The farm was as big as ever, and there were more spiders than he could count. Best of all they were changing and evolving, though somewhat slowly. There was a point where he considered using Evolve on them, but that didn’t seem necessary. The most useful evolution so far was the spindly hands the spiders had developed, those weren’t very muscular but they were enough to hold tools; some evolved spiders could even speak. There was this nice civilisation going on and he felt humbled to be the driving force behind this.

Once he heard a lamia say that there is strength in numbers, and he agreed with that line of thought. The decision was made, he will see the elves using those numbers. But that didn’t mean that the quality didn’t matter; he had a full intention of equipping his people. This way hopefully the elves would see that the spiders could use tools and hence were intelligent enough to be treated as equals.

That was his line of thinking. So with the help of crafter spiders, he made various tools. Those were mostly wood and stone for now, at least until he gets the ore from Kobolds.

“We are going in the forest, so I guess we better make axes and machetes.”

“Understood.” The crafter leader chirped happily.

Those two selected tools weren’t made from wood and stone, because has anyone heard of a stone machete? No, he used obsidian eggshells, the same material he had his armour made of. There was a way to sharpen the hexagonal pieces, nest them together and turn them into a nifty blade. The blades turned out to be quite sharp but brittle, but they served the purpose.

He had to make over a thousand of them, but he wasn’t making them alone. Unfortunately, the tools made by spiders were all of poor quality. By testing them he found that they would break after a few days worth of use.

“Is there a way to strengthen these?” He wondered and then remembered, he had just the perk. “But isn’t that one for building?” He smiled. “What am I saying? It doesn’t hurt to try. [Reinforce].”

The machete glowed in the mysterious light of purple.

[Chitin Machete: Reinforced +1]

“It worked!” He celebrated with a fist pump into the air. “I should have done this sooner.”

He went on a mad dash to reinforce all the tools.

“Hmm? I am not feeling so well.” He felt strangely drained and tired. “But I want to finish this today so we can head out tomorrow.”

He pursued his goal further until a mad headache descended on his head.

“The perk has a cost, I should have known…” It was obvious. “I guess I give up.”

A familiar guest, a puppet made of wood, the one with a twisted face resembling a human and intelligent spark in its eyes stretched its arm, in the hand was a small offering of food.

“A snack? For me? Why not?” He crunched on a purple fruit.

[+10Mp recovered.]

The headache felt so much lighter.

“Oh, I see… Thanks! You have saved me a lot of headaches.” He patted the creature’s shoulder as thanks.

He stuffed himself full of fruit, the fatigue was gone as if it was never here to begin with.

“I wonder if there is a way to refine them, concentrate the effects.”

A quest for another time. He finished enchanting the tools. And yes, enchanting he was.

[Magic +1exp]. The experience was pitifully low considering the amount of work he did but…

“I am a mage now!” He celebrated nevertheless. “I need to practise more and get that first lever for the new perk. Then I should be able to cast my first spell.” He was positively giddy.

However, there were only so many things he could Reinforce. He approached a lamia warrior.

“Can I borrow your spear?”

“Sss-sure.” She handed a weapon without hesitation.

“[Reinforce]!” [Lamia Spear: Reinforced +1] “You can have it back.”

He began jogging to the next lamia.

Lamia looked at her spear. “What did he do, sss?” But he was gone without explaining.

…

It was time to go to the forest. He had gathered his people, leaving only the skeleton crew to manage the farm and the Lamia to guard it. The number of spiders going with him was no doubt excessive, but he was The King and that was his decision.

Just before they began their march, and mostly on a whim, he took the plant puppets with him. He wanted to see if they will turn hostile.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

The spiders formed in ranks, warriors in the front leading the procession with the non-combatants at the back. It wasn’t just a procession, a simple group of explorers, no – this was a legion. He too was in the very front riding on the largest spider.

He wanted to show the elves that he had the numbers and his people were in full support of him. Hopefully, they will realise that being friendly was the best option. After all, he still wanted to trade with elves.

Once he left the farmland he observed that the ‘puppets’ became lethargic and eventually they had shut off. He tried to give them fruit and carry them closer to the trees and other jungle plants which hadn’t yet been cut. But that didn’t help.

However, by the time they reached the forest, the plant puppets stirred and became active again. He feared for them to turn hostile, but it never happened.

“That is a relief. You can let them out of the web.”

“Understood.”

The spider unfurled the bindings letting all twelve out. They walked happily along the spiders.

“This is your forest, do you remember it?” He asked the intelligent one.

It seemed unsure and remained quiet for a long while, but finally, it nodded pointing slightly off the path they were all heading.

“Where are you pointing?” He knew the ‘puppet’ was not expressive so the question wasn't good, “Is that where your home is?”

The plant creature shook his head in a negative but kept pointing in that direction.

“I don’t understand. Do you want us to go there?”

It nodded its head twice happily.

“But I’m pretty sure that’s not where the elves are.”

It looked at him, the spark in its eyes intense. And then it just walked into the trees towards that direction, other plant creatures followed.

“Shall. We. Capture. Them?” His best advisor asked.

“No, we will follow. I am interested.”

The plan had changed and the legion of spiders abandoned the road. The forest was thick and without the road hard to traverse. However, that was what the axes and machetes were for.

The intelligent creature was definitely leading him somewhere.

“Be careful of the trap-sss.” A friendly lamia, the one of the few he took on this expedition, hissed a warning.

“I trust this guy, let's just observe and follow.”

The distance they casually walked was by no means short, but eventually, there was a change.

“Plants.” One of the spiders scouting ahead reported.

“Well, we know what to expect. Ready your webs.” He instructed.

Predictably so, plant creatures, neither tree nor animal, began to emerge from the overgrowth.

The twelve ‘puppets’ just casually strolled past the others without hostility.

“They don’t attack their own.” He stated the obvious. “Hey, I come in peace.”

However, the plants had a different idea. They charged recklessly into his spiders, he could see rage burning in their eyes.

“Well, that didn’t work.”

“As expected-sss.”

“Webs?” a warrior leader chirped.

“Webs. Don’t kill them.”

The spiders swung blue webs to entangle the creatures. It worked to an extent. The only problem was that there were more ‘puppets’ than he expected. They managed to reach the spiders and began pummeling at them with bare fists.

“This is not good.”

“I sss-say we just chop them down.”

“No, they are intelligent. I was able to confirm that.”

“You saw exception maybe-sss?”

He wished his plant friend was here to calm his friends down. To his surprise, a part of the wish was granted. For some reason, the ‘puppets’ stopped launching themselves at his spiders. Soon he saw the culprit behind the change. It was taller than the others but equally made of wood and plants. Two large horns protruded from its head. Its skin was rugged bark and its face expressionless mask. The eye sockets glowed with a bright green glow.

“Intruder!” It roared accusingly.

Finally, someone was willing to speak.

“Hello.” He tried to sound polite aware of how ridiculous he sounded at the moment. He blasted Friendly Aura at full power.

Luckily, the giant plant creature seemed willing to listen.

“What are you, creature?” It asked; other plant creatures retreated away from spiders and behind this one.

He wanted to ask the same but, “I’m just a man.” he tried to be humble in front of this towering entity but reconsidered “I’m The King of Spiders, ruler of The Dreaded Place and Slayer of The Great Worm of Oberon.”

“I have heard of Dreaded Place. No mana, no food, no life. Nothing can live there.”

He felt as if he had a similar conversation.

“But I do.” There were more important matters to discuss. “Sorry for attacking your guys. You won’t believe me but I come in peace.”

“I believe you, intruder.”

The use of ‘intruder’ made it sound kind of contradicting. “You do?”

“The little ones told me about you. You have set them free from the fog.”

“Oh you mean the twelve I have cap… liberated? Yes, I did that.” He took full credit. “But what’s up with this fog you mentioned?”

“If you can’t feel it you won’t see it. It doesn’t affect you.”

Go figure… “So are you…” he looked for a name but the puppet was probably not the one. “… you creatures working with the elves? Are they somehow bullying you?”

“Not quite. We Dryads, like the Elves, only want to protect this forest.”

“I see…” He now knew what they called themselves.

The Dryad continued. “The Elves are afraid. They made a mistake to use the ritual without the Forest Spirit’s approval. Many minor Dryads were born premature.” He could tell the creature was angry. “Elves unleashed the fog, took control of the dyads. The forest is angry with the elves.”

“I knew they were jerks!”

“Forest is angry with you, intruder.” It accused again.

“What did I do?”

“You hurt Forest, chop it down.” It pointed at the path he had just made to come here.

“Up’s I am sorry. I didn’t know this was bad.”

“Come closer, intruder.” The Dryad urged for him to dismount.

“You sss-shouldn’t.” Lamia warned.

Regardless he approached the Dryad.

“Closer.”

He was only a good six steps away from the Dryad, and indeed it was big, almost twice the height of him.

“I sense Forest Spirit in you?”

“You do?”

“A tiny bit of it inside your stomach. You can’t be all bad to have a piece of it. I too have a piece. Making me a Great Dryad; able to resist the fog.”

He no longer could follow what this tree was talking about. Fog and spirits he knew nothing about. But at least it sounded friendly so the Aura must have worked, and why not push his luck further?

“So can we be friends?”

“Little ones told me you bring life to The Dreaded Place. I know animals need to eat to live. You can come to Forest and take its bounty, but don’t take too much. We can be friends if you lift the fog, stop Forest feeling angry,”

“Those are acceptable conditions. I will tell my spiders to behave. But how do I lift this fog? I can’t even see it.”

“Come, I will show.” The Great Dryad began to walk, the minor dryads all in tow. “Little ones, you wait. The fog will make you angry again.” It cautioned.

“Should I leave my spiders here as well?”

“You don’t have to. But you can.”

What a vague answer. He worried the fog will affect his spiders too so he left them with a warning.

“Behave you all, don’t harm the trees and Dryads.”

“Understood.” The warrior spider gave a salute with its spindly hand.

The lamia, however, refused to leave his side.

“Is it far?” He asked The Dryad.

“It is not.”

So he followed the towering creature deep into the forest, to the place where this ‘fog’ was making the forest ‘angry’.