Poke
Click stared intently at the intruders gathering below.
Poke Poke
They were discussing something amongst themselves and Click just knew that it was important, and didn’t want to miss a single word of it.
Poke Poke Poke
What?! The [Spider Army Commander] screamed at the [Adult Alpha] through their command Skill.
The massive spider simply jittered their mandibles while moving their front two legs wildly around.
The action had no explicit meaning, yet the lead spider could simply tell that it meant to convey boredom. Click couldn’t really blame the newly evolved spider for feeling that way, since it was stuck in the web with nothing to do, like all of the other spiders. But unlike those spiders, the [Alpha] decided it was perfectly fine to annoy Click about it.
Poke
It wanted to go on a hunt, but in the past hour, the intruders all began to gather around just below the spiders’ new web as if waiting for something. Any kind of action on the arachnids’ part could alert them and have their home burned down. Again.
It wasn’t going to happen again.
Well, at least it actually listens to me, instead of trying to kill me and the rest of the tribe like the old [Alpha]. That idiot would’ve grabbed every single spider, pacifist web weavers included, and charged straight to their deaths! We wouldn’t have even gotten any eggs that way to make a new generation! So that’s one thing to be thankful for.
Poke Poke
Argh, fine! How about if I try this new Skill to get you to stop? [Establish Hierarchy]!
Nothing seemed to happen.
Poke Poke Poke
Click felt their legs coil up beneath them in frustration. What’s this Skill even supposed to really do?
Establish Hierarchy
Establish a chain of command within subordinates.
When Click first obtained it through some very odd circumstances, the spider expected the world out of it. But, as it turns out, the Skill didn’t really seem to do much. It could’ve been that Click’s tribe wasn’t big enough for it to work on, or maybe that it did work, but the effects simply weren’t observable yet. But the [Spider Army Commander] felt it would’ve been nice if it at least came with a proper description.
Before Click could think of ways to better experiment with the Skill, a heavy set of footsteps echoed from the far passageway, signaling a familiar yet very powerful foe. The adventurer leader. A bipedal creature, much shorter than the others yet somehow towering over them in posture, strutted to the center of the crowd. He let his hammer fall to the ground and the resulting loud boom got everyone’s attention, despite the fact the ground was soft.
“Good news, lads and lasses!” exclaimed the Dwarf. His voice echoed off the walls of the cavern and boomed in everyone’s ears, though Click was certain he didn’t need any special acoustics to do that. “We’ve done enough damage to the Dungeon that it should go inactive after tonight!”
The crowd burst into cheers at that and continued to make noise for over half a minute after. Eventually, they calmed down and one of them asked a question.
“Hold on, what about the boss at the end? Who killed it?”
“Nobody did,” their leader shrugged. “Don’t always have to kill the boss to get a dungeon to close up. Works both ways too, killing it wouldn’t have guaranteed a close either.”
Click listened in raptly, and even the [Alpha] realized the gravity of the words below and left their own leader alone. [Decipher Language] had gotten fairly high over the last day, and even though it hadn’t gotten to level 10 and received an expansion, it was still more than enough to get the general idea of things down below.
The intruders “defeated” the cavern, but failed to defeat the leader? How does this place have a leader, I’m not beholden to anyone! The [Spider Army Commander] felt offended at the idea that they were under the command of a leader who never did anything for them. Click was the one keeping the spider tribe alive! But Click soon dismissed the idea as a mistranslation, and continued listening in.
“So this is it, we’re leaving right now and should never have to set foot until the next cycle!” the Dwarf exclaimed.
Another round of cheers went out as people began to walk towards the exit, but a few stood still and tried asking each other questions.
“Hold on, I lost my sword down there!” said one adventurer.
“And I dropped a few of my potions when one of those [Dungeon Boars] cut my potion bag loose! Those cost time and money to make!”
“The loot was surprisingly good, though,” interjected a third voice. “Don’t tell me that it won’t more than make up for it!”
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“I mean, yeah, but…” began the first two adventurers. “It was my first sword. It’s got some sentimental value to it, you know.”
“I can appreciate that, lad,” said the Dwarf, his boisterous expression now reduced to a personable ember. “But I can’t get these brave adventurers to run back down there through deadly traps and monsters just for your sword.”
The adventurer began to frown.
“How about this? You tell me about how you got that sword and everything you went through with it over drinks? My treat.”
That got them to brighten up.
“There we go! Now let’s leave this dungeon, I heard they’re opening up some really old kegs of ale just for us!”
The intruders continued to make their way towards the exit, and made their way out the door in single file. Despite how many there were, it didn’t take long for them all to leave and for the door to creak shut.
[Raid Status: Failure! +0 Experience]
Click ignored the notification and thought more about the words. Apparently, this was it for the intruders? It sounded like they were finished here and were leaving for good, just like that. The very idea felt bittersweet to Click, who had gotten used to their albeit dangerous presence those past two days. But most of that feeling came from a loss of primary study material for the spider’s [Anthropologist] Class. Yeah, that was it.
But one more thing did stand out to the spider. A few of the intruders had dropped their items. So-called “potions,” which was what they called those glass vials that held liquids that had all sorts of properties, and a sword, one of the large dull-gray weapons they wielded. Actual treasures. They could very well make Click, and the rest of the tribe, incomprehensibly stronger.
Click looked back at the few remaining spiders, and then at the sac of eggs. With the kinds of monsters deeper down, along with the fact that they apparently got even more powerful the further you went, the tribe would need to be more numerous and stronger to be able to stand a chance down there. And now that the intruders had left, Click could focus all of their efforts on bringing everyone up to shape.
Poke
Fine! Let’s go on a hunting trip!
The other spiders straightened up and raised their mandibles in a series of smiles.
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Click had measured the time between the first time the intruders entered the dungeon and the second time they came in. And then, the spider waited twice that time after the second time they left. Once the final hour of their countdown had passed, Click felt confident that the cavern was now truly theirs again.
Well, it had never actually been theirs, what with the predators roaming around. But after the intruders had passed on through, they were nearly extinct save for a few baby and juvenile variants. And those were no match for the resident [Alpha].
But before Click could go around asserting their newfound dominance, there was one more important bit of business to take care of.
[Command Subordinates]! Web spiders, weave a web underneath the egg sac whose endpoints extend around the side of it and tie together at the top. Then, weave a very thick thread connected to that top point that extends for several feet.
The spiders got to work in forming a basket around the eggs with a web rope attached.
The first step to rebuilding the tribe was to make sure the eggs hatched in a safe place, and despite how reclusive their location was right now, a ceiling was not safe. The baby spiders would simply go splat as soon as they hatched, fell, and hit the ground. Just like most of the spiders who got hit by the fireball. The ones not immolated went flying, and more often than not, landed with a splat.
But not them. Click thought to themselves while they watched the remaining spiders work on threading the web rope through a curved stalactite, and hand it over to several burly spiders. They held onto the rope tightly while the web weavers cut away the webbing below the basket.
The remaining spiders on the web slowly lowered the sack bit by bit, using the curved stalactite as a pulley, until it was on top of the one lone spider on the cavern floor.
The [Alpha] was pushed down by the weight of its would-be brethren, but quickly gathered its strength and stood tall. Several baby and juvenile [Dungeon Hounds] were gathered around, watching the scene, but the sheer size and display of strength by the massive spider scared them away. They knew that going for the eggs while the [Alpha] was carrying them would’ve ended the same way if they'd gone against it while it wasn’t carrying anything.
The other spiders slowly made their way down from their own mega web on the ceiling and joined the [Alpha] as they carried the eggs to a relatively remote corner of the cave, away from prying eyes and jaws. They set the sack down and Click breathed the spider equivalent of a sigh of relief.
Poke
Click turned to glare at the [Alpha]. You’re already bored?! It’s been five seconds! If that’s how you always feel, then I’m going to start calling you that. You’re Bored now.
A quick use of [Command Subordinates] got the information across, and the large spider looked like they agreed with that sentiment. The name stuck.
Sorry Bored, but we can’t go hunting until these eggs are truly safe. Or at least defensible enough that we don’t need every single spider around to guard them. Help us get that done, and I’ll send you on a hunting trip, ok?
The [Alpha] spider, Bored, nodded back.
Alright, everyone! [Command Subordinates]! Let’s weave a web around these eggs that we’ll be proud to call home!
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Dear Sir Dwarf Brimir Steelbeard,
On behalf of the entire hamlet of Rockfort, we thank you for the service you have done us in defeating the Dungeon. The thought that a monster may sneak out and harm us brought forth great fear in all of us townsfolk, especially the children! The deeds of you and your team have brought us much joy.
We would also like to extend a heartfelt thanks for allowing the members of the “Rockfort Raiders” adventuring party to retrieve the body of our daughter, Eldia, from the Dungeon. We have spent a year mourning her passing, and had no way of truly finding closure while her remains lay in that den of monsters. But the brave work of these three adventurers, who risked their lives to get her back, have given us a means of moving on. And for allowing that, we thank you.
The three are continuing to recover from their poisoning, and shall be staying with us until they are fit enough to move again. Though they have told us they wish to stay in the hamlet for much longer, saying it would give them an opportunity to catch up with everyone and get some more quiet training in. Which is all well and good, since they’re originally from here!
If you or the other adventurers would come by again, we and the whole hamlet would be honored to have you as our guests. The mayor even readied the plans for the construction of a tavern just to allow you all a more comfortable night’s sleep! Though, the other townsfolk are fiercely debating its construction since we don’t get that many visitors otherwise.
So thank you once more for your services, and may the gods watch over you all. They did for us by having you all come here.
Sincerely,
Pulma and Rolpho Shepherd, Eldia’s parents