As the broodmother approached them, her voice echoed in his mind. “You little morsel, did you think I was done so easily? That you could crush me with a rock? Like some kind of bug?”

She sounded almost offended. With his eyes still closed, Gideon raised his staff and prepared to cast a [Hail of Stone]. But just as the thought had formed in his mind, the broodmother abruptly skittered to one side, climbing up the cavern wall and halting her advance. With [Geosense], Gideon felt Clonk standing beside him and Marcus and Filibin hiding behind. Filibin was swaying on his feet, leaning against Marcus, who was cursing under his breath.

Besides the broodmother, they were alone. The few of her children that remained had fled from the cavern.

“You are a bug, as far as I’m concerned!” Gideon shouted.

“Technically, she’s not,” Clonk said quietly. “Spiders are neither bugs nor insects, but a class entirely their own…”

Gideon sighed.

“Your threats are meaningless to me,” the Silkspinner Matrifex intoned. “I have watched you tiny apes come and go from these mountains for a century. I was here before your birth and will be here after you are gone. I am timeless. The mountain herself has blessed me. Even now, she whispers in my ear.”

“Uh, is that so?” Gideon asked, trying to buy time. “You mean the Moonstone? It’s a she?”

“Her voice is so clear to me,” the broodmother said. “She asked me to spare your life, Gideon Moody. She said that devouring you would do little to sate my hunger.”

Gideon would have stared in shock if his eyes had been open. Not only was the Moonstone alive, but it knew who he was by name.

Or perhaps the giant arachnid was simply insane, he told himself. Could he accept what she was saying at face value? How long had she been down here, hearing voices in the dark?

“Tell me more, please,” Gideon said. “How does the Moonstone know who I am? Why would she care?”

“You can ask her yourself,” the broodmother said, gesturing to the glowing gemstone with one of her legs. Her voice sounded as calm as if they were chatting over tea.

He stepped forward slowly, trying to put distance between himself, Marcus, and Filibin in case the fight broke out again. Clonk walked alongside him, stepping over some of the fallen rocks.

“Uh, hello?” Gideon called out, turning towards the Moonstone.

There was no reply.

“Not like that,” the broodmother said, and her body shook with laughter. “If you don’t understand, you never will.”

But he did understand, didn’t he? He’d already “listened” to the Moonstone once.

He reached out with [Geosense] and scanned the gemstone. When the mana from his spell brushed against its presence, he recoiled as if struck by lightning. His soul burned as if it’d touched a hot stove. He stopped concentrating, allowing the spell to fizzle, and the pain disappeared. But in that brief moment of contact, a thought had appeared in his mind.

I’m sorry, child. I thought you would have an easier time with her. I thought you might free me.

Now that he thought about it, he realized the broodmother was right. It did sound like a woman’s voice. A woman who seemed disappointed. Was the Moonstone really an artifact of Celestra? Was it possible…?

He banished the thought.

Furious, he reached out with [Geosense] again and projected his thoughts towards the Moonstone.

Then help me!

I wish I could, the voice replied. But a sword does not choose who wields it, nor does a fire decide who it burns.

His mind snapped back to itself, unable to sustain the connection for more than an instant. But her words were disappointing. He was on his own.

Well, not entirely on his own.

Clonk had raised his fist and was challenging the spider to single combat.

“You cur,” he shouted. “Let them go and fight me in a proper duel. Did you tire of our earlier dance? You know you would have been defeated if you had not called your children to your side. Such cowardice is unbecoming of a mother!”

“I don’t care,” the Silkspinner Matrifex said, her voice dripping with contempt, rising in volume until it was screaming in their minds. “No one understands. It was never about hunger, or honor. Cowardice, or pride. This is my domain, not yours. After killing so many of my children, after showing me such disrespect, how could I possibly allow any of you interlopers to live?”

Sensing danger, Gideon touched his staff to the cavern floor and unleashed a [Quake] above the broodmother. As he did so, she sprang forward, reacting as if she’d already known what he intended to do. The falling rocks missed her completely.

He raised his staff and cast [Hail of Stone], but the broodmother shot a glob of webbing from her abdomen. The webs caught some of his projectiles mid-air, sending them off target. As Gideon prepared another spell, a second web hit him in the chest, launching him backward. His head collided with a stalagmite that projected up from the floor behind him. As light exploded in his vision, he released a grunt of pain and fell to the ground.

He frantically sprayed himself with the bottle, hoping to free himself from the webs as Clonk let out a battle cry and charged forward.

Gideon opened his eyes for a brief moment and watched as Clonk ran with his hands to either side, attempting to shield them from the broodmother.

It reminded him of the first time they’d met, how the knight had dived in to save Gideon from the spiders. Gideon hadn’t known anything about him then, only that he had saved his life.

Now, without regard for his own safety, he was trying to do it again.

Grimsby’s spray had dissolved enough of the web that Gideon could free himself. With a groan, he rose to his feet, his head threatening to split in two. Gripping his staff tightly, he prepared another [Hail of Stone], layering it with [Enhancement], aiming it above Clonk and straight at the broodmother’s head.

When Clonk reached the broodmother, she swung one of her legs at him, slashing with her three-bladed claws. Though he had no weapons, he caught her blades on the back of his forearm, letting his momentum carry him past her blow.

He punched with his other hand, landing a hit on her head, but it didn’t seem to do much damage. With a hiss, one of her other legs shot out and knocked into him, launching him to the side.

Right as Gideon’s [Hail of Stone] found its target. Enhanced, the projectiles looked more like shards of metal than rocks, glinting in the purple light as they stabbed her in the head. One even impaled her eye.

She screamed, but it all felt repetitive to Gideon. He’d managed to damage her there before, but she’d recovered. As he thought this, another beam of purple light arced into her, and her wounds began to heal.

The shards from Gideon’s spell clattered to the stone floor as the broodmother’s body pushed them back out. Down here, in the cavern, she seemed to be able to regenerate quicker than any healing magic he’d ever seen before. It had to be thanks to the powers of the Moonstone.

Clonk took advantage of the opening, grabbing the broodmother and wrestling her to the ground. He slammed his fist into her head, crushing it, but she laughed maniacally as her exoskeleton reformed.

There has to be something else we can do, Gideon thought, reaching out with [Geosense] to scan the cavern. Though he’d collapsed part of the ceiling onto the broodmother, all he’d revealed was more rock and a few crisscrossing tunnels above them.

Wait, he thought. Above! That’s it.

Suddenly, a new plan formed in his mind, and he began to charge forward. But rather than running towards the Silkspinner, he turned towards the Moonstone and cast another [Quake] in that direction. It managed to carve out part of the cavern’s roof.

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Though his [Geosense] didn’t have enough range to perceive the castle, he knew the Moonstone extended inside Kelvan’s vault. He just needed to follow it.

Unfortunately, his [Quake] didn’t have enough range to make it that far.

Which meant he would need to improvise.

Noticing his movement, the broodmother leaped away from Clonk and towards Gideon, making a hissing noise as she skittered towards him.

Clonk grabbed one of her back legs and pulled, causing her to stumble, buying Gideon precious moments.

As Gideon drew close to the Moonstone, he climbed onto the rocks that had fallen from the ceiling. Taking a deep breath, he hooked the sprayer on his belt, pointed his staff beneath him, and cast another [Quake]. Taking care to target the spell precisely, he heaved the ground upward like he’d done before, launching himself into the air. As he approached the ceiling, he cast [Quake] and followed it up with his staff’s [Echo], shattering the earth.

[ Low Mana Warning! ]

Using every bit of precision he could muster, he tried to ensure the rubble would fall to either side of him as he carved a tunnel leading upwards. With all his recent practice, he felt the spell becoming almost second nature, guiding the stone so it would not harm him.

But too soon, he lost his momentum to gravity and began to fall. He reached for the rock on either side, trying to grab a handhold with his free hand, but it was still loose and crumbled beneath his grip.

He cast [Geosense], and off in the distance, far above him, he could perceive an opening. It had to be his Uncle’s vault.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t going to reach it. As he fell into the cavern, he wished he had learned aeromancy, or gravimancy, so that he might have been able to fly.

He landed on the rocks below, pain shooting through his legs. He felt one of his bones crunch and let out a scream of pain as he collapsed.

The broodmother had reached the bottom of the rock pile, far too close for comfort, her fangs snapping greedily. Clonk was still fighting her, wrestling with her back legs as she struggled to get closer to Gideon.

He couldn’t see Marcus or Filibin. He hoped they’d run away. If they were smart, they were long gone by now.

His hands shook as he grabbed his last healing potion and drank it. A warmth spread through his body. Though it would take time for the potion to complete its effects, it dulled the pain in his legs for now.

Taking care not to make eye contact with the broodmother, Gideon opened his eyes. “Clonk,” he shouted, and the knight turned towards him. “I need you to throw me up there!”

“A little busy,” Clonk replied, ducking under one of the broodmother’s legs, only to get hit by another attack, which sent him flying into the nearby cavern wall. He landed near the Moonstone, his armor clanking as he slowly hauled himself to his feet.

And then Gideon caught sight of Marcus. Standing nearby, apparently forgotten by everyone, including the broodmother, were three copies of the man. They ran forward, each extending a hand as three identical beams of light shot forth, aimed directly at the spider.

Gideon shut his eyes barely in time. Even through his lids, the world shone reddish-white as the broodmother screamed in agony.

It took a moment for Gideon to collect himself, slowly rising to his feet, opening his eyes, and shaking his head. The broodmother stabbed one of Marcus’s illusions with her claws, only to watch it vanish. She hissed in impotent rage.

The two remaining Marcuses ran in opposite directions, and the broodmother hesitated momentarily, considering which one to pursue.

Gideon heard metal boots clonking and turned to see the knight running up the pile of rocks towards him. He had taken advantage of Marcus’s distraction and closed the distance.

“Good luck,” Clonk said, grabbing him by the shoulders before flinging him up into the tunnel.

Gideon flew so quickly that he almost wasn’t ready in time, raising his staff in a panic as he rushed up towards the ceiling. He began to scream, his head pounding from a lack of mana as he mustered his energy and cast [Quake] just before he reached the rock's surface.

He tunneled as fast as he could, barreling forward from the sheer momentum of Clonk’s mighty throw. With [Geosense], he could feel the castle getting closer the higher he climbed. He directed the [Quake] so that he was tunneling at a slight angle, directly towards the nearest opening. This took him closer to the Moonstone until he was burrowing along right next to it.

As the earth split around him, he realized what he had missed earlier. He had been so focused on keeping the rocks from colliding with him that he hadn’t considered their usefulness if properly arranged. Using [Enhancement], he could form them into steps and handholds as he continued his ascent, allowing him to keep his momentum, climbing ever higher.

His mind raced as multiple spells were channeled through his staff at once—[Quake] to shatter the earth, [Geosense] to see the path ahead, and [Enhancement] to fuse the broken rocks together as he passed.

A notification appeared in his mind, and he laughed at how weirdly natural the spells felt when combined like this.

Through the application of Spiritweft, you have weaved [Quake], [Enhancement], and [Geosense] into a new spell: [Mole]!

A wave of other notifications passed, but he dismissed them for now. There was no time.

At last, he burst free, flying up through the newly-formed hole in the floor of Kelvan’s vault, barely managing to land on his feet. Gideon stopped his spell, but an aftershock tipped over the glass case containing Kelvan’s staff collection, and soon, a pile of staves clattered onto the floor. Some of the pedestals containing Kelvan’s other artifacts also tipped over, sending rare mana focuses and other valuables flying.

But there was no time to worry about the mess. It was time for the last and most vital part of Gideon’s new plan.

“Uncle Kelvan,” he screamed, straining his lungs. “Help us!”

He looked over the edge of the hole, only to see the broodmother staring up at him with utter fury in her purple eyes. Thankfully, he seemed to be far enough away from her that he hadn’t become mesmerized. He shut his eyes in a panic and fired a [Hail of Stone] down the tunnel, then screamed again.

[ Critical Mana Warning! ]

“Damned hells,” Kelvan said, floating into the vault with an annoyed look on his face. “I may be old, but my hearing is perfectly well. I heard you the first time.” As he took in the scene, his mouth fell open. “My staves! My floor!”

“You weren’t using them anyway,” Gideon cried, then pointed at the broodmother. “Since you can’t leave the castle, I did a little remodeling.”

“We’re going to talk about this later,” Kelvan said, but in his eyes, Gideon thought he saw a hint of pride.

A hint of pride that was replaced quickly by anger as Kelvan shot a beam of sickly green light down the hole, then flew into it.

Gideon breathed a sigh of relief. With his Uncle on their side, they had a chance.

Though Gideon was exhausted, he didn’t want to sit out the very end of the battle. After a long breath, he stuck his feet into the tunnel and carefully slid down. He used the steps and handholds to control his descent.

As he moved, he heard the sounds of battle from below—Clonk shouting, Kelvan laughing maniacally, the clash of steel, and the sound of crashing rock. He picked up the pace until he reached the last part of the tunnel—an almost vertical drop to the pile below. This time, as he fell, he used [Entomb] to form an earthen platform and rode it down, leaping off right before it landed.

The broodmother now had a smoking hole where her head used to be, and a giant chunk of her abdomen was missing. Kelvan flew in circles around her, effortlessly dodging each of her attacks as he fired more spells. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to be healing from his magic.

Gideon had assumed that Kelvan’s spell was necromancy, perhaps [Necrotic Beam], which he had read about but never seen in action. Knowing that his spell blocked healing confirmed it.

Yet despite her lack of a head, the broodmother fought on. The purple light from the Moonstone seemed to keep her animated, even though biologically, she should have been a twitching corpse. What the hells, Gideon thought. How is she still alive?

Thankfully, Kelvan and Clonk were keeping her distracted. She didn’t seem to notice Gideon had re-entered the cavern.

Turning to face the Moonstone, he climbed across the rocks and approached it. Though his core was almost empty, he thought he had enough for one or two last spells. If the Moonstone was truly an artifact of Celestra, he was surely about to anger the Goddess. But if this was the source of the broodmother’s power, what choice did he have?

At the end of the day, a gemstone was still a stone, right?

When he placed the tip of his staff against the glowing pillar, the broodmother finally took notice. She turned away from Kelvan and Clonk, ignoring them completely as she charged towards Gideon with single-minded determination. Kelvan shot another [Necrotic Beam] from his mirror, slicing off one of her limbs, but she barely seemed to notice.

“No,” she hissed. “No-no-no-no-no!”

“Goodbye,” Gideon said. He cast [Quake], and this time, when his mana flowed into the Moonstone, he felt a strange sense of peace wash over him.

You freed me, after all, the Moonstone said. Thank you.

The Moonstone shattered, the purple light flaring up in a massive burst of energy before it suddenly died. Countless fragments flew in every direction, a rain of crystal falling like tinkling glass.

The cavern fell into darkness. With [Geosense], he could tell the broodmother had crumpled, as if she were a puppet whose strings had been cut.

An orb of white light flickered into existence nearby. Marcus Stormrider stood there, and he grinned like a maniac. “What a tale!” he said. “I knew we’d make it all along. Did you see that, Filibin? One for the ages. This was totally worth missing the exhibition, wasn’t it? I’m sure the elves won’t mind.”

Filibin groaned half-heartedly.

What exhibition? Gideon thought.

“Yes, yes, another glorious victory and all that,” Kelvan said as he floated towards Gideon. “But we still need to talk about my floor, Nephew.”

Clonk walked over, a spring in his step as he hopped past piles of debris, joining Gideon and Kelvan next to the fragmented remains of the Moonstone.

Gideon laughed, sinking to the ground from exhaustion, but also relief. They had done it. They had won. He felt tears forming in his eyes as a wave of emotion washed over him. He let his staff drop to the ground.

But his relief was cut short when he noticed that not all the purple light had dimmed. As his adrenaline faded, he noticed a stinging sensation in his left hand. He looked down and saw a purple shard sticking out of his palm. The Moonstone’s material properties were different from the surrounding rock. He hadn’t controlled his [Quake] as well as he should have.

Blinking his eyes, he glanced over the list of notifications he’d dismissed, focusing on the last and most recent one.

You have gained a new status: Moon-Touched!

“Oh, shit,” Gideon muttered as he stared at his hand.

Kelvan’s eyes burned red as he stroked his beard. Far from dismayed, he looked like he sensed an opportunity. “Intriguing,” he said. “How very, very intriguing. I suppose we can talk about my floor later. Sir Clonk, pick up my Nephew before he passes out, will you? Take him to Lady Ondine at once.”

“You’re positively glowing,” Clonk said as he scooped Gideon into his arms. “And here I thought that was just a metaphor.” His chuckle echoed through the cavern. “Silly me.”