Kelnarin was mediating. She sat cross-legged, floating a meter off the ground. The room she was meditating in was empty, but for a dark brown cushion that was directly underneath her. This meditation session was meant for her to pierce the foggy mess that karmic and fate magic had become over the years. Kelnarin was a fully evolved Runic Spider queen and at the peak of gold-rank. If you didn’t know what to look for, you would guess she was an elf. She had curly, dirty blonde hair and light brown skin.
In her current state, it wouldn’t take much for people to guess there was more to her. A shining green and pink rune was on her forehead. She had a pair of normal eyes that were closed, but another pair made from magic was glowing and wide open.
The magic of her divination ability tried and failed to organize the tangled chaos that were the threads of fate. At least karmic threads weren’t as tangled, but that was mainly due to it relying on the connections one forged. But even using both fate and karmic magic as the core of her divination, it led to no useful results.
A ripple of karmic and fate caught her attention. It emitted from one of her youngest offsprings made her lose concentration. She drifted back down on to the cushion.
“That came from KM-860,” Kelnarin’s mate, Molkastous thought to her.
Runic spiders were one of the few species that fused with their mates. Kelnarin’s female personality was the dominant one due to her being a queen, but her life mate’s consciousness and abilities remained. This fusion allowed them to spawn many children at once, often between twenty or sixty spider’s egg. It also meant they were truly more powerful than the other species or race of spiders. A queen Runic spider could use her mate’s experience and magic, expanding her own capabilities far more.
Kelnarin focused on her karmic connection to their children. When a mating pair spawned children, it created a powerful bond with their offsprings. When a Runic Spider became powerful enough, their karmic connection would also grow, allowing them to join the Hive Network, which is a powerful form of mental magic that used their karmic bonds. This hive mind-like network allowed them to communicate instantaneously over vast distances, share information and feelings, and coordinate with the larger Runic Hive.
Kelnarin was a subordinate queen to one of the great hives on their planet, which meant her bond with her offsprings was even greater than that of other Runic spiders. So, when she focused on her bond with KM-860, she found that the spider’s fate had shifted due to a karmic bond forged recently.
She frowned.
How odd, she thought.
“KM-860 had drifted off from its original path due to the ley line shifting. So, what could have changed?” Molkastous thought to her. He was just as confused as she was.
Kelnarin cast her scrying ability.
“Let’s see what far sight will reveal,” Kelnarin said. The rune in the middle of her forehead shone with yellow light.
When they peer through, they found themselves in a strange mix of forest and jungle. KM-860 was scuttling along a tree with a…water elemental, no, a storm elemental. The spirit had silver and blue eyes shining excitedly as the two climbed a tree.
“That’s a rare sight. Storm elementals are rarely seen without others of their kind nearby,” Molkastous commented.
“Strange indeed, but how would that affect KM-860? Their bond is what I would expect when making…friends even though that is strange to begin with. But there is another bond and I feel that was the one that shifted this one’s fate.”
“Hmm, where-”
In their mind’s eye, they saw a Celarian teenager peer up at the spirit and spider. Her dark blue hair had the gemstone-like effect of that race. Oddly, Kelnarin recognized the hair and eyes from the royal family of the Heartstone kingdom or from a particular line from the Trevel family. It was unmistakable, with her sapphire blue hair that shifted to a deep teal color near the tips. And those mixed color eyes were sharp as they observed the two climbing.
“A Trevel would explain that," she muttered.
“I would have thought they would kill a Runic Spider on sight,” Molkastous thought to her.
“Hmm, I don’t know. Many would, but it comes down to who they are as a person. But the bond between the spirit and the girl is strong, incredibly so,” Kelnarin replied. “The thing I don’t understand is that she has no crest. Or at least I can’t sense anything. This begs the question, why does meeting her make it so KM-860’s fate changed?”
“I do not know. But I agree with your assessment on the crest. Her presence in the spell feels faint and flickers.”
Kelnarin was about to say more when they felt gazes fall upon the group in the forest.
“Easily, peak A-rank,” Molkastous commented.
“I-”
They both felt a far more powerful gaze drift over the children, then settled on the teenager for a time before it faded.
“What and who was that!?” she thought.
“Iridesium-rank. Not one that is good at hiding, but a powerful one. This could-”
Both felt an icy chill run down their spine. At the location of KM-860, they felt a shadow move over head then felt it over their location.
In the higher echelons of this world and the higher planes of existence, what they had just experienced would be called a subtle warning. The message was simple. Kelnarin’s magic had been noticed, and they had allowed her to look, but if she were to interfere at all…well there wouldn’t be any evidence of her ever existing.
They had fucked up. There wasn’t just one shadow, either. Several others passed them, only making the icy chill turn to full-blown fear. What even made the situation even worse was that the shadows had leaked their presences in such a way that only Kelnarin could feel them.
“Ancient powers,” she muttered and shuttered. She then bowed her head, hoping the shadows would understand that she wouldn’t pry.
“I-I think we will just have to wait to see what will happen with KM-860,” Molkastous remarked.
“I will report this to the High Council. Maybe they can ensure our apology is received along with a message of neutrality. And maybe have someone far more powerful check in once in a while on KM-860. Because I don’t think we will be given another chance to look.”
“That sounds like a wise choice.”
***
Zerine watched Varino and the spider till the spider had started making a web. Varino chatted with the spider for a time. Her chimes and whistles made it clear she was completely fine with this and even considered the spider a new friend. Zerine was open to being friends with a spider as long as it stayed friendly.
To the spider’s credit, it was rather…cute. It had two large expressive green eyes with smaller yellow ones surrounding the large two. Its body looked as if someone had pained the outline of a spider in shades of green. A dark green glowing rune covered the spider’s abdomen. She didn’t know the meaning of this rune, but guessed that it fell into the strange magic that witches and Runic spiders used.
It spoke with gestures made with its forelegs as much as it did with squeak, clicks, and strange hissing sounds. Something it said made Varino burble out a laugh.
Zerine shook her head with a smile and got ready for bed.
It seems like it’s here to stay. Honestly, I’m glad for the company of another creature. Who knows just how many monsters are on the island and having an ally will help, she thought.
She laid down in a bedroll, which was akin to a sleeping bag, but included a cushion to make sleeping on the hard dirt more comfortable.
She stared at the star filled sky for some time, wishing that sleep would come. But thoughts of the day’s fights played through her mind. Zerine began breaking down the different fights, making notes on what she could have done better or not done at all. This process kept going until she finally drifted off to sleep.
Zerine woke with a start when Varino’s soft chime came from right next to her. Her eyes snapped opened.
“Morning Varino,” she said, sitting up. She was already on alert, but realized it was their normal time to wake up.
Varino whistled and pointed up.
Zerine looked up with a smile.
“And good morning to you to…” she hesitated. “Do you have a name?” she called up to the Runic spider.
Her instincts gave her a hint that the spider couldn’t fully understand her.
“Varino, can you translate?” Zerine asked as she awkwardly got out of the bedroll.
Varino whistled to the spider, who clicked and waved with its forelegs.
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“KM-860?” Zerine wondered.
The spider created runes in the air, and Zerine’s eyes went wide when she discovered she could read them. They were the ones she already knew from her magic lessons. This way of communicating wasn’t great, though. She had to infer more from the symbols than normal written language.
“KM are…the initials of your parents and you’re their eight hundred and sixth offspring,” Zerine said. “Wow, large family and I thought the Trevel family was bad. But your name is a bit of a mouth full. Hmm, what cast of spider are you?”
Zerine waited for Varino to translate. The spider made a wobbling sound, and the runes changed.
“So, you don’t know. Probably something you figure out when you rank up. Umm, how about Varino and I call you…Kaida, Katy…hmmm, Kimi?” Zerine said, listing the first things that came to mind.
Varino and the spider chatted for a bit as Zerine got ready for the day. She stretched and checked her gear.
It was still extremely early, but Zerine and Varino had made it their habit to wake up this early. Even at this hour, there were distance cracks and thuds from magic being cast, probably from fights. Along with the sounds of magic, there were the normal creature sounds one would expect in such a place. After she stretched, she ate some fruit and cooked meat from a creature they fought the day prior. She tore off a piece of meat off skewer and munched thoughtfully.
We still need water. And if yesterday was just the starting point, then today will bring even more fighting. But I can’t help but feel like there is more to this test than just survival, she thought.
Varino chime made her look up.
“So, you two figured out a name? Well, let’s hear it,” she said.
Varino chittered, then trilled.
“Settled on Kimi. Great! Nice to meet you, Kimi and welcome to our…I don’t really know what to call our group,” she said sheepishly.
Varino burbled, raising an eyebrow.
“We aren’t adventurers yet. But you two can come up with a name for our little group while I pack things up.”
During her clean up, there were a host of names tossed around.
Team awesome, was Varino’s first suggestion. Team Runics was, of course, Kimi’s suggestion. There were more as the spider and spirit began eagerly brainstormed ideas.
“No, I am not going to have our team's name be team Spirit Queens. And team lost…really Varino? Are you trying to tempt fate?” Zerine said as she put her quiver over her shoulder.
Several indigent whistles came from Varino.
“How about… team, let’s head out so we can find water for me and Kimi?” Zerine said.
Varino sighed, but flew on a cloud to Zerine’s shoulder. The spirit then turned and pointed to Zerine’s other shoulder. Zerine felt Kimi skitter up her right leg, then along her back to settle on her right shoulder. It wasn’t too unnerving, but Zerine still had to stop herself from shuttering. The sensation of something crawling on her was probably the worst part.
But when Kimi made several adorable sounds, Zerine smiled.
“Right, let’s head out.”
***
“Is that a Runic spider riding on her shoulder?” Alana wondered incredulously.
“Yes. And before you ask, no, I do not know how that happened. I even watched the spirit find the spider. Varino just spoke to it, then carried it over to Zerine. And now it’s part of their group…apparently. Do I understand how or why…no…no I don’t,” Lucy replied, exasperated.
“I guess it makes more sense why I had to do that secrecy contract with Ava. Zerine and that spirit are…odd doesn’t feel like the right word. They are…different, a rather unique different at that,” Alana said.
“I agree, and this is only the second day. I suspect we will see more reasons for the secrecy,” Lucy said.
“What a strange group they make. You don’t think that she will try to make a contract with a Runic spider and that spirit?”
“She needs her crest first, but who knows. The more I watch her fight, the more I don’t understand how she does what she does,” Lucy said, throwing her hands up in the air.
Alana grinned, “Hmm, maybe her soul is awakening with a crazy ability that is leaking through. Either way, with that Runic and spirit, she won’t run into much trouble, I suspect.”
“Don’t forget those scythes of hers. Oh, hey watch, they are going to run into their first fight of the morning,” Lucy said, changing the feed to a skulking creature.
“Hmm, that is a poisonous flame salamander. Monsters really are already spawning more frequently. You’ve checked the rest of the island, right?”
“Yep. So far, all the new manifesting monsters are late E-rank or early D-rank.”
“Hmm, I kinda feel bad for those kids. They won’t have a single day of peace at this rate,” Alana said, sitting back in her chair, watching a rare sight.
A ripple in the air swirled till a tear in space opened and a burst of energy poured out before it condensed into a glowing mass. As they watched, a shape began to take form. Soon, a dragonfly-like monster manifested. It had six legs on each side of its horse sized body. Massive translucent wings turned into blurs as they flapped. The last part to appear was its head. Instead of the normal insect eyes, there were hundreds of human eyes looking in every direction. As it moved, they saw it had three spiked tails.
Lucy whistled, “Mid D-rank and gods, those eyes are messed up.”
“Aren’t all monsters disturbing to look at?” Ala said, disinterested.
“Fair, but…huh?” Lucy said.
“What?”
“It seems there are a quite a few monsters just spawned all over the island and in the ocean too.”
“Hmm, not ideal,” Alana said.
***
A blast of hot air rushed past Zerine, who swore under her breath. They had been walking along when she and Kimi felt something nearby. Luckily for them, they were able to attack the bear sized salamander before it attacked them. Their first volley of attacks left bleeding gashes, seared flesh, and several arrows protruding out of the salamander’s body.
Varino’s warning whistle made Zerine run out from behind the tree she had been hiding behind just in time. A torrent of green flames slammed into and wrapped around the tree. Zerine swore again as she repositioned herself, but it exposed her to the salamander’s next attack.
There was a crack of thunder, followed by a howl of pain from the salamander. Varino’s attack gave Zerine time to get in a better position. She saw that the side of the salamander was smoking from Varino’s spell. Its focus was on Varino, sending several blasts of green fire her way, which the spirit easily avoided. Varino’s distraction gave Zerine the time to draw an arrow and aim carefully. She let it loose and with a thud; the arrow pierced the salamander’s neck. The damn neck must have had some more protecting because her arrow didn’t cause a fetal blow.
“Just like yesterday, dammit,” Zerine muttered.
But the salamander clearly had enough with their tactics. A wave of fire erupted from it, roaring outwards in all directions.
Zerine took cover behind another tree, which was when she saw several floating runes above the salamander.
Kimi must have been setting up this, she thought, impressed.
There is a verity of Runic spiders, which they referred to as casts. These different types normally would limit the type of attack one could expect from them, but Kimi was still too young to have settled into one. But Zerine recognized the effects of magic damping when she saw one.
The green fires in the area immediately vanished as Kimi’s spell activated. Zerine saw the monster’s focus shift to up to the trees where she assumed Kimi was hiding. Without thinking, Zerine shot another arrow. It pierced the salamander’s chest right in the joint of its left foreleg. Her attack got its attention, but it had the desired effect of slowing its movement.
“Oooh, shit,” she muttered as balls of flames appeared above the salamander.
Right as she went to move, she felt the magic shift under her feet. Zerine looked down to find glowing runes on her boots.
Enhancing magic? Specifically, speed focused enhancement, she thought, even more impressed.
An idea popped into her head. She put away her bow, replacing it with her scythes.
Not exactly the ideal weapons for what I have in mind, but works, she thought.
She charged the salamander, who blasted balls of fire right at her. Kimi’s magic made dodging the balls of fire child’s play. The blasts from spells exploding propelled her even faster. Fire roared just pasted her as she flew towards the salamander. Another blast of fire roared towards her, but these were different. Zerine felt the mana draining from it as Kimi’s magic took effect, making the spell move slower and weaker than before.
The salamander turned to whip its tail at Zerine as she got within range. She was just too fast. Her scythes lashed out at the forelegs of the salamander. This was when she realized just how thick the scales truly were and, coupled with the size of the monster, her attacks probably felt more like minor cuts than terrible wounds.
But her attacks weren’t meant to be crippling. They were meant to do one thing, force the salamander to bite her. With an angry hiss, the salamander did just that. Its head moved quickly as it opened a large maw that was filled with rows of teeth.
Zerine dodged, just barely missing the jaws snapping down on her torose. Her dodge got her in even closer to her true target. She put her all into her strike, swinging both her scythes at the monster’s exposed neck. With a thunk, her scythes plunged into the monster’s neck.
Almost in slow motion, she saw in the corner of her eye as the intact foreleg lashed out at her claws extended. Zerine twisted to avoid the attack while her blades carved a deep gash along the monster’s throat. She bit back a shout of pain as one of the claws still managed to graze her thigh. It easily cut through her leather armor. But her attack was done, and it was only going to be a manner of time now. She moved back towards cover, avoiding torrents of flames that were getting weaker and weaker with each passing second. Kimi’s draining spell combined with Zerine’s attack made it so the monster couldn’t retaliate effectively. Within a minute it laid dead on ground in a pool of its own blood.
Zerine’s heart was racing, but she still felt a strange sense of danger from her instincts. She checked her wound and swore, seeing green lines spreading from the long thin gash.
“Varino! I need poison cleansing,” she called.
With a gust of wind, Varino was by her side. The spirit began complaining in chimes and whistles at Zerine. She said that Zerine’s plan was reckless, and that she only had to wait a minute or two before the salamander’s magic wouldn’t have been any threat.
“I-I fair, I need to come up with better plans and experimented with ambient magic. I hope I can make it increase my arrows’ effectiveness. That is the second monster where they weren’t enough, even though I hit a critical spot.”
Varino patted her leg with a reassuring chime.
“Yeah, this trip is a learning process. On a completely unrelated note, Kimi’s got some very handy support magic. That was the only reason why I was able to move so fast, or even come up with the plan I did,” Zerine said.
There were several clicking sounds as Kimi lowered themselves down on a line of spider silk.
Varino burbled something to it. The spider waved its forelegs in a way that Zerine’s instincts read as the spider being happy.
“You did great. Both of you. But sense this is a monster and not a creature, Kimi and I can’t eat it. And it’s poisonous. I doubt it would have been safe, anyway. Sooo, we still need more food and water,” Zerine said.
Varino pointed towards where the hills were and chimed.
“So, we are getting close. But you sensed more monsters spawning!? I hope you're going to say they aren’t in our path?” Zerine said.
Varino only shrugged, but patted Zerine's leg again and chimed.
“Thanks for the heal Varino. I don’t know where I would be without you.”
Varino shyly waved Zerine’s commented, burbling it was nothing and only a minor wound.
“You really are great, Varino. I just want you to know I truly appreciate you.”
Varino chimed brightly and climbed on to her shoulder.
“Kimi, did you happen sense the monsters?” Zerine wondered as the spider landed on her other shoulder.
The spider made a negative waving gesture, followed by several clicks.
At least you understood that part, she thought.
“Wonderful, you sense other things than just monsters in our path. What an eventful second day this turning out to be,” Zerine muttered. Her smile returned as Varino chimed excitedly. “You're right. This is a learning experience and an adventure. So, let’s make the best of this situation.”
She walked over to the salamander’s corpse and tapped the gemstone on the spatial storage bracelet, which absorbed the body once she placed a hand on the corpse.
“Let’s go team! On the way, let’s figure out a good name for ourselves. I don’t remember where we left off.”
Varino trilled a flute note.
“No, team explosions will not be our name. And we should talk about that odd fascination of yours. I’m beginning to-”
A howl in forest cut Zerine off. They all felt a ripple of energy pass over the island.
“Huh, the ley lines must be shifting. And that means…”
Ripples in the air appeared in front of them.
Varino and Kimi immediately got off Zerine. Kimi climbed a tree as Varino got ready for a fight. Zerine had a premonition that her island test was going to be considered one of the hardest. Masses of energy appeared as tears in space opened and the first monsters started to manifestat. She griped both her scythes tightly.
Let’s fucking go! she thought.