After travelling for several hours Gloomweaver had finally stopped. I didn’t pay it much mind, as she had stopped several times previously. Instead I was spending my time focusing on my stats, and trying to decide how to allocate my FP, or Feat Points. This time, however, almost immediately upon stopping I felt a sense of vertigo and my stomach clenched. I was falling for what seemed minutes but was in reality only several seconds.

I bounced, but the elastic web my cocoon had become entangled in didn’t let me rise too far. After several seconds the bouncing and vibrations had stopped, but my insides still felt like a shaken can of soup. I was dizzy, the world spinning as my senses tried to catch up.

I retched into my mouth, but nothing was available as my stomach had long been empty. My lips were dry, and my head rung as if I was suffering from the after effects of a three-day bender. I could hear ringing in my ears and my own ragged breathing. I was obviously dehydrated, but I feared my injuries might be more severe.

I waited alone in the dark. Below the web was a wide chasm. Roughly a hundred yards in front of me was a sheer cliff face that while difficult could probably be climbed. The stone appeared to be a deep blue and was unlike any rock formation I had ever seen. The identity of the rock was not an issue, after all I’ve got a skill for that. The real problem was that I couldn’t see the top or the bottom of the cliff, so I had no idea how long such a climb would be.

I wasn’t alone for long before Gwerlum, The Gloomweaver, also affectionately known as Big Momma Spider, was upon me soon. She grasped my cocoon between her front two legs and I began to spin. The spears on the tips of her two forelegs were for spinning web rather than the instrument of murder I had imagined them to be. It was like the world's largest, and most deadly, crocheting needles. Perhaps Big Momma was a grandma as well?

Silk wrapped around my cocoon, though not as tightly as before. She most likely just wanted to make sure I was secured to the web. As a final touch she left me with a blast of venom to the face that immediately began burning my eyes and inner nose.

I needed to scream, but I forced the impulse down. Instead I dug my fingernails into my palms and clenched my jaw. I could hear the enamel on my teeth cracking as they ground together, but I was able to resist screaming. I had no idea if the spider believed me dead, but I knew that drawing extra attention to myself would be dangerous.

Congratulations! New skill(s) gained. Pain Tolerance (1/10).

Congratulations! Poison Resistance has improved (4/10).

I passed out again and when I awoke there was no sign of Big Momma. Barely noticeable vibrations, however, told me that I was not alone in her web. When I was finally able to calm down and orient myself to the situation, I turned my attention back to my feats. If I didn’t have an active goal to work towards I knew that I would panic and shut down.

I could already feel the terror picking away at my sanity bit by bit.

FP available (11)

6 Feat(s) available for purchase-

Newbie (0/1)

Prestidigitator (0/3)

Scholar (0/3)

Warrior (0/3)

Acrobat (0/3)

…

The first five feats seemed useful if fairly basic. Much like most of the system, the true value of each skill was hidden behind a knowledge wall. Those with the advantage of system knowledge would know which feats to pick and how best to allocate their stats, while those of us figuring things out for the first time had to rely on blind luck. The lack of descriptions made each choice a gamble. Despite this, the final feat is the one that really caught my eye. Unlike the others it cost 10 FP, which was almost my entire reserve and for the same cost I could afford four different feats. Despite that, it was obviously a higher-level feat and likely held synergy with abilities I already had.

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I opened my stats again, and with a slight smile I put ten points into reactive learning.

Congratulations! Your Intelligence has risen by 2.

Congratulations! Your Intelligence has risen by 2.

The notifications that happened after spending three and then seven points were welcome, but the final notification brought a grin to my face that might have unnerved even Big Mamma Spider, or the BMS as I decided to call her.

Reactive Learning ®- Your ability to adapt to your environment was already legendary, by focusing on your mind over the power of the body your adaptability has shifted once again allowing you a limited ability to learn the skills used against you. This can only be used to replicate skills of up to Uncommon (U) level, attempting to learn skills above that level will either fail or result in an inferior version of the skill. You must have sufficient time to observe the skill. Having the skill used against you increases the likelihood of learning the skill, as does a higher level of Intelligence.

It might not seem immediately useful, but the truth was that it was borderline OP and I already had a plan for using it to escape. The only thing that made me pause was the requirement that the skill be used against me. I wanted to grow stronger, I just didn’t want to have to become a punching bag to do so.

Over the next day I used my arcane bolts to loosen the web around my hands as much as possible and even managed to level the skill once more. Old BMS came by twice during that time, and each time greeted me with a spray of venom to the face. I could feel the beginnings of a skill based on her venom forming, like a name on the tip of your tongue that you just can’t remember.

My poison resist didn’t level past 4, but the agony of feeling my flesh blister was sufficient to bring my pain tolerance up twice in quick succession. Eventually my arcane bolt leveled up once more as well, bringing my feat points up to four. I immediately purchased Newbie and Scholar.

Congratulations! You have achieved a new feat(s).

Scholar- While others trained their bodies you trained your mind. Long nights spent in the library have conditioned you to seek knowledge above all else. +1 to Intelligence. Increases your reading speed and comprehension by 50%. New feats become available to those who pursue the path of the scholar.

Newbie - You are a beginning adventurer yet to embark on your first quest! This feat is given for free upon completion of the tutorial but is available for purchase to appease the fools and the stubborn. +1 Health, +1 unallocated stat and +1 unallocated stat point on every level. New feats will open as the Newbie advances.

Nothing game changing, but still useful. I especially liked the stat gain, and the extra stat per level might be useful down the road. My intelligence especially was starting to look decent, which might help increase the chances of my plan succeeding. I put my extra stat point into Intelligence to round it out at twenty.

I now had the tools I needed to escape, I just needed the opportunity. It would need to be soon. I hadn’t had any food or water for well over a day, probably longer as I couldn’t account for the time I had spent unconscious. It might have even been two days, judging from the dryness of my throat.

The analyze skill confirmed that my bonds were weakening, but I was still unable to make any headway in my attempts to break the cocoon. The silk was beginning to lose shape, it was now more goo like than the thousands of individual silk strands that it had been before. Just a little more, and I would have my chance.

I didn’t have to wait long before the good ol’ BMS came to hose me down once more. This time something clicked, and I immediately grasped how I could use my mana to produce a similar spray of venom. I didn’t even have to flinch from the pain this time, a combination of my increased pain tolerance and the endorphins of seeing a plan finally coming together.

Congratulations! You have learned a new skill(s). Venom Spray © (0/10)

She left as quickly as she had come, but I still waited several more minutes before I began experimenting.

During this time, I reflected on exactly how I had learned the new skill. Obviously, the system was using some trickery to put the knowledge into my head. Despite that, there was more to it. The mana that was a part of me now had its own system of rules and if I could learn to manipulate those rules - then my potential would be unlimited.

Theoretically, I could develop my own skills, possibly even feats. I could feel the mana now, it was part of me. With a little concentration I could draw it out, manipulate it. I sensed the beginnings of skill forming, but I soon lost control of my tenuous grasp on my mana and my grasp on the skill slipped away as well.

I would be better served by turning my attention back to the task at hand. I knew how dangerous it was to let your mind wander during moments of crisis. Another lesson drilled into me by my father.

The skill worked by shooting a jet of venom from my hands. This would quickly fill up the gaps between the webbing. The spray would burn at my skin and clothes, and I could feel my feet blister as my shoes filled with acidic venom. The webbing, however, also began to show signs of dissolving. White globules of viscous liquid, tinged green by the faint illumination of the cavern, began dripping down from the cocoon like a melting candle.

The venom spray skill had risen by two levels by the time I was finally able to free myself. I didn’t so much break the silk webbing, it was more like it just sloughed off me. The skill had done its job, and I suspected it would be useful in combat as well.

Now, I just had to climb down the web without falling into the yawning abyss and then climb up a cliff of indeterminate height. All without rest, food, or water. Hopefully life would be easier at the top of the cliff, time to get started.