures:
incompetents, gamblers, deadbeats, cowards, weak-willed and so and such.
These fallen nobles had reached rock bottom of their lives, but there was a
certain important thing about them. Despite reaching the lowest point in
their life, they were standing here dressed in armour and ready for battle.
The men were resolved to change and to make change; conviction burned in
their eyes.

To achieve that, like a fallen angel, Aurelius II had appeared in their darkest
hour. He did so at midnight and came in wielding powerful and mysterious
magic. It was as if the shadows were bending under his will, as if he had
tamed the darkness itself. He said the words which no one ever uttered to
them, “I need you. I need YOU!” And then he added in a more sombre
tone, ”I know your struggle, I know the Darkness that eats at you.” He
spoke with understanding. “And I have a solution: fight for me, expel your
darkness and you will be reborn anew.” He tempted them while backed by
mysterious power... And that’s why these nobles were here.

Wrapped in a smoky cloak King Aurelius II gave his men an approving

look. Their armour was immaculate and eye-catching. Also, they came
prepared with their secret ‘dirty’ books and the belts full of crystalline
potion bottles; just as he told them to.
“The enemy is already at the border. Pillaging some village or something
like that.” He didn’t particularly care about that. “This is our chance to
prove ourselves. To show them what we are made of. Let’s teach them what
a crushing despair really is. And let’s earn our glory!”

The men roared as a reply.

With this, they marched towards the border village. Of course, this was just
a skirmish, the bulk of Fertile Kingdom’s army was marching upon the
Aurelian Kingdom’s capital. The Black Hand Covenant and their mages
will deal with that, and of course, he, the Puppet King, was conveniently
left out of that scheme.

However, the Covenant didn’t seem particularly bothered by his attempt to

gather an ‘elite’ force under his wing and ‘contribute’ to the war.

“They must think I am just playing around. Fools! I am not.” He drank yet
another potion so that his large frame could continue to move in this heavy
armour. “I will snatch the victory. I will take their capital.” This was the
plan.

...

The raiding party of the Fertile Kingdom was here to replenish their war
supplies. Yes, they were raiders, but that didn’t mean they were monsters.
The village didn’t have to be raised down as long as they obliged with their
reasonable demands.

The raid leader was venting his rightful anger. “I said everything! Load
everything into the cart.” The raid leader looked with scorn at the barely
half-full cart. The peasants were being stingy!

“But sir, we had a famine earlier this year.” The village chief protested.
“This is everything!”

This ‘everything’ was equal to what a struggling household could produce

in the Fertile Kingdom, a single household mind you, and this was an entire
village.
“Nonsense!” He struck at the obviously lying chief.

*Crunch – a massive boulder rolled out of nowhere and crushed both the
raid leader and the wagon to a pulp.

“Aaa!” the village chief had barely avoided the rolling boulder. “What...”
He was perplexed. The ground was rocky, yes, but there were no hills, or
nearby mountains here. How did this boulder get here?“ Wait, no...” This
wasn’t a boulder... It was a very obese man clad in dark armour.

“I’m King Aurelius II! Peasants, consider yourselves saved!” He announced

way too loud.

The village chief thought he was dreaming. Was this really the King?

More men, this time dressed in shiny armour flooded into the village.

“[Blinding Cloud]”, “[Dark Bolt]”, “[Corrosive Darkness]”, “[Shadow

Rend]”... They shouted ripping and burning a page out of their books.

Even if the method was unusual, the chief was a learned man so he
recognised that this was magic. Each spell was nastier than its predecessor,
it almost looked like the Mage Knights were trying to outdo each other.

“Huh!” The village chief gasped in shock.

The aftermath of the magic was unpleasant both for the ear and the eye.
Well, people could look away and they did, but those tortured screams...

Anyway, the Knights knew what they were doing, the spells were targeted
well avoiding the innocent casualties and the fight was won in a matter of
minutes.

However, the village chief had conflicting emotions, he had heard the
rumours about their King and his sponsor. Either way, he felt a mix of
gratitude but also fear. Despite the unpleasant feeling, he threaded over the
puddle of melted skin and bones to thank their saviours.

...
King Aurelius II had a wide ugly grin of superiority. The potions gave them
superhuman strength and the spider scrolls gave unimaginable power.

It went well, it went too well. But maybe this was how it was meant to be!

The village chief was grovelling before him spouting some empty praises.
Who cares, this was just a village! There are still more enemies to crush.

“Let’s go!” He urged his men, after all, the effects of the potions weren’t
permanent.

They moved, no, they turned to shadow and flew at unimaginable speed
towards the Fertile Kingdom.

They thwarted four more raids, two bandit attacks and even a monster
incursion. Why? Well, Aurelius had gotten a bit lost on his way, and his
men did need some experience so... Anyway, he made it to the capital.

Wide and tall walls greeted him. And no doubt the defenders were sallying
out already.

“This is our moment!” He spoke in a heavy gravelly voice, an effect of

potion abuse. “To become more than we are! Go claim your salvation!” He
drank the rest of his potions ignoring the life-threatening level of Toxicity.
The hidden magic tomes flew out from inside his armour and buzzed
around him like angry bees.

He struck a pose and stretched his arms theatrically preparing to cast a

spell. A single page burned in one of the books.

“I am King Aurelius II, burn my name into your memory,” his voice
boomed loud and clear reaching even the deepest corners of the capital, “for
I am the herald of your doom! The Fertile Kingdom shall be no more!” The
many pages fluttered and burst into purple flame. The King himself seemed
to be engulfed by those dancing and all-consuming flames, but somehow he
was standing there unharmed.

...
It was midnight and the big bell tower was ringing its equally big bell,
however the dongs weren’t there to tell the time, the bell was blaring an
alarm.

No one expected the Aurelian Kingdom’s army here at this late hour.
Weren’t they supposed to be defending their own capital? How were the
tables turned on the Fertile a Kingdom, and so quickly?

It was impossible that the Fertile Kingdom’s army had lost. It was well
staffed, well armed, well trained and everything was just right. They even
had a secret weapon. So why? Something just didn’t add up.

The invaders were few in number, a small gathering of mostly Knights in

white, but also there was a peculiar-looking Knight, presumably their
leader. He was rather round, almost like a boulder, his black armour looked
really heavy. He must have an astonishing strength to walk surrounded by
layers upon layers of metal.

Even if the threat was small in size, something was off about these men.
Their faces were ashen, the eyes bloodshot, and they radiated the aura of
death and terror. The guards couldn’t help but tense at the sight.

Their leader struck a pose and spoke out loud. The message shocked
everyone. The Incompetent King was here? Here in person? But how? Were
the stories of his failures, the famine and the fall of his kingdom only that -
rumours? Were they a cunning ploy to trick the Fertile Kingdom?

The King burst into a magical flame, his round form emitting an ominous
aura. Even the people deep inside the city walls could feel that something
very bad would happen soon.

...

Some time had passed.

The King Aurelius II was back home. A huge parade was being held in his
glory.
He couldn’t wear his heavy armour but even when he walked proudly
towards the palace. His men, the ones who survived, were walking in tow
right behind him. They had faces that belonged more on a ghost than the
living, their once pristine armour was battered and tainted with ugly brown
stains of dried blood, but even then they too walked with pride.

People were waving toward their King and shouting his name.

“Aurelius!”, “Aurelius!”, “Aurelius the Great!”

They were shouting and reaching with their hands, trying to touch him as he
was passing. As he walked he stretched his hand magnanimously allowing
the commoners to touch him. Their grubby fingers felt disgusting on his
royal skin, but today he will allow them this privilege.

A fair maiden gripped his hand in light touch, and that touch somehow felt
more pleasant. He looked at her eyes directly. She fainted.

From that moment on, more and more women would faint, or well, for
some strange reason pretend to faint; he wasn’t an idiot, he could tell.
Anyway, he felt strangely flattered. And of course, they should faint, after
all, he was Aurelius The Great. He was finally getting the recognition he
deserved.
He won. He finally won something in his life. The people were loving him
and the Covenant was also left stumbling with their mouths agape.

His feats were hard to ignore. He plundered then raised the capital of their
enemy, on his way back he crushed their army in a pincer attack and then he
‘selflessly’ donated his share of the loot to the simple folk. Yes, this meant
that he was still penniless, but he was the King. He’ll just tax the
commoners to get his gifts back. Simple!

He finally made his way into an abandoned palace. It was still bare and in a
sorry state, but he didn’t care about that anymore anyway. There, inside the
Grand Hall, was his reward. An aged magus dressed in black robes was
frowning at him. A pleasant sight indeed. With the newly acquired
popularity and thus with the backing of common folk, he will be able to
kick the Covenant out of his kingdom for good.
He approached the old relic of a man and gave him a vicious smirk. “I dare
you to call me a puppet one more time.” He intimidated with confidence,
but even when he had his other arm under his shirt and on a stack of very
powerful scrolls.

The Magus retained his composure. “For you, from your new Master.” He
handed a sealed envelope and left in a very casual manner.

“Tch.” The lack of a bigger reaction disappointed him.

He looked at the magic seal, on it was a stamp of Spider Kingdom. He

inspected further and there were no signs of tampering.

“Fool!” He looked back but Vumbeldor was already gone.

The magus must have realised the source of his new power. While he had
lost the support from Covenant and their mages, he had gained an even
bigger backer. The Covenant stood no chance against the might of Spider
King, and they knew it. That’s why they backed off so readily.

He smiled at another victory. He had the pleasure of wielding spider magic,

only a fraction of it, but what power it was! It would take a fool to fight
against it. And so what if he sold himself to the Darkness? It was well
worth it.

He dropped a speck of his blood to unseal the envelope and pulled out a
spidery parchment. There on gold-framed black were the letters of crimson
- demands coming from his new master, obviously.

As he read his brow furled further and further; he struggled to follow. This
wasn’t what he expected exactly. First the the letter was from the Spider
King himself and not Lord G Bling as he had expected. Did this mean that
he’s now serving directly the King himself and not the spider? If so, he was
more than an underling for an underling. Good! But also the request was
unusual.

“His Majesty is asking for volunteers?” The letter was sealed so he

wondered why the Spider King still used the cryptic language. “Hmm.
Actually, this is great.”

He and his new now-not-so-shiny friends had a lot of people which had
caused friction and will probably will continue to do so. It was best if those
people disappeared...

“No, even better. I will accuse them of corruption.” And they all were
corrupt anyway, so that wouldn’t even be a lie. “This will win me even
more favour with the people.” A new plan was hatched.

Yes-yes, in a conventional sense he was still a puppet, he only changed the

master. But he didn’t think this to be true because he felt freer than ever. He
wasn’t a puppet, he was a servant! And, in his humble opinion, he didn’t
think that he was serving a mere mortal either, so all was alright.

It’s okay for a King to serve a higher power, no, it is natural, it is as it

should be.
 84 - What Can You Do? It's What
It Is.

The Shadow Plague was relentless and it was endless. No matter how
many shadows you killed they just came back even in greater numbers. But
the King of Spiders didn’t wallow in despair, nor did he give up. If you
asked him about it he would simply say, “It’s what it is,” such was life.

Similarly, some other areas, some distant kingdoms, had to deal with
draughts, floods, hurricanes and other forces of nature. Thinking about it,
there were things you shouldn’t do and things you should. Like in the areas
with strong winds, you shouldn’t build your house using plywood, that’s
just common sense. And in the case of periodically drought affected lands
you had to prepare in advance, like storing water. So here, in the Spider
Kingdom, it wasn’t too different. Granted, the Shadow Plague was a big
and scary ‘force of nature’ to fight off, but the King knew that the spiders
were resilient people. So far they have persevered and persevere they will!

The sun disappeared over the horizon and the darkness descended upon the
farm. “So it begins,” he said in a monotone because this was routine already
- this was simply work.

The last of the spider farmers hurried towards the centre of the MegaFarm
and under the protective magical barrier. The running spiders greeted the
other group in passing. These were spider exterminators clocking in for
their night shift. It looked rather funny from a distance, two massive conga
lines running in opposite directions, a wave of spider arms formed where
they met and ended at the tail of the line.

The spider exterminators took their posts and waited with anticipation for
their first monsters. But also there were Drow Archers and Lamia Warriors
mixed in their ranks. Well, the farm protection was work all around the
clock, but for obvious reasons, the shadows got cheeky during the the night.

Of course, the spider mages were scrambling for a universal solution, but at
the moment most of the defence was rather physical.

Also, a few things were confirmed. There was a magical cycle of sorts
going on. The shadows would spawn here on this very farm, grow and
evolve, then they would desperately try to leave the farm. The shadows
which escaped then would evolve again spawning a new bunch of different
variants. Then, they would attack the farm from outside again. They did so
mostly to cause more chaos so that their more primitive kin could escape to
the jungle as they did, but also they aimed to molest the innocent TomGrape
even further.

So as it stood, a wall had to be erected to prevent the flow of shadow

monsters. And really, sometimes it was hard to predict what sort of monster
it would be standing against this time. Ever so often the Shadow Plague
liked to mix things a bit, almost as if it was adapting.

Incidentally, a previously unseen shadow monster had emerged from the

jungle. It was a behemoth of its kind, larger than any of its predecessors.
Well, maybe not that large, it was the size of a rhinoceros but if we had to
liken it to an animal it mostly resembled a triceratops. It had a large
shadowy protective plate jutting from its head and protecting its sides and
back from frontal attacks. Currently, it was charging towards the wall,
obviously, in hopes of smashing a hole and freeing its shadow kin. And it
wasn’t alone, there were more monsters like this charging from the jungle.

The King had somewhat expected something like this to appear eventually,
so preparations were made well in advance. A spider loaded a Great Arrow
into a contraption resembling a ballista. The original design was elven, but
this one had a spider twist on it. And of course, everything was forged of
the best materials available and even Reinforced.

“Fire.” A spider chirped after finishing to load the arrow.

Another spider pulled down a large lever firing the projectile towards the
behemoth of a monster. The enchanted arrow lodged itself deep into the
shadowy body and then deployed a Draining Web, yet another enchanted
item, and what that did was self-explanatory.

The monster staggered but didn’t die, its charge was only slowed. Two more
Great Arrows, but without the web this time, were shot at the monster
from nearby balistas. The monster exploded with a loud pop expelling
clouds of dark smoke.

“Big monsters. Are easy to pop.” The spider chirped to its partner.

“Indeed,” it agreed with a spider nod. “The small fry. Are much harder.”

Insidentally there also were Shadow Roadrunners sprinting towards the

wall. An agile type of shadow vaguely resembling a bird.

On the top of another tower, a different type of contraption was making a

rhythmic clicking sound. A very giddy-looking spider wielded something
similar to a crossbow. The device was bolted to the ground and had a box
wedged on top of it. The arrow box was on a larger side and thus obfuscated
a good part of the vision. The prototype design wasn’t perfect but it did its
job rather well.

The Arrow Turret was spewing one arrow after the other and the spider
was cackling like a maniac. “He. He. He.” It held the lever pressed all the
way down. “Ha! Ha! Ha!”. As it turns out the spider was quite an
exceptional shot, he had barely missed any of his shots. The rushing road
runners were popping en masse, pop-pop-pop.

There were other contraptions implemented all over the farm, but the
projectile weaponry wasn’t the only weapon here. There were also traps.

The classic TrapBush did its job springing its cage-like branches from the
ground and entrapping the monsters. But also there were patches of
ExplodingCabbage, for now the foolish monsters still hadn’t wizened up
to the fact that that cabbage wasn’t food and exploded in an attempt to drain
it. And of course, the ShadowVine did its job too, binding and preventing
the monsters from further entry, somehow its Drain ability superseded that
of the monster’s. So yes there were natural remedies to fight the plague.
Magic Scrolls, Grenades, Boost Potions and other expendable items were
reserved for when things went from bad to worse. Which they did
sometimes. Also, when the incursion got very bad there was a FireAgave
Juice moat surrounding the farm, it could be set on fire stopping the ground
monster assault entirely. And the fliers could be taken care of with wide-
scale spells and rituals; it was rather convenient that unlike the ground you
couldn’t destroy the sky with craters and stuff like that.
And so, like the night before this one, the shadow plague was pushed back.

...

The morning came, but it wasn’t a particularly bright one. A thick shadowy
mist blanketed the ground. The mist was enriched with mana, this was the
stuff that made the shadow monsters. With time it will disperse, but recently
it has been becoming thicker and thicker.

The protective barrier flickered out from existence and the spider farmers
rushed in to replace the spider exterminators. The TomGrape and other
plants needed to be tended, and the wall and other damage needed to be
repaired.

In a sense the dawn was just as busy as the dusk, but definitely not as
dangerous. Slowly in a comparatively lethargic shuffle, the recent addition
to the farm, the humans, began filtering towards the outer reaches of the
farm. They didn’t wear much armour, but there was a simple uniform of
sorts. It was a plain blue tunic. In their hands they carried a stick, an
improved version of it. Their faces were somewhat gaunt and even haunted,
it was clear they didn’t particularly enjoy the important task issued to them.
But everyone had to work! There were no freeloaders here, not anymore.

The King had asked for volunteers but he had gained something else
entirely. Somewhere, somehow there was a miscommunication and the
people sent here appeared to be some sort of criminals. However, when
asked if they wanted to go back to the Human Kingdoms they vigorously
shook their head and paled; they didn’t! So yeah, they didn’t particularly
like to be here, but that didn’t mean they didn’t work hard. Actually, they
worked very hard, sometimes till exhaustion, and no, they weren’t forced to
do so.
If asked about their current situation they would just shrug and say. “It’s as
it is.” Were they parroting the King? Who knows?
Regardless, these humans here were rather essential. For some reason, the
shadow monsters ignored their presence allowing them quite literally to pop
the problem out before it budded into something bigger and more fierce.

So that was that.

Outside the walls, there was a large herd of Centauri. They too wore simple
blue clothing. They galloped around casually, their task here was to retrieve
the ammunition. The arrows both great and small were sturdy and well
made, and much of it was reusable. And to persevere against this plague,
everyone had to use as few resources as possible. Recycle and reuse was the
current mantra.

To boost the morale, and definitely not because of selfish reasons, the King
was here together with the girls. He was present during the night assault so
he wasn’t working too hard here. The presence was what was important,
right? Right?

He tried to make a casual conversation but the girls gave him short replies
only. It wasn’t that they shunned him somehow, they were just too stiff
around someone of his rank. Somewhy, when there was another figure of
authority, like Centauri Champion, or one of her commanders, that made
the centaurs more relaxed and open to his approaches. Unfortunately, those
were away with an important mission to the Aurelian Kingdom.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the girls were giving him
curious glances, but if he looked back to meet their gaze they would just
pretend to look somewhere else. And if he tried to talk to them, that just
made them stiff.

He wondered why it was so... He checked his aura again and again, but that
didn’t seem to be the issue here. But despite the mixed signals, it was clear
that his presence in the field was appreciated. The girls here were only
apprehensive. How did he know that? He too sneaked glances then they
weren't looking, and his hearing was way better than they thought. Or
maybe it was Centauri who had a critically poor sense of hearing.
The things he heard... Those words didn’t belong on the lips of young
respectable maidens. ‘I am married!’ he wanted to scream. But also, he felt
strangely flattered.

He was almost finished filling his quiver with arrows when a flustered
centaur approached him.

He smiled happily. ‘Finally, someone to break the ice with,’ He thought

along these lines. He recognised the woman, she was an attendant to the
Centauri Champion.

Since the Champion was often away with business, the attendant had a lot
of free time for herself. She wasn’t on arrow retrieval duty, not today. ‘Was
she here out of boredom?’ He wondered to himself.

The centaur gave him a curtsy.

“King,” she held a peculiar disc in her outstretched arms,” this seems
important, "she displayed the magical device.

The flat disk had a glowing line coming from its centre, it was pointing to
somewhere.

He didn’t recognise the item and he had no idea what it showed. “What is
this?” He asked perplexed.

“Mana Compass,” she explained. “We used this to get to your Kingdom.”

The Centauri Champion had mentioned something along those lines before.
Didn’t seem too significant at that moment

“I see, but why are you showing it to me?”

“King, please pay close attention.”

'I am!' He screamed internally.

She must have read his face, “The arrow isn’t pointing to the centre of the
MegaFarm.” She moved the compass to demonstrate.
The arrow pointed somewhere to the north-west, but there was nothing in
that direction.

It took an embarrassingly long time but it finally clicked.

“There is a new source of mana. Now, bigger than the Spider Kingdom!”
He realised.

“Exactly!” She nickered. “I noticed the change only in an idle passing, but
it must be a recent development.”

“Something is happening deep in the jungle...”

Well that one was obvious, but the spider investigations of the jungle had
led nowhere. As far as he knew the jungle was mostly empty. But maybe
something was hidden deep inside. With this device, the spiders will be able
to pinpoint the source of this new mana.

“Can I borrow this?” He asked.

“Sure.” She handed it in without reservation.

“Thanks!” He hugged her without thinking. “You might have just saved this
kingdom!”

The centaur developed a cute blush on her cheeks.

Although he was jumping to conclusions here, this was definitely a move in

the right direction.

“Thank you. Thank you!”

He wanted to kiss his hero but stopped abruptly only inches away. This
wasn’t something a dignified King should do, or so he reasoned. And
everyone was looking at the two with eyes wide without hiding their hungry
gazes this time. Apparently, he had made quite a scene out of this.

“Anyway, I must go and investigate it.” He started running. “And if you

were on to something, I will reward you personally. Anyway, just come to
my study later.” He said that line without much thought, after all, he tried to
be a meritocratic ruler.

The centaur assistant made a low-pitched squeal at those words.

Unbeknown to the King a lot of hot and saucy gossip was born in that
morning. But that is a story for another time.
 85 - The Tendrils of Darkness

With a hand on a Magical Compass spider scout was making his way ever
deeper into the jungle. He wasn’t alone, behind him were his comrades, also
spider scouts. They wore black and silken coats, and the ShadowAgave
cloth had a few useful enchantments placed on it.

The spiders blended with the shadows and were invisible to the naked eye.
But if they were invisible to other creatures of darkness remained to be
seen. Like a dark and misty cloud, they moved without sound.

The Magic Compass measured not only the direction but also the distance.
The distance reading was only a rough guide, the stronger the mana source
was and the closer they were to it, the brighter the arrow would glow.

“We are close.” The melodic chirp was replaced by a metallic rasp, a side
effect of cloaking magic. “Be on your guard. Protect the mage.”

There was a single spider mage in between their ranks. An expert of magic
and magical phenomena.

“Wait.” The mage rasped from under the cloaking spell. “Something
doesn’t. Seem right.”

The spider scouts stopped and waited for the mage to elaborate. It didn’t
have much to say besides that something feels ‘off’.

“Regardless. We must investigate.” The scout rasped. “King’s orders.” It

added.

“I know. Just. Be careful.”

Needless to say, they all already were that: careful, cautious and ready for
the unexpected. But even then...

“Eh...” The spider chirped involuntarily. It did so because its cloaking spell
suddenly broke. “Eh, eh!!!” It was panicking.

Everyone was panicking. At first, they couldn’t see it because of all the
jungle, but now when they were close, too close, it was so obvious it was
hard to miss.

A hill of flowing and swirling darkness was right in front of them. Their
camouflage spells were broken and the mana was sucked out and pulled
towards the Darkness.

“It’s draining. My mana pool.” The spider mage chirped in alarm.“ I can’t.
Cast spells.” As soon as it tried the spell would just fail to form.

He wasn’t alone. All of the spiders had a Drained debuff placed on them.

“Let’s go back. We’ve seen enough.” The spider scout chirped.

Even if the spiders were immune to mental attacks such as Terror or

Illusion they were still quite terrified. There was this instinctual fear and
apprehension they felt towards the Darkness, an ancient and almost
forgotten feeling.

As they were hurriedly pulling away a tentacle composed of a swirling

black shadow sprung from the ground, oddly it made no sound in doing
that. Still Inaudible it swung at the spiders.

The spiders scattered away from the shadow. The shadow mage thrusted his
arms readying a spell.

“Shadows!” It cursed, it had forgotten that no mana could be cast.

More tentacles appeared from the ground, they came with no warning and
from all over.
A tentacle had caught one of the spiders successfully. “Ahh! Hel...” The
spider didn’t get to finish its chirp for help.

A dry chitinous husk hit the ground and all of the magical equipment on the
body had lost its magical lustre.

The spider mage looked from the corner of his eye. “Phew... Good.” He let
out a relieved sigh.

All was not lost. The Soul Crystal took hold of the spider's soul becoming
a Soul Crystal. The reason why the darkness ignored the crystal was
unknown, but after all, this was the item with a lot of resistances weaved
into it.

However, the crystal shattered as it was meant to. And if the spider mage
could use magic he would have cast s spell to see souls. He just hopped the
spider soul made its way to Soul Well successfully. He didn’t even dare to
think about the other option.

The spiders continued to flee away from the encroaching tentacles of

darkness.

“Here!” A spider scout threw a crystalline bottle to the spider mage.

“Swiftness Potion.” The spider mage drank it without hesitation, and in

high time it came. A tendril brushed past the mage’s back taking a chunk of
his robe. Needless to say, whatever enchantments there were, they were all
now gone. His robe was now just a fancy cloth.

The spider mage continued running with increased vigour. Even with the
potion he was still a mage and was lagging behind the more agile spider
scouts. However, the potion had given him an idea. He reached into a pouch
and retrieved three standard-issue items. He couldn’t sling spells but
maybe... The spider threw the grenades: Frost Grenade, Fire Grenade,
BlueDust Grenade.

“Success?” It chirped.
Not quite! The grenades exploded inflicting elemental damage upon the
Darkness, but that was short lasted; just like spells the magic from the
grenades was drained. The magical fire was extinguished and the magical
ice melted all too quickly. However! The one tentacle immersed in a blue
cloud of dust seemed to struggle against it. Unlike the other two, the effects
of BlueDust Grenade continued to linger. No, not just that, it was super
effective! The dust had shrivelled the sprouted tentacle. Even the Darkness
which flowed in tow after the tentacles was avoiding that spot.

“No time. For experimentations!” The spider scout scolded grabbing the
spider mage by its arm and dragging him.

It might have scolded, but even so, all of the spiders threw their BlueDust
Grenades.

The Darkness slowed as if hesitant. This was just enough for the spiders to
gain distance and escape.

“I think...” The spider mage chirped. “[Dark Cloak], yes the magic is
back.” It rasped taking a shadowy form.

Unlike the spider mage, the scouts had only limited access to the spells,
moreover, the Drain debuff had left them with zero mana.

“Then, you go. Make the report. Hurry.” The spider scout chirped.

The mage drank one of its potions, presumably to fight off mana fatigue.
“[Shadow Step],” it disappeared leaving only thread-like wisps of shadow.

...

The Trusty Advisor was adamant against the Spider King going to inspect
the mana source. At that time it chirped, “This might be a trap!”. It was hard
to argue with that point, hence the King remained.

But it was hard just to sit and wait for the report. He had to do something!
And well, actually, there were plenty of things to do. So he went deep under
the ground and into a very secret chamber.
A certain issue with the Soul Well was bugging him. It’s not that it wasn’t
working, rather the opposite, it was working too well. The Spider Archmage
called it a bonus feature, but he didn’t quite agree with that assessment.

After the binding ritual, the Soul Well began pulling and storing stray souls
on its own. All fine and dandy considering that the radius of the effect
wasn’t that long. But the issue was that it was filling with the souls of
squirrels. He had thousands of squirrel souls! If the Great Wisp knew it
might get angry. Well, he had no intention of making that slip of the tongue.

And there even were a few kobold souls there. The radius didn’t reach past
the border of MegaFarm not to mention the Oberon Mountains. So how?
He had a suspect, a particular race of meat gourmands, but this accusation
was a heavy one.

“Huh?” The amount of souls in the well ticked up. “A spider?”

It was very unlikely it died on the farm, this was still daytime.

“Oh!” He realised. “Oh...” He realised.

Well, at least a part of the well worked as intended. He looked at the count
with bated breath. It ticked up, but there were only squirrels.

Incidentally, the shadow monsters provided no souls, it was either they were
immune to the effect of the Soul Well or they had no soul. Both options
were equally mysterious.

The wait was painful but eventually, the spider signalled to inform him that
the scouting expedition was back. He rushed to the throne room straight
away.

There was only a single spider there, it looked exhausted and haggard.
Seeing no other scouts the King worried for the worst.

“The other? Did they?”

“No, only one. I rushed ahead to ...” The spider mage gave its report.
“So this Darkness has a body now...” The description of it sounded scary,
unlike the shadow monsters it was functionally immune to most magic
attacks. “But we have a way to fight it. You did very well to find its
weakness.” After all, it had both physical and magical resistance. “We are
very lucky...” If not for DustyBlue flowers the unpleasant end would be
certain.

The rest of the spider scouts rushed into the throne room.

“Everyone is back! Good! I recon a small reward is in order. This isn’t

much but please.” He reached into his inventory space to pull out jugs of
Slug Jelly; this was his personal stock.

The spiders took the rewards with gratitude. “We shall help. To prepare.”

“No, we have plenty of spiders for that. You take rest.” He commanded.

Incidentally, the Trusty Advisor was already making notes in his book. The
Drow Assistant was no different. After all, he wasn’t left alone to deal with
this menace.

Unfortunately, it looked like a huge patch of DustyBlue would have to be

cut. Obviously, Johny, the humongous slug, won’t be too happy about it. He
will visit him later and break the bad news.

But before that, some other members had to receive their rewards. And the
reward handed out in person and not a proxy, and by the King himself, was
so much more precious; he knew that very well.

He turned to the Trusty Advisor. “Can I leave this to you for a moment?”
He handed the compass to the spider.
“Of course, King.” The spider bowed.

The compass arrow was dim, showing that the Darkness was still far away.
And maybe it wasn’t moving towards the farm at all. But anyways...

...
The Spider Advisor was standing just outside the King’s study, it had a
report. The study doors were closed and the King sounded busy. The report
wasn’t particularly urgent, so the spider decided to wait patiently until the
King finished.

However, the sounds coming from the study were rather loud.

“Harder, do it harder!” A feminine voice squealed demandingly.

“But it's too hard. It might hurt you.”

“No, it’s just right. Now do as I said.”

“Like this?”

“Oh-hhh!” She nickered pleasantly. “Yes, that’s the spot.”

Grunts of satisfaction accompanied by the sound of rhythmic motion kept

piercing the doors.

“Your strokes need to be longer.”

“Is that better?”

“Mhm...” She only made a short whiny sound. “More.”

A wild lamia appeared. She slithered through the corridor her eyes darting
around as if looking for something. Her eyes met with the four yellow orbs.
She gave him that wide grin full of sharp teeth.

“Trusty Advisor, sss, my husband is missing. He missed his tea time with
me! Have you seen him?” She looked at the closed study door. “Is he
inside?”

The Trusty Advisor didn’t need to reply.

“I think I got the technique just right.” A regal voice penetrated the door.

“The King is busy.” The spider said the obvious.

A feminine voice penetrated the door. “Yes, now do my rear end.”

Lamia Queen listened in with her eyes wide. “What’s that rhythmical sss-
sound? And who’s in with him? SSS!” She sounded rather panicked.

The Trusty Advisor didn’t know the answer to the former but for the latter,
“I think it’s one of the Centauri.”

As if to affirm that statement, "Go in deeper," a rather sultry-sounding voice

nickered.

“SSS! I’m going in!” Lamia slammed at the shut door with her tail.

She broke it off the hinges, an overkill really, it wasn’t even locked.

“What do you think, sss, you’re doing!?”

The King stood there with a brush in his hand.

“Brushing her coat?” He blinked twice gathering his thoughts. "Did

something happen? Is it about the Darkness?"

Well, this wasn’t exactly what she had expected. The King wasn’t exactly
forbidden to care for his pets, but even so... “NO!” she hissed at his attempt
to distract her. “Why is her tail raised like that?” She hissed questioningly.

“I never had horses, only dogs, but maybe because she’s happy?”

“Horses-sss! Dogs-sss?” She hissed confused.

“I’m just brushing her coat. Want to give me a hand? It’s therapeutic.” He
offered a spare brush.

“Hmm.” Her facial expression softened at the invitation. “I’ll give it a try.”
She said it with a mischievous grin and grabbed the brush.

A realisation flashed across his face. “Oh! I forgot the tea time. Sorry about
it.”
“Don’t worry about it. It happens.” She began brushing.

“Ouch. Not so hard. You’re too rough.” The Centauri Assistant grunted.

“Oh? You don’t like that?” She brushed even harder.

“No.” The centaur snorted again. “The King does it way, way better. He
knows how to please a woman.”

She shouldn’t have said that. She definitely should not have said that.

To save the centaur’s coat, or maybe even her life, the King had to
confiscate the brush from his wife.

The Trusty Advisor just stood there at the gap and next to the broken door,
still patiently waiting for his time to give a report. It wasn’t that important
anyway...

A strange idea formed in its spidery mind. ‘As my reward. Maybe I could
get the King to clean my chitin in a similar fashion.’ The spider shook its
head as if to get rid of such fantasies.
 86 – By the Power of Love and
Friendship

The Trusty Advisor was looking at the King meaningfully.

“It is approaching.” It chirped.

The King put his palms together and touched his lips as if in deep thought,
“So it is coming,” he paraphrased.

“It is.” The spider chirped again.

“Well then, we have no choice.” He said with resolution. “Let’s make our
last stand.”

The Trusty Advisor nodded in understanding.

The Alliances were made so that in tough times, and especially in times of
war, the two parties could help each other. After all, there was no doubt that
the Spider Kingdom was at War, it’s just that the aggressor was rather
unusual. Regardless, the call for aid was issued and the Allies responded.

The Lamia were already a part of Spider Kingdom: their Queen stood at the
side of the Spider King as his wife and their egg vaults were here also, so it
was obvious that their warriors stood with their spears raised high and ready
to defend that which is the most precious. They stood proud donning the
now iconic armour, it was blue and made out the leather coming from their
favourite snack – Enchanted Boar. The leather armour was light in nature so
that their slender movements wouldn’t be limited.
The strongest response must have been from the Drow. They came as a
whole: men, women, and even children; everyone came to defend the
MegaFarm. The High Chief’s decision to involve children was
questionable, but it was final. Their forces were the most diverse. There
were FireWalkers, Archers, Spearmen, Mages, Grenadiers, and all sorts.
The children were there for support, they will be mostly resupplying the
Drow troops. In retrospect, it was rather shocking, but it was evident that all
of the Drow knew how to fight in one way or the other. In other words, in
the lousiest form of the term, they were all ‘warriors’; a past trauma had
likely had something to do with that. Anyway, they were here, they were
armed to the teeth and they were roaring and rearing for a fight.

The Great Ancestral Tree and its avatar the Wisp, obviously couldn’t make
it in person. Being bound to the forest had its advantages and drawbacks.
Regardless, they had sent their forces consisting of a swarm of Apex
Squirrels and a small bunch of Dryads accompanied by a larger group of
Sprigans, not to mention all the Amber they could spare. The Apex Squirrel
was an evolved variant from a normal squirrel: they were larger, had sharp
claws and a deadly horn on their forehead. Squirrels aside, the Dryads and
Sprigans were there to provide the healing then necessary.

Speaking about healing and healers, the White Sprigans had also come from
the Magical Forest in great numbers. What was it, nearly a thousand of
them? More? So yeah, there were plenty of Nature casters to fight the
inevitable Drain effect. But mostly they were here for the aftermath – to
rebuild, no, to Regrow.

The Kobolds, while having some fighting power, weren’t suited for the
open terrain. They were agoraphobic and that overwhelming fear of open
spaces meant that they couldn’t participate. Well, certain individuals like
blue and brown kobolds had lesser versions of the phobia, but even then it
was ruled out that their presence was unnecessary. After all, they had been
already helping for the longest time, way before any of the other Allies.
They gathered ores to smelt and make weapons, and also they shaped the
many-many bricks which were used to make a very-very large wall
encircling the farm as a whole. Yes-Yes!
The Myconids were the smallest faction, they had only a few caves in their
territory and the individuals were few and very weak. But they had helped
nevertheless. The Queen had sent a large batch of Stimulant Spores, which
could be used even in its raw state to help in a prolonged battle.

Both King Aurelius II and the Covenant of the Black Hand were also
informed. Their response was predictable but even then – disappointing.
The Black Hand were Trade Allies only, and they didn’t express any interest
in participating in the Spider King’s quest to vanquish the Darkness itself.
Well, Vumbeldor had given a long-winded reply full of whys and excuses;
basically, they were just too scared. However, King Aurelius II was more
willing to participate, but it was clear that the human forces would never
make it here in time. At least, there were still ‘volunteers’ from before;
Aurelius II encouraged to utilise these men and women.

What was left was the Centauri, who also like Lamia and Drow were just
itching for a fight. No doubt they still wanted to prove themselves. The girls
were clad in heavy black armour; they will be serving as the heavy cavalry.
Just at the right time, the Centauri Champion was back to lead her troops to
victory.

And so, that was that. The forces were spread around the farm evenly and
awaiting the fated moment.

With the increased presence of the defenders, the draining tendrils of the
Shadow Plague were kept in check. Occasional pop-pop sounds
reverberated from the TomGrape webs but so far that was that. Everyone
was tensely waiting for a signal.

Further away, in the distance, a blue flair of light made an arch in the sky
and exploded with a bang like a firework. This was the signal; the
Darkness had crossed into the clearing of the Spider Kingdom. The
signalling spell wasn’t exactly necessary because there was the Magic
Compass and the fact that the sky was literally turning pitch black. Mind
you, this was during the day, so the effect was even more pronounced.
Everyone had expected the attack to come during the night, but it didn’t
look like it would matter or that the encroaching darkness cared about such
things at all.

The sudden change was rather spooky, no it was strong enough to fill Lamia
and Drow alike with Dread, but it was good that spiders were fearless and
demonstrated courage thus reassuring and inspiring the other races.

The King was giving a late speech to boost the recently fallen morale.
Enchanted by Wind magic, his booming voice was carried across the
MegaFarm.

“My subjects! No, my allies and my friends.”

He continued the address with:

“Don’t let yourselves be filled with Dread and other dark emotions. We can
win! We will! I am most certain because we don’t stand here alone. Just
look around you: it’s your allies, your friends, your family, your lovers, and
other many precious things we must protect. So here we stand together to
expel the Darkness, and darkness we fear not for it can be dispelled! And
for those who are afraid of death… I tell you – be not afraid! For you can be
resurrected, you will be Reborn! Now let’s fight, let's show it our true
resolve!” He blasted his Aura Projection at full power.

As if to deny those words a mass of shadows showed at the clearing, there

were so many they formed a sizeable hill. The hill kept forming into a more
defined shape. It became a blob. And then it grew shadowy tentacles. Some
tentacles were long and others short, some as thick as the trunk of a tree and
others as thin as a flower stem. There were so many of them, more than a
thousand. The tentacles grasped for the ground and pulled the body of the
Darkness towards the walls of the MegaFarm.

The mortal minds were struck with… Dread, Dread, Dread!!! – the calamity
radiated the aura of Dread.

Moreover, the embodiment of the calamity didn’t come alone, much like the
Spider King, it had its allies. From the blackened sky, an ocean of Shadow
Stingrays descended upon the farm. And from the bordering jungle Shadow
Monsters: Shadow Wolves, Shadow Roadrunners, Shadow Behemoths,
Shadow this and that, monsters big and small charged towards the walls. If
this was the first time something like this had happened the battle would
have been lost here and now, but it wasn’t.

There is a saying ‘Practise makes perfect’, and the spiders had plenty of
that. A massive spell was cast and purple cracks formed in an otherwise
pitch-black sky. It only looked that way because they weren’t cracks at all,
it was a web made out of magic – All Consuming Web. The fliers were
trapped in the web like flies and died in swarms making a thundering volley
of pops. Next came the volley of arrows, there were so many that they too,
much like the Shadow Stingrays, managed to cloud the sky. The arrows
pierced the remaining flying stragglers and continued flying past the
defensive wall and into the clearing. Those arrows flew further and quicker
than your normal arrow, flying a whole mile in a matter of seconds. It was
only possible because of the dual combination of superior equipment and
Wind enchantment. Needless to say, the rushing Shadow Roadrunners, the
ones at the front of the charge, suffered the brunt of the piercing attack.

A giant spider was standing among its brethren. “Loose!” The Warrior
Leader commanded.

This wasn’t an order for yet another volley of arrows. The Warrior Leader
was standing in a field lined with contraptions made out of IronOak and
BanditAgave rope. The devices could be best described as torsion siege
engines; the King called this design simply the Spider Sling. The slings
were loaded with barrels filled with Blue Dust. The payload arched through
the sky and smashed in the clearing covering it in the clouds of dust. The
Shadow monsters had to avoid those patches, the monster that failed to do
that simply popped out of existence.

The defensive wall was lined not just with archers, turrets, and grenadiers
but also with mages. The robed figures had cast their spells thus further
thinning the monster wave.

But not all was well, the Darkness seemed endless and it was coming for
the Spider Kingdom. Despite losing thousands of Shadow Monsters it just
kept birthing new ones. It didn’t care about the losses, it was simply moving
forward. The saving grace was that its main body, being as massive as it
was, was only slowly approaching the defensive wall.

“We can’t allow it to get close to the walls.” The King said the obvious.

The huge mass would just flow over the defensive structure and then Drain
everyone to death; creatures and plants alike.

“Then we charge. SSS!” The Lamia Queen was already committed.

“Let’s go. Rally behind me.” The King decided to lead the charge.

Spiders, Lamia, Drow, Centauri, Humans and even the creatures of the
forest rallied behind the King. First, the Centauri crushed the shadows
beneath their hooves clearing the path for the rest of the group. The Lamia
supported the King and then the Drow took the flanks forbidding the
shadows from closing in by the generous application of magical fire. Lastly,
the Apex Squirrels soon caught up from behind and launched themselves at
the shadow creatures for a counterattack. Those horns of theirs were a
magical weapon by itself and it was surprisingly effective allowing them to
prevent the shadows from closing back in from the rear.

The King kept pushing towards that tentacled blob of swirling darkness and
his people were supporting him from all sides. His wife the Lamia Queen
was at his right, and his beloved but mischievous pet was at his left. And
surprisingly, even the magnificent slug Johny was there right behind him;
albeit lagging ever so slightly. He couldn’t help but feel honoured seeing
their resolve to fight beside him.

As he got closer to the source of Darkness, the tar-like tentacles sprung

from the ground slowing his charge.

“Meow. I’ll take care of those!” A certain wyrmling meowed with resolve.

The Great Wyrmling’s words weren’t hollow. It commanded both the air
and the earth pulling the nearby Blue Dust clouds and directing them
towards the tentacles. The wyrmling had successfully cleared a path
through the tentacles. The King’s forces pushed even further towards the
source of the calamity.

Lamia Queen raised her Sceptre of Love high above her head and shouted.
“Lamia! Sss-support me and mine! [Morale Boost].”

The power of love indeed was something! But, no, the buff was there to
combat the Dread debuff the non-spider combatants were now struggling
against. The closer to the Darkness the stronger the debuff was.

Hence so, the squirrels were sacrificing themselves in the counterattack.

The Drow were letting the fire loose so that the darkness couldn’t encroach
from the sides. The Centauri were running around giving support where it
was necessary. The wyrmling was keeping the encroaching tentacles in
check. The Lamia were assisting the spiders in their forward push and the
Queen was giving everyone buffs.

Soon, the King faced the body of the calamity. He was standing right in
front of it. It was bigger than he imagined. Its tendrils swung at the spiders
threateningly.

“Let’s whittle it down. Bit by bit.” This was the plan from the start.

The siege engines, the arrow volleys, and the magic barrages all took a
small chunk out of the body of the Darkness. But the ammo and mana were
limited and in the end it had to come down to the old-fashioned brawl and
brawn melee. And he and his spiders were here just for that.

“Let it loose!” He shouted starting the melee with a trust of his Devouring
Spear.

The mass of darkness shrivelled under his attack. A tendril, thick as a tree,
trusted towards him in counterattack.

“[Bastion]!” He invoked but the magic failed to form.

 87 - Sluggishly Magnificent But
Highly Dusty Fight

The Dreaded Place was there for a very long time. So long that no one
could remember how or why it came to be. But one thing was clear, all
animals almost on an instinctual level were avoiding the silent jungle, and
the sapient races were no different. There were prophecies and omens
telling people to stay away from the jungle. And that was for a very good
reason!

Legs go back a bit in time.

A very ancient thing, a primordial once existed; an entity like no other. It

had an appetite for mana but no matter how much it consumed it would
never feel satiated. There was only hunger! So, it ate and ate engorging
itself. And in doing so it grew bigger and bigger, and as its body grew, so
did its appetite. Ironically, the more it ate the hungrier it got.

The thing is that without mana there is no life and without life there is no
mana. It ate so much that there was nothing left to be eaten. And then it
starved, but even then it wouldn’t die. At first, the entity grew grumpy, then
angry, and later it was enraged. It blamed the world for its failings, for
failing to provide the food, for having a flimsy and delicate mana cycle. It
blamed the plants and creatures for dying and failing to convert the ambient
mana for it to consume. In other words, it grew bitter and resentful, it grew
Dark.

There was nothing to eat, so it made a simple choice – it would go and take
a nap. And then it slept for aeons. Even when it slept, it didn’t stop craving
for mana. Its body naturally consumed any stray mana which formed there
or just flew from the outside. In a passive sense, the entity had enforced a
Drain effect on the entire place.

However, Mother Nature was a clever mistress and nature always found a
way. It took time, thousands of years, but some plants adapted, and they
were able to live in the near-zero mana environment. Thus, a lush jungle
grew retaking the drained place. But even then, the plants had near zero
mana nutrition and the animals hadn’t yet caught up in evolutions. The
jungle was left eerily quiet. There were plants and there was life, but in a
sense, it was stagnant and almost lifeless. But it was enough. Even if the
plants weren’t magical, they lived and hence breathed mana, even if only a
sliver of it. And then, naturally, some plants became further resistant to the
Drain effect. A peculiar kind of plant was born, and then a peculiar type of
animal life.

Regardless of such things, the entity kept slumbering and waiting for better
times. So long as there was little mana it would not awaken, it just didn’t
have the strength. That was until…

The Bastion failed to activate, and it was too late to dodge the tentacle. The
King steeled himself for impact. Oh boy, will it hurt!

The impact never came. “Huh!” He exclaimed in surprise.

Johny had blocked the tentacle with its body; the lovable slug had finally
caught up. Even better, he was all coated in the Blue Dust and the tentacle
shrunk just from touching it.

“Thanks for the save, man!”

The slug wriggled its own few tentacles threateningly at the Darkness and
then replied. “No Problem.”

The shadowy tendrils quivered at the slug’s presence as if hesitant. They

just couldn’t attack Johny because he was all coated in that dust.
“Hmm. It seems to be wary of you.” The King noticed.

“It Is Afraid! [Dust Spray].” Johny sprayed towards the mass of tentacles.

The tentacles shrunk shying away from the dust and the slug itself. It’s not
that the shadow mass was defeated it was just warded away. But still, it was
super effective! It was almost as if Johny was born to fight it; a late
discovery, but not too late.

The King had another late realisation. Just like Johny, he could coat himself
in the dust. He did so just before another tentacle took a swing at him. And
just before it could hit him, it hesitated.

“No, you don’t.” He parried and counterattacked with his spear killing the
tentacle for good.

“[Jelly Jet]!” Johny shot out from one of its many teats.

“Oh?!”

It was also surprisingly super effective. No, it was more. The Slug Jelly
acted like a poison to the shadows, disrupting and dispelling their form.

“Yeah, keep at it. Keep it busy.” The King found it so much easier to thrust
and jab at the shadows.

The two worked in tandem, and yes the King dealt good damage to the
Darkness but the real MVP was clearly the magnificent slug. Johny had a
massive body, rivalling that of the Great Worm of Oberon, so it could tank
hits no problem and the shadow Drain didn’t work on him. He was like a
tank here! And even better, it came with turrets. A lot of turrets! Each
squirting out a barrage of Jelly Jet at the darkness.

During the ongoing battle, the minions of the darkness were finally
contained. More and more of the spiders were joining in the assault to
defeat the main body and the source of darkness. The Reborn spiders, the
ones with bodies made out of Glem had finally also joined the fray. They
coated their enchanted limbs in a Disrupting spell and cleaved at the
Darkness from the sides.

A lot of magic simply just petered out doing no damage to the calamity. But
even then, the King, the slug and the spiders had found a way. The shadow
monsters were dealt with, the shadowy tentacles contained, and the
approach of darkness was stopped. Little by little the shadowy mass was
whittled down.

He couldn’t help but notice, “It is shrinking!”

By the time the body of Darkness was half of its original size, the shadows
stopped beyond born, the sky brightened and the shadowy blob began
retreating back to the jungle. The Allies began cheering a bit prematurely as
if the battle was won.

“No! We must kill it!” The King chased after the blob of darkness. “If we
don’t, it will just come back again.”

But the mages were running out of mana, archers out of ammo, there were
only a few scrolls and other disposable items left, and Johny was running
low on jelly. Even if the Darkness was shrinking and retreating the Allies
had no resources left to kill the thing.

The King wracked his mind hard looking for the solutions. If somehow he
could find a way to stop the blob from moving he could just chip at it with
his spear.

“What if…” He accessed his inventory pulling some rope and a flask of
slug jelly.

He coated the rope in a thin layer of that viscous goodness. The spiders
soon caught up with what he was trying to do.

“Jelly. More Jelly.” The spiders chirped trying to scavenge as much of it

between themselves as possible.
Everyone contributed: Johny milked itself for the last drop, the spiders
sacrificed their personal stores, and even the Lamia Queen had to give out
her secret stash. The spiders lathered the rope in the precious jelly and
started weaving. The Darkness must have sensed that something was up
because it was running away twice as fast. The spiders were experts at
making webs so the web to bind the darkness - the SlugJelly Web, was
finished within minutes.

“Trap it now! Bind it so that it cannot escape!”

The spiders launched the web into the air entrapping the blob of darkness
within. Normally the dark stuff would just escape through the gaps, but this
time it was different. The Darkness shrugged away from the web’s
embrace, shrinking upon itself, but even when it could not escape.

“Pull!”

Spiders pulled at their ropes tightening the binding Web. The calamity
resisted, its tentacles kept trying to push it towards the jungle. More and
more spiders joined in the tug of war, and eventually the blob was stopped
in its tracks. If it tried to move in one direction the spiders would just pull to
oppose it. Unbelievably so, the Darkness was finally contained.

“One.” The King jabbed his spear through the gap in the Web. “Two.” He
jabbed again. “Three…”

With each thrust, the darkness shrunk more and more.

“…Nine hundred eleven.”

The hill of darkness was no more, it had shrunk so much that it was at the
size of a normal human. The much-reduced blob was quivering and jiggling
like a slime.

“…Nine hundred sixty.”

It quivered again as if in pain from the attack.

“No. No more!” The King’s voice sounded, but the King wasn’t the one
who spoke.

“…”

“No. Stop!” The Darkness repeated in a stolen voice.

*Stab, “Nine hundred sixty one. Are you trying to negotiate after you have
already lost?”

“Yes.”

The King shrugged. “… sixty two. I don’t feel like talking anymore. Too
late!”

“Please. Don’t kill me. I want to. Live.”

“Understandable.” *Stab, *Stab.

The Darkness now was truly reduced to the size of a mere slime.

“I just wanted a small snack. Please, I beg you. Spare my life.” The
shadowy slime trembled.

He pulled the spear back readying it for a final thrust. And then he struck
the blob… or tried to. For some reason his body refused to move. He
looked at the blob startled, he wanted to shout but he couldn’t even do that,
he and everything around him were standing still as if frozen. The reason
was simple, the time itself had stopped.

His consciousness faded for a second and he found himself in a dark and
empty void.

A familiar nebulous entity boomed a single piece of advice. “Don’t kill it.
Let it go and then…”

His consciousness faded once again, and he found himself floating in white
space.
A less familiar echoing voice boomed a different advice. “Kill it. You must
end it.”

In a single blink, he was back in the clearing staring at the trembling slime.
The time was flowing again but his arm remained still.

“I hate this!” He felt like these nebulous entities were toying with him,
invading his mind whenever they pleased. “What am I even supposed to do
here?”

*Sob, “Please. Please. Please.” It begged blubbering. “I’ll be good I swear.”

Was it a really good idea to trust the Darkness?

*Sob, “I was just so hungry. All I wanted was a tiny little snack…”

He didn’t care about those excuses.

*Sob, “I’ll give it all back. I promise!”

He doubted that was even possible…

*Sob, “Let me make it up to you.”

There was no proof those words were genuine, after all, it had never
bothered to speak before; It just came and ravaged the innocent TomGrape.
It had cast a Shadow Plague upon the farm, and to fight it the spiders had
made a lot of sacrifices. In other words, this trembling slime was a lying
criminal. And he couldn’t care less about the mysterious ‘advice’ the ‘gods’
had given him. Worse, there was a clear conflict between the two!

[The Darkness wishes to become your Familiar], the message informed

him all of a sudden.

Huh? Maybe some of its words were genuine. After all, the contract was
binding, but obviously the slime must know a way to break it; like by
getting him killed. He wasn’t having it; he pulled his arm back readying the
final strike.
“No?” *Sob. ”I’m so sorry. I can do better. Please, let's be friends.”

[The Darkness wishes to become your Slave]

Once again, the indecision struck at his resolve. He was tempted. If this
shadowy slime wasn’t powerful the mysterious entities wouldn’t have
invaded his mind. And the bond offered was even more binding than that of
a familiar. Maybe he should not contemplate it, and just execute this
criminal and be done with it, but a part of him wanted its power. Master of
Darkness had a certain appeal to him; it called at the dark side of his heart.
Master of Darkness, King of Spiders, Ruler of the…

“Better?” *Sob. “Now, I’ll do whatever you want. My body is yours. Please
be gentle.”

All he had to do was to accept the contract. A mental tug and it would be
done.

Well, he didn’t have to ponder these things alone. The real battle had been
won at the time the Web was cast and the Darkness trapped. Allies, friends,
spiders and other figures of importance were standing beside him and
watching the scene unfold.

“What do you think.” He asked a certain spider; it always had the best
advice.

“In the end, it is your decision, King.” The Trusty Advisor chirped simply.

Then he looked at his sulking wife. “Whatever.” It was clear that she was
still upset about being forced to part with her secret jelly stash.

He looked at the High Chief. “I don’t mind. With such a contract you’ll be
able to keep the monster in check. After all, you are the…”

“…Monster King.” He finished for the High Chief.

“Meow! I don’t trust it.” The wyrmling scowled at the shadowy slime.

Well, there was definitely a risk there.

“Johny, what do you think?” He asked the MVP and the only reason why
this battle was won at all.

The magnificent slug looked at the shaking and sobbing blob. “I Want To
Eat It.”

“No! I am not tasty!” It trembled and sobbed even more.

“Ha, that would be an appropriate end for the Darkness.” He had to admit.
“But… Sorry, I will be selfish this time.”

He accepted the contract.

[Congratulations! You are now the Master of the Darkness]

All of a sudden he began to feel increasingly woozy. His mind was

assaulted with a barrage of messages.

[Congratulations! You have defeated the Darkness]

[‘Primordial_Designation:Darkness!’ has lost all of its titles]

[‘Primordial_Designation:Darkness!’ is downgraded to
‘Monster_Designation:Darkness!’]

[The Dreaded Place is no more], [Monster Realm was created], [You are
the ruler of the Monster Realm]

[The magic has returned to its normal state], [You have gained access to the
System]

[Chaos Blessed – activated], [You have lost access to the System], [You
have gained access to the Monster System]

[‘Monster_Designation:Spider!’ has gained access to the Monster System]

[‘Monster_Designation:Johny!’ has gained access to the Monster System]

[‘Monster_Designation:Apex_Squirrels!’ has gained access to the Monster
System]

[‘Monster_Designation:Darkness!’ has gained access to the Monster

System]

[Lamia has gained access to the Monster System]

[Drow has gained access to the Monster System]

[Centauri have gained access to the Monster System]

[Human has gained access to the Monster System], [Error], [Divine

Intervention]

[Human has lost access to the Monster System]

It just kept flowing into his mind.

The King wasn’t the only one to receive similar messages.

“The magic has-sss returned to its normal sss-state?”

“The Monster System? What is that?”

“So now. This is a Monster Realm. Interesting.”

“Meow! I already have the Monster System. Give me something else,

meow!”

“It Says I Can Evolve.”

*Sob, “I’m hungry.”

A tiny spider wielding nothing but a stick approached the Darkness and
bonked the top of its shadowy slime.

“Behave!” The spider scolded.

 88 - Monster System Unlocked

The highly overwhelmed King was staring at the wall of system messages.
A certain thing was on his mind, a certain need, an urge, a desire. He had
tried it a long time ago, but something in the back of his mind urged him to
try again.

“Status.” He tried slightly cringing at himself.

[Welcome to Monster System alpha 0.1], the message printed.

A table popped into his vision.

Magic Affinity:
Title: Monster King Perks Jobs: █▒░
Dark
HP:1000 MP:2000 STA:500 Spells Farming
[4]
Crafting
[4] ██░░░
Reputation Building
█▒░░░
🕸️🕸️🕸️ [2] ░░░░░
🕸️🕷️🕸️ Alchemy ████▒
🕸️🕸️🕸️ [1] ████░
Fighting Error
Resistances [3]
Status Magic+
Effects [-1]

If he concentrated on a certain part of the table, such as [Jobs] it would

expand further giving more detail.
Farming lvl. Crafting lvl. Building lvl. Alchemy lvl.
1> Unnatural 1> Superior 1> Reinforce 1> Extract:
Selection Design 2> Spidery Reagent
2> Acclimate 2> Harvest: Magnificent
3> Evolve Material
4> Mutate 3> Enchant
4> Comprehend
Fighting lvl. Magic+ lvl.
1> Tough Skin -1> Error
2> Assassin Strike
3> Undying

If he wanted he could inspect an individual perk like the one he obtained

while making the defences for the battle against the Darkness.

[Spidery Magnificent: You gain an aesthetic sense of a spider. Your

constructions are deemed to have that spooky aura, and web-like patterns
are a must. Increases integrity and complexity of constructions you can
make.]

Similarly, he could concentrate on [Perks] to get the full list of Perks, and
[Spells] listed all of the Spells he could cast at the moment.

Oh, and that “█▒░” stuff was a progress bar for a new level.

“This is neat.” He nodded to himself. “But how is the Monster System

different from the normal System?”

His friends were also fiddling with various menus.

“Sss, whatever I had before, it wasn’t this. The floating menu options are
new, sss, there are numbers and even words! It’s all in Spider Chirp. SSS!
It’s good that I’ve learned how to read.”

The High Chief scratched his head. “For me, it’s the Jobs. Those are
levelled and by the looks of it, each level grants a perk. I had a Class and its
Skills before, so Jobs and Perks is a completely new concept to me.”
The Drow Assistant nodded in agreement. “Also, I lost my Magus class. It
changed to… the name of the job is weird, it’s Magic+. I’m level one, but
all of my spells are still there. So I guess, it’s okay.”

The King had a complicated expression on his face. “Yeah, Magic+ is

completely broken for me.”

“Meow! No, it’s not. It works just fine. I’m level 2, and higher than your
servant!” The Wyrmling gloated at the Drow Assistant.

“Maybe it’s broken only for me,” The King shrugged. “I think…”

“I Need To Evolve.” Everyone looked at the quivering slug. “[Evolve]”,

Johny invoked.

Suddenly everyone was blinded by bright purple light. The slug was huge,
so Johny shone like a beacon drawing everyone's attention even from miles
away. Then the source of light shrunk and so did his body. The slug was
taking a more compact form. The King swallowed with dread; less slug
only meant that there would be less jelly! The spiders would rebel and his
kingdom would crumble; he panicked. The blinding light dimmed to a
bright glow; a humanoid shape was forming within.

Finally, the purple glow subsided revealing a mesmerising visage of the

newly evolved slug. Johny possessed a slender and curvaceous figure; it
was rather scandalous. The slight coating on the smooth and speckless skin
made it shine and sparkle, it gave it a delicate feminine appearance. The
body remained somewhat translucent retaining the ethereal charm the slug
possessed. The lower slug-like half had layered rows of skin drooping
down, the skin was tinted blue and wavy very mush-like frills. It didn’t look
unpleasant because it resembled a rather fashionable skirt. The upper
human-like half had a lithe waist, narrow shoulders, rather long but elegant
arms, and a big round and cute head. And of course, the King’s worry was
unwarranted because Johny sported not one but three pairs of breasts, the
jellybags were swollen and full of syrupy goodness. Johny’s eyes were large
and blue, there was no nose in between but a bulge with two narrow holes,
and right under was a small mouth with narrow lips. Instead of hair Johny
had a collection of long blue tendrils reaching all the way to the shoulders,
and on top of the head was a pair of slug antennae. Despite the
unconventional features, the face had undeniable allure which was both
mysterious and enchanting.

Johny stood there striking a proud pose to display its newly evolved body.
The arms were crossed over elbows supporting the upper pair of jelly sacks.
The slug tail was curved and jutted slightly into the air. The chin was raised
into the air and the eyes were radiating happiness. In other words, Johny
looked way too smug about the evolution.

The nearby friends began clapping, slowly then with more vigour.

“Wow!”

“Just look. At you. Well done.”

“Congratulations, meow.”

“I must say, I am impressed.”

But not everyone was happy for Johny the slug, a certain Lamia was pulling
and shaking her husband by his collar.

“SSS! Why? Why does it keep happening, sss, way too sexy!” She vented
her frustration.

Yes, there was a theme going on here. First, there was a Myconid Queen,
then… But, hey, this wasn’t his fault. Not this time!

“If you have any complaints, give those to Monster System.” He pushed
the blame on the System, after all, this time the slug evolved on its own.

“This is-sss unfair! Why does-sss Johny get to evolve, sss? I want to evolve
too!”

That was a good point. Indeed, why? But then, “Isn’t it natural that
monsters evolve?”
The High Chief looked at Johny and then back to the King as if comparing
the two. “Monster yes. But haven’t you, my King, evolved too?”

“Yes, I did, into the Monster King. But that evolution wasn’t natural. And
also, I can grant evolutions… as Monster King I think I can evolve
monsters. But I don’t know about sapient races, that sounds tricky. Can
Lamia or Drow even evolve?”

Lamia Queen crossed her arms and pouted her lips. “No, we can’t, sss, or at
least it is unheard of. Your body is defined at birth. It’s impos-sss-sible for
Lamia Servant to become Lamia Warrior.”

High Chief, however, remained hopeful. “We’re under Monster System

now, so maybe if we gather enough experience it might happen.” He
postulated.

“SSS! Too hard.” She hissed. “Husband! Cast Evolve on me.”

“I don’t think it’s wise, you’re already a Lamia Queen. Even if I have
enough mana, I fear the backlash might kill me.”

But the real reason was that as far as he had seen the evolutions were very
unpredictable, and he feared turning his cute wife into something scary.
What if the evolution made her grow big and fat? He didn’t want to risk
turning her into a real monster.

So instead, he changed the topic abruptly. “Hey, this is the Monster Realm
now. Did you get the message?”

Everyone confirmed it with nods or verbal replies.

“But Monster Realm…” The voice of the High Chief was thoughtful. “It
sounds rather ominous.”

“Still better than the Dreaded Place.” The King replied. “And it says I’m
the ruler of the area.” As soon as he said that he too became thoughtful for a
moment. “Am I an area boss? Do I have to be defeated like the Darkness?”
He was serious, but for some reason everyone laughed at his line of
questioning.

“Ha, King. Good one. I don’t think anyone would be crazy enough to fight
you and your spiders.”

“Yes-sss. You defeated the Darkness-sss itself.”

They looked at the shadowy slime, which somehow managed to avoid

detection up to this point. It shrunk to an even smaller size under their
withering gazes.

“I’m a good monster now.” It said still in a stolen voice. “I’m the bestest
follower of the Master!”

“Meow?! No, I am the bestest. I’m familiar number one!”

“Actually, it’s the Drow who are the…” The High Chief didn’t get to finish.

“Hey, Darkness can you do something about your voice? I don’t like that
you sound exactly like me.”

“Me-Meow! Is this better?”

“Meow! It stole my voice. Give it back!” The wyrmling began to chase the
slime. “I’ll bite you.”

“Me-Meow! Master, help!”

“King, I Have A Request.”

“No! SSS! Wives come first! I sss-still think you sss-should Evolve me.”

“King. Should we start. Rebuilding?”

Suddenly everyone wanted a piece of him. The Monster Realm was a very
chaotic place.

…
Allies and friends took a much-needed break and then a lot of other things
happened. The beginnings of: rebuilding, regrowing, resupplying,
rewarding, and so and such. Everyone was still busy and doing their part of
the assigned job.

He’d just finished giving his thanks to the Drow and bade them a good trip
back to the Oberon Undermountain. This was the last thing he had to do
today and so upon his request, he was left alone in the throne room to do
what he pleased.

“Status.” He invoked, going through it again.

He did this for what must have been a hundredth time but he just couldn't
have enough. This was like that time when he learned magic. He was just
positively giddy.

While reading through his [Perks] list, he’d found a new addition. It was
[Grant Monster System]. Somehow he’d missed that, but no surprise there
since the list was rather extensive. The perk was self-explanatory, he was
able to grant the Monster System to other people. And it will be very
useful, this was because of two reasons which came clear during today.
First was that only the people who fell under the Monster Realm area were
auto-offered the Monster System. Second was that his sphere of influence
was much smaller compared to the Dreaded Place; currently, it covered
only the MegaFarm and the clearing up to the jungle. So what this meant,
was that Kobolds still had no access and maybe The Wisp wanted an
upgrade too. If so, he, the magnanimous Monster King, will be able to grant
them that. Free of charge of course! He had a hunch that if he did so, his
sphere of influence would expand.

“Well, it’s time for bed.” And there was a certain reward he promised to his
wife. “So it's better to do it before I am too tired.”

He walked towards his bed chambers. He opened the heavy door, it was
made to be completely soundproof. With a widening gap, a rush of pleasant
aroma tickled his nose. This was an expensive incense imported from the
Aurelian Kingdom. His wife grew to love that stuff and she would often
burn it to set the mood. Once he was inside his eyes met hers. Obviously,
she’d made herself ready for the occasion and was already severely
underdressed. Good, he wouldn’t want her beautiful clothes to get ripped in
the process. While eyeing her porcelain-like skin he couldn't help but notice
that she had grown a bit in certain parts.

Lamia Queen shamelessly rolled from one side of the bed to the other. She
looked at him again, this time invitingly.

“Sss-so are we doing this or not?” She said impatiently.

“Well, I did promise.” There was no turning back now so he sat on the bed.
“But I don’t know…” He teased her. “Do you really want it?”

“I do!”

“How bad do you want it?”

“Very, sss, very bad.”

“You want me to do it?”

“Yes-sss.”

“Then say it nicely.”

“I want you to do it, sss, please.”

“If I’ll do it, there won’t be stopping. You know that right?”

“Just do it. You promised.”

“Fine.” He decided to finish his teasing. “Relax your body for me. I think it
will go better.” He said somewhat anxious.

“Like this-sss?”

“Okay, I’m starting.” He went in making skin contact and invoked a certain
perk. He felt mana leaving his body.
“Ohh, sss, it tickles! S-s-s.” She hiss-giggled while squirming from his
touch.

The mana was draining rapidly and he couldn't help but breathe heavily
from exhaustion. He knew this would be hard, but he didn’t expect it to be
that hard. Meanwhile, his wife kept squirming.

“S-s-s! S-s-s!”

“I think… I think…“ He stammered through laboured breath.

[Perk Evolve failed to activate], [This monster cannot yet be evolved] – the
messages informed him.

He slumped on top of her feeling absolutely drained.

“What? It was just beginning to feel good. Why did you sss-stop? Are you
done?”

“…”

“So nothing happened.”

“I know.”

“Try again!” She demanded.

“It doesn’t work.”

“Here, this sss-should help.” She pulled a Fertility Potion from under her
pillow.

“Why do you have it there? And shouldn’t it be MP Portion?”

“Ups-sss, my bad. Forse of habit. Where did I put it, sss.” She began
rummaging under the bed.

“Look, I don’t think you can evolve yet. Maybe in the future?”
“What? No! You just weren’t trying hard enough.”

“…”

“Sss. I’ll help you. [Moral Support]. You can do it ♫, you can do it ♫,
King go!”

He felt motivated. Motivated to give up and go to sleep. “I’m not wasting

another 1000 mana on another dud!”

“Boo! Boo! Killjoy!” She booed.

He was forced to try again, and again, and again.

[This monster cannot yet be evolved], - indeed, his wife was a merciless
monster. A monster he loved, however.

It was way past bedtime and the two were still at it.

“S-s-s! S-s-s!” She hissed pleasantly.

He was pouring his mana into her body, but this time he learned his lesson.
He wasn't using Evolve or any perk for that matter. Ha, his foolish wife
failed to notice! He was just directing his mana into her body and letting it
scatter.

“S-s-s! S-s-s!” She squirmed.

What an idiot she was. If he did it like that, he could last for hours, after all
his mana barely drained. The goal here was to make her tired and just go to
bed.

His wife's breaths got heavy. “S-s-s! I can feel it. It is coming. My
evolution!”

“Huh, what?”

“S-s-s! Fuu-uu.” She jerked suddenly and shuddered uncontrollably.

“Hey, you! You tricked me didn’t you!”

It was the husband who was the fool.

 89 - Magnificent Yet Deadly
Delicious Jelly

He had to wake up early and the lack of sleep was obvious. His wife had a
blissful expression on her face and was sleeping peacefully. It was good to
have no responsibilities. He, however, couldn’t allow himself such luxuries.
He got dressed and went outside to greet the sun and start his day.

It was morning already but there was no sun, and the sky was overcast.

“It is raining?” He asked no one in particular. It never rained in the

Dreaded Place, but this wasn’t that anymore.

The rain was heavy, no, not in intensity, the actual drops felt heavier than
normal water should. He didn’t need to look hard to notice that the droplets
were tinted in black.

“Dirt?” He prodded the collected water in his palm. “No, this isn’t it.” The
rain was infused with Dark mana.

During the previous battle, there was a lot of mana converted into spells.
Converting mana didn’t mean that you somehow annihilated it, it just
changed states from one form to the other. During the battle, the air became
heavy with saturated ambient mana; it was mostly infused with Dark
energies. The rain must be the result of it.

“Maybe, from now on, there will be rain more often. However …” He
worried about it, after all, he had plants to look after and if they weren’t
resilient to rain that could spell disaster. But then he remembered, “I have
Acclimate, don’t I?” Not only that, he had a plethora of perks to help plants
grow in various conditions.
He shook his palm getting the heavy water off. “I’m getting distracted.” He
had a tendency to it. “Where was I going?” And a tendency to talk to
himself. “Ah, yes.” He remembered.

His daily morning ritual was to wake up early and head straight to the
DustyBlue fields. He had a very important task, not just a task but a royal
privilege. But also, a necessity, he had to do what no one else could. That
was to obtain the invaluable slug jelly.

Due to certain events, the blue bell-like flower fields were completely
decimated. They had to cut them all to harvest all of the Blue Dust they
could. The once bright and lively field of blue was now barren. He felt a
small pin piercing his heart. He knew how much Johny liked the flowers,
and here he was, the merciless King who ordered it all to be cut. It was a
sad necessity.

The field wasn’t exactly empty. Scattered all over it were the white forms of
diligent workers. White Sprigans were casting [Grow] tending to the small
buds of eager flowers.

“I’m sure it will all grow back in no time.” He kept walking towards the
centre of the field. The field was rather large and it would take some time to
reach his destination, while idly walking he was thinking “Hmm… but now
It all makes sense…” He realised something. “Johny, you are one
magnificent slug!” He smiled to himself in realisation.

The slug’s diet consisted solely of DustyBlue flowers, and at the time the
slug was truly humungous. Huge size meant a huge appetite, but he had cut
all the flowers, which would mean that the slug would have to starve. He
was still feeling terribly bad about it, but it was an ugly necessity. But
anyway, the slug evolved on its own, taking a much more compact form.
The smaller body needed less food so in a sense Johny did evolve in that
way with purpose. On purpose or not, Johny allowed the King to save some
face, he wouldn’t need to grovel in apology.

Finally, he reached his destination – a sizable ditch. Yeah, the slug didn’t
have a house or a shed because it didn’t need one. Then it was idle, the
massive slug would just lay in its ditch contently. But now things were
different. Johny was laying on the dirt somewhat solemnly. In the dirt,
surrounded by… nothing. If there were flowers, and if it was still a massive
slug it would look better, but as the things were…

“Johny. I’m so sorry about your home.” He bowed deeply in apology.

The slug had completely ignored his apology and beamed a bright smile
instead. “King! Are You Here To Milk Me?”

“Are you not hurt by the devastation? Do you have enough food?” he asked
with concern.

“All Is Fine.” The slug assured. “Now Milk Me I Am Bursting.”

This was somewhat unexpected, while yes, as hard to admit it as it was – he

was here for jelly too and not just an apology. The spiders and his other
subjects needed their rewards. Now with zero stock, and greatly reduced
supply it was even more precious.

“You don’t mind do you?” He asked somewhat unsure.

“Why Would I? Go Ahead.” Johny puffed his chest.

He grabbed a nearby bucked and began squeezing. The jelly was thicker
than usual, and the sweet smell was hard to resist. His fingers trembled, and
he felt an overwhelming urge to lick it.

‘No, I can’t.’ Even a single drop was worth more than a bar of gold. Who
knows if he would be able to stop if he started eating it?

“By The Way, King. Did You Check Your Status?” Johny spoke in his
signature broken and somewhat eldritch voice.

The King noticed that it had mellowed somewhat. There was definitely a
feminine overtone in it. Yeah, there was no doubt that the slug was female,
even then, he refused to rename the slug. It was because Johny was Johny,
and that was that! But maybe he should stop thinking of Johny as a ‘he’,
after all, the magnificent slug had those… and he, the King, currently
was…
“King?” Johny asked with worry.

“Sorry, I got distracted.” He took his hands off the jelly sacks. “What was
it?”

“Say Inspect.”

“?” He looked at Johny with puzzlement. “[Inspect].”

A table popped into his vision, making him to almost spill the bucket.

Monster Race: Lesser Eldrich Variant: Johny

HP:1000 MP:100 STA:100

Active Perks [Dust Spray], [Jelly Jet], [Tendrill Attack]

Passive Perks [Produce Jelly], [Magnificent Slug], [DustyBlue]

Resistances [Fire Weakness: Greater], [Dark Resistance: Immune],

[Physical Resistance: Lesser]

”He had many questions but, “Lesser Eldrich?”

“After Second Evolution I’ve Lost My Eldrich Terror Passive” Johny said
somewhat saddened. “But Gained Magnificent Slug.”

Yeah, that previous form had that hard-to-stomach appearance. And even
now her voice remained slightly distorted. Sometimes it sounded like there
were two or even three people talking at once.
“You know, I like current you much better. Ha, even the System must agree
since it gave you that Magnificent Slug perk.” He resumed milking, but a
second pair of jelly sacks this time. “By the way what does it do?”

“King, Inspect, Inspect.” Johny urged.

“Right, I’m still getting used to this.” He concentrated on the [Magnificent

Slug] part of the table.

[Magnificent Slug: Despite the unconventional appearance this slug

possesses a charming aura of allure and elegance. Just like the jelly it
makes, the sight of this magnificent body is hard to resist. In addition, the
things this slug makes, be it jelly or other items, are of much higher quality
by default. Their spells are also less prone to fumbling. The slug has more
luck and is bound to be successful in all matters of life. It is simply
Magnificent!]

“Wow, that’s rather specific. And it looks like this is a personalised perk. I
want one too!” Well, he did have one. It was Chaos Blessed. It wasn’t very
useful! Needless to say, he was jealous. “So, this is the power of Inspect.”

“Yes, I’ve Gained It during The System Update In The Morning. Everyone
Did. Just Say Status.”

“[Status],” he said without expecting much.

[Monster System updated to alpha 0.11], and then he was assaulted with a
barrage of various messages.

“Huh!?” He exclaimed squeezing the teat a bit too hard, the jelly squirt
missed the bucket and splattered all over his shirt. “I can’t keep up.” He
exclaimed again ignoring the small accident.

The first thing to catch his eye was:

[Due to your persistent effort, you have unlocked Transfer Mana spell],
yeah this was probably because of his late-night misadventure.

But there was more:

[Congratulations! You’ve earned your first Achievement: Husband of the
Lamia Queen > Charm Resistance: Medium. Reputation with Lamia
+100], [Achievements menu option unlocked].

He’d already had that perk so aside from Rep were no changes there, but
there were even more interesting messages.

[Bound Familiar: Greater Dessert Wyrm > +500MP, Call Familiar, access
to level 1 Earth/Wind spells]

[Bound Slave: Darkness > +1000MP, Summon Darkness, access to all

Dark magic],

[Achievement: Spider-Nom-Nomicon > +1000MP, Soul Bound, access to

all Dark magic]

[Achievement: Soul Well > Resurrect +1]

Okay, this was rather gamey! The items with their default stats and perks do
already have great utility but the Monster System decided to grant further
boons for possessing them. Broken – but he won’t complain.

He was interested in what sort of items the System deemed to be important

enough for it to grant an Achievement. But that will need to be investigated
later. The messages kept flowing and not all of them were positive.

[Warning: You own slaves! You practise Dark magic!], [Reputation with
Good Factions -50], [Reputation with Humans -25]

Meh, he wasn’t too bothered about it. Actually, those factions must be
ignorant! Dark magic isn’t bad in itself, its how you use it. And he had to
either bind the Darkness or kill it, so he definitely was the good guy in
taming it.

“Oh?!” A new message popped. “Another achievement!”

[Achievement: Eldrich Monster Milker > Expert Milking Technique]

Johny perked her antennae up. “Amazing! Your Hands, I Didn’t Know You
Can Do That.”

“He-he. I’ve gained a new perk. Just look at it go.”

He filled the bucket in no time at all and grabbed for the second. The perk
was peculiar because it consumed both stamina and mana, but it said that it
increased the quality of the milk extracted. Quality +1 from Magnificent
Slug, and then another +1 from Expert Milking Technique. The Slug Jelly
was becoming a rather dangerous substance. What if it was so good it was
deadly?

His idle thoughts were interrupted by a rather crass shout. “What do you
think, sss, you’re doing?”

“What? I’m just milking my…” He wanted to say pet, but Johny was so
much more.

“This is hardly appropriate!”

Well, if you looked at this from a certain angle… No! This was his daily
ritual; this was how he and Johny had bonded so much. Normally no one
would disturb him, because of Dusty Blue flowers and their dust – no one
could. But the flower field was gone, and anyone could walk on him and
spoil his fun. And that was beside the point because Johny refused to be
milked by anyone else but him.

“SSS! Can you stop already?”

“I’m on my last pair. Just give me a moment.” His hands moved even
quicker and with more precision.

“Oh! Oh-oh-oh!” Johny sounded impressed.

“You don’t have to milk her anymore! She can just use Jelly Jet.”

“Tch!” He clicked his tongue; his wife was right. Milking it just seemed
more natural. And what’s the harm if both parties consented?
Well, he was done anyway so he let the last pair of jelly sacks out of his
hands. “Happy?” he felt grumpy for some reason.

“Dear husband, sss, after I witnessed this… whatever this was... You are
forbidden, sss, from milking Johny ever again.”

“No!” The antennae drooped low on Johny’s head.

“You can't do that!” He protested.

“Try me!”

“Then, no jelly for you!” He threatened.

“Mhm!” Johny seemed to agree.

“No! SSS! You can’t do that!” She hissed in alarm.

“Try me!”

It was a stalemate, the two were just staring at each other. Yes, yes, he
should listen to his wife, but as far as he saw it, she was just needlessly
concerned. There was nothing wrong about this, not at all! Like a farmer he
was just milking his cow, a one magnificently endowed cow, that’s it!
Nothing more! He felt like he needed to communicate all of this, after all,
communication was key.

“Dear wife, please see reason. There is nothing odd going on here. These,”
He slapped at the jelly sacks, “are just jelly containers to be squeezed. As
simple as that.” He nodded in resolve. “And there is a reason for me to milk
them. You see I have this perk which increases the jelly quality, making it
so much tastier, so much better. It becomes divine. Here see for yourself.”
He dipped a finger in the bucket and offered it to The Lamia.

Obviously, the owner of the sweet tooth couldn’t resist the temptation and
licked it right off the finger.

“SSS! You’re right! It is-sss better! It gave me a buff!”

“Ah…” he didn’t expect her to eat it like that, ‘Dear wife we’re not alone,
please just use your finger next time!’ he scolded her only mentally.
Anyway, he wasn’t done with his spiel.

“So now you understand. And I’m not just a King but also a farmer, there
are things I must do. To raise my Farming level and to understand my
subjects better,” then he added for good measure, “and this is my only
hobby, you won’t take it from me. Would you?”

“Hmm… sss. No, I get it now. It just looked sss-so…” She stopped herself
and bowed instead. “I apologise. I’m not a Farmer and I don’t understand
such things. You were just milking. I have overreacted.”

“It’s fine, we all make mistakes. Now let’s go and sample this goodness!”

“Yes-sss!” She gave him a beaming smile.

He collected the buckets and gazed at Johny worrying that she might’ve
gotten offended at him. Regretfully, he had slapped offhandedly and called
the glorious sextet of divine implements – just mere jelly containers. That
statement couldn’t be further from the truth; he just hoped that Johny
understood what he was trying to do.

However, he didn’t need to worry, she too gave him a beaming smile. Her
antennae were all perked up.

“Please Come Back Again In the Afternoon. I Feel I’ll Be Filled Up Again
By Then.” She jiggled her body with positivity; truly magnificent.

“Is that so? Again?” She nodded to his question. “Then this is new. Hoorah
your new evolution!”

“Yes-sss, more jelly! Hoorah!”

Normally, he could extract jelly only once a day, but now maybe even trice.
So yeah, the body was smaller, but it was rather productive. Well, the
quantity won't compare with the previous amounts, but this wasn’t about
quantity. It's all about the quality! This magnificent evolution just kept
giving and giving. The rainy and gloomy day felt so much brighter.

The two walked to store the jelly and Lamia kept sneaking her finger into
the bucket.

“By the way, what’s the buff?”

“Just try it yourself and sss-see it?”

 89.5 – Out of The Void into The
World

In the beginning, there was a void, stretching wide and far. Within this void,
a consciousness resided. It was a slumbering mind, a dormant soul; it was
hidden deep inside the Darkness. There trapped It rested patiently awaiting
its destined hour. Silent and still, it was bidding its time. The soul was
waiting to be born yet again. It was waiting to start a new cycle.

Like muted whispers in the night, uncounted centuries had passed. Yet this
dormant essence, while bathed in eternal darkness, yearned for the right
moment. When the time was right its essence would sour free and, like a
phoenix, it would be Reborn. Aeons might have passed, but then, at last,
the destined moment had arrived. A voice called to it. A somewhat lonely
voice pierced that void, that endless darkness. The soul stirred, it was gently
roused from its sleep.

From the depths of the void, a rebirth unfurled. And as the word trembled,
in awe and delight, in fear and horror, this awakened soul embraced its
newfound chance at life. It was no longer confined, no longer concealed so
its essence shimmered and its purpose was revealed. It was to thank that
lonely voice which broke it out of Darkness. The reborn soul decided on its
own that it would express its thanks in eternal service.

The web was cast and the two souls were entangled by an invisible thread.
The bond was stronger than any magic, stronger than those nebulous
powers which governed this world, it was unbreakable, it was greater than
love.

…
The soul was ancient, countless times it had been reborn again and again.
Between the resurrections, at times when it couldn’t be reformed anew, it
went back to the void. It would lose its experience, its memory and
sometimes even its sense of self, but a sliver of something would remain. It
managed to keep just enough so that when it was reborn, it wouldn’t
stumble in the world like a newborn baby – it had retained some things. But
even then, it could not remember everything.

Its body naturally had taken a most familiar form, to an ignorant observer it
would resemble that of a spider, and the soul embraced that moniker with
pride; but it was so much more than that, it wasn’t just a spider. The body
felt comfortable and natural, and it took no effort to control it. The spider
observed the one who roused it from the slumber; a peculiar being with a
peculiar soul.

‘Let me help you, Friend. Let me be of service.’ The spider thought but
couldn't voice those words.

The soul was strong, but the body it had managed to form was still weak. It
will take time to shape it for its needs. Regardless, the spider felt a duty, to
help this strange being who set it free. No, there was more. It was strange,
unexplainable even, but the feeling it felt was one which was very close to
love. It was that but even bigger. They were kindred souls, yes, they were
kin!

The spider didn’t even question those feelings; it didn’t need to find a
reason for their existence. To feel was already enough… Soon, It had tasted
its first meal in millennia, and it was simply divine. Right there the newly
reborn soul had decided that it was its favourite meal; a hasty decision, but
it just felt right.

The kindred creature was showing the spider things some strange some not
and at first it just watched. When then it had seen enough it desired that it
was time to make itself more useful. It might have taken the most basic
tasks of all, tending to a plant, but it did so with joy and pride. Not only the
plant was pleasant to look at, but it also provided the spider with its first
and most favourite food – TomGrape. Just like that, the spider decided that
it was the best plant of all. TomGrape, the King of Plants!
Yes, the spider was falling in love with a lot of the things it had seen just
once. But first love was like that – sudden and unpredictable. And then
imagine when the spider realised that its kindred friend also loved
TomGrape. Amazing! – What a coincidence. And there was also this little
detail: the plant was clearly born from his mana; he made that plant. But
also, the spider could feel the same mana swirling inside its core. Were they
all: the spider, the plant, and the kindred Friend somehow siblings? It was
strange but possible…

But, anyway, the spider felt the end drawing near, the body was reaching its
time of expiration.

‘Worry not Friend. I’ll be reborn.’ The spider curled up and died, but not
before laying its eggs.

And it was reborn, and in greater number. Without needing to go to the void
it had retained its memories and experiences.

‘Hello’, ‘Hello’, ‘Hello’ … It waved a greeting to itself.

All of the spiders here were ‘IT’, the original spider but now reborn. Soon
they will go and tend to the beloved TomGrape and in even greater
numbers. They will serve their kindred!

Spiders died, and spiders came to be. Not all were the same, but all carried
the experience of their direct parent, and hence by extension the memories
of the first spider. All were bound by selfless oath to thank that lonely
voice, the one who brought them out of the dark void. And you know, all
spiders loved to work and be of use. If you asked them and if they could
speak then all of them would say, “Hey, work is amazing! I wish I didn’t
need to sleep!”

Unfortunately, there was only so much work to go around. A tragedy really.

But maybe not so much. A lone spider had decided to help its friend more
directly, a more personal approach. But how remained a conundrum. It took
time, an embarrassingly long amount of time, but the spider did realise
something important. It was simply not smart enough to understand his
friend. A minor issue really, which will be solved in an evolution or two.
But in the meantime, the spider kept watching, always observing his dear
Friend.

One mind working on a problem was good, but a few more were even
better. And it was more fun to be jobless together with other siblings. So
once again the now sextet of spiders drew upon their memory and did what
their first ancestor did. They hung on the ceiling and observed their Friend,
maybe he had a good job for them. And maybe they could do something
more than plain farming.

The spiders made their attempts to be ‘helpful’, and as the saying goes ‘it’s
the thought that matters’, right?

Here are some well-meant examples:

A spider helpfully tasted the watery soup the Friend was making, it was
watery but rather delicious. The way the Friend had made the soup was
rather odd, he bathed in it for some reason. But hey, it did taste delightful!
The spider called its friends to have a sip. They too agreed.

A spider helpfully sorted the Friend's belongings. It was obvious that those
things didn’t belong on the ground. On the web, they must go, yes! And on
the web, all of it went, tangled in BanditAgave rope for good measure. We
can’t let them fall by accident, can we?

Sometimes, the Friend would put a strange cloth on his appendages, he

called those items, Leafy Socks, and it was a rather peculiar item. He
always did so when finished with his sleep cycle. So why not help and do it
for him, just before he awoke? And why stop with two appendages if he had
all four and way too many socks?
For some reason, the Friend was often bewildered at their spidery attempts
to help.

“Ha-ha, you jesters.” He would laugh in mirth.

To make him laugh was a good thing, but this wasn’t what the spiders were
trying to do. So sometimes they observed further, trying to understand what
went wrong, and sometimes they just kept trying new things. Eventually,
they will find their purpose.

What an eventful day! Their Friend was always full of good ideas.

“… an expedition…” He said somewhat excited.

The spiders too felt excitement, even if they didn’t know what the word
‘expedition’ even meant.

They were kitted out the gear most fancy clothing the Friend had made for
them. And then the ever-helpful Jesters marched forward.

And soon it became clear that their Friend was more than just a friend, he
was their leader too. The Boss of the Jesters, the Leader of the Spiders, or as
he liked to call himself the King of Spiders. The Spider King!

And then, later in the expedition, a formidable adversary was found. As

soon as they saw it, the spiders felt it. They felt a threat. The plant was just
a flower, it was vivid blue and radiated that deceptive aura of innocence.
But the spiders saw past its facade, they knew that they had to stay away.
They went to warn the king but…

But he didn’t seem to be affected. Ah! As expected of the King. It was only
natural, yes. Fearlessly he bit at the enemy eating it whole. No mercy had
been shown! Then, the fearless King escorted the six spiders away from a
blue sea of monsters. Yes, everyone was safe and sound.

However, the unimaginable had happened. The King went back into the
blue field of flowers and then… and then he began slaying. One, two,
three… too many to count, he exterminated them all. Spiders watched
struck with awe. The King did what the spiders couldn’t, he’d fought the
blue menace for them. He showed that it can be defeated, he showed that
there is no need for Fear. He shoved the defeated enemy into the bags and
brought it home as a trophy. Likely to show other spiders that the blue
flowers were nothing to be feared.

Some time had passed, and the King was now growing a small patch of
DustyBlue flowers. Obviously, the spiders remained wary of their natural
enemy, after all unlike the King, they were unable to approach it. The
jesters retold their comrades the tale of the glorious King emphasising on
his courage and the intention that he grew it here so that the spiders could
stop fearing it. As in that saying ‘Keep your friends close and enemies
closer.

Even more time had passed. The King had made an unlikely friend, it too
was fearless and unafraid of blue menace, and a friend of a friend is also a
friend, or so the spiders thought. What a peculiar creature it was. It
consumed the DustyBlue and converted it into something beautiful.
Something no spider could resist. It was like ambrosia, sweet and filling.
Indeed, the King was wise to conquer the blue menace and turn it into his
slave.

The spiders dyed their webs in its blood, they even soaked their clothes in
it, and they ate its processed corpse with gusto. A lot of things here were
blue, and it was a reminder to the future enemies – don’t mess with us!

But even then, the King had also shown a lot of Kindness. Even if enslaved,
the DustyBlue was treated well, its children grew now in the spider farm,
and they grew to be magnificent. In a sense, this wild and once scary plant
was domesticated. Once an enemy, now a friend!

A spider stood tall on its six legs. It was looking at something precious with
all four of its gem-like yellow eyes. “The new Slug Jelly.” The mandibles
clicked excitedly. A collective memory flashed across its mind, it was the
spider story of idleness, loss, victory and then purpose. Emotions and
experiences its parents had gathered. But mostly nostalgia.

It slurped an amount no bigger than a bottle cap. “Sweet. Delectable.

Delicious.” Its mouth was overflowing with joy.

[Buff: Magnificent]

“That's new!” It chirped intrigued.

90 - To Eltrich Dial Your Best Slime
Friend

The King and the Queen were walking on a nicely paved path. The rain had
stopped leaving the path slightly damp. It was still early morning so the
rising sun’s reds and yellows reflected nicely from the Kobold Bricks. It
gave the brick path that romantic feeling of warmth. On the sides of the
path, there were lanterns spaced every dozen metres or so. A spider
lanternkeeper was running around turning off the Magical Lanterns to save
the FireAgave juice, aka Fire Juice, for the next night. The little spider
waved at the royal pair, but the two ignored the little fellow; they were too
engrossed in their conversation to notice. Spider lanterkeeper didn’t mind
because it was obvious they were having a very serious discussion.

“By the way, what’s the buff?”

“Just try it yourself and sss-see it?”

Lamia Queen dipped her finger into the bucket and then brought it closer to
his lips. That gesture was entirely unnecessary but since both of his hands
were busy with a bucket that somehow seemed appropriate.

So Into the mouth it went with *Hawlp* *Click* “Noice!” It tasted

amazing!

[Temporary buff Eldrich Telepathy obtained]

“Huh?!”

His vision distorted as if the light itself was pulled into a violent whirlpool,
then his mind became hazy and his body weightless. Soon his vision cleared
but what he saw was hard to describe. He was standing in the devastated
field of DustyBlue. He saw there spiders building a structure and White
Sprigans growing the buds. But his sight, vision, or even the ability to see
was different. The sun and the light were of entirely different colours,
actually, he saw colours he hadn’t seen before; it was hard to put into
words. A strange aura shrouded the spiders, the Sprigans and even the
plants.

‘Is this some sort of illusion?’ He wondered in his mind, however, it felt
way too real.

All of a sudden, his body felt strangely jiggly, he felt parts of it moving,
parts which normally he shouldn't have.

“King!” A familiar voice exclaimed, “How Wonderful For You To Visit!”

He blinked, no, it wasn’t him who blinked but he experienced that anyway.

‘Huh, what’s happening?’ He asked confused.

“You Don’t Know?” He felt two arms crossing under the chest. Then he
experienced a rather heavy but squishy sensation on those arms.

Obviously, he recognised the voice and that iconic feeling of jelly-like

softness and squishiness. ‘Johny! Why am I in your body?’

“Eldrich Telephathy!” Johny began excitedly. “Now You Can Visit Me

Anytime! All The Time!”

Hye didn’t know if he wanted it to be ‘All The Time’.

“Eh? Am I Being Too Clingy?”

Ups… apparently he didn’t need to think it ‘out loud’ for Johny to hear it.

“No, You Don’t. It’s Telepathy.”

‘Huh, you’re rather knowledgeable about it.’

“Of Course. I’ve Been Using It Whenever I’m Bored.”

‘Huh?’

“King, You ‘huh’ Rather Often, Hee-Hee.” She giggled in amusement. “But
I Understand Your Confusion. You See, I Can…” Johny paused, and he
could feel her embarrassment for a moment. “Invade The Minds Of Those
Who Consume My Jelly. But It’s Rather Boring Since The Connection Is
One-Sided.”

He was thinking.

“Oh, Yes. That Includes Yours…” He was filled with her feelings of guilt
and remorse. “I Was Just Curious. I Apologise.” She said that but there was
also a feeling of loneliness.

‘I understand, I am not angry. It must have been lonely for you. After all,
aside from me, you had no other visitors.’

“…”

The two exchanged some rather complex emotions without saying a single
word. It lasted only a moment but unlike with words, using this kind of
telepathy, complex feelings could be communicated in a flash of a second.

“Ha-Ha. I Didn't Know The King Feels So About Me. How Bold, Hee-Hee”
She giggled.

‘I rather we keep our feelings to ourselves. How do I control this thing?’

“Why Worry? What Happens In Our Heads Remains In Our Heads. It’s Not
Like I’ll Tell Anyone.”

‘You’re surprisingly understanding.’

“Of Course. We’re Friends. And You Too, I Thought You’d Be Mad…”

‘Nah, your ability is rather useful! You can spy on everyone. You’re perfect
for information gathering.’
“I Didn’t Think About It That Way. You Are Right! But…” She went on to
explain certain limitations.

The perk was called Eldrich Telepathy, it didn’t show in her status screen
then he had inspected Johny that other time because it was a hidden racial
perk, a perk she had even before her evolution. It granted Johny Mind
Invasion, but it could only be used while the other party had Slug Jelly in
their system. It depended on the individual and the amount of jelly
consumed, so it could last anywhere between minutes and hours. Also, it
sapped Johny’s mana and she only had 100MP which roughly translated to
ten minutes.

Saying all this, the thing the two were having now wasn’t mind invasion but
proper Telepathy communication, so the MP cost was negligible.

‘I feel woozy all of a sudden.’

“The Connection Is Weakening. Please Call Me Again. Anytime!”

‘I will…’ The connection broke.

He blinked feeling slightly out of place in his own body. The way Johny
saw the world was just too unique hence the feeling of discomfort when
moving between the two.

“Dear, sss? Are you alright?” The Lamia Queen hissed with concern. “You
have been out, sss, for a good few minutes.”

He looked at her, and even if she was concerned that didn’t stop her from
helping herself to the jelly; there was a wide circle of speared blue around
her mouth.

“If you eat that much it will make you fat!” He accused staring at the
visibly emptier bucket.

“SSS! No, I won’t. I’ll just exercise more!”

“…” Somehow, he felt he would be made to take part in that exercise…

“So, Eldrich Telepathy, that’s a scary-sounding buff. You always pull
pranks on me like this, you should have warned me.”

“Pranks-sss? Eldrich Telepathy?” She gave him a confused look. “What I

have is Divine Aphrodisiac? I understand the divine part, sss, it’s the bit
that makes this so irresistible.” She looked at the bucked with the eyes of a
starved animal. “But what is an aphrodisiac?”

Right… Now he understood the reason behind her body language better. He
wasn’t feeling any different, and hence not under the aphrodisiac effects, so
it was she who was afflicted with Divine Aphrodisiac. But further
investigation was necessary.

“Are you feeling different?” He asked carefully.

She gave him a famished look full of unabridged desire. “I feel very
hungry.” Her eyes even glowed in purple.

“For some reason, I wonder what would happen if I remove this bucket
from your sight.”

“What do you mean, sss? And what is this aphrodisiac part? Is it

dangerous?”

“Very! Actually, you should just stop eating jelly entirely.”

“But when I eat it, sss, it makes me feel like that time. When I almost
evolved! My body is-sss warm, and I’m all tingly… SSS, give me more
jelly!”

“…” He was likely the one to blame for her ‘confusion’.

“I want to evolve! Give it to me!” She reached for the bucket.

At least it was the jelly she was going for. For now…

Lamia Queen was confined to her chambers until the buff wore itself off,
which judging from the amount she had consumed would be anywhere from
a day to a week. He felt sorry for her, but she had brought it upon herself.

In the meantime, he went around investigating the buffs the Slug Jelly
gave; it varied from one race to the other.

Spiders had gotten Magnificent which made them better at their tasks, and
arguably more charming.

Lamia were afflicted with Divine Aphrodisiac which put their reproductive
system into an overdrive. The System said it’s a buff, but in his opinion,
this was more a debuff or even a curse. Sorry Gareth, you will have to deal
with the volunteers of the sampling session.

Drow obtained Magic Sight. It didn’t sound like much, but Drow Assistant
was very excited about this. Apparently, this helped to improve their skill in
crafting magical devices, scribing scrolls and even learning magic. Good
for you Drow! The King wasn’t jealous, not at all! Eldrich Telepathy was
so much jazzier, it even sounded cooler!

Centauri got GottaGoFast, which was rather self-explanatory. Their

stamina doubled and kept regenerating ridiculously fast. It suited their race
well and they too were happy with the effects of the buff.

White Sprigans didn’t acquire sustenance in conventional means, meaning

that they didn’t eat or drink. Slathering jelly on their mouths didn’t do
anything either. So there was that.

Kobolds will be visited at another time.

And for humans…

Bareth palled, his hands were shaking. “Error[System_Override]!, is what

I’ve got. Monster System? Am I a monster? Is this permanent?” He voiced
with a trembling voice.

“Oh! That’s unconventional. So you got access…” He looked at the visibly

panicking man. “No, I don’t think it is permanent, it should turn to normal
after the buff wears off.”
“It better do. I lost my class and all of my levels.”

“Really? What was your class?”

The distraction worked and the pale face returned to a more natural colour.
“A Knight.” He looked at his Centauri companion, she was blushing for
some reason.

“And I thought you were a Merchant.”

“I was, I switched that out a long time ago.” He said that with a distant
look.

“Is that so…” Since Bareth was calmer now, the King decided to press on.
“Do you see any benefits in Monster System?”

“Hmm…” Bareth was looking through his tables in thought. “I have jobs
instead of a class. I have Fighting which must be equivalent for a Knight,
but also Trading. And a bunch of perks. I guess I have the best of both
worlds now. Under the normal System, after switching to a Peasant
Soldier, I’d lost my Merchant skills, but now I can see them. Well, some
of them, in the form of perks.” His eyes darted as if going through an
invisible list. “Some are new. What is Monster Negotiator?”

“Inspect it and it should tell you.”

“[Inspect],” he invoked somewhat unsure. “Oh! It says I get a better

Reputation with various monster races. But I have to discover them first. I
have Spiders, Lamia, Drow, and most importantly Centauri. This Monster
System is not too bad!” He seemed to like the perk.

“Good, now let's see how long it will last.” The King turned a sand clock
beginning to time it.

While waiting the three chatted about this and that. It soon became obvious
that the Human and the Centauri were more than companions. It was
pleasant to see different races mingling so closely together. Hopefully, other
humans will follow the good example Bareth and Gareth were setting here.
And Gareth definitely needed some help!

“That’s it. It reverted.” Bareth said somewhat sadly.

The sand clock was only half full, but he had turned it twice already. “Two
hours and thirty minutes, not bad for a shot of jelly.” He concluded. “Here,
I’ll leave a small flask. Please test the System some more, maybe you can
level and unlock new perks. Let's see if they remain between the switches.”
He gave the last of his stock away.

Bareth put the flask into his pocket. “Thank you, King. Thank you for
trusting me with this.” The old man clearly understood just how precious
this jelly was, and its value. After all, there was only so much to go around.

Speaking of which it was already past noon and time for a certain
appointment. “I must go. You stay well.” He bid a farewell and left with
urgency.

On his way towards the flower field, he observed a peculiar scene

unfolding. A Friendly Lamia was jumping, rolling, dancing and doing all
sorts of tricks.

“Is she practising for a show?” He was interested so he approached closer.

“I command you to do a summersault!” A stern and manly but still

charming voice ordered her.

Lamia attempted it but her long tail was getting in her way.

“Now, twenty jumping jacks!” It commanded.

Lamia wasn’t the best of jumpers to say the least but even then she obeyed.

“Higher!”

“Yes, King, Yes!” She replied.

King? How did she see him, she shouldn’t have been able to because he
was approaching from a side.

“He-he. Meow.” Someone was giggling behind a corner of a building.

“What’s going on?” He asked intrigued.

“King? I’m doing my best! Please, sss, don’t punish me.” She cried turning
to face him.

“Eek!” Someone shouted in a stolen voice. “Meow! Let’s run!”

“So… you were just following my commands?” He asked the lamia.

“Yes-sss, to the best of my ability. So please!”

He had a hunch about what happened, but even so, he talked it out with
Friedly Lamia.

“Those two! I told it not to use my voice. [Summon Darkness]!”

The shadow right in front of him bubbled and a blob of darkness formed out
of it.

“Eek! Master!” It spoke in a stolen royal voice. “Eek! Meow.” It changed it

to a wyrmling.

“Where is the other one? [Call Familiar]!”

Somewhere in the distance, a high-pitched shout voiced “Meow! I’m busy!”

“[Call Familiar]!” Sometimes he had to repeat it because the wyrmling

was a familiar and not a slave like Darkness.

“Meow!”

The two pets were right in front of him and the Friendly Lamia.

“Now, apologise!”
“Sorry, I’ll be good. Meow!” Said the shadowy slime.

“Hey! That’s my line, meow!”

The King glared.

“This was just a prank, meow!” The wyrmling meowed at lamia. The King
slapped the back of its head. “I mean, I am sorry, meow!”

Just a few days ago one was chasing and threatening to bite the other and
now they were fast friends pulling pranks on unsuspecting denizens of
Spider Kingdom. What a pair of troublemakers!

“No more pranks, or else.” He threatened. “If you use my voice again, I’ll
feed you to Johny.”

*Sob “No, please. I’ll be good, meow. I won’t do it again, sob, sob.” The
shadowy slime quivered.

“And you…” He looked at wyrmling in disappointment. “You are older and

should set an example to your junior! I expect more from someone who
says they’re an adult. So childish!”

“Meow! I am an adult.”

“So behave like one!”

The wyrmling lowered its head. “I’m sorry, meow. I’ll be more mature.”

He was done scolding the two. “Now then, I’m busy so scram. And
behave!”

“One more thing, Master.” *Bleh, Darkness spat a bunch of rocks. “I’m
sorry… I was hungry.”

“These were your Spirit Stones, but… Meow! It’s not my fault! Sorry!”

He picked the stones. They weren’t your usual spirit stones not anymore…
 91 - Now, Milk Me. I Am About To
Burst!

The stones have changed! The King took a dark pebble into his hand and
rolled it between his fingers. These were Dark Spirit Stones; his pet
Darkness had somehow turned Fire/Nature Spirit Stones into something
entirely different.

“Is this some sort of equivalent exchange?”

*Sob “Don’t feed me to Johny.”

No, he won’t do that. “Darkness, I didn’t know you could do that. This is
amazing!”

The quiet sobbing stopped. “Really?”

“Yes. Dark stones are very rare. When I looked into it, Vumbeldor said that
none is being sold in any of the Human Kingdoms. So yeah, you being able
to make them just like that is… Amazing!”

“Yes, meow! Darkness is amazing!” The shadowy slime jiggled excitedly.

“Meow?” The wyrmling looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yes! It's all
thanks to me, meow. Without me, Darkness wouldn’t have found these
pebbles. Meow, praise me too!”

He glared at the wyrmling. “I think it's time for you to get back to your
job.” Which was supervising the digging of the Oberon Mega Tunnel.

“But it’s boring, meow!”

He glared at the rebellious wyrmling yet again. The familiar had promised
to see that task through!

“Meow… Okay.”

“See it done, then I will praise you. And maybe there will be a reward as
well.”

“Really?”

He nodded.

Anyway, he let his pets off with a small scolding. After all, there was no
point in staying angry with children. The interruption was soon forgotten,
and he’ll hand in the changed stones to the Drow for research at a later
time. There were more important things he still had to do; he rushed to
replenish the depleted stores of Slug Jelly.

The MegaFarm returned to its idyllic nature. Spiders were growing the
TomGrape and the squirrels were frolicking around; it was as it should be.
Albeit, the place was not the same, after all this was not The Dreaded
Place, this was The Monster Realm. The most obvious change was the
Dark infused rain which doused the land now and then. Neither plants nor
spiders seemed to mind it, in big part thanks to Acclimate. And most of the
other denizens like Drow and Lamia were able to shrug it off with no
problem. But not everyone was so lucky, the Centauri complained of minor
stamina debuff, but the worst affected were the humans. Their bodies
rejected the Dark mana, and from continued exposure, they would get sick.
But as long as they used an Umbrella and didn’t drink that water all was
fine.

The nature of the rain itself remained a small conundrum. Both Drow and
Spiders had no conclusive theory as to why it started raining. But the
popular guess was that it was related to the defeat of Darkness and the fact
that without a constant Drain the mana now was able to flow through the
jungle unabsorbed. As to why it was of Dark affinity, well maybe the King
himself was to blame, who knows.

Even if unaffected by the rain, Johny wasn’t a big fan of it since it washed
off her precious mucus. So, a small shed was erected both to protect Johny
and to thank for her continuous service. The she shed wasn’t shabby in any
way, it was the opposite. No, to call it a shed was a mistake because it was
more like a gazebo and it was a marvel of spider architecture and ingenuity.
Natural materials like IronOak wood, Blue Rope, and triangular leaves of
PurpleM were incorporated in a flowing and web-like spidery design. Each
part was meticulously carved by spiders giving the whole structure that
artistic touch of Spidery Magnificent.

The small rain droplets were falling on the purple triangular plates making
sounds, for whatever reason it was rather melodic and not that dull pitter-
patter of the rain. The droplets were like hammers on the plates of the
xylophone, when struck the leaves covering the roof chimed a note.
Surprisingly despite the chaotic nature of the rain, the chimes formed
smooth harmonics. So then it rained the gazebo would start a Song of Rain,
and arguably it was rather good.

The King was idly listening to the melody while leaning on a carved
IronOak pillar. Johny was in the middle of the gazebo and munching
contently on the petals of DustyBlue.

“The rain is washing all the dust off the flowers. I won’t be able to harvest
as much dust as before.”

“Not That It Matters. The Petals And Leaves Are Enough To Make Jelly.”
Johny said between the bites.

“Yeah, but the dust is important. If not for it we wouldn’t have defeated the
Darkness. And spiders use it to make Blue Cloth.”

Johny gazed at the King meaningfully. “Just Mutate It. Simple.”

“But, won’t this make it inedible for you?”

“We’ll See.”

Johny didn’t seem too concerned.

“I guess you're right. If it doesn’t work out and I end up making something
nasty we can just destroy the plant.”

“Precisely. Now, Milk Me. I Am About To Burst!”

He did his farmer duty and then went to find a volunteer.

“Congratulations. You’ve won a mutation!” He announced with pretend

fanfare. “[Mutate],[Imbue],[Reinforce].” He tried draining a significant
amount of his mana. According to his Status, it dipped by a whole
thousand, 4500MP>3500MP. Yeah, it kind of made sense why he would
feel like dying sometimes when using the perk. But hey, now he had plenty
of MP all thanks to the Monster System and its broken Achievements.

The plant began to change and he even had a White Sprigan to cast [Grow]
on it for good measure. With the Mutate perk, he had a limited ability to
guide the changes in his preferred direction. What he wanted was to change
the plant so that it kept the dust inside so it wouldn’t be washed by the rain.
The DustyBlue continued to change, its stalk grew tall and thick and then it
began branching, no doubt this was because of the Reinforce. Blue buds
budded on the branches all over, inside were the beginnings of the petals.
This was the important part, he had to make it so that the rain wouldn’t get
inside and wash off all the dust. Well, he tried but the plant also had ideas
and will of it’s own. The buds matured releasing the petals, the petals curled
forming a sphere and then they hardened solid. And that was it, it stopped
mutating.

King stood in front of a short tree with a tick trunk, it was rather small so it
was hard to decide if it was a tree or a bush; it vaguely resembled an olive
tree. Its thick trunk was porcelain white, much like IronOak. It had tiny blue
leaves, and instead of small olives, it had golf-sized petal balls. Presumably,
the petal balls were filled with Blue Dust.
“Success?” He plucked a petal ball off the tree. The petals were sturdy and
able to maintain their shape but it didn’t take much effort to make them
crumble and release the accumulated dust inside.

“It is!” He cheered shaking the dust of his palm. “With this, they can now
be collected.” Meaning that if the spiders were careful they could harvest
the tree for its petal balls. “And for the name…” Well, proper names were
difficult. “I name you… PetalBall.”

[Monster System recognised your entry.

‘Plant_Designation:MR91142069!’ was renamed to ‘PetalBall’]

“Sweet!” He cheered again. “Now, it needs a taste test.” He carefully

gathered a bunch of petal balls and went back to the gazebo.

“Here, my new invention.” He offered a petal ball. “Tell me if they’re any

good.”

Johny took the ball and brought it to her narrow mouth and then bit into it.
The petal ball exploded into a cloud of dust.

*Caugh, *Caugh – both of them coughed. It was good that they had
immunity, a normal human would probably have died…

“Sorry, I should have warned.”

Johny unbothered by the cloud finished chewing on the petals, swallowed

and spoke, “Yeah, This Is Pretty Much The Same. Maybe A bit Tougher But
Just As Sweet.”

“So, it’s still good for jelly?”

Johny nodded vigorously jiggling her slug body.

“Marvellous. From now on the spiders will be able to help me with the
harvest.”

“Ah, King?” Johny began with a tinge of worry. “Don’t Get Rid Of
DustyBlue Flowers. I Find Them Beautiful.”
“Of course not, we will keep some of them around.”

Once again Johny nodded vigorously.

“Now, Milk Me. I Am About To Burst!”

Yeah, Johny was a productive Lesser Eldrich monster and very keen to
contribute to the Spider Cause. As it was, the spiders were depositing the
Quality +2 jelly into small Scorpion Glass containers and shipping them
off for export. Each container had at best a spoonful of jelly, but even then,
the asking price was exorbitant. The stuff was obviously good and meant
only for the wealthy and high-ranking members of society. The intelligence
gathering operation was just beginning…

Aside from jelly-related matters, the PetalBall, or to be more precise its

dust (Blue Dust) was also used for the aforementioned manufacturing of
Blue Cloth.

The King had finished his farmer's duty once again and now he was
standing above a huge vat of water. He was here because Blue Dust was a
crafting ingredient in many things, anywhere from cloth to ink. In one way
or another, the dust had to be dissolved in water. And the Dark infused rain
was not the problem by itself, it just made the dust collection harder. So he
was here to test some things.

“Let's see if it has any adverse effects.” He dumped a large amount of dust
into the vat.

The dark-tinted water predictably turned blue but in a slightly darker shade.
Then he dumped all the cloth and left it to soak up the dye. Once dying and
the drying was done, he collected the colth and did the obvious.

“[Inspect]”

[Blue Cloth: An item made out of magic-resistant StemLeaf and enchanted

with the dust of PettalBall giving it a signature blue colour. The cloth is
further infused with the Dark element. Possible passive effects: [Magic
Resistance], [Dirt Resistance], [Dark Infused].
“Hmm, it looks much the same. Only Dark Infused is new. [Inspect].”

[Dark Infused: increased affinity to Dark element]

“So only a minor effect. But I’ll take it!” He smiled while rolling the cloth.
“Let’s see how it interacts with Dark enchantments.” Mentally he checked
his Magical Inventory concentrating at the part holding the Dark Spirit
Stones. “I have just enough for some tests.”

In a rather dark study, illuminated only by the Dark Flame, the King and
The Drow Assistant were hunched over the table. The naturally pale face of
the Drow was beaded with small droplets of sweat; she was visibly exerted.
The wooden table was vibrating ever so slightly. The two were experiencing
an intense moment.

> “I can’t do it! It won’t go in.” She protested with distress.

> “You should be able to.” He encouraged.

> “No. Mine is only a fraction of your size.”

> “Nah, yours big enough. I’ve measured it.”

> “Huh! It’s just not going in. Too much resistance.”

> “Push it through. Force it if you must.”

> “I… I’ll…”

> “Look, it’s definitely going in.”

> “Egh.”

> “I can see purple. Keep going!

> “Ah!”
> “A bit more!

The Drow Assistant collapsed on the table drained.

> “Well done!”

> “Is it? Is it finished?”

> “[Inspect].”

> *Breathes out tiredly, “[Inspect].”

Item: Shroud of The Spider

Quality: Superior
Shadow

Bonuses +50MP, +10 Spider Rep

Active
[Shadow Shroud]
Perks

Passive
[Spell Deflection]
Perks

[Dark Resistance: Medium], [Dirt Resistance],

Resistances
[Reinforced]

> ”Oh, it dropped a grade in Quality.”

> ”I’m sorry about that.”

> ”No, it’s fine. You did well. I’m very proud.”
> ”Without my unique perk, Mana Well, this would be impossible. I’m
completely out of mana.”

> ”Do not underestimate yourself. You have that, what was it, Elemental
Affinity.”

> ”Yes I do, and I’m glad I do because without the two I couldn’t do it.”
*Sigh. “I’m glad this is over.”

> “Who said this is over? I reckon we can squeeze another one.”

> “I don’t think it can fit.”

> “I know it will. Here, these should help”

> *Gulp *Gulp

> “Let’s make it fun.”

> “…?”

> “Binding Web sounds good, just the right amount of restriction.”

> “Yeah, I like those types of spells.”

> “So, let’s get going. Here another stone, now, show me what you got!”

> “[Imbue], [Binding Web]… Urgh!”

> “No, we’ve just started!”

> “There is already one! A number two won’t fit!”

> “Says who!?”

> “It’s draining too fast.”

> “Here.”
> *Gulp *Gulp “Urgh… Too… Much… Resistance.”

> “You can do it, I believe in you!”

> “It… HURTS!”

> “It’s glowing! Just a bit more.”

> “Ah!”

The Drow Assistant collapsed on the table drained.

> “[Inspect]. It worked! I told you there is space for two. Oh, but there is
now Unstable passive.”

> “Help…” She whispered meekly. “Too much Toxicity.”

> “Oh! I know what we can do next. Let’s test the active perks.”

> “…”

> “What are you laying there for all limp? Put it on already.”

> “Urgh…”

The combination of Dark Infused and Dark Spirit Stones was a splendid
one. It was now possible to infuse the Blue Cloth items with Dark spells
and active perks. Of course, an individual who already knew those spells
had no use of Shroud of The Spider Shadow. However, non-Dark mages
and even non-mages could benefit greatly from an increased arsenal of
abilities. Well as it was now, activating an active perk still required mana,
but the King was working on a solution for that too. It would be nice if the
items could hold a mana charge and thus power the spells. He had a hunch a
Spider Crystal was a key needed to solve that challenge.

“It’s time to visit the Kobolds and say hello to the Crystal Spider.”
“SSS? You going to the Kobolds?” A wild lamia appeared from nowhere
and asked.

“Eek! You scared me, don’t ambush me like that.”

“S-s-s.“ The Lamia Queen laughed. “Sss-somehow I think that Lamia

Camouflage is better, sss, than your Shadow Shroud.”

That wasn’t true! And there was no way to Imbue that into equipment,
unless…

“Hey, sss, what happened to her?” She lifted a limp drow’s arm and then
promptly let it go with a plop.

“She passed out.”

“And why are her clothes all in taters?” She poked her hand through a
rather large hole.

“Unstable perk.”

“I sss-see…” she looked at him questioningly. “Since you are going there,
sss, get some IceShard Bird Meat. Everyone is bored of sss-squirrel
meat.”

And that everyone was only Lamia, since Centauri were vegetarian,
Sprigans didn’t eat and the spiders were tomgrapetarian.

“I’ll see what I can do. But I have a question. No, I need something. Can I
get your skin shedding? The whole lot?”

“You what!?” Her face flushed red.

“You know, for Camouflage perk.”

“I don’t do that! SSS!”

Nope, he was positive all Lamia did that.

“Are you embarrassed or something?”

“Of course, sss! Why would you even ask that of a lady? You brute!”

“Jee! Forget it… I’ll get you the meat.”

It was unfortunate, Lamia Queen Shedding sounded like a high-quality

crafting ingredient.

“It's like me, sss, collecting the hairs you leave on the pillow, sss, and
keeping them hidden in a big jar of scorpion glass, sss, which I do not do!
No, no, no.”

“I get it, I get it. I won’t ask.”

“Well, sss. If you asked nicely…” She was blushing even more. “I could
maybe give you a sss-scale or two. You could keep it in your pocket or sss-
something.”

“No, that wouldn’t work I need a whole thing. To make armour or

something.”

“SSS! You want, sss, to wear me, sss?”

This conversation was taking a very strange turn.

“Am… we’ll talk about this later. I’m off to the Kobolds.”

“Sss… Okay.”

“[Shadow Walk]” He disappeared leaving only trailing wisps of a shadow.

“What do I do with you, sss?” She poked at the passed-out drow.

 92 - Hello King, I Am The Wife

The High Chief was in his study, his hands were resting on the table and his
eyes were looking absentmindedly at the research scroll. The scroll was
only a draft but even so, it was done properly and had the title ‘Preliminary
Notes on Monster System’. He turned to look at his young attendant.

“Inspect and Identify. What is the difference?” He said that while still
looking at her but both knew he wasn’t asking and just thinking out loud.
“Identify was the original skill used to peer into the nature of an item, but
now I also have inspect.” He began making notes. “Identify is for items
only, but inspect seems to work with anything. Items, people and even the
status tables fall under its effects.” He looked up at the girl again. “So is one
better than the other? maybe so.”

The drow attendant nodded as if listening.

“Now let's touch on magic.” He leaned back in to continue the notes “The
Monster System seems to circumvent the otherwise ironclad rules of the
ordinary System. First, it deleted the Magus class and gave Magic+. Was
this why the King insists on calling the magi as mages? I always thought it
odd, the System was clear on the name – it was a magus. Anyway, the
change was significant because the magic was now more accessible.
Normally an individual had to be born with magic or use Essence to obtain
it, but now there were ways to circumvent it. The Spider King’s Imbue was
one of such ways. Which is strange…” He looked back at his attendant.

“Your cousin, The Kings’ Assistant had obtained that perk as well.” The
eyes of the girl shone as if impressed. “The name is the same but for some
reason, she can only do a fraction of what the King can. She can’t imbue
magic to other plants or creatures; items is her limit at the moment. Is that
due to a difference in skill or something else entirely? In those regards, the
Monster System still remains ill-defined.” He made quick notes. “Also,
people can now obtain affinities, which helps them to unlock magic.” He
tapped his pen on the parchment for a pause.

“Yes! I have Dark affinity now!” The drow girl exclaimed proudly.

“And mine is a dual one Wind/Earth. But somehow, I think that since you
have one, yours is stronger.”

“Really?”

“Well, more research is needed. Also, we don’t know the requirements of

unlocking an affinity.” He made more notes. “Also, [Status].”

Title: Drow High Magic Affinity:

Perks Jobs: █▒░
Chief Wind/Earth

HP:80 MP:200 STA:80 Spells Magic+

[3]

Research █▒░░░
[3]
Reputation ███▒░
Archery
████▒
[2]
🕷️ ████░
Resistances Alchemy
[1] ██░░░
Status Crafting
Effects [1]

“What’s up with the spider in my status screen? Is that because I am the

Spider King’s subject? That must be it…” He sighed. “More research is
needed… let’s take a break and have something to eat.” He stood up from
his chair.

The drow attendant looked at the IceShard Cooler with hunger-filled eyes.
The High Chief made sure to stock it with cold deserts the King so adored.
The cooler was there only for the sole reason of pleasing the King when he
came to visit him; it was there to win some brownie points. Of course, The
High Chief had tried the substance and he just couldn’t understand what
was so good about it. He wasn’t a big fan, but the Drow children seemed to
like it, which made sense if you thought about where the materials from the
desert came from.

“Aren’t you a bit too old to like them?” He said so fully ignoring the
unfairness of the statement.

The girl looked at him with big purple pleading eyes.

“Okay, just one.”

“Yes! Ice Cream!” She jumped in excitement opening the cooler. “High
Chief, you want some?”

He frowned remembering the source of the ice cream. “I’m going to

Spidery Delicious for a proper meal. I’ve heard they have a new mushroom
dish, Mushroom Stroganoff, I’ve been itching to try it.”

The two began descending down the winding stairs of Drow Archives.

“Yes! Can I get a Spidery Combo?” She said while licking the frozen
desert.

He nodded with a faint smile. She wanted that because it came with a
carved wooden toy, a random collectable. And while his young attendant
was… young, she was not a child, she was way past twenty. But who he
was to spoil someone’s fun?

“Sure, why not? I’ll get one too.” He said so even if it would be too much
food for him.
“Yes, thank you!” She jumped again in joy. “Maybe today I will get a rare
Trusty Advisor figurine.”

“Huh? Did you think I’d be giving out my Spidery Combo toy? If it’s the
Trusty Advisor I’m definitely keeping it!” He only teased of course. “But if
it’s the Spider Farmer you can keep it.”

“But I have like twenty of them already!”

Indeed she did, indeed…

“Any time. King.” The Crystal Spider waved.

The King too gave a parting wave, he had collected the Spider Crystals he
needed. His next stop was the Kobold Capital; he had several errands there.
All the way from the Oberon Undermountain entrance to the Kobold
Capital the cave tunnel was improved. It was widened significantly, and the
floors were smoothed. The walls were carved with interesting pictures of
either spiders or kobolds, the style was somewhat primitive but it had a
unique charm to it.

He emerged into a large cavern. It was full of rectangular stone houses

stacked on top of each other. There were a lot of them, the cavern was
practically at full capacity. Evidently, the kobold population had increased
significantly, either because of migration or natural reasons. Cave Moss
grew on the walls of the houses illuminating the surroundings ever so
slightly. At the spots with no moss, there would be a pot growing Glow
Shroom. Even if the light was dim the Capital was rather well-illuminated.
Also, the carved stone paths and sidewalks were clean. The Kobolds had
improved their level of civilisation by leaps and bounds.

He walked through winding paths towards his destination. A rare occasional

spider would wave to him in passing, but the local Kobolds also recognised
him, they too either nodded in passing or even stopped to bow. This was
pleasantly surprising, someone had taught them proper manners.
The path he was walking was labyrinthine due to the nature of the Kobold
city planning, or maybe the lack of it, but even then it might have been
intentional. On a number of occasions, he had to ask for directions, but in
the end, inevitably, he got lost. The Kobold Capital was just too big and too
labyrinthine.

He looked at a particularly large Glow Shroom planted in the middle of the

crossroads, it was as big as him and illuminated the surroundings in a warm
muted yellow light.

*Sigh, “I think I’ve been here already,” he sighed again, “I’m lost.”

Someone tugged at the bottom part of his cloak. “Are you lost, King?” A
very tiny red kobold asked.

“I am, do you know the way to the Kobold Leader’s house?”

The tiny kobold raised her chin high. “Yes-Yes! He’s my daddy. Come!”
The kid dragged him by the coat.

‘What a coincidence’ – he thought taking a better look at the tiny kobold.

Indeed, this one was better dressed than other pedestrians, or more
precisely, just dressed. Aside from guards in armour, most kobolds still
preferred to go full commando, but due to a certain royal edict, they had to
wear at least a loincloth. This little kobold was wearing a blue tunic, or
maybe it was a dress; It was hard to tell.

As he was just done pondering about kobold fashion he soon found himself
in front of a rather large stone mansion. Like all kobold structures, this one
was rectangular but clearly a standalone structure, and the biggest he had
seen so far.

“Daddy’s Castle, yes-yes.” The little kobold smiled at him giving a proud
smirk.

Kobolds were little creatures, at best reaching just above his knees, but
surprisingly the ‘Daddy’s Castle’ was human-sized; at least the entrance
was.
He crouched closer to the little kobold. “Is your daddy home? I have
important business with him. Can you call him out?”

“Hmm…” The little kobold was thoughtful for a moment. “I don’t know
where daddy is, no-no. But come inside!”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“Come, come!” The little kobold dragged him in.

He was right, the inside was human-sized. There was a reception room, but
he was led into a separate room on the side, which was just as large. Of
course, neither of the rooms was vacant, there were kobolds around, but
mostly just kids.

“Sit. I call mommy.”

The little kobold ran out hurriedly followed by a few of other kids. And the
rest were all: “King!”, “King!”, “Yes-Yes!”, “Hello!”. Soon he was
surrounded by a mass of little kobolds, tugging, and prodding at him. He
wondered if all of them were Kobold Leader’s offspring, if so, there were
no less than twenty here already.

The little kobolds were speaking over each other, and it was hard to reply
properly, but he didn’t need to suffer for long.

“Scram! Leave the King alone.” A familiar kobold waved a Peacekeeping

Stick threatening.

She didn’t need to ask twice because all the kids soon disappeared. This
wasn’t the Kobold Leader but his wife; he had seen her before.

“Hello King, I am The Wife.” She introduced herself regardless.

“Hello, I am here for…” he wasn’t allowed to finish.

That was because the wife didn’t come alone.

“Hello King, I am The Wife.” Another Kobold spoke the line.

“Hello King, I am The Wife.” Another one, this time blue who he also
recognised.

“Hello, I am The Wife.”, “Hello, I am The Wife.” Two more red kobolds.

“THE WIFE!” A brown kobold shortened but voiced it rather loud.

Okay, there was a lot to unpack. ‘Kobold Leader, how many wives do you
need?!’ – he wanted to shout. And aside from the brown and blue kobold,
how was he supposed to tell them apart if they all were ‘The Wife’.
However, the shenanigans weren’t over.

“The Wife.” A particularly well-encoded drow said with a bow.

“Eh?”

She must have realised the reason for his confusion, “We’ve married to
strengthen the Alliance.” She explained helpfully.

“Yes-yes, she’s an outsider.”, “She thinks she’s better than us.”, “Steals the
husband at bedtime all the time.” The three of four red wives complained.
The Drow Wife didn’t seem to mind their crass comments and just looked
down at the kobolds; her chin was high and her eyes filled with a look of
superiority.

Oh boy! There was a lot of drama here. He was glad he didn’t have a
harem.

Anyway, he was informed that the Kobold Leader was on his way, and in
the meantime, the wives entertained him. Or maybe he was entertaining
them. Either way, they had a surprisingly pleasant conversation.

“[Grant Access],” he said with a creaking voice and a sore throat. “Is this
the last one?”

“Yes-yes. Now we all have Monster System. Thank you, King!”

“There is one more thing, here.”

“Food? Okay.” The Kobold Leader swallowed. “Oh!” he began running and
jumping frantically.

“What did you get?”

“I am a dragon now! I am a dragon now!”

The kobold hadn't changed physically, so he was mostly only exaggerating.

Probably….

“[Inspect].”

Monster Race: Dragonoid Variant: Red Kobold

HP:50 MP:50 STA:100

Active Perks [Stone Shape], [Claw]

Passive
[Skulking], [Stone Sense], [Dragon Strength]
Perks

Resistances [Fire Resistance: Lesser], [Physical Resistance: Lesser]

“Is it Dragon Strength?”

“Yes-yes, rawr!” The Kobold Leader punched a nearby wall, and it cracked.

“It looks powerful, lucky you.” He made a mental note of the effects on
kobolds.
“I need more of this! I want to feel like a dragon all the time! This is like a
dream come true!”

“I have a very limited supply.” He looked at the Kobold Leader

apologetically.

The kobold leader was giving him those big begging eyes, they were moist
as if about to cry.

“Well, I can leave you a flask or two. It won’t be all the time, but some the
time, okay?”

“Yes-yes!” The Kobold Leader jumped excitedly. “This this I will be able to
challenge the rebels!”

“The rebels?”

“Mmm… You don’t need to worry about that, King.” The Kobold Leader
said evasively.

“If you need any…”

“No-no, there is nothing to worry about.”

“If you say so.”

He left the Kobold Leader the promised jelly and then went to complete the
side quest: The Meat for The Lamia Queen. For that, he will need to visit
the top of the mountain where the IceShard Bird roamed the frigid skies.
The monster was rich in valuable materials, but surprisingly hard to hunt
down; the first time was just a lucky fluke.
 93 - Bad Juju Vibes

On the top of the Oberon Mountains, battered by the frigid elemental

weather, there was an ancient fortress. The black bricks of Dark Fortress
were crumbling and barely holding it together, if not for a thick coating of
ice the whole structure would surely collapse. Despite its dilapidated nature,
the fortress was not abandoned. Maybe once it was inhabited by the Undead
and held a Legendary item but looking at it now it would be hard to know
that fact.

A small bunch of spiders were repairing the fortress with Kobold Bricks.
The bodies of these spiders were clad in puffy squirrel fur suits to keep
them warm. The fuzzy look gave the otherwise spooky spiders that cute
look, it just made you want to nuzzle them; or at least, so the King thought.
The frigid air here was no friend to spiders and even with the furry suits, the
spiders needed a source of heat to keep their bodies going. Just like the
visiting King they had a Heating Plate implemented in their gear.
Currently, the heating magic was running on Fire Juice, it was a rather
dangerous design, however, the Drow were already working on a different
power source –­ Mana Crystals.

The King appraised the undergoing renovation, it was progressing

smoothly. The person managing the work was a Drow Architect. The King
went to the man’s office to express his thanks for the good progress and
introduce a few improvements here and there. He found the man at the top
of the highest tower, keenly observing reconstruction.

Their eyes met and the drow gave a bow. “As you can see everything is
going according to the plan. How can I be of assistance?” He said between
the tremors. The man was clearly cold.
Indeed, even the drow had found the frigid weather troubling. This
assignment was by no means easy. The spiders too, even with all the
protective gear, struggled to fight off the elements but it wasn’t in their
nature to ever complain. The only ones who were naturally adapted were
the Blue Kobolds, but they refused to go near the Dark Fortress claiming it
had ‘bad juju’. He was sure it was all just a superstition, but he didn’t want
to force the kobolds, since they were already helping with all the bricks.

Anyway, “We should set a fire for you here. It would make things more
comfortable, no?” He suggested.

“Not a good idea.”

The King gave a questioning look.

“The wood would freeze in transport, and also…” The drow paused. “I’ve
tried something like that, over there.” He pointed at the half-collapsed
tower. “I’m not sure what it was. Was it because of the fire or the heat, but
I’ve been attacked by a massive flying monster. I was lucky to survive.”
The Drow Architect trembled.

“Oh.” The King had a hunch about what monster it was. “And the
monster?”

“After destroying the tower, it escaped.” He trembled again. “After that

we’ve been very careful not to set any fires outside or in nearby buildings.
The Catacombs seem to be fine, however, but…” But he had to stay outside
to supervise the reconstruction. Or maybe there was another reason. “Bad
juju.” The drow parroted the kobolds.

No, no, the catacombs were cleared and cleaned completely, there was
nothing in them. He himself had made sure of that.

“I see.” The King nodded dismissing the superstition. “That kind of brings
us to the reason why I am here. I want to hunt those flying monsters,
IceShard Birds, for their resources.”

The drow gave an obviously terrified look.

“I’m an architect I have no Fighting job or perks. I doubt I will be much of
use.”

“You misunderstand. You do have Building perks do you?”

The drow nodded.

“Taking IceShard Bird isn’t an easy task, we’ll need something akin to
siege engines. Lucky for you I have the designs already.” He produced the
blueprints. They were the improved version of balista turrets the spiders
used during the Darkness War.

The drow glanced at the blueprints. “Yes, I can make them.”

“I knew you can do it. And also, it seem we already know how to lure them
out, no?”

“Setting fires…” The drow frowned deeply and then shivered.

“Huh, and here I thought you would be happy about some extra warmth.”

“But King…” He hesitated. “I’ve almost died.”

“True. It might have came out insensitive. Don’t worry, you won’t need to
operate the turrets, the spider will help me, so you can stay warm in the
Catacombs.”

“No! I mean, no I will stay outside.”

Was there really some bad juju there? Maybe he should investigate again.
Nah, it was fine, the spiders would have reported if there was something out
of order.

And thus, even if the fortress was not restored yet the construction of the
turrets began. Of course, the King came with all the materials necessary so
the ballista turrets were finished in no time at all. There were only three of
them, but it will have to do since there wasn’t much manpower to operate
more than that. Number one was in the highest and the only intact tower,
the same one where the Drow Architect had his office. Number two was just
above the fortress gate. Number three was inside the fortress proper, it was
poking out of the top floor through the crumbled wall and overlooking the
rather sizable courtyard.

“Okay, set the fire.”

A huge pyre came to life in the middle of the courtyard.

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” The Drow Architect trembled while
looking at his tower from the ground below.

“Are you worried about your tower?”

He nodded.

“It will be fine. I don’t think it will get knocked like the last one. After all, it
was your idea to reinforce it.” And a good one at that.

“Even then…” He didn’t finish and ducked low to the ground instead.

“Wa-aaa-ah!” A wailing sound reverberated through the sky.

The bait had worked and the IceShard Bird was charging towards the fire.

“Clear the courtyard!” The King warned the nearby spiders.

Everyone ducked under the cover, be it a pile of bricks or a half-crumbled

wall. The IceShard Bird was still far away, but it was clear it was charging
straight to the pyre in a straight line. Right behind the massive monster was
a blue cloud of icy weather, no, it was a mega colony of IceShard Plankton.

“Hey, why is it following the IceShard Bird!?” It didn’t make much sense.
“This is bad. Does everyone have Ice Resistance potions?” The spiders
waved their hand to indicate a yes.

“No, King, I ran out a long time ago.”

Understandable, it was rather chilly here. “I have a few. Here, have some.”
He threw the bottle to the drow.
Drow Architect drank the potion pre-emptively; and maybe for the best.

“Hey, isn’t it rather large?” The beelining monster was bigger than the one
he fought last time. “No, it is way too large.” It was two or three times
bigger, maybe more since at the distance it was hard to tell. “This is bad.”
He wondered if he should just put the fire out. But was it even a good idea?
At least now it had a target, without the fire to draw its ire it might just
decide to vent its anger on a nearby tower, so he left the pyre burning. “We
can do this!”

The spiders cheered in affirmation and the Drow Architect was long gone,
presumably to Catacombs; what a waste of good potion. Predictably so, the
humongous monster attacked the pyre first. It opened its huge maw and a
torrent of ice shards rained on the courtyard, freezing everything that wasn’t
ice already frozen solid.

“This is new…” He didn’t know it could do that.

Regardless, the monster was now in range of the turrets and the spiders
fired their first projectiles. The great bolts were imbued with a number of
enchantments, including Fire elemental damage.

“Wa-aaa-ah!” The monster wailed in anger.

Three bolts were nowhere enough to kill the humongous monster.

“Keep at it, I will distract it.” He turned the heating of his armour plate to
the max and drank a potion for good measure. “Hey, you, I’m your enemy!”
He projected the Aura Of Hostility and fired a few shots out of the Bow of
Darkness. Surprisingly the Dark infused arrows managed to get through
thick clouds of plankton and even pierce the thick skin of the monster.

“Did I somehow get stronger?”

This wasn't the time to ponder such a question. The monster opened its
maw firing another freezing blast, now, directly at him. He could have run
and ducked behind the cover, but that was entirely unnecessary.
[Status effect Frozen was negated]

But it wasn’t over, the blue cloud of IceShard Plankton had finally caught
up with the monster bathing the entire fortress in frigid temperatures. The
operational ability of the turrets were put in question. He glanced at the
closest one, worrying about his spiders. They were fine, at least for now, the
potions must have protected them. However, the visibility was significantly
reduced.

“Plankton!” He cursed. “Why do you take the side of this monster?!” After
all, it was the monster's food.

[Status effect Frozen was negated] – the message informed right after
another attack.

It seems that the monster wasn’t wasting its time. He didn’t know if his
equipment could hold out forever.

“I must act decisively.” He fired a volley of Dark Arrow. “To keep the
aggro on myself.”

Three more great bolts wedged themselves into the side of the monster.

“Wa-aaa-ah!” It definitely wasn’t happy about the fire damage it was

taking.

“Yeah take that, you fat slab of meat!” He blasted his aura desperately
trying to keep its attention away from the ballistas.

Naturally, the bow wasn’t his only weapon, he had fire grenades prepared;
he just needed to wait for the right time.

[Status effect Frozen was negated]

He retaliated with another volley of arrows. Three more great bolts pierced
into the monster. It was beginning to leak blood, but even at the frigid
temperatures, it didn’t freeze for some reason. He had to give kudos to the
spiders. The IceShard Bird wasn’t stationary it was flying in circling
patterns above the King and the plankton clouds limited the vision
significantly, but even then the spiders haven’t missed a single shot yet.
But, well, the monster was rather large so… He wondered just how long
will he need to keep this up.

He didn’t need to wonder. “Duh, I forgot. [Inspect].”

Monster: IceShard Bird Status Effects: Enraged

HP:9000/10000 MP:900/1000 STA:1000

Active Perks [IceShard Blast], [Call Plankton], [Devour]

Passive
[Floating], [Super Massive], [Minor Regeneration]
Perks

Resistances [Fire Weakness: Greater], [Ice Resistance: Immune],

Right, it was safe to assume that a single great bolt did 100HP damage, so
the battle would go on for… a while. While he was inspecting the monster
the spiders managed to land three more bolts. Well done spiders! The
enraged monster was flying right towards him. Its jaws were opened wide.
Was it aiming to Devour him? If so he could use that to his advantage. He
pulled out a cluster of Fire Grenades, however, he couldn’t throw them just
yet; the currents of plankton clouds were rather strong and threatened to
catch any thrown projectiles.

“Just a bit closer.” He stared at the approaching maw of the monster. It was
so big it could swallow a Centauri whole with no problem.
The frigid wind increased in strength, it threatened to knock him off his
legs. It was rather slippy but somehow he managed to keep his feet planted
firm on the icy ground. He was waiting for the right moment, once it got
close enough he would chuck the grenades and dart to the side with
Shadow Walk.

A something blue pulled deep inside the mouth and not so surprisingly
another IceShard Blast washed over him; there was no point in even trying
to avoid that since the blast radius was huge and he needed to throw those
grenades. But in retrospect, it wouldn't have hurt to try…

[You have been afflicted with Frozen]

His resistances had failed at such a crucial moment. He wanted to move,

scream, or do anything but he was frozen stiff. He had those grenades ready,
it was the right time, but his arms just refused to move.

‘I will be devoured...’ He stared at the dark abyss which approached him

hungrily.

Three more great bolts had hit at the monster sending fountains of blood,
but even when it barely dented its big pool of HP.

Was he afraid? – yes, a little.

Was this the end? – no, not really.

He believed in himself and his perks!

A familiar voice reached his ears. “No! King!” He was forcefully pushed
out of the way.

Maybe, he should have believed in his allies and friends first and foremost
and not in his Undying perk.

As he was sliding through the ice, still Frozen, he noticed that the cluster of
Fire Grenades were missing out of his hand. The Drow Architect was
clutching all of them close to his chest, his face was full of resolve and
determination, and then… Then he and a good chunk of the iced bricks
were swallowed whole.

“Huh, maybe he wasn’t a coward after all.” The King realised that he could
speak, meaning the debuff was over.

He drank yet another Ice Resistance potion, hopefully further lowering the
chance that Frozen will get through his resistances. He looked at the
monster which was now gaining altitude again with resolve.

“I will get you out of there my friend!”

“Wa-aaa-ah!” It cried spewing flame out of its maw.

Oh… the grenades had detonated meaning…

“I will avenge you, my friend!”

He began running and firing arrows at the side of the monster, he had to get
the aggro back on himself. The spiders too fired their shots with increased
vigour. He used a quick Inspect to check on its health points.

[IceShard Bird: 3600/10000HP]

The grenades did a number on it, but it was still far from dead.

“Wa-aaa-ah!” It vailed again, further increasing the altitude.

He kept shooting but failed to get the aggro. The monster was no longer
Enraged, that effect was gone from its status. It was intent on fleeing.

“No, you can’t do that. [Shadow Web]” He tried sending a web of purple
threads towards the fleeing monster.

Predictably, the clouds of IceShard Plankton disrupted the spell and it

fizzed out midway.

He knew that would happen. “Tch.” This was the reason why none of
conventional magic or schools were used.
This meant that he had to resolve to physical vessels like bolts, arrows and
grenades to pierce the cloud and deliver the Elemental damage. Or he
could go himself and get close and personal.

“Plan A! Hurry!” He shouted to the spiders.

A special type of bolt was loaded into the ballista. Why Plan A? Because
everyone after seeing the size of the monster naturally went for Plan B,
which used normal Fire enchanted great bolts.

“I should have brought something for a speed boost.” He lamented while

running as fast as he could trying to keep up with the monster.

The IceShard Bird was already outside the Dark Fortress wall, and it was a
miracle that he didn’t slip on all the ice. Finally, a modified bolt flew out
from the ballista placed just above the gate and pierced the thick hide of the
monster. A long thread of blue rope dangled from the bolt.

“This is my last chance!” He ran up to the rope and barely caught the end of
it.

The Plan A was to bind the IceShard Bird with anchored bolts in place and
then promptly kill it, but the current specimen was too large for that. It was
big enough to pull out the rope anchors. So anyway, the King was pulling
himself up the rope and closer to the body of the monster. By the time he
was done, they were rather high in the sky. If he killed the monster here
there would be a long fall down.

“No, I must avenge our hero. I have Undying.” He put his trust in his perk.

He used Magical Inventory to swap the bow for the spear, “Die!” he
jabbed it deep into the hide of the monster.

The special ability of the Devouring Spear activated and began draining
the monster's HP pool ever so slowly.

“Wa-aaa-ah!” It obviously didn’t like that and began trashing in the air.
The plankton clouds assaulted him from all sides threatening to push him
off, but his feet were planted firmly and the spear was wedged deeply. The
humongous monster couldn’t do anything by itself, our King was like a flea
on an elephant. However…

[You have been afflicted with Frozen] – the relentless IceShard Plankton
assault managed to pierce his resistance.

Not that it mattered. The monster’s HP continued to tickle down. And after
a while…

[IceShard Bird: 1/10000HP]

[Congratulations! You have defeated IceShard Bird], [Fighting +10000exp]

Compared to certain Worm the exp wasn’t that large, but this wasn’t about
that, and…

[Exp Web caught enough exp], [You can upgrade your Skill Tree].

The humongous monster corpse was sailing down through the sky, a
veritable mountain of flesh and bones was soon to splash on the frozen
ground. However, the King wasn’t thinking about self-preservation at this
crucial moment.

“Exp Web? Skill Tree”? Does this have something to do with that spider
🕷️in my status screen?
He pondered while standing on 300 tons of IceShard Bird Meat. The
merciless gravity was pulling both of them down and closer to the loving
embrace of the frigid frozen ground.
 94 - Look out! Here comes the
Spider-King!

The King looked at the Skill Tree which popped into his vision. It wasn’t
much of a tree but more of a web, all of the options were connected and
influencing each other. However, most of them were greyed out and he
couldn’t even Inspect them to find that they did.

Four upgrades were available to him:

🕸️Transformation: Spider
🕸️Enhancement: Obsidian Armour
🕸️Enchantment: Dark Sacrifice
🕸️Modification: Monster Core
The upgrades had a theme going on, and it fit well with his Monster King
character. Luckily, he could Inspect the four to get to know that they did.

Spider: This transformation grants the abilities associated with spiders,

such as enchanted health and agility, resistance to mental attacks, climbing
walls, producing webs, and heightened senses.

Obsidian Armour: Your Tough Skin hardens even more taking the
properties and appearance of obsidian. This unique perk provides
exceptional durability and resistance to physical and magical attacks.

Dark Sacrifice: Sacrifice a part of your HP pool to power charge your

abilities. You become stronger, faster, sharper and a lot meaner.
Monster Core: A crystalline core forms within your body. It grows and
evolves with you granting increased MP pool and new abilities.

Okay, some were better than others, but all in all, all four were very sweet
upgrades. He already knew which one he wanted first. The choice was
obvious! Who didn’t fantasise even once about being able to fling webs out
of their hands and fly through the city like some sort of a superhero? –­ a
child without a childhood that’s who.

“I’ll be a spider-man!” Ups that was definitely copyrighted. “Ahm, spider-

king? Spide King…” That didn’t sound like there would be much of a
change; he already was that. But with this transformation, he would be the
Spider King also in body and not just in the title. “It is decided.” He
selected the Spider upgrade.

His body felt funny and ticklish for a moment, but also, he could feel
becoming more powerful. One thing was left, it was to test the
transformation.

“[Transform: Spider],” he activated the ability.

Yeah… It wasn’t just an ability to shoot webs. He really did transform into
something else. His whole body grew larger, his skin turned black, new
limbs sprouted, and he even grew an extra pair of eyes. He was more spider
than human at this moment.

He blinked all four of his gem-like yellow eyes. “Wow, this is different.” He
saw the world in different colours. He felt like he was a different man.
“[Status]”, he went through the changes. His HP pool doubled to 2000HP,
he felt much stronger, there were six legs to do the running, and also, there
were a bunch of useful spider perks: [Spin Web], [Wall Climb], [Danger
Sense], plus [Dark Resistance: Medium]. However, there were drawbacks
too, aside from the fact that during the transformation he broke his clothes,
there were disadvantageous perks such as [Fire Weakness: Medium] and
[Light Weakness: Greater].

And indeed, his senses were sharper because he finally realised that in just a
few seconds he, and the monster he was standing on, would be slamming
down into a mercilessly hard ground. This wasn’t the time to be playing
with the Monster System.

He looked around, there were no skyscrapers for him to attach a web and
escape the predicament. In retrospect maybe he should have picked
Obsidian Armour since it provided physical damage resistance, but that
definitely wasn’t as cool as becoming the spider-king™, even if his current
from was monstrous.

The ground was getting dangerously close and if he didn’t want to become
a red splatter, he had to do something quickly. Well, there was the Undying
perk, which would leave him at the death's door with 1HP, but that came
with all the pain too so…

“[Spin Web]!” He invoked already having an image of what he wanted to

do.

Surprisingly, no, relievedly (yes that’s a word), the webs didn’t come from
his butt but from his hands. He was a proper superhero and didn’t need to
rely on cartridges to do that. He was spinning a large purple web just above
his head. Interestingly it drained his stamina and not mana.

Soon, there was enough of it and like some sort of flying spider he was
pulled up by the building air pressure and carried away from the falling
monster.

“I’m flying!” He shouted all too pleased with his ability to make
improvised parachutes.

He looked down, the distance between him and the falling corpse got even
greater and then… For one, the King expected it to leave a large crater with
the body intact since it was so durable, or something like that, but
apparently, this wasn’t how the physics worked…

*Thundering SPLAT – it exploded like a ripe tomato thrown against a wall

at supersonic speed. Chunks of bones and meat scattered in a large radius
sending a cloud of pulverised ice in its wake.
“Gruesome!” He was just glad he managed to make his web parachute and
avoided that fate.

Just after all the ice dust had settled, he too was approaching the ground.

“Uff!” He exclaimed at the much harder landing than he anticipated. It even

knocked a 100HP of him, if not for his six legs which cushioned it, it might
have been much worse. After all, the Web Parachute wasn’t perfect, it only
slowed down the fall.

A group of spider builders ran towards surrounding him.

“King, you. Changed!”

“You have. Evolved?”

“Congratulations!”

“You look so. Magnificent.”

“Very spidery. Very nice!”

The spiders approved of his new transformation. He shouldn’t have

expected any less.

“Thank you, thank you. But no, this is only a temporary transformation.”

“Oh…” The spiders exclaimed betraying disappointment.

“Anyway, the monster is dead. Let's gather the resources.” He urged.

“But, King. Before that…” The spider sounded somewhat hesitant.

“What is it?” He asked curious.

“Aren’t you cold?”

He looked down at his own body. “Right…”, he was completely naked and
indeed he was beginning to feel chilly. “I should transform back and get the
backup equipment on.”

“No, King. Stay in this form. For a bit longer.” The spiders definitely liked
his new image. “We’re not crafters. But we can make. Something for you.”
A spider offered.

“Or you can. Wear mine.” Another spider began taking off its fur suit.

“Huh…” Since they liked his transformation so much he decided to oblige

with their small request. “No, I have materials in my inventory. We can
fashion something quickly.”

An improvised suit was made. Even if fashioned for someone with eight
limbs, It may or may not have resembled a certain superhero uniform.

“King! You look dashing!”, “Spidery Magnificent!”, “Spider-King!”

Indeed, he was fully fledged spider-king™.

Anyways, with the distraction out of the way they began gathering the
chunks of various sizes and carrying them back to the Dark Fortress. While
they were doing that, the King was looking for a rather significant material.

“I hope it didn’t shatter.” If it did, it would be a colossal loss. “Could it

be…” He looked at a rather large hole in the ground. There it was, wedged
in the ice, IceShard Bird Core. “Wow, that’s big.” At least twice as big as
the one he used to make a certain floating throne. Another certain project
was already on his mind, but that will have to wait.

It took a painfully long time to gather all the monster materials, after all, the
monster was Super Massive. The results of the gathering operation were:
[IceShard Bird Meat] x 300000, [IceShard Bird Leather] x500,
[IceShard Bird Bones] x 200, [IceShard Plankton] x100, [IceShard Bird
Core] x 1. So yeah, not much of plankton goo since it had scattered too
much after the splash, but plenty of meat. He stuffed as much meat as he
could into his Magical Inventory, the rest, and most of it, will be put in the
Catacombs for safekeeping.
So that quest was done, he had just to turn it to the Lamia Queen. However,
the spider builders needed a new architect. He’ll have to apologise to the
High Chief for a work-related accident, he’ll tell the man died a hero
protecting the King. Maybe he should erect a memorial statue right here in
the courtyard of the Dark Fortress.

“Yes, that seems appropriate.” He’ll add that to the list of renovations.

The plan here was to turn this fortress into the plankton and meat-gathering
outpost. Originally, he planned to staff it with Blue Kobolds but that plan
was ruled out because of Bad Juju. So the drows and spiders will have to
do. He shared his plans with the resident builders.

“King, if you insist.” The spider didn’t sound all too enthusiastic.

The spiders never complained but he didn’t want to force them to do

something they really opposed.

“You don’t sound all too pleased. Is there a problem? Is it because of bad
juju?”

The spider shook its head. “That’s Kobold superstition. It’s not about that.
It's just that…” the spider began sharing its feelings about the assignment.

To sum it up, there were two major issues. First, even with all the
equipment the spiders found the weather just too frigid and unpleasant to
work in, in their eyes this environment was even more extreme than the Fire
Caverns. Second, it just felt too depressing because nothing grew here.
Even if they were builders, these spiders still appreciated the sight of plants
and growing nature. Admittedly, they’d missed the idyllic sight of the
blessed fields of TomGrape. This was understandable since most of the
spider ancestor activities revolved around TomGrape, and they were really
not made for cold temperatures.

“I see. I won’t force you then.” But a job started had to be finished. “After
you finish renovations all of you can go back home.”

The spider gave a spidery smile of appreciation.

But staffing the fortress entirely with Drow also didn’t seem all too fair,
apparently, they too weren’t big fans of frigid temperatures and the looming
threat of being Frozen.

“What a conundrum… I can’t leave the Fortress empty.” He scratched his

spidery chin with a spidery hand.

On his way back to MegaFarm he visited the Kobolds again. There wasn’t
much reason to do so, but he wanted to show his new hero form. The
spiders obviously loved it but, admittedly, his arguably still human mind
found his spidery visage monstrous and spooky; It will definitely take some
time to get used to.

“King, your face looks less ugly now, yes-yes, you can keep this form.”
Kobold nodded not too much impressed or spooked.

“Less ugly?” The Kobold Leader could be terrifyingly honest at times.

“Then, sorry for having an ugly face!” Somehow the spidery one was better.
But he wasn’t terribly offended, because he asked of his honest opinion and
the kobold spoke using the lens of unique kobold aesthetics.

He asked around for more opinions and the Kobolds found his new
appearance neutral in their eyes.

Incidentally, just after breaking the news about the work accident, he asked
the High Chief what he thought of his transformation.

“I’ve never seen magic like this. I am envious of you King.” He said with
sparkling eyes filled with a tinge of awe.

Okay, much like spiders the Drow found it pleasing.

Later, the two made a new agreement for another Drow Architect, the High
Chief was very understanding of work accidents, he just said ‘those happen’
with a shrug. However, the High Chief admitted that the Drow weren’t all
too keen on going to the Dark Fortress. So, yeah, he won’t force them
either, just until the repairs and renovations are finished.

Back at home, still in spider form, he greeted the Lamia and handed out the
promised meat parcels. They too found his form neutral. So as far as it was
there were two for, two neutral; a good result, no one saw him as a monster.
Maybe the fancy hero suit helped? – Who knows?

However, things changed once he asked the Centauri and the human
volunteers. The Centauri were clearly perturbed by his spooky image and
raspy voice, and the humans were downright terrified. A somewhat normal
and expected conclusion. In the end, he dispelled Transform: Spider and
returned to a more comfortable Spider King form. Six legs and web-
shooting arms had their positives, but so did a more human form.

One thing still remained on his mind.

“Who can I put in that blasted fortress? I need at least two more IceShard
Bird Cores!”

After experiencing flying he was itching to start working on that project.

 95 – Hope Can Blossom In the
Most Unlikely Places

Oddly enough there was a large IronOak table set in the throne room. It
was long enough to seat a large host of people; however, the vast majority
of the seats were unoccupied. On one end there was the Spider King and his
wife, the Lamia Queen, and on completely other end was a representative of
the Human Volunteers faction. The man was recently elected by the humans
to carry their voice and deal with any issues they experienced in the
MegaFarm. The man in question wasn’t some sort of a newbie, he was our
trusty old Bareth.

The King and his subject weren’t there entirely for business. There was
plenty of food on the table, including dishes incorporating the newly
acquired meat of a certain type of bird; which by the way didn’t taste like
chicken at all.

“Let’s eat, fill our stomachs, and if you wish so, we will talk between the
bites.” The King offered wishing to keep this as casual as possible.

Regardless, Bareth couldn't help but feel anxious. The humans had put a lot
of trust in him, which he felt honoured to have, but there also was a lot of
responsibility. And anyway, he knew he was selected because the other
humans were terrified of the Spider King. He was once too, but with time
he grew to respect him instead.

The Lamia Queen was the one who started gobbling up the food first. The
way she ate it was far from what you would expect from royalty, let alone a
lady. She didn’t use a nearby knife or even a fork preferring to rip the meat
with her clawed hands and deposit the large chunks in her mouth. Bareth
was taken aback ever so slightly by that sight.
He looked down at his plate, nearby at the sides there was a set of cutleries
offered to him. As an ex-merchant, he was well versed in table manners, so
he knew which knife and which fork to use for which meal, of which there
were many. He glanced at the King, he too was eating with his hands.

“What's up? Is the food not to your liking?” He asked with a slight concern.

No, the food was perfect, he was just experiencing a culture shock.
Ironically this reminded him of his childhood home, the table manners there
were similar. A remembered a saying he heard a couple of times in his
merchant circles: ‘At the Holy Emperor's table, you imitate his Holiness.’
The saying alluded not to the table manners per se but to the way to do
business in the Holy Capital, and by extension capitals of many other
Human Kingdoms which were a part of the Holy Empire.

Bareth ignored the cutlery and grabbed a chunk of meat with his bare hands
and brought it to his mouth. The meat was surprisingly soft, it melted in his
mouth filling it with delicious flavours; It was well-cooked, well-seasoned,
high-quality meat. A dish worthy for a King.

“No, the food is… delicious!” He devoured the chunk in mere seconds. He
ate it so quickly that it got stuck in his gullet, but only just a bit, he cleared
it with a rough cough.

“Oh, there is my manners, we have drinks, of course.” The King looked up

meaningfully to a high-ceiling web. “Do you prefer alcohol or…” He asked
trailing it off.

No, he had to discuss an important issue, alcohol would do him no good.

“TomGrape Juice if you don’t mind…” he swallowed the meat, “my

King.” He added.

“We have something better.” The King snapped his fingers.

A spider descended from the web carrying a small tray and on it was a
single bottle. The glass of the bottle was crystal clear but the liquid itself
was black like tar, and for whatever reason, even then stationary, the
darkness inside bubbled and swirled as if trying to escape. The spider
opened the dark bottle, the bottle let out a loud pop and a hiss thus startling
Gareth.

‘Just what the hell is inside’ – he had to wonder. He even moved slightly
aback afraid that whatever was inside might jump at him. Surprisingly, the
dark liquid wasn’t too keen to escape the bottle. At least, not yet.

“Ha, ha.” The King laughed mirthfully. “Don’t look at it like that. it’s just a
fizzy drink, ha, ha.” Apparently, the spider had fetched one for the King as
well; Bareth had failed to see that up till now. The King raised the bottle
cheerfully. “Spider-FizzPop™, to quench your daily thirst and fill you with
life!” He said it as if it was a marketing slogan.

Bareth took a deep breath and upturned the contents in his mouth. He
expected something close to a poison, his eyes went wide but not for that
reason.

“King this is amazing!” He was taken aback by the sensation. “The bubbles
dance on my tongue. It’s sweet, but not too sweet. And despite the rich
taste, it feels light and smooth to drink. Huh… My stomach feels lighter! Is
this some sort of medicine?”

“No, this is just a drink I came up with by accident.”

Bareth rolled the now empty crystalline glass bottle in his hands. “This is
amazing! It would sell really well in the Human Kingdoms.” His eyes were
filled with sparkles but those dimmed as soon as they appeared. “Ah… but
the drink must need rare ingredients and hence must be very expensive.”

“No, not really. Aside from the glass bottles, it is very cheap to make. Do
you really think it would sell well?”

“Is that so?” The sparkle was back in his eyes. ”Absolutely!”

“Then I’ll pitch that idea to the Lord G Blink.” He paused for a moment.
“Thinking about it, you haven't been to the Spidery Delicious. I should take
you some time, you’ll tell me what you think”.
“Meh, sss, most meals are made of mushrooms. It’s mediocre at best.” The
Lamia Queen didn’t seem too impressed.

“Shut up, you... The Drow love it, and so do I! You are underestimating the
Forbidden Sauce and its power!”

“Considering the sss-source it came from, sss, I didn’t put any on my food.”
She said offhandedly.

“OMG! That’s why you didn’t like it. You must eat the sauce!”

“Spidery Delicious? Forbidden Sauce?” Admittedly Bareth was lost and

couldn’t follow the passionate argument the King was having with his wife.
Anyway, Bareth had almost forgotten, he came here for a reason.

The King was continuing his spiel. “It doesn’t matter if it comes from a
breast or not, what matters is…”

“King, if I may?” He interrupted a rather passionate King, but he had to,

otherwise the conversation would get sidetracked even more.

“Yes, what is it?”

“It’s about the reason I requested a meeting with you.”

“Oh, yeah, I had almost forgotten.” The King looked at Bareth, that goofy
look he just had was all gone and he had that ‘I’m all business’ aura back.

”It’s about human volunteers…”

The King put his elbows on a table and crossed his fingers together. “I’m
listening.”

“Well, how do I say this…” He paused. ‘Bareth, this isn’t a time to

hesitate…’ He decided to cut straight to the point. “Human Volunteers want
your permission to emigrate to Dark Fortress.” Here, he said it.

Yeah, there was that. The why was obvious, actually. Humans just weren’t
big fans of spiders, quite the opposite, they found the MegaFarm like some
sort of private hell made just for them. Bareth knew that that opinion was
misguided, but he understood where they were coming from. He was in
similar shoes quite a while ago, but now, he had learned to appreciate the
spiders and he also respected the King. He was a good ruler. These humans
too would understand that in time; Bareth was sure of that. But he did
understand their feelings. Putting some space between overwhelmed
humans and the horde of spiders and other monster races will do them
good. And then, after that, they could build amicable relations with
everyone slowly from the Dark Fortress.

The decision was slightly inspired by the story the Bareth heard from the
Drow Assistant. A long time ago, that group of people had also decided to
leave MegaFarm, they were equally spooked by spiders at that time. They
made a home in a seemingly hostile and barren environment with no trees
and sunlight, The Oberon Undermountain. But look at them now, all proud
and prospering. Bareth hoped that volunteer humans could forge a similar
fate in the Dark Fortress. Of course, he won’t be going himself, he had his
Centauri here, but he will help his fellow humans with whatever he can.

Long introspection aside.

“So, King. Can you permit us that?” He asked the King who felt silent.

“I wasn’t expecting that. So, you knew I desperately needed people in the
Dark Fortress and decided to volunteer? As expected of Human
Volunteers!” He praised. “But are you aware of the challenges? Not even
the spiders are willing to deal with frigid temperatures. The environment is
rather hostile.”

“The humans had made their minds already. And I assume, my King, you
will assist us in that conquest.”

“Ha, conquest. I like how you word it. It sounds so positive. Of course, I
will provide all the equipment and potions necessary.”

“So, we have your permission then?” He asked just to be sure.

“Of course! I’m very happy with this outcome!” The King even stood up
from his chair, presumably from excitement. “And anyway. Sure, they did
very well during the Darkness War, but after that… They’re just useless as
farmers, have zero skill and all that.” He frowned. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to
offend. You yourself are irreplaceable to me, Bareth. Thank you for
everything you have done so far.” The King even bowed.

He took no offence, the volunteers weren't good at farming, not in the

slightest. Admittedly, most of them were banished corrupt nobles and the
stubborn upper middle class. King Aurelius II was rather harsh in his
decision, sending entire families down here. Sure, these people here weren’t
exactly innocent and in normal circumstances, Bareth might even approved
of Aurelius II decision. But he was here, in MegaFarm, and he had
intimate knowledge of their suffering. They had reflected and repented
enough, and they weren’t bad people anymore. What was that word? – ah
yes, rehabilitated. However, that didn’t mean they, the upper middle class
and the like, were suitable for farming. Nor that they would be any good at
hunting birds, but somehow they preferred that option better. Bareth trusted
in their decisions, the volunteers weren’t foolish, he knew that they had all
the motivation needed to make do in the Dark Fortress.

Again, long introspection aside, “King, I’ll let them know the good news. I
assure you, you made a good decision.”

“Wait, are you putting this on me? I don’t want to be blamed if anyone
comes and starts complaining about Bad Juju. This was their decision, so
let's keep it that way, please.”

Bad Juju? – anyway… “We’ll start preparing right away.” He simply bowed
again.

“And I’ll get the gear ready.”

A large group of humans had gathered in front of one of the spider

warehouses. Defining them as ‘a large group’ was an understatement
because there were more than a thousand. There were young and old, men
and women, even children. But all of their faces were bright and full of
hope.

The King was slightly taken aback by their good mood. “Do they really
know where they are going?”

Bareth nodded. “I explained all the dangers. They understand it well.”

“I can see young children and women… Isn’t better for them to wait until
the men settle?”

“No, King. The families were firmly against getting separated.”

“It’s definitely not safe for children, so let’s keep them here.”

A nearby mother hugged her child closer, her face was filled with horror.

‘What? Do they think I’m going to eat them or something? I know I’m
being only reasonable here.’ – he thought to himself.

“…”

“King, once again, I strongly advise against it.”

“But if they die…”

“You won’t be blamed. They know the risks.” Bareth said it with a straight
face.

“Okay… A hardy bunch then. Doing something the spiders can’t…”

“Thank you for the compliment.” Bareth smiled.

“Okay, I have all the gear you’ll need. There is a lot to carry so the spiders
will help you.”

“King, I think that is unnecessary. They can carry it.”

But then the women would be carrying too…

“No, I insist on spider escort! You don’t even know where the Dark Fortress
is.”

“We could ask the Kobolds.”

“No, that’s non-negotiable. In the gear packs you will find Squirrel Fur
Suits, they are enchanted with Ice Resistance and have Heating Plates in
them. You’ll need those on the mountaintop. Oh, and please don’t fiddle
with the plates, a leak can prove fatal.”

The humans nodded in understanding.

“Also, I’m giving you a provisional supply of Resist Frozen Potions. We

don’t have too much but don’t be afraid to use them if you notice any
clouds of IceShard Plankton. Speaking of which, it will be your job to
grind all the IceShard Bird Bones into powder. That is the main ingredient
for the said potion.”

The humans nodded in understanding.

“On the matter of jobs and responsibilities. It will be your duty to maintain
the Dark Fortress and hunt the IceShard Birds. All the gear necessary is
already there and the spiders will instruct you how to use it. You’ll have to
harvest the monsters for the precious materials and store those in the
Catacombs. But that's basically it.”

“King, I’d had told them all that already.” Bareth bowed.

“Good. The monster is formidable. Don’t die!”

The humans nodded in understanding.

The King thought they would be more scared at his harsh words of ‘Don’t
die!’, but for whatever reason all he could see was resolve. “Anyway, if
anything goes wrong send a messenger straight away. You will be
supported.” He nodded happy about his little speech.

The humans nodded in understanding. Everyone was doing a lot of

nodding…
And then the crowd was made to part. A spider carrier rushed straight past it
and stopped abruptly right in front of The King scattering ripped balls of
ground in an emergency stop. The spider clearly came here in a hurry. A
kobold was tied by ropes to its back.

“King, King! I have a message from the Kobold Leader!” The kobold
screeched way too loud.

He wondered what the urgency was about, and why the kobold had to be
tied to a spider.

The kobold continued to shout. “He needs your assistance in battle!”

“Battle? What happened?”

“Rebels, yes-yes. We have to fight the Rebel Faction! He needs your help!
More jelly please!”

“So is it jelly or an army he requires?”

The kobold stopped shouting and said in a more muted tone. “I’m only a
messenger I don’t know… I want to go home, please. The sky will fall on
me. I know! No-no!”

That’s not a very well-informed messenger. He had to find out what was
happening first.

“Bareth, I leave the rest to you. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to see you
off.”

“No need. I have it, King.” He bowed again.

“[Shadow Walk].” The King disappeared towards the mountain.

“Spider! Carry me home! The sky will eat me!” The kobold messenger
screeched.

“Understood!” The spider kicked at the ground launching itself to a sprint.

The humans nodded in understanding. They were ready for their trip. New
hope awaited them.
96 – The Ultimate Battle: Brown vs
Red

Somewhere deep in the Oberon Undermountain, in one of the larger

caverns, two forces of kobolds were having a face-off. On one side of the
cavern there were brown kobolds and on the other side were red. The brown
kobolds vastly outnumbered the red kobolds, but the reds were better
equipped; they wore leather armour and wielded short spears.

“Meow! Submit to me, I am the Dragon!” A certain Greater Desert Wyrm

bellowed in intimidation.

“We serve the Dragon!” Brown kobolds shouted in unison.

“Rebels! I’ve defeated your leader and married her. You must listen to me,
yes-yes.” The Kobold Leader tried to reason.

“Meow? Surely, kobolds are born to serve dragons. And I am a dragon!”

“We serve the Dragon!”, “We serve the Dragon!”, “We serve the Dragon!”

“You’re not a dragon, no-no. You’re just a desert lizard!” The Kobold
Leader didn’t recognise the wyrmling’s authority.

“Take back your words, meow!”

“You can’t fly, you don’t even breathe fire, you’re a fake dragon! Brown
kobolds, you’ve been deceived.”

“Yeah? But I can do this, [Sand Tornado]!”

The attempts at negotiation broke with the first bout of hostilities. Since the
wyrmling was in an enclosed cavern the spell failed to take its full power
and just blew debris and sand particles towards the reds. However, that
didn’t mean that the spell wasn’t powerful, it managed to knock off the first
few lines of the red kobolds, including the Kobold Leader.

“Traitors!” The Kobold Leader cursed hitting the stony ground. “Kobold
Warriors go! Subjugate the rebels.” He commanded.

“Meow. You don’t stand a chance against a Dragon. Submit to my power!

[Stone Cannon].”

The reds launched their attack sprinting towards the browns. The browns
didn’t have any armour or decent weaponry, at best they had their claws and
rocks for throwing. The throwing rocks rained on reds, but due to their
superior gear, they were able to shrug the projectiles and continue their
sprint. However, Stone Cannon was a proper spell and thus it managed to
do serious damage to the target.

“[Stone Cannon], [Stone Cannon], [Stone Cannon], Meow! Too many.”

The wyrmling meowed in frustration. “We have numbers on our side. And I
am a Dragon! Charge!”

The browns ran to meet the charge of their adversary.

“I’ll free my people from your trickery, lizard!” *Nom-nom, *Gulp

“[Dragon Strength]! Now I am a Dragon too!” The lean muscles on the
Kobold’s leader bulged growing big and taunt.

A volley of Stone Shaped rocks rained on the Kobold Leader but he

shrugged the projectiles off as if they were nothing.

“Rawr!” He roared feeling the power of dragons.

“Meow!” The wyrmling hissed at the annoyingly persistent kobold.

“For the Dragon!” Shouted brown kobolds.

“For the Leader!” Shouted red kobolds.

The two forces clashed in a melee. The browns used Claw to damage the
armour of the red kobolds. The reds retaliated with swings of their spears,
for mercy or whatever reason they used only the butt end of the spear, but
even then, it was quite effective.

Since the Kobold Leader was leading the charge he was the first one to
clash with the Greater Dessert Wyrm. The wyrm wasn’t a part of his tribe, it
wasn’t even a kobold, so without hesitation, he used his spear to stab at the
wannabe dragon. However, the wyrm scales were rather tough and hard to
pierce. Even with the Dragon Strength he did only superficial damage.

“Auch, meow! I’ll bite you!” The wyrmling bit at the spear wielding hand
latching firmly on it.

“[Claw]!” He swung at the side of the wyrm's head.

“Meow!” Wyrmling winced in pain and let the arm go.

The kobold leader used that chance to thrust the spear at the wyrmling.

“[Stone Shield].”A plate of earth manifested in the air blocking kobold’s

attack.

“[Piercing Thrust].” He shattered the stone plate with a second attack.

“Meow?” The wyrmling meowed in surprise, it shouldn’t have been

possible.

“I have the power of dragons! Begone lizard, out of my caves! Rawr!

[Supercharge], [Impale].” He threw his ace combination.

The spear shattered a sandy yellow scale piercing deeply into the side of the
wyrmling!

“No! [Stone Spikes], meow, [Sand Cloud].”

A ring of spikes shot out from the ground forcing the kobold leader to jump
back, but even then it grazed past his armour scaring his chest, a few inches
closer and he himself would have been impaled.
“Lizard!” he cursed struggling to see where it went, the sand was clouding
his vision. Worse, the wyrmling pulled his spear with him in the retreat; it
was firmly stuck between the scales.

“Meow, auw-auw! Retreat!” It cried behind the cover of sand clouds.

“Really?! You give up now? You are no dragon, no-no.” The Kobold Leader
charged into the cloud, his both hands were ready to use Claw. “I’ll find
you, and I’ll rip you apart.”

“Meow! [Stone Cannon].”

A round stone shot out from the cloud but the kobold leader used Claw to
shatter it in mid-air. After all, there was no need to conserve his stamina
anymore; whatever tricks the wyrmling had he had seen them all by now.

“Give back my spear!”

“No! Meow!” The wyrmling dodged a swipe of claws. “[Sand Cloud],

[Stone Cannon].”

The sand coverage got even thicker and the wyrmling slimed out of the
kobolds swipe once again. A stone projectile hit him on the shoulder, doing
some damage but the kobold just shrugged it off. -10HP, so what, he could
take at least three more hits.

He sensed something crawling right behind him. “[Flurry], [Claw]” He

launched a rapid attack and this time he could feel his claws taking pieces
of scales off.

“Meow!” The wyrmling jumped away from the attack. “Retreat!” He

shouted once again.

“I won’t let you!” Despite the sand dust he managed to catch up to the
wyrmling and grabbed him by the tail.

“You tarnish the good name of dragons. I’ll end you, yes-yes!” The Kobold
Leader was definitely angry by this point.
“No! You can't. I’m the King's pet. You’ll make him angry.”

The Kobold Leader hesitated and it was all it took for the wyrmling to slip
out of his grasp and disappear back into the sand cloud.

“Retreat. Retreat.” It meowed from a distance.

The sand began to settle revealing the outcome of the fight. Prone forms
littered the sand-dusted stone, most of them were brown. There was no
surprise that the reds came out victorious. After all, they were well-trained
and well-equipped. Of course, if the Kobold Leader didn’t keep the rebel’s
magic caster occupied the outcome might have been totally different.

“The pesky desert lizard escaped like a coward. The strength of dragons is
with us, we won!” He announced his victory.

The slightly battered kobolds cheered with big smiles on their faces.
However, the kobold leader wasn’t smiling. At best they captured only a
half of the rebels, the rest had escaped at the lizard’s command. So they will
be back, and he was all out of Slug Jelly now. Without Dragon Strength,
he doubted he could take the fake dragon on, after all, even if juvenile it
was still a wyrm.

His musings were interrupted rudely by the Monster System message.

[Congratulations! You have defeated a ‘fake dragon’ and proved that the
blood of dragons is strong with you]

[Achievement: Defeat Legendary Monster: Great Desert Wyrm >

>[Requirement (Monster Race: Dragonoid) has been met. Hidden perk

unlocked]

>[Perk Dragon Blood obtained]

“Yes-yes!” The Kobold Leader jumped flailing his hands. “My second
achievement!”
Incidentally, the first one was: [Achievement: Kobold Harem > Reputation
with Kobolds +50]. But the second one was so much more awesome.

“I have Dragon Blood! Inspect me!” The kobolds ran to check their leader.
And meanwhile, he himself just had to see it. “Status.”

Monster Race: Variant: Red Magic Affinity:

Dragonoid Kobold none

HP:35/50 MP:50 STA:20/100

🪨

Active 🪨 🦎🪨
[Stone Shape], [Claw]
Perks
🪨

Passive [Skulking], [Stone Sense], [Dragon Blood], [Evolve?]

Perks [Dragon Strength]

[Fire Resistance: Lesser], [Physical Resistance:

Resistances
Lesser]

Yeah, it definitely was there. Oh, and now there is a little dragonoid on the
right side.

‘Some sort of improvement?’ – the Kobold Leader scratched his muzzle.

‘What is this [Evolve?]’ – He concentrated on the red text.

[If they deem you worthy the Monster King can grant you an evolution.]

“Guys. I can evolve!” The Kobold Leader jumped again flailing his arm. “I
might become a real dragon, yes-yes!”
A splatter of darkness moved out of the darkest corner of the cavern. The
flat shadow shot up taking a humanoid shape. And suddenly out of
nowhere, the Spider-King was standing in front of the Kobold leader.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions.” He said with a frown.

‘Why was he frowning? This was a joyous occasion!’

Similarly, spiders sprung out of the shadows surrounding the kobolds. The
Glowing Spider came from one of the tunnels and cast Recover on the
unconscious and otherwise hurt kobolds.

“Now explain why my pet wyrmling is leading a rebellion.” The King

asked with a tinge of confusion in his voice.

“Why would I know? Ask him!”

“Right, good idea. [Call Familiar].” Obviously nothing happened straight

away. “It might take a while, so why don’t you tell me your side of the
story.”

“I see.” The King nodded at the Kobold Leader's explanation.

As per Kobold Tradition, the Kobold Leader had conquered a rather large
tribe of brown kobolds. They lived just on the other side of the mountain
face bordering the Scorpion Desert. Naturally, the Kobold Leader married
that tribe’s leader, hence joining the tribes together; by the way, the King
had met the wife on his earlier visit. And all was well for a moment. The
brown kobolds were even better diggers than the red kobolds, conveniently
so, a large group of them were entrusted to dig the Oberon Mega Tunnel.
That’s where they met their supervisor, the wyrmling, and that’s where the
trouble began.

All Kobolds instinctually look up to Dragons and they see it a great honour
to serve one. Well, it was debatable if wyrms were dragons or not. If you
asked red kobolds they would say that wyrms weren’t dragons, well maybe
fire wyrms but definitely not the desert variant; those were just glorified
lizards in their eyes. But brown kobolds didn’t see it that way. They lived
near the desert for a long time and recognised the power of the Great Desert
Wyrm. A select few tribes even had the pleasure to serve one, so when the
opportunity presented itself they jumped to serve even if it was a juvenile at
the moment.

“That sounds complicated.” The King paused to digest it. “What does your
wife think about it? The brown one.” He specified.

“Oh? She wants the tribes to come together. It’s better for all the kobolds.”

In other words, she wasn’t on the side of the wyrmling.

“But the brown kobolds don’t listen to her anymore.” The kobold leader
complained. “They don’t even listen to me, no-no. King Evolve me so I can
become a dragon!”

“Well… oh look, the culprit is here.”

The wyrmling slithered towards the spider encirclement with its head down,
a few of the brown kobolds poked their heads out of the tunnel entrance but
didn’t come out to the cavern. The spiders parted letting the wyrmling
through. The Kobold Leader scowled at the approaching rebel leader but
didn’t say anything.

“Meow, I’m sorry. Don’t take my minions away.” The wyrmling meowed
failing to meet King's gaze.

“Oh, so you know you are at fault?”

“Yes, I am an adult.”

“Is that so? When you apologise you need to look in the eyes.”

The wyrmling met the King's gaze again. “I’m sorry, meow.”

“No, apologise to the Kobold Leader. You caused him trouble.”

The wyrmling repeated the apology.

“Now, return my people to me!” The Kobold Leader demanded.

“Meow! No!” The wyrmling hissed. “They want to serve me.” The
wyrmling raised the bruised chin higher. “You can take them, meow, but I
know they will be back with me.”

Yeah, even wyrms could be too proud for their good…

“Hmm…” The King was thoughtful for a moment. “Kobold Leader, I will
Evolve you.”

“Yes-yes, I will become a real dragon! Then the brown kobolds will learn
their mistake and come back.”

“Yes. But if…” He paused momentarily. “If they still choose to be with the
wyrmling here, please let them, okay?”

“Hah! Okay!” The Kobold nodded.

“Meow?”

Right, so the King now was certain of one thing. The Monster System
granted evolutions to their users, and he somehow was a part of it. Was this
because he was a Monster King? – It was a good explanation. But when he
tried to evolve the Lamia it wouldn’t let him, so there were some
prerequisites to be met. And Johny evolved on his own, spiders too fell in
that category. However, if a monster wasn’t yet sapient, he could use
Evolve with no problem, so there was that as well. So in other words he had
a lot of power, but that power came with limitations. And there was a saying
that with great power comes great… “Evolve” he invoked showering the
Kobold Leader in purple light.

“Ugh!” The King groaned at the sudden drain of mana. “I don’t know if I
can keep it up.”

“You must! I must become a dragon! You can do it!” The Kobold Leader
cheered demandingly.
Yeah, he went to negative -500 mana, so in other words it took him 5000MP
to evolve a single kobold. With that expense, it better be a dragon
evolution! Needless to say, he almost passed out from the mana drain.

The kobold continued to glow ever so brighter.

“This is it! I can feel it! Yes-yes!”

The light dimmed and… there was the same old kobold here, maybe a few
inches taller.

“Did it fail? [Inspect].”

Variant: Royal Magic Affinity:

Monster Race: Dragonoid
Red Kobold Fire

HP:100/100 MP:200 STA:200

🪙
Active
[Stone Shape], [Claw], [Tail Swipe], [Breathe Fire]
Perks 🪙 🦎🪙

🪙
Passive [Skulking], [Stone Sence], [Dragon Blood], [Red
Perks Scales]

[Fire Resistance: Medium], [Physical Resistance:

Resistances
Lesser]

Okay, there were a few ways to look at this. Obviously, he didn’t become a
Dragon, that would have skipped too many steps. After all, the kobolds
were weak creatures. But let's not look down on this evolution. The kobold
had essentially doubled his stats and gained access to Fire magic. And the
King was sure this was only the beginning.

However, “I’m sorry I couldn’t do better.”

“What? I’m a dragon now! I can breathe fire, [Fire Breath].” He spat a
cone of flames blackening the stone ground in the process. “And look at my
scales. Red and shiny! I’m also royalty now! Kobold King!”

Huh, the kobold seemed happy by the evolution.

“Kobold King!”, “Kobold King!”, “Kobold King!” – the kobolds chanted in

celebration.

Curious about all the noise the brown kobolds emerged from the tunnels.

“Minions, meow, do not be deceived!” The wyrmling purred.

The King slapped his naughty pet on the back of its head. “You be quiet!”
 97 - Please, We Shouldn't Horse
Around

The outcome of the brown kobold rebellion was an interesting one. Half of
the brown kobolds recognised the prowess of the Kobold Leader, no,
Kobold King, and pledged their loyalty to him. However, the other half
wished to serve what in their eyes was a dragon – the Great Desert Wyrm.
Even if it meant that they would definitely lose in another fight they still
chose the wyrm; this was proof of their loyalty and resolve.

“No-no! I can’t have this. Everyone must come to Kobold Capital.” The
Kobold Leader protested.

However, the Spider King had a different opinion. “I don’t think forcing
them would be good. If they want to play with the wyrmling they can. It’s
their choice.”

“Hmm… If the King says so… I can’t protest, no-no.” After all, in the end,
the kobolds had pledged their allegiance to the Spider King, no, to the
Monster King. And, even under wyrmling the browns will still serve him.
“Yes. I can make this work.” The Kobold Leader nodded to himself.

“Of course. I’ll make sure they don’t cause you any trouble. Yes?” The
King gave his pet a meaningful look.

“Yes, meow, I won’t fight Kobold Leader anymore.”

“It’s the Kobold King now, please show some respect.” He scolded the
juvenile wyrm.

“I won’t fight Kobold King. No, meow, we should be Allies.”

“That’s a very adult thing to say. I’m proud of you.” He petted the
wyrmling on its head.

“Meow! Of course, I’m an adult.” It purred all pleased about it.

And with that, the things were settled, at least for now. The Spider King
bade a farewell to the Kobold King, and then proceeded further deeper into
the tunnels. Apparently, the Oberon Mega Tunnel was all done and
completed. The wyrmling was in charge of that project, and since it was
finished the wyrmling, presumably out of boredom, stirred some trouble
with the rebel kobolds. He’ll have to give his pet another task to keep it
distracted.

“You know, since they are your people you will have to look after them.”

“I will, meow, they are my minions now. Dragons look after their minions.”
The wyrmling said it as if it was obvious.

“Are you thinking of bringing them to MegaFarm?”

“No, meow, I was thinking of making a lair close to the mountain.”

“Good.” After all, kobolds were agoraphobic. “Then I have a proposition.”

“Meow?”

“With the tunnel completed I expect the trade with the Scorpions to boom.
We need a trade hub.”

“Meow?” The wyrmling tilted its head to the other side.

“What I’m saying is that you could set up your lair by the end of the tunnel.
This way we could control what came in and out. We could carve space for
storage. Maybe even set up some type of market to attract the desert
denizens. I’ve heard they have some interesting monster materials.” He
gave his pet another meaningful look. “From the spider explorer reports, it’s
unlikely this will bring any gold, but I’ve heard they have some pretty
insect shells.”
“Meow! I could do that.”

“Of course, you would need to protect the hub. Defeat any other desert
monsters which came for it. Maybe even protect the trade caravans.”

“No problem, meow, I’m the Great Dessert Wyrm, the most feared monster
in the desert. No one would dare to challenge me.”

He shook his head, he doubted the wyrmling had any reputation in the
Scorpion Desert, but yes, other wyrms had a reputation there. It was likely
that his pet would need to fight off the other wyrms who would target the
trade hub. But confidence was good.

“Anyway, I will assign some spiders for construction and protection.”

“No! Meow! I can do it myself.”

“You mean your minions?”

“Yes, meow, I have minions now. You can trust me with this, I’m an adult.”

“Well, maybe I can see how it goes and then…” He became thoughtful for a
moment. “Sure let's see how you handle it.”

“I won’t disappoint you, Master.” The wyrmling announced proudly with

the head raised high.

“I look forward to it.” Just as he said that he spied a Fennec camp which
was being set up right outside the entrance to the tunnels. “Oh look,
someone is already encroaching on our turf. What are you going to do?”

“Meow? Leave this to me.” The wyrmling slithered to the group.

The King was taken aback slightly at how calmly the wyrmling approached
this situation, he had fully expected it to make a fuss and chase the Fennec
away, but instead, it initiated a conversation with the furry creatures. As if it
was completely natural, the wyrmling spoke their language and already
knew how to interact with them. Now and then the Fennec would make a
high-pitched giggle; a good sign, right?
“Is this because they both are desert monsters?” He had to wonder.

Of course, he had Language Comprehension perk and could talk with the
Fennec too, but he wanted to see wyrmling doing its thing.

The wyrmling slithered back to him. “Master, can I have my allowance

now?”

“Ah yes, the tunnel was completed, so…” He pulled out a very heavy sack
out of his inventory. Unsurprisingly, being a type of dragon, the wyrm had
asked for gold and gems. “…here’s your reward.”

The wyrmling took it into its maw and slithered back to the Fennec. The
little fuzzy creatures danced at the sight of coins.

“Huh, but the spider report told me that desert races had no interest in the
gold.” He himself had that experience with the scorpion traders. “Ah, but
maybe Fennec are different.”

The wyrmling slithered back with a visibly lighter bag. “They are my
minions now.” It announced proudly.

“Is this how it works? You just bribed them? You bought minions?”

“Yes, meow, why are you so surprised.”

“Buying minions…” He was thoughtful again. “No, what am I even

thinking? It’s basically just hiring people. Yes, you employed them.”

“Meow?”

“Anyway, I’ll trust this to you. I’ll pop back to see how it goes sometime
later.”

“Worry not.” Even if the King said it so the wyrm must have seen his
anxiety. “I know what I need to do. Dig warehouses, set up a market, maybe
make walls. Set up a Trade Hub, meow, I know!”
The King nodded with a smile. “Yeah, you get it… Man, the pets grow up
so quickly. Just a while ago you were just an egg.”

“I’m an adult now, meow!”

“Yes, yes you are.” He petted the juvenile wyrmling, it was barely bigger
than a large dog.

The good times were once again upon the Spider Kingdom; it was
expanding. The path to the desert was opened and the Trade Hub was under
construction. The Oberon Mountain soon will also be claimed; the human
volunteers were working diligently in the Dark Fortress. Really, it couldn't
be better.

The Spider King was in his office going through the routine reports the
Trusty Advisor had prepared.

*Knock *Knock – A sound demanded his attention.

He looked up to see the Centauri Champion standing at the door frame.

“Well, the doors are wide open, come in.” He encouraged setting the report
papers to the side.

“We’ve made you this.” The Centauri Champion put a tray on the table. The
tray was covered with blue cloth, there was something under it.

“What is it?” He pulled the cloth off. “Food?” He looked at the slightly off-
yellow cubes.

The Centauri Champion looked at him expectantly. “Go on. Try it.” She
urged excitedly.

The King put one of the sliced cubes in his mouth. “No!” He exclaimed.
“This can’t be.” His face underwent a series of complex emotions: shock,
surprise, nostalgia, pleasure…
“Yes, it is.” She smiled at him knowingly.

“Cheese? But how?”

“To be honest, the Drow Assistant helped us with the process, but otherwise
it is made entirely by us, The Centauri.”

“Wow, this tastes really smooth and creamy.” He ate one cheese cube after
the other.

“Hi-Hi…” She nickered happily. “I can see you like it a lot.” She puffed her
chest. “This batch was made by me.”

He moved his eyes from the cheese and found the Centauri Champion
blushing.

“Oh… Oh!” Yeah, it’s not like the Spider Kingdom had any cows or goats,
admittedly, his mind was late in that realisation. Huh, but they did have a
rather well-endowed Centauri. Was it weird for him to eat their milk
products? “Well, it does taste amazing. Thank you, Centauri Champion.”
He put the last cheese piece into his mouth.

“I can make more if you want.” She said it somewhat bashfully.

“Thinking about it… Don’t you have to be pregnant to produce milk?”

“My King!” She snorted excitedly. “Are you suggesting something? But
your wife…”

He raised an eyebrow unable to follow her trail of thought.

“Ah, I remember. It’s a side effect of Fertility Potion. Or is it the intended

effect?” He mused it over. “So, with this, we can make them: Cheeseburger,
Cheesecake, Cream Cheese!” He didn’t think he will be able to taste them
again.

“My King, you want three?” She nickered excitedly. “And you already have
the names for them. But will your wife approve of this… No, I will raise
them to be your servants. They won’t have a claim on your royal legacy.
Yes, it will be alright. Hi-hi.” She finished with a giddy giggly.

“Centauri Champion, what are you talking about? Maybe you should go
easy on that Fertility Potion?” His wife, the Lamia Queen, would also say
crazy things after drinking it; yet another side effect.

“But I need it to make you your…”

“No, having only you making milk for my cheeses would be unfair. Really,
too demanding for one person.”

“I see, you’re right...” She said it with a tinge of disappointment. “It can be
demanding on a woman's body. And to make all three would take at least
three years. But I assure you I can do it.”

“Three years… That is a long time to realise my dream.” Maybe the

Centauri didn’t produce as much milk as he thought, after all, they weren’t
industrial-grade cows. Nor should he treat them like that. “Hmm, also, there
were potion side effects to consider, and I need you to keep your mind sharp
since you are in charge of item transportation to the Aurelian Kingdom. I
can’t have someone so important be weakened by Fertility Potion.” He
reasoned out loud. “That’s exactly why we should recruit more Centauri.
With your permission of course.”

“Yes, I understand King.” For some reason, she was clearly in the dumps
now. “I might be out of place to say this, and you can reprimand me, but
can I at least select the candidates? You wouldn’t want it coming from a
mare of low stock, would you, the results might be disappointing.”

“Yes, I’ll leave it to you. After all, I don’t know what makes good milk to
be good. And I wouldn’t want it to taste any less better than the exquisite
cheese I just had. Honestly, that was amazing.”

“Then why won’t you let me make at least one… Cream Cheese, I like that
name.”
“Just as I said, I doubt you alone would be able to keep up with my
demand. I am a greedy person, ha-ha.” He part joked part didn’t, he doubted
he would be able to stop eating once he tried that. The cheese he just had
was that good.

“What are you saying, King!? I am a strong woman; I have a lot of stamina.
I could go all night, every night, for weeks! Actually, I insist. Yes, it’s only
right for me to set an example for other Centauri. If that’s what you want.”

He was confused. So, do Centauri produce a lot of milk or not?

“Only if you insist. Okay, I let you make Cream Cheese. I’ll write a short
recipe for you to follow in the evening. And once again, ask the Drow
Assistant for clarifications, after all, she did manage to make the Ice
Cream.”

“Ah! So, you two already…” She lowered her head once again
disappointed.

“Well, yeah. She did help me a lot. But granted the food you just made was
as good as Ice Cream, if not better, no need to feel disheartened. I’m sure
your artisan culinary skills are on par.”

He didn’t even know the Centauri Champion liked making foodstuffs, but
here he was with an empty tray and craving for more.

“I know you’ll make the best Cream Cheese in the whole of Spider
Kingdom.”

The Centauri perked up again wagging her tail. “Yes, King. My body is
yours.”

He blinked twice slightly embarrassed by that vigorous proclamation. That

came out strong, but the Centauri was eccentric, and he was eating her food,
so maybe it wasn’t wrong to say that. Oh boy, it was kind of weird to eat a
foodstuff made from a sapient, as well as an ethical and moral dilemma, but
hey, it did taste very good!
“I just want to make sure about one thing.” He spoke.

She looked at him intently.

“I’m not forcing you or anything, alright. If you or any other Centauri don’t
want to do this, it’s okay.”

“What are you talking about, King?! This is an honour.”

“Alright then,” he beamed a very bright smile, “and go easy on that

Fertility Potion.” He warned.

“Then, I’ll see you in the evening, yes?”

“Yes, I’ll get the recipes done by then. But of course, since the milk is
different you might need to experiment a little bit. And it might not work
out on the first try.”

She smiled. “I don’t mind trying again and again…” And here she was
blushing once more.

“Wow, you Centauri are really something. Very dedicated to the task you
take.”

She simply bowed in thanks, swaying her weapons in the process. Wow,
dangerous!

“Now then, I need to finish my reports.” He dismissed the Centauri

Champion.

Only in the evening did he realise that there was a massive

misunderstanding to clear up.

Centauri Champion, loyal servant to the Spider King, proud leader of the
surviving Centauri, in charge of logistics and transport to Aurelian
Kingdom. Age 25 cycles, mare. Hair colour yellow, fur colour white. Loves
to do long-distance running. Loves to make food for the King. Loves the
King. Current life goal is to have a child.

Monster Race: Variant: Magic Affinity:

Centauri Champion None

HP:250/250 MP:50 STA:250

🐎
Active [Relentless Charge], [Trample], [Overwhelming
Perks Force]
🏇🐴🏇
🤠
Passive [Swift Hooves], [Agile Manoeuvres], [Lance
Perks Proficiency]

Resistances [Dark Weakness: Lesser]

98 - The Confusion Of The Highest
Order

The Centauri Champion was holding the Cream Cheese recipe in her hand,
the paper was slightly crumpled from her tight grip and her face was
flushed red from embarrassment. This was wild, how is it even possible to
confuse Cream Cheese with making babies? The recipe is for cheese and
not for that type of activity!

“I don’t know how this happened. I was talking about making food items
from milk. About dairy products.” Albeit, admittedly, they would be using
her milk for that, so maybe this was the root of the misunderstanding. “I’m
sorry for the confusion.” He bowed in apology.

She looked at him dejectedly, after all, she had come here after doing
extensive preparations. Because of that she still had to ask. “Does this mean
you don’t want my child?”

“I’m sorry, I have a wife.” He said so but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t
humbled by her honest feelings.

The centauri snorted in anxious disappointment. “Can I still make the

Cream Cheese? The item, not the foal. Please allow me at least that.”

“Ahh, I thought that…” That after the rejection she might not be up for the
task anymore. “Sure, I would be honoured.” He nodded happily.

She shook her head with a neigh. “No, the honour is all mine.”

“I already look forward to it.” He imagined all the delicious cheese deserts.

“But if you ever want a child to serve you, my King, I’m all yours.”
Here we go, she’s blushing again. The Centauri Champion was a woman
who jumped from one emotion to another in a matter of seconds.

He didn’t want to give a strong reply so that he wouldn’t hurt her pride
again. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He didn’t expect a strong response from that cheap line, but the Centauri
Champion gave him a broad grin and nickered happily at his words. Maybe,
he shouldn’t have given her any false hope, but it was too late to take those
words back. They looked at each other without saying a word, the silence
was intense but not unpleasant. Misunderstanding or not he now knew how
she felt about him.

He bowed again to express his gratitude. “Thank you again.” He voiced it.

“For what? I’m just doing my duty.”

“For everything…” He straightened his back. “Now, if you don’t mind…”

He implied it was time for them to part, after all, the situation was
becoming risky.

The Centauri Champion was still looking at him with passion, her long
eyelashes were fluttering wildly with each blink, her body emitted a
pleasant fragrance, she was dressed provocatively, and he already knew
how her delectable milk tasted. This centauri knew where to strike for a
critical hit. He was taking lethal damage.

“I understand.” She bowed deeply exposing her weapons. And then she left
the office with a giddy frolic.

“Phew, this was dangerous” He slumped back to his chair. “I blame you,
Fertility Potion. I might need to regulate the substance; it makes the
women go crazy.” He considered it but only offhandedly.

Anyways, it was time for him to reunite with his loyal wife, and maybe
release that pent-up frustration. Just as he walking through the Fire
Lantern lit corridor a familiar message popped into his vision.
[Chaos Blessed activated], it was a long while he saw this one. Ever since
he unlocked the Monster System, the perk remained docile.

[Farming +25000Exp], [Farming +40000Exp], the lumps of generous

experience meant that the eggs in the Egg Hatchery had hatched.

“But the spiders hadn’t laid any, it’s not their time…” these weren’t spider
eggs. “The Lamia Eggs are hatching.” He began rushing to the Egg
Hatchery. “No, I need to get Lamia Queen first.” He turned around and
sprinted to his bedroom.

He opened the doors dramatically, his lamia was sprayed all over the bed.
There was only a nightgown on her body. She looked so invitingly
defenceless, but…

“The eggs! The eggs are hatching!”

She blinked sleepily. “Sss?”

“Come!” He urged. “No, you’ll catch up. See you there.” He remembered
he didn’t need to walk like an average person. “[Shadow Walk].” He
disappeared.

“What’s the excitement about? It’s just eggs, sss, it’s not like he gave me
any to lay.” Regardless, she slithered out of the bed lazily.

The Egg Hatchery was underground and away from the harmful sun rays,
there were no less than five hundred eggs stored. A cloud of darkness
entered through the thin wall from above and condensed in the middle of
the dark room. “[Dark Flame]” He spoke as soon as he was out of the
Shadow Walk. The magical flame allowed him to see the hatchery and
wasn’t harmful to the eggs.

He saw thin snake-like forms slithering between the broken eggshells, some
were still in the process of breaking through. All was fine, of course, it was,
he was here because that perk had triggered. It often brought some strange
and unforeseen changes in his life. And also, there were two bouts of Exp
messages which meant…
“[Inspect].”, he targeted the lama hatchling with bluish-grey skin.

Monster Race: Variant: Cave Magic Affinity:

Serpentine Lamia none

HP:10 MP:5 STA:15

Active
Perks
[Camouflage] 💪🐍

Passive
[Minor Regeneration]
Perks

Resistances [Cold Weakness: Medium]

And then he targeted another, the one which was almost pitch black.
“[Inspect].”

Monster Race: Variant: Chaos Magic Affinity:

Serpentine Lamia Dark
🕸️🐍
HP:8 MP:12 STA:10

Active
[Illusion]
Perks
Passive
[Reflective Scales]
Perks

[Cold Weakness: Medium], [Dark Resistance:

Resistances
Lesser]

So, yeah, there were two variants. Just at a glance, it was clear that there
were less of chaos variants around, maybe at the ratio 1 to 5. If so, hatching
a single Chaos Lamia gave him +250exp and Cave Lamia +100exp; the
reason that one number was higher than the other was obvious, Chaos
Lamia was a superior variant. Well, the stats were way too low, and the
perks were lacking, but they were still in their baby forms still, surely those
will grow with time.

“Sss”, “Sss”, “Sss”. The lamias pooled to his feat and hissed. Was this the
equivalent of the human baby crying and demanding food? He didn’t know,
that’s why he had called for his wife.

Speaking of which. “Sss-so they had finally hatched, sss, [Identify],

[Identify]”

For some reason she used the archaic remnant Identify instead of proper
Monster System’s Inspect. And here he thought Identify was for items
only.

“SSS!” The Lamia Queen hissed sharply. “We must kill the black ones.”

These words startled him so much that he almost jumped. “What do you
mean? They’re just babies!”

“This sss-should not have been possible... The babies somehow changed in
their eggs and turned into an unknown variant. It’s good you called me here.
SSS!” She bent her back to grab a black hatchling, but it promptly slithered
away from her claws.

“Yeah, but why kill them…” He was still startled by her crazy words.

As if aware of the threat all Chaos Lamia shimmered their otherwise black
scales in all colours of the rainbow, and just like that their appearance
changed to their more pale siblings. It was now impossible to tell them
apart.

“Illusion magic, sss! You will not escape, [Identify].”

“[Inspect]…” He tried again and again but couldn’t tell the two apart.
Everyone now was just identified as Cave Lamia.

However, Queen Lamia’s Identify must have been able to pierce the
illusion. She managed to grab one of the hatchlings. “Got you! You won’t
be able to hide!” She squeezed.

“SSS!” The hatchling hissed in pain.

He wasn’t going to stand and watch something like that. “No!” He grabbed
his wife’s hands and pried the baby away.

“Why are you being so cruel? Explain to me!”

“They are not my blood. SSS! They have changed.” She hissed.

“So what?”

“I’m not their Queen. They won’t recognise my authority, sss!”

“So what?” He repeated.

“What do you mean sss-so what?” She reached to grab the hatchling back.

“They’re just babies! I don’t think they’re evil just because they have a
chaos tag next to their variant. Johny is a Lesser Eldrich and she’s just
fine!”
“It’s-sss not about the tag!”

“So why? I don’t understand.”

“…” She was clearly agitated but chose to say nothing.

“Please explain to me.” He begged setting the startled baby down.

“They won’t recognise my authority, sss, ever! They’ll grow and then a
Chaos Lamia Queen will form…”

He was listening, but still he was struggling to understand her anger. Saying
another ‘So what?’ might just provoke her anger again. “Why is it bad?” –
so he asked it slightly differently.

“SSS! You’ll have to marry her then, won’t you!”

Wait… Was this just because of jealousy? If so, she had some serious
issues. But even then, she was his wife and he still loved her even if she
was a baby-killing monster. Honestly, normally she was a good wife so
maybe all he had to do was reassure her.

“Even if it comes to that I won’t marry the hypothetical Chaos Lamia

Queen. I have you and it is enough.” He reasoned.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Then I guess they can stay.” The anger disappeared if it never was there.

He felt it was appropriate to say it now. “My dear wife, sometimes you are
just too scary. You can’t go on a rampage and kill babies. That’s just evil.”

“I can’t say I’m sss-sorry, but I’ll let the chaos hatchlings be. But dear
husband, you should know that Lamia aren’t too friendly with other Lamia
of different blood. If it’s not us, it will be the Chaos Lamia who cause
trouble.”
As far as he saw it, the blood was the same, it was only their variant which
changed. But hey, apparently the Lamia were rather prejudiced even against
their own. But maybe this was just how monster races were. Competition
was necessary for survival especially when the resources were strained.
However, there was no shortage of food in Spider Kingdom, he knew there
was no cause for hostilities.

“If there will be problems, then I will deal with it. Bad comes to worse, I’ll
just place them further away from MegaFarm. Even if you can’t be their
Queen, I am still their ruler. I won’t marry their hypothetical Queen, but
they will still have to listen to me and to you as my wife.”

“Okay, that might work, sss, but I can’t help but worry.”

There was no need. “How can I help you not to worry?” He offered because
having her worried was evidently dangerous.

“Put an egg in my belly already. SSS!” She demanded.

Yeah… He could do that. But he was always hesitant. He too was flawed
and had a lot of worries, especially when it came to children. He couldn’t
help but fear that the child born would be some kind of a freak, after all, he
was still part human, and she was a serpentine monster. What if the born
baby would come out to be some pitiful mutant?

His worried face was an obvious one so the Lamia Queen asked, “How can
I, sss, help you not to worry?”

“What if we make some sort of a monster? After all, I am a Monster King.”

“Sss-so what? We’ll raise it well.”

“And if it’s some Eldritch Abomination?”

“Even better, sss, it will be feared by everyone just like Johny is.”

That statement wasn’t true! Johny was the beloved hero of the Spider
Kingdom.
“And if… if we just can’t make a baby?”

“Nonsense. I’m the Lamia Queen, sss, my body is fertile and sss-strong.
And so is yours!”

It seems she didn’t have any concerns about that. And she was right, even if
it came out to be some sort of monstrosity, he was positive that with the
right parenting all would be well.

“I guess, there is no reason to neglect my duties. Yeah, let’s get a baby.”

“Yes-sss!” She launched herself for an embrace squeezing the King tight.
“Let’s do it now.”

“Eh? Not here!” They were still in the hatchery surrounded by confused or
otherwise scared hatchlings.

The lamia pouted. “Are you trying to go back on your word?”

“No, no… we can start trying as soon as today. Let's just get back to the
bedroom.”

“Go on then.” She jumped to his arms expecting him to carry her.

“Okay.”

He silently apologised to all the hatchlings. They were obviously perturbed

and hungry. While on his way to his royal bedroom, he’ll make sure to tell a
spider to feed them. He might seem naïve and oblivious most of the time,
but he did some research here and there. As long as the babies stayed out of
light and were fed a daily ration of meat, they will be fine. Actually, they
didn’t need that much of attention to begin with. In the natural environment,
the Lamia would let them out into the caves to hunt for bugs and insects,
and once they grew just a bit he would do much the same. They could even
hunt the local squirrels; the fattened squirrels could do with a bit of running
exercises.

Anyways, he rushed back to the bedroom.

…

*Pop – a loud popping sound reverberated through the air.

“It’s back.” A spider chirped with concern.

This wasn’t anything like the Shadow Plague, but one thing was obvious.
Even if an extremely rare sight, the shadow creatures were back.

“This matter requires. The attention of the King.” The spider scuttered
through the lantern-lit path towards the abode of the revered Spider King.

The spider walked through many corridors, all decorated and spruced up by
skilled spider crafters. It was hard not to get distracted by a magnificently
woven wall, woven yes, or the expertly carved IronOak door frame.

“Here it is.”

The spider finally arrived at the royal bed chamber, however, there were
two lamia warriors standing beside the closed doors guarding it. The guards
had funny expressions on their faces and were way too squirmy with their
tails and even their spear-wielding hands were fidgeting with the spear
shaft. It didn’t look too professional, or maybe the guards were complete
newbies. The spider didn’t judge them too much, the spider knew that the
Lamia, unlike spiders, weren’t born with knowledge and so they had to
learn how to do things properly; it was understandable. They will get better
with time.

The spider gazed upon the tightly shut door. Even if they were well closed
the dulled sounds pierced the IronOak door. The spider couldn’t tell
exactly what it was but It sounded like there was a party going on inside.

“I have a report. For the Spider King.”

The two lamias stepped closer to block the door.

“SSS-Spider,” one of the lamia addressed, “Spider Reports will have to

wait, sss, the King is busy.”
The spider was aware of that, but it still had to give a report.

“I’ll wait.” It chirped simply.

The two lamias didn’t raise any objections. The spider waited and waited,
but by the sound of it, the party only got more intense. No problem, if it had
to wait the spider could do that even until the morning, but it was rather
boring to remain still and in silence.

“I heard. There is more. Lamia now.” The spider mentioned the newest
rumour.

As guards, the lamia shouldn’t be engaging in the idle chatter, but they too
were bored. No, they were more than bored, they were bothered so a
distraction was welcome.

“Yes, hatchlings hatched, our numbers go sss-stronger.”

“Yes-sss, most will become warriors.”

The two sounded very pleased about that.

“Warriors? But last time. It was mostly Lamia Servants.” Yes, the spider
was sure of that.

The lamia came in three kinds, servants, warriors, and nobles. Much like
spiders, the servants were smaller than their warrior brethren.

“Sss-Spider, you don’t know?”

The spider shook its head.

“We had a human to help us this time, sss, so it’s natural the warriors will
be born.”

Oh yes, the spider heard that rumour. Much like spiders, the Lamia could
lay eggs on their own, but unlike spiders, they needed a partner to seed the
egg so it would hatch with the potential to become a warrior or even a noble
lamia, otherwise, it would hatch only as a servant.
“I see. Perhaps, the stronger the partner. The stronger the egg?” It reasoned.

The lamia gave the spider an approving look. “Sss-so you understand. It is
exactly as you sss-say.”

“Human Gareth. Is a strong human. Did well in the Darkness War.”

“Precisely, the warriors should be exceptionally vigorous, s-s-s.” The lamia

guard hiss-giggled as if remembering something.

Another lamia butted in to add. “S-s-s, it’s a shame he left for the Dark
Fortress.”

The spider heard about that rumour. Human Gareth didn’t just leave, he
escaped to be away from Lamia. But the spider didn’t feel the need to
correct them.

“How about. Human Bareth? He is strong too.”

“Sss, him? He has a bad taste.”

“Doesn’t even give us a chance to charm him with our gaze.”

“Yes-sss his eyes are only for Centauri.”

Ah, this was the only human who stayed. But apparently, Human Bareth
wasn’t interested in seeding Lamia eggs. The spider learned a new rumour
it didn’t know already. This was good!

“Does Human Bareth. Seeds only Centauri Eggs?”

The two lamia looked at each other.

“Sss… I’m not too sure. The Centauri hadn’t built their hatchery. Or
anything like that.”

True, they didn’t have a building like that.

“And who cares about them, sss.”

“Well…” The spider heard another rumour, at first the spider didn’t quite
understand it but after talking with lamia it did. “Just today. The Centaury
Champion. Was here to seed her eggs with…” The spider paused for
dramatic effect. “With the Spider King!”

“SSS!”, “No way!”

“Lamia, worry not. The King refused.”

They hissed in relief.

“But why worry?” The spider asked. “The King would make. An
exceptional egg.”

“Not with Centauri, no, sss.”

The spider disagreed, it didn’t matter with whom, the King could definitely
make an exceptional egg.

“Ah…” The spider sighed wishfully. “It would be good. If the King could
seed. The spider eggs.”

The two lamia looked at the spider with unabridged terror in their eyes.

“SSS! The spiders are already too powerful!”

“Yes-sss, it would upset the balance.”

“And the King has the Lamia Queen. She can give him all the eggs he
needs.”

“Yes-sss!”

The two spoke one after the other with a tinge of panic in their hissy voices.

“That’s just. A thought.” The spider shook its head. “In reality. It is
impossible.” It chirped matter-of-factly.

“Sss…” the lamias hissed in relief.

Impossible, for now…

The spider ended up waiting for the party to finish all the way to the late
morning. But it was okay, it picked up a few interesting rumours, and some
ideas to share with the spider friends.
 99 – Slam Dunkin Extra Large
Whammy XXL Grande Venta
Combo

Back in the Aurelian Kingdom, an interesting phenomenon was taking

place.

A while ago the kingdom suffered an unprecedented famine but since then
things have changed drastically. Food, and especially the staple of
TomGrape, was cheap, readily available, and plentiful. The gaunt and
famished faces were replaced by soft and plump roundness. But the
problem was that it didn’t stop there. Maybe the TomGrape was just
irresistible, or maybe there were other factors in the play, regardless,
everyone had grown rather fat, no, not just fat – Obese.

Well-rounded ladies and large-sized gentlemen roamed the streets. And it's
not just the body size that changed. If anything, the clothing industry had
boomed from ever-increasing demand for a larger size of clothing.
Surprisingly, the highly coveted Blue Cloth had found its way to
households with otherwise modest means. It wasn’t just rich merchants and
nobles who were wearing that fashionable blue nowadays; how splendid!
Even better, the spiders had taken it upon themselves to meet the increasing
clothing demand, and who could compete with a spider? – they were
masters of weaving!

Admittedly, the plump ladies and generously proportioned gentlemen

wouldn't wear the clothing for long, soon it would be a size too small.
Spiders were well aware of that fact, so to keep the otherwise expensive
items accessible to common people, they have been weaving only simple
patterns with few flourishes and the cloth itself was kept thin. However, the
populace didn’t seem to mind. And why would they? Unlike a dull peasant
tunic, which most had used to wear, the spider tunic was still patterned and
expertly woven and… it was the opposite of dull, it was vivid blue. It was
simply Spidery Magnificent!

Since the clothing was made from Blue Cloth it came with all of its extra
bonuses. Most importantly it came with Dirt Resistance. The effect was
more useful than it sounded, it could repel more than just dirt. You could
spill on it juice, wine, sauce, oil, and all of it would just flow off of the cloth
leaving no marks or stains, meaning that it barely required any cleaning.
And considering the eating habits of the denizens of the Aurelian Kingdom
such clearly magical tunic was no less than a God send. ‘Sloppy eating, yes!
But stains no more!’ a spider would often say that line after selling the
tunic.

Needless to say, no one was afraid of spiders anymore. Quite the opposite,
to speak ill of the spiders was becoming a taboo here in the Aurelian
Kingdom. What if they decided to leave? – a shudder-inducing thought
indeed. Obviously, since Aurelius The Great (previously known as just
Aurelius II, or the puppet king) opened the city to spiders things were
getting only better and better. Thus, the capital of the Aurelian Kingdom
underwent a type of transformation and a cultural shift. If you asked a
slightly leading question: ‘Do you think we live in a new Golden Age?’ –
many would nod with ‘Ah! That’s right!’ and ‘That’s exactly it!’ or similar
statements.

The spiders kept bringing new things and concepts to the capital. The
newest of which was a certain building with a certain name, Spidery
Delicious. It was erected at the border of the Merchant Square in mere
weeks. At first, the people thought that the spiders were building some sort
of a temple to the Spider King. The confusion was understandable because
the building was grand in scale and scope. It was built using the
unconventional techniques of spiders and used unknown and exotic
building materials. The architecture was unique and something only a
spider could come up, but no doubt it was Spidery Magnificent. Wooden
snow-white walls, blue webs, purple roof, carved IronOak furniture;
understandably, everything just stood out and screamed extraordinary!
Within only a week various wild rumours spread about Spidery Delicious.

“It is a temple.”, “It’s the Royal Armoury.”, “Magic University!”

“No. It is a place. To gather. And to eat.” The spider chirped simply to

dispel the rumours.

Anyways, the Spidery Delicious was opening today. Spurred by rumours,

curiosity, and hunger for wonder a huge crowd had already formed by the
building. Round women and even rounder men were roaring and eager to
go inside; they jiggled their soft and plum flesh in excitement. The crowd
was dense and blue, from afar it looked like a rippling lake, a lake full of
jiggly jelly.

Two spider guards stepped away from the grand doors opening them with a
flourish. The jiggly lake jiggled violently threatening to flood inside. The
spider guards were well aware of the avarice of humans, so they were
armed in preparation with Peacekeeping Sticks. The crowd was well aware
of the power of the stick and its mercilessness, but even then, they shoved
and pushed.

“Behave!” The spider chirped dispensing the stick with generous

application.

Ironically, the rounder the humans got the more resistant they became to the
stick; however, the situation was controlled in the end. Only a certain
number of humans were allowed in. Their round shapes promptly filled the
seats in front of the table. Each table had its little spider waiter, waiting just
above on the ceiling web. The humans were presented with a plethora of
food options.

“Forbidden Sauce, that sounds exciting.” The plump lady slammed her
hands together.

Boulder-shaped gentlemen nodded at the menu options. “I’m tired of the

little morsels the merchants call food at their stalls. Double Whammy Mega
Bird Burder XXL. Finally, a well-sized meal.”
“Eh, are you on a diet or something? I’m going with Slam Dunk Triple Giga
Squirrel Burger.” A mountain of a man declared.

The spider waiter hung on a thread just above the table making positive
chirps as if to praise their orders.

“Spider I can’t seem to make up my mind. Can you suggest me

something?” The plump lady asked with a smile.

“Then. I encourage you to try. Our Squirrel Nuggets. Would you like a
sample?”

Even before the plump lady could even jiggle her chin for confirmation the
spider had already produced a single nugget.

“Meh, just a morsel like in those stingy merchant stalls.” The boulder-
shaped man didn’t sound impressed.

The lady must have differing opinions because she snatched the meat
nugget and gobbled it up with gusto.

“Wow, it's breaded but not dry. The meat is juicy and practically melts in
your mouth. And there is that hint of TomGrape sweetness.” She said as if
she was some sort of food critic. Those didn’t yet exist in the Human
Kingdoms.

“I’m surprised. The Lady. Is so well-versed in food. We feed the squirrels

TomGrape. To make them plump. And the meat sweet. However. If you
dip it in the Forbidden Sause. It is even better!” The spider pointed at the
sauce container.

“Is that so? Then get me, what… fifty Squirrel Nuggets, no, make it a
hundred.”

“Understood. An Extra Large Grande Venti Bucket of Squirrel Nuggets.”

The spider crawled back to the ceiling web to get their order from the
kitchen.
A bit later, on an entirely different table, a group of only moderately round
men were marvelling at a peculiar discovery. Mind you, moderately round
was considered out of fashion nowadays.

“I’m telling you my Obese negative status just disappeared!”

“But you just ate three whole meals… you’re lying.”

“I’m not. Man, I’m even willing to pay a Scribe to prove it.”

“Hmm… Spider, is this drink some sort of medicine.” The man pointed at
the half-empty glass bottle.

“Spider-FizzPop™ is there. To quench your daily thirst. And to fill you

with life!” The spider chirped the slogan it was instructed to chirp. “It’s not
medicine.”

“If you say so.” The man finished the bottle and then smacked his lips
delightfully. “Hey, my negative status just disappeared!”

“I told you!”

“Shit, I didn’t ask for the price. This drink must be expensive.” The man
said with a tinge of panic.

The other man also paled at the realisation. If Spider-FizzPop™ was able
to get them rid of the negative status effect it was comparable to a Potion
and those were expensive commodities.

“No cussing!” The spider reprimanded the panicked man with a stern chirp.

The man paled even further, he didn’t want to be thrown out of the Spidery
Delicious, his otherwise good reputation would plummet sharply. He bowed
his head in apology.

The spider mellowed and chirped to inform the two. “The drinks are free.
You can have as much. As you want.” It added in a more pleasant chirp.

“Eh?”, “Huh?”
“Spider-FizzPop™. To quench your daily thirst. To fill you with life!” It
chirped happily. “Want more?”

“If it’s free… why not?”

“Yeah, fetch me another bottle.” The man smacked his lips in anticipation.

Hence, another unexplained phenomenon was taking place. The round

humans would come to Spidery Delicious to engorge themselves with
food, but surprisingly they would come out slightly thinner. A mystery
indeed!

While the Aurelian Kingdom with its own King and set of laws sounded
like an independent nation, it was not. It was only a small part in an
otherwise big bundle of kingdoms which formed the Holy Empire. As part
of the Holy Empire, the Aurelian Kingdom had to follow the emperor’s will
and pay yearly tribute. Since it was at the far and insignificant edge of the
empire the Aurelian Kingdom was left to its devices to do as it pleased, that
is as long as it paid the tribute.

Aurelius the Great knew of this arrangement, hence why he had a

complicated expression on his face. No, he wasn’t worrying about the
tribute, after all, he had dealt with the corrupt nobles and freed their ill-
gotten fortunes. He freed that gold right into the now not-so-empty Royal
Treasury. The worry was stemming from another matter, the obvious fact
that he had shifted his loyalties.

The Holy Empire was very particular about the position and treatment of
demi-human races. Those were only fit to be slaves. Yeah, there was that.
Now imagine how they viewed actual monster races like Kobolds and
Lamia. The problem here was that the capital was experiencing an increased
presence of spiders. And those were clearly of monster race.

Aurelius the Great, not only couldn’t kick the spiders out of the capital,
even if for a few weeks, he didn’t want to! And for many good reasons.
First, the people would revolt, surprisingly, they grew to love the spiders
and their magnificence, but rather than love, it was ugly dependence. No,
let’s just call it love. Second, Aurelius the Great was loyal to the Monster
King, he had no desire to backstab him in any way. And why would he,
while the Holy Empire did nothing during the famine and the war, the
Spider King helped, helped and helped. Of course, there were many other
good reasons, he could sit there and name them all day.

“Even then. I must meet them. I must try to reason with…” He sat on his
‘throne’ deeply in thought.

...

A group of Imperial taxmen were making their way towards the Royal
Palace of Aurelian Kingdom. Officially they were here to collect the tribute,
but that was just an excuse, otherwise, they wouldn’t have come in tow with
the Holy Inquisition. Well, they didn’t come in full force, just a platoon of a
hundred or so inquisitors. They weren’t here for war, only to investigate a
rather disturbing rumour.

Admittedly, the investigation was done before it could even start. The
offences were that obvious. King Aurelius II, or King Aurelius the Great as
the people called him, was guilty. All that was left was to simply face the
man and declare his sins. Then, depending on the King's actions the Holy
Empire will react accordingly. So, they simply rushed towards the palace.

...

A group of people burst into a spacious but oddly barren throne room. The
Imperial Taxmen and the Holy Inquisition didn’t encounter a single guard
on their way, so they didn’t expect to see Aurelius II here in the dusty
throne room at all. However, here he was, sitting on a plain stool in the
middle of the room. He was alone, but he was fully clad in pitch-black
armour. It was a miracle the stool didn’t collapse under his humongous
frame and the weight of those thick armour plates.

“Welcome, friends.” He greeted his guest by standing and opening his arms
wide.
It was obvious the King had gone crazy. The palace was stripped barren,
and there were no guards not to mention servants, but here he was
pretending that all of this was fine. The darkness must have consumed his
mind.

Even the chief inquisitor was shocked. “Aurelius… Are you alright?” That
concern was unlikely for the chief inquisitor, often he would just strike the
heretics and be done with it. But he was concerned.

“Of course, I am. Things can't be better. You're here for tribute, yes?
Despite how this might look.” He waved at the barren throne room. “I have
your money. And the next year's money, take it as a bonus.”

Everyone looked around, there was no money only debris and dust.

“[Eclipse]!” Aurelius II bellowed unceremoniously. A pile of ash fell from

his closed fist.

It was mid-day, and the throne room had many windows, but even then, the
entire space went completely dark. The darkness was unnatural and clearly
of a magical nature.

“What is this spell!” The imperial taxman shouted in alarm afraid that he
was blinded.

The Holy Inquisition reacted at the danger promptly with a bunch of their
own spells.

“[Divine Light]”, “[Radiance]”, “[Blessed Aura]” … the men cast a

number of individual spells, they differed one from another, but all were of
Light affinity.

But even the best of their spells failed to disperse the darkness completely,
at best only a small radius from the caster was illuminated. Regardless, they
kept at it.

Due to their efforts, or maybe because the Eclipse had concluded naturally,
the throne room returned to its normal state. King Aurelius II was still there,
standing in the same spot as if nothing had happened. But there was a
change, in front of him was a pile of Imperial Coins, gems, and jewellery.

“I couldn’t get it all in coin, my apologies, but there is enough.”

This wasn’t just two years of tribute; this might be even four or five
depending on the quality of gems and jewellery.

“Are you trying to bribe us!” The imperial taxman yelled an accusation. He
was obviously infuriated. Well, he had the Holy Inquisition with him, so he
had to, and if they weren’t here maybe he could… but that’s beside the
point now.

“I never seen magic like this. This is some forbidden form of Dark arts...
Men, don’t touch even a single coin, they might be Cursed.” The chief
inquisitor warned his men and especially the taxman.

“So, the rumours were right, you have succumbed to the Demon Lord.” One
of the other inquisitors stepped forward brandishing her longsword; it was
already coated in the glow of Radiant Light.

“Tch.” Aurelius II clicked his tongue in frustration. “You couldn’t be more

wrong. As far as I see it, I did my duty to the Emperor. Just take the tribute
and go.” He shooed them with a wave of his hand.

There was definitely something wrong with Aurelius II, that confidence of
his couldn’t be explained. However, the chief inquisitor was a competent
man, he knew better than to underestimate the evil.

“[Reveal Status],” he invoked a skill.

The Chief Inquisitor backed a few steps down out of sheer shock.

“Something’s wrong!”

That was an understatement. The Aurelius II Status Screen looked all

wrong. Where to even begin? First, it was completely unfamiliar, the layout
was different, likely an effect of the mysterious Error[System_Override]!
status effect, but the chief inquisitor could still follow what the table was
trying to show. At least to some extent, the icons on the right were a
complete mystery. Second, the System had clearly identified the King as
some sort of a monster, the name tag was ‘Corrupted Human’, and just like
a monster it came with its special perks. Normally humans had no such
perks, at best talented or blessed individuals would be born with special
traits like Increased Agility, Sword Proficiency, and the like. But this
thing had some scary-sounding passive perks. Obviously, the Reveal Status
was unable to show the known magic spells and class skills of an
individual, but clearly Aurelius II knew magic, however, the problem was
that this Corrupted Human managed to cast Eclipse which should’ve been
impossible because he had no mana and no magic affinity. Something was
broken!

Target: Aurelius the Monster: Magic Affinity:

Great Corrupted Human None

HP:300/300 MP:0 STA:300

Active [Unstoppable Tackle], [Boulder Roll], [Body 🕸️📜

Perks Slam] 🕷️
💪👑🧴
Passive [Dark Empowered], [Bulky], [Deflect Magic],
Perks [Scroll Master], [Vigorous Fat] ⛰️🪙 🏴‍☠️

[Light Weakness: Medium], [Physical Resistance:

Resistances
Lesser]

Status
Error[System_Override]!, [Obese]
Effects
“Men, keep your distance. He is a monster!”

The rest of the inquisitors gave an uncertain look to the chief inquisitor.

“I mean, real bona fide monster, the status is clear! It says…” He paused
still struggling to come with the terms of it. “Monster: Corrupted Human.”

“What?!”, “How is that possible.”, “But humans can’t.” – the inquisitors

reacted with shock and disgust.

“Let’s purge this monster.” A longsword-wielding inquisitor stepped closer

to the Corrupted Human.

Aurelius II didn’t seem all too perturbed by the reveal of his status. “Take
your tribute and leave. Consider this my last warning.”

The chief inquisitor now knew where this mad confidence stemmed from.
Taking this monster on with only a hundred men seemed a risky business,
the monster was clearly capable.

“No, don’t get close.” He warned his eager but inexperienced colleague.
“We’ll retreat. Just this once.”

“Chief Inquisitor, what are you saying? The monster is here right in front of
us.” The longsword-wielding inquisitor protested.

“Yes, Monster unlike any we've seen before.” He emphasised. “A

Corrupted Human empowered by no one else but the Demon King.” Who
knows maybe this isn’t even Aurelius II, the Reveal Status clearly states
that he’s Aurelian the Great and not the former. “ There is no reason to lose
good men and women here.” He reasoned further. They can always come
back with the full army.

“But…”

“No buts!” He reprimanded the woman sternly. “Aurelius II, or whatever

you are, we’ll take our leave today.”
Aurelius II sighted as if tired by all the drama, “But you’ll be back, right? I
know you will. At least take the gold with you.” He pointed at the shiny
pile. “I’m a changed man, I don’t go back on my promises.” He nodded.
“Yeah, tell the emperor that after you deliver my tribute.”

The taxman reached for the gold.

“Don’t you…” The chief inquisitor stopped him by grabbing his arm.

Aurelius II shook his head at their antics. “I assure you, it’s not Cursed, or
anything like that.”

“We’ll not risk it.” The inquisitor looked at the men behind him. “Now, let's
leave this accursed place at once.”

The inquisitors, ever so cautiously, moved towards the exit.

“Oh, and to clear up the misunderstanding.” King Aurelius the Great

casually stepped towards the retreating inquisition. “it’s not the Demon
King, but The Monster King. And you should know better than to cross
him.”

The fleeing men seeing the Corrupted Human approaching increased their
pace.

“Oh, and another thing. I strongly advise you to leave the resident spiders
be. I can’t guarantee your safety if you harm them.”

“I’ll kill you, monster.” A rather eager inquisitor, the one with a glowing
sword, shouted just before leaving through the door.

She was the last one to leave. Aurelius the Great didn’t pursue the
inquisition through the palace halls. He close just closed the doors and
began walking towards his ‘throne’.

“For their own sake, I hope they’ll behave.” He sighed again.

A shadow moved from a particularly dark corner towards the King. A large
form of the spider manifested in front of him, the creature wore an
excessive amount of golden jewellery.

“It seems. My presence was unnecessary. They’ve left peacefully.”

“Yeah, but they didn’t take my gift of goodwill.” He sighed again but in
disappointment. “I kind of figured they won’t.”

“So, human, what comes next?”

“They’ll attempt to crush the Aurelian Kingdom and Kill me. I don’t think
it’s safe for spiders to remain. They kill them too.”

“So barbaric. They are no friends.”

Aurelius the Great slumped heavily back on his ‘throne’, there was clear
sadness on his face. “I can’t hope to match the full power of imperial
might…” Whatever confidence he was displaying minutes ago it was all
gone.

“Well…” The spider began with a chirp. “They aren’t friends, that’s clear.
But we have many human friends in the Aurelian Kingdom. Good friends,
like you.”

The boulder-sized king smiled at those words. “it’s the first time you called
me that. I am honoured.” He attempted a bow without standing up from the
tool, almost breaking the furniture in the process.

“Yes, you are also a subject of the Spider King. An ally.”

“Of course. A loyal subject if I might say so myself.” He clearly liked

where this was going.

“So… You can expect some help from the spiders.”

“And the Monster King?”

“His majesty remains preoccupied with duties of most importance. I rather

not distract him too much.”
“Oh…” He said it as if his high hopes were just crushed.

“Don’t underestimate us spiders. Our help, even if limited, will be enough.”

“Then we’ll manage. Thanks.” He attempted a bow but the tired ‘throne’
finally buckled under the weight and exploded to fragments.

“Aurelius!” The spider scolded. “That was Reinforced +2! You should visit
the Spidery Delicious already.”
 100 - The Hunt Of An Elusive
Darkness

The King had received the Spider Report. The news of the return of the
shadow monsters were disturbing.

“[Summon Darkness],” he summoned the most likely culprit.

A spot of darkness pooled in front of him forming a blob resembling a

slime.

“Yes, Master. What’s happening?”

“Shadow monsters are back. The spiders have spotted a shadow wolf.”

“Oh no!” It jiggled its slime-like body.

“Don’t tell me you have nothing to do with it.”

“But I don’t, meow, I’ve lost my previous power.” The voice the Darkness
used at the moment belonged to a certain wyrmling, a known troublemaker,
and for that reason, it didn’t sound all too trustworthy.

“Is that so?” He looked at the slime sceptically.

“It is so. I don’t have enough mana to summon even one of them, meow.
But maybe if I can get close, I can take control?”

That was an interesting idea.

“Hmm… is it possible for them to be born naturally?”

“Well, since my… transformation. There is a lot of ambient Dark mana
around.”

“Yeah, and there is that rain too.” He decided to let his pet off the hook.
“Let’s see if we can catch a shadow wolf.”

“Okay?” The Darkness jiggled uncertainly.

He went to see the spiders to get a rough location where the shadow
creatures were spotted. However, there was a certain problem, even if there
were shadow wolves around, they were known to avoid spider detection
and by extension him the Spider King. It was as if they could feel the
spider’s presence from a distance. A Spider ArchMage has been speculating
that the shadow creatures had a keen sense for Dark magic and that they
could sniff individuals with Dark affinity; and it made a lot of sense.

The King could resort to trapping them, after all, CageBush trapping was a
tested method. But since the sightings were rare and the MegaFarm was
huge, trapping a shadow wolf could take weeks or months. Well, there was
a solution. The spiders had whispered that his wife was preparing a surprise
for him, unfortunately, that surprise was sort of spoiled because he already
knew about the item she was making.

“Hmm, thinking about it. The item should already be ready. Let’s go see my
wife and ask some leading questions.” He urged his pet Darkness to tag
along.

“Meow, Okay.”

The Lamia Queen was casually lounging in the throne room on a throne.
There were two seats one for the King and one for the Lamia Queen, both
made equal. But for some reason, when the Spider King wasn’t there she
would sit on his seat. Currently, she was clutching a large bundle of
TomGrape with one hand and devouring them greedily with the other. The
juices spilled from her mouth and down the chin leaking on her blue dress
and then all over the throne. She was making a proper mess all around.
The Spider King stepped into the throne room and there was an urge for
him to sigh. But really, everything had Dirt Resistance, so it wasn’t much
of a big problem. This was just the way the Lamia ate, and he accepted that
part of their culture.

“Oh, you here, sss. Come sit.” She patted her tail offering it for a seat.

Recently the two had grown closer, but he wasn’t going to sit on top of his
wife, if anything the roles should be reversed. She should be sitting on his
lap. Wait… no, there was a whole dedicated seat for her! He was getting
distracted by idle thoughts.

“Actually, my dear wife, a certain rumour had reached my ears. I’ve heard
of a surprise gift you’re making. And I’m sorry to spoil the surprise. But
I’m so giddy at the thought of it, I can’t wait! Is it ready?”

The lamia pouted hearing him speak but soon that pout disappeared.

“Yes, sss, I have it my dear. I was just looking for a good moment. But I
guess-sss I have no choice. All ‘giddy’, eh, s-s-s!” She hissed happily.

The Lamia Queen gave a meaningful look to one of the lamia servants in
the throne room. The rather tiny lamia nodded vigorously and slithered to
fetch the gift.

“I sss-see your pet is tagging along with you today.” She looked with
slightly narrowed eyes at the Darkness.

“Yes, I’m training it.”

“You know when we were…” She made an obscene gesture. “It was there
in the room, sss, on the ceiling in the darkest corner. I noticed it taking a
peek and then it disappeared.”

Yeah, the Darkness here could faze through walls using shadows and
otherwise was good at avoiding detection, but…

“Hey, why didn’t you tell me? I would have chased it away.”
“SSS, it was gone as soon as I saw it. And it would have spoiled the mood.”

Now, he too was looking at the Darkness with narrowed eyes. The slime
didn’t even jiggle, as if it didn’t do anything naughty. He kept staring with
more intensity.

“Master, what?” It finally asked.

“Why were you spying on me.”

The Darkness jiggled. “I wasn’t spying! Meow! I was guarding you.”

“Explain.”

“You are my master, meow. At night I find my way to your room. When
you sleep It’s my duty to guard you. And at that time, I thought you were
being attacked, meow, but I was mistaken.”

So, in other words, it was always watching him at night then he was
sleeping. He didn’t know if to call it cute or creepy. Let’s go with cute.
“Aww, thank you so much Darkness,” he patted the top of the slime, “but I
need my privacy.”

“I know, meow. That’s why I left.” It jiggled again.

“SSS! Please don’t watch us sleep. We have guards just outside.” And it’s
not like they needed any, apart from stray shadow monsters, the MegaFarm
was super safe.

“It is my duty!” The slime bobbed in protest.

“Queen, King, sorry for the wait.” The servant Lamia bowed and handed
pale pale-looking item to the Lamia Queen.

It wasn’t wrapped or even boxed. Apparently, the Lamia didn’t have that
custom. Really, a missed opportunity. A wrap was there to create that extra
tension, a step to reveal the present; it was important because even if
superficial it improved the experience. Even if he had known what it was
already, he hadn’t seen it with his eyes, but now he did.
Anyway, at least she understood the importance of passing it by her own
hands.

“My dear, I’ve got it for you, sss. Now, when you are away, I can always-
sss be close to you. And if you miss-sss me, feel free to caress-sss it.”

He took the gift from her hands. It was a piece of clothing.

“I’m very happy to receive it. I’ve always wanted something like this.” He
gave her a genuine smile.

“I know, sss, that’s why I got it ready. Try it on already.” She encouraged.

“Finally!” The gift was a plain white west, it didn’t have much flourish but
the eye-catching features would defeat the purpose of the item. “[Inspect].”

Item: Vest of the Lamia Queen Quality: Masterwork

Bonuses +50HP, +10 Lamia Rep

Active
[Camouflage],
Perks

Passive
[Minor Regeneration],
Perks

Resistances [Reinforced +2]

“It fits perfectly. Thank you again.” He embraced his wife with a kiss.

“S-s-s. Should we go to the bedroom?”

“Well… I have to try this first. [Camouflage], can you see me?”

“S-s-s!” She laughed. “This is not how this perk works. Dear, it doesn’t
make you invisible, sss, and you’re standing in the middle of the room, s-s-
s.”

“S-s-s!” Even the Darkness was laughing.

“Hey, sss, don’t imitate me!”

“How about you teach me how to use it.” He asked.

“Sss-sure, let's go outside.”

Camouflage wasn’t an invisibility, there were a lot of limitations. First, for

it to be effective he had to consider the close environment, the denser and
lusher it was the better, but dark places and cramped nooks and crannies of
the caves would also work. Second, if someone saw him just before he
invoked the perk that individual would still be able to see him, in other
words, he had to be undetected before using it. The more aware the target
was the more likely it was that the perk would fail, so unsuspecting
individuals were most vulnerable.

He invoked the perk in the TomGrape fields to test its potential.

Unsurprisingly so, the spiders were able to detect him, something to do with
their innate ability to sense their Spider King. However, he was able to
surprise a few unsuspecting lamias making them jump in surprise. If it
worked against Lamia it was a promising skill. Similarly, the Centauri were
just as vulnerable to his shenanigans.

“You are having way too much fun from this-sss.” The Lamia Queen didn’t
sound all too pleased about his pranks.

“You know, If I just wanted to scare the girls, I could use Shadow Walk.
I’m just testing the potential of Camouflage.

“Yes, meow, Master is very happy with the gift.” For some reason, the
Darkness jumped to support him.
“I know, sss, just don’t go overboard. And don’t sss-spy on anyone then
they are changing. Or bathing, or…” She was beginning a long list of rules.

What was that saying? Ah, yes, with great power comes great ability…
hmm, that wasn’t exactly it. Anyway, he had better perks and spells if he
wanted to do that type of spying. It’s good he wasn't some sort of a deviant.

“And definitely don’t spy on anyone when they are sleeping. Oh and…”
She was still going on.

Well, he had to pretend to listen, and while he did that. His mind went on a
bit of a tangent. Here he was wearing his wife's skin. He ate the Drow Ice
Cream, ate Centauri Cheese, and let’s just not talk about Forbidden Sauce.
And his hobby was milking his best friend. Right definitely not some sort of
a deviant, no-no, he had good reason for all of these.

“…and especially not, sss, when I’m in the process of shedding. I might
have given you this but you sss-seeing me do that would be way too
embarrassing.”

Oh, it sounds like she was done. “Of course! I would never use your gift for
evil.”

“It’s good you understand.” She hissed sounding pleased.

“Now, if you don’t mind. I and Darkness have to catch a certain shadow
creature.”

“Don’t stay up too late. You need to thank me, sss, for the gift properly.”
She blushed saying the line.

Yeah, it wasn’t just Darkness who had duties to fulfil.

“Of course.” He nodded.

The Spider King and his pet Darkness continued their walk between the
rows of TomGrape webs. They were walking slowly in order not to break
the Camouflage.
“Master, if we’re hunting them isn’t it best if I stay away.”

“Right, good idea. They might be able to sense you. I’ll summon you when
I need you.”

The slime jiggled disappearing into the shadows. Admittedly, the shadow
creatures might still be able to feel his presence, after all this was just an
experiment. However, he felt optimistic about this. As long as he didn’t use
any magic it should be fine. This was because, according to the Queen
herself, the perk not only camouflaged visual presence but other types of
senses too, like smell and sound, and hopefully magical presence.

Regardless, he kept his pace casual so that he didn’t move too quickly or
make any unwanted sounds. He walked around till late at night. Since he’d
promised, he couldn't keep at it through the night even if he wanted, so he
began walking towards the palace. It was then the TomGrape leaves rustled
right behind, he jerked his head to look at the sudden disturbance.

A fat squirrel emerged from under the web.

‘Ah, just a squirrel.’ Even so, he was slightly disappointed. ‘But wait… why
is it running? And desperately so.’ The squirrels were fat and lazy, they had
no reason to run, unless…

From the same web a large shadow emerged, it aimed its two tentacles
towards the squirrel. The fat and slow critter was caught, and the tentacles
began draining it of life.

With his quarry right in sight, he acted without hesitation jumping towards
the shadow wolf. The Camouflage broke but his arms were already tightly
wrapped at the torso of the shadow creature.

“[Summon Darkness],” he called.

The tentacles released the half-drained squirrel and then latched on the
Spider King.

[Debuff: Drain], a message informed him.

A form of shadowy slime manifested nearby.

“It’s wriggling too much. Do your thing!”

“Yes, Master.” The Darkness shot a tentacle from its body jabbing it straight
into the shadow wolf. “I’m in.” it announced proudly.

The shadow creature stopped struggling, the tentacles dropped down

dispelling the Drain effect.

“That was fast.” He complimented looking at the docile shadow creature.

“I’m in!” The Darkness repeated as if looking for praise.

“In?” He could see the slime’s tentacle piercing the monster but there was
clearly more to it. “What do you mean in? It’s already under your control,
yes?”

“Yes, meow, but… how to explain this.” The Darkness jiggled in

contemplation. “Their minds are connected.”

“What? Like a hive mind?” That knowledge startled him a bit. “Is there a
leader? A new Darkness?” He asked with worry.

The slime jiggled again. “No. There isn’t. But they are loosely connected.
Meow! There are about fifty of them in the MegaFarm.”

Okay, it even knew the number!

“Can you take control of all of them?”

“No, meow, only this one. I would need to make contact.”

A small problem really. “Just call them here. We’ll ambush them.”

“Meow?” The darkness bobbed from side to side. “I can’t, they won’t
listen.”

“Ahh… so you’re not powerful enough.” He reasoned.

“Yes, meow, but also, they’re… afraid?”

“Afraid? Of what?”

“Meow! It's obvious. It’s you!”

Okay, so even shadow creatures were afraid of him. Was he some sort of
monster? No!

“I don’t think I’m that scary… So, you can talk with them, right? Or is that,
you can just get a general feeling.”

“I can talk with them. Meow… sort off. I can’t command them. But we can
communicate.” The darkness bobbed sounding uncertain in its own words.

“If they’re so afraid, just tell them to leave.” He said so fully aware that it
never was that simple.

“I’ll try.”

“If not, we’ll just hunt them down.”

The Darkness quivered. “And that’s why, meow, they are afraid of you…
Okay.” It gave a somewhat positive jiggle. “They won’t leave. There isn’t
much food in the jungle. But they say they won’t attack the spiders.”

“Duhh…”

“Okay, meow. They won’t attack anyone. They just want the squirrels.”

“So, they can be reasoned with.”

“Master, what do I tell them?”

“I don’t like freeloaders, tell them that.”

“Hmm… how do I translate it? Meow!” The Darkness jiggled in frustration.

“They are confused. Meow, just so you know it's not words we’re talking
with. Images, emotions, stuff like that.”
“Hmm…” He also was hmm-ing now.

“Confusion.” The darkness repeated.

“Just tell them that they would need to work and do as I say.”

“I’m trying. But how is that different from my control?”

He looked at the shadow wolf, it was there completely motionless.

Puppeted.

“They would retain their free will.”

“Oh, I see!” The Darkness jiggled with vigour. “Okay, meow, they won’t
attack anyone and will try to follow your commands.”

“Can they be trusted?”

The Darkness undulated with uncertainty. “Meow, I don’t know.”

It seems that only time will show. And anyway, if it was only squirrels they
wanted, why not? There was plenty to go around. And he would gain
another interesting minion. Assuming all worked out that is.

“Alright. Tell them I’ll tolerate their existence.”

“Yes, Master.”

He looked at the still motionless shadow wolf. “Should we release this one?
To show goodwill?”

“I can, meow, but if I do so it will die.”

“Really?”

“Yes, it’s a part of me now.”

“Oh, is that how this works? I guess it can’t be helped.” He started walking
back to the palace.
The Darkness and the newly acquired shadow wolf were right behind.
 100.5 - I Can't Help But Crave For
More

A creature born from hunger cannot help but crave for it.

To eat, consume, devour – is all it ever needs.

But there are so many forms of hunger, such as yearnings and desires.

Mayhaps the food is not a thing it craves the most, indeed…

Darkness, but more precisely the Darkness, knew only one emotion –
endless hunger. But all of that had changed. Of course, it still had some
cravings. But it was wiser now, it knew that no matter how much it
consumed or how much it grew, that emptiness inside would never be
satiated. However, ever since its form was reduced to a mere slime, ever
since it was bound to the Master, for the first time ever it felt fuller than
ever before.

It still consumed ample amounts of mana which the Master’s body provided
so generously, but it wasn’t the thing that gave the feeling of satiation, of
content, of fulfilment. The source of fullness lay somewhere else. But
where?

There in the darkest corner of the ceiling Darkness was observing its Master
sleeping. Next to him was his dear wife, but Darkness didn’t care about that
creature. No, all senses of the Darkness were locked on the masculine
shape. It heard his quiet and rhythmic breathing, It saw his chest going up
and down. Even from a distance, it felt the warmth of his body, the smell of
his breath and the humidity of the moisture which left his skin. It even felt
the massive pool of mana swirling deep inside him, albeit it was too chaotic
to perceive properly. But even then, when it could feel and sense all that…
it was not enough.

Darkness was hungry for more. Such was its nature.

‘It’s not like he would notice.’, ‘It wouldn’t even harm him.’, ’I’ll borrow
just a little.’, ‘After all, there is no harm.’, It reasoned to itself with half-
broken and stuttered thoughts.

The blob of darkness plopped down from the ceiling, it dropped and jiggled
but there was no sound. Soundlessly it flowed towards the Master’s
sleeping form, on a bed, past the sheets and towards his head.

Darkness jiggled at a peculiar emotion filling its mind. It was new. It was
excitement. No, it had felt excitement before, it was more nuanced this
time.

‘I’m doing something I’m not supposed to do.’ It jiggled again. What was
the word? ‘Thrill.’ Or at least a form of it.

There were so many reasons not to do it. The Darkness glanced at the other
creature. She was close and her tail was wrapped around the Master. That
one tended to be rather perceptive. That one could catch Darkness in the
act. But even then, despite those things, or maybe because of them, it just
made it even more exciting.

And even if there were a hundred reasons why not to do it, the Darkness
could come up with just as many why it should do what it was about to do.
Okay, enough of cryptic language. A tentacle sprouted from the Darkness
and moved towards the head. It moved slowly and carefully as if it was just
very shy. It stopped an inch from his forehead, and the Darkness hesitated.

‘Huh, why am I afraid?’ It struggled to find the root of that emotion.

‘I came so far already’, ‘This is my chance.’, ‘Let's do this.’, ‘It’s just a

tip.’, with such thoughts the shy tentacle made the connection.
Darkness quivered in delight, its slime-like body had almost turned to
mush. Why? – because a new world had opened to it, a world of dreams.
And it was unlike the millennium-old slumber the Darkness knew too well,
no, it was different. It was full of colours, movement, and emotion. It was
very lively in there, but also chaotic.

Darkness couldn't understand what it was seeing or even feeling. A lot of

the objects in the dream didn’t make sense. However, it understood that
Master was having a good dream. It basked in those new experiences for a
few seconds more, memorizing as much as it could.

‘It’s enough.’, ‘It’s Enough.’, ‘Enough!’, no it wasn’t urging itself to stop.

The Darkness was cheering. It was filled with joy. It never thought the day
would come, but it felt satiated. It wasn’t hungry anymore. Well, that’s not
entirely true, the endless void was still endless, somehow, something else
had opened and that thing felt full.

“One is bottomless. The other is full.” All in all not too bad. If only it could
grow the latter one, maybe the two would cancel and set the Darkness free?

‘Enough…’ The Darkness pulled the tentacle away and flowed back to its
corner.

The act lasted less than a minute but the Darkness had enough to go for
weeks. While it was guarding the sleeping Master it went through the
images it saw in his dreams. It was curious of their meaning. There were
grey rectangular towers reaching the clouds, there were dragons made of
metal flying in the sky, there were colourful boxes littering the sides of
paths, and most of all there were so many people. But those people had no
faces, they felt empty like puppets.

‘Is it something the Master wants to make? Or is he just remembering?’

The concept of imagination and the concept of nonsensical dreams were

alien to the Darkness. It wasted its time trying to figure out the meaning of
the images it had copied. But at least it had something to do in that corner.

…
The Spider King was sitting in his study. He was thinking about a very
weird dream he had in the morning.

“Hmm…” He shook away his idle thoughts. “I promised to give Johny a

call.” And it's not like he was busy. “Better now than later.” He swallowed a
drop of Slug Jelly.

[Temporary buff Eldrich Telepathy obtained]

“Hello!” A super cheerful voice rang inside his head and his mind was filled
with excitement.

‘Urgh. It hurts.’ He grabbed for his temples.

Johny always did that to him, she always opened the link a tad bit too hard.

“Is That Better?”

‘Yes, thank you.’

“*Ehem,” she cleared her throat, “it’s A Bit Messy But Please Come In.”

No, she wasn’t inviting him into her room, this was way more personal.

‘No, I think I’m fine.’ The reality was that he struggled to deal with all the
sensory stimuli which came with the unique anatomy of the slug body. ‘It’s
just too stimulating.’

“Hmm, Maybe Next time Then. You Know What?”

This was time for Johny to say her catchphrase: ‘I’m Bursting!’.

‘What?’ He asked to play along.

“I’ve Spied On Some Very Jiggly News. Directly From Aurelian Kingdom.”

‘Oh?’ He was surprised. He didn’t expect her ability to yield results so

soon.
“It Seems There Is War Incoming.”

“Not again!” he reacted out loud forgetting to use his inner voice. ‘Is it
bad?’

“Aurelius Is Confident He Can Win.”

‘Then, maybe it's not that bad.’ And anyway, the spider report should follow
soon with more details.

“You Know What Else?” She didn’t wait for his verbal reply. “The Jelly
Had Reached Some Mighty And Interesting People Of The Holy Empire.”

‘The Emperor?’

“No, Not That Mighty. The Holy Inquisition. Have You Heard Of Them?
Ah, I Can Sense Your Confusion. Let Me Explain…” Johny started to recall
what she gathered from unsuspecting users of the Slug Jelly.

The use of the precious slug extract wasn’t that widespread in the Holy
Empire, not yet, but it had reached some high places. Johny had information
coming from clerks, tacticians, wealthy merchants, some nobles and similar
people of high status. Of course, not all of it was of use, but apparently,
Johny had access to two people who were responsible for planning and
leading the Inquisition against Aurelius the Great. One was a right-hand to
the Chief Inquisitor, and the other one was the tactician to the general.

The Tactician had access to all the important information, like the number
of warriors or the planned dates for an attack. A lot of which he had to plan
himself. The Tactician was a hard-working person, so he used the jelly to
energise himself during the all-nighters.

The other one, a right hand to the Chief Inquisitor, was a woman of high
potential. She had a moniker the Radiant Sword, or just Radiant to her
friends. She was very young and climbed the ranks with unprecedented
speed. She had some unique talents, and her Light affinity was high making
her an unmatched Paladin. As a right hand, Radiant was entrusted with
leading the Inquisition against the Aurelian Kingdom.
“I Wouldn’t Worry Too Much About The Tactician Or The General. The
Army Is Sizeable But The Men Are Only Levied Peasants. It Is The
Inquisition Which Will Be The Hardest To Deal With. I’M Currently
Gathering Information On Their Inner Workings”

‘I see. Let's write everything down and pass that information to Aurelius.’

He went back and forth with Johny asking some questions and clarifying
the details. Of course, the information wasn’t perfect, because Johny could
only glean a little from their minds. But it was enough to know where and
then they would be attacking.

“You Know That Woman, The Radiant. She’s Strange.”

‘Strange?’

“It’s Hard To Explain. Let Me Show You.”

His mind was presented with a vision, it was rather vivid as if he was there.

===

It was night and the tiny room was illuminated only by the dim candlelight.
A feminine hand threw an expensive-looking glass bottle to the wall. It
simply bounced off refusing to be smashed; surprisingly the wall suffered
more damage than the bottle. A callused hand wiped a slightly sticky
substance from the lips.

“Why… why can’t I stop? I’m such a sinner.” She opened one of the
drawers of the cupboard and reached for a certain item.

It felt natural in her hands, almost as natural and comfortable as her

longsword. She stood in front of the mirror. Her hair was long and blond,
her eyes were blue, and her face had delicate features. There were no flaws
or imperfections, that allowed her that look of a princess. However, the rest
of her body was a different story. Yes, it was well-toned, even muscular, but
it was ravaged by scars. A lot of those scars were from many battles or
mistakes she made during practice in her younger years. But her back was
the most scared. And there was a reason for it.

“Sinner! Sinner! Sinner!” She used the item she’d retrieved from the
cupboard. She was merciless with it.

There was a jolt of pain but soon it was replaced with something else.

“Sinner! Sinner! Sinner!” Her breaths grew heavy and her body hot.

The scenery changed. Now this woman was in the courtyard. She was in the
middle of a circle of people, both men and women who came to see her
battle. There was that rush coursing through her body, something that only
the jelly could provide.

“How dare you to challenge me. I’ll crush you!” She spat at her opponent.

“You are too young and too incompetent to be the Chief’s right hand.” A
much older man said it with calm composure.

“Let me show you then! Ahh!” She started the battle with the first swing.

The time skipped forward, the man was lying on the ground unconscious
and severely hurt. The crowd was cheering: “Radiant!”, “Radiant!”,
“Radiant!”.

The woman in question didn’t stay to celebrate her victory, instead, she
used her remaining stamina to sprint to the nearest lavatory.

*Bleh! – She expelled the contents of her stomach.

“Is it still there?” Her body was overtaken by sudden tremors. “[Status].”

Title: Radiant Sword

Monster: Lesser Magic Affinity: 📿🙏📿
Angel Light

HP:150/200 MP:50/250 STA:20/200

Active
[Holy Retribution], [Last Stand], [Angelic Heal]
Perks

Passive
[Radiant], [Deflect Magic], [Holy Presence]
Perks

Resistances [Dark Weakness: Medium]

Status
Error[System_Override]! [Evolve?]
Effects

*Bleh! – She retched again but nothing came out.

Her hand reached into her chest pocket. She held a tiny glass bottle filled
with a blue substance right above the dumping hole. Her fingers were
trembling.

“God why did you betray me… Is this some cruel test!” She began to sob.
“How can angels be monsters?!” She let go of the bottle.

[You are no longer Error[System_Override]!]

[You’ve lost access to the Monster System]

Just before the bottle could reach the dumping hole she swiped it back into
her hand.

“Why… Why can’t I resist it? Why does it grant me such power?” She
opened the bottle and sucked the contents with a single gulp.
[You have been afflicted Error[System_Override]!]

[You have gained access to the Monster System]

“God, why are you silent?! How do I ascend?”

===

Yeah, those weren’t just images, he could clearly feel emotions too.
Disgust, arousal, frustration, the feeling of betrayal – all was there.

‘I see, she’s crazy.’ He came to his own conclusion. ‘I didn’t know Slug
Jelly could mess someone's mind so much.’

“No, Her Mind Is Rather Clear. I Think She Is Just Lost, Misguided
Maybe?”

Yes, and this woman will be leading her own group of inquisitors.

‘She’s clearly dangerous.’

“King, We Could Use Her Insecurities Against Her. Isn’t She Seeking For
God?”

‘Explain.’

“Hmm… I Gave You Only A Few Snippets So You Don’t Know The Full
Picture. She Wants To Be An Angel. And It Is A Fanatical Desire. And You
Can Make Her Into One.”

“What? Really?”

“Of Course. You’re Our Monster King, Are You Not? I’m Sure You Could
Make It Happen.”

Maybe Johny was onto something here…

101 - What?! I'm not a furry, no-no

The Spider King was heading towards the warehouse, in both of his hands
he had two buckets brim filled with treacle-like liquid but blue. A very
broad grin was plastered firmly on his face. The morning was good!

“Huh, what is this?” He noticed a congregation of shadows.

In the bright and happy morning, on a clearly visible spot, a number of

shadow creatures had gathered. There was each of a kind: wolf, stingray,
boar, slime, roadrunner, and a slime. His body tensed at the sight of the
unusual gathering, but as soon as he spotted the slime among them he
released a sigh of relief.

“Darkness, did you make new friends?”

“Morning, Master.” The slime bobbed. “Yes, meow, I did.”

The shadow monsters just stood there motionless and without a reaction.
Yeah, those aren’t friends but puppets. But that didn’t mean that Darkness
didn’t make friends.

“So, you tapped into their mind-webs?”

“Yes. I talked things through with roadrunners, boars, sting…” The slime
began naming.

“Oh, they’re not linked all together, but rather in their groups.” In other
words, the wolves shared their mind only with other wolves.

“Meow!” The slime jiggled in affirmation. “They all agreed to cause no

trouble.”
It seems there were more shadow creatures surviving than he thought. That
is good, right?

“Darkness?” He asked. “What if they start reproducing? Won’t that be a

problem?”

“Reproducing?” It shook. “No, I’ll take care of that.”

He raised his eyebrow questioningly.

“I have it, meow. They won’t cause any trouble.”

“No, what I mean is that I don’t want too many shadow creatures in the
MegaFarm. They look like a hungry bunch.”

“Meow! I understand. I’ll keep them at a stable number.” A tentacle

stretched towards shadow roadrunner piercing its body. “Look. [Absorb
Shadow]” The entirety of the roadrunner flowed into the body of the
Darkness. “Oh, meow! This was hard to catch.” It meowed with regret.
“Whatever, the wolves will help me again.”

Oh, it was already working shadow wolves to its advantage. Well done,
Darkness!

The Spider King was also a craftsman and had a trained eye. “Darkness, did
you grow bigger?” Albeit, only by an inch or so.

It quivered as if unsure. “Yes…” It responded after thinking. “I grew

stronger, meow. I like this Monster System!”

Well then, all was good.

The King continued his trek to store the jelly, Darkness and friends
followed him.

“I was thinking. The shadow… minions could prove useful in the war
against the Holy Empire.”

“Meow?”
“They’re hard to detect, and even we had a hard time killing them. Physical
Resistance and all that.”

“Meow…” it was thinking. “Yes, but they’re weak to magic, especially

Light.”

True, even a single enchanted arrow was enough to kill a shadow wolf.

“Yeah, but we wouldn't send them against the Inquisition. Only against the
peasant levy, and the supply caravans.”

“Hmm…” The tentacle connected with the shadow wolf.

“I’m sure it will work. You might not see it that way, but the shadow
creatures are scary. They won’t need to attack the army proper, only lower
its morale.”

The slime finished bobbing and jiggling. “I spoke with them, meow.
They’re up for the job. Actually, they are giddy to go.”

He wondered if the Darkness got the ‘giddy’ part right, this was a risky
mission he and doubted the shadow wolves wanted to die. “Huh, I guess
they have their reasons.” He decided to leave it at that.

“I’ll send them then you’re ready.”

He nodded. He wasn’t going to leave everything to the minions of the

Darkness, some of the spiders will be coming too. Namely spider scouts
and spider saboteurs. The idea was to undermine the enemy on their way to
the Aurelian Capital as much as possible; to weaken them before they
reached it. And if he was lucky, they wouldn’t even reach it.

Of course, all thanks to the fresh morning intel he had just received from
Johny, they knew most of the plans of the Enemy. So, it was easy to come
up with counters and ambushes. Currently, the Holy Inquisition was moving
towards the border villages and towns. Their goal was to subjugate the local
residents, make them to denounce Aurelius the Great as a heretic and a
traitor, and then forcefully draft the same people with an excuse that it was
their penance. It was Human duty to fight the Demon Lord! – or so they
would say. The Inquisition’s plan wasn’t a bad one. If other people saw that
their countrymen were rallying against King Aurelius, they too would be
more likely to switch sides. In other words, the Inquisition was trying to
make itself look less like an enemy and more like a saviour.

Ha! That won’t happen. Because he already sent a Minor Phoenix summon
to the Aurelius telling him all of this. The advice was to order the people to
retreat to the capital. Even with such an order, some people wouldn’t want
to leave their homes and farms unattended. So, it was up to Aurelius how he
managed that. the Aurelian King could inform his people that the
Inquisition was coming to ‘cleanse’ the towns and villages and tell them
that they had to flee to protect their lives. Or he could play it sneaky and tell
the people that there are a massive feast and games happening in the
Aurelian Capital. A celebration of a century, where everything is free, all
you have to do is just attend. Or something like that. Entirely up to him!

He had also sent another message to Lord G Bling, the spider had the most
authority there. Lord G Bling will be responsible for building refugee
shelters, procuring food and keeping the general peace. After all, he needed
to support his allies.

How about sending weapons and spider forces? – At the moment he was
hesitant to do that. Every time he did something like that there was only one
result. So, it was best to leave humans to solve human issues. But if it went
particularly bad, of course, he planned to roll out the entire Spider Kingdom
might and defend his interests in the Aurelian Kingdom with full force.

Anyway, he didn’t have to micromanage everything, there was the Trusty

Advisor helping him with that. And the actual war hasn’t even started yet, at
least not the fighting part. So with plenty of time on his hands, he could
allow himself a side project, or rather an experiment.

The Spider King burst out of the Shadow Walk into a lush forest. While
this was still a forest it was unlike any other; not a single tree in this place
was normal. He walked past a tree which was clouded in a veil of darkness,
he ducked under the cage-like branches of another tree. A bird fluttered its
wings trapped in the cage-like confinement. He ignored it; even trees
needed to eat.

Finally, he emerged into an ashen clover garden. The crop had grown
increasingly important, AshenClover was the preferred staple of the
Centauri. The girls could eat TomGrape, and they did during their logistic
missions, but they found it too nutritiously dense. Was that even a problem?
Anyway, they preferred to eat the clovers whenever they could. And he,
being the ever-pleaser, was up to the task of granting their desires. After all,
he owed them for all the cheese they made. By the way, Centauri
Champion’s Cream Cheese had blown his mind out, but that’s a different
story.

The still modest field was currently tended by White Sprigans, and the guys
were doing a great job, but if he wanted to expand it he would need to
employ spiders. He could bring the crop back to the MegaFarm, after all,
he had Acclimate and Unnatural Selection perks so even the dark rain
wouldn’t be a problem, probably. However, there was a bunch of reasons he
left this crop here. The main one was centralisation, or the drawbacks of it.
It was all good and convenient to have everything in one place, that was
until something like Shadow Plague struck and devastated the entire stock.
As a preventative measure, he decided to grow some stuff outside the
MegaFarm. Namely the AshenClover, EarthenYam and
WitheringCabage.

He walked deeper inside the field. The clovers were growing nicely. He
plucked a leaf and deposited it into his mouth.

“Tastes mild and leafy. Just like a salat.” It wasn’t that amazing, at least to
him. “But hey, Centauri loves it!”

A grey rabbit jumped right in front of him. The animal was unafraid of his
presence. It used its fluffy paws to bring a clover leaf closer to its mouth
and began to munch on it greedily.

“Aww, how cute. You like it too.” He crouched to pet the animal. “So soft
and fluffy.”
Aside from the mutated squirrels, this was the second animal he saw today.
It seems that life found its way back into the Magical Forest.

“Rabbit, just don’t go inside the CageBush or eat a nut from TrapBush.
You will get eaten.” He warned the blissfully unaware critter. “Aww, so
fluffy.”

A naughty idea popped into his head. A completely needless idea.

“This is not an experiment I had in mind, but…” He looked around guiltily.

There was no one here to judge him. “[Evolve].” He invoked without
hesitation.

Evolving plants posed little issue unless they ended up as a monster plant,
but evolving animals was a big deal. They always ended up as monsters!
And he was hesitant to create new life, because he would end up being
responsible for it. But no one was infallible, and he did it on a whim.

A large amount of mana drained from his mana pool. 2000MP, almost half
of his mana was just sucked out. The rabbit was enveloped in the iconic
purple glow of evolution. It was growing big.

“Hopefully, not another Eldrich monster.” Not that there was anything
wrong with Johny.

It was hard to see past the bright purple glow, but the rabbit was developing
a human-like shape.

“I see no tentacles. So far so good.” He nodded happily.

The rabbit stopped growing and the light dimmed. Revealing what could be
best described as demihuman or beastfolk; a rabbit with human features but
not the other way round. He or she had all the signature traits of the
previous form: fluffy grey fur, a puffy rabbit tail, long and droopy ears, and
cute but clawed fingers.

The evolved rabbit was crouching and looking with confusion at the Spider
King.
“Hello.” He gave a warm smile. “How do you feel?” He asked.

There was no reply presumably because it couldn’t speak, or didn’t know

how yet. It was still unknown how intelligent the rabbit was. As if to imitate
him the now bipedal rabbit stood up on its now improved legs; it was short
barely reaching up to his chest. The rabbit tried to smile, but that smile
came out awkward.

“Good enough, I guess. [Inspect].”

Monster Race: Variant: Ashen Magic Affinity:

DemiMonster Rabbit None

HP:80 MP:40 STA:80

🐰
Active
[Burrow]
Perks

Passive
[Animal Affinity], [Luck]
Perks

Oh! So this was a demimonster and not a demihuman. By the way, the
humans had their values close to 100/100/100, meaning that Ashen Rabbit
was a weaker specimen by default. But it was a monster and monsters could
grow, right?

“You came out surprisingly normal. And surprisingly average…” Which

wasn’t bad at all. He gave the rabbit another pat.

The rabbit patted the King’s head in imitation, or tried to, it was on the
shorter side after all.

“Cute as a button.” He smiled.

The rabbit smiled awkwardly.

They were feeling each other up for another good moment, each fascinated
with the other’s body anatomy. From a distance it might have looked like
the two were up to something.

“Interesting… I can’t have you around doing nothing. Let's put those arms
of yours to the test.” But this was more of a mental challenge really.

The rabbit was keen on parroting him so he tried to teach the rabbit a few
tasks. First, he planted some more AshenClover using seeds. The rabbit
imitated him flawlessly, no, the rabbit was better than him because of its
Burrow perk, it subconsciously used that when planting.

“You pick things up just as quick as spiders. Colour me impressed!” He

rubbed the rabbit's head.

The rabbit smiled less awkwardly.

For the second task, they harvested some of the clovers into large bags.
Once again the rabbit was dexterous enough to complete it with no issue.
While working the Spider King talked with the rabbit but if it understood or
even could speak was still unknown. However, the rabbit proved intelligent,
it was able to do simple tasks.

“You’re very capable.” He scratched the rabbit between its ears. “Keep at
it.” He handed the rabbit a large bag of seeds.

The outcome was not guaranteed, but he figured that the rabbit knew what
to do with the seeds.

“I’ll leave you to it, and pop back to see how you do later.” He called a
nearby White Sprigan who was casting Grow on the freshly planted seeds.
“Look after the rabbit, please. Oh, and teach him some things.”

The White Sprigan nodded in understanding, they too didn’t know how to
speak but were otherwise emotive.
The rabbit however had different ideas, it tried to follow the King. The
White Sprigan stopped the rabbit with a firm grasp on the shoulder. The
rabbit squealed.

“I don’t think I can take you. The Shadow Walk doesn't work like that. Nor
can I stay here…” But he did feel sorry for the rabbit, the poor critter
looked distressed. “Look, I’ll make you a companion. How about that?”

The facial expression on the rabbit softened.

Incidentally, there already were a bunch of rabbits at the Ashen Rabbit’s

feat, no doubt all thanks to Animal Affinity. The King kneeled to pet a
random rabbit, they all were cute and clueless. Ashen Rabbit, the ever-
imitator, did much the same.

“Ah, it seems you like that one.” He touched the cute critter. “[Evolve].”

A similar scene just like before unfolded, but the Ashen Rabbit looked with
awe and wonder as if it hadn’t experienced that first-hand. And with another
2000MP taken, there was another rabbit crouching on the clover floor. The
new rabbit was a near-carbon copy of the first, but this one had only one
droopy ear.

“Now look at that. You have a friend.” He clapped.

A new friend looked rather confused. The first rabbit began petting the
second with affection; a thing it had evidently learned from the King. And
soon the confusion was replaced with a blissful face.

“Now, since I have two of you, I can’t just go and call you rabbits. You,” he
pointed at the first. “In the honour of your species, I name you Ashen.” He
touched the rabbit with a finger. “Ashen.” He repeated. “And you, I name
you Ever.” There was no deeper meaning behind the name. “Ever.” He
repeated hoping that they understood. And just for a good measure, he
pointed at himself. “Spider King.”

Surprisingly Ashen nodded as if in understanding. Ever the rabbit just

listened without displaying any strong emotions.
“Please look after the clover garden, make it grow.” He pointed at the large
seed bag lying nearby, without really expecting anything from the two.
“Okay, now I must go.” He turned to walk away but only after giving them
a broad smile.

Ashen smiled with the awkwardness all but gone. Ever did much the same.
The rabbits might have understood him, or maybe not, but this time neither
of them protested.

“Be good Ashen and Ever. [Shadow Walk].” He invoked. “The experiment
was interesting.” He said so to himself while travelling through the dense
tree line as if it was nothing. He took one step but flew a hundred, this was
how the spell worked.

Let’s go back to the improvised experiment. He had found something

interesting: the evolutions weren’t completely random, two individuals of
the same species evolved into the same variants. Or so it seemed for now.
But obviously, there were exceptions. For example, Corrupted Human and
Lesser Angel, both came to be from an ordinary human, so there was that.
But those two were under the Monster System and not directly evolved by
his perk.

The conclusion was actually straightforward. He could evolve lesser beings

into monsters, and the already sapient monsters could use the Monster
System to evolve further. Their advanced evolutions must depend on their
individual skills and talents.

“Yes, that seems like it.”

With the Spider King gone the two rabbits petted each other while rolling in
the clover garden. Both of them giggled mirthfully while flattening the
clovers in joyful motions. They were very happy with their new bodies and
heightened consciousness.

After tiring of all the rolling, cuddling, and groping they stopped abruptly
from exhaustion.
“Ashen,” Ashen said his name proudly. Then he nudged his partner. “Ever.”
He spoke her name.

“Ever.” Ever nodded in understanding.

Ashen gave his partner a warm smile. He looked at the large bag of seeds,
he knew what to do with it. But there were more important matters.

“Ever!” Ashen said with affection.

“Ashen!” Ever said with equal affection.

They nodded at each other in understanding. All life has a duty to perform;
the seeds will wait.
101.5 - The Profane Dark Ritual Of
The Spiriting Away 😱

Somewhere at the eastern border of the Aurelian Kingdom.

A low-ranking inquisitor is giving a salute. “Mis Radiant, we searched all of

the houses. There isn’t a single soul here.”

“Are you telling me that a whole village just went and disappeared?”

“Yes, as if spirited away.”

“Nonsense.” She sighed. “They’re hiding somewhere. Secret basement or

something.” She showed the man out of her way.

The Radiant Sword, the appointed leader of the Inquisition force, was
beyond frustrated. This was the third village they’ve visited today. All of
them were empty. She kicked the doors of the nearby house and stomped
inside. There, the table was set with plates and food which went cold not
too long ago. She looked around for more, there were minor valuables
around. She looked out of the nearby window, there outside, the laundry
was still there left to dry. Indeed, everyone was gone. And they must have
done so with high urgency. But where? There was no nearby forest or
mountain to hide. And the disappearance seemed to be recent.

However, she couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. It was way
too eerie and quiet. Not just humans were missing but farm animals and
pets too. Her subordinate's words rang inside her mind.

“Spirited away, huh.”

She refused to believe those words and kept looking for some sort of secret
hideout. Predictably so, she couldn’t find anything like that, and time was
of the essence.

“Let’s head to a nearby town. If anywhere they will be there.” She urged.

The Inquisition moved out. The goal was to unite with the Holy Empire’s
army and force the nearby border town into submission.

A lot of a while ago, at the undisclosed border village.

Village Chief looked at the unharvested and now spoiling wheat crops. An
entire field was left unattended, a good twenty tons of wheat. But no one
even bothered to start harvesting it. Something like this was hard to
imagine, especially considering that the Kingdom was under a severe
famine not too long ago; the memory of it was still fresh in the minds of the
common folk. The reason was simple, there was no point… The wheat price
had crashed. It was almost worthless.

When King Aurelius II signed the trade treaty with the Spider Kingdom, a
peculiar crop flooded into the Aurelian Kingdom. It was filling and
delicious, but most importantly it was dirt cheap. Many people praised
Aurelius II and the Spider King as their saviours. But not everyone was
happy with that turn of events.

Merchants who peddled Fertile Kingdom’s wheat went out of business.

Nobles and wealthy landlords had gone bankrupt. There were competent
farmers, who despite the harsh conditions still managed to grow crops here
in the Aurelian Kingdom, they too had suffered from the crashed prices.

The Village chief was exactly in this situation. He didn’t even have enough
money to hire help to harvest all the wheat. And even if he had it harvested
and stored, there were no merchants buying it. He was doomed!

Or maybe not. A genius idea sprouted in his mind. He could let farm the
animals graze on the unharvested wheat. Surely, the animals soon would
fatten. Of course, there would be a massive loss but at least he wouldn’t go
bankrupt. After all, meat remained a precious commodity.

Some time passed, and the animals grew plump and fat. The animals were
rounded up and ready for the slaughter. The local butcher ran up to the
Village Chief.

“Chief, the spider caravan!”

“Yeah, yeah!” The chief waved the man dismissively.

The spiders were known traders. They came here every week peddling their
dirt-cheap wares. The Village Chief wasn’t too interested.

“No, it's different. I think we should hold on to our animals.”

“Huh?”

“Come. You need to hear it yourself.” The butcher urged.

He followed reluctantly. The spider caravan was unusually large this time.
There were more wagons than usual, most of them empty. The empty
wagons were pulled by some sort of unknown creature presumably a type
of demihuman. The Village Chief would be startled, if not for the now
familiar presence of the spiders.

“Centauri Express. Everyone, come aboard.” The spider chirped.

The villagers were already hopping into the wagons.

“Hey, what’s going on.” He questioned the villagers.

“You didn’t hear? There is a feast in the capital.” A scrawny man

responded.

“Yeah, apparently everything, from food to lodgings will be free.” A

middle-aged and equally scrawny woman replied.
“I heard there will be games and other entertainment. Oh, and the trip is
also free.” A man added.

“I always wanted to visit the capital. Never been.” A young woman was
giddy with excitement.

“Sorry chief, we won’t be available for a few days. And it’s not like there is
any work here anyway.” Another man complained.

“Chief, don’t look so worried.” A young man smiled. “Not everyone is

going just to loiter there. I for once, will be looking for employment. With a
feast that big they will need some extra hands.”

“Yes, a spider told me that the King is also looking for hostesses and
labourers.” A young woman nodded.

“Centauri Express. Everyone, come aboard.” The spider chirped again.

Seemingly an entire village was dropping whatever they were doing and
just leaving.

‘How irresponsible!’ He wanted to shout. But he knew better. He knew that

everyone here, and not just him, was struggling.

The butcher grabbed the Village Chief by the shoulder giving a gentle shake
and a meaningful look.

“Chief, do you understand now?” The butcher asked.

“The animals… Oh, yes. We can sell them in the capital.”

The timing could not be better. With the gathering that big, there was bound
to be demand for meat.

“Spider?” He asked the nearby spider merchant. “Do animals also travel
free?”

The spider looked thoughtful for a moment. “Aurelius the Great said.
Everyone is invited. That must include the animals. Yes.” The spider
nodded.

“Let’s put them in the separate wagon.” The butcher said sagely.

The Village Chief wasn’t stupid, he knew that it would be uncomfortable if

they hauled the animals and the people together. He didn’t say anything and
instead ran back to the enclosure to begin herding the animal stock.

The inquisition arrived at the closest border town. Being a small town, it
had no walls or anything like that apart from a few watchtowers. The
Inquisition and the Army just walked straight in.

“What is this? What’s going on?”

The town was abandoned, completely empty.

Of course, Aurelius II could have ordered the retreat, but there were issues
with that. First, there would be some opportunists around like the homeless
and looters, but even those were missing. Second, if a retreat was issued it
was way too quick and organised. There was no way for Aurelius to know
where the Inquisition was striking. There were a few little towns like this…

“Unless he ordered all of them to retreat.” The Radiant uttered under her
breath.

“Nonsense.” The Army General protested. “Why would they follow his
commands? I’ve read your report, isn’t he a Mad Tyrant?”

“Maybe that’s why everyone is obeying. They’re afraid.”

The general scratched his chin. “Ha! He’s just handing the territory to us
without a fight. I reckon he’s just a coward.”

No, she still remembered that Aurelius II didn’t flinch even when he stood
alone against a hundred inquisitors. He might be mad but definitely not a
coward.
She shook her head. “Something just doesn’t sit right with me.”

“You worry too much. A sign of tiredness? Let’s set an outpost here, we’ll
rest and tomorrow we’ll march towards the capital.”

She was worried. Worried about all the people who were supposed to be
here. What if they were sacrificed in some sort of evil dark ritual? She
shook her head again, dispelling those thoughts.

“Yes, I’m tired. You don’t mind if I go and rest?” She asked the General
only out of politeness, as an inquisition leader she didn’t need such
permissions.

The general slammed her shoulder forcefully. This was his way of saying
yes.

Indeed, the plan was to take this city and use it as a supply base. The
Aurelian Capital was still a week’s worth away from here. They’ll need to
make a few more bases like this. However, the underlying issue was that the
Inquisition failed to capture any Aurelian citizens to use them in their
schemes. If this continues, King Aurelius II will be more difficult to depose.
Of course, he stood no chance against the combined might of the Inquisition
and the Army, but still…

Anyway, she retired to a nearby vacant mansion for the night.

Screams woke her up in the early morning.

“Ambush!” She expected that. But even then, there was a huge army inside
the town. It should have been impossible.

She ran towards the Merchant Square which was converted to army
gathering grounds. Everyone was panicking and shouting. It was impossible
to tell where the enemy was. But soon she realised that there was no enemy.
Whatever had happened it happened at night, and this was only the
consequence.
One after another, dry and desiccated corpses were hauled out of nearby
buildings. There was a survivor. His face was pale and gaunt.

“What happened.” She began interrogating the man.

“Shadows. Became alive. Drained.” He uttered.

“Explain.” She demanded.

The man began sobbing. “Darkness. Shadows. Drained. Tentacles.” He was

too terrified to speak.

“Tch!” She clicked her tongue. “We shouldn’t have relaxed. This is the
work of demons!” She announced to everyone. “Don’t worry, from now on
each group will have an Inquisitor with them. We’ll put the end to these
demons.” She tried to encourage the panicked men.

“Radiant sister!” An inquisitor ran up to her. “I have managed to kill one of

those demons at night. They’re rather weak.”

“See!” She spoke to everyone. “You have the Holy Inquisition with you.
There is nothing to worry about.”

The panic lessened. However, she knew just how shallow her words were.
After all, she still didn’t know what they were dealing with exactly.

The Army left the garrison in the town and marched towards their next goal.
The next town was two days' march away. This meant that they’d have to
set camp in the wilderness. And that would be just another affair of the
army, but the men were still perturbed about what happened the previous
night.

Worse, a strange sickness swept through the ranks of peasant levy. The food
was poisoned leaving the men to deal with uncontrollable bouts of
diarrhoea. The march had to stop abruptly, and the food had to be cleaned.
Luckily the inquisitors had just a spell for that.
The Radiant pressed her hands on a parcel of food. “[Cleanse]”, bright
sparkles showered the parcel dispelling any tainted magic it was
contaminated with. “It’s safe to eat now.” She assured the warrior.

“Thank you, sister.” The warrior bowed in gratitude.

“Think nothing of that. That’s why we’re here.” She walked to the next
person. “Has your food been blessed?” She asked.

The inquisitors were walking around the troops, cleansing the army rations.
It was draining their MP reserves and taking time, but it was necessary. As
she was doing that she had picked up on strange rumours. The men were
talking about a dark curse. They were saying that the Demon Lord had
sacrificed the townsfolk and the villagers to place evil magic on the entire
army.

“Nonsense!” She would reply. “Just check your Status. See, there is no
Cursed there.”

She would say so, but the more she said that line the more she doubted her
own words. The draining and poisoning incidents remained unexplained.
However, she and her men had spent the rest of the day reassuring the
peasant levy and even professional warriors that everything was under
control.

The march didn’t progress as far as anticipated, and the night was near. She
might have slept an hour or two, but once again she was awoken by shouts
and screams.

“Demons!” The men were shouting.

She rushed outside the tent. Some strange creatures were darting in and out
of the sky. They were winged resembling a bird or maybe a kite, but they
were completely black as if made from shadows.

The archers were shooting their arrows hitting the demons but those just
pierced their bodies doing no damage.
“Ah!” Someone shouted from the side.

A tentacled mass of darkness vaguely resembling a wolf assaulted one of

the soldiers. The tentacle violated the poor man draining his life force. The
nearby soldiers slashed at the demon with swords, but even then, the demon
remained unscathed.

“Curses!” She ran to the rescue. “[Radiant Light]!” She coated her
longsword and swung at the demon.

*Pop – it disappeared.

“Light spells. Use your Light spells!” She commanded her men.

The Inquisition began countering the threat with their magic. In the end, it
was super effective, and the terrors retreated into the darkness. However,
evidently so, the demons were invulnerable to normal attacks. The warriors
and the peasant levy had no way to deal damage, leaving them increasingly
demoralised. Of course, the army had their magi, and they proved useful,
but those were few in number; barely enough to counter the threat.

“The Inquisition will take the night watch. You go and rest.” She announced
to everyone.

“You know…” The General looked at her intently. “Thanks for that.” He
even bowed.

Was he, the General, scared? She purged those thoughts. “Think nothing of
it. That’s why we’re here. To purge this land from evil. Aurelius II will pay
for this!” She grumbled with a tightly clutched fist.

In the end, the inquisition ended up taking the night watch and then
cleansing the food in the morning. The duties she was putting on her men
were ever-increasing. And she too would have collapsed long ago if not for
a certain secret booster she was taking.

…
The people flocked into the Aurelian Capital and King Aurelius the Great
met them with open arms. The festivities were only in their beginning
stages but even then everyone was already in a jovial mood. Numerous
spider stalls were set up all over the streets and it wasn’t just TomGrape
they were handing out here free of charge. Various meals pioneered by
Spidery Delicious had reached the stalls and the people were lining up to
engorge themselves silly.

A young human lady was walking with a tray. “Spider-FizzPop™ grab

your Spider-FizzPop™,” she smiled at the passersby adding, “to quench
your daily thirst and to fill you with life!”.

Surprisingly so, in between the spider stalls there were human stalls too.
Those were peddling their items, such as meaty goods, crafts and other
trinkets. Those weren’t free exactly, but no one even thought to blame
Aurelius the Great for false advertising. The stall owners came here from
the provinces to make money, and they were allowed to do so with no fee or
any tax. A lot of people were grateful for that; it added the unexpected
variety.

Aside from food, there were many other traditional games taking place all
around the capital. The most serious games had monetary prizes generously
sponsored by the King himself. Those who craved entertainment came to
watch the games or even participate in a few. Naturally, the most
competitive games were dangerous, but even then, the Healing Potions
were handed out free of charge.

Outside the city walls, a massive construction was taking place. This wasn’t
a single mega project, but it was grand in scope. Both spiders and humans
joined their hands to build thousands of buildings to house an ever-
increasing number of guests. The human labourers were paid a generous
wage by the King. So yes, not everyone was here to just celebrate. Those
who were interested in money found work here quickly. However, perhaps
ironically, or maybe it was just natural with the spiders, the buildings built
were superior to the buildings inside the Capital walls. There was even a
working sewage system put in place. The designs were slightly alien and
definitely spider-like, but they were simple and sturdy, also quick and easy
to make. Humans worked under spider direction to build the lodgings.
There were whispers and rumours that it was a waste to spend so many
resources to build houses to house temporary guests. But no one wanted to
complain too much, after all, the guests were staying there free, and the
labourers got a nice pay for their work. Yes, the money was coming out of
the Royal Treasury, but it was up to the King how he spent that. If it went
back to people's pockets, even better!

In the end, everything was going well. Maybe too well. An imaginary
conversation would go like this:

“Do you know we are at war?”

“What war?”

“With the Holy Empire.”

“Eh? What’s that? Sounds not important.”

“How about the Spider Kingdom?”

“Ah! I know that. That’s the one with spiders, right? Aren’t they just
magnificent, just look at them go.”

“But some say the spiders are evil!”

“Who said that? There’s that bastard? Guards! Guards!”

In other words, the Aurelian people were mirthfully ignorant about the
current predicament of the Aurelian Kingdom. But hey, they were a happy
bunch.
 102 - Strap On For Reckless Fun

The first shipment from the Dark Fortress had arrived. To preserve the meat
during the trip it was encased in ice blocks. The spiders hauled large cubical
parcels inside the cold underground storage. The meat will mostly be
consumed by local Lamia and their young, but also some of it will be
shipped to the Aurelian Kingdom.

The icy blocks weren’t the only things the spiders had brought. There were
also bones, leather, barrels of plankton, and something round and very
precious.

“Finally, I have my balls.” The Spider King looked with excitement at two
large spheres. “That should give me the strength I need.”

He injected a small amount of mana into IceShard Bird Core and the large
sphere floated up hovering just above the ground. He did much the same to
the other one. The otherwise heavy cores now felt weightless, and he
pushed the two of them effortlessly to the workshop.

The two joined a third, a much larger core.

“Three is a lucky number. That should do the trick.” He declared without

any evidence to support that statement. He had to go on this arbitrary
number because this was just an experiment.

“Okay spiders, let's get this done!” He encouraged the nearby spider
crafters.

“Crafting!” The spiders chirped in giddy excitement.

Huge logs of IronOak were dragged into the workshop. The IronOak was
notoriously hard to work with and it was only possible with the tools made
from Glem. The metal of the tools was black and the tool itself often had
oddly scary or otherwise menacing shape. It was of no surprise because
they were made by Drow, just like spiders they had their own sense of
aesthetics. The tools might have looked like torture implements but they
were made to cut and shape the wood. Actually, it was surprising how well
the tools worked since the Drow used to be Elves, Elves who would never
harm a tree… In the end, the IronOak logs were cut and processed into
thick planks.

On the side, mages worked on a Corrundum framework. The metal was

bent and shaped to web around inside the IronOak frame. It had to be done
so that the magic could flow freely. The structure was beginning to shape
up. Two cores were nested at the back and the Supermassive core at the
front. There at the back, in a cabin-like room, everything was connected to a
control table. The large structure was further divided into rooms of various
sizes.

So, what was this structure? It didn’t have masts for sails, but still, it was a
ship.

“Or is this a plane?” The Spider King wondered for a moment. “No.” He
ruled that option out. “Sky Ship.” This was a flying ship, but the name
sounded boring. “Hmm… Sky Whale.” He shook his head again. “Galleon
Whale. Yeah, that will do.”

And so, the flying ship was named Galleon Whale. Since it had no mast for
sails or even wings, the name seemed fitting. The ship was roughly 200 feet
long (60 metres), bigger than your average IceShard Bird but smaller than
its supermassive variant. So in other words, it was rather massive.

The name was made, but there was another important thing to do. “A
maiden voyage! Everyone aboard the ship.”

The spider crafters and the spider mages climbed aboard. The King put his
hand on the control table and poured the mana in. The ship floated off the
ground. It didn’t wobble or turn upside down; everything was good and
stable.
“Ups, I’ve almost forgotten.” Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to build
something like that indoors, but it was a bit late for such realisations. “Open
the roof!” At least, they did plan this out to some extent.

A bunch of spiders jumped out to use a nearby crank lever to shift the roof
canvas open. The ship floated up towards the ceiling hole and the spiders
jumped back on the slowly floating ship from the ceiling. Everyone was
back aboard, good!

“Up, up we go.” He directed the ship higher. “Ok, now’s the real challenge.
Straight.” He pushed his mana into a different panel of the control table.

Galleon Whale began inching slowly forward.

“Faster!” He poured more mana in. “More! More!”

From up high it was hard to tell the real speed, and he had no devices to
measure it. It was somewhat faster than a sprinting Centauri.

“I demand MORE!” He forced more mana in.

The ship flew faster, but it was no race boat. “I guess this is the limit.” But
even then, something like 40 miles an hour was a decent speed. And now
that it was at maximum velocity the mana consumption was negligible.

While the reckless King was enjoying himself a nearby spider was taking
notes and doing calculations.

“King. We need to test. The manoeuvrability.”

“Ah, yes. I’m enjoying myself too much. There is it.” He looked at the
control table.

The ship had no wings or rudder, and no moving parts, the movement was
controlled by the three cores. And the cores were controlled with mana
injections. So the table had different areas to push the mana in. The design
allowed movements in all three directions (x, y, z). It was rather simple. He
put his palm on a button-like surface and the ship began to turn. Much like
IceShard Bird it wasn’t too nimble in the sky, but even if slow the
movements were smooth.

He also needed to test the ‘pitch’ and ‘roll’ functionality. Those proved to be
more challenging; at least for him. He turned the ship upside down, and the
spiders being spiders managed to stick to the floor without falling off, but
he had to hold tight on the table so as not to tumble down on the ceiling.

“Barrel roll. It works.” Spider chirped adding to its notes.

“Okay, let’s not do that again. This thing needs a chair and some safety
belts.”

“Understood.”

“What other tests do we need to do?”

“Lift capacity test.”

He directed the ship back to spider warehouses. Regretfully so, the landing
was not the smoothest, the ship moved with a lot of inertia, and it was as
slow to stop as it was to accelerate. In the end, he smashed the ship into the
warehouse building sending pieces of the warehouse wall flying.

“Ups… We’re here.”

Aside from the collapsed wall of the warehouse, there were no big issues.
The ship was made of IronOak and hence incredibly sturdy. He could
probably crash it into the mountain, and it still would be fine.

The spiders loaded the hull of the ship full of TomGrape. No less than
1000 tones. A massive amount.

“I hope this works.” He poured the mana in.

The Galleon Whale moved with grace. It was heavier but not slower at all.
The magic laws governing the working principles of the cores were
interesting. And it made sense, after all, one of the cores belonged to
Supermassive IceShard Bird.
“No surprises there. It could even be heavier.”

“Mana use?” The spider asked.

“Again, surprisingly no changes.” Full or empty the ship consumed the

same amount.

“Interesting.” The spider made more notes.

They tested a few other things and landed the ship near the Palace. He was
getting better at sailing, wait no, flying, and this time he didn’t crash the
ship into the building.

Naturally, the flying object had attracted several curious observers.

“What is this-sss?” The Friendly Lamia asked with awe petting the white
hull of a ship as if it was an animal.

“Galleon Whale. It’s a flying ship. We built it with spiders just today.”

“Sss…” She hissed. “Why?”

The question made him pause.

“Why?” He repeated. “Because I could. Didn’t you ever dream of flying?”

“No, sss, that sounds scary. And dangerous.”

The other lamias standing right behind her nodded in approval.

“I guess, flying is not for everyone…”

A spider messenger approached the King. “King, I’ve been running around.
Trying to reach you.” It had a rolled and sealed parchment in its spidery
hand. “But you were in the sky. This is for you.”

He took the parchment; it was sealed with a royal seal belonging to the
Aurelian Kingdom.
“Most likely news about the war.” He guessed breaking the seal and
unrolling the parchment.

===

Dear Master, my Monster King,

I, your humble servant lowly Aurelius the Great, extend to you the warmest
greetings and heartfelt wishes for your continued dominance over the
Monster Realm. As we had agreed the Aurelian Kingdom is now officially a
full part of your realm and you, my Master, are its rightful ruler. From now
on I will rule the human parts of your realm as your loyal duke.

Hence, it is with great honour and immense pleasure that I write to invite
you to a grand feast in celebration of your benevolent rule and my
ascension to the status of the duke. The feast will be a magnificent affair,
filled with delectable delicacies, enchanting music, and captivating
entertainment. It is my sincere hope that you will grace us with your
majestic presence, bestowing upon us the honour of your attendance.

The feast not only serves as an opportunity to pay tribute to your wise and
just leadership but also as a testament to the unity and strength of the
Monster Realm. It will be attended by distinguished guests from all corners
of the Aurelian Kingdom, including re-educated lords, reformed merchants,
and influential figures from the nearby villages and towns.

During this auspicious event, we shall present you with tokens of our
unwavering loyalty and gratitude. These gifts, carefully chosen to reflect the
richness of our land and the talents of our artisans, serve as a humble
expression of our devotion to your reign.

Moreover, this feast offers a platform for you to address your subjects
directly, sharing words of wisdom and inspiration that will resonate
throughout the realm. Your presence will undoubtedly uplift the spirits of
our citizens and reaffirm their faith in the vision you have set forth for our
prosperous future.
To ensure your utmost comfort and security, I request that you bring your
spiders with you. We have already prepared to accommodate at least ten
thousand of your spiders. If your majesty desires, he can bring even more.
Twenty thousand, thirty thousand… you can bring them all.

In anticipation of your gracious presence, I remain, with the utmost respect

and admiration,

Yours faithfully,

Your loyal servant Duke Aurelius the Great.

===

“What is this…” He wanted to crumple and throw away the parchment. But
then he realised that it was a human custom to do politics like this; in a
roundabout and dishonest way. However, Duke Aurelius had a silver tongue
and it didn’t look like the Monster King was in any position to refuse the
invitation. If he did so, he would betray the expectations of the Aurelian
people. Nor did he want to refuse it, just like any other person he liked
feasts. Well maybe not in the war-torn countries, but whatever.

“It seems there is a feast to attend… Spider, draft a letter telling him that we
will come.”

But, thirty thousand spiders, where did he even get that number? Anyway,
there were some preparations to make.

“Friendly Lamia, can you run up to the Queen and inform her of this.”

“Yes-sss.” She slithered away in an urgent manner followed by other

lamias.

“Now, it says the feast is in my honour, so should I bring gifts or not?”

“The King Aurelius. Is becoming Duke Aurelius.”

“Ah, I hear you spider, but that sounds like demotion. It’s not something
normally celebrated.” He scratched his chin in thought. “No, it would be
rude to come empty-handed. We’ll exchange the gifts.” He thought about
what the Duke Aurelius might like. “Scrolls! I’ll gift him a bunch of
scrolls.”

Speaking of which, the Darkness Spider, thanks to the Dark Spirit Stones,
had reached another breakthrough in making the scrolls stronger. The new
Dark Scrolls were on the powerful side, more precisely highly destructive,
but since the Aurelian Kingdom was now officially a part of the Monster
Realm, entrusting Duke Aurelius with such power seemed appropriate. It
would show that he trusted the duke and it would also give the duke power
to defend his lands.

“But Aurelian Kingdom… does this mean it becomes Aurelian Duchy?

Ah!” He waved a hand dismissively. “The name doesn’t matter.” Humans
could name their lands however they wanted.

The Lamia Queen insisted on taking all her Lamia subjects to the Aurelian
Kingdom. Something must have struck a chord when Duke Aurelius didn’t
invite any Lamia, an honest mistake on his part, or she just wanted to show
her Lamia off.

“How about the Lamia babies? Their still little.”

“We’ll leave sss-some bugs around, sss, they’ll be fine.”

The Lamia hatchlings were growing at a surprisingly fast speed due to the
peculiarity of the magical world or their monster race. Regardless, they
were far from adults, not even teens yet.

He had to reason. “They are surprisingly independent. But we should leave

at least some spider minders.”

“As long as I get to take, sss, all of my warriors and sss-servants.” She
nodded.

Well, that was out of the way.

“If you're taking all the Lamia, it would be rude not to take Centauri.”

“You want to take them, take them.” She shrugged.

It seems that everyone in MegaFarm was going. Obviously, the ship didn’t
have that capacity. Not even a hundred ships would. Most of them will be
tracking on foot, but with the highway towards Aurelian Kingdom paved
and completed that won’t be much of an issue.

“I’ll be flying there, want to join me?” He asked for what must be a fourth
time.

“To fly in that thing, sss, no!” She trembled.

Apparently, all Lamia were terrified of flying.

“It's not that scary. And it's safe now, we’ve put seats and safety belts.” He
was proud of that improvement.

“I saw you crashing that thing again, sss.” She shivered looking in the
vague direction of a meteorite-like crater. “No is no. We’ll meet in the
Aurelian Capital.”

This meant that he would arrive way before his wife. But if she was fine
with that, so he was.

“Okay then, I’ve finished my preparations, I’ll be leaving now then.”

“Sss-see you there.” She kissed him goodbye.

While on the way to the Galleon Whale, his attention was grabbed by the
vigorous trotting. He turned around to see the smiling face of the Centauri
Champion.

“My King, I’ve heard someone vacated their seat in your ship.” She said so
while prancing in place giddily.

It was obvious what she wanted.

“Yeah, my wife won't be coming. And yes, you can take her seat.”

“Really?!” She was kicking her rear feet now.

“Yeah, why not.”

She launched herself for a hug, but he dodged that feeling threatened by her
soft weapons. For some reason, he was now thinking about Cream Cheese.

The Centauri collected herself and didn’t attempt to grab him for a second
time.

“Sorry, I’ve got too excited.” She smiled.

He replied with a smile of his own. “I’m glad someone is excited about
flying just like me.” The spiders so far were very neutral to the whole affair
of flying.

“I’m just happy to fly at your side.”

“Come then, let's get you strapped in.” He led her towards the ship.

A horn was blown signifying the lift off of the Galleon Whale. The ivory-
white ship slowly lifted towards the sky. Nearby spiders and lamias were
waving their hands seeing the ship off. Even if the Spider King couldn't see
it, the Lamia Queen was also waving at the ship.

“Travel sss-safe my brave husband.” She said so with confidence knowing

that a piece of her was wrapped around his chest. “My good luck charm will
protect you.” She saw the ship disappear in the distance. “Now, we too must
leave. To the Centauri Express!” She urged her subjects.
 102.5 - The Prayer That Gave Me
Wings

The march towards the Aurelian Capital was a total slog. It was a gruelling
experience. During the day they would march and at night they would be
assaulted by terrors. There was no respite at all. The progress was very slow
and there were talks of desertion in the peasant army. At least for now, the
General was keeping the army together. If not for the presence of the
Inquisition the men would have routed long time ago.

Any villages or towns they had encountered were completely abandoned; it

was very eerie. The army rations kept getting poisoned, the nights were
infested with terrors, and the terrors themselves were invulnerable to
swords and spears. If anything, the peasant levy seemed to be useless, but
the Inquisition wouldn’t be able to take the capital on its own, especially not
without the reinforcement from the local populace which they couldn’t get
now. So, there was that.

The mood was very dreary.

To lift her weighted spirit the Radiant Sword was praying in her tent.

“Oh, Holy Light, is this a test? Or have you forsaken us?” She craved for
answers. “Or is this a punishment for our weakness?” She looked at the
almost empty bottle she was grasping tightly in her hand. “For my
weakness…”

She understood that such prayers would never be replied to directly. Holy
Light didn’t speak in words; it sent its messages through signs, or such was
the teaching. But ever since she stepped on this tainted land, she couldn’t
see or read any such signs.
A shrill shout ended the tranquillity of the night and the peace of her prayer.

“And so, it begins.” She said it with a sigh. “So, it is a test…” She looked
again at the bottle and finished its contents.

[You have been afflicted Error[System_Override]!], [You have gained

access to the Monster System], and so she became a Lesser Angel.

“I’ll purge the evil. For the Holy Light!” She ran out of her tent.

Her Holy Presence broke the Terror the men were afflicted with. The
Angelic Heal restored the vigour of the Drained. The Holy Retribution
imbued her attacks with the Light magic. And the Last Stand enabled her
to fight throughout the night without feeling tired. The perks were
extremely powerful, and they were only available in the Monster System.
And these weren’t your standard Light magic, at least not in the repertoire
of the Paladin class. A few of her colleague inquisitors raised their brows at
seeing her use unknown magic, but no one challenged her. And she was
extremely lucky that they didn’t have a funny idea to read her status; such
action would reveal the real source of her power.

Despite such dangers, she fought the shadows like a hero. Her body was
glowing in dim light giving that illusion of holiness. The name Radiant did
suit her well.

“Radiant!”, “Radiant!”, “Radiant!”, the warriors were chanting.

With a *Pop* she killed yet another monster. As if afraid of her radiant light
the shadows retreated into the darkness and the night returned to its tranquil
state.

She was done sooner than expected, but once the shadows were repelled,
they wouldn't attack for a second time. So it seemed safe to dispel her Last
Stand. The tiredness which wasn’t there moments ago assaulted her like a
flash flood. She wobbled on her feet back towards her tent.

“I need sleep.” She said the obvious. “But also…” She needed to pray and
thank for success. Tonight no one had died.
She looked at the now empty bottle. She had packed enough, or she had
thought she did, but the march was taking longer than expected. The liquid
blessing that granted her divine power was all but gone.

“Holy Light, give me strength to pull through this. Just a few more days.”
She put her hands together deciding to recite one of many prayers. “Oh,
Holy Light, please guide our path. Bestow us with strength and wisdom to
last through times of darkness. Grant us salvation and purity of both body
and mind. Oh, Holy Light, listen to my prayer and send me a sign.”

Suddenly a chilling breeze swept through the tent extinguishing the candle.
The air was filled with an overbearing aura. She felt something similar
when meeting the Holy Emperor for the first time, but the current presence
felt many times stronger, also it was completely different. Less cold and
murderous, no, it was the opposite of that.

Regardless, her heart skipped a beat as she sensed that she was no longer
alone in her tent. She turned around to face the presence.

“I can sense you. Who are you?”

From the darkest corner of the tent emerged a figure, cloaked in shadows,
with glowing yellow eyes that pierced through the veil of night. It was the
source of the aura. The being in front of her, even if obfuscated by the
shadows, possessed an undeniable allure. The aura they were emitting,
while strong and overbearing, felt warm and fuzzy. She couldn’t help but
feel… relaxed.

“Ah, Elisabeth, how delightful to finally meet you in person. Johny had told
me so much about you.” The voice was deep and strong, betraying the
masculine gender of the cloaked figure.

She almost yelped in surprise. There was no way for him to know her birth
name. She had abandoned that long ago, way before she even joined the
Holy Orden as a sister. In her younger days, as an orphaned street urchin,
she called herself Ella, then later, she was just another sister, and now she
was the Radiant Sword of the Holy Inquisition.
“Johny?” She looked for that name hard in her memory. “Is he one of the
angels?” She guessed.

Yes, if this Johny was an angel it would make sense that he knew the name
given by her mother just before she died.

“She’s a hero and a precious friend, but an Angel? I wouldn’t go that far.”
He inched closer. “But let’s not get distracted here.”

Her already tired knees gave out at that moment forcing her to kneel and
bask in an overbearing aura. “Are you here to take me away? To take me to
the heavens?” She couldn’t help but think such thoughts.

“Huh? How did you know?” The entity sounded surprised for a moment. “I
guess I could give you a tour… But first, will you listen to what I have to
say?”

She nodded vigorously putting her together as if she was praying.

“Hear me out, Elisabeth. The world is not as simple as you believe. The
Holy Light you so fervently serve is but one side of the eternal balance. For
balance, you need all three: Light, Dark and even Chaos. Let’s say
someone embraced darkness instead of light, but if they bring balance to the
world, such a person isn’t necessarily evil. Embracing the darkness doesn’t
mean forsaking your principles, but rather finding strength in both”.

While listening she kept nodding memorising each line, it sounded

important.

“You know who I speak of, right? Can you forgive him?”

That question took her out of the religious fervour. “Are you speaking about
Aurelius II? But he’s a monster…” With those words, she found the
strength to stand up. “He’s evil! He’s corrupted by darkness! A Corrupted
Human!”

He inched even closer. “I can see your faith is strong, my dear inquisitor,
but perhaps your convictions are misguided. Evil and darkness aren’t
synonymous. Just as the light can cast shadows, the darkness can grant
power and wisdom. And the ever-outlier chaos can bring the much-needed
breath of fresh change. Imagine the potential within you, amplified by the
forbidden knowledge you fear.”

She gasped turning to look at the empty bottle she discarded to the corner
not too long ago.

“The choice is yours, Elisabeth. Continue to serve the light blindly, or

unlock your true potential and embrace the chaos.”

She collapsed back to her knees clutching the bottle to her chest as if it was
the dearest thing in her world.

“Is this another test? A trial I must complete before I ascend?”

Her mind swirled with conflicting thoughts. She didn’t know the right
choice. At first, she thought the cloaked entity was a messenger sent from
the heavens, but now she started to consider the opposite.

“I don’t have the answers. It’s you who makes the choices and bears the
responsibility. But think about what I have just told you and consider this: if
you promise to turn back and leave the Aurelian Kingdom, I will Evolve
you. That is what you want the most, yes?“

She was slightly confused about the word ‘evolve’. “Do you mean I will
ascend, become an Angel?”

“Yes, I have the power to grant you that.” He inched closer.

They were only a few feet apart, but even then, she couldn’t see past his
cloak of shadows. The words were sweet and irresistible, just like the jelly
she had been consuming. If the entity in front of her embodied evil, then it
wouldn’t have the power to make her an Angel. Yes, maybe the entity spoke
true. Darkness was not equal to evil. Maybe even angels in the eyes of the
System were monsters and so there must be good monsters too. In other
words, there was no reason for her not to ascend to higher form.
“So, what is your choice? Peace and prosperity, or war and blood.” The
cloaked figure asked in a serious tone.

“Peace, of course, I will pick peace.” She said without much thought.

“Then give me your word that you won’t attack Aurelian people again.”

“I give you, my word.”

“Then I will grant you my blessing. But please, recall my lecture, don’t be
blinded by righteousness. The world needs its shades of grey, and even
black.” His hand reached for her chest. “[Evolve].”

The hand was veiled in a layer of tar-like shadowy mass, but the touch felt
warm and loving.

[Do you want to change your race to Angelic? Warning: the changes are
permanent.]

She didn’t need any more proof to know that she passed the divine test, she
accepted the ascension with all her might.

“Urgh!” The entity groaned as If in pain.

She was enveloped by divine purple light. Her entire body felt fuzzy and
weightless. She could feel an immense amount of magic filling her insides.
To put it simply, it was ecstasy!

The light dimmed and she was still standing with his hand on her chest.

“[Inspect].” He chanted an unfamiliar phrase.

She had an inkling of what it did, so she did much the same. “[Status].”

Monster Race: Angelic

Variant: Radiant Magic Affinity: 📿
Angel Light
📿🙏📿
 📿
HP:250 MP:300 STA:250

Active [Holy Retribution], [Holy Smite], [Last Stand],

Perks [Angelic Heal]

Passive [Radiant], [Holy Presence], [Divine Shield],

Perks [Celestial Wings]

Resistances [Dark Weakness: Medium]

The changes were also physical. There on the back, she could feel a new set
of appendages – wings. The feeling was natural as if they always belonged
there. She touched her back trying to feel them. While doing so, she noticed
that all of her scars were gone, and the wings felt feathery and fluffy.

Unconsciously, she stretched her wings out filling the confines of the tent.
She was extremely happy.

“I have ascended.” She smiled at the cloaked figure. “Messenger. Please tell
me your name.”

He sighed. “I feel that would only cause further misunderstanding”.

She wasn’t buying that. And also, a certain perk became available to her. It
might be rude to the divine messenger but… “[Inspect].” She invoked.

Target: Spider King

Monster: Moster Magic Affinity: 🕸️🕸️
King Dark 🕸️
 🕸️🕷️
HP:1050 MP:-500/4500 STA:500 🕸️
🕸️🕸️
Active
[Summon Darkness], [Call Familiar], [Expert 🕸️
Milking Technique], [Transformation: Spider],
Perks
[…]

[Language Comprehension], [Enhanced Poison

Passive
Immunity], [Enhanced Nutrient Processing],
Perks
[Chaos Blessed], [Resurrect +1], […]

[Light Weakness: Lesser], [Physical Resistance:

Resistances
Lesser], [Charm Resistance: Medium]

Status
[Negative Mana]
Effects

She went through the table again and again. It just didn’t make much sense.
This was the divine messenger who granted her the ascension, but
apparently, it was a monster named Monster King. And the perks were
beyond bizarre.

“[Expert Milking Technique]…” She spoke out loud with disbelief.

“I guess the cat is out of the bag…”

“The Cat?” She didn’t understand. “Is it someone like Angel Johny?”

The still-cloaked figure sighed deeply. “I wanted to keep things mysterious

and disappear after evolving you, it would have been so much cooler! Who
was this enigmatic stranger? What did just happen? Wow, he was so strong
and wise… But it seems I’ve slipped up.”

“Huh?” She struggled to follow.

The shadowy cloak hiding the man disappeared as if it had never been
there. It was still dark in the tent, but the silhouette was much clearer. The
previous undeniable allure and the aura of warmth and friendliness didn’t
go anywhere, actually, the man in front of her was even more charming,
even despite a set of horns on his head.

“You know, I rather do this somewhere else than a dark and musky tent.
You should come aboard my ship, I’ll give you that tour I’ve promised, yes.
Discreetly of course. I have it parked just above your camp. [Magic
Inventory]” The alluring man retrieved a potion from thin air and drank its
contents.

“Huh?” She inched closer drawn by his allure, but also, sensing that he
might leave abruptly.

“I mean, you have wings now, just fly up. Oh, it’s dark now so you might
miss it. I’ll leave a lantern on the deck. Yeah. I’ll see you there.”

“But…” She stretched her arm towards him.

“[Shadow Walk].” He disappeared.

Radiant rushed towards her table to light the candle. The light illuminated
the cramped space. There was no man there, the flap of the tent was shut
tightly preventing the harsh wind of the night from entering. She was all
alone.

“Was this even real?” She wondered for a moment. Towards the end, it had
gotten slightly delirious. After all, she was very tired, so maybe she passed
out and dreamt the whole thing up. She reached for her back. “No, It was
real.” The wings were there, a permanent modification to her body.

“He said to fly up…” She recalled. But the ship part still confused her.
She stepped out of her tent and spread her wings flapping them. It took
effort but soon her legs left the ground and she flew up towards the clouds.
The nearby guards had noticed her and were pointing and shouting
something. She didn’t care about them. She didn’t care about being seen.
They were mortal men and she was now ascended. She was an angel!

“Embracing the darkness.” The words echoed in her mind while she was
flying in the night sky. “Light, Dark and even Chaos. Balance…” There
was a lot to think about. Such words were plain heresy in the eyes of the
Holy Light, but somehow, she understood that they rang true. It wasn’t
heresy, it was divine wisdom! And she was there to witness it.

“I have so many questions.” She flew higher looking for the promised light.
“There it is.” She spotted a tiny source of light just below the cloud. She felt
drawn to it like a moth to the flame. “I’ll have my answers.”

After all, at this point, her entire world was turned upside down. She no
longer had the conviction that her blind faith in the Holy Light was right.
There was a strong sense of disillusionment, a feeling that her ways might
have been misguided. But even so, she was still faithful. She still believed
in a higher power. Namely in the power which gave her wings. “I’m flying!
I… am… flying…” It was so surreal.
 103 - Please, Please Stop Helping
Me. I Rather Be Sabotaged!

Different countries have varying techniques to sabotage the enemy. Some

use money to buy up the nobles and corrupt the government from the
inside. Others use a more straightforward approach employing shadowy
assassins or even an order of dark magi such as the Black Hand. There were
as many ways for covert operations as imagination allowed.

Spider Kingdom wasn’t above underhanded methods, after all, if the enemy
could be defeated without bloodshed it was for the better. To weaken the
Imperial Army, the first of the spider saboteurs were assembled by the
Spider King himself. The spiders were distant descendants of spiders once
known as Jesters, and later as scouts and explorers. However, this bunch
focused their evolutions on increasing their stealth and mobility skills. The
spider saboteurs, while otherwise small and on the weak side of the power
spectrum, were however extremely hard to detect, especially at night.

The spider saboteurs were ordered by the King to undermine the Imperial
Army, undetected and from the shadows. And they were perfect for the task.
A multitude of perks and equipment were layered to strengthen their natural
abilities. They were covered from head to toe in black garb, leaving only a
small slit for four yellow eyes. The garb was made from a very special plant
grown by the Drow, ShadowAgave; it had an affinity for Dark
enchantments. The light clothing hid a plethora of concealed pockets, and
the pockets were stuffed with anything from daggers to strange powders.
Their magical arsenal was compact, but the spells were powerful: Shadow
Stealth, Shadow Form, and Shadow Walk.

They used Shadow Walk to traverse great distances in a matter of few

days. The Shadow Form allowed them to blend into the night’s shadows
and stalk around when arguably invisible. The Shadow Stealth was there
when they needed a more corporeal form to interact with the world and to
manipulate objects inside their pockets (the other two spells didn't allow
such luxury) without being easily detected.

The spider saboteurs employed all the above to catch up with the Imperial
Army just right when they crossed the border. As ordered, they began by
observing the army from the shadows, and understandably, the spiders were
left appalled. No, it was not about the way the enemy walked, talked, or did
other otherwise normal human things, no, it was about the food they ate.
The army ration was simply inhumane! The spiders looked with pity at the
humans, they knew no joys of TomGrape; it was just too much to bear. In
the end the spiders couldn’t just watch and do nothing.

There wasn’t enough TomGrape to share with the humans, and the spiders
needed their own rations to survive, however, the solution was simple: even
the blandest and hardest twice-baked biscuit could be improved with some
good spice. This was the least the spiders could do. And so, then the army
rested after the long journey, the charitable spiders spiced the Imperial
Army’s food. The spice came in the form of a special blend of spores,
spores generously provided by the Myconid Queen. In the humble spider’s
opinion, the mix was just about average, but it did give that zesty oomph
when consumed. This was exactly what the bland biscuit needed.
Unfortunately, the humans didn’t appreciate the improved flavour and
ended up expelling it from either end of their holes. It just didn’t agree with
their stomachs. And the spores took it upon themselves to multiply further
spicing the entire human camp. Well, stuff like that happens, what’s good
for a spider isn’t necessarily good for a human.

It seems that the bland food was the least of their troubles. The humans here
were poor sleepers too, barely catching four hours of sleep a day. Well, that
might have something to do with the nightly assault of the shadow
creatures. But those weren’t in the department managed by the spider
saboteurs. The ‘shadow creature’ complaints should be passed to the
department managed by the Darkness the Slime. Anyway, the spiders pitied
the humans, so they decided to offer them sleep aid in a timely lullaby.
In retrospect, the spidery forms might have manifested seemingly out of
nowhere while still clad in their spooky shadowy garb, and then they started
to chirp in a language humans had no way to understand. Actually, it had
only upset the humans, ending up with spiders being forced to flee the tents.
But hey, it was the intention that mattered, and the spiders had the best of
intentions! Maybe it was just a lullaby the humans didn’t like, so each night
they tried a different one.

By the fourth night, the spider saboteurs found the one that worked. This
one didn’t cause the humans to swing their weapons in the vague direction
of the singing spider. Instead, they would curl up under their blankets and
cry at the beauty of the lullaby. Well, they weren't sleeping but this was an
improvement in the right direction. Eventually, the spiders will find the
right lullaby! The one that would move humans to sleep! – They operated
under this assumption.

Indeed, these humans were really pitiful. Once, it was obvious they had
gotten themselves confused and started walking in the wrong direction
without realising it. The spiders couldn't interfere during the day but at
night they doused everyone in Blue Dust making them fall asleep; maybe
they should have used that from the beginning and not the lullaby, but that’s
beside the point now. Then they carried everyone throughout the night
towards the correct location. Naturally, there were a lot more humans
compared to spiders, like 1000 to 1 so the overall distance everyone was
moved wasn’t that great, however, hopefully, that will allow them to realise
their mistake and continue the march In the right direction,

The reaction of the humans was utterly bizarre, it made them even more
confused! But hey, at least the vigour they displayed with all the shouting
and hair ripping showed that they had a lot of energy, no doubt all thanks to
a good night's rest. But the whole hair-pulling ritual was slightly strange…
Were they changing their fur for a new climate? Some animals did that in
the Ancestral Forrest, but the spiders could only guess. Hmm, actually,
maybe the ever-helpful spiders could be of assistance again? If the humans
didn’t want all those hairs, of course, the spiders could offer a free midnight
trim. Why else would they pack so many daggers if not for pioneering that
improvised army haircut?
Admittedly, the spider saboteurs were sent here to stop the Imperial Army,
they knew that, they did… but those folks were just too pitiful not to want
to help them, you know, just give them that little push in the right direction.
Something the Spider King might disapprove of, but every spider knew that
the generous King would understand if they explained. It was obvious that
without the essential help from spider saboteurs the Imperial Army would
have collapsed a long time ago. It would be disappointing if they never
reached the Aurelian Capital at all, wouldn’t it?

Another night came. “Spider Saboteurs roll out to help!” A spider chirped.

Hence the spiders followed the Imperial Army’s slow march and helped the
humans from the shadows as much as they could.

Darkness the Slime, or just Darkness, was tasked with demoralising the
Imperial Army. Yes, the Darkness was sent in conjunction with spider
saboteurs, but those two parties worked separately. The Master didn’t
explain why he duplicated the task, but Darkness understood this as some
sort of competition and a chance to prove itself.

From the very beginning, the odds seemed rigged against its favour. While
it was allowed to take all of the shadow creatures, they were extremely
dumb compared to the intelligent spiders. So, the entirety of the success of
the operation rested on the tactical genius of the Darkness.

However, some small favours were bestowed by the Master. Darkness was
gifted a bag of Dark Spirit Stones, which could be used to replicate the
shadow creatures. So, if there was a need to replenish the numbers, it could
do that rather easily.

Darkness tapped into the Mind Web and managed shadow wolves from the
distance. The order was to assault the sleeping humans and Drain them.
The goal wasn’t to kill them, but rather scare them because the dead didn’t
tell tales. The drained survivors would talk about their experiences lowering
the morale as a whole, and as a plus their weakened state further drained the
army's resources and time. Unfortunately, the shadow creatures weren’t
perfect and so there were casualties on both sides.

Apparently, the spiders had a better idea, it was poisoning the food. The
darkness jiggled in frustration at itself for not coming up with that idea first.
The shadow creatures were able to drain the vitality not just out of humans
but their food, however, the darkness didn’t want to copy the spiders. Way
too often the Master called it a copycat; whatever it was supposed to mean
Darkness understood the negative connotations of the monicker.

“I understand the copy part, meow, but what the cat bit is about?” It seemed
entirely irrelevant. “I might be copying things, meow, but I’m not cat’ing
anything.” It jiggled. “Meow. I need a different plan to win this contest.”

Darkness looked at the various shadow creatures it brought here.

“Yes, aerial assault. Meow!” It retrieved a bunch of spirit stones to replicate

shadow stingrays.

The combined assault of wolves and stingrays proved to be extremely

effective. The inquisition could get the wolves rather easily, but they
struggled to down the flyers. It was working!

Later Darkness noticed the peculiar behaviour of the spiders. For whatever
reason, at times they would break out of their Shadow Form in front of
unsuspecting humans and start singing. The tunes were mellow and even
the Darkness could appreciate the pleasant chirps, however, the spiders
wore clothing made out of ShadowAgave and hence their forms inflicted
humans with Terror.

“Tch.” Darkness clicked the non-existent tongue. “They stole my minion's

ability.”

Yes, shadow creatures also could afflict their targets with Terror, especially
if someone was mentally exhausted.

“They are always a step ahead of me.” Darkness jiggled in frustration but
then a realisation struck it. “No, wait, meow. What if instead of competing
with spiders, we work together? Meow! That’s what Master must have
intended from the very start. Yes.” It quivered in resolution to change its
tactics ever so slightly.

Darkness used its ability to puppeteer its minions from the shadows. The
order was simple: assist the spiders and drive humans to the depths of the
despair.

The Spider King was cruising leisurely aboard the Galleon Whale. The
Aurelian Capital was only a day away. During the entire trip, for some
unknown reason, the Centauri Champion kept barging in his cabin when he
was sleeping; she was up to something nefarious, so he had to place spider
guards by the door. It was hard not to feel threatened by her persistent
ambushes, after all, she had a very formidable set of dangerous weapons,
and he was still a man. Funnily enough, during the day she would just
pretend nothing had happened.

“Is she sleepwalking?” He asked no one in particular and reached for the
Slug Jelly bottle on the nearby cabinet. “It’s time to call Johny.” It was a
part of his daily ritual.

Recently, some disturbing reports were reaching his mind. His best friend
told him in great detail what was happening within the ranks of the Imperial
Army and the Holy Inquisition. It was only getting… worse, or maybe
better; it depended on perspective.

“They’re going a bit overboard.” It was an understatement.

At one point the army decided to turn back, but the next day they found
themselves only closer to Aurelian Capital. They wanted to retreat,
reinforce and resupply but they weren’t allowed that. Various crazy rumours
were spreading within the human ranks. Also, as unfortunate as it was,
various war crimes were happening… More soldiers died at the hand of
themselves than from the Drain; it was just sad. The Inquisition was the
only thing holding the army in place. According to Johny, the Army
Tactician went bald overnight, that was proof of how much stress he was
going through.

“I just hope I won’t be the reason for the birth of some sort of War
Convention…” Like the Geneva Convention.

Either way, he had to tell the spider saboteurs to tone it down. Their tactics
were just too effective! The humans were so terrified that they refused to
desert. That was rather ironic and the opposite of what the Spider King
expected to achieve. Apparently, they just felt safer in a large group and
somehow they got the idea that turning back wasn’t an option at all.

While the spiders could give live reports to Johny, sending orders to the
spiders was a more difficult task; Johny could not communicate with them
directly, only read their experiences and emotions. Admittedly, he could
summon Darkness with his perk, but it was unadvisable to leave shadow
creatures unsupervised.

“It’s quickest if I go and see them myself.” After all, he wasn’t far.

In the end, the solution looked rather simple. He just had to undermine the
last column holding the army together. And Johny’s reports gave him an
exact plan of how to do it.

After some time, at the darkest hour of the night, Galleon Whale reached
the Imperial Army, hovering in the clouds right above it. He descended
using Shadow Walk and observed the humans from the shadows. It was
worse than he thought. The people were empty husks of their former selves,
their bodies gaunt, faces pale, with big black bags under their eyes.
Everyone was on edge and clearly expecting something horrible to happen
at any minute.

Soon enough he witnessed the Shadow Creature attack. They struck where
the humans were vulnerable and once detected employed hit-and-run
tactics. These shadow creatures behaved completely differently from the
ones he fought in the Darkness War. The one behind the increased
intelligence of otherwise dumb monsters must have been the Darkness.
He’ll have to give it honest praise. The shadow creatures were a natural
counter to your average warrior since mundane steel did no damage to
them.

However, soon a radiant hero ran out of her tent and assaulted the shadows
with a burning passion for retribution in her eyes. She was highly skilled
and quickly turned the tides of the fight.

“So, this is a Paladin.” He was impressed by her ability to use magic and
sword in tandem. He could learn a lot from her. “No, this is an Angel.”
Even he couldn’t help but feel slightly awed by her radiant form. She was
literally glowing!

Her presence restored the morale of the men. Everyone was chanting
“Radiant!”. Soon after, the shadows were pushed back into the darkness.

Indeed, she was the only reason this army was still holding it together.

“She has to go.” It was risky, but he decided to attempt it. “[Shadow
Walk].” He weaved carefully and out of sight of nearby inquisitors to avoid
detection. The destination was the tent of the Inquisition leader, Radiant
Sword, a fervent believer in the Holy Light, and angel wannabe.
 104 - Do You Know The Way?
*Clicking Noises*

An argument was taking place right there aboard the Galleon Whale. It
wasn’t one of those heated nasty kind of arguments but an argument
nevertheless. One side had sparkling and passion-filled eyes, and the other
side looked resigned.

“I assure you I’m not a God, not a demigod, and not even an apostle of a
deity. If anything, I’m just a Monster King.” He tried for the umpteenth
time.

“But you can create angels! Your divine power is obvious. Who else could
do that if not a God.” She pushed her argument with religious zeal.

“No-no, this is a misunderstanding. It’s the Monster System that does those
things. I don’t fully understand it myself yet, but it seems I am sort of a
gatekeeper to the evolutions. And you’ve seen my Status, my affinity is
Dark.”

The Radiant nodded vigorously. “I know. I understand now that the magical
affinity has nothing to do with someone's alignment or values. I have no
problem with it being the Dark God who created angels. I know I am a
good person and I will continue walking to the path of Light. If it is
darkness which created light, isn’t it even better?”

“I didn’t create angels. If anything, it’s the Monster System.” He tried

again.

“Then who created this system?” She had an intense look.

“I wouldn’t know. It just came to be right after we defeated Darkness.
Maybe it was some type of a Deity, but it definitely wasn’t me.”

“You told me of this Darkness before. It is your slave now, right?”

He nodded. “Slave is a strong word. Let’s go with a pet.” And it was just
Darkness now and not Darkness, but he kept that point to himself.

“You enslaved the Darkness! It’s at your beck and call… and you say
you’re not a God?” She said it with a tinge of accusation. “Is it possible you
don’t know it yet? Or is it something you must hide from mortals?” She
remembered that ‘[Resurrect +1]’ in his status, normal people didn’t have
that.

He sighed, she just kept pushing her point ignoring his arguments
completely.

The Radiant continued. “And you did tell me that you just came to exist in
the Dreaded Place. Normal humans just don’t pop into existence out of
nowhere.”

No! Minutes ago, he had told her that he started as a human, as a nobody,
but she apparently chose to misconstruct that point of his argument.

“I’m not sure if I should even tell you this…” He hesitated. “But I was
brought here by some very powerful entity, if anything, I think it was the
one with actual divine powers. I think its divine providence was Chaos in
Order. Oh, and there is another one – Order in Chaos. They are similar
but different.” It was a confusing mess, so he pressed his point forward.
“I’m nothing like them, I’m just an evolved human. Someone just like you.”

“Chaos deities… I’ve never heard of them.” For some reason, her eyes were
shining even brighter. “So there are more Gods than just Holy Light… And
I don’t think that the Holy Light is a real god anyway. Not anymore.” She
gave him a scary look.

He ignored her piercing gaze. “Good, I’m glad we sorted that

misunderstanding.”
“There’s Chaos in Order, Order in Chaos… Probably many more.” She
said so thinking deeply.

“Probably.” He nodded.

“And there is you, the Monster King.”

He nodded again, finally, she was getting it.

“You’re a God!”

*Sigh – no she wasn’t.

“My King, would you grant me permission to speak.” It was the Centauri
Champion who said the line.

She was there at the sidelines listening quietly, and so were the spiders,
after all, unfortunately this wasn’t a private conversation; everyone was just
aboard the deck.

“If you can rescue me from this zealous angel, please do.” He smiled
weakly.

“My King, maybe you’re overthinking this. You are a God.” She stated with
a horse-like snort.

He touched his forehead with a palm thinking ‘Oh no, not her too!’.

“Let me explain. Back in the Dermon Realm, the Demon Lord is

worshipped by many like a deity. And I recall you telling me that the
kobolds like to worship their dragons, isn’t your pet wyrmling in a similar
spot? Oh, and if I remember my history lessons well, the now-extinct elves
worshipped the Ancestral Tree and the Forrest Spirit. And…”

“I think I understand.”

Indeed, he was going at it from the wrong angle. The Radiant Sword wasn’t
thinking of him as a monotheistic god, where he was responsible for
creating everything. But rather as an entity with an overwhelming and
mysterious power; just one of many. It wasn’t crazy for kobolds to worship
dragons, and for the elves to worship their trees. And if we follow that
convention, for the angelic monster race to worship the Monster King.

“Elisabeth,” he addressed, “I don’t think I’m worthy of your worship, and I

don’t see myself as a God, however, if you want to look up to me and
idolise me, I guess that is your choice.” He made that concession.

“Yes, so please allow me to share your blessings with others.”

“Blessings?”

“More people should join the Monster System. I could guide them to the
path of Light and make them into Angels.”

And for that, she needed Slug Jelly.

“I don’t see a problem, that is, if it won’t be abused. Power corrupts, and
especially the easy access to it, you know that, right?”

“I’m well aware. I’m the right hand of the Chief Inquisitor.” She fluttered
her wings. “I know of the dangers and corruption of the human greed.”

“Ah, the Inquisition. I’m not too sure they will respond kindly to the
Monster System.” The word monster would likely cause trouble.

“I’m a Radiant Angel, seeing is believing. I will show them the way, the
right way. I will expose the lies of the false gods and the deception of the
Holy Light. Angels are real, I am one of them, and I am apparently a
monster. But I rather refer to myself as one of the ascended. So they too will
understand that ascension is possible. You don’t need to die to meet a god,
you don’t need to die to become an angel; the Holy Light was wrong. There
is the Sky Fortress here on earth. And I am flying inside it.”

According to the Holy Light teachings, the sky fortress was a place in the
heavens where the angles resided. In other words, she confused his flying
ship with it, or maybe just used religious legends to rationalize something
as unbelievable as a flying ship.
Either way, it was up to him to clear that misunderstanding. “This is not
Sky Fortress, this is a Galleon Whale, we made this ship not too long ago.
It’s just a marvel of technology me and spiders came up with.”

“Ah, so that’s what the real name is. Galleon Whale…” She stubbornly
clung to her misunderstanding.

He had to wonder if she did that on purpose; she was bent on rationalising
her own delusions. No doubt there was something wrong here. However, he
couldn't deny the fortitude, the strength, and the influence she had.

“If you can guide humans towards a different path. A path where they and
my monster subjects and humans could coexist in peace. Then, of course, I
will support you. You’ll get the Slug Jelly you need.”

“Thank you, Monster King, I’ll take the ‘Blessed’ Jelly and share it with
my comrades.”

Another thing was very obvious, she deliberately ignored the slug part of
the name. Without even asking why it was called such. Maybe for the
better…

“Well, then I trust you to keep your promise, so, please take the Inquisition
and the Army back home to the Holy Empire.”

“I will, and I will spread your wisdom.”

The same day, just minutes before the first rays of dawn, an angel
descended from the sky. She was so bright and radiant that it would be easy
to confuse her with the morning sun. The warm light illuminated the entire
camp, basking tired men with the mysterious aura of safety and reassurance.
The aura was strong enough to rouse the sleeping soldiers and prompt them
to come outside their tents.

Soon, everyone had their eyes on a radiant and angelic beauty. Her long
golden locks swayed gently in the morning breeze, her eyes were filled with
reassuring warmth, and her pure white wings were fluttering ever so
slightly.

“My people, I come back from the heavens bringing gifts.”

A mass of shadows condensed under her feat prompting a startled reaction

from the people. They feared the shadows there were to swallow the angel.
They were wrong. Out of the shadows popped the boxes, they were open
and filled with strange round fruits.

“Don’t be afraid, this is the heavenly mana straight from the sky. Eat it and
your symptoms shall be relieved.”

A hesitant hand reached for the yellow fruit and into the mouth it went. The
man ate cautiously at the beginning, but the bites were growing bigger and
more vigorous, in the end the fruit was devoured with great gusto.

“It's true! I feel refreshed!” The man proclaimed with a broad smile.
Someone showing this almost forgotten gesture was a sight much missed.

The army men rushed to the crates grabbing a fruit each and eating it
greedily.

“The gifts don’t end there. I have something very special, bestowed upon
me straight from God.” There was a crate she kept for herself, a crate she
guarded, she opened the crate to retrieve a single bottle, one of many. She
raised it high towards the morning light displaying it proudly. “A key to
ascend to heavens. This is how I became an angel. And with my guidance
so could you.”

Everyone looked at the crystalline bottle with wonder.

“Ah, but I’m not here to deceive you. ‘Blessed’ Jelly undoubtedly will
strengthen the soul, but it can bring you to either side, both Light and
Dark. So, I believe it's important to hand this blessing only to the ones
deserving the most. Only to the ones who adhere to the true teachings and
the true God.”
“We’re with Holy Light!”, “We believe in Holy Light!”, “The Holy Light
will guide us!”, people said such and so.

The mirthful expression of the Radiant Angel changed to the one of fury.
“The Holy Light is wrong! It’s all lies! If you could see my status you
would know!”

Incidentally, the warriors and the peasant levy weren’t the only ones
marvelling at the angelic beauty. The Inquisition was also looking at her in
awe, but also with suspicion. The woman in front of them was a Radiant
Sword, but also, she was apparently an angel, this was just Impossible!

“[Read Status]” One of the more powerful inquisitors invoked a Scribe

skill. “She’s a monster!” She pointed at the Radiant Angel accusingly.

The angel didn’t seem perturbed by her words. “I am an angel. And in the
eyes of the System, I am a monster. How can this be? I’ll tell you! The Holy
Scripture is wrong! There in the Sky Fortress, I’ve met the real God.” She
glowed ever so brightly. “If I am an evil monster, why can I use the power
of Light? [Angelic Heal]!” She showered everyone in the bright motes of
light. “There’s something my God told me, something profound: ‘Following
the path of darkness doesn't mean you are evil.’, I know it sounds
contradictory, but what it implies is that there are good and bad monsters.
And isn’t it the same with humans?” People looked at her with confusion,
but they were nodding. “If someone belongs to a monster race it doesn’t
mean they are evil.” She reiterated her point.

These were the words coming directly from a real-life angel, however
strange it sounded it was hard not to believe; clearly, she carried the divine
authority to say such things.

Her comrades, the inquisitors, understandably remained sceptical. She knew

it would take more than mere words to convince them. However, there was
still a task she had to do.

“I’ll say something else. We must retreat. We have no business in the

Aurelian Capital. If we continue, we will only suffer.”
The peasant levy cheered in agreement, the Army General, however, wasn’t
too pleased hearing that.

Ignoring occasional voices of protest, she continued. “The curses we had

suffered here on this fruitless march, we brought it upon ourselves. We had
no right to step on this land and we were punished by God. It was a sign we
were on the wrong path. So… Let's turn back!” She pointed back towards
home. “I assure you that the nightly terrors will not pursue us.”

The peasant levy was just exhausted from this gruelling experience, and
they hadn't even started the real fight yet, hence they roared in agreement
again.

“Eat your heavenly manna, recover your strength, and let’s go back home to
our families.” She ended her speech causing an uproar.

The Army General scowled at the peasants. This was desertion, no, this was
worse, it was ignoring the direct orders of the Holy Emperor. If they fled
back home, he and the captains of this army would be simply hanged.

“Well, if you want to die… you can do whatever.” He also packed his
things, but the direction he’s heading will be the opposite. A few other
professional warriors and otherwise loyal men decided to follow the Army
General.

A sorry skeleton of a once great army continued its march.

The other side, led by the bright and shiny angel, strolled with vigour back
to the lands of the Holy Empire. They weren’t just going home to rest; they
were bringing the beginnings of a new faith with them.

There were two worlds, one of the System and the other of the Monster
System. One was orderly and static, it offered predictable gains while
locking humans to a fixed fate. The other was chaotic, unpredictable, and
promised great potential, it could even change one's race; the fate was
undetermined.
The old scripture of the Holy Light was compelling, it offered rules and
guidance, but a lot of it was myths and flimsy conjectures, it had truths bent
and twisted to suit the Holy Emperor and give him power. But the Way of
the Monster King was different. There were a lot of differences, but the
most important was rather simple. The Way had a real Angel, and radiant at
that, to push it forward. Seemingly spontaneously it came to be known as
The Way. It was a faith challenging the perceived truths of reality. It
encouraged them to question the world, but also it allowed humans to
become something more, something better (Minor Angel) or even worse
(Corrupted Human). And understandably, it was just too tempting since it
offered readily accessible blessings of the ‘Holy’ Jelly.

The Way had the potential to turn the human world upside down.
105 – The Most Dangerous Kind Of
Weapons

The Galleon Whale approached the Aurelian Capital.

“The view is definitely different from the above.” He looked at the

sprawling capital. “And it changed so much.”

It looked like its size has doubled, but since the city was built mostly as a
‘circle’ its actual area must have quadrupled.

“Are these spider designs?” He pointed at the outermost part of the city.

There were almost identical buildings nestled closely together. One would
expect to see neat boxes and triangular roofs when it came to human
buildings, but the structures here resembled stacked spidery nests. It either
had two or three slightly deformed spheres on top of each other making its
floors. The walls weren’t brick and mortar either, they were woven using
sticks, rope and some sort of a filling for the gaps. Naturally, the doors and
windows were also round. It looked somewhat dubious, but the reality was
that it was extremely sturdy, no doubt everything was Reinforced; that’s
why.

In the end, the thousands upon thousands of tightly clustered nest-like

buildings gave that overall feel of a hive city. A place where some sort of
goo-spitting twisted mutants would live. But undoubtedly so, he could see
people darting in and out of their new spidery houses.

“It feels so alien now.” Indeed, he couldn’t recognise the Aurelian Capital.
He strained his eyes trying to see better.
“Huh, it appears blue is very fashionable.” He remarked looking at the
many round dots scattered between the streets.

“I wonder if any of those are my spiders. I’ve sent a good lot of them
there.”

The city was bustling with activity. A lot of the buildings were still being
built, and most of them had that spidery touch, a touch of Spidery
Magnificent. It almost looked like some sort of a spooky-themed theme
park, but much-much bigger. The only place which remained familiar was
the very centre of it. He could see the Royal Palace, albeit in a somewhat
decrepit state, the Merchant Square, the old walls, the Garrison, and then
neighbourhoods of normal human housing.

“But what is that?” He looked at the rising megastructure.

It was still in the making so it was hard to tell what it was, but it was
massive, rivalling the scale of the Royal Palace itself. Unlike with the nest-
houses, blocks of stone were used to make it. At best, only a third of it was
made but it was enough to read its intended shape. It was elliptical with
high-sloping walls and a big pitch in the middle.

“Ah, Aurelius II mentioned some entertainment. Maybe it's for that. But it’s
a shame I won’t get to see it completed.” He didn’t intend to stay that long.

He looked at the newly trained spider navigator. “Please land us by the

Merchant Square.”

“Aye aye, King.” The spider chirped.

The Galleon Whale began the slow descent. A thunder-like sound

resounded in the cabin when everyone strapped their belts at once. Then the
inside of the ship became eerily quiet, there was not a single chirp, and
everyone waited with baited breaths. The ship touched the landing field.
Gently.

*Phew – The Spider King broke a bated breath; it didn’t crash at the nearby
warehouse. An entrance like that would have been extremely embarrassing.
The Spider King bowed ever so slightly. “I praise your skills, spider
navigator. You’re a better pilot than me.”

The spider made unintelligible but otherwise shy and cute chirp.

The safety belts clanged again. “Right, our holiday begins now. Enjoy
yourselves.” He walked towards the lower deck of the ship where the exit
was.

The spiders walked right behind, but as soon as he was in the square they
scattered in all directions, probably to explore the city and say hello to their
old spider friends. The only one remaining by the Spider King’s side was
Centauri Champion. She was fumbling with her fingers and her gait was
somewhat strange.

“You look fidgety today. Did the trip tire you?” He asked her concerned that
she might feel stressed out. Sailing on the ship wasn’t easy for some people.

“No, I’m fine.” She kept fidgeting with her hands. “It’s just that I don’t
have a party dress.”

Ah, yes, they will be attending something like that in the evening. He didn’t
see a problem with her wearing her armour, but he understood where she
was coming from. Women liked dresses better, especially at evening parties.

“I’m sure you can find something.” After all, they were right in the
Merchants Square.

“I’m not so sure.” She neighed. “My King, would you kindly please
accompany me?”

“It’s not like I must run to Aurelius the Great straight away, so why not?
Let’s go.”

She followed the Spider King giddily shooting sneaky glances at his face.

A lot of the Merchants Square was taken over by the spiders. It wasn’t just
TomGrape, but also clothing and other wares that were traded here by the
spider traders.
“The sizes here are just too large.” The Centauri Champion whined in
disappointment.

The Spider King sized the cloth with his hand. “I thought this is a curtain!”

The spider merchant pointed at the nearby people, discretely of course. Yes,
he did notice that. Everyone was so well-fed!

“I see…. We need a dress of a more modest size.” He didn’t think he would

ever say that; the phrase ‘modest sized’ didn’t suit the Centauri Champion.
Everything about her was sized as ‘extra dangerous’.

“Understood.” The spider chirped sizing the Centauri with its eyes. “A
custom order then.”

Indeed, he should have asked that from the beginning. A human dress, even
if at the right size, won't fit the Centauri anyway.

From under the stall, a tiny little spider, cat-sized at best, popped out.

“King!” It chirped in excitement. “I get to see. Our King!” Now it was

jumping in place.

“Concentrate, youngling. You have a task.” The spider merchant chirped

firmly.

The spider bowed to its customers in apology.

“We’ll take measurements. In a shop nearby. Please follow.”

The spider began to sprint. It was little but very energetic, and fast. The
Spider King wasn’t just walking anymore, but also sprinting. At least the
Centauri Champion didn’t have any issue to keep up with the spider.

In the end, they were guided away from the Merchant Square and towards
where the workshops were. The one in front of him was clearly of the
spidery design. The little spider disappeared into an equally little hole just
at the bottom of a wall.
“It doesn’t look like we’ll fit inside.” He joked.

The joke flew over her head. “My King, I think this door is for us.” She
pointed at the other door next to the tiny hole.

Something clicked from inside and the door rolled to the side.

“Oh, so it’s a rolling mechanism. It feels almost like a vault. Are there
treasures here?”

“Yes.” The tiny spider chirped happily.

He didn’t expect that reply either.

He entered the workshop curiously looking for the treasure. All he could see
were rolls and rolls of Blue Cloth and various tools to work with it. Huh,
maybe those were the treasures of a spider.

“I take. The measurements now.” The tiny spider already had a measuring
tape in its hands.

The Centauri Champion gave the spider a curious look.

“Wouldn’t it be better to have a small booth by the stall for that?” That way
the spiders wouldn't need to drag the customers all the way to the
workshop.

The spider waved the measuring tape. “Custom orders are rare. And we
make it here. You won’t need to wait long.” The quick-speaking spider took
a deep breath. “We also. Can adjust the dress. Here on the spot.”

It was probably quicker that way. It kind of made sense, normally you
wouldn’t expect someone to make a custom dress just in one day. And they
needed it by the evening.

“I understand now. I leave it to you spider.”

The tiny spider bowed. “Let’s get started. Undress!”

He expected the spider to lead her to a private room, but apparently, this
was the place. And it's not like there were other customers, but still.

“Should I wait outside?”

“Why? Something wrong.” The spider asked with worry.

“No!” The Centauri Champion protested. “I need help with my armour

clasps.” She tapped at her sides.

“Right, normally you would have your attendants with you.”

He helped her with the armour. The forged Glem plates were surprisingly
heavy even for him; the Centauri were stronger than they looked. And he
understood better why she wanted something more casual.

The armour pieces were off, and it was only the tunic which was left.

“Undress!” The spider waved its measuring tape commandingly.

Apparently, even that had to go. Strange, but he wasn’t a tailor to question
that.

“I guess, I’ll give you some privacy.” He turned to leave.

Centauri snorted exiling the air forcefully. “My King, why are you being so
awkward? You eat my Cream Cheese, but can’t see me in my natural
form? Who cares if I am... just stay in the room.”

The tunic flew right off her body. He was just trying to be considerate, if
she didn’t mind, he didn’t either. Not at all!

However, there was more to that, he had been away from his wife since the
trip began and it was getting hard. Well, usually he can hold it together, but
separation can be hard at times. The already hard tests of life become even
harder when the enemy brings all of their weapons out of the concealment.
The Spider King preferred the dangerous weapons to be wrapped in cloth so
they don’t look as intimidating, and so in turn he can be polite and keep his
sword tucked in its sheaf. The situation looked like it could escalate at any
time.

The idle thoughts were interrupted by a squeal.

“Eek! What are you doing!”

“Measuring.”

Yeah, the tiny spider had to crawl on her back to measure her body.

“I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all!” She squealed shaking her body and
running around the place while kicking her rear legs.

He could understand her reaction, rare few people would like the feeling of
a spider crawling all over their body. But the little guy was just doing its
job. If she kept kicking like that someone could get hurt.

He ran to pick the critter off her back. “Spider, it looks like this won't
work.” He set the spider back on the floor.

“This is no good.” The spider said it sadly. “I need to measure.”

“No! Can’t do this! Abort the mission! Forget it!” She shook her head. “I’ll
just go with my armour.”

Unless… “I can measure it.” He offered.

The Centauri gave the Spider King a curious look.

“Yes. That works.” The spider chirped.

“…I wouldn’t mind.” She was fidgeting with her hands again.

He took the measuring tape. “Why are you blushing now?” It was too late
for that. She had already jumped and ran kicking things all over the
workshop while naked.
The spider gave instructions on where and what to measure, and he did just
that, no more no less. Well… He did collect the data on the size of the
enemy arsenal. It was terrifyingly large! Centauri wasn't a race to be trifled
with; he made that mental note to himself.

The measurements were done, and it was time to cut the cloth. “We’ll make
it quick. Won’t be long. Please wait here.” The spider walked towards the
spidery hole at the back. It was closed with a curtain. Then the curtain
parted the King got a glimpse of the workshop proper. That was the place
where the actual magic happened.

“Spider, would it be okay for me to see the crafting?” He shouted towards

the curtained hole.

“It would be an honour.” A different-sounding chirp replied.

He parted the curtain and went inside. The Centauri Champion pranced
right behind him, with a tunic back on of course. He walked into a large
hall, the previous room he was just in was likely only for temporary storage
and prep. Here was the real workshop. With intricate pattern decorated
cloth, rolls of golden thread, gems for encrusting, and many worktables.
The room was also filled with spiders. He recognised three spider crafters, a
grown-up kind, the rest were tiny spiders, at least two dozen of them. He
shouldn't have expected any less, the little guy was there only for the
measurements. Even at a quick glance, he could tell that everyone was
already very busy. It was very likely that they had to put their work aside
just for his custom order.

As he entered the three spider crafters greeted him with ‘hello’ and
‘welcome’. The little spiders were jumping excitedly and chirping
something quietly to each other.

“Spider King, It’s a great honour to craft for you and yours again.”

“The honour is all mine.”

The little guy spoke the set of measurements out load to the elder crafters; it
was amazing it could remember all that. The crafting began right after. The
three spider crafters started straight away leaving the tiny spiders without a
job. There was a hint of chaos betraying that the normal setup was
streamlined a little bit differently, but since this was a custom order the
three spiders took full charge of it.

The tiny spiders scuttered around his feet, brushing past his legs in their
passing. The spiders didn’t need to go anywhere, they were just running
around as if playing a game. But he knew what was going on, they were
touching him on purpose.

“Ha, just like cats.” He knew what they wanted. “Come here, let me pet
you.” He crouched to give them attention.

“Yes!” The spiders chirped in unison surrounding him for pets.

The Centauri Champion came close and crouched beside him. “Let me give
you a hand.” She reached for a spider, but the spiders ran away from her
touch.

“… just like cats.” It didn’t look like they wanted pets from her.

The three elders were busy with the order, but even then, he couldn't help
but notice the jealous glances they were shooting.

“I’ll pet you three if the Centauri likes her dress.” He joked.

The spiders worked with increased vigour. Huh, sometimes even adults
wanted to be petted.

The spider’s hands were moving with expert precision and dexterity. He
soon realised that he’d never be able to match their skill, he just didn’t have
the right limbs. The cloth work just seemed natural to the spiders. The dress
was taking shape very quickly. It was almost scary to see it being done so
rapidly. He once saw a manufacturing robot working with movements too
fast for a human eye to register, this was very much like that.

Just before the dress was done, he treated the tiny spiders with drops of
Slug Jelly. Spiders loved that stuff!
“It’s done.” One of the spiders chirped presenting their masterpiece.

To judge it fully it had to be worn. “Go ahead, try it on.” He encouraged his
companion setting the three bottles on the table. “My thanks for your hard
work.” He gave each spider a thankful look.

“Now our pets. Please.” The spider demanded.

Oh, so they did want those, but that came with a condition. He turned to
look at the Centauri Champion, she was naked again and trying to slip into
her dress. The little spiders gave her a hand and this time she didn’t make
much of a fuss.

Once finally in her party dress, she gave a confident spin. “I like it! This is
amazing!” She was all smiles.

The dress was the iconic blue, but to spice things up it was patterned in
web-like patterns and embroidered with golden thread. It enveloped both
her upper human-like body and her lower horse-like parts in a type of frilled
short skirt. It was rather revealing, strategically exposing her cleavage,
belly, and sides. It clung tight to her body as if it were her second skin.
Considering that she wore nothing under it, it was rather scandalous and
attention-grabbing. But if she liked it, this was it!

“Well done spiders, she loves it.” He gave the crafters their pats.

“How about you, King? You need a dress?” The spider chirped hopefully.

“No, I don’t wear those. And I have this.” He patted a snow-white leather
west.

Unlike the Centauri here, he wasn’t too bothered by what he wore to the
party. Unlike previously, he didn’t need to impress any nobles now, not this
time. Him being here was mostly a political formality. And the ceremony
proper will take place only then the Lamia Queen will get here.

“Understood. But if anything. Please come see us.” The spider encouraged.
He gave them a nod and left them to do their busy work. As he was walking
back towards the Galleon Whale, they needed to store the heavy armour
somewhere. A distant chirp made him turn his head around and look.

A tiny spider was standing by an equally tiny hole waving and chirping
repeatedly. “Bye-bye! Bye-bye!”

“That one’s funny.” He smiled.

The Centauri shook in disagreement. “The spider needs to work on its

measuring technique. I wouldn’t be surprised if that scares the customers
away.”

“Even if they're the cutest thing in the world,” he began, “understandably,

not everyone would like to be touched by a spider. Maybe they should hire
a few humans for little tasks like that.”

“Maybe they should.” She snorted in agreement.

The day was still bright, and the evening party distant. So, there were a few
friends he wanted to catch up with. Namely, his business partner Crimson
Alchemist, and the head of the merchants Lord G Bling.
 106 – The Birds The Bees,
Everyone Is Doing It

The Spider King stood in front of a wooden building, both the master of the
place and the shop shared the name – Crimson Alchemist. Unsurprisingly,
there was a line of customers forming by the entrance of the building. It
seemed to be rather popular. The queue wasn’t too long, but he was slightly
lost at what to do.

He turned to look at his companion. “I just want to say hello, but jumping
the queue would be rude.”

“Say no more.” She said simply.

The Centauri Champion just ignored the line and went inside the building.
Soon a well-dressed lady ran out of the building with centauri right behind
her. He hadn’t met the Crimson Alchemist in person, they had only
exchanged letters, so he only had a vague description of her. Lady Crimson
was known to have a nasty burn scarring half of her face and fiery red hair.
The well-dressed lady here was a redhead, but there was no scar present on
her face. It was hard to be sure.

However, he ventured to guess. “Lady Crimson?”

“Spider King? I mean, my King.” Her surprise was replaced by a curtsy

bow. “I’m sorry I didn’t know you’ll be visiting. I must have missed the
message.” She finished her bow with an apology.

“It’s because I haven’t sent one. Thinking about it, I should have let you
know. My apologies.” He also bowed.
The Centauri Champion had an obvious scowl, and she was itching to say
something but remained quiet.

“King, please, you don’t have to bow. People are watching.” Lady Crimson
leaned in closer for a whisper. “Now there will be no end of gossip. I made
the King bow to me… so embarrassing.” She gestured with her hand
invitingly. “Please come inside.”

The Spider King was led towards the back of the building, presumably a
side entrance.

“How about your customers? I feel bad to make them wait.”

She smiled. “I have people running the shop. As you can see, I am rather
successful so I can afford staff. Of course, all thanks to the business you’ve
brought me.” She opened the back doors inviting everyone in.

There was an unexpected presence in the room: someone tall, well-dressed,

undeniably charming and decorated with thick chains of gold and other
shiny trinkets.

“Lord G Bling? I didn’t expect to see you here.” The Spider King
exclaimed with surprise.

The spider in question was standing cosily in the middle of the room, he
had a book in his hand, something the spider must have been reading.

“My King?” The spider was just as surprised as him. A spidery bow soon
followed.

The Spider King opened his mouth to ask about the book, but he stopped
himself abruptly. The title on the book cover was peculiar, but hey, each to
their own. Instead, he looked around the room, the walls were lined by
shelves, all full of books, and even the floor had towering piles of literature.
He scanned the book titles with a quick glance, none of them were
alchemical books, his best guess was that all of them were a type of fiction.

“Is something wrong?” Lady Crimson asked with concern.

Yeah, maybe he was looking around too much and too obviously. However,
this particular library of books was just too bizarre. All of the books here
were for adults, no let’s be more precise, they were erotic books!

He had no place to judge what adults read in their spare time. And he didn’t.
“I just expected something like jars of monster parts, bubbling potions,
shelves lined with bottles. You know, stuff like that.”

Lady Crimson let a short giggle. “I get you, I do. But you know, I have a
life outside work.”

“Of course, but these books...” He grabbed a random one. “The Secret
Journey of a Mile-Long Rope.” He read a random title. “The Whip, The
Feather, and The Maiden.” He read another one.

The Lady Crimson developed a red tinge on her cheeks.

“My King.” The spider chirped. “You have a good eye to pick these
masterpieces. I recommend them both.”

“Right…” So, the spider had those tastes too. “Anyway, I’m here just to say
hello. And it looks like I will be shooting two birds with one stone.” He
plopped on a nearby coach without invitation. “So, It looks like you two are
friends?” He asked casually.

Lady Crimson relaxed realising that this won’t be about business, she joined
him but on another couch nearby. The Centauri Champion walked closer to
a bookshelf; she was looking at the titles with curiosity.

“We are more than friends.” The spider chirped setting the book down on
the nearby table. “We are…”

The Lady Crimson moved quickly to shut the spider’s mandibles with her
hands. Unfortunately, her hands were too petite to achieve that.

“… going to be married soon.”

And here was another shock. “You are getting married?!”

“Yes.” The spider chirped it as if it was no big deal at all.

Well, that was new. The Spider King looked at the blushing Lady Crimson.
The name ‘Crimson’ did suit her in so many ways.

She nodded meekly whispering, “Yes.”

“Amazing! Congratulations!” He said that, but honestly, he didn’t

understand what was really going on.

One of his spiders married a human, he never even thought that this was a
possibility. Huh, the spiders grow up so fast… but also, they don’t live for
very long either. He looked at Lord G Bling, what did the spider had? –
Two or three years more before the spider passed away leaving its offspring
behind. Admittedly the offspring would have the Lord G Bling’s
experiences and all of his memories, but also, they would be spiders with
their own personalities. So should he bring that dilemma to the engaged
couple or did they think that through already?

The spider was saying something and the intrusive thoughts had made the
Spider King lose focus.

“Sorry, can you say that again?” He asked the spider.

“Spider King, I’m asking do I have your blessing?”

“Oh, of course! You don’t need to ask for my permission. You can marry
whoever you want.” He said the most obvious thing.

The spider chirped happily, and the Lady Crimson let out a relieved sigh.

“How about your family, Lady Crimson?” He asked with a tinge of worry.
“Do they have any concerns?”

“The only family I have is my Daddy. I brought Lord G Bring once for a
family dinner and it was my Daddy who said I have to marry this charming
spider.” She shuffled closer to the spider hugging his arm.
“Really?” This dad must be a very open-minded person. “He sounds like a
great dad. I would like to meet him.” But wait, wasn’t she talking about the
old Crimson Alchemist? He was sure that her father was dead…

Lady Crimson shuffled in her seat somewhat uncomfortably.

“He’s in the basement now. Sleeping… Should I get him?” She asked
looking uncomfortable.

The spider shook his head to signal a silent no.

Yeah, something was suspicious here. “No-no, let's not disturb the old
Master. I’m sure I’ll meet him when the time is right.” He said so relying on
his gut instinct.

The Lady Crimson relaxed visibly.

“So when is the marriage ceremony?”

“Well, that’s exactly it.” The spider began. “We didn’t tell you because it
clashes with your celebration.”

“We didn’t want to take your light away.” Lady Crimson added.

This was a somewhat strange expression – ‘taking light away’, but he

understood what Lady Crimson implied. But…

“It’s not like I am celebrating anything. I’m just here because Aurelius II
invited me.”

“My King, but you essentially control the Aurelian Dutchy now. It will be
in your domain. A momentous celebration we spiders worked very hard
for.”

Did they? Wait… was all of this the doing of the spiders? Why? How?

“Ah… of course, it’s you who made this happen. Yes, I will celebrate. But
you can celebrate with me. There is no problem. You know what?” He had
an idea. “During my address to the Aurelian people, I’ll bless your marriage
publicly. This will bring the spiders and humans even closer. And then we
all can celebrate together.” Once again, he will crush two mice with one
hammer.

“Understood.” The spider chirped simply.

The Lady Crimson, however, was crying for some reason. “Thank you… I
am so happy.”

“Please, no need to cry. I’m just happy that there are others who love
spiders as much as I do if not more.”

Lord G Bling was tapping his fiancé’s tears away with a blue handkerchief,
ever the gentleman.

After a brief pause, the conversation shifted to more mundane matters. It

was about potions.

“My King, which potion do you think brings the most money to an
alchemist?”

The Spider King tapped a nearby table while thinking. “A potion which is
rare and strong. I don’t know many examples, but something that allows
you to regenerate limbs, or gives strength to fight a dragon.”

Lady Crimson shook her head. “I get your way of thinking, but you are
wrong. It’s the potion which sells the most.”

“Like what?”

“In my example, a Fertility Potion.”

“Really?” He was surprised.

“Really. The ingredients are cheap, it is simple to make, and the effects are
potent. But most importantly it flies off the shelves in no time. There is
always demand for it. And you know what?”

He gave a cue for her to continue.

“The other alchemists, the proud fools that they are, couldn’t even figure
out how to make it. By the time they realised that all that it takes is
TomGrape, I had the Fertility Potion market cornered. And with the help
of my beloved.” She hugged the spider tighter. “I get my TomGrape and
Scorpion Glass bottles for free. There is no way for them to compete with
us! Ha-ha-ha!” She laughed maniacally.

The spider had something to add. “Yes. We’re buying out our competitors
and increasing the selection of the potions we sell. The enterprise runs at a
loss at the moment, but as soon as we have the potion market cornered, we
will increase the prices and reap tenfold returns.”

Well, that sounded like a plan, but why was he getting these sinister vibes
from the two? The pair looked like some sort of mafia bosses who would
run alchemy shops from the shadows.

Anyway, it was a legitimate way to do business. “Amazing!

Congratulations!” Was his reply. “On another note, I’ve been curious for a
while now. Why is everyone so fat? I mean the citizens. What happened?”

“Oh, that?” Lady Crimson began knowingly. “They’re not drinking enough
Spider-FizzPop™, it's as easy as that.”

That wasn’t the answer he expected. But yeah, ‘why are the people?’ was a
stupid question, everyone knew the whys. That’s why she gave that answer,
offering a solution.

“I understand what you’re saying. That drink we make does have negative
calories.”

She gave him a puzzled look. “I did my experiments… I thought it was

something like negative energy or a draining effect. Or is ‘negative calories’
the correct term to use?”

“Forget it. So what were you saying is that we need to sell it as some sort a
cure?”
“Yes, it negates the Obese negative status effect and with the right dose it
can make people slimmer.”

“However,” the spider began, “It’s not the price or popularity that is an
issue. We just don’t have enough Spider-FizzPop™.”

Indeed, the drink required the water from the Mana Spring. And there was
only so much of that to go around.

“I wonder if we could make a similar mixture using Dark Rain, it’s not
exactly the same as Mana Spring Water but it has some magic mixed in
it.” He proposed.

Lady Crimson shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I didn’t even know Dark Rain
was a thing.”

“I’ll send you the samples when I have time. Maybe you can concoct
something similar. Or maybe even better.”

“Spider-FizzPop™ is a revolutionary potion! And it’s your recipe. If I

manage to improve the potion, I’ll give all the credit to you, my King.
Speaking of which, here have a look.” She produced a small potion bottle
from her pocket.

It was half-empty giving evidence of being used.

“[Identify].”

Item: Fertility Potion+ Quality: Superior

Bonuses [Fertility], [Concentrated], STA +50

This potion is concentrated to provide an even bigger boost to

Description
one’s virility and stamina.
“You improved that, nice! I wouldn’t expect anything less from the master
alchemist. I assume you’ll be selling these soon?”

“With your permission, yes.”

“Your betrothed, Lord G Bling, has all the authority to grant the
permissions like that. You don’t have to ask me that. But I appreciate you
sharing your findings with me.” After all, he too had a minor interest in
potions.

“That’s why I’m sharing it with you. I’ve heard you’re trying for a child.”
She gave a wink. “I assure you this will help.”

“Oh…” A normal Fertility Potion was already way too much, he had no
problem in that department. Actually, the Concentrated version was
something to be hidden from his wife, and at all costs. She was already too
aggressive! “Thank you.” He pocketed the little bottle.

Lady Crimson smiled. “My king, not this one.” She motioned asking the
potion back. “I have more in the basement workshop. I’ll give you a whole
box later.”

“Oh…” He’ll have to hide it somewhere safe. Far and deep, in the darkest
corner of the vault. “Thanks, I appreciate the gift.” He bowed ever so
slightly out of politeness.

For some reason, the Lady Crimson was looking at him expectantly.

“Yes?” He inquired.

She nuzzled closer to the spider. “We too are trying for a child.” She kissed
Lord G Bling’s chitinous cheek.

“Yes.” The spider chirped.

He’d almost screamed ‘Eh!’ with all his might. He didn’t know where to
begin. The spider just didn’t have those types of body parts, they reproduce
by cloning themselves. And… so they were being physical. How did that
work? He had no idea… Nor did he want to imagine, especially considering
the books the two liked to read.

No-No, let's stop judging! Whatever makes them happy. “And how can I
help?” He asked following the hins the two were making.

“A rumour caught my ears that Monster System can evolve humans. Is that
true?” She asked expectantly.

Huh, so the rumours did spread fast, after all, he just landed here. “Yes.” He
confirmed.

“To be honest I made that potion to help us, but it seems that we need more
help.” She swirled the potion. “I’m thinking to evolve my body. Then, at
least in the eyes of the system, both of us would be monsters. Conception
might be a lot easier then.”

But even then… the spider still would need to grow certain parts. The road
the two were trying to follow was a bumpy one. But they were his friends,
and he will help them.

“I understand what you’re asking. I’ll make sure you have enough Slug
Jelly for that. But what makes the Evolve? message to pop up, I still don’t
know. You’ll have to figure that part out yourself, once you do, call me. I’ll
Evolve you.”

“Thank you, Spider King.” It was Lord G Bling who bowed and thanked.

The evening was getting near, so it was about time to go. He glanced at his
companion who was engrossed in one of the books. It looks like she found a
story she liked.

“I think, it’s time for us to go.” He stood up from the comfortable couch.

“To the party, yes?” Lady Crimson asked. “We’re going there too. But I still
need to get ready, so if you wait for us…”
They could go together, but… “I want to catch Aurelius II before the party
starts. There’re important matters to discuss.” Namely, the Angel and the
Holy Empire.

“Of course… You must be very busy. I’m sorry for not realising. I didn’t
mean to stop you or intrude. It has been my pleasure to host you in my
humble home.” She said it in an overly polite way.

He’d almost felt bad for not waiting for her so that they could come
together. “I’ve enjoyed my stay and I’m glad I got to meet you Lady
Crimson. I’ll see you two there in the evening, please don’t be shy to
approach me for a chat.” With that, he turned to leave.

The Centauri Champion, immersed in the book, didn’t even notice him
leaving.

The Spider King clicked his tongue twice without thinking, it was a calling
used to call a horse.

“Huh?” She looked at him. “Oh! Yes.”

To call someone like that might be seen as wrong, but it didn’t seem to be a
problem here.

“Lady…” The centauri hesitated. “Lady Crimson, may I borrow this book?”

“Ah! Another person who appreciates fine art. Of course, and keep it.
Consider it a gift.”

Centauri Champion wagged her tail happily and gave a broad smile.

The Spider King gave a curious look at the cover of the book: ‘The Stable
Master and The Virgin Mare’; a not-so-surprising choice. But what did the
local people consider a mare, since there were no horses in this world? The
current holder of a ‘horse’ title in this world was a rather mean and
carnivorous beast, closer to a reptile than a mammal; neither loyal nor
trustworthy.
His curious gaze causes a certain mare to react. “What? It’s for study
purposes.” She said with a blush. “I’m still learning how to read and write
the human language. This will help me.”

Ah yes, there was that. The Centauri spoke the Demon language, but after
they came here, they had to learn Spider Chirp and then the Common
Human language.

He too was slightly interested in a few titles he noticed lying nearby, but he
was too shy to ask for it. “No, nothing. Let’s go.”

Inside the Royal Palace, in the empty Throne Room, on a small stool which
has been repaired way too many times, sat an incredibly plump and round
man.

“Where is he? I sent a greeting party as soon as he landed that …

construct.” Duke Aurelius the Great was talking to himself. “But he wasn’t
there. Gone without the trace.” He even told his men to look for the Spider
King, but it was as if no one had even detected his presence.

“You would think a King is hard to miss.” But apparently, it's like looking
for a needle in a haystack. “Or maybe he just went to lurk in shadows…
like that spider.” Aurelius remembered a certain acquaintance who liked to
pop in at midnight, uninvited.

”Ah!” He explained in realisation. “He just wants to make a dramatic

entrance! Come when no one expected him. Yes! Let's prepare the stage for
him.”
 107 - Make Aurelian Dutchy Great
Again!

Duke Aurelius was sitting on his stool and contemplating this and that,
every time he shifted his weight ever so slightly the stool creaked in pained
protest.

Suddenly two hands landed on the shoulders of Duke Aurelius.

“Gotcha!”

“Ah?!”

The tired legs of the stool broke off making Duke Aurelius collapse to the
floor with a loud thump.

“Spider King?!” He said indignantly while lying on the floor.

“You didn’t see me coming did you?” The Spider King asked with a broad
grin.

“No, I didn’t.” Not that he was looking anyway.

“It’s Camouflage, I waltzed in straight through the front door.” He said

way too happy about it. “By the way, you need better security. There are
barely any guards here.”

There were none. That’s the point of them when the spiders can walk the
shadows and pop in his bedroom at night whenever they please? And
anyway, he had all the protection he needed under his robe, a very thick
tome.
“I’ll think about it.” Duke Aurelius said without committing. “So,
Camouflage, that’s how you slipped past my greeting party!” He said in
realisation.

“Oh? Did you send someone to meet me? Sorry about that, I was
preoccupied with something else. Anyway, I’ve dealt with the Empire’s
Army, they shouldn’t bother you for a while.”

“What really? What did you do? No! Wait… I don’t want to even begin
imagining.” He collected himself off the floor with a grunt.

The Spider King offered a helping hand, but Duke Aurelius didn’t take it
being too proud.

The Spider King replied. “What do you think I am? Some Demon Lord? I
had a pleasant conversation with Radiant Sword and she turned the army
around for me.”

“What? Really?” Duke Aurelius repeated again just as surprised.

“Yeah, but they will be back eventually. So I advise you to prepare properly
this time.”

“You won’t lend me your spiders?” Duke Aurelius said with clear worry.

The Spider King had a thoughtful look for a moment. “This is your war to
win. Did you think that you becoming my subordinate and submitting the
Aurelian Kingdom to me absolves you from all responsibility?”

“Of course not!” He said collapsing to his knees. “But the Aurelian King…
Aurelian Dutchy is too small to fight an entire Empire. We’ll be wiped out!”

“I know. That’s why I will provide you with aid. I’ll give you the spider
builders and the spider engeneers, the magic scrolls and all the potions you
need. But the victory will rest entirely on your shoulders. Oh, and I won’t
allow any of the spiders to participate in the attacks.” The Spider King laid
some preliminary rules.
“I understand. I still need to prove myself. To prove that I am worthy to rule
my people.”

The spider King Nodded. “Yes, incompetent rulers are the most useless
people. So, I advise you to seek talents and surround yourself with them.”

“Then… can I rely on Lord G Bling, just for a bit?”

“Oh? It seems he’s already an integral part of the Aurelian Dutchy. I don’t
see any problem with that.”

Duke Aurelius grinned upon hearing that sentence. “Then, I’ll do just that.”

“Hmm… Even so, I want you to make your own decisions.”

“I understand that, my King.” Duke Aurelius bowed. “I won’t disappoint

you, or my people.”

“That’s all I needed to hear.”

“One more thing. I assume you will grace us at the evening party, yes?
Even if we spoke now, it’s best if you attend. And tomorrow we can make
things official with a big celebration.”

“Yes, that’s why I’m here. To get a feel of your friends and allies, please
give me a rough outline of your guest list and why you invited them. Also,
the official celebration will have to wait, I need to wait for my wife.”

The Spider King explained that the Lamia and most of the spiders will be
coming in a few days’ time. And the Duke Aurelius briefed the King about
the guests.

The evening party went through smoothly and there is no need to go into
the small details. Of course, there might have been some misunderstandings
like the Centauri Champion being the Spider King’s second wife and such;
but those little misunderstandings were smoothed in the end.
For the following two days, the Spider King explored the Aurelian Capital
further. All the people he passed and talked with, despite their obvious
Obese status, were otherwise healthy and full of energy. The sight of broad
warm smiles told everting you needed to know about how they felt. The
Aurelian people went through a lot, but not even a single person expressed
their discontent about their current Aurelian ruler, actually, they called him
endearingly as Aurelius the Great. If people held Aurelius in such high
regard, he must have been doing something right.

Which in its entirety was slightly odd. Aurelius didn’t hide his dark side
from the people. He was known to be responsible for the complete
destruction of the Fertile Kingdom’s capital. He was behind the brutal
cleansing of the majority of the local nobility and other houses which
opposed him. He brought some very strict and oppressive rules. He was the
one who opened the capital to spiders and other monster races. All of the
above implied that by no means Aurelius was either kind or benevolent, or
even all that smart. But even still, in the end, the people loved him. The
hearts of common men were hard to understand.

On a side note, the spiders seemed to be an integral part of the Aurelian

Capital. And the best of it was that the people now welcomed them. If
anything, it seemed that there was a demand for more spiders. The spiders
were just too useful! They were too hard not to have around once you got
used to their presence.

But one problem remained, the Aurelian people were wilfully ignorant. The
danger of the Holy Empire was just at the border. The Spider King had long
decided that it was best to inform them about that, after all, they will need
to prepare. This was their fight, and the spiders would only help from the
side-lines.

Soon enough, the Lamia Queen and the rest of the spiders found their way
into the capital. Even then compared to the landing of the Galleon Whale,
their entrance was grand and hard to miss. And it was obviously intentional
since the Lamia Queen enjoyed that type of attention. Even the Spider King
himself was left speechless at his wife’s entry.
The spiders wore luxurious blue robes and marched with heads held high
while matching their steps perfectly. Mind you, there were a lot of spiders,
an entire army, so to say that this was a parade won’t be wrong. In between
the ranks of spiders were open carriages pulled by equally well-dressed
Centauri. Sorry girls, you were reduced to the beasts of burden! But for
whatever reason, Centauri had looks filled with pride, understandably they
took this task with great honour. And no one really looked down on them
since they had this noble aura of magnificence about them. Unavoidably,
quite a few young men were left standing at an awkward posture and the
married women had to shield the eyes of their husbands. The Centauri
weapons were barely contained by thin blue cloth making them sway and
move as they pulled the carriages. The threat was real!

The subjects of the Lamia Queen also wore beautiful blue dresses, however,
much less revealing than the Centauri did. Admittedly, due to their
sensitivity to the sun, they were mostly covered in cloth and even their
faces were hidden by a thin veil. However, that only added to their
mysterious charm. It was hard not to wonder what was behind all that cloth,
it was hard not to want to remove it, It was hard not to desire to rip all of
that off and… well let's not submit ourselves fully to that natural Charm of
the Lamia.

The obvious jewel of the Lamia people was the Queen herself. Much like
her subjects, her body was hidden by cloth. However, it was much finer and
thinner, the fabric clung to her natural shapes leaving little to the
imagination. The blue dress was encrusted by polished gems and patterns of
golden thread, giving it that feel of royalty. And like all royalty should, she
held a symbol of power – a massive sceptre. The sceptre pulsed in purple
light sending the equally pink motes of light towards the people. The Lamia
Queen was simply dashing and irresistible, she stole the eyes from men and
women alike.

The ongoing parade didn’t display much military might and power, but
instead, it showed the splendour and unity of the Spider Kingdom. But also,
for some hard-to-explain reason, all the females in the Spider Kingdom had
that undeniable aura of allure and sexiness. It was an unexplainable
phenomenon.
The parade processed slowly through the capital until it reached a stop at
the slightly unkept and decrepit Royal Palace. There the Lamia Queen
joined the Spider King on a balcony.

The balcony overlooked an incredibly large gathering of people.

Undoubtedly, every single person from the Aurelian Dutchy was here, plus
all the spiders and sexy monster girls. There, overlooking the people, was
the Spider King. He was surrounded by his aides. On the right was his wife
and on the left was the current host - Duke Aurelius. Behind the three were
the Centauri Champion, Lord G Bling, Crimson Alchemist, and Captain
General of Aurelian Order. The latter human had just ascended to the
position yesterday but was included as a show of trust.

As far as the Spider King could see there were figures of the people. There
must be, what? A million or two of them. To address a mass like this
Aurelius had kindly lent a special device from the Royal Treasury. It was a
large ivory horn encrusted with bands of gold and enchanted with Wind
magic, Aurelian Horn of Resonance was its name. Apparently, it hasn't
been used in ages and the actual viability of it wasn’t yet tested by the
Aurelius.

But here it was, mounted to the balcony and ready to be used… shouting
‘Testing! Testing! 123!’ seemed hardly appropriate.

The Spider King cleared his throat to begin his address. “Hello, Aurelian
people.” The item worked as intended. “Today is a joyous occasion, as we
gather here to welcome you, the Aurelian people, into my glorious Monster
Realm.” Everyone cheered and clapped seemingly unperturbed by the
‘monster’ part. “Thank you, thank you, I am humbled by your warm
applause. I’m so happy to see that the opinion of my spiders has changed so
drastically.” He cleared his throat again wishing to go back to the ‘script’.
“For those who don’t know yet, even though I hold many titles, I am best
known as the Spider King, and from now on I stand here as your new
King.” He looked at the crowd with a tinge of worry.

He didn’t need to do so because the crowd once again cheered in ovation.

“Ah, you all are so lovely and welcoming, I hardly deserve to rule such
good people as yourselves. Thus, as you might know, you will retain
Aurelius the Great as your representative. Today he gains a very important
title, he becomes Duke Aurelius of the Monster Realm, or simply a Monster
Duke. This is a title first of its kind! Please give your cheers to the Moster
Duke Aurelius.”

Aurelius stepped closer to the balcony fence and right next to the Spider
King. The people raved and roared, understandably much louder than they
did for the Spider King.

The Spider King wasn’t quite finished. “What an unexpectedly strong

response, very admirable. Duke Aurelius, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for
you choosing to join my Monster Realm. Your decision to do so is a
testament to the trust and confidence you have placed in my vision. A vision
where spiders and humans can coexist in mutual prosperity. A vision where
we grow stronger together.” He was back on his ‘script’. “I call upon all of
you, Aurelian people, to extend a warm welcome not just to the spiders but
other races which might want to live here in the future.” He motioned at the
cluster of Lamia and Centauri. “Let’s open our hearts and minds, forging
bonds of friendship and understanding. By working together, we shall build
bridges that connect different races, forging a sense of shared purpose.”

This was time to reveal some special news, which many would surely find
shocking, because even he was.

“Actually, we already have two people who embraced these ideals. A

human and a spider came together, and despite their differences, they fell in
love. These two are prominent individuals so I’m sure you heard of them.
Crimson Alchemist and Lord G Bling, please step forward.”

The two did as told so that people down below could see them better.

“I, the Spider King, bless your marriage. May your love blossom and set an
example to others.”

The crowd was somewhat confused but even then, they cheered and
clapped. There was the bit that the Lamia Queen wanted him to announce in
his address. A rather important problem actually.

“Oh, and since we are on the topic. Our beautiful Lamia.” He pointed again
at the group. “Are looking for good husbands to take back to the Spider
Kingdom, so please, don’t be hesitant to approach them later.”

Yeah, since Gareth abandoned them for the Dark Fortress they were feeling
lonely. A number of curious gazes fell on their sleek serpentine forms. The
Lamia waved invitingly at their potential suitors.

“There's more which I need to say.” The Spider King gathered the attention
back to himself. “As your King, I assure you that you shall be provided
with the necessary resources needed for you to flourish. I shall increase the
shipments of TomGrape making it ever so cheaper. I shall open not two,
not four but ten more Spidery Delicious. I shall send more Blue Cloth so
that you can stay ever so fashionable. Oh, how it’s so splendid to see
everyone wearing blue and enjoying spider cuisine, aren’t we already so
united? Also, the knowledge of my spider builders and engineers will be at
your disposal. Surely, the capital will grow in size and splendour. Those
who still need housing will have it here for free! Everyone can settle in the
Capital!”

Once again, the people roared in excited agreement.

“May the bonds we forge today be everlasting, and with our collective
efforts may the Monster Realm expand and grow stronger. I, the Spider
King, stand before you, humbled and grateful, ready to guide us to a future
filled with promise and greatness.” The people responded just like they did
before. “However, there will be people envying us and our prosperity. Bitter
and jealous people who are dead set on destroying that which is good. I’m
sure you know what I speak of. Yes, the Holy Empire, entirely unprovoked,
had declared war on the Aurelian Dutchy.

The people gasped in shock.

“Their intentions are clearly evil. They want to kill all the spiders!”
Everyone gasped again. “They want to take away all the good things you
have here. They want to destroy the way of your life. And why you might
ask? It’s because they see spiders as twisted demons. That’s it. That’s reason
enough for them.

People began shouting and cursing at the Holy Empire. It was an unspoken
taboo to offend a spider.

“Yes, I know. They just don’t get it, do they? But even still, we will have to
protect that which is most precious. You will have to fight, but fear not
because our Aurelius the Great will lead you and you will have my spiders
to assist you.”

The people talked in hushed tones between themselves, understandably not

too excited about the idea of fighting.

“Please have more faith in yourself. If anything, you have already displayed
the strength of the Aurelian people. All of you being here is a testament to
your unity. And unity is strength!” The Spider King pointed at the humans
as a group. “You have good hearts and it’s always the good men who win
and prevail against the evil. Fear not, we will persevere and show them that
the Aurelian Dutchy is not to be messed with.”

Duke Aurelius jumped in to add. “Yeah! We’ll crush them like we did the
Fertile Kingdom!”

The crowd roared at the words of their Duke.

“See! That’s the spirit. But for now, let’s forget the unpleasant things. We
are here to celebrate! So let’s celebrate! Long live the Monster Realm, Long
live the Aurelian Dutchy!”

“Long live the Monster Realm, Long live the Aurelian Dutchy!” Duke
Aurelius parroted but with more vigour.

The same line was repeated by the people again and again sending the
thunderous roar far and wide.

[Congratulations! The Aurelian Dutchy joined the Monster Realm], thus

the area governed by the mysterious power of the Spider King expanded.
In between the roaring cheers Duke Aurelius leaned closer to the Spider
King’s ear for a whisper.

“Huh, I didn’t expect the system message… and it says I can Evolve? ?

Apparently, everyone received the announcement. There was nothing more

official than the System recognising it.

Still, the Spider King had to remind something important to the Duke
Aurelius. “It means that now I can change your race permanently. Into
something else, like I did with Radiant Sword.” He had talked about that
event with Aurelius the other day. “I warn you that you will stop being
human. You’ll become something else entirely.” He said that while waving
at the people beneath and retreating further away from the balcony.

Aurelius had a broad grin stretching from one corner of his face to the other,
his desire to abandon his own humanity so readily was almost obscene.

However, a certain approaching light had caught the attention of the two. It
was only a radiant speck in the horizon but it was growing quickly. Soon
the form was close enough for the Spider King to tell what it was.

“The Angel? Why is she here?” He uttered.

107.5 - Some Even In The Brightest
Light Chose To Remain Oblivious

The Imperial Army’s General was leading his men towards the Aurelian
Capital. The size of the force was small, it was just a tiny squad, but these
men were the most loyal to the General, and they were seasoned veterans.
Even still, there was no doubt this was a suicide mission. The men had
accepted that reality, and to turn back would mean to betray the Emperor’s
will.

A smaller force allowed them to move quicker, and the night terrors were
avoided. Soon they reached the Capital.

“No, this can’t be!” The Army General voiced his confusion.

His men experienced an equal amount of shock at the sight.

“General, what does this mean?” One of the subordinates asked.

“I… I don’t know.” He still couldn’t wrap his mind around it.

He didn’t even know if he should call the thing in front of him a city. Yes,
there were structures in the distance he could see, but those didn’t look
human at all. The neat blocky and comfortably triangular shapes were
replaced by spherical nest-like abominations. The materials used were also
unfamiliar. The odd shapes gave the impression that the city was alive, and
that it was spreading like some sort of malignant cancer.

To prevent immediate detection, they approached the capital using the cover
of the nearby vegetation, but still, it was only a matter of time before the
trouble caught up with them.
“General, what do you think is inside those nests?”

The Army General snorted at the stupid question. “Monsters. Obviously.”

After all, they still had to meet even a single Aurelian person, and they
probably wouldn’t. It was as everyone suspected: the Aurelian People were
sacrificed in some sort of dark ritual to summon monsters and terrors.

“Should we turn back?” The subordinate asked.

He glared at the out-of-the-line veteran. “Are you suggesting we desert too?

No! Since we are here let's just deal some damage. As much as we can.”
After all, everyone was here with a single goal, to fight.

“I suggest we split up and sabotage the nests from the inside. This way
we’ll be harder to deal with.” One of the commanders offered.

“Good idea, let's do that.”

The men scattered.

Once the Army General got closer, he quickly realised that there were still
people alive there. That brought some hope. Ever so carefully he
approached the nest-like buildings still wary of detection. Surprisingly he
reached the city border without any problem whatsoever. Soon it became
obvious that the Aurelian people were very much alive. They walked in and
out of these monster nests as if they just lived inside.

The Army General spurred by curiosity sheathed his sword and decided to
investigate. He hid his armour in nearby underbrush wearing only a simple
tunic. He approached the nearby buildings confidently, there was no need
for him to skulk like some thief.

The old walls of Aurelian Capital were further away, this sprawling
complex of weird nests was just outside of it, so he had no problem just to
waltz inside. There were a lot of holes in this plan, but from what he had
seen so far, he had confidence in it.
And he was right, he was able to infiltrate the labyrinthine streets with no
problems. The Aurelian people didn’t even give him a second glance.

“That accursed Angel! They were fools to turn back.” He lamented. “They
have no defences here, we could have swooped in and taken out whatever
this is.”

He continued walking and investigating both the people and the structures.
Indeed the curious buildings, while somewhat spooky, turned out to house
only humans. And surprisingly it wasn’t the monster-like designs which
were the most perturbing; it was the Aurelian people! They were
grotesquely fat and they walked smiling like some sort of idiots.

“What’s going on? Didn’t they have a famine not too long ago?” Then it
dawned to him. “It’s almost like they are…” He didn’t want to entertain
such an idea but… “Are the demons fattening them up just to eat them
later?” It seemed the most plausible solution. “Also, they look too happy.
There must be some Illusion or Charm magic at play.” He reached to his
belt grasping the Holy Medallion tighter. “The Holy Light will protect me.”
He reassured himself, the medallion was there to counter such spells.

Soon, he noticed the first of the demons. It was an abomination, a twisted

spider-like creature imitating a human. It had the necessary features to wear
human clothing, and he could hear it speaking Common, but in the end it
was just a mockery of a person. The charmed thrall was nodding at the
spider excessively overjoyed to do its foul bidding.

The Army General reached for the sheath, anger burning inside him. He
wanted to kill the demon and free the poor fool. However, he stilled his
hand.

“No, it’s not the time. I need to investigate further.”

He walked deeper into the city. He wanted to reach the very centre of this
nest-like maze. The very centre was often the place where the heart of the
corruption was. And indeed, the deeper he went the more spider monsters
he encountered. Surprisingly they were oblivious to his presence.
“Are they foolish enough to mistake me for one of their slaves?” He shook
his head. “If so, I’ll use that to my advantage.” He pressed forward with
more courage.

On his way, he observed many disturbing sights. In his mind, there was no
doubt that the spiders grew the humans here as some sort of animal stock. It
was disgusting! The worst of it was the Aurelian people failing to even
understand their own situation.

“The foul magic must be extremely strong.” He silently thanked the Holy
Light for protecting him so far.

It took him a while to realise, but a strange ritual was taking place. From
elaborate stalls, the spiders were handing free food to the humans, mostly
some type of fruit, and the people were eating it with uninhibited gluttony,
growing ever fatter. The mood was strange, it was almost like they were
celebrating something. Also, everyone was wearing blue and only blue, it
was rather strange, and he still had no explanation for it.

Later, from the corner of his eye, he noticed one of his companions being
dragged by a spider monster. The poor man was tightly bound in a web. The
Army General wanted to save his comrade here and there, but then he
would give himself away.

His eyes met with the captured man; the man looked at him beggingly. The
Army General gave an apologetic look and averted his eyes.

An eerie but chirpy voice coming from behind startled him. “Newcomer.
Do not be perturbed.”

He reached for his sword ready to act.

“Worry not. That’s just a troublemaker. We’re just putting him on a time-
out.” It chirped an explanation.

He didn’t detect any hostility from the creature. His body screamed to act
but his mind demanded to remain composed.
“You’re not a troublemaker?” The spider chirped. “Are you?”

“No, I’m not.” He uttered cautiously.

“Then, here’s a gift.” The spider handed a bundle of cloth. “You’ll fit in
better.”

He took the bundle slightly confused.

“Do you have a human nest already?” The spider inquired.

He nodded in affirmation without giving it much thought.

“Then, go and make some new friends!” The spider turned to leave.

Needless to say, he was extremely confused of what just happened. He

unfurled the cloth bundle; it was a blue tunic everyone was wearing. It was
a somewhat simple design, something a peasant would wear.

“Is it enchanted?” He inspected it further with suspicion. “Shame I’m not a

mage.” He couldn’t tell. The worry was that it might somehow affect his
mind if he chose to wear it.

The simple tunic was only simple at a glance. The fabric actually was
smooth to the touch and the cloth was very light. At a second glance, it
looked rather expensive. He grasped for the medallion and donned the blue
tunic over his old one. As far as he could tell, there was no mind-altering
spell woven into it. He released a strained sigh of relief.

“Hmm…” He hummed thoughtfully. “I do fit in better, don’t I.” The only

thing missing was layers upon layers of fat, but otherwise, he was fitting in
the crowd.

Ever since he came here, the Army General couldn't help but notice that the
streets were unnaturally clean and clear of pests and even malodours. Soon
he found a reason, a small spider scuttered around picking up the trash and
debris, and another spider was sweeping the street with a peculiar brush, it
was also likely that the little monsters caught and ate the pesky critters of
the city leaving it pest-free.
“Strange. I would expect them to force humans to do tasks like these.”

On his way, he passed a line of stalls, each and every managed by a spider.
Unlike others, these didn’t hand out free food, there were items on the
tables. The spiders behind the stalls looked with clear intelligence, but also
malice in their four yellow eyes. Some of them beckoned for him to
purchase this and that, but he ignored those calls.

“So strange. The humans still possess their money and are encouraged to
spend it.” He couldn’t understand the angle of this spider trick.

If these demons wanted money, they could just take it from the Aurelian
people. Maybe this was just a part of an elaborate Illusion to keep the
Aurelian people in check. After all, it was very clear who was in charge. He
had passed a few spiders like that: big, tall, and formidable. Those two were
of the warrior kind. They had no weapons, only a strange stick, but as an
Army General, he could tell straight away that the two spiders were experts
at using it. He gave a wide berth to the spider warriors.

He kept going deeper and taking the unusual sights in. For now, he chose to
ignore the alien buildings and concentrated on the monsters. They came in
different sizes and shapes, some more human than others, but all undeniably
terrifying and powerful demons. One thing was obvious, the more human-
like the spider was, the more status and power it wielded.

He wanted to ignore the odd and peculiar buildings, but there was one he
could not ignore. It was large and magnificent, standing out from the
surroundings. The architecture was very strange, but there was a peculiar
beauty in it, which even he, a man with no refined tastes, could still
appreciate. Unmistakably, It was a temple to one of the Dark Gods.
Aurelian people formed an orderly que patiently waiting to go inside.

Overtaken by a macabre curiosity, and despite the better judgement, the

Army General joined the queue. The wait was uncomfortably long but he
persevered. Two spider guards parted their sticks letting him past the
entrance. He gasped in surprise at the sight. He wasn’t too sure what he was
seeing but this wasn’t an ordinary temple.
“Move, man! You’re clogging the entrance.” A heavy and impatient hand
pushed him.

He turned in alarm to the dull sound, *Bonk*.

“Don’t be rude.” The spider ruthlessly disciplined the inpatient man.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, please don’t purge me. I can’t live without Spidery
Delicious! Please!!!” He was on his knees begging.

Purge? That’s a rather strong punishment for a small slight like this. With
obvious worry, the Army General stepped away to clear the doorway for
others to pass.

“Is it me you need. To apologise?” The evil spider waved it’s stick
wickedly.

“Ah! But of course.” The rude man stood up and looked at him. “It’s my
treat, I’ll buy you anything. We’re friends, right?”

The army general nodded unsure. Luckily this was enough to placate the
murderous spider.

“Come let’s sit together.” The stranger urged him to one of the tables.

They sat down. The stranger was blabbering this and that, to be honest, it
was hard to follow.

“… recently I tried Mega Jammy XXL Whippy Galore Extreme, it was

alright but not crispy enough for me…”

A small spider had descended from the ceiling a few minutes ago and was
just staring at them patiently. The atmosphere was awkward and the Army
General still struggled to understand what this place actually was. That was
until he looked at the other tables.

“They’re eating?” He uttered under his nose but still a bit too loud.
“Ah yes, let's order. I’d like…” The stranger followed with some strange
incantation. “How about you? Wait…” He paused with a large grin. “You’re
too famished to be from the capital. You’re new aren’t you?”

Oh no! Was he caught?

“It’s your lucky day! I know just the best combo. Spider, please get him…”
The stranger uttered some words with no actual meaning.

Some time passed, and to sum up the experience… The Army General,
afraid of the food being tampered with, didn’t really want to put the unholy
offering into his mouth, but he had no choice, he was in the temple and he
had to follow the ritual and… The experience was out of this world!

Surprisingly the local tender remained the Imperial Coin, and he had plenty
of that tucked in the punch under the belt. But the stranger insisted on
paying for the meal. The Army General left with his belly stuffed and a
content grin on his face.

“The food is better than in the royal palace. The quality, the amount, the
price…” It just boggled his mind. “Now, I understand why everyone is so…
well-rounded.”

Of course, he was offered a strange dark bubbling potion to go with his

meal, but that clearly was poison, so he skipped that.

“Maybe as long as I avoid the potion, it's alright?” He didn’t feel mind-
controlled at the moment or anything.

He pressed further into the city to look for the one who enthralled the
Aurelian People, the head demon.

Later, he met another of his companions. The man had successfully

infiltrated the city as well, and just like him he had a stuffed stomach and
was wearing a blue tunic.

“Army General!” The companion approached with a smile.

“Second Commander!” He too was glad someone else had made it.
They shared their experiences. The experiences were almost identical but…
there was something wrong with the Second Commander.

“I wish I could live here… I mean it!”

“What do you mean?!” The Army General exclaimed with worry.

“What… but you saw it yourself. Rent-free lodgings, dirt-cheap food…

Everyone is so smiley and warm, and I haven't seen a single beggar or a
thief. They have it easy here, don’t they? Well, the girls are on the plump
side but honestly, I don’t mind.”

“No!” He stepped back, the Second Commander was clearly Enthralled.

“General? What’s up with that look? … Geh!”

He knocked the Second Commander unconscious and ran for it.

“What the hell was he talking about? The city is infested with monsters!”
He held the medallion and asked the Holy Light to protect him.

The Army General roamed the streets, slightly lost at the labyrinthine nature
of their design. Each day was more bizarre than the other.

The spiders worked through day and night to lay packed dirt streets with
peculiar cobbles; stones smooth and appealing suited better for a mansion
than a path. He saw spiders building lanterns, not just any lanterns but
Magical Lanterns, something he had only seen in the Holy Capital. In
between the streets, the sprawl of the nest housing was being expanded at
an unnatural pace. Then he investigated one of the nest houses he was
shocked to find it had running water and a sewage system in place. Many
other different structures were being made, some extremely large in scope.

Why?! Why would spider demons go so far to enhance the human city? If
this kept on, soon it would rival the splendour of the Holy Capital itself.
Later, he had to check for the Illusion status because he saw a white ship
sailing through the sky. Utterly impossible! But it was no illusion. At this
point he was beyond terrified. The demons and monsters here clearly
possessed the technology to rival, no, to even overshadow the Magitech of
the Holy Empire. Scary, terrifying, and bloodcurdling!

Much later, he understood why the Aurelian Capital was being transformed.
A horde of monster races and demons flowed into the city. Obviously, all
the new buildings were here for them, and the human cattle were only
temporary occupiers. Soon, there will be a slaughter and a feast. The Army
General had no desire to stay here and witness it. He ran away from the
Aurelian Capital.

He sprinted at top speed, afraid to be stopped, pursued and caught. But no

one chased after him. He had come here with a goal but that goal had
changed time and time again. Even if he risked being declared a deserter
and a coward, all he wanted to do was just to report all of this to the Holy
Emperor directly.

He saw the monster procession, the horde of spiders. The level of their
technology. One, no, even four armies would not be enough. And the
monsters soon will feast and multiply further, expanding the border of the
monstrous Aurelian Capital with their growth. The Holy Inquisition had
underestimated the threat severely!

The alien nest-like structures of Aurelian Capital were growing distant, but
even then, he still was sprinting. Despite the distance, his ears picked up on
an ungodly roar. It sounded like a chant for a dark ritual, or maybe it
signified the end of it.

“Long live the Monster Realm, Long live the Aurelian Dutchy!”, it reached
his ears again and again.

The words carried power, making even someone like him, a seasoned and
experienced general, shudder in fright.

He wondered if perhaps that impostor Angel was right. Maybe she knew
what awaited them here and that’s why she turned the army back. A part of
him, was now glad that she did that.

[You have entered the Monster Realm], a system message pushed him
further to despair.

It clearly spelt the doom of all the Aurelian people. The Army General said
a quick prayer for the lost souls and then continued to run with increased
vigour. He had to make that report!
 108 - The Ultimate Showdown Of
Ultimate Destiny! 🥊 vs 🥊

The Aurelian people craned their necks towards the sky. Many pointed their
fingers, some exclaimed in surprise, and other few fainted on the spot. In
the blue sky there was a creature straight out of myths and legends, there
was an Angel. She was radiant and bright, a blessing coming from the sky.

The crowd cheered even louder taking it as a divine sign. The Angel must
have come down from the Sky Fortress to bless the Aurelian people and
their ruler; there was no other plausible explanation. Indeed, this was the
most joyous occasion.

The flying Angel, on her way towards the palace, fluttered her wings
dropping white motes of light on the people. Like snow, the light melted on
the skin upon contact, but unlike snow, it felt warm and refreshing. Soon
she reached her destination, hovering right in front of the balcony.
Obviously, she had something to say, but for some reason the people down
below couldn't hear it. The Aurelian Horn of Resonance must have
malfunctioned. A shame!

The Radiant Angel glared at the Duke Aurelius without uttering a single
word. The animosity in her eyes was clear. It was only a matter of time
before she or the Duke would say something uncouth, hence ruining the
celebratory mood of the Aurelian people. The Spider King reached for a
golden band on the horn and twisted it disabling the magical item. Then,
and only then he too looked at the Angel with a tinge of anger.
She was supposed to be back in some imperial kingdom spreading division
and discord, but here she was glaring at Aurelius. Maybe her coup d’état
didn’t go as planned; well, no surprises there, she was just a person. To
topple the Holy Inquisition would take more than just a woman, no matter
how talented. But for her to come back so quickly… It was disappointing.

“Elisabeth,” He chose to address her by her name, “There’s no need for

hostilities. Let’s talk this through. Why don’t you come inside?” He was
desperate to placate her and take her away from the sight of the people.

The Angel fluttered her wings. “I see that Aurelius remains as a Corrupted
Human. And here I thought that perhaps…” she didn’t finish and just
landed in the balcony.

Her Radiant Sword, an extremely powerful item, was still sheathed by her
side. It didn’t look like she wanted to use it yet, so maybe there was a way.
However, the Duke Aurelius developed an aggressive posture, his fists were
clenched tight, and he was roaring for a fight.

The Spider King stretched a stopping arm to prevent the Duke from
overreacting. “I don’t know what happened, but I’m sure we can resolve it
peacefully.” He looked at the two.

It was clear now that the Angel didn’t have ill will towards him, but only to
Aurelius. There was some history perhaps, something he didn’t know.

“Please let’s go inside.” He urged everyone.

Surprisingly the Radiant Angel nodded in affirmation and went in. In such
action she had lost her tactical advantage, she wouldn’t be able to fly inside,
and she would be outnumbered, despite all that she went inside. This
displayed that she was willing to trust him; a very good sign. Now, he was
sure that everything could be resolved peacefully. After all, the Radiant
Angel was an important pawn in the Spider Stratagem to undermine the
Holy Empire; losing her here would be unwise.

Once inside, Duke Aurelius burst out unable to contain himself. “Coming
here and spoiling everything! What do you want? Is it fight you seek?” He
accused with anger.

The Spider King stepped between the Duke and the Angel.

“Aurelius, you be quiet for now!” He reprimanded sternly. “Elisabeth, you

must have come here with a good reason. Why? What happened?”

Glaring at Aurelius she ignored the question.

“Yes, I’m here for a fight.” She provoked forcing the Spider King to hold
Aurelius in place. “I can’t leave this place to be ruled by Corrupted Human.
Can’t you see he’s evil?” She pointed the question at the Spider King.

“Did you forget what we talked about… No, never mind that. If he was evil
the people wouldn’t love him so much. You can go in the streets and ask
them. Everyone loves and adores Duke Aurelius. There is no doubt, I stand
witness to that.”

“Duke?” She asked somewhat confused.

“Ah, you don’t know. Didn’t you get the message? The Aurelian Dutchy is
now a part of Monster Realm.”

“So that’s what it meant… Monster Realm…” She said it as if she was
struggling to accept the truth.

“Yes, Monster Realm.” He referred to it plainly. “A land of unity where

monster races and humans can live in harmony. Did you forget that you too
are a monster in the eyes of the system?”

“No! I know the truth! This is The Way.”

The Spider King wasn't too sure what she meant, but the Angel looked
mollified. No, upon closer inspection she looked depressed, her wings were
drooping as if something was weighing her down.

“So why don’t you tell me what happened?”

The question brought life back into the Angel’s eyes, but once again she
ignored it.

“Even so, I can’t accept this!“ She unfurled her wings to stand more
intimidating. ” Duke Aurelius the Corrupted, I challenge you to the Duel!”

“I accept.” He replied eagerly.

“Wait, wait, wait…” The Spider King tried to stop the two.

“I accept!” He repeated.

The Angel reached for her sword, and the Duke for his tome.

“Wait-wait-wait!” Once again, he stepped in between the two. “Duke

Aurelius, I’m sorry, but you would lose. This is not a fair fight.” The two of
them kept glaring at each other. “I’m not going to stop you. But, at least,
let’s make this fair. Duke Aurelius, shall I Evolve you?”

“I’ve almost forgotten. Yes, my King!” This was likely the outcome he was
aiming for from the very start. That conniving duke!

“You want to evolve him?!” She shouted in protest. “He doesn’t deserve
that honour.”

“It’s entirely up to me to decide,” the Spider King touched the shoulder of

the Duke, “[Evolve]!”

[Royal Lineage requirements have been met (Monster King, Aurelian

Bloodline)]

[Aurelius the Great received Royal Evolution option]

With the standard fanfare, Duke Aurelius exploded into purple light. Once
the light subsided there was a heavily armoured boulder of a man just
standing there, in other words, he didn’t change that much. However, to be
sure…

“[Inspect].”, “[Inspect]!”, “[Status].” The free of them invoked at once.

Monster Race: Variant: Monster Magic Affinity:
Corrupted Human Duke Dark

HP:400 MP:100 STA:400

🕸️📜 🕸️
Active
Perks
[Unstoppable], [Bestow Rank], [Corrupt] 📜👑📜
🕸️📜 🕸️
Passive [Dark Empowered], [Scroll King], [Super
Perks Bulky]

[Light Weakness: Medium], [Physical

Resistances
Resistance: Lesser]

Alright, this was quite a change. But first, the table displayed only the racial
perks, or otherwise prominent perks. Things like temporary perks granted
by equipment or jobs were not shown, also it was the same for the arsenal
of known spells. However, the displayed perks were enviable just on their
own.

Unstoppable: At the cost of 100STA, become immune to stun, silence, and

immobilization effects. This perk grants the ability to shrug off debuffs and
negative status effects. As a bonus, the user has unwavering determination,
empowering them to fight with unbreakable resolve. It’s no longer possible
to interrupt the spell-casting; the spells and perks will not fail. The user can
keep fighting even at 0HP until the effect of the perk runs out.
Bestow Rank: At the cost of 100MP, bestow a minion with a title granting
them a random perk and increased status points. The hierarchy of ranks can
have subbranches and the title holders can be bestowed with their own
minions to command. The more minions you have the stronger the buffs
and status increases become.

Corrupt: At the cost of 1MP, corrupt the old and boring System of the
Aurelian Human and bring them into the glorious fold of the chaotic
Monster System. Warning: only humans can be affected, the results can be
unpredictable.

Dark Empowered: your body resonates at the Dark mana. The use of
Dark spells empowers your body making it stronger with each spell cast.
The effect is active regardless of who is casting the spells. Areas with a high
concentration of Dark ambient mana will have similar effects. As a bonus,
you can cast Dark spells at a reduced cost, and items with Dark affinity
will be more powerful in your hands.

Scroll King: Your mastery in using Magic Scrolls is unparalleled allowing

the scrolls in your hands to be more powerful. You have a perfect memory
of the scrolls surrounding you and will never need to look for a particular
spell; the scroll will find you! Also, you can bind separate scrolls together
into a tome which will follow your command.

Super Bulky: You’re bigger and sturdier than others. You take less damage
from physical attacks and you can use your body as a weapon by itself.
Also, you can accumulate even more Toxicity before it becomes
detrimental to your health.

Needless to say, the Spider King was jealous of some of the perks. Duke
Aurelius was bestowed with the ability to amass an army of his own
monster minions; so unfair! But most importantly, he could bring humans
into the monster system on a permanent basis. Strangely that perk,
Corrupt, or the description of it, sounded rather opinionated. He had to
wonder if certain Chaos entity had to do anything with it.

But, let's go back to the pressing issue…

“Yeah!” The Duke Aurelius cheered at the newly obtained power. “I’m
ready! Bring it on!”

The Radiant Angel unsheathed her sword.

“Wait!” As before the Spider King tried to be the voice of reason. “Maybe
not inside the palace. It’s already crumbling.”

“Right… Let's go to the Battle Arena!” Aurelius proposed.

“Battle Arena?” Was there such a building in the Aurelian Capital?

The answer to that was both yes and no. The Battle Arena was still under
construction, it was that massive building rivalling the Royal Palace.
Despite its unfinished state, in the open field, right in the middle, there
stood two challengers: Monster Duke and Radiant Angel.

Even if there were no proper seats the Aurelian people climbed on stacked
stone blocks and half-built walls to watch what was happening. Obviously,
not everyone could fit in because there was no way to fit a million people,
but there were still a lot of spectators.

So why was the heavenly Angel fighting the great Duke? If you asked the
Aurelian people they would tell you that the Angel was just testing the
strength of their ruler, after all, he was the protector of the Aurelian Dutchy.
They knew that at the end of this test, the Angel would grant a divine item
to the Duke based on his performance. If he lacked at defence it would be a
shield and if he lacked power it would be a sword; or so told the fairy tales.

The crowd looked at three distant figures with baited breaths of

anticipation.

“You may begin the Duel!” The Spider King announced with a wave of his
hand.

The arena crackled with cheers and shouts as Duke Aurelius, clad in black
heavy armour, and Radiant Angel, adorned in a pristine white tunic faced
each other. One came from the heavens to bless the Dutchy, the other was
their beloved Duke.

Duke Aurelius stretched his hand, channelling Dark mana into one of his
tomes to empower it. The tome lit in purple fire ready to unleash a spell.
Meanwhile, the Radiant Angel clasped her hands together, a radiant glow
emanated from her body forming a shield of light.

A barrage of Shadow Bolts rained upon the Angel. The bolts crackled with
dark energy, seeking to destroy their target. The Angel stood still despite the
threat, she had trust in her Divine Shield. The projectiles crashed onto the
shield exploding into dark motes of light.

Undeterred, Duke Aurelius unleashed yet another barrage of spells. Despite

the incoming threat, the Angel jumped up and outside the magic shield. The
magic missiles hit the shield like they did before, but not the Angel who
was now outside. She used that moment to counterattack with Holy Smite.

A pillar of radiant light slammed into Duke Aurelius forcing him to roar in
pain. Despite the obvious critical damage he didn’t waver. The tome burned
brighter, turning page after page into ash. Duke Aurelius was visibly
enraged.

The mist of darkness descended upon the arena unleashing an army of stray
shadows. His bulky form became blurry blending into the shadowy mass.
The Angel kept her distance flying above the shadow-infested ground with
caution. Now and then a pillar of light would pierce a hole in the shadowy
mist, disrupting the shadows, but revealing nothing more than empty
ground.

As if to respond to the attacks, angry dark tendrils shot up into the air
aiming to ensnare the Angel. She flapped her wings trying to escape higher
up, but she was too late in that decision. Dark Tendrill coiled around the
leg of the Angel threatening to pull her down, but her Celestial Wings were
strong enough to keep her in the air. More tendrils were shooting from the
shadows. She used her Radiant Sword to cut the tendril binding her leg, no
sooner than she was free two more latched onto her.
As soon as she would cut a tendril a new one would take its place. The
Angel was slowly sinking down towards the ground. Worse still, the
tendrils coiled around her body deviously and pushed under her tunic into
the most obscene places. The attack was more than just physical, she could
feel her vitality slowly leaving her body forcing her to pant for breath.

“Enough!” The red-faced Angel roared. “[Holy Retribution]!”

An extreme amount of mana must have been consumed. The entirety of the
arena was basked in bright light. The tendrils shrunk and shrivelled; the
shadow mass drained into the ground to seek escape from the
overwhelming light. And the shape of the Duke was expelled from the
shadows. He stood there with his mouth wide open and his tome nothing
more than a pile of ash.

Now firm on the ground, the Angel spurred her wings to give her that extra
boost in her sprint. She charged towards Duke Aurelius, her sword glowing
Radiant with righteous fury. Duke Aurelius fumbled for yet another tome,
but he was too slow. The clash of metal echoed through the arena as the
Angel struck his black armour again and again forcing Duke Aurelius to his
knees. The attacks were so relentless there was no chance for him to even
flinch.

“[Unstoppable]!” With those words, Duke Aurelius stood back on his feet.
His body was ravished by sword strikes but he shrugged the incoming
damage as if it was nothing. “[Empower], [Mace Strike]” He raised his
right arm high and pushed his stamina into it to swing it like a mace.

The Angel countered the arm with her sword, she even made a nasty gash
into the armour and the Duke's hand, but the mace-like limb indeed was
unstoppable. The fist crashed into her face sending a fountain of blood.

Yes, she got hit rather badly, but it was of no issue because, “[Angelic
Heal]”, she healed back to pristine state.

Duke Aurelius, however, had no such luxuries to heal his almost severed
hand. He reached for the potion in his pocket.
“No, you don’t.”

She swung her sword, the sword never connected with the potion, but the
after image of the radiant light did. The magical damage smashed the potion
sending crystalline shards into the air like shrapnel and cutting the lips
which wanted to drink it.

“You!” The Duke wasn’t all too pleased.

He wasn’t healed, but another tome flew out from his armour. She used her
sword trying to cut the tome in half. A single page burned out from the tome
and magically the Duke Aurelius and his tome turned into smoke. Her
sword found no purchase cutting the smoke. The smoke condensed further
away revealing the Duke Aurelius back in the corporeal form, once again he
was attempting a potion.

“[Holy Smite]!” She chanted without hesitation.

Once again he tried to turn to smoke, but the spell reached him before he
could do that shattering the potion and dealing great damage to someone
who had Light Weakness: Medium. She didn’t idle and flapped her wings
to close the distance so that her sword could deal the killing blow.

“You b…” Duke Aurelius attempted a curse but instead, “[Entropy

Explosion]!”

A wave of foul and extremely powerful magic exploded from his body. She
did cast a shield just in time, but even then it just shattered into pieces. The
foul magic touched her skin trying to boil and peel it off.

“[Last Stand]!” She had no choice but to use it.

Her pristine white tunic turned grey then black, and then it crumbled into
dust leaving her completely naked. She stood otherwise unharmed, but her
face was flushed red out of the embarrassment. Embarrassment quickly
turned into uninhibited rage.
The Duke didn’t come out unscathed either. He was kneeling taking heavy
breaths and his amour too appeared rusty and crumpling at the seams.

The Angel overtaken by fury charged to smite the Duke with her sword.
The Duke couldn’t stand, not just yet, but he could cast spells and he did.
The pages in the tome burned one after the other sending various projectiles
at the Angel. Some projectiles were swatted by the sword, but others did hit
her exposed body.

Finally, she was close enough to strike him and she did. “[Armour Rend],
[Behead].” She added for good measure.

But once again, the Duke used some strange magic to turn into dark liquid
and slip right under her blade.

“You won’t get away!” She launched herself in pursuit weathering another
barrage of Dark spells.

The scene repeated time and time again. Sometimes she would strike
successfully at the Duke making him bleed and squeal like a boar. But
despite the indignant cries the Moster Duke would take the damage in
earnest, cast some spell to make distance and then continue to attack her
with his Dark spells. If the spells were powerful she deflected them with
Divine Shield, if not she tanked them healing herself with Angelic Heal.
Thus, this became a battle of attrition.

The armour of Duke Aurelius was no better than scrap, it was tinted in
crimson blood all over and his face was beyond pale. However, the Angel
didn’t fare much better. She was out of MP and STA, Last Stand was the
only thing keeping her going.

“[Dark Arrow], *Cough!” Duke Aurelius burned a scroll to unleash an

incredibly puny spell. It was obvious that he had burned all of his more
powerful scrolls.

However, there was no magic shield to stop the projectile and the Angel had
no more stamina to swat it with her sword. The puny spell hit her right in
the midsection peeling skin and flesh alike to reveal the whites of ribs.
Without even releasing a single cry the Angel collapsed backwards. Her
body hit the ground with a thud and her sword lost that iconic radiance.

“Enough!” The Spider King ran to the Angel pouring a potion over her
wound. “She’ll be alright.” He whispered.

Incidentally, Duke Aurelius also collapsed to the ground, but with his face
down. For a while now, he too was left without even a single speck of STA
to move, it was only the Magic Scrolls which kept him going.

“Please!” He cried still face down. “I’m at 0HP, if my Unstoppable runs

out, I’ll die.”

The Spider King rushed to the Duke Aurelius pouring a potion into his
mouth. The colour returned to the Duke’s face, but even then he could not
move.

Well, even so, the winner of the Duel was still clear. The Spider King
grabbed the Duke’s hand raising it slightly in the air.

“Aurelius the Great had won this Duel!”

The crowd cheered and clapped. They cheered and cheered seemingly
without respite.

This was the sight of a century. A battle between a human and an Angel.
Those who witnessed it were extremely humbled. For a human to win
against an Angel was unimaginable, no one really expected that outcome!
Of course, the oblivious people didn’t know at that time that Duke Aurelius
wasn’t exactly human, not anymore. Instead, they saw a human winning
despite all odds. They saw him use his overwhelming magic like an expert
magus, and his body was as sturdy as a fortress. Indeed, many were struck
with awe and pride to have such a ruler.

The Spider King had carried the Radiant Angel back to the Galleon Whale
and put her into his cabin bed to recover. He was looking at her battered
body with worry, and the Lamia Queen was glaring at him from the
sidelines. He ignored the hostile glare concentrating on the unresolved
mystery which still bugged him deeply.

One thing remained unclear: what exactly did spur this crazy Angel to come
here and challenge the Duke?

“And why Johny didn’t inform me?”

That mystery will be unravelled once Elizabeth, the Radiant Angel, regains
her consciousness.
 109 - Never Tell Me The Odds!
Engage Hyperdrive!

Right after the Radiant Angel roused from her unconsciousness, she told her
story.

She had great success convincing the people to follow The Way, after all,
she was a real angel. However, those sitting at the top proved to be resistant.
She was allowed to debate her case in front of her inquisitor peers, and she
did well. They couldn't refute her point that the angels were a type of
monster race, but even still, they refused to discard the misleading ways of
the Holy Light. They acknowledged the validity of her points but chose to
stick to the old scripture, reluctant to loosen the grasp of their power. Yes,
admitting that the angels were monsters would mean that the clergy was
wrong all along, and they just couldn’t do that; they even went as far as to
admit that honestly without even a shred of shame.

On her mission, the Radiant Angel had amassed a small group of followers,
but that was it. It was only a matter of time until the Holy Emperor
recognised her as a nuisance, and she would be declared a heretic. An angel
heretic, the notion by itself was ironic, but the emperor had the power to do
it. In other words, the clergy of the Holy Light was pushing against her, but
only gently now.

Sure, the teachings of The Way were spreading among the peasantry
through word of mouth. But that too will soon be stopped by the harsh hand
of the Inquisition. There was just no place for common folk to practise it
without judgement and fear of future trouble.

Then she had an idea. If she couldn’t do it in the Holy Empire, maybe she
could lead her followers to a new land. But of course, there was no place
like that, all good spots were already inhabited. And then she remembered
that there was a tyrant ruling over the Aurelian Kingdom. The Kingdom
was in trouble, yes, but it was outside the influence of the Emperor. It was
very risky, but if she could depose the tyrant, she could claim this kingdom
for her followers. And surely the Aurelian people needed saving… Or so
she thought.

The Spider King challenged her flimsy reasoning. “That would have never
worked out. And we had an agreement for you to stay away from here.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I just can’t stay in the Holy Empire anymore. The
Inquisition made it clear I am unwelcome.” She looked down sadly, but
there were also hits of feeling betrayed. “I lost everything you know. My
title, my rank in Inquisition, even my friends… And all I did was tell the
truth.”

Or maybe, she just didn’t play her cards right. But to blame her now was
pointless.

“If so, we’ll gladly have you here.”

“What, really? I couldn’t even defeat Aurelius.”

“Aurelius? He isn’t your enemy… The Empire is. You realise that now do
you?”

She looked at the Spider King reluctantly. “Yes, I do… but my followers…”

“They will be welcome here, I don’t see a problem.”

“… But this is his land. His dutchy. Aurelian Dutchy.”

“This is also Monster Realm. If I tell him to take some refugees, he will.
But of course, they would need to recognise him as their duke.”

Life returned to the angel’s eyes. “That… will work!”

“When you gather your followers, I’ll tell the spiders to give you an escort.
But it's best to be quick. I suspect the Holy Empire will launch another
attack.” He knew they would, Johny had told so already.

Oh, and the reason Johny didn’t know about the stupid schemes of the
Radiant Angel was that after she gained her evolution, she stopped relying
on Slug Jelly; she didn’t need it anymore.

“Then, I’ll fly back in haste and tell them that they’re welcome here.”

“Yes, they are.” He reassured.

The Radiant Angel, now dressed in a blue tunic with Spider Kingdom’s
insignia left the Galleon Wale with haste and flew to the distant east.

“She’s crazy…” The Spider King uttered quietly. “But so, I am.” He was
also aware of his own peculiarities.

He’d settled the business he needed to do and It was time for him to fly
back to the MegaFarm. The celebrations in the Aurelian Dutchy will
probably go on for a few more days, but after that, it will be serious
business. He had left a whole legion of spider crafters and spider engineers
here; they would help Aurelius prepare for war.

He entrusted the Crimson Alchemist to ramp up her production to brew an

incredibly large number of potions. The task would be impossible for her
small workshop so an expansion was ordered. A huge alchemical brewery
was being built right next to her old shop. The mass-produced potions will
be used to boost and heal the Aurelian army.

The spider engineers had brought the Blueprints for Arrow Turrets, Great
Balistas and other weaponry they had developed during the Darkness War.
And the spider builders were here to help with the defensive wall,
watchtower, and fort constructions, but also to lay roads towards the border.
The road would allow the enemy to use it too, yes, but the Aurelian Capital
needed it to field a quick response when attacked. And with Centauri help,
the Aurelian army would have the upper hand on mobility.

As for the hand weapons, the Drow-made bows and spears will reach the
Aurelian Dutchy at a later date. There will also be a shipment of basic
Magic Scrolls and enchanted weapons. And naturally, more food will also
be sent.

With all of that Duke Aurelius should manage to weather the Holy Empire’s
assault.

The Spider King sat in the captain's chair and strapped himself with belts.
“Set course to MegaFarm.”

Perched on the control table, “Aye aye, Captain,” the spider navigator
replied pouring the mana in.

The ship flew up steadily and then it picked more speed as it was going
forward.

“Engage Spider Hyperdrive.” The spider navigator chirped a command.

On the side, on the metallic grey web, there was a bunch of black-robed
spider mages. “Spider Hyperdrive engaged!” They chirped in unison
pouring Dark mana into the web.

The web turned purple, and the ship jolted in acceleration. Unlike the
humans, the spiders preferred to work instead of partying; they kept
themselves busy all the time. During the weak-long celebrations, while the
Galleon Whale was docked, the spiders with the help of Lord G Bling and
his subordinates achieved the Spider Hyperdrive. A prototype of a magical
device to boost the speed of the flying ship. It relied on Dark magic and
borrowed the working principles of the Shadow Walk.

The black-robed spiders powering the device didn’t come from the
MegaFarm, they were Lord G Bling’s subordinates calling themselves the
Covenant of the Spider Hand. Apparently, the Spider Hand was formed by
Lord G Bling to fill the vacuum left by the Black Hand. As things happen,
during the relocation of the Black Hand to another kingdom, they somehow
misplaced a number of secret scrolls and forbidden tomes. Needless to say,
the ‘lost’ items were conveniently found by spiders and used to further the
knowledge of the Dark arts. That knowledge was used to form Spider Hand
and then later with their help to construct the Spider Hyperdrive.

The Galleon Whale was soaring high through the sky at an incredible
speed, well, not quite supersonic, but it was fast. However, there was a
problem. One after the other the black-robed spiders dropped from the
metallic web; Negative Mana was rendering them unconscious.

“The mana consumption is atrocious.” The Spider King noticed. “But, it’s
doing the job. I’m impressed.”

The last of the spiders dropped from the web and the ship slowed down to
the usual speed.

“Spyder Hyperdrive disengaged.” The spider navigator chirped the

obvious.

He unbuckled the straps rising from the seat. “Give them mana recovery
potions and put them into nests to rest.”

The spider mages were carried out of the cabin.

“What’s our position?” He asked the navigator.

“We’re close to. The jungle border.”

Indeed, from high above he could see the dense mass of green. There was
still some distance left to the MegaFarm, but otherwise long trip had been
cut to a day.

He went outside to get a better look at the jungle below. The sight was
familiar, but there was something else.

“Rivers?” He was surprised. “Ah, but since it rains here now, this makes
sense.”

The streams were very small, but surely, they will grow with time.
“Maybe we’ll get lakes. If so, we could grow fish.” He was jumping ahead
of himself. “Wait, no. The water is Dark infused, no normal fish could
survive that…” He dismissed it a bit too soon. “…but this is a magical
world. Life always finds a way.” And he had some convenient perks to help.

“Hey, Centauri Champion, do you know where we could get some tasty
fish?” He asked the woman who liked to always hover close by to him.

The Centauri Champion nickered thoughtfully. “I wouldn't know about the

Human Kingdoms, but I’ve heard that the SapphireScale Meat is highly
sought after in the Demon Realm.” She snorted. “Not that I tried it, we
Centauri don’t eat that.”

“So a SapphireScale… it does sound exotic. I’d like to try that.”

The Centauri Champion gave him a curious look. “Then we could try
getting it for you.”

“Huh, really?”

“Yes, we know our way around the Demon Realm.”

“But won’t it be problematic for you to return? I could go myself.”

“No… I doubt they would like you much there.” She made a soft whine.
“The Demon Lord will see you as a challenger to his power.”

He had already figured that much, hence the hesitation to explore that
region.

“But we Centauri should be alright. We’re not weak anymore to be taken as

slaves. Actually, we could even…” There was a fiery fire burning in her
eyes and she clearly wanted to say something but, “…no, that can wait. You
can leave capturing SaphhireScale to us, I’ll get it done.” She said it with
self-assured confidence.

“Awesome, then once we land, I entrust that task to you.”

Soon the Spider King’s eyes were marvelling at the idyllic sight. The usual
green of the jungle was replaced by rows upon rows of blue. The blue
colour came from blue ropes used for the TomGrape webs. The web vines
weren’t placed in orderly rows, that was because they had to be attached to
the IronOak and the trees were naturally scattered in random patterns. In
the end, the TomGrape farm ended up looking like a supermassive maze.
There were only two clear ways out of the maze-like farm: the cobbled road
to the Ancestral Forest and the suspended web highway to the Oberon
Mountains. It would be no exaggeration to say that the developed land
stretched for a good fifty miles; that was the reason for its name – the
MegaFarm.

As he flew closer to the centre, the plants of the farm saw some variation:
BanditAgave, FireAgave, SteamLeaf, PurpleM and even PetalBall were
growing in neat patches, all supervised by Alraune monsters. Further in, he
could see the triangular purple plates lining the tops of spider nests, the
newest addition which had to be made due to all the rain. And right in the
centre was the Spider Palace. In comparison to the Aurelian Palace it was
just a mansion, but it still was his beloved home; he didn’t need it big to
feel important.

“We’ll be landing shortly.” The spider navigator informed politely.

The Galleon Whale began its descent aiming for a landing pad. The
landing was so smooth the ship didn’t even jolt or shake. There was no way
for him to replicate finesse like that.

“Amazing, spider navigator!” He praised the spider’s talent.

“Captain…” The spider nodded meekly hiding its face behind its spidery
hands for some reason.

On a later day.

As agreed, he kitted out the Centauri Champion and her entourage with
freshly crafted gear for her quest, the quest for allegedly delectable
SapphireScale Meat. No not just meat, but a pair of individuals to start a
fish farm. Like knights the Centauri wore pitch-black full-plate armour, it
was sturdy and heavy, but the natural strength of Centauri and the Wind
enchantments countered that issue. Over the armour they wore blue robes,
the robes were enchanted giving them that much-needed extra Magic
Deflection in case there was a problem of magical nature. Normally the
robes would display an embroidered insignia of a black hexagon and four
yellow circles inside, the symbol of the Spider Kingdom, but there was no
such thing this time; the Centauri wouldn’t be displaying any allegiances
during this mission to avoid trouble. Naturally, all of them were armed with
Centauri Lances, a long lance enchanted with speed and piercing
properties.

Maybe this was way over the top, but the Demon Realm was a dangerous
and violent place, and its citizens valued strength above all else. If so, the
heavy getup was appropriate. The cover story was that they were a band of
heavy cavalry for hire, or in simpler terms – Mercenaries. Apparently, there
were a lot of bands like these looking for employment while roaming the
Demon Realm. So, they won’t be standing out too much.

The Centauri won’t need to gallop all the way west through dense jungle,
which would take months, instead, they will be given a lift on the Galleon
Whale and dropped close to the Demon Realm border. The Spider King
didn’t need to come aboard this time, the Spider Hand and the spider
navigator had a good grasp of controlling the ship already. They will be
taking the Centauri to their destination.

He was overlooking the heavily armoured girls as they were boarding the
ship, waving and wishing them success on their mission.

“Centauri Champion, have you decided on the name already?”

Remembering he asked just before she parted.

“Yes, in honour of your favourite food, we agreed to call our mercenary

band the Cream Cheese Cavalry.”

Right, that definitely sounded odd… And that wasn’t even his favourite
food! If so, it should have been Slug Jelly Cavalry, but that sounded even
worse. Anyway, he had no heart to correct the Centauri on that; that surely
would make them sad. And he would like to continue enjoying their Cream
Cheese, so, “Thant’s a splendid name. I’m honoured.” He gave them a
broad smile.

As the ship was ascending towards the sky, the Centauri were waving him
their goodbyes. Once again, he wished silently for their success. Actually,
he had no doubt they would succeed, that’s why he already ordered some
preparations.

The rivers hadn’t finished forming yet, they were young and often changed
their snaking paths. The waters still hadn't decided where they wanted to go
and settle. One small stream was flowing east and the one just nearby –
west, as if to oppose one another. Sometimes opposing waters joined and
made a bigger river, but just as often, they broke to split and dry out
entirely. The river formation was rather a chaotic affair.

With the help of the Trusty Advisor, he and the spiders decided to help the
rivers. The spiders began working on an incredible number of ditches and
canals to join and direct the many rivers towards the preferred spot. They
were trying to make all the river’s pool into a massive lake. A project was
massive in undertaking and only time will prove if it will be successful.

During these efforts, the Lamia Queen and her escort came back from the
Aurelian Dutchy. He greeted his wife with open arms. Naturally, she was
tired from the long journey but there was also something else different
about her. During the warm embrace, he felt a slight bump on her belly.

“Dear wife… Are you pregnant?” He asked hopefully.

“SSS! Finally, you notice!” She gave him a broad smile. “It has-sss been
months-sss already.”

If so, then why did they have kept trying so vigorously? Even at the
Aurelian Capital, when she finally arrived, he had to make up to her for the
lost days! He thought he would die that night, only the Fertility Potion+
had saved him.
Anyways… “I’m so happy!” He exclaimed giving her another tight
embrace.
 110 - Girls That Chase After
Illusions

Today was a momentous occasion for the entire Spider Kingdom. The
Spider King was holding the hand of his wife, she was coiled at an
awkward position, her muscles tense, and her breaths heavy. Something like
this would be an intimate affair in most cultures, but in this particular case
the soon-to-be parents were surrounded by spiders and Lamia alike; it was a
public affair and part of traditional Lamia ritual.

Even in this crucial moment, or maybe because of its significance, the

Spider King had a plethora of anxious thoughts. He was becoming a father,
yes! But the two of them were of different species so understandably he had
worries about how the child might turn out. What if it was some sort of
mutant? But even then, he would love and take care of that child.

The idle thoughts and anxieties were meaningless, so instead, “Push!” he

encouraged.

The Lamia Queen hissed sharply “SSS!”

“Pu…” He tried to encourage again but, “it's out? It’s out!”

It was over as soon as it began. Apparently, the Lamia didn’t have to strain
as much as humans did during their labour. He looked at the freshly laid
egg, it was rather large, its shell leathery and pale, and it looked exactly like
your average Lamia egg.

“Wait…” He realised something, and his own naivety made him blush in
embarrassment. That was because he expected a child here and there but…
“We’ll have to wait for the egg to hatch, right?”
“That’s-sss right.” The Lamia Queen picked the egg into her arms with
affection. “Put it with the rest of them.”

The Friendly Lamia took the egg ever so carefully to bring it to the Lamia
Hatchery.

For an obvious reason, he felt overly protective about the egg. “Can we
keep it here in our room?”

“No-sss, it might not look it, but the egg is Royal Lamia Egg, it holds-sss a
princess inside. As-sss is tradition, It has to stay with the rest of the eggs.
You sss-see…”

The Lamia Queen went on to explain that the presence of the Royal Lamia
Egg will influence other eggs in the hatchery. The new hatchlings will be
born already feeling loyalty to the new princess, they will be her servants
from the time of birth. This was how new Lamia Villages were made. So, in
other words, even if the egg looked ordinary, it was nothing but.

“I too was destined to leave my village, but you know what happened…”

“Yeah, the Worm and the…” The death of old Lamia Queen. “I’m sorry for
that.” The mood grew heavy for a moment.

“No, sss, don’t be. If it didn’t happen, I would have never been your wife.”

Never say never, but, “I see what you mean. So anyway, will it take long?”

“A few months perhaps.”

So, he’ll need to wait a bit more until he meets his child. Yet, he had
another pressing question.

“You’ve said it will be a princess, but can it be a prince?”

“A boy lamia, sss? That never had happened.”

So, it is impossible, meaning that he was destined to have daughters only.

Not that it was bad.
“I can’t wait for her to hatch!” He exclaimed hugging his wife.

“SSS!” She hissed affectionately, “Me too. I know, sss, she’s destined for
greatness.”

“Of course, she is our child!”

The egg hadn’t even hatched but the two parents were already pushing their
wild hopes onto it.

The Royal Lamia Egg was put to rest with the rest of the eggs in the Lamia
Hatchery, blending in perfectly. Despite looking exactly like the others, the
Lamia knew the egg was special. It might have been smell or something
magical in nature, but the Spider King didn’t possess the ability to tell the
otherwise identical eggs apart. If he wanted to know he had to go and
Identify each egg. Which was a hassle. So he proposed marking it, to which
he was promptly denied. Apparently, it was a type of survival strategy to
have the special egg mixed with all the others. Even if, the MegaFarm was
super safe, the Lamia insisted on this tradition. In the end, the egg was left
to incubate, such things couldn’t be rushed.

While we’re on the matter of Lamia hatchlings, a certain group of Chaos

Lamia were experiencing a growth spurt. May it be because of their unique
mutation, or suitable environment, they were outgrowing their Cave Lamia
peers. That particular spawn wasn’t just hatchlings hunting stray squirrels in
TomGrape fields, they were now in their teenage phase. It was scary how
quickly some monster races could grow! And as teenagers do, they were
looking to make trouble. But in better words, they were just looking for
their place in this strange world.

The issue was that the Cave Lamia, while they tolerated Chaos Lamia,
didn’t recognise them as a part of their ‘tribe’. It was rather frustrating for
the Spider King and otherwise a stupid problem. His wife, Lamia Queen
also didn’t recognise them as her subjects, and as she did predict, the Chaos
Lamia didn’t recognise her as their Queen either. In other words, there was
this awkward situation where the girls, Cave Lamia and Chaos Lamia,
didn’t want to talk with each other and just excluded or ignored one another.
This was very sad, but a common occurrence even between humans.
However, Chaos Lamia weren’t human, so a typical solution might not even
work. It was so bad now that the teenagers were even trying to pick fights
with Cave Lamia. It was clear they were trying to claw some recognition
and status here. And it was particularly hard to control them since they had
no Queen to unite and guide them; at least, not yet.

However! There was an authority they recognised… a certain airheaded

tippity top man.

The Spider King, was walking down the familiar cobble path to store the
freshly acquired Slug Jelly. This had become an integral part of his daily
routine, he would enjoy fondling… no, acquiring the most precious
substance in the Monster Realm. Something only he was allowed to do, and
what great honour it was! But he wasn’t there at the Johny’s shed for
tomboyish foolery, he was also there to receive reports on what was
happening in Aurelian Dutchy. Simply put, the preparations were going
well and that was that.

But maybe it’s not all that. Recently his idyllic walk to the jelly vault had
attracted an increasing crowd of spectators. No, they weren’t spiders, it was
a flock of curious girls. They slithered in the shadows trailing just behind
him. They were hiding under their ability to cast Illusion. But they were
merely children playing with their perks, it had zero effect on him. Yet, he
had to wonder, why did they decide to pick on him?

For some time already, he’d been ignoring their antics hoping they’d get
bored. However, that didn’t happen, if anything their stalking only
increased.

“Ahh, if only there was a Queen to deal with the lot of you.” He alluded to
the lack of a leader among the Chaos Lamia. “With my two eyes, I spy…
One Lamia.” He pointed directly at the Illusion. “Two Lamia, Three Lamia,
Four…” He began pointing them all.

The blatant detection like this made them lose composure and break their
illusions.
“SSS!” The lamia number twelve hissed bashfully and slithered hurriedly to
hide beneath the vine-web.

The Spider King kept walking and detecting all the lamias on his path.

“The trouble children can’t hide from my watchful eyes. Ha-Ha-Ha!” He

cackled like a villain. “You can’t prank the King. The naughty Lamia will
be caught and punished!” He threatened but only playfully.

Yet still, the Chaos Lamia stalked from the shadows, or at least they tried.

“With my two eyes, I spy… Trouble!” He let go of the two buckets he was
holding and launched into a sprint. “I caught you!” He grasped the Lamia
by her tail breaking her Illusion. She was trying to pretend to be a rock,
how dumb… There were no rocks in MegaFarm, like none! “Now you
pay!” He reached.

“No! SSS!” The lamia hissed in terror.

“Tickle, tickle, tickle.” The punishment was merciless, and by having a

Lamia wife he already knew all the weak spots.

“S-s-s!” The lamia squirmed and coiled. “Help!” She begged for her allies.

“You have to stop playing pranks on others and picking fights with Cave
Lamia.”

“No!” The lamia remained defiant despite the relentless assault.

“Bad children will be punished with tickles! Tickle, tickle, tickle.”

“S-s-s!” The lamia was cry-laughing now, and unfortunately none of her
‘allies’ came to help.

“I won’t stop until you promise to behave! Tickle, tickle, tickle.”

“No… S-s-s!” The lamia squirmed. “I… I…”

“I can’t hear you!” But then… “Oh, no!” He overdid it. The defiant lamia
peed herself.

Understandably, he let her go that instant.

“I promise to behave! Wha-aaa!” She slithered away in tears.

“I’m sorry about that!” He shouted to the distance.

But hey, as mean as it was, the Lamia troublemakers disappeared from his
near surroundings. So, he took that victory while promising himself not to
overdo it next time. He grabbed the two buckets and continued to the vault
without being assaulted by an attack of Illusions.

Unbeknownst to the King, the spider peacekeeper observed the entire

interaction. Like the King, the spiders too struggled to deal with the unruly
teenagers.

“Bad children. Will be punished. With tickles.” The spider chirped happily
at this piece of wisdom. “If the Spider King says so. The spiders will do
so.” It nodded vigorously.

That day, the Chaos Lamia received what they deserved.

As odd as it might be, the next day, on his walk to the vault the King was
assaulted with even more Illusions. It was not revenge, it happened because
the Chaos Lamia turned to like this odd game he was playing, and the threat
of punishment only made it more thrilling. Hence, the game of detection
and punishment became a part of the daily routine. But soon the Chaos
Lamia began targeting him not just during the morning walk but anytime he
was out for something. They were rather enjoying the attention they were
getting. Yes, at times it was annoying, but it was not all that bad, maybe it
was the attention they needed or someone to tire them out, but ever since
they stopped picking fights with spiders or Cave Lamia.

The Chaos Lamia used Illusion to blend into their surroundings, very much
like Cave Lamia’s Camouflage perk. And they were getting very good at it.
It was becoming harder and harder to spy any Lamia with his two eyes. But
the game wasn’t meant to end there.

“With my two eyes, sss,” Someone hissed from disguise. “I spy Spider
King.”

He turned to look at the direction of the voice. “Where are you?” He

narrowed his eyes. “Aha!” He ran towards the trunk of IronOak, a part of it
broke off and attempted to escape. “Caught you!” He dispensed the
punishment.

As the game carried on, he noticed something rather peculiar. A Centauri

was walking towards him. It wasn’t entirely a rare sight to see them walking
from one place to the other, but there was something critically wrong with
this one.

“Ha! You can’t fool me!” He caught up with Centauri in no time at all and
grabbed for her chest. “Those weapons are way too small!” Naturally, his
hands grasped only air. “Got you!” He caught the lamia.

“No! SSS! I worked on this for weeks!” She protested. “S-s-s. No, stop, I’ll
pee!”

“Ha! You’re bluffing! You made a rookie mistake and shall be punished!
Tickle, tickle, tickle.”

Maybe she wasn’t bluffing, or maybe out of spite, the Lamia peed herself…

Later that evening, when he was back home, the Queen Lamia sniffed at
him. Her eyes narrowed and her face developed a scowl.

“Those scoundrels-sss! SSS! They’re marking their territory, sss, claiming

sss-someone who isn’t theirs to claim.” She hissed in displeasure.

He understood only part of it. “Huh?”

“They peed on you on purpose. To sss-spite me!”

“Oh, I think it was just an accident. It must have been only a drop, I didn’t
even notice.” He said so in his defence.

The Lamia Queen gave him a suspicious look. “I'm glad you managed to
tame them. But don’t overdo it, sss. The other Lamia might grow jealous of
all the attention they get.”

By other Lamia she must mean her, and her only, regardless of that he
replied, “Of course, I’ll make sure to play with the Cave Lamia hatchlings
too. So all is fair.” That bunch was still chasing squirrels but soon they too
might decide to make trouble. “Consider all of this as me trying to get
experience in interacting with children. Soon we’ll have our own trouble to
look after.”

“Our child will make no trouble, sss!” She hissed all too sure of herself.

“Of course, it won’t.”

“SSS-speaking of trouble.” She handed him an envelope. “From the Dark

Fortress.” She was entrusted to receive messages like these in his absence.

The seal was broken meaning that she had read it already. “Trouble?” He
took the parchment out of the envelope reading it all start to finish. “Bad
JuJu?”

“Sss, I don’t know anymore than you do.”

The letter described a disturbance happening in the Dark Fortress,

something was haunting the humans in the Catacombs preventing them
from working to expand them. That something was simply described as
‘Bad JuJu’. But that was only a kobold superstition, right?

“They want me to investigate it for them.”

“Yes-sss, I’ve read the letter.”

“Wanna tag along?”

“SSS! No, too cold, you handle that. And it sss-sounds too ominous-sss!”
“Not you too!”

The superstition of Bad JuJu claimed yet another victim.

 111 - The Unlikely Hero To Dispel
The Frigid Cold

The icy cold wind was ruffling the white fur of the Spider King’s coat. It
was an item gifted by the crafter spiders to keep their King warm during his
quest to vanquish the Bad JuJu. The coat was called the Squirrel Tribute,
it took no less than a hundred squirrel volunteers to achieve the superior
quality and significant insulating properties. Best of all, it was both warm
and fashionable; truly Spidery Magnificent.

“With this, the cold doesn’t feel so intimidating. Thank you, spider
crafters.” He smiled finally being able to appreciate the beauty of the
Oberon Mountaintop.

The sun basked the frozen landscape in generous sunlight making it shine
and sparkle. Today it wasn’t windy either, there wasn’t even a single
IceShard Plankton cloud in the sky. It almost looked serene, almost
because even with all the sunlight the temperature was still below freezing.

“Let’s get this done. [Shadow Walk].” He turned into a shadow and with
each step he took, he was carried a hundred.

Unwilling to smash into a solid stone he broke the spell right in time to
emerge in front of the Dark Fortress.

“Wow!” A shout escaped his lips.

The fortress underwent a massive improvement: the towers were restored,

the walls mended, the crumbling bricks swapped out with the sturdy
Kobold Bricks, and even the gate was repaired. A massive banner hung
above the gate, a banner of the Spider Kingdom.
“Oh! And they improved the great balistas.” He couldn’t help but notice the
massive siege weapon atop one of the towers. “Or should I call it a harpoon
launcher…”

The difference was subtle but it was there: ballista fired great arrows or
bolts and the contraption right above had a massive metal harpoon mounted
inside it. The projectile also came with a thick rope attached to it. It was
obvious it was meant to hunt IceShard Birds.

One of the humans must have noticed the sudden appearance in front of the
gate. There was some shouting and the heavy gate opened ever so slowly.

“Spider King, welcome to New Hope!” A somewhat familiar voice called

out cheerily.

The human was heavily dressed in a bundle of furs, under the equally fuzzy
hood there was a face he recognised. It was Gareth, one of the two first
humans who came volunteered into the Spider Kingdom.

However, “New Hope?” The Spider King asked intrigued.

“Ah, that…” Gareth looked somewhat uncomfortable but only for a

moment. “Dark Fortress sounded just too depressing, so we came together
and gave it a different name. I hope you don’t mind.”

Originally it was the Kobolds who named it so, and since there is a different
type of occupiers now… “No, of course I don’t. You live here so you can
call it whatever you like.” He went through the gate and into the fortress
courtyard.

Further down, there was a statue to honour a certain Drow. To the humans
the statue didn’t mean much, but the Spider King was glad to see it there.
And there in the middle of the courtyard was a massive corpse, it belonged
to a rather delicious monster. Most of the meat was already taken leaving
only the bones, but the bones were also precious. Currently, a bunch of
furry-looking humans were sawing at the bones breaking them into more
manageable pieces.
“I understand the IceShard Birds give you no problem?” He asked looking
at the massive carcass.

“With the right equipment and correct technique, they're not that hard to
kill.” Gareth said raising his chin higher. “I was the one to strike the killing
blow.”

Indeed, the humans were doing well. Ever since they settled, they haven't
missed even a single shipment of the meat. But of course, not everything
was well.

“So… The Bad JuJu?” The Spider King asked.

Maybe he did it too loud, or maybe there was another reason, but all the
humans nearby stopped working and turned towards the Spider King giving
him concerned looks.

Gareth cringed at those words. “Shh… it’s a sensitive topic. We’ll talk more
inside.”

He guided the Spider King out of the bright sunlight and down towards the
Catacombs. The denizens of New Hope didn’t’ inhabit the local towers or
the fortress proper, to hide from the merciless cold they went under the
ground. As the Spider King went through the narrow and dimly lit corridor,
he couldn't help but notice that the old bricks in the walls were also
swapped out with something else. He reached to touch the rough bricks, it
didn’t feel like stone at all, it was porous and most importantly it wasn’t
cold.

“What is this?” He asked curiously.

“Fungal Bricks, we’ve got them from the Drow. Unlike the stone, it
doesn’t allow the heat to escape back into the cold ground.”

In other words, it was an insulating material. “No wonder it feels hot in

here.” The Spider King opened his coat.
“Yes, we keep ourselves warm by burning FireAgave Juice. After we
insulated the walls, it doesn’t take that much to keep this place warm and
cosy.”

The presence of the odd lantern hanging at the side of the wall also meant
that they used it for lighting and probably cooking as well.

“Do you need more of the juice? If so…”

Gareth interrupted urgently waving it off. “No, the spiders gave us plenty.
We don’t want to be further indebted to you. We have enough.” He
reassured.

The Spider King was guided into a small room. It looked to be freshly dug,
or at least newly made. There wasn’t much of decorum but the simple
fungiwood furniture inside told that this was an office; and also that the
humans here traded extensively with the Drow. From the table to the chairs,
everything looked to be made by Drow, no not everything, the few stone
pots lining the walls and the shelves were of Kobold design.

Gareth motioned the Spider King to sit on one of the chairs while closing
the door right behind tightly shut.

“Right…” Gareth paused looking tense. “Some refreshments perhaps.” He

produced a bottle and two crystalline glasses from the desk drawer, pouring
the slightly greenish liquid into them.

The Spider King recognised the origin of the bottle right away, no doubt
this was a product from the Scorpion Desert.

“Is this Grupp-Grupp?” He inquired.

“Yeah, it helps to stay warm.” Gareth offered the glass to the King while
raising his.

Then in Rome… The Spider King downed the spirit, *Cough* – it was very
strong. Gareth, however, downed it with no problem and even poured
himself a second.
There was an interesting piece of trivia that the Spider King wondered if he
should tell or not. Apparently, this scorpion spirit was fermented using a
type of desert fruit and… generous amount of scorpionmen spit!

However, emboldened by the fiery liquid Gareth went straight to business.

“So, Bad JuJu…” He began.

The Spider King nodded eagerly wishing to hear it. And he heard it all.
Superstition or not, if the accounts were to be believed, something strange
was happening here. Random rooms would lose all their heat suddenly
dropping to temperatures below freezing. The light of the lanterns would
get snuffed out even without any wind. There were voices coming from
dark corners and howling wails at night. Some people would wake up
unusually exhausted and beset by the sense of freezing cold to find that they
also have been afflicted with Drain status, presumably someone assaulted
them at night. There were even sightings of something vague and shrouded
glowing in the dark corridors or phasing right through walls. There were
many other unbelievable tales just like these, but were they that
unbelievable? – After all, some time ago, this place housed some
formidable undead.

“I know what this is.” The Spider King said without even a shred of doubt.

“Really? What is it?”

“A wraith. I and spiders had fought those here in the Catacombs.”

“A wraith?” Gareth asked in disbelief and confusion.

“A type of an undead. Ever heard of ghosts?”

He shook his head in a no.

“Huh, I guess those just aren’t a part of your mythology and culture.” The
Spider King noted.

“But I sort of know what the undead are… Wicked souls who strayed away
from the Holy Light and were possessed by darkness.” He shuddered at the
thought. “So, they were here in this fortress…”

What? He didn’t know that? The Spider King was sure the humans knew
that this fortress used to be infested by the undead, it even has Catacombs
and all that. But maybe that piece of information was lost somewhere
during the talks…

The Spider King continued. “Anyway, then we were looking for treasures,
we made sure to cleanse the catacombs properly, but things like these
happen. The wraiths are invulnerable to physical attacks, but then you know
that it’s easy to deal with them. They’re rather weak and all it takes is a
good jab with enchanted weaponry or an arrow.”

“Yes, we have those here.”

That they did, the humans were entrusted with a sizeable arsenal of
enchanted weaponry; all to fight the IceShard Bird on the more equal
terms.

“That’s probably why it didn’t attack anyone directly.” The Spider King
stood up from his seat with resolve. “Let’s exorcise this poltergeist! Go-go,
ghostbusters!” He always wanted to say that, and now he did.

Gareth gave a confused look “Exorcise? Poltergeist?”

“Go-go, ghostbusters!” The Spider King pumped a fist into the air.

“Go-go, ghostbusters…” Gareth parroted still somewhat confused.

The realities of ghostbusting were less exciting than one might expect. It
was very much like playing a detective. In order to pinpoint its hunting
ground the Spider King had to take witness statements again. It wasn’t just
the location which was important, but also time. In the end, and somewhat
predictably, the location was narrowed to the surrounding area of the place
which used to be GraveLord’s workshop; now the abundant space was used
as a cold storage facility for the meat. And the time was somewhere around
midnight. Very Spooky!

The Spider King and his newly appointed ghostbuster apprentice Gareth
were waiting just right there in an ambush. To ambush a wraith was no
small feat, so to remain disguised he used a combination of Dark spells and
equipment. As it was now, the two men were nothing more than a slightly
darker spot in an otherwise unsuspicious corner. If they were careful, they
could even move ever so slightly without breaking out of the Shadow
Form. Well, if the wraith was able to see past their disguises that still
remained to be seen.

Just before the two grew too bored and too impatient it happened!

The long corridor connecting the cold storage with the rest of the
Catacombs grew frigidly cold in an instant, the light in the furthest Magical
Lantern was snuffed out shrouding that part of the corridor in darkness.
However, it was the darkness which betrayed the luminescent form of the
apparition; there in the shroud of it, it glowed like a beacon.

“Ohhhh!” It howled in an unholy voice. “Ohhhh. So Cold.” It moaned.

“Ohhhh! Oh!” It wailed.

The unsuspecting wraith floated further down the corridor, from one lantern
to the other, snuffing the light in the process, and right towards the ambush.
The wraith turned to make a corner in the corridor, and that was when the
Spider King sprung from the shadowy spot.

“By the power of…” He trusted his spear dramatically but stopped abruptly.

As soon as he revealed himself the wraith levered itself to the ground to

imitate a kneeling position.

“My King!” It greeted enthusiastically.

“Wait…” The wraith reminded him of someone.

Gareth was right behind the wannabe ghost slayer, hiding behind his royal
frame and overtaken by Terror he trembled at the sight. “King!” Even his
voice was shaky. However, despite the fear Gareth thrusted his enchanted
speer towards the wraith to slay it.

“Wait!” The Spider King deflected the speer offhandedly. “[Inspect].”

Variant: Frost
Monster Race: Undead Magic Affinity: Ice
SoulShade

HP:1 MP:250 STA:0

❄️
Active
[Drain], [Freeze]
Perks ❄️👻❄️
❄️
Passive
[Incorporeal], [Undead], [Terror]
Perks

[Physical Resistance: Invulnerable], [Light

Resistances
Weakness: Critical]

This was no mere wraith, this was SoulShade! But most importantly.

“Your status doesn’t say it but…” He peered right into the vacant eyes of
the SoulShade. The legless and ghost-like form was slightly blurred but
there was no doubt it carried the familiar resemblance. “Drow Architect?”

“Yes, My King! I am at your command!” The undead replied.

“But… you’re an undead now. How?”

The SoulShade realising the intent of the pointed spears lowered itself
further down into a grovel.

“I can explain everything. I promise.”

“Ah…” The Spider King put his spear away. “Let’s talk.”

“But… But!” Gareth wanted to protest.

“Apprentice ghostbuster Gareth, relax. Yes, this is an undead, but it is

intelligent. Moreover, this is someone I used to know. Someone who saved
my life.”

“What? Really?!” Gareth exclaimed in wild disbelief still trembling behind

the King; Terror debuff was rather nasty to deal with.

“Drow Architect, you may rise and tell us your story.”

“Yes, my King. But first, can we go somewhere warmer?” The SoulShade

looked at the nearby lantern hungrily.

The King nodded letting the SoulShade to lead the way.

“It all started then…” The apparition began speaking while moving towards
the light.

Naturally, the light was snuffed at its approach, so the SoulShade carried on
to the next one while telling its tale, and then the next one.

It all started then… he died. There was no doubt about it, no illusions, and
no delusions. The Drow Architect knew right away that he had died, but
also that he wasn’t entirely dead; he was now undead! Right before the life
of undeath, he remembered a terrible sensation which shook the very core
of his soul. It was the feeling of coldness; it was so frigid it froze his very
soul. It felt like it lasted forever, a torment which refused to end. But then,
what seemed after an eternity, he had found himself standing in a cold room
surrounded by frozen meat. Naturally, all he could feel was freezing cold so
he sought for warmth. But as soon as he found it, he was denied it. That was
when he realised that he was no longer a Drow.
“It’s so cold… Ohhhh! All I ever feel is icy coldness.”

That didn’t sound like a pleasant experience. “Does it ever get better?” The
Spider King asked with worry.

“Yes. It’s better near the fire and near the lanterns…” It paused looking
guilty. “And a lot better after I Drain someone.”

“I see… It seems you live a cursed existence. Shall I help you?” He asked
implying.

“No, My King, I beg you. Even if I am cursed, I want to live!” The

SoulShade lowered itself beggingly. “I still can be of use.”

“No, I didn’t mean to help you by killing you. I meant to help as in to make
you better, even if temporarily. You can Drain me a little, I have a large HP
and MP pool.” He offered, but that was done more as an experiment than an
altruistic motive.

Gareth didn’t seem too pleased about the risky offer. “Spider King, are you
sure about that?”

“Absolutely. Now go on.” He encouraged the SoulShade.

The apparition stretched its ghostly hands touching the Spider King.
“[Drain].”

[Debuff active: Drain], the message informed.

It felt a bit cold, and his HP and MP took a hit. The Spider King looked at
the decreasing numbers.

Surprisingly it was the SoulShade who spoke first, “It is enough…” He

sounded surprised. “I don’t feel like an icicle anymore.”

“Ha! Good, so the experiment is a success.” He nodded happily to himself.

“You are intelligent, not violent, and most importantly you can control your
hunger. I reckon you can stay around.” He looked at Gareth. “It’s just that
you guys might need to feed him occasionally. Voluntarily of course.”
“What?!” Gareth didn’t sound all too pleased.

“Come on Gareth, I’ll even pay the volunteers if there is a need for that.
The Drow Architect here.” He pointed at the pale apparition. “Saved my
life.” And he was a future subject for research, but he kept that line to
himself. “He will behave from now on. Is that right Drow Architect?”

“But of course, my King. I remain your loyal subject.”

“I don’t know about that.” Gareth pressed further. “Can’t he be returned to

his people?”

Good question, the Spider King looked at the SoulShade.

“It seems, I can’t leave this place. I tried… But there is this overwhelming
fear that takes hold of me if I try to leave the Catacombs. It’s as if I would
stop existing.”

He figured it would be something like that.

“Then, I guess he can stay. But no more scaring people!”

“Of course, human Gareth, you are the leader here, I will do as you say.”

Gareth looked at the SoulShade with surprise.

“I’ve said I can be useful, and I will.” The SoulShade hovered closer to
Gareth. “I’m still an architect, and I know many useful things. Plus, now I
have access to Ice magic.”

No doubt the SoulShade was trying to sell itself to Gareth.

“I guess, we can work a few things out.” Gareth said that but grasped for his
head. “… but how do I explain this to my people?”

The Spider King had an idea. “Well, this is the Drow Architect we are
talking about. There is a whole statue in his honour just outside.”

“There is?” The SoulShade asked in surprise.

“What, you didn’t see? We commissioned it right after your death. You have
been declared a hero!”

“I haven’t been outside. It is so cold!” The SoulShade bowed deeply in

thanks. “But I am honoured. If it need be, I’ll die for you again, my King!”
It said with cold resolution.

As good as it was to have subordinates this loyal the Spider King needed to
continue his previous point. “As I was saying he is a hero. Gareth, I’m sure
you can turn this whole Bad JuJu thing around and declare the ghostly
Drow Architect here as some sort of mascot. Tell the humans that he was
reborn to be the protector of the New Hope, or something like that.”

“That…” Gareth paused thoughtfully. “That might work.”

That same day, despite the danger of angering the local bird population, a
plethora of candles were lit up by the statue of the Drow Architect. The
entirety of the New Hope was gathered for this occasion.

“People.” Gareth addressed. “As you know, I have asked you all to light a
light by the statue. And thank you for that, this looks great. As you
understand now, we do this to honour, but also, to call upon the Hero to
protect this place from misfortune once again. To dispel the omen of Bad
JuJu!” Gareth spoke with great passion. “I know that this ritual is
unfamiliar for us humans, but the Spider King assured me it will work. So
now, let’s put our hands together and call out for the Hero to come out
again.”

“Hero Drow Architect, come and bless New Hope.” Gareth led the prayer
with his hands pressed together.

One after the other the humans pressed their hands in imitation and chanted
the chant.

“Hero Drow Architect, come and bless New Hope.” Everyone chanted
Again and again.
With the lead of Gareth, the prayer grew louder and stronger. Then it was at
its most fervent it finally happened. A pale figure emerged right out of the
stone statue. It didn’t have any legs and was semi-transparent but the
resemblance was uncanny.

“The Hero!” A woman shouted pointing her finger at the apparition and
then at the statue.

The fervent prayer was broken, and everyone looked with both awe and
disbelief.

The summoned apparition smiled at the people. “Oh, the candles, they feel
so warm, thank you!” The ghost-like Hero floated down to the lights. “Kind
people, please don’t mind me taking this offering. I, the Hero of New Hope,
will use the lovely warmth you brought here.” He extinguished all flames at
once. “I’ll use it to dispel the Bad Juju! From now on you have nothing to
fear!” He declared radiating confidence.

Some were still looking frozen in disbelief at what they were seeing, but
others cheered and clapped. Soon everyone was welcoming their hero with
warm smiles and loud shouts.

Gareth used this moment to slip away from the sight. Even in the coldness
of the night, he was all sweaty. That was because there were so many things
which could have gone wrong. The worst of them was dealing with the
Terror debuff, he had to butter the people into the right state of mind so
that they wouldn’t even dare to think of SoulShade as scary. But in the end,
it went well.

“So, it worked.” He wiped the sweat away.

Now all he had to do was to find a way for the people to take the Drain
status effect; willingly of course. But if he could fake an entire ritual to
summon the undead he could do that too.

“Man, it's hard to be a leader.”

The amount of mental gymnastics he had to pull for the sake of the people
was exhausting. And for those who like to say ‘just be honest’, he would
shoot them down straight away saying ‘It never works’. People don’t like
ugly truths, given a chance they will always take the sweet lies; such was
life.

He went back to the crown who was still cheering at their Hero.

“Hero!” He shouted to get the attention. “From now on we’ll offer you our
warmth, so that you can protect us from the frigid cold and other calamities
like Bad JuJu. Come, take what is mine and cleanse the Catacombs
below.”

“As you wish, honourable and wise Gareth.” The Hero floated towards the
human to touch him on the shoulder.

Gareth pushed the unpleasant sensations coming from the Drain, instead he
put his best fake smile on.

“Thank you!” The Hero bowed deeply. “I shall dispel Bad Juju now.” It
floated towards the Catacombs.

Gareth even if left slightly wobbling at his feet, he still had to continue.
“The offering of light and candles might not be enough…”

And just like before he launched into yet another speech, another white lie.
Such was the life of a leader.

From then on, the Catacombs were ‘cleansed’ from all the evil lurking
down below. People were calmer and they were sleeping better. And it was
nice to have their own supernatural protector, the Hero of the New Hope. To
keep the Hero going the people would light candles by its statue at night.
And when the Hero needed to power up on the ‘warmth’ directly it was only
honourable to offer it to him. Quickly, the Hero became an integral part of
the fortress. And with that, the New Hope continued to prosper.
 112 - Magical Problems Require
Magical Solutions

With the urgent matter of Bad JuJu resolved Spider King had no reason to
loiter around the frigid mountaintop. Wrong! There were plenty of reasons.
The continuous development of New Hope was strategically important for
the expansion of the Monster Realm. This was the only place to extract
IceShard Plakton which was essential for long-term refrigeration
solutions. The ice by itself was also used as a cheaper alternative.

Of course, even more could be achieved with ice mages, however, those
remained extremely rare and elusive. Frost SoulShade was the first Ice
mage the Spider King has encountered. Actually, he didn’t even know those
existed, because so far he thought there were elements of Fire, Water,
Earth, Air, Light and Dark magic. That was all according to human
magical theory. Where Water magic could theoretically be used to make
ice, and it was. But evidently, there also was a separate Ice category on its
own! And if you thought about the Great Ancestral Wisp – Nature as well.
So clearly there was more to it. Regardless, even Water mages were
somewhat scarce.

Long tangent aside, the Oberon Mountaintop was clearly the area saturated
with Ice magic. And it had to be exploited, of course!

First, there was the issue of capturing IceShard Plankton. It was very tiny
and behaved like a wild cloud. To catch it the humans had an idea to use a
very fine mesh, which worked to some extent until its micropores got
frozen solid shut. Then that happened, the mesh turned into brittle paper-
like film rendering it useless. The problem of plankton freezing shut the
nets persisted.
Then, another idea was born. The plankton had to eat something, or at least
be attracted to some equally magical phenomena. Theoretically, it could be
led to enclosed space and then trapped for collection. The humans had done
some poking around and they lucked out on finding a nearby spot which
attracted the plankton. Presumably, it was a source of magic, much like
Magic Spring in the Undermountain, but the Mountaintop magic source
expelled air instead of water.

A lot more research was needed, but the Spider King was there to expedite
the first design of a trap; incidentally, the architectural skills of the
SoulShade also came into use. The whole structure was a big hexagonal ball
(truncated icosahedron) resting half-buried in the ice. For its construction
materials such as IceShard Leather, IronOak, and Fungal Bricks were
used, after all, it had to resist the Frozen debuff the plankton carried. All its
sides had latched holes for the plankton to enter, when it filled, the latches
could be trapped and then the plankton extracted through yet another hole
and into to the leather bags enchanted with Ice Resistance. Or so was the
design.

The Spider King and a bunch of humans were nestled tightly in an igloo-
like building. Through a small window, they observed the incoming
plankton storm, it was coming here to feed on the mana of the Mana
Geyser. On a slight tangent, the Mana Geyser shot out not steaming water,
but air infused with magical energies. It, as well as the plankton, could be
collected into the leather bags, but uses for such air remained still unknown.

“Okay, it’s coming,” Gareth said the obvious.

“But will it hold?” The SoulShade asked.

“If it breaks, we’ll build something sturdier.” Human Builder replied.

“Nah, I’ve Reinforced everything. It will hold.” The Spider King said to
reassure.

The plankton cloud funnelled into the structure simply named F32 for
convenience's sake. It twirled above F32 angrily forming a miniature
whirlpool since there was more plankton than space inside the truncated
icosahedron.

“It’s time. Pull it.”

“No, you’re the King, the honour is yours.” Gareth refused.

“I’ll pull it.” The SoulShade reached for the lever, but his hands passed
right through it. “Oh…”

“I’ll do it.” Human Builder pulled it shutting the intake hatches of F32.

Everyone looked at F32 with bated breaths, expecting it either to explode or

shatter. The cloud persisted to hand around the trapped Mana Geyser.

After a while, the Spider King broke the tense silence. “It’s holding. But
with the plankton around it will be hard to begin extraction.”

Everyone nodded.

“Do we have volunteers?” He asked.

No one volunteered making him sigh in defeat.

However, “I would go, but as you can see,” the SoulShade moved its hand
to the wall and then right through it.

“Right… I have the most HP and the best gear here. I’ll go.”

Everyone nodded.

The Spider King exited the igloo and strutted confidently towards the angry
cloud. He retrieved a bundle of scrolls from his inventory space.

“Buzz off, you! [Fire Barrage]!” He besieged the cloud with fire
projectiles.

He imagined the plankton saying ‘Tch!’ as it retreated into the skies. Sure,
any of them could have used Frozen Resistance Potion, but with the
increased demand and diminishing supply of IceShard Plankton, those had
become rather precious; a thing which will be remedied here this instant.
The Spider King used the convenience of Magical Inventory to retrieve an
enchanted bag. He pulled it on the outtake valve and with yet another pull
of a lever the bag was filled with plankton. He stuffed one bag after the
other. Soon, emboldened by the success of F32 his companions came to
help.

Gareth was surprised at how easy the process was. “It practically jumps into
the bag by itself.”

The SoulShade jumped to explain. “It’s because of the pressure inside.

Mana Geyser is gushing out the air and continuously increasing the
pressure inside, hence forcing the plankton out.”

“And if I delayed opening the outtake valve, the F32 might have exploded.”
The King mentioned offhandedly.

The SoulShade nodded. “Precisely.”

Gareth stepped away from the structure in alarm. “Keep the scary
MagiTech talk to yourselves. This thing is dangerous!”

The Human Builder jumped in to take over to fill the bags. “The valve is
open. It’s alright, it won’t explode.”

“Unless…” The SoulShade terrified Gareth further.

“Unless?”

The SoulShade didn’t reply and just phased through the wall to inspect the
insides of F32. He was taking his sweet time there, to the point that
everyone got worried.

“Drow Architect, is everything alright?!” The Spider King shouted at the

structure, but the walls were thick, so it was unclear if he heard that.

“Ahhh!” The Human Builder suddenly dropped the bag he was filling.
“Frost!” He cursed. “You scared me!”
There was a head peeking out of the bag, it had a nasty evil grin on it. “Ha-
ha, got you.”

The two humans looked at the apparition with disapproval. It seems they
didn’t like pranksters.

“Eh, you’re no fun, guys. By the way, everything is fine inside. It’s just
that… It was so COLD!”

“No one asked you to go inside.” Human Builder retorted still offended by
the prank.

SoulShade had his own retort. “What hero would I be if I didn’t thrust
myself into danger? It was my duty!”

The Human Builder mellowed at those words.

“It seems we’re done.” The Spider King said noticing the lack of stray
plankton escaping the output valve.

“Yeah, it’s only air inside.” The SoulShade mentioned matter-of-factly.

And there was that. No less than a hundred bags were filled with plankton.
And there was a small bonus, since the plankton was still alive the bags
were unusually light to carry. Actually, if something lighter would have
been used to make the bag, something like thin cloth or plastic (which
didn’t yet exist here), the bags ran a risk of escaping into the sky like some
sort of feral balloons.

The harvested plankton was promptly processed into blue goo-like

substance. It was ready to be used for potions, enchantments, and
refrigeration purposes. The F32 of course was only in its alpha stage, the
structure still needed many improvements but the Spider King left that to
humans.

With the IceShard supply secured the Spider King moved on the agenda
number two. It was further expanding and improving the Catacombs.
Forcing humans to live underground like some sort of… Kobolds or Drow,
was not exactly fair, not that the humans complained, but an increase of
comfort was always appreciated. There was that, but also the King wanted
to make the New Hope as self-sufficient as possible.

If life above ground was difficult you could make life underground, just like
the many Undermountain races did.

The Spider King deposited a large pile of various mushrooms on Gareth’s

office table.

“What are those?” Gareth asked somewhat perturbed.

The Spider King gave a crazy smile beaming a line, “Mushrooms to the
rescue!”

“Huh?”

The Spider King picked a random mushroom. “This one gives off light.” He
picked another one. “This one grows all around stone needing little
sustenance.” He picked another one. “This one turns poop back into food.”
He picked a blue-capped mushroom. “And this one is solely for recreational
purposes.”

“Magic Mushroom.” It was a certain spider which identified the last

mushroom.

“Ah yes, the two spiders behind me will help you to improve the
Catacombs. The Stone Spider and the Mushroom Spider.”

“Hello!”, “Hello…” the two spiders waved at Gareth from the corridor, they
couldn’t fit through the narrow office doors.

“Huh?” Gareth still was not following.

“Listen, *Ahem*,” the Spider King cleared his throat. “Fungal

Catacombs!” He pronounced with fanfare.

“HUH!?”
Sometimes the words failed to reach the people so instead the Spider King
dragged the human for an impromptu show. Two men and two spiders were
standing in a dark tunnel. This was the unused part of the Catacombs, and
like the catacombs should the wall was lined with bones, hence the reason
the Humans didn’t want to use that part of the Catacombs.

“Observe!” The Spider King pulped a mushroom in his hand turning it to

pulpy slurry, then he mixed it with water and splashed the slush on the wall.

“Okay?” Gareth wondered if the King went crazy.

“[Mutate]!” He showered the bony wall section with purple motes of light.

Aside from the light show nothing happened. “Okay?” Gareth repeated
trying to understand.

The Mushroom Spider approached the wall, “[Grow],” showering it with

brown motes of light.

Just before Gareth could give another dispassionate ‘Okay?’ he noticed the
wall coming to life. The fungal-like flesh grew all over the wall.

The Spider King nodded approvingly. “It’s not exactly Fungal Brick, but
that is an improvement, no?” He pushed his finger into the wall. “Porous
and woody, it should insulate the walls just as well.”

Gareth finally understood what was happening. “I see!” He too prodded the
wall with his finger.

“I’m not finished.” The Spider King repeated the process with another
mushroom.

“It glows!” Gareth exclaimed at the blue glow.

“Yeah, it might be a bit dim, but still, it’s enough to see where you’re
going.”

“How wonderful!”
“I’m not done.” Once again, the Spider King splashed some slush on the
wall, but this time he sprinkled some red glowing powder and clutched a
fiery stone in his hand. “Let's hope it works. “[Mutate], [Imbue]!”

“Stand back.” The Mushroom Spider cautioned. “[Grow].”

It wasn’t much of a mushroom, more like mycelium, because an orange-

tinged but otherwise translucent vein shot out digging through the wall to
form a web-like pattern.

“Good, it didn’t explode.” The King clapped.

“What?!” Gareth exclaimed beginning to associate the Spider King more

with explosions and danger than spiders.

“Let’s put this to a test.” He splashed FireAgave Juice on the mycelium

web.

The orange tinge turned to red, and the mycelium pulsed as if alive.

“Good, it’s emitting heat. Heating the Fungal Catacombs will be more
efficient, and with less cold the mushroom will also grow better. I did use
Acclimate and Unnatural Selection to give them that cold resistance, but
still, warmth is good.”

“Warmth is good.” Gareth repeated. “Warmth… I’m sure our SoulShade

will approve. But…” He paused. “How do we keep all of these wonderous
and magical mushrooms alive?”

“Ah yes, good question. All life needs a source of nourishment, even
mushrooms. Luckily for you, the WallShroom eats stone, the
GlowShroom uses ambient mana in the air, and the HeatShroom here can
do with a bit of a splash of juice now and then. Of course, there is more to
that, they all need mana to grow, but as it happens this fortress was built in
just the right spot. Aren’t you lucky?”

“I guess we are…”
“Well then, I’ll leave the Mushroom Spider and Stone Spider to finish the
rest.”

“Ah, just one more thing.” Gareth stopped the King. “Since you have such a
good grasp of Life magic maybe you can help us on our quest.”

Nah, it wasn't Life or even Nature magic, all of that was just perks, but the
Spider King didn’t feel like correcting Gareth. “What is it?” Instead, he
asked intrigued.

“Let me show you.”

The Spider King was led through a long corridor, the stone walls were
replaced by ice and the temperature dropped significantly. Finally, the two
men emerged into a large icy chamber.

“Eggs?” The King asked even if he recognised the monster it belonged.

“Not just eggs. We managed to hatch a few. Wait here.” He went into a side
chamber.

Gareth was gone for a few good minutes forcing the Spider King to fidget
in anticipation. As Gareth returned, he was dragging a type of a bird behind
him. The bird of course had no legs or wings, and instead of walking it
floated.

“The Sky Wale!? I mean the IceShard Bird, you tamed it!” The Spider King
smiled at the implications of new opportunities and ventures.

“It’s not exactly tame. And we were afraid it would starve.” Gareth said
somewhat apologetically. “Actually, it was marked for butchering but with
F32…” He didn’t need to finish. “But how do we tame it? It’s awfully
violent.” Just as Gareth finished, the monster bit him on the leg. “Gah!” He
pushed the monster away.

“Maybe it’s just cranky because you didn’t feed it…” The King offered the
most likely explanation. “But I can try to Evolve it and see what happens.
But then again, it wouldn’t exactly make it docile and who knows what we
would get.”

Evolving monsters was always a risky business. Actually, he didn’t really

evolve any, it was mostly animals and plants with a few exceptions. So
probably the simple Mutate was the best shot.

“Hmm, so we want it docile. And if we want a convenient mount the

SuperMassive trait needs to go.” It was something the monster would
obtain as it grew.

“Yeah, if we tamed them, we could use them to transport the meat straight
down the mountain, no need to use labyrinthine mountain tunnels.”

“Yes, you have a good idea there. If Mutate fails, you could just keep
trying to domesticate the wild variety.”

“I’ve never heard of anyone taming a monster ever,” Gareth replied.

“Except for you, Monster King. That’s why I’ve gathered the courage to
ask.”

“You’re right, I shouldn’t be talking as if I was preparing for the failure. Of

course, this will work! Hand me the monster.” He motioned towards it.

Gareth pulled the leather strap dragging the IceShard Bird towards the
Spider King, no, towards the Monster King.

“Docile, small, mobile and less hangry!” He named the traits he wanted.
“I’ve got this! [Mutate]!” The Spider King touched the juvenile monster
forcing it to glow in purple.

[Chaos Blessed activated]

“Frozen piss!” He cursed at the message; that perk had a penchant for
twisting things around.

No less than 2000MP was sucked out in a blink of a second, the Spider
King pulled away from the monster. The glow had no signs of dimming.
“Gareth, behind me!” He commanded ready to slay the monster.

The human, even if slightly blinded by the purple flash still found the way
behind his King.

The light dimmed revealing the chaos mutated monster.

“What is that!” Gareth pointed his shaking finger.

The creature had grown several tendrils all over its body, six on the back
and two on close under its mouth. And the mouth was a grossly large maw
full of razor-sharp teeth. The teeth were blue and crystalline as if made from
ice. Two eyes were replaced by four, they were blue sapphire orbs with no
whites. Its body was tar black, but a blue web-like pattern ran all over it.

The monster wriggled its tendrils excitedly making a low humming sound.

“It’s growling at us! Kill it!” Gareth urged.

But before that, “[Inspect].”

Monster: IceShard Devourer Status Effects: Docile

HP:100 MP:0/100 STA:200

Active Perks [Tendril Slap], [Ice Burst], [Devour]

Passive
[Floating], [Tamed], [Mana Conversion]
Perks

Resistances [Light Weakness: Critical], [Ice Resistance: Immune]

“I don’t think it’s angry.” The Spider King approached the monster
cautiously trying to give it a pet.

Devourer rubbed the top of its head into the King’s palm, emitting that low
growl.

“And it’s not growling, it's purring like a cat.” He explained.

“A cat, what’s that? [Inspect].” Gareth tried. “Ah! That’s clearly a

Devourer! I don’t think we can tame something like that.”

“Gareth, please. Read the table better, it comes pre-Tamed.”

“Oh, yeah you’re right.”

“Come give it a pet. It’s rather affectionate.”

Reluctantly so, Gareth approached otherwise a formidable beast. He rubbed

its head making the Devourer turn upside down exposing its belly, Gareth
reached to rub that too. The tendril wriggled in pleasure.

“Ha! It’s rather cute.” Gareth finally saw the truth.

The Spider King nodded approvingly. However…

“Now, let’s pray I will be able to replicate the process. Do you have more
hatchlings?”

“Ah no, this was the second one to hatch. We ate the first.”

Devourer made an alarmed sound.

“Don’t worry.” Gareth kept rubbing its belly. “We won’t eat you. You’re
just too lovable already!”

“Get the room you two, jee!” The Spider King teased.

“Huh? No! I’m just nice to it so it doesn’t eat me. I’m deliberately trying to
appease this abomination!”
Devoured hummed sounding betrayed, it turned upright and flowed coldly
away from Gareth.

“Man, you blew it!” The Spider King reprimanded.

“Oh, I’m sorry my cute abominable Devourer. I was just joking around.
Come let me rub your belly.”

The beast turned its head sharply away from Gareth.

“Ha! It’s surprisingly intelligent.” The Spider King remarked. “We have to
make more specimens like this. So…” He thought hard. “Maybe I was
going at it from the wrong angle.” He touched one of the nearby eggs.
“Please be another Ice Shard Devourer. [Mutate].”

The mutate took hold draining only a 1000MP this time, and the Chaos
Blessed failed to activate.

“Hah, it was a long shot…” He said disappointed. “But let's see what we
got. [Inspect].” He jumped in the air. “No, it worked. It’s an IceShard
Devourer Egg!”

“Yay!” Gareth pumped his fist into the air with fake enthusiasm.

So, did he like the devourer or not? Stop being so ambiguous, Gareth!

“With my MP pool, I can do this one more time. [Mutate].” Again, it was a
success. “Alright, it seems I’ll have to stay here for a few more days to
transform all the eggs.”

“Yay!” Gareth pumped his fist into the air again, but with more enthusiasm.
“… but they do eat Plankton, right? Right?”

The Spider King looked at the monster who was rubbing against his leg, its
monstrous maw was filled with nothing but canines. “There’s only one way
to find out… Gareth put your hand inside its mouth.”

Devourer opened its maw obediently.

 113 - King? I didn't Wote For You!

A few more days passed and as it turns out the IceShard Devourer couldn't
be more lovely; despite its monstrous appearance it was completely Docile.
Even then pressed it wouldn’t hurt anyone, and it didn’t seem that it could
activate its Tentacle Slap; it was as if the monster was completely
incapable of violence.

“Look at this, ha-ha!” Gareth pushed his head inside the devourer’s maw.
His head was surrounded by rows upon rows of blue crystalline fangs.

“Gareth, don’t push your luck.” The Spider King Cautioned.

As it turns out, like its predecessor, the monster ate plankton and only
plankton. Those razor-sharp teeth and many tendrils must have been only
for decorative purposes.

“I think you can leave this to me.” Gareth pulled his head out to rub the
monster on its back affectionately. “I’ll train this one real good.”

“Yeah, but take care. It has that Devour perk.” He didn’t want to hear about
Gareth mysteriously vanishing one day.

“Nah, it's completely Tamed. You wouldn’t hurt a fly, would you?” Gareth
was using baby-talk. “No, you wouldn’t.” He rubbed the monster on the
belly.

“Alright then, I guess I’ll go finish my other project.”

Gareth was so preoccupied with playing with the monster that he didn’t
even reply to the leaving King. The Spider King walked all the way outside
to a certain location not too far from the fortress.
The other project was equally ambitious. While yes, life struggled here on
the Mountaintop sure, it didn’t mean that he shouldn't attempt to breathe
some of it in the barren and frozen wastes of the Mountaintop. The humans
had just finished constructing a comparatively massive igloo out of ice. The
material was cheap and easily accessible, so even if the project failed
nothing of much value would be wasted.

The igloo walls were thick, but they were transparent. Blue-tinted light
filtered through the icy ceiling, and for some weird reason, it felt that here
in the igloo there was more light than outside. Perhaps the ice condensed
the sunrays like a glass lens, or even trapped a certain type of light from
escaping entirely much like a greenhouse did to infrared radiation.

“Magic surely works in mysterious ways.” He scratched his head making a

mental note to ask the spiders to investigate his phenomenon later.

Regardless, it was no less cold inside only brighter, and he wanted to carry
on with the project. He dug a hole into the icy floor planting a sapling
which didn’t belong here.

“[Evolve], [Mutate], [Imbue].” He fired all three at the plant, plus

activating Acclimate and Unnatural Selection.

The target of the magical assault was no other than the rugged and ruthless
BanditAgave. The plant was selected because as any good bandit did, it
had two necessary qualities: being daring to challenge the danger, and it
possessed strong survival and self-preservation skills. After all, FireAgave
and ShadowAgave were both proof that this plant could survive in the
harshest conditions.

The Spider King forced a merciless amount of mana into the plant.

“This has to work!” He shouted expending no less than 4000MP, which was
almost his entire mana pool.

The plant radiated blinding light threateningly. There was a danger it could
be consumed by so much MP and then just implode on itself. For that
reason, he did imbue it with Reinforce. The mana has been spent and the
magic was doing its job, all he could do now was step away and watch.

“You can do it!” He encouraged the plant while shielding his eyes so as not
to be left blinded.

The light eventually dimmed revealing now different and transformed plant.

“It worked? Of course, it worked!” He cheered walking closer to inspect it.

Unmistakably it was still agave, but its leaves were icy blue and dotted with
crystalline needles. Upon the touch the plant was also unexpectedly hard,
the crystalline features had carried all over making it akin to a plant made
out of glass. However, it was still alive, it was something which would
grow and spread eventually.

“Well done BanditAgave. You have conquered yet another biome.” He

congratulated. “For this occasion, I shall bestow you the title of…” He
paused to think. “IceAgave!” He decided to stick with the established
theme. “Now, grow and prosper! But before that, don’t mind if I do.” He
snapped a piece of its leaf. “After all, we need to know what good you are
for.”

This one, unlike its cousin FireAgave, didn’t look like it would be any
good for making juice. And unlike its other cousin DarkAgave, its
crystalline properties prevented the IceAgave from being used in
clothmaking.

However, the experiments with IceAgave had to wait, because…

“How long has it been?” He asked trying to remember. “Higher levels,

really do take long to achieve.” He looked at the message he had just
received.

[Congratulations! You have reached Farming lvl 5]

[Requirements have been met (Magical Inventory). Hidden perk unlocked]

[Perk Seed Archive obtained]

With no delay, he investigated the perk. Seed Archive worked similarly to
the Magical Inventory, once activated a table popped into his vision,
however, it wasn’t empty. It had a list of plants he had created: TomGrape,
PurpleM, FireAgave, ShadowAgave, EarthenYam, AshenClover,
TrapBush, PetalBall, various mushroom variants plus all the other plants
he messed with. With this perk he could expend mana to pull out the seed of
the desired plant, or more precisely the magical blueprint to create the plant.

Just to test it he pressed his hand to an empty icy patch. “[Seed Archive:
IcyAgave].” Magic seeped out of his hand filling the icy hole he made, and
low and behold a seed was planted. “So, it still needs to be grown. I need to
find a way to learn that Grow spell, that one would be extremely
convenient now. Or find a way to make scrolls of it. Hmm…” He scratched
his chin while looking at the planted seed.

“The number of projects only increases.” He welcomed that type of work

with a broad smile. “But first, lest fill this Igloo BlueHouse,” he gave the
structure an impromptu name, “with seeds!” He chugged a few potions and
began planting.

The newly acquired perk consumed MP with each cast, and it was no small
amount. Evidently, the seeds of magical plants were hungry for MP,
because each cast cost him 100MP. If you considered that an average
human had a mana pool no bigger than 100MP, the perk was rather costly.
One magical plant a day for an average mage, luckily he wasn’t and average
mage. He was the Monster King with 4500MP and all the MP Recovery
Potions he needed. At the cost of some Toxicity he filled the Igloo
BlueHouse with IceAgave seeds.

With the knowledge that there will be more IceAgave he plucked a few
more leaves from the mature plant.

“Now, let’s see what secrets you’re holding inside. [Harvest: Material].”
Crystalline leaf turned into motes of light and flowed into his inventory.
“[Extract: Reagent].” Another leaf was turned into motes of light.

His inventory space now held two different items, one was a material for
crafting and another a reagent for alchemy. The former was IceAgave
Crystal and the latter Catalysing Powder.

IceAgave Crystal granted the crafted items a Crystalline perk. The item
would become more brittle, but in return it could hold more mana inside
and hance be enchanted with more enchantments.

Catalysing Powder was rather self-explanatory, it decreased the amount of

reagents needed to make a potion and increased the potion’s potency.

“Not too shabby.” He nodded approvingly. “Well done, IceAgave.”

Perhaps emboldened by the recent bout of successes the Spider King was
about to do something drastic. In his hands, he was holding the MegaFarm
Rabbit. The unusually plump and fat critter, much like squirrels, was bred in
the farm to be used in Lamia cuisine, but also, a few of them made here to
the New Hope. It wasn’t just New Hope, the spiders were shipping these
rabbits to Drow and Kobolds too. And to keep the meat fresh they were kept
alive during shipping.

“Stop kicking.” He reprimanded. “You’re a lucky one you know. You’ll get
to live.”

The rabbit squeaked at him in discontent and displeasure.

“Now-now, there’s no need to be alarmed. I’m sure it will go well.” In one

hand he held the rabbit and in the other a bunch of IceAgave Crystals.
Evolving animals was a more delicate affair and the crystal was no Ice
Spirit Stone, but he hoped it would work. “[Evolve],[Mutate],[Imbue]!”
He chanted the chaotic trinity of monster evolution.

The natural was changed, twisted, and transformed. Magic born of chaos
seeped deep into the cells of the rabbit, altering them to do the will of the
Monster King. An innocent animal began mutating. With the glow of
purple, its animalistic form twisted closer towards a monster. The IceAgave
Crystals melted in the Monster King’s palm, the magical infused liquid
seeped deep into the rabbit’s tissues further deforming the small critter,
imbuing it with a Crystaline perk. Deep inside the rabbit, the remainder of
the mana pooled forming a small core, no bigger than a grain, but it was the
defining moment there an animal became a monster.

“It worked! [Inspect].”

Monster: IceCrystal Rabbit

HP:50 MP:10 STA:20

Active Perks [Horn Strike]

Passive Perks [Crystaline]

Resistances [Ice Resistance: Greater], [Fire Weakness: Greater]

The fat drained from the white rabbit returning it to its natural sleek form. It
was still mostly white, but now in the middle of its head, it had a large blue
crystalline horn. Also, the ends of the limbs were no longer flesh but icy
and blue crystal.

The rabbit squeaked at the King ungratefully and used the chance to dash
away.

“Hey! Where are you running!” He chased after the rabbit. “I demand you
to recognise my authority!”

The monster was neither Tamed nor Docile. Moreover, it wasn’t even
intelligent. It was just another monster; it didn’t need any Kings.
“Hey! Come back!” The King chased the rabid through the frigid wastes
and away from the walls of the New Hope.

The chase lasted an embarrassingly long amount of time. The rabbit was
much faster than its fat predecessor, actually, it was way too fast for a
simple rabbit. But it wasn’t simple, and it wasn’t just a rabbit anymore.

“Hey!” The King repeated for third time already.

Somewhat ironically, the rabbit found a hole to jump into, much like a
rabbit warren.

“You’re not getting away.” The King jumped after the rabbit into the hole; it
was large enough. “Ahh!” He began sliding through the icy surface. “Hey,
this is rather deep.” The slide was taking him deep inside.

Unsurprisingly he emerged into the icy cavern, but there was surprise.
“Crystals?” He looked at the massive icy pillars. “Brr, so cold!” He just
noticed the frigid temperature; it was many times colder than the already
frigid outside.

Threatened by the possibility of Frozen debuff he quaffed a life-saving

potion while taking the better look at the nearby crystals.

“How peculiar. They practically radiate cold.” Of course, this was

impossible, this wasn’t how the laws of thermodynamics worked. “But they
do emit cold.” He looked at the crystal with wonder. The air he breathed
flowed towards the crystal and condensed into liquid; liquified air. “Scary!”
He didn’t want to go any closer. “[Inspect].”

The message told him that this was IceShard Crystal.

“Looks precious, but how do I harvest it without touching it?”

Getting any closer seemed dangerous. The crystal turned air to liquid so he
risked suffocating, that was if he didn’t turn into an icicle before all that.
“Rabbit!” He noticed the critter. “What the hell are you doing?” The rabbit
was munching on the crystal without any care or concern. “Ah, that’s right,
you have resistance.” Yes, if he found a way to up his Ice Resistance to
Greater, then he could harvest the crystals.

The rabbit didn’t care about any of that, it gnawed through crystal retrieving
a peculiar dark blue stone. The rabbit stared at the King sheepishly.

“Hey, what’s that you dug?” He stepped closer despite the risk of getting
Frozen. “[Inspect].” He gasped reading the message. “Ice Spirit Stone?!
This is the Ice source!!!” A place where Ice affinity mana pooled and
condensed. An extremely rare and valuable location. “I guess, rabbits do
bring good luck.” He shrugged. “But I want that stone. Rabbit, I command
you to give it to me.” He used his Aura Projection to convey the order.

The rabbit had other ideas, instead it turned away from the King and ran
deeper into the IceShard Cave.

He looked at the many IceShard Crystals jutting from all over. “It doesn’t
look like I can pursue. However, this is a precious find. Thank you, rabbit!”
He yelled towards the depths of the cave.

The cave was full of crystals, thousands of them, and presumably they all
had a spirit stone hidden deep inside.

“This is a find of a century… my first spirit stone mine.”

He rubbed his hands happily, but also because they were getting extremely
cold.

“But how do I get out?” He looked back at the hole of the slippery slide and
made a deep tired sigh. “If there is a way… there is a will.” He
misremembered that particular saying, but it did give him the willpower to
begin climbing.
 114 - The Birth And Fall Of The
Desert God Emperor

The location of IceShard Cave was marked on the map, but the cave
proper will have to be explored fully only after the development of some
serious Ice Resistance gear. The development of it and further exploration
were left in the hands of humans. Since the extraction of Ice Spirit Stones
wasn’t a priority, the Spider King decided to finally return home. That, and
the message from Johny had reached him.

“Your pet whirling requests your audience. PS: I’m BURSTING!” - Was
the message Johny relayed telepathically.

As tempted as he was to help Johny with her ailment it wasn’t yet time to
go back home. Anyway, the Spider King bid farewell to Gareth and
SoulShade, then promptly exchanged the frigid scenery for the familiar
sight of undermountain tunnels.

The tunnel he was darting through was a megaproject which was finished
just recently. Oberon Mega Tunnel was an artificial tunnel cut through
Oberon Mountain to get easy access to the Scorpion Desert. And right at the
end of the tunnel, there was a Trade Outpost. Well, whether it was there or
not still remained to be seen, because the Spider King entrusted its
construction and management to the wyrmling, and he was yet to see it with
his own two eyes.

He broke out of the Shadow Walk, indeed, the wyrmling was doing well.
The Trade Outpost was as good as finished. He emerged in a walled-off
encampment, he was surrounded by blocky buildings, presumably
warehouses. And nested right in between them was a bustling market.
Spider merchants were peddling their goods to the denizens of the Scorpion
Desert. He recognised Scorpionmen and Fennec, but there were others he
hadn’t met before such as Antmen, Armourbeatles and Scarabs. He was told
before that Fennec are somewhat rare in otherwise scorpion-dominated
desert, but here they made no less than half of the clientele.

“I wonder what’s the reason…” He looked at the cute and fluffy Fennec
running in between the stalls. “But I also wonder…” He looked at an
obvious structure sticking like a sore thumb.

Not too far from Merchant Square stood an imposing fortress. It was more
like a palace than a defensive structure. And for some reason it was bigger
than his own palace at the MegaFarm. Spurred by curiosity he began
walking straight to the structure.

“The design is rather curious.”

Despite having the mountain at the side, the palace and its walls were made
out of cream-coloured blocks. The Oberon Mountain rock was dark in
colour so the blocks used in the palace construction must have come from
somewhere else. Actually, most of the buildings here were made out of
sandy looking blocks. Lugging bricks from outside then there was an entire
mountain at the side was somewhat impractical, yes, but that made the
structures blend better in the muted colours of the desert.

“Is this SandStone?” He warranted a guess, but he didn’t need to leave

himself guessing like a fool. “[Inspect].”

The sandy cream blocks were actually called WyrmBlocks. It was obvious
who created these. The blocks were made out of sand using Earth magic,
wyrmling’s speciality, which would make them somewhat brittle but all of
them were enchanted with Reinforced.

“Ah, I see.” He understood now.

It was probably faster to use sand to make blocks than to carve them out in
the mountain quarry. In other words, the wyrmling had surprised him here.
He walked down the paved path towards the palace gate. It was guarded by
two formidable spider warriors. He had left a bunch of those here to protect
the future of the Trade Outpost. After all, the desert here was full of
formidable monsters.

The spiders recognising their King gave him a chirpy greeting permitting
him to pass through the open gate. The gate was decorated with two statues,
one on the left and one on the right. Each depicted a ferocious wyrmling
coiling up and around the gate entrance. Soon he emerged into the
courtyard, the path towards the palace fortress was further lined with the
statues of the wyrmling. The important note to make was that those were
wymlings and not wyrms!

“He made statues of himself!” He finally realised why they looked so

familiar. “And he scattered them all around.” He squinted at the paved path
he was taking, the bricks here were etched decoratively. “No, not just an
etch, it’s an image!” The bricks were etched with the images of the
wyrmling repeated again and again to form a pattern.

The closer he got to the palace the odder it got. Everything was wyrmling-
themed to the point of obnoxious excess.

A tiny furry figure emerged from the palace entrance.

“Welcome to The Great Wyrm Palace!” It shouted a greeting.

The little critter wore a blue tunic with Monster Kingdom insignia, and it
clearly was one of the Fennec. He didn’t remember recruiting any of them
into his service. Odd…

Just as soon as they finished their greeting the fennec asked. “Are you here
to see the God Emperor?”

“The God Emperor?” He had to repeat.

“Yes, the God Emperor, the Ruler of The Desert, the Maker of WyrmCity,
and the Greatest Wyrm to ever live.”
There was a lot of capitalisation and titles over there. “Oh, him… yes. Or
do I need to make an appointment?”

“Of course not. The God Emperor is magnanimous enough to see everyone
and all who comes here to pledge their undying loyalty. No need for
appointments, please come.” The fennec urged him inside the palace.

“But I’m not here…”

“Master, meow!” The wyrmling jumped out of the palace entrance. “Don’t
listen to this fool, meow, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Shoo!”
The wyrmling growled at the now terrified fennec.

The fennec cried out, “I’m sorry!” and then ran back into the palace with
another yelp of, “Eek!”.

“So… God Emperor? Slightly ambitious, no?” He asked amused.

There was a hint of embarrassment coming from the wyrmling’s face.

“Meow, why are we still inside? Please come in.” He ignored the question
tactfully. “I’d build this for you, meow.”

“Wow, an entire palace just for me! You know I don’t intend to live here.”

“Meow! I know. But my home is your home. I mean, meow, this palace is
your vacational palace. Yes, a palace when you need a holiday.”

They walked further in, inside like outside everything was wyrmling-
themed. He even caught a humongous painting just above the equally
humongous throne. For some reason, a bunch of Fennec were furiously
trying to take the painting off.

“Huh, and everything just had to be the wyrmling themed. An interesting

choice of decorum for my vacational palace.”

“Meow! It’s just desert-themed, yes, I am a desert wyrm, remember? Oh,

meow, and I know you love me so much!”

“Not that much to have your statue every ten paces.”

“Master!” He meowed fake offended.

“And that painting. A wyrmling gloating atop a pile of gold.“ He described

what he saw just before it was off.” It’s rather dashing, and it captures your
image perfectly. Why are they taking it off?”

“Meow? It’s just a sketch. You weren’t meant to see it yet, meow, It was
meant as a gift for you. Yes-yes!” The wyrmling reaffirmed in a kobold-like
fashion.

“Why would I want a massive painting of you?”

“Because you love me so much!” The wyrmling said without shame or

hesitation.

“Hmm, really?”

“I am your bestest servant. Familiar number one, meow, most loyal of them
all.”

He had only two familiars and the Darkness was perfectly loyal.

“And this must be the throne of my vocational palace.” He pointed at it.

The throne seat was surrounded by wyrmling statues coiling around each
other. They were gilded in gold and the eyes were socketed gems. Above
the throne, there was a plate with large gold gilded letters saying ‘God
Emperor The Great Dessert Wyrm’.

The wyrmling chanted a spell hurriedly “[Earth Shatter].” The letters were
blasted right off the plate. “There was a spelling mistake, meow, how
embarrassing.”

“Oh really? I didn’t get a chance to see what it read.”

“Meow!” The wyrmling exhaled with relief. “It read: ‘Spider king, my
beloved Master’.”

“And what was the spelling mistake.”

“The K was lowercase, meow, so embarrassing. I’ll find and punish the
fennec who made it.”

“Eek!” Someone yelped from just around the corner.

“No need. So, shall I now sit on MY throne?”

“Of course, meow, it’s made for you!”

The Spider King sat down, it was surprisingly comfortable.

“Fennec, do your job!” The wyrmling commanded the nearby servants.

The fennec ran to fan the wyrmling with big leafy fans, another one
attempted to feed him some pealed fruit.

“Not me, you fools! Meow!”

The panicked fennec switched to fanning the Spider King, there was an
obvious confusion on their faces.

“I’m sorry they're all new here, meow, your new hires.”

“Oh, and I thought they were all like slaves or something.” That would not
be beneath the wyrmling.

“What, meow!” The wyrmling exclaimed genuinely offended. “I pay them,

of course!”

“Is that true?” He asked a nearby servant.

The fennec nodded. “The pay here is handsome. That’s why everyone came
here to serve the God Emperor.”

“Meow! They mean to serve you, Monster King. It’s Monster King, not
God Emperor. I keep telling them, meow!”

It appears the wyrmling will be sticking with this charade to the end. And
not that he minded, whatever the wyrmling achieved here was all done by
its own wyrm-like power and cunning. The WyrmCity was no doubt a
prospering Trader Outpost netting the wyrmling a substantial amount of
wealth. Whatever tax or tariff the wyrmling was making it was entirely his
to keep; the Spider King only wanted for the goods to be traded freely,
which they were. Albeit at a significant markup or something like that, but
evidently, there were plenty of customers here.

“Anyway, I was told you had to discuss something with me?”

“Yes, meow, you arrived way-way quicker than expected, but… [Shed].”
He shook his entire snake-like body.

The yellow scales opened making the wyrmling look rather spiky, much
like a hedgehog. From under the scales clear plates of crystal fell off and
shattered on the ground.

“This is… [Inspect]. WyrmSalt!”

The scales returned to the normal smooth alignment leaving a pile of

crystals. “Meow, I made these.” The wyrmling said proudly with its head
high.

“Marvellous!” He couldn’t help but be impressed.

Salt here, and everywhere, was a very precious commodity. Unlike in a

certain other world, here in this magical place, Salt was only found in the
scorching deserts as a type of crystal born from the Earth Magic. It was a
flavouring agent highly sought after by Humans, Lamia, and even Centauri
alike. Centauri liked it so much that they could eat the crystals on their own.

“My WyrmSalt, meow, is much higher quality than the one we find in
sand.”

Yes, to get the salt you had to comb the dessert with a large and unwieldy
comb. And the wyrm here found a way just to magic it in existence.

“Marvellous!” He repeated. “So, you just make it in your body?”

“Not quite, meow.” The wyrmling began explaining.

The process to make WyrmSalt wasn’t either simple or straightforward.
The wyrmling still had to go in the desert and filter the sand through his
scales; he used Sand Storm for that. The moving sand had tiny microscopic
crystals, something that later would grow forming Salt, the wyrmling
trapped those crystals and then used its Earth magic further to grow them
into WyrmSalt. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the wyrmling imbued the
magic crystals with his magic, making this a type of enchanting.

The Spider King was mighty impressed by the ingenuity of the wyrmling,
but there was still a question on his mind. “I see. Can you do this to normal
Salt?”

“No, meow, I only can change something that is bound to become Salt. If
it’s already salt, there is nothing I can do.”

So maybe they just needed to find a way to extract that something from the
sand. But that was probably even harder than combing with a comb through
the desert in search of normal salt.

“Hmm… maybe I can help you there.”

“Really? I do have a lot of Salt piled up. As it turns out, I have perfect skills
for finding it!”

“No not Salt. The thing that makes the salt Salt.”

“Salty salt salt makes the salt Salt.” The wyrmling explained.

Obviously, he didn’t quite get it, however, “Yeah, that. But before that, why
don’t you show me around the WyrmCity. Nice name by the way.”

“I named it in your honour, meow!”

“Really…” Somehow, he doubted that.

As they walked around the wyrmling proudly showed off the Spider King
his city. The goods coming from the Spider Kingdom were extremely
luxurious to the Scorpionmen, especially the woody goods. Needless to say,
the wyrmling was making a killing from all the trade. Surprisingly, unlike
some dragons, the wyrmling didn’t hoard all the wealth in some sort of a
vault. The wyrmling reinvested it all back into either the WyrmCity or the
local people. Wealth builds splendour, and splendour attracts people. The
WyrmCity wasn’t quite a city yet, but its population was growing. The
wages here were a few times bigger than in the Scorpion Cities, enticing
talented people to come here. Looking at the population of the city half of it
were Fennec, 20% Scorpionmen, 10% spiders, and the rest were Brown
Kobolds, Antmen, Armourbeatles and Scarabs.

However, it was the wyrmling, the God Emperor, the self-proclaimed ruler
of the desert who managed this city. Living here came with a catch: you had
to become a minion of the wyrmling and swear your undying loyalty.
Surprisingly, a lot of Scorpion Desert denizens didn’t mind that catch,
especially the desert minorities like Fennec who either way had to make
themselves subservient to one Scorpion Klan or the other. And somehow
serving the Great Desert Wyrm was rather enticing to them. The wyrm was
still a juvenile wyrmling, but a legendary desert monster nevertheless.

Also, the wyrmling might be a bit of a megalomaniac, but it was a talented

megalomaniac! So long as the wyrmling didn’t waste too much of resources
on its vices all should be well. After all, no one is perfect.

The two had stopped at a construction site which was riddled with stacks of
WyrmBlocks. From the rough shape of the building, the Spider King soon
realised that this was a huge statue in construction.

“Meow! Statue of you, my Master.”

“Oh, I must have a rather magnificent tail.”

“Meow! A mistake, how dare they!” The wyrmling slithered to scold the
Kobolds who were building it.

“No.” He grabbed the wyrmling by the tail. “This has to stop!”

Enough was enough!

 115 - The Magical Garden Of
Whispers

A black stone obelisk stood tall and imposing amidst the desert dunes, its
surface carved in a wyrm-like fashion. It hummed with a faint purple glow
barely visible in the scorching sun. The sand dunes stood around the obelisk
ignorant of what was about to happen.

“Meow!”

Then, with an otherworldly surge, the obelisk stirred, and the very air
seemed to tremble. One after another, tiny yellow grains of sands began to
rise into the air. In an instant, a tempest of sand erupted around the obelisk,
a furious dance of golden particles swirling and twirling. A vicious vortex
formed clouding the sky.

“It works, ha-ha, it works!”

“Meow!”

The unruly sandstorm raged on, its path ever-changing, leaving nothing but
chaos in its wake. The angry grains of sand pummelled and pelted two
creatures standing by the obelisk, however, the two didn’t mind it one bit
and continued talking.

“Can you feel it?”

“Yes, I can, meow! The salty salt-salt which makes the salt Salt is here.
[Manipulate Earth].”

A vortex within a vortex was born, making it even more chaotic. One sandy
and the other clear crystalline. Crystalline dust was filtered out of the
yellow sand. The dust pooled to form a miniature whirlpool around the
wyrmling.

“So, this is the stuff. [Inspect].”

[Earth Spirit Stone Dust], the message informed the Spider King.

“I see, it all makes sense now.”

“Meow?”

“Wyrmling, do your thing.”

“[Crystalise], meow.”

With a shower of sand-yellow light the dust turned into precious

WyrmSalt.

“As expected, the experiment was a success. You can power down the
SandStorm Obelisk.”

The wyrmling coiled around the carved black stone pillar. “Meow? I can’t,
it refuses to shut off!”

SandStorm Obelisk was a device born from the spider’s ingenuity and
wyrm’s Earth magic. A similar method of enchanting the Magic Scrolls
was used to empower the obelisk. From the base to the tip, it was engraved
in the glyphs of Spider Chirp, a language which carried great power. If
read like words the glyphs would only form a butchered and broken
sentence: bind earth, imbue magic, form storm, separate by element … It
didn’t need to tell a coherent story because those were just an instruction for
the obelisk to follow.

In the end, the obelisk did as instructed, it separated the mundane sand from
its more magical cousin, however, the magical device wasn’t perfect. The
Earth Spirit Stone Dust resonated with the mana of the device to power it
indefinitely. As long as there was dust the obelisk would continue to work
casting an endless SandStorm. And it was no easy flaw to fix.
The Master and his pet stood some distance away from the obelisk and its
storm. The area of affect was no bigger than few hundred metres in radius.
In other words, it was well contained.

“Hey, maybe it’s not a bug but a feature?!”

“A feature, meow?”

“Yes, this can be used to our advantage. Let’s make more of them obelisks!”

“Okay! I’ll tell the kobolds to begin carving right away, meow.”

The plan here was to surround the WyrmCity in sandstorms, leaving only a
small corridor for the traders to pass. The SandStorm will be used as walls
to protect this city, plus it had the bonus of gathering the precious dust.

Soon more obelisks were carved and enchanted, each had a depiction of
wyrmling coiling up around the obelisk. It was a feature which kobolds
insisted on, after all the wyrmling here was the object of worship to them;
Kobolds deified dragons. And clearly, these obelisks gave that idea even
more power.

In mere few days the WyrmCity was surrounded by an endless

SandStorm, but that force of nature was tamed and controlled. This served
to give the WyrmCity those hidden and enchanted city vibes. A rumour in
the Scorpion Desert began to spread like wildfire: At the border of the
desert, near the oppressive black mountains, past the endless storm, there is
an enchanted city filled with wonderous treasures and sights to see; a
WyrmCity ruled by powerful and wise Desert Dragon. The rumour may or
may not have been started by a certain wyrmling himself.

The Spider King ran his arm through a pile of crystalline dust; it took a day
and no less than a hundred obelisks to gather it.

“How much do you think its worth?” He asked.

“Even if in dust form, meow, it’s still a Spirit Stone.” And those were
always pricy. “A chest of gold perhaps, meow, that is if you sell it to
Humans.”

A full chest of gold a day, that was the worth of their obelisk farm.
Impressive! But surely, with such amounts, the demand and hence the price
in the Human Kingdoms would drop after a while. He gave his pet a
meaningful look.

“If you sell it to scorpions… it is hard to tell, meow. Gold is useless to

them, they operate on a barter system. So, we could get ten thousand
Scorpion Glass Bottles or ten thousand Rainbow Shells.” The wyrmling
named just a few approximations.

“I see… So, in the end it’s all just quick money.”

“Meow? What if we reinvest the dust?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Meow-meow!” It cackled. “What if we spread the sandstorms further, then

use the dust we got to make magical items to counter it. Like SandStorm
Cloaks and scrolls of Inert Earth.” Both of these were used by the Fennec
to counter the obelisk effects and gather the dust for the WyrmCity.

He looked at wyrmling with startled shock. What he was suggesting was

like creating a plague and then creating a medicine to profit from it all – an
incredibly evil plan.

“No, let’s not do that. If we release SandStorm Cloaks and Magic Scroll:
Inert Earth, those items could be used against our citie’s SandStorm
defences. And to steal our precious dust.”

“Right… Meow, then we can use it to grow stuff.”

“Grow? Does anything grow here in the desert? As far as I saw, it’s all just
sand.”

“No, meow… but can’t you change that?”

Well, yeah… yeah, he could. And with the dust he should be able to make
some formidable plants.

“I could experiment, and then we would see. But it’s hard to tell if we
would get anything useful.”

“Meow, I have a few plants in the Palace Garden, you can experiment on
them. Come!” The wyrmling urged.

The Palace Garden didn’t deserve the name of the garden, more like a
collection of a few potted plants. And the ones the wyrmling had appeared
to be mostly of a cosmetic kind.

He approached a random pot. In one hand he clutched the dust for the
Imbue and in the other he touched the plant itself. “[Evolve], [Imbue].”
The usual light show ensued. “Let’s see what we’ve got. [Inspect].”

Sunfire Blossom: This radiant plant has vibrant orange petals that seem to
emit a soft glow mimicking the warmth of the sun. Every morning it
produces a single drop of Nectar with Healing properties.

“Huh, colour me surprised. This will be useful, especially at night when it

gets slightly chilly. And I’m sure the Nectar will be useful in the
Alchemy.”

The wyrmling licked the blossom’s nectar with its long snake-like tongue.
“It’s also sweet! I want more!” He demanded being ever the sweet tooth.

“We can plant more later with my Seed Archive, but now let’s continue.”
He targeted a different plant. “[Evolve], [Imbue].” … “[Inspect].”

Sand Lily: A mesmerizing flower with petals in shades of red and yellow. It
thrives in damp sandy areas and exudes an intoxicating scent that lures the
unsuspecting creatures. Once stepped upon, its roots transform the sand into
QuickSand, entrapping its prey.

“It’s somewhat sinister but does smell incredibly appealing.” He carried the
pot closer to the wyrmling. “Here check this out.”
“Your right, it does smell appealing!” The wyrmling rubbed himself on the
flower destroying it. The potted sand turned into quicksand but there was
too little of it to do anything. “Meow! The sand, it clings to my scales. What
is this!?”

“QuikSand, once we plant more, be careful with these flowers. But you do
smell amazing!” Even through the clumps of wet sand the wyrmling
emitted that irresistible aroma. “Amazing. This will make an exquisite
perfume.”

“Meow! What are you doing!” A bunch of Fennec had run up to wyrmling
from nowhere and were furiously sniffing at him.

“God Emperor, what is this? Why do you smell so good?” A fennec yelped.

“Ah… I’m in love!” Another one proclaimed.

*Sniff*, *Sniff* - a third one was just taking it all in.

“Oh no, [Inspect]…” The Spider King read the message. “It appears
they’ve been afflicted with Charm.”

“Get off me, meow!” The wyrmling roared. “My body belongs to Master,
meow!” It roared again.

“Huh…” The roar was enough to dispel the negative status affect. “It must
be only a minor debuff.”

While the Fennec were apologising profusely, the Spider King picked
another plant to Evolve, a sad and shrivelled sapling of some desert tree.

“I don’t have much expectations of you, but here it goes. “[Evolve],

[Imbue]” … “Oh! Look at you grow! [Inspect]”

WaterHole Palm: A towering palm tree with lush, emerald-green fronds

that provide shade and respite in the harsh desert. Its trunk contains a
pocket of Palm Juice, which can be tapped into and drunk to quench one’s
thirst.
“Wyrmling!” He pointed at the tree which outgrew its pot by many times.
“Despite being a desert plant this one produces water! We lucked out on this
one.”

“Nice, meow, I’m kind of thirsty. Do I bite into it or what?”

The Spider King shrugged; the description didn’t have elaborate

instructions.

“I’ll bite it!” The wyrmling used its fangs to pierce a hole into the trunk.
“Yes, meow, it’s leaking juice. Mmm… It tastes weird, *Hic*.” The
wyrmling drank in between the hiccups. And he drank, and drank some
more, and more…

“Hey, didn’t you have enough? Let me try.” He suddenly became curious
about what was so good about that Palm Juice.

The Spider King pulled the firmly latched wyrmling off the WaterHole
Palm, the juvenile wyrm was yanked like a pup from his mother’s teat;
there was even that wet *Pop* sound.

The Spider King suckled on the leaking hole to get that sweet-sweet Palm
Juice. It wasn’t what he had expected, actually it was so far from the
expectations that he, *Bleh*, he spat it out.

“This is clearly alcoholic!” He made an unexpected discovery.

Palm Juice came already pre-imbued with that rugged spirit of the desert. A
nickname of fire water would suit it better! Needless to say, even that short
but indulgent slurp left the wyrmling completely wasted.

“*Hic*, Meow, *Hic*.” He looked at the Spider King with vacant eyes.

“I’ll do the rest without you, take a nap.”

“…” The wyrmling collapsed here and there.

He transformed yet another plant.

SandScale Fern: This unique fern has fronds covered in small, iridescent
scales that reflect the sunlight, creating a shimmering effect of Mirage.
Large patches of it can create an Illusion luring the creatures to what they
desire the most in the desert – water. But be careful if you get too close the
fern will explode sending its scales like shrapnel.

“What the…” It exploded right into his face. No need to worry, it barely
dented his large health pool of 1000HP. “MirageScale…” He was left with
a bunch of tiny scales; they were obviously a type of crafting ingredient.

Despite being wary of being pranked by the System again, he Evolved the
last remaining plant.

[Chaos Blessed activated], it triggered for no apparent reason.

Just like the WaterHole Palm the newly evolved plant exploded its pot in
an unprecedented growth spurt. Its roots burrowed past the floor tiles and
into the sand under. It kept growing and growing, more thick than tall. Its
trunk took a sinister shade of black. In a poor imitation of spindly arms,
claw-like branches sprung from the very top of it.

He was using Earth Spirit Stone here and not the Dark variant of it, but
apparently, even then, the Chaos Blessed was able to skew the natural path
of Evolve. The plant radiated an undoubtedly sinister aura.

The Spider King looked at it with caution. “[Inspect].”

Whispering Baobab: A tree which likes to grow in the eye of the endless
SandStorm plaguing the Scorpion Desert. It feasts on the energy of those
who perished nearby. This tree can hear all the secrets carried by the violent
winds of the desert. Those who listen closely might gain insight or cryptic
messages from the tree’s ethereal voices. Come closer and hear its
whispers!

“What a…” The description also was highly unusual. “But... let’s see what’s
on offer.”
Ever so careful he approached the black and sinister Whispering Baobab.
And indeed, he could hear a whisper.

A hushed whisper, “Sprinkle your dust, my King,” came out from nowhere
but also everywhere.

Was this tree intelligent? He had to wonder; it wouldn’t be the first time he
made a monster plant. Regardless he sprinkled the Earth Spirit Stone Dust
by the roots of the tree. The crystalline dust sunk into the black bark, like
water into the very dry sponge, making the bark pulse and throb.

“Guided by greed they are coming. To lay waste upon the WyrmCity. To
claim its most valuable treasure.” It whispered.

Well, this was news to him!

“Who?! When are they coming? How many?”

There were no more whispers, so he sprinkled more of the dust and

repeated the question.

Finally, another whisper reached his ears. “The desert wind doesn’t know.”
However, the tree wasn’t quite finished. “At the heart of the desert. There is
a hidden treasure. Guarded by the eye most watchful. Those who aren’t
careful will turn to stone.” It whispered.

“Okay, but how about the attack?”

“A winged monster, half-lion half-human, prowls the desert.” The tree

whispered ominously. ”It likes to ask a riddle and kill those who fail to
answer. The answer is: Man.”

“Fine, tree! Keep your secrets!”

Clearly, the Whispering Baobab whispered only the things it wanted to

whisper. And who knows maybe it was just making all this stuff up to prank
him. Even if he didn’t think much of the ominous whispers, he’ll tell the
wyrmling to prepare for a possible attack on the city. That is, once that
drunkard wakes up.
In the meantime, he’ll use the remainder of MP to replicate the magical
plants and to fill this otherwise barren garden with life. It was very likely
that the WyrmCity will soon be known not just because of its iconic
WyrmSalt, but also of its booming perfume and alcohol industry.

The only plant he won’t be replicating using the Seed Archive was the
Whispering Baobab, one such tree was plenty enough!
 116 – The Minions Of The Mirage
City

The Scorpion Desert was dominated by twelve Klan Cities, each ranked
from 1 to 12 by strength. The Klans weren’t allied or at war, they just
existed in a state of mutual competition. The scorpionmen from the Klan 2
had heard the rumours about the mysterious Klan 13, or as some heathens
liked to call it the WyrmCity. Klan 13 was the newest city in the desert and
that meant it was the weakest.

However, the weakest didn’t mean that it was useless, chitters and clicks
had reached the scorpion ears that the Klan 13 had unbelievable wealth
which it tapped from the nearby mountain. They must have stumbled into
an unknown underground resource where they could extract luxurious
woody goods, and no it wasn’t just FungiWood. It was Living Wood, a
material of great promise and high enchantment capacity. That wealth must
be the reason why Klan 13 was growing so quickly.

A source like that was exactly what Klan 2 was missing. Spurred by greed
and the ambition to go from place number 2 to number 1, Klan 2 dispatched
their legion to raid the newly sprouted city.

A legion of scorpion warriors marched through the desert. Their chitinous

exoskeleton allowed them the luxury of not needing to wear heavy armour,
but even then, they had to wear protective desert gear. The legion was kitted
out with vests made out from the Thumper Leather which allowed them to
battle the harsh conditions of the desert like scorching sun and occasional
sandstorm. However, despite of all the equipment, they weren’t prepared to
deal with what came next.

“Thumpers?” A scorpion pointed knowingly at the distant dunes.

Thumper was a worm-like monster which prowled deep inside the desert
sands. It was rare for it to move like that, the monster preferred ambushes
instead of straightforward attacks.

“It’s not one. It’s many.” A wizened scorpion chittered clacking his pincers
in alarm.

The distant surface of sand dunes rippled like a see during the storm. The
sand moved and shifted about forming a huge wave.

“There’s so many. Are they migrating?”

“But it’s not the season yet!”

“What do we do?”

The commander of the raiding legion turned to his scorpions.

“We’ll take them out. Drive the stakes in!”

The warriors pierced the sand below with large and long metal needles
forming a barrier beneath them. The shifting sand got closer, and finally
something got caught in one of the stakes. And then another, and another.
Hurt and angry, Thumpers emerged into the surface.

“There is too many!”

“Deal with it!”

The hurt monsters trashed around knocking the scorpions left and right. But
given the chance Thumpers just fled back to the sands.

“They’re not fighting back.”

“It’s as if they are fleeing something.”

Whatever just happened, it was highly unusual. Eventually, the monster

migration moved past the scorpions allowing them to proceed towards their
target. Everyone moved somewhat more cautious.
“Is this?”

“It is! Everyone, get ready for the storm.”

Sandstorms were not unusual in these parts and the scorpions knew how to
weather them. However, this wasn’t just any sandstorm it was the Endless
Sandstorm. At first the scorpions tried to wait it out, but after they realised
it wouldn’t work, they decided to press forward. The chaotic storm battered
them left and right, worse, the sand was so thick it shrouded the sky hiding
the sun. Thus, the legion had lost all sense of direction.

The tight-knit formation of the legion was eroded, and the scorpions
scattered lost in the storm.

It might have been only a day or maybe a whole week, at this point it was
impossible to tell how long had the Legion Commander has been lost.
Despite his disorientation, he, and only a fraction of his forces, continued to
march aimlessly in the Endless Sandstorm. They were hungry, but above
all else, they were Parched. Whatever water they once had, it was
consumed a long time ago.

To survive only one option remained: to sacrifice one of their own. It was a
dreadful reality, but such was the Scorpion Desert.

“Commander!” A scorpion shouted pulling the rope everyone was attached

to.

“What is it?” The Legion Commander strained his eyes to see past the sand
cloud.

“I’m out!” The chitter was almost drowned by the sound of gushing sand.

The rope was very taunt and there was a risk of it snapping.

“Don’t pull it that hard!”

“I’m… out!” The sound had barely reached him.

He moved towards it, but he couldn’t be too quick, there were other
scorpions behind him who also were attached to the rope. The moving sand
was so thick, he couldn’t see anything either in the front or back of himself.

“Hurry up!” He tugged the back of his rope.

The spot he was currently in, was the place there the storm was most
violent. Tiny grains of sand brushed harshly past his chitin. If he was a
fleshier creature, maybe perhaps like a fennec, there would be a risk of
having that flesh sanded right off. And it was getting only worse; the Legion
Commander gave a silent prayer for being born a scorpion.

Right in front of him, there was a wall of violent sand, following the
trembling rope he pushed his pincer into it. It felt thick like quicksand, and
the current threatened to swallow him. But it was where the rope led.
Perhaps unable to sustain the pressure the rope had snapped, but here he
was, still facing the wall of turbulent sand. He stepped right into it, pulling
those behind with him.

And there it was… “I’m out!” He chittered waving at the nearby scorpion,
the hero who had let them out.

One after the other, the scorpions emerged from the sandstorm. Here
outside of it, the sky was clear, but the sun was scorching, and it still was
awfully dry. Regardless they cheered happily; the excruciating trip through
the Endless Sandstorm was finally over. No, perhaps they cheered all too
soon. They still were lost, hungry, and Parched. To get a better feel of there
they were the Legion Commander climbed a nearby dune. A few curious
scorpions followed right behind him. He strained his scorpion eyes to look
in the distance.

“It can’t be!” He didn’t want to believe it.

A scorpion nearby must have seen the same thing. “A mirage?” He offered.

“I see it too.” A third one affirmed.

Soon, all the scorpions climbed the tall dune to marvel at the distant
wonder.

“The Mirage City!” Someone chittered excitedly. The chitter was repeated
again and again by other scorpions.

The Mirage City was a scorpion folk tale. Somewhere hidden in the desert,
there was a shiny and glamorous city. It appeared only to the desert-weary
travellers, someone who was already close to the death’s door. It was a
place filled with magical wonders. It was a place overflowing with precious
water, food, and other goods to recover the tired body. According to the tale,
the Mirage City appeared only to those who were noble and worthy. The
city was there to nurse the future heroes back to health so that they could
continue their quest.

The Legion Commander didn’t know if he was noble or worthy, or even a

hero. But he had a quest to fulfil, and there was no denying that Mirage
City was right in front of him.

“Come on, let’s go!” He didn’t need to say it twice, everyone launched into
a mad sprint.

His eyes were locked on the structure standing behind the sandy walls and
in the very middle of the city. That must have been the Mirage Palace
because it shined like a jewel, it was breaking and reflecting the light
covering itself in that magical glow of splendour. The Mirage Palace must
have completely stolen everyone’s gazes because up until now they failed to
notice another equally magical sight.

Outside the walls of the city, there were bountiful and beautiful gardens of
flowers and even palm trees. And it made sense, this must have been an
oasis, and the Mirage Palace was built next to it. Life in the desert was a
rare and precious sight, the lush gardens had quickly stolen the show from
the otherwise glamorous palace.

The scorpions rushed towards the plants, either to investigate them or to eat
them. And indeed, there was that weird enticing smell to the flowers,
making them impossible to resist.
That was then, one of the scorpions sunk into the sand. Trapped. And then
another.

“No!”, “Help!” – They chittered in alarm.

Ah, perhaps this was a test. Such bounty should not be taken, not without
permission.

“Wait!” He cautioned the rest of his scorpions. “Leave the plants alone.
First, we must go to the Mirage Palace and see its ruler.”

They dug out the trapped scorpions and proceeded past the gardens towards
the city walls. The sweet aroma of the flowers tempted them at every step.
The plum and juicy palms just begged to be eaten – fleshy cores consumed,
and the precious wood sold for profit. The desire to ravish this bountiful
garden was near irresistible.

“No, no! We must persist!” The Legion Commander steeled his resolve.
“Ropes, fetch me the ropes!”

To keep each other in check, they used the recently learned trick. They
carried through the paved path towards the city proper while keeping each
other close by using a rope.

Eventually they emerged out of the garden finding the Mirage City gate.
The gate was made from sandy and peculiar stone, and it had magnificent
carved statues of a wyrm implemented in its design. Even the most
snobbish scorpion could appreciate the sight, after all the Great Desert
Wyrm was a legendary monster and a big part of Scorpion mythology.

But that wasn’t what stole their gazes, it was the creatures guarding the
gate. They were entirely unfamiliar, but not completely alien. The creatures,
just like scorpions, had chitinous exoskeletons meaning that they were
somewhat like a distant cousin. The guards wore vivid blue robes and were
armed with nasty-looking spears.

“Greetings creatures, we come from Klan 2.” The Legion Commander

slammed his right pincer to the chest paying the proper respects. “Do we
have permission to enter?”

“Proceed.” The creature chirped with a thick accent.

Thus, the group of scorpions entered the Mirage City, and indeed it was
splendid. Everyone was slightly taken a back by amount of people moving
up and down the streets. But that only made sense, of course Mirage City
was inhabited. On their way, they passed various booths and stalls, each
filled to the brim with various foods and precious goods.

“It appears the stuff here is not free.” The Legion Commander observed.
“It’s good we stopped ourselves from ravishing the gardens.”

“But what shall we do, Commander?” A scorpion asked wiping off a trail of
drool from its mandibles.

“We proceed with our plan. We shall see the ruler of the Mirage City. I’m
sure that’s how it is supposed to go.”

He only warranted a guess; the tale of Mirage City had its variations, and
some stuff was rather vague. But there was no doubt they were in the
correct location, even from a glance the city beamed with glamour and
splendour, and unhinged excess. No doubt, if ranked, this city would be at
least twice as good as Klan City 1 or maybe even thrice.

They found their way to the Mirage Palace without any further trouble.

A bunch of tired and weary scorpions were looking at the statues

surrounding the Throne Room with awe and wonder.

“So, you’re lost, meow? What do you want me to do about that?” The
wyrmling growled mightily from his golden throne.

“We’re just asking to stay here for a few days. At least until we recover.”

“You can stay, meow, everyone can stay. This is what this city is for.”
“Of course.” The scorpion nodded happily.

“But why only a few days? Serve me, and you can stay forever, meow!”

The scorpions looked at the wyrmling clearly tempted by the offer.

“Is that even possible? But no, of course it is an option… I’m afraid we
can’t, we have an important quest, and families back in the Klan 2.”

“Meow, is that so? You can bring them here with you.”

“…”

“Ah, meow, yes! I’ll even pay you wages.”

“…”

“And I always treat my minions well. I promise you won’t get hungry or
thirsty ever again.”

“But… we have a… we need to…”

“Since you’re here already, meow, let me show you few of the perks.
Meow!” The wyrmling meowed at the nearby servants meaningfully.

The Fennec sprung to action, constructing a table, and filling it with treats
in a matter of minutes.

“Go ahead, sample the goods.” The wyrmling encouraged.

The ravenous hunger and the relentless thirst didn’t allow the scorpions to
refuse this offer. Just like the tales told the desert-weary scorpions were
allowed to engorge themselves to the brim.

“But what is this?”, “This is amazing!”, “I have never had food like this.”,
“This alcohol is top grade.”

“Yes, meow-meow! Drink, drink more. Meow-meow!” The whirling

cackled somewhat menacingly.
The scorpions were left to indulge to their heart's content. The wyrmling
observed them with a broad conspiratorial grin. He had the scorpions
trapped in his spidery web, meow!

If the scorpions left, they still would speak about all the amazing goods
available here, thus sending future profits to the city. The wyrmling would
even give them free samples to bring home. But he didn’t want them to just
leave. The Fennec caravans he was sending to the Scorpion Klans, needed
guards, and these scorpions looked just right for the task. One way or the
other, he will convince these men to stay, and getting them drunk first
always worked. This wasn’t the first group he dealt with, and definitely not
the last.

“Meow, you know if you joined me, you could drink Palm Juice every day.
I would include it in your daily ration.”

“What, *hic* really?”

*Hic*, ” This alcohol is amazing. Something only a *hic* a Shogun could

afford. And maybe you, Legion Commander.”

“No, this is by far the best *hic* I had.”

“Meow-meow, so you should swear your loyalty to me! And you,” the
wyrmling looked at the massive scorpion, “that Nectar you slurp with great
gusto, that and more I would add to your daily ration.”

“To eat and drink like this every day…”

“Yes, meow, I would even pay you in these.” The wyrmling produced a
stack of Living Wood cards. “One each. Maybe two if you work extremely
hard.”

The Legion Commander took the card in his pincer. “Is this rumoured…
Yes, it is! That would be similar to what I get paid now, and you’ll pay all
that to *hic* to an average scorpion grunt?”
“Ah, meow, of course as the leader you would get more! So why don’t you
all just stay here and serve me.”

“Commander?” The scorpions looked at their leader with gleaming eyes.

Was it that easy to buy the loyalty of honourable scorpionmen? Was it all it
took: a bunch of exotic wood and food? No, it never was so simple. But the
scorpions here were under some harsh consequences. The legion was
decimated reducing it only to a bunch of weary scorpions. Even if they
proceeded to their quest to raid Klan 13, the task was no longer possible.
And the shameful return to Klan 2 would be punished by the execution of
the one who led the raiding party to such ruin.

The Legion Commander weighed the options. To die, or to live ever happy
in the mythical Mirage City? – It was a no-brainer.

“We’ll join you.”

“Swear it in an oath, meow!”

To show their resolve the scorpions stepped out from the half-devastated
table, then they lined into a neat rank and kneeled in front of the wyrmling.

“We, scorpions of Klan 2, swear you an undying allegiance. May the

Scorching Sun guide us to prosperity.”

“Meow! *slurp*,” the wyrmling hurriedly drank some gelatinous blue

sludge, “[Claim Minion]. Meow-meow, I’ve got you!”

[Congratulations, you have become a Minion], [Your Master is the Great

Desert Wyrm], [Welcome to the Monster System], the scorpions were
greeted with the messages.

They looked with both shock and awe. They didn’t know the wyrmling here
had such a power, a power to command the System; no doubt a divine gift.
So the stray rumour they heard on their way here, the words ‘God
Emperor’, made more sense now.
Unperturbed by the tag Minion, the scorpions bowed their head to the
ground. Their pincers shook and mandibles clattered in excitement.

“God Emperor,” The Legion Commander addressed his Master, “It’s our
honour.”

“Meow-meow!” The wyrmling laughed. “I too, am overjoyed to have you

as my minions. But I’ve been forbidden to call myself a God Emperor. It’s
Desert Emperor now, meow!”

God Emperor, Desert Emperor, was there even a difference. From the
scorpion's perspective, the two were the same. Only a god could be an
emperor to rule the entire desert!

“Yes, Desert Emperor!”

“Better, meow! Now, finish eating and then I’ll give a quest for you.” The
wyrmling meowed conspiratorially.

Later the scorpion warriors were tasked with stamping out the bandits who
were ambushing the Fennec caravans. Now, imagine their shock when they
realised that the bandits were the remains of the Klan 2 legion. The lost
men, having no other choice, had resorted to banditry to sustain themselves.
Naturally, the Legion Commander didn’t outright kill them, instead, he
offered them to join the Desert Emperor. After all, they too in a sense, were
lost desert travellers and worthy of the grace of the Mirage City.

Oh, but apparently the proper name was WyrmCity, which made sense
considering its ruler.

“Hmm… I did hear that name somewhere. A different tale or myth

perhaps.” The Legion Commander couldn’t quite remember. “Not that it
matters anymore. *Hic*.” He greedily drank from his third flask today; all
perks of being the commanding Minion.

From that day onwards, more and more scorpions were lured to pledge their
undying loyalty and receive the perks and benefits of being a Minion.
 117 – The Forbidden Fruits Of
Good And Evil

The Spider King was enjoying the hospitality of the wyrmling. The self-
proclaimed Desert Emperor was entertaining guests in his throne room
leaving the Spider King to enjoy some much-needed time off, and to top up
his drained mana reserves. He was lounging on the local equivalent of a
beach chair while taking the warm sunlight in. The desert sun had a
penchant of being too hot for comfort so two Fennec fanned him with a
very large leaf. Another fennec was holding a tray filled with various fruits
and other delicacies purchased from the Scorpion Klan Cities. And another
one was attempting to hand-feed a peeled fruit to him. Being pampered like
this was good and all, but he had to cross a line somewhere.

The tray was within hand’s reach, so he grabbed a random fruit and fed
himself, no need to rely on cute fennec. The poor thing had even had to use
a stool so that she could reach his head better. For some reason the fennec
looked extremely disappointed about not being able to hand-feed him, her
big fluffy ears dropped right down. Aww, so cute. He changed his mind that
instant, opening his mouth wide with an ‘ahh’.

Hurriedly she deposited a piece of dried fruit in his mouth. He chewed it

with great gusto. He had that type of fruit before, but somehow, this time it
tasted unusually good.

He remembered something rather important. “Put some Slug Jelly on it,

please, I need to ‘call’ my friend.” Even if on holiday the routine had to be
upheld.

With a smile, fennec picked up a small but highly decorated flask and shook
a single blue drop on one of the fruits. And right into his mouth it went.
“Delicious!”

[You have obtained Eldrich Telepathy], two minds were connected right
that instant.

Like always his mind was threatened of being pulled right into the Johny’s
body, she always did that – tug on him a bit too hard. He tugged back at the
connection striking for that balance, but even then, his mind was flooded
with emotions which weren’t exactly his. His chest felt compressed and
uncomfortable, almost as if it was about to…

‘I’m Bursting, BURSTING, BURSTING!’, she exclaimed into his mind.

“You Need To Come Back Home Already!” A symphony of eldritch voices
demanded.

Indeed, he had neglected his farmer duties. Leaving your animals enough
water and food wasn’t always enough, that was because certain animals had
to be milked too. Not to mention the need for love and attention.

‘I’m sorry…’ He apologised. ‘But I’m sure the spiders would be glad to
give you a hand.’

‘No, We’ve Been Through This. A Spider Isn’t Touching Me, No Way!’

He felt a tinge of disgust leaking through the connection. But why? –­ the
spiders were cute and gentle; he couldn’t quite understand. But the cuteness
was in the eye of the beholder. He looked at the Fennec who were still so
keen to tend to him.

Johny tugged at the connection again. ‘I Can See Through Your Eyes, And I
Know What You’re Thinking… No! I Don’t Want Them.’ The idea was shot
down before it could even be brought in.

‘Hey, that’s a bit intrusive.’ He filed a mental complaint.

‘That’s Just How This Thing Works. You’re Welcome To Come Inside Me
Anytime You Want.’ She invited him in with another mental tug.
Yeah… Being in a slug-like body wasn’t the best experience he had to say
the least. All those extra senses were so disorienting.

‘Hey, I Can Hear That! You’ll Make Me Self-Conscious.’

‘Oh no, it seems my mind is too relaxed. I guess I’ll have to cut this
vacation short.’

‘YES, Please. I Am Bursting!’ She sent over that uncomfortable tight

sensation once again, just to hammer the point in.

‘Yes-yes. I’m coming. See you soon.’ He cut the connection off.

“Sorry, guys, I have to go.” He stood up from his chair and looked towards
the not-so-distant mountain. “[Shadow Walk].”

The Fennec looked at the disappearing trail of shadow.

“What do we do now?” One of them asked.

His colleagues just shrugged. And then they sat down on the beach chair,
the chair was big enough to fit all four of them. The fennec tasked with
holding the tray looked greedily at the nearby treats.

“No need to let the food go to waste.” She helped herself to a few bites.

“I wonder what this is?” The feeder fennec investigated the expensive-
looking bottle. “Looks like Nectar.”

“It’s too decorative to be just that.” She pointed at the bottle. “And he had
just a single drop.”

“What if it’s some sort of a recreational medicine… After he took it, his
facial expressions went through some rapid and funny changes.”

The four fennec looked at the decorated bottle with increased interest.

“Royalty has expensive tastes…”

“Whatever it is, it must be really good.” She licked her lips.

“Let’s try it!”

All four nodded each taking a small drop of the Slug Jelly.

[You have obtained Treasure Sense]

The Fennec sniffed at the air furiously; the perk piggybacked on their sense
of smell. They sniffed at each other.

“I smell it! Do you smell it?”

“I smell it too!”

“Do I need a sand bath?”

“It is us who smell!”

Their noses weren’t lying, the treasure was right Infront of them. The
treasure they found was nothing else but the treasure of friendship.

The Oberon Tunnel was super convenient, the otherwise long and windy
trip through the Undermountain was now straight and short. The Spider
King emerged at the other side; he was at the outpost beside the entrance to
the mountain. The outpost served as a type of logistics base, storing food
intended for Drow, Kobold, and Human consumption, primarily
TomGrape. But also, it was the place to store and sort the goods coming
from the mountain.

Aside from the massive warehouse, there was another landmark of note. It
was the Living Wood tree, it grew to a rather giant size, no doubt all thanks
to the water of the Mana Spring its roots had tapped into. The tree
provided an extremely valuable material, at least to the Scorpion Klans, the
Living Wood. Understandably, the tree had to be strategically harvested for
that. It was a limited resource, so cutting it down entirely was never an
option. Instead, parts of bark and branches were harvested and then the
White Sprigans would use Grow to repair the damage over time.

Of course, the tree was unique and bore no fruits or seeds. But was that a
hard rule written in stone? – Of course not. Some time ago, the Spider King
used Mutate on the tree trying to fix that. At that time, it looked like a
failure since the name of the Living Wood tree didn’t change, but later it
became obvious that the perk did work. The tree had grown fruit, but it was
very slow at that task, not even Grow could speed the process.

Hence why the Spider King was standing below the tree giant and looking
at the branches high above. He was looking for fruit, last time he checked
they weren't quite ready.

“I wonder, if they’re ripe already.” He strained to see. “But it looks like

there are fewer than before, did someone already take a few?” It was always
an option. “Well, I guess they’re ready.”

He would shake the tree to see if any dropped, but the trunk was too broad
for that.

“I’ll have to climb and shake the branch. [Transformation: Spider].” He

invoked a severely underused perk.

His body morphed into a spider form allowing him to scale the tree no
problem. There on the thick branch, he had a better look at the yellow orbs.

“They look like apples.” He made that connection. “But golden. And
they’re plump and ripe.”

He shook the branch he was on, and finally one of the fruits decided to
drop. He jumped down using a freshly woven spider rope and picked the
fruit.

“[Inspect].”

Fruit Of Knowledge: A golden fruit born from magic. Consume it to obtain

1000exp.
The description was simple, but the message it told was powerful. Farming
exp was no easy task, but with this it was made convenient.

“And from now on, I’ll have to tell the spiders to keep an eye on it.”

Something like this is bound to be very desirable. But without further ado,
he clamped his mandibles to consume the fruit.

[+1000exp], and then it asked him to put the exp into either of his Jobs. The
most underdeveloped was Alchemy, so he channelled the exp there.

Apparently, this was enough to trigger another message.

[Congratulations! You have reached Alchemy lvl 2]

[Requirements have been met (Comprehend, Spidery Magnificent).

Hidden perk unlocked]

[Perk Flawless Concoction obtained]

“Oh, sounds useful.” But he couldn’t rely only on the name, so he

investigated the perk.

Flawless Concoction: The brews you make are flawless and perfect in any
way granting them superior quality as the lowest starting point. Now you
can eliminate unvented side effects and introduce the effects which
shouldn’t be normally possible. As a bonus, you can’t fail at making a
known potion.

All good and well, it’s just that he wasn’t practising potion-making that
much anymore. All those duties were delegated to the Crimson Alchemist,
but still, it felt nice to receive a new perk. However, the Monster System
wasn’t quite done.

[You have consumed the Fruit Of Knowledge], [You can upgrade your
Skill Tree].

“Why did that one have a bit of a lag?” He had to wonder.

Regardless, three upgrades were available to him.

🕸️Enhancement: Obsidian Armour

🕸️Enchantment: Dark Sacrifice
🕸️Modification: Monster Core
Those were the same old options he had before. He was leaning towards the
Modification option.

Monster Core: A crystalline core forms within your body. It grows and
evolves with you granting increased MP pool and new abilities.

But that sounded like another physical change, and he would feel better
going through it while observed by someone, like a doctor. But since there
were no spider doctors, not yet, his wife will have to do.

“Huh, so the fruits keep giving. I wonder…”

He shook another fruit from the tree and consumed it.

[+1000exp] – no changes there. He waited, but the system didn’t grant him
another skill. Maybe it was just one per person, or maybe he needed to pick
that Modification option and try again. Either way, more experimentation
was needed. He shook the branches managing to get a few more fruits for
future tests and then shadow walked the rest of the way towards the
MegaFarm.

The Spider King broke the Shadow Walk only then he was right at the
steps of Johny’s gazebo. Their eyes met for a brief moment. The humanoid
slug had a rather delirious look on her face.

“Spider! I’m Bursting! [Jelly Jet].”

It hit his face dead in the centre skewing his balance and knocking him right
of his feat, all six of them. It was obvious that with the existence of Jelly
Jet, he didn’t need to be personally involved in jelly extraction. But life was
never that easy, there were always clauses and circumstances.

He wiped the sticky substance off his face and only then did he return to his
human form. A thing he should have done at the very beginning; an honest
mistake. In his defence, the Spider form was just as comfortable as his
human form.

“Oh it’s You, Now, Milk Me!” Johny demanded looking no less delirious.

The minute details of what happened next are best left unspoken. The cow,
that is the slug, was tended to, resulting in an unusually large load of jelly. It
just shows the importance of milking your animals regularly. In a somewhat
jovial mood, the Spider King proceeded to walk to the vault to store the
most precious extract in the entire Monster Kingdom.

It was then he noticed a somewhat peculiar sight, it was a guest he didn’t

expect to see.

“Lord G Bling, what are you doing here?”

The spider in question, just like the King, also had a bucket in his hand.

“We just finished collecting the rainwater, Dark Water.” The spider
chirped.

“We?” That was when the Spider King noticed a somewhat petite figure
right behind the imposing spider. “Crimson Alchemist, you’re here too?”

The lady in question stepped forward to give a curtsy bow. “Yes, my King, I
think we’re close in reaching a breakthrough.”

“Huh?”

The Crimson Alchemist explained to him that she has been trying to
replicate the Spider-FizzPop™ without using the limited water of the
Mana Spring. She just had a hunch that the Dark magic infused rain might
be the key in solving this. But didn’t she have better stuff to do? – like
managing the workshop to produce the potions for the upcoming war with
the Holy Empire. Apparently not, she had produced detailed recipes and
instructions for her workers to follow. And also, she thought that a change
of scenery might help her and her husband to conceive a baby. In other
words, she was on vacation, and the whole Spider-FizzPop™ business was
only a hobby to kill time.

All of that was conveyed during their short stroll to the vault. Currently, the
Spider King and his guests were inside and seated around the nearby table.

“I’m glad you picked MegaFarm for your vacation. We don’t get many
tourists here since the place is rather rustic.” Rustic meaning that aside from
farming and crafting there wasn’t any other stuff to do.

“That’s precisely why we came here. Even if the farm is huge, it has none
of that jam-packed and busy city vibes. It’s rather relaxing.”

As the Spider King was listening he poured the two guests a drink each. He
did so to show his humble hospitality and also because he intended to
surprise them with the drink itself.

The Crimson Alchemist just kept talking embellishing the charm of the
MegaFarm; likely somewhat artificially just to sound polite.

“… And it leaves us with plenty of free time to try for a baby.” She finished
dropping that bomb.

“Oh, then perhaps I shouldn’t be offering you this.” He pulled the glasses
away.

“What is it?” She asked now more curious than before.

“Palm Juice.” He replied.

As if misled by benign name the Crimson Alchemist downed the glass in

one big gulp.

“Ah!” The Spider King didn’t even have time to warn her.
Her face developed an extremely funny expression, clearly, she was trying
not to react to strong alcohol; she was ever the lady ­– so proper. But that
face was just too funny not to laugh at.

“Ha-ha! Don’t look at me like that, I did try to pull the drink away.”

She took some time to recover and then spoke. “It’s rather good, no, I can
see it being extremely popular. Palm Juice was it? Fiery but enjoyable, it
just took me by surprise. Dear, would you like to try?” She offered the
second glass to her husband.

The spider drank the glass, swirled the liquid in his mouth and then spat it
back into the glass.

“Of course.” The Spider King replied in realisation.

The spiders were strict tomgrepetarians, even liquids such as juices were off
their menu and that included alcohol.

“It’s good.” The Spider chirped simply betraying no emotion.

Understandably, after seeing their reactions, he had his doubts. “Really? Is

it so?”

The Crimson Alchemist pushed her glass forward gesturing for more. “Yes,
really.” A faint blush had already developed on her cheeks. “It’s strong and
potent, there is nothing not to like.” She downed another glass. “Uff!
However, it needs a chaser.”

He was genuinely surprised, even impressed, by her quaffing hard drinks

like that. “Lady Crimson, I didn’t take you for someone who likes strong
spirits. You look like a fancy cocktail lady.”

“Cocktail? I don’t know what that means, but I take it’s a compliment since
you put it between fancy and a lady.” She smiled. “Those two always go
well together.”

Apparently, cocktails might not have been invented yet. Was this an
opportunity? – perhaps.
“A cocktail is a mixture of alcohol and other ingredients like syrup or
fruits.” He explained.

“Isn’t that just a tincture then? We alchemists often use alcohol to make
those. By the way, Palm Juice would be perfect for that too since the
alcohol needs to be strong to dissolve the ingredients properly.” She
explained it from an alchemist’s perspective.

“No, what I meant is something a bit different. Let me show you.”

He had to improvise on the spot, and so he used the ingredients close at

hand. He filled the crystal glass half full of Palm Juice, next he dropped a
mix of desert fruits topping it off with a generous amount of Nectar, then
he decorated the top of the glass with a slice of TomGrape, and to finish it
all off he dropped a single drop of Slug Jelly. He wasn’t making a potion
but regardless of such reality the Flawless Concoction activated anyway.

“Ta-da! My first cocktail ever.” He marvelled at his own creation.

“This is a curious thing you made.” Lady Crimson grabbed the glass
without hesitation.

“Wait I haven’t made a straw.” He remembered somewhat too late.

The Crimson Alchemist took a bold but small sip of the cocktail.

“It’s nice! And, unsurprisingly, it gave me that Error[System_Override]!

buff, so how is this not a tincture?”

“Tincture is medicine, cocktail is something you enjoy?” He expressed his

view on the matter.

“Ah, I understand it now, *hic*! I do enjoy this drink.” She continued

sipping.

“Sorry, Lord G Bling. I might have gotten her hammered.”

“It’s okay, we still are only trying to figure out the baby-making.” He
chirped bringing the important subject back.
“And how is it going?”

“[Inspect],” the spider invoked looking at his wife, “We speculate that her
being under the Monster System might help with that.”

“That… that makes sense.” He admitted.

The Crimson Alchemist was now not a Human but a Corrupted Human.

The King Continued. “If she ever gets Evolve? tag, I can make that change
permanent.”

*Hic*, “We’re working on that too. But the evolution avoids me, something
must be missing.”

“Indeed, we still don’t know what causes the tag to appear. After all,
Aurelius II and Elisabeth were unique cases.”

The two gave him a curious look.

“Oh!” The spider chirped after a pause. “You mean the Radiant Angel?”

“Ah, *hic*, so that’s who! And here I was thinking this Elisabeth was his
*hic* secret lover.”

“Me too.” The spider admitted.

The two were clearly reading too many strange books, but for some reason
he felt compelled to defend himself. “I’m a faithful husband!” He shouted
out mock offended pushing the nearby jelly bucket deeper under the table.

“Anyway…” He changed the topic. “I have stumbled onto something very

special.” He took the Fruit Of Knowledge out of his inventory. “I wonder
if this will be of any help.” But also, he was curious if it would also grant
them a free skill like it did to him.
 118 – Unfamiliar Territory Of
Unifiliar Drinks

The Fruit Of Knowledge was sliced in half, the two guests looked at the
slice with wonder. Lord G Bling straight up devoured his half while Lady
Crimson spent her time savouring and enjoying the magical flavour of the
fruit. The Spider King looked at the two expectantly, but of course nothing
happened.

“I guess we can’t game the system.” He voiced despite the curious looks he
was getting. “Here have another half. That should do the trick.”

He sliced the second fruit, and only then did it work. Both of the guests had
that undeniable feeling of bewilderment painted all over their faces.

“So?” The Spider King asked intrigued.

“1000exp and a new skill.” The spider chirped simply. “Transform:

Araneus.”

“Nice! That must be something similar to mine Transform: Spider.”

Lady Crimson gave the two a questioning look. “Guys, what are you talking
about?”

Oh right, she might have gotten something different entirely. “What skill
did you get, Lady Crimson?”

The two men stared at Lady Crimson with child-like giddy in their eyes.
“Hmm…” She began somewhat uncomfortably, “I’ve got no new skills or
perks.” She said clearly feeling left out, but then she smiled. “But I did get
that Evolve? tag!” She clapped her hands in joy.
“Finally!” The spider hugged his wife.

“That’s an important discovery!” The Spider King exclaimed. “The fruit

can unlock the evolutions. This will be extremely important in the future.”

The two guests nodded in complete agreement.

“So, shall I do the honours?”

“No better time than now.” Lady Crimson flashed another smile. “I am so
excited!”

“Me too!” Her husband chirped.

“Then, without further ado, [Evolve].”

And there it was, a third human he had ever evolved. It might sound wrong,
but he was even more excited than the Crimson Alchemist herself. It was
like opening a mystery box, but not just any box, this would be that gold
and shiny ultra-rare legendary box no doubt. He couldn’t wait for the
results.

The shine wasn’t legendary golden but magic purple instead, and right after
the light dimmed there she was… At the first glace there were no physical
differences, or it seemed to be so. The Lady Crimson was still in that petite
and youthful body of hers but there were nuanced minute differences. Her
red hair now had that fiery glow about them much like the cloth of
enchanted robe. She was young so wrinkles weren’t apparent, but even the
beginnings of those were completely gone leaving her skin baby-smooth
and without a single blemish. Also, the last signs of the nasty burn scar
were now entirely gone from her face. Moreover, eyes turned purple
radiating the ever-burning fire of intelligence. And overall, she became the
very definition of the youthful beauty. Everything about her just seemed …
perfect.

“Truly, a stunning example of a noble lady.” The Spider King voiced out
without realising. “Or is this just the Charm which is talking?” He checked
his status, there were no such negative effects. However, the strange allure
he felt towards her was undeniable. How inappropriate! Realising he was
staring he averted his gaze only to look back at her again. “[Inspect].”

Lady Crimson just giggled at the antics of the Spider King, evidently, she
enjoyed in making him to fluster. Regardless there was a system table to
inspect.

“[Status].”, “[Inspect].” The two did just so.

Monster Race: Variant:

Magic Affinity:
Alchemical
None
Corrupted Human Vessel

HP:100 MP:100 STA:100

🕷️
Active
Perks
[Synthesise: NutriMilk], [DeToxify] 🕸️🤱🕸️
🕸️
Passive [Alchemical Womb], [Elixir Infusion],
Perks [Metabolise Toxicity]

[Light Weakness: Lesser], [Elemental

Resistances
Resistance: Lesser]

Needless to say, she retained her Alchemy level and all the perks, but the
new racial perks she just got were no doubt peculiar. To give short summary
she could now empower herself with powerful elixirs, which would last
longer and would be more potent on her then they normally would. She
could also could drink no less than a figurative barrel of potions without
needing to worry about the Toxicity; plus she had an active perk where she
could detoxify her target taking their toxicity for herself. Synthesise:
NutriMilk allowed her body to produce a unique type of food, the food was
extremely nutritious boosting the growth of the individual, plus it could be
safely consumed by anyone.

The last perk was somewhat disturbing. Alchemical Womb allowed her to
receive the seed from any creature, including animals and even monsters,
and grow a hybrid-human baby from it. For example, something like spider-
human. Wonderful really, this was exactly what she wanted, but also scary.
She was now able to birth monster races by her own, no need for the
Monster King to evolve poor critters. Obviously, the hybrid baby would
form and grow in her body, that’s why it sounded somewhat scary.

“This… this is…” Lady Crimson was overwhelmed by that realisation.

“I’m so happy.” Tears of joy formed at the corners of her eye. “We’re very
close to our goal. It’s at the hands reach already. We just…”

“Yes, my Dear.” The spider managed to land an affectionate peck on her

lips.

Jee! Get a room already! Maybe he should leave the pair to it, but he was
too interested in one of her skills; call it farmers intuition if you want.
“Synthesise: NutriMilk, that sounds awfully like Produce Jelly. Could I
see it?” He asked in the spirit of discovery.

The cheeks of Lady Crimson turned bright red. “You want to see it?” She
asked sounding awfully shy.

“I too, am interested.” Lord G Bling also looked at her with a sense of

wonder.

“Men be men… I guess since we’re all friends here,” she grabbed the
nearby glass and turned around.

The Spider king couldn’t understand where that shyness was stemming
from. Surely, she could just stick her finger in the glass to invoke the perk
and conjure the NutriMilk with magic. That was how the perk worked, no?
Just after she was done turning around a corner of her dress slipped off,
following that, there was a distinct sound of squirting.

“Oh!” Instantaneously, he was ashamed of his own obliviousness and

cluelessness. “I should have realised; the hint was in the name.” He
muttered mostly to himself.

Lady crimson turned around, the top of her dress was back on, but her face
was no less red.

“Here you go, my King.” She offered the glass filled with oddly purple
liquid. “Enjoy?” She didn’t sound too sure about this.

He was too far in to refuse, and something else deep inside just kept
encouraging him with ‘Just Do It!’. “Thank you, I will.” He took the glass
and downed the strange liquid in one gulp.

It was pleasantly warm and thick and creamy in texture, but also it lacked
any strong flavours or smell. He smacked his lips, unsure what to think of
the entire experience.

[Buff Healthy Baby activated]

Right, so the cause of that was NutriMilk, it was obvious when you
thought about it – the liquid was intended for babies. And for what it did:

Healthy Baby: your body is full of nutrients and the love of the mother.
Your body will grow two times faster and your rate of skill learning is
doubled.

He was a full-grown man, so no benefits there, tut the skill leaning thing
was appreciated. A combo of the Fruit Of Knowledge and NutriMilk just
became a total game changer here.

“My Dear Husband, would you like a glass,” she began with a cheeky
smile, ”or a sip straight from the jug?”

Jee! Get a room already!

To his shock the spider went for the glass and not the other more enticing
option. Much like the Spider King, Lord G Bling downed it in one gulp
smacking his mandibles.

“I see.” The spider chirped simply. “I don’t mind consuming this.”

“Yay! We have spider’s approval.” He pumped his fist into the air in
celebration. This was important milestone since the spiders were strict
tomgrepetarians. But there was a thing to add. “Just leave some for future
babies, alright?” He asked jokingly.

The joke flew over the spider’s head. “Of course.” He chirped.

Lady crimson shifted in her seat uncomfortably. “I’m glad you boys liked
my milk…” Her shy expression shifted to somewhat unsightly one. “Oh
my, this was rather obscene, he-he, let’s keep this between ourselves!” She
squirmed some more. “Well… *ahem* you got to see my perks in action, so
what about that Transform thing the two of you have? I’d like to see that
very much.” She looked at the Spider King intently.

He wondered why her attention was directed at him and not her husband.
“I’m also curious, should we go with the Lord G Bling first?” He offered.

She shook her head. “No, if you don’t mind, my King, I would like to see
your’s first.” She fluttered her eyelashes.

“My transformation, that is?” He asked to confirm.

“Yes, I’m convinced it will help in my…” She paused looking for the word.
“Research.”

There was no reason to deny her request. “I hope you don’t mind, since
we’re all friends here…” He took off the more delicate parts of his attire so
not to rip them, namely trousers. “[Transform: Spider].” His body shifted
to a form closely resembling Lord G Bling.

“How cute! You even have a horn crown!” She made an unladylike but
gleeful scream. “I see, I see…” She walked around him inspecting his body.
“Do you mind if I… You don’t mind, do you?” She bent down shamelessly
to check under his abdomen.

“Huh?” She went in and checked without even waiting for reply.

“Aha! So, you have it, but I wonder why…” She looked at Lord G Bling.
“No, more like how can we… achieve the same level of anatomical
correctness?” Her face tightened in deep contemplation.

There was no need to beat around the bush, Lord G Bling, being an egg
laying spider, simply didn’t possess that kind of tools. But surely, the spider
was working on it, right? No doubt, by next evolution he will have the
complete set.

Or maybe… “Lady Crimson,” The Spider King addressed. “Perhaps we

should let our dear friend here to transform as well. I just have a hunch.”

“Oh right. Sorry I’ve got distracted. Go on, Dear.” She encouraged.

“Transform: Araneus.”

The Lord G Bling’s body began to meld and shift to a more compact form.
Six legs morphed to two, the otherwise bulbous and imposing spider
abdomen shrunk to form a more compact rear, his broad thorax also
underwent some changes making his chitinous chest less monster-like and
more man-like. The head retained his spider features having mandibles and
four yellow spider eyes. And there he was, this time more human than a
spider.

“How marvellous!” She went closer to inspect her husband, then she
peeked under the robes which didn’t fit him anymore. “Oh… oh-oh-oh…”
She reached for a grab. “And what is this?!” She was clearly blushing. “A
big, BIG boy!” She grinned.

*Ahem*, “Should I leave it to you then?” The Spider King asked

uncomfortable.
Lady Crimson clapped her reddened cheeks. “Sorry! I’m so sorry, so
unladylike of me. I apologise. “She gave a curtsy bow for an apology.
”Please stay, we have other matters to discuss.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Positive.” She said that despite unable to look away from her husband.
”No doubt, this is a joyous occasion, but we’ll commemorate that later in
the evening… with plenty of Fertility Potion+. There is no need to rush, is
there?”

Not really, no. Just like this, Lady Crimson obtained her permanent
evolution, and the spider developed the power tools he needed to complete
the job.

“So what else is there else to discuss?” He asked with interest.

Even if her eyes were still glued to somewhere else, she tried to continue
the conversation. “Yes, the Spider-FizzPop™.”

Two spider and a lady went all over the farm gathering the ingredients.

Lady Crimson sighted letting out a deep breath, a sigh was a happy one
indicating the end of their labours. “I think we have everything we need.”

The Spider King checked his Magical Inventory affirming that she was
correct. “Let’s go to my alchemical workshop.”

He guided them to an entirely separate building. It had huge Corundum

vats already brewing various simple potions, but also foodstuffs like
TomGrape syrup. Incidentally, this was also the place where the Centauri
Cheese and Drow IceCream was made.

Lady Crimson took the sight in with keen interest. “That is an impressive
setup you have here.” She praised. “But, I can see the mistakes of an
amateur. If you don’t mind, I can help you to set the devices better.”
Indeed, the eye of the master alchemist saw things than an eye of a novice
couldn’t. She pointed out a lot of improvements and the nearby crafter
spider wrote it all down on its notepad. With that done they moved to the
task at hand.

Lady Crimson set all the ingredients on the nearby table. “Right, I shall lead
this experiment, and you will assist me. It might be impudent of me, your
servant, but I hope you understand why.” Despite sounding confident she
looked at him conflicted.

“Of course, you’re the master alchemist here, I’m just level two. Lead the
way, teacher.” He bowed with respect.

Lord G Bling simply silently observed the two to begin the work; Alchemy
wasn’t his sphere of expertise. He was there mostly out of curiosity and as a
moral support. But also, because his wife tended to explode her
experiments.

First, they infused the Dark Water with TomGrape syrup. The process
was harder than just mixing the two together, it required mana and
specialised alchemical implements not to mention perks Lady Crimson
possessed. Then it was mixed with special fungal powder produced by no
other but the Myconid Queen. And then with just a tiny speck of Dark
Spirit Stone the concoction was brought to twirling and bubbling motion.

“[Perfect Potion], now you.” Lady Crimson urged.

“[Flawless Concoction]!”

The two alchemical perks didn’t override one another, instead they worked
in tandem to enchant the potion.

“Yes, it is working! With this we will have a base for future potions.”

He looked at the dark mass swirling inside the large alchemical flask. There
was no fire under it, but the liquid bubbled violently. The flask was
trembling struggling to contain both the liquid and all the pressure. The
glass it was made was the superior Scorpion Glass and it was even
enchanted with Reinforce; an overkill really. But even then, the glassware
shook and began to crack.

“It will explode!” Lord G Bling stepped between the dangerous experiment
and his wife.

“No, it won’t. Not this time, [Contain Reaction].” She pressed her hand on
the violent flask.

As if calmed by loving and warm touch the beastly reaction was subdued,
the violent bubbling subsided, and the flask was no longer trembling.

*Phew*, Lady Crimson released a breath of relief. “It is done! The potion is
complete.”

“Well done, teacher!” He praised.

“And now for the test…” She looked for volunteers. “No, forget it. I have
that Metabolise Toxicity, so its probably safest if I do this.”

There was no arguing with that.

Lady Crimson opened the small valve on the large flask poring the liquid
into much smaller container. “Here it goes.” She ingested it.

Her eyes went wide, her hand covered her lips. She looked at the two with
panic in her eyes.

*Bu-uuu-rp* – she belched for good five seconds sounding like a monster.

This didn’t sound good at all.

“Is it Toxic, or even Poisonous. No, don’t tell me, it is Draining?” The
Spider King asked with worry.

Lord G Bling also looked at her with obvious concern.

“Oh my, excuse me!” She exclaimed. “No, it is… Delicious! We’ve have
succeeded!” She poured a second helping. “Here, have a go.”
The Spider King took the flask, indeed, visually the fizzy drink looked just
like the ever-popular Spider-FizzPop™, but it was the taste that mattered.
He drunk it feeling that funny bubbly sensation on his tongue and then in
his stomach. However, it did taste slightly different, not completely but the
taste was nuanced.

“It’s just as good!” He concluded. “However, I think it’s not right to call it
Spider-FizzPop™.” After all, the recipe was different. “How about we call
this Spider-FizzPop Dark and the other one Spider-FizzPop Original?”

It was Lord G Bling who spoke up first. “King, the name is already too
wordy.”

“I have to agree.” The wife jumped on to support that notion.

“Yeah, you might be right. So, what should we call it?”

“Just FizzPop is fine, or even Fizzy.” She offered.

“But then we lose the spidery part. My dear wife, I cannot accept that.” And
it was the husband who rebuked her.

The Spider King couldn’t agree more.

“Then it’s a conundrum.” She developed an expression worthy of a deep

contemplating philosopher.

Everyone was thinking.

Lady Crimson broke her contemplation to suggest. “How about Spizzy?”

“Ah, a compromise!” A combination of spidery and fizzy. “We can do that!”

“Yes, we can do that.” Lord g Bling chirped in agreement.

And hence so the slightly improved drink was christened as Spizzy. The
only thing what was left was to set a mass production facility to
manufacture it. Soon, thousands upon thousands of bottles will invade the
Aurelian Duchy.
“Spizzy – new looks, improved taste. Simply perfect and just Spidery
Magnificent.” The spider chirped.

“Yeah, we’ll print that on the bottle.” The Spider King nodded happy with
the cheesy slogan.

With that done he left the Lady Crimson and the crafter spiders to work on
expanding the workshop to manufacture the drink.

As he was heading back to his palace, he noticed a familiar contraption

flying in the sky.

“Galleon Whale, they’re back.” He changed his course running towards the
landing pad. “My fish must have finally arrived! This day just keeps
giving.” He was positively salivating at the idea of fresh fish meat.
 119 – Cream Cheese Cavalry And
The Quest For Fish

Centauri Champion looked at her man from atop the deck of the Galleon
Whale, their gazes met for a moment and she waved at him flashing her
best smile. Ever so slowly the flying ship was rising into the sky, she gazed
with affection at the shrinking figure of the man she so adored. The trip to
the Demon Realm surely will be long and the nights cold and lonely so she
burned the sight of him in her memory.

The ship was high enough and the nearby spider urged the Centauri to go
down to cargo hold and strap in preparation for the Spider Hyperdrive.
She will do so, but only after her little speech she had prepared.

“Noble Mares,” she addressed, “today we embark on a very important

quest. It is something only we Centauri can do. And that’s why I’ve picked
only the very best of you, the elites of the Centauri. The journey will be
hard, and surely there will be peril, but I’m sure we will persist. Isn’t that
right?”

The Centauri neighed happily in agreement.

“Exactly! Failure isn’t an option. We shall succeed on our quests for

SapphireScale! The success will bring us honour and our rank will raise.
Then we’ll claim our promised reward, everyone will get what they desire.”

The mares neighed happily once again.

“Centauri. Strap in.” The spider chirped sternly.

“Okay, everyone, use the harness provided to strap yourselves. Just like
this.” She demonstrated.

The belt buckles clacked and clanged; everyone was ready.

“Spider Hyperdrive engaging in… 3… 2… 1…”

The whole ship jolted from sudden acceleration. The Centauri were used to
high speeds but even then, the Centauri Champion observed that few of her
girls had that uncomfortable expression on their faces as if they were about
to vomit.

“Don’t you dare!” She stared sternly at the suspects.

The stomach-churning discomfort of acceleration lessened leaving the ship

flying at a steady but still break-neck speed. Since it was now safe to do so,
she took her harness off and went back up on the main deck. There she
leaned over the fence to look at the land below. The see of green was
endless, but at such speeds they’ll reach the Demon Realm in a few days’
time.

Much later, the spiders landed the ship, far away from the jungle and in an
overgrown forest. They dropped the ship right on the trees, toppling and
crushing them beneath. The ship was sturdy and able to land despite the
wooden obstacles, however, the same could not be said about Centauri. The
landing was rather rough, and a few of them were forced to let out an
undignified scream unbefitting of elite cavalry mares. Unfortunately, the
Centauri Champion might have been the one of those few, so she restrained
of reprimanding everyone.

The awful sound of breaking trees and the excessive shaking of the ship had
finally stopped. A spider came down to tell them that they had finally
arrived. Good news, it’s just that she wished that they could land
somewhere in the plains next time. It’s just that, this was a secret operation,
they couldn’t do this, else the ship and the cavalry might end up being
mistaken as an invasion force. And there was a whole other deal there they
would need to pay tribute then passing one or the other warlord’s territory.
There was no time for that, hence this secretive operation.
“Alright, let’s disembark.” She led her cavalry out of the ship and into the
dense forest.

She recognised the forest straight away, it was the Dark Forest, an
uninhabited place teeming with monsters. The monsters here were
formidable, but even then, she knew that the flying ship was safe since
Everyone came prepared.

“From here on, we’re Cream Cheese Cavalry, remember that.”

The cavalry neighed raising their spears in the air.

“From here we go west towards our destination, the Deep Lakes.”

It was the place where SapphireScale Meat was procured, at least to her
knowledge. She never been there but she knew how to reach the lakes. All
she needed to do just head west, the trio of lakes were not only deep but
also rather large hence hard to miss.

The Dark Forest wasn’t exactly easy terrain to traverse, especially for
Centauri. First, it was overgrown with trees leaving little space to move,
second it was oppressively dark in here.

The Centauri Champion led the way with a Dark Lantern in her hand. The
lantern granted everyone Darkvision without emitting much of real light,
this meant that they wouldn’t alert the nastiest of the monsters. The
guardians of this forest hated fire and especially Fire magic. However, there
was little they could do about sound, especially due to the fact they wore
heavy armour.

The inevitable finally happened. A grey furred creature emerged from under
a pile of rotting leaves and wood matter. It let out shrill and bone piercing
shriek.

“It’s Grove Terrors, get ready, they’ll attack from the behind.” She informed
her less informed girls.
Just as the Centauri Champion predicted the one in front was only their
spotter, the real trouble sprung out of the ground just behind them. No less
than fifty vaguely humanoid monsters charged at the Centauri. The
monsters had long and lanky limbs, they ran while hunched bearing their
sharp claws and fangs at the cavalry. Their claws were tainted with a special
poison, inflicting Paralyse on those affected.

“Stupid monsters.” She grunted in frustration.

Even if the monsters were formidable, they didn’t have the numbers needed
to even put a scratch on the Centauri here. The Centauri took a defensive
position and met the failed ambush with the trusts of their lances. A few of
the monsters slipped close enough to swipe at Centauri, but that was what
the armour was there for. In the end it was rather anticlimactic. The monster
attack was dealt with easily enough. Of course, if they had angered the
forest guardians, or encountered an apex predator it would have been an
entirely different story. Alas, it didn’t come to be.

Cream Cheese Cavalry proceeded through the forest engaging in a few

more attacks just like this, but in the end, they reached the border of the
Dark Forest emerging into the plains bordering the Deep Lakes. And then
finally, they reached one of the free lakes. As far as she could see there was
only water, it could easily be called a sea, but even so, this was a lake, just
very massive. The Centauri approached an edge of a rocky cliff to take a
closer peek at the water, the water was clear but even so no one could see
the bottom, hence the name Deep Lakes.

“So, this is it. We’ve reached our destination.” She spoke while marvelling
at her own slightly distorted image projected by the water.

They were here, but their quest had just begun. The main issue here was
that they were warriors and not fishers, but also that neither of them was a
good swimmer either. They did bring some nets and stuff like that, but the
real plan was just to purchase an already caught fish. After all, there was no
need for them to fish it by themselves. And the Deep Lakes were rumoured
to be even more dangerous than the Dark Forest.

“Right, let’s find the nearest settlement.”

They ran near the lake shore at a casual pace. And surely enough they found
one of the many villages bordering the massive lakes. The village, like most
settlements in the Demon Realm came fortified, this particular one was
surrounded by a wooden palisade. The spotter sitting atop the watchtower
must have noticed their charge. A deep sound of horn resounded in the air.
Soon the wall was filled with local defenders. Those were frogmen, a rather
primitive and stupid race, but even so an important part of the Demon
Realm. The frogmen aimed their fishing javelins at the approaching
Centauri. No doubt they were expecting a raid. Centauri Champion couldn’t
blame them for thinking so; before the fall the Centauri used to have that
reputation.

“Halt.” She stopped the cavalry. “I’ll negotiate with them.”

She galloped further towards the palisade, but just out of the javelin range.
That didn’t mean that a few of the opportunistic javelins were thrown at her,
of course, they didn’t hit anywhere remotely close.

“Be not alarmed!” She shouted at the nearby watchtower. ”I’m Centauri
Champion of the Cream Cheese Cavalry.” She said it with utmost pride.
“We’re mercenaries looking to purchase some food for our travels.”

There was a moment of silence, then some croaking behind the wooden
wall and then silence again.

A rather fat frogman climbed the watchtower. “You here to barter?” He

croaked from atop.

“Yes, we are. We have metal scrap and unwanted weapons to barter, but
also alcohol and healing potions.”

Even if she had more precious items than the ones she named, she had to
sound believable. The gold would have been the most convenient for
Centauri, easy to carry and all that, but it was not so for the frogman tribe
here. Aside from Demon coins, the village like this didn’t have much use
for noble metals or precious gems. They liked practical items which would
help them in their daily activities.
“Alcohol?” The frogman perked up.

“Yes, and not the usual swamp swill. It’s Grupp-Grupp, and expensive and
exotic liquor.” She took the bottle out to wave it at the frogman.

*Croak*, “Might be too expensive for us then. If you’re here for simple
food, we’ll take scrap.” The frogman said so, but he was ogling at that
bottle betraying the want for it.

“Al right, so, what we need is fish, SapphireScale to be precise.”

“SapphireScale, croak, but that is rare and valuable. Why do you need it?”
The frogman croaked suspicious. “We have normal fish, MudFish,
SlimeFish, DirtEal. If you need food take that. Why the expensive taste,
croak?”

“Those are disgusting, and I have expensive tastes. And I have equally rare
items to barter for it.” She waved the bottle again at the frogman.

Obviously, if they were any smarter, they would know that Centauri didn’t
eat meat.

However, “Then, croak, you’re in luck, we have we fish and you have the
alcohol. We just caught SapphireScale this morning, it's fat and fresh. Send
the alcohol and we’ll clean and cut the fish for you.”

A good practise was to keep the rare fish alive as long as possible so that
their meat could remain in the best condition. This was what was
happening, so indeed she was in luck; she needed a live specimen.

“No don’t cut and clean it just yet, I need it alive.” She informed hurriedly.

*Croak*, “Why alive? Centauri, what are you playing?” It croaked in

suspicion again.

“I just like it super very fresh. I want to eat it while it’s alive.” She lied
trough her teeth.
*Croak, Croak, Croak…* – all of the frogmen croaked somewhat alarmed
by that sentence.

Her ears picked on a silent croak of the frogman trader, “Centauri… so

barbaric,” *Croak*, “I’ve heard of this practise, it’s fine, we’ll send the fish
alive, croak, but the alcohol comes first. For all I know, it might be just a
swamp swivel in a fancy bottle.”

The thing was that she didn’t trust this frogman, the frogmen weren’t
exactly known for their trustworthiness; it was the opposite. For all she
knows, she’ll send the bottle in and they’ll just croak at her telling her to
bugger off. But also, clearly, the frogman up the watchtower didn’t trust her
either. Once again, the Centauri were known for their ruthlessness. Her
previous self would wait for the portcullis gate to open only to raid the
village the next minute it did so. Such was her past and the realities of the
Demon Realm.

“Fine, I’ll send you the bottle.” She agreed.

The gate rose ever so slightly to let a tiny frogman pass. It wobbled and
waddled slowly towards her, clearly they weren’t the best of the land
walkers. As the frogman approached the terrible waft of swampy rot
reached her nostrils; the lake was clear and clean there was no reason for
them to stink this much. The ugly thing blinked at her with those two
popped out eyes, the blinks were asymmetrical too, one eye and then the
next. Needless to say, she was rather disgusted.

The frogman reached towards her with a shaking hand. “Here.” She handed
in the bottle. “And mind you, it’s full!” She shouted out. “So don’t be
tempted to drink half of it before handing it in.” She cautioned because
things like that tended to happen.

*Croak*, the frogman croaked looking not all too pleased by her words.

The bottle reached the frogman in the watchtower, he drank from it

greedily.

“Ah yes, good stuff, croak-croak. Never tasted anything like this.”
“I know! So, send me my fish. And it better be alive.”

“Croak… I don’t know. SapphireScale is rather rare and notoriously hard

to catch. The alcohol is good, croak-croak, but I don’t think one bottle is
enough.”

And here it was, this was why their reputation was bad. But she knew all
that, and she had no less than six bottles to barter with, she just didn’t like
to be tricked or swindled that’s it.

“I have few more bottles like this, and you can have our scrap metal. But
you’re not getting any of them, not before I see my dinner.”

“Is that so?” The frogman finished the bottle, *hic*, “Ah, that was
delicious, croak. Alright, we’ll drag your dinner out, just keep your Centauri
away from the gate. And get them further than they already are.”

Apparently, the frogman here wasn’t a complete idiot, he must have known
that the Centauri had the perk to clear the current distance in but a few
seconds. Actually, It was the combination of two: Swift Hooves plus
Relentless Charge.

But she didn’t need to resort for such underhanded tactics. “Yes, we’ll do
that, and I will prepare the scrap and alcohol for you.” She looked at her
mares meaningfully; her forces retreated further.

A box containing six bottles of Grupp-Grupp and a small pile of

Corundum scrap was deposited nearby and ready for the trade. The
portcullis raised up fully to let a bunch of frogmen out. They were dragging
SapphireScale bound in rope right behind. The creature wasn’t fat but did
it look fresh enough to at least be alive, however, there were barely any
meat on it. The frogmen lied of catching it today, clearly, it had been caught
and kept alive for quite some time, waiting for nearby traders to pass.
Luckily for the poor creature it didn’t need water to breathe, but even so, it
clearly was suffering.

“Here’s your fish, enjoy. Croak-Croak!” The frogman croaked still atop his
watchtower.
This was definition of bad manners, then such deals were made it was
customary for both parties to stand nearby, after all, she was here now in the
range for their javelins.

“And here’s my offering. I won’t give you anymore.” She pointed at the
pile and the box.

The nearby frogman croaked a tally of the items to the fat one in the
watchtower.

“Hey! But it is alive, croak, and it is well. Sapphire Scales are also
valuable, normally we would sell those later. Add a few more bottles, would
you, croak?”

She looked at the trembling creature. “There is barely any meat on it. And it
is half-dead, are you trying to rip me off? Just take the scrap and alcohol,
we both know it is a good deal.”

“Croak…” The frogman tilted its head clearly thinking for another way to
extort more alcohol.

“Look, if you sold Grupp-Grupp to the local merchants it’s bound to bring
you profit. As you can tell, its not made locally and is rather expensive. Just
don’t drink it all.” She tried to reason, unwilling to trek all the way back to
the Galleon Whale for more alcohol.

“But that is the problem, croak, the drink is just too good!” He croaked.

“Take it or leave it.” Or she could just tell her girls to storm the village, a
few Fire Grenades would do the trick, but that probably would lead to the
fragile SapphireScale getting killed.

Likely noticing the sudden shift in the Centauri Champion’s expression, the
fat frogman croaked out, “I’ll take it, I’ll take it, croak. Cut the bindings.”
He commanded.

The creature flopped face down on the ground and the frogmen went to
grab their spoils. The Centauri watched them leave back to their village
where the portcullis closed right after them.

“No returns, croak-croak!” The fat frogman croak-laughed.

She approached to retrieve the fish. The creature was still laying face down
on the ground, for a moment Centauri Champion worried that it just died on
her, but then she noticed it slightly trembling. Actually, she never saw any
SapphireScale alive, but that must be the real thing. Even if the fish was
famished, no doubt it still had those signature scales. Quick Inspect worked
to confirm all of this.

Monster Race: Variant:

Magic Affinity: Water
Mer SapphireScale

HP:50/50 MP:250 STA:100

Active Perks [Sonic Scream], [Hydrokinesis], [Cutting Splash]

[Sapphire Scales], [Marine Empathy], [Aquatic

Passive Perks
Adaptation]

Resistances [Water Resistance: Medium]

Status Effects [Starving]

She took a better look at the pitiful creature. The scales glistened like gems
in the sun. Having seen the frogmen, this Mer was just incredibly pleasant
to look at, and surprisingly it didn’t even stink. However, there was still a
small surprise. The creature had that sapphire scaled tail, yes, but also it had
arms and a head betraying that it was sapient, or semi-sapient at least. Well,
judging by a set of two round orbs the fish was clearly a she. Her upper half
had those feminine features you would prescribe to puny and weak but still
somewhat civilised monster races: small frame, delicate neck, narrow
shoulders, and rounded head. Also, her upper half had barely any of the
blue shimmering scales, but still it was rather shiny and pretty to look at.
Her skin was gray-blue and pale in colour, it looked surprisingly smooth
and shiny, but upon touch it was somewhat slimy. Her hair just like her
scales were vivid blue, and for her eyes well she was still laying face down
pretending to be dead, but no doubt they would also be deep blue.

It was almost a shame to eat something pretty like this. But she understood
why it was done, after all this was Demon Realm and things like this were
commonplace. Her scales were pretty so others wanted to harvest them, and
if your meat was delicious and you were weak that only meant that
someone out there will hunt you for food.

Even if appealing to one’s eyes, some monsters were still mostly monsters,
unable of advanced thinking and talking. To be sure she tried. “Hey, you,
can you talk?” Jus after she did so, she pulled the Mer’s head up to get a
better look at the face.

Wow, what a shock! Drool and dirt tainted tears marked the Mer’s face.
“Please don’t eat me alive!” She said between the quiet sobs.

Ah, so she could talk in Demon Language. “No, I won’t be eating you. You
see, we Centauri don’t eat meat.”

The SapphireScale looked at her with clear confusion. But before there
could be any misunderstandings the Centauri Champion continued.

“That doesn’t mean you won’t get eaten…” She said without any shred of
guild or compassion. “Your meat belongs to my Master, the Spider King.”
She whispered the later. “Only he can eat you. Mer, consider it a great
honour.” With those words she picked up the SapphireScale and strutted
happily back to the rest of the Cavalry.

SapphireScale wasn’t sobbing anymore, she just stared at the face of the
Centauri with a dumbfounded expression.
“So you won’t eat me?” The Mer asked meekly.

“Were you listening? I’ve told you already, I won’t be!”

“Thank you!” The fish was back to sobbing.

She was rather bothersome, at that moment the Centauri Champion wished
that this fish was just another dumb monster; it would be easier to deal with
her. Like whacking the monster on the head unconscious or ripping the
tongue out. But since the fish, no this Mer, could talk, the Centauri
Champion didn’t feel like exposing her to such cruelties. The Centauri were
known for their ruthlessness, but a lot had changed. After the fall of
Centauri, after all the suffering she had experienced personally, she didn’t
want to cause more needless pain to this SapphireScale.

“Actually, when I think about it. I doubt you will get eaten at all, my Master
said he wants to farm the fish or something like that.” She didn’t know why
she was telling all that, but even so, she continued. “Yes, we also need to
get a male SapphireScale. The two of you would breed, birth more fish,
and I guess then your children would be eaten or something like that.”

Her words didn’t make SapphireScale to feel any better. “I see, so I get to
live…” She said with clear relief in her voice.

“Yeah, I guess… But even so, I’m not too sure what will happen next.” She
knew but chose to remain quiet.

After all, in the end some of the Mer were destined to be eaten, probably
her children. There was no way the Centauri Champion could, or even
needed to spell such realities. But also, she didn’t care much of Mer fates. It
was the Mer fault for being so weak and pitiful, and also allegedly
incredibly delicious. The Centauri were undoubtedly also rather tasty, or so
was the rumour, but very few could defeat her race in a straight fight. That’s
right, if you didn’t want to be eaten, you had to be strong! The Mer were
responsible for their own misfortune.

The Mer remained miserable and in a somewhat melancholic mood, but that
didn’t mean the Centauri were so. After inspecting the fish the mares of
Cream Cheese Cavalry cheered at the completion of the first half of their
quest. They didn’t expect this to go this easy!

The Centauri used a large sheet of leather to harvest some of the lake water
and put the fish in the improvised tub. The fish in question was still sulky
but somewhat happier at the small improvement. Next, they had to haul the
fish back to Galleon Whale for storage and only then they would look to
procure a male, hopefully in the few next nearby villages.

That of course meant that they had to walk through the Dark Forest and
deal with its natural challenges. The biggest trouble was actually the fish,
she just couldn’t stop talking. She kept asking annoying question like:
“Where are you taking me?”, “Is this a forest? I’ve never been.”, ”Eek!
Monsters!?”, “Are we there yet?”, “Are we there yet?”, “Are we there
yet…”

Well, on a rare occasion the fish would ask a few good questions like:
“Who is this Spider King?”, “Why do Centauri serve him?”. To which
Centauri Champion replied with great detail and great pride.

Eventually, the ship was reached without much serious trouble.

“Watch out. Monsters!” The fish pointed out of her tub at the spiders,
sending a Sonic Scream.

Luckily it was not that effective then out of the water, but still the Centauri
had to plug their ears at the sharp scream.

The Centauri Champion was against abusing captives, however, “Don’t be

ignorant!” She slapped the back of the head of the fish. “They are servants
of the Spider King. Apologise!”

“I’m sorry spiders!” The fish yelled out of her tub hiding deeper right after.

The spiders didn’t even care about it, they were busy with their things.
Namely, building a small wooden fort around the ship. Moreover, there
were cages with local monsters sitting next to the ship, and also piles of
various plants sorted into herbs, fruits and vegetables. The Centauri
Champion didn’t even question why the spiders were doing all of this. The
spiders were spiders, they did the spider things, and most likely they had a
side quest of their own.

“Spider, we captured the first fish.” She informed the nearby spider. “Where
do you want it?”

“So soon? Magnificent. In the tank. We had prepared.” The spider pointed
at the large open rectangle made out entirely out of scorpion glass.

That was smart of the spiders, the Reinforced glass was sturdier than any
wooden or leather tub could be, plus they will be able to observe the
otherwise beautiful captive. The Centauri Champion scooped the fish out of
the improvised tub and threw her in her tank.

“You better behave! And don’t die.” It would be way too troublesome to
find another one.

And so, without further ado, the Cream Cheese Cavalry galloped to
complete the rest of their quest.

The spider scuttered close to the see-through tank tapping on its glass. The
fish inside sent a panicked and involuntarily Sonic Shout shuffling away
from the spider and into one of the corners. The water moved forcefully and
if this was a normal glass it would have shattered at that instant, instead the
water just splashed a bit from the top.

“What is your name?” The spider chirped in Demon Language.

“Huh?”

It chirped again repeating the question.

“I’m SapphireScale.” She answered.

The spider tapped the glass twice scaring her further. “No, your name.”
Neither of the Centauri bothered to ask that, hence her confusion here. “Day
Sapphire, or just Day.” She said so with pride. After all, Sapphire was a
royal name, and yes, she was a princess. Princess but one of many, she was
so far down the line that it didn’t even mater.

“Day Sapphire.” It repeated somewhat melodically while scribbling

something on the strange rectangle it was holding. “Day, what do you eat?”

Once again, the question took her by surprise. “Everything.” She blurred
but after another glance at the spider she corrected herself. “Primarily
LakeWeed, and other edible plants, but also fish and other aquatic
animals.” She wondered if that was any good or if she needed to be even
more specific.

“And what is. Your favourite food?”

“Huh?” Why did that even matter… “I guess,” she paused to think,
“DeepClams.”

The spider made another note. “How about this?” It dropped a slice of blue
fruit in the tank.

She took the fruit slice in her hand inspecting it cautiously. It appeared safe
and unwilling to anger otherwise polite spider she ate the offering.

“Holy Water Serpent! This is delicious!” She jumped half out of the water.
“This is my new favourite food. What is it?” And only then did she realise
that her Starving negative status effect was gone with just a single slice.

She could swear the spider was smiling, but it was hard to tell with its facial
features. “TomGrape.” It chirped pleasantly dropping the rest of the fruit in
the water.

Then it chirped another question. “Married or single?”

*Munch-Munch*, “Excuse me?” Once again, she was taken by surprised

but replied regardless.
For the next few hours, the spider bombarded her with various questions of
rather personal nature. It seemed such a waste to ask so much especially if
they considered to eat her at some point.

Just what is happening? –­ she couldn’t make sense of any of this. And most
importantly why did they have a ship in a middle of the forest, how was that
supposed to swim?
 120 - He Went Fishing But He
Caught More Than He Bargained
For

The Spider King was there at the landing pad watching the ship to slowly
descend.

“Huh, strange.” He observed the distinctive lack of a goofy grin and waving
he expected to see at the top of the ship deck. “The Centauri aren’t back.”
He concluded.

That just meant that they still were working on catching the live specimens
for the breeding programme. The ship finished docking allowing him to
board and check the cargo hold.

“Oh my.” He was slightly taken aback.

The cargo hold was filled with various plants, some potted but there also
were fruits and little bags filled with seeds. He was slightly confused here,
he didn’t tell them to do all that. The nearby spider jumped in to give an
explanation.

“Trusty Advisor. Told us to look for beneficial plants. For you to Evolve.
And to investigate local monsters.”

‘Ah, Trusty Advisor, ever reliable, full of good ideas’, – he gave a silent
thank you.

“Come see the cages.” The spider encouraged.

He approached the IronOak cages with both interest and caution. The
Centauri Champion did mention that they will be heading to the Dark
Forest, and judging from the name the forest would hold some formidable
monsters. He checked the cages containing various critters: Mossy Moogle,
DarkWillow Sproutling, Shadowling Sprite, NightShade Pup,
ShadowPaw Squirrel, Twinkleleaf Fawn, Twilight Owlcat, and so and
such…

Yes, there definitely was a theme going on, but none of the monster-animals
looked neither scary nor formidable. Actually, they were rather cute, hence
why he was somewhat surprised.

“Sorry.” The spider apologised for some reason. “Did we get. Your
preferences wrong?”

“I see… So, this is my preference?” He gave another look at the caged

creatures. “I guess, yeah, you’ve got it spot on. But just to be sure there are
real monsters out there in the Dark Forest, right?”

“Yes,” the spider chirped, “we left those at the outpost. Should we ship
them here?”

“No, there’s no need. If I Evolved an already vicious monster, it would

make them even more monstrous.” He operated under that assumption. He
looked around again, “I can’t see it, where is my fish?”

“Yes, of course. Please follow.”

The spider guided the Spider King up to the command deck. A strange place
to keep fish if you asked him, but maybe the spiders were just keeping a
good eye on it since it was the main item of their quest. As soon as he saw
it, he instantly knew that this was the rumoured SapphireScale. However,
there was a slight problem… The aquatic creature was more woman than a
fish, no doubt, they had captured a type of a mermaid.

Her upper body was that of a woman, and her lower half was a sapphire
scaled fish tail. She was rather long, or was it tall? – regardless, it should be
somewhere close to 2.5 metres. And the tail was the fattest part of her body,
her better half was rather slim and feminine, with all womanly charms
included. However, with no mistake, she still was part monster. Her fingers
were long and webbed, she had blue fins on her elbows and back, not to
mention gills on both sides of her neck. Yet still, there was a mysterious
charm surrounding her. Her face was round and cute having delicate
features. The eyes were piercingly deep blue, just like her hair which were
long and flowed loosely in the water. Her sapphire scales reflected the light
making the water to shimmer blue around her. She was so enchanting!

He had realised he was staring like a fool only after the spider navigator
came to greet him.

“Spider King,” spider navigator saluted, “we present you the

SapphireScale.” With those words the spider handed in a small file. “Those
are her stats.”

At first, he thought the spider just collected the data the Inspect would give,
and while that was there, that assumption still was wrong. He flipped
through the pages scanning past the text. This was almost like a manual, no,
this was exactly it. It had all the details needed to look and care after the
SapphireScale. And it had more, like her three sizes, the type of man she
fancied, and her favourite colour, why did the spider feel the need to include
that?

“Thank you, this will be highly helpful.” He thanked somewhat impressed

at the extensive research the spiders did.

He approached the glass tank, the Mer inside was looking at him with body
language betraying anxiety.

“Day Sapphire, be not afraid. I won’t eat you, there was a

misunderstanding.” He bowed slightly in apology.

He must have said something wrong because his words had only spooked
the Mer further.

“I mean it.” He said while using Aura Projection to convey his friendly
intent.
“You…” The Mer swam closer to the glass wall. “You can speak Old Mer?”
Her fear was replaced with amazement.

Thats right, his Language Comprehension must have kicked in, but he
expected Demon Language and not Old Mer.

“I guess that’s right. Old Mer, huh, just so you know I have a special perk
which allows me to speak all languages.” He explained still presumably in
Old Mer.

The Mer in the tank just gazed unblinking while he spoke. He too was
staring at her, still feeling enchanted by this otherwise fantastical encounter.

“Sorry about the misunderstanding, but…” He spoke with a tinge of guilt.

And there was good reason to be guilty. No, not because of the
misunderstanding, that was not his fault, but because he still wanted to keep
this Mer. A good man would apologise, recompensate and release her back
into the lake. However, like most men, he was flawed. There was an
irresistible desire to keep her. Who wouldn’t want their own personal
mermaid, and especially as shiny as this one here?

He continued. “… But would you like to stay as a guest? I’ll promise we’ll
treat you well.”

The Mer was thinking. It was hard to tell if she understood his hidden
intentions or if she was seriously considering the offer.

“I always wanted to travel,” she spoke in sing-song voice, “and to learn

about the spiders and their homes. And the one who rules them. I heard
great things about this ruler. Ever since I was young, I dreamed of meeting
him.” She jumped half out of the water. “Do you happen to be, the Spider
King?” She avoided giving a straight answer.

“What?” He asked somewhat taken aback by the sudden burst of words.

She was clearly just messing with him. There was no way for her to know
about the spiders, especially not then she was still young; the Spider
Kingdom was not that old, and neither was he.

“After hearing the Centauri Champion’s description, I was expecting a

gigantic spooky spider, but you must be the legendary Spider King, right?”

Legendary was alright but gigantic spooky spider was not, Centauri
Champion, please give better descriptions! – He shouted internally.

“I should have introduced myself first.” He had that flaw. “I’m Spider King,
ruler of the Monster Realm.”

“I’m Day Sapphire.” She smiled at him. “You’re more dashing than I
imagined. It’s pleasure to meet you, Spider King. I would love to be your
guest.”

Considering the previous image of him she had in her mind her words
weren’t that surprising.

“No, it’s my pleasure to host one of the Mer. Shall I show you your new
quarters?”

“New quarters? I’ve assumed this was my new room.” She swam around in
the tank.

There was space for her to make a spin, but clearly it still was too small.

“There’s no way that is adequate. I have a pond prepared.” Once again, he

said so apologetically. He expected just a fish and not an actual Mer, so the
pod was somewhat barebones at the moment.

She wiggled her tail and smiled. “I’ve always dreamed about my own pond.
I can’t wait to get in there.”

“Then, let’s not delay this further.”

The tank was put on wheels and wheeled by spiders out of the Galleon
Whale. Just as they came outside, he couldn’t help but laugh at the
expression Day Sapphire made. Whatever she expected, clearly this was not
it.
“Is this how the dry land behind the forest looks?” She gazed at the spidery
structures with wide eyes filled with wonder. “Oh, I know what this is. It’s a
city.”

She was somewhat correct. “Yes, this is MegaFarm, the home of spiders.”

“MegaFarm is beautiful beyond belief… And how many spiders are here?”
She looked somewhat cautious at the busy spiders zooming past the glass
tank.

“I’ve lost track…” He tried to remember. “Including recent hatchlings that

would be hundred thousand spiders.”

The big eyes of Mer grew only bigger, and she sunk deeper into her tank.
She was murmuring something, but the water made her sentences
incomprehensible. The strange behaviour didn’t last long.

She jumped half out of the tank and smiled at him. “The Spider Kingdom
must be very successful to feed so many spiders. They must consume a
huge amount of meat.”

“Nah, they’re zealous tomgrepatarians, they don’t eat meat at all. It’s mostly
Lamia who eat meat, but we have squirrels for that.” He pointed at the
Obese squirrel nearby.

The Mer inside the tank patted her slim stomach as if concerned about
something.

“Just so you know, us Mer, will never get fat like that. We can’t.”

“Huh? Oh, okay. Good for you, I guess. The pond isn’t much further, just
that way.” He pointed in the distance.

They arrived at the artificial pond. The plan was to guide the rivers and
form a lake, but that megaproject was still under construction.

“It isn’t much, but I recon it’s better than a cramped fish tank.”

“No, this is perfect. May I?” She gave him a meaningful look.
He nodded despite not too sure what she meant. She swam to the furthest
side of the tank and then propelled herself out of it jumping into the pond.
Almost magically so, there was no splash and the water where she landed
made only a few ripples.

“Wait…” There was a slight problem. “The water is infused with Dark
mana!” He cautioned a bit too late.

Of course, the plan was to mutate the SapphireScale but since she was
sapient that would be a lot harder.

The Mer poked her head out of the water. “It’s fine, I have Aquatic
Adaptation.”

Just to be sure he used Inspect to check her status for negative effects,
where he found she had Dark Resistance: Lesser, instead.

“That works out I guess.”

“This pond feels amazing.” She beamed him another smile.

Yeah, there wasn’t much of the pond yet. It lacked all the necessary plants.
In turn, he presented her an apologetic smile.

“If you give me a list of plants,” he began, “I’m sure we could get them and
plant them here.”

“I have Aquatic Adaptation, but I doubt most of the plants would be as

resilient.”

“No worries there.” He assured her. “I have the right perks for that.” He
remembered something. “Speaking of which.” He walked knee-deep into
the water. “Give me your hand.”

The Mer stretched her arm without hesitation, but as soon as he took hold of
it an undeniably pinkish blush developed on her cheeks.

“Monster System?!” She asked bewildered.

“Yeah, accept it.”

She must have done so because soon she invoked, “[Status]. I see…” The
look she gave him this time was entirely different from the others he has
had received so far. She gripped his hand tighter. “How is it possible for
you to do this?” She asked while struck with awe.

“I’m a Monster King for a reason. Welcome to the Monster Realm.” He let
her hand go.

“And these icons on the right?”

“Skills you can unlock.” He explained. “But it will take time before it
happens. They're rather exp hungry.”

She blinked at him clearly still trying to take everything in.

He had an idea. “You know what… Since you’ve been so cooperative. I

have a small reward.” He produced a certain fruit out of his inventory
space.

The Mer looked at the golden orb somewhat suspiciously but still she took
it and ate it with bites which only grew in size and scope.

“Forget the TomGrape, this is my new favourite food!” She declared and
then her eyes darted past the messages she just have received. “No way!”
She explained jumping out of the water.

“Big way!” He smiled happy that it managed to cheer her up. “What did
you get?”

“Exp and a new skill, Royal Bloodline. It’s a passive giving me a status
boost.”

He had to see it for himself. “[Inspect]”

Monster Race: Mer Variant: Magic Affinity: 💧

SapphireScale Water
 Princess 💧👑💧
💧
HP:100 MP:500 STA:200

Active [Sonic Scream], [Hydrokinesis], [Cutting

Perks Splash]

Passive [Sapphire Scales], [Marine Empathy], [Aquatic

Perks Adaptation], [Royal Bloodline]

[Dark Resistance: Lesser], [Water Resistance:

Resistances
Lesser]

Yeah, her HP, MP and STA doubled. That’s all right, but he didn’t expect
that ‘princess’ addition to her variant. However, he did remember a certain
kobold obtaining Dragon Blood at some point, so maybe this was similar.

Just as he was pondering all of this, Day Sapphire jumped out of the water
embracing him tightly. “This is amazing! It recognises I am a princess!”
Worse, she planted a direct kiss on his lips. “Thank you! Thank You!” She
leaned for another.

A reluctant hand landed on her round face pushing it away.

“I’m glad you’re happy, but I’m married.” He looked behind him with
worry. Luckily none of the Lamia were around, only spiders. And you can
always trust the spider to keep a secret.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me…” Her arms let him go.
It was probably his Aura Projection which he was blasting on full power,
or so he reasoned.

The awfully tight embrace he had just received reminded him of another
uncomfortable issue. “Sorry again about the misunderstanding. I’ll tell the
spiders to treat you as a person and not an animal to be eaten much like
squirrels are.” No, not exactly that issue. “And since you’re official a part of
Spider Kingdom, you’ll have to wear these.” He pulled two Rainbow
Shells out of his inventory. The two weren’t clam shells, they were insect
shells from the Scorpion Desert, but they fitted the overall theme.

The Mer blinked at him with clear confusion, and then what must have been
the realisation.

The edict number one was: No one shall go naked. A rule zealously
enforced by the spiders, with the only exception being animals. Hence the
necessity of the shells.

“Like this.” He demonstrated putting the shells on his chest. “Here, try it.”
He handed the pair.

“Like this?” She took the shells sticking them on that perfect spot.

“Yes, that’s perfect.”

“They’re so shiny! Thank you for the jewellery.” She launched into another
hug.

The second hug finished the task of soaking his robe completely, not that he
minded either of the things. Since, she wasn’t going for a kiss and the shells
cushioned the blow, this was now okay, right… right?

She let him go eventually and with that, “I’m sorry but I have a few errands
to finish. Just call the spiders if you need anything. I’ll come to see how you
do a bit later.” He waddled out of the pond.

Indeed, he had so much to do, the multiple distractions weren’t helping. He

did need to finally pick that Modification: Monster Core and go through
the transformation.

“I understand. See you later, my prince.” The Mer waved him off.

Day Sapphire looked at the leaving Spider King. There was that strange
sensation of butterflies fluttering in her stomach, she couldn’t explain the
reason for the feeling, nor the meaning of it. Perhaps for that reason, her
mind pulled her to remember last few weeks.

First, she got herself captured and was fated to be slaughtered by the
barbaric frogmen, her meat consumed by Demonic races and her precious
scales sold off. At that time, she was fully resigned to that fate, refusing to
eat or even drink. And then the Centauri came, a small blessing in disguise,
after clearing the misunderstanding she realised that she won’t be killed and
eaten. That was good, right? – A welcome improvement. That was when she
decided to find some good in the worst of situations.

Of course, her life came with a price. She was told she will be kept alive in
order to breed more Mer. A somewhat strange reason to keep her alive, but
considering the alternative she wasn’t entirely against it. Well, it would all
depend on how they treated her there in the Spider Kingdom.

There inside the ship, the spiders were somewhat chatty, even friendly. So,
she used that chance to extract as much information from them as she
could. Mainly about the ruler of the spiders who desired Mer,
SapphireScale in particular. The spiders had only praises for their Spider
King, even if he was a monstrous spider, he sounded like a good ruler. And
so far, her treatment wasn’t too bad. For a captured slave it was exceedingly
good, the container they were keeping her was spacious and the food she
got was… super tasty.

All of that pointed that the ruler in charge could be reasoned, or even
swayed. That was then she began hatching a small plan. Instead of being
miserable, like she undoubtedly was, she’ll play it nice and try to sell
herself as a good and obedient Mer to improve her future conditions.
Once she reached the Spider Kingdom, just like she intended, she flashed
her shiny scales intent to bedazzle whoever was there to claim her.
Surprisingly the Spider King was not an actual spider, he even somehow
spoke Old Mer. Even better, the plan had worked! The man charmed by the
shine of her pristine scales went on to offer her a status of a guest. A stark
improvement from a status of a slave, which she took readily.

And soon, another misunderstanding was cleared up, well she realised it on
her own. She wasn’t here for the meat or her scales at all. She was here to
be kept as a pretty thing for either the King or his other guests to marvel.
She could understand that, after all, all Mer were beautiful. There were
some challenges on the way for her future cage, like the knowledge that the
place was invested with so many spiders her mind struggled to imagine the
number. But she shoved her bad emotions into the deepest corner of her
mind and carried on displaying herself as best as she could.

‘Smile, be pleasant, look good, praise him.’ She kept reminding herself.

Anytime he looked at her, she straightened her tail to show how long it was,
wiggling it slightly in the water to make her scales glimmer and shine. At
her home, the Deep Lakes, something like this was reserved only for
courtship rituals, and otherwise would be considered inappropriate, but she
was desperate here.

Her future cage, the pond, was way bigger than she imagined. Not deep at
all, but plenty of space for her to swim around. And her efforts to bedazzle
the King paid off again, he took her hand looking at her with affection. That
was then a strange power flooded inside her. She couldn’t quite grasp the
full meaning of the gesture. Moreover, she was offered a peculiar fruit. She
ate it only to be left gobsmacked… And from there her surprise only
increased. The Spider King possessed powers she couldn’t fully understand.

She was just a ‘guest’, but even then, he bestowed an incredible power upon
her. Through strange ritual, the system was forced to recognise her as a
princess, right-out doubling her strength. She was so overwhelmed by
happiness she lost control of her own emotions. Luckily, the Spider King
was receptive of the little accident. Even if he said something about having
a wife, she was rewarded with exotic jewellery. The frogmen had stripped
her of her baubles, necklaces, and bracelets alike, so she was beyond happy
to receive some. It just that the place to carry them was somewhat odd…

Regardless, she understood the silent message conveyed by the gift. She
made a mental note to be more touchy-feely with the Spider King, that is as
long as his wife was not around. She smiled at her own genius, she might
have started as a captured slave, but now she was much more. Slaves never
would be granted power, not to mention jewellery. Surely, if she continued
her conditions will only improve.

However, there still was a slight problem, that strange sensation of

butterflies fluttering in her stomach. The Spider King was more genius and
kind than she had expected. And he was undeniably rich and powerful. And
even, if he wasn’t Mer, she saw him as handsome. It was strange how the
world worked, it might be because of the delicate state of her mind, or the
unlikely gifts she had received, but the time the Spider King disappeared
out of her sight… it was she, princess Day Sapphire, who was left
bedazzled and completely Charmed.
 121 - The Monster System Is Full
Of Tricks

The Spider King was walking home at a casual pace, his mind was focused
on a system message.

[Congratulations! By successfully rescuing your first princess from

captivity, you have obtained Achievement: Knight in Shiny Armour]

Achievement: Knight in Shiny Armour > +20 Rep with Princesses.

It was a while since he got any of those, and the message was welcome.
But, “I don’t get it. Am I not the one who got her captured?” It just seemed
backwards.

For some reason the system registered him as the one who rescued her, and
if so, it should have been the Centauri. But maybe the Monster System did
so because he was the one to issue them that quest. Or maybe it took the
targeted princess feelings in consideration.

“Does this mean she sees me as her rescuer?” He could only guess. “Ah,
that’s probably why she went so easily with everything I asked.” He went
with that assumption.

But also, there was this ‘+20Rep with Mer’ thing to consider, he got that in
tandem with his achievement.

“Rescuing princesses is a lucrative business…” He wondered if he should

inquire his subjects if they heard any rumours about trapped princesses,
preferably in some tower or dungeon. And, it’s not like he needed to get his
hands dirty, he could just employ the services of his subjects. “Here I go
again, getting distracted. I better hurry home before getting myself yet
another side quest.” Yes, there was a thing he was putting away for too
long.

The Spider King was sitting on a spider crafted couch with his wife nearby.
Lamia Queen had a worried expression on her face.”

“I can feel it.” He said while looking at her intently. “It’s growing.”

“You look like in pain, sss, let me help you.” She put her hands on him.
“Here, a healing massage.” Her eyes went big. “I can feel it, sss, it’s getting
bigger!”

He nodded; he could feel that too.

“Big is good, sss. I’m happy for you.” She smiled with a broad grin.

He breathed out deeply. “I think it’s over…”

“Oh, it didn’t even last that long.” She patted his chest for the last time and
took her hands away.

There was no need for her to massage his chest , since the changes were
happing somewhere deep behind the ribs, but he appreciated her wanting to
support him. Indeed, the Modification: Monster Core did its job
efficiently and effectively. And now he had a somewhat heavy and hard
crystal nested deep inside his chest.

[Monster Core obtained, +500MP]

He was able to interact with the system to get a better understanding of this
Modification; It did come with a manual. The core much like his body
stored mana (500MP capacity), however it didn’t have the hard cap. With
time it will grow bigger increasing the maximum mana it can store. And
also, it came with a bunch of other perks.
Discharge Core: Expend the stored mana in your core to empower your
body and your abilities. You grow bigger and stronger, your fists hit harder,
and magic burns brighter. Unleash the final stage of the boss fight on your
opponent!

Implode Core: Are you fighting a losing battle? Are you surrounded by
your enemies? Are you captured with no way out? Implode your core and
make your problems disappear in the glorious explosion.

[Requirements have been met (Monster King). Hidden perk unlocked]

Core Seed: At the decrease of -100MP from your maximum core capacity,
you can implant a part of your core into another monster. The monster will
grow stronger and unlock better perks and evolutions over time, however,
this power comes with a hidden price. The daughter core will retain an
ethereal link with its parent granting you the ability to Shatter it at any
time.

“Okay…” He blinked a few times thinking.

He decided not to test Implode Core because that sounded dangerous.

Well, with his Undying perk, technically he could survive but that probably
would leave him severely crippled and still at the death’s door with 1HP.
The other two sounded promising.

He turned his gaze from the screen messages and to his wife. “It says I can
use Core Seed to implant other monsters with a part of my monster core.”
He began slightly suggestively. “It would give them increased MP capacity
and better potential for higher grade perks and evolutions. Wanna try it?”
He remained quiet about the Shatter part because he didn’t want to scare
her and he would never use that on her anyway.

The Lamia Queen was gazing at him with an obvious interest. “Sss-sure, it
sounds fun. But how does that work?” She gave him a naughty grin. “You
wouldn’t need, sss, to pierce me, sss, to put that core seed in, sss, would
you?” Her hands were back on his chest.
“What? No!” How did she even got that idea… “I think simple skin contact
and mana transfer is enough. Shall we?” He asked putting his hand on her
chest.

“Hit me, sss!”

“[Core Seed]!”

With those words the both of them breathed out sharply. His monster core
contracted, and the Lamia Queen was bestowed with her own monster core.

“[Status]. Yes-sss! +100MP!”

The Monster King here was the rare exception, his current mana pool was
at 4900MP, but a +100MP increase to a normal human would double their
mana pool. So, in other words, +100MP was nothing to scoff at.

He smiled. “I’m glad you like it.” It was good to see her happy and to see
that the experiment worked without any trouble. Even better, as if to
reassure him, his core grew to 401MP, it would take some time to go back
to 500, a day or a week perhaps, even so, it was rather fast, so he wasn’t
troubled by it.

Lamia Queen wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you, dear husband! I
love you!” Her tail slithered around him tightly. “Let me reward you
properly.” Her eyes glowed and she grinned at him seductively.

Needless to say, next he was bound and assaulted by a barrage of kisses.

Then he remembered that over the past week or so, it wasn’t just Bursting
farm animals who he had neglected… Tending to your wife also was an
important job. However, this was no position to be for a man, bound and
subdued by his wife that is. He struggled against the tight bindings to get on
the top.

She, as all Lamia would, had only enjoyed his attempts to escape. “You’ll
put another egg in me. SSS!” She declared then and there.
The first egg hadn’t even hatched, and she wanted another. He wasn’t quite
ready for the double responsibility, and so this time he’d put some serious
effort to escape.

For a time, he was winning, until… “[Discharge Core], SSS!” She

invoked.

Her body glowed and the muscles in her tail bulged in fresh power.
Whatever gains he had made, those were lost that instant. The Spider King
was assaulted with increased vigour. The Lamia Queen became that final
boss he had to defeat. Of course, there was 101 ways for him to escape, that
is if he really wanted. But did he want to? ­– No, not really.

“I have you defeated. S-S-S!” She laughed. “Sss-submit to me.”

“No, I can’t believe I’ve lost!” He said with a fake shock. “I guess I have no
choice, [Transfer Mana].” He topped her up to prolong their play.

“SSS! ”*Smooch*, “S-s-s, that’s right.”, *Smooch*.

The two continued to engage in a game called ‘Hero defeated by Lamia’

play-testing various skills and abilities until the couch they were wrestling
gave up, tapped out, and eventually broke.

The Spider King was in the large room, the room was filled with potted
plants and cages holding the creatures of the Dark Forest. They were there
for him to Evolve, Mutate, Imbue, Harvest, and just experiment however
he wished. Like a kid in a theme park, he was giddy with excitement. So
many options, so many possibilities.

A small desk for him was constructed, he was sitting besides it, on the desk
was a rather small cage with a peculiar creature inside, Shadowling Sprite.
Of all the critters captured, this one was the most unusual. Despite the tiny
wings on its back, they somehow managed to keep the rather big and round
ball in the air. The sprite was grey instead of blue shade called navy blue,
but in his mind, he could imagine it shouting ‘Hey! Hey, listen! Watch
out!’.

On further investigation he found that the creature wasn’t just a ball of light
with things, it had a tangible body. To his surprise it felt like a jellyfish.
Clearly, unhappy at being touched the sprite zapped his fingers, much like a
jellyfish would, making them numb for a few seconds.

The main reason he picked this one was the passive perk the sprite had, it
was called Produce SpriteDust. He still had to see the SpriteDust in
action since the creature just refused to release any, but he had a strong
hunch it would be powerful ingredient in Alchemy.

Oh also, it had the Forest Guardian perk, “I’ve remember seeing it

somewhere…” He paused thinking only to find himself salivating for some
reason. “But I can’t remember where.”

Anyway, he had the sprite on his desk to upgrade it, and without further
notice he poked his finger through the cage poking at it. “[Evolve].”

The inside of the cage shone in the brilliant purple light. Later, his eyes
scanned the upgraded sprite.

He planned more experiments today but, “That was a hungry evolution…”

He lamented at his dried-out mana pool. “At least, it didn’t dip in the
negatives. [Inspect].”

Monster Race: Spirit

Variant: Magic Affinity: 🌟
Shadowling Fairy Dark
🎆🧚🎆
HP:10 MP:500 STA:100 🧁

Active
[Shadow Veil], [Cursed Touch], [Dark Aura]
Perks
Passive [Produce FairyDust], [Forest Guardian],
Perks [Hexcraft]

Resistances [Light Resistance: Medium]

Yes, the creature inside the cage now was a fully fledged fairy. The
miniature woman was no taller than six inches, and she was extremely cute.
Her body was doll-like with big round head and otherwise slim and slender
proportions. Her skin was smooth and radiant, moreover, it was glowing
with subtle luminescence. Her purple eyes were large and vibrant, already
sparkling with mischief but also wisdom. Adorning her slender frame were
purple gossamer wings, resembling those of a butterfly, they too shimmered
with iridescent glow. Her hair was short and black like the night, the strands
were fine and silky allowing them to flutter around her head untamed as if
in water. Truly a magical creature!

“Aren’t you beautiful!” He exclaimed happy with his work.

And of course, “Hey, thank you!” She replied in a tiny but enchanting
voice.

It was pleasant to the ear, unlike a certain ‘Navi’ fairy he knew from his
original world. And, by this point, the evolved monster talking was of no
surprise to him. Of course, fairies could talk!

The fairy gave him a toothy grin filled with razor sharp canines. No doubt
the Dark affinity still did its thing, making the fairy look rather carnivorous
and vicious. Still, in his book, she was very cute regardless.

“Welcome to the Monster Realm, I am the ruler here, the Spider King.” He
poked his finger into the cage for a handshake. “Please, enjoy your stay
here.”

The fairy shook the finger, but… “No, I can’t.” She fluttered her wings in
protest. “I must return to my forest.” She looked at him conflicted. “Thank
you King for Evolving me, I am most grateful, but I have important duties
in my forest. I am the Forest Guardian!” She said so while puffing her
otherwise modest chest bigger.

“I see…” He said while thinking of how to sway this creature to his side.

The fairy wasn’t quite finished. “To show you my gratitude, I’ll gift you
something very special. Something you surely desire.” She beamed another
toothy grin. “Now, will you let me out please.”

He already knew what it will be, no doubt the gift she was speaking of was
the FairyDust. He already had high hopes for that. To reciprocate the
goodwill, he opened the cage letting the fairy out. The fairy fluttered closer,
and he prepared the palm right under to catch all the dust.

“Ready?” She asked with a giggle.

“I am.”

The fairy darted closer planting a kiss on his cheek.

[Debuff active: Confusion], he was hit with the message.

And then, right after, a bunch of dust was thrown right into his bewildered
eyes.

[Debuff active: Blindness]

“Ha-ha, sucker, I’m out!” The fairy darted right out through the window.

The stunt left him stumbling around the room like a fool for good few
minutes.

“That trickster!” He slammed his fist on the desk. “I didn’t even hear her
chanting. I reckon this was Hexcraft, or Cursed Touch.” Or perhaps the
combination of the two to pierce his resistances.

However, there was a minor bonus. “Hey… My mana pool is full…” He

blinked.

His entire pool was restored, likely the after effects of taking FairyDust
right into his eyes. And best of all, unlike potions, there was no Toxicity.

“I have to catch that trickster.” He darted out of the building.

He called for spiders, and everyone was looking, but despite their efforts the
fairy could not be found. She lived up fully to that classic fairy stereotype
where fairies were depicted as being mischievous but also extremely hard to
find and overall elusive creatures. No doubt the fairy’s Shadow Veil came
useful. It allowed her to blend into shadows and avoid any detection.

Hence so, the Shadowling Fairy disappeared without traces.

A few days had passed, and everyone pretty much gave up on looking for
the elusive creature. At first, he expected the fairy to pull some tricks on
him or his spiders to give her position away, but she must have been smarter
than that. Nothing of note had happened.

That was so until he was rudely awakened by a rather rude kick on his nose.
There right by his face was no one else but the mischievous culprit. Her
otherwise cute face was tainted with an awful pout.

“I didn’t realise the size of this place!” She said as if complaining. “No
matter how far I fly, it’s just spiders and webs… spiders, and webs… for
miles and miles, What is this place!” Her face mellowed. “I didn’t realise
how far away I was from my forest.” She was looking at him beggingly. “I
want to go home.” Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “Please take me
home… Bahh!” She began to sob and cry.

The cry must have woken his wife up. “Sss! A Bug!” She swatted at the
fairy without hesitation.
The blow sent the mischievous flyer crashing to the wall and then dropping
limply to the floor.

“What was that!?” The Lamia Queen hugged him by an arm as if scared of
the ‘bug’.

“A Shadowling Fairy, a failed experiment.” He summarised. “But you

shouldn’t have done it.”

He stood up urgently to inspect the forest creature.

“Good, she’s alive, just unconscious.” He poured the Health Potion over
her body.

And so the fairy was recaptured, however, he didn’t want to keep the
creature here against her will. That was what a dark and evil mage would do
– cage the fairy to extract her dust daily. He was a Monster King, and a
Dark mage, but that didn’t mean he was evil.

Later that morning, the fairy was brought to the control deck of the Galleon
Whale. By the request of Centauri, the ship was filled with alcohol, Palm
Juice this time, and was ready to fly back to the Dark Forest. Yes, he will
be returning the troublemaker back to her home. But not without saying a
goodbye first. Hence why he was looming over the tiny bed the spiders had
constructed for the fairy to recover and waiting for her to wake up.

When still, the fairy was beautiful to look at, she appeared so harmless and
benign, which he knew now to be just an illusion; but a pleasant one
nevertheless. While the spiders were finishing their preparations, he
continued marvelling at the magical creature, slightly sad that it didn’t work
out.

The blissful face of the fairy suddenly contorted. “Jee! You are persistent!”
She opened her eyes. “And your breath stinks!” She shot a jab at him.

“Huh?” He was taken aback by the sudden rudeness.

“What are you, a pervert? You’ve been staring at me for hours…”

Oh, so she was awake… he wondered for how long. “*Sigh*, Is that really
what you want to tell me?” He asked with clear disappointment. The high
image he had about fairies was getting eroded by the minute. “I’m letting
you go home, you know….” *Sigh*, “Are all fairies rude and ingrate?”

The facial expression on the fairy shifted through several iterations.

“No, of course, we are not. We are noble and honourable creatures.” She
nodded mostly to confirm that to herself. “I misunderstood your intent. I’m
sorry.” She flew out of her bed and closer to his face. “Your palm please.”

He presented his palm for her to stand. The fairy landed but her wings kept
fluttering. Tiny particles snowed on his palm filling it with sparkling dust,
the FairyDust.

The fairy was left panting and looking sweaty. “I’m all out.” She said
between the breaths. “I’m sorry. And thank you for Evolving me.” Indeed,
her face looked somewhat apologetic.

It might be just another trick, where fairy was just behaving nice to get what
she wanted, but perhaps a bit naively, he still decided to trust her good
intent.

“No problem.” He gave her a faint smile depositing the dust into his
inventory space. “It’s just sad we couldn’t become friends.”

“Oh? Did that kiss I gave you Charmed you? I’m sure it was Confusion.”
She asked giving him a look filled with interest and intrigue.

“No, thanks to my wife’s Charming Gaze I’m near immune to Charm

magic. Neither am I Confused.” He explained simply.

“Friends, huh… But tell me, why are you letting me go? I know my worth,
setting me free just doesn’t make sense.”

“Oh, so you’re aware… Then what was the point to reveal yourself and beg
me to take you home?”
“That… I would have tricked you again, one way or the other. I had a plan,
but it all came crashing down.” She shuddered. “Your wife is ruthless! I
almost died!”

“Please forget that incident.” He looked at her apologetically. “And I’m

letting you go because the very image of a miserable fairy trapped in the
cage is deeply saddening to me. While yes, I do covet the magical
FairyDust, I have no urgent need of it. The small offering you gave me is
enough to satisfy my curiosity. So, I guess, thank you.” He looked at the
spiders who were almost ready. “I guess, we’ll have to leave it at that. Safe
journey, fairy.” He turned around to leave.

“Wait, Monster King.” The fairy flew towards his face intercepting his
steps. “I can’t stay, but we can be friends.” She gave him a toothy grin and
offered her right hand for a shake.

The razor-sharp teeth and narrowed eyes made her look untrustworthy, but
he could feel that her words were genuine. He stretched his index finger for
her to shake. It wasn’t much of a shake since all the fairy could do was rest
her palm on his finger, but that was good enough.

“Friends.” He repeated beaming a smile of his own.

“Yes, friends.”

He was happy, but sad still, such friendship would be a long distance one.
But if he’d put some effort in, he could make it work.

“I’ll come and visit, next time some time.” He promised.

“Yes, please do. And I will smooth the things out with the Forest Spirit.”
The fairy puffed her chest again.

The Spider King’s eyes went wide for a moment. “Of course!” The Dark
Forest much like the Ancestral Forest, had its own entity protecting it. If
anything, that Forest Guardian perk was a clue. The pieces of the puzzle
fell in place and hopefully it was not too late.
“Am… about my spiders. Just so you know, we didn’t invade your forest or
anything like that.” He explained somewhat hurriedly.

“Huh?” The fairy tilted her head.

It seems she had never made that connection. Good!

“Anyway, is there anything the Forest Spirit would like. I would like to
apologise and appease it.”

The fairy tilted her head again. “I’m not too sure where this is coming from
so sudden… But I guess some food offering would be just fine.”

Yes! Simple enough! “We will do that.” He looked at the spider

meaningfully.

Looking back on it, the Centauri Champion did warn the spiders of not
bringing any fire to the Dark Forest, but she said nothing of the Forest Spirit
or its guardians. Well, it was not too late to get a proper permission to set an
outpost there. And the little fairy here was willing in helping him. So, in the
end all worked out, and he obtained a truly magical friend.
 122 – The Spidery Web And The
Maids Who Were Mer

Three highly evolved spiders stood in the room shrouded by darkness. Set
right in the centre, the Dark Flame burned in the brazier. The fire provided
almost no illumination, instead it bestowed the nearby spiders a Darkvision
perk, allowing them to see in darkness.

They were the elites of the elites, the most noteworthy spiders of them all,
the trio were: Trusty Advisor, Spider ArchMage and Lord G Bling. Even if
they were the progeny of the first spider and thus shared a lot of memories,
the paths they took to get here were different, all three were unique spiders
with their own special set of perks and skills.

At first glance, the Trusty Advisor looked like the least remarkable out of
the three. He wore simple blue robes without much flare and embellish, and
the spidery features were rather tame. The spider was a somewhat tamer
version of a spider warrior. The spider was six feet tall, had six spidery legs,
his torso was somewhat slim, the two arms were long with spindly fingers,
and atop the neck was the iconic spider head with mandibles and four
yellow eyes; to put it simply, the features were unremarkable for a spider.
However, the simple appearance was deceptive. The spider here was
exceptionally cunning and intelligent, he ran the Spider Kingdom
singlehandedly. He supervised the MegaFarm and guided the spiders in
their evolutions. But also he dealt with affairs concerning Lamia, Drow,
Kobolds and Centauri.

The second spider physically resembled the Trusty Advisor but was
obviously a mage. The Spider ArchMage wore black robes, a thin veil of
shadows obscured the more detailed features of the robes and the spider
himself. As it is typical for a mage he also had a pointy black hat and a staff
in his hand. The staff was carved out of IronOak and its tip was adorned
with a large crystal, Mana Crystal: Dark. This spider was at the pinnacle
of the magic research, and the highest level Dark mage in the entire realm.
He was the one responsible for creating (by accident) Spider-Non-
Nomicon, inventing the SoulStone and perfecting the Reincarnate ritual.
Many other spiders worked under his guidance to develop new spells and
magical items.

The last spider was the flashiest of the three. Coming from the warrior-
mage stock he was taller and broader than the two, but that wasn’t the most
eye-catching difference. The spider wore an extravagant robe embroidered
in gold thread and encrusted with many small gems. Thick gold chains
dangled from his neck, his spidery fingers were adorned with multiple rings
and his wrists with bracelets. Lord G Bling, was warrior-mage who, by the
direction of the Trusty Advisor, later became a merchant in his life, and then
the Lord to rule over Humans. He managed the trade in the Aurelian
Dutchy, supervised the puppeted duke, and handled other human-spider
affairs.

The three spiders had gathered here in secrecy to discuss the spidery
matters of the Monster Realm.

“It has been a while, Lord G Bling.” The Trusty Advisor greeted the other
spider with a tap on the shoulder.

“We’ve missed you here.” The Spider Archmage did much the same.
“Welcome back.”

“It’s good to be back.” Lord G Bling chirped happily at the welcoming

reception. “Now, shall I go first?”

The spiders nodded.

“Everything is going according to the plan.” The spider grinned stretching

his mandibles wide. “The humans are hopelessly stuck in our web where
escape is no longer possible. We control their food supply and most of the
critical industry. The Covenant of The Black Hand had fled the territory,
and we looted their magical secrets.”
“That was a great boon.” The Spider ArchMage tapped the crystal on the
staff. “Thanks again.”

Lord G Bling nodded. “As of now, with my wife’s help, we have fully
monopolised the alchemy industry as well. Hence, we control food, trade,
magic, potions and soon the military too. The entirety of the Aurelian
Dutchy is under our web. Which brings us to phase two of the Trusty
Advisor’s plan: bringing humans and spiders closer, teaching them the ways
of the Monster Realm and the Monster System. Duke Aurelius had set a
good example embracing it fully, soon the rest of them will follow.”

The other two spiders grinned happy at the news.

The spider wasn’t yet finished. “To speed up the process we started to
recruit the small humans. We’ve found that young minds are more receptive
to the spidery influence. The conversion will take time, but soon they’ll
learn to love the Spider King as we spiders do. It is only a matter of time.”

“Very well.” The Spider ArchMage chirped happily. “And how is your
personal experiment going on? Any success?”

“Yes!” The Lord G Bling chirped all too excited to share the recent
breakthrough. “It was our King who gave a hand. My wife is now an
Alchemical Vesel, and I can transform into a more compatible spider
variant. Hence, as of today, I’m pleased to inform you that a spider-human
hybrid is on its way.”

“Wonderful!”, “Congratulations!”, the two spiders chirped giddily at the

news.

“However…” Lord G Bling began only to pause. “It remains to be seen if

the child would carry the oath we do. And it’s unlikely it will share our
ancestral memories.”

“Even so, this is a great success.” The Spider Advisor chirped to dismiss
such worries. “You could just teach the child, like you said you do the small
humans, no?”
“Indeed, you’re right.” Lord G Bling agreed.

“Ah!” Spider ArchMage exclaimed suddenly. “That reminds me. The Wisp,
overjoyed by the new sapient race, bestowed the Ashen Rabbits with a
peculiar boon, Blessing of The Great Ancestral Wisp. I’m mentioning it,
because you will find the effects desirable. It boosts growth, fertility, health,
and most importantly it lessens the time needed for the individual to mature.
I assume the blessing is there to give a push for new races.”

“I see…” Lord G Bling Chirped with interest. “Then I shall visit the Wisp
and beseech it to bestow the blessing upon our child.”

“Yes,” the mage ruffled under his robe to show peculiar stones, “crystals
filled with squirrel souls. Give them to the Wisp. I’m sure they will like it.”

Lorg G Bling took the crystals without hesitation.

“Which nicely brings us to my report.” Spider Arch Mage clapped his

spidery hands together. “With the help of the Crystal Spider and the
Darkness Spider the research on Mana Crystal: Dark is complete. This
resource is rather scarce, but it is powerful, with its completion we can use
it to power Dark magical devices without the need for a mage. Moreover,
the Spider SoulStone is working as intended. The spider souls, even if far
removed from the Monster Realm, are reaching the Soul Well no
problem.”

It sounded all good, but the Spider ArchMage’s face soured for a moment.

“However, there were unforeseen issues. The well still pulls souls in its
vicinity, and not just spiders. Every day it fills itself with squirrels and other
minor souls. And just to remind you, it has only a capacity of 10000. Hence
why we developed this.” He pulled an already familiar crystal. “The Dark
SoulStone, not to be mistaken with the Spider SoulStone.” The spider
version was more powerful, worked at a distance and was attuned to store
only spider souls. “This little thing requires Dark Spirit Stones to make,
but without it, I wouldn’t be able to extract the junk souls out of the well.
That still leaves us with the many spider souls accumulating in the well.
The spiders who died of old age…”
“Yes, I am also aware of the issue.” The Trusty Advisor confirmed. “But
didn’t we all agree that we want to serve in death as we do in living? Spider
ArchMage, you can make spider constructs, use the souls to power the
spells, or just convert them to mana, you can do anything really.”

“Yes-yes. ”The Spider ArchMage clacked his mandibles excitedly. “But I

was thinking of something grander, something Spidery Magnificent. I
want to make a supermassive construct, a walking Spider Fortress!
Normally, this would be impossible but with thousands of souls coming to
help, I think I could pull it off.”

All three spiders clacked their mandibles excitedly.

“Sounds wonderful and shiny! Everyone would be so impressed!” Lord G

Bling said with the sparkly eyes of an excited kid.

“This is a perfect way to honour the dead spider souls. And they would still
have a job and purpose, and a home of sorts. Lord G Bling, what is the
name of that structure you told me about? – the one where humans put the
old wealthy humans to spend the remainder of their time in rest and
comfort.

“The retirement home?” The spider chirped remembering.

“Yes, the Spider Fortress will be the Retirement Home for the old spider
souls. A splendid idea Spider ArchMage, let’s do that.”

“I’ll need a lot of resources: Kobold Bricks, Glem, Corrundum, IronOak

Wood. And at least a thousand spider crafters, no, make it two, we’ll be
working overnight.

“Consider it done!” The Trusty Advisor agreed readily.

After some time, the Galleon Whale once again returned from the Demon
Realm. The Spider King was standing there at ready, keen to receive the
newest report. And by the distinct lack of a set of lethal weapons which
would otherwise be there to threaten him, it was obvious that Centauri were
still missing.

“Huh, did something happen?” He wondered what the reason was. Since the
misunderstanding about the origin of SapphireScale was cleared, he had
sent the message for them to come back.

A hatch on the side of the ship opened and a bunch of spiders emerged. A
small spider ran straight up to him, likely to give him the report. He listened
the spider chirp energetically to conclude the happenings.

With the help of the Shadowling Fairy the spiders obtained permission to
set a permanent outpost from the Forest Spirit. The spirit in question didn’t
mind the spiders at all, actually, it even attempted to recruit them to serve
the Dark Forest. There was certainly something with the forest spirits and
their like for his spiders; first there was the Wisp and now the Dark Forest
Spirit. His spiders must be really cute! Of course, the recruitment was out of
the question, however, the idea of loaning or hiring the spiders as some sort
of mercenaries was an appealing one. Surely the Dark aligned spiders
would blend perfectly in the shadowy environment of the Dark Forest.

Before all of this, the Centauri had rescued three more Mer. But also, they
stumbled upon some alarming rumours, something they could not ignore,
hence their current absence. The Centauri Champion caught wind of the
location of possible Centauri slaves, the people who failed to flee Centauri
Castle and ended up as captives. The Cream Cheese Cavalry was on their
way to rescue them. Not an entirely smart idea but considering the rash
nature of the Centauri Champion it was understandable.

“Tell them they have my support.” Yes, the spiders will help the Centauri on
their quest.

He smiled at the idea of more Centauri, surely, Bareth would be happy too.
And perhaps they’ll snatch a male or two, a stud to keep the population
going. With those ideas, he went inside to meet the rescued Mer.
Disappointingly so, all three were girls. That made him curse his luck. Also,
they weren’t in the best of shape.
The first one had a fresh nasty scar running across her face and blinding one
eye. The second one had a pink gash on the entirety of the length of her
undertail. The third was famished, but otherwise unharmed; she was the
smallest of the two and clearly a juvenile Mer. Unlike the Day Sapphire the
three Mer were excessively shivering and trembling in the large tank, no
doubt still terrified by the spiders. The best medicine here was to bring them
to the pond where the Mer Princess could explain to them that there was
nothing to fear. The spiders helped him wheel the large tank to the pond,
that, and carry the various aquatic plants to seed at the bottom of it.

Just as he reached the nearby waters an enthusiastic Mer jumped out of the
water to greet him.

“Hello, my King. What is that you brought me?”

“Your roommates. Please be kind to them.”

“Oh, thank you! I was getting bored of being all alone.”

Yeah, the pond was somewhat boring, hence all the plants the spiders just
brought.

However, first, he wanted to address a certain matter. “While I’m here…” A

light ray from the Rainbow Shell hit his eye, he moved his head slightly. “I
would like to…” It was shining on his face again. “… to ask you a peculiar
question.” He tried to move away from the shimmering light, but it just kept
finding him.

“Oh?!” Day Sapphire began expectantly. “Ask away and I’ll obey.” She
flashed her shells at him again.

“I was thinking…” he shielded his eyes, “Are Mer just like Lamia? All
women exclusively, that is?” Knowing his luck that might just be the case.

“Huh? No, we have Mer Men.”

He sighed, “That’s a relief.” A light flashed across his face as if begging for
attention.
Day Sapphire looked at the large tank to wave at her kin who were clearly
spying on the conversation.

“But it is unlikely that our men would be captured by frogmen. You see,
while we tend to our plants, they hunt in the Deep Trench. And also, Mer
Men are better fighters too and less likely to end up captured by a frogmen
raid.”

“That’s something interesting I learned today.” He finally looked at the

annoying source of rainbow light. Surprisingly, the light disappeared as if it
had never been there.

“I filled up since we last met. Do you like what you see?” She said so while
puffing her chest.

Indeed, she gained some weight, but it would be rude to comment on that,
so he deflected the question with one of his own. “Since we have more Mer
now, I grow curious. Why don’t you tell me more about your land?”

The Mer was happy to oblige.

He learned that three massive lakes formed a formation better known as

Deep Lakes, each having a city of its own. As the name implies the lakes
were very deep and also there was an even deeper trench, a narrow fissure
on the very bottom. Deep Trench spawned monsters of various kinds: some
were tasty and useful, others were dangerous and poisonous. It was
rumoured that somewhere in the oppressive darkness of the Deep Trench
there was a Water magic source, but it was a dangerous place to descend so
it was never properly confirmed.

Rumours aside, Mer lived peaceful and quiet lives. Mer women farmed the
Kelp and Clams, and Mer men hunted for fish and monsters. They were
solely an aquatic race, so the Demon Lord never saw much use of them, so
they were mostly left alone. And everything was fine, but then the frog
tribes had attacked. They came from swamps and invaded the Deep Lakes
at the promise of easy bounty. The frogmen were more numerous and better
equipped. Soon the SapphireScales were being hunted like animals, their
meat and scales harvested and traded out for alcohol or weapons.
The real issue was that the Mer, unlike the frogmen, never traded much with
the surface races. And now they were paying the price.

“Surely I could help with that.” The Spider King offered.

“It would never work. The Mer ever more so are cautious of other races.
They would never welcome you.” She shot him down straight away.
“Anyway, let's welcome the new guests. Welcome!” As if to deflect from
the uncomfortable realities she waved at the large tank again.

The Mer were released into the pond, they looked at Day Sapphire and then
at the Spider King, remaining somewhat cautious. However, after seeing the
two interacting with each other so casually, the biggest of their fears were
dispelled.

The plan was to leave them in Day’s care, yet it would be rude not to
introduce himself. “Hello and welcome to the Monster Realm. I am the
ruler here, the Spider King.” He said his line. “Please tell me your names.”

They looked at each other with a tinge of confusion.

“Only royalty possesses names.” The one with a scar across her face replied
while looking at Day Sapphire.

“So how do I address you?”

“We’re Maids, you can call us as such.”

Mer… Maids… “Mermaids?” he asked to confirm.

“Yes, Mer Maids.”

Yeah, by this point he wasn’t surprised by the lack of proper names. “But
how do I tell you apart? I can’t call all three of you just as Maids.”

“Well, we do have nicknames.”

“Then tell me those.” They should have done so from the beginning.
The Mer in question squirmed uncomfortably in the water. “I am Shell.”

“Nice to meet you, Shell.“ He looked at the other Mer. “And you?”

“I’m also Shell.”

He looked at the third fully expecting her to also be nicknamed Shell.

The little Mer hid behind one of Shells, displaying her shy character. “I
am… I am Pearl, I guess.”

“Shell, Shell and Pearl, pretty names for pretty Mer Maids.”

Pearl shook her head in protest. “I’m not a Maid yet.”

Ah, a Maid as in the ordinary System profession! He understood it better

now.

Pearl continued in a meek voice “I’m an Apprentice Gatherer.”

“A very useful profession, well done.” He praised the girl. “Your skill will
come in handy.”

With those words, the kid disappeared behind the other Mer completely. So
Shy!

“Anyway, let me initiate you fully. Here have these gifts.” He took out the
Rainbow Shells out of the inventory. “Please put these on.”

The Mer were quick to realise what to do with the gifted items.

“They’re very pretty. Thank you!”

“Thank you, but why?”

“…”

“Ahem…” He didn’t want to point at their nakedness. “It’s a custom we

have here in the Spider Kingdom. Please wear it at all times.”
The two Mer were smiling contently but the little one had a clear frown on
her face. Unfortunately, for mysterious reasons the shell just refused to
stick; the needed magic just wasn’t there yet. Don’t worry kid, you will
grow!

It was an easy fix. “Sorry, I’ll tell the spiders to modify the shells so that
they fit.”

At that comment Pearl attempted to flee deeper into the pond, only to be
stopped by Shell and Shell.

Good call! He wasn’t done with them yet. “Now May I have your hands
please.”

The Mer looked at Day for reassurance, she simply nodded for them to
obey.

Surrounded by Mer he collected the hands in a buddle, like in a moment

before the cheer part of the pep talk. “Welcome to the Monster System.”
He granted them the access.

The looks on the Mer faces was truly a precious sight. Curious eyes studied
his face more closely.

“Anyway, please enjoy your stay. Get some rest and your health back up.
Day, please tell them in and outs of the system. Explain to them the perks
and changes.”

Changes such as losing their Profession but gaining access to multiple Jobs
instead, plus a skill tree and the potential to evolve.

Just before he was about to leave. “Actually, I’ll fetch someone to tend to
your scars. She has some experience with that.”

With those final words, he left the Mer to chat between themselves.

“Okay girls, please check my status with Inspect.” She said so while
puffing up her chest.
“[Inspect]”, “[Inspect]”, “[Inspect]”, they did just so.

“As you can see, I’m the only princess here. That means I’m in charge of
this pond. Any objections?”

There was none.

“And it’s clear to me now, the Spider King had brought you here to serve
me. Any objections?”

It was only natural; the princess needed her maids.

“Okay, let’s get working and spruce this pond up.” She clapped her hands
eyeing the many plants which needed planting. “And while we're at it, I’ll
tell you all about that charming man you just met.”

Indeed, they were curious about his mysterious power.

 123 - What Is The Symbol Of Love
And Affection?

The Mer Maids looked amazed at their blurry reflections in the water.

“What magic is this?!” Shell exclaimed.

“The scars, they are shrinking!” The other Shell exclaimed as well.

“Magic? - no, a Flesh Mending Potion,” Lady Crimson shook the empty
bottle, “A wonderous thing which had helped me too.” She touched the
right side of her face, there was only smooth skin there.

“Lady Crimson!” Pearl looked at her with sparkling eyes. “Perhaps you can
help with my condition as well?”

“Sorry, Pearl. No potion like that exists.” She gave an apologetic smile to
the little mer. “If it did, I would become a millionaire overnight.”

“Aww…“ Pearl sighed in disappointment.

While the Mer were receiving free healthcare the spider King was getting
ready to boost pond plants. The Mer had planted them already cutting the
work he needed to do in half. He prepared a snorkel and some fins for
himself, the pond was not that deep, but he had to get pretty low to reach
the plants, hence the need for diving equipment.

First, he used Acclimate to make them resistant to the Dark infused waters.
And then he boosted the plants with Unnatural Selection, if left on their
own gradually they would mutate into a new variant. But he didn’t need to
wait for that.
He poked his head out of the water, Day Sapphire was close nearby, she
was observing his actions with obvious interest. To be honest, she was
staring at him the entire time, clearly interested in his unique anatomy. Well,
now he understood better how other race girls must feel when he was
staring at their unusual body anatomy. However, he was rather flattered by
her insistent gaze.

He looked at the conveniently close mer, “Day, which plants do you think
should I Evolve?”

He looked at him thoughtfully. “The whole plant evolution thing is new to

me…” She admitted with clear wonder. “But that somehow would make
them better, yes?” She asked to confirm.

“Something like that, yes. But the outcomes tend to be somewhat random.”

“Look at this,” she pointed at the green leaves gently swaying in the
otherwise calm water, “MerKelp, our primary food source aside from fish.”

“Sounds useful, let’s see what we get.” He dived to get to the plant.
“[Evolve].”

With the already familiar lightshow, the kelp changed into something else.
The green ribbon-like strands of the kelp turned pale white. The Spider
King touched the white leaves, they were slimy to the touch, but also
strangely plump, as if filled with jelly.

Recklessly so, Day Sapphire plucked a leaf to and put it in her mouth
shewing it. “Bleh!” She spat it out. “So bitter. It is inedible.”

Well, he could try to mutate the bitterness out of the plant, but before that,
“[Harvest: Material].”

[KelpCream x1], He emerged to the surface to investigate the ingredient.

The cream was white and silky smooth. Indeed, it didn’t seem edible at all,
however, it reminded him the moisturising hand cream; the feel and
consistency were exactly like it.
“Hey, Lady Crimson?” He called out the nearby woman who was just idly
chilling by the pond. “Check this out.” He swam closer to slap a glob of the
cream on her hands.

The Master Alchemist looked at the sloppy mess in her palm with disgust.
But then her face turned curious. “Could this be?” She shook the excess off
and rubbed the rest on her hands. “Huh?” And then she brought her hands to
her face rubbing the cream in gently. “It feels so soothing. What is it?”

It was almost strange that she knew what to do with it, she did so as if by
instinct. It seems women just had that natural sense for beauty products.

“KelpCream,” he said the obvious, “I reckon it has moisturising

properties.”

“What a wonderful thing!” She touched her face again. “My skin feels so
smooth already. Silky Smooth. What a discovery you made!” She looked at
him with maddened eyes.

Apparently, moisturising creams didn’t exist in this world. This might be a

discovery of the century.

“Well, if you like it so much, I’ll harvest more of it for you. Then you can
investigate the full properties of the cream.”

“Yes!” She clapped her hands excitedly. “You do that!”

He harvested as much as he could, killing the plant in the process, however,

with the Seed Archive it wasn’t an issue. He named the plant CreamKelp,
a boring but convenient name.

“I don’t get it.” Day Sapphire looked at the CreamKelp saplings. “If it
can’t be eaten, it’s not valuable. Why are you planting more?”

“I see… since you’re always in the water you don’t get it. But try staying
out of it and you’ll know.”

“I would get all dry!” She frowned.

“That’s exactly it. The cream here helps to prevent that. It nourishes the
skin restoring it to a pristine state.” Well, that assumption was early but he
was positive it was true.

“Oh! I get it.” She nodded.

It seems she understood.

“With this, I could stay on land for days. I could become a land creature,
just like you.”

Or maybe she didn’t.

“I don’t think that’s how it works… But perhaps you’re right.” That is if she
slathered her entire body with it, theoretically it could work.

Spurred by success, he went to look for another plant to experiment on.

“What is this?” This time he picked a thick leaf floating on the surface. It
was just a green leaf, something a frog would like to sit on.

“MerLily,” Day Sapphire named the plant with affection in her voice. “It’s
not in the bloom yet, but then they bloom the flowers are extremely
beautiful.”

He looked at the plain green leaf, it didn’t look that impressive. But yes,
there was a tiny green ball on the side, the early beginnings of what must be
a flower later.

“Let’s give it a shot, [Evolve].”

The plant responded well to magic, the leaf grew wide and large. The green
turned to dark grey, not an entirely pleasant colour to look at. The tiny
flower bulb soaked the mana from the perk expanding in a sudden growth
spurt. The growth resulted in a big black flower. The petals were many and
despite the colour surprisingly shiny.

“You were right. The flower is extremely beautiful.” He couldn’t help but
admit.
Day Sapphire simply stared in awe at the flower.

“Let’s call it BlackLily.” The name seemed fitting.

He plucked the flower and presented it to Day Sapphire. Surprise flashed

across her face only to morph to an extremely wide smile.

“I accept.” She launched herself for a hug.

It was just a flower, but for some reason she was extremely happy about the
gesture. Needless to say, the lack of his usual robe made the wet embrace a
bit too stimulating.

She needs to learn not to press herself on people so vigorously! “Ahem…”

He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

Day got the hint and released the Spider King from her embrace. The
BlackLily was nested in her blue hair on the side of her head. The flower
further complimented the already stunning Mer.

“You like what you see?” She asked cheekily.

That question happened then he was caught staring.

“I do.” He admitted without overthinking it too much. “Mer are very pretty.
And shiny too.” It was the obvious truth.

“Then, as the custom demands, here,” she plucked a single scale from her
tail, “for you to keep.” She said with a slight blush.

He wasn’t too sure what this was about, but he took the Sapphire Scale
regardless. Just as the name implied, it resembled a precious gem, and no
doubt was of similar value. Wait… if the Mer could shed their scales like
this, this would turn to be a rather lucrative pond. He needed more Mer!

The greed of the Spider King must have been misconstrued because Day
Sapphire gazed at him curiously, her pink blush grew even hotter.

“You’re certainly happy with my gift… I didn’t expect that.”

“Huh? Of course I am!” He raised the scale towards the sun, it coloured the
incoming sunlight to bask his face in a sapphire blue glimmer. “It is
gorgeous.”

“Just like me?”

He nodded… wait why was she fishing for compliments? – he wondered.

Wait-wait… were they flirting? – he suddenly realised. He had a wife! He
was a loyal husband! Yes! He stiffened at those thoughts, praying silently
for forgiveness.

Day Sapphire pouted at him ignoring her question. “But this… BlackLily,”
she touched the flower, “has some peculiar effects.”

He wasn’t too sure what she meant by that. “[Inspect]”, he looked at her
status.

There in her Passive Perks slot was a new perk, Dark Magic
Amplification. She gained it by essentially equipping the BlackLily, some
of crafted items did that, but never the plants he evolved; this was the first
for him. And another ground-breaking discovery!

“The effect sounds extremely useful,” he read the description the system
gave him, “fifty per cent power increase for the Dark spells.”

“But my affinity is Water…”

“Yes, might not be as useful for you. But for the spider mages… they will
chirp in happiness after seeing the flower.”

Day Sapphire simply nodded.

“Perhaps I could Imbue and Mutate the flower to grant it Water affinity.
But for that I would need Water Spirit Stone.”

“I would like that very much.” Day beamed him a smile. “You should be
able to get them in Deep Trench…” She paused realising something. “Oh, I
forget you’re not Mer. You can’t breathe underwater.”
“And, if what you said is true, they would never welcome strangers, not
even for a simple trade.”

“Unfortunately, it is true…” She paused again. “But if another Mer

approached them – it would be different.”

What was she implying? He looked at her asking to elaborate.

The Mer Princess read his puzzled face and did just so. “If you let me, I
could return to the Deep Lakes and try it. Also, the pond is still missing the
fish. I could help with that too.”

Was she… was she attempting to escape from him? – He couldn’t help but
suspect it. Indeed, if he wasn’t so enthralled by the idea of having pretty
mermaids in his pond, he would have just released the captured Mer back
into their lake. But here he was, keeping and entertaining them as his
‘guests’. He was a flawed man…

However, the Mer Princess seemed like an honourable person. And by the
looks of it she enjoyed his company just as much as he enjoyed hers. The
Mer Princess's words didn’t sound deceptive.

“Of course,” he agreed without much hesitation, “I would welcome your

help. Thank you, Day Sapphire.” He bowed to her deeply or tried to since
he was still in the water.

“Really?” She seemed surprised by that reply. “Then, would you allow me
to take a few things to bring home? For trade that is.”

“Of course!” He repeated. “Please advertise our wares and get as many
Spirit Stones as you can.”

“Would it be…” She began somewhat cautious. “Would it be agreeable for

me to invite more ‘guests’ to stay here in the Spider Kingdom?”

“Please do!” He liked where this was going. “And get some Mer Men too.”

She gave him an odd look. “I don’t know… I’ll try. But it’s Maids I’m
after.”
Thinking about it the three Mer were already subservient to her. It was
likely that the princess here was after more servants and not guests or
roommates.

Either way, it works out. “But surely you’ll need guards, get some Mer
Warriors too.”

“No…” She shook her head. “You will protect me.” She said so knowingly.

Yeah, she was right, and there were spiders too.

Day gave him a quizzical look “But why do you insist on Mer Men?”

Telling her that his original plan of breeding the SapphireScales never died
down was not the best of ideas. “It would be sad to see all these Mer Maids
without mates and babies. I want a healthy population, for centuries to
come.” It a sense it was true, that’s why the spiders were working diligently
to finish rerouting the rivers to make the massive lake.

“Babies…” She blushed fixating on the word. “We’ve just started…”

He gave her a peculiar look. Indeed, perhaps the pond here was not the best
place for the young Mer.

“Surely, we will work hard to improve conditions here. I’m sure the lake the
spiders are making will be safe for babies.” He reasoned.

“Oh, you meant later. I see…”

He nodded. “So, please get some happy Mer couples if you can. I promise
to treat them well.”

“I’ll see what I can do…”

“Of course, no pressure. It must be scary to go to some unknown land.” He

admitted that point.

“No… it’s much safer here than in the Deep Lakes. No frogmen, right?”
She asked as if to confirm.
“No frogmen, none at all!” He made a mental note to never invite them
here.

As if fate itself was listening to their conversation, the Galleon Whale was
flying right above the pond, conveniently here to collect the Princess for her
Quest for more SapphireScale.

“Look at that, we better get ready then.” He swam to the shore of the pond.

The third time was the lucky charm, finally, the ship contained dangerously
endowed Centauri. However, it was not the Cream Cheese Cavalry. The
Centauri here were clearly slaves, they looked famished and carried clear
signs of torment and abuse.

“You poor girls!” He scanned the rescues dreading to imagine what they
looked like when the Centauri Champion had found them. The spiders on
the ship had tended to their wounds, but that was just the beginning of the
recovery.

One of the Centauri walked ahead of the herd. And no mistake, the centauri
was a man! He was old carrying grey hair and many scars, but still, he was
a male.

“The Legendary Spider King, I presume.” The Old Centauri bowed deeply
and gallantly, a pose of respect only a Centauri could achieve. “I was told
we will be welcome here.”

“You were told right. You are. All of you.”

The man gave him a weak but genuine smile. Relief flashed on his face,
perhaps because he finally relaxed, or because he was just tired, the Old
Centauri stumbled on his legs, almost falling over.

The Spider King reached to steady the Old Centauri. “Come, you must
rest.” He led the man and the herd followed.
He took a better look at the Centauri, the man he was supporting was
clearly the oldest, but the rest of them were mostly young, or rather young
adults. Actually, the herd was mostly women, just like Centauri Champion
told him before: most men had died while fighting. But aside from the Old
Centauri there were a bunch of young Centauri boys, surely, they’ll grow
into magnificent stallions soon enough. If this world was anything like the
previous one, one stud was enough for fifty mares; nature was wonderful
like that. Surely from here on the Centauri will increase in numbers.

He guided them to the Centauri Camp, a place claimed and inhabited by

local Centauri. The Centauri met their kind with excited nickers. What
followed was a happy reunion. Soon an improvised celebration swept the
entire camp.

The Spider King overlooked the gathering casually from the sidelines. He
was surprised at the great gusto the Centauri ate the AshenClover; the plant
clearly was their favourite food.

That was when he remembered leaving a bunch of rabbits to expand the

Clover Garden. He hasn’t checked on them for quite a while, but seeing
the quantity of the clover here the rabbits must have been successful.
Perhaps, checking up on them was entirely unnecessary.

Also, his presence here was not needed either. So he went back to the
Galleon Whale, the ship was in need to be prepared for the next expedition:
The Mer Princess Quest for More Mer.
 124 – The Foolish Kings With
Wrong Assumptions

Equipped with a protective Swimming Suit and a stack of Magic Scrolls

for self-defence, Day Sapphire was making her way deeper into the Deep
Lakes. The Princess title she had acquired when joining the Monster
System had essentially doubled her MP allowing her to use Hydrokinesis
without worry; the water was propelling her fast like some sort of torpedo.
Even better the suit she was wearing had some interesting properties. She
couldn’t understand why or how, but the water just didn’t stick to the suit
allowing her to swim at even greater speeds. It was something to do with
the Dirt Resistance perk the blue suit held, she was sure of that.

The Mer Princess had a thoughtful look on her face. Needless to say, she
was thinking about the Spider Kingdom and its ruler. He was a strange man
with a mysterious power: to Evolve not only plants but also people;
something like that was unheard of. Even if her visit was somewhat short,
she had seen a wide array of different races working under him; the races
who were clearly coveting The Spider King’s strength and power.

If his words were true, the spiders were working on making an artificial
lake, a place where Mer could live. To claim it for SapphireScales was an
enticing opportunity. And also, it would be safe from frogmen influence.
Moreover, if she played her shells right, she would be the ruler of the lake
and the Mer residing there.

And despite the obvious things like the promised lake, and the uncontested
wealth and power of the Spider Kingdom, she still found the man in charge
charming. And that’s why when he had proposed to her with a Lily Flower,
as is Mer custom, she agreed without much hesitation. While yes, she was
surprised, surprised at how fast the things were moving, her young maiden
heart found it very agreeable. That is why she gave away her special scale,
from a very special place, for him to keep.

However, unvoluntary words escaped from her lips. “But doesn’t he have a
wife already?” She frowned at her own rhetorical question.

Then she thought about it some more, she understood that she shouldn’t
expect it to be any different. While Mer were monogamous, that didn’t
apply to all the races. And clearly someone with many options would want
to take more wives. She didn’t mind, not at all, it was just that she wasn’t
exactly thrilled at being the second wife. That is if she was second and not
somewhere even lower down the pecking order.

“Matters not. I’ll work my way up. Yes!” That’s exactly why she was here.

With those words, the sight of the Sapphire City reached her eyes. She’d
missed the sight of buildings made out of MerCoral and the glimmer of the
sapphire decorations. It was early morning and the Mer Maids would be off
to tend to MerKelp farms and Mer Men to hunt and fish, however it was
not so. The beautiful buildings were half destroyed, broken shells and
pieces of coral littered the lake floor. The only building without much
destruction was the SapphireScale Palace, but even then, the beautiful
scales adorning its roof and walls were all but missing.

The Sapphire City was not devoid of people, they were still there, weary
and tired but even so still picking at the ruins trying to scavenge what was
left, trying to carry on with life.

“Monsters? No…” Day Sapphire shook her head; the monster attack
wouldn’t be this devastating. “Frogmen.” She concluded.

Slowing her Hydro Charge to a reasonable speed she approached the

survivors.

She was met with bewildered looks of surprise.

“Day? We thought we lost you weeks ago. Where have you been? Did you
manage to escape?”
She was shelled with questions. But she had her own.

“How is my father? And the mother too?” She gazed at the palace with
worry.

“Oh dear… How do I tell you this?”

Day’s return gathered the attention of the nearby Mer, who swam closer to
look at her with sad expressions. Surely, they had their own losses, but even
so, they were sad for her too. Those looks were the only confirmation she
needed, she won’t be pressing the Mer Maid nearby for gruesome details.

However, she still had to ask. “And my brothers and sisters?” She had no
less than a hundred of them.

“Some were luckier than others…” The Mer Maid implied. “One of your
older brothers, Coral, he’s the new King now. You should go and see him
now.”

She did as it was suggested, she rushed to the SapphireScale Palace. There
in the palace, her brother gave her the full details. A great force of frogmen
came a few days ago wielding javelins and nets. The Mer Hunters and the
Mer Warriors were here but even so it was not enough. The frogmen
slaughtered the resistance, captured whoever didn’t flee and raided the
Sapphire City for its precious scales. This was the biggest raid so far, and it
was clear that the spot here was no longer safe.

“We have to go and try to live in the Deep Trench.”

That was the conclusion her brother, no, the new Mer King had reached.
The Deep Trench was a dangerous place teeming with monsters, if they did
go there, unavoidably more death would follow. However, it was too deep
for frogmen to reach; unlike Mer, they couldn’t breathe underwater.

“Is that so…” She said knowing that the Mer King had a sound solution to
an otherwise complicated problem, however… “I think there is another
solution. You see for the last month…” She told her story.
Mer King listened to all of it without interruption, however his face went
through various expressions, mostly disbelief.

Once she was finished only then did he ask: “You didn’t go crazy from
grief, or eat some bad fish? Day, you’re telling me fairy tales.” He touched
her arm with worry but also with affection. “Flying ships, monster kings,
evolving plants, scar-mending potions, and other unbelievable magic…
Day, those things do not exist.”

“But they do!” She yelled out in protest.

“Sister, you’ve been missing for weeks and now you tell me these fantasies.
Look…” He paused to look again at her tail where a certain protective scale
was missing. “Whatever happened, whatever those filthy frogmen did to
you… you escaped. You’re safe with us. Please, don’t seek comfort in wild
fantasies! Come, get some rest.”

“No one did anything to me! Not yet!” She yelled while blushing. ”For the
mercy of the Holy Water Serpent, just check my status!”

*Sigh*, “You might be afflicted with Madness. It wouldn’t be surprising.”

He dismissed her claims again. “I’ll guess I have to see it in your status,
then I’ll know for certain.” He grasped her hand. “[Read Status].”

The Mer King’s eyes bulged out in shock from startled amazement.

“Yeah! You see? So please don’t jump to the wrong conclusions so readily.”
She reprimanded her brother. “And I’ve brought items which will only
prove my story. Come, I left them by the entrance.”

It was a bundle of sample wares: food, cloth, potions, and weapons; all ever
more useful because of the current situation.

The Mer King ruffled through the items.

“Enchanted Weapons!” He exclaimed. “With those we could have…” He

shook his head, it was in the past already. “More importantly where did you
get all of this? Did the Demon Lord decide to sponsor us? If so…” The Mer
King jumped to his conclusions yet again.

“Were you listening to my story at all?!” She began to doubt if her brother
was fit to be King.

A strange phenomenon was taking place in the Spider Kingdom. The Spider
King couldn’t help but keep checking his status screen.

“I’m not Charmed, Dazzled, Enthralled or Bewitched; so, what is the

meaning of this?” He couldn’t figure it out.

The Lamia he passed all had charming pretty faces, it was hard not to look.
But they were the same Lamia and not some new girls, yet still, the features
seemed more feminine and enthralling. And it wasn’t just Lamia, the
Centauri fell into that category as well. All the women started to look like
some magazine supermodels, crazy!

The obvious conclusion was an unexpected spell of horniness. He assumed

that since Lady Crimson was here, his wife might have forced her to mix a
certain potion and then spike his drink or something; that was not beneath
the Lamia Queen who was mischievous like that. And the solution was
rather simple – just give her what she wants. He did so, but even then, this
strange spell continued.

Unable to figure out the nature of this mysterious affliction he sought help;
discretely of course. That’s why he was lounging on a well-crafted spidery
couch bearing the entirety of his heart out to the improvised therapist slash
doctor.

“… Perhaps it’s a spell the Mer Princess put on me? She did kiss me you
know, and I’ve heard that some mermaid variants know Charm magic.”

The Drow Assistant made some notes in her notebook. She had that look of
an academian, the only thing missing was a pair of glasses. Yes, she was his
improvised therapist, and she did look the part! Actually, it was rather hard
not to stare at her. Despite her young age, she radiated the aura of maturity
and wisdom, the lab coat and the notebook only added to that charm. She
was shapely in all the right places, her skin was smooth and glistened in the
gentle light, her black hair was tied in a ponytail, and she had that
bewitching glint in her eyes, but most of all she smelled amazing. Oh no,
the condition is worsening! – He realised.

Drow Assistant gave him a piercing look. “No, I’ve checked your status.
Everything is fine.” She dismissed the Mer.

“Then perhaps it was the naughty fairy who stole my lips? She had some
strange Hexcraft perk. Definitely suspicious, right?”

She made more notes in her notebook. “Suspicious yes, but I have a way to
detect the Curses. I assure you, you aren’t cursed or hexed.”

“That’s good to know. Oh and… the patient-doctor confidentiality is still a

thing, right? You won’t tell my wife about any of this?”

“But of course! You need not worry, your secrets are safe with me. We
Drow are known for being trustworthy, are we not?” She touched her chest
as if to emphasise the truthfulness of her statement. “But even so…” She
looked at him with narrowed eyes. “You seem to be kissing a lot of women
who aren’t your wife. Anyone else I should be aware of?” She asked with
shining eyes of curiosity, pen ready at her hand.

There was another one, but he would never suspect his best friend even if
they were a Lesser Eldrich monster with mind-invading abilities. They
were the tightest of friends!

“No, there is no one else…” He lied, the therapist here didn’t need to know
everything. “If not charms, curses or hexes, what do you think it is? What is
the root of my embarrassing condition?”

While in deep thought the Drow Assistant tapped her pen on the edge of the
notebook. Her head jerked up as if in sudden realisation. “Could it be…”
She reached in the pocket of her lab coat. “Are you familiar with this?”
The Spider King took the clay container in his hands; the pottery was
clearly Stone Shaped by Kobolds. He popped the lid right open; the inside
was filled with a rather familiar creamy substance.

“KelpCream, what about it?” He asked nonplussed.

The Drow Assistant gave him a warm smile.

“It seems you still don’t understand… and you were the one who made it,
no?”

Well, not quite, Lady Crimson improved the cream with some select
additives to boost its properties.

Without waiting for his unnecessary reply, the Drow Assistant reached into
her cleavage.

“Hey!” He exclaimed overreacting slightly.

“Don’t be so on edge, this is not exactly the Secret Elf Pocket, but a good
hiding place nevertheless.” She reached deeper. “This is something
extremely valuable to us women.” She finally retrieved a small crystalline
bottle putting it directly in his hands.

The bottle was warm and considering where it was stored it made his mind
go pink, worsening his already bad affliction.

“MeowChanel No 69.” He read the small label; the name sounded

somewhat familiar. “Is this perfume?”

“You don’t know it? But I’m sure you’re the one who made the Sand
Lillies. This is the extracted fragrance of their petals.”

The flower in question grew in the WyrmCity, it was known for its
intoxicating scent that lured the unsuspecting creatures to be trapped in
Quicksand and later consumed as nutrients by the plant roots. But
apparently, the fragrance could be extracted and used for something better
than traps. To confirm all this, he opened the bottle to take a small whiff
from it. The smell was powerful but extremely pleasant for his nose, but
also strangely familiar!

“The Lamia, Centauri, and even you. I was unknowingly smelling this the
entire week!”

Drow Assistant let out a small giggle. “That concludes the mystery of your
affliction. You’re a victim of your own inventions.” She stretched her arm
impatiently towards him. “Now, give it back. It was very expensive.” She
snatched the bottle, dropped a few drops of oily substance on her palms and
rubbed it on her neck and long Drow ears. The bottle was then promptly
corked and stored in a very secure place.

Yes, the smell was alluring but it didn’t afflict anyone with Charm or
anything like that. It was just a universally liked fragrance. “But I still don’t
get it… Why do I feel like this?” He stared at now even more appealing
Drow.

“It’s rather obvious if you think about it. What are these two items used
for?” She asked expectantly.

“The first one is a skin product and the other one is perfume…” It finally
clicked to him. “It enhances the natural charms of a woman!”

“Precisely! It doesn’t show under normal Inspect, just like your Faction
Rep wouldn’t, but each of them gives Beauty +1.” She explained revealing
the secret.

“Ah, I see… so there’s nothing wrong with me. It’s just that you all are
beautiful!”

“Yes, the items are working as intended.” She beamed a charming smile at
him.

“Thank you. Thank you, Drow Assistant!” Overwhelmed by gratitude and

the realisation that he wasn’t just going crazy like some rabid dog; he
jumped out of the couch to hug his improvised therapist; impulsively, just
like a rabid dog would.
He took in the sensation in: she smelled so nice, and her body was soft and
warm. Oh, and that blushing face was a total eye candy. Wait! These two
items were dangerous!

“Worth every penny…” The Drow Assistant whispered fully embracing

him.

“Ahem...” He cleared his throat and stepped away prying himself out of her
rather tight grasp. “Sorry for that.”

“Worry not, everything that happens in this office is strictly under doctor-
patient confidentiality.” She purred suggestively.

Thank you, no thank you! “Once again, thank you Drow Assistant. Let’s do
this professionally this time.” He stretched his arm for a shake of gratitude.

She shook his hand with a pout. “So, Spider King, do I get any reward at all
for my services today?”

He was in her debt so… “What do you have in mind?” He asked the
dangerous question.

She gave him a hungry look. “I’ve heard you’ve obtained a Monster Core,
and even better, you can seed others with a piece of it.” She inched to him
closer. “I very much would like to get it myself, mostly for research
purposes that is. So, would you kindly please put that seed in me?”

His core had grown back to the original 500MP and then some more but
albeit way more slowly. Hence there was zero issue with the request.

“Sure.” He agreed. “That’s the least I can do.”

The Drow Assistant ran to the door and used a latch to lock them.

“Huh?” He was confused by that action.

“Let’s do this!” She swung her lab coat off to the corner of the wall.
While the Drow Assistant still had other layers of clothing on, the Spider
King jumped forward to clear the misunderstanding. A firm hand rested on
her shoulders. “[Core Seed]!” He forced his mana inside.

“Eek!” She yelped trembling slightly at the forceful burst of power ravaging
her insides.

“Here, done. I’m off! [Shadow Walk]” He phased right through the door.

“Tch!” She clicked her tongue. “So that’s how it works…” She reached for
her discarded notebook to make notes. “[Status].” She brought the screen to
note the changes.

At that instant, her slightly frustrated face went completely blank.

Magic Affinity: Fire, Earth, Wind,

Monster Race: Drow
Air

HP:80 MP:1100 STA:80 🎆

📜🧝🏿‍♀️📜
Active [Detect Magic], [Drow Regeneration],
Perks [Elemental Arrow] 🕷️

Passive [Mana Well], [Elemental Affinity],

Perks [Darkvision], [Stealth]

[Elemental Resistance: Lesser], [Poison

Resistances [Evolve?]
Resistance: Lesser]

“I can evolve… I can Evolve!” She rushed out of the office to catch up with
the Monster King. Sensing the trail of magic he had left behind.
 125 - The Trouble Brought By The
Poorly Timed Evolution

*Bang-Bang-Bang*, a series of pounding knocks shook the door.

Drow Assistant had tracked her quarry by using Detect Magic; no doubt he
was behind these doors. But they were locked so…

*Bang-Bang-Bang*

“Occupied!” A frustrated voice informed.

“Spider King, open up. This is an emergency!”

“Oh it’s you…”

“Yes it is I, Drow Assistant. Will you open now?”

“…”

*Bang-Bang-Bang*, she hammered the door with both of her hands.

“This is washroom, you know!” He yelled at her. “Some things can’t be

rushed!”

“But it is an emergency!” She yelled back at him.

“…”

After the sound of flushed water, the door lock clicked and the Spider King
emerged from the cupboard-like room. His robe was ruffled, the sleeves
rolled back, and his forehead dotted with fresh beads of sweat. A funky
smell wafted from inside, but such things were expected and will be
forgotten.

“What is so urgent?” He looked at the drow giving her an annoyed look.

“I can evolve! Evolve me!” She demanded.

“What, really? [Inspect]. You can! But why?”

“It’s the Monster Core I assume.” It pushed her towards finally unlocking
her evolution. “Now please don’t delay It any further.”

He touched her shoulder with his hand. “Good luck, [Evolve].”

His mana dipped to negative, -1000MP, and the blinding light exploded
from her body. The magic was so strong that its pressure by itself was
enough to shove him back into the room. His head spun and he felt like he
would pass out very soon, but not before a slew of messages:

[Requirements have been met (Monster Core, Drow)]

[Drow Assistant received Drider Evolution option]

[Special requirement has been met (Elemental Affinity)]

[Drow Assistant received Drider Destroyer Evolution option]

[Special requirement has been met (Mana Well, Spidery Magnificent)]

[Drow Assistant received Drider BroodMother Evolution option]

[Perk Chaos Blessed was triggered]

[Chaos requirements have been met (Monster King, Drider

BroodMother, Drider Destroyer)]

[Drow Assistant received Drider Calamity Evolution option]

The system was broken to offer her something like that.

“Go home, Monster System, you’re drunk! Ahhh!” The Spider King let out
a pained grunt and passed out on the washroom floor.

The consciousness was returning to his mind, but his head still felt heavy.
He opened his eyes, the vision was still blurry but he could see a monstrous
outline of someone looming right above him. He blinked a few times to
clear the blurriness. His eyes went wide!

“[Shadow Walk]!” He tried to escape but the magic refused to form.

Indeed, he was at 0MP and Negative Mana debuff was shouting at him to
stop trying.

There was a terrifying monster standing right above him! Wait, no, he
recognised the face. Yes, he remembered now, he had evolved her, and this
was the result.

She stood tall and imposing, her upper half was drow-like but her lower
half was entirely spider-like. Her body was in equal parts terrifying and
majestic, exuding the aura of power and regality. She had smooth obsidian
skin which, despite its colour, was oddly reflective and shiny. She had six
piercing red eyes gleaming with intelligence and authority. Her long silver
hair was still bound in a ponytail which stretched all the way down her
back, it give her form the air of feminine elegance. Below her waist, her
body was completely spider-like. Multiple slender and chitinous legs
extended from her torso, each ending in sharp and almost metallic claws.
Her rear side, the spider abdomen, was big and bulbous giving her a lot of
mass and the power which came with it.

“Don’t stare at me like that!” She exclaimed while pressing his robe close
to herself as she would with a bath towel; she was trying to hide her
uncovered body.

At some point, she must have stripped his robe to cover herself. Indeed, the
transformation must have been a violent one, shreds of her garments lay
scattered next to the door of the washroom.
“Why are we still in the bathroom?” He asked somewhat annoyed by that
fact.

With the Drow Assistant looming right above him, he couldn’t even stand;
the tiny washroom was clearly too small for her, not to mention both of
them.

“My clothes exploded, I panicked and ran inside. As you can see, I am
completely in the nude.” She said with a reddened face. “Go get me some
clothes, please. And stop staring!”

He wasn’t doing it on purpose… He shuffled to slide under her and closer

to the door. Her massive spider butt was blocking the access to the handle,
so he tapped it to make her move.

“Eek!” She yelped. “I’m still tender, please be gentle.”

She moved her massive body closer to one of the corners, allowing to
finally open the door.

“I’ll be back with something.” He stood to leave, still surprised at her

managing to squeeze past the otherwise narrow doorway. She was lucky
that all rooms were made spider accessible, otherwise she would be left
naked in the corridor.

But right before he left, “[Inspect].”

Monster Race: Variant: Drider Magic Affinity: Fire, 🎆 🕸️🎆

Drow Calamity Earth, Water, Wind
🕸️🕷️🕸️
HP:1000 MP:2000 STA:500 📜🥚📜

Active [Detect Magic], [Regeneration], [Elemental

Perks Web], [Paralysing Touch], [Synthesise:
 DriderSilk], [Empower Spiders], [Bestow
Rank]

[Mana Well], [Elemental Affinity],

Passive [Darkvision], [Master Stealth], [Egg Layer],
Perks [Chitinous Armour], [Web Mastery],
[Calamity],

[Elemental Resistance: Lesser], [Poison

Resistances
Resistance: Medium]

She was a beast of a woman! Her base stats (1000:2000:500) were now in
tow with his own! And just like Monster Duke she could now recruit
followers and Bestow Rank upon them. Not to mention the fact that his
fingers were itching to get that DriderSilk.

With those news, he ran to the nearest workshop to get something agreeable
with the fresh and improved form of the Drow Assistant. For now a simple
robe will do, and later she could just make her own dress or something,
after all she had that Web Mastery which implied that she could spin all
sorts of designs using her silk.

He explained the situation and the nearby spider helped to cut the readily
available Blue Cloth. Since the Drow Assistant was stuck in the washroom,
hence fittingly so, a simple robe much like a bathrobe was made in the
matter of minutes. He ran back to the newly evolved drow with a spider in
tow; hearing the abridged details the little guy was curious to see her new
form.

*Knock-Knock*, he knocked politely, “I’m back.”

Something big and heavy moved inside the otherwise tiny washroom and
the door parted ever so slightly.
“Thanks.” A hand reached to retrieve the bathrobe. “And sorry for being so
crabby before… if you’re curious you can come and have a good look. I
don’t really mind.”

He was very curious. Drider anatomy was positively fascinating. However,

he was curious about something else too.

“If you can make silk now, why didn’t you just create some clothes?”

“…”

A silence only indicated that the panicked Drow Assistant didn’t think of
that.

Or perhaps not. “What are you even asking?! I wouldn’t do that while you
were still in the room! It’s like you watching me pee. The very idea of it is
embarrassing.” He could hear her squirm and shuffle in the room.

But she said if he was curious, he could come and have a look… Women
were so quick to change their minds! And now he was even more curious:
From where exactly in her body does the DriderSilk come from?

The door finally opened. “And anyway, this was quicker.” She straightened
her bathrobe, which covered her top and thick spider bottom equally
effectively.

“Beautiful!” No, it wasn’t the Spider King who chirped the praise.
“Spidery Magnificent!” The spider was positively ecstatic.

The Drow Assistant smiled at the spider but then her face shifted to the
Spider King; she was looking at him expectantly.

Well, he didn’t want to be outdone by a spider. “You’re absolutely

gorgeous, Drow Assistant. I can’t wait to see you in a proper dress!”

“Oh?” She smiled cheekily at him. “Then I assume you’ll make me one.”

Right, this was on him, but he can turn it around. “If you give me your
DriderSilk, I will.”
For some reason, she blushed, nodded, and didn’t say much of anything
else. The Drow Assistant squeezed her massive body through the doorway
and then the free of them proceeded down the corridor.

A strange phenomenon took place. Every time they passed the spider, the
spider would look with bewitched eyes at the Drow Assistant and join them
on their small wall.

Soon they had a small flock of spiders trailing right behind.

“One. Of. Us.” The spider chirped.

“One of us.” Another repeated.

“One Of Us!” The other chanted.

“One Of Us!”, “One Of Us!”, “One Of Us!” – the flock began the chant.

The Drow Assistant was swarmed by spiders, picked up from the ground
and despite her protests hauled outside the Spider Palace. Not even once did
the Spider King think of stopping the spiders, indeed, this was a moment of
celebration. Drow assistant was the first Drow to evolve, and her new form
was simply Beautiful!

He wouldn’t be surprised if she went to become a spider idol of some sorts.

The Galleon Whale made yet another landing. With high expectations the
Spider King went right inside the ship. The entire cargo hold was converted
to something akin to a massive fish tank, and the best of all, it was full of
aquatic life. There were Mer, yes, but also there were schools of fish
swimming besides them.

Day Sapphire waved her hand at him in greeting. “I’ve brought settlers!”
She announced with a self-satisfied grin.

“Amazing!” He couldn’t help but exclaim giddily. “That’s a lot of Mer!” By

a quick count - no less than a hundred.
“And I’ve brought you this.” She flashed sea-blue stone at him.

“Water Spirit Stone, you got it!” Now he was super excited.

“We did.” She flashed another smile. “Now don’t be shy.” She sent a jet of
water towards him. “Come, get down and greet my people.”

Needless to say, he avoided the otherwise expertly aimed water jet, but he
didn’t mind getting wet. He discarded his royal robe and jumped right into
the waters of the cargo hold.

There, the Mer Princess greeted him with one of her now iconic tight
embraces, yet still surprising him that instant. She gazed at him giving him
a look he couldn’t quite read, her hand lingered on him for a while as if
expecting something, but soon enough she let him go. Perhaps, all Mer
were touchy-feely just like this; he never had entertained that possibility
before. Indeed, in some cultures even something as intimate as a kiss could
be interpreted as a simple greeting.

Day Sapphire swam to his side allowing him to take a better look at the
Mer. They all were SapphireScales of various ages and mostly women, but
luckily he did spot a few male Mer. And also Mer boys, who just like Mer
girls, clung to their mothers as if afraid of his presence.

“Welcome to the Monster Realm, I’m the ruler here. My name is Monster
King.” He introduced himself using the Aura Projection to emit the aura of
friendliness.

“Come, greet him.” Day Sapphire urged her kin.

The Mer were looking at him with various gazes and different emotions:
wariness, expectation, curiosity, gratitude, indifference, all sorts were there.

He stretched his arms invitingly ready for a hug. “Come, I won’t bite.”

A Mer Hunter swam up to him. And it was just a handshake he offered, and
just a handshake was good enough.
“Welcome,” the Spider King began, “to the Monster System.” With that
said, he granted the access.

The hunter looked at his arm with clear amazement and then back to the
Spider King. “Thank you, Spider King.” He gestured to what must be his
wife and child indicating for them to come and greet the King.

Just like that the ice was broken and the Mer were taken under the Spider
King’s protection. Strangely, there were no hugs, only handshakes, so
maybe his previous assumption was not entirely correct. And while he was
at it, the spiders had flown the ship right above the pond.

“With all of you hare, compared to the Deep Lakes, the pond might feel
small and lacklustre. But we are working on the lake. It won’t take much
longer.” He informed them apologetically.

“It will be fine.” Day Sapphire hugged him from the side as if to reassure
him.

“Get ready for departure in…” The spider above the deck chirped to inform
beginning the count. “3… 2… 1… Open the hatch.”

The hatch on the side opened and the ship tilted to the side. The contents of
the cargo hold spilt into the pond. The Mer and the fish, being the aquatic
creatures, handled the momentary waterfall with grace. However, the Spider
King had no such aquatic abilities, the rushing stream of water pulled him
out forcefully, his body tumbled and spun in the water as he was dropping
into the pond below. And then with no grace at all, he was tumbling down
like a rock destined to hit the bottom of the pond.

Luckily, Day Sapphire scooped him up right before he could hit the bottom
and pulled him to the surface, allowing him to recover the lost pride.

“Are you alright?” She asked with a giggle, clearly amused by his water
clumsiness.

“Thanks for the save.”

“No problem.”

“But hey, really, well done.” He looked at the nearby Mer curiously
investigating the evolved plants.

“…” Day Sapphire had a distant look on her face.

“What’s up?” He asked somewhat concerned.

“Not everyone wanted to come. I’ve convinced as many as I could.”

“It’s fine, it’s more than I expected anyway.”

“No, you don’t understand, you see…” She recalled her visit to the
Sapphire City.

He learned about the frogmen and the raid on the Sapphire City. And about
the aftermath of Day’s meeting with her brother, the Mer King. In the gist
of it, the Mer led by their King decided to start fresh in the Deep Trench.
She only managed to snatch up her closest friends, people who trusted her
words, and some other Mer she bribed.

After finishing the story of her quest for more Mer, she hugged him tightly
again giving him big begging eyes.

“But please,” she began, “, even if they don’t want to be a part of your
kingdom, please don’t abandon them.”

He knew what she meant, the Mer King needed weapons and potions to
survive in the Deep Trench. Actually, this wasn’t a problem, this was an
opportunity.

“I won’t abandon them. It would be cruel of me, and mean to you, after all,
they are your people. I’ll help them if they’ll welcome my spiders. You
have nothing to worry about.”

She expressed her emotions by planting a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you!
I’ll repay you tenfold!”
No, it will be the Mer who will repay in the form of monster parts and
Water Spirit Stones. He’ll gear them up to the teeth, and then make them
gather resources for the Spider Kingdom as payment.

And since he was already helping them. “Also, there is the frogmen issue,
and the captives they took…” He understood that much from her story.

“You’ll help with that too?!”

“Sure.” The spider saboteurs were expert at sneaking in the shadows, they
would just recapture the Mer; simple as that, no need to go to war and
expose himself as someone hostile to the Demon Realm. “It won’t be a
problem.”

With those words, Day Sapphire became rather affectionate with her hands.
Too affectionate. Hey, where are you touching?!

“We’re in public.” He grappled her naughty hand. “And please, I am a

married man.”

“Is that so…” She pouted at him.

He couldn’t help but think… recently he grew rather popular with women.
Something to be happy, but apparently the popularity came with its own
trials and tribulations.

To distract her, and himself from the temptation, he pointed at the

BlackLily. “Now I have what I need to mutate it,” he took out the stone,
“Let’s do it!”

Surprisingly, Day invited other Mer to watch it as if it was a show for

entertainment.

“[Mutate], [Imbue]!” He put more fanfare to it than normally.

The flower changed once again, the leaves returned to their green colour
and the petals turned from black to blue. BlackLily was mutated into
WaterLily, an equally pretty flower with equally potent ability. When
equipped it granted the Water Magic Amplification perk.
Entertained by the performance the Mer cheered and clapped for the Spider
King; they didn’t even Inspect the flower for its abilities. Without further
ado, he presented the flower to the Mer Princess.

Mer began to clap and cheer with an increased vigour. And all he did was
just to transform a single flower; they were an easy crowd to please. Day
Sapphire received the floured with the biggest smile he saw so far, and her
cheeks were flushed ping, clearly, she was embarrassed by the crowd.

“Congratulations!”, “Well done!”, “I’m so happy for you!”, the Mer

cheered one after the other.

Truly, an exceptional reception; he bowed to the crowd. And then here she
was, getting naughty with her hands again. And what was this? Another
kiss! His lips were stolen!

He pulled away from a wet kiss. “I’m wondering… Are you on a Fertility+
Potion?” He whispered.

“No… Why? Oh!” Realisation flashed across her face. “I’ll get one as soon
as possible!” Her embrace only tightened.

“Please don’t. I asked because I can’t understand why you are… so touchy
with me?” He asked in a whisper since the Mer still had their eyes on them.

“Huh? Are you embarrassed? Lovey-dovey couples need to be lovey-

dovey!” She said it as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

Couples? Lovey-dovey? “But we’re not a couple, right?” He said it while

smiling weekly, something fluttered in his stomach.

“That’s right! We’re married. I love you!” She shouted it for everyone to
hear.

Strength left his body… and he almost fainted. The trial of the popularity
was too tribulating for him!

Obviously, there was a misunderstanding to resolve before his wife

strangled him and ate all the Mer for breakfast.
“Day, let’s go somewhere more private.” He offered.

She grabbed his arm. “I know just the spot, in the CreamKelp field, no one
will hear us there. Let’s go, I can’t wait.”

She dragged him enthusiastically.

 126 - I Can't Be Your First, But I
Shall Be Your Second! 😚

Hidden behind the dense and thick strands of the CreamKelp the newly
married couple were having a rather intimate moment.

“I’m sorry.” The Spider King apologised for the umpteenth time already.

He had cleared the misunderstanding with the Mer Princess, but that didn’t
solve the consequences he still had to face.

“Please, I understand.” Day Sapphire fluttered her long eyelashes at him.

“You don’t have to tell your wife…” She offered suggestively.

This temptress! Mer indeed were naturally charming. And no, he had to tell
his wife; she was not perfect, but he still loved her.

“I’m sorry Day, there’s just no way I can take a second wife.”

His words didn’t seem to upset her in the slightest. “Hmm…” She thought
for a moment. “If not a wife, then I can be your personal maid, Mer Maid,
right?” She blinked at him seductively.

“Hmm…” It was his turn to be thoughtful.

“Spider King,” she addressed pointing at the sweet spot on her lower half,
“those do not grow back. You need to take responsibility.” She pointed right
at him.

She was referring to the scale she gave him. Yeah, now that he knew the
meaning of the scale, it was rather special.
“Of course, I will take responsibility.” He declared like any man should.

“Then it’s settled, from now on, I’m your personal maid.”

“…”

“Don’t worry, my King.” She purred sweetly. “I’ll have a word with your
wife in person. I’m sure she will understand.”

Was that really a good idea? – He wondered.

“Actually, don’t tell her anything. Not yet. Let me speak with her first.”
Day nodded to herself hatching a plan of some sort.

“Are you sure about this?” He asked with worry.

“It will be fine, trust me.” She reassured. “Why don’t you go and get her.”

“Now?”

“Now is the best.”

Maybe she was right, the longer he kept the misunderstanding going the
worse it would get. And if a strange rumour reached the Lamia Queen that
he took a second wife, he would be done for…

“I’ll get her right now.” He rushed to the Spider Palace.

The Lamia Queen was a surprisingly good swimmer, he had almost

forgotten how much they loved water, especially hot springs. Well, this was
not hot nor was it a spring, either way, his wife swam towards the Mer
Princess and then she greeted her with a wet hug. And a kiss? – Strange.

“Mer Princess, sss,” she hissed happily, “he finally introduces us.”

“Lamia Queen, a pleasure to meet you.” Day smiled at the lamia while still
in her embrace.
Yeah… he never introduced the two. In his defence, he was just very busy!
And at some point, his wife had gone missing on one of her errands. But
hey, this was a good start so far.

Day Sapphire whispered something to the Lamia Queen’s ear.

“I sss-see.” She hissed then looked directly at the Spider King. “It’s time for
the girl talk. Sss-shoo!” She waved at him to go away.

The Spider King gave Mer Princess a questioning look, she just blinked
with her left eye at him giving a mischievous smile.

“Fine. Keep your secrets.” He swam out of the pond giving the girls the
needed space.

But his wife was rather unpredictable, at any moment he feared her turning
on the Mer and trying to eat their naughty princess. So he stayed on the
shore and observed the two talk animatedly from the distance. One of the
mer swam close, pulled herself out of the water and joined him by his side.

He looked at the surprising company, if he remembered the little mer was

named Pearl. She was small and cute, her left arm was decorated by an
improvised kelp bracelet with the BlackLily on top. Perl just stayed there
quiet by his side while making ripples in the water with the slow
movements of her tail. She was giving him sideways glances now and then
but every time he looked back at her she turned her head away from him.
So shy!

The girl talk was taking some time, but by the looks of it, there won’t be
any hostilities. While enjoying the company of his quiet companion, he
continued to wait for them to finish.

Getting somewhat comfortable by his presence Pearl finally spoke up.

“Spider King, what does Evolve? do?”

“Huh?” He looked at her surprised. The way she phrased the question was
peculiar. “[Inspect]” His eyes widened in realisation. “It means you can
Evolve into something stronger, perhaps a different variant of Mer.” He
explained it coolly while being rather excited about it.

The excitement must have rubbed on her too. “What, really?! Does that
mean I will grow bigger?”

“In all honesty, I’m not too sure. You’ll be the first Mer to go through…”

“Let’s do it!” She yelled pumping her fists into the air.

“Sure, why not...” It was up to Pearl to decide anyway. “[Evolve].”

[Chaos Blessed activated], oh no, something wild was about to happen.

Pearl shimmered in purple light and her body began to grow and expand,
albeit in moderate amounts. The tail got longer and so did her arms and
torso. As she grew, she shed all of her sapphire scales dropping them on the
pond floor. The light show ended revealing her new body.

“It’s bigger!” She patted her chest with satisfaction.

“…” The Spider King just stared bewildered.

No, not at her chest, at the Pearl; she had changed so much! The sapphire
scales were replaced by black obsidian. Her blue skin was now a light shade
of grey and her long hair had turned ashen. Her eyes were coloured purple
and her mouth was now full of needle-like teeth. He could count them all in
that broad grin of hers.

“[Inspect].” He invoked with anticipation.

Monster Race: Mer

Variant: Obsidian Magic Affinity: 🎆
Siren Dark
🎶 🧜‍♀️ 🎶
HP:150 MP:200 STA:100 💧
Active [Sonic Scream], [Syren Melody], [Draining
Perks Kiss]

Passive [Obsidian Scales], [Camouflage], [Charming

Perks Voice]

[Water Resistance: Lesser], [Dark Resistance:

Resistances
Lesser]

“My scales!” Pearl had finally noticed, and her broad grin turned into a
worried frown. “They’re all black! I’m ugly now!” Tears began to pool in
the corners of her eyes.

In a sense it was his fault: sometimes, no, rather often, his Dark affinity
rubbed on the creatures he was evolving, and what was done couldn’t be
undone. However…

“Pearl, you’re beautiful. You really are!” He praised to dispel her insecurity.
“Obsidian might be black, but it’s still shiny! Believe me, your scales are no
less precious.” He nodded. “And your voice… It’s majestic.” Indeed, the
sound of it was so good he would end up Charmed if not for his
resistances.

“My voice…” She put her palm on her mouth only to remove it in a shout.
“My voice! It’s different… It’s nice.”

“It’s charming. Sing me a song.” He encouraged.

“Mmm… Okay.” She smiled at him and began singing:

===
My enchanting voice will bind you tight ♫

Let us swim and play in the pond at night ♫

Don’t try to escape, I’ll give you my kiss ♫

Then you’ll fall in my loving… abyss ♫

You’ll find no escape from my tight embrace ♫

My hands will guide you to the enchanted place ♫

Close your eyes, prepare for the bliss ♫

I’ll take your love with my Draining Kiss ♫

===

If the evolution lightshow wasn’t enough to gather the attention of the

nearby Mer, the Charming song did the trick. Mer surrounded the siren to
listen to her short, improvised song. And once she was done a thunder of
applause shook the pond with demands for more. The shy Perl blushed
brightly but granted the Mer their request.

The sudden burst of activity in an otherwise calm pond brought the 'girl
talk' to an abrupt conclusion. The two of them swam to the Spider King
who was happily singing along to the siren’s song.

“Ahem,” Day cleared her throat to get his attention. She was pouting for
some reason. He ought to rename her the princess of pouts; she was doing
that frequently.

He looked at the Lamia Queen, her expression was neutral, she was clearly
not affected by the song, nor was she overly impressed.

“Sss?” She hissed questioningly at his gaze.

“It’s not fair!” Day Sapphire Interrupted their moment slamming the nearby
water with her tail. “Why does she get to evolve first!?”

He could only shrug at that. “Monster System works in mysterious

ways…”

“Enough of that, sss, husband, we must discuss sss-something. Come.” She

urged him with a thin smile.

Oh no… so he was in trouble, of course he was! On their way to the Spider

Palace, the lamia didn’t even hiss a single word. That was until they were in
the confines of the palace walls.

“The Mer, sss, I’m very impressed by them. Especially the Mer Princess.”

“Huh?” He gave her a questioning look.

“She understands who is in charge in here, sss, Mer are now my vassals, S-
S-S!” She laughed. “Finally, I get vassals for myself!”

“Huh?”

“You have Drow, Kobolds, Centauri and others… SSS! and what do I have?
Only Lamia. But not anymore, sss, the Mer now serve me. Me, the Lamia
Queen. S-s-s.”

“Is this what you talked about?”

“Yes-sss, the races with body tails sss-should sss-stick together, is what she
sss-said.” She gave another smile. “Wise she is-sss. I approved that instant.”

“Was there anything else you talked about?” He asked anxious, this
couldn’t just be it.

“Huh?” It was her turn to do that. “Sss… Oh, her only request was for her
to be allowed to become your maid. You’re not against that are you?” She
glared at him. “I’ve already agreed.”

“…”
“You can’t say no, sss, I don’t need Mer Maids, I have my Lamia Servants.
And as my loyal vassals they will serve you right. I’ll make sss-sure of
that.”

That was not a problem, no issues at all. All worked out in the end. But
thinking about that.

“How are the Mer Maids supposed to serve me, here in the Spider Palace,
which is on the ground, and they are in the pond, with no legs…” He just
voiced it out curious about the logic of it.

“SSS!” Realisation flashed across her face. “She tricked me!” The Lamia
Queen hissed sharply.

“No, no. I take it back. It’s fine. I’ll be fine. I’ll have your Mer Maids.” He
jumped to reassure.

“And there is another thing…” he paused steeling himself. “I might have

kissed the Mer Princess a few times, involuntarily of course!” He left the
part where he enjoyed those accidental kisses.

“Sss!” She hissed sharply. “What of it? That’s how they greet royalty, right?
She kissed me later too…” She clearly found that slightly odd. “Mer
customs are sss-strange.”

“Oh… they sure are strange.” He remembered how he got accidentally

married… twice. “And about that lily flower ceremony.”

“Think nothing of it. Everything was explained, sss, but why are you so
fussy about Mer? Is there anything fishy going on?” She asked with
narrowed eyes.

“No… not at all. Nothing fishy.”

“Good, sss. Oh, and you are forbidden from eating them. They are under
my protection, sss, so keep your choppers to yourself!” She warned him
sternly.
Who put that idea in her head? “There is no way I would ever eat any Mer!”
He protested.

“Sss? Really? I’m aware why you got them, and I’ve witnessed the way you
sss-stare at them with your hungry sss-savage eyes. Dear husband, you’re
scaring the Mer Children.”

“…” He couldn’t just go and tell her that he found them simply Beautiful.
“I see. I’ll keep my choppers to myself.”

“You better do.” She slithered to one of the nearby cupboards retreating a
large container. “Now, help me with that. The recent sss-swim washed it all
off.” She handed him the container.

It was filled brim full of KelpCream, no doubt about it.

“Why do you need my help?” He asked nonplussed.

She gave him a naughty look. “There is a lot of tail to cover, sss, and I think
it might be fun.”

He scooped a large glob of it and brought it to her back, surely she wanted
him to help at the spots where she couldn’t reach.

“Lower.”

He moved down.

“Lower”

Even further down.

“Yes there.”

“But…”

“Rub it in, sss.”

He did.
“S-s-s… SSS!”

Indeed, it was rather fun.

Finally, the time arrived to release the Mer into the Dark Lake, it was
named so because of its Dark infused waters. The pond near the Spider
Palace was connected by a narrow canal to the lake so that Mer could visit
him occasionally.

The massive lake was done but that didn’t mean that the work was over.
The bottom of it was still rather barren and a lot of aquatic plants needed to
be grown and planted. That’s where the Mer came in, or course they will be
bringing life to their own home with plants and fish. The goal here was to
farm the Sapphire Scales then they shed them, but also to farm fish and
CreamKelp.

The cream blew up in popularity among the women in the Monster Realm,
it was a necessity they couldn’t do without. There was more demand than
supply and it would only grow once it reached the Aurelian Dutchy.

So here he was planting various plants using the indispensable Seed

Archive. His diligent maid was right at his side as was her duty. She was
rather talkative today.

“I’ve dealt with your wife rather splendidly, didn’t I.”

He was of a different opinion. “You tricked her.”

“No, I didn’t!” She protested.

“Yes, you did.”

“Okay.” She relented. “Just a little bit.”

“Yeah, it's fine. I often have to trick her too; the woman is difficult.”

“Tell me… she demanded a pond full of cream so she can bathe in it.”
Yeah, that was something the Lamia Queen would ask.

“Excessive.” He seeded yet another CreamKelp. “But we’ll get there.”

“…” The Mer Princess went quiet for a moment.

He found her silence strange, she was so talkative just minutes ago, so he
gave her a curious look.

“Anything the matter?” He asked.

“I’m doing well in here, don’t I? I’ve got you more Mer, the Spirit Stones
will soon follow, and I’ve dealt with a jealous wife…” She gave him a
meaningful look. “Shouldn’t the good work be rewarded?”

He couldn’t argue. “It should. What reward should I grant you?” He asked
the dangerous question. “Ah, but since you’re the Lamia Queen’s vassals,
and not mine, it is she you should ask.” He joked.

“Do I need to tell her about the special scale? The one you keep hidden in
your Inventory Space and cherish it dearly.” She looked at him
mischievously. “I bet you honour it every day at night or in the morning.”

There was no ‘honouring’ being done with the scale and he kept it only
because it was pretty! And this was blackmail!

“No… no you don’t. I was only jesting. So, what is it you want?”

She gave him another mischievous look. “I couldn’t be your first, but I shall
be the second!” She declared with unwavering resolve.

“…” He never had anyone come on him this hard.

“Plant your seed in me like you did with your wife!” She demanded.

He turned around to see if there were any other Mer nearby, her words were
very dangerous. Huh, strange, the Mer had mysteriously disappeared
leaving them alone in the kelp seedling field, as if this was planned.
“I shouldn’t…” He protested.

“Why? Just put that Monster Core inside me…” She pouted.

“Oh! You want that! No problem.” He touched her shoulder. “[Seed

Core].”

“Eek!” She yelped swinging her tail.

The deed was done in under a minute.

“Here, you have it.” He smiled at her.

The +100MP increase should have made her happy, however, she was
glaring at him with her signature pout.

“That’s not how I expected this to happen. So entirely unromantic! And

why the shoulder?”

Well, he could use another neutral spot like a hand. “Should I have done a
handshake? My mistake.” He apologised.

“No, a kiss, you dummy!” She stole his lips again.

If anyone asked, there was no fishy business here. This was just a late
midday greeting, a part of a strange Mer custom. The loops and hoops he
had to jump to be agreeable to various races and their odd traditions.

“My enchanting voice will bind you tight ♫. Let us swim and play in the
pond at night ♫.” She began to sing leaning towards him again.

He knew how the rest of the song went; this was becoming rather
dangerous. Mer Maids were dangerous girls!
 127 – The Serpentine, The Fruit,
And The Garden

While the Spider King was gone on one of his many side quests the Lamia
Queen took the reins of ruling the Spider Kingdom. The weight of the duty
was unbearable and the job gruellingly hard. She was forced to lounge on
the Spider King Throne and listen to the woes of petitioners; a labour-
intensive task if you asked her. Her royal rear was planted firmly on the
stuffed and silken pillow, the Divine Pillow, her long tail was resting on the
steps leading to the throne, and she had a bored expression on her face.

In her hand, she had a golden fruit, something she encountered by chance
near the entrance to the Oberon Undermountain. Needless to say, she had
raided the tree bare of its fruits. Not only the fruit was delicious, it also gave
her +1000exp, that’s exactly why she was biting into it greedily as if
starved. The sweet juices leaked down her arm to the elbow where small
droplets tricked down on the throne making it all sticky.

It was past noon already and time for her beauty nap, however, a petitioner
appeared; the first one today, and hopefully the last. She gave an exhausted
look at the petitioner. The petitioner misunderstood that gesture as an
encouragement to speak.

“Mighty Lamia Queen,” the centauri began giving a curtsy bow only the
Centauri could pull off. “I am here to bring an important matter to your
attention. We are out of AshenClover and none remains in our stores…”
She gave a meaningful pause. “If this continues, I fear the lesser Centauri
will revolt.” She bowed again but more apologetically this time.

“AshenClover, sss?” She hissed struggling to remember.

it sounded like a weed and not something she would ever eat. But from the
petitioner's words she understood that it was a type of staple for Centauri.

“How cruel of my husband to force them to eat weeds…” She muttered

under her nose. “I’ll speak to him about this.” She muttered again.

*Mutter, *Mutter, *Crunch, *Mutter…

The Centauri Petitioner gave the queen a nonplussed look. Without getting
a meaningful reply she looked beggingly at the nearby spider. The spider
scuttered close to the Lamia Queen and chirped a whisper into her ear.
Likely explaining the situation.

“SSS! I understand now. So, it is these Ashen Rabbits who are responsible
for the AshenClover production?”

The Centauri Petitioner nodded, and the spider chirped more whispers into
the queen’s ear.

“I guess, sss, I’ll have to go and see what’s happening with them. But do I
have to?” She looked at the spider.

“Chirp-whisper*

“I guess I do… Worry not, Centauri Petitioner, I’ll sss-sort this at once. We
can’t have a rebellion, sss, not when I’m in charge!”

She really couldn’t; that would be a massive dent on her otherwise

immaculate royal image.

“Spider, please accompany me to the nest of Ashen Rabbits.” She

beseeched the nearby spider.

The Lamia Queen went to the Ancient Forest and then north to the
Magical Forrest, that was where the nest of the Ashen Rabbits was
supposed to be. But first, she had to pass past countless odd and strangely
symmetrical trees, their branches turned only at right angles giving the trees
a box-like appearance. Some of them were infested with shadowy vines
which clung to their stick-like branches. The vines shrouded the odd trees in
shadows giving them a spooky look; no doubt, this was the work of her
husband.

“Don’t touch them.” The spider cautioned. “It will Drain you.”

Then she encountered another plant, this time more familiar. A big nut was
resting on a single branch, buzzing and begging to be picked up.

“I know, I know, sss.” She hissed before the spider could speak up. “I won’t
touch it, it’s a TrapBush.” She recognised.

There were other plants scattered nearby, all clearly mutated like the
WitheringCabbage or RootSnare, or BewitchingFern, or SleepMoss,
or… Well, there was a theme: It was as if the entire Magical Forest was
trying to trap you. How these Ashen Rabbits managed to survive here was
beyond her understanding.

“We’re almost there.” The spider informed her.

And true to his words, soon she emerged into a large clearing, no, it was
more than that. It was a beautiful garden, the Clover Garden. The silver
plant she had mistaken for the weed before, the AshenClover, was growing
here in vast quantities. The silvery clover patches were divided by a neatly
paved path of cobbles. The sides of the cobble path were lined by neatly cut
CageBush, it was cut into a perfectly symmetrical cube. Past the vast
clover fields and at the end of the path she saw a densely packed bundle of
buildings. The buildings were made from sticks and leather, and somewhat
wonky in their design, clearly, they weren’t made by spiders.

Once she got closer, she saw the inhabitants of the Clover Garden
beginning to emerge out of their tent-like hovels. It was likely they were
coming out to tend to their gardens.

“That is as far. As I go.” The spider instructed.

She gave the spider a puzzled look.

“I’ve been instructed. To leave the Rabbits alone.”

Ah, another strange command her husband must have issued. Whatever…
She slithered towards the bundle of the buildings. But before she could
reach a rabbit hopped in a sprint to intercept her. At the first sight of the
Ashen Rabbit she knew the creature was a primitive savage, probably worse
than a kobold. It had that feral look and was pretty much naked, with the
exception of the loincloth which he wore incorrectly hence giving away his
sex. Well, at least she knew now that the rabbit was a he.

“Hello, spider.” The rabbit greeted her with a broad smile.

She blinked twice then looked behind her. It was just her and the rabbit.

“Sss… I’m not a spider, I’m the Lamia Queen!”

“Oh! I’m sorry, I just assumed you were a spider. Spiders come in various
shapes and sizes.” He leaned in to sniff at her rudely. “You smell like them.
But also like our Father.”

“Father?” She questioned.

The rabbit just nodded. “I’m Ashen, welcome to our garden.” He offered his
paw for a shake.

She shook it. “You know who I am right? I’m the Spider King's wife.”

“Ah!” The rabbit jumped. “That makes sense. Everyone!” He shouted

putting his hand together near his mouth. “Come and meet the Lamia
Queen, the wife of our Holy Father!”

The rabbits hopped from all over swarming around the Lamia Queen.

It took a while, but she managed to reign in the rabbits. There was so much
wrong with their settlement. The Spider King was clearly neglecting them.
Poor, poor Ashen Rabbits, sss! As his dutiful wife, she took it upon herself
to fix the wrongs.
First things first, she couldn’t bear the sight of these poor creatures eating
only weeds; they looked so skinny and famished. That’s why, she decided to
share her travel ration with them. She opened a large backpack stuffed with
the Fruits Of Knowledge and shared them with the rabbits.

Upon eating it their eyes went wide and they began whispering amongst
each other. Soon they were looking at her with awe filled eyes. Yes, that’s
how they should look at their Queen, sss!

Now that she had their trust, she slithered to fix the second problem: none
of them wore their loincloths right. instead of wearing it on their thighs,
they tied the cloths on their heads wearing it as a bandana of sorts. Wrong!

“You wear it like this.” She fixed the loincloth for Ashen.

“I see… The Father told us to wear clothing, but he didn’t tell us where or
how. Thank you.” Ashen beamed another smile.

“Did he, sss, tell you anything else? Anything of use?” She felt like
complaining.

“Hmm…” Ashen thought. “We’ve been told to grow AshenClover and

expand the garden... Actually, it’s good you came. As instructed, we
expanded the gardens, but now that we have so many children, it’s not
enough for us. And…” He gave an apologetic look. “We have almost none
to gift to the Centauri who visit us.”

“I sss-see…”

Indeed, she couldn’t help but notice that for every adult there were at least
ten or twelve children. The rabbits were rather fertile in that regard, she was
even jealous of that fact. But also, this was the source of their problem and
the Centauri Petitioner's problem too.

“Can’t you just expand the garden?” She offered.

“That would destroy the Magical Forest. We can’t.” The rabbit shook his
head. “The Holy Spirit would be angry with us.”
“The Holy Spirit, sss?”

“Yes, it came to us and gifted us a boon, Blessing of The Great Ancestral

Wisp.”

Right, she saw that in the rabbit’s status screen. Apparently, it shortened the
time needed to rear the children into adults, granted the juveniles the exp
gain boost, but also it increased the fertility for the adults. The latter only
added to their problem. Well, the culprit was known, it was the Wisp this
time. She wasn’t surprised the Wisp was friends with her husband. So
irresponsible, sss!

However, there was a solution.

“How about sss-sending you the TomGrape?”

“No, we’ve been told to be self-sufficient. But also, we don’t like it much.
It’s just too sweet.”

Self-sufficient? – More stupid rules which made no sense. Husband, sss,

what are you doing?

“SSS! If you can’t grow your food here, you can always grow it sss-
somewhere else.” She voiced another obvious solution.

“But where?” Ashen asked the good question.

“You're right, sss, all good spots are taken. You will either need to make
land or take it from someone else. Yes-sss.” She nodded. “I know a good
spot. But first…”

There was another issue, the rabbits here knew nothing of weapons and
nothing of fighting. In a sense they were lucky to be protected by the trap-
riddled Magical Forest otherwise they would have been wiped out by
monsters a long time ago. But maybe that’s why their race reproduced so
rapidly…

“I’ll teach you how to make weapons, and how to fight, sss.” She offered.
Yet another thing her husband neglected to do! Sss!

Luckily, the nearby CageBush provided the already straight and sturdy
sticks in great quantities. And there were a lot of plants nearby which could
be turned into poisons or used as weapons. The Lamia Queen wasn’t a
crafter, but she was competent, and like all lamia should, she knew how to
make a spear. And even better the rabbits seemed to also have a natural
knack for it.

With no time at all, together with everyone’s effort they made an Ashen
Spear, it was infused with the Withering poison. And then they made
Draining Net, it would work great for capturing. And for the times when
the things went bad, they made throwables in a shape of Sleep
ShellGrenade and Bewitching ShellGrenade; those big shells of
BerryNut surely came in handy. By no means the rabbits were adept at
using the weapons, but with more practice, they would get a hang of it.

“You can use these to claim new land, sss, and protect your gardens.” She
patted a large pile of roughly crafted weapons.

“Thank you for teaching us, Holy Mother.”

She smiled at her new title; she rather liked it.

“But, do you know a place where we could start a new garden?”

“Hmm… about that, sss.” She had to think that through.

The rabbits here would need a lot of space. Not only to support their own
population but also to grow enough AshenClover to satisfy the Centauri.
She would tell those fat mares to grow their own food, but unfortunately
they just sucked at farming. And most unfortunately of all, her husband
fancied the nasty smelly food they made from their bodily liquids, meaning
that there was clear favouritism going on. Sss, her husband was a flawed-
flawed man… But she loved him, that’s why she helped to fix his mistakes.

“I know a good plot of land, yes-sss.” She hissed remembering. “A

kingdom in the east had fallen to ruin, sss, and I remember hearing that it
was rather fertile. Yes-sss, you can go there to make your garden.”

“To the east?”

“Yes-ss to the east of here.” She pointed. “Ah, sss, but the trip might be
dangerous…” She paused to think. “I’ll lend you my Lamia Warriors to
help you with monsters, no need to bother spiders.”

“Yes! We’ve been told not to involve spiders in our tasks unless it is an
emergency. Holy Mother, thank you!”

Huh, it seems she circumnavigated another stupid rule.

“Yes, but don’t rush, sss, make more weapons, sss, train your Rabbit
Warriors, sss, and then go east to expand your garden.” She gave them
simple instructions. “I’ll send you help when I get back.”

“Holy Mother, just one more thing.”

“Yes-sss, Ashen?” She addressed the rabbit.

“The fruits you gave to our children. Could you bring us more?”

That was a good idea, the Fruits Of Knowledge would make them gain the
first few Fighting levels in an instant. Moreover, it would work in tandem
with the Blessing of The Great Ancestral Wisp forging the juvenile
rabbits into warriors that much quicker.

“Good thinking Ashen, sss, I will do just that.”

“Thank you, Holy Mother.” He bowed deeply.

Now the rabbits were fed, dressed, and taught how to defend themselves.
She fixed all the wrongs and it felt great! The primitive and savage rabbits
now seemed more civilised; all thanks to her. And actually, she sort of grew
to like them and the title they gave her. With that, it was time for her to
return to the Spider Palace and take her rightfully earned nap.

…
The Ashen Rabbits pushed east through the Magical Forest; they
encountered some monsters but with their new fighting levels and the
assistance of loaned Lamia Warriors they made quick work of them.
Rabbits didn’t eat meat, so they fed it to lamias and offered the rest to the
Holy Spirit, however, they had use for bones and leather, so they took those.

The trek by no means was easy, but they made it to the border of the
Magical Forest, emerging into a more common variant of the greenery.
They looked with horror at the scars of destruction, they were old, but they
were clearly there. The rabbits saw defiled old stumps of trees and other
transgressions made towards the Holy Spirit. They couldn’t help but
wonder what monster would do so.

Later they emerged into a great clearing, no, they were just out of the forest.
As far as they could see there were overgrown plains. A potential place for
the new garden. However, making it so close to the forest was not the best
of the idea, they now understood just how many monsters it housed.
Instead, the rabbits moved further east.

They encountered another strange sight, a cluster of abandoned buildings.

They were made of defiled wood which was half rotten, but the land nearby
had signs of plants growing nearby a long time ago. And the soil here was
deep and black in colour, in other words, very fertile. There was no need to
go any further. The rabbits decided to clear the dilapidated structures and
make their New Garden here.

Luckily, they’ve brought all the seeds they needed, and the ground was not
only fertile but also soft. It was just so much easier than trying to work with
the soil in the Magical Forest; They’d barely need to use their Burrow
perk. At that realisation, everyone gathered to give a short prayer to the
Holy Mother, the one who guided them into this promised land. Yes, the
place was perfect, soon a massive silver garden will replace the dull and
boring colours of brown and green.

However, no place came without its challenges. While clearing one of the
rotten structures the rabbits encountered a local monster. It was clearly a
pest. It was small and stinky, its fur was messy and dirty, and while it wore
some clothes they too were tainted with grime and unwash.
It was Ever, who had found the small pest. The little monster yelped
something incomprehensible at Ever while swinging a rusty knife at her.

“Ever, back away,” Ashen warned.

“I’m just curious,” she protested.

“it’s feral and dangerous,” Ashen stepped in between her and the rabid
monster.

“But it looks intelligent enough. I wonder if we could tame it.”

“Ever, you can’t be serious.”

“But I am, we have Animal Affinity. Let’s put it to use.”

“Last time you did that you got bitten.” Ashen reminded her but stepped
away regardless.

The monster remained warry of Ashen growling and hissing at him.

Meanwhile, Ever retrieved a mix of nuts and berries from her leather pouch.

“Pss-pss-pss,” She made a sound to get the attention of the monster. “I’m
friendly. It's food, take it.” She crouched stretching the offering towards the
monster.

Ashen not wanting to spook the monster further put his spear away and
stepped right behind Ever.

“It will bite you.” He said knowingly.

“Pss-pss-pss.” Ever called again shaking the food in her hand.

With the rusty knife still at hand the smelly monster approached Ever taking
small and cautious steps. Ashen stiffed at that moment but Ever remained
relaxed so as not to signal anything bad to now a somewhat calmed down
monster. The filthy creature reached hesitantly towards her palm and
pinched a handful of the food. It brought it to its mouth and munched on it
greedily.
“Here we go.” Ever said in a calm relaxing voice.

The monster reached again but with less hesitation this time.

“You see, it's working.” She grinned at Ashen.

“Colour me surprised.” He looked with disbelief.

“Now-now, slow down little stinker.” She spoke to the monster. “I have
more in the pouch.” She reached for it to pour more food onto her palm.

Now mollified, the monster munched happily taking small handfuls out of
her palm. Ever reached for the monster’s head to pet it. And then she did the
monster gave her a toothy smile.

“See, we’re friends now.” She looked again at Ashen.

“I guess, we can keep this one.” Ashen shrugged.

And that was the first ever monster they’ve tamed, but undoubtedly not the
last.
128 - The Pleasures Of The Galleon
Whale Cruise

“I’ll see what I can do.” The Spider King cut the mana supply dimming the
Comm Orb which was protecting the image.

The recent caller was Duke Aurelius; the man had brought him an
interesting proposition. No doubt, the duke had his own ulterior motives,
but this was something which would work in both of their favour.

You see, some time ago, the Fertile Kingdom had suffered a devastating
defeat and its ruling class was pretty much wiped out. That resulted in the
fracturing of powers and the fall of the kingdom. Currently, it was ruled by
warring factions of various warlords: some were nobles of the Fertile
Kingdom, others were bandits who had risen to power.

But the biggest and strongest faction was the Covenant of the Black Hand.
They had made their tower in the ruins of the Fertile Kingdom’s capital and
were slowly building their power from there on. They had money and
magic to back them up, however, their right to rule wasn’t recognised by
either the Warlords or the people of the fallen kingdom. Yes, the Fallen
Kingdom is what it is called now.

However, the biggest problem wasn’t the Covenant or the Warlords, it was
something more mundane. Firstly, without the wood elves (who were
mysteriously wiped out) to keep the monster population in check, the
monsters spilt from the bordering forest to devastate the farmlands and the
nearby settlements. Secondly, with the fall of the ruling class, there was no
one to organise a Monster Hunter force to cull the monster incursion. The
two issues resulted in the ever-diminishing harvest. Hence, as ironic as it
might sound, the kingdom once known as the Fertile Kingdom was
currently suffering extreme food shortages and a monster incursion as a
cherry on top.

This brings us to Duke Aurelius's proposal: send spiders to clean this mess
and in turn win the trust of the people. The man himself couldn’t do it for
two reasons: one, he was hated there; two, he was currently at war with the
Holy Empire. Sure, the spiders could sort this mess and they will, but
what’s in it for the duke? – well, eventually, he would get to annex the
Fallen Kingdom into his dutchy. Or so he thought…

The Spider King didn’t promise that outcome hence the words: ‘I’ll see
what I can do’. However, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t send the spiders to
fix that mess of the kingdom. Even better, due to the lack of better things to
do, he’d decided to sort this personally.

He turned to look at the Trusty Advisor.

“I understand. I’ll get the ship ready.” He chirped simply.

The spider was so competent that the Spider King didn’t even need to
explain his intentions.

The Drow Assistant watched the Galleon Whale being loaded with all
manner of potions, and weapons as well. Something big was happening and
her King was going somewhere, presumably on yet another quest. He did
that rather often recently, leaving her to work in the magical workshop
alone. His presence was dearly missed there, his vast mana pool and unique
perks were indispensable in a lot of tasks involving complicated
enchantment procedures. But forget all that, she was his personal assistant,
and it was her job to assist him, hence they should go together!

She used Detect Magic to sniff his lingering mana and track him down. She
found him on the nearby bench just outside the Spider Palace. He was
holding a Sapphire Scale pointed towards the sun, making it glow and
shimmer. The Spider King had a ponderous expression on his face as if
trying to solve an extremely hard problem. He was so deep in thought that
he failed to notice her approach, or perhaps, she was just that stealthy.

She took that moment to straighten her silken dress. The white dress
contrasted well with the natural blacks of her body. It was something she
had made herself out of her DriderSilk, and it held a good number of
enchantments; she was very proud of it.

“My King,” she addressed to get his attention, “I want to assist you on your
Quest.”

The shimmering scale quickly disappeared into his Magical Inventory.

Their eyes met and she noticed a tinge of embarrassment on his face.

At that moment a thought crossed her mind: ‘Perhaps I’ve made the dress
too revealing.’ Indeed, it was rather see-through in some places. However,
she liked that type of attention.

Feeling more confident she puffed her chest. “As your personal assistant, I
insist you take me.” Ah! Perhaps too confident; she regretted using the word
‘insist’.

He gave her a good look over. “If you insist then I must take you.” He
nodded as if to reassure himself. “You’re a drider now and much stronger
than you were.”

True! And not just a drider, the Drider Calamity. Her uncle, the Drow
Highchief, couldn’t believe then he told him; he was positively overjoyed.
But let's leave the Drow schemes for another time.

“Yes, and I have access to all four elemental magics. My combined spells
would surely come in hand.” She boasted to embellish herself.

“True, you’re the only Wind caster we have. And your elemental magic is a
sight to behold.”

It was her turn to blush.

“Drow Assistant, let’s go and check if the ship is ready.” He urged.

“Yes!” She exclaimed with vigour, a small dream of hers just come true.

She had visited the ship on numerous occasions for research purposes, but
she never had flown the thing. They went inside the control deck and even
if she had seen it before she still marvelled at the spidery designs;
something about their style just resonated with her. The buttons and turn
knobs were made for spider hands, and the magical implement to power the
Spider HyperDrive was an actual web, albeit metallic. And best of all the
deck was filled with cute spiders! There was no Drow who wouldn’t find
them adorable.

She took a moment to work with the spider crew producing a small set of
notes. Just minor stuff like the stuff they held in the cargo hold and the Jobs
of each crew member. But also, she began to draft a small schedule. Yes,
everything had to be planned and organised! Not that the spiders needed
much help with that, however, a certain someone did.

With the preparations done, the ship soared to the skies. She checked a
preliminary schedule, the first thing on the agenda was a small stop at the
Great Ancestral Tree. Her King had some business with its spirit, better
known as the Wisp.

The Ancestral Forest, or the domain of the Great Ancestral Tree as it was
known now, was a place she had some bitter feelings about. It used to be
their home before things fell apart, and now was a taboo topic for the Drow.
Needless to say, she felt anxious about meeting the Wisp. But as a good
assistant would, she tagged along at the side of the Spider King.

The Wisp greeted the Spider King with cheer and joy, clearly, they were
good friends. The two expanded some pleasantries and then it was business.

Spider King turned to look at her. “Drow Assistant, how many souls was it
again?”

She had it all down in her notebook, she took a glance. “17 470 Squirrel
Souls contained in 211 SoulStones of various capacities and sizes.”
Spider King gave her a thankful nod. “Yeah, that.” He turned to look at the
floating orb of light. “Is that an agreeable amount?”

The wisp expanded and pulsed excitedly. “More than enough!” The deal
was sealed.

She followed the Spider King and the Wisp to the location at the base of the
Great Ancestral Tree, a Nature Magic Circle. But unlike the elven circles
she saw in her youth, this one was entirely different. Not only it was at least
ten times bigger, the language used for magical glyphs wasn’t elven either;
It was something even more ancient. But there was another surprise, she
could decipher parts of it – they were Spider Chirp; It was a combination of
two languages, a novel method to produce a magic circle. She urged her
hand to draw a rough sketch of it in her notebook.

Meanwhile, the Wisp called his own assistants. The squirrels took the
SoulStones in their paws and buried them in seemingly random locations in
and around the magical circle. The wisp flew in the very middle of it and
began channelling its mana. The circle came alive and the very air crackled
with the green lightning of condensed Nature mana. Drow Assistant
scribbled some numbers and calculations in her book. The magical formula
solutions made her eyes to pop.

“1 000 000 MP…” She voiced the rough estimate in disbelief.

She didn’t know where or how the Wisp was pulling that out, but that must
be something to do with it being the literal manifestation of the will of the
Ancestral Forest. Or perhaps the souls had something to do with that. She
made more notes scribbling a reminder to discuss all of this with the Spider
ArchMage.

The crackling lightning condensed at the altar right beneath the Wisp. If an
untrained eye looked at the item on the altar they would see just a gnarled
stick, while in actuality it was a piece of the Great Ancestral Tree itself,
something the Elves would call a divine-grade artifact. It soaked the
lightning bolts and Nature mana greedily. With the last lightning strike, the
ritual concluded rather abruptly.
The Drow Assistant did a quick Inspect on the item. Its name was rather
ominous, Whispers of Grandeur. She worried it might be a cursed item,
but after checking its properties she found no Curses or Hexes there.
Actually, its properties were rather underwhelming, all it did was to enable
the user to use the Grow spell. The amount of mana and souls used just
didn’t add up to produce so little. Unless the ritual failed or there were some
hidden properties.

Wait… scratch the failure option. The Spider King was ecstatic with the
gnarled stick, he was so happy he was rubbing it to his cheek and kissing it.

“My King, what does this staff do?” She asked just in case he saw
something she didn’t.

“It lets me to convert squirrel souls into Grow spell. Isn’t it amazing?” He
beamed her an excited smile.

“Anything else?” She asked just to be sure.

“No, that’s it.”

Huh, then she didn’t understand what the fuss was about. A simple druid
knew this spell, but also the Spider Kingdom had White Sprigans who
could use it too. But hey, boys loved their toys; she did understand that. The
Spider King ran up to the Wisp to express his thanks and share his
excitement about the divine grade item.

While the two spoke the Drow Assistant couldn’t help but feel self-
conscious, she was rather insecure in the presence of the Wisp. It was due to
her once being an elf, and also, due to her now being a drider. She felt that
their relationship with the Wisp was somewhat strained. Admittedly,
however, over time the Drow had mended the relationship with the
Ancestral Forest, and they even helped with a particularly nasty insect
infestation which plagued the northern forest (now known as the Magical
Forest); so her worry was unwarranted. Yet still, she felt strange magical
pressure coming from the Wisp, it felt rather targeted.
She found a good moment then the two just finished talking. She steeled
herself and asked what had been bugging her for quite some time.

“The Spirit of Great Ancestral Tree,” she addressed. “did I do something to

displease you? Are you still angry with us Drow?”

The Spider King gave her a puzzled look of surprise. “Where did that come
from?”

The Wisp, however, flew closer to her face; she didn’t shrug or shrink even
if his magical presence was overbearing.

“You’ve noticed, I see.” It buzzed. “Of course you did, and the owner of not
one but three talents is bound to be sensitive to all magic.”

The Spider King gave another puzzled look but to the Wisp this time.

“You, of all men, should know the best.” It pulsed in laughter. “Detect
Magic, Elemental Affinity, and Mana Well makes her extremely
perceptive to all magic.”

“Yes,” she nodded to affirm that statement. “That’s why I can detect
Curses. But you didn’t answer my question.”

The wisp pulsed rapidly again before finally speaking up. “Displeased?
Angry?” It pulsed again. “Quite the opposite. I’m happy you grew so well
in your new environment. I was looking so intently because we find your
new form… pleasing. It’s much closer to nature than the elves were.” It
buzzed happily. “Drider: half-spider and half-drow; how splendid!”

The wisp sure did like animals, and no doubt spiders as well. And hearing it
praising her so much, made her wonder that instead of squirrels it was the
spiders who were the Wisp's favourite.

“Wisp, stop that.” Spider King began jokingly. “She’s mine, I’m not loaning
you my best assistant.”

“Tch.” It clicked its non-existent tongue. “A shame…”

For some reason, even if the two were joking, she felt happy that the Spider
King didn’t want to share her.

“Drow Assistant,” He gave her an amused look, “you’re all red.”

“Ahem…” She cleared her throat. “We’re behind schedule, if we want to

reach Aurelian Dutchy by nightfall we should go.”

The Spider King turned to the Wisp. “She’s right. Wisp, thanks again for the
Whispers of Grandeur. See you later, bud.”

The ship was flying at full speed towards the Aurelian Dutchy. And while it
was flying, there wasn’t much for the Drow Assistant to do. She had
updated her notes with the entry of items they purchased from the Wisp
which was mostly Amber. But also there were some shapely furniture,
wood crafts and other novelty items; all made using the Shape Wood spell.
Even if she wasn’t an elf anymore, she still could appreciate this type of
craftmanship. The items were intended as gifts to the Duke Aurelius, who
apparently had no furniture except for the ten times mended and repaired
stool; a fact she struggled to believe.

Anyways, having some free time didn’t mean that she stopped being the
King’s assistant, no, she took her duties very seriously. And as all assistants
should, she worried herself with the wellbeing of the King; and at this point,
it was the future contents of his dinner. He planned to eat a premade meal, a
bundle of cold and processed foodstuff. She won’t be able to call herself an
assistant if she would allow this to slide! No, he deserved a full and hearty
meal, something made with love and nourishment.

Well, while the Galleon Whale was a marvel of magical technology it

didn’t come with a fully equipped kitchen, or kitchen at all. So she had to
improvise, which was not that hard considering her background. With rather
little challenge she assembled an improvised Heat Plate, which burned
using Agave Juice, hence a hot meal could be achieved. And for
ingredients, well, she used something very special; no need to let it go to
waste. She gave it a good scramble and heated it with small cuts of dried
meat and fresh forest vegetables.

She presented the meal to the Spider King.

“Wow, I am surprised. We have no facilities yet still you whipped

something this amazing.” He leaned to look at his plate closer. “It looks
amazing, and it smells amazing. Don’t mind if I do.” He reached with his
hand to eat the food.

She replied with a warm smile. Of course it was amazing, it was nourishing
and made with love! Actually, judging by how quickly the Spider King
devoured the food, she might just have outdone herself here.

“Magnificent, eleven out of ten.” He rated it while still licking his lips. “I
didn’t know I missed fried eggs so much. But tell me, where did you get the
eggs?”

“What do you mean?” She asked somewhat confused.

“Well, it’s not like there are chickens here. I haven’t seen any. The eggs you
got are simply delicious, I wonder what’s the name of the creature who laid
them. Did you get the eggs from the Wisp? when we go back, I’ll ask it if I
could adopt these creatures.”

She blinked twice. “Those were Drider Eggs.” She said the most obvious
thing there was.

“I beg your pardon?” The Spider King's face went blank.

As the wisp once said: ‘You, of all men, should know the best’; it was the
Spider King who evolved her so he should know that she had that Egg
Layer perk. Ever since that day, she would lay one egg: infertile and
otherwise unwanted. However, it was packed with nutrients and latent
magic, she knew because she ate a few unwilling to waste them.

“The egg you ate, I made it.” She told him with pride.
“…” he stared at her for a good minute. “Well, it was super tasty. Thank
you.” He bowed very deeply for some reason.

No doubt, he was just extremely impressed by her cooking skills.

“If you liked it so much, I could make this for you every day. Ah, but not
more often than once a day.” She said the latter apologetically. “Unless…”
She didn’t get to finish.

“A part of me wants to say no… but another part of me demands more

delicious eggs. So, it’s once a day? I’m lucky the egg is ostrich-sized.” He
gave her lower bottom a curious look.

The Drow Assistant didn’t know what an ostrich-sized meant but that
sounded like a compliment. And clearly, he desired more than one a day, the
Spider King was being greedy here, but she was in a good mood so…

“With the use of Fertility Potion+ I recon I could lay three or maybe
even… five with the right stimulus.” She speculated.

He jumped out of his seat. “No! No, let’s not do that. One is enough, thank
you very much!”

She couldn’t understand the root of his overreaction just now.

“Are you sure about that? I don’t mind you know.”

“No-no, I’m positive. And just in case, stay away from that potion.” He
warned her rather sternly.

She took her notes out and made a note to investigate the side effects and
possible hidden properties of the said potion.

Noticing her nodding the Spider King’s face mellowed and he sat back in
his chair. Soon a gleeful look was back on his complexion. “Cakes, Pies…
and maybe even Tiramisu…” he was muttering some strange incantation.

She wrote the strange names in her notebook, more strange and unknown
things to investigate. Just as she finished the spider chirped informing them
that they soon be landing in Aurelian Duchy’s capital.

“My King, we need to strap in.”

“Ah, yes. Thanks for reminding me.”

So absent-minded! How did he manage so far without her? – Another

mystery to be solved. She noted that in her notebook.
 129 – The Clash Of Dark And
Light, Plus An Opportunistic
Paraglider

Somewhere at the border of the Aurelian Dutchy:

The sun hung low in the sky as the battle between Corrupted Humans and
the noble Holy Empire erupted on the battlefield. The air crackled with
magical energies in anticipation of the incoming battle.

The Holy Empire had gathered ten armies for this skirmish. Three out of ten
were renowned and noteworthy: High Inquisition, Royal Mage Corps, and
heavy armoured Imperial Knights; the rest were your rank-and-file levied
peasant armies. With staffs held high, the Royal Mage Corps invoked the
chants for their spells and launched the first slew of the Fire Balls arching
in the air. This was the signal for the heavily armoured knights to launch
their charge. Right behind the noble knights were your rank-and-file
peasant recruits, the rest of the six armies. The brilliant and shiny
inquisitors were scattered among the common men, both to give them a
morale boost and also to heal them when the time came. All of them
charged shouting a single phrase: “In the name of the Holy Light!”.

The Corrupted Humans were vastly outnumbered; the ratio was 10 to 1.

However, it would take a fool to underestimate this Dark Force. The
corrupted wore heavy armour, it was black like the night itself; and while
they weren’t mages they still had a hold on magic. It was the expensive
Magic Scrolls which they burned with no restraint. They launched their
own projectiles, and those were Dark in nature. But it was not the offensive
magic they’d used which made them formidable. Soon a Dark Cloud was
summoned to obfuscate their entire army.
That made targeting the Corrupted Humans harder, however, this was a
battle on a large scale. All they had to do was keep firing in the general
direction of the cloud and they still would hit someone. The Dark Cloud
kept expanding and soon swallowed the front of the charging Imperial
Knights.

No one here wanted to fight at night then the dark forces were the strongest,
hence the current time of early morning. Unfortunately, it seems that the
darkness couldn’t be avoided.

“Tch.” High Supreme Master General Commander No1, the one loosely in
charge of the combined armies, clicked his tongue.

It was hard to direct the men when you couldn’t see what was going on.
However, everyone here was trained to deal with such situations. All they
had to do was to follow the simple order: kill everyone that wasn’t human.

No1 observed the battlefield from the Earth Tower erected by his earth
mages. That’s right, even as the battle was raging on the earth mages
worked hard to erect ramparts and other defensive structures both to protect
the archers and to prevent the enemy from advancing on them. The wind
mages were scattered among the ranks of archers to boost their arrows,
however, with poor visibility of the enemy that was of little use. The few
remaining inquisitors worked their magic to keep the encroaching darkness
at bay.

There in the distant cloud of darkness, No1 observed pillars of light making
pockets in it to reveal the horrors the inquisitors had to face. It was
surprising to find that an Inquisitor Paladin was equally matched with a
Corrupted Human. But it was of no big concern, eventually, the combined
armies would surround the Dark Force and achieve their victory.

The strategy was foolproof with few things which could go wrong.
However, the battle just kept dragging on. Even if outnumbered, the
Corrupted Humans proved rather difficult to corner and kill. Even worse,
they somehow managed to launch a counterattack of their own. Hidden in
the centre of the Dark Cloud something nasty was brewing on. Large
projectiles in the shape of barrels were launched towards the earthen
ramparts of the Combined Imperial Army; It was a siege weapon of sorts.

“Tch.” No1 clicked his tongue.

No need to worry, not yet. The mages shot the flung barrels out of the air or
used Wind magic to direct them away. However, in doing so they scattered
strange blue powder in the air; it seems that it was the content of the barrels.
Some powder burned off and some were blown away, however, some of it
reached the men of the Holy Empire. At that moment they became sluggish
and lethargic.

“The debuff is BlueDust, it causes Torpor and Sleep eventually.” One of

his commanders relayed the findings.

No1 didn’t expect to see the use of Alchemical Weapons on a large scale,
especially for siege weaponry. Not here and not so quickly, those took time
to get ready. But even still there were Clerics to deal with such stuff, and
they did so splendidly.

“Tch.” He clicked his tongue again.

The BlueDust was just the beginning of it, some of the flung barrels carried
highly flammable oil, and worse it was of a magical nature and hard to put
out even with magic. You get hit by that, you die; the water mages did what
they could but those were few in number; a known problem in the Holy
Empire.

Such an attack was bad for morale, and it was frustrating not being able to
see what was happening in the guise of the Dark Cloud. But surely similar
tactics were employed in the depths of it as well.

“Tell Clerics to deploy the Magical Shield”, he ordered one of the

commanders.

The spell was a protective dome-like barrier; it was perfect to counter

ranged attacks, but rather costly in the MP upkeep.
However, since the enemy gave the position of their siege engines, all he
had to do was order a magical barrage on that place. And he did just so.

The fire mages protected by the barrier spent their time to conjure a quick
ritual, summoning a large Fire Meteor. And hopefully dealing the decisive
blow to the Corrupted Humans.

Duke Aurelius looked at his Lantern Bearer, a young Corrupted Human

entrusted with holding the Dark Flame. It was a great honour, however, the
newbie was shaking in his boots.

“You have nothing to fear! The Dark Force is with us! Now, come closer I
need to see what is happening.”

The newbie obeyed still trembling at the horrors of the war.

“Aha, got ya!” Duke Aurelius locked his eyes on the nearby inquisitor and
her squad. “[Dark Bolt], [Dark Bolt], [Dark Bolt]…” He spoke rapidly
and the pages in his Dark Tome burned one after the other.

The paladin shrugged the first bolt and fought off the second… however, by
the twentieth bolt, she shrieked “[Sacrifice: Light Bringer]” and just fell
like a puppet with her strings cut.

With the burst of light, the darkness was dispelled and the inquisitor’s
comrades turned their murderous looks towards Aurelius. Worse, they were
also boosted by the sacrificial spell.

It was just the Monster Duke and his poor minion Light Bringer versus
twenty men.

“Don’t you die on me.” He threw the newbie a potion and drank one
himself.

[Toxicity: 20], the message informed. It would be a near deadly amount for
a normal man, luckily, he was not normal. Thank you, evolution!
“[Dark Blast]” He burned the scroll to stagger the charging men.

The air was saturated with Dark mana allowing the Dark Empowered
perk to work its magic. The potion he just drunk gave him a temporary
boost in strength. And also he had that passive Super Bulky. The three
made him a walking breathing weapon of mass destruction; someone
worthy of the Monster Duke title.

The tome right behind him was burning one page after the other as he kept
firing the spells at the charging men killing another few in the process, but
also he was running to face them in his own charge. Like the behemoth of a
man he was, he crashed into swordsmen like a boulder immediately killing
two in his maddened Trample. Swords came from all angles probing his
Glem armour for weakness; there was none, he was completely surrounded
by heavy metal. The only weapon which dealt damage was the recently
retrieved Holy enchanted sword.

Aurelius took damage with little care, it was painful but the HP soon will be
replenished by the Regeneration Potion+. He swung his fat arm using the
Mace Slam; he carried no mace there or even a weapon, yet still, the heavy
blow right out exploded the Holy Sword’s new wielder’s head like the
TomGrape under a hammer. The sword gained a new wielder, but that man
suffered much the same.

“Monster!” One of the remaining five shouted accusingly.

Aurelius didn’t bother to reply, yes, he was a monster.

“[Dark Blast], [Empower], [Rend Flesh], [Body Slam].”

The truthspeaker was crushed into a paste. The remaining four turned to run
away.

“Idiots. [Dark Bolt], [Dark Bolt], [Dark Bolt]…”

Only fools tried to run away from someone capable of magic. With the four
dealt with the Dark Cloud rushed back in to hide the atrocities of cold
murder under the shroud of shadows.
Duke Aurelius looked at the newbie Lantern Bearer, he was awfully pale.

“Well done, Minion.” He praised the newbie.

The newbie didn’t do much in this fight, however, he didn’t run away at the
sight of twenty charging men. If he did so, Aurelius would be left blinded
by the cloud and would be in a pickle. Indeed, the newbie earned his praise!

Similar scenes unfolded all around inside the Dark Cloud. Well, there were
less use of Magical Scrolls and more use of various Potions and
Grenades.

The Aurelian Army primarily consisted of pale-faced and heavily geared

men and women, the proper name for them was the Aurelian Order. The
order was broken down into multiple parties of five, two Dark Knights, one
Shadow Rogue, two Scroll Squires, and one Lantern Bearer.

Those parties were currently engaging the Imperial Knights and dealing
with them in all sorts of manner.

A Fire Grenade was thrown at the healer, viscous FireAgave Juice clung
to her otherwise pristine white ropes. Soon she was enveloped by the hot
embrace of the all-consuming fire. She shrieked startling the men nearby,
they tried to put the fire out, but the end result couldn’t be prevented.
Without the Healer the rest of the squad soon succumbed.

A Frost Grenade froze the front line of the charging swordmen turning
them into icicles. A nearby Cleric did his best to dispel the Frozen debuff
saving five lives, but not before ten could be claimed with the Dark Arrow
aimed directly at their heads. Worse, a figure cloaked entirely in shadows
ambushed them from the rear and killed the only mage capable of Cast
Light. Everyone found themselves staring at the impenetrable darkness of
the abyss, and soon death followed.

A rank of Imperial Knights was bundled up in a circular formation. The

shields were big and sturdy and enchanted too. The knights were here to
slay their enemy but were forced into this defensive manoeuvre. Dark
spells battered the shield wall from all sides, but the knights were trained
and knew how to weather such siege; all they had to do was to wait for the
enemy mages to run out of mana, and then they would launch the
counterattack. The Dark Arrow assault stopped but neither of them wanted
to break the formation, not yet. That was the powder of the strange Blue
Dust that found its way past their shields. The terrible need to lay down and
sleep assaulted their minds. They were well trained so they fell asleep while
still standing, yet still, none of them would ever wake.

The Spider King was informed that Duke Aurelius was currently out of the
capital, and since he came by it would be rude not to say hello. With the
flying ship, a side journey wouldn’t take that long anyway.

The Galleon Whale reached its destination and the Spider King went to the
deck to get a good look at the unfolding battle. From high above all he
could see was a shadowy carpet covering what must be the epicentre of the
battle. He recognised the spell, it was Dark Cloud but cast on a massive
scale, likely through ritual magic. The Holy Empire armies were
surrounding the cloud from all sides, however, for some reason they
hesitated to fully charge right into it; or perhaps they just couldn’t.

Indeed, there was an improvised defensive structure right at the side of the
cloud, clearly staffed by mages, archers, and reserve forces. It even had an
earthen tower overlooking the whole of it.

From within somewhere nearby the earthen tower a nasty spell took hold.

“Fire Meteor.” Drow Assistant informed him helpfully.

The vast amount of magic was pooling midway between the battlefield and
the Galleon Whale, that was the spot where the spell was taking shape.
Judging by its placing it was aimed at the centre of the Dark Cloud.

“Should I try to counter the spell?” She offered.

Indeed, she could try to do that with either Water or Wind magic. While he
wasn’t here to do the fighting for Aurelius, he couldn’t just stay and watch;
that would be cruel.

He nodded in affirmation.

“I’ll try, but I’m not sure I can do it in time.”

The Drow Assistant pulled on her magic beginning to form a spell of her
own. And mind you, while she was only a single mage her MP pool was at
2000MP, 20x of a human mage. However…

“Oh, no!” She yelped in alarm.

The human mages finished theirs first. A massive ball of fire began its fast
descent towards the ground.

“Oh well, you tried.” He put his arm on the Drow Assistant.

She broke her spell midway and the two just looked at the falling Fire
Meteor with resigned faces.

“…”

However! Not all was lost.

A beautiful figure of a winged and radiant woman emerged from the

darkness. As hard as it would be to believe, at that moment a magnificent
and shiny light enveloped the dark cloud; no doubt it was the work of the
Divine Shield. The meteor crashed on the magical barrier plunging it into
the flames, however, the magic held and only a few pieces escaped down
below through a few cracks.

With her magic spent the Radiant Angel plummeted like a rock to the
ground, clearly inflicted with Negative Mana debuff. Noble sacrifices like
this, shouldn’t be left to go to waste!

“We must rescue her.” The Spider King declared and started sprinting to the
lower deck.

“I’m coming with you!” The Drow Assistant ran right behind.
It was a tad bit too dangerous to land the Galleon Whale here, instead they
will be making an aerial drop. Admittedly, something the Spider King
always wanted to do. A certain stunt was at work for quite a while, he
wanted to use it to impress the Aurelian people but since the Duke wasn’t
there… Anyway, the time was as good as ever.

“Are you ready?” He asked.

“Yes!” Warrior Leader Jr chirped.

You see, the spider here was a child, or more precisely the most recent
reincarnation of the Warrior Leader; the original royal mount perished due
to old age. While the Spider Warrior Jr wasn’t yet as massive as the
original, it worked to an advantage for the stunt the Spider King was about
to pull.

He mounted the spider and they jumped through the already open hatch.

“Wee!!!” The spider chirped soaring in the sky.

Right in tow, the Drow Assistant ran up to the ledge only to stop abruptly.
She looked at the distant ground below with hesitation.

“What was I thinking…” She sighed. “Not like this!”

High Supreme Master General Commander No1 was keeping a keen eye
not only on the ground below the tower but also sky above. A white spot
floating in the sky caught his attention.

“A monster?” No1 warranted a guess.

It would not be unheard of for the Evil Forces to employ flying monsters.
Perhaps this was the trump card of Corrupted humans.

“Ha!” He grunted a short laugh. “Too late.”

Fire Meteor was already falling to strike a decisive blow.

“My Seeing Lens.” He commanded the nearby servant.

He needed one to inspect the flying monster better. Even if it came late, he
would still need to deal with it.

“What a…” He had no words to describe what he saw through the lens. “It’s
not a monster!”

He still couldn’t believe his eyes. Such magical implements were

impossible! But here it was, hovering above the battlefield.

An explosion shifted his attention away from the flying ship.

“Tch!” No1 clicked his tongue.

Somehow, there was a Divine Shield, a high-level Light spell that

protected the Corrupted Humans!

“This is nonsensical!” He had to pinch himself and check his Status for any
foul play like Illusion.

“It was that traitorous angel.” A nearby commander explained.

“Yes, the accursed woman! I’ve wondered where she disappeared to.”

Well, that mystery was solved.

“Tell the mages to aim the next attack at that flying thing,” No1 instructed.
“Wait…” He motioned the mage commander to wait.

He spied something else emerging from the flying ship. A deep frown
formed on his face. And it wasn’t just him who noticed; everyone had their
eyes on it.

A monstrous winged spider emerged from the ship, and it had a rider. The
rider used the height advantage to fling Dark spells at his Royal Mage
Corps. The attacks were powerful enough to shatter the Magic Shield
outright. It seems that the flying ship wasn’t their ace, it was… it was…
“Whatever fuck this is… What is this?” He pointed at the monstrosity with
clear frustration.

“It’s…” A nearby Scribe fumbled with his words. “it’s the Monster King!
1050:4500:500.” She gave the three numbers HP:MP:STA.

The frown on the No1’s face only deepened. Those numbers didn’t look
good, the king of monsters was equivalent to the small battalion of mages, it
wasn’t surprising anymore that he managed to shatter the Magical Shield
so easily.

“It seems there is more!” The scribe pointed at the distant flying ship.

Indeed, another monster was emerging from its side, it didn’t have wings
but used a web ladder to descend instead. He spied at the monstrosity but
couldn’t quite understand what it was supposed to be, some sort of half-
humanoid and half-spider. No doubt a product of some extremely evil Dark
magic.

“And it is?” He asked the scribe.

“It’s…” she fumbled again. “Drider Calamity. 1000:2000:500.”

“Excuse me, did I hear that right? Calamity?”

The scribe was pale and drenched in sweat, she simply nodded to the
question.

No1’s frown was replaced by the expression of someone in deep thought.

He was here to test the strength of the Corrupted Humans, to gauge their
abilities and to probe their defences. He wasn’t sent here to try to save the
entire world from abomination which had a Calamity tag in its name! As
frustrating as it was, the current battle was at a stalemate, however, with the
appearance of the spider duo, the bloodbath would follow.

“Signal the retreat!” He commanded with all his authority. “We’ve seen
enough.”

It was stupid to fight an enemy you knew so little about…

130 - To Follow The Thread Of The
Spider But Yet To Remain
Oblivious

For some unknown reason, the Imperial Army had decided to retreat. But
perhaps it was for the best; pursuing them would mean leaving the Dark
Cloud and the strategic advantage it offered to the Aurelian Troops.
However, their retreat meant that Duke Aurelius was victorious, and a small
celebration soon followed.

Saying all that, the war was nowhere near its end and most of the gathered
army had to stay to protect the Aurelian Dutchy from any further attempts
of invasion.

The Spider King didn’t have time to linger and participate; there was a tight
‘schedule’ for him to keep to. He congratulated Duke Aurelius and all that,
and currently, he was back in the Aurelian Capital. A short stop here was
made to bring Elisabeth the Radiant Angel back to her home to recover; she
still was under the effects of Negative Mana and the magical coma it
induced.

He looked at the massive building. “Is this her home?” He asked somewhat
confused.

The Drow Assistant looked at the map again. “I’m positive this is the
place.”

“But this is…”

The structure in front of them was clearly a temple, a rather new addition to
the Aurelian Capital. The temple stood tall, its imposing spires and
oppressive walls were made out of blackened Kobold Bricks. The intricate
brickwork was adorned with delicate statues of spider crafters overlooking
the street below much like gargoyles would. The IronOak entrance doors
were broad and tall as if they were made for a giant, or perhaps a massive
creature like Drider or even the Warrior Leader Jr. The entrance too was
guarded by stone-carved figures of two spiders, the spider warriors this
time.

The inside was packed with cold stone pews and right above them the tall
ceiling was decorated with intricate patterns resembling a web. The narrow
windows were letting only so little light hence leaving the entire hall
shrouded in shadows. There were no candelabra or candles to give light,
however further in the hall, as the centrepiece of the temple, there was a
massive lantern with an equally massive flame burning inside it. The flame
burned cold and was purple in colour, and instead of light, it granted
Darkvision.

The temple wasn’t devoid of visitors, all of its pews were actually full. The
pious were rather young, and all wore the same type of garb – a simple
spider mass-produced blue tunic. The pious quickly turned to look at the
Spider King and his two assistants.

It seemed he had interrupted a mass prayer of some sort, but he couldn’t

help but think of who they were praying to. No doubt someone who was
spider-related, and judging by the dark atmosphere some sort of a Dark
Deity… But why would a Radiant Angell be part of this? Her otherwise
Light alignment just didn’t seem to fit the theme.

Since the interruption was already made and everyone was now staring at
him, it was as good time as any to pose the question.

“Do you know her?” He pointed at the woman resting on the Warrior
Leader Jr back. “We’ve been told she lives here. As you see, she’s
unconscious because of Negative Mana and will remain so for some time,
but a good place to rest would be appreciated.”
The gathering of the pious rushed to the angel. The worry on their faces told
him that they recognised the woman, and indeed that she was involved with
this temple.

“How’s the war?”, “We were praying for her.”, “Will she be alright?”, such
and so was said all at once.

He answered their questions to the best of his ability and soon their
attention was directed to his two assistants. They were clearly interested in
Warrior Leader Jr.

“The biggest spider I’ve seen!”, “So majestic, so noble…”, “What did you
eat to grow so big?”, so and such was said between the awed oh’s and ah’s.

And then their gazes shifted to the drider, and if they were interested before,
now they were overly excited.

“A half-woman and half-spider? How is this possible?”, “She’s blessed, I

am so envious!”, “Her form is so beautiful. She is perfect!”, they spoke
excitedly over each other.

Drow Assistant, clearly embarrassed by the prodding looks, stepped back to

hide behind the Spider King; not that it was effective with that large and
spidery body of hers.

“I can see you worship spiders, and I understand your curiosity, but I need a
place for Elisabeth to rest.” He tried to bring the pious back to the subject
that mattered.

“It’s not spiders we worship, it’s the one who made them.” A pious woman
explained. “And the Radiant Angel is his messenger. Her bed chamber is
nearby, let me show you.” She began to lead them. “Ah!” She exclaimed
realising something and then turned to the spider and half-spider to give
them a grovelling apology. “The corridors…” she began swallowing hardly.

Yes while the hall was alright the rest of the building was made to
accommodate the ‘moderate’ sizes of the humans, the two of his even more
generously sized companions simply wouldn’t fit.
The grovelling woman was almost on the brink of tears at that realisation.

“It’s alright.”, “It’s Okay.” He and his assistant spoke at once.

The companions wouldn’t fit so he was the one to finish this. The Spider
King scooped the angel from the spider’s back and carried her through one
of the doors on the side of the hall. The narrow corridor was filled with
doors on both sides, much like a dormitory would. Indeed, the massive
temple wasn’t just here to accommodate the prayers but also to house the
pious as a monastery would.

The woman leading him still had a concerned look on her face.

“… We just didn’t think the spiders would ever need to come to the servant
quarters, you know. It is we who serve them, so… And the two were just
too large… it seems we made a planning mistake…” She was mostly
muttering. “And thanks for bringing her back, but who are you?”

The question took him back slightly. It even kind of hurt a bit… Was he
really that unpopular?

“Oh, right. I’m still getting used to this.” The woman spoke out
apologetically. “[Inspect].” Then it was her turn to become staggered and
be at a loss for words.

The Spider King smiled sheepishly. “That’s right, I’m the Spider King. But
I don’t want you to scrape or bow so don’t worry about it. Let’s just
continue to her room.”

The colour in the woman’s face returned and she did just so, however
without uttering a single mutter this time; which somehow made it even
more awkward. And it didn’t help that the corridor was excessively long
and that Elisabeth had decided to live at the very end of it.

Eventually, the room was reached and the doors opened. The room was
small and rather simple: bed, table, chair, wardrobe and a mirror; it was
without much flair or flourish, however, there was an oddity. He couldn't
help but notice a set of peculiar equipment hanging on a wall next to her
bed: whip, rope, blindfold, handcuffs, and other stuff like that. Well, it was
not up to him to judge what the Radiant Angel did in her spare time, so he
wouldn’t. He just laid her to rest in the bed.

“If she simply rests she will recover, no other action is needed.” He
informed the pious woman just in case.

“I understand.” She replied almost robotically.

The side quest was over and it was time for him to get back on track,
however, just before he could take the first step a weak hand grabbed him.

“Spider King, you’ve saved me.” Radiant Angel spoke in a barely audible
whisper.

“You woke sooner than I’ve expected.” He was genuinely surprised.

“I’ve been awake for some time already.” She admitted.

“I see…” Even if so, she was in no position to walk, so he didn’t mind her
pretending to be asleep. “Just so you know, you saved the Aurelian Army.
Well done.” He commended her.

“I know…” She tightened her grip. “Don’t go. Don’t leave me. Not yet.”

He looked towards the doors, the pious woman was already out and closing
the doors behind her. He found it strange she left the two of them without
saying anything.

“Elisabeth, I have a quest to fulfil, I must go.” He informed her unwilling to

mess up the schedule the Drow Assistant worked so hard to plan.

“Not yet.” She looked at him beggingly. “Stay with me.”

People, then put in a vulnerable condition, often desire the company to feel
more secure. It was basic instinct and he understood that much.

“I can’t. But I think I have something that will make you feel better.” He
gave her a meaningful look.
“You do?” She looked at him expectantly.

He nodded. “Get ready, here it comes. [Core Seed]”

With those words, he lost some mana and she gained some. It was just a
100MP however it was still a significant amount.

Elisabeth looked at him with wide eyes. “I’ve gained a new skill.”

“Yes, Monster Core, it raises your MP capacity.”

She shook her head ever so slightly. “No. I mean yes, I did get that but also
unlocked a skill from my skill tree. It’s called Initiation.

He inspected her status and indeed Initiation was there.:

Initiation: At the cost of 100MP bring a Corrupted Human closer to the

Light and change their monster race to Angelic. The target will be
recognised as your follower (Minion) and will be rewarded with a random
perk and increased status points. Your angelic power will grow with the
amount of followers you have converted.

The skill was very similar to Duke Aurelius’s Bestow Rank; both of them
created Minions.

“Oh! Isn’t that amazing!” He was happy for her and not jealous that she
could create minions; not jealous at all!

“Yes, with this, more followers will flock to my cause.”

“Mhm, mhm.” He nodded. “And that cause is?”

“To serve you and your spiders of course!” She said it as if it was the most
obvious.

“And I was worried you were worshipping some Evil God.”

“What?! Oh you mean the Holy Light, no, I’ve seen past its trickery and
deception. And so do the followers I’ve gathered. With this skill, Initiation,
we will grow stronger and will eventually challenge the false and evil
deity!” She said all that with maddened zeal.

Yeah, the angel here was a bit crazy. But hey her vigour showed that she
had recovered from the worst effects of the Negative Mana.

“Just don’t go overboard with it, and don’t force the Initiation on anyone.”
He cautioned.

“Of course, only the most worthy will be rewarded.” She gave him a
conspiratory grin.

“I see…” In that regard he didn’t want to meddle. As long as everyone was

willing and it did no harm to his spiders there was no problem. “Well
then…” He stepped to leave.

Once again a hand stopped him. “Won’t you stay, just this time?”

“I’m afraid I won’t, the Drow Assistant is waiting for me.”

Disappointment flashed across the angel’s face but only to be replaced by a

smile soon after.

“Be good, my Lord.” She released her grip on him.

He couldn't quite understand the meaning of that sentence, however, “You

too, be good,” he replied.

===

===

War or not, the web was cast onto the Aurelian Capital; escape is no longer
possible.

Under the directive of Lord G Bling, the spiders were working diligently to
bring the spiders and humans closer together. It didn’t take much to achieve
their trust and now the spiders were as respected as any human if not more.
However, the Master Plan required much more than that; the trust was only
the beginning of it. Now the humans needed to learn the ways of the
spiders, or as a certain angel would conveniently call it The Way. By the
way, the angelic woman herself was an incredible asset which only sped up
the process. Thank you Spider King for Evolving her and sending her this
way!

As it turns out, the young humans were the most receptive to the spidery
teachings so the spiders began to gather them first. They started by
stretching a helpful thread to their parents:

Do you have an unruly child? Do you need a babysitter? Are you just tired
and need a day for yourself? – fret not human, send them to SpiderCare®
and the spiders will look after them all. For free! With three meals and a
bed included! And why not just leave them there? For a day, or a few… or
maybe even a week! Or even more!

Do you have a teenager who needs an apprenticeship? Look no further, the

spider crafters are recruiting, and as we all know there are no better crafters
than spiders. Send your kid to SpiderWorkshop® where they will learn to
be the best craftsmen they could ever be. If it need be, lodgings and meals
are included!

Are you lost? Maybe you just don’t know what is your place in this world?
Or perhaps you are looking for somewhere to belong? It might be that you
just want to do good but don’t know where to start? If so, visit the
SpideryTemple where lost souls gather in search of The Way. It is a place
where you can meet like-minded people and spiders, and also gather
together to build a better place.

With those threads the web was cast and soon it was full of eager humans.
There, ever so slowly, ever so subtly, the spiders whispered their whispers:
work is joy and joy is work, and there is no better joy than to work and be
of service. To whom or what ‘of service’ the humans were the spiders
would often omit. And it worked better if they told the little humans that
they were bettering themselves, or society or the world in general… But the
spiders knew who they all were really serving and for what reason; the
Soulbound duty had to be upheld and it would as long as the spiders lived.
Soon the human minds will be theirs!
However, that was only a small part of the Master Plan. The second phase
was an uncharted territory and the hardest hurdle to overcome. The spiders
might have tangled the human mind in their web, but the body remained
human and hence imperfect. The Corrupted Human was a move in the right
direction, however, a spider hybrid was more desirable, more Spidery
Magnificent if you will. Yet still, the spider and a human were so far
removed from each other that a hybrid seemed only as wishful thinking.
Luckily, the ever-ingenious and now legendary spider, Lord G Bling, solved
the unsolvable and moved the Master Plan closer to completion.

The first spider-human hybrid will soon be born, and from there the spidery
thread would only spread further. The plan was to intermarry the hybrids
with other humans and thus extend the spidery influence even further.
Having the spider blood in the human veins would mean that they too
would have to follow the oath the first spider made. Only then they would
experience the true joy of service, only then they would understand, and
only then they would be allowed the full truth: the spiders live only to serve
their King and this is The Way.

But of course, the more – the merrier, the bigger the spidery influence – the
better, the bigger the nest – the greater the joy …
131 – Some Monsters Just Should’t
Be Tamed

The flying ship was making its way through the sky; beneath it were the
wast lands of plains. Before the land was known as the Fertile Kingdom but
now it was just the Fallen Kingdom. The reason for the name change was
obvious: the once bountiful fields were left to fallow and most of the
settlements were abandoned. But of course, there were good reasons for
that, namely the raiding bandits but mostly monsters.

Indeed, if one looked below the deck of the Galleon Whale, they would
notice a roaming band of ferocious monsters. Those were the common
Forest Drakes, they were lizard-like monsters or miniature dragons if you
will. The biggest one was the size of a large warg and unlike the real
dragon, it couldn’t use a breath attack. The band of drakes were heading
towards the seemingly abandoned settlement, probably in search of food.

While it was a common monster in these parts it was the first time the
Spider King had encountered the drakes. He used a nearby magical
implement, Spider Scope, to increase the range for his perk, “[Inspect]” he
read the details of the biggest drake in the pack.

Monster: Forest Drake Alpha Status Effects: Famished

HP:250 MP:50/50 STA:200

Active Perks [Ferocious Bite], [Tail Swipe], [Rallying Roar]

Passive Perks [Venom Fangs], [Regeneration], [Leader]

[Physical Resistance: Lesser], [Magical Resistance:

Resistances
Lesser]

Indeed, the stats told him that this was a boss monster, however, it wasn’t
that strong. A good party of four or six humans should be able to take it
down easily. However, it was not the individual strength of the alpha which
made the drake band a threat, it was their sheer number. A quick count told
him that there were at least over a hundred.

“Look’s like a good morning exercise.” He concluded and headed to the

lower deck.

His noble mount, Warrior Leader Jr, was already waiting for him in
anticipation.

“Go time?” He chirped with expectation.

“Go time!” He mounted the spider.

The hatch on the side opened and the spider jumped out stretching his
wings. The wings weren’t an actual part of the spider, it was yet another
magical item, SilkWeb Seraph. It was a masterwork quality glider made
out of DriderSilk and reinforced with Living Wood. The exotic materials
allowed the item to carry a set of powerful enchantments: Reinforced +3,
Gliding, Cloaking Veil, Stealth, Speed Boost, Projectile Deflection,
Terror +2. The last enchantment was more of a side effect and not an
enchantment, but it was there and couldn’t be removed. Actually, it was
more like a feature and not a bug, yes, let’s look at it like that.

The spider and its rider cut the sky gliding right towards the pack of
monsters. The drakes were perceptive monsters and soon caught the sight of
a massive flying spider. Needless to say, they weren’t too pleased about it.
Luckily, they were landbound dragonoids (no wings) and were just forced
to watch and groan at the incoming threat.

The alpha roared rallying its minions around itself. It was commendable
that neither of them broke and attempted to flee. But that didn’t mean that
the lesser drakes didn’t try to hide behind their bigger brethren who
managed to shrug off the Terror debuff.

The gliding spider would soon reach the band of drakes where a fierce
bloodbath would ensue, however, it didn’t mean that the two wouldn’t use
the air superiority to their advantage.

“[Bombardment].” The simple chirp escaped the spider's mouth.

You know when you shake an apple tree, the one which is full of ripe apples
and they just start hailing down on you one after the other in a heavy and
painful rain? – this was much like it.

PetallBalls fell on the unsuspecting drakes and burst on impact clouding

the entire area in dust, hence afflicting the drakes with Torpor or Sleep if
they were weakwilled. And only then did the spider SLAM! right into the
centre of the pack. Yes, there were better ways to deal with the monsters,
safer ways too, but the two just wanted to have some FUN.

“Warrior Leader Jr!” The Spider King exclaimed not too pleased. “You
squished the alpha to a pulp!” He complained.

Yeah, the massive spider had slammed into the alpha drake much like a
hammer would at the ripe TomGrape; there wasn’t much of the drake left.

“Our legendary battle is over before it even started…” He said with

disappointment.

Indeed, with the leader dead the drakes succumbed to Terror and were
fleeing to all sides.
“Sorry, not sorry.” The spider chirped simply shaking the loose scales and
bits of flesh off its spidery legs. “[Deactivate]” He chirped again folding
the wings of SilkWeb Seraph needly to its sides. “Let’s see who. Can catch
and kill. The most.” He proposed.

It was easy to forget that the flying mount was more than that, he was also a
warrior and had that warrior spirit.

“It’s on!” The Spider King flashed the spider a grin. “[Transformation:
Spider],” he shifted into a more agile form.

The use of Transformation was not an attempt to get the upper hand
against the large spider, it was actually done out of respect. He was a mage
and would easily win this fight, hence an unspoken rule of the competition
was that no magic was allowed; however, the use of perks was fine. Okay,
let's admit it, it was a lie; he did it to gain the upper hand… There was just
no way to otherwise compete with a massive spider!

The two now stood equal, both were spiders. The hunt began!

The Spider King used all of his extra legs to quickly catch up to the fleeing
drakes.

“[Spear Thrust],” he jabbed at the nearest one.

Surprisingly the drake dodged the attack rather expertly. The forest drakes
lived up to their reputation of high agility. He tried again without much
luck; running and swinging your weapon was harder than one might think.
Or maybe he just lacked practice.

“Argh!” He yelled in frustration missing again. “[Spin Web: Net]”, he

finally gave up trying to pierce the monster.

A jet of threads fired from his free hand and quickly formed a net in the air.
The net landed on the drake wrapping around it and arresting its
momentum, soon it tumbled to the ground – Trapped. The use of the perk
drained his mana to produce a purple magical web, however, this was not
against the spirit of the competition because technically this was still a perk.
With the drake now stationary it was a lot easier to strike at it successfully.
He turned around to see how his companion was doing. His jaw slung open
at the sight: the humungous spider was just using Trample on the lesser
drakes mowing down them in his relentless Charge; the spider was a
combine harvester and the drakes his wheat.

“I need to step up my game or else…” He started towards the nearest drake.

The Spider King still had one more trick under his spidery chitin.

“[Discharge Core],” he spent the mana stored inside to power boost his
abilities. “My final form!”

Much like a boss monster at the end of his HP he glowed in magical red.
The magical energy empowered his spider form making it grow larger,
stronger and faster. The nearby drakes clearly felt the change and fled with
ever-increasing vigour.

“You can run but you can’t escape!” He yelled at the running drake.

The legs under him moved so quickly that the image of them blurred and he
was running faster than the wind. However, speed would not be enough to
catch up with Warrior Leader Jr. He needed to up his damage dealt per
minute.

“[Spin Web: Binding Thread],” he formed an elastic rope and attached it

to his spear. “Get over here, [Spear Throw]”, he tried.

He expected to harpoon and pull the drake closer for a finishing blow but
instead, due to his heightened agility and strength, the blow was powerful
enough to practically explode the side of the drake. And best of all with a
quick thug of his arm, he had the weapon back for another throw.

“[Spear Throw], [Spear Throw], [Spear Throw],” he was firing like a

mobile auto launcher; six-legged-boosted empowered-boss-spider mobile-
spear-auto-launcher!
The spear projectile was aimed at the drakes with merciless precision
making quick work of the monsters. It was good that his weapon was
Reinforced otherwise it would have broken from abuse a long time ago.

In the end, some of the drakes managed to escape but mostly they were
dealt with.

The two spiders met to tell the tally of their kills.

“57,” Warrior Leader Jr chirped contently.

“32…” He said with resignation. “I guess you are named Warrior Leader for
a reason. Congratulations, you won. Well done.” He commended the
bloodied spider.

“And my price is. A Monster Core.” He chirped his demand.

“Indeed, you bested me fair and square. I think you deserve it.” He paused
to look at the spider apologetically. “But I have just discharged my core.
We’ll have to wait for me to recharge.” Which would take a few days.

“I understand.” He said clacking his mandibles excitedly.

Judging that the boys had finished their FUN, Drow Assistant descended
from the Galleon Whale which hovered just above.

“You did well eradicating the monsters.” She praised the two. “But did this
need to be this messy?” She pointed at the bloodied field littered with
exploded and trampled drakes. “Good materials went to waste.”

She was right about that. The drake meat was known to be perfectly edible,
no not just edible, allegedly it was rich in flavour and succulent then
roasted, and even better, it granted a temporary buff of Regeneration. And
let's not forget the scales, Drake Scales were perfect for armour and arrow
tips. Also, the Drake Eyes and Venom Glands had their use in Alchemy.
Honestly, the entire monster could be used for one thing or the other.

“Yeah, let's gather what’s left of them.” He offered apologetically.

…

The ever-helpful spiders gave a spidery hand in the cleanup and butchering
of the monsters making the otherwise gruelling work so much easier.
Actually, they worked so efficiently that his efforts to help were just
slowing the cleanup down. So instead, he whimsically decided to visit the
abandoned settlement.

From the first glance of it, it was rather obvious that the settlement fell to
bandits rather than monsters. There were signs of fire and brutal melee. And
by no means the settlement was small, this was more like a large farming
village which housed at least 2500 villagers or so. But by the looks of it,
after the bandit raid, the inhabitants either left or succumbed to the monster
incursion.

“That’s sad.” He idly kicked a piece of pottery sending it to the wall to

shatter.

Vandalism was never okay, but this place was already beyond repair; half-
burned and dilapidated.

“Good land is going to waste.” He said the obvious.

*Rustle*, *Bang*, *Thud*, a series of noises came from behind the wall to
which he had just shattered the pot.

His reckless noise-making probably roused a nesting monster from its sleep.
A not so surprising find really, and then thinking about it, if the village had
a nest of monsters they could also clear it and harvest the monsters for
materials. He didn’t want to get scolded by the Drow Assistant for wasting
ingredients and making a mess again so he prepared Spin Web readying a
net for capture.

The monster would likely jump out of the nearby window or the broken
doors. He stepped further away to give himself time to use the perk. And
there it was a fuzzy monster with green scales!

“[Spin Web: Net]”, he shot it right at the approaching monster.

“Ah!” The monster screeched in alarm.

Another one jumped right out of the doorframe pointing a fanged spear at
him.

“Wait…”

Those weren’t monsters, they were his Ashen Rabbits! The one in the net
wore a scale west made out of Drake Skales, and the one at the doorway
was armed with a DrakeFang Spear.

“Rabbits? What are you doing here?” He questioned surprised.

“Spider?” The rabbit in the net yelped confused.

The rabbit with the spear ignored his question giving him a good look. “You
look different than other spiders… Why did you web Ever?”

“Sorry, I mistook you for monsters.”

“Spider, how could you! I’m not a monster!” Ever struggled in the net.

“My apologies, wait… did you say Ever? As in Ashen and Ever?” He
moved to dispel his magical web.

“Yes I’m Ashen, and she’s Ever. We’re here on the scouting mission.” He
finally replied to the previous question.

“No, Ashen, we are taming monsters.” Ever protested.

The male rabbit just shook his head as if to deny that statement.

“But spider, why are you so far from your nest?” Ashen asked curious.

Okay, the two didn’t recognise him in his spider form so he shifted back to
a more human-like variant.

“Oh!”, “Ah!”, both of them exclaimed.

“Yeah,” he smiled at their shock finding the expressions on the rabbits'
faces amusing. “I’m also scouting. But mostly killing monsters.”

Ever was finally out of her bindings, she patted her armour as if to clean the
dust from it. “King, please don’t kill them all. Some monsters can be
tamed!”

Ashen gave him a dubious look for some reason.

“Really?” He questioned, the only one he managed to tame properly was

probably only the Enchanted Boar and IceShard Devourer. Of course,
spiders didn’t count because they weren’t monsters, they were people!

“Monsters are notoriously resistant to all taming attempts.” He added

recalling hearing it in the Aurelian Kingdom.

“Is that so, but I tamed one. You don’t believe me? Come take a look.” Ever
said with an annoyed pout.

So the monster was inside the building; he was curious about what sort of
creature it was. Ever urged him to follow and he did just so. From the first
look at the inside, he understood that the two rabbits were scavenging the
building for goodies. There was a bag stuffed full of unwanted or otherwise
forgotten items.

Ashen must have caught him looking. “Treasures of the fallen civilisation.”
He explained with pride befitting an archaeologist.

No, Ashen, this is just junk!

“But where is the monster?” He questioned.

“Probably got spooked by all the noise.” Ever crouched down and poured
some nuts and berries in her hand. “Pss, pss, pss.” She called.

And surely enough, from under the broken pile of furniture a monster
emerged.

“See, I didn’t lie. I tamed this one.”

Yes, Ever, you did… however, this wasn’t a monster.

“Ever, this is a human girl.” He pointed out the obvious.

She nodded. “Yes, I’ve seen its status, a human monster.”

He did a quick Inspect just in case. No, it was just your regular human. But
yes, she had that Tamed in her status; strange…

He looked at the poor child. “Did these two kidnap you? Where are your
parents?”, he spoke in human tongue.

The child, who obviously didn’t speak Spider Chirp and hence couldn't
understand the rabbits understood the Spider King because of his Language
Comprehension. Well, he was too far gone to look like a human so she
didn’t make that mistake. However, her eyes went wide and then tears
began forming at the corner of her eyes.

“My parents… They are…” Looking particularly teary-eyed she didn’t

finish. “… the rabbits are my family now,” she wiped the tears and looked
at him with recovered courage. ”Yes,” she nodded as if to confirm all that to
herself.

“I see…” He understood the unsaid.

However, he needed to clear up some misunderstandings the rabbits had.

You just don’t go around and Tame little girls, that's just criminal!
 132 – The Rabbit Village Is Doing
Rather Well

The abandoned farming settlement was less abandoned than he previously

thought. Ever and Ashen weren’t the only rabbits scavenging the place
clean of any remaining goodies. Ashen blew a monster horn and soon the
rabbits hopped from all around to form a large party. The party had thirty
rabbits in total with an addition of five tamed pets. The Tamed, of course,
were juvenile humans, and as it turned out the rabbits treated them like
some sort of loot goblins. The kids were helping the rabbits identify and
find useful items and other types of goodies hidden or left forgotten.
However, what a child saw as useful was rather questionable by itself;
leading to the rabbits gathering a lot of useless junk. Ironically, they seemed
to value broken and half-rusted junk just as much as the tamed children did;
strange…

However, the rabbits were competent in other areas; their equipment was
proof of that. To make a vest out of Drake Scales or Warg Pelt you had to
slay such monsters. The naturally sharp tips of their DrakeFang Spears
were a further testament to that. While of course, the gear was of common
or even shoddy quality, the materials used were still sturdy and more than
enough to consider the rabbits well-equipped. Moreover, they had
Grenades at their sides to use for emergencies and Draining Nets to
capture or immobilise the local predators.

The Spider King couldn't help but marvel at the ingenuity and crafting
ability of the Ashen Rabbits; they were doing rather well for themselves.
Did someone teach them how to, or were they just that smart? – Nah, it was
probably the influence of the diligent spiders…
The rabbits were rather far from their original home and with the party
gathered and safe Ashen gave the Spider King a quick run down.

“So you came here to make a new settlement.” He asked to confirm.

“Yes,” Ashen nodded, “we came to the promised land to set up a New
Garden.”

Apparently, in the Magical Forest, they ran out of space to plant Ashen
Clover. But also, as it turns out they experienced a sharp population
increase, which consequently led to food issues. A few issues the Spider
King didn’t account for. But how was he supposed to know that the rabbits
would explode in numbers so quickly!?

“And your new settlement, the New Garden, how many rabbits are there?”
He asked to wrap his head around all this better.

“We don’t keep the number,” It was Ever who spoke up, “but I think it’s
close to 1000.”

That was way too many rabbits! The last time he remembered, he left only
two of them in the Clover Garden. How did this happen? And inbreeding
apparently was not an issue; huh, Monster System worked in mysterious
ways… but perhaps the inbreeding was negated by the Blessing of The
Great Ancestral Wisp boon all rabbits now possessed. The boon as a
‘bonus’ made them even more fertile. Jee! Rabbits be rabbiting – he
shouldn’t have expected any less.

Ignoring the contemplative look of the King, Ashen added. “It’s mostly
children, that’s why we have to work hard to provide for them.”

“That Wisp…” The Spider King wanted to complain, but what was done
was done. “I’d love to see that new settlement of yours, the New Garden.
Come, hop in my Galleon Whale I’ll give you all a lift.” He offered.

The rabbits readily agreed, the ship was loaded with junk and then flew
towards the rabbit settlement. New Garden wasn’t that far away, only a
thirty-minute trip from where they were; that was by flying, walking would
take much longer. The settlement was hard to miss, it was surrounded by
shiny silver fields of AshenClover. It was good to see the fertile land be put
to use once again; the rabbits had a lot of fields going on, but with the rising
population, they would need them.

The settlement by itself was surrounded by a thick and thorny wall made
out of SpikeVine, it wasn’t something you would want to attempt to scale.
The inside of the wall was dotted by rabbit huts, where there was a lot of
space still left to be filled. the huts were made out of straw and clay and
further topped by grass roofs, it was simple but it served its purpose. In
addition to the huts, there were comparatively large tents made out of
monster leather serving as structures for social gatherings or perhaps even
large storage. It gave the entire village that rustic vibe.

Right in the centre of the village, if you stretched the meaning of the word,
there was a large plaza. But instead of shopping, communal cooking and
eating were done in the open space, but also a lot of crafting and resource
preparation. The plaza was perfect to land the Galleon Whale.

Perhaps noticing the spiders, or just because they were welcoming people,
the Ashen Rabbits greeted the landing ship with cheers of joy and warm
waves. And indeed there were a whole lot of juvenile rabbits; If the Spider
King didn’t know any better he would think that the entire place was run by
children. The ratio was something like one adult to twelve children if not
worse.

A whole lot of rabbit children heard about the spiders but never met them,
meaning that there was a lot of excitement going on. Needless to say, the
ship was soon swarmed by rabbits who prodded it with their paws and
pestered the nearby spiders with endless questions.

Lucky to the rabbits, the spiders were a patient bunch and willfully indulged
the rabbits' curiosity.

“Sorry about that.” Ever apologised pushing through the horde of miniature
rabbits.
“It’s alright, kids will be kids.” The Spider King didn’t mind one bit, not
even if they were currently rummaging through his pockets. Ha, jokes on
you rabbit children! – those were empty, everything of value was in his
Inventory Space.

With that said, the loot bags the rabbits brought with them were now lying
empty. What was the saying? – one man's trash is another man's treasure.
However, he didn’t think it was the best idea to let the children play with
rusty knives, but then again, perhaps that was how they got their first
Fighting levels; which to his surprise many of the young children had.

The Spider King was welcomed to a large tent and then offered a warm
drink and some salad to eat. A nice gesture of the rabbits really, but he
wanted something more hearty.

“By the way, I have Drake Meat in the ship. There might just be enough
for everyone. Want to cook some?” He offered suggestively.

“Meat?!” Ever frowned. “Eww! We don’t eat that, that’s monster food.” She
looked at her tamed pet.

The girl in question licked her lips, probably understanding what the talk
was about.

“Meat!” She said in Spider Chirp.

“Oh! She can speak our language. You taught her?” He asked surprised.

“Yes, human monsters are more intelligent than they look. But she picks up
only the strangest words…” Ever said as if complaining.

“Meat!” She repeated expectantly.

“Stay!” Ever commanded and the girl sat back down obediently. “See, she
also understands basic commands. That’s why we are Taming them.” Ever
reached into her pouch to retrieve some treats. “You’re a good little helper
aren't you, here.”
The kid looked at the food somewhat unhappy, it wasn’t meat, yet still she
took it and ate it.

“I see…” There was a lot to unpack here.

While walking to the tent he spied a few more human children following
the rabbits but also cages housing captured humans presumably waiting in
line to be Tamed. No doubt the rabbits were capturing stray humans during
their scouting missions or other encounters; which wasn’t an entirely ethical
thing to do. But who was he to judge? – It’s not like he was on the side of
humanity or even human himself… However, mistreatment was never okay,
so he would stay here and observe this for a little while.

Ever proceeded to show all the tricks her tamed pet knew. Some of them
were rather impressive, even if of little use, like the handstand for example.
Clearly she had spent a great amount of time training her companion. As
entertaining as it was that clover salad was getting rather boring rather
quickly.

“Nah, sorry, I want meat. You don’t mind do you?” He asked the hosts.

“We have a space for that outside.” Ashen offered.

“Yeah, might as well feed our humans.” Ever nodded.

“Meat!?”

A quick fire was made and some rather succulent Drake Steak roasted. The
rabbits weren’t too interested however the smell attracted all the stray pet
‘monsters’ in the settlement. Girls and boys of various ages were salivating
at large steaks. Luckily for them, there was enough. Actually, it would be
best to show the rabbits how to preserve the meat. Even if they didn’t eat it,
there was no need to let it spoil and rot, they could sell it to the humans
either here or in the Aurelian Kingdom.

“Help yourselves.” He urged the kids after grabbing the steak he wanted.
The Drow Assistant came back just in time to give him the report while he
enjoyed his succulent dinner.

“I’ll give you rounded numbers,” she said while looking at her notebook.
“There are 1300 rabbits, 90 adults, 500 juveniles, 700 children. The
juveniles will soon be able to bear children of their own and the gestation
time is only a month.”

“A month?” That didn’t sound real.

“Yes, various perks and boons accumulated to that effect. Also, they grow
and become adults rather quickly. If you allow me to be rude, I would say
they are very much like monsters.”

Yes, she was right, monsters had that ability: to breed and grow quickly; the
Ashen Rabbits were also of DemiMonster race.

“Will they be okay with food?” He asked slightly concerned.

“Surprisingly they are doing rather well. The amount they eat is little and
it’s primary AshenClover. My estimate is that they gather 5000 units and
consume only 3000 units at the moment; running a surplus.” She concluded.

And there was still plenty of land to farm and develop. Indeed, they were
doing very well!

Drow Assitant continued. “I suggest they restart sending the excess

AshenClover to the Spider Kingdom.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” That’s why he evolved them to begin with – to
grow clovers. “The Centauri will be happy.” He smiled at the happy
memory of those girls. “How about the security and the captured humans.”

She flipped the page. “The settlement is fortified and they send regular
patrols to dispatch the nearby monsters. I’ve heard Lamia Warriors used to
help them but since they established the fortification the serpentines had
left. However, all is well in that regard.”
He was surprised to hear that Lamia was involved. Then did the two
become acquainted? Was his wife scheming to snatch another race under
her tail as she did with Mer? – that was something she would do. Hmm…
Not so quick dear wife! The rabbits were his!

The Drow Assistant misread his face. “My King, I see concern in your eyes.
The rabbits are equipping themselves well, sure some will die to monster
attacks but due to the sheer ability to reproduce they will prevail.” She tried
to reassure him. “And the humans are being integrated well into the Ashen
Rabbit society, even if their status is low they seem well looked after. I
don’t see them beginning a revolt any time soon.”

She was right in that regard. None of them were either cold or hungry, and
it seemed that the rabbits weren’t sending the little humans to die trying to
fight monsters. It was quite the opposite, the rabbits were keeping the few
humans safe.

“However…” Drow Assistant paused. “There were a few scuffles with the
bandits. And it’s likely there will be more.”

“No doubt about that, the bandits had sacked that once large settlement we
had just visited. The New Garden must look like a juicy target as well.”

“It probably does.” She agreed. “But unlike humans, even juvenile rabbits
have Fighting levels.” She reasoned.

“I’ve noticed. But we're here to solve the bandit issue too, not just monster
incursion.”

“Correct.” She agreed again.

“I reckon we should visit the nearest bandit camp and give them a warm
welcome.”

Drow Assistant raised her eyebrow. “You want me to use Fire magic?”

“Ha, no, not that warm. Let’s try talking with them first. See what they’re
up to.”
And for that, he didn’t even need to go and visit their camp, he had noticed
some rough-looking adults in the cages; the surviving bandits the rabbits
had their scuffle with.

The interrogation was rather short: the bandits were up to no good; he

shouldn’t have expected any less. Due to circumstances, the bandit group
had grown rather large and was now working under one of many Warlords.
They were tasked with raiding local villages for resources and then trading
the loot off to the larger city ruled by their Warlord. That was how the
Warlords now supplied their cities, through raids and extortion from the
lesser villages and towns.

The camp allegedly was fortified and well-staffed, it would be best to think
of it as a small fortress. The gruff men he interrogated didn’t have the
precise numbers, but they mentioned at least two hundred veteran bandits
with another two hundred recruits, plus the servants they kept and the slaves
they captured. Yes, slavery was back in business in the Fallen Kingdom,
and from what the Spider King gathered it was becoming rather lucrative.
Indeed, this kingdom had fallen very low.

“Thank you for your cooperation.” The Spider-King thanked still surprised
at how easy this was.

It was very strange for the bandits to give all that information willingly. The
two men were sweating profusely and shooting wary glances at his cute
assistant.

“You won’t feed us to that thing, right?”

“We told you everything you wanted.”

“That thing?” The Spider King asked offended. “That’s my irreplaceable

assistant, mind your tongue.” He scolded.

“I wouldn’t even eat you. You stink!” The woman in question replied in a
human tongue.
Indeed, as every assistant should, she was versed in many languages and
without a perk to aid her; she was a woman worthy of respect.

However, mercy had to be shown. “Since you were so cooperative, I shall

personally return you to your camp.”

The two cages were loaded into the Galleon Whale. The sun was low in the
sky signalling the approach of darkness, however, it wouldn’t be much fun
if the bandits missed the approach of his flying ship. The show was
rescheduled to the morning. But that didn’t mean that he couldn’t have
some fun:

The AshenClover proved its worth and was due for a promotion. That’s
why he was now standing in the open field. Dark Flame allowed him to see
despite the darkness. His assistant was by his side, making notes of some
sort; the two original rabbits Ever and Ahen were also at his side.

“It’s a great honour to witness this miracle.” Ashen bowed.

“I can’t wait to see it!” Ever hopped excitedly.

There wasn't much need to put a ceremony. “[Mutate],” the Spider King
pushed his mana into the plant.

The silvery leaves remained large and silver, but the flower stalk grew tall
and large. The seed pod grew plump to the size of a fist, its fat seeds were
barely fitting in the large pod. This was the goal of the Mutate, the clover
now was producing large and millable seeds, and hence flour to make
baking goods.

The Spider King plucked the pod and extracted the seeds tasting one
himself and offering others to his companions.

“Perfect.” He concluded, that it wasn’t oily or starchy, it was mostly carbs

just like he wanted.

“Not bad…” The drow assistant said despite her displeased face, likely
unwilling to disparage his effort.
“Meh.”, “Nuts are better.” The rabbits stayed honest.

“Tch!“ He clicked his tongue. “Just you wait until we mill this bad boy and
turn it into bread.”

He was positive that they would change their minds then. Like really, who
didn’t like bread? Well, okay maybe not bread but how about pies, either
sweet or savoury?

And since he had the eggs now… He looked at the Drow Assistant with
expectation.

“Will you bake me a pie?” He asked with big and sparkling eyes.

“A pie?” She asked somewhat confused.

Well, he’ll have to teach her. But before that, he pulled a gnarled staff, the
Whispers Of Grandeur, and then scattered the rest of the mutated seeds.

“[Grow]”, he invoked magic previously inaccessible to him.

Little motes of light in the shape of squirrel faces sparkled out of the staff
and flew towards the seeds. The plants grew twice the size of the parent
with even larger pods and plentiful seeds.

The rabbits clapped entertained by the show this time, and his assistant
made some more notes including drawings of little squirrel-faced motes.

“Hey, don’t just stand here,” he used the Seed Archive to magic more seeds
and handed them to the two rabbits. “Let's plant these bad boys and once
the field is done, we’ll celebrate it with a pie!” He declared.

Unbeknown to the King, a new tradition was born in the rabbit village:
every time the field was finished it would be celebrated with a fresh and
warm pie.
 133 - Eat A Pie, Be Human No
More

Late at night, right after the harvest, a new dish was born: Midnight Pie.
The crust was made out of Clover Flour mixed with Drider Eggs, the
filling was the iconic TomGrape, and the entire thing was sweetened with
Slug Jelly. The entire thing was tempered in the magical flames of the
FireAgave Juice oven. Due to all the exotic ingredients, or perhaps due to
the way it was baked, no, maybe it was the time it was made… Anyway, the
Midnight Pie wasn’t just finger-licking delicious, it proved a buff upon
consumption: EXP Boost. The buff doubled the experience gained right
until the next midnight.

There was that, and due to certain ingredients, there was an extra bonus.

“My pet human can evolve!” Ever exclaimed raising the little girl into the
air much like she would a trophy.

“She must have gotten access to the Monster System after she ate the pie.”
Drow Assistant noted in her notebook.

“Slug Jelly can do that to humans.” Spider King looked at the giddy girl
with curiosity.

“Evolve!” She exclaimed.

Everyone directed their expectant looks at the King. Indeed, he was the
gatekeeper to the evolution.

“With pleasure.” He took the girl into his hands. “[Evolve]!” He invoked
sinking no less than 1000MP into a comparably tiny body.
The leather tent was basked in purple magical light and then the light
subsided a fresh take on a human form was squirming in his hands.

“[Inspect],” everyone said in unison.

Monster Race: Variant: Bunny Magic Affinity:

Corrupted Human Girl None

HP:80 MP:50 STA:120

👯🏼‍♀️
Active
[Zoom], [Hop]
Perks

Passive
[Scavenger], [Tamed]
Perks

The Bunny Girl, as all bunny girls should, had a set of bunny ears and a
fluffy cotton-like tail, however, she remained mostly human. Most
importantly, Tamed was moved from Status Effects to Passive Perks,
which cemented it as a permanent thing.

He put the improved human back on her feet.

“[Zoom],” she invoked with excitement.

The tamed girl ran around the tent leaving only a blurry afterimage; she was
quick! Something like that would be extremely hard to hit, and also catch.

“[Hop],” she tried another perk. “Aw!” She slammed her head into the
ceiling.
“You shouldn't Hop in tents,” Ever scolded her. “Stay!” She commanded.

The command made the giddy girl to settle, yet still, she didn’t look any
less excited about her new abilities; or the improved looks.

She touched her long bunny ears, “I love them!” She said with a broad
smile turning to check her rear. “I love that too!” She wiggled her
candyfloss tail. “I’m just like Ever and Asher now!” She looked at the two
with sparkling eyes.

“Not quite, kid, but close enough.” The Spider King patted right in between
the ears.

And that concluded the small break everyone was having. The morning was
bound to come soon and everyone buckled down for a short sleep; there
was stuff to do and bandits to conquer.

The Galleon Whale was flying slowly towards the Bandit Camp. The camp
was surrounded by a palisade wall and even had a few lookout towers; it
wasn’t quite a wooden fortress but it could be considered as a defensive
encampment. The Spider King had some business with the local Bandit
Leader, especially the part where they weren’t exactly friendly with the
settlers who just moved in – his cute rabbits. The bandits had caused some
trouble before, and the Spider King was here to end that.

There were a few ways to solve issues like this: it was either to talk it out or
come with guns blazing. Actually, why not both? – yes, the Spider King
decided to do both. That’s why it was not the flying ship the bandits noticed
first but a pack of monsters charging towards the Bandit Camp. The pack of
Wargs were running in a maddened sprint straight to the walls as if intent on
getting inside no matter the cost, but a keen observer would notice that the
monsters charging with their tails tucked under as if fleeing something.

A sound of alarm was blown from one of the lookout towers putting the
camp on alert. Even if the wargs were few and the walls were tall, no
monster attack should be left ignored; the bandits rushed to man the towers
and the walls readying their bows and arrows. However, they soon would
realise that this was unnecessary, or rather pointless.

The ship, still unnoticed, was high above and right behind the fleeing
monsters. Just before the wargs could get into the bandits’ bow range, the
ship descended from the sky flying low to stand between the wargs and the
camp. A hatch on the side opened revealing a neat row of staffs. The rank of
the Spider Dark Mages pushed their mana into the staffs making them buzz
with power.

“[Empower],[Barrage],[Dark Bolt]”, they chanted in unison unleashing a

combination attack.

The projectiles were so numerous that the barrage formed a magical wave,
it pulsed with power threatening to crash and sweep the monster pack away.
Instead, the wargs were just blown to bits and then further disintegrated
leaving nothing but dust. It was then the ship turned around to face the
bandit camp. Everyone on the wall tensed up, and to begin with arrows
weren’t that great versus mages and what could they even do against the
entire flying ship?

Precisely! Everything panned out as intended. The flying ship was here just
for a small show of power; flexing if you will. The Spider King did this to
show that he meant business and that he was not to be messed around.
However, the show wasn’t quite over. The ship flew ever so slightly higher
and once it was high enough it was time for the final act. The spider mages
parted making space for the Warrior Leader Jr. The massive spider jumped
to glide right towards the camp, of course, the Spider King was sitting atop
the noble spider.

At the sight of that the bandits were left screaming and shivering in their
boots; no doubt this was the biggest and meanest monster they had ever
seen. And it was flying right towards them! Of course, attempts were made
to shoot the spider out of the sky, however, SilkWeb Seraph was equipped
with Projectile Deflection; the arrows hit an invisible wall and simply fell
back down like old leaves from the tree in autumn – useless.
Uncontested the spider slammed right into the centre of the bandit camp.
The locals here weren’t courageous enough to attempt to fight something
like that, so they fled in all four directions. Or at least they wanted to, the
very walls erected to protect them were now there to trap them. The few
archers manning the walls jumped down only to be met with warning shots
of Dark Bolt; the flying ship would not let them leave the camp. The
bandits were truly trapped in this simple but spidery plot.

“Be not afraid!” The Spider King shouted using his Aura Projection at full
power. He aimed for a calming effect trying to override their Terror.

It worked to some extent: even if shaking and trebling a few of the bandits
turned around to look at the gigantic spider and his rider.

“I come in peace!” He tried again. “I just want to talk with your leader.” He
reached into his inventory. “Here, I even brought a pie as a peace offering.”

The pie remained fresh and warm in his inventory, hence so the tempting
smell wafted towards the bandits.

“So, where is the leader?” He scanned the crowd.

Yeah, despite the pie offering he won no friends here, the bandits realising
that they couldn’t flee encircled the spider with their weapons pointed. He
looked at the biggest and toughest bandit in the crowd, it was likely to be
their leader.

Surprisingly, “I’m the leader!” A voice behind him shouted out.

He was forced to turn around at the sound of a feminine yet gruff and
commanding voice. The woman was dressed in taunt black leather and
cloaked in monster fur, much like a rogue or in this case Bandit Leader
would.

The Spider King Hopped off his noble steed to face the Bandit Leader
properly; he dismounted to show respect.

“I’m the Spider King, ruler of the Monster Realm.” He introduced himself.
“Never heard of it… but that makes sense.” The woman muttered. “I am
Roe Banditessa, leader of this camp. And just so you know, we work under
the Warlord Jerico.” She introduced.

“I don’t care about him.” He dismissed the Warlord. “I’m here for you.” He
gave her an intense look.

His words made the woman step back.

“I didn’t mean like that… I’m here to talk, honest. I’ve even brought a pie.”
He stretched the offering.

“Is that so…” The woman paused to think, or rather scheme something.
“Then let's do it away from the prying eyes. Come.” She gestured towards
the wooden longhouse.

He whispered to his companion to stay and observe the rest of the bandits
and then followed the Bandit Leader. Soon he realised that the woman had
quite a few guards, those were the only people who decided to follow him
and her; the rest used the opportunity to distance themselves from potential
dangers. Hence, the Warrior Leader Jr was left with no bandits to observe;
they avoided the spider like a plague.

Roe Banditessa opened the doors for him to enter.

“After you,” she motioned welcomingly.

She followed right behind with a quick yelp to her men, “I won’t need you,”
and then she slammed the doors.

Now there were only two of them in the hall of the longhouse. She was
rather trusting of him, perhaps his aura had worked, or maybe it was the pie,
regarless he smiled at her trust.

“Please take a seat.” She motioned to a nearby table.

He set the pie on it and sat on one of the wooden stools. The table was
scared by a knife and reeked of alcohol, and the stool creaked under his
weight; an environment typical to a bandit den or a cheep tavern.
The Bandit Leader pushed two nearby glasses in the centre, “Give me a
sec.” she moved to retrieve the bottle from one of the shelves.

Since things calmed down, he changed his aura to that of friendliness.

The glasses were filled with strong-smelling liquid and the bottle was set on
the table.

“That’s the best I’ve got. Now, we can talk.”

“Yes.” He nodded. But before he would unmistakably sour the things he

motioned to the Midnight Pie, “Care for the slice?”

“I’m not into sweet stuff, however, I will take the drink.” She raised her
glass. “A toast for a King…” She gave him a peculiar look.

He wasn’t much into drinks, but it would be rude not to. He raised his glass
and downed the contents in one gulp.

[Enhanced Poison Immunity: activated]

Yeah, the drink tasted really strong, it was potent stuff so there was no
surprise his perk would activate. However, he didn’t grimace or make a
face. It would be rude!

Roe gave him a peculiar look. “Another glass?” She offered.

“No.” He refused the rancid liquid. “Do you know why I’m here?” He
deflected it further with a question.

Of course she didn’t, “No Idea… You said you’re here for me...” She spoke
slowly and careful about her words. “Did I wrong you or yours somehow?”

“Indeed you did. But I’m not angry.” He de-escalated preemptively.

“…” She remained thoughtful.

“It was my rabbits, Ashen Rabbits.” He explained.

“Ah, I see… That makes sense.” She nodded. “So this is what this is about.”
She let a deep sigh out. “I don’t think you’re here for an apology, is it a
compensation you want?” She asked.

Her voice was calm, however, her body was extremely tense as if ready to
jump at any moment. Meaning that his friendliness aura had failed and the
woman was just acting calm and reserved.

“No.” He reached for the slice of pie. “I’m here to solve banditry. Like all
banditry,” he paused meaningfully. “Permanently.” He ate the pie; It was
delicious!

The woman jumped up from her chair as if to run, but then stopped
abruptly. “Permanently? But you said you’re not angry with us.”

“I’m not. What I meant is I want to give you a second chance at life. A life
where you aren’t just Bandits, Bandit Leaders, and especially not
Warlords.”

“If you’re telling me to become a Farmer, I will not.” She told him bluntly.

“I wouldn’t even suggest that.” He reached for the second slice.

“A Slave?!” She slammed her palms at the table. “I’d rather die.”

“Sorry, I failed to make myself clear. I didn’t mean that either. Why don’t
you just try the pie, it will be easier than just explaining.”

She gave him a dubious look.

“I insist.” He pushed the pie plate towards her.

“It better be not poisoned.” She said that but finally took a small bite of the
pie.

Realising the obvious truth, the truth that the pie was simply delicious she
took a second but braver bite this time. And then another and another, and
soon the pie slice was gone.
“I don’t get it.” She looked at the pie plate and then at the Spider King; he
was grinning at her broadly.

After another few seconds, Roe’s eyes shot open wide. “Monster System?
Corrupted Human? What did you do to me?!” She slammed the table again.

“Check your status.” He said to her calmly.

“[Status]!”, “…”, “My stats!”, she slammed the table again. “They’re
higher, and I can take multiple Classes, no, those are Jobs now. And I can
see my old Ranger and Rogue back in there.”

“Yeah, plus all the perks of Corrupted Human.”

“You… This power? Why?”

“So you can take more Jobs and be a bit more than just a Bandit Leader.”

“But why? Why me.” She repeated.

He gave her a cold look. “Because it's that, or I’ll have to wipe you all out.
A plan B really.” He admitted.

“Sorry? I don’t understand.” She gave him a confused but also scared look.

“You’ll have to abandon your old ways and become a part of the Monster
Realm.” He said it as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

“To become your underlings?”

“Don’t say it like that… Currenly you work under this Jercio or whatever
his name, no?”

She nodded.

“Now you work for me. Simple, no?”

“…” Roe Banditessa was left speechless; nothing was that simple.
134 – Join The Dark Side, We Have
Palm Juice! 🍹

The bandits here were no doubt hardened criminals, and this camp was only
one of many camps plaguing the Fallen Kingdom, however, they were still
people; and there were reasons they were pushed to banditry. Moreover, a
kingdom without people would be useless, that’s why the Spider King
plotted to bring the bandits under his wing, or in other words reform them.

It didn’t take a genius to know what the Bandit Leader wanted, it was
power. He will use that desire and slowly bind her to his command. Yes, she
will be a tool to acquire the remaining bandit camps, but also an example
for other bandits.

But first, he needed to butter up the bandit a bit more. The foul swill the
Bandit Leader had offered was replaced with a crystalline bottle containing
Palm Juice.

“Try this,” he urged.

Roe Banditessa smelled the clear liquid first and then took a small sip from
the glass.

“It’s good!” She downed the rest of it. “What is it?”

“Just some juice from the desert. If you think that was good, the next one
will blow your mind.” The Spider King rolled up his sleeves and mixed his
special cocktail.

“What’s in it?” Roe asked despite having seen him make it.
“The ingredients are secret.” He teased putting a slice of TomGrape on the
side of the glass. “Ta-da, I call this –Charmer's Concoction.” He pushed
the glass closer to her hand.

Roe gave him a puzzled look. “Charmer’s… Concoction…” She voiced in

amazement. “Doesn’t sound like something I should drink, but… I can’t
resist.” Roe gave a brave gulp out of the decorated glass.

And then she quaffed the entire cocktail without taking a single break for
breath. It was impressive that she didn't choke on the diced fruit bits, she
just swallowed them together with the liquid; A professional drinker, eh? Or
maybe that’s just how the bandits were.

“Another one!” She demanded.

To which the Spider King gladly obliged. Roe drank the second one just as
quickly.

“You’re meant to enjoy them.” He spoke as if to remind.

“I am!” She protested. “Man, it seems I’ve been missing out on life… Is
this what ya drink in yar kingdom?”

“We do… In moderation.”

Roe looked at the empty glass as if to urge him to fill it up.

“In moderation.” He reminded. “I rather don’t get you totally hammered.

There is something I want to propose.”

She looked at him with curiosity.

“But first, let's go outside. There is something I want to show you.”

They both stood up from the table. Ups! – Roe was a bit wobbly on her feet
so he had to jump in and support her.

“It seems that I’ve overestimated your constitution.”

“Nonsense.” She clung to his side. “I just tripped.”

They walked out of the longhouse, and from a glance, you would think that
the two were the best buddies just leaving the pub, supporting each other as
they walked and whatnot. Roe’s men, who were waiting right outside, gave
curious glances at them but didn’t say anything.

He guided her right to where he left his noble mount.

“Now, observe this spider.” He motioned at his companion.

The spider perked up standing ever so taller and ever so intimidating.

“Very terrifying, yes.” She admitted.

“That’s not what I meant, check his stats.”

“But I’m not a Scribe. Shall I call him?” She turned to her men.

“No, it’s unessasary. You have access to the Monster System, just Inspect
him.”

“[Inspect]”, a shiver ran down her back. “Okay…” She turned to look at
the Spider King.

“Okay,” he nodded. ”Now I’ll bestow a boon to the Warrior Leader Jr.
Observe it closely, I do this to show you that I could grant you a similar
power if you prove yourself to be trustworthy.”

“Okay…” She repeated not too sure what to expect.

“Warrior Leader Jr, your promotion is a bit late, and I’m sorry for the delay,
but here it comes.” He touched the side of the spider. “[Core Seed]”

And just like that it was done, of course, there were no physical changes, so
he urged, “Inspect him again.”

Roe did just so, “[Inspect]”

Monster Race: Variant: Spider Magic Affinity:
Primordial Warrior (Giant) None

HP:5000 MP:200 STA:1000

🕷️🕷️🕷️

Active
[SLAM!], [Trample+], [Sweep+], 🕷️👑 🕷️
[Regeneration], [Empower Spiders], [Body
Perks
Shield] 🕷️🕷️🕷️

[Giant], [Greater Strength], [Intimidating

Passive
Presence], [Leader’s Aura], [Obsidian
Perks
Armour], [Greater Vitality], [Perfect Mount]

[Dark Resistance: Greater], [Physical

Resistance: Lesser],
Resistances
[Fire Weakness: Medium], [Light Weakness:
Lesser]

She read through the updated table. “He gained 100MP?” She asked just to
check.

“Right, Monster Core doesn’t show up. Yes, that and a few new perks, plus
a potential for better evolutions. Show her Discharge Core.”

“[Discharge Core]” Spider chirped.

Warrior Leader Jr developed a red-tinted glow and its body grew even
bigger.

“ROAR!” The spider roared.

“Eek!”

The Bandit Leader crouched indignantly and her men scattered to all sides.
Spider’s Intimidating Presence had finally pierced the bandit’s defences.

“Stand up,” he picked Roe up. “He won’t attack. He’s just showing off.”

“I… I see… It's like seeing a Berserker, but much worse.”

Oh, the spider could be much-much worse than that.

“Yeah, and with the monster core, it should eventually gain Magic Affinity
and thus access to magic.”

“I will?” Warrior Leader Jr chirped excitedly.

“Eek!” Roe jumped to hide behind the Spider King.

The King ignored the bandit’s antics. “According to the Drow Assistant,
you will. You’ll probably end up with Dark affinity like most of the spiders
do.”

“No.” The spider protested. “I’m destined for Light! I’ll be shiny like a star
in the sky. A royal mount to be envied by all.”

Apparently, the spider had big dreams, which somehow still involved
Warrior Leader Jr giving the Spider King a ride. Awesome!

“And judging from your aura… feared. The entire camp is afflicted with
Terror.” He mentioned of handedly.

“Oh…” The spider dispelled the perk shrinking to its natural size. ”Better?”

“Yes, thank you, oh mighty and shiny spider.” It was Roe who replied, still
quivering.

Spider King turned to look at the Bandit Leader who was still clinging to
him for her dear life; it was good no other bandits were present or else her
otherwise ruthless image would have surely hit rock bottom.
“As you just saw, similar power could be yours.” Well not exactly, the
woman could never match the greatness of the spider. “All you need to do is
to switch sides. Forget that Jerico jerk or whatever was the name.”

“Consider it done… it’s not like I’d want to oppose… that.” She pointed at
the spider. “Or you for that matter…”

It seems he had finally convinced the woman.

“Good. Now tell me the location of the other bandit camps. We’ll go and
convert them too.” He looked directly at her eyes.

“We?”

“Well yeah. You know them better than I do, you’ll help me, won’t you?”

“Okay…”

“Then let’s come to my ship.”

And thus, he gained his first bandit follower. She will help him to flip the
other bandit camps, but also he expected the bandits here to help with the
monster extermination. After all, that was the original quest. And all quests
needed a well-rounded party. Thinking about it: he was a mage, the spider
was a tank, and the woman was a rogue, so all he was missing was a healer,
a bard and an archer. The adventuring fantasy was within his reach!

“Hey, Roe? Do you have a competent Archer or a Bard in your camp?”

“Why?” She gave him a curious look.

“Nah, forget I asked, you probably don’t. I think my assistant could take
that role with her Web Mastery. Slinging webs counts as a ranged attack
no? Or is it more of a support role?”

She gave him a nonplussed look.

“Oh! And I already have a healer. I might just need to pinch her from
Aurelius.”
“Huh?”

The Galleon Whale was in no rush to fly and convert the other bandit
camps, not yet. According to Roe were seven in total, and the last boss was
the Warlord’s City. The plan was simple, subvert the camps and make them
rebel against this Jerico dude. A people's revolt was always more popular
than for example a forced spider invasion, but of course, he will advertise
his spiders as monster exterminators and also a part of the people's
revolution.

But first, some cleanup was in order.

“This is the report.” The Drow Assistant handed him a neatly organised file.

It contained all the info on the Roe’s camp.

“There’s a lot of… slaves.” He looked at the rather large number.

“Yes, it’s the primary source of income for this camp.”

Indeed, his eye had caught a few of them. Those were mostly women and
children, and worse of all, they were poorly looked after. The slaves here
were bruised and famished.

“Well, that has to stop.”

“What do you suggest we do?” Drider asked.

“Obviously, they can't survive on their own. Let's send them to rabbits, they
treat their humans right.”

“Roe won’t be happy about this.”

“You think she will rebel?” He asked his assistant.

“After all she saw? – no.”

“I’ll keep her distracted, and promise something in return. It will work out.”

“Do you still intend to take her to the other bandit camps?”

“Yes, I do. I hope that after seeing her, others will be more willing to
become Corrupted Humans. The title is not exactly enticing.”

“Huh,” Drow Assistant chuckled. “They’re already corrupted, the whole lot
of them.”

“I know… Will fix that. Slowly, with time.”

She noted something in her notebook. “…fix humans,” she muttered.

“Anyway, go and grab Roe for me, it’s time to depart.”

The drider promptly left the ship’s cabin.

“But it wouldn’t be wise to leave this place unsupervised, not until the
rabbits arrive.” He concluded. “[Summon Darkness].” He called for his
oath-bound bodyguard.

Darkness pulled at his shadow and coalesced into a ball resembling a black
slime.

“Master, meow!” Darkness spoke in a stolen voice.

“Darkness, watch over humans for me, will you?”

“Yes, meow! You’ll come back soon?”

“Yeah, I reckon we’ll subvert another camp by the end of today, and then
three more the next day. The rest will naturally just fall in line.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less, meow!”

*Knock, *Knock, someone knocked at the doorframe.

The doors were wide open, yet the person remained out of sight. Were they
shy?

“Come in.” He encouraged.

Of course, it was Roe. She entered looking at the Darkness with suspicion.

“I didn’t want to interupt anything important.” She circled the slime giving
it a wide berth to come closer to his desk. “I’m ready to go. Just one
request…”

“Yes?”

“I talked with my men. I’ll be honest everyone is a bit tense. No offence but
they see ya and yars as monsters…” she winced at the last word.

He motioned for her to make her request.

“Right… If you could leave some Palm Juice to my men, that would be
appreciated. A noble gesture really, and something to soothe their nerves
while I’m missing. Otherwise, I fear they might misbehave; if ya know
what I mean?”

He did. “Consider it done, and I’ll leave a certain someone to supervise

them until we’re back.” He looked at his pet Darkness.

“Hello, I’m Darkness.” It spoke in Roe’s voice.

“Eh!?” She was taken aback by a speaking slime. “Hello?” She replied
uncertainly.

“Roe, I assure you Darkness is a well-behaved familiar, there is nothing to

worry about.” He tried to de-escalate any future misunderstandings.

“If you say so… So when do we leave?”

“Now. Let's go to the control deck, you’ll have a full experience there.” He
grinned.
“See ya later.” Darkness turned to shadow and disappeared.

The Galleon Whalle was soaring high towards the sky, but not without
leaving a small gift. Numerous crates of Palm Juice were stacked atop each
other. The bandits looked at the booze licking their lips already, however
not a single one of them dared to come and pry even a single bottle open.
You see there was a guardian by the crates, a mere black slime, a creature
commonly found in the sewers of large cities, however, the men here were
wary of this monster. There was just something unsettling about the slime.

Right after the flying ship disappeared from the horizon, the slime bobbed
and quivered for the first time in a while.

“I’m in charge!” It said with shocking authority.

Strangely the voice sounded familiar.

“I’m the Bandit Leader! Yeah!” The slime shifted and expanded taking a
more humanoid form.

“What a…”, “Eh?”, “Are you seeing this?”, the men and women said so
and such while pointing at the slime.

Soon its transformation was complete, and instead of a slime, they were
faced with a person all of them recognised. Sure, she was all tar-like black,
rubbery looking and butt naked, but there was no mistake, the one standing
infront of them was Roe Banditessa!

“What are ya gawking at!” She yelled. “Get me my clothes!” She

commanded.

No one really understood what was happening, but either way, the bandits
scrambled to obey the order.

A brave soul approached the changed woman.

“Roe,” He observed that even if the skin was black it had all the scars and
signs of past injuries, “it's you isn’t it?”

“Of course it’s me, idiot!” She punched the man in the gut. “Watch where
ya’r looking! All of yas!” She threatened.

Yeah, this was Roe alright.

However, “What did he do to you? Are you Cursed?” He asked what all of
them were wondering.

The question was answered with another punch. “Mind yar own business.”
She cracked a box open pulling a bottle out. “So ya want to drink or not?”

This was a stupid question. However, a doubt had risen in the brave man's
mind: it was unlike Roe to share her drinks so freely, but low and behold
she was handing one bottle after the other.

“I told ya not to gawk at me, didn’t I?!” She yelled at the man forcing
everyone to back off. “[Drain]” A tentacle shot out from her shoulder and
slammed into the man.

“Ah!” He yelped and passed out.

“Ignore him…” Roe, shook a bottle in her hand. “Come, get yar share while
there still is some.”

Yeah, there was definitely something wrong with their Bandit Leader, but it
was strangely hard to refuse service like that, after all, even if a bit rugged
she still was an eye candy, and what bandit could say no to free booze…

“Tch!”, “Aww…”, “So that’s it.”, there were low grunts of disappointment
directed at the loyal man who brought her the promised clothes.

“What?” He questioned the annoyed gazes.

“Finally!” Roe shot a tentacle to retrieve the clothes.

The clothes sunk into her body and then slowly reappeared on her tar-like
skin. Bandits looked in amazement but didn’t question the new ability.

“Ah yes, I’ve almost forgotten.” Roe went to rummage deeper into the
crates. “You see this.” She shook a rather fancy crystalline bottle. “Slug
Jelly, that stuff will grant you power.”

Well, some bandits were tempted, but… “I don’t know if I want to become
a slime.” Someone replied. “Ahhh!” That someone was punched in the gut.

“Ya won't, ya idiot. Ya’ll become a Corrupted Human. So volunteers?”

There was one foolish soul. Roe dispensed a tiny single drop to the bandit
woman.

“Is that all it takes?” She questioned swallowing the drop. “Oh! It’s sweet!
No…” She paused. “I can feel it. The power! [Status], yes!”

“Pipe down will ya? It’s temporary. Unless you unlock Evolve? … Anyone
else?” She shook the bottle invitingly.

Free status boosts were a tempting thing, and seeing that there was no risk
of becoming a slime there were more volunteers.

“Yes, yes, he-he.” Roe cackled while spiking the Palm Juice with Slug
Jelly. “Join the Dark Side, become one with Darkness, he-he.” She put a
plug on one bottle and uncorked the other. “I should have done this from the
beginning. He-he. Master will be happy.”

Yeah, she was now talking with herself in the open. The bandits would be
worried, but that wasn’t outside her character; to put it mildly, Banditessa
was a bit mad,.

And the booze? It tasted even better with that extra sweetness.

“Hey, my Cook perks are back.” #Bandit1

“Oh? Yeah, me too. I have my old perks!” #Bandit2

“Yeah, but the Bandit class is nowhere to be seen…” #Bandit3

“Who cares, all the perks and skills are still there.” #Bandit4

“Guys! Guys!” #Bandit5 waved his hand in the air like crazy. “I have that
Evolve? !”

“No!?” #Bandit6

“Go… Go see Roe, maybe you too can become a slime.” #Bandit7 teased
obviously jealous.
 135 – Minions Above And Minions
Below

Turns out all bandits universally like juice, especially the palm kind. Due to
that, or due to an overwhelming show of power, the remaining bandits
quickly switched their sides. Actually, it was rather easy to bribe the
bandits, however, people who turned their coats so readily were poor allies.
The Spider King was well aware of that, hence so he needed to appoint an
overseer, or rather a…

“Roe,” he addressed the woman who was clinging tightly to her safety
straps, “I think you should become the Warlord.”

“Eh!?”

“Yes, it’s only natural for the bandit camps to unite and overthrow that
Jerico dude. You’ll be the leader of the revolt.”

“Eh-Eh?”

“Don’t worry, I will support you.” He reassured her with a pat on her
shoulder. “Gosh, you’re stiff. Could it be you’re afraid of flying?”

“I’m not afraid of anything!” Roe said while trembling in her chair.

“Well, in any case, we’re done obtaining allies and will be landing soon.”

The Roe’s Bandit Camp was already within sight. Once they disembarked,
Roe and the Spider King were greeted with shock, but for different reasons.

“Who are they?” The Spider King gave a curious look to a bunch of pale-
faced humans. “[Inspect]”.
Monster Race: Variant: Magic Affinity:
Corrupted Human BoozeVamp Dark

HP:80 MP:80 STA:80

🍺

Active
🍺🦇
Perks
[Transformation: Bat], [Shadow Cloak] 🍺
🍺
Passive
[Limited Flight], [Vampiric Regeneration]
Perks

Resistances [Light Weakness: Medium]

Status
[UV Sensitivity]
Effects

The bandits were still human, no doubt about that, but their skin was
greyish pale, they had prominent fangs and their ears were somewhat
elongated now. Their three stats dropped to 80:80:80, but probably that was
countered by their regenerative ability. Actually, the bunch seemed
somewhat frail and emaciated. Was this because it was still daytime? But
there was an even bigger question:

“Who had Evolved you?” This was unprecedented!

The Vamps looked at each other as if unsure if to tell or not.

“It was Roe.” One of them spoke out.

“Roe?” The Spider King looked at the woman beside him, she was even
paler looking than the Vamps.

“No, not her.” The vamp replied looking somewhat confused himself.

“… The other Roe.” A different vamp pointed at the well-dressed figure

standing on a side.

She wore high boots, tight leather pants, and a laced leather vest; neither of
the clothes was of a cheap kind. The taunt leather was shiny as if vaxed,
parts of it were adorned with intricate stitching and subtle patterns. And let's
not forget all the pockets, pouches, belts and straps the rogue needed to
keep her dastardly tricks and weapons. The outfit just screamed I am a
Rogue! However, as nice as it was, judging by the taunt leather at her rear
and the struggling laces on the chest – the outfit was a size too small. And
also, this Roe, while undoubtedly still a Roe, had a tar-like skin and black
matted hair. She was like the more evil version of the original Roe, the Dark
Roe.

“You!” The Original Roe pointed at her imitator. “You’ll ruin my best
outfit! It’s gonna be all stretched out!”

And apparently, it was the clothes she cared the most and not the fact that
there was a clone of her just standing right in front.

“Darkness!” The Spider King scolded. “What did I tell you about stealing
other people's identities? Return to your natural form right this instant.”

“But… But do I have to?”

The Spider King gave his bound familiar a glare.

“Okay…”

The Dark Roe’s skin quivered and bubbled, it was rather disturbing, but
right after the entire form shrunk on itself and a black slime popped out of a
pile of slightly stretched leather.

“It was nice while it lasted, meow.”

Of course, the bandits were looking still slightly nonplussed about which
Roe was the original one. If you asked them, they sort of preferred the new
and improved Dark Roe. Even if Dark Roe was crazier than usual, at least
she wasn’t hoarding all the booze for herself.

“My outfit…” Roe scooped her clothes, there was a sign of tears in the
corners of her eyes. “It’s been defiled…”

Darkness ignored the prone form of Roe and jumped towards the Spider
King.

“Master, meow, I did well, didn’t I?” It stretched a tendril towards the
Vamps.

“I didn’t know you can do that.” He admitted. “But well done.” He patted
the slime eliciting a satisfied quiver from it.

“Yes, I worked hard to borrow it from you.” It happily quivered again.

“So you can Evolve monsters now?” He asked just to be sure.

The slime bobbed. “Not quite, meow, only the creatures with potential for
Darkness.”

It was rather cryptic. “I see…” He replied regardless.

“An another thing, Master?”

“Yes?”

“The Vamps need their juice, meow. We’d run out and they're sort of
starving.”

“Oh, so it’s not the light which made them miserable.” He looked at the
almost shrivelled vamps.

“That too… Meow. So could you?”

”Yeah, I have a few bottles left.” He retrieved them from his inventory.
“But I guess it’s time to resupply. Come hop back in my shadow.”

Darkness did just so and the Vamps swarmed the bottles like locusts the
wheat. Upon ingestion of the Plam Juice, their forms bulked up with
muscle and the eyes sparkled with newfound energy. Interestingly their stats
jumped to 120:120:120.

He turned to look at Roe who had been quiet for quite some time already.

“I’ll leave you to plan the revolution. Once I’m back I expect a solid plan.”

Roe simply nodded.

“And don’t worry about that outfit, I’ll have the spiders to make you a new
one. An Enchanted kind.”

Life returned to her eyes, but only for a second; she nodded again.

Darkness popped half-way from his shadow. “Meow? Then she doesn’t
need the old one! Can I have it, meow?”

Anger flashed across Roe’s face and then she just threw the clothes at the
slime.

“Thank you!” Darkness simply sucked the leather outfit in its body and
disappeared in the shadow.

Roe turned to look at the Spider King.

“That new outfit, it better be good!” She mouthed at the King.

“Sorry about that… you know, children; they misbehave sometimes… And
it will be good, Spidery Magnificent rather. I promise you that.” He said
apologetically.

“And if I’m planning a revolt for ya. I want booze. A lot of it!”

“Sure.”
“And there better be a reward at the end of it!”

“Money? Power? … Booze? You’ll have it.”

Roe didn’t say anything but the smile was back on her face.

“Now, I’m off to get supplies and to snatch my Healer.”

Without wasting more time, the Galleon Whale departed the Bandit Camp.

“What are ya all gawking at!” Roe waved her fist. “Back to work!” She
walked up to one of the vamps. “And you, go easy on that!” She snatched
the booze bottle. “Mine!” She snatched another right out of the vamp’s
hand. “Also mine.”

“Can we have the Dark Roe back?” A vamp complained. “Argh!” The
bandit was punched in the gut.

At the Aurelian Capital, while the Ship was being resupplied, Spider King
and Lord G Bling were having a small meeting.

“My King, could you clarify a rumour for me?”

“I guess, what is it?”

“Some little chirps had reached my ears telling me that rabbits can Tame
humans. Is that true?”

Ah, so the beans were out of the bag; it was only a matter of time.

“As strange as it sounds, It is true, they can. It’s probably due to their
Animal Affinity perk.”

“Is that so…” The spider clicked his mandibles in excitement. “Then I
would like to borrow a few of DemiRabbits from you, could I?”

“If they want to come, yeah. But for what reason?”

“You see, we had our fair share of struggles in the SpiderCare®. While the
project is working, it is progressing at a slower pace than anticipated.”

“You want to Tame the children to make them better behaved? … ” He

paused thinking this preposterous idea over. “That’s genius!” He slammed
the table with a palm in excitement.

The spider clacked his mandibles in agreement. “That, and to train them
better. This would allow them to raise their levels quicker and grow
stronger faster.”

The Spider King nodded. “It's good that you spiders are so invested in the
children’s future. You really are a selfless bunch. I’ll talk with the rabbits
and send the rabbit tamers your way. However, they just didn’t have much
success with common monsters, leaving the rabbit tamers with low levels.”

“But that’s even better, no?” The spider asked.

“Why?”

“We’ll make two webs with one string. The rabbits need practice and we
need Tamed humans. Surely, they’ll gain their levels by taming the
humans.”

“Once again… You’re right! And it will be a safe environment for them to
raise their Taming.”

“Exactly!” Lord G Bling chirped exalted.

“Then, it's settled. And how’s the war with the Holy Empire going?” He
asked somewhat anxious.

“It’s fine. The humans are at a stalemate at the moment. What I gathered
from the little chirps is that the Holy Empire realised that retaking the
Aurelian lands would come only with a great cost. So they decided to cut
their losses and abandoned that idea entirely.”

“That’s rather smart of them.” The Spider King said with a tinge of
disappointment.
“Not really. What they are doing now is imposing an Empire-wide trade
blockade and reinforcing their border. Only the latter will actually work.”

“I see. So perhaps they think that Aurelian Dutchy still can’t supply its
food?”

The spider nodded. “With the Fertile Kingdom now fallen, that would be
the correct assessment. The Aurelian people always had to rely on imports
to feed their populus.”

“But they failed to take us into account.” The Spider King concluded.

“That’s right. Imperial, Aurelian and as a whole humans remain ignorant of

the greatness of the Spider Kingdom. Always underestimating us.”

“I guess staying hidden in the depths of the jungle has its benefits.”

“Indeed it does.” The spider chirped in affirmation.

A small spider tapped with quick-paced spidery steps into the room.

“It is done.” It announced.

The Spider King stood up from his chair. “Well then, I still need to grab my
Healer.”

“Good luck with your quest, and talk with the rabbits for me.”

“I will, [Shadow Walk].” He disappeared leaving trailing wisps of

darkness.

Only to reappear by the SpideryTemple. The pious Minions followers

informed him where to find his quarry. The Radian Angel was meant to be
in the temple's dungeon. Why a temple needed a dungeon escaped him, but
it definitely was there. He descended a steep set of stairs leading deep
underground. The dungeon wasn’t like the prison dungeon, it was built
rather spacious, and instead of a narrow corridor leading to the many cells,
it had a big hall clearly built for some type of ceremony. The stone surface
on the floor was etched with a web pattern, and above, carved In the ceiling,
was a spider sculpture overlooking the entire hall. On the sides, nested
inside the pillars, there were Dark Lanterns, the purple flame flickered in
it ever so slightly.

The dungeon hall was an artwork by itself, however, it wasn’t the thing
which elicited a yelp from the Spider King.

“What a…” He was left standing mouth agape and speechless.

The hall was not empty, aside from the Angel, as if trapped on the stone
web, there was a gathering of people.

“We’re not worthy.”, “We’re not worthy.”, “We’re not worthy.”, they
chanted again and again.

A thick crimson liquid was streaming from their bare backs and right to the
floor. The tool to achieve that was still in the hands of the pious. *Crack,
*Snap, – a whip did its job. “We’re not worthy,” the pious said in unison.

Moreover, each of them had a fresh ShadowVine collar tightly wrapped

around their neck. The collar couldn’t be pleasant because the plant
afflicted Drain upon contact. A few of the pious were slumped to their
knees, but even when their hands moved the whip and the chant continued.
The blood pooled in the grooves on the floor to fill the etched web with
crimson.

Further away on a small pedestal stood a rather radiant woman, in contrast

to the bloody and wounded pious she sparkled with cleanliness and health.
Her being stark naked only added to the contrast making her stand out even
more. Her pristine skin radiated a faint glow and her wings were stretched
wide in a majestic way. The Radiant Angel was chanting a chant of her
own, entirely different from the pious, hence it was drowned by their
voices; at least until the last word of her chant.

“… [Initiation]!”

With those words, radiant light basked the fervent pious and the blood
filling the web exploded in purple motes of light. As the motes were rising,
they brushed past the skin of the pious. Upon touch their wounds closed and
the crimson evaporated from their tainted backs leaving the skin fresh and
renewed. There was more to it, old wounds, old scars, blemishes and
imperfections, all old flaws disappeared at that moment.

An uncanny transformation was taking place here in the spidery dungeon of

a SpideryTemple. And not all of it was pleasant. The vine collar burst into a
purple flame and soon crumbled to dust leaving a permanent mark on the
necks of the pious. But that was the only mark which marked their now
otherwise flawless bodies. And there was another small addition, a faint and
wispy hallo formed above the pious heads accompanied by almost
imperceptible ghostly wings of light on their backs. However, unlike their
golden counterparts, the halos and the wispy wings were tinted in the shade
of purple.

The purple motes continued up to the ceiling and flowed into the mouth of
the spider statue. There was no way for the Spider King to see, but the huge
lantern in the temple hall proper burned with increased vigour and intensity
as if fueled by this ritual.

With the last motes gone, the ritual was brought to a conclusion. And only
then did the Radiant Angel notice the shaken presence of the Spider King.
As if suddenly embarrassed, her face flushed crimson red and she moved
her wings to cloak her nudeness.

The pious registered the sudden change in body language their

HighPriestess exhibited, this was very unlike her, so they turned to look at
the disturbance, only to kneel soon after.

“We’re not worthy.” Everyone said in unison.

“Why did my Chaos Blessed activate?” The Spider King pondered while
still shocked by the cult-like spectacle. However, there was another thing he
was more curious about. “[Inspect].”

Monster Race: Angelic Variant: Fallen Magic Affinity: 📿

Cherub Light
 📿😇📿
HP:100 MP:200 STA:100
📿
Active
[Angelic Heal], [Bless]
Perks

Passive
[Pristine Body], [Cherub Aura]
Perks

Resistances [Dark Weakness: Medium]

Status
[Minion]
Effects

Huh, so they maintained their Light affinity. But more importantly, it’s not
just Darkness who could force evolutions…
 136 - The Irregular Adventuring
Party

A mountain of fur and muscle, a WarBoar Behemoth, was charging towards

the small party threatening to Trample It into a wet mush. Luckily the party
had a Tank; he stepped forward to meet the monster's charge.

“Not on. My watch. [Body Shield]!”

Two titans clashed with each other, neither of them giving even an inch of
the ground. A perfect opportunity presented itself for the party to attack the
monster from the sides, however, that could not be done. WarBoar
Behemoth didn’t come alone, in its tow were no less than a dozen of
WarBoars; moderately sized this time, however, just as big if not bigger
than a warg. The boars squealed murder and launched themselves with clear
killing intent. If nothing was soon done the party would end up surrounded.
This could not be allowed!

The Mage raised his staff high, “[Multicast], [Weakness]!” The boars were
targeted by an AoE debuff.

Even if slowed down the monster charge continued; the WarBoars

threatened to hit the party at both of its flanks. This was high time for the
two party’s Rogues to shine. The two were actually twins with identical
perks and skills. In the party formation, the twins were conveniently at the
sides and ready to counter the monsters.

“[Empower], [Slash]”, the rogue on the left decapitated the boar in a single
strike

“[Overwhelm], [Cleave]”, the rogue on the right slashed the boar in two.
The Ranger wasn’t just standing there idle. She threw her Slinger's Blade
at the nearest monster, giving it a nasty piercing wound. With a firm pull of
a sting attached, the weapon was back in her hands, but this time “[Piercing
Strike]!” *Crunch*, she pulled the blade out of the skull. “Yeah, that’s
better… Oh! [Net], [Throw].”

The rogue on the right was slightly overwhelmed by the number of the
monsters. “Thanks! [Swift], [Slash],” she finished the net-trapped monster
with a quick and bloody strike.

A WarBoar slammed its tusk right into the leather-clad thigh, piercing the
light armour with little issue. “Argh!” The Rogue on the left exclaimed in
pain. Even if just as skilled as her twin she wasn’t as lucky, after all, there
was only one Ranger to support them. However…

“I’ve got this! [Heal]!”

White light washed over the rogue on the left healing her wound in an
instant and restoring the lost HP.

“[Dark Bolt]!” The Mage cast a spell on the WarBoar Behemoth scoring a
direct hit.

The attack left a spot of singed fur, but otherwise, it was just a small dent in
the massive health pool of the monster.

“[Bullseye]” The Ranger invoked a perk and threw her blade right after.

it sunk deep into Behemoth’s left eye eliciting a roaring shout: “Sque-eee-
eal!” – it was clearly very angry.

“Yes, my first critical hit!” The Ranger celebrated.

“Urgh! It is now Enraged.” The Tank slid back struggling to contain the
Behemoth.

“Ranger, go easy with the damage.” The Mage warned. “The Tank needs
to keep the agro. [Weakness].” He cast on the WarBoar Behemoth to bring
down its strength, however the spell was negated by the enraged monster.
“Tch! Its willpower is too high. [Dark Bolt]!”

“I need help!” The Rogue on the right yelled out; again slightly
overwhelmed.

“Oh! [Rapid Throw]” The Ranger delivered a hit just in time.

At the right flank, the charging boar staggered at the damage allowing the
Rogue to roll to the side and thus dodge its attack completely. “[Stab],
[Slash], [Execute].” She released a combo move.

While the WarBoar was charging right past her, she stabbed her short sword
to its side, then she used that momentum to drive the weapon across its
body ripping a nasty gash all the way across. Execute multiplied the
damage and the monster tumbled to the ground like a boulder. The combo
was executed so flawlessly that the monster didn’t even have time to let out
a single squeal; it was just dead.

“Hey, I’m struggling here!” It was the other Rogue this time.

The Healer patted the Ranger’s shoulder. “I’ve got this. [Last Stand]!”
She buffed her struggling ally.

And just right in time. A boar slammed into the Rogue, however, she
weathered the charge almost effortlessly and instead stabbed the monster in
the neck. “A crit! It’s dead. And now it’s yar turn. [Dodge], [Slide],
[Cleave]!”

All four limbs of the next WarBoar were cut at the knees leaving it flopping
on the ground like a worm.

“Yes!” The Mage celebrated. “Leave them alive if you can.”

The monster was simply disabled.

“Well done!” The last member of the party congratulated. She was the
party’s Bard; not a fighter and only a level 1. But even so, she had her uses.
She turned to the struggling Tank, “You can do it, yes you can! You can do
it, here you go! [Encourage]!” As she cheered and hopped motes of purple
light flew out of her hands and showered the struggling Tank.

He pushed against the WarBoar Behemoth with increased vigour. “Just

what. I needed.”

“[Dark Bolt].” The Mage continued to whittle the boss monster’s HP little
by little.

The WarBoar Behemoth, not too happy about being pushed, roared again in
desperation. “Sque-eee-eal!” Red motes of light escaped its body and flew
towards the lesser monsters.

“He’s buffing them. Watch out!” The Mage warned.

Not only was the previously cast Weakness cancelled, but the WarBoars
were also Empowered.

“Rotten swill!” The Rogue cursed grasping at the fresh wound; she was hit
by a tusk.

“[Heal]”

“[Net]! [Strike], [Strike].”

“I’ll be okay. [Cleave]. [Dodge]. [Dodge]. [Cleave].”

“Just in case, here, [Last Stand].”

“Thanks, [Trikster], [Flurry], [Strike]!”

“Squeak!” *Thump” “…”

“Bard, throw me a potion.”

“One Stamina Potion coming right up. [Throw]!”

Just like that, after a bit more trouble, the lesser monsters were dealt with.
“Show-time!” The Rogue exclaimed with a wicked grin.

“Show-time!” The twin repeated with an equally wicked grin.

“I’ll see if I could Blind it. [Bullseye]!”, however, the Ranger wasn’t that
lucky this time.

Matters not, the Rogues were at the flanks of the WarBoar Behemoth and
the Tank still had its full agro.

“You can do it, yes you can! You can do it, here you go! [Encourage].” x2,
the Bard buffed the main damage dealers.

“Hold on! Not yet. [Weakness], [Weakness], [Weakness] …” The Mage

released his brakes casting over and over again. “Yes! Now!”

“[Empower], [Deep Stab], [Assasinate]!” She ripped at the side of the

monster dealing massive damage.

The other Rogue used a much simpler combo. “[Empower], [Cleave]!”

She did much less damage.

However, if you weighed which Rogue was more successful it would be the
one who did less damage. Why? Because she aimed her strike at the joint of
the Behemoth’s leg, severing it completely and forcing the boar to buckle
down.

“Yes!” The Tank exclaimed. “[SLAM!]” He Stunned the already staggered

monster and stepped back to give the Rogues space.

“Let it rip!” The Mage encouraged.

“[Flurry], [Strike]!”, “[Flurry], [Cleave]!”, the twins did just so.

The monster’s HP drained rapidly; its flesh was being shredded and the fur
dyed in crimson.

However, it was not all over. “Sque-eee-eal!” The WarBoar Behemoth grew
a size bigger and was now glowing in faint red light. Despite the missing
leg and all the bleeding wounds, it managed to stand up and roar.
“SQUEAL!”

“Now!” The Mage shouted commandingly.

“[Dodge]”, “[Dodge]”, the twins backed off from the monster.

The boar spun like a wound-up gizmo sending dust and dirt around,
however, its sharp tusks found no enemies.

The Healer had her arms raised high already, her face was stern from the
concentration. “[Holy Smite]” She finally invoked.

A pillar of light descended on the Berserk monster, it flashed upon contact

forcing the rest of the party to shield their eyes.

“Did I do it?” She asked with concern.

The flash ended and revealed a singed and slightly smoking monster, but it
was still standing.

“Sque-ee…” It never finished and slumped to the ground; it was still

breathing but just barely so.

“It’s still alive!” Ranger rubbed her palms together. “Don’t mind if I do.
[Entraping Web], [Throw].” A purple web was thrown on the WarBoar
Behemoth. “Bound and trapped.” She clapped her hands. “And most of all –
alive!”

Yes, they needed it alive.

“Well. Done!”, “Congratulations!”, “Yes!”, “Wo-hoo!”, “I can’t believe

we’ve done this.”, “Easy, GG!”

“Send in the rabbits”, the Spider King commanded.

Not too far away, the spear wall was broken and from behind it a horde of
little rabbits flocked towards the Trapped WarBoar Behemoth. The little
rabbits were wielding small daggers, and all of them were at Fighting lvl1;
but that was bound to change. The horde hopped to the monster, all giddy
and ecstatic, however, they hesitated to get within striking range.

“It’s safe, my web would never break.” Drow Assistant reassured the little
rabbits.

“You too, should go and help them.” The Radiant Angel urged their Bard,
the Bunny Girl.

“O-Okay!” She unhinged the dagger from her side and looked at it with
scepticism.

“Go. Christen your virgin blade.” Warrior Leader Jr nudged the Bunny Girl.

“O-Okay!” She ran to catch up with the dagger-wielding little rabbits who
were swarming the boar like ants a sugar cube would.

“Squ.. squeal?” The WarBoar voiced slightly confused by the spectacle.

Yes, it did look odd, but there was nothing to be confused about.

“So this is what ya call… Power Leveling, hmm?” Roe Banditesa looked at
the rabbit horde with bewilderment. “But can they do it?”

“The one landing the killing blow will get the most Exp. But yes, even if
they just hit the monster, they will gain a hefty sum from ‘contribution’.”
The Drow Assistant explained.

“Go rabbits! Go! Slay!” Darkness urged unable to wait any longer for it to
begin.

The horde of rabbits sank their daggers into the monster, or at least tried to.
The monster's hide was thick like armour, and most of the rabbit attacks
were deflected, but even so, a few landed; after all, all rabbits had that
Luck. They were striking the Trapped monster again and again, chipping
at its health not by 1HP at a time but more like 0.01 HP; it barely registered.
Ever and Archen approached the improvised party.

“Thank you for showing us how.” Ashen bowed in gratitude.

Ever just gave a thankful nod. “My tamed pet did amazing! I knew the
humans would prove to be useful!”

“Yes, you trained her well.” The Spider King Admited. “She’s a great
Support, I mean Bard.” He corrected himself.

Well, under the Monster System, there were no classes only jobs like
Farmer, Crafter, Fighter… and Bunny Girl’s job was Support, so his
correction was not actually correct!

“Yes.” Ever nodded again. “And now we understand the roles of the party
better.”

“So we need: Tank, Mage, Healer, Support, Ranger and Rogue?” Asher
asked to confirm.

“We did our best to restrain ourselves and imitate the roles properly, and yes
that is the standard, but the rogues can be swapped with any other damage
dealers. Also, you can add an extra damage dealer, in my case it was
another Rogue, but a Warrior would also be fine.

“I see.”

The Drow Assistant looked at the King, she looked somewhat conflicted. “I
understand the Healer, the rabbits could entrust a member with potions and
call him that. But where are they supposed to get the Mage? It’s not like
any of them can cast magic.”

‘Not yet!’ – The Spider King wanted to interject. “We’ll just give them
enchanted equipment capable of ranged elemental attacks, or Magic Scrolls
- we have plenty of them.”

“The scrolls! That’s right. Duke Aurelius doesn’t know actual magic, but he
is a formidable mage.” She opened her notebook, “… supplement magic
with scrolls.” She made a note.
Ever was hopping in place the entire time, clearly wanting to say something
but never finding a chance.

“Yes?” The Spider King finally asked.

“But we have Mages!” She yelped excitedly. “Well not quite. But few of
our children have Nature affinity.”

“Is that so? Then they must have access to magic. All they need to do is
learn some nature spells.” He looked at the Drow Assistant expectantly.

“I’m an elementalist.” She shook her head. “It’s either White Sprigans,
Dryads or the Wisp itself. They should ask them.”

“Yes!” Asher exclaimed. “The Holy Spirit, we’ll ask it.”

Yeah, the Wisp surely will help them.

“Sqe-eee-eal!”

The party turned to look a the sound with a tinge of worry.

[Fighting +100 exp], everyone got their share of the contribution.

“Oh!” The Spider King released a relieved sigh. “They finally killed it.”

“Yay!” The rabbits cheered jumping on the defeated monster.

“We should harvest it for materials. I want the tusks.” Roe suggested.

“No, I want the tusks!” Darkness protested. “I was the better Rogue than
ya. I didn’t get hurt. Not once!”

“Buzz off, slime!”

“Slime?” Darkness gave a puzzled look. “I’m Dark Roe, the leader of the
bandits.”

“You!!!”
“You both will get a tusk! There is two!” The Spider King jumped in
between the Rogues.

“Incidentally I want nothing.” The Radiant Angel smiled. “Fighting beside

my God is reward enough.”

“I’ve told you I am not a …” The Spider King looked down, someone was
tugging at the hem of his robe. “What’s up, kid?” He looked at the little
rabbit, a particularly bloody and excited rabbit.

“I can Evolve!” The rabbit jumped up and down giddily.

“Huh, but aren't you too young? And it's not like I gave you a Monster
Core or anything.” He inspected the little rabbit, and indeed, she could
evolve. “She can…” but also she was one of the kids with Nature affinity,
so maybe that’s why.

“Well done!” Ever raised the kid.

“Amazing!” Asher patted her between the ears.

“Yay! Evolve! Yay!”

The Spider King shrugged. “Why not? Put her down and give us some
space.” He paused. “[Evolve]!”.
 136.5 – Booze Liberation Army
Always Strikes At Midnight

The full moon was basking the City in the luminescent glow. The sky was
clear without a single cloud, and if one looked up they would see a group of
bats flying; it’s just that the bats were unusually large. However, the bats
weren’t a rare sight here so most people didn’t even give a single glance.

“It must be either in the warehouse or that large tower.”

*Sniff, “I reckon it’s the tower.”

*Sniff, “Yeah, my nose tells me so too.”

“I can practically taste it!”

The bats fluttered their wings with increased vigour getting ever closer to
the large tower.

“The window isn’t even barred. What are they thinking?”

“And there are no guards.”

“Well, it's rather high.” The bat pointed at the distant ground below. “There
are a few of them down below. Right by the tower entrance.”

“They still haven’t noticed us, let's be quick.”

“He-he!”

Later, the same night, if one dared to look up towards the moon they would
see a rather odd peculiarity. No, it wasn’t the surprising size of the bats, it
was the sight of them clinging to round barrels and struggling to fly them
through the sky.

“Huh!?” The midnight walker rubbed his eyes and looked up again. “I’m
seeing things now… I should go easy on the booze.” He looked at the bottle
of RotGrogg in his hand and took another swing from it. “Man, this is
foul…” But it was the best the lucky few could still afford; there was just
no booze left around.

“That Warlord!” He spat. “Hoarding all the good stuff for himself.” Then he
took another gulp of foul liquid, completely ignoring the real sight
happening right above.

Later, in the morning a panicked man burst through the bedroom’s door.

“My Lord, my lord!” He shouted.

“What is it?” Jerico rubbed his still sleapy eyes. “Are we under monster
attack again? I told you to deal with it by yourselves.”

“No! The booze is gone!”

“What do you mean gone?!” He jumped out of his bed.

“It’s all gone!”

“A night raid? How? We left plenty of guards. Why I didn’t hear an

alarm?!”

“You have to see it. It’s just gone!”

Jerico rushed to the tower. The guards were there, the gate was fine, there
was no damage, but inside of the tower, it was all empty.

“But how?” It was as if the booze just evaporated.

There was only one explanation. The guards turned against him and looted
his personal stores! He glared at his men.
“Is this a sick joke? Am I not paying you enough? Who is responsible?”

“I swear, we don’t know what happened.” A tired night guard replied

shakily.

“Then we came for our shift, It was already like that,” the day guard
explained taking no blame.

“Nonsense! You’ll talk, or I’ll execute you myself!”

Embers of discord were lit that day. To be the Warlord, to rule over all
bandits, one thing was necessary – booze. Without it, the bandits would
soon turn violent and unruly… And a lot of high-quality stuff was taken.
Either way, Jerico will have to find it or impose even higher taxes in the
city to replenish the lost supply.

Needless to say, the Commanders didn’t receive their allotment for the day,
no one did. And actually this wasn’t the only store which happened to be
raided so mysteriously. In just one night, the entire City was liberated from
fiery liquids of all kinds! Even the RotGrogg went missing, and only
suicidal lunatics drank that.

All seven Bandit Leaders had gathered at the not-so-secret meeting. The
seven were surrounded by large piles of barrels and bottles, a veritable
mountain of booze.

“I can’t believe you’ve done this!”

“Just look at all the booze.”

“How?”

Roe Banditesa gave them an evil grin. “Doesn’t matter how. What matters
is that Jerico is done! Now take your booze and later we’ll take the city.”

“And your…” One of the leaders paused meaningfully. “Dark Patron, will
he help us with that?”
Three of the leaders gave curious looks because they never met this
‘Patron’.

“My sponsor is preoccupied. But he left us this.” She unwrapped a large

pie.

“Ah, I know this.”, “So this is it?”, “Is there more?”, some knew of it
already.

“A pie?”, “Huh?”, “What is it?”, and some didn’t know.

Roe pointed with her finger. “Midnight Pie. This is our power, go have a
slice.”

Each took a slice. Three ate with courage and three ate with suspicion.

“Ah, I see!” The suspicion disappeared.

“So this is our strength?”

Roe shook her head. “No, this is my strength. I command the Vamps and I
have all the booze,” she pointed at the barrels. “I am the Warlord now.”

The leaders nodded, they had already agreed on that.

“How about that Palm Juice? I heard it’s better than the usual stuff?”

Roe glared at the bandit. “You’ll get that after we take the City.”

Part of the agreement with the Bandit Leaders was that they needed to
liberate their slaves and bound servants; that condition was an unnegotiable
set by the Spider King. Roe Banditessa achieved that agreement with both
threats and bribes; this was just how the bandits worked.

Anyway, the liberated humans were pooled into a large group and were
currently guided by the rabbits. They were unsure about their future since it
didn’t look too bright. The Bandit Camps weren’t exactly homely, but at
least they were safe there from the monster attacks.

And no one knew about this new place they were being led to. Allegedly it
was called New Garden, but for all they knew it could be yet another
bandit camp to slave and toil without a single thank you. Of course, there
were promises of safety, warm homes and plentiful food. However, the
bandits lured unsuspecting peasants with similar promises. One day you
agree to pay the bandits for protection from monsters and the next day they
come to take all your stuff.

They left the bandit camps, yes, but for the many, it meant that only the
leadership changed; from bandits to humanoid rabbits. In other words, even
if they were ‘free’ only a few humans truly felt liberated. To be free you
needed a place to call home, you needed something which you could call
yours… And all of that was taken either by the bandits or the monsters.

Currently, the large group was progressing through the forest; the rabbits
insisted on making this shortcut even if the place was infested with
monsters. No one here was a real fighter, and only a few adult rabbits were
leading this otherwise massive group. Understandably, everyone was on
edge. It was only a matter of time until…

“SSS!” A massive monster hissed at the group.

It was a massive Viper Devourer, a twelve-metre-long snake with a maw

large enough to swallow a human whole. Worse, it was capable of shooting
venom using its Venom Spray attack.

The humans screamed and fled in fear to bundle up further away from the
monster; No one could face a threat of this level! – No one sane would…
but for some reason, the rabbits stepped forward to face the terrifying
monster.

“SSS!” Viper Devourer charged to devour the nearest rabbit, but also, the
youngest of them.

“[Spring Step],” the rabbit hopped to a side and towards a thick tree.
Her legs connected with a tree bark and then a powerful kick propelled her
past the viper and out of its charge.

“SSS!” It tried to snatch the rabbit out of the air but failed, instead its face
was slashed with a dagger.

“ᛒᛖ ᚲᚨᚱᛖᚠᚢᛚ ᚦᛖᚱᛖ ᛗᛁᚷᚺᛏ ᛒᛖ ᛗᛟᚱᛖ,” the rabbit spoke commandingly in

her strange language.

“[Hop]”, “[Hop]”, “[Zoom]”, the other rabbits disappeared to the

overgrowth leaving their comrade alone.

“Are they fleeing?! Leaving us to die?!” Someone questioned.

It might not be so, not at all! – the rabbit kicked at the other tree and flew
past the viper’s head slashing it again.

“ᛞᛟᚾ×ᛏ ᛗᛟᚢᛖ. ᛁ ᚺᚨᚢᛖ ᚦᛁᛊ.” She spoke something to the bundled humans.
“[Hop], ᚲᚨᚱᛖᚠᚢᛚ, [Spring Step]”.

The viper tried to spray the little rabbit with poison but missed, the rabbit
once again just zoomed past the monster. She hopped on a branch which
was clearly too thin to support her weight, and yet it somehow did.

Just like before, she kicked at the thick branch and propelled herself at an
impossible speed. “[Lunge], [Slash]”.

“Sss-shash!” The Viper Devourer cried out in pain; a large gash was left on
its side.

Enraged the monster tried to retaliate against the rabbit, but it just couldn’t
catch the rabbit who kept zooming past the monster and slashing it. The
humans looked perplexed at the acrobatic moves the rabbit was pulling off.
She used trees or branches to kick off and launch himself at the monster
with breakneck speed. Sometimes she ran through nothing but leaves,
leaving the biting viper with nothing but a mouthful of plant matter. Every
time the rabbit flew past the monster she scored a nasty Slash. Viper
Devourer was a formidable monster with a large HP pool, but it didn’t mean
it was bottomless.

In the end, the viper collapsed to the mossy forest floor letting out its last
“Sss…”.

“ᛟᚲᚨᛁ, ᚹᛖ×ᚱᛖ ᚷᛟᛟᛞ” The little rabbit spoke to the humans waving them to
carry on forward.

Humans just looked in disbelief. How could a single rabbit be this strong?
She is so little! It was almost scary.

As they proceeded through the forest, soon the missing rabbits joined up.
Their pristine silver pelts carried a few blotches or streaks of crimson,
telling that they too fought similar battles like this, and seeing was believing
so the humans felt safer with the rabbit company; especially next to the
little rabbit.

“Hey look!” A boy pointed at the nearby tree.

A young rabbit was hopping from one branch to the other.

“Yes! And there too?” A girl pointed to a different side.

A rabbit was running practically atop the leaves.

“So cool, how do they do that?!” A boy exclaimed excitedly.

“I want to do that too!” A girl said pointing at the zooming rabbits.

Indeed, the forest was full of scary monsters, but the rabbits were experts at
dispatching them.

Much later, the group emerged out of the forest and into the plains. And
even later they reached the end of their destination.

“What is this?” An old farmer strained his eyes to see better.

In the distance, past the wild vastness of the unruly grass, there was a shiny
field of silver.

“Clovers?” An old farmer guessed.

The rabbits smiled at the humans urging them to march faster, since
everyone was curious they did just so. The group ran up to the silver field
and looked at the magical sight with wonder.

“Are they edible?” A hungry man asked, and without waiting for an answer
he pushed a silver four-leaf into his mouth; he smiled at the taste.

The old farmer Identified the plant. “It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before.”

One of the rabbits approached the old farmer and handed him a bag.

“Seeds?” He looked happily at the contents. “Ah, you must know I’m a
high level Farmer. Thank you.” He bowed in gratitude.

“ᚾᛟ ᛈᚱᛟᛒᛚᛖᛗ,” the rabbit replied and hopped to another human to hand
more of the seeds.

Tears welled up in the old farmer’s eyes. After the fall of the kingdom he
wasn’t able to do what he liked the most… He bit into a single seed testing
its quality.

“Oh! We can make bread out of this!” His Farmer class told so. “And…”
Maybe he had stayed with the bandits for too long but… “We can brew
beer!”

If the sound of bread didn’t catch the nearby human’s attention the word
‘beer’ did, and everyone looked at the old farmer with expectation.

“It’s clear what they want us to do. Let's find a good field and plant these.”
He urged his friends.

And just like that, the humans settled at the border of the AshenClover
fields, only to expand it further. The monsters of course were the ever-
present threat, however, unlike the old lords and wannabe bandits, the
rabbits reacted to the threat urgently and efficiently. Of course, such
protection was never free, the humans here had learned that the hard way.
However, as hard as it was to believe, the rabbits seemed to be different
from the previous overlords – not once did they come to collect any tax of
any kind; it was rather strange. It seemed that the Rabbits were just happy
to see the silver fields expand.

Actually, the humans here received a substantial amount of charity from the
rabbits. It wasn’t just seeds to start the fields, but also clothes, tools, and
building materials. And while there was a language barrier still, the rabbits
were keen to help the humans in various activities like building houses or
digging a well. Interestingly, most of the children were rather smitten by the
rabbits hence often running away from home to play with them. But hey,
children were children, you can’t expect them to do farmwork all day.

In the end, the rabbits weren't overlords or masters sent here to watch over
farmers and peasants, no, they were just good neighbours and good friends.
It was rather strange for this Spider King, supposed Master of the Rabbits,
to set the people free from bandits and then… just leave them be without
imposing any further demands. If so, he was a King unlike any other.

And all was well, until…

“Mom, when I check my Status, It says have this Tamed thing. What does
it do?” A kid asked.

“Huh?”
 137 – The Trouble In the Water

The power leveling exercise allowed the rabbits to gain valuable Fighting
levels. And a few with Nature affinity had gained their Evolution.

Variant:
Monster Race:
Magic Affinity:
SilverShade Nature
DemiMonster
Rabbit

🍃
HP:80 MP:80 STA:80
🐰
Active
[Burrow], [Spring Step], [Hop]
🍀
Perks

Passive
[Animal Affinity], [Energize], [Luck]
Perks

This particular variant was more zesty than its predecessor with two key
perks: Spring Step and Energize. The former perk, where the contact with
nature boosted their STR and AGI, it allowed them to literally walk on
leaves and treetops, and the latter gave them an uncanny amount of vigour;
combining the two enabled the rabbit to launch some devastating attacks.

With that, the number of capable fighters swelled in the rabbit population
and the final solution to the monster incursion would soon be achieved.
Just as the Spider King evolved the last rabbit: *Ring-Ring, *Ring-Ring, –
an incoming communication demanded his attention.

He picked up the imaginary phone. “Morning.”

“I’m BURSTING!!!”

He winced at the volume, plus an uncomfortable feeling of overwhelming

pressure leaked through the communication.

“I am…” He began.

“Ha-ha! Got You!” Mirth washed over through the other end. “I’m Joking. I
Took Care Of Myself.”

“Oh…”

“Huh? Is It Disappointment I Sense? How Peculiar.”

He tightened his mental barrier. “Please ignore that. So why did you call?”

“You Have To Urgently Come Back.”

“Why? Did anything happen?”

“It Didn’t Happen But Is About To Happen.”

“What? What is about to happen?” He tried to pry deeper into Johny’s

mind.

“Mua-Ahh! So Forceful! Ha-Ha. No, I’ve Said Too Much. Just Come Back,
Alright?”

“Come on give me something. Is it an emergency?”

“Something Like That. Your Presence Is Essential. Okay, Bye.”

Johny cut the Eldrich Telepathy short.

“I guess I have to go.” He looked east towards the direction of MegaFarm.
“My presence is essential…” He paused to think about it. “[Summon
Darkness].”

A slime manifested out of his shadow only to grow further and then take the
form of a woman dressed in tight leather.

“Yes, Master.” It, or well, she looked at the Spider King expectantly.

“Watch over the bandits for me, okay?”

Darkness gave him an evil conspiratory grin. “With pleasure.”

The Spider King didn’t overthink that gesture: Darkness was simply
imitating Roe; she always smiled like that.

But just in case. “Don’t bully her too much, Darkness. In the greater
scheme, she is a paw we need.”

“I know that, Master, I do.” She said but the conspiratory grin grew only
wider.

“Well then…”

“Master.” Darkness interrupted. “There’s a lot of bandits and only one me.
Do I have permission to deploy my friends?”

Indeed, Darkness needed to monitor not just Roe, but also the other six
bandit leaders.

“You have my permission, yes.” He nodded.

“[Summon Minions]!” She invoked loudly and with authority.

The otherwise mundane shadows, the ones which naturally were there, like
a shadow of a tree or a rock, or just a spot of darkness in a corner, all of
them quivered and rippled like disturbed water. Then one after another
monsters began to rise out of the shadows, equally shadowy in their forms.
If one looked carefully, and had the needed knowledge, they would
recognise Shadow Wolves, Shadow Stingrays, Shadow Roadrunners and
other shadowy friends of Darkness.

“Oh, I see. You made quite a few new friends.”

Darkness gave him a wicked smile. “I’m just that popular. And you can’t
have too many Minions.”

That was exactly something Roe Banditessa would say.

“I think you’re hanging out with Roe too much. She’s clearly a bad
influence.”

“What? No! We’re best buds now, BFFs!” Sensing something Darkness
jumped to proclaim. “Don’t separate us, Master!”

Indeed, Darkness naturally copied the creatures it liked, first, it was the
naughty Wyrmling and now it was the equally naughty Roe Banditessa.

“Is that so? Is that why you bully her so much?” He asked feeling dubious
about the proclamation.

“Master, it’s just banter!” Darkness protested. “I don’t bully her!”

“…” Perhaps it was. “I’ll leave it to you then.”

Darkness gave him an odd salute.

Anyway, the Galleon Whale was just nearby, and with the Spider
HyperDrive the trip back home won’t be long.

Even from above the Spider King could tell something unusual was
happening. The spiders were moving hurriedly, filtering in and out of the
streets. And by the looks of it the Drow were also there, and so were the
Kobolds; weren’t the little dragonoids afraid of the open spaces? Strange
but it didn't end there: there were even Fennec and Scorpionmen present,
and so were the humans from the New Hope. It was as if the entirety of the
Monster Realm was gathered for some reason.

The need to amass such forces meant only one thing.

“Are we at major War? Is it the Demon Lord?” After all, he worried about
that guy ever since the Centauri embarked on their quest to free all Centauri
slaves.

He didn’t wait for the ship to land and jumped out of it instead.

“Hey!” Warrior Leader Jr chirped not at all too pleased and then jumped
right behind.

“[Transformation: Spider].” His body grew and morphed into a beautiful

but formidable spider form. “[Spin Web: Glider].” A magical thread shot
out of his fingers to form temporary wings behind his back.

And soon two spiders were gliding in the sky. Their descent was quick and
the landing was met with cheers and applauses. Drow High Chief, attracted
by the stunt, ran up to the Spider King.

“That was spectacular!” He praised clearly impressed.

“Yeah. Mind telling me what the ruckus is about?”

“What? You don’t know?” The High Chief looked at the bewildered King’s
face. “King, it’s the birth of your child.”

“Eh?! Oh no! Did I miss it?”

“No, according to the program, your child is hatching sometime at night

with the rest of the lamia hatchlings.”

High Chief produced a small leaflet out of his pocket and handed it for the
King to see. There were a lot of events scheduled throughout the day.
Brunch he missed, but he was in time for the concert, games, feast and then
the final event.
The Spider King let out a relieved sigh. It wasn’t war, it was something
more jovial, and he made it right in time.

“Come,” he gave the Drow a look, “accompany me to the Concert.”

High Chief looked up at the flying ship. “My apologies, King. I have
business with Drow Assistant.”

“Ah, yes. It has been a while since the two of you saw each other.”

“Yes, we’ve only exchanged letters.”

A familiar voice rang out from behind. “I’ll keep you company, yes-yes.”

The Spider King looked at the bulked-up Kobold King, did he take an
interest in pulling weights or something? The little kobold was not so little
anymore, but still no taller than a dwarf would be, and yet he was just as
buff. He walked up to the Kobold King, and his wife. Incidentally, the wife
was a drow and she held a massive umbrella over the kobold.

“Hello dear friend,” he greeted, “what's the umbrella for?” he was curious,
it wasn’t raining or anything.

It was the Wife who jumped in to explain. “The umbrella is there to protect
the Kobold King in case the sky falls down.”

“Yes-yes. By the way, you should meet my other wives.” He pointed to one
of the open tents nearby.

A bunch of multicoloured kobolds were surrounding one of the stalls in the

tent, devouring the offered snacks.

“Wives, say hello to the Spider King.”

No less than two dozen kobolds waved at the Spider King. Surely not all of
them were his wives, right? Right?

“Kobold King…” The Spider King looked again trying to confirm the
count. “You surely have been busy. How many children do you have?” He
asked somewhat curious.

“Ha! The kobolds are doing very well. We’ve just counted them before
coming here, it's exactly 547, yes-yes.

Wow, maybe the gym wasn’t the reason why the kobold was so buff-
looking!

The Kobold King continued. “And we have another 123 waiting to hatch.”
The kobold gave a saddened look for some reason.

“Huh? Why the sad grin?”

“None of them are hatching today, no-no. It would have been nice if at least
one shared a birthday with your child.”

“Is that so…” It was a strange reason to be sad. “But, Kobold King.” He
addressed and proceeded in a whisper. “If the Lamia Queen asks about your
kids, don’t tell her the real number, say it's ten or something like that,
okay?”

“Why?” The Kobold King gave a curious look.

“She’s rather competitive…”

“Huh?”

The Wife gave a knowing smile. “it’s okay, Spider King. I’ll keep my
husband in check.”

“Yes-yes, you do that. Now, let's go to the Dark Lake, I want to see it.”

That was the place where the celebratory concert will be happening.

“That’s right, you’ve never seen it. Did you even meet the Mer?”

The kobold shook his head.

“Then, some introductions are in order.”

Actually, this was a good opportunity for the various races to mingle with
each other. As it was, the Humans never saw the Fennec, nor did the
Kobolds saw the Mer, or Centauri – Kobolds, or so and such. That was so,
but everyone knew the spiders, so perhaps they could be the medium to
bring all friends together.

As the Spider King walked towards the Dark Lake he noticed the spiders
doing exactly that; it seems his idea wasn’t original, someone must have
thought about it already, likely the Trusty Advisor. And perhaps the birth of
his child was the right excuse to bring all races together; in other words,
they trapped two birds with one web. Nice!

The Spider King was sitting by his wife, the Lamia Queen. She was
positively charmed by the flawless singing of the Obsidian Siren, or just
Pearl as was her name. The young girl managed to captivate the hearts of
the spectating crowd, of course, calling it just a crowd was an
understatement. It was hard to tell the real number but perhaps there were
250,000 individuals, if not more; a scary number when you thought about
it… Well, the number was nowhere close to Aurelian Dutchy, and especially
not the millions of the Holy Empire, but still, the Monster Realm was
growing at an unprecedented speed.

“Fertility Potion…” He muttered to himself ignoring the otherwise

captivating performance.

While the siren’s songs were good, all of them were romance-themed, and
he grew somewhat bored of it rather quickly. Yeah, but try and tell that to
the Lamia Queen who was staring at the singing mer with sparkly eyes.
Even if he left his seat she probably wouldn’t notice.

Someone patted his shoulder shyly and he turned around to see a little
spider, a spider messenger as was their kind known.

“You got mail.” It chirped bashfully and scuttered away in hurried taps of
its little legs.
Of course, not before handing a soggy note. He would scold the spider for
ruing his mail, but well… Anyway, he opened the damp parchment; luckily
the writing was done in Blue Ink, a derivative of Blue Dust and hence
water resistant.

===

My Dearest,

How long has it been?

Listening to Pearl singing made me realise that it is you who is my siren, it

is your voice I seek. I’ve missed your aura like a sailor would miss the sea.
How long has it been?

You’re like a siren who took my heart captive. I find myself thinking about
the time we spent in CreamKelp fields. About our last parting embrace.
Your touch… well, let's say it had opened a tsunami within me. It was a tide
which could not be stemmed, yet it feels so distant and I fear forgetting it.
How long has it been?

Now I find that there is this emptiness in my heart which makes me feel like
a fish out of the water. I can’t help but long to swim by your side, to have yet
another underwater adventure. Let’s make some waves again! How long
has it been?

To be honest, I’ve been waiting for the right moment. The moment which
never came. I have something very special to give you. Please come and see
me, that would surely make my fins flip in joy. How long has it been?

Too long, my Dearest. Too long… You know where to meet me. Don’t make
me wait…

With all the love in the maiden’s heart,

Your Princess
===

“What a…” He crumpled the note as soon as he read it. “[Entropy],” the
magic turned it to steam and dust.

He gave a quick glance to his wife, she was still enthralled by the
performance. He wanted an excuse to leave the concert, and now he had
one. But what was the saying? ‘Be careful what you wish for,’ – that one.

Either way, he had to go. And not because he was going astray but because
he had to set this mer back on the path of righteousness! – You just can't
send love letters to happily married men, and especially on the day their
child is born. Was this Mer Princess evil or something? Did she want him
dead? If his wife had taken a single glance at the note, if there was a whiff
of any infidelity, that would be it, he would be eaten raw!

Of course, all around him were friends and acquaintances. So, his excuse
for leaving was: ‘I’m going to the toilet’ but he didn’t even need to use that,
because no one had asked; they too were enthralled by the siren’s song. And
just like that, he sneaked away from his seat unnoticed. The destination was
the CreamKelp fields.
 138 – The Unexpected Spider
Cultivator

A sparkly and shiny mer pointed her head out of the water.

“You came!” Day jumped out of the lake towards the nearby Spider King.

He stopped the incoming embrace with a firm hand, yet still, the water
splashed making him all wet. “Of course I did. What were you thinking
sending a note like that?”

“Oh, that…” She blushed. “That song, I was just overtaken by it and wrote
something embarrassing.”

“Aha, ’make some waves’, and ‘make my fins flip in joy’ - some rather bold
phrases were used…”

Day Sapphire blushed even harder.

“I’m married you know.” He reminded.

“…”

“And soon I’ll have a child.”

Day fiddled with her hair refusing to meet his eyes. “I know, it’s just that.”
She paused. “I’ve missed you. I really did.” She looked at him with big and
sparkly eyes. “There might have been some poor choice of words leading to
a misunderstanding. So I’m sorry.” However, instead of looking sorry, she
was clearly ecstatic by the illegal meeting.

“Well, all I’m going to say is that this can’t go any further.”
“Go further where?” She asked giving him a puzzled look, which may or
may not be fake.

“Go deeper into the CreamKelp fields,” he pointed at the nearby plants.

She turned to look at the dense aquatic vegetation and remained quiet for a
moment but then turned back to gaze wishfully directly into his eyes. “But I
prepared something very special…”

“I don’t think I can afford it.” He said simply.

“Afford? It’s a gift and gifts come free.” She smiled at him.

Yeah, no… things like that always had consequences.

“Look.” She produced two Rainbow Shells, just like the ones she wore on
her chest. “This is it, this is what I wanted to give you.” She offered the
items with clear embarrassment. “It’s something to help you in your
underwater adventures. I wanted to give it sooner but never found the
time...”

“Huh? So you weren’t trying to?”

“Trying what?”

“You know…”

“What?” She asked attempting to look innocent, but the colour of her
cheeks told the truth.

“I see. So it's like that... Okay, I’ll take the shells. You just invited me to
give this gift, that’s it.”

“Yes, that’s it.” She smiled. “Now try them.”

Well, the shells had to go on a specific spot but he doubted they would stick
there, regardless, he tried.
“Ha-ha. What are you doing, silly? Not there.” She took the shells from him
and pressed them to the sides of his neck.

[You have equipped Deep Lake Delights. Temporary perk Water

Breathing obtained.]

“Now, your underwater adventures can be a reality.” She looked at him

expectantly.

“Wow, that’s useful. Thanks!” He thanked.

“…”

“What?

For some reason, Day just pouted at him.

“Never mind… Wanna test it?”

Yeah, he kind of did. How long would it work, and what would the ‘water’
breath smell like? He had all sorts of questions. He nodded.

“Come, swim with me.” She motioned.

In the end, he still ended up in the CreamKelp field. Admittedly, he wasn’t

the best of swimmers. Day Sapphire was smiling at his attempts to catch up.

“Here, let me give you a hand, [Water Manipulation].”

The water pulled him closer to the mer, he was still swimming but
somehow faster and with more grace.

“Thanks. This is rather fun.” He replied. Even if he was underwater, his

voice remained clear.

Oh, and the Dark Lake ‘water’ breath smelled just like the water tasted –
cooling fresh but with a tinge of Dark zest.
“I want to show you something, come.” Day guided him past the
CreamKelp field.

Soon they went past the field and emerged into deeper waters. Likely the
centre of the Dark Lake, and from the looks of it this was the new Mer
Settlement. There was a good bunch of houses seemingly made out of coral
and decorated with various shells.

“I can see you’ve been busy. This is a nice place and it’s coming along
well.”

“We did the best we could. But still, we need to construct much more.” She
pointed at a large netted area. “The fish farms especially take a lot of
resources. But it’s coming along nicely.”

Indeed, past the woven mesh, there was a large flock of fish swimming
inside idle and without a single worry.

“And over here.” She pointed at the freshly grown reef. “We’re trying to
farm clams, the ones you Mutated. But more importantly.” She swam
closer to a rather large clam and picked it up from the silt. “Argh.” She
struggled to pry it open and failed. “Please, open it up for me.”

“Okay.” He did just so. “Oh…” Inside was a pearl.

“Yes, Black Pearl. A unique material to this lake, I assume Dark infused
water has something to do with it.”

He rolled the pearl in his fingers, it was round and shiny despite its colour.

“Any magical uses for it?” He asked.

“It's useful by being pretty, isn’t that good enough?”

“I guess it is.”

“But I’m sure it has plenty of magical uses as well.” She reassured.

He nodded and deposited the pearl into his inventory.

“And over there.” She pointed at the coral structure resembling a well. “I’m
sure you’ll love it. Go take a peek.”

The well emitted a blue sparkling glow, it was positively enchanting. Why
did the Mer need a well at the bottom of the lake? Well, it wasn’t for water
for sure. Curious he swam up to the well and looked inside. It was filled
with sparkling sapphires, no, they were scales.

“When we shed them, we store them here. I think we gathered a good ten
thousand or so. They’re all yours.”

He blinked twice at the amount.

“Congratulations! This is our gift to you and your wife. May your child be
like a sapphire – precious, shiny, and sparkly. I’m sure the spiders will be
able to fashion a dress or armour, whatever is more appropriate.”

Overtaken by greed, “Don’t mind if I do, [Magical Inventory],” he stored

everything emptying the well completely.

Day Sapphire looked at the now empty well with a pout.

“What?”

“No, nothing.”

“…”

“Wanna see my house?” She asked with a blush.

“Yeah, sure.” He was rather curious how the mer lived.

Day grabbed his arm and pulled him towards one of the buildings. She was
officially a princess but the house was just like the others. The inside
consisted only of one room. Large shells, coral and stone were put together
to form aquatic-type furniture: a few chairs, a table, a wardrobe, and a bed;
it was rather modest. He noticed a shelf filled with a collection of carved
figures of spiders, toys which could be acquired only with the special meal
served in the Spidery Delicious. Somehow, the mer here found a way to get
them, even if there was no underwater restaurant.

The other thing that stood out was the large banner just above her bed. It
was a gold-threaded hexagon with four golden orbs inside – a symbol of the
Spyder Kingdom. Clearly, she was one you could call a loyalist. Aside from
that, the rest of the room was littered with various pieces of aquatic
jewellery, ranging from pearl necklaces, to shell bracelets. She sure liked
jewellery, but strangely, she wore none.

Day Sapphire sat on her bed, it was plain stone, but perhaps, considering
that they were underwater, it didn’t feel hard to sleep on.

As if reading his mind. “Wanna test my bed?” She asked suggestively.

“Ha-ha. Good one.” He laughed.

She smiled back. “Huh… I guess that’s all I wanted to show. Let's get back
before the concert finishes.”

“Yeah, thanks for inviting me. It sure was fun to see your settlement. Oh,
and thanks for this.” He touched his neck.

“Think nothing of it. I’m just returning the favour.” She touched her shells
and gave him another suggestive look.

“Right…”

“Do you still have my scale?”

He pulled it out to show. “Yeah.”

“Are you keeping it safe?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you keeping it close?”

“Yeah.”
“Good, don’t ever lose it. Now, let's go.” She grabbed for his arm. “[Hydro
Charge]!”

They flew like two torpedoes in the water.

“Too fast, too fast! I’ll lose my trousers!” He yelled but Day didn’t listen.

The Spider King sat back down in his chair, the only sign of the illicit
escapade was his slightly damp hair, and he was back right on time. The
crowd roared and clapped praising the solo singer.

“Sss! This was amazing!” The Queen Lamia turned to look at him. “Who
could know, sss, the siren could sing so well. Which sss-song was your
favourite?”

He wasn’t there for the most part, so. “They’re all so good it’s hard to pick.”

“I know, right!” She nodded in agreement.

He looked at the leaflet. “And now is the games and the feast?”

“Yes. But before that, come, sss!” She grabbed her husband by the arm and
began dragging him almost at a sprint.

He suspected that the Siren’s song was again a culprit in this strange
behaviour.

Let’s not speak of what happened in that cleaning cupboard and instead let’s
concentrate on a certain event which came right after the feast. No, not
hatching, not yet.

In a large open area where the feast was taking place, on a hastily erected
stage, three highly evolved spiders were demanding everyone's attention.

The Trusty Advisor began: “To commemorate this momentous occasion.”

The Lorg G Bling continued: “To celebrate the might of the Spider
Kingdom.”

And the Spider ArchMage finished: “To enshrine our achievements in

undying history.”

“We present you…” All three spiders pointed at the distance.

As the sun disappeared over the horizon, casting an orange glow across the
vast TomGrape fields, a shadowy figure emerged from the darkness in the
east. It was a colossal structure, unlike anything anyone had seen or
imagined before. It was a giant citadel nested on the back of an equally
humongous metallic spider. It stood tall and magnificent on its eight
enormous spider legs, the metallic surface reflected the fading light of
sunset.

From the distance, the citadel appeared almost alive, as if possessing a mind
and will of its own. The heavy metallic legs moved with a graceful rhythm
to carry the massive structure across the farmland. Despite its heaviness, the
steps didn’t cause any trembling or tremors, instead, it pierced the ground
gently doing the minimum possible damage.

The sheer size of the mobile citadel would be weapon enough, yet still, it
had turrets nested on many towers both on the citadel proper and on its
oversized metallic limbs. As all spiders should, it came with a terrifying
spidery head. The head had the iconic mandibles moulded out of the
strongest metal, they were big and imposing and undoubtedly capable of
demolishing any other fortification with a single chomp. And as if it was
not enough, a massive cannon was nested deep in the spidery mouth.

The spider citadel continued walking with a scary grace. One would expect
it to make more noise, but actually, it was eerily quiet in its motion. A
trained mage would be able to quickly tell the reason behind the unsettling
silence – it was magic. The walking construct was powered by Dark magic,
and if a mage was even more learned they would tell that it was powered
by… Souls. Thousands upon thousands of spider souls.
While the horde of nearby spiders jumped in joy and clacked their
mandibles in excitement, the rest of the more mundane races looked at the
walking citadel with eyes betraying terror. Yes, at this moment, anyone sane
and normal would feel fear because a sight like that was out of reality, it
seemed more like a nightmare. A massive walking spider, a titan amongst
titans, made out of the hardest metal and armed to teeth. It was too hard to
believe this was real… but it was.

Like the spiders, the Spider King was positively giddy, he pointed at the
approaching structure and yelled from atop his lungs. “GIANT ‘ENEMY’
SPIDER,” he named it in an instant. “This is amazing! How did you pull
this off?” He asked the three spiders.

“Spider ingenuity.” The Trusty Advisor replied simply.

Ever so slowly, the citadel reached the curious and frightened mass of
people. Its motion stopped and its main body was brought closer to the
ground.

“Everyone please Inspect it.” The Spider ArchMage urged.

Variant:
Magic
🕸️🕸️🕸️
Monster Race: Construct GIANT Affinity:
🕸️🕸️
‘ENEMY’ Chaos 🕸️🕷️🕷️
SPIDER 🕷️🕸️
HP:1,000,000 MP:1,000,000 STA:-1 🕸️🕷️🏰
🕷️🕸️
Active
[Spite Of The Kingdom] 🕸️🕷️🕷️
Perks 🕷️🕸️
🕸️🕸️🕸️
Passive [Citadel], [Soul Engine], [Nascent 🕸️🕸️
Perks Singularity]
 [Physical Resistance: Greater], [Elemental
Resistances
Resistance: Greater]

The Monster System identifying the construct like this further proved that
it was indeed alive, or at least partially alive. The HP and MP numbers were
off the charts of course, and it had a mysterious type of magic…

“Chaos affinity?” The Spider King asked.

“We’re not too sure about that one either.” The Spider Archmage admitted.
“And before you ask, we don’t know what Spite Of The Kingdom does
either. It sounds a bit too dangerous to try it.”

“Strange… aren't you the ones who made it?”

“Yes and no… there were some unexpected variables.” Lord G Bling
mentioned offhandedly.

Spider Archmage nodded in agreement. “All was going according to the

Blueprint until we started putting the spider souls. After a certain amount, a
Nascent Singularity formed. It sort of has a will of its own.” Spider
explained sounding apologetic.

“Singularity… That sounds scary! Guys what did you create?!”

Trusty Advisor jumped in as if to deny any wrongdoing. “My King, I assure

you it is safe and friendly. It simply embodies the unified will of perished
spiders.”

“Yes, while communication remains difficult, from what we gathered it

simply wants to fulfil the Eternal Oath.” The Spider ArchMage added.

“Eternal Oath?” He’d never heard of that.

“The one the first spider made. To serve you, the Spider King, and thus to
serve the Spider Kingdom.” The spider explained.

“I see…” He paused trying to wrap his head around all of this.

“Sss, are you boys done gawking at your toys?” It was the Lamia Queen
who spoke. “You can play with that later. The sss-sun is down, it's time for
our child to hatch. Come, sss.” She urged.
X-Mas Special – The Gifting Spider

In the late evening, a large family had gathered by the table: father, mother,
and their seven children. The meal was over, yet right in the middle of the
table a cloth-covered tray remained untouched; it was guarded by the
parents throughout the meal. Naturally, the children were curious about the
contents of the covered tray.

Father looked at the mother giving her a meaningful look, she nodded in
affirmation. Suddenly the mood in the room grew heavy and the faces of
their parents turned serious.

“Children, be good.” Father began his warning. “It will come at the latest
hour, at the darkest night. It will come tonight when you least expect it.”

“Who? Who will come, father?” The youngest questioned somewhat

confused.

Father looked around as if afraid to utter the name. “The gifting spider,” a
worried whisper escaped his mouth.

“The gifting spider?” The youngest asked unable to understand the worry.

“Yes, the gifting spider.” Father whispered again. “It comes out of the
shadows when you’re least aware. It takes the naughty children AWAY… to
the spidery place never to be seen AGAIN. And it leaves a gift in the child’s
place: something ‘good’ to replace the ‘bad’.”

“That is so, so be GOOD.” Mother added looking even more serious than
the father.

“Oh no! I don’t want to be taken AWAY!” The youngest exclaimed.

Father raised his index finger up. “That’s so only if you are naughty,” he
pointed out.

“I‘m not naughty. I’m not!” The youngest yelled.

Father patted the youngest’s head ruffling the hair to calm the child. “I
know, but just in case we still need to appease the spider.”

“Ap.. Ap-ease?”

“Yes, to leave an offering. I’ve heard if you appease the spider then it would
never take the children away, only the offering.” Father turned to look at the
mother.

“That’s why I’ve prepared this.” She removed a cloth from a tray.

The tray was stacked with glasses holding a blue syrupy drink, and next to
them was a pile of freshly baked treats.

“TomGrape biscuits! Yum!” The youngest reached to snatch their favourite

snack; he wasn’t the only one.

“No!” Mother slapped the greedy paws away from the tray. “Were you
listening? Those are not for you. Now, each of you grab a glass and a bunch
of biscuits and leave them by your bedside. The treats are there for the
spider. Understood?”

All seven children nodded and did as told.

Later, in the children's room:

“What a load of bollocks.” Sam, one of the children uttered.

“Sam! No cussing!” Emilly, the oldest of the children scolded.

“Yeah, no cussing.”, “That is NAUGHTY.”, “The spider will take you

away.”, the other children chimed in in the telling off.
Sam crossed his elbows. “What? Don’t tell me you all bought in that
obvious lie.” Sam gave a bewildered look to his siblings.

“Mom and Dad wouldn’t lie,” Emily said with a stern face.

“No-way… Even you… aren’t you a bit too old to believe fairytales like
that?“ Sam smirked at his older sister. “They're obviously just trying to trick
us into being good.”

Emily blushed at the remark.

Sam raised his chin higher and continued. “Ha! You’re stupid and
immature! I’m not afraid of some made-up spider.”

“Sam!” Emily tried to scold again.

“No naughty words, Sam!” The youngest jumped to reprimand.

Emily ruffled his hair, the youngest one was always there to have her back.

Suddenly the doors opened and the mother peeked through the gap.

“What is this ruckus about?! It’s past your time already. To bed! Now!” She
urged.

With some minor groaning, the children obeyed and settled into their
sleeping spots; soon the sleep overtook them and everyone drifted into the
land of dreams. The children slept mostly in peace, but even in the most
peaceful times could be disturbed by… by a lot of things, but this time it
was the nature’s call.

Emily opened her eyes feeling slightly annoyed. “Why did I have to drink
that extra cup of tea,” she whispered mostly to herself.

The warmth of the bed was so soothing and so welcoming that she didn’t
want to go, not yet, and instead tried to fall asleep again, but no matter how
hard she tried the nature’s calling was just too strong. She sat up and rubbed
her bleary eyes, that was then, at the darkest night, in the latest hour, from
the blackest shadow, something out of this world emerged. First only a
spindly limb… but it was enough for Emily to realise what was happening.
She quickly jumped back in her bed and under the cover, yet she peeked at
the shadow corner with a half-closed eye.

Emily couldn’t help but feel afraid. ‘The parents were right… It is coming,’
unable to take her eye off she stared at the corner.

Right after the first appendage came another, and then another, and soon a
black obsidian body followed right after. Just like the place it came from,
the vague form of the creature was cloaked in wispy shadows. Four yellow
orbs gleamed in the otherwordly glow scanning the room.

‘We have prepared… It will be alright,’ Emily tried to calm herself.

Now fully out of the shadow, the spider took its first steps without making
even the slightest sound. Emily was rather impressed by the spider's ability
not to creak these otherwise awfully creaky floorboards, but mostly she was
terrified.

The spider approached the sleeping spot of the youngest sibling, he was
sleeping a peaceful sleep fully unaware of what was happening. The spidery
eyes stared at his face intently as if judging. The spider remained like that
for a good moment, but then it turned its head to the glass and biscuits. And
instead of taking the offering, it went to look at another child.

‘Ah! Is the offering not working?’ Emily questioned slightly worried.

However, her youngest brother was a good child, and so was the second
youngest; the spider just left them alone. Now her youngest sister and the
third youngest child, Gemma, was a bit of a troublemaker… the spider took
its time to scan her face, and then it turned to the side where Gemma’s glass
and biscuits were.

“Yummies. Can’t. Resist.” It chirped in a distorted and barely audible

whisper.

That was when the spider gobbled up the syrupy drink and biscuits with
great gusto. And right after it went to judge another child.
‘… So it’s working.’ Emily let out a hushed sigh of relief.

Now the spider was at Sam’s spot, and clearly Sam was the biggest
troublemaker out of the seven, but with the offering, there was nothing to
worry about, right? Right?

“Wah!” Emily pressed her hand to stifle her shout.

The spider turned its head to the sound but luckily it didn’t suspect Emily to
be awake and just turned back to judge the naughty Sam.

‘No!’ Emily wanted to scream but stopped herself. ‘Sam! What did you
do!?’

Her horror was directed at Sam’s bedside, particularly at the empty glass
and a plate full of crumbs. The troublemaker had eaten his offering!

‘Sam! The gifting spider is real!!!’ She wanted to scream but her body was
frozen stiff.

The spider finished its judging and turned to look at the bedside where the
offering should be, evidently it was not there.

‘What will happen now? What will the spider do?’ Emilly worried.

The spider chirped something incomprehensible. One of its spidery limbs

moved to the nearest shadow to weave a large bag out of the wispy
darkness. The other spidery limb moved close to Sam’s face only to
sprinkle some strange blue dust; poor Sam didn’t even cough at it.

‘…’ Emily was just staring at what was unfolding right infront of her. ‘it’s
nighttime, I should be sleeping… If I scream or shout the spider will realise
that I’m awake and will deem me naughty… I’m not naughty… I’m good.’
She reasoned and then closed her eyes.

With her eyes shut tight, ‘I’m sleeping… I’m a good girl… I’m sleeping…’
She repeated over and over again.

Finally, something tickled her nose and then she fell into a deep slumber.
“Ha-ha-ha!“, “Hi-hi-hi!”, “He-he-he!”, boisterous laughter awoke Emily
from her dreamy and otherwise peaceful sleep.

She jumped out of her bed, tears welled into her eyes.

“You’ve pissed yourself, ha-ha-ha.” Gemma pointed at the soiled linen with
laughter.

“So what!? It happens to me too. It’s an oopsy.” The youngest jumped to

defend.

“Oh… you’re crying. Maybe I pushed it too far, sorry.” Even if still
somewhat amused, Gemma apologised.

“I’m not crying because I’ve wet my bed. It's because…” Emily pointed at
Sam’s spot, there was a child-shaped bulge covered by a blanket. “Eh? Did
I dream it up?”

“Huh? Yeah, he’s unusually quiet…” Gemma finally noticed.

“Yeah, he would be the first to laugh.” The other sibling pointed out.

“Sam?” Gemma pulled the blanket off. “Huh!? A bag?”

Everyone turned to look at the bag and then at each other.

“The Gifting Spider…” The youngest uttered knowingly.

“…”

“But what is in the bag?” Gemma said somewhat curious and then reached
inside it. “Hey! I’ve always wanted this.” She pulled out a large intricate
doll.

“No way! Let me have a look.” Another sibling reached into the bag. “A
sword! Awesome!”

“My turn! My turn!”

“But… but the Sam is missing…” Emily tried to reason.

The youngest put an arm around her, “He was naughty,” he said with a
knowing look giving Emily a comforting back rub.

“And mean to everyone,” Gemma added. “And I love this doll! The gifting
spider is the best.”

“But… but…” Emily stuttered.

By this point, all of the five siblings had their gifts and the bag was almost
empty. Gemma turned the bag over shaking it, a shiny yellow orb dropped
on the floor and rolled towards Emily.

“An apple?” Emily picked the fruit.

“Huh… all you got is some food. You must have been a bit naughty.”
Gemma grinned at her. “And you’ve peed your bed.”

“Gemma! Your being mean again!” The youngest scolded. “Here you can
have my gift.” He offered an intricately carved animal to Emily; it was
extremely realistic but for some reason it had wheels.

“I’m fine with my apple, it looks rather delicious.” Emily patted her
youngest brother on the head, then she turned to glare at her sister.
“Gemma, if you’re mean the spider will take you next time!” Emily
cautioned.

Gemma’s face turned a shade paler. “I’m sorry, Emily! Forget I said that.”
She apologised in an instant.

“But Sam… will we ever see him again?” Emily voiced with concern.

“Sam?” A gruff and masculine voice asked.

The father was standing in the doorway. “Who’s Sam?”

Emily blinked twice. “Sam… My brother.”

“Huh, I have no son named like that.” The father appeared genuinely
nonplused. “One, two, three… six, yep all six are here. Anyway, children,
put your toys away, the breakfast is ready.” He left the doorway with a
shrug.

All the children looked knowingly at each other again.

“The Gifting Spider.” The youngest whispered.

The toys were nice but from that day on, all the children were on their very
best behaviour.
 139 – The Children, They Grow So
Quick. Right?

In the centre of the large opening, surrounded by hundreds of lamia and

then thousands of spiders, there was a pedestal and on it there was an egg.
At first glance, the egg didn’t look special, just another lamia egg, it was
white and leathery like any other. But since it was brought outside and put
on the decorated pedestal for everyone to see, of course, it was special.

The egg trembled ever so slightly pulling everyone’s attention.

“So it begins…” The Spider King looked at the egg with anticipation.

“Our first child, sss…” The Queen Lamia looked at the egg with affection.

The egg trembled again, a bulge pressed against the leathery exterior, soon
the shell split open. A tiny snake-like head poked out of the hole.

“SSS!” The child hissed demanding attention.

“Yes! [Inspect].” The Spider King invoked straight away.

Monster Race: Variant: Royal Magic Affinity: 👑

Serpentine Chaos Lamia Dark
🕸️🐍🕸️
HP:15 MP:25 STA:12 🎆

Active [Illusion], [Charming Gaze]

Perks
Passive
[Reflective Scales], [Chaos Blessed]
Perks

[Cold Weakness: Medium], [Dark Resistance:

Resistances
Lesser]

The child, like all lamia hatchlings, was more snake-like than human-like at
this point, but the humanoid features will develop with time. But more
importantly, the hatchling’s skin was obsidian black and her big round eyes
were purple; this was in contrast with Lamia Queen’s pale tones. What this
meant was that she was a Chaos Lamia and not Cave Lamia like her mother.
Also, the stats were still low, but she was an infant so they will grow in
time.

But the most importantly. “She inherited my Chaos Blessed!” He

exclaimed slightly concerned, after all, that perk was a tad bit
unpredictable.

“Oh, no… Sss!” The Lamia Queen hissed in contempt. “There’s no doubt…
Sss… She’s the Chaos Lamia Queen!”

Indeed, his wife had warned him that sooner or later a Chaos Queen variant
would appear. But this was a cause of celebration, no?

“Why are you looking like that at our child?” He asked somewhat worried.

“SSS!” The hatchling hissed at Lamia Queen with an equal amount of

animosity.

“SSS!” The Lamia Queen hissed back. “We’re different variants-sss, and
more importantly, there can’t be two Queens-sss!”
“There can’t?” The Spider King struggled to understand some lamia
traditions and customs to this very day. “But she’s our daughter.”

“She is, sss,” she acknowledged mellowing ever so slightly, “but she’ll
never see me as her own… We’re sort of rivals now.”

“That can’t be…”

As if to prove the point the hatchling slithered off the pedestal and then
towards her mother only to let out a piercing ‘SSS’ of harsh discontent. But
then right after, she slithered to her father to display a completely different
reaction.

“Sss.” She hissed softly and the hiss was filled with loving affection.

And right after the hatchling coiled around the King’s leg and then slithered
expertly all the way up to his neck. It happened so fast that there was barely
any time to react.

“Huh?” The Spider King felt something wet on his neck, it wasn’t exactly a
kiss because it came with a prick leaving two tiny punctures on his neck.

“Well, sss, at least she likes you.” The Lamia Queen commented with a
nostalgic smile.

Slightly confused about the bite, he pulled the coiled hatchling away from
his neck. His daughter gave him a curious look and hissed a mirthful giggle
of ‘S-s-s’. Her tail was now wrapped tightly around his arm and she looked
rather comfortable.

“She’s stronger than she looks.” He commented on the binding sensation.

The previous harsh gaze of the Lamia Queen was nowhere to be seen and
she approached closer. “I wouldn’t expect any less from our child… if only
she wasn’t a…”

“SSS!” The hatchling child bared her razor-sharp fangs at her mother.

“A different variant…” The Queen Lamia finished.

“I think she’s perfect.” He said honestly. “And I bet, with some time and
good parenting, you’ll get along just fine!”

“SSS!” The daughter hissed again harshly making the Lamia Queen slither
away to keep the distance.

“We’ll sss-see…” She didn’t sound too convinced.

Well, even if the nearby cave lamias weren’t exactly ecstatic about the turn
of events, he was positively happy with this child. And in contrast, the
young chaos lamias were giddily hissing something at the borders of the
gathering.

“Anyways-sss, I guess we have a new queen, sss-o a ceremony is in order.

Husband you should let the chaos lamias do their thing.” She pointed at the
obsidian-coloured Lamia who were standing on the sidelines.

“Oh, I guess I should.”

His wife and her subjects gave way to the approaching group of chaos
lamias.

“My King, sss.” The oldest and the obvious leader of the group addressed.
“Finally, the day has come.”

He simply nodded.

The Chaos Lamia finished gathering infront of the Chaos Lamia Queen.
The hatchling child refused to leave his left arm, so he just raised it towards
the gathered group. The lamia lowered themselves giving the equivalent of
kneeling. He couldn’t help but notice his daughter’s eyes glow in bright
purple.

“Is this her Chaos Blessed in action?” He wondered in a whisper.

All Chaos Lamia spoke in unison: “Bound by blood and Chaos, sss, we
swear an eternal oath to our Chaos Lamia Queen, sss, for she is our
sovereign, our mistress, and the daughter of our King. In her presence, sss,
we offer our fangs and sss-scales as sss-symbols of our loyalty, ready to
strike fear into the hearts-sss of her enemies-sss. We pledge our mortal
bodies and undying sss-souls for our Queen in this eternal oath. With her
command, sss, we shall unleash Chaos upon the world. Long live the Chaos
Queen! SSS!” The Chaos Lamia eyes glowed bright in purple. “Long live
the Chaos Queen!” They repeated and the glow disappeared.

With those last words, the Chaos Lamia simply slithered back to the
sidelines of the large gathering. The ceremony was rather short, and judging
from the unusually pale face of his wife, the Lamia Queen, it was an
unusual one. Indeed, it did sound somewhat menacing.

The Spider King gave a glance to his daughter’s eyes, they were back to the
mundane purple.

She raised her chin as if proud letting yet another giggle. “S-s-s.”

“You won’t unleash Chaos upon this world, will you?” He asked
concerned.

“S-s-s.” Was the reply of the daughter.

While the birth of Chaos Lamia Queen was an unexpected one, the rest of
the celebrations proceeded as planned. Various petitioners were waiting in
line to shower either the hatchling child or her parents with gifts. Well, no
one would outdo the GIANT ‘ENEMY’ SPIDER but there were a few
gifts worth mentioning.

“… and thus, I present you our best and brightest.” The High Chief pointed
at the gathering of young drows kneeling behind him.

For one reason or another, all of them were young girls, and for more
unknown reasons they were wearing nothing but sacks for clothing. While
the sacks were made out of Blue Cloth, by no way this was an appropriate
attire for your ‘best and brightest’; well, the Drow had developed traditions
of their own…
The High Chief Continued. “As you might have guessed the assistants
here,” he pointed at the group behind, “they have unique perks and talents
and will surely serve your child well. And of course, when the time comes,
don’t be hesitant to Evolve them into Driders!”

Oh! So that was his angle… More Driders. The prerequisites for the Drow
to evolve were somewhat elusive, after all, the only drow to evolve so far
was the Drow Assistant. Well, the time will show.

“I thank you for the young Drow Assistants, we’ll look after them well.” He
thanked.

And so did the nearby wife. “Yes-sss, thank you.” Albeit sounding
somewhat withdrawn. No doubt she still worried about the future of two
Lamia variants.

There was nothing to worry about! He took the arm of his wife into his
trying to comfort her.

“It will be fine.” He reassured. “You can do this, no, together we can do
this.”

The next notable mention was Gareth.

“I present you,” he pointed at a flock of shadowy and tentacled monsters,

“IceShard Devourers! Fully trained and Tamed. With this, your
transportation empire will reach new heights!”

“Yes!” The Spider King jumped out of his seat with clear excitement.
“You’re absolutely right. I’m so happy your little project worked out!”

Gareth gave a self-satisfied bow right before leaving.

While the IceShard Devourer wasn’t a very fast monster, it could fly and
that by itself was revolutionary! Moreover, it was capable of carrying a
significant load on its back, and thus perfect for flying shipments.

That was that, and the next were of course the Kobold King.
“My King,” He began from under the umbrella. “I offer you my bestest
daughter, yes-yes, so you can MARRY her!”

A shy kobold emerged from behind the bulky Kobold King, her yellow
scales were glistening in the light with a bright golden sheen. She didn’t
wear much for clothing except for a simple-looking loincloth yet most of
her body was covered in gem-encrusted bands, bracelets and other
jewellery.

Well, there were a lot of ‘off’ points about all of this. First, the celebration
was for his hatched daughter, so shouldn’t the Kobold King offer a son to
serve the Chaos Queen as a knight or something like that? Second, he was
already happily married, and third….

The Lamia Queen jumped out of her seat. “You lizard! I’ll eat you and your
daughter! SSS!” She proclaimed waving a fist.

“Eek!” The shy kobold disappeared behind her dad.

“Eek!” The Kobold King disappeared behind his drow wife.

The Drow Wife, the one who still held the massive umbrella, sheltered her
husband from the possible Lamia Queen’s assault.

“I told him this was a bad idea. I did. We’re so sorry.” She bowed deeply to
the Queen in apology.

And thus the ‘gift’ had to be denied. However, not before a curious
‘[Inspect]’.

Monster Race: Variant: Royal Magic Affinity: 👑

Dragonoid Gold Kobold Light
💛🦎
💛
HP:50 MP:500 STA:50
💛
Active
[Claw], [Tail Swipe], [Carve Metal]
Perks

Passive
[Gem Sense], [Dragon Blood], [Gold Scales]
Perks

Resistances [Elemental Resistance: Medium]

And while the Spider King wasn’t much into kobolds, this one was
positively shiny; especially that 500 MP; which was rather unusual. Later
he’ll make sure to visit the Kobold King and propose that the two daughters
become friends, surely a kobold like that is bound to become legendary.

After kobolds came the Mer, or well the large fish tank with their
representative, the Mer Princess. While they entrusted the Spider King with
their Sapphire Scales it seems that it wasn’t the only gift the Mer had
prepared.

Day Sapphire showered the Lamia Queen with a plethora of praises, and for
what must be five solid minutes, and it did wonders to raise her otherwise
sour mood.

“… May the Queens be forever Beautiful!” With those words, the spiders
rolled no less than a hundred barrels of Kelp Cream. “All yours, my
Queen.” Day Sapphire bowed to her Queen.

“How wonderful, sss!” The Lamia Queen exclaimed. “I wouldn’t expect

any less from my sss-subjects.” She clapped her hands in glee.

Indeed, the Mer were serving under the Lamia Queen, or at least this was
the official story, but considering the events in the CreamKelp fields the
reality was much different. Of course, the Queen didn’t need to know any
of that!

Day Sapphire gave a cheeky wink to the Spider King and with that her tank
was pushed away.

The next one was the messenger spider coming from the territory of the
Great Ancestral Tree, the wisp due to natural limitations couldn't be
present but they did send a present.

“From the Wisp. To the child.” The spider bowed handing in an item.

The item was a wooden crown and it was rather simple in its design with no
flair and decorations but as soon as the Spider King laid his fingers on the
crown he could feel powerful magic swirling inside; and he didn’t even
have that Magic Sight! This was something very powerful…

“[Inspect].”

Item: Crown of Dominion Quality: Legendary

Bonuses +500MP,

Active
[Bestow Rank], [Create Dominion]
Perks

Passive
[Growth: Medium], [Leadership Aura]
Perks

Resistances [Charm Resistance], [Undestructable]

Yeah, to be this powerful, the materials no doubt had to come from the
Great Ancestral Tree itself. And the crown had some interesting perks. The
only unknown there was the Create Dominion perk, it was even coloured
red, well, it wasn’t too hard to guess what it did, but even then, the exact
effects of it were mysterious.

Either way, this was a splendid gift. “Spider, send our thanks to the Wisp.”

And just like that, one messenger spider was replaced by another.

“From the Myconid Queen. To the child.” The spider bowed handing in an
item.

“Oh?”, “SSS?”, the two were generally surprised.

The Myconid Queendom was a small one so no one expected any gifts, yet
the spider had an item in its spidery hand. The item was only a tiny bead, no
bigger than a marble.

“[Inspect].”

Item: Spore of Control Quality: Masterwork

Active
[Enthral]
Perks

A super rare and powerful spore that, when released, allows

Description
the user to permanently enthral the target.

“SSS! I want that. Give it to me!” The Lamia Queen demanded.

“Yeah, no… this seems dangerous. Why would the Myconid Queen gift this
to a child?” He questioned the spider.
The spider just shrugged, of course, the spider didn’t have those answers.

“Send her our thanks anyway.” He turned to look at his wife who was
eyeing the seed greedily. “No one is using this. This is a forbidden item!”
He declared depositing it inside his inventory for safekeeping.

“If you sss-say sss-so…” She didn’t seem to protest it too much, but. “And I
have my Charm anyway…” She pouted.

Indeed, she did.

More guests came bearing even more gifts, like the Fennec gifting perfume
or Johny handing in jugs of SlugJelly or Centauri promising their Centauri
Cavalry to the future cause of the Chaos Queen, or so and such.

Perhaps the birth had split the Chaos and Cave Lamia further, but evidently,
the massive gathering and united celebration only strengthened the
Monster Realm as a whole. Strangely, or perhaps not, the Chaos Lamia
made a nest inside the GIANT ‘ENEMY’ SPIDER, which mind you had
that red coloured magic affinity. Chaos Lamia plus Chaos wielding
construct – one could foreshadow a lot of things from them coming
together. But more importantly, the supermassive construct was destined to
head towards the Aurelian Dutchy.

The reason was simple, with the celebration over there was no reason to
keep the walking fortress in the MegaFarm only for it to collect dust.
Citadels like that were best put to use! After all, Aurelius proved that he
could defend his territory and now was the time to send him some small
help to break the stalemate with the Holy Empire. And also, to take the
Fallen Capital, the capital city of the Fallen Kingdom.

With those goals, manned by spiders and young chaos lamias alike, the
citadel began its slow walk towards the distant east. The new Chaos Queen
was perched in a chair right there in the citadel’s spidery head and the
command centre. She was too young to speak, not to mention issue
commands, but she had capable and trusty servants and also the supervision
of ever-reliable spiders. The Growth: Medium was there to grow her body
and soul alike, not to mention the EXP boost, in other words, there was no
better place for the future Queen to be. Just by being in the command
centre, she would reap plentiful EXP and also hopefully learn how to be a
splendid leader.

Actually with the departure of the Chaos Lamia, the native Lamia relaxed
and the jovial mood was back in their faces; It seems that two snakes were
pleased by the same spider, even better!

“Dear husband.” The Lamia Queen gave a gaze filled with active Charm to
the Spider King.

By this point, the King here had a full resistance, but even, despite all her
flaws, the super-duper-massively-flawed wife still had her charms.

“Yes, dear wife.”

“I want another child, sss! She grabbed his waist.

“Now? Here?”

Her answer wasn’t of a verbal kind, but she did answer and vigurously so.

And thus, the Monster Realm continued to prosper.

 140 – Dream Come True And
Other Shenanigans

There in the Holy Archive, a brilliant bright light was illuminating a tired
wooden desk. The desk was very old, if it was aware it would celebrate its
fifth century today. Atop the desk there were piles and piles of old and
musky scrolls, some were so old that calling them ancient didn’t even come
close.

That was precisely the reason why the Master Archivist was copying the
almost disintegrated scrolls. There was old wisdom in the texts and such
treasures had to be preserved for future generations. With the utmost care,
he picked up a particularly ancient scroll, it was so fragile that if he didn’t
have the Archivist class it would have crumbled right there in his fingers.

He turned the scroll to check for a specific mark only known and visible to
the wielders of his class.

“A copy!” He exclaimed in surprise but also in a nerd-like glee.

The scroll was at least a millennium old and even so it was a copy of a copy
of something even older.

“What a find!” He was positively ecstatic. “It will be my honour to

reincarnate you, o’ ancient scroll.”

He took hold of a freshly pressed parchment and the imperial-quality ink,

and then he used Scan on the old text. The more he scanned the more his
brows furrowed.

“What is this?” He interrupted the skill to read the text with just his eyes.
“This can’t be…” He read it again and again but there was no doubt.

“I have to let the Holy Emperor know. But first, [Scan],” he had to finish
making the copy of a copy of a copy...

===

A very special type of magic was taking place in the secret laboratory of the
Spider Kingdom. The laboratory was filled with various devices and
implements, some for magical purposes others for alchemical. There in that
room, some liquids boiled while others cooled, and various substances were
changing forms and shapes; everywhere you looked there was a type of
transformation taking place.

Considering the place one would expect the magnificent spiders to run the
laboratory, however, this secret place was staffed entirely by women, and
very beautiful women at that. Excessive usage of KelpCream aside, the
women here were gathered for something truly revolutionary.

Lady Crimson, a petite woman with fiery red hair and a huge bulge on her
stomach (pregnant), was leading the experiment.

“Drow Assistant, do you have your materials ready?”

Drow Assistant was actually not a drow, not anymore, but a drider instead;
she kept her old name for convenience's sake. As a drider she was a half-
woman half-spider and hence a very popular woman in the spidery Spider
Kingdom. Yet it was not the beauty, popularity, or her smarts that she took
the post pride in, it was her rare and exotic Drider Eggs. She even had the
slogan down: the freshest of the fresh and the bestest of the best!

“Please temper them according to the previous experiment we devised.”

Lady Crimson advised.

Drow Assistant took a glance at her notebook and did so carefully following
the written-down process.
Lady Crimson moved to a side to retrieve something out of a box. “And I
will prepare the materials procured by the two who couldn’t be present.”

“Do you need a hand?” A melodic-sounding voice offered.

Of course, such a beautiful voice could only belong to Mer, and to be more
precise, to the Day Sapphire the Mer Princess. The aquatic beauty was
swimming inside the large tank. She moved her fish-like tail, and with those
subtle motions her blue scales shimmered only to increase her otherworldly
aura of enchanted beauty.

“I’m fine thank you.” Lady Crimson dropped a large sack and a bunch of
vials on the laboratory table. “You just concentrate on purifying the water.”
She instructed the mer.

“Aye-Aye, [Hydrokinesis]”.

Water swirled inside but also outside of her tank. If one looked carefully
one would notice black pearls tumbling inside the magic-manipulated
stream.

“By the way,” Day Saphire began, “who are the other two ladies? Have I
met them?”

Lady Crimson scooped a generous amount of the mysterious powder out of

an equally mysterious bag to measure it on an alchemical scale. Only after
she was sure that she got the right amount did she reply:

“I don’t think you have. It’s the most beautiful rabbit girl I’ve seen called
Ever, I would adopt her if I could. And the other is… a mushroom creature
named the Myconid Queen.” Clearly, Lady Crimson had her preferences.

“I would love to meet them! Both of them.” Day clapped her hands.

The Drow Assistant was done tempering her materials and moved to
retrieve one of the flasks. “You’ll meet Ever eventually, but the Myconid
Queen might be a bit more challenging.”

“Day, send me some infused water.” Lady Crimson asked.

Day manipulated a generous glob towards the Master Alchemist. “More
Challenging?” She asked retrieving a black pearl from the glob.

Drow Assistant uncorked a flask and a small cloud of spores spilt from the
container. “She lives in the Mushroom Caves where she is bound to the
ground, but also, she is a bit of eccentric, that’s why.”

Day Sapphire nodded in understanding. “Oh… so I assume those flasks

came from her?”

Lady Crimson took hold of one of the many flasks. “Yes, without them this
experiment would be impossible.” She toppled it into the mix of mysterious
powder and infused water. “Myconid Queen is rather masterful with her
fungi magic,” she added.

Aside from the idle chatting three, there was another woman, a shy and
reserved centauri who was also a companion to a man best known simply as
Bareth. The Centauri Assistant here was an individual with the lower half of
a horse and the upper half of a rather well-endowed beauty; well-endowed
was putting it only mildly.

She put a steaming jug on the laboratory table. “Mine isn’t as good as our
Champion’s, I’m sorry.” She said with self-depreciation.

Lady Crimson swirled the creamy liquid and a pleasant smile flashed across
her face. “Have more confidence Centauri Assistant, yours is just as good if
not better. Master Bareth must be a very happy man.” She praised trying to
uplift the shy centauri.

“…” The Centauri Assistant simply blushed at the comment.

Lady Crimson took the steamy jug and walked towards the Drow Assistant
who was done with her part of the experiment.

She gave the Centauri Assistant a meaningful look. “The Drow Assistant
will show you how to condense it into a higher form.”
“Yes, it's rather simple.” She poured the steamy liquid into one of the
alchemical devices. “We’ll separate it into two forms, one light and one
heavy.”

“I see…” The Centauri Assistant eyed the device curiously.

“We also need a solid state, for the base I’m currently making.” Lady
Crimson added. “And for that, you'll have to Churn it.”

“Churn?” The Centauri Assistant asked with panic adding, “I don’t think I
know that perk. I’m so sorry!”

“Oh,” Lady Crimson waved it off, “It’s nothing special. The perk is very
easy to learn.”

“I’ll show her. Come.” The Drow Assistant took Centauri Assistant to yet
another device.

The time passed and the necessary materials were coming along well, and
with those the Final Formula was close to completion.

“But, Lady Crimson,” The Mer Princess addressed, “Shouldn’t we add Slug
Jelly to it? It would make sense, no?”

Lady Crimson gave a knowing smile. “I understand why you’re suggesting

this. But think about it a bit more.” She paused to give Day time for
thought. “The jelly makes everything taste good, you could add it to dirt
and it would make it taste like ambrosia.” She added a hint.

“Oh, I get it!” Day jumped halfway out of her tank. “The jelly would render
our efforts mute. We’re trying to make something amazing without relying
on it.”

“Exactly!” Lady Crimson pointed her finger high. “However, I fear we

might fail without the necessary sweetness. This is why…” She put a large
clay pot on the desk.

“Oh, what is it this time?” Day asked curious.

Lady Crimson scooped a drop of golden substance with her finger. “I
believe it’s called Honey. Have a try.” She offered it to the Mer.

“Yum! So sweet!” Day licked her lips. “Where did you get something like
this?”

“I’ve bought it from spiders.” She frowned but only for a short second. “At
a rather exorbitant price…”

“Makes sense, they love the sweet stuff.” Day reached for the container.

“And by the looks of it so do you.” Lady Crimson slapped Day’s hand

protecting the precious ingredient. “Day, you must refrain. We need it for
the Final Formula.”

And also they needed the material the two assistants were working on at the
moment.

*Churn, *Churn, - the creamy liquid sloshed inside the wooden device.

“Keep moving your hands, like this. Up and down, up and down.” The
Drow Assistant demonstrated.

“I think I’ve got this.” The Centauri Assistant gripped a wooden shaft of the
device and was driving it just like the drider had shown.

“Faster.” The Drow Assistant encouraged. “Faster. Faster…”

“Won’t it break?” The centauri looked at the wooden shaft with worry.

“It's IronOak, it won’t. Go harder!”

*Churn, *Churn, *Shlosh!

“Oh, I’ve got it!” The Centauri Assistant smiled broadly. “I’ve got Churn.
[Churn],” she invoked straight away.

*Churn-Churn, *Churn-Churn, she moved her hands vigorously in a

rhythmic and almost hypnotic motion.
Despite the success, the Centauri Assistant had a deep and pensive
expression. “Hmm… but why is it a part of Cooking perks? Also, I’m level
2 now, yay!” The smile returned and she doubled her efforts.

Drow Assistant made a note in her notebook. “That’s the part we’re also
confused about.”

“Yes.” Lady Crimson agreed. “This is clearly Alchemy. Just look inside
dear.”

Centauri Assistant opened the churning device. “Oh, I made it hard! How
curious.” She commented on the contents.

“Precisely. The rhythmic motion hardened it, but in other words, It has been
transformed! It should be Alchemy yet still…” Realising that not everyone
was so interested in the minute details of the craft she didn’t finish.
“Anyway girls, with that we’ve got all the ingredients.”

“Yes! Now we can complete the Final Formula!” The Drow Assistant
celebrated rushing to gather all the ingredients to the assembly table.

The Centauri Champion inspected her fruits of labour again. “I still can’t
believe I’ve made this. Churn is amazing!”

Lady Crimson grinned naughtily. “Oh it is, it is very amazing… Just go

easy on the Master Bareth later, okay?”

“…” The Centauri Assistant simply blushed at the comment.

A tiny messenger spider tippy tapped right to the rather messy-looking bed.

*Tap, *Tap, - the spider tapped the King rousing him from sleep.

“You’ve got mail.” It chirped handing a folded note.

The Spider King blinked the sleepiness away. “Thank you spider.” He
retrieved a slightly damp note.
Judging from the wetness the culprit was obvious, yet still, he was curious
about what sort of a shenanigan she was trying to pull off this time. He
turned to observe the still-sleeping wife. She was sleeping in a deep
slumber with her mouth wide agape, as a consequence a small puddle of
drool had formed right under her head.

“Safe…”

He ignored the encoaching river of drool and unfolded the damp note.

===

My Dearest,

How long has it been?

No, seriously, you’ve been missing for weeks and everyone is worried.
Confining yourself to the bedroom isn’t a healthy thing, you should come
out and get some fresh air at least twice a day. And how about our morning
swimming sessions? Where did those go?

So anyway, we’re all worried and would like to have a small chat. You see,
in your absence, we’ve been discussing certain things, things involving the
future of the Monster Realm. You still care about that, don’t you?

To entice you to leave your confinement we have prepared something very

special. Something you’ve been dreaming about for a long time. Yes, that
thing! We’ve made it possible. Don’t ask how just come and see us.

We’re all be waiting you know where.

With all the love in the maiden’s heart,

Your Swimming Instructor

===
He crumpled and disposed of the note casting Entropy on it.

“Swimming Instructor my ass…” He remembered something unpleasant.

At one time, while he was rather deep in the lake, Day Saphire had snatched
his breathing apparatus, the Deep Lake Delights, where at that moment he
had to resort to rather unorthodox practices to obtain oxygen… His
swimming ‘trainer’ giggled and chuckled at her ingenious idea to make him
do something he shouldn't. Oh well, anyway this was in the past and no one
saw, so what happens in the CreamKelp fields stays in the CreamKelp
fields.

He shook the memory away and pulled his clothes out of the Magical
Inventory. It was time to go to the ‘you know where’ to see the ‘that thing’
and hear about ‘certain things’…

The ‘you know where’ wasn’t that far, it was right here in the Spider Palace,
or to be more precise right under. It was a basement area reserved for
improvised experiments of often dangerous nature. It was the place to
test/showcase the spells, scrolls, explosive potions and other things of that
nature.

Anyway, a meeting where the future of the Monster Realm would be

discussed was exactly the reason he needed to make the excuse to leave his
royal bed chambers and his ever more demanding wife. The wife would be
fine if not for a certain supplement she was taking.

“I curse you, Fertility Potion! Whoever invented it is a madman!” With

that whisper-shout, he left the room for good.

There at the ‘you know where’ he was met with broad smiles and excited
gazes.

“You came!?” Day Saphire exclaimed sounding surprised.

“We’ve finished it, the Final Formula!” The Drow Assistant announced with
pride.

“…” The Centauri Assistant simply blushed at his presence.

“From your subjects to you, our Spider King. Here, your Dream Come
True!” Lady Crimson pointed at the certain something standing on the
decorated pedestal.

“My dream come true?” He approached closer, still unsure what ‘that thing’
was. “Oh! Yes, I remembered asking for something like this.”

The Drow Assistant nodded knowingly.

The item was a type of baked goods, something like a pastry of sorts. Yes,
from the looks and smell of it, no doubt this was a pie. However, the girls
had made a mistake and instead of putting a mesh-like crust lattice on the
top, they closed the pie completely. However, that only made him more
curious.

“I wonder what's inside?” He reached for the nearby knife to cut at the pie.

“My Dearest, we filled it with our love!” Day announced shamelessly.

“Yes, well said. It is just so, my King.” The Drow Assistant nodded in
agreement.

“…”

“Jee, leave me out of this. I have my husband.” Lady Crimson blushed at

the bold statements of the two. “I’ve only guided the process as a Master
Alchemist. And the most materials came from the girls here.”

“I see…” The Spider King cut the pie thinking about it.

Indeed, a good pie needs eggs, butter, flour, yeast, sugar and other minor
stuff. All of which weren’t exactly common in this whacky magic world;
how backwards!
“Is this, is this… a cream pie!” He exclaimed observing the thick ooze
leaking from the sides. “This is amazing!” He had craved something like
this for years.

No doubt the eggs were Drider Eggs; the fine baking flour was actually the
Clover Flour; the dairy products must be Centauri Butter, Centauri
Milk, and Centauri Cream; the baking reagent must have come from a
certain mushroom royalty, so likely it was the Myconid Yeast, plus a
souring agent to curd the cream was probably a derivative of the Forbidden
Sauce. The source of the sweetness was however still a mystery, it wasn’t
the Slug Jelly nor the TomGrape Syrup. However, what mattered the most
wasn’t the ingredients but the result, and if he could rate the taste it would
be 11/10, or in other words the best thing he had ever tasted. He felt like he
was in heaven!

“Oh-hhh”, he let out an undignified food orgasm. “Oh, god…” He gobbled

one piece after the other.

So good was the cream pie that the use of cutlery was entirely forgotten and
he simply gobbled the pie up using his bare hands. From the sidelines, he
looked like a starved beast ravishing his prey – totally barbaric. But no one
in the room minded, actually, the girls took the King’s unhinged gluttony as
a compliment.

“Oh, he really likes that!” Day observed with a smile.

“We should bake him another.”

“…”

“I wonder if my husband would like this just as much.”

Moreover, the cream pie wasn’t just an overwhelmingly delicious pie, it

was so much more.

[You have consumed Dream Come True]

[All Negative Status effects cleared], – he felt Drained no more.

[You have recovered your HP], [You have recovered your MP], [You have
recovered your STA], – He felt the zest and vigour return to his blood, soul,
and body.

[Max HP +200], [Max MP +200], [Max STA +200], – and that topped him
up pretty well; very welcome!

[You have gained: HP Regeneration+, MP Regeneration+, STA

Regeneration+], – all much needed for the next session with the wife.

[You have gained EXP +1000] x6, – times six because 1 pie = 6 pie slices;
meaning that the pie was supposed to be shared. Oh well…

[You have gained: Detect Magic, Increased Stealth, Overwhelming

Force, Agile Manoeuvres, Charming Voice, Energise, Heightened
Dexterity, Fully Satiated, Bee Buzz], – a plethora of active and passive
perks.

All of the above had a timer for the next 24h.

The Spider King looked at the now empty pedestal, not even a crumb or a
smear of the cream remained.

“Sorry I’ve left you none.” He scratched his head awkwardly. “But more
importantly, did I detect hints of Honey? Where did you get that?!”

“You noticed,” Lady Crimson said knowingly, “as expected of the Spider
King. It came from the Dark Forest via the spiders.”

Somehow this discovery sneaked past him undetected.

“Enough about food.” Day Saphire waved it off. “Let’s get real now…
We’ve made your Dream Come True and now it’s only fair for you to
make our Dream Come True.”

All of the girls looked at the Spider King expectantly, their gazes were so
intense it was almost as if the entire future of the Monster Realm depended
on the next actions of the Spider King.
Dream Come True? Somehow he suspected that a simple cream pie
wouldn't be enough here. For him, the pie meant the world, but ladies here
wanted something much more than some mere baked goods... But what
could they possibly want from him?
 141 – The Dangers Of The
Seductive Honey Pot 🍯

There in the Holy Tower, in the middle of the night, a dim candlelight
flickered at the bed table. On the most luxurious bed, in between the finest
silks, a woman was having a restless sleep. Despite the excessive comforts
her breathing was rugged and pained and her entire body was drenched in
sweat.

“No… No… It can’t be… No.” She moaned turning and tossing in her
sheats.

Yet again she was having that nightmare, it was something which troubled
her for quite some time, and it was the very reason she burned the precious
Holy Candle to ward off such ailments, but apparently - to no avail. The
nightmare persisted, worse, it became more vivid and clearer with each
passing night.

*Gasp*, she shot up straight and now was wide awake.

“It’s no mere nightmare.” She finally came to terms with the reality. “This
is a vision…” It was utterered in fright.

Indeed, she was an Oracle, she was gifted with an uncanny premonition
and all of her visions had become truth with no exceptions. That was
precisely why she was trembling so furiously. With her very core, she
feared of it becoming a reality and thus her mind refused to acknowledge it
for way too long.

“The Dreaded Place,” she uttered. “Primordial evil which should not be
disturbed,” she remembered. "Too late," she shuddered. “Spiders…
Spiders… Spiders…” The sensation of spiders crawling all over her body
returned to her. “The Calamity which can’t be stopped.” Her face
contorted. “Wa… Wa-ahh!” She bawled into her trembling palms like an
infant.

It took a while but finally she had calmed down.

“There is no need to delay this further.” The oracle steeled herself.

Wearing nothing but a thin gown, the still frightened woman flung her
soiled blanket and stormed barefooted out of her room. It was still the
middle of the night, and in no way she looked appropriate, but she didn't
feel that insignificance like that mattered, not at this moment.

“The Holy Emperor must know. We must act!”

She rushed through the cold stone floors in wild urgency.

===

In a place nicknamed ‘you know where’ the Spider King was standing
surrounded by women of extraordinary beauty, but also talent.

Lady Crimson, the highest-level alchemist in the entire realm, was smiling
at him warmly.

Drow Assistant, the most talented elemental mage and irreplaceable

personal assistant was looking at him expectantly. She twirled and tossed
her long hair playfully.

Centauri Assistant, while not as excellent as Centauri Champion, or the

nearby drider, was still a woman with tremendous weapons and skills in her
possession. Her cheeks were coloured pink in blush and her two shy eyes
were looking down at her own feet.

Day Sapphire, the Mer Princes, perhaps was the most beautiful out of the
four. Her gem-like scales glimmered in a blue glow and she carried that
expression of self-confidence and pride.
He also had a note from the Myconid Queen and a message from Ever the
DemiRabbit. And for what they all wanted:

Lady Crimson: “You’ve blessed me and my husband enough, consider this

a small thank you.” She made a curtsy bow befitting a most noble lady.

Drow Assistant: “I want us to go and have tea sometime, just the two of us.
It has been a long dream of mine.” Despite the simple words she looked at
him like a predator would look at its prey.

Centauri Assistant: “I-I… I want your… the permission to marry Master

Bareth!” She began with a stutter and ended with a shout.

Day Saphire: “I think you have a note and a missive. So let's hear them
first.” she appointed herself to be last.

Lady Crimson reached into her special pocket to retrieve what looked like a
ripped label from an alchemy bottle.

“This is from Ever,” a pleasant smile flashed across her face, “ I have noted
it down so I don’t forget.”

She began reading: “Our dearest Father, I hope the pie-making will go well!
Surely with so many helping hands, it will come out better than the
Midnight Pie! Just leave some for our beloved Mother.” For unknown
reasons, Lady Crimson tucked the label right back. “Oh, and I was asked to
pass you this.” She gave him an enthusiastic combo of a wink + smile + a
flick of a tongue 😜. “Ha! Aren’t the bunnies just the cutest thing ever…
I’m glad I’ve met them!!!”

He had to wonder where exactly Ever learned such gestures like this, but
indeed, it was rather cute.

And then from out of nowhere, the alchemist’s mirthful expression soured.
She went towards her lady back and retrieved a rolled parchment, the
aforementioned missive. It was made out of a type of fungus, yet still, it
was bleached white, cut expertly, and rolled with extreme care; it had that
aura of the royal message, the only thing missing was the wax seal.
She unrolled the scroll. “I have read it a few times already and… anyway,
you better be ready, here it goes.”

Lady Crimson cleared her voice and began:

“O’ King of Kings, I beseech thee, may my humble offerings find favour in
thine eyes and serve thee and thine kin well. I do present but one small
entreaty, a trifling matter only thou, my royal liege, can rectify.” Lady
Crimson gave him a hard-to-read look and continued right after a short
resigned pause. “Mine cave hath grown damp and humid, struggling to
contain the tempest within. Methinks it shall soon burst forth. Would thou,
O’ King of Kings, deign to scrape my inner walls and expand my fungal
cavern?”

As she was reading, the Lady Crimson’s brow was rising further and further
up. “She’s not quite done you know.” With that comment, she continued:

“And whilst thou art engaged in this endeavour, I wouldst be honoured if

thou wouldst plant thy seed within me, if it so pleases thee. I do believe that
with thine presence within my body, I couldst bestow upon thee something
truly extraordinary.”

Lady Crimson rolled the parchment back up. “A rather obscene request,
no?” She looked at him and then at the rest of the women.

Yeah, judging by their flushed faces all of them had misconstructed the true
meaning. The Spider King felt obliged to clear this misunderstanding.

“No-no, what she wants me to do is to create more space in the Mushroom

Cavern; she’s growing mushrooms there. And the other thing is a request
for me to give her a Monster Core.” He explained.

For some reason, he didn’t feel the explanation had reached the women.

“King, what you do in your spare time is entirely up to you.” Lady Crimson
nodded in misguided understanding. “All of us here are your loyal subjects
and can keep a secret.” She gave another nod. “But if she has some shrooms
growing down there then there is a salve I must recommend. Otherwise, I
fear it might not be safe enough for you to ‘give’ her anything.”

“OMG… please stop!” He was beginning to feel embarrassed.

“Ha-ha! Made you blush.” Lady Crimson laughed mirthfully. “I just

couldn’t pass a chance to tease our King.”

“Oh! So they weren’t…” Day Sapphire muttered sounding relieved.

“Anyway, it’s my turn.”

Day straightened her back and puffed her otherwise modest chest. She
surrounded herself in a royal aura beffiting her status as the Mer Princess.
Her face was filled with resolve and confidence. However, a more
discerning eye would notice that the confidence was just a façade, her gills
were wide open, the tail tip trembling, and her posture way too stiff.

The other free women turned to look at the Mer Princess with looks of
encouragement.

Feeling supported by her comrades Day shot straight to point. “I shall

become your mistress!” It was not a request but rather a proclamation.

“Huh? A what?” The Spider King was rather taken aback by the suddenness
and also boldness of it.

“A mistress,” Day said again but with a pout. “I have everything arranged
already.”

“Huh?”

“King, aren't you lucky? She’s quite a catch!” Lady Crimson grinned at
him.

“It’s only natural.” The Drow Assistant agreed.

“Congratulations!” Even the shy Centauri Assistant was jumping in to

support.
“Huh? Huh?!”

Hearing the Myconid Queen’s simple and reasonable request they had those
shocked looks, and yet, now they were dismissing this outrageous
proclamation as nothing of real concern.

“But my wife, the Lamia Queen, she…”

He was shot down in the middle of the sentence.

“As I’ve said, I have everything arranged,” Day interrupted. “I have her
permission. No, actually, I have her blessing.” She smiled at him
mischievously.

“???” Something was just not right.

The Spider King approached the royal bedchamber doors. He hesitated to

open them.

“All of this feels like a prank…” He whispered to himself.

He pushed the doors open, they felt uncharacteristically heavy. Inside the
room, atop the large bed, there was his wife. She was wide awake and
engorging herself in an unusually large amount of food. No, not food,
desserts and sweets of various kinds. Crumbs were scattered all around the
bedsheet and pillows, and on her face was an expression of pure ecstasy.
There, surrounded by a pile of half-eaten treats, she was clutching a large
clay pot. A greedy hand reached inside to retrieve the now familiar
ingredient. Straight to the mouth it went, she gobbled it up in wild abandon
reaching for another scoop right after.

“Oh, sss, husband!” She exclaimed finally noticing his presence. “How was
your breakfast with the girls?”

So she knew…
“Dear wife, Mer Princess has made a very strange request of me. I fear it’s a
prank of sorts.”

“SSS! Don’t tell me you didn’t take it sss-seriously?” She swallowed a

great amount of sticky stuff in one big gulp. “How could you!?” She
accused.

“Huh? But…”

She licked her fingers and then wiped her hand right on his pillow.

“She’s my most loyal servant, just look at all the treats she had arranged for
me, sss, of course, I would grant her a small request! Husband, good effort
needs to be rewarded, you should learn from my good example.” She said
that as if teaching him a lesson.

“But… but…” He was looking for words. “ I see… you must know your
most ‘loyal’ subject well, and I’m sure you understand what her being my
mistress entails exactly.” He probed deeper with that statement.

“Sss, you might not know it, but I’ve spoken with Day at length, we’re
good friends, sss. I think you struggle to understand this, sss-so let me
explain. I am your wife and she is your mistress.”

He tilted his head in confusion.

“I am The Wife, the Queen of the Monster Realm, sss, the only wife you’ll
ever have, I’ll make that clear for you, my misguided husband.” She looked
at him intently. “I know of your many dalliances, sss, I am no longer a
naive child. And in the end, with the guidance of my friends, sss, I have
decided that I don’t mind your misadventures.”

“Realy?” It was hard to believe.

“Why are you sss-so surprised, husband? Do you really know sss-so little
about us Lamia? It seems I still have to teach you sss-so much. Sss-so sit
down and listen.” She began an impromptu lecture. “Sss-so…”
Lamia were a race exclusively consisting of women. While they could
procreate asexually by laying Lamia Servant eggs, a stronger variant of
Lamia Warrior was preferred. And for that, they needed a male, where any
male would do as long as he was one of the sapient races, however, strong
individuals were preferred. Traditionally the Lamia would capture an
unlucky male and drain him of life, of course, since the Lamia joined the
Spider Kingdom much had changed in that regard. However, the point the
Lamia Queen was making was that a male was destined to be shared by all
Lamia eventually. The Queen of course had the first claim often taking the
best of the best, and in the absence of other male captives was there to
dictate who got their turn with her favourite plaything. Naturally, their
union wasn’t anything as barbaric as that. In a sense, the Spider King and
the Lamia Queen were equals and neither of them had a command above
one another.

“With the first of many of our children now secured, sss, I feel confident in
sharing you with my best retainers.” She hisses out as if it was of no big
matter.

Yeah, the sense of morality the Lamia had was nothing like that of a typical
human; at least he was aware of that quirk.

“Sss…” She hissed and narrowed her eyes. “But that doesn’t mean I might
not get jealous, sss, you better make your mistresses known to me. Or else I
might get an urge to eat them! SSS!” She hissed a warning. “Oh, and no
kobolds! I won’t budge on that rule!”

Of course, such a relationship would come with many rules. Now,

considering the feelings and inclinations of the less-than-ideal Spider
King… Such an arrangement worked well in his favour, after all, there were
so many temptations. ‘Curse you KelpCream and MeowChanel No 69!’ –
whoever made them was a madman; a naïve and ignorant fool unaware of
the hell such materials would unleash upon the world.

However, there was a very important question to ask. “What if someone

gets pregnant?”
Lamia Queen only smiled at that idea. “Even better, sss-surely sss-such
individuals, sss, would be sss-strong and sss-serve me and our children
well.” She said hopefully but yet was hissing an awful lot.

In other words, the children outside the royal marriage would bear no claim
to the Spider Kingdom and serve only as its vassals. This was not that
unheard of especially in medieval times. And a condition he could accept,
after all, he would love them just as much.

“…” He paused to think about the inclinations of all of this.

“Sss-so, my dear husband?” She slithered closer. “Do you find my Mer
Princess acceptable?”

Undoubtedly, Mer Princess was the one to push his wife towards the current
event. It was almost scary how quickly she swam her way up from a simple
guest to a position second only to The Wife, the First Mistress. She was a
calculating woman and an expert seductress, she was one to watch out for,
but unashamedly so, the King here rather fancied that naughty side of Day
Sapphire.

“I do.” He finally admitted.

“Then everything is just as I planned, sss.” She hissed conspiratorily.

Wait, was there yet another overarching scheme he was not aware of?

The lamia didn’t give him space to mull it over.

“Thank you, sss, *Smooch*, and CONGRATULATIONS!”

He was left nonplused yet again.

“S-s-s,” she giggled, “we’re expecting.” She caressed her bulging belly.

The bulge was completely in consequence of all the sweets she had just
eaten. Even so, he crawled into the bed next to his queen and caressed her
bulging belly with affection.
“S-s-s, we shall have as many as that primitive lizard.” She grinned at him
expectantly. “No, sss, we shall have more! We can’t lose to lesser lizards!”

In the end, the formidable achievement of the Kobold King had reached her
ears. How frightening!

“Of course…” He smiled weekly realising that the restless nights would
continue to follow, likely to the very end of him...

His expecting wife will be placated for a while, so this was a good
opportunity to store and accumulate the necessary nutrients. He reached
into the clay pot yearning for the sweet taste of honey.

“No, sss!” She hissed slapping his hand. “Mine! You get your own.”
Unfortunately, she was unwilling to share.

“Oh come on.” He complained.

She gave him a look infused with Charm. “Well, sss, there is some of that
here.” She brushed her finger past her lips.

“Oh? Oh!” He got the hint.

In the end, he was allowed to 👅 peruse inside that sweet-sweet 🍯 honey

pot.
 142 – It’s Time To Strike. It’s
Hammer Time!

In the white marble hall, amongst the statues of ancient but not forgotten
heroes, there stood a brilliant golden throne. Its brilliance was only
amplified by pure and splendid lighting, the illumination stemmed from a
magical item best known as the Holy Candle, and there were no less than a
hundred of them nested in decorative candelabras and chandeliers.

There on the golden throne, showered in the candlelight of the Holy Light,
sat the Holy Emperor himself. His gold-threaded robes were pristine white
giving him that aura of both regality and purity. In his hand he held a
massive sceptre, the divine grade item was a symbol of his rule, but also a
tool of great power. His hand was clutching tight on the sceptre as if afraid
to lose it, and his face was painted in an expression of deep contemplation.

His empire was rocked by chaotic events, one after the other in a seemingly
endless wave. It all started as something insignificant, just a disturbance in
a border kingdom of no significance, and yet it somehow built up to this…
He had the feeling that the Holy Empire was inching towards a significant
turmoil, something big enough to challenge his divine mandate to rule.

The recent events were the most disturbing, first it was the Archivist and
then the Oracle. The Master Archivist had brought him a time-honoured
scroll, the old texts told a tale of an ancient power which should not be
disturbed. Yet the descriptions of that which should not be awakened were
all too familiar by this point. And then the High Oracle had barged into his
bedchamber with the most unwelcome vision, she had foretold a great
Calamity which soon will befall his holy domain. Moreover, the reports of
his generals on the frontlines only strengthened the validity of the old text
and the foreboding vision. All three had a certain common keyword.
“Spiders…” The Holy Emperor whispered with dread.

Right after the whisper, a long sigh escaped his lips.

“We’ve been wrong in our assumptions.” He tightened the grip on his

sceptre. “The Demon Lord had nothing to do with this.”

Indeed, the power they were up against was much more ancient, primordial
even, and likely just as troublesome as the Demon Lord. No! It was clearly
worse.

Either way, this called for urgent and regretfully desperate action where the
best solution was a certain ritual.

The Holy Emperor let yet another deep sigh. The ritual he was thinking was
no mere feat to achieve, it required exotic ingredients and an obscene
amount of mana. Worse, it would Sunder the involved priests and mages
leaving the Empire crippled until they recovered.

With resolve, the Holy Emperor turned to the nearby priestess. “Call the
High Priest and tell him to assemble the Clergy. We shall commence the
Hero Summoning!” He said with all of his imperial authority.

The previously bored and glazed-over eyes of the priestess brightened with
a spark of excitement. “At once, my holiness.” She had practically sprinted
out of the hall.

===

Despite what one might think the Spider Kingdom had issues of its own,
actually, it was on the cusp of experiencing a disaster of unprecedented
proportions, a Calamity of its own. At the very foundation of the disaster
was a certain substance, or to be more precise the lack of it. Yes, we’re
speaking about the ambrosia of the spiders, the Slug Jelly.

You see, it could only be produced by one highly esteemed Johny the
Magnificent Slug. While Johny was well-equipped to squirt a barrel of it a
day, she still was a single slug, and one slug for 200 000 spiders was just
not even near enough!

The jungle was scouted and scoured for the kin much like Johny and wild
DustyBlue fields were turned upside down, and yet, there were no slugs to
be found. After all, it seems that Johny was a unique aberrant, a rare
exception to what once was a sterile jungle.

So what is there to do? – indeed, a difficult question. To alleviate the issue

substitutes were invented, like the TomGrape Syrup; it was close but it
was never good enough. However, yet another promising candidate was
found, it was the highly sought-after Honey, an ingredient found in the
Dark Forest. The spiders liked it so much that they nicknamed it as the
liquid gold. That liquid gold soon also caught the attention of the Spider
King, and it seems he liked it just as much as his spiders.

Let's skip some minor events and let’s just go to the natural conclusion.
There in the ‘you know where’ the Spider King was sitting at the
workbench. Atop the worksurface, there was a glass jar with a live beehive
inside. The little bees buzzed and crawled agitated in their containment. He
looked at little insects with curiosity, they weren't exactly the bees he
remembered but the critters inside were close enough.

“I just need to find the queen and then Evolve her.”

Yup, this was the beginning of the Ultimate Solution to an encroaching

calamity.

“I’m ready.” A juvenile spider crafter chirped happily.

This little assistant wielded a rather large hammer, it was there to squash the
angry bees in case the evolution didn’t go right. Thinking about it a fly
swatter would have been more appropriate, but you can tell that to the
spider…

The Spider King opened the jar and proded the hive breaking it in search of
his quarry. The bees buzzed with anger and stung his hand.
“Hammer Time?” The spider asked expectantly.

“No.” He smiled at the overeager spider. “It doesn’t even sting.” It was his
Enhanced Poison Immunity talking.

Finally, he found the queen he was looking for, he pulled her out and closed
the jar back up.

“Hammer time???” The spider asked again.

A few rather Enraged bees escaped but that was of little concern.

“Not yet, spider.” He pulled the queen bee closer. “[Evol…], hmm.” He
stopped abruptly.

“I knew it! Bad bee! Hammer Time!” The spider swung up.

He lowered the spider’s hammer back down. He stopped because he

remembered another insect-like creature from the Dark Forest. She was in
part responsible for the presence of the hammer in this experiment. But
anyway, she had left him something rather precious and completely on a
whim he decided to spend it at this very moment.

“[Imbue: FairyDust], [Evolve]”, he imbued the queen during the

evolution. The goal was something more than just a monster bee.

The queen glowed in purple and her body increased in size rapidly; she
stopped growing by the time she reached the size of a collectable figurine.
Her final shape changed to a more humanoid appearance, her round head
lost most of its insect-like features and the number of limbs shrunk to four:
two hands and two legs plus a voluptuous bee butt at the back. Just like a
fairy would, the bee queen had all the feminine features which were
strategically hidden by tuffs of that yellow bee fuzz.

The bee stretched her wings wide and buzzed with contempt pointing her
improved stinger at Spider King.

“A failure!” The spider chirped at perceived failure in excitement for some

reason. “Hammer Time!!!”
“Nope!” The Spider King stopped the swinging hammer with his hand.

The bee flinched at the prospect of being squashed.

“[Inspect]”, he finally invoked.

Monster Race: Variant: HoneyBee Magic Affinity:

Apidae (Queen) Nature

HP:10 MP:50 STA:50 👑

🐝
Active
[Sting], [Pheromone Attack] 🍯
Perks

Passive [Synthesise: RoyalJelly], [Egg Layer], [Hive

Perks Mind]

Resistances [Fire Weakness: Medium]

The small surprise was the RoyalJelly it produced and not Honey; the latter
must be made by the workers only.

“I think the experiment was a success.” He announced giving a meaningful

look to the spider.

“Oh. Okay then.” The spider put the hammer down reluctantly.

The bee in question looked with fear at the hammer, then at the murderous
spider and right after to the Spider King.
“Bzzz,” she buzzed but in a much more subdued tone, “this royal bee is at
your service.” With those words, she kneeled.

Of course, the evolved bee spoke! At this point, it didn’t even come as a
surprise.

“Bzzz,” she buzzed again looking back at the jar of angry bees. “But please
spare the hammer from my subjects,” she glanced at the restless hammer.

“Ah, of course, I’ll evolve them too.” Yet without the precious FairyDust
this time. “But first, let's visit a friend of mine.” He picked up the glass jar
and went for the exit.

The Bee Queen fluttered her wings and followed right after.

Disappointed at the lack of the ‘Hammer Time’, “Tch!”, the spider clicked
its spidery tongue. “Maybe another time.”

Without much trouble, the evolved bee was brought to the highly esteemed
Johny for inspection.

“Oh, How Marvellous!” Johny exclaimed in her eldrich voice. “This Will
Do, Yes, This Will Do.”

There was a good reason for him to bring the bees to Johny. You see, one of
the morning milking sessions might have gotten too sticky leaving Johny
seeded with a Monster Core; a happy accident at that because the esteemed
slug had obtained a Mutate perk. The perk was similar to the Spider King’s
Mutate but also different; it was more nuanced. As a rule, Johny’s
mutations always ended up with either Eldrich or BlueDust flavour, and
sometimes both. Well, several rather vicious plants had to be exterminated,
although there were just as many successes - namely a beautiful cherry
blossom-like tree but with blue petals instead. The BlueBlossom trees were
planted all around Johny’s house, the gazebo, enchanting the already sureal
feel of the structure.
“Go say hello to Johny.” He encouraged the Bee Queen.

The bee landed on one of Johny’s tendrils. “Bzzz,” she buzzed curiously.
“Is this… jelly I smell on you, bzzz? A RoyalJelly perhaps?” She asked
with wonder while looking at the massive jelly sacks right infront, all six of
them.

“Better. Slug Jelly.” She retrieved just a dollop. “Have a try.”

The bee slurped up the substance and her eyes opened in shock.

Johny smiled at the tiny bee, however, the smile wasn’t warm, it was the
opposite – cold and calculating; more like an evil grin. “Got You.
[Mutate]!”

The bee fell off the tendril much like an autumn leaf. Shakes and
convulsions rocked her body, a change was taking place. The iconic bee-
black and bee-yellow was turned into blue and black, but more importantly,
a set of eldrich tendrils sprouted on her back.

“Ta-Da!” Johny clapped in achievement. “A Bee For the DustyBlue

Flowers, And Other Blossoms I Have Mutated.”

“[Inspect]”, he had to check.

Monster Race: Variant: JellyBee Magic Affinity: 👑

Lesser Eldrich (Queen) Nature
🔹🐝🔹
HP:10 MP:50 STA:50 🍯

Active
[Sting], [Pheromone Attack], [Sprinkle Dust]
Perks
Passive [Synthesise: RoyalJelly], [Egg Layer],
Perks [Telepathy]

[Fire Weakness: Medium], [BlueDust

Resistances
Resistance]

Status
[Minion]
Effects

“Okay…” There were more changes than he had assumed. “She changed
her race to Eldrich!” He was worried about that part. “Won't that make her
hostile?” He remembered some rather carnivorous plants Johny had
mutated.

“She’s My Minion Now So There Is Nothing To Worry About.” Johny

beamed him a confident smile. “Now Hand Me The Rest Of The Bees.”

He did just so, and while Johny was busy transforming the bee colony, the
Bee Queen finally woke up. She glanced at Johny, and the slug glanced at
the bee. They were silent like that for a good moment. Perhaps something
was communicated, but either way, the Queen Bee bowed to the nearby
King and with a quick buzz she flew towards the BlueBlossom trees.

Soon after, the rest of the bee colony was Mutated into Eldrich JellyBees.
The workers weren’t evolved or imbued with FairyDust, hence they
remained much like bees, just a lot larger plus an addition of an odd tendril
or two. The busy bees flew around the flower garden poking their faces into
dusty petals to gather what they needed.

“It Will Take Only A Moment” Johny informed. “Come, Have A Rest.” She
invited to sit in the nearby gazebo.
True to her words, the bee workers didn’t take long to gather the stuff they
needed. They gathered on the table and around the conveniently placed
bowl. A strange ritual followed, it was rather obscene: the bees formed a
circle and began kissing each other while passing a blue-tinted liquid while
at it. The end product was spat into the bowl and then fanned vigorously
with their wings. Perhaps it could be thought of as spit or even vomit, but it
was simply unaged honey, aware of such realities, and without hesitation,
the Spider King dipped his finger into the still warm and sticky liquid and
then right into his mouth it went.

“Yum!” He reacted at the taste of it. “Not Slug Jelly but not Honey either.
It's entirely different!” Either way, it was just as sweet.

Johny laughed at the quickly emptying bowl. “Make Sure You Leave Some
For The Spiders.”

“Oh, you’re right. This was the purpose of this experiment after all.” He
licked the last of it from his finger.

“Bzzz.” The Bee Queen landed on the table. “Giving all these telepathic
commands made me hungry.” She walked up to the bowl. “Bzzz? It's
Empty!” She looked accusingly at the culprit.

“It was just too good,” was his excuse.

He expected her to pout or make a scene, but instead the bee just smiled at
him mirthfully.

“Really? And you haven’t even tasted my…” She paused for suspense.
“RoyalJelly! It will blow your mind I’m sure.”

“Is that so?” He asked with expectation.

“Just a moment, Spider King.” The Bee Queen stepped right into the
emptied bowl.

Now considering that honey could be seen as bee spit or vomit, the royal
bee jelly would be made similarly, no? However, the Spider King was not
expecting what soon followed.

The Bee Queen crouched ever so slightly. “Bzzz,” she buzzed and then
began leaking clear liquid right from down under. It was rather viscous and
soon pooled into a sticky puddle. “Ahh, I feel much better.” It was as if a
great burden just left her body.

This Bee Queen was rather shameless to do something like that right in
front of him. He was positively shocked!

“Bzzz? What are you waiting for? This is a treat befitting a King, dig in!”

It did start as a liquid but now was beginning to congeal much like a jelly
would, however, considering the place it came from it was hard to think of
it as such. Was this bee trying to prank him just like a certain fairy did? This
was no RoyalJelly, this was bee pee!

“[Inspect]!”

The Monster System disagreed:

RoyalJelly: A rare and precious substance secreted by the Queen

Bee. It possesses mystical properties that can bolster the natural
abilities and skills of those who consume it.

“Spider King, Is There A Problem?”

“Bzzz?”

“I guess not.” He scooped the now-cooled and congealed jelly with his
finger. “There goes nothing.” He licked it off. “HUH!?” His eyes widened.
“This is amazing! I demand more!”

“Bzzz,” the Bee Queen buzzed apologetically, “I can’t do it on demand.”

“Wait, Wait, Wait! It Can't Be That Good. Is It Better Than Mine?”

“…” He had to pause to think, it was a close contester.

Johny misunderstood the silence. “No!!! There Is That Little Spider Who
Helped Me With Naughty Plants, The One With A Hammer? Spider!”

Sensing the danger, “Bzzz!”, the queen disappeared into the distance.
 142.5 – Burning Need For Some
Hot And Deadly Laser

The giant spidery citadel was walking through the dense and ancient forest.
Its tall metal legs were careful in their steps doing only the minimum
damage. The citadel was almost out of the Ancestral Forest, the place it now
emerged was the area where the Aurelian Kingdom had used to fell the trees
to acquire Spirit Stones. The previous transgressions were all in the past,
the area was seeded with young saplings; they were all too keen to grow
into a new forest. With the lack of human activity, the forest was on the path
of reclaiming its old territory. Just like all living creatures, it wanted to
grow, plant its seeds, and expand.

Perhaps that’s why the Wisp had entrusted something very special to a
certain individual inside the citadel.

“Sss,” She hissed while playing with a peculiar marble Uncle Wisp had
gifted.

The young Chaos Queen was barely a month old, but you wouldn’t be able
to tell that from just looking at her. Certain items and certain blessings had a
way of messing with the natural order of things. Instead of being an infant,
the chaos lamia was already a toddler.

Much like a toddler would, the young Queen deposited the marble she was
playing with into her mouth.

“SSS!” The Lamia Maid hissed sharply with worry. “My Queen, Ancestral
Forest Seed isn’t food. Sss-spit it out!” She stretched her hand
demandingly.
“No-hhh!” The Queen mumbled out and turned her head sideways in
protest.

“My Queen, sss, if you swallow it, the sss-seed will grow inside your belly
and then you will Explode!”

Mind you, this was a real thing which could happen.

“Sss? SSS! *spit*.”

The Lamia Maid took away the seed for safekeeping.

“Sss…” Bored the young Chaos Queen slithered closer to the control panel.

She looked at it with sparkly eyes. The control panel had inviting levers,
colourful buttons, and many switches which begged to be flicked. A very
big and very red button had caught her eye, and without much hesitation,
she pressed it. *Click*, It made a very satisfying sound.

“SSS!” The Lamia Maid hissed in alarm. “This is the button of the Deadly
Laser, sss, don’t press it!”

Luckily the weapon took time to spin and heat up, so the maid had to do
was to press the button again. *Click*, the attack was cancelled.

“Deadly Laser!” The Queen hissed in excitement and pressed the button
again.

*Press*, “No!!!”

“Sss? SSS!”

*Press*, - On.

*Press*, - Off.

*Press*, - On.

*Press*, - Off.
The two battled each other much like children would.

The nearby spider tippy-tapped closer to the two.

“Deadly Laser is for deadly enemies.” he chirped sternly.

“Exactly, sss.” The Lamia Maid added sternly.

It was good the spider came, the young Queen would never listen to other
chaos lamia but for some reason, spiders were an authority to her.

Juvenile Queen stopped her play, “…” and then looked at the spider
beggingly. Her purple eyes were big and the moisture was building up
rapidly at the corners.

“Now-now…” the spider patted the kid with affection. “We just need. A
deadly enemy. Simple.” The spider chirped as if it was the most obvious
thing ever.

“Deadly Laser!” She jumped in excitement.

The Chaos Lamia slithered closer to the massive screen and began gazing
for enemies. Everything was just a tiny speck.

“Here.” The spider handed her the Looking Glass.

“Enemy!” She pointed.

“No, sss, it’s a tree.” Lamia Maid corrected.

“Enemy!”

“A rock.”

“Enemy!”

“A squirrel.”

“…” young troublemaker pouted, there were just no enemies around.

“I think…” The spider began. “The squirrel can be. An enemy sometimes.”

Indeed, the little critters were known to nibble on TomGrape vines, and if
left unchecked could become a nuisance. But that was just a flimsy excuse
for some 'FUN!'.

The Queen beamed a brilliant smile, “Enemy!”, she pointed with authority
at the distant squirrel.

“Yes.” The spider nodded. “Enemy sighting confirmed.”

“Deadly Laser?” Her hand hovered over the large red button. “Sss?”

“Yes. Engage the laser.”

*Press*, *Click*.

*Sigh*, “sss…”, the maid sighed in resignation.

The laser mechanism spun up and the cell began to slowly heat up. A barely
audible buzz filled the control room. The Chaos Lamia jumped up and
down giddily at the anticipation. There was a lot more which happened
behind the scenes: like the careful aiming of the weapon, and the mages
guiding and pooling the necessary mana.

The metal jaws of the giant spider opened ever so slightly, and a cannon
peeked out much like a tongue would; the laser weapon was all hot and
rearing for some action.

“All you have to do.” The spider pointed at another button. “Press it. And
shout a command to fire.”

“[Deadly Laser]!!!” The Chaos Lamia slammed the button as if her life
depended on it.

Inside the cannon, the rays converged forming a deadly beam. The purple
blast shot out of the giant spider’s mouth and then…

*Explosion!!!*, – everything flashed in purple.

Normally lasers don’t make explosions, but you tell that to the one who
named the attack.

Where there once was a squirrel now was a small crater; everything inside
was pretty much evaporated. Wisps of rich condensed mana swirled right
above the destruction, and an odd miniature cloud or two were firing purple
lighting to expend the leftover mana.

“Yay!” The Chaos Queen clapped at the destruction of the spider enemies,
but then her jovial mood was stuck with a blank face betraying confusion.

The culprit was the system message she has just received:

[You’ve slayed the Common Squirrel]

[The experience was shared between the party]

[Fighting +1 exp]

No, not this one.

[Chaos Blessed activated]

Seemingly out of thin air, a small party of humans had manifested only
metres away from the crater. Purple wisps of mana clung to their cloaks
disrupting some sort of either Camouflage or Invisibility ability. There was
clear panic in between their ranks. And no, these humans weren't of an
Aurelian kind, they were Imperials!

“Imperial Scum!!!” The spider chirped in alarm.

“[Deadly Laser]!!!” The Chaos Queen slammed the button but nothing
happened. “Sss?”

“The canon needs time to cool.” The spider informed following up with a
suggestion. “But we can use turret fire.”

“Imperial sss-spies!” The Lamia Maid identified the enemies. “Save the
turrets and leave them to us, sss, the Chaos Lamia!”
Even before she uttered those words, the nearby defensive tower was
already reacting to the threat. A rank of obsidian-skinned beauties
assembled at needly carved slits in the wall. These weren’t slots for
arrowfire but for the magic instead. The Chaos Lamia here might still be
very young, however, that didn’t mean that they weren’t well equipped to
deal with the threat. They were dressed in rather scandalous black robes
which unlike the loose wizard robes clung to their sleek serpentine bodies
snugly, much like the leathers of the Rogue, but they were mage robes still
– Dark Robes manufactured out of DarkAgave and enchanted with all
those Dark enchantments. They didn’t have their Dark Staves yet, an item
to be earned only after graduation, but they didn’t need them to cast basic
spells.

An array of pretty manicured claws poked through the many wall slits,
magic pooled at their palms, “[Dark Arrow]!”, the girls chanted in unison.
Projectiles of dark light shot out of their hands and rained towards the
Imperial party. And they didn’t stop with a single volley, “[Dark Arrow],
“[Dark Arrow], “[Dark Arrow], …”, they chanted trying to best one
another, after all, Chaos Lamia just didn’t know how to hold back – a trait
which all of them seemed to share. Yet still, they were amateurs and most of
the magic projectiles were off target, but what lacked in quality was
substituted in quantity.

Back in the command centre, the Chaos Queen clapped at the impressive
light show. The projectiles were only metres away from the already fleeing
humans, and soon they would be shredded like the Centauri Cheese.

“S-s-s!” She giggled mirthfully at the prospect of an otherwise gruesome

sight and yet, “SSS!”, it never came.

Apparently, the Imperial Spies had a perfect counter. A dome of light

shimmered in existence cancelling entire hundreds of Dark Arrows. It
didn’t crack or even shimmer at the assault, it was that powerful.

The spider jumped on the nearby web. “We might need. The turrets after
all.” With those words, he skittered up to the ceiling and through a spidery
hole to only spiders know where.
And very soon, more powerful Dark Blast were shot out of the turrets. The
protection the humans hastily erected began to crack and flicker. And by the
looks of it, it was erected only to buy some time, because as soon as their
Light Fortress shattered there was an internal flash-like explosion and all
the humans were simply gone; the Dark magic projectiles hit only empty
ground. Naturally, the spiders assumed that this was a trick of some sort: a
rapid movement spell like Shadow Step or another Camouflage spell.
Detection spells were used, namely, Detect Life and even Detect Soul, but
the humans were truly gone as if spirited away.

The spider came back out of his spidery hole. “They’ve got away.” He
chirped apologetically.

“It’s Okay.” The young Queen waved it off. She did get to see an amazing
laser in action, plus an impressive light show, in other words, her need for
destruction was satisfied at least until afternoon.

And then no one thought much about the little incident, after all, some stray
Imperial Soldiers and Spies were well expected in this little journey of the
Giant ‘ENEMY’ Spider. The next destination was the Aurelian Capital!
 143 – Unexpected Visitors

“Huh?” The priestess at duty looked at the nearby circle. “Is this…”

A blinding light flashed inside the temple’s hall, the temple was dedicated
to the Holy Light but even then such displays were extremely rare. The
priestess shielded her eyes to protect them from blinding brightness.

The flash was over and she blinked away an intrusive spot in her vision, her
eyes landed on a party of six rather shaken humans; it was as if they
manifested here on the circle out of thin air.

“Ah!” She realised that this was no miracle, such an abrupt appearance
meant only one thing, “Ferrystone.”

The consumable item was connected to the Holy Light granting the user
the ability to appear or rather Teleport to the temple of the Holy Light.
However, the item was extremely hard to produce and so was reserved only
for the Emperor’s most trusted servants. Indeed, the men and women in
front of her were the most renowned Rogues in the Empire.

“My oh my,” she realised in an instant that something was off, “Are you
alright?”

The party of six just stood there extremely tense with faces beyond pale and
distant gazes. It looked as if they went to Forever Dark (Hell) and then
came back, it was as if they witnessed some unspeakable horror.

“Do you require healing?” She reached with her hand.

*Slap*, the gentle hand was swatted away brutishly. “Get away from me!”
the woman shrieked.
This was hardly an appropriate reaction but the woman’s manic shout
brought the rest of her buddies back from the bad place their minds
undoubtedly had been lingering on.

“Calm down!” Another woman grabbed the panicked one by the shoulders.
“We’re safe.”

“We’ve survived! A moment later and… No, we made it!” A man said.

“The Holy Emperor! We must tell him!” Another man exclaimed.

“Tell what? Please tell me what happened?” The priestess was just as eager
to know.

“The oracle’s vision, and the ancient text…”

“Yes?! Tell me.”

“It’s worse than described. Much worse. We’re screwed!”

“It’s not just the Calamity, it’s the Giant ‘ENEMY’ Spider”!

The priestess was a learned woman but even so she wasn’t quite following.
“???”

“1,000,000 HP!” The still panicking woman exclaimed. “1,000,000 HP!!!”

She repeated.

Yes, that was a lot!

The panicked woman wasn’t quite done. “I didn’t sign up for this! We’re all
done!” She pushed at the woman trying to calm her. “Let me go! I’m done,
I’m out! We better run while we still can.”

A rather rugged-looking man, the calmest of the lot and thus likely the
leader, he slapped the panicking woman harshly.

*Slap.*, “You shut up! Do you want to get executed, because that’s how
you get executed! All of us will go to the Emperor and we’ll give our honest
report, I doubt that otherwise, he would believe us…”

“Ah!” The priestess exclaimed again remembering something. “Our

Holiness is rather busy with the preparations for the Summoning Ritual.
You’ll have to wait.”

“Priestess,” he pushed past the robed clergywoman, “I’m afraid the Giant
‘ENEMY’ Spider won’t wait so neither shall we. Come!” He urged his
still-shaken party.

=====

With the happy spiders comes the happy Spider Kingdom. What are we on
about? – The Honey of course! Or whatever it was the Eldrich JellyBees
made, no doubt it was more than simple honey but less than some
mindbending cosmic ambrosia. This was Eldrich JellyBee Honey, but for
convenience's sake let’s just abbreviate it to E-Honey.

So the bees made that, plus other common derivatives like E-Wax and E-
Propolis. Both of these had promising qualities to find use in the yet-to-
boom spider beauty product line, especially when blended with
KelpCream.

Moreover, It turns out that combining the two with Blue Cloth makes a
rather convenient item. The FoodSeal came with a property of NoSpoilage,
which wasn’t exactly canning or refrigeration but it had its uses. It was able
to lock-in the freshness of ready-made meals but also could preserve
foodstuffs like cheese, baked goods, and dried meat even longer.

Wrapping raw squirrel and boar meat in it also sort of worked but only to
some extent; after a while the unprocessed meat still went kind of stale. But
wrapping it and then freezing it using IceShard Plankton, did absolute
wonders. Somehow the wax locked in the natural flavours and prevented
them to be lost during the destructive freezing process. The term
‘FreshFrozen’ gained entirely new meaning because in this case, the items
would indeed remain fresh!
Eldrich JellyBees were wonderful creatures and surely they soon will
become an inseparable part of the Spider Kingdom. Interestingly, Johny
became quite the beekeeper; in no time at all, the gazebo she lived in was
soon surrounded by IronOak Beehives. With some help of Fertility
Potion+ the Bee Queen outdid herself and was now a proud queen of a
MegaColony of no less than a million bees; a scary number which will only
grow.

Of course, Johny was a single individual and couldn’t be expected to tend to

all the hives alone. That’s where recently mutated spiders came to the
rescue. Yes, it was a BlueDust resistant variant which could only be
achieved with Johny’s Mutate.

Overlooking the recent achievements, the Spider King was casually sitting
in the gazebo with Johny.

“I guess with all this done, we can go easy on our jelly milking sessions.”

Indeed, the burden for Johny to provide was lesser now.

“What? Nonsense! You Shall Come And Milk Me Daily Like You Always
Do.”

An affectionate tendril wrapped around his neck and shoulder. Perhaps it

wasn’t exactly affectionate because…

“Or Is That You Don’t Like My Jelly Anymore? Is E-Honey better?” She
tightened her tendril.

“Of course not. It doesn’t even compare.” It was a simple truth.

The tendril loosened only to tighten yet again.

“How about the Eldrich RoyalJelly?”

“…” That was a real contender. “Gah! You’re strangling me.”

“Oops!” The pressure lessened. “I Didn’t Realise, Sorry.” It seems she

wasn’t doing it on purpose, only subconsciously. “…” Yet still, she looked
at him expecting a clear answer.

Well, the two substances came close but considering the way they were
produced he had a clear preference.

“I like your jelly better.” He said the obvious.

Johny launched herself to hug him. Was his preference really this
important? Judging by her blissful expression – yes. Well, even if an
Eldrich Slug, Johny still was a woman, the idea of some insect besting her
must have hurt her pride.

“Correct Answer!” She nuzzled closer. “I Permit You To Drink It Straight

From The Source. This Is Your Reward.” She puffed her chest up invitingly.

Admittedly he didn’t yet have breakfast, and who could say no to some
delicious jelly, but drinking it straight from the jug… That seemed a bit too
much, no?

“It’s Best Served Fresh. Dig In.” She jiggled one of her six.

In reality, this was an offer hard to refuse, and he had no reason to. This was
just Breakfast!

[Expert Milking Technique activated], with that the jelly Quality went +1.

“Yum!” He exclaimed between the suckles. “It does taste better!” It was
almost strange, he could sense another +1 coming for no apparent reason.

She patted his head. “Drink Up My King, With Bees Here, You Don’t Need
To Restrain Anymore.”

She was right, right up till now, he was rationing the Jelly giving most of
his personal allotment to either his wife or the deserving spiders, but now…

*Suckle, *Suckle, *Suckle.

“There’s Another Thing I Must Tell.” Her expression turned serious.

“Huh?” He looked up.

“No, Don’t Stop.” She pressed his head back on. “It’s Best If I Show You.”

[Eldrich Telepathy activated]

A strong feeling assaulted his mind. It was pure unadulterated PLEASURE.

“Oops, Not That,” Johny wriggled her tentacles in embarrassment, *ahem*,

“this.”

In an instant, he lost his sense of self and his mind was pulled to some
distant place. He was looking through the eyes of someone else, presumably
an unsuspecting Slug Jelly user. This wasn’t the first time Johny felt it
important to share the information she had gathered, yet still, such
experiences felt odd. And this time especially was extremely clear and
crisp, he felt completely ‘inside’ someone else’s head; no doubt, recent and
excessive jelly intake heightened his ability for Telepathy.

Interestingly, men and women had a different feel about them, they always
did. He got the sense that the person here was a woman. That assumption
was only reaffirmed by the sight of two feminine hands working diligently
to draw an unfamiliar glyph. Since he was inside the person's head, the
vision came with an attached sense of sound, but also emotions: he got a
hint of high urgency but also pride. Whatever they were so meticulously
working on was very important.

“I’ve Been Observing For A While,” Johny interjected. “They’re Drawing a

Summoning Circle.” She read the question marks rising in Spider King's
head. “You Wonder What The Circle Is For? They Are Summoning A
Hero.”

That was worrisome, but also very exciting.

“From what I’ve gathered: They’ve Been at It For Days And Will Be There
For Days To Come. The Summoning Ritual Seems To Be An Extremely
Allaborate Affair.”
Of course it was, they’re summoning a soul from another world.

“Oh!” Johny exclaimed in his mind. “So That’s What The Hero Is.”
Curious she prodded deeper into Spider King’s brain.

His vision of their target blurred and distorted. “Hey!”

“Sorry, I’ve Lost Concentration. It Seems You Know About This Hero More
Than I Do. How Come?”

“It’s because I’ve also been summoned here, remember?” Albeit on a whim
of a chaotic deity.

After all, this wasn't something he was keeping a secret of, but he didn’t
boast about it either.

“I See…”

The connection quality on the Summoning Apprentice, that’s what she was,
dropped again; it went from 4k HD to a measly 240p. And he was rather
intrigued by the design of the magic circle but a curious eldrich tendril
reached to probe his mind instead, thus lowering the quality to an
unacceptable level.

“Johny!” He felt like complaining.

Better, it could be done both ways. Wanting to teach her a lesson he jabbed
his proverbial tendril to probe the depths of her mind. Surprisingly her mind
was left completely unguarded and he went a lot deeper than he should have
or wanted to…

[Eldrich Telepathy deactivated], it cut abruptly; she was the one to do it.

*Pop*, he freed his lips from the telepathy enchanting juice jug. “Jonny,
WTF!” He exclaimed at the images he had just seen.

“Not My Fault! You Went Too Deep!” She wriggled in panic.

What he saw there, deep in her mind, wasn’t a type of eldrich horror, but an
extensive archive of memory images and memory videos. The memories
belonged to the humans Johny spied on in her free time, and for activities
and acts depicted in that archive… well, let’s just say they were of
extremely private nature.

“It’s All For Research Purposes!” She said defensively.

If so, she was ‘researching’ some rather extreme and unsavoury things; very
hardcore!

“Stop! I Don’t Need Telepathy To Know What You’re Thinking Now.”

“…”

“Will You Think Less Of Me Now, That You Saw It?” She said
disheartened.

“No, of course not! We all have our preferences.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” He nodded honestly. “I’m sorry I went into your forbidden folder. I
shouldn't have.”

“Think Nothing Of It, Forget it.” She waved it off.

“I’ll try.” He smiled.

A tendril reached towards his face. “You Have Some Jelly Stuck. Here, All
Better.” She wiped it off and put the subject back on track. “Do You Think
You Can Replicate The Circle?”

This was the question of the day. “No.” He admitted. “It’s too complex.”

“I Thought So.”

“Perhaps if we got a chance to study the full blueprint maybe then the
spiders could come up with something. But anyway, I don’t think it's worth
the trouble.”

“Agreed, We Already Have Our Hero.”

What Johny must have been referring to was herself, after all, she was
detrimental in taking down the Darkness. Plus there were a plethora of
other things only she could do.

“I couldn’t agree more. You’re the best Hero we could ever wish for. I’m
sure the spiders would agree.”

The already tight tentacles wrapped around him tighter.

“I Was Talking About You, Silly. But I’ll Take The Compliment.”

=====

Excited but also panicked voices had reached the depts of the Spidery
Temple.

“It’s there! It’s there! The day had finally come!” An Apprentice Cherub
exclaimed while running around excitedly.

“Really?”

“No way!”

The other apprentices ran outside to see what the hustle and bustle was
about.

“Huh?” Elisabeth, the lead angel of the temple fluttered her wings in slight
confusion. “What are they so excited about?” There was only one way to
find out.

She stepped out of the obsidian black temple and stretched her wings ready
to take flight.

“[Calestial Wings]”, she activated the perk and soared towards the sky.
She didn’t have to fly high, just as she got slightly above the buildings,
there in a distant horizon, she saw it – the miracle manifest.

“How beautiful! How magnificent! How RADIANT!” She was exhilarated.

A spider most grand and most magnificent was walking up to the Aurelian
Capital. By now the many resident spiders were associated with luck and
prosperity, and the sudden appearance of the spider so big was clearly a
good omen.

“We’re truly blessed. How wonderful!”

Obviously, she was not the only one to think so. Right here, just outside the
walls, there were already a massive group of pious revellers kneeling and
praying fervently. The giant spider had gathered the attention of the resident
spiders as well.

“Spidery Magnificent!”, “So well made!”, “I wish I was there to craft it!”,
they chirped so and such.

“Well made? To craft it?” Elisabeth questioned the words giving a better
look at the supermassive spider. “Oh, it has a fortress on its back… and is it
made out of metal? I thought it was alive, and not a building, [Inspect]”

She checked, and according to the system the humongous spider was
something called a construct, and since it had HP it must be a living
creature.

“But… Giant ‘ENEMY’ Spider?” She pondered the name. “That’s no

enemy, if anything it should be FRIEND!” She fluttered her wings to get
closer to the construct.

The closer she got the more she was impressed by the actual size of the
spider. Huge, humongous, giant, massive – all were an understatement of its
real size.

Once she was close enough, “Hello, o’ glorious spider friend!” She greeted
while still in the air.
No reply came, and she began to worry that perhaps the spider struggled to
hear her. But then, *Clank*, a hatch opened on the side of its spider head
and a small spider emerged.

“Come in!” It chirped invitingly.

She expected to be invited to the citadel on its back, but not the actual head
of the spidery construct, that was something outside her imagination.

“Ahem, yeah sure! Thank you!” Somewhat flustered she flew even closer.

Perhaps it was unsightly for someone her age, but she felt giddy and full of
excitement, much like a young girl would. She went through the hatch
wondering what sort of wonders and miracles happened inside the giant
spidery head.

“What could this FRIEND want?” She pondered, after all, miracles
happened for a reason.

The Elizabeth was due in for some shock, but that is for another time. The
walking citadel stopped right outside the walls of the capital where throngs
of people were already surrounding it. There were no illusions and no
tricks, the walking fortress was clearly a weapon meant for mass
destruction, yet the Aurelian people welcomed it with cheers and awe-
struck gazes. For them, this was living proof that spiders were really quite
something. But that was the most tame reaction.

The wilder side of the Aurelian Capital recognised the spider citadel as
some sort of demi-god and soon it became an avatar of their faith, a spidery
messiah sent by the Dark Flame. Unbeknown to the zealous and a tad bit
delusional worshipers, the sacred Dark Flame, the one in the large
Lantern positioned in the centre of the Spider Temple, it soaked up their
prayers growing bigger and shining with even more power.

Perhaps it was only the wind or the crackling of burning AgaveJuice, but if
one listened very carefully they could hear words coming from the core of
the purple flame.
“Spiders…” it crackled very subtly.
 144 – Do You Have What It Take
To Ride The Storm

Six rogues rushed into the Imperial throne room. The Holy Emperor was
there on his throne, he was sitting in silence with his hands clasped together
and praying silently to the Holy Light.

“I told you he’s busy.” The priestess whispered.

“This cannot wait!” The party leader ran past the guards and to the throne.

The nearby guards stopped the running party by crossing their longswords.

“My Holiness, It is urgent!” He shouted from the distance.

The Holy Emperor let out a deep breath. “Everything is urgent nowadays!
What is it you…” He recognised the man. “You’re back so quick?!” He
asked suspecting something dreary.

After hearing The Story, the Holy Emperor sighed once again; he was doing
it so much it had become a habit. He had sent his best Spies to get to the
source of the looming disaster, to get to The Dreaded Place. This was no
easy Quest to complete so he equipped them with Imperial treasures, some
coming out of his personal vault. And yet the Invisibility Cloaks were
rendered inert and the legendary artefact - the Divine Fortress was
shattered. Worse, much of their gear came back disenchanted or with
lowered quality, clearly an effect of unknown hostile magic.

The spies not only didn’t reach the jungle, the alleged source of the
Calamity, but they didn’t even make it into the bordering forest. The ultra-
expensive FerryStones were the only thing that saved them, even if they
lost valuable artefacts, it was still good that they came back to tell their tale.
A harrowing tale that is… A tale of the SuperMassive spider with a whole
citadel on its back. The humongous spider by itself was a nightmarish
threat, but who knew what sort of horrors were hidden in that citadel as
well? Perhaps the Spider King himself?

“If it is coming, we must hurry up!” He slammed his golden sceptre into the
ground. “We must summon our Hero!” It was the only choice.

There was more to it of course. The more resources they poured, the greater
the summoning circle, the stronger the hero would be. And for the terrible
threat of the Giant ‘ENEMY’ Spider, they needed a terribly mighty hero.

“We shall summon the best Hero of them all and I shall see to it
personally.” With another slam of his sceptre the Holy Emperor stood up
from his golden throne.

“But what of us?” The Spy Party leader asked.

“Can you infiltrate The Dreaded Place without Imperial Treasures?” He

gave The Look. “I think not! One of you will accompany the hero as a
Rogue and the rest…”

“And the rest?”

“…” The Holy Emperor didn’t reply.

“You shouldn’t have interrupted his prayer.” The Attendant Priestess

whispered with a glare to the spies. “I told you not to.”

The spies glared back at the priestess.

“We’re good as dead… What’s even the point?” The still-panicked woman
mouthed under her nose.

“Priestess!” The Holy Emperor addressed. “Gather the rest of the

attendants, acolytes and anyone capable of magic. We must finish that
circle.”
She gave him a beaming smile. “At once, my Holiness!” She practically
sprinted out of the throne room.

“And you…” He glared at the spies. “I’ll deal with you later.” He turned to
leave.

As if knowing the guards surrounded the rogues.

“But… But we brought essential info.” Another woman stammered.

“But we also failed.” The party leader said the obvious. “Also, he’s doing
this so we don’t spread the panic.”

“Oh, I get it now.” Another man replied.

“This is bullshit! Why did I even come?” The still-panicked woman

complained.

Soon the Imperial GuardCaptain appeared. “By the imperial order, you are
all under house arrest.”

“This is bullshit!!! REEE!”

“Arrest this woman!”

“REEE! We’re all gonna die! All of us! Giant ‘ENEMY’ Spider is
coming.”, *Gah!* – she was knocked out by one of her party members.

=====

In the nest-like spidery house, the Spider King was speaking not with a
spider but with a centauri. He stood beside a stand-at table, such furniture
was made to accommodate the unique Centauri needs, but by no means did
he feel uncomfortable or unwelcome.

“Would you care for a glass?” The Centauri Assistant didn’t wait for an
answer and poured the still-warm Centauri Milk into the glass.

“Thank you.” The Spider King took a sip, it was creamy and delicious.
“Some Centauri Cheese?” She cut a thin slice of white cheese and then
spread butter on top.

“Thank you.” It was fatty, but that’s exactly why it was so delicious. “If you
don’t mind.” He took some E-Honey out and spread it over the bite.
“Heaven!”

“I’ve never seen anyone combine the two. Is it that delicious?”

“Have a try.” He honeyed one of the slices.

“Oh! This is quite something and I’m not even into cheeses. Bareth will
love this!” She licked her fingers with the last bite.

“So, where is he? Your husband?” He asked the important question.

“Teaching a class, he’ll be back soon for brunch.” She paused giving him
The Look. “Do you think… we can do it? You know… The thing?” She
asked with a tinge of embarrassment.

Indeed, this was the very reason he was here on this fine morning, he was
here to help the Centauri to conceive.

“With the Monster System, everything is possible.” He said the obvious.

“I’ve been taking Fertility Potion+ and…” Her cheeks flushed red. “We’re
doing it whenever we get a chance, but… I’m beginning to lose hope.
Please help me!”

There must have been an issue of compatibility, and if so, it was good she
called the Monster King to help!

“To get it working, I think Bareth needs to Evolve. It worked for Lady
Crimson.”

“I know, that’s why I’ve asked for your help. Bareth is working very hard
but…”
“… But it’s not enough.” He finished for her. “He just needs a nudge, a
helping hand, that’s it. But also, it wouldn't hurt for you to try to evolve
too.”

“Me? But I don’t think Centauri can evolve!”

“You’re right, there hasn’t been a single case yet. However, just a while ago
the same was for the Drow right until we got our first Drider, so never say
never.”

“Hmm…” She was thoughtful for a moment. “But how do I evolve?”

“That is The Question! It seems I just can’t force Evolve the sapient races,
but animals and plants are fine. However,” he raised a finger, “granting a
Monster Core seems to help. It’s almost as if it changes something inside
the person's body, brings them closer to the Monster System, I guess.” He
gave a meaningful look.

“So what you saying is that I should get the core?”

“You and your husband.”

“Then, may I ask you, my King, to grant me one? I shall forever be in your
debt.” She bowed deeply.

“I owe you one for the cream pie so there is no debt. Shall we?” He offered
his hand.

“Okay, let's do it!” She took it.

The fingers locked and with the, “[Seed Core]”, he began injecting his
mana.

The Centauri Assistant squirmed at the sensation and her already flushed
face reddened completely.

“…” She was making a funny expression with her face. “A-Ahh!!!” A moan
escaped her lips.
From behind, “What the two of you are doing?”, a voice of bewilderment
questioned.

“Husband!? Ah! We’re just! Ah! He’s helping us, ah-ah-ah, to get pregnant.
Uh-Ahh!!!” With the end of the rather obscene moan, she received a
message telling her of her new acquisition.

“Well,” the Spider King turned to look at still bewildered Bareth. “what can
I tell… She’s rather sensitive. Your turn!” He offered his hand.

The man in question gripped it and squeezed the royal hand with all might
in the world, almost as if he was trying to crush it, but despite all that,
“[Seed Core]!”, the Spider King injected his mana.

“A-Ahh!!!” A moan escaped Bareth’s lips.

“Huh?” Bareth’s scream surprised the King. “You’re also sensitive?”

“No! Ah! I’ll… Ah! I will… you and my, ah, wife, ah! A-Ahh!!!” The
magic finished its job. “Don’t touch my wife like that ever again!” Bareth
yelled still red-faced.

“Bareth! He’s only helping us!” The Centauri Assistant jumped to intervene
before this blew up any further. “With Monster Cores we might be able
to… you know, get a child.”

“Monster Cores?” The expression on Bareth’s face softened. “Hey, I got

that! And I can Evolve!” He let the hand go.

“I’m sorry.” The Spider King looked in puzzlement. “What do you think I
was doing?”

“Never mind that! Evolve me! Evolve me now!”

“Bareth!” His wife scolded.

“I’m sorry, I just… With my age and all, I’ve never thought this day would
come!”
The old Bareth here had some years accumulated but that had nothing to do
with evolutions, and the Spider King was just as excited to see what would
they get. With human evolutions you never knew, and that by itself was
very exciting.

“The day has come!” He nodded at the man. “I wish you luck in your,” he
gave a look to the Centauri Assistant “future endeavours. [Evolve].”

“Oh-hhh!!! Here I go!!!” Bareth yelled just before he began to glow in

blinding purple. “Power!!!” The light was shiny and brilliant.
“Evolution!!!” And just like always, it finally dimmed. “Yes! I feel twenty
years younger. Do I look twenty years younger?”

He didn’t, he was just the old Bareth, but just in case “[Inspect].”

“Oh, Master Bareth… [Inspect]!”

Monster Race:
Variant: Magic Affinity:
DarkRider Dark
Corrupted Human

HP:150 MP:100 STA:150

⚔️
Active
Perks
[Dark Cleave], [Spur], [Ride The Storm] 🏇
🛡️
Passive [Dark Empowered], [Mounted Beastmaster],
Perks [We Are One]

[Light Weakness: Lesser], [Physical Resistance:

Resistances
Lesser]

“Congrats, you unlocked Dark magic!”

“DarkRider! How fitting.” Centauri Assistant clapped in satisfaction.

“The magic can wait.” Bareth looked at his wife hungrily. “But my new
riding perks can’t!”

“Bareth!” She was left once again red-faced.

“I’m sorry, my King, but my duty calls me. I have to go! And do what I
must!!!” He jumped right on the Centauri Assistant.

“Bareth?! Neigh!”

“I guess I leave you to it.” The Spider King made himself sparse giving the
two much-needed space.

However, even from outside, he could hear, “[Spur]! [Spur!]! [Spur]!”, the
DarkRider Bareth was invoking again and again for some reason.

“Neigh!!! Rider, you won’t Tame me so easily!”

“I have Mounted Beastmaster! Mare, you will obey my will!”

“Neigh!”

“[Ride The Storm]!”

“Ah-ahhh!!!”

The Spider King shook his head. “Riding shouldn’t be done in indoor
spaces. But each to their own I guess.” He shrugged hoping that they won’t
wreck their own place too much.

Next on his list was the tea with his Drow Assistant.
 144 – Then The Prey Traps You
Instead

In the nest-like spidery house, the Spider King was speaking not with just a
spider but with enhanced spider woman, a drider, or well the Drow
Assistant. He approached a stand-at table, intricate and well crafted; it had
no seats since driders couldn’t use any. And all was well, but no - not really!
This wasn’t just afternoon tea with your local friendly drider, this was The
Tea apparently, but that only would become clear later.

the table was illuminated by a set of blue wax candles; fresh from the
mould. Moreover, the candles were enchanted and burned with Dark
Flame, the glowing purple reflected from the pale drider skin and her
obsidian chitin making the woman right in front ever more seductive.
Moreover, she wore only a silken gown, thin and almost transparent, it
clung to her round spidery shapes leaving little for imagination; the cloth
enhanced her natural charms further. Worse, a tempting smell wafted from
the spidery woman, alluring and hard to resist. No doubt she did everything
in her power to get that cumulative Beauty +3 passive.

As soon as he stepped in her nest, right after his eyes landed on her spidery
shapes, he knew he was trapped with no chance of escape. As if to prove the
point, without prodding or assistance, the doors behind sealed themselves
tightly shut.

The Drider Assistant gave him a look only a predator was capable of.

“My King, please take a seat.”

There were no seats of course, yet he still approached the table. And lo and
behold, manipulated by a thread, a swing-like contraption lowered from the
ceiling for him to sit. On the table It wasn’t just candles, there right in the
middle, there was a peculiar dessert. He was very curious about it, it didn’t
look familiar at all. The dessert jiggled ever so slightly, it tempted the
Spider King with the sugary secrets it held within.

‘Cut Me! Slice Me Open! Devour My Insides!’ It begged sweetly in a tiny

voice.

He had to blink twice because he heard it so clearly!

Perhaps it wasn’t all just his imagination because, “Ha-ha! I couldn't help
myself!”

“Ventriloquism!” This was what it was, he named the ability to speak for
the puppets.

“What a curious perk.” She smiled at him. “No, I don’t have that. Not yet.”

But she knew what it was! – He realised.

She gave him another smile, “Let’s get to it!”

The drider sliced the desert not with a knife but with a thin silky thread
instead. She cut through the crispy and golden outer shell to expose the
yellow custardy inside. Then she deposited a slightly jiggly dessert not in a
cake plate but in a solidified silk bowl; or was it woven silk; or however
she’d managed to make a solid bowl out of DriderSilk!

“I named it Flan!” She put the bowl right infront of her bewitched target.
“Care for some tea?”

The Spider King nodded enthusiastically.

Magically so, she spun a whole cup from scratch using nothing but her silk
again. Once again, the idea that silk could only be used to make cloth was
shattered. He inspected the cup curiously. It was completely solid with no
holes and all, and probably harder than ceramics.

“Is anything wrong?” She asked curious.

The cup was perfect! Well, not quite masterwork but still of very high
quality.

“I’m just amazed by your skills.” He put it down for tea.

“It’s only natural, I’m a half-spider.” She reached for the nearby teapot.

The hot tea was poured into two silky cups. Unlike the common tea the
liquid was only slightly coloured and mostly transparent, but from the rich
fragrance, it was clear that the tea was very potent.

“I see you’re also curious about what this is. It’s WaterLily Tea, an
ingredient the Mer should start producing on a larger scale if you ask me.”

“Is that so?” He bit a slice of dessert and chased it with the tea. “Mmm!”
Both were amazing.

But also:

[You have obtained Web Strider], this one came from the Flan.

[You have obtained Soothing Regeneration], and this one from the
WaterLily Tea.

“Oh!” He exclaimed. “I should have expected it to have extra properties.”

“That is so. The dessert grants you a temporary perk to run and scale
through the web with increased ease, doubling your speed when you are on
any spidery contraption. Very useful for spiders, but also for those who
would normally find themselves trapped in the web.” She explained
helpfully.

“And for the tea?”

“That one just increases your stamina regeneration. Simple, but also very
useful.”

And just like that, without even noticing he had already devoured his
otherwise sizeable Flan slice.
“I must admit. This is amazing!" He eyed another slice greedily.

“Of course it is. I made it with my own eggs.” She said proudly. “And with
a dash of friend’s milk.” She whispered the latter.

“This only makes me wish we had more eggs like that. Then we could share
these desserts with everyone.”

“Well…” She gave an embarrassed look. “There is only so much I could

lay. And I don’t want to share them with anyone else. My eggs are only for
the Spider King!” She announced with conviction.

“Is that so… it’s a shame, but not really.” He looked directly at her
bewitching purple eyes. “I’m very honoured, and you always treat me with
the best food. Thank you Drider Assistant!”

“I’m your personal assistant after all.” She looked deeply into his eyes.
“I’ll forever look after you.”

He realised that he hadn’t noticed that somehow their hands had found each
other. They were just holding hands across the table, but the mood was
getting rather pink.

“Spider King?”

“Yes?”

“Can I see your Spider form?” She asked expectantly.

The request was sudden but there was no reason to not entertain his
assistant even if a little bit.

“Sure, [Transformation: Spider].”

His body changed growing both in bulk and size. Skin was replaced by
chitin and his legs by spidery appendages. He wasn’t quite a drider, he
ended up more spider than human in his case. Normally the transformation
would rip his clothes, but he had developed a counter to all that. He just
shoved his robes into his Magical Inventory during the critical moments of
transformation.

“Spidery Magnificent!” She exclaimed excitedly at his ‘naked’ spider

form. “You should wear this form more often. It suits you rather well, our
Spider King.” She emphasised his title.

“Should I?” He wondered. “But I look rather monstrous. I would spook my

subjects.” He said with worry.

“Spook them?” She questioned. “You’re surrounded by spiders!” She

reminded him.

“I mean my more humanoid subjects. Like Aurelian Humans, and perhaps,

Drow and Kobolds.”

“Now-now…” She shook her head. “For one I know that the Drow like the
spidery aesthetics. And the kobolds, I don’t think they would mind. The
Aurelian Humans, yes, It might have been spooky for them at the
beginning, but having that changed a lot since when?” She reasoned.

“Hmm…” He was thoughtful at her words.

“What’s the hesitation for? I think you’re rather se… I mean handsome in
this form. Very regal!” She pointed at the natural protrusions on his head,
they formed a spidery crown.

“Maybe you’re right. I should embrace my inner Spider.” He nodded.

“Yes!.” A nearly wrapped bundle lowered from the ceiling. “In that case.
For you. Try it on.” She said nervously.

He unwrapped the bundle revealing the gift inside. “[Inspect]”, he checked

curious.

Item: Spidery Robes of

Quality: Masterwork
Magnificence
Bonuses +50MP, +10 Spider Rep

Active
[Master Stealth]
Perks

Passive
[Web Mastery], [Deflect Magic: Lesser] [Beauty +1]
Perks

[Reinforced +4], [Dirt Resistance], [Elemental Resistance:

Resistances
Lesser]

It was a beautifully woven DriderSilk robe. The robe was dyed black so as
not to stand out from his naturally black spider chitin. The cloth was very
light, but that didn’t take away from its durability, after all, it was
Reinforced +4; a rating which probably made it near indestructible. Plus it
had lesser resistance to all four of elemental magics!

“Amazing! The Web Mastery will work well with my Spin Web!” He put
the robe over his shoulders leaving the front open. “It fits my spidery frame
very well! And doesn’t get in the way of my many spidery legs. Truly a
masterwork!”

“Obviously! I’m a half spider, so I know all the challenges well and thus
can work around them.”

“Indeed, the spider clothing is no easy affair.” He admitted. “And with this,
I feel no longer naked!” He admitted again.

“Oh!” The Drow Assistant exclaimed as if realising something, her pale

cheeks flushed with crimson. “I think I can feel that Beauty +1…”
“Do you?! Am I really more beautiful?”

“…”

“Ah, perhaps I shouldn’t have asked. It’s not like I’m fishing for
compliments or anything. But you know, it’s unfair that you ladies get +2
with the cream and the perfume. I feel left out!”

“Huh? But who stops you from using it too?”

“…” It was his turn to pause. “Fair point. I just think those things are for
women only.”

“Nonsense!” She refuted that point quite strongly.

“I wonder…” He had some KelpCream in his inventory, and he had

purchased some perfume for The Lamia Queen just recently. “I hope the
Lamia Queen won't mind… here it goes.” He lathered some cream on his
hands and his face and sprayed the perfume on the neck. “What do you
think? Did it take effect?”

“…” She looked at him with two big but dangerously predatory eyes. “I
lured you here… to trap you… and have my way… but it seems… my
King… that it is you… who trapped me… in your spidery web.” She said
between hot breaths.

“Gah! Drow Assistant where are you touching? I’m a married man!”

“But… spidery whispers had reached me… there is an arrangement… in

place.”

“I have to get clearance! And this is too sudden!” He protested.

“Beauty +4… Can’t resist!” She touched there should not be touched.

Cream +1, Perfume +1, Clothing +1, that’s only =3, “It doesn’t add up!” He
pointed out.
It seems she didn’t care much about math or his protests at this point
because threads of spidery DriderSilk shot up from above trying to bind
him in a net.

“Gah!” He moved with expert precision and navigated the tangled mess
with finesse. “Ha! That’s Web Strider for you!”

“Tch! It seems I’ve made… A miscalculation…” She flicked the table only
to lunge at him in a spidery Pounce.

“I don’t think so! [Shadow Step].” He dodged with no problem.

“Stop dodging… and fertilise… my eggs already!” She demanded.

“OMG! Beauty +4 is scary. It's worse than charmed!” Or perhaps not,

because after glancing at her status, she was exactly that – Charmed. Yet,
he had no control over her. “Very Dangerous!” He dodged another freshly
spun net.

“Stop dodging!” She demanded. “Your essence will be… mine, [Pounce]! ”
She jumped again using the power of all eight of her legs.

While he dodged the net, the room was not a football field, there was only
so much space to move, so in other words, the net was dodged but not the
drider herself.

“Got you!” She reached with her hand. “[Paralysing Touch]!”

“Two can play this game!” He stretched his arm. “[Spin Web:
BindingRope].” After all, he had that Web Mastery.

Her arm was bound by the robe and hence the deadly touch was avoided.

“Tch!” She clicked her tongue in frustration. “You are… no amateur… at

spidery!”

He pulled the rope to unbalance her further. “Yes, I am not.!” More of the
purple magical threat shot from his arm.
“I can’t… I can’t Dodge it… what thread is this?” She asked bewildered at
the impossible.

Yes, normally it would be impossible to trap a drider with a tread, but this
was no mere thread.

“It’s my special Web.” He spared no mana to finish his spidery spell.

“[Bind]!”

“Ah!” She struggled against it. “…” Defeated she gave him a hungry glare.
“To be… bested … like this… I like it!!!” She breathed even hotter.

“OMG! Are you into it?”

“Bind me… Tighter!!!” She was so into it! “Do with… my body… as you
please…”

“What a heck! This is not the tea I came for!” He pointed at the scattered
teapots and cups, not to mention still-lit candles.

“It is… this is The Tea… as it is meant to be!”

“Nope. Not the time, not the place. [Web Drain]!” He invoked sapping her
stamina.

“Ah!!!” Unfortunately, she was also into it.

“…” He scratched his head. “I know.” He reached into the inventory and
doused himself and her with plenty of DarkWater.

And just like that the dangerous cream and the perfume were washed off.

“Better he asked?”

“No!” She replied defiantly. “Look what you made me do!”

“I didn’t make you do anything!!!”

“You need to take responsibility.”

He looked at the Traped but no longer Charmed drider. She was as
completely wet, and her almost transparent gown now was truly
transparent. “I will.” He sighed, yet he was happy, no, not at the sight, but at
the fact that her Beuty also dropped to only +1 reducing the danger level
for him.

“You will? Then ask your wife… so we can have The Tee next time. As it is
meant to be.”

“…” He gave her a curious look. If in a messy way, she still had made it
very obvious how she felt. “I will ask.” He said it simply.

“Okay. Now untie me, please.” She paused. “Or not…” She gave a cheeky
grin.

“Ha-ha… I will.” He undid his magical thread dispersing it into purple

motes.

“Tch...” She clicked her tongue. “Anyway, I wanted to show you something
else.”

“Did you?”

“Yeah, we just got distracted. That’s it.” She straightened her still-wet
gown. “Observe! [Elemental Web: Fire]!” She spun a fiery web into a
humanoid puppet. “[Imbue: Dark Spirit Stone]!” A dark pebble crumbled
in her hand. “[Create Puppet]!” The puppet took life and jumped out of her
hands.

“Wow! Is it intelligent?”

“It is not.” She said with slight disappointment. “Not the way you think it
is. It is just a construct, but it can follow basic commands well. [Elemental
Web: Water], [Imbue: Dark Spirit Stone], [Create Puppet].” She
finished the combo spell creating another. “Fight!” She commanded.

The puppets began slapping each other rather viciously.

“They deal the elemental damage of their affinity, but the values remain
rather low.” The Drow Assistant explained.

“Oh?” He watched fire fight water, and water fight fire. “They have only
10HP and each attack takes off 0.1HP.” He observed.

“Look closer.”

“I see! Fire is weak to Water and thus takes double damage.”

“It is so. So which one would you think will win?”

It was rather obvious: the Fire Puppet was on 2HP already and the Water
Puppen on 6HP, however, It sounded like a trick question, yet still, he
decided to entertain it. “The Water Puppet, of course.”

“It would be so, if not for…” She gave a malevolent grin. “Do your Special
Fire Puppet #1!”

The puppet stretched its arms wide and looked at the ceiling.

“[Arach Dominus]!!!” It shouted in a tiny but full of authority voice.

And then, *Boom*, it exploded in a fiery explosion.

“It spoke!” Spider King exclaimed in yet another moment of amazement.

“Oh, and it took out its opponent. So it’s a draw.”

“It is a draw.” She nodded. “Incidentally, it’s the only spell they know.”

“Very interesting.”

“The explosion deals a significant amount of elemental damage, but it’s not
quite powerful enough to kill a standard humanoid.”

“Very interesting… But why did you make them?”

She tilted her head. “What do you mean? They're cute! And they’re useful.
And there is no limit I can command!”
“That’s rather broken! Nerf it, nerf it now!”

She tilted her head gain but to the other side. “The limitation is the Spirit
Stones. It’s rather expensive for a single puppet of 10HP, don’t you think
so.”

“Yeah, you’re right… now show me the rest of the varieties.”

And thus in addition to Fire and Water, Earth Puppets and Wind Puppets
were created; a hundred of each kind. The Spider King looked at the tiny
army with sparkling eyes.

“Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in
harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only
the Hero, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world
needed him most, he vanished.”

“Spider King? What are you on about?”

 145 – No Walls, No Forts, Nothing
At All Could Stop The…

Shiny metal legs, sleek and elegant, were making their way with well-timed
and rhythmic steps. Unchallenged and unposed, almost as if gliding through
the terrain, the spidery citadel was speeding smoothly towards the Holy
Empire’s border. The citadel proper was staffed with a surprising amount of
fresh Aurelian recruits. Awed and inspired by the Spidery Magnificence of
the Giant ‘ENEMY’ Spider humans flocked in hordes to sign themselves
up for the war effort. Well, perhaps they sought the thrill of riding inside the
massive spider, or perhaps they wanted a piece of glory which undoubtedly
would soon follow.

The citadel wasn’t the only place to house fresh ‘guests’. There in the
spidery head, the command centre, a bunch of unique individuals had
gathered around the screen.

One of them was undeniably an angel. She was radiant and beautiful, her
blond hair was hanging loosely behind her back touching the pristine white
feathers of her wings. Her toned body was draped with a light pure white
tunic. A woman like her seemed out of place in an otherwise dark and
spidery place like this. Yet, she smiled like an adolescent girl on her
favourite ride. Her hand was clutching the hilt of her sheafed blade at her
side with anticipation; she was positively giddy with excitement.

Another one was a spider with considerable authority. His broad and tall
spidery figure was draped in expensive clothing decorated with gems and
golden thread. As if it was not enough, thick golden chains hung loosely
from his neck. The chains were layered upon each other and there were so
many you could consider the set as a type of chainmail. The spider wasn’t
exactly an angel, but he was just as shiny if not more; he was known as
Lord G Bling.

Right next to the spider was his wife, Lady Crimson. She was petite and
elegant, and extremely good-looking, that is if you liked fiery-looking
women. Everything about her was hot and fiery: her dress, her long hair, her
eyes. From afar it was possible to confuse her with a burning flame
because, no doubt, her favourite colour was red. But despite her blazing
appearance, if you looked carefully, you would notice that her face was soft
and her smile, even if faint, was welcoming.

In her hands, was a tightly wrapped bundle. And in the bundle was her
newborn child, but also the future of the Aurelian Dutchy. The first ever
individual born from the union of a spider and human, and according to the
System her race was Aranea – not quite a spider but not a human either.
She had the iconic four yellow spider eyes and a set of tiny mandibles, yet
she only had two legs and arms just like a human would, on her head was a
tuft of fiery red hair, and while there was some obsidian chitin on her body,
most of it was your usual skin; indeed she was a wild blend of the two, a
human and a spider.

The named commander of the spidery citadel, the Chaos Queen, eyed her
guests with curiosity, after all, all four were rather unique and interesting in
their own way. And while yes, she was a commander here, the adults
however were the ones making the next set of decisions; or advicing as they
put it themselves.

“With this fortress, we shall have no problem in breaching the Imperial

Walls.” Lord G Bling alluded to the defensive wall the Empire had hastily
erected on the entirety of the border with Earth magic.

Elisabeth, the Radiant Angel, fluttered her wings excitedly. “The wall was
never an issue for the spiders, nor me for that matter. But a hole for the rest
of Aurelian troops to pour in will be appreciated.”

“So I guess, we’re going on offence?” Lady Crimson asked while rocking
her baby ever so slightly, a wicked smile flashed across her face. “High
time to test my newest brew…” She paused dramatically and looked at
everyone. “Searining Concoction of Ruinuos Consuming Hell –
SCORCH!!!”

“Searing Con… Conc… SCORCH!!!” Chaos Queen exclaimed with

sparkling eyes of excitement.

“That sounds menacing…” Elisabeth shuddered. “With this spidery fortress,

do we even need that?”

“We do.” The Lord G Bling chirped matter of factly. “We’re projecting
power here. The more the better.”

“Yeah, that will teach the Empire not to mess with us. Ha-ha-ha!” Lady
Crimson cackled maniacly.

“Hee-hee-hee!” The baby laughed clacking her mandibles clearly also in

approval.

“Hmm…” The angel cupped her chin thoughtfully. “If it is so, then shall I
bless the attack potions with my Bless?”

“Bless?” Lord G Bling questioned curious.

Elisabeth smiled proudly. “A new perk I’ve acquired only recently. It sort of
enchants the item giving it a boost in power. Just like this.” She pulled her
sword out of the sheaf. “[Bless]”, it glowed in brilliant... Darkness.

“Oh!”, “Ah!”, “I see!”, the observers clapped at the spectacle approvingly.

“The SCORCH ammo I’ve prepared is stored in the warehouse. The one
next to the main cannons.” Lady Crimson turned to look through the screen.
“If you want to help, I suggest you hurry up.”

Elisabeth looked at it also. “We’re already here? It’s way too quick. Where
is the warehouse?” She asked slightly in a panic.

“I’ll show you.” The nearby spider offered helpfully and ran towards a hole.
The spider helper was of a little spider variant and fit through the spidery
hole with no problem. The same couldn’t be said about the angel.

“My wings! I got stuck!”

It was not the wings which were in the way, but no one said anything to
correct the angel.

“I’ll help.” Chaos Queen slithered to help. “[Tail Swipe]!”

*Smack*, “Ahh! My rear!”

Despite all the shouting, surprisingly it worked and the angel was inside the
spidery hole, which actually was an express spidery slide to the spidery
warehouse.

“Ahhh!!!” Elisabeth shouted, the scream grew quieter with each passing
second until it disappeared.

“Look.” Lord G Bling pointed at the screen. “I can see Aurelius and his
men. We should stop and pick them up.” He looked at the nearby control
panel. “What button was it again?”

“I’ll help!” Chaos Queen slithered to a wall with many levers and many
buttons.

Expertly so, she lowered one lever and then another, and then slammed a
combination of buttons.

“Are you pressing them at random?” Lord G Bling questioned.

“No! SSS!”

Perhaps she was, regardless of such truths, the spider stopped.

Elisabeth was back in the control centre, she was sweaty and her feathers
were ruffled.
“It seems I’ve made it!” She brushed with her hand to straighten her wings.

“Chaos Blessed?” The Chaos Queen hissed out in puzzlement only to be

ignored completely.

“I guess, we could have given you more time. But the shock factor wouldn't
be the same.” Lord G Bling noted.

“…” Duke Aurelius simply nodded. He had been here for a good hour
already yet he was awfully silent the entire time.

“Did you get the Aurelian Army inside?” The spider asked.

“…” Nod.

“All of them?”

“…” Nod.

“Then, we shall open this with a bang.” Lord G Bling looked at the Chaos
Queen meaningfully.

“Deadly Laser!” She slammed a rather large button with all of her might.

Duke Aurelius perked up at the name of the weapon and he wobbled closer
to the screen to see what it would do.

“…”

Nothing happened of course, not yet, both Aurelius and Elisabeth looked at
the juvenile chaos lamia with ‘???’ clear on their faces.

Meanwhile, the laser finished powering up. The Chaos Queen grinned at the
confused two. “S-s-s! [Deadly Laser]!” A button was slammed again.

A blinding flash reached the screen first and then it was followed by the
sound of an explosion.

“Wow!”
“…”

“S-s-s!”

And the little Aranea girl clapped at the show of lights.

And that was that, but there were more. The thing was that the Giant
‘ENEMY’ Spider could simply walk over the puny imperial wall and then
deposit the Aurelian Army further away for the assault on the fortress. Just
so a single shot was wasted, yes, but It was done to strike fear into the
nearby humans; this was done to show a tiny fraction of its power.

Now the Imperials knew what was coming, it was an ENEMY they
couldn’t even begin dreaming of defeating. And it had laser weapons!

Even before a deadly attack had yet to strike the wall, panicked shouts had
spread through the defensive wall like wildfire!

“Monster!”

“Calamity!”

“Calamity!”

“Giant ‘ENEMY’ Spider.” A scout on the watchtower identified correctly.

“How are we even…”

Everyone was already trembling at the monstrous sight. This wasn’t

something a mere mortals could defeat!

“Pull yourselves!” A nearby Paladin shouted activating his Leadership

skill.

The commanders all over, they all used similar skills to keep the levied men
from routing.
The paladin entrusted with the defence of the wall raised his bright glowing
sword with authority.

“We humans, we stand united against this Calamity. It is one against many,
we have the upper hand here! And remember, with the guidance of the Holy
Light we can do this! It is because the Light always triumphs over the
Dark! [Bolster], [Morale Boost]! We’ll make sure the ENEMY won’t
make a single step past this wall!”

“Yeah!” The men roared in unison.

They were frightened no more, they would face this giant monster, and as
always, they would come victorious.

“Yeah!” They roared again.

That was then, *Explosion*, the paladin commander was violently ripped
out of his feat and thrown into the air. He spun in the air wildly, his vision
was filled with flying bricks and parts of his comrades. By some wicked
stroke of luck, he landed whole atop the freshly strewn bricks. The only
thing that saved him was not his gear, which was straight out of the Holy
Emperor's treasure vault mind you, but the vitality he gained by maxing the
level of his class, Paladin lvl 10.

He stood up still hearing an awful ring in his ears. His eyes landed on a
massive crater where the wall should be. “How am I even alive?” The
destruction was devastating, and the casualties… well it’s best if he didn’t
dwell on those.

He gripped the HolyLight Sword, a treasure entrusted to him to deal with

the threats exactly like this. Well, this ‘threat’ was exceptionally big, but he
believed that if he pressed hard enough he should be able to take at least a
leg before he died. The ENEMY was approaching the hole in the wall
rapidly so to oppose the menace he gripped his divine grade weapon tighter.

“Huh?” Something didn’t feel quite right.

The hilt he held so tightly crumpled in his grip and the blade itself shattered
on the ground into many pieces.

“Huh!!!” Divine grade items were indestructible! “What is going on?” He

struggled to understand.

That was when he realised, that his otherwise enchanted armour held none
of the previous enchantments. It seems that the explosion had a devastating
side effect; the enchantments were rendered broken!

The spider was already at the crater and then it simply stepped over it and
the rest of the wall. Whoever was still alive, and with their enchantments
still in place, fired a bunch of magic or arrows at the spider, yet they did
exactly 0 damage to it. Go figure!

“[Dodge]” the paladin did a heavy roll to a side, barely dodging a massive
metal leg of the spider.

He was right under the monstrosity, at its belly where the monsters would
be at their weakest. Only then did he realise the sheer size of it, and the fact,
that there was no weakness. The underside of the massive spider was lined
with many turrets, each manned by either a spider or one of the corrupted
humans.

He froze feeling the attention of the turrets. He knew what would come
next…

“[Scorch]!” A distant voice rang from one of the turrets.

And soon… it was over.

No one expected the wall to fall so quickly, yet it fell. A sound of alarm was
sounded telling the men to flee to the defensive fortress. It was erected here
precisely to counter threats like this. The fortress here had a defensive
magical barrier, and not a shabby kind, it was the same as in the Holy
Capital itself, the Celestial Forcefield. It was known to be impenetrable.
Even better, it was possible to make attacks from the inside of the barrier!

The Imperials rushed to fill their post in the fortress. The Archers would
fire their arrows, the Mages their spells, and the Engineers would use their
war machines; eventually, they would chip away that scary-scary health
pool of 1,000,000 HP! – that was the plan.

The spider citadel approached the fortress foolishly, getting right into the
striking range of the mages. A plethora of elemental attacks rained on the
spider. However, in equal numbers, the creatures nesting inside the spider
fired their Dark spells. The magic projectiles collided in the air shaking it
with multicoloured explosions, however, most of the magic made it past
each other. The imperial magic found its target successfully while the
spidery magic pittered out at the imperial barrier.

The Enemy took damage, albeit only the slightest amount, yet it was the
hope the Holy Empire needed. If it’s HP dropped it meant that it could be
defeated, and with Celestial Forcefield in place, they will do just so!

The giant spider opened its mouth as if in anger, and a huge cannon
emerged from its mouth.

The barrier will protect them! There was nothing to fear!

“Slay the monster! End the calamity!” The Imperial Mage Corps leader
pointed. “The barrier will protect us! Attack!” He spurred his men.

A beam of purple light shot out of the Enemy’s mouth and collided with the
barrier. A folly! An act of desperation!

“Ha!” The leader mocked the futile attempt. “…” but… the barrier... “The
barrier?! It shattered!!!” He shouted out in disbelief.

Something impossible had happened, and the Terror was back in

everyone's faces. Yet, not everything was lost, the walls were here, and so
were the towers, and the mages and the archers. They still could fight and
they will.
“It seems its main attack needs time to recharge!” and if so… “We need to
take it down before it does!” He commanded.

Spurred by desperation the attack mages fired their bolts with increased
vigour, and others blocked the incoming Dark Bolts with hastily erected
Barriers.

It was a stalemate almost! Until…

“[Scorch]!” A thunderous amalgamation of voices reached the distant tower

he was in.

The Imperial Mage Corps leader looked trying to detect magic, yet it was a
physical attack of sorts. To accompany Dark Bolt, thousands of physical
projectiles were shot out of many turrets.

Magic or not. “Shoot them down!” He commanded.

The physical vessels was shattered much like glass, however, the content
inside just continued towards the imperial fortress. Worse, it was unaffected
by magic. A square container whizzed past the commander's head, only
inches away, even in that split of a second he recognised what it was.

“A potion bottle?” He turned around in its direction. “But why?”

The funny-shaped potion smashed against one of the barriers. And then…
*Explosion* – everything caught fire. Not only did it ignore the personal
Barrier, but worse, the purple flame burned brighter as if fueled by the
existence of the said barrier itself. Naturally, Water mages fired their spells
to put the flames down.

“Don’t…” The warning came too late.

The flame engorged itself on magic! Now, it clung to everyone, refusing to

be put down. The flame roared and crackled as if angry, it was so loud that
it even overpowered the dying cries of the burned-alive. Mages tried all
sorts of things, but nothing worked, actually it only fuelled the Dark
Flame’s anger. It was angry and it was ravenous, and unlike the natural
flame, instead of giving light, it consumed it. Soon the entirety of the
imperial fortress was shrouded in complete darkness, it burned in the cold
merciless blaze.

“Gah!!!” The commander was enveloped by fire. “Urgh!” He collapsed and

trembled. “So… so Cold!”

The cold blaze burned sapping him dry out of mana… and then out of life
itself.

Deep inside the fortress, a small group was attempting to fight off the ever-
encroaching blaze. They weren't warriors or mages, or anything like that,
aside from a single Cleric they were just servants, simple men and women
with barely any levels at their belt. The gathering of servants was
desperately trying to put the blaze out, to douse the fire which prevented
them from reaching the emergency escape tunnel.

A woman poured a kettle full of water on the blaze. “it is not working!” She
said the obvious.

They tried all sorts of things with no luck. The only saving grace was that
the flame was smokeless so there was no risk of suffocating.

“But why is it so cold!” A man complained.

They might not suffocate, but if this continued, they would freeze to death.

“This is not natural!” The cleric looked at the ice forming where the kettle
water was just moments ago. “Ah!” Her HolyLight Staff burst into purple
flames spontaneously. “I wasn’t even close to fire!” She threw it away in
alarm.

“Amazing! Now we have no light!” A man complained.

It was just as he told, the staff was the only item capable of dispersing the
unnatural darkness the purple flame was spreading.
“We’re doomed!” A panicked voice cried from somewhere deep inside the
darkness.

“This… whatever it is... is Cursed!” The cleric yelped in frustration. “But if

so… [Smite]!” She tried purely out of desperation.

“Sss!” The flame hissed in discontent.

“It worked?” She jumped in amazement. “It worked! “[Smite]!” She

launched a ball of light towards the flame.

With a few more spells the corridor was clear of flames. It was still cold but
with the Dark Flame gone she could finally light a candle to disperse the
darkness.

She did just so. “Come on.” She looked at the tired faces right behind her.
“The exit is just this way!”

*Explosion*, the entire fortress shook again. At the end of the corridor,
seemingly on plain bare stone, a new blaze burst into life again.

“Let's hurry!” She urged while the path was clear.

Guided by flickering candle flame they ran down the steps into the escape
tunnel. The tunnel was narrow but it was straight. Afraid that the all-
consuming flame would catch up to them they sprinted through near
blinding darkness. While they were at it the temperature was rising ever so
slightly, and soon they emerged out of the tunnel. They escaped the Cold
the Darkness and the Dark Flame itself.

“We did it!” A servant exclaimed.

“Yes!” Everyone cheered.

“Shush!” The cleric cautioned. “No! Not yet!” She pointed at the distance.

The imperial fortress was burning in a purple inferno, and there in the midst
of the cold tongues of the Dark Flame, the Giant ‘ENEMY’ Spider was
standing victorious. It looked at the last remaining tower with contempt and
then flicked it to ruin with nothing but a simple push of its massive metal
leg.

Everyone shrunk as if afraid to be noticed.

“We should have never challenged the spiders…”

“…”

Nothing else needed to be said. The small party crawled like insects away
and towards the safety.

The servants behind her were ignorant but the cleric knew just how
important her new ‘mission’ was. First, she had to warn others about the
Giant ‘ENEMY’ Spider, but also about the cursed Dark Flame.
Especially about the latter, and not the former, it was so because as a Cleric
she detected a hint of Divinity leaking out of it; or the opposite of it. And if
her worry was true, the Holy Light itself was now in danger!
146 - Desperate Calamities Require
Desperate Actions

A woman who not so long ago was in the elite party of elites amongst elites,
the cream of the crop as to say, was now reduced to your average fugitive.
The fools had tried to confine her to some musky old tower. Ha! They
should have known better, after all, she was a Rogue. But saying all that,
the escape still wasn’t easy, she had to make some regretful ‘sacrifices’.

“That woman wouldn’t just shut up!” She would have tattled on her before
she could…

Anyway, the runaway rogue was already miles away from the Imperial
Capital. As if spurred by impending doom, she moved day and night, never
stopping for more than a quick nap or a snack. The exhaustion might have
killed the mount she had stolen, but her two legs were still good to do the
rest of the running.

Where was she running so desperately? – To where it all had started, of

course.
Why? – It was very simple, she had no other choice.

“We’re doomed! We’re all doomed!” She yelled at the maddening memory.

She said so, yet she was running exactly back to it; back towards the
Calamity. Perhaps she did go mad, or even suicidal, but she was running so
desperately only because… because she wanted to live! She wanted to
survive!

None of which would make sense to the casual observer. If the fugitive
rogue wanted to live, then why was she running back to her doom? – Well,
in her mind, it made perfect sense…

“Is that?” She spied on a group of people.

They were running as desperately as she was but in an opposing direction.

“Refugees? Then it’s close!” She exclaimed happily.

She was about to pass the party ignoring them completely, but…

“Hey, you!” The Cleric grabbed Rogue’s arm, and rather forcefully at that.

“What do you think you’re doing?” The rogue tried to get away.

“I could ask the same.” The cleric glared sternly. “Do you even know what
is out there?! Whoever or whatever you’re running to…” She paused giving
a pained expression. “They’re one with the Holy Light now.” She implied
their death subtly.

“Tch! Let me go!” She struggled against a surprisingly tight grip.

“Don’t be a fool. You’ll die! There is nothing but death and all-consuming
Dark Flame!” The cleric woman tried to caution again.

“Me a fool? Ha-ha-ha!” She cackled in bewilderment. “It is you who are
running to your deaths!”

The cleric woman looked with confusion at the rogue.

The rogue smiled knowingly as if illuminated by her previous experience.

“You can run but the Giant ‘ENEMY’ Spider isn’t something you can
escape from!”

“You’ve seen it before? If so…”

“It’s in my head! I can still see it so clearly! Ha-ha-ha.”

“…” The cleric woman let go of the maddened rogue.

“The only way is…” The Rogue looked at the Cleric with ill-fitting pity.
“Your kind would never understand…”

And just like that, the rogue was back to running.

Luckily she didn’t need to run far, indeed, the spidery presence was already
there on the horizon. The unstoppable force was walking on its spidery legs
pushing forward without a single concern. She felt her stomach cramping
up, and something wanting to come up to her throat, luckily her stomach
was empty. Admittedly, she was afraid, she was so afraid, but she had to
face her fears and she had to face the giant spider.

“This is something I must do!” She steeled herself.

In a couple more long moments, the mad rogue was finally standing right
infront of the approaching spider. It was a single woman against a towering
giant. However, she wasn’t here to oppose the spidery menace.

With all the vigour she could muster she waved an improvised white flag at
the giant.

“Spider, I wish to defect!” She shouted out of the top of her lungs.

“I wish to defect!”, “I wish to defect!”, “I wish to defect!”, she repeated

over and over again, hoping that her tiny voice would reach the towering
behemoth.

Soon, she was so close the spider could just squish her with its metal leg if
it pleased so. Regardless, she stood firmly believing in making the right
decision. Yes, she was here to defect, to sell out the Holy Empire to the
spiders; this was her mad gambit. And she had good reason to believe her
plan would work.

After all, as an elite spy, she knew more than an average citizen of the Holy
Empire. While the investigation party she was in never made it to The
Dreader Place or even the Elven Forest, they did get to see the state of the
Aurelian Kingdom, or Aurelian Dutchy as it was calling itself now. The
place was positively swarming with spiders, yet, for some strange reason
the Aurelian people were prospering, not only that, they were willingly
supporting their supposed oppressor, The Spider King.

To cut a long explanation sort, she was adamant that the spiders would treat
her right if they found her useful. And useful she was, she was a spy, one of
the highest level Rogues in the entire Holy Empire! What this meant was
that she held a lot of sensitive information. She knew the locations of
military installations, the skills and perks of all the Imperial Generals, and
the composition of the Imperial Army with a full tally of Warriors and
Mages. Moreover, she knew the many dirty secrets of the noble families
who supported the Emperor, and the possible ways to set them against each
other. She knew the complete layout of the land and many of its secret
passages. Also, she knew things she was not supposed to know. All of
which she was ready to give out for a small reward. A tiny bit of spider
mercy.

“I wish to defect!”

The spider halted in its tracks arresting its otherwise unstopable motions. It
was almost amazing that a single woman was able to stop something like
this even if for a single second. The giant lowered its head as if to hear the
defecting rogue better.

“I’m a spy.S[ider, I have valuable information you’ll want to hear. They're

summoning the Hero!” She began with her ace to entice the giant spider.

Something clicked on the spider, much like a hatch opening.

“Gah!” She exclaimed trying not to get too tangled in a web. “Ahh!!!” She
felt herself being pulled up.

And then into a tiny spidery hole, she went. The fugitive rogue worried for
a second that she was being eaten alive but from the lack of moisture and
acid, she realised that she wasn’t in a stomach. She was on the floor by a
strange turret, the room was pitch black but she could see due to
Darkvision applied by some purple flame burning in a nearby lantern. And
she was not alone, the room was packed with spiders.
‘I’m in! Everything went according to the plan.’ She thought.

Well, not quite. But lo and behold, it turns out this spidery Calamity could
be reasoned with. And if so, there was so much to gain. First, the safety of
her life, and second, the safety of her family. And then, depending on the
spider, so much more.

One of the spiders chirped something in its strange language and then blue
powder reached her nose. She wanted to sneeze at the powder but she fell
asleep before she could. “Zzz…”

Holy Emperor looked at the oracle’s pale face, her hands were shaking and
so was her entire body.

“Bad news?” He asked knowingly.

“…” She tried to say something but no words came out.

Yet she didn’t need to say anything because the silence said it all: the
foretold Calamity had reached the Holy Empire.

“Worry not, Oracle.” He said calmly as to instil that calmness in her too.
“The Summoning Ritual is ready. It seems we’ve got it done just in time.
Come.” He urged her to follow.

They walked for quite a while, and during the trip, more and more people
joined the Holy Emperor. By the end of it, he had a small procession, much
like the Konga line, following behind. The procession emerged into the
grand hall of the summoning ritual, which was actually done inside the
Cathedral of the Holy Light. Seats and pews were all removed to make
space for the ritual circle. Instead of broad strokes of your average magical
circle, this one was many times more complex and detailed. Various
geometrical shapes collided and enveloped one another to form something
much larger. Thousands of glyphs were glowing faintly already in all of the
colours of the rainbow. And in between all that, minute and swirling in its
design, the ancient text of enchanting language filled all the gaps.
Moreover, spaced all around the circle were piles of various alchemical dust
or gems to be used as catalysers.

Renowned Mages, Clerics, and Priests were bordering the circle with
many more just outside the cathedral standing in their own supplementary
circles. Actually, anyone with the slightest talent for magic was called in to
help. Just like inside, there outside, acolytes, novices and apprentices were
eagerly waiting for the word to start pouring their mana in. The
Summoning Ritual the Holy Empire was trying to pull off was the biggest
ever in its entire history, and for good reason. The bigger the circle, the
more the mana – the stronger the Hero they would summon. So needless to
say, no resources were spared.

The men and women behind the Holy Emperor walked to fill their
predestined spots. Some of them, like the Minister of Magic, were here to
guide the ritual. Others, like the Imperial Alchemist, and other sponsors of
exotic materials and reagents, were here as honourable observers only.
There were also other imperial subjects like Barons, Dukes and Kings.
Either way, the cathedral was packed full of very important people.

The Holy Emperor took his spot by the HolyLight Altar, which too was
just recently improved by detailed glyphs and powerful enchantments. It
was the key piece to start the summoning magic going, and it was his sole
honour to do this. But first…

“Citizens of our sacred realm,” he addressed, “I stand before you today as

your Holy Emperor,” he slammed his golded sceptre with authority,
“bearing both hope and urgency within my heart.” He gazed at the gathered
people intensely. “The shadow of darkness encroach upon our holy land, a
Calamity never seen before. It threatens to consume all that we hold dear,
to dim the Holy Light itself.”

The gathered whispered among themselves, that much they had known
already.

“At this very moment, as I speak, the Giant ‘ENEMY’ Spider is drawing
closer and closer!” He named the threat publicly for the first time. “It is a
malevolent force born out of darkness and it is intent to see our destruction.
So In this hour of need, it is with solemn determination that I declare the
Summoning of a Hero!” He slammed his sceptre again.

With that signal, the mages began injecting the circles with their mana. The
glyphs lit up to be ever brighter and the enchanting text flaked off the
ground to fill the air with flying letters.

“The chosen one shall be blessed by the Holy Light itself. But remember,
my loyal subjects, that this fight is not theirs alone. Every one of you has a
role to play.” He looked specifically at the party he had assembled for the
hero, they were the best of the best. “Together, we shall forge a united front
against the encroaching darkness, and together, we shall prevail! The time
has come to banish the Dark, and to usher in a new era of everlasting
Light! [Summon Hero]!!!” He activated the key glyph with his sceptre.

The circle was done warming up and thus had burst to full power. The
alchemical dust evaporated into nothing, the gems turned to salt, thousands
of glyphs flashed brightly, and the enchanted text formed a magical
whirlpool in the air. Secondary and then ternary circles were birthed by the
ongoing magic. There was so much going on, that it was nearly impossible
to keep track of it all. Yet the Summoning Circle was drawn flawlessly and
the magic proceeded without a single hitch.

Only one thing was left to do. The Holy Emperor needed to say a small
prayer. The summoning magic was whimsical but he was allowed to
vaguely define the qualities of the summoned. He could ask for someone
good with a sword, or a genius inventor, or an inspiring leader, that sort of
stuff. Yet the request had to be short for it to work, and even then, according
to the ancient texts, the outcome was never guaranteed.

“I pray for…” He paused thinking how to put it best. “An expert at dealing
with spiders…” In other words, he requested an Exterminator but of a
Hero kind.

With that last bit done, in the epicentre of the summoning spell, a ball of
light blinked into existence. It was the beginning of the portal to summon a
soul from an unknown world.
The Holy Emperor, and the rest of the gathered, watched the ball of light
grow with anticipation. Soon the Empire would get their much-anticipated
Hero!
147 – Who Do You Call If You Have
A Spidery Problem?

The Holy Light Cathedral was filled with bright and brilliant light. In that
holy place, the Divine energy flowed thick in the air. Something truly
magical was taking place, yet it still was only midway through. While the
casual observers gawked at the developing spectacle in amazement, the
mages carried looks of exhaustion. The Summoning Ritual was hungry for
mana, and a ritual this grand was especially ravenous. It sucked no less than
1,000,000 MP and it demanded even more.

Still, It was enough to birth a divine portal; it was that tiny ball of
concentrated light. However, it needed more to pull the Hero into this
world. The necessary mana was ripped out forcefully from the thousands of
participants and the Minister of Magic struggled to contain it all. Needless
to say, many were afflicted with Sundered, a known side effect of the
summoning magic. It was a worse condition than Negative Mana, it
prevented mana regeneration entirely, sometimes even permanently.

The participant Mages, especially the apprentice and novice kind, fainted
and were dropping like flies in the hundreds. They knew of the risks, and
they accepted them wholeheartedly; it was a small price to pay after all.

The tiny ball of light grew bigger, it grew magnificent and radiant, and it
was so bright it was almost blinding. By this point, only the most
formidable mages remained conscious, however, their job was done and the
ritual no longer demanded any extra mana. The glyphs blinked out of
existence, and the flying magical text was pooled into the portal with the
rest of the stray mana. This was the last stage, the only thing left to do was
watch.
“Hero, please come to us!” The Holy Emperor encouraged through the
Divine summoning portal. “Come to the Light to expel the Dark. Get rid
us of the spidery menace!”

“Hero!”, “Hero!”, “Come!”, “Please!”, various other shouts of

encouragement were shouted out by the gathered.

The gesture was entirely unnecessary, the magic just needed some more
time to do its thing, but it showed just how much everyone was invested in
the ritual.

Unbeknownst to the observers, the Divine Portal was taking its time to
carefully consider its magical code. Its job was to pull a soul from another
world; no easy feat to achieve even with the Divine magic. Just like water,
such magic was always taking the path of the least resistance. Recently
deceased or stray souls were easiest to pull, and the proximity to the nearest
dimension was also a factor to consider, and so was the prayer it received
from the Holy Petitioner. It considered these factors and found a
surprisingly convenient solution. Of course, the Divine Portal wasn’t
sentient or anything like that, it just did what its code told, and it took the
most optimal option pulling the nearest soul available which fit the criteria
almost perfectly.

‘Ah! I have outdone myself today, well done.’ – the portal would say if it
was sentient. ‘I’ve found the perfect solution to the spidery problem, a hero
amongst heroes!’

The magnificent light ball pulsed and twisted, and then with a *Flash* it
deposited the Hero the right there on the marble floor.

The gathered had to blink twice and trice for their sight to return, but then it
did, all cheered and clapped.

“Hero!” They cheered at the somewhat confused man.

…
The Spider King found himself in the Fungal Caves, where instead of trees
various fungi and mushrooms grew to form a dense forest. He was here to
tie the last of the loose threads, soon he would be free from his obligations.
What obligations you might ask? You see, the Divine dessert he had eaten
with great gusto, the unforgettable Cream Pie, it came with a cost. In turn
for the culinary masterpiece, he had to please its chef; not one but all five of
the women.

He had worked through that list meticulously, pleasing their whimsical and
odd desires. But in the end, he did it. Only one was still remaining – the
Myconid Queen. Her request still rang fresh in his mind:

“Mine cave hath grown damp and humid, struggling to contain the tempest
within. Methinks it shall soon burst forth. Would thou, O’ King of Kings,
deign to scrape my inner walls and expand my fungal cavern?” – He
recalled.

“Seems simple enough.” He nodded to himself.

He took good notice of his surroundings. The mushrooms were practically

on top of one another. Having no choice, he had to step and squash them as
he walked, but only the small ones. There were big mushrooms too, but also
giant mushrooms. He had to weave around the giant fungal stalks, and
sometimes crawl under or squeeze in between.

“This is no forest. This is a whole jungle!” Indeed the cave was rather
overgrown. “I can see her wanting to expand it.”

Afraid of getting lost in the mushroom jungle he climbed atop a giant

Fungiwood. By no means the cave was small, as far as he could see there
were mushrooms already, and if so, the Myconid Queen had managed to
expand it without him.

“Huh… So why did she ask for my help?” He wondered.

That was when his eyes landed on a large mesh-like mycelium patch on the
distant cave wall. He had to strain his eyes, but he saw that the patch was
leaking water, no, it was plugging an underground river; just barely.
“Ah, so this was the ‘damp and humid’ part the queen mentioned.” And the
tempest would be the river itself. “No wonder she had to stop her
expansion.”

But redirecting subterranean rivers wasn’t exactly his forte either.

“Either way, it's best if I talk with her.” He spied further.

In the distance, there was a large patch of tamed mushrooms, to be exact it

was a mushroom farm, or culture if you wanted to be specific. That was the
end of his destination. Knowing the right direction he wasted no time
reaching the farm. Soon he emerged from the overgrown myconid jungle
into a culture of familiar crops.

“Chicken Of The Woods, Beefsteak Mushroom, Shrimp Russulas, Lobstery

Caps…“ He named them in passing.

There were so many, and all were delicious.

“Hi!”, “Hi-Hi,”, “H-Hi”, the myconid farmers greeted giving a cute wave.

“Hello.” He greeted each and every.

The little goomba-like fellows were creatures of few words so the King
didn't pester them further. There were no tall mushrooms here to block his
vision so the Queen’s Alcove was within his sight already.

As he approached the alcove he was greeted by a mesmerizing display of

bioluminescent fungi. it was casting an ethereal glow that illuminated the
surroundings. The alcove itself was also made out of a type of fungus and it
was porous in many places. The pores were spewing spores of various
colours and which almost magically pulled together to form clouds of their
colour; separate and unviling to mix with unmatching colour.

The Spider King took a cautious breath in. “It seems the spores have no
adverse effect.” The air just smelled moist and earthy.

He walked further into the alcove. A majestic throne carved out of old and
gnarled Fungiwood caught his eye. The fungal theme was there, but the
reason it caught his eye was the carved design of the throne. It was adorned
with intricate carvings depicting spiders. Moreover, the throne was right in
between two statues of magnificent spiders. They were almost like heroes
protecting the Myconid Throne. Garlands of coloured moss and vibrant
necklaces of multicoloured shrooms adorned the carved spiders. The Spider
King recognised the two spiders, after all, they were rather unique.

“Mushroom Spider and Stone Spider.”

No doubt, the spiders did something heroic to deserve such an honourable

spot by the throne.

“O’ King of Kings! Thou hast come.” She greeted in a noble and refined
tone.

Of course, the main figure here wasn’t the throne or the two statues, it was
the Myconid Queen herself. Her base was still rooted to the ground, but
from a quick glance, you wouldn’t be able to tell that at all. The form she
had taken during her evolution did it well to hide the fact. Her lower half
was covered by a white fungal mesh mimicking the plump and puffed skirt
of the dress perfectly. The pristine white fungal pattern went up all the way
to her chest where it ended rather abruptly leaving a scandalous cleavage.
Needless to say, the Queen was rather well-endowed, and the imitation
dress she wore gave the impression that her feminine charms might spill out
at any moment.

Her hands were gloved by white gloves right up to the elbows, but they
weren’t gloves at all; it was part of her body, a type of leathery fungal flesh.
Atop her head, just like a mushroom would, she had a giant hat, however, it
didn’t detract from her charm because it was elegant and very lady-like. Her
facial features were delicate and soft, her nose was cute and small, her chin
narrow, and her eyes were round with big eyelashes. She had that
undeniable aura of nobility but also of elegance. Moreover, she mimicked
human appearance so well that you wouldn’t realise that she was a
mushroom-woman at all.

“Myconid Queen,” The Spider King greeted with a bow of his own. “It has
been a while, but it seems you’ve grown even more beautiful.” He admitted
in full honesty.

“Verily, the Cream thy subject hath invented is of the utmost wonder. But
let us not be swayed by frivolous pleasantries. I do presume thou art present
to lend thy aid to my humble entreaty.”

“Yes, I am here for that.” He looked in the direction of a barely contained

river.

She beamed a warm smile. “Let us not be hasty, for patience oft leads to
better outcomes.” She clapped her hands. “How hast thou fared, tell me
all.”

With those words, a fungal stool sprung out of the ground and the little
myconids came running carrying trais laden with various fungal delicacies.
He felt the urge to entertain her with the most recent gossip in part because
she was bound to this cave and hence unable to experience finer things of
life, like needless drama.

“Well,” He began. “I guess I have a second wife. Sort of…”

“Oh! Oh?!” She exclaimed with barely contained intrigue.

“Who may be this blessed lady?”

“Day Sapphire, the Mer Princess.”

“Never met her…” She said regretfully.

He looked back again at the plumbing issue. “With some work, we might
make an underground channel so she could visit.”

“That would be most wonderful, indeed.”

They talked about this and that. The ready-to-burst river wasn’t the only
issue the Myconid Queen was having. Apparently, the Myconids were
involved in their own War. Not a big issue really, just some trouble with
the Centipedes. During the cave expansion, they had burst into one of the
infested tunnels leading to some challenges.
He looked back at the tray he was eating from. That was when he realised
that the steamed meat bites served next to the mushrooms were likely of the
centipede variety. It was delicious!

“The war is of no great matter, a minor thing really, we have methods to

handle troublesome insects.” She swirled her finger and the nearby pink
spore cloud floated right next to it like an overeager puppy. “However, a
modest enchantment in mine strength would be most welcome. Would you
kindly…” She paused looking embarrassed. “… kindly grand me thy seed.”
She dispersed the red cloud right in his face.

She put it rather funny but he knew what she meant. “Monster Core? No
problem.” He waved the purple cloud away.” “Give me your hand.”

“Huh? Will just a hand be enough? Aren’t those matters meant to be more
… involved?”

“I assure you, a hand will be enough.” He took hold of her appendage, it

was squishy but oddly pleasant to the touch. “[Seed Core]”

At a forceful injection of mana, the Myconid Queen made a funny face; the
expression was full of bewilderment but also … pleasure.

The spell took effect within seconds. “You don’t mind if I?” He asked
curious about one thing.

“For thee? – Anything. But what hast thou in mind?” She still asked.

Sensing that she wouldn’t mind. “[Inspect]”, he was interested to see her
status.

Monster Race:
Variant: Queen
Magic Affinity: 👑
Myconid Nature
🎆🍄🎆
HP:50 MP:1100 STA:50 ⛰️
Active
[Grow: Mushroom], [Spore Cloud]
Perks

[Synthesise: Forbidden Sause], [Synthesise:

Passive Alchemical Spores], [Spore Mastery], [Fungal
Perks Command], [Mycelium Roots], [DeepCave
Adaptation]

Resistances [Fire Weakness: Medium]

With that 50HP she was even more delicate than he had previously thought.
And with that MP pool, she was clearly a glass cannon, that is if you
considered her many spores as an attack magic. Those mostly did various
debuffs and negative status effects.

“Thank you, O’ King of Kings. I feel stronger already.” She bowed in

gratitude.

Seed Core didn’t drain much magic, actually, it just shrunk his own
Monster Core temporarily. Yet for some reason, he felt incredibly weak
and woozy.

“My liege? Art thou unwell? Thou art pale all of a sudden.”

[You’ve been afflicted with Drained], the system message told him that
something was really off.

“Perhaps, it’s the mushrooms I’ve just eaten.” He reasoned.

“My liege?”

“…”
He felt something seriously wrong within his body as if a force was trying
to rip him from inside out.

“What is this mana surrounding thee? It is so bright!” She voiced in alarm.

Maybe it was blindingly blind, but by this point, he’d lost the proper vision,
the only thing he could see was the System prompts:

[Congratulations!!!], the message screamed inside his head. [Welcome to

the System!]

[Error!], it buzzed in red.

[You are being Summoned]

[Error!]

[You’ve gained a unique perk: Universal Translation]

[Error!]

[You’ve unlocked a new class: Hero]

[Error!]

[You’ve gained a new blessing: Blessed by the Holy Light]

[Error!]

[You’ve …]

[Error!], [Error!], [Error!], it blared insufferably.

[The user is part of the Monster System]

[Chaos Blessed activated], [Attempting a workaround]

[…]

[You are being Summoned]

[You’ve gained a new blessing: Blessed by the Holy Light]

[You’re magic affinity changes to Light], [Chaos Blessed activated]

[Your magic affinity changes to Chaos]

[You’ve earned an Achievement: Isekai’d for a second time!]

With that last message, the world shrunk back on itself and the Spider King
found himself in an unknown location.

“Huh?” He looked at the many-many unfamiliar faces all staring intently at

him.

But perhaps, worse of all was the fact that he was ‘teleported’ here
completely naked!

‘Curse you, Chaos Blessed!!!’ He screamed internally at the awfully mean

joke. This was some sort of a prank, right? Right?
 148 – [Unbendable],
[Indestructible], [Unyielding] …
[Plot Armour]!!!

The Holy Emperor looked at the peculiar man they just have summoned.
Was this it, was this their Hero? Was this the Exterminator he’d prayed
for? Well, the summoned was an odd one for sure, and the nakedness was
not an issue here; they had prepared for that. The nearby priestess was on
the move to hand the hero his Holy Robes, yet with a “Wait,” the Emperor
stretched an arm to stop her.

There was something wrong with the man right in front of him. For one he
had a rather demonic-looking left arm, It was coiled with purple veins
giving the impression of some sort of corruption reaching right to his heart.
Moreover, right on top of his head, he had a set of horns.

“He’s not human.” The Holy Emperor said the most obvious of all.

Indeed, the gathered also soon realised that fact. Many were left speechless
from disbelief.

“Demon…”, “Demon Lord…”, cautious whispers escaped their mouths.

Right on time, “Monster King,” one of the Scribes dispelled the wrong
assumption.

“What?! No way!” The Emperor exclaimed despite already knowing who

the summoned was. “He’s the Spider King…” The Emperor uttered the
better-known monicker.
With those words, the slightly confused ‘Hero’ must have also realised in
what sort of predicament he was. Just like his moniker implied the Spider
King dropped his human disguise and promptly shifted to his true form; It
was spidery and monstrous. Luckily, it was exactly what the Emperor
needed to spur still-stunned observers into action. The deliberations of
‘Why?’ or ‘How?’ did this even happen were left for another time.

“Apprehend him!” The Emperor wasted no time in issuing the command.

The nearby mages were mostly Sundered hence unfortunately useless. And
since no one expected this, the Cathedral lacked the usual plethora of
Imperial Guards. But what they had was the nearby party assembled for the
future hero: Rogue, Priest, Ranger, Wizard, and Warrior; the five were
the best the Holy Empire could offer. If you thought about it, It was very
ironic - the Hero’s Party was here to slay the one they were meant to serve.
As seasoned veterans would, they were already on the move to promptly
deal with the issue.

Understandably, the Emperor wasn’t a fighter, so he took a step back. At

first one step but then another and then another; he was urging himself to
safety. He didn’t think much about this simple action, but perhaps he should
have. Panic soon spread through the cathedral, after all, it was rather full of
non-fighters or those rendered incapable of such. Much like the Emperor,
they all were very keen to get somewhere safe. And soon, it was Chaos,
people clocked the exit trying to squeeze and push past one another. Worse,
they prevented the necessary Imperial Guards from coming inside! The
guards struggled to come in, and the people to come out, both couldn’t be
done at once; it was very stupid!

Anxious he looked back to see how the Hero’s Party was fearing.

“[Shield Wall]”, the warrior slammed his shield down to protect his allies.

“[Piercing Shot]”, the rogue loosened an arrow.

“[Fireball]”, the wizard fired from his staff.

“[Ligh Barrier]”, the priest sealed her party preventing offensive Dark
magic.

It was a wise strategy, they ganged up on the Spider King while keeping
their distance, yet it was all but a clever ruse. The rogue was currently
invisible and sneaking behind to deal a decisive blow.

The Spider King, being the monster he was, snatched the arrow right from
the air and deflected the ball of offensive magic to the side with his other
hand.

“[SpinWeb]”, he launched a net of purple web towards the warrior.

“No!” The priest exclaimed. “Dodge it!” She yelped a warning.

In retrospect, they should have expected a literal Spider King to be able to

shoot webs! Light Barrier was useless against that, and the heavy warrior
wasn’t able to dodge it on time.

“Gah!” The warrior struggled against the binding web. “Drain!” He voiced
his negative status effect.

It didn’t work as expected, yet still, the rogue made his way undetected.

“[Assassin Strike], [Piercing Trust]!” He combined the two for something

truly deadly.

*Clash*, *Clang*, *Chaching*.

“Huh!?” The rogue exclaimed in bewilderment, both of his masterwork

daggers just went and snapped in half.

“That was sneaky!” The Spider King yelled accusingly at the rogue. “If not
for my Obsidian Armour I would be in trouble. [Disintegrate]!” The
spidery arm aimed for the rogue.

Indeed, the sneaky rogue was unprotected by any barriers and that Dark
attack would land just right, if not for “[Phantom Step].” He dodged the
blast with expert grace.
“Oh?!” The Spider King sounded surprised. “Never seen that, is that an
upgrade to Dodge?”

Unbeknownst to the Spider King, the rogue had bought enough time to burn
the draining web off the warrior. The burly man in question was no longer
cowering behind a shield but launching himself towards their enemy.

“You yap your tongue too much spider!” The priestly woman glared at him.
“[Bless],” a bolt of light shot from her hands.

The warrior had cleared the distance with his Relentless Charge in no time
and was already mid-swing with his weapon. The Bless was aimed towards
his weapon, enchanting it with the power of the Light, and presumably
weakness of the Spider King.

“[Overpower]!” The warrior supercharged his attack but also, “[Celestial

Cleaver]!” He unleashed a skill only possible due to the timely support of
the party’s priest.

“For Oberon…” The Spider King winced at the unavoidable attack.

Yet, before it could land a malevolent grin spread across his face. “[Shadow
Step],” He turned to a cloud of shadows for a split second and then
emerged metres away from the warrior. “Ha-ha-ha.” He laughed mockingly.
“I have my own version of the Dodge too.” He looked to gloat at the rogue.
“Huh? Gone again? That is sure annoying.”

The rogue reappeared at the rear of the party.

“Wizard, give me some of those potions.”

“Are you sure?” He asked but by that point, the rogue was already quaffing
down one potion after the other.

“Argh!” The rogue groaned. “The Toxicity hits like a hammer, but…” He
disappeared again.

And while that was happening, the ranger and the warrior were keeping the
spider king busy with their attacks.
“You got too close,” the Spider King smiled at the warrior, “[Erosive
Touch],” a spidery hand reached.

“[Auto Shield]!” The warrior invoked just in time. He was saved but his
shield crumpled to dust. “This is overpowered!” He spat a complaint.

The Spider King swatted yet another Piercing Arrow out of the air. “Tell
that to your crappy System. The very thing which summoned me here!” He
didn’t sound too happy about that either.

The wizard was finished handing in the potions but it was the priest who
gave the signal with a shout, “Now!”

The warrior and the ranger drank their potions. Their veins turned dark and
bulged out together with the swelling muscle. The following happened all at
once:

“[Multicast], [Bless].” The priestly woman showered everyone in brilliant

light. “[Calestial Barrier]” And as a bonus she gave her party a temporary
Light barrier.

The ranger pulled on her bow with increased strength, her eyes burned
fierily. “ [Power Draw], [Eagle Eye], [Overhelm], [Barrage] …” She
paused to take a deep breath, her hand was trembling from all the
condensed power already. “[All-Sundering Voley]!!!” She released her
ultimate move.

The warrior charged wielding his twice-blessed longsword, the already

burly man was seemingly twice his previous bulk. “[Warrior Spirit],
[Limit Breaker], [True Strike], [Overpower] …” He paused to gather his
inner strength and unleashed his special strike. “[Blade Of Justice]!!!”

The mage gripped his staff tighter, magic was condensing and crackling
around him already. “[Arcane Conduit], [Phonix Essence],
[Supercharge]…” He gathered Fire but also Light essence around him to
fire his unique spell “[Ignition Nova]!!!”
Surprisingly so, the rogue manifested metres above the Spider King's head.
“ [Hiden Strike], [Assassinate], [Oddbreaker] …” He paused readying
his spare but no less deadly dagger. “[Endgame]!!!” He ended it with his
original finisher.

All four attacks came all at once, and all were enchanted with Light
element. Of course, the Spider King could try to dodge, or to shield, or to
deflect, but he could only do one at a time… In other words, he could
negate one, perhaps two of the ultimate-special-unigue-finisher moves but
not all four!

The Holy Emperor was observing the fight with bated breath. It was
incredulous how long the Spider King had lasted already. You see, the
summoned would always come in the Weakened state with bottomed pools
of 0MP and 0STA. The Spider King was no exception to that rule yet
still… “Negative Mana.” The Emperor was impressed by the ability of
their adversary. “-200MP and he’s still going.” That was the amount to kill
your standard Mage twice already. “Monsters come… with monstrous
abilities…” He reflected on this truth.

Anyway, by the looks of it, the menace will be dealt with here and now.
“Perhaps I lucked out on this.” He considered it. “Maybe it’s exactly like
the Holy Light intended?” After all, they did summon the Spider King in
the Weakened state. “He is at his most vulnerable. And we have all the
power.” He looked at the final moment. “Here it comes. The end of
Dark…”

The Spider King wasn’t just standing there, of course, he would struggle, or
try to.

“[Implode Core]!!!” He roared in desperation.

Strange and unknown magic swirled around his spidery body as if to shield
it, but just like the name implied…

*Explosion*, an overwhelming force detonated from inside within. It was

bright and thick in purple, it blew out everything in the nearby vicinity. Men
and women, their weapons and arrows, their spells and attacks, and even air
itself were expelled away from the spidery monstrosity.

Luckily the detonation had a forgiving radius, thus the cathedral was spared
from collapsing. However, the nearby enchantments, be it on weapons, or
protective Holy Robes, or HolyLight Candles, and so and such, they
simply ceased to be. And the normal garb and clothes of mundane nature,
those just crumbled to dust. The skin of the unlucky nearest, and the
weakest of the lot, was torn off by the wild magic exposing flesh to ruthless
Magical Burn. Some were killed right that instant, others rendered
unconscious or otherwise incapacitated. But those with power and high
levels, they were mostly just knocked off with a dent to their HP. All of the
Hero’s Party survived but everyone else nearby had no choice but to
weather the merciless wrath of that strange magic; even the Holy Emperor
itself.

The only one who remained on his two, well, six feet was only the Spider
King. “Chaos Blessed?” He furrowed his brows looking nonplussed. “Why
did it activate again?”

The Holy Emperor didn’t know what exactly the spider was on about but
from the slew of sudden System messages he deduced that must byte a type
of some sort of evil and dark curse.

[Warning! You’ve been afflicted with Corruption]

[Warning! All skills temporarily disabled]

[Warning! You’ve been afflicted with Chaos Blessed]

“Ahh!” The emperor clutched his golden sceptre tightly. “It Hurts! It
HURTS so much!” He didn’t feel blessed at all, rather the opposite.

[Warning!] Chaos energy swirls inside you]

[Warning! The System is under attack!!!]

[Error!],
[Error!], [Error!], [Error!], […], it kept blaring inside his head.

All he could do was fight the pain and pray. Pray for the Holy Light to save
him.

Hope was not lost, the Hero’s Party were back on their feet and there was
another rather lucky outcome. The detonation cleared the entrance from the
desperate and frightened opening way for the Imperial Guards. One platoon
at first but there were many more stationed just around the cathedral.

“Yes…” The Emperor grinned through pain feeling illuminated. “We’re not
trapped with him, he’s trapped with us!!!” He had an entire Imperial Capital
to throw at this single spidery menace. “Kill him!” He ordered the already
rushing guards.

The Spider King glared at the Emperor. “So it is as I thought!” He sounded

disappointed. “I thought I heard apprehend at the beginning. So I thought
I’ll tire this lot out and we can talk it out, but I guess that…” He glared at
the Rogue. “… that Endgame finisher was there to kill me!”

While Spider King was ranting like some sort of supervillain, the Holy
Emperor checked the spider’s status.

The Emperor ignored all the system errors to voice his findings.
“-1000MP,” he spoke with a pained but still satisfied smile. “If Negative
Mana won’t kill you, the Imperial Guards will!”

“Meh.” The Spider King scoffed at those words. “You think a number low
like that matters to me? You think I showed my true Power? You don’t even
know what I’m capable of! I wanted to talk at first, but now… I guess it’s
time to show you my…”

The already Corrupted air of the cathedral grew a few levels heavier, and
in response to that, the last remaining flicker on the now disenchanted Holy
Candle flickered out. The otherwise bright and beautiful glass-stained
windows were shrouded by an oppressive cloud of pure blackness. The
insides of the cathedral were plunged into an abyss of darkness. All no
doubt just a part of yet another curse. The Imperial Guards were already
rushing through the entrance but there was still ground for them to cover,
meaning they wouldn’t make it in time.

The Spider King continued, “… my [Unbendable], [Indestructible],

[Unyielding], [Spidery Magnificent]…! He paused to ready his super-
mega-ultimate spidery attack.

Even in this overwhelming darkness, while the Spider King was busy
chanting, a flicker of light was burning ever-bright. It was the members of
the Hero’s Party, but more precisely their Priest. The party, already back on
their feet, positioned themselves between the Spider King and Holy
Emperor as if to protect him.

“Holy Emperor, you must escape!” The priestly woman urged. “Somehow
I’ve resisted the Corruption and I still have my Divine spell!” She tried to
smile but it came out forced. “It’s one of a kind! it will be enough to kill
him but…” She paused to gather the last of her remaining strength, yes, she
hadn’t used her ultimate finisher!

Intent on interrupting the Spider King’s combo she had to do without the
supplementary magic of her own, hence so she cut her chant short,
“[Judgement Day]!!!” She fired her Divine spell before the spider,
however, such power came at a cost; a cost she was ready to pay. “Urgh!”

Meanwhile, the Spider King raised his spidery arms with a flourish.
“Observe my power, witness my Darkness!” Purple lighting crackled in
between the clawed spidery fingers. “[Summ…] Gah!” A pillar of blinding
light descended on him.

The Divine spell the priest had cast so urgently was an upgrade to the Holy
Smite. While it dealt no damage to normal enemies, it did 100x to anyone
with Dark magical affinity. Needless to say, it would be enough to
evaporate the spidery menace here and there.

This was the end! The Light triumphed over the Dark! The Holy Empire
was… Saved?
149 – From Dust To Dust, From Pie
To Crust 🥧

“[Judgement Day]!!!”

“[Summ…] Gah!”

The entire world turned white, more than that, it felt like swimming in the
light itself: it was fluffy and soft like feathers on a baby chick; it was also
warm and fuzzy like a hot bath after a long day; It even smelled like
vanilla! The white strands of condensed light caressed the somewhat pale
skin of the Spider King. They licked and prodded, fondled and brushed,
sometimes it was a bit prickly but most of the time just very ticklish.

A message popped into the Spider King's vision.

[You’re magic affinity is Chaos; Judgement Day was negated]

The text faded and the normal colours of the world returned to the Spider
King. Regretfully, with the loss of the warm and fuzzy light, the comforting
sensation also disappeared. He felt somewhat … disappointed. And just like
that he was back in the midst of battle. His opponents were the persistent
five: Wizard, Rogue, Ranger, Warrior, and Priest.

With his vision back, he quickly scanned the rest of the room, everyone
looked slightly shocked; he wondered why that was.

“Huh?” He realised something.

The persistent five were down to four, and no, it wasn’t the rogue who
disappeared this time; it was the priest! Well, there was something in her
place – a pair of sandals filled with white dust, or perhaps it was salt.
“Did her spell backfire?” He wondered out loud.

Unintentionally, due to clacking mandibles and the spidery voice, the

question came out sounding rather mocking. Scornful looks were now
directed at him, but also there were… fear? – No, Terror!

The persistent four were pushing the Holy Emperor away to safety, yet for
some reason, he insisted on remaining. The eyes of the Emperor were
briefly locked on the pile of fresh salt and then they gazed at the Spider
King.

“You Monster!” He accused.

He had nothing to do with the priestly woman's death, that was all on her,
but more importantly, “Not monster,” he tapped his spidery crown, “but the
Monster King!”

The Emperor slammed his golden sceptre down cracking the floor in the
process. Perhaps if he wasn’t affected by Corruption the action would be
accompanied by a formidable spell or a skill, but alas, “Just die already!”
Simple words had to make do.

Indeed, there was no time to get complacent, the entire platoon of Imperial
Guards was making its way towards the Spider King. This was no
predicament he wanted to be in, especially not when he also was affected by
negative status effects: Negative Mana and Shattered Core.

“We’re done playing games, I guess… ” The Spider King gazed at the
running guards.

Fortunately, he still had time to finish his unique ultimate-mega-special-

move! After all, he couldn't help but be impressed by the colourful combos
of the persistent five, and he didn’t want to be outdone by them.

Seeing that there was some time just before the guards got to him the Spider
King began with: “I condemn you all to my: [Unbendable],
[Indestructible], [Unyielding] … ” He flourished it with nonsense, none of
the spoken perks were real, and he had no mana for that anyway.
“Darkness! [Summon Darkness]!!!” He finished with the only spell he
could use at the moment.

The Spider King’s deliberate showmanship was not as cringe-worthy as you

might think, because at the final words the Imperial Guards staggered
breaking their Charge. They were… Afraid!

“Ha-ha-ha!!!” He cackled clicking his mandibles menacingly.

The Spider King’s shadow bubbled and rippled as if alive, and soon blob of
condensed darkness took shape. It didn’t end with just a blob, instead, it
transformed into a rather voluptuous obsidian-skinned woman all clad in
taunt black leathers.

“Master?! It spoke in a strange voice. “Meow!!!” It meowled at the platoon

of the guards.

“Darkness, do your thing!”

“I understand! [Summon Minions]!”

The Spider King might not had any MP left but that wasn’t the same for his
familiar. With those words, the shadows bubbled and swirled birthing
various creatures of Darkness. One after the other they popped right behind
the Imperial Guards, straight out of their shadows.

“More monsters!”, “I expected spiders but… wolves?”, “They seem weak,

let's kill them.”, the guards reacted quickly.

“That’s just a distraction! Get the Spider King!” Someone more competent
issued a stern command.

“Fools, meow! Don’t look down on my Minions. Go Get them!” The

embodiment of Darkness issued a command of her own.

“What is this!” A guard swung his sword at the Shadow Wolf, yet it did no
damage. “Gah!” A draining tendril wrapped all around him.

“Sir, steel isn’t working!” Someone said the obvious.

“And the Mages are all Sundered.” Someone added.

The Guard Commander frowned rather deeply. “They are monsters of the
Dark, and are you a Paladin or not?” He frowned at the incompetence of
his men. “Just Smite them!”

“[Smite]”, “[Bless]”, “[Sword of Light]”, and other various Light skills

were used on the shadow creatures. It was super effective!

But just like the Guard Commander assumed this was a distraction. While
all of this was happening the Spider King used yet another trick from his
proverbial sleeve.

Protected by Darkness he had some time for, “[Magical Inventory],” he

reached in to retrieve the items.

“What is that?!” The ranger exclaimed at the unknown spell.

“Wait…” The rogue began sounding bewildered. “Is he eating cheese?”

Indeed, numerous wheels of Centauri Cheese were retrieved and promptly

devoured by a very-very hungry spider’s mouth.

“Why is he eating during the battle?” The warrior questioned.

“Maybe it has some special properties like a potion?” The wizard guessed.

Bingo! The wizard was right, the Spider King here was recovering his HP,
MP, and STA without any drawbacks of Toxicity. Better, some of the food
granted temporary perks and boons. Wanting to stack up on all of the buffs
he promptly switched to a wide range of dishes consisting of: Centauri
Cheese, Drider Eggs, Draw Milk, E-Honey, Forbidden Sauce, and many
other exotic ingredients.

“Stop him!” The Emperor demanded.

“That’s easy for you to say!” The rogue shot back.

And he was right, their enchantments were broken and the use of skills
locked by the curse. The only saving grace was the fact that there were no
Shadow Creatures near them, likely due to lingering Light-infused mana;
an aftereffect of priest’s sacrifice.

“Tch!” The Holy Emperor clicked his tongue in frustration.

“I can try…” The ranger aimed.

Her bow was just a bow, her arrow just an arrow, yet she still was a
Ranger. The mundane arrow flew straight and true and then it knocked a
peculiarly blue pie out of the Spider King’s spidery hand. The food fell and
splattered with all its wetness on the marble floor.

The Spider King turned to look at the offenders. “How dare you! This was
the last piece of the most Divine food ever, the Cream Pie!” He yelled out
enraged. “Do you know how much it cost me? The things I had to do?!” He
took a step forward.

The party of four plus the emperor took a step back.

One of the Imperial Guards had made it successfully past the Minions. “For
the Holy Empire!” He launched himself at the spider.

“Shut up!” The Spider King swung his arm enraged.

The power behind that punch was something out of this world because with
a sickening *Pop* the head went right off.

“…”, “…”, “…”, “…”, the four were speechless.

“This is not right! That kind of power is unnatural!” The Emperor wasn’t
having this, he pointed his sceptre with authority. “I should have done this
from the very beginning!”

“Do… do what?” The ranger questioned.

“Isn’t your Imperial Authority sealed just like all of our skills?” The rogue
asked with a tinge of fear in his voice.
The Emperor scowled at the rogue, he wasn’t supposed to mention that
mind-controlling skill, it was an imperial secret! And yes, his skills were
sealed, so he wouldn’t be able to command everyone to charge the Spider
King in a suicide-sure-way. Anyway, it wasn’t a skill he was going to use,
not exactly.

“It just happens so,” he shook his sceptre, “that the divine grade items tend
to be immune to all sorts of destructive magic. My sceptre is still enchanted
with the divinity of the Holy Light itself.” His face was full of resolve.
“Spider King, you might have snuffled the light, but only temporarily.
Brace yourself!” He thrust the sceptre towards the approaching spider. “I
free thee from thy chains, come hither to me, bathed in the sacred glow,
[Holy Light]!!!”

The golden sceptre exploded into a shower of shrapnel, taking a chunk of

the hand holding it.

“Urgh!” The emperor winced in pain.

But the chant was completed, and the divine essence of the Holy Light was
set free. It came forth in the form of an all-cutting beam; a massive one. In
that fraction of a second, a radiant flash illuminated the entirety of the
cathedral, returning it to its previous brilliant glory. At the presence of the
overwhelming light, the shadow creatures ceased to be all at once. But that
was just an after-effect of the aimed beam.

The beam struck the Spider-King, moreover, it reached way past beyond his
spidery form evaporating a hole in the distant wall. A huge scar in the
marble floor was scored all the way through, it burned bright with molten
stone lava. Yet still, amongst the devastation, the spidery figure remained
standing; slightly singed but somehow alive.

“Impossible!” The Emperor could not believe it. “How are you still alive?”

The answer was simple:

[You took critical damage], [-1,000,000HP]

[Perk Undying was activated], [Warning! You have 1HP]

“This was dangerous!” The Spider King summarised.

Due to all the buffs his health was ticking back up to a healthy number, but
he wouldn’t want to repeat the experience. It was nothing like the
Judgement Day, this was mighty unpleasant!

“Yeah…” The rogue sighted. “I’m out!” And just like that he was running.

“I can’t even cast spells anymore. What use am I? Bye!” So was the wizard.

The ranger gave the warrior an unsure look.

“I’ll protect you, my Holiness!” The warrior stood firm, no, even firmer.

“I guess I’ll stay.” The ranger nocked another arrow.

The unenchanted arrow hit the mark right on the chest, but… it simply
clanged off the spidery obsidian armour.

“I tried…” She sighed.

The Emperor dropped to his knees, his hands were clutching his head, he
had that maddened look in his eyes, and his mouth was mumbling
something incomprehensible.

“What the two of you are doing? Get him to safety!” The Guard
Commander yelled out.

The Imperial Guards finished surrounding the Spider King.

The Spider King stood firm in his singed spot. “You even killed my
Darkness…” He resigned raising his hands. “That’s it, I surrender!”

None of the guards approached to do the deed. They were simply cautious,
and not still afraid, no not at all!

“Ha-ha-ha!” The Spider King cackled. “Just joking. [Summon Darkness].”

And just like that the dreadful thing was back at his side.

“Sorry, Master, meow! That light killed all the minions!” The Darkness
apologised.

“Yeah, they had a hidden ace, or two. But I guess they’re all out of tricks.”
He grinned like a true villain. “But not me. [Multicast], [Magical
Inventory]!” Portals opened all around the Spider King.

“Fire!” A plethora of fiery and angry puppets popped out of the portals.

“Earth!” Heavy and earthen puppets jumped down right after.

“Water!” Flowing and sleek puppets landed one after the other.

“Air!” Dexterous and quick puppets desended.

“And let’s not forget. The man, the myth, the legend… one and only
Aang!”

A puppet-like no other walked out of the final portal.

“Get them!” The Spider King commanded.

There were just as many puppets as there were guards. But those were only
puppets, many times smaller than a guard and somewhat cute in their
designs. A distant observer might laugh at the sight where a mighty Paladin
was pitted against a mere puppet, however, no one was laughing. The
Imperial Guards eyed the summoned monsters with suspicion.

“Sir?” Someone asked unsure how to approach the situation.

The Guard Commander raised his sword. “Just kill them!” After all, what
else could be done?

“[Smite]!” Someone tried but that wasn’t that effective.

“[Arach Dominus]!” The puppet set fire to not one, not two, but all five of
the nearby guards.
“[Arach Dominus]”, “[Arach Dominus]”, “[Arach Dominus]”, the
puppets exploded dealing their elemental damage.

The space around the Spider King burned with fire, and at the spot where
there was no fire, it exploded in eroding elemental water, or cracked into
unnatural fissures shaking the ground beneath the guards, or blasted them
off with powerful gusts of magical wind. And once again, it was Chaos.

“Let’s get out of here.” The Spider King urged his familiar.

“Meow!”

“[Shadow Walk]”

“[Shadow Walk]”

The two disappeared without much opposition. But they didn’t go far, only
past the encirclement.

There, still in the HolyLight Cathedral, but also the shadow realm: the place
accessible through the Shadow Walk; the realm filled with darkness. In
both places at once, the Spider King spied on the nearby souls. He was
looking. Looking for the culprit of this farce.

The realm was shadowy and dark, not much of colour was in there, with
one exception of course. Souls of various colours burned bright in their
bodies. With not much surprise, most souls here were burning bright in
white, some brighter than the others. Mind you, it didn’t have much with
the person being good or evil, but more with their magical affinity. After all,
the spiders were just the kindest bestest creatures and their souls burned
black! Anyway, he found what he was looking for. A soul burning brighter
and bigger than the others.

The Spider King broke the spell. “Found you!” He manifested right in front
of the Emperor.

Strangely, that holy aura the man held was nowhere to be found at this
moment. He was being dragged away by two guards, and rather forcefully
at that.

“Spiders… The Holy Light… Corrupted… Error, Error, Error!” He was

mumbling some nonsense.

The guards yelped at the sudden presence of the Spider King brandishing
their swords towards him.

“Help!” One of them shouted in alarm.

“Sorry for this.” The Spider King pushed his spidery claw forward.
“[Disintegrate].” He winced dipping at the negative mana again, but this
was necessary, or he had told so to himself.

A rather simple scene unfolded. The two guards together with their armour,
and then the Emperor himself were turned to course dust. Just like that,
without much fanfare, it was simply death – it came at the most inopportune
moments and claimed people at their weakest.

What? Did you think he would let the Holy Emperor go? No way! He was a
nuisance! And would have remained so! Sure there were better ways to go
around this, but the Spider King was still at disadvantage. Just like the
HolyLight Cathedral, the outside of it was positively stuffed with guards
and other capable fighters. He could take a platoon or two, but not an entire
army, not without a proper plan.

So without much further ado, “[Shadow Walk],” he disappeared before the

nearby swords could get him.

It seems that the Holy Empire had summoned something truly out of this
world; more than they bargained for. Perhaps it was hubris, or ineptitude of
their mages, either way, the Holy Capital paid dearly for it. Much of their
most powerful mages were rendered Sundered, a lot of the nobility were
killed in a strange blast, and the survivors were left debilitated with a
strange curse of Corrupted. Worse of all the Holy Emperor was dead! It
was a very dark day for the Empire.
The monster they summoned, the Monster King, or rather the Spider King,
simply disappeared nowhere to be found. Many people feared for him to
reappear, so the paranoia was through the roof. Some were fleeing the
capital altogether, others holed up in their homes and mansions. The
Imperial Guards were doing their best to keep things together but honestly
it was hardly working. Without proper leadership the Holy Capital fell to
the curse of Chaos. Some even began questioning the Holy Light itself! A
blasphemy which wouldn’t be allowed to go on in better times, but now…
Anything seemed to go.

The true survivor of the battle, a man from the Hero’s Party, the Warrior,
he was walking in a somewhat dilapidated Cathedral. The recent battle
stripped off much of its previous beauty: the stained glass windows were
smashed into fragments, the marble floor was cracked or outright melted,
many of the plentiful pillars were missing, there was a massive hole boring
all the way through the distant wall, and much of the otherwise beautiful art
didn’t survive.

Yet, it was still a Holy Cathedral, a place for those who still believed to
gather and pray. Sadly, due to dead priests, missing authorities, and
persistent chaos, it remained somewhat vacant. He spied only a few people
praying, but surely give it a week or two, and more people would come to
their senses.

Admittedly, he wasn’t here to pray so he wasn’t the one to talk. He was here
to better understand what went wrong in his battle. Yes, he was here to
improve as a Warrior, he was here to glean some wisdom from the signs
left behind. And there was a lot to be learned. He walked around tracing his
steps and thinking how and why he had failed.

He was at it for a while and for no other reason than his rumbling stomach,
something unsightly caught his eye. It was the splattered mystery food the
Monster King left behind, the one the Ranger knocked with her arrow.

“Ha!” He chuckled. “He didn’t like that. The monster went berserk!” He
remembered with a smile.

Indeed, he was a positive person taking little victories whenever he could.

“But thinking about it… I didn’t even land a single hit.” He shook his head.
“How could I do better next time?” He questioned himself trying to reflect.

However, for some strange reason, his eyes often wandered back to the
squished and messy pie.

“I wonder…” He paused. “No, I really shouldn’t.” He said so but his arm

reached for it.

The battle happened yesterday but the pie seemed fresh like baked a minute
ago, albeit a tad bit crushed. He looked around to see if no one was looking,
then he jabbed his finger through the crust scooping some of that gooey
mess. And into his mouth it went!

“Delicious!” Tears welled into the corners of his eyes. “I never had
anything this tasty before!”

He was eating splattered pie from the floor, in other words – trash; but not a
single cell in his body regretted that decision.

“Huh?” There was more to it.

[Error!], no, not this one, he was still Corrupted and the System was
doing that occasionally.

[Congratulations! The System was overwritten]

[Welcome to the Monster System!]

From the sudden surprise he fell back on his ass.

“M… M… Monster System?” He stuttered slightly afraid but mostly he

was intrigued. “Oh!”
 149.5 – Darkness To Dispell The
Night, Terror To Give You Hope.

A great calamity had struck the Holy Empire. As a consequence of some

rather strange events, it all happened even sooner than anticipated. Who
would have expected that the one they sought out to save them, the Hero,
that he would be the one to strike this decisive blow?

An overwhelming cloud of gloom and misery hung thick above the Holy
Capital. Worse, their guiding light, the Holy Emperor himself, was dead!
The Clergy needed the replacement and soon, yet none of the appointed
heirs stepped forward; everyone had a syndrome of cold feet. Perhaps they
were afraid of being assassinated just like the Emperor was, or perhaps they
didn’t want to be blamed for what would eventually happen – the fall of the
Empire. In other words, the Chaos remained deeply entrenched within the
capital of the Holy Empire. It was hard to find hope… and the Giant
'Enemy' Spider was getting closer by the day. Yes, the Holy Empire still
needed to deal with that threat, and without a Hero all seemed lost. Despair
took the hearts of the people.

That was the obvious, however, a certain less visible phenomenon was
taking place in the HolyLight Cathedral. It set roots right at the end of the
summoning ritual. At that time, a lot of magic was condensed at a single
spot, then a portal was created, and then a soul pulled through. Such things
were fickle and less predictable than you might think. An obscene amount
of magic destabilised the space, no, the very fabric of reality. The
immediate result was the summoning of the Hero, which was completed
without a hitch, however, there was an unforeseen result as well.

The fabric of reality was already thin at that point and then the use of
Chaos and Divine magic had disrupted it even further. To cut this
longwinded explanation short – the wild mixture of mana and magic birthed
a peculiar entity, or rather an embodiment of concepts, a new deity, a
godling, or whatever you want to call it. But anyway, as all concepts should,
it already had a name, it was the Dark Flame (A concept born from the
Dark magic spell by the same name, Dark Flame). And to be more precise,
it wasn’t exactly born here and now, it only gained its proper divinity at this
very moment. Well to be even more precise, it was attempting to usurp an
already present spot. So whose spot did it attempt to take? – It was rather
obvious!

There was a concept of the Holy Light, but also a concept of the Dark
Flame. The two didn’t want, or rather, couldn’t exist in the same place and
at the same time; not for long that is. While the battle raged things were in
precarious imbalance, the surviving godling would be decided by the
outcome of the battle. It was only natural that the Dark Flame would be
snuffled out and stripped of its budding divinity if the Spider King lost, it
would only make sense, and the opposite was also true. Since we know
about the outcome let's skip forward to a few days after the battle.

Ignorant and unaware, the pious gathered inside the HolyLight Cathedral.
They were here to consecrate the ashes of their Holy Emperor and also to
say goodbye to all the recently perished, after all, the cursed Implode Core
took a great number of innocent lives. Oblivious to the new ‘owner’ of the
cathedral they brought no less than a thousand of HolyLight Candles. One
by one they lit the candles and joined in a mass prayer. It was a silent prayer
where you kneeled and put your hands together. They weren’t speaking it
out loud, but all of the gathered were wishing for salvation, both for the
recently perished and for still living; but mostly for the still-living.

‘Save us from the calamity.’

‘I don’t want to die.’

‘Protect me and my children.’

‘Give us light.’
They were praying to the Holy Light, but that deity had been superseded by
another, by the Dark Flame. Yet, much like a deity should, it still listened
to their prayers. The godling liked to be prayed to, and like all deities it
wanted to have followers, so it was happy in a sense. However, it had to let
the pious know of the recent changes. After all, it's name wasn’t the Holy
Light it was the Dark Flame now!

At the whim of the godling, the light dimmed inside the cathedral, it got
unnaturally dark and very quickly. The pious, while fervent in their prayer,
didn’t notice the change straight away. Not until all light coming from the
HolyLight Candles were flickered off and all at once. The gathered froze
at the sudden change, the entirety of the nearby surroundings were plunged
into supernatural darkness. It was still midday, and the cathedral windows
were huge and open, but not a single sunray reached the pious. It was as if
they were cast into the deepest and darkest abyss. You would expect
screams and shouts born from fright, but instead, there was only deadly
silence.

That was because each and every person felt it. They felt something more
than them, they felt the air tinged with the aura of divinity. They’ve
experienced something a few mortals ever did.

“Be not afraid.” A spidery voice chirped inside their heads. “…” It paused
giving the mortals time to accustom, then it continued. “You pray for light?
I will provide.” It chirped with authority.

With those words, the HolyLight Candles began to change. The pristine
whine wax turned to vivid blue, the perfectly straight shaft twisted and bent
into a crooked shape, and sometimes one candle morphed into two smaller
candles but gnarled and misshapen. The change was quick and a real marvel
of magical transmutation, but because of the oppressive darkness the pious
weren’t able to observe it.

“Let there be light!” The entity chirped.

All thousand of the candles burst with the purple flame. True to its word,
the godling gave them light, but more accurately it gave them Darkvision.
The candles burned cold and emitted almost no actual light at all, however,
everyone could see without a problem.

“You pray for protection? I will provide.” It chirped again. “You pray for
salvation? I will provide.” It said with confidence. “My pious non-spiders,
what is it you fear so much?” It asked sensing their terror.

Needless to say, they were afraid of the one speaking with them at this very
moment; the divine aura was thick and heavy. However, not a single one of
them felt any hostility coming from it. The deity's words rang genuine and
true.

A brave soul looked up directly at the peculiar flame hovering in the middle
of the cathedral, it was there at the same spot where the summoning portal
had appeared a few days ago. Of course, there was a fear that the brave one
was looking and hearing some sort of evil manifestation or even a demon,
but by this point… who even cared?

“Deity…” He began.

“Dark Flame.” A stern chirp corrected.

“Dark Flame,” he nodded with resolve. “We fear the calamity, we fear the
spiders. Can you really save us?”

“…” The deity paused and showed everyone with its poorly controlled aura
of confusion.

The Dark Flame was surprised by those words. Very surprised. Its very
concept, its ideals, its divine seed, its very essence was born from spidery
thoughts and prayers. Yes, it is a divine concept that was first conceived not
here in the now not-so-holy Cathedral, but in the Spidery Temple of the
Aurelian Capital. Admittedly, it was confusing, yes, but the Dark Flame
could only be born here in the Holy Capital, in a place saturated with
divinity. It could only exist by usurping a spot from another deity. But
enough of that, the deity’s confusion was because the spiders were just very
good guys. What did these mortals even do to earn their spidery spite?
“Do not be afraid of spiders.” The Dark Flame chirped simply.

“But…” The brave man had something to say.

“Do not be afraid. If you believe in the Dark Flame, in my ideals, there is
no reason for the spiders to harm you.”

“Is that… Is that so?” The brave man asked somewhat unsure.

“It is so. Why would my followers, be they spiders or non-spiders, fight

each other?” It spoke out rhetorically. “And, I’ll always protect my
followers!” it said with pride.

“…” The brave man had no answer. Actually, he had even more questions
now.

The divine aura grew a shade or two in thickness. “I know mere words are
never enough. Now, let me pick a worthy soul.” It scanned and probed the
room for a worthy soul. “Ah, you!” the godling found its quarry.

A burly man began to glow in purple. “Eh? Huh? What is happening to

me?” He shot up from kneeling and was looking at his glowing hand.

“You’ve already embraced my ideals, Warrior. Diligent, devoted and

hardworking, as well as honourable and loyal to the bitter end.” The Dark
Flame showered the burly man with praise. “Moreover, you possess the
Monster System already, which makes things a lot easier for me. [Dark
Ascension]!!!”

“Eh? Huh?” The warrior repeated even more bewildered this time. His eyes
darted as if reading some invisible text. “Yes. Yes, I accept!” He exploded
in brilliant purple.

The divine magic acted quickly, the Warrior was transformed into
something else. He grew taller and his old battle scars healed entirely. He
was now a being known as a Fallen Imperial, but more precisely as a
BlackGuard variant.

“Wow, my stats doubled!” He sounded happy at the changes.

“Human, the spiders should now see you as a friend.”

The brave man looked at the ex-warrior in disbelief, something impossible

transpired right infront of the entire congregation; he had witnessed a
miracle. “How… What about me? I mean the rest of us?”

“Follow my ideals and you too shall be Ascended.” The deity said so
growing twice the size in flame. “Actually, as a show of my goodwill, let
me bless all of you, my pious non-spiders. [Multicast], [Bless].” The Dark
Flame used a fraction of its newly gained divinity to bestow them with a
temporary blessing.

It was a minor blessing only, but it did wonders on the tired and fatigued
bodies of the pious. Vigour filled their blood and the colour returned to their
faces.

“Praise be, Dark Flame.” A woman uttered.

“Praise be!” A desperate man added.

“No,” The Dark Flame willed to correct. “Thank me with the words of
‘Arach Dominis’. Say Arach Dominis.”

“Arach Dominis.” The congregation repeated.

The flame burned contently at those two spidery words.

Not just in the cathedral but everywhere in the Holy Empire, and all at
once, the HolyLight Candles changed into DarkFlame Candles. This was
the first sign of a much larger series of changes in the Empire.

While the fragmented remainders of the Clergy recognised it for what it was
– the dark corruption of their holy deity. Aside from destroying the twisted
candles, there was very little they could do about the whole thing.
Moreover, the desecrated cathedral remained standing for a rather simple
reason, everyone feared even greater calamity if they challenged this new
but very hands-down deity. The same went for the misguided pious of the
Dark Flame since fighting between each other clearly wasn’t the solution
here.

And anyway, what could a mortal do against the deity? Deities were
concepts embodying powerful ideals, normally they didn’t have flesh
bodies or anything like that. Even if they pulverised every single brick of
the cathedral and slaughtered the misguided pious, the Dark Flame would
continue burning in that same place it was conceived. The best course of
action was to discourage people from praying to it. Yet it was difficult to
achieve because desperate people always sought salvation, and those in dire
need always latched onto whatever promised them that safety…

Moreover, the Dark Flame, unlike the previous inhabitant of the cathedral,
was strangely willing to bestow its blessing on its followers. And just like
so, the ranks of desperate and curious swelled seemingly overnight. Heresy
would normally be spoken in hushed whispers, however, the fallen people
of the Empire practically shouted blasphemy in open streets:

“The Dark Flame will protect us.”

“It has given us light in this Darkness, it has given us true sight.”

“The Dark Flame will guide us. It will bring us to salvation.”

“Come join the sermon! Everyone, please come.”

“If we want to survive. All of us need to be Blessed!”

“Brothers and sisters, come to the DarkFlame Cathedral. Let’s Assend

together.”

There was that, but also there was more:

“The spiders aren't our enemy. They are the saviours!”

“You have nothing to fear, we, the followers of the Dark Flame, will
welcome them as friends.”

“Yes! They are coming here not to punish, but to save us!”
“Join us in the cathedral, let's pray for our salvation!”

“Yes, yes! You must join the Monster System!”

“So it may be, Arach Dominis!!!”

To a more grounded observer, all of this must sound like a complete drivel,
yet the followers were surprisingly successful in their recruitment drive.
And seemingly in less than a week, one god was completely superseded by
another. Interestingly, even the old Clergy jumped ship in the end.

Just a while ago, everyone was dreading the arrival of the Giant ‘Enemy’
Spider, but now they were fervently praying for that day. The entire capital,
every single soul who could see the truth, the people who hadn't fled the
capital and stood firm in their noble beliefs, all of them were preparing for
its spidery arrival. They made a huge hole in the otherwise formidable
imperial wall so that it could fit better. They cleared the imperial plaza and
made a huge nest so that it could rest after its long journey. They gathered
large quantities of food to throw a huge feast for the spider. They cleared
the imperial vault of everything nice and shiny so that the crafters and
smiths had enough material for the blessed spider’s welcoming gift; a
super-massive jewellery piece. They gathered dancers, singers, and other
entertainers to throw a show for the spider.

Everyone was looking forward to it. Everyone was pitching in…

Everyone was desperate...

The spider…

Had to be appeased!!!
 150 – The Unquenchable Thirst Of
The Chaos Queen

The Holy City, the jewel of the Holy Empire, was bustling with activity.
People poured out of their houses, filling the streets. Everyone, without
exception, was on the streets. Some wore warm, expectant smiles, while
others gazed into the distance with worried expressions. Regardless, their
hands were filled with neatly wrapped bundles. As if guided by an unseen
force, they all moved towards the same destination—the massive breach
within the city walls.

The breach was growing larger daily, and workers were still toiling to
widen it brick by brick. People streamed out of the breach toward an
unnatural hill. They stacked their bundles neatly, increasing the hill’s size.
This was the Hill of Offerings, gifts intended for the messiah.

A bundle slipped from a man's hand, and the gift rolled across the packed
ground. His trembling finger pointed towards the horizon.

"Giant Enemy Spider," he uttered, his voice shaking.

A warm hand rested on his shoulder. "Giant Friend Spider," a soft,

feminine voice corrected. "Our messiah is finally here!" she exclaimed, her
voice filled with ecstasy.

One by one, people stopped what they were doing, gathering in a large
crowd around the priestess.

"Our prayers have been answered. It's finally here!" the priestly woman
welcomed the distant giant with open arms. "Our savior and our salvation.
People, let's pray!" she urged her flock.
Fervent prayer filled the air, the number of zealots growing by the second.
Even the most skeptical were now converted, for the truth was undeniable.

The majestic form of the giant spider moved unimpeded, its movements
fluid and graceful. Perhaps this giant was gentle after all. With each stately
step, the prayers grew louder and more fervent. By the time the spider
reached the walls, the prayers thundered, carried by thousands of voices, a
welcome unlike any other.

The colossal construct, half spider and half fortress, halted a few steps from
the breach, towering over the gathered people. The people marveled at it
with awe but also apprehension. They didn't know what this messiah held in
store for them.

"It's time, it's finally time!" the High Priestess rejoiced. "O' Friend, our
savior, grant us your blessing!"

In response, the spider opened its mandibles, and a massive cylinder

extended from its mouth. A divine trumpet, perhaps, or something similar?
The air hummed with warm vibrations, drawing purple particles around the
trumpet.

The priestess felt her hair stand on end and her skin tingle with a strange
sensation. The air was filled with it—the spider's power.

"I sense a powerful blessing. Be ready."

The fervent prayers intensified. Their eyes locked onto the majestic
trumpet, awaiting its blessing.

Then something unexpected happened. From deep within the giant spider's
mouth, a figure emerged. An angel! She was radiant and beautiful, her
white wings glowing with warm light as she glided through the air
gracefully. The angel landed directly in front of the priestess, her beautiful
face betraying panic.

"You're the followers of the DarkFlame, are you not?" the angelic beauty
asked.
"Yes, we are. Are you the messenger of the Giant Friend Spider?"

"Friend?" the angel fluttered her wings. "Yes, of course, a friend," she said,
turning to look at the spider. "Hey! Hey, stop it!" she shouted, waving her
hands. "Stop it, now!"

The menacing ball of purple that had gathered at the tip of the trumpet
fizzled out.

"O' spidery messenger, did we do something wrong?" The High Priestess

fidgeted in front of the angel. "Have we displeased the spider? Are we
unworthy of its blessing?"

"No, not at all." The angel shook her head vigorously. "Believe me, you
don't want that 'blessing.'"

"Well then, please tell our Friend that it is welcome to claim its gifts." The
priestess pointed at the Hill of Offerings.

"Oh, so that's what it is!"

"Yes," the priestess nodded with a smile. "And if our spidery savior finds it
suitable, it can claim the palace as its nest."

The angel gazed past the breach. "Hmm, It should fit, I guess." She
stretched her wings wide. "Well then, see you at the palace," the angel said,
taking to the air. "I'm glad this could be resolved peacefully," she added
before disappearing back into the spider's mouth.

Something stirred within the spider. Hatches previously unseen flung open.
Like a broodmother, the giant spider birthed spiders. Thousands of them.

"Is this... Is this our blessing?" The High Priestess stared in disbelief.

The spiders descended upon the hill, snatching the bundles with their
spidery claws. They would take a gift and then give a chirp accompanied by
a wave.
Not long after, the giant spider stirred and began to move again. It squeezed
past the massive breach in the walls, its nimble legs weaving through small
houses and narrow streets.

The people followed right after the spider, amazed at its size and the lack of
destruction.

"Our savior!" "Our messiah!" "Our Friend!"

The pious followed the spider with eyes full of zeal. However, there were
others who saw the spider for what it was—a fortress on legs, a construct
capable of ultimate destruction. They were apprehensive, following mostly
out of fear. After all, not so long ago it was known as a Calamity.

The giant spider stopped by the palace. Its head tilted at the pristine palace
walls curiously. The massive trumpet was gathering purple particles again,
presumably preparing another blessing. The angel fluttered out of a hole
within the spider. She hovered between the palace and the trumpet, her
hands waving frantically again. The gathered ball of purple fizzled out, and
the giant spider's head slumped down. Why was the angel denying the
blessing?

The High Priestess rushed ahead to catch up with the angel.

"O' Radiant Angel, is something the matter?" the priestess shouted, cupping
her hands.

"No-no, everything is fine!"

"If so, can we get our blessing, please."

"I don't think you want that 'blessing,'" the angel reassured her with a warm
smile.

"But we do! This was the prophecy. The savior will come to the Holy City
and bestow us with generous blessings." The High Priestess pointed at the
inert trumpet.
"The blessing you're pointing at might be too 'warm' for you." The angel
pointed out. "But how about this, [Bless]?"

"I am thankful, Angel," the High Priestess brushed the golden motes off her
robe. "But this mere blessing isn't enough to save our Fallen Empire."

"Oh... Yes, I guess your empire is indeed now fallen."

"Yes, but the DarkFlame assured us that the glorious spider will grant us
our salvation." She gazed back at the majestic trumpet.

"Salvation you say... I don't know if that's what you'll get, but either way,
you're getting something."

"A blessing?!"

"Not quite. A Queen." The angel said apologetically.

"A... a... Queen!"

"You'll see her soon."

The angel disappeared into the spider's head again, only to reappear with
something curious wrapped around her arm.

"Is this?"

"This is the only blessing you'll get... Unfortunately," the angel whispered
the last part, sounding rather apologetic. "The Chaos Queen!"

"We'll take her!" The priestess reached out enthusiastically.

"EH?! The angel flapped her wings. "But she had almost evaporated you
all, twice!"

The angel's words flew over the Priestess's head, her eyes shining with zeal.
Her hand continued reaching. "This is our blessing! A Queen to rule the
Fallen Empire!" she concluded.
The Chaos Queen coiled around the reaching hand. Her hand reached in
turn, and then her tiny fingers squeezed.

"Centauri Cheese, sss?" the Queen asked in an expectant hiss.

The priestess's face turned red, her hand reaching for the fingers clasping
her voluminous bosom. And yet, she wasn't brave enough to pull the Queen
away.

"What did she say? What does this mean?"

"Ignore her words... And behavior. I think the Queen is just being hungry,"
the angel replied, her face also red.

"Drow IceCream, sss" she asked in another expectant hiss.

"???"

"I am so sorry," the angel apologized again, her hand reaching to retrieve
the Chaos Queen.

A mischievous hand, tiny but powerful, slapped the angel away. A knowing
glint shone in the little lamia's eyes. "Priestess Milk!" she demanded with
another squeeze.

The High Priestess had enough, her knees gave out, and she collapsed on
the pavement.

...

The DarkFlame promised to bless the Fallen Emperials with a protector,

and it delivered—the Giant Friend Spider. It promised a new ruler, both
kind and wise, and it delivered—the Chaos Queen.

Speaking of which, the queen was eagerly slithering towards the imperial
throne. Behind her was the Radiant Angel, and behind her was the High
Priestess. This was but the beginning, because right after slithered the
Chaos Lamia, a hundred or so of them. And then all the spiders: navigators,
engineers, gunners, mages, and so on and so forth. The palace grand hall
was big but it still struggled to fit everyone inside. No problem, the spiders
stuck to the ceiling, allowing the remaining fallen nobility inside.

Fallen nobles, merchants, and other personas who still remained within the
Holy City, they looked at their new queen both with uncertainty but also
hope.

The queen slithered upon the golden throne, her small figure almost
comical, contrasting harshly with the colossal throne. She parted her lips to
hiss in a child-like voice. "The empire is fallen, sss, the city is mine. You
are my now my sss-subjects."

A simple statement, but it was true. Half of it were the zealots and the other
half had no desire to oppose the Giant Enemy Spider, ups, Giant Friend
Spider. The city was hers!

With the Crown of Dominion in her hands, the angel stepped close to the
queen.

"Congratulations, your father would be proud," she fluttered her wings,

flinging brilliant golden motes into the air. "To win the city over, without a
single casualty, absolutely brilliant."

"Sss!"

The Radiant Angel lowered the crown onto the little lamia's head. She took
a knee in front of the throne, prompting others to follow.

"My Queen," she fluttered her wings.

"My Queen, sss." Chaos Lamia hissed with pride.

"Our, little princess," the spiders chirped jovially, but their real loyalty
remained somewhere else.

"My Queen, my blessing," the High Priestess and her flock took the knee.

The fallen nobles and merchants followed, saying the same line.
The Chaos Lamia clapped her hands merrily. "S-s-s, fire!" she commanded,
flicking her hand forward.

"Ah!" The Angel flapped her wings in alarm.

The nearby Friend fired a charged cannon into the sky, splitting the clouds.

[Giant Enemy Spider activated the Fall Of The Kingdom]

A beautiful web appeared in the sky, breaking up in a flash and then

showering the Holy City in sparkling purple motes.

"S-s-s," she laughed like a villain. "The Holy Empire. Nomore!" The crown
on her twinkled with sinister light.

[Crown of Dominion activated the special skill Create Diminion]

"Welcome to, sss..." she paused, her eyes taking a red glow. The mood grew
ominous. "Chaos Realm!!! S-s-s!"

[Chaos Realm joined the Monster System]

[Race change was activated: Human > Fallen Imperial]

The High Priestess clapped her hands, "What a marvelous blessing!" She
approached the throne, her face beyond ecstatic. "My queen, I shall
welcome the new lambs. Instruct them in proper ways of the DarkFlame!"

Seeing the opportunity, the young queen reached with her hand and
squeezed demandingly. "Priestess Milk!!!"
 151 – An Overly Sticky Situation

At the shadowy hours of midnight, surrounded by a field of vivid blue

flowers, inside a spidery gazebo, at the masterfully crafted ironoak table,
there sat two curious figures: Johny the Magnificent Slug and Spider King,
the ruler of the Monster Realm.

Johny was practically glowing today, her blue-tinted but still translucent
skin incredibly shiny and her head tendrils bubbly with excitement. Her
long slug tail quivered with anticipation, though her upper body maintained
an aura of calmness and stoicism—a facade for appearances. She sat at the
table, hands propping her ample bust, accentuating the voluminous jelly
sacks to give the impression of imminent bursting. One tendril reached for
the BlueWax candle, igniting it with the Fire SpiritStone. The candle cast
a sinister purple glow from the Darkflame onto the table.

Leaning towards the light, Johny smiled at the King. "That is better," she
said, giving him a sluggish wink as a tendril extended towards his hand.
"So, how can I help you?"

The King clasped the rather slimy tendril, a matching smile curving his lips.
"But Jonny, it was you who called me here at this late hour, away from my
bed and my sleeping wife."

Johny preserved her perfectly stoic expression while a tendril retrieved two
petite teacups from beneath the table, placing them on equally cute plates.
The cups and plates were adorned with pictures of jellybees engaging in
rather peculiar type of water sports.

Only after setting down the cups did Johny continue. "Ah, That Is Right.
You Know, My King, Some Things Cannot Be Done Through Telepathy,
Or Rather They Shouldn't." Her tendril tightened its grip on his hand.
"I see..." the Spider King swallowed audibly.

Johny nodded. Despite the bubbly tendrils, she maintained her mask of
perfect stoicism. Her hand moved away from her chest, causing the jelly to
jiggle under the sudden force of gravity. It jiggled and bounced and
quivered—quite hypnotic!

"Oh!"

Breaking the hypnosis, the Spider King took the parchment she offered.
Their fingers touched briefly before parting. He unrolled the parchment,
revealing text and a spidery wax seal at the bottom. It was an official letter,
enchanted with magic and impossible to tamper with.

===___===

Your Majesty, the Spider King,

It is with the utmost reverence and exhilaration that I pen this missive to
inform you of a monumental victory for you and yours. The Holy Empire,
that bastion of celestial arrogance, has crumbled to dust beneath the weight
of your daughter’s dominion.

The Holy City, once a beacon of false purity, now stands as a testament to
the unwavering power of your lineage. Its inhabitants, once blinded by false
truths, have been liberated from their intellectual shackles and now look up
to your ever-diligent spiders and the true message they spread.

Your daughter, the Chaos Queen, has demonstrated a tactical acumen and
ruthlessness beyond her years. Her ascent to power has been swift and
decisive, with not a single soul lost in this fight.

However, the path to victory was paved with an unusual confluence of

fortuitous events. The untimely demise of the Holy Emperor, a tragic
accident cloaked in shadows, plunged the empire into a state of
unprecedented vulnerability. Coupled with this unforeseen circumstance
was the enigmatic emergence of the DarkFame, a spidery anomaly that has
ignited a fervor of devotion among the masses. It is a curious twist of fate
that the Holy City already possessed a cathedral dedicated to this
mysterious force, a sanctuary that has served as a catalyst for our triumph.

With your daughter securely ensconced upon the throne of the conquered,
the work of unification and consolidation commences. The populace,
surprisingly receptive to the change in leadership, exhibits a yearning for
order and purpose. We are diligently working to establish a foundation of
stability and prosperity, guided by the principles of darkness and chaos that
are the hallmarks of your reign.

May your daughter’s reign be long and prosperous, marked by an era of

unparalleled dominance. We eagerly await your wisdom and guidance as we
shape the destiny of this newly acquired realm.

Yours in eternal servitude, Elizabeth the Radiant Angel, Guardian of the

Chaos Queen

===🕷️🕷️🕷️===

As if to confirm the fact, the message appeared in his vision: [Chaos

Realm joined the Monster Realm]

The Spider King smiled but his eyes were sad. "Daughters, they grow up so
quickly," he said, brushing away a single tear. "So she's a fully fledged
Queen now," he added, placing the scroll back on the table.

Johny tapped a tendril on a corner peeking from beneath the parchment.

"There is a postscriptum attached under it."

"Thanks, I've almost missed it."

It was a creased, tear-smeared note written in haste and lacking the usual
penmanship.

===___===

We’re in a bit of a crisis, Your Majesty. We’ve run out of the exotic
delicacies your daughter craves—Centauri Cheese and Drow IceCream.
The Queen is becoming increasingly volatile without them. Just yesterday,
she attempted to obliterate the Holy Quarters—twice! Thankfully, we
managed to prevent catastrophe, but the strain is telling on both the
priestesses providing the substitute dairy products and the Queen’s temper.
We’re currently pacifying her with Priestess Milk, but it’s a temporary
solution at best. Please, send supplies immediately. I repeat, immediately. -
E.

===^^^===

She hadn’t even finished signing it properly.

"Priestess Milk? What is this nonsense?" the King offered the creased note
to the candle. The Darkflame didn’t take it, refusing to burn it. "...," he
sighed. "The realm is expanding too quickly. Logistics is becoming a
serious issue," he sighed again.

"My King, I'd Like To Offer A Warm Brew To Soothe Your Worries." Johny
looked at him, her tendrils expectant.

But the cups were empty, and there was no kettle or pot present at the table.
The Spider King looked at the bottom of his empty cup. "Sure, but..."

"Worry Not," Johny gave a mischievous smile, her hands propping her chest
again.

"Oh, I see," the Spider King replied with a mischievous smile of his own.

To his surprise, Johny snapped her fingers. "A Moment, Please," her smile
grew a shade more mischievous.

A rhythmic buzzing filled the air. From the nearby orchard, among
countless blue flowers, dots of blue and purple filled the sky. They were
bees, or rather eldritch JellyBees—half fairies and half bees. They buzzed
in with melody, dancing through the air in swirls.

Johny propped Spider King's hand by the elbow, directing the cup higher
and closer to his eyes. "Enjoy The Show. Something For Your Royal Eyes
Only."

The swirl of blue and purple grew closer, buzzing and flying around the
gazebo. The Spider King looked at them in amazement. They were more
like fairies than bees, humanoid in appearance but only as tall as a pinky
finger. There in the air, they didn't buzz but sang, they didn't merely fly but
danced a ballet in the mid-air—a musical performance.

A sole bee departed from the nearby group. She danced around the edge of
the teacup, her tiny feet treading the narrow edge in a theatrical
performance. Then she sat on the edge, her little feet dangling and her tiny
face pointing directly at the keen eye of the King. The little JellyBee smiled
and waved at him, her blue cheeks developing a warm shade of purple.
There was a sound reminiscent of a miniature waterfall. And then she filled
the teacup with hot, fragrant, steaming, viscous... Honey? Or at least an
eldritch version of it—the BlueHoney, and only a squirt of it. The little bee
blew an air kiss and departed the cup, allowing another to repeat the
performance.

Sooner than you might expect, the cup was filled with a warm brew unlike
any other.

"Amazing!" The Spider King marveled at the cup full of honey.

Johny made a high-pitched giggle, raising her own cup into the air. "That
did Take Your Mind Off Your Troubles, Didn't It?"

"Yes! I have almost forgotten about these little marvels." He took a sip from
the cup. "Absolutely amazing! Best thing ever, my mind is soothed and my
heart is warm."

Johny slammed her half-filled cup, throwing the little bee off balance. "It
Can't Be That Good!!!"

"???" He looked into her deep blues, noticing the beginnings of tears at her
eye corners. "On second thought, it is subpar to your jelly, a poor imitation
at most."—No, it was just as good—"Yes, any day and any time, I'd take
your divine ambrosia over this cheap knock-off."
Johny was smiling brightly again.

"Don't Be That Harsh. And Don't Lie For My Sake. Afterall, Our Minds Are
Connected. Indeed, This Honey Is Exceptional." She brought the cup back
to her lips, taking a greedy slurp.

The King took a greedy slurp of his own. The honey tasted like youthful
indiscretion with a hint of flowery zest. "An incredible product, yes. And
the one responsible, the JellyBee Queen, where is she?" he looked around
the buzzing cloud of bees.

"She's Buzz-ZZZ-y Making New Subjects." Johny, laughing at her own

joke, put her empty cup on the table.

"Is that so..." the Spider King hurriedly finished his cup, putting it by its
twin.

The bees buzzed around the gazebo, still singing and dancing.

Johny shifted her hands, adjusting the heavy jelly sacks. “Care For Another
Brew?” she spoke directly into his mind. Her tendrill twisted the cups so
that their handless touched, forming a familiar shape.

“No thank you. I think another... performance might be just too...

satiating," he uttered hurriedly. Too much sweetness is bad for my heart.”

Johny leaned closer to the candle flame, the purple flame reflected in her
big blue eyes. “I Think I Heard ‘Too STIMMULATING’, Ha-Ha,” She
giggled.

“No! And stop reading my mind!”

“A shame...” Johny released the sacred hills back to gravity, freeing the
hands to snap her fingers. *Bounce!*. With a snap of her fingers, the bees
disapeared into the night, back into their flowers. Johny continued. “I Don’t
Need To Read Your Mind To Know That You Still Worry.”

The King's eyes looked up and down, tracking the motion with perfect
precision. “Yeah, about the logistics and the supply lines.”
“No.” Johny shook her head, jer jiggly boddy swaying to the sides from the
motion. “About That Girl.”

The King furrowed his brow, his eyes darting from left to right and back
again. “My daughter will be fine. She is in good hands.”

Johny jiggled again from side to side, swaying all six of her jelly sacks.
“No. Not Her.”

“My wife?”

*Jiggle-Jiggle*, *Bounce*, “No. The Centauri Champion, Her.” Johny

pointed her weapons at him.

“Stop reading my mind! And it was logistics then!” He slumped back into
his chair and away from jello-like temptations. “Without her it’s hard to
coordinate all of the supply caravans. I just wish she would come back soon
from the Demon Realm.”

“Yes,” Johny jiggled. “Her Quest Is Taking Too Long. It’s Time You’ve
Sent Her Some Spidery Assistantance.”

“As always, Johny, you are right.” He stood up from the table, his gaze
distant.

“Hey!” a hand reached to stop him.

“???”

“Don’t Shirk Your Duty! I Am About To BURST!!!”

152 – The Forbidden Princess Parts
Panache

Lamia Queen woke up in the early morning. Beside her was her husband,
the Spider King. He was still in deep sleep, but his body was shivering and
trembling, his breath labored. No, it wasn’t a nightmare he was having or
anything like that. It was because during the night she had hoarded all the
covers for herself, leaving her husband stranded and at the mercy of a cool
night.

The Lamia Queen was a good wife.

She flung the mountain of covers, all four of them, back on her husband.
She tugged him in tightly. “You must have come back late, sss, you work
too hard. Sss-sleep well, my dear husband.” She kissed him on a cheek and
slithered to stand.

The Spider King stopped shivering, his body relaxing, and an unconscious
smile appeared on his face. “No, mumble-mumble, stop. We can’t, my wife,
mumble-mumble,” He sleep-talked some nonsense as he always does.

Whatever. She had many more wifey duties to perform, tucking in the
husband and kissing him a morning kiss was just the beginning.

The Lamia Queen stood up to dress, slithering towards her dresser. Her eyes
opened in surprise; there was a present atop the dresser. “Oh my, sss,” she
hissed in pleasant surprise, her hand pressing at her modest chest.

There on top of the dresser was not one, but six containers of jelly, freshly
milked at that – a gelatinous treat for her body and soul. A gift beyond gifts!
But why so much, and so fresh?
Ah, yes, she remembered now that her husband went late at night to tend to
his pet animal. The jelly slug was rather demanding at times, calling her
husband at the most inconvenient of moments. But how could she, the
magnanimous Lamia Queen, be angry when she liked the slug’s produce
that much.

She dipped her finger into the sticky and gelatinous mass, scooping a
greedy glop, and into her mouth it went. “The Spider King is, sss, a good
husband,” she hissed in anticipation. If anything, he knew how to please his
wife.

She licked the jelly, one container, two containers… All six were gone.
Warm and fuzzy feelings filled her body, for once she was full, her sweet
tooth demon satiated.

The Lamia Queen was a good wife.

Her husband deserved a gift, an equally pleasant surprise. But what? – it

was a conundrum. She looked at his sleeping form, seeking for answers.
“Volcano, mumble-mumble, fire. Lava… Mumble-mumble… So hot,” he
mumbled some nonsense as he always does.

Perhaps he was cold? The mornings here were rather chilly. She put two
more covers on, that should do the trick. That was when her eye noticed a
shinning blue trinket on his bedside table. It was a SapphireScale.

She remembered this trinket of his very well. In her mind, she had vivid
memories of her husband playing with this particular scale. More often than
not, when he thought he was alone, he would pull it out and stare at it while
deeply lost in thought. It was a habit of his.

Once she saw him on his throne, twisting and turning the scale in front of
his eyes, playing with it in the sunbeam coming from the window. His face
was showered in reflected blues of the sapphire, making him look rather
mysterious and handsome. At that time, he was staring at it with burning
intensity, his breath heavy. Probably he was thinking about an intense battle
where he slayed some fierce beast and claimed this sapphire-like trophy.
Either way, at that time, she found his fierce expression attractive.
There was another time where she saw him by the lake. With his feet in
water and the scale in hand. He was using the scale to reflect the sun and
shine sun bunnies on the lake surface as if to call some beast from deep
within. A playful scene, yes, however, his expression was a sad one and
filled with longing. Perhaps, he was missing the days where he fought at the
frontlines as a Warrior and not as a King. Where he could claim many
trophies like the one in his hand. Either way, at that time, she could
sympathize with him. As a queen, just like him, she had to leave many
simpler pleasures behind.

There was another time where she caught him tucked inside the covers of
the bed. He looked frustrated, angry almost. His gaze was distant, but his
eyes burned with fiery passion. And as always, there under the covers, he
was playing with his favorite trinket – the sapphire scale. Or at least he
pulled it out once he caught her looking. Huh? He looked rather sweaty and
flustered. Eitheir way, at that time, she understood his anger, his fingers
were looking for a distraction, and so was his mind. She understood the
state of his beeing very well. That night he came onto her as a feral beast.
That was very welcome.

There were many other times…

The point is that someone might find his behavior odd, but not the Lamia
Queen, she was a good wife, she understood her husband well. You see, the
Lamia (plural) too liked to collect various trophies and mementos, even
decorate their bodies with it. She, for example, even to this day, has a set of
teeth earrings made from the first kobold she had slain. The kobold was
delicious and the earrings a precious memento. Yes-sss!

The scale her husband treasured must be something similar, something

special, a memory he could touch and caress. She understood that well.
However, the scale was raw and unprocessed, it was simply a Material.
The Lamia were wise to turn their trophies into jewelry or even weapons, so
this scale was a good candidate for something like this.

“Yes, sss, I think he would appreciate this,” her hand snatched the scale off
the bedside table.
The Lamia Queen was a good wife.

She would process this into something very special, a surprise her husband
would definitely appreciate.

“Sss,” she swooned, imagining all the hugs and kisses she would receive.

...

The late morning wasn't going well for the Spider King. Not at all. Forget
the fact that he had overslept. There was so much to stress over.

First, he didn't want to blame all the sweets he had eaten just before bed, but
he had a rather terrible nightmare. He dreamt of the chilling breeze of the
mountaintop, there completely naked and without a single drop of a frost
resistance potion. Stranded, hopeless, without any warmth. He didn't
remember what he dreamt next, but oddly enough, he woke up drenched in
sweat, and under all six of those abysmally warm blankets. It made no
sense. To dream of frost and freeze, but wake up feeling like he just took a
bath in a magma lake.

"Gah, I'm so wet and sticky!"

Next, feeling tired and exhausted, he ended up dumpig the jelly containes,
the ambeosia he'd worked so hard to extract, on top of the dresser. And then,
of course, in this early morning, his wife of a glutton, got her claws on
them. Her forked tongue and greedy fingers did a number on the containers;
they were licked clean, all six of them, not a single drop of jelly remained.
Not a drop! Shame, because it was reserved for the prominent spiders as
their just rewards for a future Quest. And a spider would make it last a
good month, so his wife, Lamia the Devourer, could learn some restraint
from the spiders.

"But will she ever?"

And then, the calamity struck. His forgetful self forgot to put the Mer
Princess scale back into the Inventory space. Out of sight out of mind - as
the saying goes, but his foolish self left it on a bedside table. Critical
mistake, because it was now missing. Did... Did his wife know the true
origin of the scale? He dreaded to think what happened to it. For all he
knew, by now, it was likely thrust into the depths of the oblivion. The scale
she entrusted to him - lost forever.

"Sorry, Mer Princess. I will repent for my sins!"

Hopefully, in the afternoon he will fare better.

...

Outside, at the landing harbor meant for flying ships, the Spider King
gathered an assembly of evolved spiders. A good hundred Spider Warriors,
a necessary thirteen Spider Mages, a beast of a unit consisting of a single
Warrior Leader Jr., and the usual hundred or so of support crew to man the
Galleon Whale.

The cohort of warriors wasn't quite a legion but they were just as
formidable. They donned armor black as obsidian, their pauldrons and back
plates decorated with thorny, vicious spikes. At their hands, they held
menacing weapons, axes glowing with either Frost or Fire, and sometimes
Dark elemental magic. They also held terrifying shields, just as dark and
just as thorny as their armor. Their helmets were horned, and their spidery
feet tipped in sharp metal. Needless to say, they exuded an aura of Terror.

The conspiracy of mages, all thirteen of them, hid behind enchanted cloaks,
more a shroud of swirling darkness than a cloak. Their forms were
obfuscated, but the golden glow of their eyes pierced the unnatural
midnight darkness which was their form. Surely, hidden beneath the cloaks,
they held numerous scrolls and potions at the ready, not to mention their
mastery of Dark magic. They looked more like phantoms than spiders,
creatures nearly impossible to harm with physical attacks.

And the unit of a spider, the Warrior Leader Junior, well... It was equivalent
to this world's tactical nuke. Menacing, atrociously menacing. What else is
there to say?
The spiders stood proud, be it their chitin or their weapons, polished to
perfection. Their golden orb-like eyes gazed at their King attentively,
appreciating his head horns which formed a perfectly spidery crown. An
occasional mandible clacked from excitement. It wasn't often they had a
chance to bask in his majesty's aura and it was a rare honor to be gathered
like this. Something glorious awaited them!

The Spider King, the man, the one, the spidery legend, stood on top of
conveniently placed supply crates - a stage for his performance. He was
facing the flying ship, his back pointed to the spiders. Theatrically he flung
his spidery cape, its jewels sparkling in the daylight, the n a fluid motion he
turned to face the assembly. He scanned every single one of them, his gaze
was villainous but also burning with passion. Once again, theatrically, he
flung his cape but towards his back this time. Doing so he exposed his royal
armor, a vest made of pure and pristine scales, light armor of immense
power. He presented himself with pride.

"Spiders," he addressed, his purple eyes glowing. "We need to go on a

Quest!" He stretched his left hand, the darkened claws which were his
fingers pointing towards the distant west. "As you know, certain kinds of
supplies are dwindling. The formidable Centauri Champion remains
missing, lost on her own Quest, and her presence is dearly missed. We shall
aid her in her hardship and then bring her back. So once again, let's go on a
Quest!"

"Aye-Aye," the spiders chirped, thumping their chests.

The Spider King jumped off the crates, allowing the spiders to start loading
the supplies. That was when his perceptive eye caught the pristine whites of
his wife. She was slithering towards him in a mad sprint.

"Oh no... Did I fail to escape in time?" He uttered, fearing the wrath of his
wife. It was very likely she had sniffed the true origin of the vaguely heart-
shaped scale. It was no mere jewel...

Just so, in his haste, he tripped over a wrapped bundle of some generic
supplies. "Butt-Rot! I should have used ShadowStep!" he cursed,
scrambling to get on his feet.
A surprisingly strong hand pulled on his cape, making him stumble again.
Crouching, he turned to face the wrath of his wife. The Lamia Queen
looked at him knowingly, her face stretched in a cold smile. That's it, he
was done.

"..." No words came from the Spider King, he was gathering his might to
face the wrath equal to a volcanic explosion.

"Husband, sss," she hissed, her voice warm and deceptively loving.

Aha! This was a moment where she would trick him to spill the beans.. .

"This, sss," she took a familiar scale from behind her back.

"!!!"

"I'm returning this-sss to you," still smiling, she offered the gift. "Your
battle trophy, sss..."

Ah! She called it a battle trophy... a creative word to name the sin he was
guilty of committing. His mind was shaking, but his hand was steady. He
was a man! He would weather this. He would take the responsibility!

"I see..." He took the scale. "???" Hey! It was different! She had done
something to the scale!

"Do you like it husband, sss? Go ahead, Inspect it."

The Sapphire Scale had a DriderSilk string threaded across its tip, and the
string itself was adorned with BlackPearls. But more importantly, it was
obviously enchanted. Enchanted again and again. Layer upon layer. A feat
seemingly impossible. There were so many enchantments that the necklace
was actually vibrating in his hand, and if you listened very closely, it was
humming, the humm oddly reminiscent of crashing waves.

Mhm, an enchanted item. Brimming with arcane power. Yes-yes... Clearly

this was a Bomb, and if not then an artifact meant to Curse him for his
indiscretions.
Either way, "[Inspect]" he invoked, ready to face the divine judgment.

Item: LoveBound Necklace

Quality: Masterwork
Bonuses: +50MP, +10 Mer Faction Reputation
Active Perks: [Hydrokinesis], [SonicSeduction]
Passive Perks: [Beauty +1], [Reinforced +4], [Reflect: Charm], [Water
Affinity]
Resistances: [Water Resistance: Medium]

"Turn it over, sss. There is an extra."

He flipped the scale, the back of it was engraved. The description reading:
'"In the depths of understanding, love forges its masterpiece."

With wide eyes, he read the description again and again. Did... Did this
mean she forgave him for his indiscretions?!

"!!!"

"Sss-so what do you think," drawing near she blinked at him, her cheeks
flushed.

"This is beyond amazing! The masterpiece like this? I am unworthy! Just...

just how did you have it in you to make something like this?" He stared at
his wife with starry eyes.

"Husband, sss, you are worthy of it, and of much more." She puckered her
lips, leaning for a kiss.

A smooch was made, the bond between them growing stronger.

"I shall admit a simple fact, true as the sky is blue. You are a good wife!" he
purred and kissed her again.

"Sss-stop it, sss, the sss-spiders are watching." She pushed him away, the
gesture meant to stop herself, not him, from committing an assault in the
broad daylight."Now put it on already." She said so, but it was her hands
which clasped the necklace over his neck.
That was when something unimaginable happened.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

A sinister, ethereal voice echoed through the mind of the Spider King.

[Congratulations! Spider King, on your audacious and utterly shameless

act of adorning yourself with a relic of such intimate origin. You have
proven yourself to be a true champion of depravity. May your boldness be
as eternal as your reign]

[Achievement Unlocked: Princess Parts Panache]

>+5 Reputation with female humanoid creatures.

>-10 Reputation with all other creatures.
>+25% chance to attract unwanted attention>

Yeah... The Spider King's hand reached to pluck the necklace off.

"Sss, no," the Lamia Queen caught his intentions, her hand preventing his.
"Wear this trophy with pride, sss, my good husband. Don't ever hide it like
you used to do. May it be known, that this necklace is my gift to you."She
smiled in perfectly ignorant smile.

After all, perhaps she didn't know the true origin of the scale. But maybe
she did, and was forcing him to wear his shame as punishment for his
many-many indiscretions.

Either way, it appears the necklace was staying on his neck.

 153 - The Playful Splashing At The
Thousand Feet Above

Inside the Galleon Whale, in the Spider King's royal cabin, a surprise
awaited.

"Mer Princess, what are you doing here?" The Spider King couldn't believe
his eyes.

She was there in his cabin, casualty swimming in a crystaline tank.

"What do you mean? I'm your maid, of course I'm coming with you," she
spoke, her head poking out of the water.

The Spider King, without even realizing he was doing it, grasped the
necklace at his neck.

Of course, she would react to that.

"Oh? What is that? What is it you're trying to hide?" She spun each time she
asked a question, her blue scales shimmering in the light. Oddly excited.

Did she know? She did, didn't she? Slowly, oh so very slowly, he revealed
the forbidden necklace.

"Oh my!" she jumped halfway out of the tank, splashing the water. "Is that?
It is!" she exclaimed, her mouth agape in shock. "How bold, how brazen!"
She fanned her blushing face with her hand. "To carry this so openly... Are
you trying to make a statement? Does this mean what I think it means?" she
leaned over the edge of her tank, her sapphire eyes sparkling.

"!!!"
"Ha-ha!" she laughed sweetly, splashing some water on his face. "I'm just
messing with you, relax. I know why you have this necklace," she slumped
back into the water. "Your dear wife, it was her idea, and I was forced to
help to enchant it..."

Of course it was her idead!

"Could you, let's say, refused or something like that?" He asked just as he
finished wiping the splashed water off his face.

"How could I!?" she leaped out of the tank again, dousing the King in cold
water again, his robe and all. "She came to me begging. Begging!
Officially, I'm her servant, so how could I refuse..." she slumped back into
the water.

He wiped his face. "Hey, you keep splashing me! Don't you have
Hydrokynesis?" he asked because she should be able to manipulate the
water, sparing him from all of the splashing. "You're doing this on purpose,
aren't you? To get back at me for," He saw right trough her.

"No!" She jumped again towards the edge. "Ha-ha." Her tail flicked,
sending a generous splash.

"Oh no you don't, [Hydrokynesis]," he remembered he that too. The water

swirled around him and then landed back into the tank. "But seriously,
why?" his finger tapped at the glowing necklace.

She smiled at him, not rushing to answer. Even though it felt like hours, the
silence lasted only a moment. "You're right, I was trying to get back at you.
Not for what you did, but for what you didn't do." Her eyes moved to gaze
at the blues of the necklace, and her hand to her own chest. "You see, a
perfect opportunity presented itself, and now you're forced to wear a piece
of me. My scale forever close to your heart... I find it rather romantic, and
so should you."

"It is," he admitted, adding, "in a twisted sense. This is a gift from the
Lamia Queen, she even engraved it. If she ever knew where the scale came
from, or rather from what part..." he didn't finish.
"What does it matter? I know you like this necklace, just look at you,
complaing but actually giddy like a teenager. You're happy for getting to
wear something very special, she's happy for gifting you an unforgettable
memento, and I'm happy for you getting to wear it. Everyone's happy, so is
there a problem?"

"When you put it like that... I guess it's fine."

She relaxed, turning to float on her back. "Then, all is good, but..." she
paused, her blues looking at his purples, a piercing gaze directly at the soul.
"Do wear it with pride. That would make me very happy."

The room descended into near silence, there was only a silent hum coming
from the necklace.

"Hey, Day," he called her by the name.

"Yes, I'm at your service." She swam up to the edge rather excited.

"You were sent here to do your maid duties, yes?" He walked close to the
window of the tank.

"Yes, on the Lamia Queen's orders, I'm your maid. And on the same orders,
I'm to remain in your chamber, assist with your daily needs, and spy on
you." she giggled right after finishing her sentence. "Oops, the last bit was
meant to be a secret," she gave him a playful wink.

"It seems my wife sent a wrong spy..." he dipped his hand into the water.

"But isn't this perfect? We get to sleep in the same room..." she took his
hand in hers.

"What was she thinking..." it was very likely she wasn't thinking at all.
"And how are you even supposed to do your maid duties? We're a thousand
feet in the air, and you're trapped inside a water tank."

"Oh? When was that ever an issue. I am very good at my job, observe.
[Hydrokynesis]!" She pointed her fingertip at the water.
With a practiced twirl of a finger, she manipulated an orb of water out of
her tank. The orb flew through the air, its surface quivering ever so slightly.
It flew to the ceiling corner, sticking to it. Its inside swirled in a vortex,
collecting old sediment and dust. Quickly, the orb slid through the entire
length of the ceiling, leaving the surface sparkling.

"Just like that." She flicked her finger. The dirty blob flew out of the
window. "All done," she gave him a self-pleased grin.

"Hmm... I want to try this too," the Spider King pointed his palm toward the
water. "[Hydrokynesis]!"

The tank shook, and the water inside stirred.

"Hey, hey-hey-hey! What are you doing!" In panic, she squeezed hard on
the hand she was holding.

The Spider King strained, struggling to wield unfamiliar magic.

"Hey! Careful! Easy, go easy on it!"

"I almost got it. And let my hand go, I think your interfering with my spell."

Her hand gripped even harder. "I think you should stop this. My entire body
is feeling funny."

Indeed, the tank was shaking violently, its water bubbling and swirling in
chaotic currents.

"Almost... Just another push!" he swung his hand up.

"Ahhh!!!" she lost the grip on his hand, her body swept by the current.

With a scream, the entire tank was emptied. Its contents were hovering in
the air in a quivering bubble of water. And inside that bubble, trapped like a
mosquito in amber, was Day Sapphire.

"I did it," the Spider King celebrated, his hand moving the bubble across the
royal chamber.
The maiden inside the bubble tumbled like a sock in the washing machine.
Eventually, she found steadiness within the water but ended up tail up and
head down.

"This is no way to treat a princess! Put me down!" she flailed her arms in
protest.

"Hey, I was thinking, does this count as flying? You are high in the air, so
are you swimming or flying?" He asked in scientific curiosity.

"I'm on the flying ship, of course I am flying!" she tried to stabilize her
body but failed. "Hey! Your magic is interfering with mine! Stop it."

"Hmm... I don't know." He gazed through the small window. "The weather
is nice, let's go outside." He walked, taking the enormous bubble with him.

"No, no-no-no! I'm sorry for splashing you with water on purpose. And
teasing you. I'm not good with heights, please put me back in my tank.
Please!" She begged, her voice distorted by the water.

"Huh? What did you say? I think I have some water in my ears from all the
splashing you did. I can't hear you."

He walked through the doors, the bubble squeezing through but just barely.

"He-eee-lp," she squeaked from within the bubble.

...

It was strange how easily some people could conquer their fears. One
moment, Mer Princess was cowering in her bubble, the next she didn't want
to return to the confines of her tank.

Her body was half out of her bubble, her eyes twinkling with excitement,
and her hands pointing from one thing to the other, to the sky and to the
earth below. Her view of the world was expanding.

"I never thought a distant horizon could be so beautiful. The ground looks
like an endless sea of green, and the deep blue sky reminds me of my home.
And hey, are clouds as fluffy as they look? Do you mind taking me there? I
wonder how they taste."

The Spider King smiled at her childlike wonder. "Unfortunately, you can't
eat the clouds. They're just miniature water droplets suspended in the air."

She ignored the boring explanation. "i've always thought that there must be
a lake in the sky because how else would it rain."

The Spider King cupped his chin, his expression thoughtful. "While we're
on a water topic, how come I've never seen Mer hovering in bubbles just
like this?" he pointed at the bubble he had made for Day.

"Don't be ridiculous, water manipulation on this scale is impossible..." she

paused, catching herself. "I mean for any normal person. A bubble like this
would just cost too much mana. It's impractical."

"You're right. It is rather draining. But I think I could keep this on for a
whole day," he boasted shamelessly.

"Is that so? Your mana pool must be very big. I would be a very happy
woman if you could keep it up for a whole day," she winked at him, her
cheeks slightly pink.

"I wouldn't mind..." he paused, his eyes narrowing all of a sudden. "What is
that ahead? Birds?" He pointed at the brown blob in the distance.

[Warning! You've attracted unwanted attention]

The flock turned to fly towards the ship.

"Can't be simple birds, they're just too large," she pointed out the obvious.

"Monsters then, and they're coming right towards us." For a tiny moment,
he regretted gaining that achievement.

A little spider, junior of the crew, scurried closer to the Spider King. "My
King, would you like to engage the Spider Hyperdrive?"
He wavered. If he did so, he would need to stop this casual cruising and he
was winning easy Mer affection points here.

"My King, would you like to blast them with cannons?" the spider offered
with a happy chirp.

"Wait!" It was Mer Princess who interjected. "What if they're not hostile?"

He nodded. "However unlikely, it is a possibility. And I am curious." He

strained to see better. "Let's wait and see."

As the flock approached, it became clear that they were vaguely humanoid
in nature, half birds and half humanoid. A good flock of fifty of them.

The Spider King stared at the unknown monsters, his heart throbbing with
excitement.

Mer Princess puffed her cheeks, her expression that of displeasure. "I get it,
I do, but you shouldn't stare at them that much."

Indeed, these humanoid monster birds were all women and they were flying
stark naked – not exactly uncommon for monster races. And they were
getting rather close.

Overwhelmed with curiosity, he did his manly duty, taking their three sizes,
"[Inspect]!" he looked for health, mana, and stamina stats.

Monster Race: Harpy Variant: Mountain

HP:50 MP:50 STA:150 🪶🪹🥚
Active Perks: [WingGust], [AirSnach]
Passive Perks: [TrueFlight], [EggLayer]
Resistances [Wind Resistance: Lesser]

The harpy he inspected was feathered in brown plumage. Just like her
feathers, her hair and eyes were brown. Her face was pretty and youthful.
She had wings for arms, and claws for feet. She looked impossibly thin,
famished even, however, she was still very feminine and beautiful.

The little spider fidgeted anxiously in its spot. "My King, how do we
proceed?"

"It's best if we don't intimidate them. Let's see if they can talk."
 154 – I Can't Think Of A Title, I'm
Getting Birdbrained

The harpies circled the ship a few times before boarding the deck. By
orders, there were only a few spiders stationed there, but even so, the
harpies remained cautious. They kept to each other, maintaining the close
formation. One of them, presumably the leader of the flock, stepped out of
the flock. Her clawed feet tread the deck with bravery, her feathers puffed
like a peacock. She was aiming for a nearby spider, a little dude stationed
there to keep the deck clean.

She stretched her wings and puffed out her chest, striking an appealing
pose. Perhaps a courteous greeting of sorts. Or perhaps not. For a fleeting
moment, her eyes glowed in a familiar crimson. The glow prompted a
vague memory within the Spider King, too distant to remember well.

The spider chirped a spidery greeting, giving the puffed-out harpy a cute
wave.

The walking bundle of feathers frowned, as if displeased by something. Her

nose twitched and her feathers deflated.

Hey, you scoundrel, when a spider gives a cute wave, you wave it back!

The harpy fluttered her wings. "Girls, this one won't do. It ain't a male,"
losing interest, she turned away from the spider, ignoring its little chirps
completely.

Mer Princess poked her head out of the bubble, leaning in to whisper. "They
speak the Demonic language." Meaning that the harpies are subjects to the
Demon Lord.
The harpy, puffed like a peacock again, strutted towards the Spider King
and the Mer Princess, her entourage following her like ducklings from
behind.

The harpy glanced at the floating bubble, neither impressed by the

impossible magic nor interested in the Mer inside. Her gaze locked on the
Spider King, her expression turning lecherous.

"Finally a male," she pointed at the Spider King with the tip of her wing.
"This one is mine. You go check inside," her other wing pointed at the steps
going down.

The flock split in two, one part went down the stairs by the deck, the other
remained behind the lead harpy.

Feeling the harpy's burning gaze, the Spider King straightened his back.
"Greetings, I am the..."

He didn't get to finish. "Hey, listen!" The harpy spread her wings and puffed
her chest. "Look into my eyes," her brown eyes turned crimson.

[LoveBound Necklace activated the Reflect:Charm]

Suddenly her pose changed completely. Her wings hung low and she looked
at him with heart-filled eyes. "Hey! I've just noticed how handsome you are.
Give me your name, handsome," she spoke in a songbird voice.

"I am the Spider King, captain of this fine vessel, but I am more interested
in you, feathered strangers. Who are you, and why did you board my ship?"

"Hey? You're interested in me? Hehe," she fluttered her eyelashes, fanning
her face with a wing. "Let's go somewhere private... and I'll show you
everything you want to see." She leaped forward trying to snatch him with
her wings.

He fended her off. "That... That is unnecessary. How about I learn your
name for starters."
"Who cares about that? Hey, how about a kiss?" she leaped again, offering a
feathery embrace. "Ah!" she exclaimed suddenly, rubbing the back of her
head.

"Bad harpy, bad! No horny!" the spider cleaner spoke in semi-broken

Demonic, waving the broom threateningly.

The harpy fluttered her wings, the heart shapes disappearing from her eyes.
"Eh? What happened? What was I doing? Oh, right." She puffed her chest
out. "Look into my eyes, [Charm]!"

It was reflected right back at her again.

"Hey mister, want to make a baby?"

A splash was launched from within the bubble, dousing the harpy in cold
water.

"What are you doing? I am wet now!" She complained, striking an angry
pose. "You'll pay for this," her eyes glowed again.

The little spider bonked her head with a broom a second time, knocking the
heart shapes out of her.

The Mer Princess splashed the heated harpy for good measure. "You must
be birdbrained or something... Don't you get it, the Charm won't work on
him, you featherhead!"

The harpy tilted her head sideways. "It won't? But..." she pointed her cute
nose upwards, sniffing at the air. "But he reeks! A strong, overpowering
musk of a male!"

The Spider King shuffled closer to the bubble, leaning in to whisper, "Day,
do I stink? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You don't! There's clearly something wrong with the head of that bird," she
didn't bother to whisper back.

"Oh, okay."
But before the Spider King could lean away, Day grabbed him by the
shoulder, pulling him close again. "But just in case, I'll give you a good bath
later. In my tank and all, full service," she whispered the last part with a
wink.

Engaged in whispers, the Spider King failed to notice the approach of the
harpy. Her nose was now close and sniffing at his chest.

"Yup, the same smell, the one we picked up an hour ago," she pulled her
nose away. "Are you sure my charms won't work on you?" she asked,
nuzzling her cheek against his chest, her wings aiming for a hug.

"Enough!" Day flung her hand towards the harpy. "[SplashAttack], he is a

King and you must treat him appropriately," she doused the harpy in water.

"Hey! You bubble monster, don't do that! I can't fly with wet feathers."

"Huh? They were wet before I even attacked, you harlot of a harpy. Spider,
bonk her!"

"Now, now ladies, let's relax. No need to fight." He stood between the two.
"Let's start fresh, perhaps at the dinner table?"

The harpy perked up, forgetting what all the ruckus was even about.
"Dinner?! Sign me up!"

"Then come inside, let's catch up with the rest of your flock. I worry about
them. I hope the spiders treated them right."

They headed towards the stairs heading down. A bunch of harpies had
already gone down there, and the rest were following right behind the
Harpy Boss.

The steps led down to the mess hall. The harpies who had split up from the
leader beforehand were left in a pitiful state. Something very terrible had
happened to them. They were huddled together in the corner and shivering,
their expressions frightened and full of tears.
"Boss," a harpy from the group cried, "don't go any deeper! Terrible things
will happen to you!" She tugged at the cloth binding her chest.

"A trap?!" the lead harpy turned back towards the steps.

Above the stairs, standing tall and proud, the little spitter blocked the
narrow passage with its broom. It was staring at the trapped harpies, its
yellow eyes glowing menacingly.

"Rule number one," the spider chirped, raising a digit of its claw. "You shall
not be naked!" The spider slammed its broom into the ground. "[GetEm]!"

From beneath the darkness, from within the shadows, from unseen holes
and hatches, spiders spilled. They clacked their mandibles, their claws
spinning a blue thread. These guys were juniors looking after the ship, little
and cute spiders, but at this moment they were as formidable as the grown-
up spider warriors.

"Ahh, help!" the harpy flapped her wings.

"[WeaveWeb]," the spider chirped, catching the harpy with a lasso-like

string.

The Spider King rubbed his temples. "None of this was supposed to happen.
But rules are rules." He watched the spider dress the Harpy Boss in an
expertly woven tank top.

Why tank top? – You can ask the spiders that.

...

There was resistance at first, but as soon as the food came out, the harpies
warmed up to the spiders. It was at the dinner table where the harpies told
their sad story.

Once upon a time, the humans invaded the Demon Realm, pillaging and
plundering through its territories. Contrary to what some might think, it was
a golden age for the Harpy Village. War was a time for bounty and rewards.
And bounty and rewards they had plenty of.
Moreover, warring humans were the optimal mating partners, their blood
young and their essence strong. The harpies snatched many of these young
men, growing the Harpy Village as a result. And all was well.

Unfortunately, the Demon Lord pushed the humans back, winning back the
conquered territories. The realm no longer hired the harpies as scouts and
messengers, the rewards dwindled, and the bounty dried up.

And yet, there were now over a thousand mouths to feed. More often than
not, they were on the brink of starvation, but they managed somehow. But
troubles didn't fly alone. The Harpy Queen was growing old, her nest
without eggs for months already. Someone had to take her place soon. The
village was plunged into chaos, flocks of harpies competing with each
other. As the custom dictated, the flock that snatched the most males would
get to lead the village into its new future.

That was why flocks of harpies were flying great distances away from their
village, hunting for bounty in hopes of crowning a new queen.

That was their story.

After putting the story pieces together, the Mer Princess was rubbing her
temples. "None of this makes any sense. They are completely birdbrained.
Hunting for males won't help their situation! The village would get even
bigger, and then they would all starve for good."

The harpy swallowed the tomgrape she was eating. "The flock is stronger
with more harpies! And I want to be a new queen!" She flung her wings to
protest Mer's words.

"Nonsense! That way of thinking will be your doom!" the surface of the
bubble bubbled from her shouting.

The harpy flapped her wings, her feathers puffing up. "What would you
know? You're just a bubble monster, ugh!" She stuck out her tongue.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not a bubble monster! I'm Day
Sapphire, the Mer Princess, the Maid to the..."
"Yeah-yeah, whatever... Hey mister, listen, are you sure there aren't other
males on this ship? Someone we could snatch away?"

The Spider King, who had been deep in thought, looked at the flapping
harpy. "No, only spiders."

"Spiders are no good!" she tugged at her tank top, her wings failing to take
it off. "Can you come to our village? Just a small visit. Please!"

"..."

"Pretty please! Pretty please with a feather on top!" She looked at him with
big, begging eyes.

"Don't look at me like that... We have a Quest to finish... We can't." His

heart was wavering. The harpy in front of him was just too pitiful.

The big, cute begging eyes soon turned crimson, activating the Charm
ability.

The floating bubble quivered with anger. "Do you have straw for brains?!
[WaterSplash]!" she splashed the harpy back into working order.

"Oopsie, bad habit," she shook the water off her feathers. "Hey mister,
please reconsider. If you do, there's a reward for you."

"A reward?" The Spider King perked up.

"Yes! A Reward!" Excited beyond explanation, the harpy jumped on the

table. "I've almost forgotten about it! But we harpies have something that
sells well." She squatted above the bowl carrying tomgrapes.

"???"

"Just give me a moment!" she made herself comfortable.

"No! Spider King, don't look!" the Mer Princess cautioned.

The warning came too late... "!!!" An egg was laid within the bowl.
"Go on, grab it while it's still warm," the shameless harpy urged him.

Slightly shell-shocked, the Spider King took the egg in his hand. "It's bigger
than I have expected."

"Thanks, I do try!" She gave him a sunny smile. "Now eat it!"

"Eh? Can I?"

"I assure you, it's very delicious."

"Spider King, don't you dare to eat it!" the bubble bubbled. "I'll tell your
wife!"

"... I'll just put it in my Inventory then."

The harpy jumped off the table. "Fine by me. Now you've got your reward.
Mister, you must visit my village."

"Village... Eggs... HarpyEggs..." something hard to explain burned inside

the Spider King's eyes.

...

The Galleon Whale changed course, flying towards the distant mountain in
the north-west, its feathered passengers gorging themselves on the plump
tomgrapes.
155 – Under The Blue Tanktop The
Feathers Be Ruffled

High atop a towering mountain, nestled among peaks kissed by clouds, lay
the Harpy Village. The cliff face, a jagged, brown scar on the mountain's
side, was a honeycomb of homes, each a small, round hole burrowed into
the rock. The wind howled through the crevices, carrying the crisp scent of
clouds and the distant rumble of echoes.

Young harpies, their feathers rustling in the wind, flitted in and out of their
homes, their laughter echoing through the village. They were the first to
spot the unfamiliar construct, a colossal, winged ship gliding through the
sky.

"A flying ship!" they shrieked, their eyes wide with wonder. "A big, big
flying ship!"

The older harpies, their wings bigger and other proportions more generous,
gathered to watch the spectacle from afar. They welcomed the approaching
ship, their right wings waving a warm greating.

The Galleon Whale, a marvel of engineering, soared through the sky, its
white hull gleaming in the sunlight. The harpies watched in awe as the ship
docked by nearby outcrop, its landing gear connecting to the side of the
mountain.

The Harpy Boss stood at the helm, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Hey! Come aboard, everyone!" she called, her voice carrying over the
wind.
The harpies, their curiosity piqued, scrambled aboard the ship, their wings
rustling with childish giddiness. They explored the deck, their eyes wide
with wonder at the strange devices and unfamiliar sights.

Strangely, the stairs leading down bellow were barred shut by a thick grate.
Now and then, down below the stairs, pairs of golden eyes gleamed from
within the shadows. This ship was hiding secrets...

As the harpies marveled at the ship, a hatch creaked open at the ship's side,
and a tiny spider, dressed in a sailor's uniform, leaped out. It was followed
by a figure cloaked in shadow, a silhouette against the bright mountain
sunlight.

"Rejoice, Harpies!" the spider chirped. "I present to you: the Spider King."

The harpies gasped as the figure stepped into the light. He was a King, his
torso covered in shimmering scales, his cape flowing like a river of
darkness. His eyes, purple and deep, seemed to bore into their very hearts.

"A male!" they exclaimed, their voices filled inappropriate thirst. "Finally a
male!"

The harpies, their hearts pounding with excitement, surged forward, their
wings outstretched. But before they could reach him, the Harpy Boss
stepped between them, her wings blocking their path.

"Hey! He's mine," she declared, her voice firm. "Keep your feathers away."

The harpies, their desire for this male burning within them, ignored her
warning. Their eyes glowed crimson, their feathers puffing up with passion.

"Careful!" the Harpy Boss warned. "He can reflect our Charm!"

Just as the harpies were about to pounce, another spider, wielding a broom,
rushed out of the hatch. "No! Bad! No horny!" It shouted, its chirp filled
with authority.

The scene descended into chaos.

....

The cave was a spacious, echoing chamber, its walls adorned with strange,
bioluminescent fungi that cast a warm glow. The air was thick with the
scent of damp feathers and ancient stone.

The Spider King, a figure of imposing stature and regal bearing, sat upon a
crate. His eyes were fixed on an old bird, the Harpy Queen. Her feathers
were a tapestry of greys, many shades, perhaps all fifty. Her face, though
wrinkled with age, held a timeless beauty that bellied her years. The best
part was that with age came wisdom – this Harpy Queen no birdbrain.

She leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Spider King,"
she began, her voice a soft, melodic whisper, "thank you for your gifts. This
tomgrape, not only is it delicious, but it is also filling. Is it a magical fruit?"

The Spider King nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on her plummage. "Yes,
something like that."

"Then it must be expensive!" She leaned back, her feathers ruffling slightly
as she crossed her legs "A hundred crates... How will I ever repay your
kindness?"

"Think nothing of it," he shrugged, his expression dismissing her concerns.

"It's not that expensive, and it was a gift."

"Then we must give you a gift in return," she leaned forward again, her eyes
filled with determination. "And don't even think of refusing."

The Spider King hesitated for a moment, but only a moment. "Only if you
insist," he relented.

"I do," she said, switched her legs up again. "But it's too bad we harpies are
so unfortunate. Our village is poor. The only thing we can give is our...
service."

The Spider King raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "Service? Perhaps,
do you mean your eggs?" he asked with a smile of a merchant.
She replied with a sly smile, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "I was
thinking about something else," she spoke, her voice soft and seductive.
"How about I send you a few samples first? And I don't mean the eggs."

His swallowed audibly. "I can't! I mean, I would like the eggs, yes, egs only,
please," he replied, his tongue tripping but his tone firm. "Only a few eggs,
a good dozen, and we could call it even."

She chuckled softly, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Hmm... You drive
a hard bargain. Eggs? But you see, it has been a while since I've laid any.
Old age, you see."

The Spider King nodded in understanding. "I didn't mean to snatch the
Queen's eggs. Your average harpy eggs would suffice. Yes."

"Just HarpyEggs? It seems I have misunderstood," she replied, her wing

scraching her chin. "But even then, I don't think we have any at the
moment. But..."

"It's fine, don't worry about it," he waved a dismissive hand. "I understand
that the girls haven't been eating well, that's why."

She nodded sadly. "Yes, that's the reason, but..." she didn't get to finish.

"Don't worry about it," he interrupted her. "It seems I've asked something
inconsiderate. My apologies, forget I've asked."

"Hey, listen! Let me finish," she exclaimed, her wings suddenly becoming
animated. "But, if it's the eggs you want, then we'll give them to you. There
is a way, you see."

"There is?" he asked, this body leaning forward in expectation.

The Harpy Queen nodded vigorously. "Take a group of harpies with you.
They'll lay some for you. Problem solved!"

"..." he considered her proposal for a moment, his eyes filled with thought.
She continued, "You're a smart man, so I'll tell you this straight. We have
too many harpies. I was thinking of setting you up with some," she gave
him a myschevious grin. "Just take them; they are good girls, I assure you."

The Spider King hesitated, his mind racing with thoughts of the
implications of her offer.

"Listen," she said, her voice growing serious. "They would lay many eggs
for you. You want the eggs, don't you?"

The Spider King nodded slowly.

"Just take them," she urged. "I can even let you have your pick. Why are
you being so shy for?"

"I'm not being shy! I was just having an ethical dilemma," he replied, his
musings over. "Harpy Queen, you drive a hard bargain..." he paused, his
body taking a more relaxed pose. "I will take in your harpies!"

The Harpy Queen's eyes lit up with joy. In a flash of movement, she leaped
from her nest and planted a passionate kiss on the Spider King's cheek.

"The deal is now sealed; you can't back out of it!" she declared, her feathers
trembling with excitement.

"Is it how this works?" he chuckled softly.

"It is! What? Did you expect a handshake?" she chuckled back, stretching
out her wing. "As you can see, harpies don't have hands."

"Indeed you don't," he gave her a compassionate smile.

"Now let's head out and pick you some good harpies with wide hips. You
like your eggs big, don't you?" she beamed, her eyes sparkling with
mischief.

"No! I've said I like them as smart as possible!"

The Harpy Queen narrowed her eyes slightly. "Hmm... Do you want to
check them one by one? Ask some questions in private?"

"I wouldn't have time for that," he vaved it off with a wrist. I guess I'll have
to trust your judgment."

"I knew you're a smart man," she smiled triumphantly. "Go ahead, you can
leave this to me," she dismissed him with a playful flick of a wing.

...

The Harpy Queen watched the ship as it disappeared into the distance, a
tiny speck against the vast expanse of sky. She turned to the Harpy Boss,
who had landed nearby.

"Queen, I've brought that male," she tilted her head at a sharp angle. "Why
did ya let him go?"

"Oh, you chick of a harpy." The Harpy Queen rolled her eyes. "Did you
think your flock could snatch him?"

"Hey, of course no! I'm not featherbrained!" The chick of a harpy bristled.
"That's why I used my charms well. I've lured him here so that the entire
village could help."

The Harpy Queen shook her head. "Then you must have straw for brains,"
she replied with contempt. "Even a thousand harpies wouldn't be able to
snatch a male like him."

The strawbrained harpy's eyes widened in realisation. "Is he that strong?"

"Stronger than you can imagine," she replied, her voice filled with respect.

"!!!"

"Don't worry," the Harpy Queen said, her voice softening. "When your
feathers are young, you make mistakes." She looked in distance again, then
continued. "However, it was good you brought him here. Hey, look, we get
to wear this."
The Harpy Boss looked down at her tanktop, her expression one of
confusion. "Hey! You mean this? It's so uncomfortable," she tugged at it
with the corner of her wing. "Hey! The spiders are gone. It should be okay
to take it off."

"Cease your hey-peeping and think for a moment," the Harpy Queen
encouraged. "Why would he give us the colours of his house?"

"Hey? The colour of his house? You're telling me this cloth has a meaning?"
she tugged again, her brown eyes wide with disbelief.

The Harpy Queen clicked her tongue. "Was your head in your feathers the
entire time?" With her wing, she flicked the back of the head of that
birdbrain. "Didn't he call himself a King? Didn't his spiders wear the same
colors? Think, hey, think!"

"???" The Harpy Boss's eyes narrowed, her feathers still.

"Hey, do you get it? Hey?" The Harpy Queen asked, her voice filled with
concern for this featherbrained youth.

"I'm sorry, I don't," she shook her head. "Explain to me, please."

"Hmm... How do I explain it so that even you could understand..." the

Harpy Queen hesitated momentarily, then replied, her feathers filled with
finality. "Listen, we are now under a spider's wing."

The Harpy Boss's flapped in suprise. "Hey? As in under their care and
protection?"

"Finally you get it," the Harpy Queen replied, giving a satisfactied smile.
"Now fly out and catch yourself another stray male! You want to be harpy
Queen don't you?"

...

Inside the Galleon Whale, twelve harpies were perched neatly on a bench,
their feathers shimmering in the dim light. The Harpy Queen had kept her
promise; this bunch seemed smarter than the rest, or at least better behaved.
So far, they had been very obedient, making no trouble and speaking only
when addressed. Were they waiting for orders or something?

Either way, there was a small surprise. One of the harpies was unlike the
others. Her feathers were a vibrant green, a stark contrast to the muted
browns of her companions. She was a Forest Harpy, clearly a rare breed
native to the forests far from the mountains.

Curious, the Spider King asked, "How come you're so far from your true
habitat?"

The Forest Harpy panicked for a moment, her eyes darting to her mates as if
seeking help. "Me? Are ya speaking with me?" she stammered, her voice
filled with fear. "Oh, ya looking at me, of course ya speeking with me," she
fumbled, her words a jumble of excitement and confusion. "Ya're smart to
know that my home isn't the mountain."

The Spider King nodded. "No smarts needed, Identify skill thats all. But
why were you at the mountain? So far away from the forest?"

The Forest Harpy hesitated, her eyes filled with sadness. "Us Forest Harpies
can't return to our forest," she replied, her voice barely a whisper. "There's
trouble in our forest."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?" he asked, in a low and soothing voice.

The Forest Harpy moved her wings in panic as if realising something.

"Oops! The Queen told me not to make trouble for ya," she replied, her
wings failing. "I don't know if I should tell ya."

The Spider King put his hand on her shoulder in reassurance. "Please do,"
he said, his voice gentle. "I want to hear it."

The Forest Harpy hesitated for a moment, then calmed and began to speak,
"But, hey, it's a long story."

The Spider King smiled. "Go ahead, I want to hear it."

The Forest Harpy took a deep breath and began to speak. "Once upon a
time, the Harpy Village prospered inside the forest," she said. "And all was
well... until it wasn't."

A shiver ran down her feathers as she continued. "A serpent, big and mean,
moved into the forest. It claimed it as its territory. This monster saw us
harpies and our eggs as a convenient snack, raiding our village
periodically."

She continued, her gaze distant at the old memory. "Us harpies, being able
to fly, managed. But only barely, moving and rebuilding our village again
and again," she recalled with a sigh. "It was bad, but it was manageable."

She paused to still her quivering wing, she took another deep breath.
"However, one fateful day, things turned to worse. The monstrous serpent
found our village at night. It was hurt at that moment, blood oozing from a
gash at its side. But it was nothing to celebrate, perhaps because of ts
wounds, it came to us with ravenous hunger."

The Forest Harpy's eyes filled with horror as she continued. "The scouts
meant to warn the village were ambushed and swallowed whole," she said.
"The serpent found its way to the Queen's nest, devouring the Queen and all
of the eggs."

The Forest Harpy's voice almost broke as she continued. "Lucky few
escaped, but soon we realized that without a flock and a Queen to lead us,
we'd be doomed! And the forest was clearly no longer safe. So in our
desperation, we flew to the neighbor village, miles and miles away,
swearing to serve under a new Queen. And that's it," she finished.

"That's terrible..." the Spider King said, petting her head gently, his heart
ached for the Forest Harpy and her people. His other hand formed a fist.
"Would you like to avenge your village?"

"Huh?" she replied, her plummage puffing with disbelief.

The Spider King smiled. "If you know where it is, I could fly there and we
could blow this serpent up with my spidery might!"
"I... I do... But... But can ya realy do that? The serpent is super strong, ya
know," she replied, her voice returning to her.

"I can!" He grinned. "Let's do this Side Quest!" he exclaimed.

The Galleon Whale changed course yet again.

 156 – One Egg To Strike, The
Other To Love

The Galleon Whale glided over the lush forest, the trees dense and
towering. Spider stood at the helm, a spyglass clutched in its claws. Its eyes
scanned the verdant canopy, searching for a monstrous serpent.

"That must be it," the spider chirped, pointing a claw.

The spider indicated a patch within the forest where the trees had been
uprooted and bent to form a massive nest. Nestled in its heart was a colossal
monster. Its long, snake-like body was shielded by formidable, forest-green
scales. Its snake head was immense, its jaws capable of swallowing a harpy
in a single bite. It napped carelessly in the open, likely believing itself the
undisputed King of the Forest, or worse.

The Forest Harpy shuddered at the sight of the monster. "It's bigger than I
remember."

The Spider King shrugged. "It's not that impressive."

"Hey, how come? It even has a scary title, King of Monsters."

"Wait, what? Isn't that awfully close to Monster King?"

"Unforgivable!" the spider chirped angrily. "Ready the cannons! We'll blow
it up!"

"No, wait!" the Spider King stopped the running spider with a hand. "I'm
not so petty to be angry about its title. It's just a monster."

"Cancel the cannons!" the spider chirped.

"However, what it did to the harpies, I can't let it go. We'll be slaying it."

"Ready the cannons!" the spider chirped.

"But this revenge is for the Forest Harpies to claim. I don't want to take it
away from them."

"Cancel the cannons!"

"The harpy here will slay it. It is her right, no, her duty!" he patted the
feathered shoulder.

"Me? Hey, it can't be me!"

"Don't worry, I'll equip you well. It will be a piece of cake."

"Hey? A piece of what?"

"It's a figure of speech. Don't worry about it."

...

The ship hovered high above the nest. The Forest Harpy practiced laps
around it, while the other harpies cheered her on.

"Hey, you can do it!"

"Hey, it will be okay!"

"Hey, we believe in you!"

"Hey, I'm just shouting!"

The flight testing was complete. Her gear was as good as it would ever be.
Her equipment was light: aviator goggles and a sash. The goggles were
specially made, a magical device to enhance her vision. The sash was made
of light but durable leather, designed for item storage. She hovered in the
air, her wings flapping, gathering courage for what lay ahead.
The Spider King pointed down. "Stop worrying. Just take a good aim and
drop it."

"Hey, Spider King, I'll do my best! Here I go!"

She darted down towards the nest. In her foot, nested in her clawed fingers,
she held a round item: the Thorn Grenade. The grenade left her grasp, and
she flapped her wings to soar back up into the sky.

The grenade flew true, hitting the monster's long tail. It exploded upon
contact, showering it with nasty thorns. The thorns ricocheted off the thick
scales, doing no damage. But it was enough to wake the monster. The King
of Monsters stirred from its slumber, searching for the creature that dared to
offend it. Its emerald serpentine eyes scanned the treeline, its detection
skills activated, but it failed to find the brazen offender.

Back at the side of the ship, the harpy flapped her wings in panic. "Hey, it
didn't work!"

"Don't worry, we're just Item testing. Try the next one."

"But I'm scared! It's awake and angry!"

"Just keep your distance and it will be okay."

"Hey? Okay!"

The harpy darted down, Explosion Grenade in the claw of her foot. She
got close, but not too close. It was time to drop the grenade. Suddenly, the
King of Monsters looked up, its eyes locking onto the flying harpy. There
was rage within its merciless gaze.

"Eek!" she panicked, her wings flapping to carry her back towards the ship.
She fled but not before dropping a special charge.

The charge flew down like a stone, hitting the monster right between the
eyes. Alas, there was no explosion.
The harpy reached the ship again, her wings flapping frantically. The
grenade was still in the claw of her foot.

"Hey! I'm sorry! I got scared."

The Spider King looked down. The monster's head was slick with egg goo,
its expression enraged from the indignation the harpy had caused it.

"Haha, good thinking. Now it's Blinded. Quickly drop the grenade."

"Oh, right! Hey, here I go," she descended for a second attempt.

This time, there was an explosion that reverberated through the forest. The
harpy flew back to the ship, her feathers ruffled.

"Hey, it's still alive. And very, very angry!"

"Yes, you've Enraged it. Well done! Now test the rest of the grenades."

"Oh, okay!"

The Frost Grenade was dropped, freezing a good chunk of its scales.

"Keep going!" the Spider King encouraged.

The Fire Grenade soon followed, cracking the frozen scales.

"Hey, it's trying to flee."

"Why are you so surprised? Of course, it is. It has no ranged attacks and no
way to get you."

"Hey, you're right!"

"Don't let it escape. Use Sticky Grenade!"

The grenade was super effective, binding the monster to the trees and
arresting its movements.
"Hey, my grenade sash is empty. What do I do now?"

"Here, [Inventory], take it, but be careful when dropping it."

The harpy took a crystalline orb. She tilted her head, inspecting a vortex of
darkness swirling inside the crystal. She flinched back when a web of
purple lightning flashed inside all of a sudden.

"Hey, it looks different. What is it?"

"A prototype the Darkness Spider had developed, the Void Grenade."

"Alright! Hey, here I go!"

She darted to drop the charge. The grenade smashed on the head of the
serpent shamelessly titled as the King of Monsters. The crystal cracked,
unleashing the darkness and thunder within. Like a ravenous beast, the void
vortex ravaged the monster, its darkness dislodging the scales and ripping
off chunks of monster flesh.

The King of Monsters screamed in rage and defiance, but even those were
swallowed by the swirling void.

"Hey, it's dead. I've killed it!" she plunged towards the Spider King, her
wings enveloping him in a tight embrace. "Thank you! Hey, tankyou! Hey!"
she planted a kiss after a kiss.

"Hehe... No need to thank me. You did it yourself."

“But I want to thank you! *Smooch*, I think... *Smooch*, I think the

nightmares I was having. *Smooch* They will stop.”

“Hey, hey, hehehe... Hey, I have a wife stop it.” He spoke with all the harpy
heys.

"But hey, I want to thank you! All Forest Harpies owe you."

"Just lay me some good eggs, alright?"

"Oh!? Alright!"

With a final smooch, the harpy let him go, but not before giving a cryptic
wink.

...

Inside the royal cabin, the Spider King was enjoying a royal bath.

"Who would have thought that a bath inside the cabin would be such a
splendid addition?"

"Your wife, apparently. You can thank her."

"Gee, this truly feels amazing, so refreshing. Thank you, wife. You're the
best."

"I know I told you to thank her, I do, but now I feel like resting my hands
for some reason. Massage is over!"

"No, please don't. My shoulders are still tense."

"Then praise me too! This is my tank, my water, and my service. Maids

deserve their thanks just as much as wives do!"

"Well, if I must. Ahem... My dearest maid, I thank you with all my heart for
your unwavering diligence in cleansing the water, preparing my bath, and
especially your soothing massages which have brought me great comfort
and relaxation. You are indeed a treasure to me."

"Oh my! But why so formal all of a sudden?"

"Just keep those fingers working. I have more if you're interested."

"Oh? Go on then... my dearest King."

"Yes, that's the spot! Where was I? Oh right. My dearest maid, your
cleaning is impeccable, your bedmaking is a work of art, and your... ahem...
special service is most... refreshing. You have my deepest gratitude."
"Special service you say? How about here?"

"Hey, not there..."

A loud knock interrupted the playful scene unfolding in the bath.

"Who is it?"

The only reply was the sound of someone falling down and quickly running
away.

"That was odd. I should check it."

"Don't forget the towel. You don't want to... Well, I guess the spiders
wouldn't mind either way."

"Oh, you couldn't be more wrong. They absolutely would." He opened the
doors. "Huh? A gift basket? Where did they even get the basket?"

"Why are you so fixated on the basket? It's the contents that matter. Bring it
to the tank. I want to see what's inside. Let your maid check it for you. It's
my duty."

"I fear you might get it wet. I'll check it myself. Oh, I see. It's all filled with
feathers. Here, look, brown feathers."

"Must be from the harpies then. But is it all just feathers? It seems odd to
gift someone a basket full of feathers. And the basket is rather large. Are
you sure there's nothing else inside?"

"Positive. Hundred percent positive. Yup just all feathers. You know, the
harpies are a bit bird-brained, so let's not look down on their gift too much."

"I'm not looking down on them. King, careful, don't slip! The floor is..."

The Spider King slipped, his hand losing its grip on the basket. The basket
tumbled, its lid opening, spilling the feathers inside. However, there was
more than just the feathers.
"..."

"Eggs?! Fresh, steaming HarpyEggs!"

"..."

"You scoundrel of a King! What were you planning on doing with these
eggs?"

"Ouch, my butt hurts."

"Wrap your towel back on!!! And then answer my question."

"My intention was to eat them, of course."

"But they're harpy babies! You can't! I won't allow you!"

"Huh? But the eggs aren't Fertilized. The harpies just lay them every two or
three days. They're just like chickens, or well, close to."

"Chickens? I don't know what that means, but it sounds derogatory. Wait!
Don't distract me with strange words. Fertilized or not, how can you even
think of eating them?"

"But it's normal, isn't it? I've eaten stranger things... hmm, like that raw fish
you've insisted I'd eat."

"Raw fish is just normal food."

"For Mer maybe. Eggs are normal for me."

"Oh... Oh! I understand now. Too often, I forget about our racial
differences. I'm sorry for my previous outburst. That was unbecoming of a
maid. I promise to do better."

"Ah, it's fine. Misunderstandings happen."

"With you... Those happen way too often." She paused, her finger making a
swirl in the water. "Yet I feel I owe you an apology. Want to continue where
we finished?"

"..." He looked at the blushing maid, then at the scattered eggs, then at his
empty wrist. "Oh, look at the time. It's time for my dinner. I'll be taking
these and whipping something up for myself," he gathered the eggs quickly,
eleven of them.

"Hey, don't leave me floating here. I'm your maid. Let me cook for you.
Hey, are you listening? Take me with you! Hey, why are you leaving only
with a towel on? That's inappropriate! Hey?!"

"Hey-hey-hey, you sound like a harpy! The harpies are scared of the bubble
monster, it's bad for their egg productivity, that's why I'm leaving you here.
And it's not like you can cook. Mind you, eating food raw isn't cooking, and
I know you would ruin my precious eggs."

"You worried about that? If you want me to crawl after you, I will. Look!"

"..."

"I'm crawling. Look at my tail scraping the floor. The beautiful sapphire
scales getting damaged and chipped. Is that what you want? Your dearest
maid, your treasure, to crawl after you? Is this the kind of King you are?"

"Fine, I'll take you with me. But don't harass my harpies, and hands off my
eggs."

"Oh... Is that why you got so jumpy in the bath?"

"No comment, [Hydrokynesis]."

"Thank you for the lift!"

 157 – The Echoes Of Pleasure And
Rage

The Spider King was sitting at the table, his hand supporting his enlarged
stomach.

“This EnchantedBoar Bacon and HarpyEggs truly were splendid.”

The Mer Princess finished her last bite. “I still think you made a mistake for
not choosing grilled fish instead of bacon, but yes, the eggs were delicious.”

“Huh? Who eats eggs with fish, you weirdo.”

Yes, the Mer Princess, despite her previous protests, ended up eating the
eggs too. But let’s leave her hypocrisy aside.

Just so, she ignored the comment about beeing a wierdo and insted reached
for the used plates. “Give yours to me too. I’ll wash them.”

“Here you go.”

She put the plates and cutlery in her bubble, the cleansing water there
purified the dishes in no time.

“Wow! Quite an ability you have. You would make an excellent

dishwasher!

“Thank you! I do try to do my maid abilities to my best! Be it dishes or

clothes you can leave it to me.” She beemed him a sunny smile, taking the
comment as a praise.
Conveniently so, a nearby spider cleaner put a stack of plates into her
bubble, giving her a chirp of thanks and then scrambling away.
Begrudgingly, she washed the entire stack in mere seconds, stacking the
plates back on the table.

The Spider King chuckled seeing his maid to pout. “Job well done. Care for
a desert?”

She perked up at the question.

“I have something simple, but highly delicious. [Inventory],” he took out a

small jar. “It’s BlueHoney! And it tastes best then eaten with a finger,” he
scooped a generous blob and into his mouth it went. “Yum! ... Go ahead,
give it a try!"

She dipped the finger in, and then into her mouth it went.

“Yum, delicious!” she reached for more.

There was something captivating about watching a girl eat honey from her
finger. Or rather there was something about the way this maid chose to eat
it.

“Wow... You realy are enjoying it,” he swallowed the pooling saliva in his
mouth, there was alot for some reason.

“Mhm... But I shouldn’t be enjoying this alone. Let’s share it, here,” she
offered her honey covered finger.

Watching a girl eat honey was one thing, but eating it from her finger would
be an entirely different experience! He swallowed again, opening his mouth
open wide, his expectations high.

“Hey! Thanks!” the cheery voice belonged to the harpy. “Yum!” she
smacked her lips, licking off the honey.

“Hey!” the Mer Princess looked at her finger with shock. It was licked
clean.
“...” Watching a girl feed another girl, was also an experience.

“Hey! Hehe... You’ve said you’d share it. Why the sour expression? Hey,
why are you crying?”

“If you want honey, use your own fingers, you featherbrained harpy!” the
Mer protested, her eyes tearing.

“Hey! I can’t. I don’t have any.”

The Spider King nodded with simpathy and understanding. “Good point.
Let me help you, here.”

“Yum! Delicious!”

“Hey!” the maid exlaimed much like a harpy would.

Another harpy manifested near the table.

“Hey! What is this! I want it too!”

“It is yumy! Hey, King, Give her some!”

“Yum!”

“...” the maid was silently pouting.

More harpies manifested, surrounding the table.

“Me! Hey, me! ... Yum!”

“Now me! ... Yum!”

“Yum!”

There was something captivating about feeding harpies the honey. Eating
honey was a sweet experience, yes, but feeding it to harpies was even
sweeter. So much unexpected experience.
Then suddenly, “ Yum. Thanks!” the finger was licked off clean with a
chirp.

“Spider Navigator?” the Spider King looked at his finger, his expression
troubled. It didn’t feel the same with a spider. How odd... The experience
was not sweet.

“Yes!” The spider licked the spidery lips, or at least the equivalent of there
off.

“Why are you here?” he looked at the spider, his expression slightly
puzzled.

The Spider Navigator opened the spidery mouth, big and wide, but no
chirps escaped it. Instead the spider looked at the Spider King expectantly,
the four yellow eyes big and begging.

“Aren’t you cute. Here you go.”

“Yum! ... Spider King, we’ve reached our destination. The Dark Forest.”

“Oh? So quick? I didn’t even notice...”

“Yes! Get ready. Bye-bye.”

The navigator gave a spidery salute and scrambled away. The harpies too,
curious about where the journey took them, ran outside. Suddenly the mess
hall was rather empty.

“Spider King,” the Mer Princess opened her mouth wide, her sapphire eyes
big and expectant.

He showed her the empty jar of honey, it was all licked clean.

“This is so unfair...” she pouted again.

“Life is unfair,” he nodded like a sage. “Okay, let’s go outside,” he stood up

to leave the table.
“Ahem! Are you going out wearing just this?” she pointed at the bath towel
wrapped around his waist.

“Oh! Right...”

...

In the depths of the Dark Forest, hidden by crooked but giant trees, lay a
secret outpost. The Spidery Outpost was a base established for covert
operations within the Demon Realm.

The outpost served other purposes as well, such as exploring and

documenting the Dark Forest. It also traded with the Mer residing in the
Deep Lake. Additionally, it was a supply base for the Cream Cheese
Cavalry, the Centauri mercenary band. The latter was the very reason the
Spider King was here, or to be more precise, it was for their leader, the
Centauri Champion.

The Centauri Champion was undertaking her own Quest, something about
freeing her people and reclaiming the Centauri lands. However, she was
taking too long! Her, and her people’s, presence was sorely missed within
the Spider Kingdom, and the cheese storage was running dangerously low.
Unacceptable!

It was time for the Spider King to lend her a spidery hand.

The spidery force, consisting of mages and warriors, disembarked the flying
ship, leaving it to continue the supply runs. From here on, hidden by the
darkness of the night, they would travel by land. Their new destination was
the Ruins of the Centauri Castle.

Mounted atop his trusty steed, Warrior Leader Jr., the Spider King began his
adventure. The maid floated beside him in her bubble, and the harpies flew
ahead to scout.

They left the forest, skirted past the lake, and then emerged into expansive
meadows. The terrain was mostly grass, but some areas were flooded by
water, turning them into seasonal marshes.Despite the terrain, the spiders
traveled quickly, and at this pace, they would reach their destination by
daybreak.

The daybreak was near. The ruined castle was still distant, but its tower tops
were already visible.

Just then, the harpies returned with disturbing news. With distressed Heys!,
they reported an army, a siege, and Centauri barricaded inside the castle
ruins.

The news shocked the Spider King. He grabbed the nearest harpy and
asked, “Centauri? How are they faring?”

“Hey! Not good! I've seen... corpses..." the Forest Harpy lowered her head
in sorrow.

His precious girls were... some of them... were... Dead!

“Who, who is attacking them?” the Spider King demanded.

“Oni! It is the Oni, a race of warriors!” the Forest Harpy replied.

Whoever they were, they had done something unforgivable!

“They will pay! Spiders, attack!” the Spider King commanded.

...

For centuries the Oni were the neighbors to the Centauri, both races
competing for territory and dominance. The Centauri were winning for a
while, but that was until the Centauri lost badly to the advancing human
army; disappointing the Demon Lord and thus losing their honor.

Seeing the opportunity, the Oni attacked the weakened Centauri, raising
their castle, killing their steeds, and enslaving the rest. Much honor was
gained during that campaign, propelling the Oni as the best warriors within
the Demon Realm.
And yet, seemingly out of nowhere, a Centauri Champion appeared, a mare
previously thought dead. She attacked Oni camps, freed her people, and
amassed a huge slave army in a mere few months.

Imagine the dishonor, the shame the Oni were forced to bear. This couldn't
stand! The Oni would not lose the honor and the lands they'd won rightfully
by blood and sword. Thus they amassed a huge army in return, attacking the
Centauri Castle again. They hoped to deal a final decisive blow and end
the Centauri race for good.

They brought ten thousand warriors, wearing Heavy Samurai Armour and
armed with Curse Katanas. Two thousand archers, Yumi Longbows in
their hands. And no less than twenty siege machines.

With odds stacked against them, the slaves died in hordes in their futile
attempt to defend the castle. However, the walls remained stubborn,
refusing to crumble and let in the main force.

The Oni needed one more push, one more attack, to breach the cracked
gate. Soon the Centauri would cease to be.

A sound of a horn greeted the morning sun, no, it was a sound of warning
from Oni Ccouts. The Oni turned to look to the east, an unknown enemy
was approaching. They were coming shrouded in unnatural darkness, their
forms obfuscated and hard to see.

Quickly, the Oni turned their siege machines around, aiming for the
mysterious threat.

"Loose!" the Oni Engineer commanded.

An explosion resounded instead, knocking the Oni Engineer to the ground.

A siege machine was blown to splinters. One and then the next.

The archers spotted distant fliers in the sky; they aimed and shot their
arrows. The flyers were too high. The arrows never reached them.
More explosions resounded, shaking the archers. Some came with frost and
fire, others with slime or nasty thorns, but too few to make a serious dent in
their numbers.

The cloud of darkness was getting close, however, and that disturbed them
the most.

"Attack them! I shall lead the charge!" The Oni Commander shouted.

Bravely the Oni split their force, a third of it running towards the
approaching darkness. As they approached the veil of darkness, it thinned.
With shock and drenched in cold sweat, they looked at the horrors exposed.

Monsters... terrors from the darkest Oni nightmares... they were running
within the unnatural darkness. Their forms horrible and spidery. Six legs,
tipped in metal like sharp spears. Their chitin obsidian black. Atop it, armor
of nasty thorns and serrated spikes. In their hands axes glowing from many
enchantments, and shields just as spiky as their bodies. Four eyes, yellow
and radiating malice. But most importantly, they emitted that palpable aura,
a chill that ran down the Oni's spines and curdled their blood... Terror.

Their hearts wavered, but they charged nevertheless. If they died, they
would die with honor.

From behind the spidery stampede, orbs of purple light blinked into
existence. Soon the vision of the Oni was drowned in purple. Rain of purple
bolts struck them before they could strike the monsters. Nasty magic cut
through their armor, boring through twice enchanted lameral plates like
paper. Then gnawing at their skin, then flesh, getting inside their guts and
pulping their insided. This was Dark magic, ancient and arcane, the most
nasty of its kind. Like puppets with their strings cut, the first line of Oni
dropped before even reaching the monstrous spiders.

But there was a second line and then a third, a thousand samurai warriors
each. Craving vengeance, they finally clashed with the nightmarish spiders.
Striking at them with their thousand folded katanas, weapons able to cut
metal like dry bamboo.
Like thunder, like explosion, like shattered glass, that ear-piercing sound
echoed throughout the battlefield. The katanas they were so proud of
shattered like old pottery thrown at the wall. Impossible! But before they
could face the reality, they were plunged deeper into the nightmarish abyss,
the scene unfolding in front of them didn't align with what they thought was
real or possible. They were plunged into a living hell.

Disembodied heads, their eyes glazed with terror, rained down like hail of
stones. Limbs frozen in magical ice were shattered with a single blow, ice
shrapnel hitting the Oni behind. Screams of burning men echoed around,
hellish fire charred Oni alive. Others, struck by supernatural darkness,
simply withered to dust, their empty armour clanging to the ground.

The third line of Oni witnessed the incomprehensible horror. The screams
and cries pierced their ears. Crimson blood of their comrades rained on their
faces, blinding their eyes. Ash of Oni flesh burned their lungs, stealing their
breath away. Chunks of frozen meat clanged off their armour plates,
shattering the remnants of their resolve. They stood there Stunned, their
eyes vacantly looking at the approaching stampede of monsters. Their
minds struggled to comprehend what the hell just happened.

Minutes... minutes only passed. And yet, it was enough for the darkness to
claim a third of their army. The spiders chirped like one, a vicious
unrecognizable curse, full of vile and anger.A monster within monsters
jumped forward, leading the stampede. It was a spider unlike any other. It
was different. It was positively giant. It was like an unstoppable boulder, all
clad in black metal. It even had a rider. Another monster, a man, or rather a
King. His most prominent feature was the horn crown and the aura he
emitted. The aura of dread was similar to the Demon Lord's but many
times more powerful.

"Die! You all will Die!" The monstrous king cursed at them in perfect
Demonic.
158 – The Price of Oni Honour Is A
Steep One

The Oni watched the carnage unfold before them. Dread and horror froze
their blood. What had they ever done to deserve this?

Fighting wasn't an option. Running away didn't seem like it either.

However, there was one thing they could do, a slim thread of hope.

"Quickly, break the gate! We'll barricade ourselves inside!" the Oni Kaiser
commanded in desperation.

"But the Centauri? How about them?"

"We'll kill them! Now, break that gate!" the Oni Kaiser turned to look at the
sole Oni Shaman. "And you, erect the barrier and buy us time."

"It will be done!"

Their lives depended on this. The Oni Samurai jumped to man the Torii
Gate, its ram slamming against the gate, each hit a thunderous explosion.
The Oni Shaman slammed her staff into the ground, its golden rings
clanged like bells, shaking and warping the air around, forming a dome
barrier.

Oni outside the barrier slammed their fists against it, shouting desperately
to be let inside. Yet the barrier blocked their voices, their cries falling on
deaf ears.

"Back off! You're sapping my barrier!" the Oni Shaman roared at desperate
figures.
The Oni Kaiser furrowed his brow in anger. "What a disgraceful sight. You
are Samurai! Fight with honour, die with honour! [Rally]!" He gave them a
tiny bit of courage, just enough to at least turn and face the darkness.

And that darkness came to claim them all. Spiders charged to decimate
them, their unstoppable charge trampling the heavily armoured samurai like
they were straw ragdolls. The archers aimed and fired a cloud of arrows,
hitting both Oni and sliders alike. The men suffered under the friendly fire,
but the spider... it seemed they couldn't care any less.

A horned rider, his mount a giant spider, was like a whirlpool of death. Each
strike he struck was a life stolen. The spear in his hands glowed in ravenous
red, its shaft drenched in blood. Souls of the slain Oni manifested as
specters only to be sucked into the spear tip, ending up devoured. Soon the
spider rider earned a new name – Shikigami, the Death itself. Those who
saw him uttered that name before their deaths.

"Dark magic..." the Oni Shaman frowned. "Perhaps Soul magic, the vilest
of the sorts. Let's just hope he isn't a Necromancer," she muttered under
her nose. "Well, I can play this game too... Ready the sacrifices!"

The Oni dragged the slaves, pitiful girls bound in ropes and blinded with a
cloth sash. Attached to their foreheads was a long strip of paper, the paper
was marked in weird symbols brushed in black ink.

The Shikigami was working quickly, his spear engorging itself on souls. By
this point, the remaining samurai slumped on their knees, the will to fight
left their bodies, and so did their souls. Was it the sheer aura of dread that
killed them? Or was it something else? They simply ceased to live...

Either way, the spiderish monstrosities were left with their claws free. Their
anger was directed at the protective barrier.

"So it is time," the Oni Shaman gathered her resolve. "[Sacrifice]!" she
slammed her staff again, the golden rings clanged, sending visible
vibrations through the air.
The paper slip burned, burning the soul it was attached to. The pitiful girl
screamed in pain, years of life expiring in seconds, soon she turned into a
pile of salt, leaving only binding ropes behind.

The spent soul empowered the barrier, its life would keep it up for at least
an hour. Enough time to breach the gate, barricade themselves in the castle,
and then... well, they would think of something...

Spiders surrounded the barrier, they couldn't get past it, nor could their
attacks. Only the light of their eyes, the murderous glow of yellow, reached
the Oni inside. The murderous intent was so thick that it clung to the Oni's
skin like viscous slime.

"Breach it! Breach the gate already!" the Oni Kaiser raged at his men.

The spiders raised their axes high and struck the barrier in unison, their axes
straining against the impenetrable dome. Of course, their attacks were
futile; the barrier would never buckle that easily.

"Relax, we... we have... time," the Oni Shaman swallowed her own words.

As soon as the spiders struck the barrier a second time, it began to crack.
This was not supposed to happen! It should have lasted an hour, not a few
seconds.

"[Sacrifice]," she repaired the barrier with another soul.

Yet, it cracked again.

"[Sacrifice]," it didn't last. "[Sacrifice]... [Sacrifice]... [Sacrifice]!"

Whatever this darkness was, whatever these spiders were, they weren't
normal... The barrier was cracking and cracking quickly.

"Kaiser, you better be quick!" she warned him, only a few more slaves
remaining.

"This gate! There is something wrong with this cursed gate!" He ran to man
the Torii siege machine himself.
The Oni Shaman was standing in a field of ash and salt; she was out of
sacrifices.

"Samurai!!!" she shouted in desperation, her voice strained. "I need your
honour! I need your sacrifice. Give me your souls and save your Kaiser.
With your noble sacrifice, we can still do it!" This wasn't a command; she
was practically begging them.

"Do it! I command you, [Command]!!!" the Oni Kaiser gave her the
necessary support.

The barrier was painted in a web of cracks; unnatural darkness was seeping
through them already. With utmost urgency, with trembling hands, the Oni
Shaman glued the paper slips to the heads of the volunteers. Her only regret
was that she didn't have more paper slips, only another 24. Normally, this
would last her a day, but with the spiderish menace in sight...

"[Sacrifice]!!!" she slammed her rod, turning all twenty-four into pillars of
salt. "It's all up to you," she left the rest to the Oni Kaiser.

The protective dome thickened, shining in perfect golden light. The light
was bright, and the honourable Oni souls strong, so strong that it even
pushed the encroaching darkness away, forcing the spiders to recoil from
the blinding light.

Despite the small victory, the Oni Kaiser raged, "Gah! It refuses to break!
What is wrong with this gate?! Come, help me, lend me your magic!" he
demanded of the shaman.

She was there, surrounded by ashes, her form supported only by her staff.
"What do you want me to do? My magic is spent..." She trembled at the
sight of returning darkness.

"Useless wench!!!" he raged.

The Torii was hitting the gate, each strike an explosion, but even to this
moment, the gate simply refused to give.
The brilliant light dimmed, the dome began to crack, and eventually, it
shattered. Low fog of shadows, thick as miasma, descended upon the
surviving Oni, licking their ankles and freezing their toes.

Soon, the Oni were surrounded by an impenetrable veil of darkness. Evil

spiderish eyes glared murderously at them. The spiders stood still, content
at simply looking. But for how long?

A voice, shrill and unearthly, cut through the unnatural darkness. "Who Is
Responsible?!" it came from nowhere and everywhere, echoing within the
darkness.

A horned figure stepped out of the shadows. Everyone gasped at the sight;
this was the Shikigami, the Death itself.

"I will repeat, Who Is Responsible?!" the Shikigami pointed his soul-
devouring spear at them. "Tell me, and you might live."

The Oni Kaiser looked at the stubborn gate; there wasn't even a single crack
on it. Then, he looked at the Shikigami. Shame and indignation tugged at
his heart, so much dishonour, but soon all that turned to anger. No, not just
anger but bubbling and seething rage.

What even was this Shikigami? He never saw or heard about such a
creature; shikigami were merely stories to scare the children. And he was no
child! He was Oni, even better, the Oni Kaiser! He had years of experience
under his belt. He wore thrice-reinforced heavy samurai armour, each plate
plucked from a dragon, enchanted to the point that it was able to deflect all
elemental attacks.

And even better, in his hands, he held his companion, a blade made from
the best metal mined at the ancestral mountain, the metal folded no less
than a thousand times, then tempered under the sacred waterfall, and then
enchanted in an occult ritual turning it into a cursed demonic blade. Its
name was the Single-Kill True-Strike Heavenly-Cursed Thundering-
Water Dragon Claw-Style Naginata.
Even better, it was a naginata against a spear. In other words, the Oni Kaiser
had an overwhelming advantage.

Whipping himself into a Berserk rage, doubling his stats, he charged

towards the guaranteed victory.

"Rahh!!!"

"!!! ... ??? ... [Disintegrate]," the Shikigami uttered with an uninterested
flick of his wrists.

"..."

In an instant, the dragon-plated armour crumbled to dust. The many

enchantments were freed, spewing a shower of sparkling motes. Then the
Oni Kaiser's skin evaporated, and his flesh turned to ash. The bones fell to
the ground and simply crumbled to dust.

Alas, the Nodachi remained. Cursed weapons were immune to Dark

magic. Even better, it was still in the hands of the Oni Kaiser, but he no
longer was just an Oni. He was now a specter, a disembodied soul with a
single purpose – to reclaim his honour.

"Ha! I bet you didn't expect this!" The Oni Kaiser, now a Specter, activated
a plethora of skills, condensing them into one sure-kill-ultimate-attack.
"Now [Die]!!!" he charged.

The Shikigami simply scoffed, raising his spear ever so slightly.

"???" The Specter's face contorted into something unpleasant. "!!!" Before
he could finish his strike, his body was sucked inside the glowing spear.

Alas, the Nodachi continued moving, the blade flying towards the
Shikigami's exposed neck. It struck true, and then... The blade shattered like
a glass bubble under a boulder.

The Shikigami brushed the debris off his shoulder, his eyes were back on
the remaining Oni.
"Last time I ask, Who Is Responsible?!"

The Oni trembled under the unbearable dread. But no one spoke up. It was
either fear or perhaps honour that prevented them.

The Oni Shaman, buckled under the pressure, her legs turned to mush. This
creature here was no mere Shikigami, or even the Death itself; whatever he
was, he was many times worse.

The Oni Samurai might have hoped to die with honour so their souls could
be reincarnated into wealthy and happy lives. But they were all mistaken!
This monster here in front of them, this thing... it ate the souls it slayed.
Meaning there was no salvation in death, only hell in the Shikigami's spear,
or wherever the souls it devoured went.

To everyone's surprise, the Oni Shaman shouted, "He! He was the one
responsible!" she pointed at the pile of dirt. "He was our Oni Kaiser!"

The dread aura lessened in an instant.

"Oh... I see... Shame... I thought to make him suffer."

"... will... will you spare us?" she asked in a trembling voise. "At least spare
our souls."

The Oni just stood there trembling. With weapons still in their hands, they
were hoping for an answer. Honour or not, no one dared to attack this
embodiment of dread and death; no one was mad enough.

"It depends on what I see past the gate," the Shikigami walked towards it.
 159 – Cursed Weapons Of Mass
Destruction

The gate that refused to be breached.

The gate that had survived a thousand rams must be the gate of legends. It
was the guardian, the bastion protector, and the defender of all Centauri.

So why was it so special? It was rather simple: two things. First, it was
made by magnificent spiders. Second, it was made out of unbeatable
IronOak and unyielding Glem.

The Spider King looked at the gate. He knew that even he would struggle to
defeat it. Now, he needed it open, and opened quickly. Shouting and
knocking was one way to do it. But there was another way.

Whoever installed the gate made a slight mistake. You see, the Oni, with
their Torii machine, had rammed and slammed at the gate in feral abandon.
Meanwhile, the true solution was simple. Instead of a PUSH, it was a
PULL.

The Spider King grasped the large handle and then gave it a firm tug. The
gate strained, something creaked and something broke. And then, rather
obediently, it opened. Ah, it seemed it was latched by a broom from inside.
This was the thing that broke. Either way, the gate was open.

The Spider King rushed inside, seeking survivors. He didn't need to rush
far. Girls clad in dented armour met him, their faces hostile. A series of
lances were pointed at him. They were Centauri, but they weren't the girls
he recognised.
"Be careful! He doesn't look like Oni!" they warned each other.

"Monster, you shall not pass!" a lance was struck at his neck.

This wasn't the warm welcome he expected, but that didn't matter. In the
corner of his eye, he spied her, his Centauri Champion.

"[ShadowWalk]," he walked past the hostile strikes, reappearing right in

front of her. "Centauri," the word got stuck in his throat, "Centauri
Champion, what happened? Quickly take a potion!"

Her form was battered and bruised. Her lance was the only thing that kept
her still standing.

"Spider King?!" she looked at him as if she saw an illusion, unable to

believe her own eyes. "Is it really you?"

The Centauri defenders rushed to apprehend him.

"Lower your lances!" the Centauri Champion commanded with all the
authority she could still muster. "Don't you recognise who he is?"

With those words, spiders spilled out of the gate, dragging the Oni captives
behind. They were bound in webs, their expressions traumatised.

"Is he... Is he... The Spider King?" a nearby Centauri stuttered in

realisation.

The King in question pressed the healing potion into the Centauri
Champion's hands.

"No... The potion, I can't take it. It won't help..." she said so, the relief
obvious on her face, like a wave it washed down her body, making her
collapse on her knees.

The Spider King caught her in his hands. "But your injuries, they look dire.
And what do you mean it won't help?"
"It won't. The Oni, they..." she stopped abruptly, a star in her eye twinkled
for a brief second, her expression changing. "I'm too weak to... to drink the
potion..." she slumped into his hands.

The Centauri Champion closed her eyes, her lips parted ever so slightly.
She looked so weak and so helpless, a real damsel in distress.

"Say no more!" He uncorked the potion and quaffed half of it.

He knew exactly what he needed to do. Their lips connected in a life-saving

kiss, the potion being passed into her mouth. She drank it like her life
depended on it, with greedy gulps.

He broke the kiss, checking on her condition. There was no improvement.

Actually, she was now entirely limp in his hands, her body heavy and hot.
Oh right! He had administered only half of the potion. With urgency, he
forced the rest of it. Alas, her wounds still refused to heal.

She opened her eyes ever so slightly. She looked sleepy, she looked like a
maiden recently woken from a deep and vivid dream.

"More... I need more..." she spoke in a weak whisper. "Cough, cough..."

No! He won't lose her! Not here! Not in his hands! He retrieved another
potion, more potent this time.

"Centauri Champion, stay with me!" He pressed his lips to hers again,
passing the sweet-tasting potion.

Again, she drank it like her life depended on it.

"!!!" There was no improvement.

Actually, it seemed her condition was growing only worse. Her face was
flushed, and her breathing hot and ragged. Her legs were trembling, and her
arms were wrapped super tightly around his neck.

"Centauri Champion!!!" He administered yet another potion.

She drank it like her life depended on it.

"...more..." she begged as soon as he broke the kiss.

Someone tapped the Spider King's shoulder. He turned to look at the

interloper. It was a Centauri knight, her cheeks hot and purple for some
reason, her breaths hot. Her condition was similar to the Centauri
Champion's but perhaps not as severe. He looked around noticing that other
knights had similar expressions, their faces flushed red.

Were they affected too? Was there a curse ravaging the castle? Some
incurable sickness? It would make sense, after all, the castle was under
siege for some time.

Shyly, the Centauri knight spoke. "Oni, they use Curse Katanas. Wounds
inflicted by them can't be healed by scrolls or potions," she said matter-of-
factly.

"???" he was confused.

"Potions can't heal her," she reiterated.

Suddenly, the strength returned to the Centauri Champion. He could feel the
might of her grip on his neck and shoulders. It felt angry. Surprised, he
turned to look at her. She was glaring murderously at the Centauri knight.

"You are demoted!" she roared, the previous vocal weakness all but gone.

"But... But I... I understand," the knight bowed in apology.

The Spider King was still confused. "Centauri Champion, will you be
alright? I thought you were dying!"

She looked down, unable to meet his eyes. "I'm hurt but I'm not dying. And
yes, the potions are ineffective."

"Oh... But we must do something about your wounds!"

"Time will heal them. I'm mostly just exhausted... But... I feel like I would
heal in your hands quicker. Please don't let me go," her eyes met his, there
was an unspoken desire within them.

"I guess I don't mind," he held her tightly.

"It has been a long time, Spider King."

"Too long..." he felt his eyes begin to moisten.

"Are you crying?"

"No, my eyes just got sweaty all of a sudden."

"Oh you..."

...

Some wounds could heal only with the warmth of the bed and good rest.
Following her suggestion, the Spider King escorted the Centauri Champion
to her room. The room was spacious but barren of furniture. Instead of a
window, there was a hole of crumbled stone, the morning sun shining
through it. Through it, he could see the inside of the Centauri Castle, most
of it in ruins. Also, there was no bed in this room.

"Would you kindly help me with my armour?" she asked him, her legs and
arms stretched wide.

That's right, she had quite a few pieces on, and you can't rest with
something heavy like that. It was up to him to make her comfortable.

He unclasped the clasps on the equine half of her back. Heavy plates
dropped on the stone floor, threatening to crack it.

"This one too, please," she knocked at her chest plate.

Admittedly, dressing and undressing armour wasn't his forte, hence why he
reached for the clasps from her front.
"..." he couldn't quite reach it. He would need to get rather close.

"I don't mind, go ahead."

Well, if she didn't mind, neither did he. He ended up giving her an awkward
hug, her plate pressing against his chest. He didn't fiddle with the clasps for
too long. The chest piece was freed. Unwilling to make the previous
mistake and let it drop, he grabbed it by the sides. Something formidable
threatened to spill from behind it.

"Go ahead," she encouraged.

Feeling like a kid unboxing a gift, he pried the plate away. A bundle of joy
jumped at him with gratitude, puffing up happily at their freedom. And yet,
the gift he was looking forward to was under another wrapper, the armour
padding.

"Go ahead," she urged.

Belts and more clasps awaited. But those weren't a challenge either. Soon,
the padding, two pieces, one for the top and the other for the lower half,
were removed.

"Go ahead," she demanded.

"???"

All she had now was a thin cloth, much like a tight gown covering her skin.
It barely kept her modest. Where was there nowhere to go ahead! If he
removed that...

"Go ahead," she insisted, puffing out her chest.

Weapons of mass destruction bobbed at her vigorous insistence, so tight

was that cloth that it threatened to rip at any moment. She shouldn't be so
careless with her movements!

"..." And no, he couldn't go ahead. If he did, there would be no turning

back.
But also, this was the time he noticed many wounds across her body. They
were fresh battle scars, some still red with blood.

"It must have been hard for you. Fighting so fiercely for your people." He
spoke those lines with admiration.

Realising that the Spider King wouldn't go ahead, her shoulders slumped
ever so slightly, but her lips were smiling.

"It was... I thought I was done for, but my King Charming came just in the
nick of time and saved all of us."

He folded her armour padding and set it aside. "But Centauri Champion,
what were you thinking? Why didn't you ask the spiders for help?"

"This was my Quest, and my people. I wanted to save them with my own
power. That's why I insisted that the spiders don't interfere."

"But..." he didn't get to finish.

"But, I know now that it was a mistake. I knew it for quite a while yet
insisted on doing this on my own. And then... I almost got everyone killed. I
feel ashamed," she wrapped her hands around herself.

He took her shaking hands into his palms. "Don't feel ashamed. Mistakes
are there to learn from them. But you should have called the spiders if you
were struggling."

"Yes, I'm sorry. Pride stood in my way. I won't make this mistake ever
again."

"Just remember, you can always rely on me and my spiders. Just give a
word, any time. Don't struggle on your Quest alone!"

"Yes... In the end, it was you who saved me and my people again. For a
second, or was this a third time already?"

"Think nothing of it. I guess it's my duty after all."

"No, we'll be forever grateful. I'll be forever grateful... I would like to repay
you in some way," she fluttered her eyelashes. "You know... here we
are...the two of us... Do you have anything in mind?"

"No... not really. A simple thanks is enough."

"You say that, but I see your eyes and where they're looking. I see your
thirst, and I understand your desire. All you need to do is but ask," the
deadly weapons bobbed in temptation.

The Spider King cupped his chin, his expression thoughtful. "You drive a
hard bargain, Centauri Champion, so I find myself unable to refuse. But I
am a King, and for appearances sake, I must remain modest. Then, all I ask
is a small glass. One glass no more."

She beamed him a perfect smile. "Go ahead, it's self-service."

...

There was nothing better than a fresh glass of milk in the morning. It was
creamy, warm, and invigorating. The Centauri Champion was left to rest in
her room, on her face a smile full of satisfaction and gratitude.

By a knock of a spider, the Spider King was invited to the courtyard. Once
there, he was taken by surprise.

"Hail, the Spider King!" the Centauri thumped their hooves in unison.

There was a whole herd of them, a thousand maybe more, all standing in a
neat formation. These were fresh faces he hadn't seen before. And yet again,
fortunately or not, they were mostly women, girls equipped with formidable
weapons.

If he played his cards well, the Centauri Cheese shortage could be resolved
within days.
 160 – White Mushy-Mush Of
Powerty, The Demonic Grain

There in the courtyard, the Centauri girls looked at him with wide, starry
eyes. He didn't know what the Centauri Champion had told them, but they
clearly had very high expectations for him. They wanted a speech, and
disappointing them was not an option.

And the spiders were in for it as well. They had already decorated the
courtyard with the flags of the Spider Kingdom, and even built a stage for a
royal address.

A tiny spider messenger, draped in exquisite blue cloth robes, burned a

spidery scroll in its spidery claws, activating a Wind spell. It chirped with
all the authority and fanfare it could muster, its tiny voice becoming a roar
of a cannon.

"We present to you the Captain of the Galleon Whale; Rider of Warrior
Leader Jr; Slayer of the Oberon Worm; Master of Darkness; Owner of
Spider-Nom-Nomicon, the SoulWell and the Giant 'ENEMY' Spider. Ally
of the Ancestral Forest; Sovereign of NewHope, NewGarden, WyrmCity
and Spidery Outpost; King of Lamia, Kobolds, Draw, Dryads,
DemiRabbits, Corrupt and Fallen Humans, and of course us Spiders; ruler
of the Monster Realm, Chaos Realm and Spider Kingdom included; the
one, the only, the true, the undefeated, the legendary, the spidery Spider
King!!!"

Yeah... The announcement was too long and the titles too many, but from
the looks of it, the Centauri liked it. The girls were clapping their hands as
if their lives depended on it.
He stepped forward, giving them a politician's wave.

"Wow, what a lovely crowd. To think I would be welcomed so warmly. I

don't deserve it. Thank you, thank you."

The herd settled, eagerly waiting for his next words.

"My fellow Centauri, let me tell you, you have the greatest mares of all the
mares I know. The greatest! No one can match your speed, your courage,
and the quality of your milk. You are simply beautiful! And your lethal
weapons? Don't get me started on your lethal weapons. You are the envy of
every other creature!"

The mares in the crowd were blushing, while others stood proudly with
their chests puffed out.

"But folks, beauty aside, your beloved Centauri Castle, a symbol of your
pride and greatness, has fallen into ruin. It's a sad sight, a disgrace to your
heritage. But worry not, with the help of my spiders, we can restore it to its
former glory. Together, we can make Centauri Castle great again! And the
Oni will pay for it. We'll make them pay!"

Cheers and thumps of hooves erupted from the crowd.

"Remember, what was lost can be reclaimed. Your lands, your territories,
and your pride. We will take back what is rightfully ours. The Oni will
tremble at the sound of your hooves!"

More cheers.

"But first things first, we need to rebuild your economy. Your meadows are
the best in the land, perfect for growing the most delicious crops. Let's
make Centauri self-sufficient, the envy of the neighbouring kingdoms.
You'll be so strong, so prosperous, that even the dragons will want to do
business with you."

Even more cheers.

"And let's not forget about your unique talent, a gift from the gods
themselves. A talent that no other creature can match. What is it? It's your
milk! Your delicious, nutritious milk. Let's make Centauri the dairy capital
of the world! Milk, baby, milk!"

The Centauri were like “...”

“So, let's get to work, Centauri! Let's make Centauri great again! Let's make
history! Together, you and spiders, we can achieve anything. Believe me,
it's going to be tremendous!"

...

He had made promises and now he had to keep them. Oddly enough,
rebuilding the castle would be the easiest part; spiders were good at such
things. However, for the Centauri to truly prosper, they would need more
than just a castle.

That's why the Spider King was discussing this with the Centauri
Champion, the two of them at the dinner table.

She arrived for dinner dressed to the nines, wearing a familiar blue dress
embroidered with golden web patterns. It was a scandalous dress, with thin
fabric, a revealing cut, and a tight fit; her lethal weapons were practically on
display for everyone to see. Very... very intimidating.

Fearing total obliteration, the Spider King kept his eyes and hands busy by
taking notes in the notebook entrusted to him by his irreplaceable assistant.
She, the Drow Assistant, wasn't here, so he was taking notes for her.

"So we agree that the Centauri population will increase rapidly," he

scribbled a number in his notebook.

"With the Fertility Potion, yes. With the Fertility Potion+..." she gave him
a sultry smile he couldn't see. "... you can triple that number," she promised.

"No!!! The + variant is too dangerous!" he protested, crossing something

down.
"How come? Last time I checked with Lady Crimson, it was perfectly safe."
She retrieved a vial from her special holding space and placed it on the
notebook's page. "This is the one, isn't it? Should I be concerned?"

He noticed the vial was half empty. "Why do you have something so
dangerous?! No, forget I asked. It isn't dangerous for ladies, but for men...
You have very few stallions in your herd, I imagine they would struggle
with the demand. Potion+ would be a death sentence for them."

A hand took the half-empty vial and stored it securely. "Then you put it like
that... I understand," she whined shyly, her face turning red like hot coals,
but he was too preoccupied with the notebook to notice.

Wishing to steer the conversation back on track, the Spider King pressed
forward." Anyway, with the growing Centauri population, you'll need more
food. The castle is surrounded by lush meadows, so it would be easy to start
growing something."

"But we already are growing something."

"You are?" Taking his eyed away from the notebook, he looked at her in
surprise.

"Just wait for dinner to arrive, and then you'll see," she gave him a wink.

Speaking of the devil, a Servant Centauri, a girl he definitely recognized

from somewhere, galloped into the dining room. She had a sour and
somewhat defeated expression, carrying a large tray with a lid in her hands.
Presumably the dinner. She set the tray on the table, gave a curtsy bow, and
left without speaking a word.

"A knight I have demoted. Don't mind her," the Centauri Champion
neighed, her hand already on the lid. "Ta-da! We even included some white
meat. What do you think?"

He looked at the tray, his eyes inspecting the local food. There was a
selection of dishes. He picked up the first dish. It was a bowl filled with
some mush, white grains boiled to softness. Taking some, he chewed,
savoring the flavor... Or rather, the lack of it.

"Mushy and bland... I don't like it." He gave his honest opinion, scribbling
something in the notebook.

"No? Well, for flavor, you can add this. Here, just a few drops."

He dripped a few drops of the condiment onto the crumbly mush. The drops
were dark like the night, almost looking like poison. The pristine white was
tainted with black color, the black diluting into an ugly brown. Visually, the
dish that was 3 points dropped to 2 points. And the taste...

"OMG!" He looked at the Centauri, his hand trembling and eyes filled with
something hard to describe. "This is disgusting! So salty!"

"Huh? Really?" she tasted it. "No, I think it's alright. How about this one?"

"What is this? Mush triangles wrapped in leaves? I guess I'll try." He bit a
chunk of it. "Tastes like weeds and poverty. Or is it wet cardboard..."

"Huh!? I guess you need some meat in it. Hmm, how about this," she
pointed.

It was some random raw fish covered by mushy-mush and wrapped in yet
another weed. Following the Centauri Champion's direction, he dipped the
mush circle into the poison sauce and then it went into his mouth.

"Ohhhh!" he exclaimed.

"Is this it?! Finally!" she clapped her hands enthusiastically.

"No! This is dreadful, borderline inedible."

"Huh!!!"

"Who made this monstrosity, I demand to know!" He stood up, slapping his
palms on the table.
"Well... It was your maid, we entrusted Day Sapphire with these dishes
since she had the highest level in Cooking."

"Oh..." he sat right back down. "It makes sense why there is raw fish where
it doesn't belong. To be honest, none of these look appetising to me."

"No? How about this one? You must try this one."

He tried a few more dishes, but in the end, all of them tasted like mushy-
mush of poverty, wet cardboard, a white pile of nothingness, or a waste of
time and energy spiced with a zest of rancid weeds. Dreadful, absolutely
dreadful!

"I can't believe you were eating this." He scribbled something in the
notebook angrily. "I wouldn't wish it for my biggest enemy..." He put the lid
back onthe tray, sealing this disgrace forever.

"I really thought you would enjoy our local cuisine, but I guess our tastes
are just too different," she neighed.

"I guess so..." His disappointment was immeasurable, and his dinner was
ruined.

"However," she smiled, puffing her weapons proudly, "There is a dessert!

Something special just for you," she beamed him a perfect smile.

"Really!?" He stood up excitedly, looking all around.

"Yes!!! Fresh Cream CheeseCake! Made with love by yours truly. And
stop looking around, the cake is right here."

It was hard to describe or explain where she pulled it out, but she did. He
looked at the superior dessert with ever-increasing hunger.

"Go ahead," she encouraged.

Forsaking sticks, spoons, or forks, he ate with his bare hands! Like a
famished beast, he devoured the cake, taking greedy chunks of it. Within
seconds, the cake was demolished. The Spider King looked at his Centauri
Champion with teary eyes.

"Thank you! This was beyond delicious!!!"

"Oh? I have some leftover Cream Cheese in my room, if you're interested

that is?"

"Say no more! Let's go!!!"

...

Some time later.

The Spider King was walking around, his eyes fixed on the Oni captives.
Naturally, they were the ones who ruined the castle, so they would be the
ones who would fix it.

The Oni were clearing the rubble and sweeping the ground. Surprisingly,
they were very well-behaved, obedient even. They didn't groan or complain,
actually, they worked rather quickly. Or maybe there was no surprise at all,
after all, the spiders were there to set a good example.

But they did look poorly, as if afflicted by a terrible disease. Their faces
were pale, their hands trembling, their foreheads drenched in sweat.

The Spider King observed with worry. He couldn't allow a disease to break
out. The longer he was there, the more their condition worsened.

Suddenly, a vaguely familiar centauri, the girl he had definitely seen

somewhere before, slammed an oversized gong.

"Lunch time," she shouted.

Well, luckily the Spider King was spoiled by a certain centauri not so long
ago. He wasn't hungry. And the gong was for captives anyway. Oni captives
swarmed towards a gigantic pot, that familiar centauri was serving
something there. The Spider King approached the pot, curious about their
meal. Alas, it was that...
"Mushy-mush! How dreadful..." he frowned at the sight.
The gigantic pot was filled with that flavorless grain of poverty, boiled to a
consistency of mushy wet cardboard. This was a war crime! And likely the
reason why the Oni looked so pale.

"Don't feed them that!!!" he protested.

"But..." the centauri flailed her spoon in confusion.

"Are you trying to poison them?"

"What? No... But, this is..."

"Stop this torture at once. We've brought plenty of tomgrapes, give them
that. Spiders, help her!" he istructed.

The spiders mobilized to snatch the bowls straight out of the hands of the
Oni. Soon they were bestowed with a tomgrape each.

Unsurprisingly, the Oni looked at the tomgrapes with skepticism, some

even grumbled in dissatisfaction. Fools! They will learn the glory of the
tomgrape!

"Eat!" the Spider King commanded.

The Oni ate, their expressions going through all seven colors of the
rainbow. Some cried, some laughed, some dropped to their knees to pray to
some unknown deity.

The Spider King went back to the centauri by the pot.

"Am... Am I demoted again?" she whined with worry.

"Huh? No. I am here to dispose of this cursed food. [Disintegrate]," he

turned the white mushy-mush mush into dust.

"!!!" the centauri reacted with shock and horror.

"From now on, this demonic crop is forbidden, get rid of it."
"But..."

"No buts! Destroy it all! ... Oh, but perhaps it's a job too big for a single
centauri, sorry for that." He realized that he should delegate thid task
appropriately, so he turned around to address the spiders. "Spiders,
Disintegrate this evil crop, cleanse this castle of this evil affliction."

The centauri looked at the dust in her pot, her expression complicated.

"I will be definitely demoted for this... again..." she whined in a whisper.
 161 - The Dark Alchemy Of Death
And Rebirth

Then the Oni came to siege Centauri Castle, they came well-supplied.
Crates upon crates of food were in their possession; all were seized as
compensation during their defeat. However, it wasn’t just the food that the
spiders stripped from the Oni. That day they've lost so much more...

...

A spider donning the most magnificent robes walked with spidery swagger,
the robe black like the night and the swagger full of authority that only a
Dark Mage could muster. The Oni captives whispered to each other, eyes
widened in horror at the sight. The appearance of a mage was rare; the
appearance of a monster mage was unheard of.

The spider reached the warehouse, which was filled with bags upon bags of
food. The spider eyed the bags with scorn. A claw reached into a bag,
piercing it, spilling the white grains.

“Forbidden crop of poverty,” it chirped a gravelly chirp. “All must be

destroyed. [Disintegrate],” it chirprf, pointing a claw and turning an entire
pile of bags into dust.

The Oni watched in horror as their sacred grain was desecrated, an act most
vile. And yet all they could do was tremble at the might of sinister magic.

“[Disintegrate], [Disintegrate], [Disintegrate]...” the spider cursed and

spat, its chirps filled with anger.
None present understood the root of the spider’s fury, or why it was
destroying the sacred grains with such zeal. Bags of food, enough to feed an
army of ten thousand, were all turned to dust.

Madness beyond comprehension!

The Oni felt their sanity drain away...

...

Outside the castle, in the flooded fields, the Spider Warriors threaded the
shallow waters. Equipped with enchanted weapons, they reaped the grain
shoots like reapers of death. They weren’t harvesting; they were destroying.

The destruction was heralded with a chirpy tune, chirped by three warriors
and one apprentice.

Spider 1: “We strike the stalks, we tear them from their root,” Cute Little
Spider: “To rid the land. Of the cursed shoot!”

Spider 2: “Let no grain stand, let no seed fall,”

Cute Little Spider: “We’ll burn them down. We’ll crush them all!”

Spider 3: “This grain is a plague, a curse on the earth,”

Cute Little Spider: “Destroy it now. It has no worth!”

Spider 1: “With axes of ice, we freeze the land,”

Cute Little Spider: “To kill the crop. By the King’s command!”

Spider 2: “With flames we sear, the roots we scorch,”

Cute Little Spider: “Turning wrong to right. With our burning torch!”

Spider 3: “In windy strikes, the stalks we crack,”

Cute Little Spider: “The cursed crop. Will never come back!”

All Spiders: “We dance, we sing, with fury we destroy,”

Cute Little Spider: “To cleanse the land. Is our joy!”
Spider 1: “No more hunger, no more need,”
Cute Little Spider: “The King has spoken. And we heed!”

Spider 2: “The fields are gone, the land is bare,”

Cute Little Spider: “Now only. Dust and ashes there.”

Spider 3: “We’ve done the deed, the work is done,”

Cute Little Spider: “No evil grain. Beneath the sun!”

All Spiders: “We’ve danced. Sung. And destroyed,”

Cute Little Spider: “The grain of poverty. Forever. Gone!”

The song of the diligently working spiders reached inside the castle walls.
Its chirpy tune rang loud and clear, its echoes bouncing off the stone walls.

The Oni felt their sanity drain away...

...

The Oni were allowed a break, a short reprieve to rest and eat. And yet, as
surprising as it was, the spiders never ceased their work. The Oni, having
nothing better to do, observed the busy spiders.

In the courtyard of the castle, they engaged in something odd. Be it

fragments of broken armor or katana chips, all of these and more were
brought and stacked into large piles. The busy spiders sorted the discarded
items.

More spiders, of a different kind, crowded around the piles. In their claws,
they wielded strange tools, implements unfit for normal hands, clearly
magical devices. They crafted with such skill and precision that even the
master artificers would be jealous. They melted, welded, and milled the
scrap, making something new. Another pile, of bits and bobs, was made,
their true purpose yet unknown.

Other spiders grabbed the newly crafted pieces. Chirping a spidery tune,
they assembled the doodads, putting them together like perfectly fitting
puzzle pieces. Piece by piece, something strange was taking shape.
It was a metal effigy of monstrous proportions. It was a metal-clad
embodiment of nightmares. It had claws, graspers, blades, and mashers. If it
was vicious and nasty, you name it, and it had it. It stood as tall as a siege
tower, a machine made for destruction.

But why would the spiders make something so dreadful? The Oni didn’t
even dare to make a wild guess. All they could do was stand and watch as
the nightmare took shape.

And yet, it was just a hulking giant of inert machinery and scrap. Too big,
too heavy, too impractical to be moved around. Was it meant to stay here in
the courtyard, to terrorize and menace the Oni as they slaved away? To be a
reminder of their failed invasion?

All questions but no answers.

Oh, how much did the Oni hope that the metal effigy would stay inert. That
it has been assembled to remain an unmoving statue. They prayed and
hoped for the metal-clad nightmare to stay still.

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. The spiders stirred. No longer were they
bringing scrap to be sorted, no longer were they crafting alien puzzle
pieces, no longer were they tending to the metal giant. It was done. It was
completed. The spiders gathered around the metal-clad effigy, chirping and
dancing around it in a spidery frenzy.

A tiny spider, smaller than most, climbed on top of the giant. In its tiny
claws, it held a pebble, raising it high with an expression filled with joy and
pride. And it was no simple pebble—the tiny thing was brimming with
power, power of a sinister kind. The pebble was veiled in a shadow of night,
the darkness spreading outwards from the tiny claw it was held in. It
hummed and whispered something into the air, wisps of echoes that didn’t
quite form any words.

With another joyous chirp, the tiny spider slotted the pebble into the
premade socket. Then it jumped away from the metal-clad giant; the Effigy
Of Death And Destruction was now completed.
The hulking mountain of scrap and machinery jerked, its joints creaking.
Then it roared, the exhaust pipes on its back spitting purple fire. The Oni
watched with horror as this metal-clad monstrosity breathed its first life, the
breath coming as a torrid flame.

With another roar, it stirred. The bladed and clawed appendages were
apparently its legs. The metal groaned and creaked, but in the end, it stood
up on all six. It stretched its graspers and grinders, feelers and gnashers, all
limbs designed for some terrible purpose.

Alas, vaguely—very vaguely—the metal-clad giant resembled a spider.

After all, the spiders shaped the nightmare in their image.

The Effigy Of Death And Destruction roared again, its movements growing
more fluid. What did it want? Why was it so angry? Perhaps as a newborn,
it was hungry. Perhaps it was craving...death and destruction?

The Oni would run, but there was nowhere to run. They simply clutched
their heads and screamed. This nightmare was too terrible for the Oni
psyche.

The Oni felt their sanity drain away...

...

You have to count your blessings no matter how small—so she thought.

A certain centauri, a girl twice demoted, was mending the stones on the
castle walls. She was working there with the Oni; yes, her demotion was
that bad. But at least she wasn’t out in the field, or the battlefield, or
whatever it now was.

There, outside the castle walls, a metal-clad giant toiled in the fields. This
humble centauri girl couldn’t even begin to understand how or why it was
made, or what it actually was, but she did Inspect the vaguely spidery
contraption. Its name was the Fertilizer Combine Spider.
The Oni, however, had a different name for it. They called it the Metal-Clad
Effigy of Death and Destruction. A fitting name, perhaps, especially
considering what it was doing in the fields. As its name suggested, the
combine was fertilizing the fields, prepping them for the future crop. And
that would have been fine—if not for the fertilizer used.

You see, around the Centauri Castle, there had been a battle recently.
Casualties numbered in the thousands. Yes...

The combine spider, like its flesh brethren, worked diligently. It used its
graspers and claws, picking up the scattered remains like litter. The parcels
were brought to its maw, which was filled with spinning grinders. Flesh was
stripped from bone, everything going somewhere deep into its metallic
stomach.

But flesh and bones weren’t the only things it fed on. On a few rare
occasions, she had observed the combine spider venture back into the
castle, where it drank the water purified by the Mer maid and then ate the
abandoned dust in the warehouse. As odd as it was, in that order–water than
dust.

And what came in, had to come out, hence the "fertilizer" part of its name.
So yes, she was very happy she didn’t have to tread the fields. The spiders
there, however, didn’t seem to mind one bit. They mixed the soil with the
vaguely reddish paste of dust and flesh, chirping a melodic tune.

For some reason, she felt that the Oni's sanity was draining.

...

The Spider King was left to ponder a conundrum. The fields were almost
ready, but there was no crop to plant. He was pondering it all the way to the
first light of the midnight moon.

The preliminary candidate, the crop highly praised by Centauri and Mer
alike, was never an option. It was the Grain Of Poverty! He couldn’t allow
it! He wouldn’t! He tapped at the table, thinking of other options.
A glass of milk was placed on his office desk.

“You’re thinking too hard,” the Centauri Champion smiled at him. “Have a
drink and come to bed.”

He looked at the glass; the milk was still steaming. It was warm and
creamy, its fragrance carrying hints of clowers.

“AshenClower!!!” he exclaimed in realization.

“Spider King, where are you going? You haven’t finished your drink!”

He didn’t listen; he was running outside, toward the fields.

In her hurry to catch him, a small vial slipped from her hand. She hadn’t
corked it yet, and the last drops of the precious potion spilled on the floor.

“Butterfingers!” she cursed at the loss, too great to bear. But with the glass
still there, not all was lost. “I’ll make him drink it later,” she muttered,
galloping after him.

By the time she caught up to her King, his hand was already in the soil. A
purple flash of light made her avert her eyes for a moment. She blinked the
purple spot away, her gaze landing on a familiar plant.

“AshenClower? But it’s different; its flower is red. Why?”

“Don’t you like them? Isn’t this your favorite food?”

“It is. But I was asking, why is it red?”

“A random mutation, that’s all. It’s CrimsonClower now, nothing to worry

about. Care to give it a try?” He plucked a clover leaf and offered it to her.

“Yum! As delicious as ever!”

“Good! And the flowers will yield edible grains. Grains brimming with
flavor and prosperity, not blandness and poverty!”
“You seem excited.”

“I am! We have an entire field to seed, come help me.”

This wasn’t the seeding she had in mind for this midnight evening, but alas,
it had to do. It was the King’s command.

...

The Oni were waking at the sound of a gong, the hour early.

As strange as it was, while the day was filled with horrors, their night was
oddly peaceful. Few of them remembered a time they slept so well.

“What is this dust?” an Oni brushed something blue away from his eyes.

“Huh?”

“Blue powder?”

The others too noticed the presence of this mysterious substance.

Either way, the gong had rung; it was time to go back to mending the castle
walls. Once there, at the tall walls, by the gaps and cracks, they gasped in
shock.

“The fields?”

“Are these flowers?”

“What is this?”

Indeed, seemingly overnight, the castle was surrounded by a sea of crimson,

plants that were tall and wide, their flowers red. They grew in the soil where
their comrades rested. A bad omen if you asked them.

The Oni felt their sanity drain away...

 162 – Even If Your Life Depends
On It, Don't Do It

In the early morning, just outside the castle, the Spider King admired his
hard work. The once desolate fields now bloomed with crimson clover
blossoms.

“To think I've achieved this in just one night. Magic is amazing!” He wiped
a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

The Centauri Champion reached out to pluck a fresh blossom. “Yes, well
done, Spider King. I, no, all of us Centauri, appreciate this.” The blossom
went into her mouth, and she chewed it with great gusto.

“Well, you helped me, so no thanks needed. But, phew, I feel tired... Any
more and I’d have to dip into negative mana.”

She let out a deep breath, a snort only Centauri could make when excited.

“Tired, you say? Shall I carry you back to the castle?”

“Carry? Haha, like give me a princess carry? Or a piggyback ride? Haha,

no, I think I’ll manage.”

“But I insist! It’s the least I can do,” she said, kneeling beside him. “Come
on, hop on.”

“Haha, you can’t be serious.”

“Do I need to beg?”

“...”
“Okay, I’ll beg. My King would honor this humble mare by gracing her
with your...”

“Stop it! This is embarrassing... Fine, you can give me a ride.”

“I’m happy to be of service. Hop on.”

“Just don’t mention this to Warrior Leader Jr. It'll get jealous, you know.”
He mounted the Centauri Champion. “Hey, I’m not too big, am I?”

“My King, you’re of perfect size. Not too heavy, not too light.”

“I can’t believe I’m riding a Centauri...”

“Hold tight, here I go, [RelentlessCharge]!”

“No! Be gentle with me!” He'd never believed it would be him screaming
this line. “Slow down, take it easy! I’ll fall!”

She ignored him, galloping even faster. “I told you to hold tightly!”

“Then pardon me!” he said, hugging her tightly.

His hands embraced both the strength and softness of her lethal weapons.
That's just how it worked when riding a Centauri, unless there was a
harness or something—which would be even more improper.

She didn’t seem to mind one bit, happily galloping through the clover field.

“How is it? Am I quick enough? Should I go even faster?” She sounded

excited.

“Please don’t! I’ll fall!”

“Hold tighter, then!”

“I am!”

“Tighter! I’m going to go Faster!” And faster she went.

The Spider King clung on like his life depended on it.

“Hey, you’ve missed the castle gate,” he couldn’t help but notice.

“I’m taking the scenic route.”

“...”

“Am I faster than Warrior Leader Jr.?”

“Yes! Like five times! Please, slow down.”

“Exactly! I should be your royal mount, not it.”

“Denied!”

“Why?!”

“... No reason.”

“I’m going to go Faster!”

“No!”

“Are you holding tight?”

“Yes!”

“Hold Tighter! [SpeedBoost]!”

“Ahhh!!!”

And so he held on, as if his life truly depended on it.

...

Even the formidable Centauri Champion didn’t have endless Stamina,

hence she was forced to drop him by the castle gate eventually. The ride had
been... Fast. And despite all the shouting, it wasn’t unpleasant, it was quite
the opposite but he would never admit that. Whatever she had tried to
prove, she had proven it.

Hurriedly, before the jealous Warrior Leader Jr. could catch wind of this, he
dismounted.

“Thank you for the ride. It was AMAZING,” it was the Centauri Champion
who said it with a grin.

“Stop that, people will misunderstand!” he replied quickly.

Indeed, this mare was rather sweaty, her hair disheveled, and her attire a
mess. They had been gone for the entire night... just the two of them...

“Misunderstand what exactly?” she said, her smile mischievous.

Before he could answer, a spider messenger, a tiny fellow, tugged at the

hem of his trousers.

“Morning, King. You have a guest. In your office.”

“A guest?”

“Yes, the Oni Shaman. Please come.”

“Oh, her...” he muttered, following the spider.

“I’ll leave it to you. See you at the breakfast table, my Rider, my Spider
King,” the Centauri Champion said something unessesary, making sure the
other mares heard the extra title.

“If Warrior Leader Jr. comes after her, it’s her own fault. I’ve warned her,”
he muttered to himself.

As he followed the spider, thoughts of the Oni filled his mind. It was likely
they wanted to negotiate, but he had no intention of dealing with them.
Their crimes were too great to forget or forgive.
Still, perhaps—just perhaps—they had something to offer. If so, he was
curious.

With no particular expectations, he stepped into his office. There she was,
the Oni Shaman. It struck him that he had never gotten a proper look at her
before—the de facto leader of the Oni convicts.

She clearly belonged to one of the demonic races. Her skin was red, her
eyes yellow, and her horns, also red, protruded from her forehead. Her
white hair was tied back in a long ponytail. She was slim, with a delicate
physique, a stark contrast to the otherwise muscular Oni. But she was a
Shaman, after all.

Like from all of the convicts, the spiders had confiscated her clothes,
replacing them with a spider-woven Spidery Jumpsuit. The garb was a
marvel of spider ingenuity, extremely durable and nearly impossible to
stain.

For some reason, the top of her jumpsuit was undone, hanging loosely at
her waist. Her chest was there for all to see, but worry not, it was bound in
white bandages. Why bandages? Who knows? Who cares?

Despite her crimes, the spiders had made her feel welcome. They’d brought
her a plate of sliced tomgrape, and she even had something to drink.

Wait... this was his office. And the glass in her hand was his glass, the glass
containing white, creamy liquid. She was halfway through it.

“...” It was too late to stop her.

Their eyes met. The Oni Shaman quickly finished her drink, her expression
curious. He just hoped the milk the Centauri Champion had left yesterday
hadn’t spoiled—it would reflect poorly on spider hospitality.

Wiping the cream from her lips, the Oni Shaman spoke. “Greetings,
Shikigami, the Death itself,” she greeted respectfully.
He was aware of the moniker the Oni had given him, but he didn’t like it. “I
am the Spider King. That should be obvious.”

“Ah, of course. I beg your forgiveness, Spider King.” She bowed.

She tried to hide it, but he caught her lips moving and her eyes glowing in
that familiar light—clear signs of a silent Inspect skill. Then, her whole
body tensed, her back refusing to straighten. She remained frozen in the
bow.

“Should... shouldn’t it be... the Monster King?” she asked in a laboured

voice.

Yeah, the cat was out of the bag, but he didn’t care.

“So what if I am? You’ve heard of me?”

“No, I haven’t...” she squirmed. “But isn’t that awfully close to...” she
hesitated, “the almighty Demon Lord?”

“I don’t know about almighty, but perhaps it is. However, I doubt we’re
similar at all, and I don’t think we should be compared. Just call me the
Spider King.”

“Understood,” she straightened at last, something dangerous glinting in her

eyes.

“So, what is it you wanted to talk about?”

“...” She remained silent, simply staring at him.

“Go on, I won’t bite. Say what you need to say.”

She took a deep breath before speaking. “I know magic, soul magic. I have
spells that might interest you.”

Yes, he remembered that barrier, it was surprisingly tough. “Go on,” she
had his attention.
She stepped closer. “And I know more than a few of the Oni Shogun’s
secrets, things that might be of interest to you.”

“Oh?” he raised a brow, she had his interest.

She leaned in, her smile growing wider. “But I’m not going to tell you,” she
said slyly.

Of course she wasn’t, not unless he gave something to the Oni Convicts.

She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Yes, my lips will
remain sealed. The precious secrets are mine to keep. You’ll have to torture
me to get them out.”

Or, just make some concessions for her. Like special treatment or
something.

“Right, so what do you want in return?”

“Me?” She squirmed for some reason. “No, I’m telling you, I won’t sell my
secrets. You’ll have to torture them out of me.”

“Huh?”

“And t has to be you. You know I’m a Shaman, my resistances are high.
Only a being as strong as you would be able to break me.”

“Huh?!”

“Yes.” She leaned even closer, right up to his ear. “If you want my secrets...
you must... tor-tu-re me.”

“!!!” Why the heck was she purring like a cat into his ear?!

She leaned away, her dangerous eyes locking with his. “This is the only
way," she added, the glint in her eyes ever more dangerous.

“Right...”
This woman was Crazy! The war must have been too much for her. She
looked dangerously low on sanity, especially with that look she was giving
him.

“Now...” She looked at him expectantly. “What will it be? What sort of evil,
twisted torture do you have in mind? It better be something awful, or else
I’m not spilling my secrets.”

“Right...”

Yup, she was a total nutter. But... a strange thought, as insane as the Oni
was, still prickled his mind: Perhaps he could play along?

“You want my secrets, don’t you?” She squirmed expectantly.

“I have something in mind. A torture most evil, so bad it was prohibited. It’s
very bad. I strongly advise you to tell me your secrets now, or else you
might die.”

“My lips remain sealed.”

“Last warning. The technique I’m about to use is so terrible it was

forbidden even in the Spider Kingdom, which resides in the Dreaded
Place, a place beyond your worst nightmares. It’s just that bad. Last chance
to reconsider.”

“Do your worst... Spider King.”

She might be mad, but she will regret it anyway.

“I’ve warned you. [Inventory].” He retrieved a single item: a green feather

gifted to him by the Forest Harpy.

He wasn’t lying about this technique being forbidden in the Spider

Kingdom. The last time he did something similar to his mischievous wife,
she had wetted herself.

Now... how long would this crazed Oni Shaman last?

And no, he wasn’t angry that she'd drunk his milk!

...

It was already afternoon, and the Oni were as busy as ever repairing the
castle. The Oni Shaman, however, was hiding in the darkness of the cellar
that served as her room. She wasn’t imprisoned or anything like that. She
was there by her own free will.

She sobbed into her pillow, her tears salty and full of still-fresh
embarrassment. And how could she not cry? Her pride, her honour as the
Oni Shaman was all gone. She had cast it all aside so easily. And the worst
part? She did it of her own free will. No... she had even demanded for it.

“Bah-ah-ah...” she sobbed, her pillow soaking up her tears.

As strange as it was, when she met the Spider King and gazed upon his
purple eyes, in that most crucial moment, she lost her sanity for some
reason. Her darkest desires escaped the cage of her mental prison, and she
ended up spouting some wild nonsense...

“Bah-ah-ah... I’m so embarrassed...” she cried, her pillow getting awfully

soggy.

She didn’t know what was worse: wetting herself, telling all the secrets, or
secretly enjoying the entire thing...

“Bah-ah-ah... I am the worst...” she bawled, her pillow was now completely
drenched. “Look at me... making another wet mess. Bah-ah-ah.”

The only saving grace was that the embarrassment only hit her once she
returned to her room.

But hey, wasn’t this strange?

There, with him, she felt one way. She was like an unhinged demon, her
heart’s darkest desires were laid bare. And now, when she was alone, even
if still disturbed, she felt perfectly sane(???); none of that bubbly feeling in
her stomach was there anymore.
She felt one way in his presence, and another without him... What could all
of this possibly mean? For some reason, she wasn’t crying anymore.

“Could this mean that I am... I am in...” She couldn’t say it. “No, it couldn’t
be!”

The bubbly feeling was back, but not in her stomach—this time, it was in
her chest.
 163 – All Things That Jiggle Have
A Degree Of Lethal Charm

The sound of the gong called everyone for lunch. Oni, Centauri, Harpies,
and even spiders rushed to get their food. The Spider King was no
exception. The girls had promised him a dessert, though what exactly it
was, he didn’t know. All he knew was that he was really looking forward to
it.

Once he reached the dining room, the first thing he noticed was a metric
cube of something blue and gelatinous, weighing down the table and
jiggling ever so slightly. The second thing he noticed was his three special
girls: the Centauri Champion, the Mer Princess, and the Forest Harpy. They
stood by the table, fire burning in their eyes. They were playing a game
similar to rock-paper-scissors.

“River!” the Mer Princess played scissors.

“Mountain!” the Centauri Champion played rock.

“Wing!” the Forest Harpy played paper.

“No!”, “Not another tie!”, “Hey!”

Thus they played another match. And another. And another. One victory
was not enough, it seemed they were aiming for three points. But this game
was unfair; the Forest Harpy had no hands and could only play 'paper'. The
poor-poor harpy... The Spider King felt sorry for her. But perhaps he
shouldn’t have...

“Mountain.”, “Mountain.”, “Wing.”

“Hey-Hey! I won again!”

“This is unfair. I demand a rematch!”

“You’ve cheated! I demand a rematch!”

The other two glared at the harpy, clearly not too happy about losing. The
Spider King wanted to facepalm—how could they ever lose to a harpy? All
she could play was Wing!

“Hey, a win is a win. And, hey, he’s here!”

The three lined up in front of the giant jiggling dish. They stood tall and
proud, each bringing out their own special charm: lethal weapons were
propped up to heighten the danger, feathers were puffed to give extra
volume, and scales were glistening to steal his attention. The Spider King
was lost! He didn’t know where to look! He settled on the gelatinous cube,
its jelly trembling at his gaze. Gelatinous and bouncy, a metric cube of
food.

The three girls pointed their hands, or wings, towards the trembling dish.

“We present to you,” the Centauri Champion began, but didn’t finish.

The Mer Princess spoke next, “The Proof of Affection.”

“Hey! A dessert made with our...” The other two smiled bitterly, their eyes
on the Forest Harpy. “... ❤️Love ❤️,” the harpy sent him a kiss.

Everyone looked in surprise. The kiss was a material thing! Red lips
floating in the air, aiming for the innocence of the Spider King.

The Spider King, unfazed, caught the kiss and put it in his Inventory.

“Hey!” the harpy flapped in protest.

He ignored the harpy’s antics, his attention back on the trembling dish.
“You’ve made this? Wow! I am amazed!” He poked it with a finger, making
it sway and shake. Something was captivating, even charming, about the
movements it made. “Hmm... The Proof of Affection, is that so?”

The Mer Princess gave him a loving smile, “Yes, it’s made out of your
favourite ingredients.”

“Yes!” the harpy fluttered her wings. “I’ve laid the eggs... most of them.
But hey! Each is a bundle of ❤️Love ❤️.” The harpy sent another kiss,
and straight into Inventory it went. “Hey! Stop doing it!”

“And I,” the Centauri Champion boomed with pride, “I gave my milk,
every drop imbued with love... I mean Love. Huh? ❤️Love ❤️!” She tried
to send an air kiss, but it didn’t work.

“Hey! You’re doing it wrong. It’s ❤️Love ❤️!”

...Straight into Inventory. The other two gave a jealous glare, envious of
the harpy's skill.

“Wonderful!” he said, already looking forward to the dessert. “But, Day my

maid, what ingredient did you add? I hope it’s not fish.” He hoped with
fingers crossed.

“How dare you! No, it is something very special.”

“Special? What is it? Tell me.”

“I’m not telling, it’s a maiden’s secret.”

He looked at the other two. They smiled and shrugged.

“I see... Either way, it looks delicious.”

He cut a slice of the cube. To make one thing clear, it wasn’t jelly, it was
more like chilled custard, but blue in colour—solid and quite wobbly
nonetheless.

He tasted it, savouring the flavour. True to its name, it was filled with
affection. The union of CentauriMilk and HarpyEggs was a holy
matrimony of flavour. Sweet notes danced on his tongue, his mind filled
with pleasant emotions, and his heart with warmth. It had creamy hints of
bountiful clover fields, the rich freedom of the clear skies above, and the
sweet depth of a blue ocean.

“Wa-wo-we-wa,” was his very nice reaction.

He ate one bite after another, each tasting better than the last. But a whole
metric cube of dessert was far too much. And good things taste better when
shared. Alas, neither Spiders (tomgrapetarian) nor Centauri (vegetarian)
were very keen on such foods. So in the end he shared it with Oni Convicts.
The gesture was so welcome, and the dessert that good, that the fight broke
out...

...

At the calming reddish hues of the late evening, the Spider King sat at his
office desk, deep in thought. DriderEggs were nice, but HarpyEggs... they
were also nice. One was readily available, the other—not so much. With a
nice flock of Harpies, he could enjoy delightful desserts daily. As such, and
as always, life boiled down to food.

“And a King can’t go to battle on an empty stomach,” he reasoned with

himself.

Now, taking in the Harpies just for their eggs was a flimsy reason. There
were people, like his wife, who might misunderstand his good intentions.
After all, much like the Lamia, the Harpies were an all-female race. So he
had to think of other reasons besides their eggs.

“Well, they’re good scouts. We could use them to scout the Centauri
territory,” he thought of a better reason. “And the grenade tests went well.
They make for good Bombardiers.”

Yes, it was settled. He would take a nice flock of Harpies, where scouting
and bombing would serve as his excuse. But no matter how good an excuse
was, it was always wise to run it past trusted friends.
He found his maid, Day Sapphire, swimming in a large tank. A very, very
large tank. Good for her! However, she wasn’t swimming idly; she had a
job. Her task was to purify the water, her body infusing it with her essence.

A spider scuttled past him, carrying a pile of dirty dishes in its claws. It
simply dropped them into her tank and scuttled away. There was a mountain
of them at the tank's bottom. It seemed his maid was taking her dishwashing
duties rather seriously.

The Spider King pressed his palms and face against the crystal glass,
shouting into it to get her attention.

“Hey! We need to get more Harpies!” he opened, skipping any pleasantries

and going straight to the point.

The mer swam to the edge of the tank, her gaze suspicious. “Oh? To get
more eggs?”

“No... they are good for scouting. We need to secure the Centauri territory!”

“And also get more eggs, right?”

A spider climbed the steps towards the top of the tank, carrying a water jug
in its claws. It filled the jug but not before taking a delightful slurp directly
from the water. It clapped its mandibles with satisfaction and scuttled away.

“No...” the Spider King denied. “The Harpies proved effective as

bombardiers. That’s why! Thats my reason!”

“And also, you want the eggs?”

Another group of spiders dropped a load of Convict Jumpsuits into the

tank. The clothes spun in the water vortex the maid was regulating. Dirt and
grime separated, only to be further purified by her magic. She was doing a
splendid job!

“No...” He denied again, trying to ignore a little spider that was casually
swimming in her tank.
“Really? I saw the way you look at them... The way they lay their eggs!”
she accused, her eyes still suspicious.

“Huh! All lies! ... They’re just really great girls and would be perfect
additions to our forces.”

He watched as another group of spiders used spidery treads to fish out the
cleaned dishes and laundry.

“... And a perfect addition to your diner platter. No?” she asked, still
suspicious.

“Okay! I admit it... I want their eggs. They're very delicious!”

“Hmm... That’s a perfectly normal reason. And their eggs are delicious. You
should have said so from the beginning!”

“...”

“So when are we going? I’m tired of being the dishwasher.”

“And the laundry machine,” he added the unnessesary.

The Mer Princess, his maid, but also Dish-cum-Laundry machine, glared at
him, anger bubbling in her industrial-sized tank.

...

Just as the Spider King was about to leave for the Harpy Village, a
disturbance drew his attention.

A giant spider, a well-known legendary figure, was squaring off against a

Centauri, a mare renowned for the lethality of her weapons.

“The only mount fit for the Spider King is a spider! It’s only natural,” the
Spider Leader Jr. declared, its enormous body standing tall and proud.

“Nonsense! The Centauri are much quicker, and our backs are more
comfortable,” the Centauri Champion neighed with passion, her lethal
weapons swaying with resolve.

“I shall be his only mount! Just like the Warrior Leader before me! It is my
duty!”

“No! You are too big, too bulky! There is no elegance in your form. But I…
It’s as if my very body was made to carry him, to give our King a perfect
ride.”

“How dare you! I’m the most handsome of spiders, and that is a fact!
What’s so great about your frail, squishy body? You lack chitin, you lack
mandibles. How can you even think of being a royal mount if you lack the
necessary qualities? You simply can’t!”

“Frail? Squishy? You’re wrong! For the ride to be comfortable, it needs to

be soft and elegant!” She puffed her chest, her weapons swaying proudly.
“And, just so you know, he likes them a lot!”

“Don’t swing your lethal weapons at me! If it's a fight you want, you’ll get
one!”

“Finally, bring it on!”

“Then it’s a Duel!”

All the Spiders and Centauri gathered in the courtyard, each faction taking
its side. It was decided that the two would duel, with the Spider King as the
judge. This was not a race but a lance battle, a traditional Centauri method
for resolving conflicts.The goal: to inflict the most damage in ten hits.

On one side stood the Centauri Champion, clad in heavy full plate armour.
It was black, polished to a near-mirror finish, its glossy surface gleaming
despite its darkness. She held a long lance, glaring at her opponent from the
slit of her helmet.

Monster Race: Variant: Magic Affinity: 🐎

Centauri Champion None 🏇🐴🏇
🤠
HP:250/250 MP:50 STA:250

Active [RelentlessCharge], [Trample],

Perks [OverwhelmingForce]

Passive [SwiftHooves], [AgileManoeuvres],

Perks [LanceProficiency]

Resistances [DarkWeakness: Lesser]

On the other side stood the Warrior Leader Jr., also clad in heavy black
armour, so dark it seemed to swallow the very light. In its claws, it gripped
a long lance. From the slit of its spidery helmet, four yellow eyes burned
like violent suns.

Monster Race: Variant: Spider Magic Affinity: 🕷️🕷️🕷️

Primordial Warrior (Giant) None
🕷️👑 🕷️
HP:5000 MP:200 STA:1000 🕷️🕷️🕷️

[SLAM!], [Trample+], [Sweep+],

Active
[Regeneration], [EmpowerSpiders],
Perks
[BodyShield]

Passive [Giant], [GreaterStrength],

Perks [IntimidatingPresence], [Leader’sAura],
 [ObsidianArmour], [GreaterVitality],
[PerfectMount]

[DarkResistance: Greater],
[PhysicalResistance: Lesser],
Resistances
[FireWeakness: Medium], [LightWeakness:
Lesser]

The odds weren't in the Centauri Champions' favour, however, she stood
ready for the Duel. The gong rang out, Gong!, echoing across the
courtyard, signalling the start of the fight.

“[RelentlessCharge], [OverwhelmingForce]!” The Centauri Champion

charged with all her might, her lance aimed with deadly precision.

“[Charge]!” The spider rushed forward, though not as swift.

In seconds, they covered hundreds of strides. Contact! The air itself seemed
to explode under the sheer power of the collision. The two duelists now
stood hundreds of strides apart again.

The crowd watched in disbelief. The Centauri Champion had not only
evaded the spider’s lance, but she had also managed to strike a blow,
dealing a staggering -1HP to the Warrior Leader Jr. It was unprecedented!
The spider had taken damage! The Centauri erupted in triumphant cheers.

“1:0,” the Spider King announced, his voice echoing in the tense silence.

“Ha! First strike, Spider.” The Centauri Champion’s voice dripped with
pride. “I hope you weren’t planning to intimidate me with size alone.”

“A lucky blow, Centauri!” The spider growled, its mandibles clicking with
frustration. “Power isn’t always in the first hit.”
Gong! The gong rang out again, marking the start of the second clash. The
two combatants lunged forward, but the Centauri Champion was already a
blur of motion, her lance cutting through the air with lethal precision.
Another hit. Another point. The crowd roared as the spider's massive bulk
struggled to keep up, its counterattack missing wildly.

“Power?” the Centauri sneered. “You move like a boulder, clumsy and slow.
No King wants to ride a lumbering beast.”

“I am a fortress, Champion.” The spider's voice trembled with barely

controlled rage. “My strength is my shield.”

“But what good is a shield if you can’t even touch me?”

Gong! The gong rang once more, and the Centauri Champion moved with
an elegance that seemed almost effortless, her agile body manoeuvring
through the courtyard like a dancer. Her lance struck true yet again, a
testament to her lance proficiency, the sound of impact explosive and
decisive. The spider's counter? Slow, unwieldy, and far too late.

“Look at me!” the Centauri boasted, prancing in circles. “Elegant, swift. A

King deserves to ride in style, with grace and nobility. Can you even gallop,
Spider? Or do you just scuttle in the dirt?”

The Spider Leader Jr.'s chirp was filled with frustration. “I carry the weight
of armies. My steps shake the ground!”

“Yet you can’t even shake me! Your steps don't have my charming sway!”
she taunted.

Gong! The Centauri Champion moved with lethal precision, hitting her
mark with ease. The spider counterattacked slugishly, barely grazing her
armour.

“Do you know what it means to carry royalty? Comfort, Spider. Comfort!”
Her tone was booming, infused with pride. “My back is soft, my stride
smooth. No King wants to ride atop jagged spikes and hard chitin.”
The Spider Warrior snarled, its chirps defensive. “I am built for war! Kings
need power, not comfort!”

“A ride fit for a King requires both!”

Gong! Another point for the Centauri Champion. Her swift hoves make it
look effortless, while the Spider Warrior struggles to keep up.

“Speed, Spider! Speed! A quick rider is a deadly one. You’re slow and
cumbersome. If the King needs to flee, you’ll get him killed before you
even take a step.”

The spider bared its mandibles. “I am power incarnate! No one can break
through my defences!”

“You mistake bulk for strength. It’s not about how much you can carry but
how quickly you can act.”

Gong! The Centauri Champion circled the Warrior Leader Jr. like a
predator, striking her sixth blow. The Spider's lance wobbled, missing
entirely.

She stood proud, her lethality for all to see. “And then there’s this! The
sway of my weapons, especially when they are unbound by armour! A King
can ride into battle, and I will fight for him with lethal elegance. Can you do
that, Spider? Can your strikes, the sway of your weapons, grab everyone's
attention? Can you be the envy of the battle?"

Warrior Leader Jr. clasped the spidery mandibles, "My legs are many, my
claws are sharp. I can fight in many lethal ways!"

“Then why haven’t you hit me once? Where is your battle grace? Where is
your elegance? There is your lethal sway? You have none!"”

Gong! Her strike landed true, while the spider missed yet again. The
spidery warrior was faltering, its once intimidating presence dimming with
every missed strike.
"Your defence is falling, Spider. What if it was an enemy hitting our King?
A King needs someone who can protect him. Thus you need a way to
distract the opponent and make them miss. Just like I do with my
LethalSway!

“…” The Warrior Leather Jr. seethed in silence.

Gong! The Centauri Champion’s next blow is precise, flawless. The Spider
Warrior barely raised the lance in time, and missed once more.

"Spider, you think your size intimidates? No. What truly intimidates is
charm under pressure. Look at you—flailing, desperate. Our King
appreciates beauty and grace. He needs someone like me."

The spider chirped, growing desperate, "My size alone can strike Terror
into the hearts of any foe! What use do I have for soft and squishy charms
like yours?–None!"

"Fear is fleeting. No one wants to think of fear or remember it. But a perfect
charm… It remains in the memory forever. Fear wins battles, but charm
wins wars."

Gong! The ninth clash comes, and the Centauri lands yet another blow. The
Warriror Leader Jr. stumbles, the once-spidery stance starting to falter.

"Nine strikes, Spider. Nine! Still think you're the best mount? The
PerfectMount? You’re slow, cumbersome, charmless, and completely
outmatched."

"I am... power... I…"

"You’re losing." She cut him off. "A King needs a mount who doesn’t just
endure, but excels. I am that mount!"

Gong! The final gong. The Centauri Champion charged one last time. Her
strike was perfect, her lance drove home with a final, explosive blow. The
spider could barely lift its weapon, its entire body trembling under the
weight of defeat.
"Ten strikes, Spider." Her voice was triumphant "You never touched me. I
told you—you may be strong, but you lack grace, speed, and charm. The
King deserves more than brute strength. He deserves a perfect ride–graceful
and soft, speedy and precise, lethal and charming."

Warrior Leader Jr. bowed its head in defeat, "You... you are right. I cannot
match your elegance. I cannot match your speed or control. I don’t have
your lethal style. I see it now... the King deserves a mount like you."

The Centauri Champion stood tall, her chest swelling with pride. “Finally,
you understand! I am the one who will carry the King into his spidery
glory!”

The Spider King, bewildered, tallied the final score: “A perfect score,
10:0.”

The Duel was concluded.

The spider kneeled, the strength leaving its body. “It is my defeat... I am
unworthy.” Its body began to glow faintly, purple light radiating from its
chitin. “Take this... I don’t deserve it.”

“A PerfectMount?! I’ve obtained a PerfectMount!” the Centauri

Champion exclaimed, her voice full of surprise and triumph. She galloped
joyfully toward the Spider King, intent on celebrating in his embrace.

“!!!” the Spider King was almost knocked down by her lethal weapons.

The gathered crowd, both Spiders and Centauri alike, cheered. The duel was
exceptional! Despite all odds, despite her low stats, the Centauri Champion
claimed a perfect victory. Yes, she only dealt -10HP, but it was enough to
prove her point. She celebrated giddily, the tight embrace of her weapons
suffocating the Spider King.

However, not everyone took the defeat lightly.

The Warrior Leader Jr. slumped to the ground, its expression growing more
depressed with each passing second. “I’m unworthy to be a mount…” The
colour was draining from its obsidian armour, black turning to grey. “I have
failed my spidery ancestors…” Flakes of chitinous armour fell from its
body. “I might as well become dust…” The brilliant yellow of its eyes
dimmed.

“[ShadowStep]!" the Spider King escaped the lethal danger. "No!” A gentle
hand landed on the despondent chitin. “Warrior Leader Jr., you are still my
royal mount!” he spoke softly, his words sincere.

“But… but I lost…”

“You might not be perfect, but I will ride you nonetheless.”

“???” The colour slowly returned to its chitin.

“Spider King? But I won this?” the Centauri Champion interjected.

“I will ride one for battle, when I need intimidating power and near-
impenetrable defence. I will ride the other for lessure, when I need graceful
speed and lethal charm. I am the King, why can’t I have two royal mounts?
I can, and I will. Any objections?”

“Your wish is my command!” the spider perked up, its depression vanishing
as if it had never been there.

“Your wish is my command!” the Centauri Champion parroted, though her

chest deflated ever so slightly.

“Ah, but it would be unfair not to celebrate the victor. Centauri Champion,
you proved your might and resolve. You persevered through this near-
impossible challenge—no, you excelled. As long as it’s within my power, I
shall grant you one wish.”

The Centauri Champion’s chest swelled with joy. “What? Really?

Anything? Anything I want?”

“As long as it’s in my power,” the Spider King nodded.

“Finally! Finally, the day is here! My dream will come true.” She galloped
in a circle, her movements filled with mirth and joy.

“This is so unfair…” the Warrior Leader Jr. grumbled under its mandibles.

[ChaosBlessed activated]

“Hehehe!” The Centauri Champion laughed, her laugh a bit unsettling,

almost crazed. “It’s happening! It’s happening! Hehehe…” Her eyes began
to border on madness.

Suddenly, The Spider King felt a shiver of dread. He had a bad premonition
about this wish…
 164 – The Ride That United Them
Forever

A certain centaur stood in the courtyard. She had a delicate but athletic
figure, her coat and hair brushed to perfection, her skin cleansed and
perfumed. Her attire was a blend of light armour and a dress. There were
plates protecting her sides, pauldrons, and padding, but also delicate fabrics.
Cloth clung tightly to her upper body like a second skin, and a frilly skirt
swayed gently in the wind. The best name for her attire would be a battle
dress.

This mare stood in the courtyard, her presence strong and imposing. Her
whole body radiated an aura of lethal beauty. She was the most beautiful of
all the mares, her charms undeniable. She was also the strongest, her speed
and grace were unmatched. She was the Centaur Champion, a mare who
could only be ridden by a King.

“Go ahead, I’m all yours,” she bubbled, standing at the ready.

In one quick swoop, the Spider King mounted her.

“How is it? Are you comfortable?” she asked, adjusting her posture.

“Your back is surprisingly comfy.” He basked in the warm sensation

between his legs. Her shape was perfect, as if her body was made for the
sole purpose of riding. “But are you sure we should be doing this without a
saddle?”

“Yes, the saddle would spoil it. We’ll ride raw, just like nature intended.”

“Ah… but there are no stirrups or a bridle for me to hold on.”

“I didn’t know you were into that sort of thing…” she neighed softly,
blushing ever so lightly.

“I just need something to hold on to, that’s all,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Then, go ahead,” she encouraged.

“….”

“Go. Ahead,” she insisted.

“….”

“Better,” she gave a satisfied smile. “But hold tighter!”

Tighter he held, basking in the soft sensation in his palms. Her shape was
perfect, as if it was made for the sole purpose of holding on.

“Let’s start it slow this time,” he suggested, still slightly afraid of her speed.

“Good idea. Let’s enjoy this.” Her body moved, her gait slow.

Together, they moved toward the castle gate. A small escort of Centaurs and
spiders followed after them. The Centaur Champion picked up her pace,
going quicker. He couldn’t see it, but she wore a warm, sunny grin on her
face.

“When we’re like this, it’s almost like our bodies are connected. Don’t you
think?”

Indeed, he could feel her muscles moving, the warmth of her body, and
even her heartbeat.

“I agree. In battle, the rider and his mount are one.”

“I like this feeling,” she bubbled, her hand pressing his closer to the warmth
of her chest.
He felt her heart starting to beat faster. Was she nervous about something?
If so, that made two of them.

The stroll was casual, but they were out of the castle walls in no time at all.
Time flies when you enjoy it, right?

“Let’s go faster. Ready?” she asked, her neigh mischievous.

“Yes!” he pressed close to her, holding tight.

She galloped with grace, her body somehow not shaking much. But perhaps
it was a stable ride because he sat just right, he held just right, he also
helped her to stabilise. Either way, this was a soft and pleasant ride.

“My King, go ahead, lean into my back, make yourself comfortable. It will
be a while until we reach the Spidery Outpost.”

He did as she suggested, pressing close, resting his chin on her shoulder. By
now, he wasn’t just comfortable—he felt secure, protected from all stress
and worldly dangers. He realized that he trusted this mare, trusted her with
his life. As she galloped, cold gusts of wind brushed past him, but he didn’t
need to worry about the chill—this ride came with its own heating function.
It was very luxurious.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the Centaur Champion smiling.
"We've grown closer, haven't we?" she asked.

"I think we have."

"Do you think we could grow... even closer?" she asked with a hint of
hesitation.

"Why not? But can we even be closer than we are now?"

"Well, it's up to you..." she implied something deeper. "And then there's my
wish..."

"Ah yes, you haven't told me what you want. What is it?" He felt her heart
beating faster.
"I believe, a long time ago, you wished for something similar. And you have
it, but... not quite the real thing. I believe I could do better. So much better."
She took a deep breath, gathering her resolve. "My wish is to achieve the
Ultimate Cream Cheese! Please, allow me to gift it to you."

That was surprising! And it was so much like her. To put it simply, her wish
was to give him a special gift. This centaur was a very cute mare, no doubt
about it. So kind. Too kind! And he didn’t deserve her.

"Sure!" he readily agreed. "So, are you missing the Ingredients or

something like that?"

"Something like that..." she replied with a blush. "It's something only you
can provide."

"I'm glad to help!" he piped up in excitement. "What is it?"

"It's a cream, a very special type of cream..."

"Oh?"

"Yes... you know what I mean, don’t you?"

"I have no clue! What is it?"

"It’s a bit embarrassing to say..." she neighed shyly. "I can't... I can't say it."

"You have to say it! We must make that Ultimate Cream Cheese! I want
it!" He hugged her tight, as tight as he could.

"Well..." Her face flushed deep red. "It's not just the cream. The cream is
the easy part... It's... it's where you put it... and what happens after..."

"???" He wasn’t following at all. And it was unusual for her to be this
flustered.

"Stop teasing me... I know you know..."

"I’m confused. Just say it. Say what you need of me," he demanded,
holding on with authority.

"Ahh... I want you to ride me..." she neighed softly.

Well, that came out of nowhere. "..." He paused to think. "But I already
am."

She snorted, her breath hot. "... Not like this, you silly."

"???"

"For my wish to come true..." Her cheeks burned red, her chest tense.
"Spider King, please ride me through the night! Allow me to gift you the
Ultimate Cream Cheese!"

"!!!" He almost fell off. "What sort of cream cheese is that!?"

"The Ultimate kind! Something which can only be achieved when a mare is
expecting. So please, give me a foal, and I'll give you the best dessert ever!"

So, her real wish was… a foal. Why did she have to ask in such a
roundabout way? He pondered the craziness of it all and the chaotic mess
he had landed himself in. He should’ve known better than to accept her ride
through those crimson clover fields. Now, he had a crazy wish to grant.

Mistaking his silence for something else, she whinnied softly. “Is… is that a
no?” Her voice cracked, the corners of her eyes moistening.

“Sorry, that just took me by surprise,” he said, caught off guard by the
situation. He had made the declaration to grant her wish in front of
everyone, Centauri and Spiders alike. It would be very unkingly to back out
now. He just hadn’t expected this development. “A promise is a promise…
so it’s not exactly a no,” he added, surprising himself with his own words.

She galloped with more energy, her steps full of enthusiasm. “Then it’s a
YES!”
It was a complicated yes. True, the Centauri Champion was capable of
crafting sweet and near-unbeatable desserts. Her body was a bomb of
flavour—almost lethally so. The connoisseur in him screamed 'yes!', a big,
shameless 'YES!!!'. Truth be told, his heart desired the Ultimate Cream
Cheese, the forbidden dessert. However, there was still reality to contend
with. He might be a King, but he wasn’t free to do as he pleased. He’d need
to seek counsel, whether it be spidery or of the Lamia kind.

“I’ll have to make proper arrangements. Can you wait until then?” he asked,
hopeful for some time.

“Oh, you mean your wife? Don’t worry about her.”

“Huh!? What do you mean?” He nearly fell off again.

She grabbed his hands, pressing them back to her chest. “I sort of brushed
this past her. She said it was alright.”

“No way she said that!” And yet, he felt her heartbeat going steady, her
pulse – calm. She wasn’t lying.

“Yes, she did! We discussed this before I left for my Quest. Well, there
were conditions, of course.”

“Even with conditions... I don’t expect her to be this understanding,” he

slumped back into the warmth of her body.

“The Lamia Queen might be young, but she’s wise beyond her years—she
knows her husband well. You should give her more credit.”

“So… what are these conditions?”

“Right. It all makes sense if you think about it. I won’t be your wife, I
won’t even be your mistress. Not officially, anyway. My only duty is to
birth a foal—an heir to all Centauri, an ever-loyal vassal to the Spider
Kingdom. This would enshrine the Forever Alliance between the Centauri
and Spiders for ages to come. Such was her condition. A condition I gladly
agreed to.”
“This doesn’t sound like the Lamia Queen at all!” He couldn’t imagine his
mischievous wife plotting such things. Then again, she was a troublemaker.

“Hmm…” the Centauri Champion neighed softly. “The Spider Advisor

might or might not have whispered in her ear during our discussion. And, I
may or may not have given the advisor all the blue jelly the Centauri had
secretly stockpiled.” She admitted it quickly, as if it were of no
consequence.

Now things were making more sense. “But why now? Why haven’t I heard
of this?”

“There were other conditions. First, I had to liberate my people. Second, I

had to secure the Centauri Territory. I did need some help with the latter—
thank you for that. My Quest is now complete, and my reward… I mean,
my wish... is soon to be fulfilled, yes?”

It seemed life had aligned as it should. He’d be sure to give the Lamia
Queen more credit next time. But anyway, "Let's not rush into things. There
is a… natural order to all this.” Now it was he who blushed.

“I think the natural order is progressing just fine. You are riding me, after
all. Haha.”

“…”

“Aww, you're so cute when you're embarrassed! Are you excited for the
dessert worthy of a King, the Ultimate Cream Cheese?” The Centauri
Champion teased, her voice light and playful.

“…”

“Please look forward to it. I have great things planned.”

“…”

“Oh! And don’t worry about naming our foal. I already have the perfect
name.”
“What is it?”

“Hmm… It’s obvious. It’s the thing you like the most!”

“Which is?”

The bold and brazen Centauri Champion suddenly turned shy again. “…
you know. It’s the very thing we’ll be making.”

Something he liked the most… something they’d be making… If that were

the case, the foal might end up with a rather obscene name.

“Forbidden Dessert?” he guessed, trying to stay mild.

“No, silly! It’s Cream Cheese! That’s the name I’ve settled on a long time
ago.”

“Cream Cheese, huh? I do like it… But is this a boy’s or a girl’s name?”

“Obviously a boy’s,” she neighed, her confidence returning.

“And what if it’s a girl?” He hugged her closer, tighter. An embrace worthy
of a King.

“Nope. It’s gonna be a boy, a formidable stallion! Don’t ask me how, but I
just know it,” she neighed, her steps growing bolder with each leap.

“And what if… it’s a spider?”

“Huh!” She almost tripped. “Is that even possible?”

“Well, I am a Spider King, so anything’s possible.”

“…” Her gallop slowed, a serious look darkening her face. “A spider…
Half-Spider, half-Centauri…” She was clearly imagining some grotesque
abomination, her complexion paling.

“Hahaha,” he laughed, brushing it off. “Don’t take me seriously, I was only

joking. It’ll be a handsome stallion. I’m sure of it.”
“Oh! Hahaha! Yes!” The spring returned to her steps, light and full of
energy.

The Spider King couldn’t help but smile. Spider, Centauri, or a bizarre mix
of both—either way, he was surprisingly happy about this whole
development. Perhaps it had been buried deep in his heart all along, but for
quite some time now, he had yearned to grow closer to the Centauri
Champion. He was sure of that now, the throbbing heart in his chest was the
proof.

“I feel that from now on, we’ll grow much-much closer.” He leaned
forward, planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Oh my… careful now, or you’ll make me trip again.”

The Spidery Outpost was still a good distance away. Usually, long trips
weren’t enjoyable, but the Spider King didn’t mind this one at all. It was so
pleasant, so warm and soft—he didn’t even want to get off. It was as if the
Centauri Champion had been made for the sole purpose of being ridden.
Indeed, she was the PerfectMount. Perfect for him in every way.

The two—Spider King and Centauri Champion, rider and mount—felt

inseparable, united as one as they rode toward their shared destiny. It wasn’t
just about fulfilling a wish anymore. It was about their bond, one growing
ever stronger, sealed by something as simple yet significant as the Ultimate
Cream Cheese.

While they frolicked like a youthful couple, flirting at every given chance, a
certain spider glared from the shadows. Four yellow eyes glowed with
jealousy, but also with determination and resolve.

“I will not. Let my spot. Be stolen,” the spider chirped a whisper under its
mandibles. “I will excel. I will Evolve.”
 165 – The Lethal Allure Of
Restored Charms. Be Warry Of
This Harpy!!!

From the dense clouds, a ship of pure white IronOak emerged, gliding
silently through the mountain winds. Its hull, smooth and seamless,
shimmered like bone polished to a fine gleam, the unique wood seeming
both ancient and otherworldly. No sails adorned it; instead, spidery symbols
etched along its spine pulsed with a faint purple glow, propelling the ship
forward as if by sheer will. The ship moved as if weightless, floating like a
ghost over the rugged peaks.

The Harpy Village, perched precariously on the steep cliffs, was a collection
of airy nests carved within the mountain face. As the ship approached, the
wind carried the scent of mountain air, mingling with the faint hum of
magic emanating from the vessel. The ship hovered gracefully before
deploying its landing gear onto a stone landing pad carved into the
mountainside. A gust of wind lifted the feathers of the harpies, who watched
in awe, their eyes wide, as the ship settled like a dream descending from the
heavens.

From the flying ship, the Spider King descended in all his regal splendour.
His Spidery Robes of Magnificence flowed like liquid midnight, woven
with golden threads that shimmered with arcane power. Draped beneath
those robes, he wore the Vest of the Lamia Queen, a vest made from the
skin of some legendary formidable predator. The pure white scales glistened
like ice under the sun. Around his neck hung a necklace—a single blue
mermaid scale that hummed with unknown promise, no doubt a piece of
jewellery that could either charm even the most resilient of maidens; or
perhaps resist their charms.
Yet, it was not he alone that held the harpies' gaze, but the mighty creature
upon which he rode.

The Centauri Champion galloped forth, a sight as intimidating as it was

captivating. Her battle dress was a contradiction of form—armoured
pauldrons gleamed with deadly purpose, while a frilly skirt billowed around
her powerful frame, swaying with each confident stride. Concealed in her
attire, she carried a set of weapons of the most lethal kind, so formidable
and large that they could barely be contained. They swayed rhythmically
with her movements, inspiring the moderately equipped harpies to aspire
for more.

The harpies, perched on the rocky outcrops and suspended nests of their
mountain village, stared wide-eyed at this display of might. Though they
had seen the Spider King once before, they didn’t know he was in command
of such a formidable creature. The Centauri Champion’s presence was
something wholly new—a living weapon of grace and strength, a mare that
could only be ridden by one of true royalty.

Intimidation mixed with awe as the harpies' feathers ruffled in response.

Their sharp eyes followed every motion of the Centauri’s lethal sway, both
fear and admiration stirring within them. They could feel her power, the
coiled energy ready to strike at a moment’s notice, and yet there was an
undeniable beauty in the way she carried herself, in the pride with which
she served her King.

The harpies whispered among themselves, impressed but also inspired by

this union of spider and centauri, a perfect balance of grace, danger, and…
loyalty? Was this something they could ever replicate?

One of the Harpy Bosses, a familiar girl feathered in mature browns, glided
forward and joyfully extended an invitation.

“Hey! Spider King, fancy seeing you again! The Harpy Queen wanted to
see you. What a coincidence, hey! Come!” she said, her excited voice
echoing through the mountain.
The Spider King dismounted gracefully, landing with the quiet authority
that defined him. He turned to the Centauri Champion, resting a hand on her
armoured flank. "Wait for me here. I won’t be long."

The Centauri Champion gave a slight nod, her posture unwavering. "As you
command, my King."

With that, he followed the Harpy Boss deeper into the mountain's rocky
heart, where the Harpy Queen's cave awaited.

The cave opened before him, a grand cavern with jagged stone walls and
wide, natural windows carved out by wind and time, revealing a
breathtaking view of the horizon. But it was not the view that caught the
Spider King’s attention—it was the array of goods scattered across the
chamber.

Crates filled with spidery goods lined the cave’s interior, their contents
carefully arranged. Tucked among them were boxes of Tomgrapes, the
harpies' most cherished delicacy, their deep blue skins glistening in the dim
light. Rolls of finely woven BlueCloth sat in a neat pile, perfect for the
harpies' nests, their vibrant hue matching the sky beyond. Spidery Harpy
Tanktops, custom-fitted for harpy wings, were draped over the crates,
alongside delicate bone trinkets—earrings and necklaces, all painstakingly
crafted by the dexterous claws of spiders.

The Spider King narrowed his many eyes slightly in recognition. These
were the wares of one of his spidery merchants, carefully curated to appeal
to the harpies' tastes. The sight was unexpected but not unwelcome—a
small surprise in the midst of his visit.

The Spider King stepped further into the cave, the dim light casting
flickering shadows on the stone walls. It was the glow of spidery candles
that bathed the room, their blue wax melting slowly, while flames of
unnatural purple danced atop them, casting a strange, almost divine-like
light. The air felt thick, not just with the scent of goods and tomgrapes, but
with something far more intoxicating—a scent like the distant heat of a
desert, arid yet oddly sweet. It clung to the air, curling into his senses,
making him grip the ever-precious sapphire scale around his neck. The
necklace hummed gently, a subtle warning, reminding him of its power to
reflect charms. He wasn’t sure if he would need it here...

The Spider King spied deeper into the cave and past the many crates, and
there she was, the true surprise of his visit.

Gone was the aging Harpy Queen he remembered, with her once-dull grey
feathers and the tired creases of time etched on her face. Now, she stood
before him, radiating a vigour that shocked him to the core. Her feathers,
still coloured in all fifty shades of grey, now gleamed like polished silver,
catching the purple flame’s light and casting it back with a metallic sheen.
Her face was all but free of the wrinkles he once knew, leaving only the
faintest traces of age, now more a whisper than a mark. And her figure—
well, it was fuller, her bust boasting a newfound spring and volume. Her
presence dominated the room, not just through her appearance but in the air
she carried around her—enticing, alluring, irresistible. Dangerously
harpish!

Her dress, too, was unlike anything he’d seen before. It was spun from the
finest blue cloth the spider artisans had ever made, its design intricate and
elegant, a spidery web of patterns that clung to her form perfectly,
highlighting her new youth. The Spider King’s gaze drifted over her, from
the hem of the dress up to the sharp intelligence in her harpish eyes. He
swallowed, fingers tightening around his necklace, its cool surface
grounding him, holding him back from falling under the charm she seemed
to cast without even trying.

The Harpy Queen, who had been examining a crate of goods, turned, her
eyes widening slightly at the sight of him. Surprise lit her features, but it
wasn’t shock—it was something softer. Something warmer.

“Spider King,” she greeted, her voice carrying a lilt that hadn’t been there
before. It was brighter, lighter, as if her voice, too, had been rejuvenated.
“Hey! I didn’t expect you so soon!”

“And I did not expect to see you like this,” he replied, his voice steady but
his mind spinning. “You’ve… changed.”
She smiled, a hint of pride glinting in her gaze. “Hey, yes. I owe that to
your spiders.” She gestured around the cave, which was filled with crates of
goods. “They’ve brought wonders—candles, fabrics, trinkets. But none so
wonderful as KelpCream,” she said, running a taloned foot through her
rejuvenated feathers. “And the perfume… it’s like the desert winds. I can
hardly believe it. I don’t feel like an old Harpy Queen anymore. I feel
young again! Hey-Hey!”

The Spider King remained still, his hand subconsciously grazing the
necklace at his throat, his eyes taking in her transformation. It was
remarkable, and yet dangerous in its allure. She seemed almost too perfect,
too youthful. Was it the cream that had given her this glow, was it the
perfume that made her so enticing, or was it something else? Indeed, the
beauty products of the Spider Kingdom were rather… dangerous.

“And for that,” she continued, stepping closer, her feathers catching the
candlelight, making them sparkle like stars caught in the rippling surface of
a lake, “I owe you thanks. Your spider merchants have brought more than
just Beauty back to me—they’ve returned something I thought was lost
forever.” She paused, her eyes glimmering with an emotion he couldn’t
quite place. “Hey! I feel alive again!”

The Spider King’s lips curled into a smirk. “I see… My merchants have
been busy.”

“Oh, they have,” she said with a soft laugh, her eyes narrowing playfully.
“But their craftsmanship is beyond compare. Your spiders truly know how
to weave not only fabrics but… miracles.” She gestured to her dress,
running her talons along the spidery patterns sewn into the blue cloth. “This
dress, this beauty, this… youth. I owe it all to you and your people.”

Her gaze grew more intense, her amber eyes locking onto his as she stepped
even closer. “So tell me, Spider King, is there anything I can offer you in
return? Anything at all? No price is too great for what you’ve given me.
Name it, and it’s yours. Hey?”

His fingers pressed on the necklace, the special scale thrumming again, its
gentle hum a reminder of the protection it offered. The Harpy Queen’s
beauty was undeniable, but there was something deeper beneath her offer—
something more than gratitude. An invitation, perhaps? Or was it a
challenge?

The Spider King paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing in thought. The
Harpy Queen stood before him, her rejuvenated form calling to him
enticingly. There was a harpish hunger in her eyes, not just for gratitude, but
something more. He could sense it—the invitation behind her words. His
fingers brushed over the necklace again, he was so thankful for this charm-
resistant gift. Truly, his wife deserved more credit than he was giving her.
The shape of the scale felt reassuring in his hand, it gave him the strength to
engage in the delicate dance he now had to perform.

"I need no reward," he began, his voice even. Then, a thought flickered
through his mind, and his lips curled into a subtle smile. "Or perhaps, there
is something… after all."

The Harpy Queen’s eyes brightened immediately, her chest feathers puffing
with excitement. She stepped closer, her wings swaying with eagerness,
casting flickering shadows in the purple candlelight. “Oh?” Her voice was
feathery-soft, wrapping around him with anticipation. “And what is it, my
dear Spider King, that you desire? Name it, and it shall be yours.”

He kept his voice steady, though amusement tinged his tone. “Your harpies.
I want them—no, not just to borrow them as before. I want them entrusted
to me, their abilities, their natural talents. The Forest Harpy you lent me has
proven herself indispensable. Her ability as a bombardier, her grace in the
skies… truly unmatched. I could use more like her in the Spider Kingdom,
and perhaps even in Centauri Territory.” He leaned in slightly, lowering his
voice. “And the eggs they lay… their taste is beyond compare. Not to
mention all the desserts we can make out of them. A King needs desserts fit
for a King! So, I wish to extend our alliance. Entrust your harpies and their
HarpyEggs to me.”

For a moment, the Harpy Queen was silent. She blinked, absorbing the
Spider King’s words, and then her lips curved into a delighted, almost
mischievous smile. “Ah, the harpies and their eggs, you say? You flatter me,
Spider King. But of course, the harpies are yours. We are loyal to your
spidery cause, always have been.” She drew even closer now, so close that
he could feel the warmth radiating from her, mingling with the scent of the
desert perfume she wore—heady and tantalizing. “You want them… for
their special skills and their eggs, do you? Well, I’m sure we can arrange
that. In fact, I’m delighted by your request.”

She ran a corner of her wing delicately along one of the spidery patterns on
her blue dress, as if emphasizing the intricate connection between their two
peoples. “But I do have something more special in mind.” Her eyes
glimmered with that same playful mischief as she placed a wing on her hip,
tilting her head slightly. “Perhaps I could give you a… more personal gift.”

The Spider King raised a brow, intrigued but cautious. “Oh?”

Her wings shifted, feathers rustling like whispers in the silence of the cave.
“You see,” she continued, her voice lowering to a sultry, harpish purr, “my
nest has been empty for years. I thought my time had passed, that no more
eggs would come from me. But with these marvellous spidery gifts—the
cream, the perfumes, the potion, the beauty they’ve restored—well…” She
let the implication hang in the air with the feathers, her eyes gleaming. “It
seems my fertility has returned, Spider King. My nest can hold eggs again.”

There was no mistaking her offer now. The Harpy Queen’s gaze was
unwavering, full of both challenge and invitation. “And for you, I could lay
a special egg. Just one, a token of our bond…”

The Spider King exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of her words and the
tension that crackled in the air between them. He could sense the power of
her charm, her seduction carefully woven into her words and movements.
But he had anticipated this; that’s why, even if he was impressed, he wasn’t
exactly Charmed. More importantly, he had come here with a purpose, and
that purpose did not include complicating matters further.

Regret tinged his next words, but they were resolute. “Your offer is
generous, truly. But I must decline.” He smiled, the necklace humming
victoriously. “My interests lie in the alliance, in ensuring the prosperity of
our kingdoms. The usual HarpyEggs are a good gift enough, and all that I
would need for now.”
The Harpy Queen’s wings fluttered, her feathers rippling in a delicate wave
of regret. “Ahh, such a humble King,” she purred. “Very well then, no
super-one-of-a-kind special egg from me.” She gave a mock sigh, though
her smile remained playful. “Hey, but you know where to find me if you
change your mind.”

The Spider King chuckled, shaking his head lightly. “Indeed.”

The conversation turned back to practical matters. Together, they ironed out
the details of their new alliance. The harpies would scout the Centauri
Territory from now on, their sharp eyes and swift wings invaluable in
securing the borders. The Forest Harpies, at the request of the Forest Harpy
Boss, would be relocated to the jungle of the Spider Kingdom—a gesture of
thanks for the Spider King’s intervention in slaying a particularly vicious
snake-monster that had once terrorized their ancestral lands.

The Harpy Queen spoke animatedly, her mind sharp despite her playful
demeanour. Every now and then, her eyes would linger on him, as if
contemplating what might have been, but she made no further attempts to
sway him from his chosen path.

As the final details were agreed upon, the Spider King stood, his robes
swirling around him with the movement. The necklace hummed softly, but
he knew he had nothing to fear here—not from her charms, nor her allure.
Their alliance was stronger than ever, bound by mutual respect, trade, and
the promised loyalty of her harpies.

The Harpy Queen walked him to the entrance of her cave, her feathers
catching the light of the coming sunset. “You’ve done much for my
people,” she said softly, her voice warm and sincere. “We are in your debt,
Spider King.”

He inclined his head. “And I am in yours. Our alliance will continue to

grow, and our bonds get stronger. I’m sure of that.”

With that, the Spider King stepped out of the cave.

The Harpy Queen watched from the entrance of her cave, her expression
unreadable, but a hint of that playful mischief remained in her feathers. She
had offered him much today, and though he had declined her most personal
gift, their bond had deepened. The harpies would fly for him, and their
eggs… their eggs would grace his table. And if he ever wanted more, they
would be there for him. Always at the ready. She would make it her royal
order.
 166 – The Spidery Thread That
Webs Towards The Forbidden…
Ride?

The Spider King emerged from the Harpy Queen's cave into the cool
embrace of mountain air. His robe, adorned with the spidery patterns of his
kingdom, fluttered like living shadows in the breeze, tendrils of black and
gold against the vibrant sky. It was sunset—the hour of transformation
when the world seemed to burn with fading light, the mountainside bathed
in a sea of red and gold hues. Below, the rugged terrain sprawled out,
jagged rocks softened by the delicate glow of twilight, while above, the
heavens bled into darkness, streaks of pink and crimson clinging to the
horizon.

Yet for all the beauty the world offered him at that moment, it was not the
sunset, nor the mountain air, that captivated him. No, the most striking
vision before him was his Centauri Champion, standing tall and proud
among the crags.

She was a figure of deadly elegance, the polished black of her armour
gleaming under the dying light, each plate reflecting a flash of sunset fire.
Her body moved with the controlled grace of a noble mare, each subtle shift
of her muscles sending her lethal weapons swaying in harmony with the
rhythm of her breath. Her battle dress fit snugly, outlining her every curve,
but it was her hair that truly mesmerized him this time. Braided and
flowing, it danced in the mountain wind, strands occasionally catching the
light, turning them into ribbons of molten gold.

The Spider King’s chest tightened, his hands briefly clutching the necklace
at his neck, as if to ground himself in the moment, as if to protect himself
against her Charm. Alas, there was no magic involved, the necklace was
powerless infront of her natural charms. The feelings he felt were true.

The Centauri Champion hadn’t noticed him yet, distracted as she was, she
was neighing softly to another figure beside her.

His sharp eyes narrowed, inspecting the figure. A spider. Young, barely
more than a hatchling, its chitinous body still bearing the obsidian sheen of
youth. This was no soldier or assassin, no warrior to match the Centauri’s
might. Instead, it was a merchant—a travelling spider peddler. The same
spider, no doubt, that had delivered the endless crates of goods to the Harpy
Village, laden with dangerous wonders and secret delights. Yes, the fellow
was still little but it seems it wasn’t discouraged from climbing great
heights and achieving great things. Truly, the spiders were impressive
people.

The Spider King’s eyes drifted upwards, and he saw the Centauri
Champion’s hand—the one not propping her lethal weapons—grasping
something small and delicate. A vial, barely the length of a finger, filled
with a liquid that shimmered faintly in the dying light. His breath caught as
he recognized it: a potion, its contents undoubtedly questionable. She
clutched it with intent, her fingers brushing over its crystalline glass surface
before she deftly slipped it between the fabric of her battle dress, nestling it
deep within the crevice of her chest—hidden, yet so tantalizingly close.

The Spider King felt a rush of something—amusement, intrigue, perhaps

even a flicker of jealousy at the way she handled the potion, as if it were
some secret to be kept from him. His lips curved into a smirk. He knew of
the effects of the potion all too well. But was it intended for him or for her?
– that question still lingered.

She straightened, her battle dress rattling softly with the movement, and at
last, their gazes met.

The Centauri Champion’s eyes widened for the briefest of moments before
a flush crept up her neck, staining her cheeks a delicate pink that stood in
stark contrast to her hardened, lethal appearance. The blush was subtle, but
he noticed. Oh, he always noticed.
Her reaction was clear, though unspoken. She fancied him. Just as he
fancied her.

She flicked her braid back with a casual toss of her head, the strands of hair
catching the breeze again, whipping like the tail of a great beast ready to
strike. The motion sent her weapons swaying in tandem, a lethal, hypnotic
motion that matched the intensity of her gaze.

"Spider King," she addressed him, her voice low, tinged with respect but
layered with something deeper, something unspoken yet simmering
between them.

The young spider merchant, oblivious to the undercurrents of their

exchange, gave a quick spidery greeting—its tiny legs scurrying through the
rock in a clumsy, awkward dance. It seemed eager to depart now that its
transaction was complete, perhaps sensing it was no longer needed. With a
hurried bow, it scurried off into the shadows, disappearing among the rocks
to continue its business, likely to peddle more unstable, questionable
potions or some equally dangerous concoction.

Now, only the Spider King and the Centauri Champion remained, the
quietude of the mountain broken only by the occasional whistle of the wind
through the rocks and a random hey of harpies.

The Champion stood tall once more, her brow furrowed slightly, though the
faint blush still lingered on her cheeks. Her hand moved, fixing the position
of her lethal weapons, propping them up in a display of power and might—
an unconscious gesture of habit, or perhaps something more. Her eyes were
unreadable, though the tension between them was palpable.

"So," she asked, her voice stronger now, but still rich with the underlying
current of something unsaid, something personal. "How did the discussion
with the Harpy Queen go?"

Her question was casual, but there was something in the way she asked it—
her intense gaze never leaving his, her hand still resting near where the
potion had been stored, nestled safely between the cushions, close to her
heart. The slight tremble in her breath was infused with anticipation. And
her lips, though pressed into a neutral line, seemed on the verge of curling
into a frown, as if she dreaded the answer but still wanted to hear it from
him.

The Spider King considered his words carefully. He could see the flicker of
uncertainty behind her steady façade, the way she shifted her weight ever so
slightly, the way she moved her tail from side to side in poorly hidden
anxiety. She wanted to hear more than just the results of his negotiation
with the Harpy Queen. No, what she truly wanted was something unspoken,
the details of something that she thought he might have done.

The wind picked up again, causing his robe to billow out behind him,
tendrils of spidery thread mingling with the last rays of sunlight. He took a
step toward her, his boots crunching softly on the gravel beneath them, his
sharp eyes never leaving hers.

"The Harpy Queen," he began slowly, his voice as smooth and commanding
as the shadows he commanded, "was most... generous."

The Centauri Champion’s breath hitched ever so slightly, the blush

deepening as her gaze flicked down to his lips, then quickly back up. She
adjusted her stance, her armour rattling softly, as if bracing herself for what
he might say next.

“But worry not, haha, I refused her offer to make a special egg.” He
finished with a teasing smile.

Her posture relaxed. “Why would I be worried? It’s not like I would get
jealous or anything like that.” She walked up closer to him, leaning in for a
whisper. “After all, I’m your royal mount, the only one you shall ride deep
into the night. Now, hop on,” with a purr of a whisper she tapped behind her
back.

“Don’t mind if I do!” he mounted her in one swift motion, almost practised
to perfection.

The Centauri Champion walked slowly towards the Galleon Whale, her
hand resting close to the treasure tucked away at her special holding place.
The Spider King hugged her tighter, wrapping his arms around her chest.

Still curious he decided to ask. “I’ve seen what you’ve purchased. Do you
think it will work?”

Her step hitched, but only for a fraction of a second. “It will. I have no
doubt,” she spoke with resolve. “I will make the Ultimate Cream Cheese. I
mean… together we will.”

“Yes, together.”

The warm moment hung in the air between them, heavy with the unspoken
tension of desires soon to be fulfilled. The Spider King’s smirk deepened,
the cool mountain air around them crackling with the electric charge of
things that were soon to happen.

And with that, the sun finally dipped below the horizon, leaving them
walking towards the shadow-veiled entrance of the flying ship. The short
ride to the ship was over, but the true ride was yet to begin.

The Galleon Whale soared through the night sky, cutting through the
darkened clouds with silent grace, its white hull glowing in the cold light of
the luminescent moon. Inside the ship’s command deck, a nest of spidery
activity chittered. The webs glistened along the walls, catching the light of
the DarkFlame lanterns that illuminated the room in a soft, eerie glow. Six-
legged, four-eyed, figures skittered across the room, pulling levers, twisting
knobs, and manipulating complex webs of controls with nimble precision.
Their smooth motions reflected the natural dance of a well-woven web,
each movement practised to spidery perfection.

At the centre of the command deck, perched atop the throne of threads and
metal, sat the Spider Navigator. Unlike the other crew members, this spider
didn’t move with the frenetic energy of her(?) comrades. Her stillness,
however, was deceptive, masking the intricate web of thoughts spinning
inside her mind.
Her spidery uniform—a neat, blue garment adorned with gold embroidery
and web-like patterns—hung perfectly on her delicate frame, though she
couldn’t resist toying with the collar, her spindly fingers tracing the edges
as if seeking to make herself more comfortable in her own chitin. Her
mandibles twitched with a mixture of spidery anxiety and focus, her yellow
eyes glinting with unreadable thought. She was a spider, after all. While the
spiders had no gender, her mind was a tad bit unique. Different. Chaotic. It
was feminine. And today, rather troubled.

She fiddled with the brim of her sailor's hat, adjusting it atop her head, her
nervous habit betraying the tension she refused to acknowledge.

“Spiders don’t show weakness. Spiders don’t doubt.” she chirped softly to
herself, her melodic little voice barely above a whisper, as she tugged on the
edges of her uniform once more. The words, meant only to her, were
absorbed into the clicking and the magic humm of the command deck, but
also swept aside by the larger chaos brewing inside her mind.

To her right, in the corner of the command deck, a crystalline tank

shimmered, its walls reflecting the dancing lantern flame like a submerged
treasure. Inside, the Mer Princess floated in restless discontent. Her
sapphire scales glistened like jewels beneath the swirling water, each one
catching the low light and throwing it back in a cascade of shimmering
blues. Her long hair, blue and wet, fanned out around her, giving her the
appearance of some forgotten sea goddess, beautiful and mesmerising all at
once.

But that beauty was marred by the expression on her face—one of

frustration, her brow furrowed and lips curled into a slight pout. The water
in her tank swirled with her mood, reacting to her agitation, the currents
curling like angry eels around her slender fingers.

"I thought this trip would be exciting," the Mer Princess complained, her
voice muffled by the glass of the tank but still clear enough to carry her
discontent to the Spider Navigator. "Back at the castle, all I did was laundry,
dishes, and other mundane tasks. I’ve had no chance to dive deeper…
develop my bond with the Spider King. And here I thought this trip would
be my chance. An escape where I could tread the deeper waters…"
The Spider Navigator turned her head slightly, offering a nod of
acknowledgement. “I understand,” she chirped in support, her voice as
small and melodic as the web she spun in her mind, though her attention
was not entirely on the Mer Princess’s grievances. Her claws tapped
absently against the metal armrests of her spidery throne, twitching in their
own private rhythm. Her mind was elsewhere, tangled in a web of her own
concerns.

The Mer Princess, oblivious to the Navigator’s internal distraction,

continued venting. Her arms crossed over her chest, and her tail flicked
against the inside of the tank, sending another ripple through the water. “I
was sure that I’d at least share a cabin with the Spider King. After all, I’m
his personal maid, aren't I? But no, I was kicked out! How am I supposed to
perform my duties if he won’t even let me into his cabin?”

The Spider Navigator chirped another line of support, her mandibles

twitching slightly as if to express empathy. But her four eyes weren’t on the
Mer Princess at all. They were fixed on a distant point in the room, on the
flickering flame of the DarkFlame lantern, her mind drifting toward a
different set of problems. Her spidery claws tugged again at the cloth,
smoothing the hem of her uniform in a compulsive gesture.

The King’s orders had been… different. The destination of the Galleon
Whale wasn’t its usual stop at the Spidery Outpost. No, this time they were
headed toward the Centauri Castle. And that, for a spider of routine, had
spun a sticky web of doubt in her mind. But was this really that troubled her
so much?

No… There was something deeper, something far more disturbing weaving
its way through the recesses of her mind. Something she dared not speak
aloud. She knew what it was.

What if… spiders had a gender?

Her claws stilled for a moment, her mind caught in the trap of the stray
thought. It was a question that had lingered in the background of her
thoughts for so long now, but she had always pushed it away, too afraid to
face it. One notable exception aside, spiders had no gender, everyone knew
that. They were beyond such trivial distinctions. But her mind… her mind
was different. She felt it, deep within the web of her consciousness. Her
mind was feminine. She was sure of it, in the same way she was sure of her
skills as the ship’s navigator.

And yet, if spiders did have a gender… what would the Spider King prefer?

The question spun through her thoughts, tangling itself in every corner of
her mind. The Spider King was a mystery, his preferences and desires
unorthodox, wrapped in layers of shadowy webs and chaotic threads. She
had served him faithfully, spun his commands into action with precision,
but this? This was different.

She clicked her mandibles softly, an anxious sound barely audible above the
hum of the deck. Would he prefer a feminine mind? Would that even matter
to him? Or was she only projecting her own insecurities, her own desires,
onto him?

Her mind fluttered, caught between the spidery web of duty and the
confusing tangle of identity. What was she? A Navigator, yes, but beyond
that? She adjusted her hat again, the motion automatic, as if the act of
straightening her uniform might somehow straighten the chaotic mess
inside her.

Meanwhile, the Mer Princess’s frustrations boiled over, her tail thrashing
against the glass as her sapphire eyes darkened with bitterness. “…And then
he locks himself in the cabin with that Centauri Champion!” she huffed,
folding her arms even tighter across her chest. The water bubbled with her
irritation. “Allegedly, they are discussing some ultimate dessert. But if
that’s the case, why wasn’t I invited? I helped bake The Dream Come
True! I assisted with The Proof of Affection—which, mind you, jiggled
perfectly! But no. I’m just… excluded.”

The Spider Navigator gave another nod, another chirp of acknowledgement,

but her attention was barely there. The more the Mer Princess spoke, the
more her voice seemed to bubble out into the background, a distant hum
beneath the chaos in the Spider Navigator’s mind. She couldn’t focus—not
on the Mer Princess’s complaints, not on the task at hand, not on anything
except the gnawing, crawling anxiety within her.

Doubt wasn’t supposed to cling to her like this. Spiders didn’t doubt. They
acted. Decisively. Swiftly. But now… now she found herself Trapped,
caught in a web of her own making.

She needed to know. She needed to ask the Spider King directly. About the
course, yes, to dispel her professional doubts. But… deeper than that,
hidden within the thick strands of her consciousness, she needed to know
something far more personal. Something about herself.

The Mer Princess’s voice faded into the background, her pout still
prominent, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she swirled in her
tank. The water bubbled with her lingering annoyance, but the Spider
Navigator barely noticed. Her focus had shifted entirely to the task ahead.
She tapped a spidery finger on the control panel, setting the ship to a casual
autocruise. It would have to do for now.

Without so much as a glance toward the Mer Princess, still venting in her
corner, the Spider Navigator scurried from the command deck. Her many
legs tapped lightly against the ironoak floor as she made her way down the
corridor, her mind spinning with thoughts of duty, identity, and the… the
Spider King.

Behind her, the self-absorbed Mer Princess continued to pout and vent,
completely unaware that her audience had left.
 167 – The Concealed Weapon Of
Lethal Charm. Spidery
Magnificent!!!

The Spider Navigator, all six legs tapping with restless precision, skittered
down the hallway toward the King's cabin. Her spidery uniform—a crisp,
intricate web of spidery fabric spun for her—hung neatly on her slender
frame. It was an immaculate look, a testament to her diligence, yet she
couldn’t help but fidget with the collar. Normally, a uniform like this was
enough, but now, she felt like she ought to wear something else. Something
more… feminine.

There, by the King’s cabin door, stood Darkness, the shapeshifting slime.
Or rather, crouched. Darkness had taken on her human form, a lithe, rogue-
like figure adorned in tight black leather, her slimy body expertly imitating
the folds of buckles and belts as if they were armour. Her eyes—deep and
dark, like the void—were pressed close to the keyhole. She spied through it,
her form comically contorted as she leaned against the heavy ironoak doors.

The Spider Navigator approached, her spidery feet skittering at the floor,
though Darkness, lost in her observation, failed to notice her. "Hello,
Darkness," she chirped in a sweet spidery chirp, giving her a polite wave.

Darkness nearly jumped, spinning away from the keyhole with an

exaggerated yelp that sounded more like a certain wyrmling’s signature
phrase than anything else. "Meow! Spider Navigator!" she exclaimed,
quickly straightening herself and trying to regain her composure. Her body
wobbled slightly, the fluidity of her slime form betraying her nervousness.
The Spider Navigator tilted her head curiously. "What are you doing here,
Darkness?" Her spindly legs tapped quietly as she moved closer to the door.

Darkness, looking bummed out, pouted like a child caught in mischief.

"Meow... Well, I was put on guard duty. Kicked out, actually. The King is
busy inside." She tried to puff out her chest as if to show she was taking her
duty seriously, but her rogue-like stance, combined with the slight jiggle of
her slime form, made it hard to take her seriously.

"Guard duty?" The Spider Navigator chirped in thought, her mind weaving
through the current events. She tried to peer past Darkness toward the
keyhole, but it wasn’t her nature to pry—at least not yet. "I need to see the
Spider King. I have... important matters to discuss with him."

Darkness's expression was conflicted. Her rogue mask slipped slightly,

revealing the playful creature beneath. "No can do, meow! He’s in a very
important discussion, something about national security!" She leaned in
conspiratorially, eyes glinting. "…the making of the Ultimate Cream
Cheese."

The Spider Navigator chirped in acknowledgment, though her mind was

elsewhere. "Ah, of course. The Ultimate Cream Cheese." She nodded
thoughtfully, her spidery legs tapping a pattern on the floor. "I suppose that
sounds important." Her gaze shifted to the door. "But my matter is
important too. I will wait."

Darkness jiggled slightly, a complicated mix of amusement and

nervousness playing across her face. "Well... I guess that’s fine, meow," she
said, relaxing a bit and leaning back against the door. "But don’t expect it to
be quick. They’re... testing their weapons."

As they waited in silence, the occasional muffled sound seeped through the
heavy wood of the cabin door. It was impossible to ignore the voices inside.
The Spider King's deep, authoritative voice resonated, rich with excitement,
while the softer, yet strong voice of the Centauri Champion echoed back in
response.
“Centauri Champion, you have the most lethal of weapons. Have I told you
that?” came the Spider King's voice, brimming with enthusiasm.

"You’ve mentioned it more than once," the Centauri Champion replied, her
voice carrying the weight of a warrior who knew her worth. “Now, go
ahead!” she challenged him.

“Don’t mind if I do!” an excited voice boomed a reply.

Darkness flicked her head toward the door, her ear pressed close once
again. "Oh, meow... This is getting good," she whispered, her tone
suggestive, as if she were eavesdropping on something much more
salacious than a weapon test.

“Your weapons… they feel so good in my hands. Their just perfect!” The
Spider King exclaimed with delight.

“I’m happy to be of service. Now use your special technique,” The Centauri
Champion urged.

“Don’t mind if I do!”

The Spider Navigator’s curiosity piqued. "Weapons? Special techniques?"

She moved closer, tapping her legs softly as she positioned herself next to
Darkness. "What sort of weapons are they testing?"

Darkness gave a knowing nod. "It’s the Expert Milking Technique, meow!
The Spider King’s favorite."

The Spider Navigator chirped in understanding. She had heard of it before

—an ingenious method developed by the Spider King to extract BlueJelly
in vast quantities, a remarkable skill that had strengthened the Spider
Kingdom’s economy.

"Ah, the Expert Milking Technique..." The Spider Navigator mused, her
mind momentarily distracted from her anxieties. "But he’s found a way to
weaponize it?"

Darkness nodded with a smirk. "Seems like it, meow!"

“As expected of the Spider King!” she chirped feeling proud of her King.

Suddenly, the sounds from the cabin grew louder, as if the battle within had
reached its climax. Thuds, grunts, and the clang of shuffling hooves filled
the hallway as the Spider King and Centauri Champion duelled with
ferocious intensity.

The Spider Navigator pressed her ear closer, the thrill of the battle sending
shivers through her spindly legs. Darkness, equally enraptured, was now
fully focused on the keyhole, her body squishing slightly as she leaned into
the door.

"Our Spider King is a formidable fighter," the Spider Navigator chirped

with pride, her voice carrying the unmistakable air of admiration. She
tapped her legs softly in anticipation, her earlier anxieties fading as she
became engrossed in the scene unfolding on the other side of the door. At
least the sounds of it.

"Meow, you’re telling me!" Darkness whispered back, her face flushed with
excitement. Her slime body wobbled slightly, as though the mere thought of
the King’s prowess in battle was enough to unsettle her form.

Inside, the sounds of the duel intensified, and it was clear the Centauri
Champion was being pushed to her limits. Her heavy breathing and the
sharp slaps of her weapons against the Spider King’s techniques
reverberated through the door.

"Spider King..." the Centauri Champion’s voice was strained, but there was
an undeniable challenge in her tone. "Isn’t it time you showed me... your
spear?"

The Spider Navigator blinked, her spidery mind weaving together the
significance of that request. Of course, the Devouring Spear, the King’s
signature weapon. Her curiosity grew tenfold, eager to hear how the King
would respond.

There was a brief silence, punctuated by the sound of rustling, perhaps the
King retrieving his legendary weapon from his Inventory.
Darkness, her eye still glued to the keyhole, jiggled with anticipation.

"..."

"???"

The silence that followed the shuffling and creaks inside felt dense, almost
uncomfortable. Even with all of her legs grounded, the Spider Navigator
found herself fidgeting, uncertain. The King's voice boomed once more,
cutting through the tension like a knife through silk.

"Centauri Champion!" The Spider King’s voice carried a certain regal

strength. "A Human can’t be measured by Centauri standards, but I am no
mere man. Observe! Transformation: Spider!!!"

A delighted clap echoed from within the room, followed by the overjoyed
voice of the Centauri Champion. "Ohhh!"

"This is only the beginning!" The Spider King continued, his voice
brimming with the pride of his transformation.

"OHHH!!!" The Centauri Champion’s excited neighs followed, and the

distinct sound of hooves clattered wildly against the wooden floor, vibrating
through the door.

Outside, the Spider Navigator tilted her head, the yellows of her eyes
glinting with curiosity. She knew, of course, the Centauri Champion was
notorious for her love of duels, always yearning for challenges worthy of
her prowess. There was no doubt in the Spider Navigator's mind that the
Centauri Champion had never fought the King in his true form. The
thought of witnessing such a battle excited her, a tangle of fascination
starting to weave its way through her mind.

But her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the Centauri Champion
neigh a challenge. "Come at me, my King, come!"

The Spider King’s response was swift and decisive. "Don’t mind if I do!"
The Spider Navigator’s head tilted further. She wanted to see it, to witness
the show of secret weapons and hidden techniques.

Darkness was still glued to the keyhole, her obsidian eyes wide with
anticipation, her body nearly melting into the door. She seemed to be in the
perfect position to witness the spectacle, and it irked the Spider Navigator
that she was missing out on such a rare moment. With a slight huff, she
tugged at the hem of Darkness’s faux leather outfit, the slime’s human form
perfectly mimicking the texture. "I want to see too!" she chirped, tapping
her spidery claws impatiently.

Darkness slapped her claw away, her voice turning into a series of
distressed meows. "Meow! Wait!" She turned her focus back to the keyhole,
pressing her face against it as if she could merge through the door itself.
"It’s about to get good!"

Inside, the tension in the air built like a rising tide, and the Spider Navigator
could hear the Centauri Champion’s voice crack with challenge. "Spider
King! Don’t you dare go easy on me! I want your full force!"

The King’s hesitation was palpable, his voice faltering ever so slightly.
"Full force?"

"Yes!" the Centauri Champion roared. "I want to feel all of your might!
Don’t hold back! Bring it on!"

There was no denying the excitement now. The Spider King’s voice roared
back with a thunderous, "Don’t... don’t mind if I do!"

The Spider Navigator let out a small giggle, her mandibles clicking together
in amusement. "The Centauri Champion is a fool if she thinks she can
handle the full power of his spear," she chirped, her excitement brimming.
"She doesn’t stand a chance. He’ll wipe the floor with her!"

Darkness, still glued to the keyhole, gave a small, knowing nod. "That spear
is mighty... Meow, how is she not afraid?"
The sounds from the duel grew more ferocious by the second. The
pounding of hooves became thunderous, shaking the very walls of the
cabin, and the sharp thuds of the bodies colliding told of the fierce struggle
inside. Furniture smashed, shelves clattered, and it sounded as though the
entire cabin was being torn apart in the heat of battle. It didn’t take a genius
to see that duelling in such a confined space was a dangerous decision, but
the Spider Navigator wasn’t one to question the King’s methods.

"Meow... this is too much..." Darkness whispered in awe, her form

beginning to wobble as the intensity inside the room reached new heights.
Her slimy body could no longer maintain its human form under the weight
of the chaos, and with a soft, almost defeated splat, she melted into a puddle
on the floor.

Seeing her opportunity, the Spider Navigator darted forward, her spidery
legs moving with elegant precision as she pressed her eye to the keyhole.
"My turn!" she chirped excitedly.

"..."

What she saw inside was... unexpected, to say the least. There were no
weapons—no gleaming swords or shining spears—just flesh of bodies. The
Spider King and the Centauri Champion were locked in a duel of strength,
yes, but not in any form the Spider Navigator had anticipated. Their bodies
moved in sync, clashing with an intensity that was mesmerizing in its own
right.

"As expected of the Spider King," the Spider Navigator whispered, her
voice filled with awe as her eyes tracked the movements of the King. His
spidery form was a marvel of grace and power, each of his spidery limbs
working in perfect coordination, subduing the Centauri Champion with
ease.

"Meow?" Darkness bubbled up from her puddle on the floor, her voice
incredulous. "How can you watch this so calmly?"

The Spider Navigator was utterly enraptured, her breath catching in her
chest. "This... this is incredible! I’ve never seen such a duel before! The
technique! The grace!" Her voice was a flurry of excited chirps, her legs
tapping energetically on the floor. "What is this? What are they doing?"

"They’re making the Ultimate Cream Cheese, that’s what they’re doing,"
Darkness gurgled, her slimy form undulating with unease as she tried to
process the scene inside.

The Spider Navigator’s many eyes widened, glistening with pure, spider-
like wonder. "Oh! The technique! His unique skills!" She was practically
bouncing on her spidery feet, each tap a sign of her growing excitement.
"It’s... it’s amazing!"

Darkness, still a puddle on the floor, groaned. "Aw, don’t step on me..." she
muttered as she tried to slither out of the way of the overly enthusiastic
spider.

The Spider Navigator, however, was lost in her own world, her mind
weaving the scene into a perfect web of memory. Every movement, every
technique the King executed was committed to her memory with
meticulous care. His majesty, the sheer might of his body, the way he
moved with such power and precision—it was awe-inspiring. And the
Centauri Champion? She was utterly subjugated, her body trembling under
the King’s dominance.

"My King..." the Centauri Champion’s voice trembled, weak and breathless.
"Finish me... Give me your SweetRelease!"

The Spider Navigator blinked. SweetRelease? Was that a new type of

dessert? She had never heard of the Centauri Champion begging for mercy
quite like that before. Moreover, the Centauri Champion’s performance was
lacklustre, she didn’t deserve any desserts! If she were in the Champion’s
place, she thought with a shiver, she would never beg for such a thing. No,
she would face defeat head-on. But then, the more she thought about it, the
more enticing the idea became. Losing to the King in such a duel... it didn’t
seem so bad.

No, in fact, she wouldn’t mind losing at all.

“Huh,” her mind was becoming all webby all of a sudden.

With the ultimate defeat of the Centauri Champion, the sounds of battle
stilled. Darkness regained her composure, her form shifting back to the
human guise she favoured. Meanwhile, the Spider Navigator stood
motionless outside the door, her spindly legs trembling with a mix of
nervousness and anticipation. The echo of the battle still resonated in her,
her mind awash with thoughts she had never entertained before. The duel
had awakened something within her, something deep and unsettling.

Feeling the moment was right, Darkness knocked lightly. “Spider King?”

“I told you to wait outside, Darkness,” a voice boomed from within, full of
authority.

“Meow! But you have a visitor.”

“Oh… It’s not the maid, is it? The room is a mess, but tell her I will clean it
up this time.”

“No! It’s the Spider Navigator.”

“A Spider Navigator?” The voice from within carried a note of surprise.

“Yes! Apparently, it's important.”

The Spider Navigator offered a thankful nod to Darkness, her four yellow
eyes glinting with gratitude.

“One moment!” The sound of hurried shuffling followed from behind the
door. “Okay, you can let them in.”

Darkness opened the door, and it even hadn’t been locked. But before the
Spider Navigator could squeeze through, Darkness's hand stopped her
gently by the shoulder. Leaning in close, she whispered, “Keep the whole
eavesdropping thing a secret, meow?”
“I know,” she chirped, squeezing past the half-opened door, her small frame
slipping through the crack.

Her eyes scanned the cabin, this time taking in the details properly instead
of through the keyhole. Much of the destruction from the battle had already
been tucked away in the Spider King’s magical Inventory, and ingenious
idea to quickly clean his room. As expected of the Spider King! However,
the cabin was left almost eerily bare. Yet, the signs of chaos still lingered—
deep dents where hooves had struck, and long scratches from where his
spider legs had sought purchase. The occasional sticky purple web clung to
the ceiling, but that by itself wasn’t that bad. But those stray puddles of
milk pooling in the dents of the floor were an entirely different matter.
Actually, there were droplets of milk clinging to the walls and even the
ceiling, and the maid would certainly have her hands full cleaning it all up.

Her gaze lingered on the Centauri Champion lying on the bed. Beneath a
heavy cover, the Champion’s eyes were distant, glazed over with something
beyond comprehension—an expression of unearthly bliss frozen on her
face. She had lost the duel, but from the look of her, losing to the Spider
King must have been... something else entirely. The Spider Navigator
couldn’t help but wonder if the experience was as thrilling as it looked.

Then, she looked at him—the Spider King, in all his majestic and terrifying
glory. His true form was still imposing, and though the mysterious weapon
he had wielded was now concealed, the memory of it lingered in the air.
She could feel the weight of his presence in the room.

“Spider King!” The Spider Navigator gave a spidery wave, but the action
felt awkward as her cheeks flushed with an unspidery heat.

“Spider Navigator, did something happen?” His tone was calm but curious.

“Yes!” She chirped, her spidery claws fiddling nervously with the hem of
her uniform.

“What is it?” he asked, his own concern starting to mirror her anxiety.

“It’s about the course you set. The Centauri Castle.”

“Ah.” His spidery brow furrowed for a moment, then a flash of realization
crossed his many eyes. “Oh, that’s right. We’re meant to keep the Galleon
Whale secret from the Demons.”

Spider Navigator nodded quickly, her claws now fidgeting with her hat.

“Don’t worry about it. The Centauri Territory is now secure, the ship can
land there without being found. We’ll have the spider mages erect a cloud
of darkness to keep its landing concealed.” His reassurance was calm,
authoritative.

She nodded again, this time fiddling with the buttons of her uniform as she
swallowed back her words.

The Spider King raised an eyebrow, clearly sensing there was more. “Is
there something else?”

Her mandibles twitched, her chirp caught in her throat. This was the
moment she had dreaded and longed for in equal measure. Her spidery core
buzzed wildly, and for the first time in her life, she was unsure of how to
proceed.

“It’s okay. Speak up,” he urged gently, his mandibles clicking softly.

“Spider King… I want to Evolve.” Her words tumbled out at last, and she
looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes. Four of them. Double the usual
trouble.

His reaction was unexpected. A warm smile spread across his face, and his
voice took on a softer tone, almost fatherly. “Ah! You’re so cute,” he said,
as if talking to a child. “But you see, as unfair as it is, I just can’t force
Evolve you, my precious spiders. The world is unfair, I know.” His spidery
hand came down to gently pat her head.

She clasped his hand with her claws, her voice firmer now. “You won’t
have to. I will evolve on my own. Die and moult anew, just as so many of
us have before. I just need your permission.”
“Oh!” His surprise was genuine, but his smile remained. “No permission is
needed. Go ahead, my cute Spider Navigator.”

“Really?” She asked, still holding his hand as if fearing of losing its
warmth.

“Yes, become the best spider you can be. The best spider a spider can be,”
he encouraged with a reassuring smile.

Her heart soared at his words, and the tangled web of confusion in her mind
began to unravel. “Thank you, thank you so much!” Her voice was filled
with a kind of giddiness she hadn’t felt before. But one more question
burned in her.

“One more thing,” she hesitated, glancing at the Centauri Champion, still
lost in her bliss.

“Yes?” The Spider King’s attention remained fully on her.

“You like females, right?” The question was blunt, but she couldn’t
suppress it any longer.

His response was delayed by a blush that crept across his features, a rare
sight. “Well, yes… Why?”

Her claws brushed shyly past his fingers. “I... Don’t mind me,” she
stammered, unable to fully voice what she truly meant. The words felt too
heavy to chirp aloud. “I know what I need to do. Thanks!” She quickly let
go of his hand and scuttled out of the room, her mind weaving a webby
plan.

The Spider King blinked in confusion, left unsure of what had just
transpired.

The Spider Navigator tapped her legs giddily as she returned to the
command deck, a lightness in her step that was filled with a youthful zest.
He had called her cute—and she hadn’t even evolved yet! And It would
only make sense for the Spider King to like a feminine spider variant even
more!

“Hehe,” she giggled, a strange joy bubbling up at her core as she sat at her
command throne. Her mind buzzed with possibilities, imagining the new
form she would take, the evolution she would undergo. "So much to plan.
So much to research!" she chirped happily.

“Spider Navigator?” The Mer Princess, halfway out of her tank, blinked at
her in confusion. “Where have you been?”

“Hehe,” she giggled again, ignoring the Mer Princess’s question. Her
thoughts were consumed by the future, by the parts she needed, the body
she would mould for herself.

The Mer Princess bubbled from her tank, curious. “You seem happy. Won’t
you share what happened with me?”

There were things she saw… and the things she wanted to experience
herself…

“National secret. No can do,” the Spider Navigator chirped back, her mind
already drifting towards her next threads, the body part she would need to
acquire.

The weapons of lethal charm…

168 – All Hail The Monster King!!!

The first rays of the sun hit the grey stones of Centauri Castle, illuminating
its now fully-repaired walls. The early morning sky burst into a chorus of
harpish heys as fresh recruits took flight, scouting the Centauri Territory. As
the old saying went: "An early spider catches the prey." The Spider King
took it to heart, leading by example, busying himself with the web of
schemes that constantly churned in his mind.

Far outside the castle, he stood amidst a patch of barren land, his plans—
woven like intricate webs—leading him here. The Spider Advisor had
recommended this distant patch, a place where the heretical seeds of
poverty used to grow, the place were the taint of the mushy blandness was
forever gone. Cleansed.

“I am truly blessed with competent advisors,” he mused aloud, casting a

glance at the spider beside him.

Not the Spider Advisor himself—no, that one never left his post. This was
the Spider Archmage, a loyal companion, cloaked in veils of dark, tangible
shadow.

“We’re always here to support you,” the spider chirped, its voice soft yet
ominous beneath the curtain of condensed night around it.

"Now then," the Spider King said, drawing a seed from his SeedArchive,
the thorny thing prickling his palm. "A simple ThornVine you shall be no
more. [Comprehend]," he muttered, his mind dancing through webs of
arcane blueprints. He envisioned the new path, its mutation already
unfolding in his imagination. “Seize your new potential, [Mutate]!”
With a surge of his will, he bathed the seed in his mana. The air crackled
with energy, and the seed throbbed with an eerie, unnatural glow of purple.

“Show us what you have become! [Grow].”

With a flick of his wrist, he cast the seed four spider spans—just about four
meters—into the field. The seed struck the ground and exploded into life. It
pulsed, growing larger with every throb, like a ball made of thorns. Then,
with a snap, four thorny limbs shot out from the pulsating ball, snaking
through the soil, searching hungrily for prey.

"Good!" the Spider King observed, his voice filled with approval. "But for
what comes next, you will need to be stronger. [Reinforce]!" His hand
glowed as he imbued the growing monster with hardened strength. The
thorns sharpened, the vines thickened, reinforced with his mastery.

“Spider King! There’s another! Don’t forget it!” the Spider Archmage
chimed in, its dark veil trembling with excitement.

“Ah, I wouldn’t dare.” He smirked. “[Spidery Magnificent]!”

With another flick of his wrist, a wave of energy surged into the plant,
Infusing it with the deadly elegance and unbreaking loyalty of the spider.
The plant twitched and rippled, and from the mass of vines sprouted two
more thorny appendages—six in total. A perfectly spiderish number.

“Better,” the Spider Archmage chirped, pleased. The shadowy spider

handed him a gleaming stone. Not an ordinary pebble, but a SoulStone,
filled with the energy of a single soul. "Your moment has come, my King.
Time to shine."

The Spider King felt a rush of anticipation. He had recently leveled up,
unlocking a new skill—Splice. The power to combine life into something
entirely new. With this stone, he would finally test its true potential.

“The moment of truth, then.” He took the SoulStone, feeling the squirrel's
soul giggling inside it, desperate for release. “Let’s see if this works,
[Splice]!”
He crushed the stone in his hand, reducing it to dust, but what remained was
no simple fragment. A smiling squirrel face—wispy and translucent—
drifted up from his palm. It hovered for a moment, giving a wink to the
Spider King, before it shot forward toward the mutated plant.

The squirrel's soul merged with the monstrous vines, and the plant
convulsed, its thorny limbs flailing wildly. It grew larger, misshapen, its
form changing ever so slightly until—suddenly—it stopped. The thorny
limbs drooped to the ground, motionless.

“Did it... Did it fail?” The Spider King took a cautious step closer,
uncertainty creeping into his voice.

Before he could question further, a message appeared before his eyes:

[Congratulations! You have created your first monster.]

“A monster?” The Spider King’s surprise was evident. He had not expected
such a result.

The Spider Archmage clapped its spidery hands, thrilled. “As expected of
the Spider King! Or should I say... Monster King?”

Ah, yes. He was a Monster King, not human, but a variant—a powerful,
monstrous ruler. Yet still... to have created such a being.

"[Inspect]," the Spider Archmage darted forward, circling the still creature.
“It even has a monster core. Petty, of course. It’s only a level 1 monster,
after all.”

“I... I created a monster,” the Spider King murmured, his mind racing to
catch up with the reality before him. Yes, he had done it before—like with
Johny and the Myconid Queen—but those times had been influenced by
higher, chaotic forces, the ChaosBlessed perk. But now the unpredictable
perk was silent. This felt... different. Inevitable. As if this was the natural
next step. Natural and perhaps even mundane. The harpies will always sing
their hey’s, and Monster Kings, well... create monsters?
The Spider Archmage pointed. “Look! It’s moving again!”

The plant monster stirred, jabbing its thorny appendages into the ground,
lifting itself up. Its form resembled a bulbous, thorn-covered mass, walking
on spindly vine-like legs. It buzzed—a low, droning sound that made the
hairs on one’s neck rise.

“Aww,” the Spider Archmage chirped. “Isn’t it cute? It sings to us!”

Despite its terrifying appearance, the plant monster didn’t seem hostile. In
fact, the Spider King felt something... a connection. It was faint, almost
imperceptible, but there was a thread linking his core to the creature's.

“Sit,” he commanded.

The plant monster immediately slumped to the ground, obeying.

“Roll.”

It rolled, flailing its thorny vines.

“Speak.”

The creature buzzed.

“It even knows tricks!” The Archmage bounced in delight. “Try something
more complicated!”

“Spin clockwise twice, speak, then roll again.”

The monster gave a sad, droning buzz, unable to follow. Its vines drooped
down.

“Ah, too much for it.”

“Well, let’s not get distracted,” the Spider King said, brushing off the minor
failure. “There are many more plants to Splice.”

…
A while ago, the Spider King sought the counsel of the Spider Advisor, his
mind heavy with a single promise: to make the Centauri Territory great
again. The Spider Advisor responded with a plan so intricate, so brilliantly
spiderish, that it mirrored the complexity of a web spun by no less than a
thousand of spiders. It was no simple web, but rather a plan of many
threads, each requiring the Spider King’s careful participation. Only once
these threads were spun together, perfectly aligned, could the King’s
ambition be realized.

The Centauri Territory was no stranger to conflict. Once, the Oni Shogunate
had swept across its borders, sacing the Centauri and seizing their most
fertile and valuable lands. Other demonic kingdoms skulked at its edges,
ever-hungry for a larger slice of the Centauri’s domain. In the Demon
Realm, such struggles were a tradition, a ceaseless contest where rival races
clashed, believing only the strongest deserved to rise. But the Spider King’s
plan required something different. The Centauri could not rebuild their
strength amid constant battle; they needed time to recover what had been
lost, to cultivate their strength (and perhaps land) once more. They needed
to be left alone.

Thus, the first thread of the spiderish plan was spun: to make the Centauri
Territory undesirable, a place no Demon would covet. It was a deception, a
carefully woven façade meant to deter any who would come too close. The
solution was elegantly spiderish—an illusion of corruption, of cursed and
blighted land. The Spider King was charged with making it so, to twist the
land’s appearance with nightmarish flora, an eerie and grotesque
transformation meant to signal magical affliction. A well-spun lie, one that
only spiders could perfect.

And so, here we are. In the present moment, standing on the threshold of
that first thread. The Spider King, cloaked in shadow and power, stood tall
in a barren field that stretched like a canvas of desolation. In one hand, he
held a large, weathered bag brimming with mutated seeds—monstrous
creations of his own design. In the other, a peculiar tome, its pages alive
with ancient knowledge. At his side, much like a loyal shadow, the Spider
Archmage lurked—a figure of quiet menace, his four eyes reflecting the
cold light of dusk. The two of them, king and mage, stood like performers
before a macabre stage, the crowd of onlookers—a mixture of spiders,
Centauri, and Oni—gathered in anticipation.

The land had been transformed into a ritual ground, runes etched into the
soil, awaiting the power that would soon flow through it. The crowd
watched, a strange sense of excitement mingling with unease. They knew
that what they would witness was but the first of many steps, the beginning
of the Spider King’s grand web, one that would weave the future of the
Centauri Territory with threads of darkness and chaos. It was a carefully
orchestrated moment, where every action, every word, would help to spin
that first thread of the plan into motion.

The Spider King concentrated. The monster blueprints in his mind were
clear, he selected the best mutated seeds, the best candidates, much of
which he had already tested with the Spider Archmage. He reached into the
bag, his hand scattering the multi-shaped and multi-coloured seeds in the
field. His voice rose, deep and commanding.

"I cast these seeds into the hungry earth. They are not mere plants but
promises. Promises of monstrous life to be."

He kept scatering the seeds, his purple eyes gleaming with spiderish power.
The etched runes glowed, lighting up the bareren field in a magical light,
albeit only a faint glow.

The Spider Archmage tilted its head toward the crowd of spiders gathered
around them, not all, only a select few—his most trusted apprentices—
ready to assist with the spell. Their bodies, black and sleek, shifted eagerly
at the Archmage's signal.

“Lend your power,” the Spider Archmage commanded, the chirp

reverberating through the air like a distant shriek. “Feed the soil with your
mana, weave your essence into this magic, so that our King's will might
take hold and grow.”

The Spider King continued. "Observe! I do not simply plant… I Grow life
into being. These seeds will Evolve and Mutate. They will not be left to
vague fate or idle nature. No! There are now in a web of chaos!”
At another signal, the apprentice spiders positioned themselves in a circle
around the field. In perfect synchrony, they began to hum, their chirps
harmonizing in a haunting melody that rippled through the air. Dark mana
poured from their spidery bodies, pooling into the ground, where the Spider
King’s seeds awaited transformation.

The Spider Archmage turned his attention back to the Spider King. “Now,
my liege, the stage is set. The earth is brimming with our power. The time
has come to unleash the full strength of your command. We, your loyal
followers, will hold the flow steady—your will shall shape it!”

The Spider Archmage raised its claw, its form briefly expanding as if
absorbing the surrounding shadows, its mana feeding into the ritual
alongside its apprentices. Purple tendrils of energy spiraled outward from
the spider, binding with the magic already surging in the field.

“Observe! I shall Splice the chaos seeds with the essence of creatures. They
might be small, insignificant, but they are full of life. Spider Kingdom’s
Squirrels come forth and give us your blessing!"

The Spider King raised his other hand, the pages in the tome he held flipped
on their own. Spitting forth a series of magical circles but also unleashing a
wave of souls—ghostly, wispy forms that took on smiling, feral shapes.
Squirrel faces, grinning with the chaotic glee of freedom, thousands of them
swirled around the Spider King in a vortex of souls.

The Spider Archmage’s eyes smiled as they watched the chaos unfold. “Yes,
yes, Grow, Evolve, Mutate,” the spider muttered to itself, excitement
lacing its chirp. “Seeds, become the monsters our King envisions. Become
the protectors of the Centauri Territory!” The spider poured the mana
nessesary to achieve the transformation.

Just then, one of the smaller spiders faltered, its mana flickering. The Spider
Archmage's gaze snapped to it, and with a swift flick of the claw, the Spider
Archmage reinforced the spiderling, sharing some of the mana to steady the
flow. "We must not falter!" the spider hissed sharply. “The King’s will must
be absolute! Pour everything you have into the land!”
The web of magical circles glowed with increased power, and the seeds
responded, growing big and monstrous in mere seconds. Their thorny
tendrills beckoning the vortex of souls to come closer.

The Spider King stretched his arms wide, his voice booming with authority.
"Fly, my little critters. Merge with the seeds of chaos. Bring them life! Not
the kind of life that grows under the sun’s tender rays—but life from
nightmares. Life that thrives in shadow, in terror, in Chaos."

The SquirrelSouls laughed as they darted into the soil, diving into the
mutated plants. At once, the earth began to tremble, cracking in a glowing
spider-webbing from where the plants rooted their tendrils.

The earth heaved, splitting open as the mutated plants grew ever bigger, but
they did not grow like normal plants. No, the Spider King’s Farmer perks
took hold. From the cracks in the earth, vines emerged—dark, writhing,
covered in pulsating thorns, their movement unnatural, as though driven by
purpose.

The Spider Archmage and its apprentices maintained the delicate balance
between chaos and control, allowing the King’s vision to take full root.

"Awaken, my children!" the Spider King’s voice thundered over the field.
"You are not mere plants. You are nightmares made flesh! I have woven the
threads of chaos into your very essence. Grow! Stretch forth from this
barren soil and become the monsters you were meant to be!"

The plants obeyed, their monstrous shapes unfurling in mutated beauty.

Tendrils and thorns, thick as limbs, curled through the air, the vines
themselves crawling like serpents seeking prey. Their appendages twitched
with newfound life, given a purpose that defied nature’s order.

"Plant monsters, you are not born merely to terrify. No. You are the
guardians of this land." His hand swept across the field, where more of the
monstrous flora began to take shape. Some bore massive, jagged teeth like
flowers of death, others had eyes sprouting from the stems, glaring with
malevolent intelligence. "Those who seek to trespass here will know only
fear. They will see you, feel you, and they will run. That is your task."
The monstrous plants groaned as they continued to grow, towering and
twisting into impossible shapes. Their forms were the stuff of nightmares,
and yet, in their misshapen grotesqueness, there was beauty—a twisted,
protective beauty.

"Terror is the weapon I give you," the Spider King intoned, his hand
pulsing with dark power. "Your presence alone will turn armies away. Let
the fools who dare cross these lands be struck dumb with fear at the sight of
you."

The Spider King raised his hands up towards the sky, and from under his
feet surged the CentipedeSouls, these ones darker, more twisted than the
souls before. They flew into the monstrous plants, disappearing into their
cores. The plants reacted immediately, their thorns sharpening, their vines
hardening like ironoak under the King’s will.

"I grant you more than fear, though. I give you strength. Strength and will
to protect this land, to crush those who would dare destroy it. Your thorns
will pierce armour. Your vines will strangle life itself. You will not only be
nightmare-born; you will be Reinforced with monstrous viciousness."

The plants groaned as their monstrous appendages grew thicker, harder,

their tendrils coiling with reinforced power, ready to tear through anything
that challenged them.

The field now teemed with life, but not the kind that belonged in the natural
world. These were terrors with purpose, born from chaos, but shaped by the
Spider King’s will. Still, one final touch was needed.

The Spider Archmage spoke again, the chirp triumphant as the last of the
ritual’s power settled into the soil. “My King,” the spider said with a sinister
smile creeping across its many eyes, “your monster garden is almost
complete. Just one more push!”

"You are born from chaos, yes," the Spider King continued, his voice softer
now, as though addressing his children. "But you are also my creations. And
as such, you must bear my mark. You must carry the glory of spiders, the
mastery of webs, the perception of four-eyed predators and the speed of the
six-legged hunters."

He placed a hand on the nearest vine, which seemed to ripple under his
touch. Chaotic energy flowed from him into the plant, and across the entire
field, the monstrous plants began to change once more. Webs of dark, sticky
silk began to appear between their vines and thorns, catching the light like
threads spun from shadow. Their tendrils now bore the intricate patterns of
spiders, their surfaces bristling with a spiderish sheen.

"I bestow upon you the Spidery Magnificence. Your thorns shall carry
venom, your tendrils the cunning of webs. Let your enemies become
tangled in you, helpless before your might. You will not only be fearsome—
you will be unbeatable Hunters! Masters of your own fate!"

At last, the transformation was complete. The once-barren land had become
a nightmarish garden, a living fortress of monstrous plants, their tendrils
writhing, their eyes glowing with intelligence. Yet despite their terrifying
forms, they stood as protectors of the Centauri Territory, bound to the
Spider King’s will.

"Centauri, look upon my works," the Spider King adressed, his voice filled
with pride. "This land is no longer barren, no longer weak. It is now a
fortress of nightmares, a garden of horrors that none shall breach."

He looked to the crowd, their faces a mixture of awe and fear.

"These creatures are ours, born from my power. They will guard the
Centauri land with their lives. They will protect what is yours, and what is
mine. But to those who would dare set foot here uninvited—they will find
no welcome, no mercy. Only Terror. Only Death."

The Spider Archmage stepped back, its form dissolving slightly into the veil
of shadows that surrounded it, allowing the Spider King to deliver his final
declaration to the crowd.

The Spider King lowered his arms, the final surge of Chaos magic sinking
into the soil. "This is the first thread I weave," he said, his voice low but
filled with promise. "And it is only the beginning. My monsters will grow,
and with them, the Centauri Territory will rise once more. Stronger.
Unyielding. Protected by horrors that none will dare to challenge. The
Centauri Territory will be great again!"

The spiders erupted in a thunderous chirp. “All hail the Spider King!”

The Centauri slammed their feet on the ground and their fists at their chests.
“All hail the Monster King!”
 169 – The Forest That Should Not
Be

The Oni scouts trudged through the desolate landscape, their destination
clear in their minds. Centauri Castle—once a proud fortress, now a place
veiled in mystery. The Shogun had grown impatient with the eerie silence
that surrounded the Centauri Territory. There were no reports from the Oni
Army they had sent, but also no retaliation skirmishes from the Centauri
side either. There were rumours whispered of strange happenings, but none
had returned to confirm them. And so, Kuro, the seasoned captain of the
Oni Scouts, led his small band to investigate the silence.

There were six of them in total: Kuro, the leader, a hulking figure with
black horns and scars from countless campaigns, Riku, the silent shadow
always lurking at the edges of the group, Tenzo, loud and brash with a thirst
for blood, Yasuke, the Shogun’s nephew on his first scouting mission, and
the brothers, Sota and Roku—loyal to each other above all else, but deadly
when it came to anyone else.

For days, they had trekked across barren hills and empty plains. The air was
thick with tension, as if the land itself was holding its breath. But now,
something far worse stood before them. A thick fog hung low over the
horizon, shrouding the landscape beyond in a sickly grey mist. Where they
expected to see the plains that led to Centauri Castle, they were met with
something far more sinister.

A forest. Dark, twisted, and sprawling, it stretched as far as the eye could
see.

“This wasn’t here before,” Kuro muttered, his hand resting on the hilt of his
katana, his face tightening with unease.
The trees loomed above them, monstrous, snake-like trunks twisted in
unnatural angles. Black scales covered the bark, which was interrupted by
hollow eyes blinking from within the knots and crevices. The eyes watched
them, cold and unfeeling, reflecting their every movement.

“This place stinks of sorcery,” Riku muttered, his eyes flicking around at
the shifting shadows.

Kuro shot him a sharp look. “We have orders. We reach the Centauri Castle.
Whatever magic this is, it will not stop us.” His voice, though firm,
betrayed a tension he could not hide. He felt it too—this place was alive.

Stepping forward, they ventured into the mouth of the forest, the ground
shifting beneath them, wet and slick with an oily substance. The blue moss
clung to the soles of their boots, squelching with each step. Around them,
thorny vines hung like webs, weaving themselves through the canopy,
inching ever closer. They moved not with the wind, but with purpose,
stretching out as though feeling for the Oni, searching for weakness.

Riku slowed as his eyes fell upon the blue moss underfoot. His foot slid,
nearly losing balance. “Watch your step,” he warned the others, but his
voice wavered. The moss shimmered with an unnatural light, as if a pulse of
life ran through it. He felt eyes on him—watching from the trees, from the
earth itself.

“This forest… it’s unnatural,” Yasuke whispered, his usual cocky bravado
stripped away by the suffocating dread that filled the air.

Kuro pressed on. “Keep moving. Our goal is close.” But the words felt
hollow. The deeper they ventured, the more alive the forest became. The
trees groaned, their roots slipping beneath the soil with uncanny grace.
Vines slithered like snakes above, their thorns gleaming in the dim light that
filtered through the dense, overgrown canopy.

The first to fall was Sota.

The group had been walking in tense silence when a sickening snap echoed
from above. In an instant, one of the vines shot down, its razor-sharp thorns
wrapping around Sota’s neck with terrifying speed. He screamed, struggling
to wrench himself free, but the vine was too strong. The thorns dug deep
into his flesh, drawing a choked cry for help as it yanked him off his feet.

“Sota!” Roku’s voice was raw with panic as he slashed at the vine with his
blade, but the vine tightened, pulling his brother into the black tangle of
branches overhead.

“Sota! No!” Roku’s cries turned to frenzied shouts, his blade hacking wildly
at the trees, but it was too late. His brother was gone. No body fell from the
canopy, no blood dripped down to mark his passing—only the echo of his
final, gurgling breath hung in the air.

The forest had swallowed him whole.

Roku stood frozen, eyes wide with horror. Kuro grabbed his shoulder. “We
need to move. Now.”

But the forest had awakened, and it wanted more.

Tenzo, ever the brash warrior, was next. He had rushed ahead in a blind
fury, determined to cut a path through the twisted undergrowth. His feet
struck the slick moss beneath him, and with a startled yell, he slipped,
landing hard on his back.

Before he could rise, the blue moss rippled beneath him, and in a moment,
jagged ferns burst forth from the earth like blades. The ferns, deceptively
delicate in appearance, slashed through his armour with terrifying precision,
slicing into his flesh with every movement.

“Tenzo!” Yasuke screamed, rushing to help, but it was useless. The ferns,
sharp as razors, shredded Tenzo's body, leaving him a broken, bleeding
mess on the forest floor. His lifeless eyes stared up at the sky, wide with
shock.

The group’s resolve shattered in an instant.

“Run!” Kuro ordered, his voice hoarse with fear, but the others had already
started fleeing. Yasuke, his face pale, darted into the undergrowth, with
Riku following close behind. Kuro could hear their ragged breaths, the
frantic pounding of their feet, but the forest was far faster.

The ground beneath them began to pulse, undulating as if alive. The trees
moved, shifting closer, their roots stretching out like hungry claws ready to
entrap them. The vines above seemed to sense the panic, writhing and
twisting, their thorns gleaming hungrily.

Kuro kept his katana at hand, eyes darting around for any sign of an attack.
But the forest was relentless. From every angle, it shifted, twisted,
morphed.

Riku’s instincts had always kept him alive, but here, in this twisted
nightmare, they betrayed him. He saw it ahead—an inviting glow amidst
the darkness. A flower, its petals a deep, alluring red, glowed faintly from
within, casting a soft light in the gloom.

It was beautiful. Impossible to resist.

His feet moved toward it, his hand reaching out as if compelled by some
unseen force.

“No! Riku, stop!” Kuro shouted trying to catch up, but the moment his
words left his mouth, the flower snapped shut with a sharp hiss. Its petals
closed like the jaws of a beast, and a cloud of red spores exploded outward,
engulfing Riku in a choking mist.

He staggered back, coughing violently, his eyes bulging in pain. The spores
clung to him, filling his lungs, turning his skin a sickly shade of purple.
Blood dripped from his nose and mouth as he collapsed, his body twitching
in its death throes before finally going still.

Yasuke, now a trembling wreck, stumbled forward in a blind panic. His

once proud posture was broken, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he ran
through the forest, desperate to escape. But there was no mercy in the
forest’s heart.
A creature emerged from the underbrush—a ball of twisted, green growth,
its spindly, thorn-covered legs clicking menacingly as it skittered forward.
It had four eyes, all gleaming with wicked intelligence, and it moved with
the precision of a spider.

Yasuke didn’t have time to scream. The creature’s claws wrapped around
him, thorns piercing his flesh as it dragged him down. In an instant, vines
shot out from the forest floor, cocooning his body in a web of greyish
strands. His body twitched and struggled, but the vines tightened and the
monster dragged him away. Yasuke, the forest swallowed him too.

Kuro and Roku were the last.

The trees shifted around them, closing in like a cage. The blue moss pulsed
beneath their feet, the thorny webs above tightening, growing thicker,
trapping them in a living labyrinth.

Kuro gritted his teeth, gripping his katana tighter. “We need to move, Roku.
There’s still a chance—” But the words faltered in his throat.

Ahead of them, something moved. It was a familiar figure, its body

wrapped in sinewy, plant-like tendrils. The eyes were hollow, lacking any
light, but its limbs twitched with unnatural life. This was Sota! Or at least
his dead body. It stood, frozen for a moment, before lurching forward, its
cold arms reaching out with unnerving speed.

Kuro swung his katana, slashing at the creature, but it was too late. The
vine-webbed figure latched onto Roku, who still believed it to be his
brother. The creature dragged Roku into the underbrush, where the vines
waited, hungry and eager to claim a new body.

Roku’s scream was the last thing Kuro heard before the forest swallowed
him too.

Kuro stood alone, his heart pounding in his chest. The forest, now silent
once more, watched him with its unblinking eyes. Kuro’s breath came in
ragged gasps as he stumbled through the labyrinthine forest.
The once-proud Oni captain pushed forward, his heart hammering against
his ribcage, blood pounding in his ears. Each step felt like a futile struggle
against an enemy he could not see, a force he could not fight. The trees
shifted and closed around him, their bark rippling with strange, unnatural
movements. The evil eyes blinked from their hollows, watching his every
move. The vines above slithered, the ground beneath him pulsated, and the
air was thick with the stench of forbidden sorcery.

He was the last. He had watched them all fall—his comrades, his brothers-
in-arms—all claimed by the cursed forest. Sota was strangled by a vine,
Tenzo butchered by a fern, Riku poisoned by a flower, Yasuke cocooned by
a plant monster, and Roku… Roku was killed by a creature which wasn’t
quite his brother. It all stunk of foul sorcery.

The forest had toyed with them all, one by one, and now it was his turn.

Kuro slipped on the treacherous blue moss, the slick, oily substance coating
his boots. He caught himself just before crashing into the ground, narrowly
avoiding the serrated ferns that awaited his misstep. His body screamed
with exhaustion, and his mind reeled from the trauma. The forest was
closing in, tighter and tighter, and with every blink, the world seemed to
shift. The trees were no longer just towering—they were looming, bending
toward him, their hollow eyes gleaming with cruel delight.

He slashed at the vines that descended toward him, his katana biting into
the thick, thorny tendrils, but there were always more. They seemed
endless, reaching out like claws eager to drag him down into the suffocating
dark.

A creature emerged from the shadows—a hulking mass of green growth. It

was a boulder of a monster, bigger than the last. It scuttled over the moss
with a hundred tiny root-like legs like a centipede. Its single eye, big as a
fist, locked onto Kuro. The monster buzzed a low, droning cry—a
challenge. Kuro raised his katana, ready to defend himself, but the creature
was fast—too fast. It lunged at him, its many legs skittering through the
slippery moss with frightening dexterity. A thorny tendril on its back, thick
as a leg, was already midswing.
Kuro dodged, narrowly avoiding the creature’s strike. His muscles
screamed in protest, exhaustion threatening to overtake him, but he couldn't
stop. He swung his sword wildly, severing the creature’s tendril, and it
screeched, retreating momentarily into the shadows.

But Kuro knew it was only a matter of time before it, or something even
worse, returned. The forest was alive, sentient perhaps, and it wanted him.
His comrades had been claimed—dragged into the maw of this nightmare,
and now he stood at the edge of death’s grasp. The creatures of the forest
moved with cruel intelligence, each trap and horror perfectly placed,
perfectly timed.

And yet, through the swirling fog, there was a glimmer of hope.

In the distance, beyond the reach of the twisted trees and writhing vines,
Kuro saw the faintest hint of light. A break in the endless darkness. His
breath hitched—an escape, perhaps, or at least a chance to flee this cursed
place. His heart hammered in his chest, and with the last of his strength,
Kuro ran.

The forest roared behind him, the vines thrashing through the air, the
creatures stirring from their hiding places. The ground shifted beneath his
feet, roots rising like snares to trip him, but Kuro kept running, desperation
pushing him forward. His vision blurred, his body weakened, but the light
was there—so close now.

Just as he broke through the last line of trees, something lashed out from
above—a vine, thick and bristling with thorns, snaking down with unnatural
speed. Kuro felt the sting as it grazed his shoulder, but he didn’t stop. He
pushed through the pain, diving out of the forest's reach, and collapsed onto
the open ground.

For a moment, he lay there, panting, the cold air of freedom washing over
him. The silence felt almost deafening, but the cries of his comrades still
rang in his mind. Kuro lifted his head and looked back.

The trees stood tall and still now, as if they had never moved at all. But he
could feel it—beneath the surface, they waited. The hollow eyes gleamed
faintly from the darkness, watching him. The forest had not forgotten him,
nor forgiven him for escaping. It would remain, lurking, waiting for anyone
foolish enough to wander into its depths.

Kuro pulled himself to his feet, his body aching, his mind reeling from the
terror of it all. He was the only one left, the last survivor of a doomed
mission. But he had a duty, a message that had to reach the Shogun.

He turned away from the forest and began the long, agonizing journey back,
haunted by the memory of his fallen comrades and the horrors that had
claimed them.

The forest had let him go this time. But in his heart, Kuro knew it was only
a matter of time before it came for him again.
 170 – The Seeds Of Poverty

There were many ways to achieve victory in war. A head-on battle was
merely one of them, and to be frank, the least inventive.

Hidden beneath the shadowy veil of night, a group of spiders skittered

through a vast, waterlogged field. The water was shallow, but enough to
make it thoroughly unpleasant, with green plants poking just above the
surface.

"How utterly horrid," the spider grumbled, trying in vain not to get its
spindly feet stuck in the mud. Sticky, cold, and entirely beneath its dignity.

Unpleasantness aside, the spider cutter had a job to do—an important one,
no less—weeding. Its mandibles chomped at the plants, claws ripping them
out with a flourish, while its feet disturbed the field with a somewhat
ungraceful plop. And this spider was not alone. An entire spawn of them
had been tasked with eradicating this foul infestation. The Spider King
himself had issued the decree: the weeds of poverty must be destroyed at all
costs. So, the spiders toiled away, ensuring the weeds didn’t go to seed and
spread their filthy poverty across the land.

A paper lantern flickered in the distance, glowing like a lone star, bobbing
nearer and nearer. Soon, the panicked silhouette of an Oni Farmer stumbled
into view. His mouth hung open, his eyes wide with disbelief.

The spiders paused from their industrious work to chirp a hearty, “Good
evening!” and offered him a spidery wave for good measure.

The farmer’s disbelief quickly turned to rage, as farmers’ disbelief often

does. With a guttural roar, he charged at the spiders, swinging his hoe
wildly in a manner most unbecoming.
“Wah!” the spider squeaked, nimbly dodging a blow. The farmer was
clearly trying to chase them away! “How incredibly ungrateful!”

The spider swarm was doing this poor chap a favour, weeding his field for
free, and this was how he chose to repay them?

“Rahhh!” The farmer swung again, more determined than before.

“What do you think you’re doing, farmer?” one of the spiders chirped
indignantly.

“Yeah, we’re just helping you out!” another joined in, a little miffed.

“We’re weeding your field! It’s a public service, you know!” chimed in a
third.

Naturally, not understanding a single word of SpiderChirp, the farmer

bellowed, “RAHHH!” again and continued his assault, swinging his hoe
with reckless abandon.

“There’s clearly something very wrong with this oni,” said one spider,
deftly avoiding the hoe.

“Obviously. The grains of poverty have addled his mind,” another spider
remarked sagely.

“Absolutely. No other explanation. Why else would he allow an entire field

of weeds to grow?”

“That must be it.”

“Ouch!” a spider yelped as the hoe caught its carapace, scratching it.

“Well, that’s quite enough of that! Time for a nap, naughty man! [Throw]!”

With a flick of its claw, the spider lobbed a small ball made of blue petals at
the farmer’s head. Upon impact, it exploded into a cloud of fine dust. The
farmer let out a single, confused cough before collapsing into the shallow
water like a puppet with its strings cut.
“The weeds of poverty are dangerous,” a spider chirped at the now
peacefully slumbering farmer. It delicately turned him over to make sure he
wouldn’t drown, because, of course, drowning was far too dramatic. “The
grains of poverty taint your mind, you know. Best not eat it.” It tucked a
plump tomgrape into the farmer’s pocket as a gesture of goodwill.

“Right, then!” the spider said with renewed purpose. “Spider cutters, let’s
wrap up this weeding business and move on to the next field!”

Meanwhile, another squad of spiders prowled through the shadows. Their

target? A warehouse. Not just any warehouse, though—this was a
warehouse of poverty.

“It’s got to be this one,” one spider whispered, pointing a spindly leg at the
largest structure in town.

“Careful now. We can’t be seen. [ShadowVeil].”

“[ShadowVeil],” the others echoed, vanishing into the murky gloom as they
scurried closer.

“Wait a minute... it’s guarded,” another spider said, spotting two dozing
sentries by the front.

“Not a problem. Let’s use the spidery entrance. Up the wall we go.” And
being spiders, up they went, scampering with ease.

“Here we are! No guards up here,” one of them smiled, satisfied to see the
ventilation hatch—fondly known as the ‘spidery entrance’—unguarded and
conveniently open. They slipped inside.

But once inside, the scene that met their many eyes was nothing short of an
abomination. Mountains of the foul grain littered the warehouse, the very
seeds of poverty itself.

“It’s even worse than I imagined,” one spider gagged, thoroughly disgusted.
“They’re forcing the peasants to eat this muck. No wonder they’re all so
poor,” another observed with a shudder.

“Well, we’re here to fix that,” the leader of the spider saboteurs declared.
From its spidery uniform, it pulled out a scroll, dark as night, and unrolled it
with the utmost care.

“[DarkScroll: Disintegrate],” the leader chirped solemnly.

The scroll burst into purple flames, casting an eerie glow over the spider’s
smug face for the briefest of moments. The purple light faded, and so did
the mountains of grain. In their place was nothing but dust, the illusion of
poverty shattered.

“There,” the leader chirped with great satisfaction, “now the peasants will
finally see the grain for what it really is. Flavourles dust. Rubbish!”

The other spiders nodded in agreement.

“Right, off we go! If we’re quick, we can reach the next town by dawn.”

And just like that, the spider saboteurs vanished through the spidery hatch,
scurrying off into the night. Unseen, unnoticed, but oh so pleased with
themselves.

The spider scouts scurried along the gravelly road, their mission
straightforward: locate fields for the spider cutters and towns for the spider
saboteurs. Speed was key, and to achieve it, they relied on their trusty
spidery magic—ShadowStep. With every invocation, their spindly forms
dissolved into shadows, slipping into the Shadow Realm. They’d take a
single step but reappear leagues away, as though the distance had never
existed.

Upon re-emerging, the spiders glanced around. Alas, no fields, no cities—

just wilderness and disappointment.
“[ShadowStep],” they muttered again, vanishing into shadows once more.
Another leap through shadowy dimention.

When they reappeared, they found themselves face to face with a large
group of Oni—perhaps a dozen. The spiders were in luck! They could
finally ask for directions.

The spider scout leader waved cheerily at the Oni. “Good evening,
travellers! We’re looking for a town. Is it far from here?” it chirped politely.

The friendly inquiry was met with fiery glares and an all-too-familiar air of
hostility.

“Huh? No, wait, let me explain…” the spider began, sensing the growing
tension. “We mean no… no, no—hey!—harm!” But before it could finish,
something rather rude was hurled in its direction.

Clearly, these Oni were not in the mood for pleasantries.

The Oni Scouts had their own business to attend to. Their task was simple
enough: keep the roads clear of bandits and monsters. They weren’t
expected to clear out a bandit camp or subjugate a monster nest—just scout
it out and report back. And that’s why they were patrolling this very road.

The night had been quiet so far, peaceful even, to the point of monotony.
The only sounds were the rhythmic footsteps and the soft rustling of their
paper lanterns. Then, quite unexpectedly, the flame in the lead scout's
lantern flickered and dimmed. There was still plenty of oil, so that wasn’t
the issue. A strange chill swept over the group—no wind, just ominous cold.

“Hold,” the Oni scout leader barked, raising his arm. His instincts were
screaming that something was amiss.

Without warning, a cloud of darkness—darker than the night itself—

appeared right in the middle of the road, smothering what little light
remained. From the shadows, one by one, nightmarish figures emerged.
Spiders—massive, evolved, and entirely too large for comfort. And dressed
in... clothes?

The Oni Scouts, battle-hardened though they were, couldn’t help but tense
up. Monsters, they were used to. But monsters emerging in such a
supernatural manner? That was new.

The largest of the spiders scuttled forward, flailing a vicious claw as if

trying to intimidate them. It didn’t exactly work, but it was unsettling all the
same.

Then, the spider let out the most grating, ear-splitting screech. Another
attempt at intimidation, no doubt. The scout leader held firm, but his less-
experienced comrades weren’t as composed. One of them, desperate,
reached into his pouch, pulling out a fistful of grains—his food ration.

“Yokai, begone!” he cried, flinging the grains at the monstrous spiders.

The scout leader rolled his eyes. Throwing sacred grains to ward off evil
spirits was an old superstition, one that had no place on a battlefield. Yokai
weren’t real. They were bedtime stories for children.

Yet, to everyone’s astonishment, the spider recoiled with an unpleasant hiss,

backing away from the thrown grain.

“It… it worked?” the scout leader stammered, genuinely surprised.

“Of course it did!” the scout exclaimed triumphantly. “Begone!” He hurled

another handful of grains with renewed vigour.

Before long, the rest of the scouts followed suit, tossing their rations at the
spiders like seasoned Yokai slayers. To their shock and delight, the sacred
grains worked wonders. The spiders dissolved back into shadows,
vanquished. The lanterns flickered back to life, burning brighter than ever,
casting a warm glow over the now-relieved Oni Scouts.

They erupted in cheers, clapping the grain-throwing scout on the back,

congratulating him on his quick thinking. Even the Oni scout leader joined
in, patting the lad’s shoulder with genuine gratitude. After all, the best
battles are won without fighting.

But as the cheer subsided, the scout leader frowned, deep in thought.
“Yokai…” he muttered under his breath. He’d seen it with his own eyes, yet
he couldn’t believe it. Yokai weren’t meant to exist. And now he’d have to
report this bizarre encounter to the local Daimyo. What was he supposed to
say? ‘Vanquished by food rations’ wasn’t exactly the stuff of legends.

And then another, more pressing matter came to mind.

“… But, lads,” he said, glancing down at the scattered grains covering the
road, “what are we going to do about our night lunch?”

The scouts all looked at the ground in dismay. Their celebratory grain-
flinging had left them without a single morsel.

The warm rays of the sun tickled the Oni Farmer’s eyelashes, coaxing him
awake. A broad smile stretched across his face—it was rare to feel so well-
rested. Not a single trace of stress lingered in his bones. But then, slowly, he
realised something wasn’t quite right. For starters, he was outside. Then he
realised he had slept on a pile of dirt. And finally, it all came flooding
back...

“No...” He shook his head. “Surely I’ve had too much Sake and dreamt up
this nightmare.” He stumbled to his feet, looking out at his fields.

“…”

Stress surged through him, wrapping tightly around his chest. His bones
ached with dread. “Gone! All gone!” His voice cracked. The once lush
fields now lay barren. “How will I feed my family?!” He clutched his head
in despair. Then, another grim realisation hit. “No! The fields belong to the
Daimyo... How will I pay my land tax?” His knees buckled as if ready to
give way. “Wait… no… think.” He rubbed his temples. “It was monsters.
Yes! It wasn’t my fault!” Surely, in such situations, it was the Daimyo’s
responsibility to protect the peasants from monsters. But still, a cold dread
settled in his stomach. “I’ll be punished...”

He didn’t even want to lift his head, defeated before the day had even
begun. With heavy steps, he dragged himself back to his minka, his family
home, barely managing to slide open the paper partition as he entered.

“I’m back...” he muttered, sadness thick in his voice.

“Wel... welcome... back,” came his wife’s sorrowful reply.

He looked up and noticed fresh tears glistening in her eyes. A sinking

feeling filled his chest.

“What happened?” he asked, dread settling deep within.

She wordlessly brought forward a familiar clay pot, its presence already
sending a chill down his spine. Slowly, she opened the lid.

Inside, where there should’ve been grain... was only dust.

“!!!”

Tears pooled in his wife’s eyes once more as she shrugged helplessly. “It’s...
it’s the same in the storeroom... all dust,” she said, wiping her face.

The Oni Farmer was distraught, but he pulled his wife into a hug. “How...
how could this happen?” He needed answers.

The youngest of their twelve children, ever bold, piped up. “It was the
Yokai!”

“The... the Yokai?” The Oni Farmer’s eyes widened as fragments of his
nightmare returned to him.

“Yes! I saw it last night! It was rummaging through the cupboards. I wanted
to cry for help but... I was too afraid!” the child explained, more excited
than frightened. “Then it threw something at me, and I fell asleep!”
“!!!” The Oni Farmer knew of the culprit. “A big spider... with claws for
hands, four intelligent eyes, and a terrifying face you can’t forget?”

The child frowned, thinking for a moment before replying, “Hmm... Yes,
but it had a cute face!”

The Oni Farmer didn’t quite agree on the “cute” part. But as that question
of the Yokai lingered, another pressing concern gnawed at him—what
would they eat if all the grain had turned to dust?

It was then he felt something poking from his pocket. Reaching inside, he
pulled out a large, unusually blue fruit.

“???”

“Dear, what is it?” his wife asked, curiosity and concern mingling in her
voice.

“I... I’ve no idea,” the Oni Farmer confessed, staring at the mysterious fruit.

Their youngest child, ever curious, leaned in to take a sniff. “It smells
delicious! I’m hungry. Can we eat it?”

The Oni Farmer turned the fruit over in his hands, his mind a tangled web
of thoughts. Was it a blessing? Or perhaps a curse? But with nothing else to
eat, it seemed better than starvation.

“Let’s try it,” he finally decided, cutting a tiny slice with a knife and
popping it into his mouth.

A wave of joy filled his senses. The fruit was unbelievably delicious, but as
he waited—his family staring at him intently—he realised something
peculiar. Not only was the fruit delicious, but it was extremely filling. His
hunger, despite only taking a tiny bite, had all but disappeared. It was
strange, but he felt... satisfied.

“Well... this is something special,” he mused, slicing the rest of the fruit into
thirteen pieces, enough for the whole family.
They ate together, their worries momentarily forgotten as the crisis of
breakfast was averted. But the looming question of lunch, and dinner for
that matter, still weighed heavily on the Oni Farmer’s mind.

He sighed, knowing he would have to petition the Daimyo for emergency

rations. And surely, he’d be punished for the state of the fields. Still, he was
the Oni Farmer—an eternal optimist. No matter how grim things looked, he
always found a way. There was no doubt in his mind that a good Kami was
watching over him and his family: after all, he’d miraculously survived the
Yokai encounter and now had this edible blessing to push him forward.

With a quiet word of thanks to the unseen forces that protected him, the Oni
Farmer gathered his courage. It was time to face the Oni Daimyo.

The Oni Daimyo, one of many lords overseeing the cities of the Oni
Shogunate, yanked furiously at his horn as if it were the source of all his
problems. His eyes blazed murderously at the growing pile of reports on his
desk. Today was not a good day. He paced in front of the table, barking at
no one in particular.

“Hundreds of farmers! All begging for forgiveness!” His fist came down
with a thud on the table. “Their fields destroyed by... Yokai! Yokai of all
things!” He shook his head in disbelief. Yokai. Monsters from myths, for
crying out loud. He would’ve laughed if the reports weren’t confirmed by
his scouts. But, alas, they were.

Two urgent tasks now stared him in the face: dispatch the Oni Samurai to
protect the remaining farmers and fields, and issue emergency rations and
seeds. Simple. Except for one problem.

“I HAVE NO SAMURAI TO SEND!” His voice echoed off the walls as he

glared at the ceiling as if it could help. “The Shogun’s taken them to fight
the Centauri!”

He ran his hands over his face, fingers scraping his horn. “And what
rations? What seeds?!” He punched the table again, splintering the surface.
“All turned to dust! Sabotaged by some accursed magic!” He growled,
pacing once more. “It’s the Tiefling Conclave! I know it! Their dark
schemes have cursed us!”

There was nothing. No food. No seeds. No soldiers. His mind buzzed with
the looming threat of revolt. What would he do when the starving peasants
turned to rioting? He had no Samurai left to keep order.

“RAHHH!!!” His rage boiled over again, and with one final strike, he
snapped the table clean in half. He took a long, heaving breath, forcing
himself to calm down. The broken wood scattered beneath his feet.

“I... can’t do this alone,” he muttered, as much to himself as to the universe.

“I’ll have to beg another Daimyo for help…” His teeth clenched at the
thought. “He’ll help me. He has to help me. Why else did I marry my
daughter to him?” He sank to the floor, fishing out a roll of parchment and a
brush from the debris of his desk. He would write a letter—an urgent one.

Just as he began, the doors burst open, slamming against the walls with an
echo. An Oni official stumbled into the room, his face pale with panic. He
hadn’t even bothered to knock—an oversight that normally would have
earned him a trip to the dungeons. But the Daimyo’s eyes narrowed on the
parchment the official waved wildly in the air.

“Honourable Daimyo, an urgent letter!” The official’s hands shook as he

held it out. The ribbon bore the unmistakable seal of urgency, along with a
crest the Daimyo knew all too well.

It came from the very Daimyo to whom he had married his daughter.

“Give it to me!” he snapped, yanking the letter from the official’s hand and
tearing it open with impatience. His eyes darted over the words.

===Letter Start===

Honoured Father-in-Law,
I write to you with a heavy heart, my dear friend. A calamity of
unprecedented proportions has befallen my domain, a catastrophe that
defies explanation. It is as if the very earth itself has turned against us.

Our sacred grain fields, the lifeblood of our people, have been ravaged by a
mysterious force. Not the blight of disease nor the wrath of the elements,
but something more sinister, something that whispers of arcane origins.

To make matters worse, the grain we had stored in our granaries, our
safeguard against such times, has been mysteriously transformed into dust.
A blight upon our supplies, a cruel twist of fate that leaves us on the brink
of famine.

I fear the foul hand of the Tiefling Conclave may be at work, their dark
magic twisted against our innocent people. But this is merely speculation, a
shadow lurking in the corners of my mind.

My father-in-law, I beseech you, not as one Daimyo to another, but as a son

to his father. Send aid, swiftly and with all your might. Our people are
starving, our lands are desolate, and our future hangs by a thread.

Let us stand together against this darkness, united by blood and by the
bonds of friendship.

Your devoted son-in-law

===Letter End===

“...” The Oni Daimyo’s grip tightened around the letter, his knuckles white.
“RAHHH!!!” His rage erupted once more as he crumpled the letter in his
hand, tossing it aside like trash. His fingers tugged harder at his horn, this
time genuinely trying to tear it from his head.

If things kept going this way, there would be only one option left. He would
have to commit... Sudoku—a mathematical ritual known for bringing a
swift and honourable end to one’s life.
 171 – The Dangerously Powerful
Meal

The Fertilizer Combine Spider lay in the shadow of the towering Centauri
Castle, its spidery form at rest but brimming with a latent, terrifying energy.
Its many claws, graspers, and gnashing blades—intricate and jagged like a
nightmare of metal—were tucked neatly against its sides, the arrangement
resembling the folded legs of a predator in repose. A low hum, deep and
arcane, echoed from its bladed maw, a sound like the heavy breaths of a
beast lost in a dream. The hum resonated in the air, thick with foreboding
and reverence.

Around the slumbering Combine, the Oni Convicts gathered, their forms
casting long shadows in the waning light. These Oni were no strangers to
desperation, sentenced to toil in the blood-soaked fields surrounding the
castle. Yet tonight, their movements were careful, deliberate. In their hands
they carried candles—their wax was blue and their flames flickered in
strange, otherworldly hues of purple. The faint glow illuminated the
Combine's dreadful majesty, its edges catching the DarkFlame light in a
way that made it seem even more alive, even more dangerous, despite its
slumber.

In the flickering candlelight, the Oni Convicts whispered their prayers, low
chants that carried the weight of both reverence and fear. Their offerings—
small, insignificant things—were raised in trembling hands. Dead rats,
monstrous vermin caught in the fields, and other pitiful creatures: all
sacrifices meant to appease the Combine. They were careful as they
approached, mindful of the many sharp blades lying idle in the great maw.
Each offering was thrown in, vanishing between the teeth of the machine.
With a sudden, whirring flick of its claws, the Combine's maw churned, the
blades humming to life just long enough to mulch the offerings into a fine,
blood-flecked paste. The slumbering beast buzzed louder, as if in
contentment. The Oni offered more prayers, their voices rising in unity,
their eyes gleaming with the flicker of ceremonial zeal. For in this dreadful
construct, they honoured the Oni who had died during the ill-fated siege of
the Centauri Castle, the samurai whose shattered armour had been forged
into the Fertilizer Combine Spider itself. In this spidery union of death
and machine, the Combine was as much a Shikigami as it was a Kami
(God).

The Oni Convicts knelt, their prayers now drifting to the vast, crimson
fields that stretched as far as the eye could see—fields that smelt deeply of
Oni blood. From these chaos lands, the strange, red-streaked grain had
bloomed: the grains of the matured CrimsonClover. This blessing,
nourished by the sacrifice of the fallen, now promised to be the daily meal
of the living. The first harvest had just been reaped, the seeds more sacred
than any crop they had known. Each grain gleamed like a drop of blood,
rich with the memory of death and honour. It was the Oni’s connection to
those who had died here, a grim reminder that even in death, they sustained
the living.

The final prayer ended with a heavy silence, broken only by the distant
clang of a massive gong. The day’s labours had ended, and it was time for
the evening meal. The Oni Convicts, weathered and drained of sanity,
trudged to the mess hall, their expressions a mix of anticipation and dread.
What would they be served? The spiders had hinted at something new—a
meal unlike any they had tasted before.

Inside the mess hall, the spiders, bedecked in aprons and spidery chef’s
hats, scuttled from the kitchen with a practised efficiency that belied their
monstrous appearance. With surprising dexterity, they formed neat lines,
each spidery claw bearing food. Their claws worked like well-oiled
machines, passing crimson loaves along the assembly line. The convicts
waited, their stomachs gnawing, as the smell of unfamiliar bread filled the
air.
“Quickly. Quickly. Form a queue,” rasped one of the spiders, its voice a
deceptively melodic chirp in the Demonic tongue. Its many legs moved
with purpose, though its voice carried none of the warmth expected of a
chef. There was only the efficiency of a predator feeding its prey.

At the front of the queue stood the Oni Shaman, her presence commanding
silence. She reached out, her hands steady, to accept the first loaf—a
crimson chunk of bread that looked like a piece of the blood-soaked fields
itself. The loaf gleamed under the dim lights, its color unnervingly vivid.
She examined it, turning it over in her hands, feeling the weight of
something sacred, something born from the blood and ashes of her kin.

She sniffed at it as if trying to uncover the secrets hidden within. The scent
was oddly enticing, a blend of warmth and something more… something
almost forbidden. “What is this exactly?” she murmured, her voice half-
drowned by the hum of activity around her.

"CrimsonBread," the spider chirped a response, its sharp claws clacking as

it motioned for her to move along. "Next!"

The name lingered in her mind as she shuffled forward to the next spidery
station, where another spidery conveyor offered a drink ration. Her fingers
idly squeezed the loaf, feeling its surprising softness. This wasn’t the dense,
tasteless bread she’d expected. This was something else entirely. "Bread
Of The Samurai," she whispered to herself, giving it a more fitting title.
After all, it was made from the seeds nourished by the fallen Oni—their
strength, their blood, their sacrifice.

She took a tentative bite, her eyes widening instantly as the flavours
bloomed across her tongue.

"!!!"

The bread almost slipped from her grasp in shock. This wasn’t the
sustenance of prisoners or convicts. No, this was a feast, on par with the
lavish meals she'd tasted in the Shogun's Palace. But there was something
more to it, something intimate, powerful. The bread was fluffy, light, with a
touch of savory salt that lingered at the back of her throat. She closed her
eyes briefly, offering a silent thanks to the Oni who had fallen so that this
could be possible. Their essence was here, within the bread, and it filled her
with a strange mix of reverence and guilt.

Finaly, her steps brought her to the next spider, its legs tapping the ground
impatiently as it tended to a barrel on its left and a towering stack of
tankards on its right. More barrels were being rolled in, accompanied by the
metallic clatter of additional tankards being stacked higher and higher. The
spider extended one to her, already filled with a bubbling, deep red liquid.

"Quickly. Quickly. Come," the spider chirped in rough Demonic language,

offering the tankard.

The Oni Shaman took it cautiously. The drink swirled within, its red hue
deep and foreboding, yet it did not carry the scent of wine, nor the
sharpness of sake she was accustomed to. Bubbles rose lazily to the surface,
adding to the strange allure. "Is this… a potion?" she asked, her mind
leaping to the unnatural speed with which the harvest had been turned into
drink. Use of Alchemy, perhaps?

"No. This is CrimsonAle," the spider responded curtly, moving its attention
to the next Oni in line. "Next!"

CrimsonAle. The word felt too plain, too mundane for something born
from such extraordinary circumstances. She lifted the tankard to her lips,
curiosity mingled with caution, and took a sip.

"!!!"

The taste was unexpected, earthy and metallic, but balanced with a strange
smoothness that made it dangerously easy to drink. It wasn't wine. It wasn’t
sake. It was something else entirely—an ale, yes, but with a hidden
fierceness that seemed to burn quietly in her throat. The taste paired
perfectly with the Bread Of The Samurai. Together, they formed a
complete, if unsettling, meal.

"This is the Blood Of The Oni," she muttered under her breath, renaming
the drink with a reverence befitting its origins. The name felt right. More
than right, it felt necessary. She was drinking the very essence of those who
had died in the fields, their lives distilled into something that gave her
strength. It was sobering, yet intoxicating at the same time. The drink's
subtle fieriness crept through her, warming her from the inside out.

Taking her place at a nearby table, she set the crimson bread and tankard
down before her, allowing herself a moment of quiet. The sounds of the
other convicts faded as her thoughts turned inward. "The Bread Of The
Samurai and the Blood Of The Oni," she whispered, the weight of her
words pressing down on her like the intricately wowen webs overhead. The
realisation struck her, cold and unforgiving: it was almost as if she was
consuming the dead themselves.

"No…" She shook her head, pushing the thought away. "We’re honouring
their sacrifice… the sacrifice which gives us sustenance." As the words left
her lips, something strange washed over her, a tingling sensation that spread
through her limbs, subtle but unmistakable. Her muscles felt stronger, her
breaths deeper and more efficient. It wasn’t just food. The bread and ale
carried something more.

A notification appeared in her mind:

[You have obtained: StaminaRegeneration, StrengthBoost]

She stared down at her hands, flexing them. The power thrummed through
her veins, as if the spirits of the fallen Oni were lending her their strength,
urging her to carry on. "…The sacrifice which gives us strength."

Her reverie was interrupted by a chirping voice.

"Anyone for seconds?" One of the spiders skittered over, its tone oddly
cheerful. The Oni convicts nearby looked up in disbelief, their eyes wide.

"Seconds?" she muttered, her gaze narrowing suspiciously. Why would they
be offered more? This was already more than any convict could have hoped
for. It felt wrong, excessive. And yet, the others did not share her wariness.
With eager movements, they rushed to form a new queue, desperate for
more of the crimson sustenance.
"Come. Come!" the spider beckoned, its voice urging them on.

The Shaman’s eyes darkened with suspicion. This was no ordinary

generosity. Something in the way the spiders moved, the precision of their
feeding, felt calculated. As if they were preparing the Oni convicts for
something more than just a hearty meal.

Her grip tightened around the tankard. What was the true purpose of this
feast?

The Spider King rubbed his hands together with glee, his purple eyes
gleaming in satisfaction. "The Oni, they liked it!" he exclaimed, turning to
his maid, the Mer Princess, who splashed nearby with a sly grin on her face.

"Of course they did," she said, flipping her tail playfully. "I helped bake it,
after all."

He nodded vigorously, his enthusiasm undampened. "And the ale! It turned

out splendidly, didn't it?"

The Mer Princess twirled a lock of wet hair around her finger. "Yes, yes!
Those DarkSpores did wonders. The fermentation was nearly
instantaneous!"

"The Myconid Queen deserves all the credit. I’ll have to send her a letter of
my deepest gratitude," he mused.

"You should send her more than just a letter," the Mer Princess interjected.
"With the way things are going, we’ll need spores by the mountain-load.
Think she can keep up?"

The Spider King stilled in thought. "Hmm… it's been a while since I visited
her domain. Who knows what she’s up to? Thanks for reminding me,
though. I’ll pay her a visit once things calm down at Centauri Castle."

The Mer Princess winked, moving to the edge of her basin. "That’s what
I’m here for, your majesty. To remind you of all the things you forget. Oh,
and speaking of duties… your bath is ready." She gestured toward the large
basin in the room, which conveniently doubled as her personal living space.

The Spider King discarded his robe, moving toward the basin with a sigh of
relief. "Ahhh…" he murmured, sinking into the warm, infused waters. "You
always make the perfect baths. I swear, you’ve got a real talent for this."

"Glad to be of service," she said, swimming closer to scrub his back. She
paused for a moment, a mischievous smile curling her lips. Her voice
dropped to a whisper as she leaned in, lips brushing close to his ear.
"Rumor, rumor… I’ve heard you’ve been making the Ultimate Cream
Cheese."

Instantly, the Spider King’s entire body stiffened, his shoulders tensing up.
"W-where did you hear that?" he sputtered, his eyes darting around in a
panic.

The Mer Princess chuckled, her hands working gently to massage away the
tension. "Relax, relax. You might not realize it, but your ultimate dessert-
making session is the hottest topic in all of Centauri Castle right now."

His face flushed, the heat rising up his neck. "I... I didn’t think it would get
out so quickly."

"Oh, it did." She flashed a wicked grin. "Apparently, the dessert was a great
success. But, and here’s the annoying part, none of the noble mares will tell
me any of the juicy details. The Centauri Champion? Won’t say a word.
Keeps giving me that superior look, like she’s part of some exclusive 'cream
cheese club.' Ugh, it’s maddening!" She folded her arms dramatically.
"Come on, won’t you let me in on the secret? Just a little taste of the truth,
what transpired then and there?"

He squirmed in the water. "I... I’d rather keep it private."

"Oh, come on!" She leaned in closer, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "I
won’t tell anyone. I promise. Cross my heart." She even made a little ‘X’
motion across her chest with her finger, pouting just enough to be
irresistible.
"But... aren’t you my wife’s spy?" he pointed out, turning to her to give a
sidelong glance.

The Mer Princess placed a hand over her heart, feigning hurt. "Ouch. You
wound me, my King. While technically I am her spy, sent here to keep an
eye on you…" She leaned in closer, whispering conspiratorially. "I’m your
loyal maid first and foremost. And I don’t need to tell her everything.
Besides, she already gave you permission, didn’t she? I’m just asking for
me!" She batted her eyelashes innocently.

The Spider King hesitated, still unsure. "Is that so…?"

She nodded vigorously, her enthusiasm infectious. "Come on! I’m dying to
know! You don’t even have to give me the whole story, just the highlights!"

He sighed, knowing he was trapped. "Alright, alright. But only because you
asked so nicely."

With a deep breath, the Spider King began to retell the heroic tale of his
daring and delicate quest to make the Ultimate Dessert. The Mer Princess
leaned in, her eyes wide with excitement as he spoke of the meticulous
preparation, the precise balancing of various techniques, and the tension-
filled moment when the Centauri Champion had the first taste.

By the end of his tale, the Mer Princess tilted her head curiously, her tail
flicking playfully behind her. "Oh my... You had to transform. That little
detail must've slipped through the gossip mill," she mused.

"Yeah." He chuckled softly. "It wouldn’t have worked otherwise. You know
what they say—right tools to make the right dessert."

"I see… I see…" She murmured thoughtfully, her voice trailing off as her
eyes sparkled mischievously.

The Spider King’s body twitched slightly. "Hey, um, isn’t the water getting
a bit too hot?"
"Oops! My bad, my bad!" Day Sapphire laughed nervously. "Let me just
adjust that…"

The water swirled, but the heat only intensified. The Spider King
straightened his back, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "It’s only getting
warmer! Are you even—"

"Oops! Sorry again!" she interrupted, her hands slipping around him,
pulling him into a close embrace.

He felt her chest shells press against his back, and he sighed, half-
exasperated. "Day Sapphire… my loyal maid… You’re thinking of
something forbidden, aren’t you?"

"Me?" She tilted her head in mock innocence, resting her cheek against his
shoulder. "I’m just moved by your heroic tale, that’s all."

"..."

She giggled softly, her fingers tracing small patterns on his chest. "You
know… a little spider chirped a rather curious question at me recently. She
—yes, she—asked what body part of mine you like the most."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? The spider asked that?"

"Yes," she hummed, voice dripping with playful intrigue as she hugged him
tighter, her sapphire scales catching the soft light of the bath. "Curious,
right? But let's not get distracted… what part of me do you really like the
most?"

The Spider King's hand instinctively grasped the necklace his wife had
given him, fingers curling around the centrepiece. "Your beautiful sapphire
scales, of course," he replied without hesitation, his tone resolute.

A wide grin spread across her face. "I knew it! I told my cute spider friend
the exact same thing!" Her hand slid down his chest with a teasing
slowness.
His body tensed up again. "Hey! The water’s getting way too hot, and now
this?" He stood abruptly, escaping her embrace. "Are you trying to—" He
stopped mid-sentence, catching the sly gaze she was giving him. "—get me
into trouble?"

With utterly shameless audacity, Mer Princess beamed at him, eyes

gleaming like precious stones. "Why not… we could make a little dessert,
yes? Just the two of us? The Queen wouldn’t find out, I promise!" She gave
him the most exaggerated, pleading look she could muster.

The Spider King’s hand tightened on the necklace as he closed his eyes in a
brief prayer. "LoveBound Necklace, give me the strength to resist this
troublesome maid…"

"Just a tiny dessert!" she begged, her voice soft, teasing, and absolutely
irresistible. "A teeny tiny one! I don’t want to be left out of the fun, you
know."

He opened his eyes but then closed them straight away, resisting the gleam
of her scales. "LoveBound Necklace, give me strength to resist this
troublesome maid…"

"We’ll be quick!" she pleaded, moving in front of him, her expression the
picture of innocent temptation. "I won’t take much of your time. Just a short
bake, I swear. Please!"

"LoveBound Necklace, give me strength to resist this troublesome maid!"

He repeated, his voice firm, but there was a slight waver in his resolve.

The troublesome maid wasn’t giving up easily. She pressed closer, her
charms turned up to the maximum, batting her eyes as if she could break
through his iron will. "We’ll be done before you know it. Just a teeny tiny
dessert baking session… for me❤️?"

The Spider King’s grip on the necklace was fierce now, his face tense and
his eyes squeezed shut. "LoveBound Necklace, give me strength to resist
this troublesome maid!!!" he chanted, practically willing the necklace’s
magic to shield him from her relentless advances.
A heavy silence hung between them. For a moment, it seemed like she
might push further, but then the Mer Princess sighed dramatically, throwing
her arms up in exaggerated defeat.

"Fine, fine!" she pouted. "But you’re no fun sometimes, you know?"

The Spider King, finally free of her barrage of requests, exhaled in relief.
"This necklace is my only defence… without it, I'd be doomed..."

She smirked, giving him one last mischievous glance. "Don’t think the
battle’s over, my King. I’ll get my dessert someday."

And with that, she swam off with a flick of her tail, letting the Spider King
leave the now cooling bath.
 172 – Sacrifice and Madness, The
Chains Of The Oni

The Oni Convicts, bolstered by the blood-soaked power of their sacred

rations, tackled their duties with a newfound vigour. Muscles swelled under
layers of scar tissue, and their eyes gleamed with an unsettling mix of
fervour and duty. The sweet scent of the CrimsonClover fields clung to the
air, light and refreshing, as they waded into the heart of their task:
exterminating the creeping vermin that dared to feast on the new sacred
crop.

But this wasn’t mere pest control—no, this was a sacred ritual. The method
was brutal and unrelenting. The Oni Shaman, with her Convict Jumpsuit
now adorned with multiple talismans made from bones, stood at the front of
the procession. Her hands moved in practised motions, fingers twitching as
the improvised drums began to beat, each thrum echoing through the field
with a low, shamanic pulse. She began her chant.

"From shadows deep, where creatures creep,

To fields of crimson, where clover’s seen,
Come forth, small ones, of night and morn,
Your presence felt, your mischief born."

The chant was low at first, a whisper on the wind, but with every beat of the
drum, it grew, until the very air around them seemed to quiver with
anticipation. Beneath the giant clover leaves, the monstrous vermin stirred
—small, misshapen beasts, evolved by demonic nature and imbued with an
unnatural hunger. They slunk toward the sound, their beady eyes reflecting
the flickering DarkFlame of the lanterns, entranced by the primal beat and
the Shaman’s empowered voice.
"To Oni's might, your path is set,
A mighty club, a deadly threat.
So gather near, and heed the call,
Before your kind, forever fall."

The beat quickened, a frantic crescendo, and the monsters could not resist.
One by one, they emerged from the shadows, drawn to their own doom,
until they stood in droves before the Oni. The field was a sea of trembling,
insignificant life—waiting, almost begging, for the crushing end. The Oni
Convicts hefted their clubs, nothing more than wooden instruments, but in
their hands, they were weapons of pure, unyielding death. Without
hesitation, they swung.

The first strike splattered blood across the ground, and the next followed
with a wet crunch. The rodent-like creatures barely had time to scream
before their bodies crumpled under the force, bones snapping under Ogre-
like might. Blood poured into the earth, staining it in a deeper red, as if the
very land itself was eager to drink of the slaughter. Yet the monsters kept
coming, compelled by the beat, driven to their deaths by the Oni Shaman’s
chant.

"Oni, arise, with strength untold,

Protect the sacred fields, where life unfolds.
Drive back the pests, the verminous mob,
To restore the peace, by our sacred oath."

The drumming ceased. The only sound was the quiet squelch of severed
bodies, limp and broken, as the Oni began gathering the corpses. With each
swing of the club, the air had thickened with the metallic scent of blood,
and now that silence reigned once more, the field felt heavy with an eerie
reverence. The slaughter was a sacred ritual. Each lifeless form was an
offering, fuel for the sacred machine that dominated the castle courtyard—
the Fertilizer Combine Spider.

Back in the castle, the Shaman approached the towering construct, her face
carrying notes of both devotion and grim purpose. It stood like some
ancient idol, its massive legs folded beneath it as it slumbered, exuding an
ominous hum that resonated in the bones of all who stood near. She raised a
bloodied hand toward it.

"Hear me, devourer of flesh! I offer these, the pests that would consume
your bounty. Let their sacrifice nourish your hunger, and may your gifts of
growth be bestowed upon the fields again."

With a series of mechanical clinks and whirrs, the Fertilizer Combine

Spider came to life. Its maw opened, grinding gears visible within, as the
Oni began to feed it the carcasses. Each monster was consumed by the
machine, its innards glowing with an arcane energy as it mulched the bodies
into something far more useful—fertilizer, dark and rich, imbued with a
twisted kind of magic. The Oni Shaman watched, her eyes reflecting the
sickly light of the process, her lips whispering a prayer.

"The cycle of life endures. From death, new life shall arise. May the land be
fruitful, and may the spiders's purpose be fulfilled."

The reverence was interrupted. Above, cries of Heys pierced the sky as a
flock of harpies descended, their wings beating the air with the sound of
ruffled feathers. These creatures, too, were bound to the Centauri Castle,
though the Oni had little interaction with them. Yet today, they arrived
bearing gifts. With ungainly grace, they dropped large parcels wrapped in
vines, their harpish faces gleaming with mischievous pride.

“Hey! More fertilizer!” one harpy chirped, grinning.

Another quickly jumped ahead. “Feed it to the Combine,” she said, flashing
a knowing smile toward the Oni Shaman.

The Oni Shaman, caught off guard by this sudden generosity, gave a nod of
thanks. It was rare for the harpies to contribute to the sacred machine's
upkeep. “Thank you for your gifts,” she said, bowing her head.

The harpies, Hey!’ing amongst themselves, took off into the sky once more,
leaving the Oni Shaman and the convicts to examine the parcels. Curious,
she sliced through one of the vines, unravelling the package.
"!!!" The Oni Shaman recoiled in shock, her heart skipping a beat at the
contents. What had once been presumed a monstrous carcass was, in fact,
the cold, lifeless body of an Oni Scout. His skin was pale, drained of life,
and his limbs were bound tightly by the vine wrappings.

Without hesitation, she turned to the Oni standing at her side, her face filled
with reverence. "No doubt this scout died with honour. Let’s not allow his
sacrifice to be in vain," she pointed towards the maw of the sacred machine.
"His flesh and blood will continue living with us. May his spirit give us
strength."

"May his spirit give us strength," the others echoed, their voices a low
murmur as they gathered around. They lifted the body of their fallen brother
and carried him toward the sacred maw of the Fertilizer Combine Spider.
The machine whirred to life as the offering was deposited, its spidery blades
spinning with a gnashing hunger. It devoured the body with great gusto, as
though feasting on the finest of desserts. When it finished, it belched out a
burst of purple flame, the exhaust pipes exhaling in satisfaction, and its
engine purred with contentment. The sacred machine gave a low hum,
almost as if it were offering its own gratitude to the Oni.

The Shaman stood in silence for a moment, looking curiously at the

remaining three vine-bound parcels. An understanding began to dawn upon
her as she reached for the next one. She felt it in her bones—the other
packages were of the same quality and nature. All three were the bodies of
Oni Scouts. But whether it was morbid curiosity or some deeper
compulsion, she found herself unwrapping them one by one, checking their
faces.

Her breath caught in her throat as the last parcel revealed the familiar face
of Yasuke, one of the Shogun's nephews. The Shaman’s hands trembled.
Yasuke’s face was ashen, his eyes closed in a semblance of death, but there
was something strange—something off. Being a shaman, she could still
sense a lingering presence, a soul that hadn’t yet departed. Souls rarely
stayed with the dead for long, and as she pressed her palm against his cold
chest to send it to the afterlife, she felt it: a faint pulse, weak but undeniably
there.
"He's alive," she whispered, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Yasuke is
alive!"

Her fingers traced the vine bindings that constricted his body, and it was
then that she realized what afflicted him—the ParasiticVine. The cursed
plant fed on life itself, slowly draining its host until nothing remained but a
husk. She could see the vine pulse faintly, leeching what little strength
Yasuke had left.

Without a moment to lose, the Shaman began to chant, her voice resonating
with power. "Ancient spirits, cleanse this soul, restore my friend, brave and
sound, [BreakCurse]!" Magic surged from her fingertips, spilling over
Yasuke's body in waves of shimmering light. The parasitic vine hissed,
withering beneath the power of her spell until it crumbled into ash. The
colour returned to Yasuke’s face, his chest heaving as he suddenly sat up,
eyes wide and full of confusion.

He collapsed into a violent coughing fit, expelling a thick, green sludge

from his throat. The vile substance hit the ground with a splat, and within it,
a small, immature seed writhed momentarily before dying.

"Yasuke! It’s me!" She knelt beside him, a relieved smile tugging at her
lips. Her hands reached for his, steadying his trembling fingers.

Yasuke, his coughing fit finally subsiding, lifted his head to face the figure
that had saved him. "Yasuke! It’s me!" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with
an unsettling excitement.

Her grin, wide and strained, was unnervingly unnatural. Her eyes flickered
with a madness that gnawed at the edges of her sanity. Yasuke felt a chill
creep down his spine. He recognized her—though she was gaunt and
emaciated, a shadow of her former self—this was Kurama, the Oni Shaman,
once a favoured plaything of his uncle. The sight of her now filled him with
unease.

"Kurama?" he whispered, unsure if he got her name right.

She nodded, the smile never leaving her face. "Yes, it's me. But don’t stand
up just yet," she said, her voice lilting with an eerie calm. "I’ve removed the
affliction, but you’re still Drained. It’ll take time to recover." With a
deliberate motion, she handed him a piece of bread—peculiarly crimson in
colour. It was soft, fresh, and its enticing smell immediately made his
stomach growl with hunger. He was famished, the ache of starvation
gnawing at his insides, and without hesitation, he devoured it in one bite.

[You have obtained: StaminaRegeneration]

Strength surged back into his limbs, enough for him to rise shakily to his
feet. "Thanks, Kurama... The Shogun will..." His words trailed off as
something caught his eye—something so horrific it paralyzed him where he
stood.

Towering before him was a monstrosity unlike anything he'd ever seen. It
was an amalgamation of metal and death, a twisted, hulking machine that
exuded Terror. Formed from the broken remnants of battle—torn armour,
shattered katanas, and jagged shards of weapons—it stood like a colossus of
nightmare. Plates of metal and twisted blades bristled from every surface,
all melded together into a Metal-Clad Effigy of Death and Destruction.
Clawed pincers, grinders, and vicious, bladed limbs sprouted from its body
in odd angles. Its spidery head bore a maw filled with spinning blades,
gnashing idly as if waiting to devour anything foolish enough to come
close.

The machine groaned, emitting a low, tortured hum, like the anguished cries
of the damned souls whose essence might still cling to the scrap. It was too
large, too vile, and too unsettling to be a mere construct—it was alive, or
worse, waiting.

And then, the horror deepened. Yasuke’s gaze shifted to the Oni
surrounding the machine. They moved in a feverish dance of madness, their
eyes empty of reason, consumed by some horrific reverence. The bodies of
his comrades, Soka and Roku, were dragged before the machine.

Before Yasuke could react, he watched in abject horror as the Oni

unceremoniously tossed Soka into the maw of the metal behemoth. The
blades within spun to life, shredding the body into pulp in an instant. He
trembled as the machine belched purple flame, infusing the air with
something ancient and arcane.

The Oni convicts, far from horrified, chanted in unison, "May his spirit give
us strength," before offering the body of Roku to the maw.

Yasuke stumbled back, his legs giving out beneath him. He collapsed, his
heart racing, terror clawing at his mind. "What... Why???" he choked, his
voice barely a whisper. He felt like a child lost in a waking nightmare, his
mind struggling to comprehend the depth of the atrocity before him.

Kurama, her voice calm yet brimming with mania, stepped closer.
"Yasuke," she said, her smile now devoid of any semblance of sanity. "This
is our Kami. We must offer it sacrifices." She gestured toward the Metal-
Clad Effigy of Death and Destruction as if it were a sacred deity, deserving
of worship.

"This... This thing?" Yasuke stammered, his voice cracking with disbelief.
He tried to scramble away, but his body refused to cooperate. His strength
was faltering again. He looked at Kurama, desperate to see some glimmer
of the woman he once knew, but all he saw was madness. "What happened
to you? What happened to all of you?"

Kurama's expression softened, almost tender, but her eyes remained wild,
feverish. "The Spider King protects us. We serve him here, within Centauri
Castle. We are Convicts, but we are blessed by the Spider King’s mercy."
Her gaze drifted upward, and Yasuke followed her eyes. Dark figures—
monstrous, skittering shapes—crawled across the castle’s walls, their many
legs clicking in the shadows. Spiders, massive and unnatural, moving with a
horrifying intelligence.

"The... Spider King?" Yasuke stammered both in confusion and disbelief.

"Yes," Kurama continued with manic reverence. "We are safe under his
rule. We serve the sacred machine. We feed it and it protects us, blessing the
land with life." Her words, though mad, were filled with an unshakable
conviction.
Yasuke's heart pounded in his chest. Every instinct screamed at him to flee,
but there was nowhere to run. The castle walls loomed high and unyielding,
and the dark creatures prowled the shadows, watching. His eyes flickered
between the nightmarish machine and the Oni, who now gathered drums
and began to play a fevered rhythm, their chanting rising in fervour. They
were lost, every one of them, their minds sacrificed to the forces of chaos.

The hum of the machine deepened, and Yasuke felt a cold wave of dread
wash over him. The Metal-Clad Effigy of Death and Destruction stirred, its
bladed limbs twitching to life. With a sickening creak, it rose, its
appendages unfolding in a display of uncanny grace. It took one step, then
another, the ground trembling beneath its weight. The Oni cheered, their
drums echoing the machine’s dreadful cadence.

Yasuke’s legs buckled again. His sanity was slipping away with each beat of
the drum, with each step of the metal colossus. He was trapped in a waking
nightmare, surrounded by madmen worshipping a machine of death.

Kurama gripped his arm, having more strength than any gaunt woman
should. "Come, Yasuke," she whispered, her breath hot against his ear. "We
must support the Sacred Machine. It walks to bless the fields. We are its
servants now."

Yasuke's vision blurred. The ungodly machine, the chanting Oni, the
skittering spiders—they all swam before his eyes. His mind screamed for
escape, but there was no way out. He was trapped like a fly in a web.

He could feel his sanity slipping through his fingers like sand. The last
coherent thought that flashed through his mind was this: ‘This is worse than
death’.
173 – A Spider Which Trapped The
Oni In Its Brilliant Web

The Oni Shaman drifted into uneasy slumber, only to find herself ensnared
in a nightmarish web. Tangled in a mass of sticky threads, her limbs were
tightly bound, the clinging strands denying any hope of movement. No
matter how fiercely she struggled, her efforts were futile—the more she
fought, the tighter the web constricted.

From somewhere deep within the binding strands, a voice—a soft, spidery
whisper—called out. “Come, come, come...” it beckoned, the sound a dark,
insidious chirp that tugged at the corners of her mind. She strained against
her bindings, but they held firm, binding her ever tighter.

“Come to the Spider King... come to him...” the whisper repeated, its tone
now sweet and luring. She wanted to respond, to scream or curse, but even
her mouth was sealed shut with the sticky threads, her voice stolen by the
same web that imprisoned her.

“Come... come... come...” The chirp persisted, weaving through her mind.
“Surrender to his will…” It urged. “He will set you free...”

Free? The word echoed in her thoughts, but the threads tightened their grip
around her body, as if amused by the very notion. Every inch of her was
shackled, every breath laboured, trapped in a web spun from the very
essence of her fear.

The Oni Shaman jolted awake, a gasp tearing from her throat. The night
still blanketed the world outside, but sleep no longer seemed possible. The
spidery whisper echoed in her mind, relentless and insidious: “Come...
come... come…”

Her heart pounded in her chest as she whispered to herself, her voice
trembling. “If I come... will he set me free? Will my nightmares end?”

She knew the answer, but the question gnawed at her, a desperate flicker of
hope in the darkness. It was him who had bound her. Why would he release
her from the very web he spun? And yet, despite the bitter knowledge, she
felt an irresistible pull, an unseen thread guiding her steps.

Without realizing it, she found herself wandering through the cold, empty
corridors of Centauri Castle. The silence was unnatural, the ever-watchful
spiders conspicuously absent. Her mind felt clouded, thick with fog, as if
something unseen was smothering her thoughts. She closed her eyes,
willing the haze to clear, and when she opened them again, rather suddenly,
now she found herself standing before familiar, heavy wooden doors. The
Spider King’s office.

It was the dead of night—he wouldn’t be here. And yet, her hand moved,
trembling, to knock on the door. Before her knuckles could make contact,
the door creaked open on its own, the sound slow and deliberate, as if
welcoming her into the darkness ahead.

From the gap in the doorway, the whisper came again, slithering into her
mind, sending a chill through her back.

“Come…”

Her breath caught in her throat. The voice—it was the same as in her dream.

Despite every instinct urging her to flee, her body disobeyed. Her hand
pressed against the door, pushing it open, allowing the shadows within to
swallow her whole. The room was dim, the only light a faint glow from a
small lantern in the corner, its DarkFlame flickering eerily. The flame
didn’t brighten the space; instead, it granted her the DarkVision, a strange
ability to see shapes shrouded in the dark.
She spied a figure seated behind the desk. The figure was dark as the night
itself, shrouded in the midnight’s shadows, his form obscured, but four
glowing yellow eyes pierced through the void, locking onto hers.

“Sit,” a clawed hand emerged from the shadowy veil, gesturing to a chair
nearby.

Her heart raced in her chest, every fibre of her being screaming against
compliance. Yet, as if some unseen force had already claimed her, she sat.

The shadows around the figure began to melt away, dissipating into the air
like smoke, revealing its true, unsettling form.

“!!!” She gasped, her breath sharp. The creature before her was not the one
she had expected. “You’re... not the Spider King.” The words fell from her
lips, half question, half realization. Yet here it was, sitting at his desk,
occupying his space.

“I am not,” it chirped, its mandibles stretching into a semblance of a smile.

“I’m known as the Spider Archmage,” it spoke, its voice chirpy as if
praising itself. The creature leaned in closer, its spindly claws creeping
toward her, reaching for her hands like a predator about to seize its prey.

Panic crashed over her like icy water, snapping her out of whatever trance
had held her. She moved to bolt from her chair, but the spider’s claws had
already closed in, pinning her in place by her shoulders. She was trapped,
the cold, sharp tips of its fingers grazing her skin.

“Ki-ki-ki,” the spider laughed, pleased about something. “Do not be afraid,”
it clacked its mandibles together as it spoke.

She was afraid… She was Terrified, in fact!

This spider was nothing like the smaller, more mundane creatures she was
used to—those spider farmers that wandered the clover fields, or even the
overseers who guarded the Oni and aided the Centauri. No, this one was
something else entirely. Evolved. Wrong. Its yellow eyes gleamed with a
malevolent intelligence, but worse—much worse—was the hunger. A
primordial hunger that seeped from its very presence, like a palpable aura
that wrapped around her, coiling tighter with every second.

Its body was an abomination, far more disturbing than any creature she had
encountered. Long, spindly arms ending in claws, not fingers. Its chitinous
chest was encased in thick plates, the edges serrated and jagged like the
teeth of some monstrous trap. Six legs, each one sharp and dagger-like at
the tip, clicked against the floor with a metallic scrape as it shifted. And its
face... the features were unmistakably sapient, yet warped into a twisted,
inhuman semblance. It was a nightmare made flesh, an embodiment of
terror that rivalled even the Demon Lord.

She could feel fear gripping her mind. Ugly wasn’t the word for this thing
—it was pure, distilled horror. And despite the overwhelming dread
flooding her, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from its eyes—those hungry,
yellow orbs that bore into her… hungering for her very soul.

The spider’s voice broke the suffocating silence. “You see,” it began, its
mandibles clicking in rhythm with its words, “we are pleased with your
performance” It gave her a terrifying smile.

‘We? Who is we?’ – she couldn’t help but wonder.

“You’ve taught the Spider King many useful things,” the Spider Archmage
continued, a chirpy warmth to its tone. One of its claws moved from her
shoulder to pat her head with a semblance of affection.

She recoiled inwardly, her body tensing, but still, she remained frozen in
place. Her already red skin flushed an even deeper shade of crimson,
embarrassment mixing with dread as the creature’s touch lingered too long.
Uninvited, the image of a green feather fluttered into her mind, flooding her
thoughts with shame.

“… the Soul Magic,” the spider chirped, grinning widely. “It was the
missing piece. The thread that stabilised the web we have been weaving.”

The spider finally released her, but before she could think to flee, it reached
for one of the desk’s drawers. Her heart pounded violently in her chest, her
legs ready to bolt—but her body remained paralyzed, as though she was
trapped in a web.

From the drawer, the Spider Archmage withdrew a dark crystal, setting it on
the table with a deliberate motion. Inside its obsidian surface, a swirling
mass of light flickered—a web of glowing, purple threads. And at the
centre, barely visible, trembled a small red dot, pulsating faintly, like a
trapped fly.

She held her breath in realisation. She knew what it was. As a shaman, she
was intimately familiar with souls and their use in magic. But this... this
was something different. A soul, trapped and immobilized, suspended in a
cruel, ethereal prison.

The spider’s mandibles curled into another grin. “Yes,” it chirped, its voice
dripping with satisfaction. “An OniSoul. Now we can trap them... move
them... use them freely..” Its claws tapped the crystal, the sound faint but
sharp. “All of them. However we please.”

“…” A cold dread washed over her. She couldn’t find words; she only
trembled.

In her magic, she could manipulate souls—use them to cast spells, to guide
spirits—but never could she trap them, never could she store them. This
was something beyond her—a power that belonged in the hands of the
Demon Lord himself. And if the spiders could use the Oni souls freely…
What does this mean for the Oni Convicts?

The spider clacked its mandibles again, as if reading her thoughts. “Do not
worry, Oni Shaman,” it chirped, its tone sweet. “Ki-ki-ki... living are far
more useful than the dead. You might not be free, but your freedom is... not
far off.” Its eyes gleamed, yellow orbs filled with a meaning she could not
fully grasp.

She swallowed, her throat dry, and before she knew why, the words slipped
from her lips. “You want me to surrender to his will?”
The spider’s eyes widened, surprised, before a delight spread across its
spidery features. “Ah, so you understand! Perfect,” it chirped, its voice
rising in joy. A claw reached for another drawer, this time retrieving a small
crystalline flask.

It placed the vial in her trembling hands. The liquid inside was viscous, a
strange shade of blue, swirling thickly in the dim light. The scent that
drifted up as she uncorked it was sweet—too sweet—pulling at her senses,
clouding her already-foggy mind.

“Drink,” the spider urged, its voice a quiet command. “And you shall be
free,” it chirped a dark promise.

She lifted the crystalline vial with trembling fingers, trying to appraise the
strange potion within. But whatever knowledge she possessed as a shaman
failed her now. All she could discern was a vague impression—something
about an eldritch slug. Its texture was jelly-like, and the origin seemed
dubious at best. Yet, the sweet aroma teased her senses, a temptation too
alluring to dismiss. A dangerous sweetness, like honeyed bait, coaxed her
mind toward the edge. She told herself it would be just a taste—a single
drop to test whether it was harmful.

The spider’s eyes glowed brighter, its grin widening as the vial touched her
lips, mandibles clicking in what could only be described as conspiratorial
delight.

Her intent had been cautious—only a drop—but the moment the liquid
touched her tongue, an overwhelming need took hold. The sweetness
overwhelmed her, and before she realized it, she was gulping down the
entire vial, her throat burning with urgency, her mind succumbing to the
thick, syrupy euphoria flooding her senses.

“Ki-ki-ki, delicious, isn’t it?” the spider rasped, leaning closer as it watched
her with a knowing glee.

Her body ignited from the inside out, heat roaring through her veins as her
eyes shot wide, then rolled back into her skull. Her whole frame trembled
violently, fingers digging into the wood of the chair’s armrests until they
nearly splintered. Good was an understatement—euphoria crashed into her
like a tsunami, obliterating thought, almost dissolving her mind into a
formless, blissful haze. She felt her consciousness slipping, melting away,
her body wracked with tremors of near ecstasy.

A sudden notification blinked in her mind:

[You have consumed SlugJelly. Temporary perk: OgreDevourer obtained.]

OgreDevourer? The name echoed strangely in her head, yet something

primal awakened within her, gnawing at her insides with an insatiable
craving. But it wasn’t food she desired... not in the conventional sense. Her
gaze shifted toward the dark crystal on the table, the SoulStone that now
glowed with an almost unnatural allure. Hunger, a monstrous hunger,
twisted in her gut.

“Ki-ki-ki!” The spider pushed it closer towards her, its claws tapping the
crystal’s surface. “Go ahead,” it chirped with encouragement.

Her hands, still trembling from the potent magic coursing through her,
moved on their own. She reached for the SoulStone, her fingertips brushing
against its cold surface. The crystal flared to life beneath her touch, the
purple web inside it throbbing as the soul, the small red dot caught in the
ethereal strands, began to shift. With a sudden release, the soul tore free
from its prison and flew toward her, sinking into her palm only to melt in it
like a snowflake. It was absorbed in her palm, mixing with her blood.

“!!!” She slumped back in the chair, her body beginning to spasm again as
the soul integrated with her. Her eyes rolled back once again, and this time,
something entirely new—something dark and consuming—rippled through
her mind. It wasn’t euphoria, not like before, but something even more
foreign. It was... power. A raw, undeniable power, coursing through her
body like wildfire. Her skin buzzed with it, her muscles tightened, and her
senses flared to life, sharper than ever.

“How... curious,” the spider chirped, its voice thick with intrigue. Its yellow
eyes blinked in astonishment. “It seems you can... Evolve.”
‘Evolve?’ she thought, struggling to keep her mind together. It wasn’t just
her mind… she felt mysterious magic messing up her body, churning her
insides—a guttural and visceral feeling, but not an unpleasant one. She felt
overwhelming might. She felt countless possibilities. It was strangely...
intoxicating.

Chaotic power surged through her, possibilities unfurling in her mind like
threads of fate just within reach. She could almost grasp them, almost see
them—new forms, new strengths.

But it was too much.

Her vision darkened, her consciousness slipping away, spiraling into the
vortex of chaos. She collapsed forward, her head striking the table with a
dull thud. The last sensation she registered was a peculiar weightlessness, as
though her body was suspended by treads. Was she falling asleep? Or had
she been dreaming this entire time?

The line between reality and nightmare blurred as she drifted into
unconsciousness, her mind lost in the shadows once again.

The Oni Shaman woke abruptly, finding herself tangled in her bed, her red
skin damp with sweat. The sheets clung to her, uncomfortably wet, sticking
to her body in a way that felt wrong. She groaned, a low sound of
discomfort and something else—her muscles ached, not just from the strain
of the nightmare but from an unsettling, lingering sensation. Her breath
caught as the remnants of it still clung to her mind—a web of threads she
could not escape.

“Ohhh,” she muttered, forcing herself to sit up despite the odd heaviness in
her limbs. “What a nightmare…” Her fingers pressed against her temples,
trying to soothe the dull throb in her head. “I must have imagined the entire
thing…”

Of course she did. The spiders would never allow her to wander through the
castle in the dead of night, not with the vigilant eyes that were always
watching, always lurking. The dream—no, the nightmare—had to be her
mind playing tricks on her. It had been vivid, yes, but nothing more than
that.

And yet… The memory of that spider’s looming form crawled back into her
mind, sending an involuntary shiver through her. She hugged herself, hands
gripping her trembling shoulders. “That spider… it was terrifying,” she
whispered to no one, the fear still gnawing at the edges of her thoughts.

But it hadn’t all been fear, had it? Beneath the terror had been something
else, something too primal to ignore. Her cheeks flushed as she recalled the
wave of raw power, the rush that had surged through her at the nightmare’s
end. The visceral, near-ecstatic sensation still lingered on her skin, as if her
body remembered it even now. She trembled at the memory.

“Ugh, just another dream, that’s it,” she sighed, rubbing her face in an
attempt to shake off the feeling. It wasn’t the first, and it certainly wouldn’t
be the last. Lately, her dreams were always filled with webs, spiders, and
those unsettling feelings of both terror and desire. She had learned to
dismiss them, telling herself they were just dreams, nothing more.

Still, that last sensation—that pulse of strength that had wrapped around her
like the sticky threads in the dream—it had felt disturbingly real. Her
fingers twitched, as though her body was still recalling the grip of
something powerful, something… irresistible. Just in case, she opened her
Status screen, a flicker of worry in her expresion.

“Yeah… just a bad dream,” she exhaled with relief. Her screen was clear—
no strange perks, no odd powers, certainly nothing like OgreDevourer. She
laughed softly at herself for even entertaining the thought. “It’s fine,” she
whispered.

But then her breath hitched, freezing in her throat.

A message lingered in the corner of her vision, a small, unsettling

notification that hadn’t been there before, tempting her with an eerie
persistence:
[Do you want to join the Monster System?]

“???” Her heart pounded, but it wasn’t from fear. No… it was something
else. A disturbing curiosity stirred within her, and despite herself, she leaned
closer to the strange message.

“Monster System?” The words seemed absurd, like some spidery prank.
And yet, something about them tugged at her, the same way the dream had
pulled her deeper into its web. She hesitated for only a moment, her
curiosity overpowering whatever caution she should have felt. “…but is
there any harm?” she wondered aloud. Two seconds passed, then she made
her choice.

She selected YES.

And with that single choice, it all came crashing back—the dream, the
nightmare, the power that had flooded her veins. It wasn’t a figment of her
imagination. It was real. She gasped as a now familiar sensation hit her like
a tidal wave, knocking her off her feet. Her mind whirled, overwhelmed by
the flood of strength surging through her body, filling her with a power she
didn’t understand but craved nonetheless. The room around her dimmed,
distant, as her body trembled with the force of it all.

Another message blinked in her mind, but she could hardly focus, her
thoughts spinning out of control. She grasped for clarity, trying to pull
herself back from the edge, to understand.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she stood up on shaky legs, blinking
rapidly as she tried to gather her thoughts. The realisation dawned on her,
her breath coming in short, sharp gasps.

“I can… I can Evolve,” she whispered, blinking in disbelief. “The

nightmare… the spider… the soul I had devoured…” It wasn’t a dream. It
was all too real.

The power that had surged through her—it had been real. It was happening.
Whatever chaotic forces she had unknowingly bound herself to were now
pulling her deeper into their web, and she couldn’t turn back.
The dream wasn’t over… It had only just begun.

And…

And If she could Evolve, what would she become?

 174 – Of CrimsonClovers, Cheese,
And Evolutionary Quandaries: A
King's Delicate Breakfast
Disruption

The Centauri Territory thrived under his spiderish reign, the fields lush with
CrimsonClovers, their vibrant hue a promise of bounty. Noble mares,
brimming with a potent mix of nutritious food and unmentionable potions,
filled the land with their creamy offerings. The future seemed radiant for the
Centauri, as the castle cellars swelled with an abundance of rich, delicious
cheese.

Spiders, efficient as ever, diligently rolled massive wheels of cheese into the
belly of the Galleon Whale. The cheese had reached peak maturity after a
long month of aging, and thus, The Quest for Cheese was officially
completed.

Yet not all quests were as easily resolved. His subjects, ever resourceful,
seemed to sprout their own quests like seeds bursting into bloom. And as
fate would have it, he—the Monster King—was at the heart of each one.

Warrior Leader Junior, his royal mount and the leader of the spider
warriors, had embarked on a monster extermination mission. The objective:
accumulate experience and refine the combat techniques that would make
him a mount worthy of a king. The quest was all about growth—sharpening
the spider’s skills for the next ride—and likely a rematch with the Centauri
Champion.
Perhaps inspired by Junior’s valour, or maybe out of some deeper sense of
rivalry, the Spider Navigator had joined the fray, setting off on the
extermination mission as well. With both his mount and navigator off
hunting, the Spider King was left landlocked—without his usual means of
transportation.

Meanwhile, a dark covenant of spiders had petitioned him for an intriguing

favour: they wanted to release a few Oni souls currently in his possession.
Their goal? To create a companion for the Fertilizer Combine Spider—the
proposed Harvester Combine Spider would make quick work of the time-
consuming task of harvesting the CrimsonClovers. It was a clever, spiderish
solution to a mundane problem.

Also, his maid, the Mer Princess, had been hinting at her own quest—one
that involved diving deep into the abyssal waters to slay some ancient lake
dragon she referred to as the Serpent of the Abyss. The request had come
from her brother, the Mer King, and while it sounded troublesome, it didn’t
strike him as particularly urgent. For now, it could wait.

Also x2, his best friend, Johny the Magnificent Slug, had called. They
always chatted in the morning, Johny giving him the spicy details of what
happened all around the Monster Realm. This time, however, it was to
offer a side quest. Apparently, during his royal absence, a new predicament
had unfolded within the Spider Kingdom. Gareth, one of his loyal subjects
from New Hope Fortress, had been captured and was now held prisoner in
the Spidery Palace. The quest came directly from the imprisoned man
himself (presumably innocent). This was another quest to untangle.

And then…

“Shikigami of… I mean Spider King! Spider King!”

A familiar voice shattered his thoughts. An Oni, breathless and shouting,

sprinted toward him.

Was this yet another side quest?

“Oni Shaman?” He raised an eyebrow, surprised by the crazed look in her
eyes.

In a wild frenzy, she seized his arms, her grip tight and desperate. “Evolve
me! Evolve me!”

“Huh?” Confused but intrigued, he cast a quick Inspect. What he saw

surprised him: “You can Evolve!?” His eyes lit up with curiosity.

“Yes!” She squeezed his hands tighter, her words tumbling out in a manic
rush. “The spiders—they—it doesn’t matter! Just evolve me like you
promised!” Her fingers dug into his skin, her desperation strong.

He frowned, racking his memory. He hadn’t promised her any such thing—
hadn’t even spoken to her recently, in fact. She must have dreamt it up. But
no matter. If she could evolve, it was certainly worth investigating.

With a flicker of power, he gave the command, "[Evolve]!"

Purple light exploded from her body, blinding him momentarily. When it
subsided, there she stood—changed, yet somehow the same. Her Oni
features remained intact: the horn, the muscular yet gaunt frame, but her
skin had shifted from deep red to a cold, eerie blue. In her status, a new and
ominous perk appeared: OgreDevourer.

A slight disappointment tugged at him—it wasn’t the most impressive

transformation he’d witnessed—but the Oni Shaman didn’t seem to share
his sentiment.

“Yes!” She fell to her knees, trembling. “I feel it… The power, the
possibilities! All are now unlocked!”

“???” He stared at her, unsure whether she was truly sensing something
beyond his understanding or if she was simply losing her mind.

Slowly regaining her composure, she bowed before him, her eyes burning
with a manic devotion. “Thank you, Spider King! Your magic has opened
my mind. I won’t forget this! I—and all of us Oni Convicts—will serve
you, your spiders, and your sacred machines with all our strength.”

Sacred machines? He looked at her, bemused. What on earth was she

talking about?

“With your permission, can I Bestow your blessing upon my brothers and
sisters?” Her voice quivered with delirium, her eyes gleaming with hunger.

“My blessing?” He arched an eyebrow. “And what blessing are we referring

to exactly?”

“The Monster System!” she exclaimed, as if it were the most obvious thing
in the world.

Ah, so that’s what this was about. Similar to Duke Aurelius and the Radiant
Angel, the Oni Shaman had the potential to welcome her people into the
Monster System, making them subjects of his reign. No doubt the spiders
had a hand in this development. The web they’d been weaving just became
much easier to complete.

A smile spread across his lips. “Go ahead! Invite them to join our ranks.”
His voice was filled with intrigue. “Then, perhaps you’ll cease being Oni
Convicts and become something greater.”

“Reformed! Transformed! Yes!” She grinned wildly, eyes glittering with

newfound purpose. “Freedom. Possibilities… and power! … Ki-ki-ki!” Her
laughter took on an unsettling, spidery edge—only the clattering of
mandibles was missing.

“Right…” he muttered. She was as giddy as an Oni hopped up on

CrimsonBread and CrimsonAle—carbonated and full of energy. Maybe it
was time to adjust their diet. Still, he waved her off. “Go. Bless your
brothers and sisters.”

Just as she turned to leave, she paused, realization striking her. “Wait… I’ll
need the Oni souls for that.”
He cocked his head. “Oh, so there’s a price to pay?”

She nodded. “Something like that, yes.” Her head lowered in supplication.
“My King, would you trust me with the Oni souls?”

The Monster King’s brow furrowed again. She was a shaman, after all,
capable of twisting souls into whatever dark spells she pleased. He couldn’t
let that power slip from his control. “No,” he rasped. “I need them for the
conception of the Harvester Combine Spider.”

Instead of being dejected, the Oni Shaman clapped her hands, her eyes
sparkling with mad admiration. “Another sacred machine?! You keep
blessing us!” She gazed at him with that same unsettling, manic devotion.

“Right…” He wasn’t done yet. “However, I will entrust a spider with a

SoulStone. Just enough souls to bring all the Oni Convicts into the system.
Their transformation will be in your hands.”

“Yes-yes!” She bowed again, over and over, her excitement overflowing.
“Of course. I—we—will not disappoint you or your spiders.”

With another wave, he dismissed her. She scurried off, eager to welcome
her brethren into something new and monstrous.

Finally, some peace. He continued along the KoboldBrick path back to his
office, the occasional spider waving in greeting as he passed. Life was
good. Despite the ever-growing number of quests, things in the Centauri
Castle seemed to be settling down.

As he neared his office, he noticed the door slightly ajar. Someone was
inside. He stepped in to find the Centauri Champion mid-task, struggling to
slot an enormous, dark crystal into a pre-made slot on the table. The crystal
was obsidian-like, and every few seconds, a purple bolt of lightning
crackled within its depths, forming web-like patterns.

Ah, yes. The Drow Assistant had sent word about this not too long ago.
This was the magnum opus of the Darkness Spider—ManaCrystal: Dark,
version six. The final, perfected version. A power source capable of fueling
magical rituals and defensive barriers. This particular crystal was charged
with no less than 100,000MP—an absurdly high amount, considering the
average human mage could only muster around 100MP. With this, the
Centauri would be able to erect a barrier rivalling those once used by the
now-extinct Elves.

However…

“Hey!” The Spider King protested, rushing forward. “Centauri Champion,

you're pregnant! You shouldn’t be lifting heavy weights!” His hands
hovered awkwardly around the crystal as she finally managed to slot it in
place.

“I’m perfectly fine!” the Centauri Champion insisted, brushing him off with
ease. “Actually, I’m so fine I could even lift you. It’s almost breakfast time,
do you want a ride to the dining hall?”

The Spider King crossed his arms, trying to hide the hint of temptation
creeping into his thoughts. “No, no… we shouldn’t.”

Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she adjusted her stance, the lethal
weapons rising with an almost palpable threat. “Are you sure about that?”
She teased, pointing the deadly set directly at him. And by weapons, it
wasn’t her actual armoury he was concerned about.

Did… did they grow a size? Two sizes? No, three sizes? Is that even
possible?

He swallowed. “…I, uh…”

“You don’t think I’m too fat for a ride, do you?” Her question came out
suddenly, catching him off guard.

“What?” He snapped out of his hypnotized state. “No, of course not! You’re
more beautiful than ever!”
She sighed, gesturing to her lower belly, her tone softening. “But look at my
belly! It’s so big.”

It was indeed large, a noticeable bulge forming on the centauri half of her
body. But instead of alarm, his heart warmed at the sight.

“That’s not just fat.” He placed his hand on her rounded belly, feeling the
life within. “That’s our boy, the young Cream Cheese,” he whispered, a
proud smile curling his lips. “I’m so glad he’s growing strong.” With
tenderness, he kissed the bump.

She melted at the gesture. “Aww, aren’t you just the sweetest? So, are you
sure you don’t want that ride?”

He gulped. “Positive…” He lied through his teeth. Clearing his throat, he

moved on hastily. “Anyway, breakfast can wait, let me show you how this
crystal works first.”

As he explained the mana sequences and arcane runes, he did his best to
focus. But her tight dress—barely holding her lethal form—made
concentrating a feat of sheer willpower. The fabric strained, looking like it
could burst at any second. His thoughts wandered again. Wouldn’t that be…
wonderful?

“I didn’t quite get it,” she interrupted, leaning in closer, her body pressing
against his. “Could you explain it again?”

The two of them stood close at the table, his side pressed against her tall
frame. Given the height difference, her deadly weapons hovered perilously
close to his face. One wrong move, and he might be knocked out cold—
though he wouldn’t mind that at all.

“It’s… BURSTING!” He whisper-shouted in awe, unconsciously quoting a

certain best friend.

Her eyes widened. “Wait! Did I press something wrong? Is it going to

explode?” Panic spread across her face as she hugged him tightly in alarm.
To his left of his head was a lethal weapon. To his right, another. Both
equally soft and equally deadly. If this was his end, it would be heaven.

“Uh, no it won’t,” he mumbled after savouring the moment for as long as he

could. “False alarm…”

“Oh, right… Sorry, you can’t see.” She let him go, blushing slightly as she
realized how tightly she had been holding him.

“Right…” He cleared his throat, trying to regain composure. “So, back to

the crystal. For the deployment of the dark circle, you have to touch this
sequence here,” he continued, pointing out the markings. “But make sure
the eidolon configuration is set up properly, or else—”

“Mhm… aha… I see…” She nodded, barely listening. Then, she interrupted
him again, a mischievous glint returning to her eyes. “Hey, aren’t you
thirsty?”

His focus shifted immediately from the crystal to her. He licked his lips
instinctively. “Well, now that you mention it… I could use a morning
drink.”

She smiled knowingly. “Just make sure to leave some for the young Cream
Cheese, okay?”

The Spider King didn’t need to be told twice. Fresh milk, directly from the
source—it didn’t get more organic than that. And this particular serving?
Rich and creamy, a taste of freedom straight from the CrimsonClovers. It
was as delightful as a maiden’s first kiss, both innocent and indulgent. To
put it straight, it tasted better than he remembered. There was just
something about it.

“Spider… K-King…” A voice stammered from the doorway.

He blinked, realizing with a start that someone was at the entrance. Of

course, in his rush, he had forgotten to close the damn doors.
“Spider Navigator!” He hastily wiped the cream off his lips, standing up
straight as if nothing unusual had transpired. “Back so soon?”

The petite, cute spider blinked twice, her claws fidgeting nervously with the
brim of her little sailor's hat. Her mandibles trembled as she asked, “W-
what were you doing? W-what was that technique?”

"..." He paused, not quite sure how to explain it. “Breakfast?”

“Breakfast…” She chirped, her eyes catching a glimpse of the Centauri

Champion, just before the lethal weapons were gracefully sheathed. “… I
see,” she said with a hint of longing, one claw scratching at her chitinous
chestplate.

“Ahem,” he cleared his throat, standing taller in an attempt to regain his

dignity. It was just breakfast, alright? Nothing strange about that! “So, why
are you here, my cute Spider Navigator?”

Her posture brightened up immediately, claws ceasing their nervous

fidgeting. “I’ve got enough EXP, so…” The sentence trailed off as she
began fidgeting again.

“Oh, that was rather quick! Congratulations!”

“Yes!” She chirped with bright, starry eyes. “All thanks to Warrior Leader
Junior. We wiped out entire settlements together!” Her four spidery eyes
gleamed with vivid memory.

“Wait… settlements?”

“Ah!” The Spider Navigator quickly corrected herself. “I mean, monster

nests. Yes, monster nests!”

“I see… That’s good, right? Well done!” He praised, though a part of him
still questioned her slip of the tongue.

She continued, excitement bubbling over. “Anyhow, I have enough EXP

to…”
“To?”

“To be reborn, to mould anew. I shall Evolve, for… for you. To serve you
better!” Her spidery body bounced with joy, mandibles clicking in
excitement.

He sighed internally. Spider evolution wasn’t exactly a straightforward

affair. His Evolve perk didn’t work the same way on spiders as it did on
other creatures. No, the spiders had their own intricate process—one that
involved gathering experience throughout their lives, storing memories, and
then laying eggs upon death. Their memories, their essence, would be
imparted into the egg, allowing them to be reborn, reformed to better suit
the Kingdom’s needs.

This whole ‘dying to evolve’ thing still disturbed him.

“So… you’re here to say temporary goodbyes, right?” He asked cautiously.

“And where are you laying your eggs? We’ll want them in the Spider
Kingdom, I imagine.”

“Eggs?” The Spider Navigator tilted her cute head, a fait flush on her
cheeks. “We can do that when I… Wait, were you thinking I’m dying?” Her
disappointment at the realisation was almost tangible as she chirped, “I’m
not dying! I’m Evolving! In a proper way! The blueprint is complete! I
have all the parts I need!”

“Blueprint? Parts?” The Spider King too tilted his head to one side. “Are we
building a new vehicle here?”

“Just Evolve me already!” she exclaimed, jumping up and down in a

spidery frenzy. “I promise it’ll work this time!”

He turned to glance at the Centauri Champion, still standing beside him, an

amused smile decorating her lips.

“Don’t look at me,” she said, waving him off. “We can finish your breakfast
later.”
“It’s not about breakfast…” he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just
have a bad feeling, that’s all… Let’s do this outside, just in case.”
 175 – Right BodyParts For Right
Evolution

A while ago, before the evolution, and before the extermination quest, a
certain spider was going around asking people certain things. This was no
one else but the cute (hehe, the Spider King did call her that) Spider
Navigator going on her BodyPart shopping Quest.

She scuttled down the corridor, her six legs carrying her with youthful
grace, though her small body barely contained the excitement. She had
begun her journey of interviews, seeking the perfect pieces to shape her
evolution. The first stop? The Mer Princess.

Spider Navigator paused at the large, aquarium-like tank that housed the
Mer Princess. The water shimmered, light dancing across its surface, and
within, the Mer Princess herself was washing a mountain of dishes, her
sapphire scales catching the light with dazzling brilliance, showering the
dishes in an otherworldly glow. Each movement was practised, almost
playful, as though she was aware of just how captivating she looked.

With a swish of her tail, the Mer Princess turned, catching sight of the
Spider Navigator hovering near the edge of her tank.

"Oh, my spider friend," she spoke out from the depth. "What brings you
here? Come to give a hand, perhaps?"

The Spider Navigator shuffled nervously, her claw tapping against the glass
of the tank. “I… I came to ask you something... Something personal.”

The Mer Princess’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Personal, is it? How
intriguing! Ask away, my little friend.”
The spider hesitated for a moment, then blurted out, “What… what part of
you do you think the Spider King likes the most?”

The Mer Princess blinked once, then twice, before she swam forward, her
long hair trailing behind her. She leaned in close, her scales glinting in
perfect sapphire blue.

“Oh, my little friend,” she said, a wide smile across her face. “Why, it’s my
scales, of course.”

The Spider Navigator tilted her head, mandibles twitching. “Your scales?”

“Mmm, yes,” the Mer Princess sang, flicking her tail in demonstration.
“They shimmer, they shine… and the Spider King has always had an eye
for shiny things, hasn’t he?” She paused, her gaze narrowing playfully. “Or
have you never noticed how he watches me when I swim? I always put a
show for him, haha.”

The Spider Navigator’s spidery leg tapped in rapid succession, considering.

She had seen the Spider King’s gaze linger on the Mer Princess before, yes.
But… was it truly just the scales?

“He even wears my special scale around his neck,” the Mer Princess
continued, her voice a little more serious now, though no less smug.
“Always close to his heart. A keepsake, a reminder of how much he values
me.”

The spider’s mandibles clicked softly in thought. A scale, worn so close?

She had noticed it before. Perhaps, it was something more than just
admiration... The Mer Princess flicked her tail again, causing blue light to
ripple through the water and the dishes inside. It was a rather magical sight.

“See?” she said with a sly grin. “Shininess is something he loves. If you’re
trying to catch his eye, my little friend, you’ll want to glitter. Dazzle him.
Charm him. Like I do.”

The Spider Navigator’s eyes took in the fairytale-like sight. "I want to be
shiny too. But… scales? Are they a must?"
“You don’t need scales, no. Anything would do. Just make sure you shine
like a gem. Or at least, in your case, gleam like the morning dew on a web.”

The spider pondered this for a moment, her body swaying slightly. “But…
don’t you think he likes something more about you? Something other than
shininess?”

The Mer Princess leaned back, considering the question. Her fingers trailed
lazily through the water, creating soft ripples as she pondered. “Perhaps,”
she mused, a twinkle in her eye. “I hope so… But shininess… shininess is
what makes me stand out. And standing out is the first step, wouldn’t you
agree?”

The Spider Navigator nodded slowly. Yes, standing out… that was the key.
If she was to evolve into something truly captivating, something the Spider
King couldn’t resist, she would need to dazzle and bewitch. And if he liked
shiny things—like the Mer Princess’s sapphire scales—then shiny she
would become.

She looked up at the dazzling mer in appreciation. “Thank you, Mer

Princess. I think… I think I understand now.”

The Mer Princess smiled, a sly, knowing smile. “Good. I’m glad to help.”

As the Spider Navigator scurried away, her heart raced. The webish
blueprint was starting to come together. She would be shiny, yes—brilliant
and dazzling, like the magic of the sapphire scales.

As she turned the corner, a stray thought crossed her mind, bringing a
giggle to her mandibles. Would the Spider King really notice shininess
alone? Perhaps, but there were many more interviews to come—and many
more body parts to discover.

The Spider Navigator moved swiftly, her legs ticking across the stone floor
as she approached the training grounds. The sound of hooves thudding
against the earth echoed around her, accompanied by the sharp clanging of
metal. It was here that the Centauri Champion, with her noble stance and
impressive stature, honed her techniques. A figure of strength and pride.

The spider hesitated at the edge of the field. The Centauri Champion was an
intimidating mare, her polished armour accentuating the lethal set of
weapons she displayed so proudly—all part of her dangerous allure.

The Centauri’s eyes flicked down to the small figure scurrying toward her,
and she paused, a slight smile forming at the corner of her lips.

“Well, well, little navigator. Have you come to observe my power? Or are
you here to challenge me?” Her voice was deep and authoritative.

The Spider Navigator, undeterred by the Centauri’s towering presence,

waved a spidery greeting. “I’ve come to ask you a question… Something of
a personal nature.”

The Centauri Champion arched an eyebrow, her interest piqued. “A

question? I don’t often get visitors asking for anything other than training
lessons.” She planted the butt of her lance into the ground and leaned on it,
pointing the deadly weapons at the little navigator, exuding confidence.

“I wanted to ask,” the spider began, her chirp low but determined, “what
part of you do you think the Spider King likes the most?”

“What part of me?” She straightened, eyes full with pride. “That’s an easy
answer.”

“Yes?”

“It’s this, my weapons.” She gestured towards her lethal set, the
unmistakable curve of her armour accentuating the magnificent shape
beneath. Her armour, though protective, seemed to serve a dual purpose—
both shielding and drawing attention to what lay beneath. “The King knows
strength when he sees it. He knows power. He’s always admired what I
bring to the battlefield.”
The spider’s legs shuffled as she watched the Champion with awe. “But…
ahem… weapons? Do you think that’s what makes you attractive to him?”

The Champion chuckled, the sound rich and dangerous, her tail flicking
behind her. “Of course! Beauty, little navigator, is not just about softness or
fragility. It’s about danger too. Power has a certain allure. The King knows
that. He’s always been drawn to the thrill of danger, the challenge of facing
someone who could end him with a single strike.”

She straightened, her chest rising with pride, the curves of her armour
shifting with every breath. There was no mistaking the intent behind her
words. The Spider King’s gaze didn’t linger out of admiration alone, but out
of awe for the raw power she carried within every line of her body.

The Spider Navigator’s mandibles clicked thoughtfully. “So… you mean to

say danger is… captivating?”

“More than captivating—it’s irresistible,” the Centauri Champion said with

a grin, her eyes sharp and focused. “The Spider King may admire beauty,
but it’s the lethal beauty that truly holds his gaze. When I move, when I
wield my weapons, I can feel his eyes on me. Not just because I’m strong,
but because I’m dangerous. He can’t help but watch.”

The spider looked down at her small, unimposing body, pondering this new
perspective. “Do you think that to be truly… captivating, I must be
dangerous too?”

The Centauri Champion leaned in closer, her breath warm against the air.
“Beauty without power is fleeting. But a lethal charm? That stays with you.
It’s unforgettable.” Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “A King
like ours, he doesn’t just want a beauty to look at. He wants someone who
can stand by his side, someone who can enthral and destroy in equal
measure. That is why…” Her hands moved to caress her belly for some
reason.

The spider blinked, her eyes wide as the realization settled in. She had seen
it herself—the King’s glances, the way his gaze lingered on the Champion’s
form not just in admiration of her beauty, but in awe of lethality, her
capability to strike down any lesser foe. A few could even begin to compare
with the deadliness of the Centauri Champion's weapons, and even fewer
could challenge her. This was her might.

“Lethal charm…” the spider mused. “I think I understand.”

The Centauri Champion straightened again, spinning her lance effortlessly

before resting it against her shoulder. “Good. You’ll find that beauty and
might are not so far apart. In fact, when combined, they become something
truly deadly.”

A pair of lethal implements… that’s what she needed. A formidable,

fearsome edge that would both intimidate and captivate. Beauty and grace,
yes, but with a lethal bite. She imagined herself not just as a charming,
dainty spider, but as something more—a creature who could enchant and
destroy in equal measure. Obliterate all lesser opponents just by her
intimidating presence alone.

“Thank you, Centauri Champion,” the spider chirped, giving a thankful

nod.

As the Spider Navigator scurried away from the training grounds, her mind
buzzed with possibilities. Lethal charm… yes, that was the key. She would
not just be a pretty little thing for the Spider King to admire. She would be
powerful, captivating, and—if necessary—deadly.

The Spider Navigator clung to the side of the Galleon Whale as it glided
gracefully over the shifting clouds of the realm. Her claws tapped restlessly
against the control panel, her mind racing with thoughts of her next
interview. This time, she would speak with the Drow Assistant, not just a
drow but actually an evolved drider.

The Spider Navigator’s mandibles clicked nervously. The Drow Assistant

was not just another figure in the realm. She was, perhaps, a future rival.
Beautifully spiderish, and—if the rumours were true—someone the Spider
King held in high regard. It was rumoured that her unique perks were the
quality the Spider King most valued. But the Spider Navigator wasn't here
to research that, she was on a mission to become the most enticing spider
ever!

Finally, deep inside the Oberon Mountain, the Spider Navigator scurried
across the corridors of the Drow Archive, hurrying towards the Drow
Assistant’s workshop. The chamber was dimly lit, the air thick with the
scent of parchment, enchanting ink, and polished stone. The drider stood
elegantly by her desk, looking up at her tomes, her half-elven face was
illuminated by the soft glow of a DarkFlame. Her lower half, a massive
spider body, rested gracefully on the stones beneath—elegant and
unnervingly alluring.

“Ah, the Navigator Spider,” the Drow Assistant said, her voice smooth as
silk. She did not rise from her workstation but acknowledged the spider’s
presence with a slight tilt of her head. “What brings you to my study
today?”

The Spider Navigator bowed slightly, her eyes flicking over the drider’s
magnificent figure. "I’ve come to ask you a question, if I may," she began,
her tone respectful but direct.

The drider arched a slender brow, setting her enchanted quill aside. “A
question? How curious... What is it that you seek?”

The spider clicked her mandibles nervously, stepping closer. "I’m asking
around—what body part of yours do you think the Spider King likes the
most?"

"Ah, the King’s preferences, is it?" She leaned back in, her long fingers
steepling beneath her chin as her eyes sparkled for a moment. "I would have
thought it obvious.”

The Spider Navigator waited, expectant.

"He values my mind most, of course," the drider said smoothly, her voice
carrying a note of pride. "My ability to assist him in the intricacies of
ruling, managing his busy schedule, keeping his notes in check, and
assisting him in otherwise mundane but no less important activities."

The spider sighed internally. "Yes, yes, I know all about that. Intellect is all
well and good, but..." She twitched her claw nervously, knowing she had to
press the issue. "I’m more interested in... physical attractions. You know,
something irresistible."

The Drow Assistant’s smile widened. She straightened her posture, her
massive spider form shifting as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Ah,
you mean something a bit more… carnal?”

The Spider Navigator’s legs shuffled awkwardly. “Something like that…”

The drider chuckled. “Very well. If you’re asking what the Spider King
cannot take his eyes off physically…” She paused for dramatic effect, her
spider body shifting ever so slightly, revealing the full expanse of her
enormous, perfectly rounded abdomen. It sparkled in the light, polished to a
magnificent sheen, and its sheer size was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
“The answer is this,” the drider said, striking a predatory pose. “My spidery
behind.”

The Spider Navigator took a step back, her many eyes widening as she took
in the sight. “Your… behind?”

The drider nodded slowly, a hint of smugness creeping into her expression.
“Indeed. The King finds it mesmerizing. Its size, its shape, its undeniable…
presence.” She shifted slightly, causing her abdomen to glisten in the light,
a perfect display of spiderish allure and charms.

The Spider Navigator found herself without words. She had never
considered that the King’s tastes might extend to something so… bold and
spiderish. But then again, this was the Spider King—a ruler of spiders, a
being who appreciated all things spidery, monstrous or not.

“And,” the drider continued, her voice silky, “it’s not just about size. It’s
about balance, proportion. A perfectly shaped behind is more than just large
—it commands attention, it exudes authority, and, well, let’s be honest—it’s
rather magnificent, isn’t it?”

It made sense. A spidery rear that was both shapely and grand could be the
key to true beauty. Something the King couldn’t help but admire, just like
this drider’s. She could already imagine herself evolving something similar
—a spidery magnificent, round, and utterly captivating backside.

"You see," the Drow Assistant continued, "while the King values
intelligence, he is, at the end of the day, a man. And all cultured men
appreciate finer things—such as a well-formed rear. It’s simply in their
nature," she smiled knowingly.

The Spider Navigator nodded eagerly, her mind racing. “I hadn’t thought of
that, but… you’re right. The Spider King would definitely appreciate
something like that.”

“Indeed,” the Drow Assistant replied, her smile turning predatory. “If you
want to capture the King’s attention, Spider Navigator, you need a behind as
big and shapely as mine. Size matters, after all.”

The Spider Navigator bowed low. “Thank you, Drow Assistant. I know
what I must do now.”

As the Spider Navigator scuttled out of the workshop, her mind was
spinning a new thread. A spidery behind—glorious in size, perfectly shaped,
something no other spider could compete with. It was bold, it was daring,
and above all, it was spiderly magnificent.

The next place was just nearby.

The Spider Navigator skittered across the damp stones of the mountain
tunnel, her legs clinking lightly as she approached the entrance to the
Myconid Caves. This realm was unlike the others she had visited, bathed in
a perpetual mist that saturated the very air, carrying the scent of earth and
fungus. Yet, there was something oddly inviting about the place, something
tugging at her senses, almost clouding her judgment.

As she entered the sprawling cavern, illuminated by bioluminescent fungi,

she marvelled at the otherworldly beauty of the place. Fungi of all shapes
and sizes grew deep within, but more importantly, a certain regal figure
awaited her.

The Myconid Queen stood at the heart of her court, a vision of fungal
nobility. She wore a long, flowing gown made entirely of her own body, the
mushroom fibres stretching and curving in elegant folds. Her wide-
brimmed hat cast a shadow over her face, but her eyes—yellow and
luminous—peered out with ancient wisdom. Her gloved hands rested
lightly on her dress, a pose of aristocratic grace. But beneath her dignified
exterior, there was something subtly sensual in her appearance—a hint of
concealed eroticism that made the Spider Navigator both curious and
cautious.

“Thou art come to mine halls, tiny one,” the Myconid Queen said, her voice
rich and slow, infused with the speech of a time long passed. “Speak thy
purpose, and let us see what thou seekest.”

The Spider Navigator waved the iconic spidery greeting. “Hello, Queen of
Myconids and all fungi alike, I’ve been going around asking the most
esteemed creatures of the realm a question. A simple one.”

The Myconid Queen tilted her brimmed hat slightly, her glowing eyes
narrowing with intrigue. “Ask, and thou shalt have mine answer.”

The spider paused for a moment, taking in the Queen’s alien but regal
visage, then she spoke. “What body part of yours does the Spider King like
the most?”

At this, the Myconid Queen let out a puff of spores, a red mist that slightly
obfuscated her face. “Ah, thine inquiry art most intriguing, tiny one.” She
smoothed the porous folds of her gown as she spoke, her movements slow
and deliberate. “Thou asketh of mine most... enticing quality?”
The Spider Navigator nodded eagerly, watching the Myconids Queen’s
graceful gestures. “Yes. If it’s not too bold to ask.”

The Myconid Queen smiled. With a gloved hand, she reached downward,
lifting and then pointing at an unusual feature hidden under the folds of her
gown. “Then behold, mine secret place, a source of great fascination for
the Spider King.”

The Spider Navigator blinked in confusion as the Myconid Queen gestured

to a damp, oddly shaped organ—a part of her mushroom body that seemed
to pulse with life, a small orifice that oozed a faint, misty glow. The spider
tilted her head, clearly unsure how to respond. "That? But… Your Fungal
Majesty, what would the King find so appealing about, uh... that?"

The Queen puffed another cloud of spores, blue this time. “Thou art
mistaken, little one. ‘Tis not the organ itself that captivates the King, but the
spores it doth emit. The scent of them—fragrant, alluring—draweth him to
me.”

The Spider Navigator furrowed her brows as she tried to comprehend. “So,
it’s not the… appearance of it, but its special properties?”

“Indeed,” the Myconid Queen said, her voice softening as if to teach a

youngling. “Mine spores carry not only a scent like that of the finest
perfumes, but they hold within them a power to cloud the senses. The lesser
minds become ensnared, captivated, entranced by the fragrance.” She
waved a hand, and a faint mist of pink spores floated into the air, filling the
chamber with a delicate, earthy aroma that was both intoxicating and
strangely comforting.

The Spider Navigator’s eyes fluttered as she caught the scent, her senses
momentarily clouded by its subtle charm. The smell was unlike anything
she had experienced before—warm, inviting, and laced with an undertone
of mystery.

The Queen continued, her tone taking a cunning note. “The Spider King
hath always been drawn to such subtleties. The ForbiddenSauce, the
DarkSpores, to name but a few. The way mine spores scent the air,
bestowing minds with pleasant illusions and even transforming real things,
growing something new or transmuting something else through alchemy…
'tis is the power of transformation that he doth admire.” She paused, her
cunning eyes locking with the spider’s. “Thou seeketh answers, so know
this—true beauty lies not in what one doth see, but in what one doth feel,
smell, and perceive.”

The Spider Navigator pondered on this. She had never considered the
power of scent before, but the Myconid Queen’s explanation made sense. A
fragrance that could captivate the senses, cloud the mind, and draw
attention without even needing to be seen—there was power in that. And as
she had already learned, power could certainly be… enticing, in the right
context.

“I want similar ability. But,” the spider chirped cautiously, “I’m not sure
spores would suit me.”

“Nay,” the Queen agreed with a slow nod. “Spores art mine own gift. But
thou art not without thine own weapons of allure, little one. Mayhap thou
might evolve something akin—pheromones, mayhap—an invisible touch
upon the senses that stirreth desire.”

The Spider Navigator’s eyes lit up at this. Pheromones—yes, that could

work! Something subtle, unseen but felt. A scent that could wrap around the
Spider King, making him think of her even when she wasn’t near. She could
already imagine herself evolving this fragrant weapon of seduction. It
wouldn’t look out of place on a spider, either—no damp and porous
mushroom orifices needed!

“Thank you, Myconid Queen,” the Spider Navigator chirped with gratitude.
“This was the most insightful.”

The Myconid Queen inclined her head, her gloved hands resting delicately
in her lap. “Go forth, little one, and craft thine allure. But remember—true
beauty doth not always lie in what is seen, but in what is felt.”

As the Spider Navigator scurried away from the Myconid Caves, her heart
was light with new inspiration. The scent of the Myconid Queen’s spores
lingered in her memory, a reminder of the subtlety and power she could
weave into her own evolution.

Yes, she would evolve something that the Spider King couldn’t resist.
Something fragrant, enticing, and completely her. Because even the cutest
of spiders needed a secret weapon to stand out in a world of strange and
wonderful creatures.

Today’s destination sent a thrill through the Spider Navigator—a place

steeped in whispered legends and mysterious allure: the Gazebo of Johny
the Magnificent Slug, the Spider Kingdom’s most enigmatic figure. Twice
evolved and eldritch in nature, Johny was more than just a creature of
power; she was the very pulse of the kingdom’s deepest desires. Her
reputation stretched far beyond the gazebo's delicate borders, and no spider
could deny the quiet power she held—not the Spider King himself, nor his
Lamia Queen.

There was something about Johny, something unnameable, that no one

could resist. And it wasn’t just the coveted jelly she produced—although
that alone was reason enough for most to seek her out—it was the essence
of her. Her being exuded comfort and danger in equal measure. The Spider
Navigator felt her pulse quicken as she neared the gazebo, where the air
smelled faintly of sweet Tomgrape Tea.

From her perch, Johny turned her head, a slow, meaningful motion. Her
tentacles moved in spirals, beckoning without words. She was already
waiting, already knowing.

“You’ve come to ask about him, haven’t you?” The words slithered from
Johny’s mouth, her tone gentle yet all-seeing, as though the question had
been hanging in the air before the spider even arrived.

The Spider Navigator froze, momentarily caught in the weight of Johny’s

gaze. There was no secret hidden from the eldritch slug—no intention, no
scheme, no desire that slipped past her. Johny, the kingdom’s spymaster,
was more than just a supplier; she was the keeper of all secrets, a silent
witness to the kingdom’s most intimate moments. Feeling the futility of
evasion, the spider chirped her admission.

“I have,” she said, her voice a quiet chirp. “I seek to understand what the
Spider King admires most about you… about your body.”

Johny’s lips curled into a bright smile, knowing and mysterious. The air
around her shimmered, a fine cloud of BlueDust swirling as she emerged
fully from the gazebo. Her immense, jelly-like form swayed from the
motion, her transparent skin catching the faintest glow as if she were made
of liquid moonlight. She was mesmerizing—her body an ethereal mass of
undulating softness, her tentacles coiling and inviting.

Despite the strange, otherworldly nature of her appearance, there was an

undeniable warmth to her presence. A comfort that wrapped itself around
the Spider Navigator like a heavy, silken web, coaxing her into ease. Her
many legs, tense moments before, began to relax.

Johny's voice resonated, light like a lullaby, yet heavy with unspoken truths.
“He admires all of me,” she said, puffing out her chest. “From my tentacles
to my slug tail, from my softness to my jelly… He delights in everything I
am.”

The Spider Navigator listened intently, watching as Johny’s body undulated

gently. The slug’s entire form seemed to shimmer with a kind of quiet
confidence, a certainty in her own magnificence.

“What part… specifically?” the spider asked, her spidery eyes focused on
Johny’s swaying form. “There must be something he appreciates more,
something he’s drawn to.”

Johny’s tentacles writhed as if excited. ”Oh, curious hatchling,” she replied,

her eyes full of happy memories, “the King’s hands have travelled every
inch of me, from my tentacles that reach where no hands can, to my tail that
curls beneath him like a seat.” Her hands and tentacles rose as she spoke,
their tips brushing the air with a languid grace. “But if you ask what he
loves the most, it is the softness, the jiggle, the way my body responds to
his touch.”
The spider’s mind spun, imagining the Spider King’s hands tracing the
smooth, pliant surface of Johny’s body. She had always known the King
had a certain fondness for hugs and close interactions, but the way Johny
spoke of it, the way her body moved, was something beyond simple
attraction. It was a deep, primal connection—something the Spider
Navigator longed to understand, and perhaps to replicate.

“Your softness…” the spider murmured, her chirp tinged with awe. “Is that
what draws him to you? The way your body feels?”

Johny’s tentacles curled inward as if caressing an invisible form. ”Yes”, she

said, her voice softer now, more intimate. “There is a joy in being touched,
in being held, in knowing that your very presence is a comfort. My softness
is my prowess, the way my body yields to his hands, the way I am always
welcoming, always... friendly to his touch. But only his and no one else's.”

The Spider Navigator willed a web of an image to form in her mind, there
the Spider King’s hands lingered on Johny’s body, enjoying her friendly
softness and that jiggly sensation. It wasn’t just bouncy allure—it was an
invitation, a promise of warmth, of comfort that could be found nowhere
else.

“And your tentacles,” the spider ventured, “do they… serve a similar
purpose?”

A slow smile spread across Johny’s face, though her eyes remained fixed on
the spider. “They do more than serve. They explore, they reach, they caress.
They find places where to go, offer touches that surprise and soothe. The
Spider King… enjoys their curiosity.” One tentacle reached out, curling
gently around the Spider Navigator’s leg, its touch both firm and yielding.
“They bring him closer, draw him in, make him feel... cherished.”

The spider shuddered slightly at the touch, not out of fear, but from the
realization that there was a depth of intimacy here that she had not fully
understood. It wasn’t about danger or dominance—it was about closeness,
about offering something that could only be felt in the most vulnerable
moments. Johny’s body, with its softness and jiggle, was the proof of that.
“And the jelly-like jiggling?” the spider asked, her voice a curious whisper.
“Is that what he likes too?”

Johny giggled, her entire body trembling in the motion. “Oh, yes,” she said,
her words sweet. ”He loves how I move, how my body sways and undulates
at the touch of his fingers. It makes him smile, makes him want to touch
more, to hold more, to embrace more. It is a reminder of my Magnificence,
of the comfort I offer with every jiggle and sway.

The Spider Navigator paused, taking in everything Johny had said. The
King’s affection for this slug wasn’t just about a specific body part—it was
about the entirety of her being. Her softness, her pliancy, her willingness to
be touched and held—all of it created an irresistible allure. And that allure
was something the spider needed to incorporate into her own evolution.

“I understand now,” the spider said quietly. “You are... admirable. And your
connection with him is on another level entirely.”

“Yes”, Johny replied, her voice wrapping around the spider’s thoughts. “He
craves the comfort I provide, yes. That friendly softness that welcomes him
without question. The knowledge that I welcome him and him alone.”

The Spider Navigator looked down at her own petite, hard body, feeling a
surge of determination. She had come to understand the King’s desires in a
way she hadn’t before. It wasn’t just about being lethal, or shiny, or even
intellectual. There was a beauty in being soft, in being inviting, in offering
comfort in a world of danger.

Without speaking it aloud, the spider made her decision. She would evolve
to be soft, to have that same jiggliness, that same welcoming presence that
Johny possessed. She wanted the Spider King to touch her, to hold her, to
find comfort in her presence, just as he did with Johny.

She left Johny’s Gazebo knowing that her evolution had already begun—
silently, subtly, but with purpose.

…
The Spider Navigator skipped through the expansive halls of the Spider
Palace, her skips giddy in excitement. Though she had passed through the
Throne Room before, its mesmerizing atmosphere never failed to captivate
her. There was something intensely spiderish about the place, something
ancient and profound. Webs, spun with impeccable craftsmanship, draped
the corners like intricate lace, and the room itself seemed alive with the
hum of unseen energies. At the far end of the hall, an intricate dome stood
like an egg cloaked in mystery, housing the magnificent throne—regal,
dark, and undoubtedly spidery. The very air pulsed with something arcane,
as though the walls whispered of promises and possibilities, of forgotten
magic and hidden desires.

And upon that throne, or rather casually lounging on it, was the last figure
she needed to meet.

As the spider approached, the gossamer curtain of webs parted, revealing

the Lamia Queen, draped languidly across a divine-looking pillow, her
serpentine body coiled beneath her like a bed of polished scales. Her pale
skin glowed with a faint luminescence, soft and shimmering, while her half-
closed eyes stared vacantly in boredom. She watched the spider’s approach
with the calm detachment of a ruler accustomed to being sought after.

"Ah, another petitioner, sss..." The Lamia Queen hissed sounding bored.
You have sss-something to announce, don’t you? Sss-something that needs
fixing, yes? If so, consult the Spider Advisor. Sss…" She dismissed, biting
into a tomgrape she was holding.

The Spider Navigator, undeterred, gave the fitting greeting, bowing her
head in deference. "I do have something to ask," she chirped, her voice soft
but firm, knowing better than to waste time on pleasantries. "I’ve come to
understand what it is about your body that the Spider King finds most
irresistible. What is it that binds him to you?"

The Lamia Queen’s boredom evaporated in an instant, her fanged lips

curling in a slow, deliberate arc. She shifted slightly, allowing the soft
threads of her dress to fall away from her serpentine stomach, her smooth,
porcelain-like scales reflecting the light.
"Sss, there was a time," Her red eyes twinkled with mischief as she began,
"when I thought it was my lamia charms—my eyes, my skin, my scales, or
even my tail he liked the most. After all, he would come to me in the
evenings, seeking the embrace of my coils, yearning to be bound in my
tail’s hold. I thought it was my natural allure, my beauty that held him."

The Spider Navigator nodded, her eyes tracing the smooth curve of the
Lamia’s form. It made sense. The Lamia Queen was breathtaking—her
delicate skin and ethereal features the very embodiment of feminine
elegance. But her tone suggested something more, something deeper.

The Lamia Queen placed a slender hand upon her stomach, her fingertips
brushing over the taut surface as if to make a point. "But I was wrong. What
the Spider King, my husband, truly values... is this." Her finger trailed
below her midriff.

The spider tilted her head in slight confusion. The Lamia Queen’s stomach?
Her flat, smooth lamia belly? Why would the Spider King, with all his
desires and power, be fixated on something as simple as that?

The Queen saw the confusion flickering across the Spider Navigator's eyes
and chuckled softly. "S-s-s, not the belly itself, sss" she explained, her voice
dipping into a more intimate tone. "It is-sss what lies-sss beneath—the
ability to give him a child. The ability to bear his legacy. That, more than
anything, is what binds him, sss, my dear husband, to me, his beloved
wife."

The spider tapped her leg on the woven carpet, processing the meaning of
the Lamia Queen’s words. The ability to bear his legacy. Of course, the
Lamia Queen had gifted him something truly special, something beyond
beauty or seduction. It was the promise of the future, the assured future of
the realm in the form of an heir.

The Queen’s hand lingered on her stomach, her red eyes smiling softly as
she regarded the spider. "He may never sss-say it aloud, but I have sss-seen
it in his eyes, in the way his hands rest upon me here, s-s-s. He desires what
I can give him, and there might be another gift. SSS… He trusts in the
future I can give him."
The Spider Navigator remained silent for a moment, the realization sinking
in. She had come seeking superficial beauty—charm, grace, allure. But the
Queen had given her a far deeper truth. The ability to bind, to charm, was
not just a matter of physical beauty. It was something greater, something
that extended beyond mere appearances. The Lamia Queen’s bond with the
Spider King was built on the foundation of legacy, of life.

“I understand,” the spider finally said, her chirp thoughtful. “But your lamia
charms—your beauty, your strengths—they cannot be dismissed either, can
they?”

The Queen smiled once more, her fangs poking out. “No, spider, sss, they
cannot. Charm is woven into everything I do, from the way I sss-speak to
the way I sss-slither. It is in my sss-seductive gaze, in my enticing sss-
scales, in my sss-serpentine tail. I am a natural charmer, after all, I am the
Lamia Queen.” Her crimson gaze lingered on the Spider Navigator, a quiet,
seductive power hissing beneath the surface of her words. “But charm, true
charm, is not in the seduction alone. It is in the binding, the binding more
expert than any tail could have. The ability to wrap another so completely in
your presence that they cannot imagine a world without you. To hold them
with both body and soul.”

The spider's limbs twitched with a mixture of understanding and

admiration. “To bind them,” she echoed quietly. It was almost like a
spider’s web, the way the Queen wove her charms around the Spider King,
drawing him closer with her every movement, her every look, her every
action. She offered her body, giving him something special to only bind him
further. The Spider Navigator could feel it now—the subtle pull of the
Queen’s enchantment, the invisible threads of charm that wrapped around
her own mind.

“But, sss, even beyond that,” the Lamia Queen continued, her hiss soft and
dangerous, “there is the promise of what comes next. I might have him now,
sss, but it is the ability to give him what he truly desires-sss that binds-sss
him to me. I remain more allowing, sss, and more willing than any other
wife could be. Yes-sss…”
Yes... Charm, beauty, binding… and legacy. It was a potent combination,
one that no other in the realm could replicate so completely. The Queen had
mastered it all—both the seductive allure and the deep, almost primal
understanding of the Spider King’s desires.

"I understand now, you are as wise as they say," the spider chirped,
nodding.

The Lamia Queen’s lips curved in a satisfied smile. "Indeed. But

remember... not all bindings are made with coils and threads. Some are
made with words, with promises, with loyalty and understanding, with
assured mutual success and future. These are familiar bonds of family, and
those bindings are the strongest of all."

The Spider Navigator bowed low, the weight of the Queen’s wisdom
settling heavily upon her. As she turned to leave the hall, the web in her
mind was almost complete. She would evolve—yes, she would become
more charming, more enchanting. But she would also learn the art of
binding… The familiar ties of family intrigued her.

And though the path to legacy might be more difficult, it was not
impossible. There was always a way.

The Spider Navigator had ventured far and wide, her small frame weaving
through the dark and chaotic corners of the Monster Realm. She had asked
the personal, the intimate, the dangerous. And now, her list was complete—
a compilation of wisdom, body parts, and power gathered from the realm's
finest, each possessing the key to her evolution.

From the Mer Princess, she had learned the allure of shininess. The mer’s
sapphire scales had captivated the Spider King, and the Spider Navigator
would take that lesson to heart. Her new form would glitter, a dazzling
shimmer that would catch the King’s eye, making her impossible to ignore.
She would sparkle, bedazzle—become a gem in the King’s gaze, as radiant
and irresistible as the finest of jewels.
From the Centauri Champion, she gained the knowledge of strength, of
danger. The Champion's lethal weapons, her pride and power, were
something the Spider King respected. To be truly captivating, the Spider
Navigator knew she must be dangerous, capable of both seduction and
destruction. Lethal grace would be woven into her very form, making her
not just a vision to behold, but a force to reckon with—something that
could hold her King’s admiration through might alone.

From the Drow Assistant, she found an unexpected gift: the allure of a
perfectly shapely spider behind. It wasn’t intellect alone that the King
admired, though the drider was a master of it. No, it was something simpler,
more primal—her magnificent form, her spidery behind that the King could
not tear his gaze from. And so, the Navigator would take that too, a
perfectly crafted rear, enviable among all spiderkind, round and shapely
enough to draw attention with every step she took.

The Myconid Queen offered something far more subtle. From her, the
Spider Navigator learned the art of scent—an intoxicating allure that went
beyond sight and touch. The Queen’s spores, while potent, were not for a
spider. But her essence, her elegance, was more than just visual. She would
take that, refining it into pheromones—an invisible power that would draw
the Spider King closer, make him feel her presence even in her absence.
The air itself would carry her charm.

Johny the Magnificent Slug revealed the charm of friendly softness. The
slug’s body was a masterpiece of squishiness, jiggle, and comfort. The
Spider King was drawn to it—her softness was magnificent, friendly, and
inviting. The Spider Navigator would mirror this, making her form soft to
the touch, her movements full of delightful jiggles and bounces, a body that
would beg for the King's hands to rest upon it, that would entice him with
its gentle sway.

And finally, from the Lamia Queen, she learned the art of binding—not just
with charm, but with soul. The Lamia Queen’s ability to entrap, to hold her
prey in a delicate bind of seduction, was something the Spider Navigator
coveted. She, too, would evolve to bewitch, to ensnare with her gaze, her
words, her very presence. She would learn to bind the Spider King not only
with her body, but with a future—a promise so rich that he would be unable
to refuse it.

Six pieces. Six powers. Each one woven into her form, piece by piece,
thread by thread, each one a step closer to the web of perfection. She would
become the most enchanting, most captivating spider to ever walk this
realm—a spider beyond compare. She would be shiny, lethal, shapely,
fragrant, soft, and binding. A spider the Spider King could not resist.
176 – Captive to the Spider's Grace

Somewhere in the courtyard of the Centauri Castle.

The Spider King thrust his hand forward, the motion sending his royal cape
into a dramatic flutter. “It’s your time to shine, Spider Navigator. [Evolve]!”
His palm surged with power, the energy pulsing through him and into the
awaiting spider.

The tiny and cute spider exploded in a brilliant burst of purple light, a
spectacle that filled the courtyard with an arcane glow.

The Spider King staggered, his legs wobbling beneath him as the mana
drain hit him. “Oof… It’s been a while since I’ve dipped into the negative.”
His voice came strained with exhaustion but also anticipation. This
evolution had devoured every last drop of his mana, thousands of MP
vanishing in an instant.

[Warning! ChaosBlessed activated.]

“???” The Spider King's brow furrowed. ChaosBlessed? Now? Of course it

had activated! That blasted perk had a knack for activating when you least
expected it—and when its interference was likely to herald something far
more unpredictable.

He turned his gaze back to the blinding light, hope flaring within him
despite the ominous sign. The activation always heralded great changes. But
whether it was for better or worse, he had yet to determine.

Before his eyes, the tiny and adorable spider was already shifting, growing.
He could feel her gathering the raw, surging energy, sculpting it into
something greater. The dazzling purple light began to dim, slowly revealing
what lay beneath, her new form coalescing in the aftermath of the
evolution.

And then, as the brilliance subsided, the Spider King’s breath caught in his
throat.

What stood before him now wasn’t the petite, cute creature he had known.
No, this was something far beyond even his wildest expectations—a figure
so magnificent and spidery that the words seemed inadequate to describe
her.

The Spider King blinked once… twice… a third time… His mouth opened,
closed, then opened again. He simply couldn’t believe what he was seeing,
and—was his heart racing?

Of course it was. How could it not, when standing before him was the very
embodiment of power, beauty, grace and elegance? He took a good look at
the Spider Navigator.

Her torso, sleek and feminine, flowed gracefully into a pair of finely
tapered legs­—four in total—each a testament to her new form’s grace and
agility. At the core of her figure, her abdomen swelled into a strikingly
voluptuous shape, reminiscent of a delicate hourglass. Flanking her shapes
her exoskeleton shimmered like polished obsidian, each segment glinting
with a dark, iridescent hue that shifted from deep purple to midnight. This
glossy surface resembled the mer scales, each plate a jewel unto itself. The
other parts of her body yielded to soft skin, still midnight black but no less
shiny and glistening. These bulbous portions were where the true magic of
her transformation resided.

Incorporated into her elegant form was a set of lethal weapons—two

perfect, shapely implements that glistened with a deadly sheen. Propped by
her arms, they jumped out from her figure, pointy and elegant, capable of
delivering a swift, lethal strike. The deadly set embodied both beauty and
danger, it complemented her enchanting visage, a stark reminder that this
spider had the capacity for utter destruction.
And yet, the lethal set had an equal rival. Perhaps it was even the crowning
glory of her spidery physique. She had those magnificent curves of the
spidery behind. It was shaped like a perfectly sculpted fruit, round and full,
inviting and tantalizing. Its form was so captivating that it could draw the
gaze of even the most aloof. It was a perfect symbol of a spider.

A slight motion caused a subtle jiggle of her spidery and not-so-spidery

parts. It was both alluring and mesmerising, embodying the softness that
beckoned to be touched. The hypnotic jiggle exuded an inviting warmth that
encouraged affection. With each moment, the slightest breath she took,
there was a delightful bounce, a gentle sway that created an alluring dance,
making her not just captivating in appearance but also in touch.

Her face, too, was a portrait of beauty, with sharp angles softened by the
smoothness of her features. Four cute eyes glimmered like yellow
gemstones, their depths were rich with colour, radiating intelligence and
secrets untold. And at the corners of her plump lips was a set of no less cute
mandibles. She had an irresistible smile on her face, radiating an aura where
you couldn’t help but smile back.

Even more, there was something about her scent. It was an intoxicating
blend of sweetness and poison, enveloping her entire form like an invisible
cloak. It wafted through the air, reminiscent of blooming BluePettal
flowers and rich jungle scent, invoking an urge to inhale deeply, to savor
this spidery fragrance that whispered of forbidden promise. The scent alone
was capable to trap any lesser man, no webs were needed.

In her evolution, the Spider Navigator became a creature of exquisite

complexity—a spider embodying the brilliance of dazzling light, the thrill
of danger, the gravitas of shape, the allure of fragrance, the softness of
touch, and the art of binding. She was a masterpiece, a captivating force
that threatened to draw Spider King into her world, ensnaring him with a
promise of something forbidden and irresistible. Each part, each power, was
woven into her very being, crafting a web of perfection. She would stand as
the most enchanting spider to ever grace the realm, a creature destined to
capture the hearts of all who liked cute and spidery.
“Spider King, don’t stand there like a fly bound in thread. Say something.”
The Spider Navigator gave him The Look, her four glittering eyes flashing
with playful challenge.

“UwU!!!” The Spider King blurted something completely

incomprehensible, his hands reaching out, trembling, toward her
shimmering form.

“Ki-ki-ki!” She chirped a soft giggle.

It was unbefitting of him, but he couldn’t stop. His mind, his body—they
were utterly captivated, caught in the delicate web of her charm.

“Oh my, I feel trapped! What is this magic? What have you done to me!?”

“Ki-ki-ki!” She teased again, her chirp a soothing melody.

“I can’t… I can’t resist!” he gasped, his hands grazing her body. The
sensation was overwhelming—her body, shimmering in its obsidian
segments, was soft to the touch, too soft, like the finest silk he’d ever felt.
“The glimmer, the shine…” What is this almost deadly attraction? “And
then—this magnificent shape, these curves... and that intoxicating scent?”

Her fragrance—rich and almost sweet, like something forbidden—invaded

his senses. He couldn’t stop touching her, couldn't stop marveling at the
delicate bounce in her form, the enticing softness that seemed to draw him
deeper and deeper.

“Ki-ki-ki… don’t stop…” she whispered, her voice a low chirp of

satisfaction. Every move she made seemed calculated, each slight jiggle,
each delicate shift in her weight, making her impossible to resist.

“A-ah!!!” The Spider King exclaimed as something darted between them.

“No, no, no! Rule breaker!” chirped a spidery voice. It was the spider
peacekeeper, hopping on its legs, brandishing a peacekeeper's stick
menacingly. “Your uniform? Your clothes?” The spider's voice rose, looking
at the Spider Navigator, accusation burning in its eyes.
“M-my…” The Spider Navigator stammered, a flush creeping above her
mandibles. “They tore away… It’s not my fault!”

Indeed, the remnants of what had once been her Navigator Uniform lay in
tattered shreds at her feet, completely unable to contain the stunning new
form she had evolved into. Hastily, the spider peacekeeper spun a roll of
blue cloth, draping it over her, hiding her magnificence away.

“A-ah…” the Spider King sighed, his shoulders drooping in defeat.

“Sometimes we should be able to bend the rules, don’t you think?”

“No!!!” the peacekeeper chirped, smacking its stick against the cobbles
with finality.

Yet, perhaps it was for the best. A moment longer, and the Spider King
feared he would’ve been completely ensnared, bound to her with something
far stickier than any web—something… forbidden. He swallowed hard, his
heart still racing.

“Okay, Spider Navigator,” he cleared his throat, trying to regain composure.

“Let’s get you a new uniform. Something cute to match your new form.”

With a playful, knowing smile, the Spider Navigator nodded, her eyes
twinkling with mischief as she spun a little in place, casting the web of her
charms around him once again. The King could already feel it tightening
again.

Monster Race: Variant: Spider Magic Affinity: 💞

Primordial Navigator (Cute) None
💖 🕷️💖
HP:200 MP:200 STA:200 🕸️
Active [ScentCharm], [Enthral], [BindingThread],
Perks [LethalStrike], [Map]

[BriliantExosceleton], [LethalSet],
[SpideryMagnificent], [SpiderPheromones],
Passive [FriendlyBounciness], [MonsterFertility],
Perks [PerfectNavigation]

[Beauty +2]

[Dark Resistance: Medium], [Charm

Resistance: Medium],
Resistances
[Fire Weakness: Medium], [Light Weakness:
Lesser]

The Galleon Whale glided majestically through the skies, its massive bulk
heavy with precious CentauriCheese destined for the distant east. Aboard
the floating vessel, the Spider King watched the Spider Navigator, whose
deft hands and delicate touch guided the ship across the heavens. Her
magnificent form was a sight to behold, a lethal beauty that mesmerized
him with every sway and jiggle.

The ship slowed, pulling into the docking platform carved into the face of
Oberon Mountain. The Spider King’s gaze lingered on the overly cute
spider one last time, a flicker of melancholy tugging at his heart. It was time
to depart, though he found it hard to tear himself away from her spidery
presence.

“Thank you for the ride,” a faint smile pulled at his lips as he stepped away
from the deck.
“it was my utmost pleasure,” she replied, giving a playful wink.

With a final nod, he whispered a command: “[ShadowWalk].” The

shadows rippled and swallowed him, his form vanishing into the tunnel that
led deep within the mountain.

He re-emerged moments later into the familiar cavern, the musky air thick
with the smell of damp earth and fungi. Yet beneath it all, he detected the
unmistakable scent of Nature magic—a heady blend of life and decay. The
cavern was an immense fungal forest, towering mushrooms with glowing
caps cast eerie lights that danced on the slick stone walls. Everywhere,
mushrooms puffed and spat clouds of spores, the air thick with their
magical essence. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the tall, swirling
clouds of DarkSpores, the very substance he needed to fulfil one of his side
quests.

As he navigated the cavern, careful not to disturb the many alchemical

fungi, his foot nearly squashed a tiny mushroom-like figure that sprang to
life and darted away. Myconids, the living denizens of the cave, scuttled and
fled before him, their tiny forms bobbing along as they made their way to a
central chamber. The Spider King felt a tug of curiosity—he had a hunch
where they were headed.

It didn’t take long before he found himself at the heart of the Myconid
Court, where the grand, regal figure of the Myconid Queen awaited him.
Clad in her flowing white gown, she stood gracefully among the glowing
fungi, her presence as enchanting as ever. Seeing him, she puffed a cloud of
pink spores into the air, and with a flick of her wrist, she conjured a
mushroom stool beside her.

"Ah, 'tis a most welcome surprise, mine old friend," she intoned, her voice
as ancient as the earth itself. "I did not expect to gaze upon thy spidery
visage this day."

The Spider King took his seat, offering a smile. "I hope I haven’t disturbed
anything important?"
“Disturb?” She smiled puffing a delicate cloud of pink spores. “Nay, thou
art never a disturbance. In truth, it doth please me greatly. But methinks thy
presence doth portend more than mere pleasantries.”

“You assume correctly. I have come with a proposal.” He glanced past her,
surveying the confines of her domain. “I want to expand your cavern.”

“Oh mine…” She puffed another cloud of pink, fanning it away with her
gloved hand. “So forthright, I do like it. But how large thou want it?

“Big, four times, no…” he paused raising his finger. “…ten times, yes. Ten
times bigger than this. What do you say? Can you handle that?”

"That is much to taketh in… yet I do enjoy the challenge. When dost we
begin?"

“As soon as possible?”

“So eager art thou…” she puffed a thick mist of pink. “I must admit, I do
like it.”

“Well then, I shall bring the kobolds at once—”

A hand grasped his arm. "Before thou dost start," she emitted a cloud of
cold blue. "There is a matter I must mention."

“Hmm? What is it?”

"'Tis quite embarrassing…"

Serious, he leaned in closer. “There’s no need for embarrassment between

friends. Tell me.”

"…" With a puff of more blue, she continued. "I hath a minor infestation
down there… centipedes. They may trouble thee during thy expansion
attempts."

“Centipedes, you say?" He grinned, raising his chin higher. “I’ve seen
worse than centipedes. They won’t hinder me.”
Her fingers grazed his arm, a lingering touch. “Thou art most brave, I do
like it,” her hand moved to point. "Their nest lies yonder, deep within this
tunnel. I prithee, cleanse it thoroughly."

"Consider it done," he strode forth, careful not to tread upon the small
gooba-like creatures that swarmed to their queen as if attracted by
something.

The Spider King here wasn’t going to tackle this cavern expansion alone.
Why would he, when he had such capable helpers? With a Drow
FireWalker on his left and another on his right, the Spider King strode into
the damp and overgrown tunnel, its walls slick with an unholy mixture of
decayed fungi and slime. The air was fouled with the thick scent of decay.

Each drow gripped a FlameThrover, their fingers coiled tight around the
trigger as they moved ahead of the Spider King. Fire spat from the nozzles,
licking up the tunnel walls and consuming the slimy rot that clotted the
passage. The flames turned the clots to blackened ash in an instant, clearing
the path.

Trailing behind them, a group of kobolds shuffled along, their sharp claws
at the ready. They would expand the tunnel, break through the stone, and
dig deeper as soon as the path was cleared. But first, the fire. Always the
fire.

A second burst of flame roared from the nozzles, and with it came the sound
they had all been waiting for: a screech, shrill and monstrous, echoing from
the depths of the tunnel.

“Centipedes…” The drow on the left rasped, her voice a dry whisper in the
shadows. “I love the scent of their sizzling flesh,” her eyes gleamed with
savage glee.

“Yes,” the other drow hissed, licking her lips as she turned her gaze down
the tunnel. “Rot aside, It smells almost like the burgers at the Spidery
Delicious™.”
The Spider King’s brow lifted at the mention. “Centipede Burgers? I
haven’t tried them yet.”

Another screech echoed through the tunnel, this one louder, more desperate.
A blast of fire followed, the flames illuminating the passage ahead,
revealing the writhing mass of segmented bodies fleeing into the darkness.

The drow grinned wickedly, the flames casting a spooky shadow across her
face. “You haven’t? It’s a must.”

“Yeah!” the other drow chimed in. “You should totally come with us after
we finish here.”

The Spider King nodded in agreement, but the moment of levity was short-
lived. The kobolds had begun their digging, their claws scraping against the
stone walls, sending loose rocks and dirt crumbling to the floor. Another
burst of fire, another screech, then silence.

Then…

The tunnel walls trembled.

An ear-piercing cry tore through the air, so loud it sent shockwaves down
the stones, stunning the Drow and Kobolds alike. A thick mist of miasma
flooded in from the depths ahead, afflicting everyone with a debuff.

The Spider King frowned, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the dark
passage ahead. Whatever lay in the depths had been disturbed—and it was
far more dangerous than the centipedes they had been sizzling.

From deep within the tunnel, something stirred. The sound of countless legs
scuttling against stone. It was followed by the unmistakable echo of
something far larger shifting in the shadows. The tunnel seemed to vibrate
with animosity, a foul, monstrous presence awakening from its slumber.

The drow on his left tightened her grip on the FlameThrover, her grin
faltering. “That… That was no mere centipede.”
“No,” the Spider King murmured, a flicker of excitement dancing on his
face. “It wasn’t.”

The scuttling grew louder, closer, and with it came the overwhelming sense
of dread that something ancient—something foul—was crawling deep
inside the cavernous depths.
 176.5 – I Bestow Upon Thee The
Spiderish Mischief

In the land far and distant, in the Oni Shogunate, there the food is growing
scarce and the people desperate, strange rumours are spreading like
wildfire. Yokai – once a stuff of myths and tales – are believed to be to
blame.

In a uniquely Oni-styled building, where walls are made of clay bricks and
the floors of straw mats, an Oni wife hugs her husband's arm, her face full
of worry.

“Dear, all the farmers are talking about... you know… them.” *Shudders*,
“I’ve heard children went missing in the village nearby. Spirited away
during the night!” *Trembles*, “I don’t think the Yokai are real but…”

The Oni husband, a burly man, his skin red like fire, puffs his bare chest
out.

“Ah, I’ve heard of the rumours! Fear not, I’ll protect you and our children!”
*Thumps his chest*, “Look, I’ve already boarded all the doors and
windows.”

The wife looks at all the boarded doors and windows. “Dear, all good and
well.” *Nods in approval*, “But it's them we are talking about. The hairy…
the scary… the six-legged… spiderish Yokai! Will it really be enough?!”

“Hmm… my barricade could stop a bandit but… Yes, Yokai are a bit
different.”

“Dear, I can’t help but worry!”

“Ah! I just remembered! A bunch of passing guards were mentioning a
certain ancient charm. They said it works against the Yokai. A Warding
Charm It's called!”

“A Warding Charm?!”

“Yes, It's an old charm really. Ancient even. One where you scatter sacred
grains around doors and windows, cracks and corners, that sort of thing.
The guards were convinced it would keep the Yokai away.

“Is that so… the grains might be sacred but it is our food too. Ah… But I
can’t help but worry.”

“Shall we scatter some around then?”

“We don’t have much food left, but let's do this. Anything to protect our
children.”

“…And we can collect it all up in the morning!”

“That’s the thinking, Dear! Let’s do this.”

Just so, the two Oni scattered pearly white grains around the house. They
tossed them around the doors and windows, cracks and corners, sealing the
house in an almost forgotten ritual.

The doors were sealed shut, the windows boarded, the gaps and cracks
warded off. The house was protected, proofed against the mysterious six-
legged yokai. Or was it?

The youngest of the children, Little Ryuji was the only one still awake.
Hunger gnawed at his belly.

‘Why did we have to throw our dinner away?’ he looked at the scattered
grains with scorn. They were everywhere, by the doors, by the windows, by
his bed, in his underwear, and all around Dad’s treasured chamberpot. ‘Such
a waste… I’m hungry…’ Either way, he couldn’t sleep.
The fire crackled in the fireplace, dancing lights keeping Little Ryuji warm
and entertained. Slowly ever so slowly, he began drifting to sleep. But
then…

Something odd sparkled in the fireplace. Blue, crystalline powder fell from
the chimney, snuffing the fire below in an instant.

‘The fire? It's Gone!’

Then a woven thread, purple and shimmering, dropped on a cooling

embers.

‘Huh? What is going on?’

Ryuji wanted to shout, but all that came out was a hushed whisper. “It’s
them…”

Indeed, he too heard the stories. The tales about the Yokai. Apparently, they
snatched all the naughty children in a nearby village.

‘!!!’

The fireplace coughed, spitting a cloud of blue dust. Ryuji hid under his
blanket, and yet, he peeked an eye out. Curious and afraid. Fine powdery
dust spread around the room, coating everything in it.

Little Ryuji, being the only one awake, pressed his blanket to his nose –
afraid of mysterious dust.

‘… Not me… please not me… I was good! I am good!’ he whisper-shouted

fully aware that he was exactly the naughtiest of the children.

Just then, then the dust tickled his eyes and nose, he spotted something
shimmering in the fireplace again. Legs, long and spindly reached out of the
fireplace. Sinister feelers scratching against the sooty cobbles of the
chimney. And then… there it was…

‘Yo… Yokai…’ He uttered under the blanket, feeling too sleepy and too
weak to shout. But then…
‘???’ he took the strange sight of the Yokai. ‘It’s… it’s not scary? Odd…’

Indeed, he didn’t find the creature scary at all. He simply marvelled with
half-closed eyes at the entity that emerged from the chimney. It came
dressed in a comically large and fluffy coat, blue in colour, its spindly legs
peeking from right under it. On its head it wore a funny hat, it was just as
blue with a very fluffy rim and an oversised pom-pom on its top. Whatever
this was, the get-up looked very silly.

“Ho-ho-ho!” the Yokai chirped jovially, reaching for its pocket.

A spidery claw scooped another pile of blue dust only to blow it all away
and into the air.

Seeing it coming, Little Ryuji plugged his nostrils and simply peeked at the
strange yokai from the crack in his blanket.

“That should done the trick, Ho-ho-ho.” It chirped. “Helper Sam, come out
already.”

Something else rustled and scratched against the cobbles in the chimney.
And then, with a *Thud* and *Bam*, that someone dropped on the cooling
embers in the fireplace–ass first of course, and right on the coals.

“Ouch-ouch-couch… It’s still hot. It burns!”

“Helper Sam, next time use the rope! That’s why it’s there! Ho-ho-ho!” the
ho’s came out slightly less jovial this time.

It seems the embers weren’t quite put out because…

“Father, Father Frosty! Help me! My pants are on fire!”

Helper Sam jumped out of the fireplace to pat the small flame licking at his
rear.

“Shush Sam! You’ll wake the denizens! … Take this, Ho-Ho-Ho!” the ho’s
were aimed at a certain backside.
“Wah! Don’t begin spanking my ass out of nowhere!”

“Stop running around in circles! Ho-ho-ho! Stop, I say! You’ll set

everything on fire, Ho-ho-ho, not just your ass!!! Let me…”

“Ahh! It’s too hot!

“Ho-ho-ho-ooo!!! *Smack*, “… Done and dusted.”

“It’s not Ho-Ho-Ho at all! It-it burned a hole!!!”

“But the fire is out. Ho-ho-ho, all is jolly!”

“Nothing is jolly! I can see my bare ass!!!”

“Ho-ho-ho! Stop shouting, you’ll wake the denizens!!!”

“Ah!!! … It’s shining right through like a moon!!!”

‘…’ Ryuji didn’t know what to think of this. ‘But hey, this other yokai…’

This Helper Sam, just like the spiderish Father Frosty, he was dressed in a
fluffy blue coat and wearing an oversized hat with a silly pom-pom.
However, ‘He’s, this strange Helper Sam, is no yokai. No-no-no.’ That is
exactly so, much like Ryuji, Sam was just a boy – albeit, minus the Oni
horn.

“Ho-ho-ho! We’ll patch the hole later with a web. Now help me.”

“Yes, Father Frosty! Let me get our bag, it’s still in the chimney.”

The boy ran back to the fireplace, and out of it he retrieved a large bag
bursting with mystery.

“Ho-ho-…-huh? Hey Sam, what is this line of tiny sacks by the fireplace?”

“Eh? Those? They’re just old socks left to dry.”

“Socks, socks… sacks, sacks… what's the difference then you’re a spider
and have no toes? … Either way, Ho-Ho-Ho, isn’t this convenient?! Pass
me the gifts Sammy boy, I’ll stuff the offerings in them conveniently placed
tiny sacks!”

“Are you sure about that? And its socks, not tiny sacks!”

“Yes-Yes. Quickly let's stuff them there and go to the next house.”

“Yes, Father Frosty…”

Ryuju, now half asleep, dust tickling his nose, observed the two stuffing the
‘tiny sacks’ with mysterious items. In the end, Little Ryuju didn’t get
spirited away, but perhaps something even more dreadful happened.

‘No… my socks… don’t put that in… there…’

He fell asleep.

In the wee hours of the morning, in the near-abandoned inn, two Oni sat by
the table.

“I know you won’t believe me but look at this.” Puts a stuffed sock on the
table.
“Ah, so you finally lost it… Why are you showing me your stinky old
sock?”
“No! Check what's inside the sock. He-he, isn't it particularly… stuffed?”
“Oh?” Takes a mysterious item out of the sock. “Huh?! Half-eaten Bread?”
“Sorry, I’ve got pecish on the way here…”
“No… forget the half-eaten part. Why is it blood red? Don’t tell me…
they?”
“Yes… It was the Yokai! They stuffed all of our socks with strange bread!
Strange delicious bread!”
“…”
“I knew you wouldn't believe me but it's true!”
“No, I believe you… even if there’s famine, isn't it dangerous to eat
something like that?”
“You do? Oh, and it was Ryuji who took the first bite so… Well, it turned
out safe to eat so…”
“You can’t be serious? How can you eat something as suspicious as this?”
“Why not? Aren’t everyone is sort of starving at the moment.”
“It’s food conjured by the Yokai! You should know better!”
“But it smells so good… just smell this delicious half-eaten loath. Yum!”
Takes another bite. “So-ooo good… ah, a bit dry. Ah… if only…”
“Stop eating it! What if it’s cursed or poisoned?! Or worse!!!”
“But It isn't! I’m not about to boast, but as everyone knows my wife is a
first-rate chef, she checked me and the kids for the negative status effects.
Nothing! Only scrumptious deliciousness! … And actually, believe it or not,
the bread gives status buffs.
“???”
“There is that look again… You think I’m making it up? If you don’t
believe me just try it yourself. Here, have this half-eaten piece. I have
plenty to spare at home.”
“Are they all half eaten? … well… I guess It won’t hurt to try… Nom-nom-
nom…”
“And?”
“Delicious!!!”
“I told you!”
“Ah, but… a bit dry.”
“I know...” Looks at the innkeeper intently. “Say, as an innkeeper won’t you
have a bit of sake left somewhere?”
“Hmm… Yes, this savouriness would pair well with something alcoholic,
but… The unjust tax imposed by the Oni Shogun aside, my personal stash
was also raided by bandits… I have none…”
“Ah… and here I thought I would share this bread with you and your
family.” Begins stuffing the half-eaten bread back in the not-so-tiny sock.
“Wait, wait, wait!”
“So… you DO have some?”
“Well… not exactly. You might not believe me but… I better show you
this.”

Two Oni walk outside and stop near the freshly boarded-up well. Sacred
grains are scattered all around it as if to ward something off.
“A sealed well?”
“Yup. Sealed it a few hours ago…”
“???”
“Let’s unseal it!”
“Huh?! Are you sure?!
“Yeah. Nothing to worry about… I think.”

The Oni Innkeeper roped a full bucket out of the well.

“Oh!? What’s this?”

“As you can see it's not simple water anymore. It has been Yokaified at
some point during the night!”
“Look! It's red! And it's froffy! Did Yokai poison your well? That’s bad!
But why are you showing me this?”
“I did think it was poison at first at first but… doesn’t this smell good?”
“Yes… Yes! It does smell good!”
“Why don’t you take a sip?”
“I guess… why not!” Sips. “Oh! I see. Yes-yes. So that’s it.” Takes another
sip. “Mmm…”
“Hey… did you just drink a whole bucket?”
“Another!”
“It’s not poison, is it? Is it?”
“Another!!!”
“Just give back my bucket! ... And let me try it already!”
”Wow! It tastes even better with half-eaten bread! … Nom-nom-nom…
Slurp-slurp-slurp…”
“This is my well! Let me try!

As the Oni fought over the bucket, the village priest ran up to them flailing
arms.
“Guys, guys, you won’t believe this!!!”

That morning the Oni Village grew uncharacteristically lively. Each Oni
had an unbelievable story to tell, each tale involving Yokai. The not-so-tiny
socks were stretched full of bread, the mundane well water was turned to
frothy ale, wives and missuses found themselves dressed in blue
extravagant dresses at the early morning wake, the ill and the ailing were
mysteriously healed and their pockets filled with strange blue fruits, and all
sort of manner of miracles happened that night – all mischievous buts, in
the end, positive things.

The villagers started thinking…

“It's they we are talking about but… are they really that bad?”
 177 – Unexpected Surprises

The air itself was thick with the acrid tang of sizzling lichen, the fetid
sweetness of coagulated slime, and the acrimonious musk of charred
centipede flesh. The carcass of the Ancient Centipede BroodMother
Hermaphrodite sprawled across the cavern floor, its once-imposing form
now a charred, mutilated ruin.

The Spider King’s eyes flicked over the scene, his expression a blend of
triumph and mild disgust. Even with the fiery ferocity of the Drow
FireWalkers at his side, this had been a messy battle, though not much of a
challenge. The BroodMother had fallen like so many others before it:
screaming, chittering, and eventually silent.

Nearby, two drow stood admiring their handiwork, their blackened faces
split into identical, sharp-teethed grins.

"Heh,” one of them said, her voice a low purr laced with malice, “we’ve
slain something truly legendary. A real trophy for the DarkHalls."

“Yes,” her companion agreed, his ruby-red eyes gleaming with an unhinged
glee. “I’ve gone up two whole levels. We should celebrate—this calls for
something special!”

The first drow turned to him, her grin widening to reveal a savage grin.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Her voice carried the kind of glee
reserved for the most unholy of mischiefs.

“Oh,” he replied, mirroring her expression, “I do. I absolutely do!”

The Spider King, unsettled by their exchange, shifted uneasily in his spot,
almost slipping on the slime. His commanding presence faltered as he fixed
his gaze on the two unsettling figures. “Erm… Just what, exactly, are you
two thinking?”

The first drow tilted her head, her smile now a rictus of malicious delight.
“Oh, mighty King… Isn’t it obvious?”

Her companion chimed in. “We’re going to eat this bad mother@#*&er.”

The Spider King froze, his face contorting in stunned horror. His gaze
snapped to the grotesque heap that was the BroodMother’s remains—a
sloughing, bloated mass of viscera, glistening slime, and the unmistakable
stench of something foul. The thought of consumption was entirely
revolting!

“No,” he rasped, his voice sharp with incredulity. “No, no, no—absolutely
not! That thing is… it’s revolting, it’s vile, it’s… inedible in every
conceivable way! There’s no way it can be edible!”

The two drow exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable yet

somehow deeply unnerving.

“No way? Your majesty, just observe,” the first one said, already pulling a
crude blade from her belt. “It’s really delicious.”

The Spider King watched, appalled, as the drow descended upon the carcass
with an unsettling enthusiasm, their laughter echoing off the cavern walls.
He turned away, muttering to himself, “No way they're eating that thing …”

Behind him, the sounds of butchery mingled with exclamations of delight.

“Look at the marbling on this segment!”

“Oh, this slime layer is going to make a killer glaze…”

The Spider King shuddered.

“Don’t forget the venom sacs,” A thick, black ichor oozed forth, hissing as
it met the air. “Fresh venom adds such a bold bitterness to a dish. It really
brings out the umami!”
“Oh, and the brood marrow!” The second drow’s eyes gleamed with
excitement. “Do you see this? This is liquid ambrosia! The richness, the
depth—this could elevate a stew to divine levels!”

“You’re right. It’s… intoxicating. The scent alone makes me want to weep.
A little fennel moss, maybe some crushed emberroots, and—oh, yes—this
will be legendary.”

The Spider King, still facing away, let out a low groan of dismay. No way it
could be actually edible.

Behind him, the butchery continued with morbid enthusiasm.

“Hey, look at this cartilage—it’s still pulsating! Do you think we could

pickle it?”

“Why stop there? We could fry it, ferment it, and pickle it! This is a feast fit
for gods—or devils. Take your pick.”

“You know,” the first drow said, gnawing idly on a small, charred piece of
the thing, “I almost feel sorry for the others. They’ll never know the
delights of freshly harvested BroodMother Hermaphrodite pieces.”

“Ah, yes-yes… if only there was a place specialising in cooking centipede

delights.”

The Spider King blinked. “Wait… There is a place!”

He turned to face the drow; the two were still smiling in a conspirational
way.

Inside the shadowy, web-draped embrace of SpideryDelicious™, a sultry

figure emerged, weaving through the tables effortlessly like a shadow
through the night. The Drow Waitress approached the Spider King, her
every step a tantalising dance, the dim glow of the light reflecting off her
oiled skin.
“Chu-u~!” she cooed, her voice sweet as poison as she struck a pose
dripping with allure.

The Spider King’s eyes widened, “O_O”. How to describe her? The
waitress was a dark enchantress, radiating an aura that could corrupt the
purest soul. Her ‘uniform’ was scandalous—a sinful collection of black
leather straps and minimal chitin armour, strategically placed to both
conceal and display. Two shimmering carapace cups barely constrained her
bounty, while another small plate of polished exoskeleton guarded her
lower treasures, though it revealed just enough to send imagination
spiralling into the deep abyss of dark delights.

Very… Very Scandalous!

“Your meal is ready, chu-u~!” she announced, her voice laced with a
dangerous sweetness. With an almost blinding smile, she placed a platter
before him, the gleaming carapace lid catching the dim light like a trophy
won from some forbidden conquest. “Behold! Our Spider MasterChef has
truly outdone themselves, chu-u~! I present to you: the Ancient Centipede
BroodMother Hermaphrodite Stroganov Delight! Chu-u~!!!”

With a flourish, she leaned way too low, way too seductively, revealing way
too much of her ample bounty. His eyes widened as she removed the lid,
presenting him with a true feast for the senses.

Indeed, it was a masterpiece of a dish. The flesh was dark and glistening,
pulsating with an inner life. The insect plating barely contained the
succulent bounty, which threatened to spill over at any moment. A seductive
scent of oil and spices tickled his nose, awakening a primal hunger within
him. This was a delight he could not resist.

“Wh-what is this divine meal?” he stammered, torn between savouring the

view and succumbing to the dish’s forbidden nature.

“Chu-u~?” She tilted her head, her eyes curious about his bewildered gaze.
“It’s sautéed centipede segments infused with steamed mushrooms and
forbidden sauce, chu-u~.”
The Spider King, eyes still wide, he didn’t know where to look anymore!
When did the spiders have the idea to add such scandalous waitresses as
staff?! Not that it was a bad idea… but…

“Ahem…” His mouth already watering, he tore his gaze away from her—
difficult as that was—and finally looked at the dish for the first time. “Oh!
So this is what the Spider MasterChef is capable of… I can’t believe
something so deadly could become… this… This APPETISING!”

“Chu-u~? Oh, no, my King! You can’t go wrong with Centipede, it’s the
finest delicacy! Mince it, mash it, boil it, squish it—always delicious, chu-
u~!” Her eyes gleamed with passion as she extolled the virtues of insect
flesh.

“I see… but what’s up with that cute ‘Chu-u~’ you keep adding randomly?”

“Chu-u~? What do you mean?” She blinked at him innocently… but also
invitingly.

“Never mind…” His greedy fingers reached for the delight.

But she was faster. With a mischievous gleam, she pulled the tray back. “Oh
no, no, no, chu-u~! Not so fast, my King! First…”

“???”

Her lips curled into a knowing smile as she struck an even more
provocative pose, her voice dropping to a playful purr. “Before you feast on
this delight, allow me to bless your meal. Chu-u~!”

She raised her hands over the dish and began a slow, sultry chant, each
word dripping with exaggerated sweetness:

“With a sprinkle of magic, chu-u~!” Her slender fingers dusted the dish
with glowing flakes of who-knew-what.
“And a dash of charm, chu-u~!” Her beaming smile was a definition of dark
mischief.
"May this food be sweet and neat, chu-u~!" A wink sharp enough to pierce
armour followed.
“A tasty treat that can't be beat, chu-u~!" She blew an air kiss that seemed
to shimmer in the dim light.
“Eat! Consume! Devour! Chu-u~!!!”

The Spider King blinked, utterly in disbelief. “…I have no idea what just
happened. But this dish… it looks ten times more tempting now!”

“Chu-u~! That’s the power of WaitressMagic!” She clasped her hands,

practically glowing with pride.

Unable to resist any longer, he seized the bountiful delights right in front of
him. His eyes widened as he sampled the dish. He was hit with that rich,
soft smoothness which practically melted at the smallest of pressures – it
was so juicy, so succulent! And yet, there was this joyful bounciness, the
springiness and elasticity that popped out all filled with sinful spices.

“!!!” The utensil clattered from his hand as he staggered back in his seat.
“Divine! Scrumptious! Delicious! There’s no way this is… this is not…!”

“But it is, chu-u~!” she chimed, bouncing her delights with glee.

The King leaned forward, his face a mask of rapture. “Help! I can’t stop!
My hands… Ah!!! They’re moving on their own! This is too good!
Amazing!!!”

“Ch-chu-uuu~!!!” The waitress jumped away from the Spider King and
turned to address the room. “You heard the King! The Spider King himself
approves this dish, chu-u~! Everyone, get it while supplies last!”

The room erupted into chaos, with patrons shouting for their waitresses,
desperate to sample the new SpiderKing-Approved® (rights pending)
dish. The Spider King, meanwhile, continued to gorge himself, lost in the
sheer ecstasy of the meal.

…
Still enthralled in the decadent afterglow of his indulgence at
SpideryDelicious™, the Spider King allowed himself a moment to savour
the sight of his subjects revelling in their sinful meals. The atmosphere was
thick with the alluring aroma of forbidden spices, the restaurant patrons
immersed in their own gluttonous ecstasies.

“I really shouldn’t have called the waitress for that third helping... urgh.”
He groaned, placing a hand on his abdomen, the weight of overindulgence
dragging at his regal posture. “But, alas, duty calls. I must check on the
Kobolds—surely by now, they’ve finished cleaning the slime and the
lichen, and expanding the cavern.”

He shuffled out of the restaurant, his feet clicking against the cobblestones
of the Drow UnderCity’s sprawling, shadowy streets. But as he turned a
corner, his eyes narrowed, and his keen ear twitched at the unmistakable
sound of a commotion.

“Washoi! Washoi! Washoi!”

The chanting echoed through the cavernous city like an otherworldly song,
punctuated by the rhythmic padding of tiny feet. A procession of desert
Fennec marched through the streets, their high-pitched voices chanting in
unison. The Spider King’s brow furrowed—not just from the noise or
disturbance but from the strange spectacle.

“Washoi! Washoi! Washoi!”

They paraded boldly, their large, fluffy ears bobbing with every chant, but it
wasn’t their unbearably cute appearance that drew gasps from the
onlookers. It was the thing they carried.

Above their heads, perched precariously in their tiny paws, was an

enormous, scandalous, girthy object. The way it caught the faint light of the
cavern was both dazzling and deeply, deeply disturbing.

“Washoi! Washoi! Washoi!”

The thing’s elongated, unmistakably suggestive shape gleamed in gold.
Every curve, every detail, every… bulge was rendered with an artistry that
could only be described as obsessively thorough.

The Spider King felt his fingers tremble. His otherwise stoic face cracked
like thin ice. “What in the name of the Chaos is this obscene thing?!”

“Washoi! Washo—Oh! The Spider King!” One of the Fennec, a

particularly wide-eyed specimen with super fluffy ears, turned to him, his
cheerful voice utterly unbothered by the King’s outrage. “We were on our
way to your palace. This saves us the trouble, yes-yes!”

The King’s eyes darted from the fennec’s innocent smile to the towering
atrocity they held aloft. “You were going to parade… that thing … to my
palace?!”

At his words, the procession halted. The Fennec all tilted their heads in
perfect unison, their ears flopping like synchronized flags.

“Well, yes,” the fennec chirped, his tone genuinely perplexed. “Is there
something wrong with our solid gold statue? It was carved meticulously to
resemble the real thing! Did we miss some details perhaps?”

“Oh no, you didn’t miss details,” the Spider King spat, his voice dripping
with sarcasm. “In fact, it’s disturbingly detailed! Too detailed! And did you
say… solid gold?!”

The Fennec’s ears drooped further. “Y-yes?”

“How dare he, that scaly little noodle!” The Spider King’s fury erupted, his
feet stomping as he paced before the bewildered procession. “First, the
wyrmling dares to call himself a God Emperor. Now he commissions…
this, this thing! A gilded monstrosity of his own… anatomy! That
narcissist!”

Yes, the scandalous elongated thing was a statue of no one else but the little
wirmling itself.
“But… but…” The Fennec whimpered, clutching the perfect Great Desert
Whirling Statue tightly, as if its mere existence might shield them from the
Spider King’s wrath.

“And now he dares infringe on my authority as a King!” the Spider King

continued, gesturing wildly at the obscene idol of a scaly desert noodle. “I
don’t make statues of myself, do I? Let alone statues of… of… solid gold!”

With trembling paws, the fennec took his paws off the statue to offer a
leaflet, his oversized ears drooping so low they nearly brushed the ground.

“What’s this?” The Spider King snatched the leaflet and began to read,
urgently scanning what looked like a doodle of a child.

===

Spiderish and not-so-spiderish, folks with a tail, with a claw, or with none
at all—everyone and all are invited to my royal wedding. Yes-yes!
It happens soon, so you better not miss it. Or… Or else!
Meuw!
– The Great Desert Wyrmling, The Only and True Pharaoh of the Scorching
Desert.

===

The Spider King’s voice rose with each word, his outrage exploding. “A
wedding?! This youngling of a hatchling is getting married already? And to
whom? Why am I only learning about this now?!”

Before he could demand answers, the Fennec stumbled under the weight of
the statue. With a collective gasp, the procession lost their grip.

“…”

The solid gold monstrosity plummeted.

With an earth-shaking CRACK, it shattered the pavement and landed

squarely on the Spider King’s toes.
“RHEEEEE!!!”

His screech echoed through the UnderCity as the Fennec scrambled back in
panic.

The offending statue lay sprawled on the ground like a fallen god of bad
taste, its gaudy form gleaming mockingly in the cavern light.