"So, what's a class milestone exactly?" Alex's voice cut through the cave's oppressive silence as they trudged toward the uncertain exit.

John glanced over his shoulder, his eyes reflecting a mix of weariness and alertness. "A class milestone? It's a significant boost you get after you've grown into your class. A skill that usually hits between levels 15 and 50. And then a new milestone comes every fifty levels after that with the next one being at level 100, then 150, 200, and so on.” He gestured with enthusiasm.

The girl stepped towards John, and chimed in curiously "And what do they do? The ‘milestones’?"

"They're more than just new skills," John explained, his tone growing enthusiastic. "It's like... They shape your path, influence the nature of your class, making it stronger, more... unique," John continued, “at least, until the next milestone comes and takes things in a different direction, or further down the same path.”

The girl, still holding her sword in an awkward and unwieldy grip, pressed further, "Influence? How?"

"It's hard to explain," John said, his voice low, as if wary of the echoing cave walls. "It's like... each milestone skill you gain can alter how your class operates, change the nature of a majority of the skills you gain until your next milestone at level 100, or 150, and so on.” he waved his hand to express the vagueness of his understanding. “And the quests mentioned something called class and skill consolidation too. But it's supposed to be a long way off for anyone. It's like combining what you've learned into something more... potent." His raised brow and gestures with upraised palms betrayed his lack of knowledge on the subject. “In the tutorial, they said that consolidation was ‘a distant dream’, and that none of us were expected to reach a milestone in the first few months,” John’s eyes then took on a sparkly gaze as if recalling the fondest of memories. “But I saw Tuln do it. Everyone did.”

At his words, Alex’s curiosity peaked. “What did he do?” he asked.

John continued. “He reached a milestone during the tutorial. He was the first to gain a class, you see. Some form of pugilist class that matched his old style. But at the milestone, he summoned Spears of flames from the sky, conflagrations that decimated a horde of beasts. The power was immense." He gesticulated with restraint as he spoke in hushed tones, “After his milestone, his powers, man, like a god. He and a few others single-handedly turned the tide of the first few tutorial hordes. Gave the rest of us a fighting chance. Fire from the heavens, everyone's been talking about it for days.”

The girl's eyes widened beneath the webbing in pure fear. "F-Fire? Flames from the sky? That's…”

“Amazing, I know.” John continued, oblivious to her true feelings and swept up in the tale of witnessing his childhood idol in the flesh. “He was a war hero, you see. And a retired guard captain. But he was much more than the stories of his youth claimed. Even with the system stripping all of our strength away, he took on the first horde practically by himself and won before the first milestone.”

Alex smothered a smirk. That sounded familiar.

“But consolidation, and milestones.” Alex frowned in thought as his attention lingered on the prospect of merging skills, and merging classes. "Sounds like it's rare to reach that point."

"So soon? Very," John agreed. "Tuln was one of the few. But he's always been a legend." John scrutinised the cave's uneven and rocky ground as he spoke, then turned to Alex with a gaze full of intrigue… and excitement. “Why do you ask?”

Alex shrugged. “My memory is still hazy, but the words felt important for some reason.”

John eyed him sceptically, his face lit by the faint luminescence of the cave walls. Then he too shrugged and then replied, "Sure… Keep your secrets. Either way, it's like a major power-up. And if you have one, then it may improve our chances considerably.”

Alex nodded, then turned to study the girl. her permanently covered face was odd, to say the least. But upon entering the town he had noticed people with odd affectations that aided their skills in some way. Like a woodcutter draped in axes, or a blacksmith constantly aflame. He had assumed through her ease of movement that she had been similar; it implied she had a skill of some sort that allowed her to see. The most recent battle with the Juvenile Workers had damaged the webbing covering her body, revealing some of the person that lay beneath. The sight of vaguely humanoid Arachnae had caused him some concern and suspicion towards her hidden face, but they had been like crash dummies with hard chitinous plates and smooth features. He looked at the girl once more. Her clearly human skin could be seen in places where the webbing on her body had frayed, her skin tone matching his. Her clear facial features and even her bare lips could be seen beneath the webbing- clearly human- in a way that reminded him of his sister. He mentally sighed in relief at a concern that had been nagging at him ever since he'd seen her completely covered form; now that parts of the webbing had frayed during battle, it was clear to see that she was human. “What skill do you have?” he asked her with interest.

She hesitated, unsure. Then she spoke, “I can sense things, all things around me without having to look, but it’s all so new, confusing.”

She turned to John. "And that sword you made from ichor, how did you do that?"

John looked down at his blade. "Ah, that’s 'Bloodletting' and 'Sacrificial Blade'. All blood essentially becomes a weapon.”

She looked down, a sense of longing in her voice. "I wish I had a class. And my skill is weak, and it requires me to be blindfolded. I want something cool, like yours or Alex's."

“I want something powerful."

She doesn't have a class? And she's doing a special Quest while being carried by us? Alex was impressed with the girl's fortune. Some people have all the luck.

"Don't worry about it.” He voiced his thoughts as they stood. “Survive this, and whatever class you get, it's going to be something extraordinary. It's all based on your actions."

John nodded in agreeance, "He's right. You're doing great with just one skill. Imagine what you'll do with a full class."

Her lips curved into a small smile beneath the webbing. "Thanks. I hope it's something cool."

Alex steered them around a sharp rock. "We can't stand here forever. Let's focus on getting out of here first. Once we're safe, we'll figure out the rest."

They set off through the cave system.

***

The three moved slowly in silence, their every breath a further attempt at stealth. They trudged through the labyrinthine caves, each passage identical to the last. It was a maze. Each drip of falling water caused them to shift to attention, and each sound of distant scuttling forced them to pause their steps.

Alex crawled to the cave wall, feeling its cold, rough surface. "A dead end. We need to find another way out. There has to be another exit."

John followed, his hands skimming the cave floor, picking up a small, sharp stone. "Maybe we can use this to mark our path, avoid going in circles."

Alex nodded. "Good idea. Let's stick to the left wall, and keep track of our route."

The girl, keeping close behind, clutched her sword tight. Her covered eyes focused on Alex’s form, her attempts at mimicking his stance aided by whichever ability she held that gave her uncanny control over her body. She focused on the way he shifted his feet and held his blade in readiness at every turn.

Click.

A soft rustling echoed through the cave. Alex halted, signalling the others to stop. "Did you hear that?" he whispered.

John nodded, gripping his weapon tighter. The girl, her face a mask of curiosity, stayed motionless, her breath shallow.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

All three moved silently to hide within the cave's shadows.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, strange voices sounded in the distance. The voices carried a raspy clicking quality like scrapped chitin. They sounded a safe distance away, but Alex caught the words “Queen,” “orders,” and something that sounded like “Evolution.”

He strained his ears to hear more.

Then, without warning, a giant arachnid emerged from the darkness, its many eyes glinting in the dim light. A Worker, with eight thick legs planted firmly on the ground, a humanoid torso rising from its arachnid base. It held the same doll-like, featureless carapace Alex had grown to associate with the Juveniles, but this one also held a fully formed and segmented mouth of pure black reflective exoskeleton.

Another identical Juvenile Worker followed.

It wasn't alone. Smaller glowing counterparts, their bodies illuminated by inner bioluminescent light, accompanied and surrounded it, casting elongated shadows in the cave. The arrival of glowing Arachnae caused Alex, John and the girl to duck behind the rocks and meld deeper into the shadows. Hidden in the shadows cast by the glow, Alex took another peak and noticed that each of the glowing Arachnae had tree-like qualities to them, their exoskeleton seeming spongy, or stringy, and shining with inner bioluminescent light.

It's the moss, Alex realized. Those smaller ones evolved by consuming the moss. He wondered whether the Arachnae used them solely as light sources.

There were about five of them, each reaching up to Alex’s waist and covered in plant life and glowing Moss. And they all surrounded and illuminated another Arachnae, one very different from any Alex ever had seen before.

It stood on two legs.

It had an almost completely humanoid form, betrayed only by the segmented dark exoskeleton and clearly inhuman arachnid flesh that lay beneath.

It stood only slightly larger than him, closer to human in stature than the oversized workers, and it was covered in naturally segmented carapace that seemed to form the shape of armour.

Chitinous exoskeletal armour.

It held an inhuman face full of shifting and clicking exoskeleton and hard angles- resembling an armoured helm and visor- with venom-infused fangs and large mandibles at the mouth. Its pattern of arrayed eyes gave it a clear view of a large portion of the area it stood in.

It had six bulky arms.

And it carried six swords.

Held in three pairs of arms were an array of swords, held loosely while it walked with an air of sheer authority.

From a distance, a person could easily confuse it with a knight, so long as it didn't spread its many arms.

Alex sucked in a breath at the thought of facing several of these humanoid Arachnae. But despite himself, he felt a tingle of excitement in his belly. How would he fight a thing with six limbs and six weapons? Was it the same as battling six people? His mind whirred at the possibilities, but his thoughts ground to a halt as the thing spoke.

“Hurry. We will have to prepare for the Right of Evolution.” It declared, addressing the surrounding Arachnae. “Our attainment of ‘levels’ and ‘stats’ have raised the efficacy of the Rite to an unimaginable degree. It is very likely some of you will ascend to higher forms, but most of you will perish.” It spoke in dismissive tones and with absolute authority, the kind of tone you'd hear from people who thought the word ‘No’ was something only they were allowed to say. It spoke again, its voice a complex series of clicks and tones that resonated within the cave to form a strange, deep timbre. “Perhaps some of you will rise to join me as soldiers, although I plan to become something more.” It turned to pick something from the ground, its voice sounding through the cave once more. “As the Queen wills it.” It said.

So that's a Soldier, and the larger ones are workers. Alex mentally noted. Despite its smaller size, he didn't doubt for a second that the six-armed and two-legged Arachnae Soldier was more lethal than a worker could ever hope to be.

It rose to its feet and held a glowing beast core the size of Alex's head in one of its many arms, unceremoniously throwing it upward to the closest Arachnae worker. The worker snatched the core from the air with oversized palms and placed it in a pile of equally sized cores that shone in Alex’s Outer Focus enhanced vision like a mound of small flames.

At the sight, John’s eyes went wide as saucers. Alex could practically see the dollar signs- or whatever passed as currency here- ringing up in the town guard's head as he eyed the pile of treasured cores.

The worker spoke, releasing the core into the pile and responded, its voice a slightly higher-pitched amalgamation of sharp clicks and throaty hisses. its tone carried a mix of reverence and anticipation as it spoke.

“For the swarm.”

All of the surrounding Arachnae froze at the workers' words, and the air suddenly became filled with tension so thick none dared to speak further.

The worker's mandibled jaw hung open as all six of its eyes went wide. It had just realized its mistake. “I-”

Cut short. Its words never landed on the ears of those present, as before it could even begin to defend itself its head was swiftly separated from its body.

The armoured, six-limbed, humanoid Arachnae had twisted and struck with a fluidity that belied its size, each of its six swords finding a target on the worker. It had shifted from calm to extreme violence in a blink, its body moving from a state of relaxed authority to brimming with swift fury. It shook with barely controlled rage in the wake of its strike.,

"For the Queen.”

The six-limbed Arachnae corrected the slain Worker with finality, its voice resonating with a potent surge of unyielding loyalty and cold authority.

And Alex observed the swift blow from the shadows. As the soldier had struck, for a moment, its speed was worryingly only half as fast as Alex’s own. With six limbs, any speed advantage Alex had would be lost, and distance would have to become his ally. Within the split second it struck, Alex had instinctively resummoned a sword from his Inventory and held the blade tight- some crazy recess of his subconscious mind willing him to ambush the Soldier and defeat the lot of them there and then as he had done in the jungle. But then he considered John, and the girl’s presence. If more soldiers and workers were summoned he couldn't guarantee their safety. He knew they couldn’t linger in the darkness forever- As when trapped or stranded it was best to move as soon as possible before fatigue and exhaustion or hunger set in. Each second in hiding was a second lost in finding their escape, a second where their finite reserves of energy became depleted and the need for sleep and rest drew nearer. But the risk of his companions' immediate deaths was greater. So for now, they watched, learning from their enemy. They would wait here for the enemy to leave, and attack only if necessary.

The quest's objective was to escape, and Alex’s objective was to claim all of the quest's rewards and another Insight into the Dao. They would have to continue to attempt stealth until they escaped or had no choice otherwise, he decided.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sharp sound of a resounding thud. Several more thuds followed.

Limbs and ichor fell to the ground like rain at the Soldier’s single swing, each consequent thud sent soft vibrations through the cave. Then finally, the severed head of the worker Arachnae fell, its mandibles still twitching in silent protest. The remaining Arachnae stood still, some vibrating in fear, others in rage, their bioluminescent glow lighting the visage of the Armored Soldier for all to see.

It beckoned a nearby glowing moss Arachnae closer and wiped the ichor from its blade on the creature's mossy form as it arrived. “Another abomination.” The armoured Arachnae muttered with disgust. “This ‘system’ brings as many curses as it does boons. We cannot allow any capable of disobeying the Queen to live. Only the Queen can disobey. Drifters cannot be allowed to live.” It spoke the word ‘drifter’ with a mix of rage and indignation, displaying a weight of meaning to the title that caused all of the Arachnae present to shudder in fear. The smaller Arachnae huddled close, their forms quivering slightly under the gaze of their formidable superior.

And Alex was lost in thought.

Drifter… the word was summoning a vague sense of deja vu in Alex’s mind. Growing up, he hadn't always been the most studious, often focusing on training the sword rather than academics. And although he never struggled with his studies, he'd never particularly found a majority of the topics they taught him in school to be interesting. But a few had held his attention over the years, one of them being a slight interest in nature. He vaguely remembered that in nature, a "drifter" often referred to a single creature, typically from a social species like bees or ants, who had been separated from its colony or group, wandering alone without the allegiance, support, or structure of its native colony.

So the system has been giving some of them the ability to disobey orders? Alex noted with interest. But that suggests that the rest of them are incapable of disobeying the queen's whims. He realised. So in the end it all boils down to the Queens. They run the entire species. The depth of the conflict was beginning to make further sense. No wonder they called them ‘The endless enemy’. Their soldiers could be ordered to die with no capability to resist or choose not to. The Queen could always birth more. It was an endless war, too, he noted.

The armoured Arachnae sheathed one of the swords in a strap attached to its bare carapace. And dug through the large corpse of the felled worker, before pulling out a glowing core the size of its palm.

“The cores you carry are vital. Add this to the others and take the cores to the entrance,” it ordered in deep screeching tones to the surrounding workers and glowing moss Arachnae, who all moved to collect the worker's core and add to a pile before making it to carry it away.

“And prepare for the Rite of Evolution.”

With a collective movement, the arachnid group began to disperse, the workers and soldier taking different and opposing paths through the cave. “The workers are carrying the cores to the entrance” John whispered to Alex’s group. “That's our way out of here, we have to follow them!” his arm outstretched to point at the light of the bioluminescent workers in the distance and his whispering hiss cut through the cave's silence.

The leader paused, its head tilting slightly as if sensing something amiss. It sniffed the air, its mandibles opening and closing with a soft clatter. For a moment, it seemed to stare directly at the shadows where the humans hid, but then it turned away, dismissing the threat.

As the Arachnae moved away, their glowing forms faded into a dim light in the distance. And in the darkness, the leader lingered. It raised one of its swords, examining the blade with an almost contemplative gesture. Then, with a swift motion, it sheathed the weapon and headed in a different direction of its choosing, disappearing into the depths of the rugged cave.

“Let’s go.” Alex called, moving to follow the faint light of the workers heading toward the entrance.