Level thirty in a Skill was a milestone, and not just a small one. It wasn’t anything close to a “gimme”, a simple obstacle that acted more like a speed bump than an actual challenge. When such a challenge was completed, the reward was usually an ability that was legendarily powerful. At least relatively so. For someone young and low leveled, the milestone was easy to appreciate, and while it wouldn’t be enough to grant them their heart’s desire, it would likely solve their most immediate problems that motivated them to level up the Skill in question in the first place.
For Click, leveling up [Child Rearing] to that precipice was a gimme. But with how easy it was to get it up there, the reward wasn’t as, well… rewarding.
It’s been two days! Why are you still not hatching?! Screamed the [Spider Army General] as they jumped up and down before the collection of eggs.
Their new perk, hastened gestation, was a miracle. But it didn’t prompt an instant birth; the eggs had only been laid nine days ago and Click had gotten the Skill only two days ago. Click tried to query the System to figure out how much it actually sped things up, but the lead spider had only gotten a vague sense of “proportionally faster” back. Something to do with ratios? Click had a decent understanding of them, but not enough to make sense of those two words on their own. They couldn’t comprehend how anyone would be able to piece things together from such a basic feeling.
Still, something about today felt… right. That this was what everything was building up to, that it was most certainly time for the eggs to hatch! Yup, they would hatch right… now!
Click froze in place and looked down with open mandibles raised into a smile.
One of the eggs wiggled. That was it.
Aaah! [Command Subordinates]! Hatch already!
Crack
One of the eggs split as a small leg stuck out of it. And then the same happened to another egg, and another and another. Those legs were followed by seven others, and a head, thorax, and abdomen. Within moments, all of the spiders inside the eggs hatched and began to skitter around.
Finally, I was- [Command Subordinates]! Stand still, come back together in this alcove, don’t leave until I tell you to! Click stopped themselves from jumping in joy or outwardly expressing their happiness beyond those three words, and instead quickly shifted to barking out the commands in quick succession. They remembered what happened when newborn spiders hatched.
The [Spider Army General] squeezed through the webbing that made up the inner chamber of the web fortress and made their way to the alcove. Already standing there were a pair of spiders, two of the ones who’d drunk the potion they’d recovered from deeper in the dungeon and developed magical powers. The one on the left let loose a small series of sparks between their raised front legs, while the one on the right exhaled a chilly breeze from their mandibles.
Looks like you two are ready for a fight. Click thought to themselves. And it’s a good thing because the eggs just hatched. [Command Subordinates], get into position.
The pair exited the alcove and began to climb the webs that made up its structure all the way to the ceiling, and across to two of the hanging platforms. They quickly faced towards the entrance and readied their attacks. Lightning and ice were ready to fly.
As soon as Click threw out a series of commands, the rest of the spiders readied themselves as well. The sturdier veterans readied themselves at the front as the vanguard of the arachnid forces, while the smaller [Web Slinger] spiders positioned themselves on the hanging platforms, ready to deliver envenomed projectiles. They were joined by various [Shadow Spiders] and even [Bruiser Spiders] to recreate the strategy Click used against the human intruders from long ago.
All in all, the entire tribe was primed and ready to face down the hounds that would inevitably come for what they would instinctively call a quick and easy meal. They would all make sure that they wouldn’t earn themselves a single morsel.
And as the brave spiders stood, with their lives on the line, they couldn’t help but feel lucky. Was it for their position that they could work together to support them all? That they had a competent leader who prioritized all of their lives over some selfish desire? No. They were feeling lucky because not even a single hound came after them.
Huh, where are they? Shouldn’t they be attacking by now? Click thought to themself.
But that didn’t deter the [Spider Army General] from keeping their guard up. After all, they’d already considered a surprise attack from the [Dungeon Hounds], not putting it past Howl’s mostly keen mind to not have them try the same thing a third time.
However, after several more minutes of waiting, Click was beginning to believe that the hounds really weren’t going to attack.
If that’s the case, then I might as well have you all come out. [Command Subordinates], newborn spiders, make your way to the mega web at the top and have a bite to eat!
A swarm of baby spiders left the inner chamber of the web fortress and quickly climbed the silken structure all the way to the top where their first meal was waiting. They each had more than their fill, and soon evolved into their juvenile variants, and once more into their specialized juvenile forms. Once again, it was a relatively even mix of web and hunter spiders.
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We have a pretty good supply of purely web spiders, and with the threat of Howl, we need to increase our number of troops. So come on, you all! It’s time to grind. Follow me!
Click called forth several other spiders, namely the veterans, a few unique evolutions, and a large contingent of [Shadow Spiders], and had them gather together. After deploying several of the stealth specialists to scout around the fortress to find a blind spot in the [Dungeon Hound] scouts fields of view, the lead spider quietly extricated their troops from their home.
By force of habit, Click turned towards the other side of the cave and began walking everyone on a search for stray hounds. They didn’t even have to walk half a dozen steps before realizing how terrible of an idea it was.
They’re all grouped together now. Even if I somehow manage to find a stray one, attacking it would just summon their entire tribe to fight back, and that’s not a fight we can win without our traps. At least not yet. So that just leaves the alternative.
Click turned the spiders around and they stealthily made their way towards the other major landmark of the floor; namely, the entrance to the second one. While they thankfully didn’t encounter any predators on their way, they strangely encountered two at their destination.
This strange pair, made up of a pair of [Adult Dungeon Hounds] were each seated and standing in front of the tunnel. The first was half asleep, their eyes barely hanging open. They would’ve fully drifted off if it weren’t for its partner. The standing hound had its eyes wide open, face darting back and forth as it was on the lookout for an attack. It let out a high-pitched yip every couple of seconds that always forced its partner’s eyes back open.
Are they… guarding the entrance? Why are they doing that- wait… Click felt a chill run through them. Howl must be grinding down there as well, isn’t he? And those guards are to keep us from going down there as well. He wants to hog all of the experience for himself!
Click began to fume, but never let it cloud their judgment.
If that’s the case, then he won’t have a full force on him. Maybe we could ambush and assassinate him like I originally planned? But with how packed that place is with [Dungeon Boars], maybe it’ll be best if I just have my tribe grind experience instead? Whatever happens down there, I’ll be walking away a winner.
The spiders didn’t even stop to let their leader think of how to avoid the two guards. They simply turned and walked over to the wall, climbed it up halfway, and made their way to the tunnel. The hyperactive guard looked left and right in front of them, but never above or behind them. Click was pretty sure that Howl didn’t give it proper instructions, and let the low-intelligence creature figure a plan out for itself. A very bad plan.
Once the swarm of spiders was through the tunnel and down into the second floor, their search started in earnest. From Click’s previous forays into this level, they’d gotten a good idea of the general layout. What tunnels led where, what rooms were dead ends or continued further down, little tidbits like that. It was strange how unlike the open first floor, this place was more of a maze. It explained why it was harder to find a fight, but at the same time, the relatively lower ceiling made it easier to navigate from up high.
And with that advantage, the spiders quickly found their first quarry; a lone [Dungeon Boar].
The fight went surprisingly quickly, despite the number of
Alright, let’s make this quick. [Shadow Spiders], lower yourselves down behind it and hide. Wait for my signal. [Bruiser Spiders], jump down onto the boar with your [Become Stone] Skill active; it’ll prevent you from taking damage from the fall, and it’ll hurt when you hit your target. [Juvenile Spiders], hang onto the bruisers when they jump down, and begin biting the boar when you’re safely on the ground.
The hardy arachnids began to fall and crashed into the boar, catching it unaware. In its surprise, it let out a squeal and turned around to run, but was met with a small army of [Shadow Spiders], who Click commanded to begin biting.
Large amounts of venom slowed its mind and body down further, at which point, it tried to foolishly face forward again. By that point, Click was ready to deliver the coup de grace.
Rather than an escape route, the [Dungeon Boar] was faced with Bored. The [Alpha Spider] delivered a felling blow onto its head and sent it falling to the ground. With a few more bites from everyone, the boar was taken down.
Excellent! Now, let’s see if-
The [Juvenile Spiders] who had come down with the bruisers began to morph, their bodies enlarging as most of them finally came into their adolescence… at about two hours old.
While the newborns were inspecting and appreciating their new forms, Click walked over to the corpse of the fallen enemy and opened their mandibles to take a bite. Before they could, the body twitched, and its head rose to face the Alpha.
It’s not dead yet! [Command Subordinates], everyone ready, start biting it! It’s- wait…
Click paused their command as they got a better look at the creature. Its movements were incredibly jerky, and not something Click was used to seeing despite the monster’s normal lack of grace. Even when heavily injured, it would at least move all of its limbs together, rather than one at a time.
Upon closer inspection, there was a spider sitting on top of the [Dungeon Boar] that moved in time with it. Upon closer [Observation] Click saw that it was a [Puppeteer Spider].
False alarm, everyone. Click said, and everyone calmed down. So that’s what they can do. Move the body of an enemy with their webs. At least we don’t have to worry about carrying it back on Bored’s back!
The Alpha also realized this, and thought of how much food they could bring back this way.
While the spiders were celebrating, a familiar sound rang out from the room’s lone entrance. A howl.
Click and the others turned with wide-eyed horror as they saw a contingent of [Dungeon Hounds] staring them down. At their forefront was Howl.
The [Alpha Dungeon Hound] looked at the group with curious eyes. While Click expected pure bloodlust within those orbs, they instead looked conflicted. Those eyes darted between the spiders, the fallen boar, and then finally the newborns who were still undergoing their evolutions.
Howl and the others had strangely taken a step back at first, but the pieces slowly clicked together in the leader’s mind, and something changed. Realization. The spiders were growing their numbers and strengthening them. Howl too thought the same thing Click had when first coming down here, and while they hesitated at first, they were now filled with sheer resolution at what they knew must be done. The hounds all began to growl, and without another thought, they charged.