Contemplating the fact that the windows appeared even without eyes, Aura is pulled out of it when she feels a gloved hand on her cheek. This was followed shortly after by someone running cloth over her face. The rough texture contrasts with the gentle wiping. Though, the whole thing leaves her spluttering a bit with laughter.
“Thank you, but I can get this myself.”
Groping blindly, easily grabs hold of the hand cleaning her face and snag the cloth from them. Soft giggling before the figure retreats, telling her that Violet was responsible. From there, it is easy enough to clean her face enough that she can open her eyes to see the aftermath of the battle. The Venomweaver is dead maybe twenty feet away and already dissolving into golden particles. Kaelen and Maul are standing close, giving her concerned looks, while Violet is already backing away, looking relieved. Aura also makes out the sound of thumping and guesses that Ryse has gone back to dealing with the cocoons.
“That Spider spat what looked like poison at you. How are you still moving?”
Maul’s question gave her pause, though only for a moment. With her face clean, she bunches her hair in one hand and uses the cloth to begin to clean her hair out. Her hand tingles slightly from contact with the poison, beginning to go numb, but she pushes through it for now.
“It’s my Innate skill, probably. When we first went on that hunt on Awakening Day, I didn’t just get scraped by the fangs of a Spider, I got bit. It made me numb for a while, but as you remember I was still walking around just fine. This poison is stronger, since just touching it is making me numb, but my skill has grown since then as well.”
Maul meets her eyes with a hard look. Eventually, the edge of his lips curl into a slight smirk before he nods sharply. Kaelen meanwhile did visibly relax with her answer, though he still looks towards where the Venomweaver came with a cautious expression.
“We probably shouldn’t stick around, right? I mean, there could be more of those things heading this way. The tunnels look narrow enough that it will probably be a tight fit for them though, so we might be able to handle them better there.”
The sound of Ryse still trying to destroy a cocoon is drowned out by Maul’s retort. He begins to argue with Kaelen that taking out these cocoons is the better idea, simply because it will lead to them growing stronger. And with how easily they all took down the Venomweaver, being stronger can only be better. Aura notices how they do not mention the special Spider she had fought, and how they are focused on the argument more than anything.
Smiling and rolling her eyes, she locks eyes with Violet and mouths a quick thanks to them. With her hair as cleaned as can be, she keeps it held and quickly ties it up. Her initial avatar design for this all did have her hair tied in a high ponytail, but she had been forced to keep it loose. But all the traveling had left it feeling a little grimy, even more so with the poison in it. So, this was an excellent excuse to finally do so.
“Listen, I agree that we should finish wiping out all of these cocoons now. It is not because it will get us stronger, but because we can’t risk being attacked from behind. Some of the cocoons are glowing like the one Ryse hit with his attack earlier, so those need to be the first priority.”
The stern tone she uses is enough to silence both Kaelen and Maul. While the former accepts, albeit with a concerned look, the latter seems almost gleeful that his point of view is winning out. She briefly brings up how they all need to be watching the tunnels leading to and from the chamber so that they are not ambushed again. Nobody has any arguments with that, and soon they are all getting back to smashing the cocoons.
The process of doing so speeds up a little, the adrenaline of the battle providing extra energy to work with. It helps that while it tried its best, the Venomweaver did end up damaging some of the cocoons during the brief fight. Aura sends Violet to deal with those ones, mainly to allow them to get some XP. She meanwhile joins in on the destruction, finding the action cathartic. These are monsters after all, monsters who would attack her without hesitation. It is a little difficult due to the numb sensation on her head, shoulders, and in her one hand. As such, she knows that she will not be smashing as many as Maul or Kaelen.
Throughout the smashing, Aura also finds her gaze drawn toward the sacs lining the walls and ceiling. They stand out against the glowing of the rest of the silk, and a large part of her wants to help whatever is trapped inside. During a break, she walks over to one of them closer to the ground and tries to tear into it, only for her hand to grow stuck to the silk. Yanking her hand proves useless, and it takes her firing off a Mana Bolt from the stuck hand to get free. Even that doesn’t leave a mark either, though some faint whimpering comes from inside the sac. Regret twists in her chest, at both causing some pain and being unable to save whatever is trapped. Dwelling on that, she steps away.
This silk probably won’t stay sticky forever so… maybe it will dry out in time and they can break free. This will prove to be a problem whenever we find Calen and Jackie.
At that thought, she glances around at all of the sacs one more time, looking for any that are human shaped. But when none appear in her vision she gets back to work on clearing out the cocoons. By the end of it all, in addition to the six she destroyed before the Venomweaver appeared, she manages to take out another dozen of the cocoons, which is more than enough to push her to level 4. The standard level up notifications are ignored, and a quick check confirms that the XP threshold for levels is remaining at a fifty-point increase. By the end of it all, she is sitting at [90/250] XP to level 5.
She is not the only one to gain a level in all of this either. Both Kaelen and Maul join her in being level 4. Thanks to having been on the first, and only successful, night hunt Ryse manages to reach level 3 from everything, with Violet only ten XP away from said level as well. The cocoons themselves only drop the essence crystals of the developing Giant Spiders, though the same cannot be said for the two special ones that had been fought.
On checking where the Mana Giant Spider had been, Aura finds a neat little bundle of silk. It is glowing slightly, and despite the amount is not that heavy. And even though she had taken it on alone, she hands it off to Violet like the rest of the loot. The Venomweaver meanwhile, drops something with a little more immediate use. The end of one of its legs is lying next to the larger essence crystal it left behind. It has a slight curve but is otherwise rigid. Heavy as well, Violet is unable to even lift the thing without strain. Maul did so easily, a look of desire on his face.
Without asking anybody, he quickly stores the leg away for a moment, before taking it back out. Kaelen looks ready to protest, but Aura rests a hand on his shoulders to stop him. She understands what is going on here and sees no issue in it if her suspicions are true.
“I’ve heard from my father that stronger monsters can drop parts of their bodies as weapons. It looks like this one was strong enough to do so. Venom Leg Cudgel is what this thing is called, and it is a blunt weapon as well. I can feel my [Blunt Savant] working with it.”
“In that case, I have no issues with you having that Maul. From what you’ve told me about how your skill works when you were teaching me to use a club, you will get a handle of that thing quicker than Kaelen or I.”
With her suspicions confirmed, Aura quickly speaks up to confirm the lack of issues with Maul getting this new weapon. The slight risks that come from him getting something that could lead to him being stronger than her are less than the benefits that come from the increased damage he can do if more fighting happens. He looks to her a little surprised but gives her a rather savage grin in return.
“I guess that makes sense. But Aura should we really—.”
“It will be fine Kaelen. Besides, this just means that Maul won’t be getting as much of the other stuff that drops in here.”
Aura locks eyes with Kaelen and gives a knowing grin. Her statement gives him pause, before a similar grin grows across his own face. While they had not gone into all this expecting loot, they had agreed that any would be picked at the end of it all. So long as nothing else impressive dropped, Maul was essentially forfeiting his share with this bit of greed. Not that he seems to have any issues with it, or realize it, given his stepping away to swing the leg turned cudgel around.
With the cocoons dealt with, there is no reason to remain in this chamber any longer. And so, they set off for deeper in the tunnels once more. They do move slower, both to be wary of ambush and to recover a little. Between the fight and smashing cocoons, some fatigue was to be expected. All of them leveling up and increasing their max HP did lead to a little bit added on, but taking the time to rest was not in the cards right now.
For both Aura and Maul, they had taken some proper damage in the fight against the Venomweaver. While she rolls her eyes a little at him brushing it off as minimal damage, she decides to be a little proactive. Taking out the last of her poultice, she takes advantage of the slower pace to apply it. It is a bit of a gamble to do so, given that most of the damage came from getting spat at with poison. But with her health sitting at [114/160], it is better safe than sorry.
While the atmosphere is tense, whispered conversation occurred while they walk as well. Namely regarding their recent leveling and where to put the points. Maul admits that while most of his points have been going into STR, with him being at 35, that he will be bumping his VIT up to 30 with this recent level. Kaelen shares that he will also be bumping up his STR to 25, stating that he feels he will get more damage from his sling with it.
Aura is tempted to do so as well, namely to keep up, but then Ryse begins to speak. It is directed towards Violet, but he shares that increasing his ATU has helped with the damage of his spells. Without even asking, he confirms for her that the damage of magic seems to scale linearly with ATU. Though, even he is not sure how the damage is calculated in the end given that his performance against the Venomweaver was different compared to normal Giant Spiders.
If I remember right, ATU also determines mana regeneration. Right now, I’m only getting two points per hour, so bumping it up to 30 will probably make that into three. I’m already doing more damage with my spell than with hitting things with my club. Granted it is a more limited resource. But it could be a difference maker in the long run.
Her hand also drifts to her chest, brushing over the spot where the Mana Spider had hit her with a spell. While her [Magic Resistance] likely played something of a role in the damage being lessened, that probably was not the only thing. It had felt like the magic had gone right through her armor after all, so who was to say it would not do the same for others. With the threat of Fortress looming, having a trick up her sleeve like that could help.
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In the end, she convinces herself to bump her ATU up. Doing so causes the air to feel just a slight bit different, almost as if it is more charged. It fades soon, leaving her to brush it off as a figment of her imagination. The tunnels are still humid and musty, and she takes notice that there are no longer any sacs lining the walls. The number of smaller spiders crawling on them has dropped as well, leaving her with a bit of a foreboding feeling.
While it had been hard to keep track of time before, with her now missing mana it became easier. After about an hour passed, during which her mana went up from 14 points to 17, they encounter a change. While the spider silk on the walls has made the tunnel appear to be a single path, they finally encounter an opening in the walls. Some silk creeps into the secondary tunnel, though it doesn’t go that far. As a result, the low light they have gotten used to cuts off into an inky black down it.
Somewhat curious on the matter, she watches Kaelen take out his light stone to provide a better look. It reveals a few facts about this new tunnel, the first being how jagged it is. The rocks lining the walls and ceiling are broken apart in many places, heavy cracks lining it all. By contrast, the ground appears to almost be polished smooth. It also slants down at a noticeable degree, leaving what lies within it unknown.
“It doesn’t look like anything really heads this way that often according to my [Hunter’s Sense]. At least not in the numbers that we’ve been seeing these things. I’m only seeing one set of Spider tracks, probably from the bigger ones. It is almost like they… patrol down this way? Or maybe check into it. The latest tracks are fresh, probably from the one we just fought if things are to go by.”
Kaelen crouches down to look at the way into the darkened passage. The information his skill gives is interesting, but it just raises more questions. Especially when he confirms that he sees tracks from four other larger Spiders heading from the more webbed up tunnel, with the best time estimates making them the four that they had seen this morning. Finding out that they had passed through this way six hours ago is interesting, as it gives them an idea of how long they’ve been down here.
“We should at least check it out. The larger Spiders are more intelligent, seeing as they can organize the smaller ones. And with neither Calen nor Jackie having been in that other chamber, they may be kept separately for some reason.”
Ryse’s words cause Aura to think back to what the Matron had said. About how this was all a waste as the others may be as good as dead when they find them. And while they did already find an area where those captured were being kept for food, it was possible that was weaker prey. It was a morbid thought, but it could be possible that the stronger one was the more a monster would want to eat them or something.
“I think we should at least check it. Maybe the Spiders only check down here because there is something that repels them? We are deep underground, so maybe there is a mushroom or something that is like a poison to them and they just check to make sure it doesn’t spread?”
It is Violet’s suggestion that seems to push any lingering hesitation away. Aura sees that Maul looks a little doubtful about the idea but is outnumbered. So, with their minds set they begin to slowly make their way down the rough passage. Crossing the threshold, the air itself smells different. The musty smell that had been prevalent quickly turns to a strange, earthy smell. Even only a couple of steps in and the humidity shifts as well, the air noticeably drier than in the tunnel. It is because they are going slowly, so as to not fall down the incline that when both Kaelen and Maul come to a sudden stop that nobody bumps into them and sends them tumbling forwards.
“Kaelen, what’s goin—.”
“Is there something up ahea—.”
Being closer, both Ryse and Violet reach the frozen duo first. Aura watches with a sinking feeling as they both suddenly go stiff as well. Pulling her club from her side and raising a hand as if ready to cast a spell, she squints forwards as if to try and peer through the darkness.
“Aura… come here.”
Kaelen’s worried voice cuts through then, and that seems to break whatever hold had taken over the others. They all take a step back, expressions a mixture of confusion and worry. Locking eyes with him, she sees the seriousness in his gaze. Giving a nod, but still not dropping her guard, she steps forwards. They all part ways for her to go, and as soon as she steps to where they did a window suddenly appears.
“A… dungeon. There’s a dungeon down here?”
“You know what this is?”
Aura’s words of shock are matched by Maul’s of surprise. He soon finds himself subject to everyone staring his way. Just based on the expression on his face, he is being honest regarding his ignorance on the matter. Opening her mouth to answer, the words catch in her throat. While she knows what a dungeon is in most games, she has no idea of what one might be here.
In fact, why is the dungeon entrance so deep down? If anything, the entrance to this whole Spider nest was the stereotypical dungeon entrance. An abandoned location, overtaken by monsters, it should fit. But then there’s this… place. Maul had mentioned before about how new monsters kept showing up every year after being cleared out. This place is called Insect Kingdom, so they probably come from here.
But then… why hasn’t anything been done about it? I guess that whenever Fortress does one of those extermination things they may not go that deep inside. But if they do and they go past this, then why hasn’t something been done about it? Could it be too dangerous to deal with, or is there something about us all being here that let Maul see that this was a dungeon? There are just too many questions and not enough answers. This could even be related to why we all were brought to this world!
While Aura is lost in thought, everyone’s voices muffle and become background noise. The task of explaining what a dungeon is, and how they know that, seems to have been taken over by Kaelen and Violet. At her thought, the two of them inhale sharply at the same time as another window appears before Aura, and presumably them as well.
Just like when they entered the dungeon, there is no ability to accept or decline this quest. The likely reason for that, was that this was something that all the players were looking out for. A Grand Quest had just appeared, and that carried some heavy implications with it. Great danger, but also a chance to return home was being dangled in front of them. The only issue was that Aura had no idea how to do any of the objectives.
“Look, it’s not something we need to worry about right now. Just… this is probably where all the monsters come from after every extermination that Fortress carries out. So, Calen and Jackie are probably not down this way. Let’s head back and go down the other path.”
Swallowing heavily, Aura finally steps back and out of the threshold of the dungeon. As soon as she does, a slight pressure she had not noticed before lifts off her shoulders. Glancing around, she sees that everyone is taking what is going on differently. Kaelen and Violet both have a hopeful look in their gazes as they turn away from the dungeon, while Ryse seems more calculating. Maul is once again not looking that satisfied with the lack of answer, though he is gripping his cudgel tightly.
“If this is where they come from, then we need to kill everything in it. If Fortress were to know—.”
“He probably does already know. This entrance is too hard to miss. He either knows he can’t take it on as strong as he is or is leaving it open for a reason.”
The cold words from Ryse do not seem to improve the situation, given Maul’s furious expression. He did just imply that Fortress may not be as strong as he appears, which is the worst thing that can be said. Before she says anything, there is a faint roar from deeper in the tunnel, and a tremor shakes the tunnel. Small rocks rain down upon their heads, and Aura quickly ushers them all out of there. Getting back to the humid and musty silk covered tunnel, the tremor seems to come to a stop and things return to normal.
“Let’s… just keep going. We came here to rescue Calen and Jackie, we can discuss this more later.”
Pushing it all off is merely a band-aid for the situation, but the ceiling nearly collapsing on them all has helped dampen Maul’s rising temper. She has no doubt that he was about to challenge Ryse to a fight, which would be the last thing they needed right now. As they all get back into formation, she makes sure to lock eyes with her fellow players. Giving a questioning look, and getting a nod in response, she confirms her suspicions. They all received that Grand Quest Line notification.
Continuing forwards through the tunnel, the number of smaller spiders has begun to lessen. The sound of their skittering is missed compared to the tense silence that is between them all right now. As they go, something else begins to fill the air. The smell is shifting from something musty, to that of filth. There are no visible signs of it, but they are clearly approaching something. Signaling for them all to prepare, Aura checks her stats again. Her gamble with the poultice paid off somewhat, with her HP being at [144/160] and with her mana sitting at [19/20] she felt ready for whatever may lay ahead.
Only minutes after signaling, the tunnel turns sharply and opens to a cavernous room. The walls and floor are covered in the glowing web, causing the whole room to be alight in an eerie glow. The smell of filth is heavier here, mixed in with something that she cannot quite identify. Looking around the room, a couple of things stand out rather prominently.
The first, is the fact that three more of the larger Spiders are hanging on the walls. The light is not good enough to make out their colors, but the fact that one of them has larger fangs, while the other two have bigger thorax tells her that they are more of the special Spiders from before. Muttering under her breath, she gains confirmation of that when Venomweaver Giant Spider appears above one of them. Meanwhile Silkweaver Giant Spider appears above the other two. Relaying that, along with the fact that the Silkweaver’s have 350 max HP, her message is cut off by a soft gasp.
Turning towards Violet, she sees them with a hand covering the mouth and the other extended and pointing at the far end of the room. Turning to look herself, Aura sees what looks to be more sacs hanging from the wall. It takes her a moment of squinting and focusing, before makes out a rather horrifying sight.
There are people and animals hanging on the far wall, partially wrapped inside of silk cocoons. The only reason she can tell that some are people, is because only their arms and legs are bound by the silk. Her mouth opens wide with horror as she gazes upon the people, some of their stomachs bulging obscenely and taut on their pale, gaunt bodies. Hair is hanging over and concealing their faces, all except for two individuals.
One of the two she sees hanging from the wall is Calen, his head lolled and expression empty. His armor has been stripped away, violently from the way dried blood drenches his chest and legs. Some silk is covering his torso, possibly to keep him from dying. Though for the most part he is non-responsive. Some animals are hanging on the same wall as him, a mix of predators and prey animals that one would expect to find in a wide-open plain like what lies outside of this horrifying place.
When she lays eyes on Jackie, an acrid taste fills her mouth as bile rises to her throat. The girl is hanging alongside of what Aura now realizes with horror are other women. And just like them, she has been stripped of anything she may be wearing, and her stomach is bulging. Two pairs of footsteps rush away behind her, followed by the sound of someone vomiting. And now she knows why the Matron had given that warning. Other things are fitting into place as well, and horror and terror mix as she witnesses what is probably the hatchery for this Spider den.
