Ike finished absorbing all the mana from Rosamund’s head and put it back away in his bag. The herb Wisp had added had notably changed the tenor of the mana. Normally, it felt dark, thick, almost, but this time, it felt light, smooth. Better. Almost like the mana he absorbed from monster meat. Ike rubbed his core. Whatever that was, I like it.

Behind him, the squelching and cracking sounds slowed. Wisp walked up beside him, licking scraps of greenish-yellow ichor off her fingers. “Delicious. You ready to go?”

Ike looked at her. He glanced over his shoulder at the empty hole where the spider corpse had been, then did a double-take, his eyes widening. Where did that giant spider-monster I hunted go? She’s smaller than me! And that stomach of hers is flat! There isn’t even a bump!

“Hey. What’re you staring for?”

“Huh? Uh—yeah. Let’s go!”

They walked off, deeper into the web-drenched forest. Wisp led the way, ambling along without a care in the world, her hands behind her head. Ike followed a few paces back, Loup at his heels.

“Hey, Wisp?”

She glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

“That herb…where’d you find it? I wouldn’t mind keeping a few of those around. Maybe even growing some.”

Wisp flashed him a smile. Her teeth were sharp and curved inward, overtly inhuman. “It’s called whitefeather grass. It’s not that hard to grow. After we beat this guy, I’ll show you a small patch. But not for free.”

Ike nodded. “What’s your price?”

“Everything but the fangs,” Wisp said, licking her lips.

Everything but the—Ike swallowed. He nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. “All yours.”

Wisp chuckled.

They padded over the thickly carpeted forest for a while, before Ike finally cleared his throat again. “Wisp, you don’t need my help, do you?”

“Do you need that dog’s help?” Wisp asked without looking back.

“I—Loup helps me—”

“But absolutely. In the absolute sense. If you had to hunt without her, you could, right?”

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“Yes.”

Wisp nodded. “I’m feeling lazy. You’re doing me a favor.”

Ike nodded. “Understood.” He eyed Wisp’s back, but said nothing more. I get the feeling there’s more to it than that, but if she wants to play it close to the chest, there isn’t much I can do to break through. After all, it’s no joke that she’s massively more powerful than me.

She glanced over her shoulder. “Not going to call me out for calling you a dog?”

“Woof,” Ike replied, deadpan. I don’t care. I’ve heard worse. It’s not like you really meant it, either. If every little thing got a rise out of me, I’d never stop being mad.

Wisp chuckled under her breath. “I like you.”

Up ahead, green poked through the blankets of white. The webs faded away, and the forest returned to normal. Confused, Ike looked around. He walked more slowly than before, wary of the sudden change. Is she leading me the wrong way? Or—

Something about the branches under his feet gave him pause. He stumbled, staggering two little steps on the same ground rather than stepping forward. His foot kicked one of the branches, and they all tumbled into darkness. Under them, a thin web collapsed. Ike stared into a deep hole that pierced into the loam.

Wisp giggled. She applauded him. “Good catch.”

“Were you just going to let me fall?” Ike asked.

“I was going to pull you out,” she said.

That’s a yes. Eyeing the hole, Ike walked around. He dragged his feet, kicking the branches ahead of him as he walked.

I don’t know what Wisp wants from me, but whatever. I’m used to people trying to take advantage of me. As long as I keep my eyes open, I should be okay.

Besides, if she’s as much stronger than me as she seems, I’m only alive by her good will, anyways. There’s no harm in playing this out.

“You must be new here,” Wisp said suddenly.

Ike nodded. “Yeah.”

“Your eyes are still normal. And you didn’t run screaming.”

“What was that second one?” Ike asked.

Wisp shrugged. “The people from Abyssal are all cowards. They won’t even talk to me anymore. They just run, screaming. That’s why I especially appreciate you.”

“Oh… that’s good. Or… not good?” Ike asked. He eyed Wisp’s back. You are a giant spider monster, probably. If I saw your monster form, I would’ve attacked you, too. I can’t blame them for that one.

“It is what it is,” Wisp said.

They walked on in silence. Ike watched his feet for pits, while Loup easily navigated the ground, seemingly by instinct. At last, Wisp stopped. She slipped behind a tree and held her hand up.

Ike looked forward. He snuck up behind Wisp and peered over her shoulder.

A very large spider stood in a clearing. Each leg stretched ten feet long, holding a relatively thin, lithe body over the forest floor. Two enormous wolf-like fangs descended from either side of its mouth, and eight black eyes surveyed the forest. It was covered in short brown fur, not unlike a wolf.

“That thing fell down into the Abyss last week, and it’s been muscling into my territory ever since. Pissing me off. Today, you’re gonna help me kill it,” Wisp declared.

“You aren’t going to use me as bait and abandon me to my death, are you?” Ike asked.

“No. Who would do that? That sounds like people things,” Wisp said, wrinkling her nose.

“It is people things,” Ike agreed.

Wisp shook her head adamantly. She stuck out her tongue. “People.”

Ike nodded. I can get behind that. “So what’s the plan?”

Wisp gestured him in, standing on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear.