In the damp confines of the cave, Alex, John, and the girl moved cautiously, their eyes straining in the dim light. They traversed the deep cave system, their path uncertain, surrounded by the oppressive silence of the underground. Alex led with caution, his sword ready, John followed, his hand tight around his own weapon, his eyes constantly scanning the dark. The girl, her movements fluid, lingered close to Alex, her attention shifting curiously to the surrounding darkness and then back to his form. The air was cool and musty, thick with the scent of earth and something far more sinister.
The only sound was their soft footsteps, the distant faint clicks of the workers they followed and the occasional drip of water ringing through the cavernous space.
One female foot found its place on the damp earth. A droplet of water caught the faint light, drawing a brief glance. The hand, barely touching the cave wall, sought balance, obscured and covered eyes intently observing the soft lights ahead.
A second foot, belonging to another in the trio, cautiously stepped forward, the sole brushing against the cavern's uneven ground. Dim light from a distant worker's mossy carapace cast a faint glow, breaking the encompassing darkness. A pause followed, breaths held, as the shadowy figure of a soldier passed by, the sound of its chitin armour a soft clicking in the silence.
"Do you think the soldier was looking for us?" John asked, his voice tinged with worry.
The third of the group adjusted his gear, a strap on the bag sliding into a more comfortable position. His gaze, sharp and alert, shifted to the right, noting the approach of another passing group of workers. He lowered his body, his form melding with the shadows, eyes momentarily catching the flicker of the distant light of the group they pursued.
"Possibly," Alex responded, his body crouched low in hiding. "We did leave a cave filled with dead workers, remember?"
John’s whispering voice faltered as he spoke more of his thoughts. "It's just… I've heard stories of what the soldiers can do… how many they slaughter… and I have to make it back… to my family. I just hope they're not too worried. They're probably organizing a search party as we speak."
The trio had swiftly followed the distant light of the workers through the cavernous depth in silence until the light grew brighter and easier to follow. They halted often, pressing close to the damp, rough walls, or crouched low, as the workers they followed encountered other groups and soldiers that passed by, each threatening step resonating through the cavernous expanse.
Each group they passed appeared to be performing separate tasks and orders, all of them seeming to prepare for some strange ‘rite’. But the three humans couldn't focus on the mystery, for their minds were set and filled with dreams of escape, the entirety of their focus on the ticket to their freedom; the troop of workers and luminous Moss Arachnae ahead.
So, they followed.
They kept their distance, scouting and hiding, employing stealth while following the light of the workers as they headed to the entrance.
The path they took led them upwards, ever upwards on an incline. That was a good sign, they reasoned, up meant they were very likely headed outside. Hope filled all of them in equal measure.
The light ahead served as their guide to freedom.
During their pursuit, they noticed the surrounding caves and caverns change. Rocky terrain and mossy walls gave way to smoothly carved stone, marble, and earth.
Gradually, the environment transformed.
The walls, once rough and unadorned, now displayed craftsmanship. Jagged lines and uneven flooring became segmented and tiled, detailing patterns that would inspire envy from Tzars and Kings alike. Opulence was visible in every corner, gold, bronze, and silver adorned the walls and floors in a way that led one to believe the entire section of the cave system had been designed by a master smith and architect. Alex found himself momentarily admiring the Gold, and bronze inlays adorning the walls, interspersed with floral displays of glowing moss. For the briefest of moments, he wondered how monsters could be capable of such displays of artistry, but the thought was a fleeting distraction as the path became clear of obstacles. Moss hung on the ceiling in floral displays, illuminating patches of the space they found themselves in.
And eventually, there was nowhere left to hide.
Together, they approached a narrowing of the path. Alex signalled a halt with a subtle gesture, his hand raised just enough to catch the others' attention. They all stopped, their breaths shallow in the newfound silence. Ahead, a grand archway guarded by two Arachnae soldiers came into view. Alex peered ahead to witness a single door between the soldiers and beneath the archway.
The door within the arch opened. The group's eyes followed the workers, with their stringy luminous bodies and their load of glowing magical cores, disappearing as they entered the space beyond.
The door closed behind them, and the Arachnae soldiers resumed their stoic sentinel.
The silence that followed was not of peace but of a looming storm. Alex thought back to the first soldier they had encountered, and its death blow. The creature’s swift, brutal act had been a display of lethal efficiency and perfect coordination.
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“We have to take them out,” Alex whispered to his two companions. John nodded in agreement, and the girl mimicked his movements, agreeing with Alex’s decision.
Their conversation was cut short as the cave walls began to rumble. The ground beneath them started quivering, a low rumble escalating with each passing second. The sound was deep, resonating through the ground and walls. Small stones fell from the ceiling, bouncing off the uneven floor. Dust motes danced in the air, dislodged by the growing vibrations.
John's eyes widened, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow with wary concern. "What's that?" His voice, tinged with unease, barely rose above the low growl of the earth.
"Cave's shifting," Alex said, looking around cautiously. "Stay alert. Could be anything causing it."
The girl, undisturbed by the commotion, slowed her steps to follow behind them cautiously. Her movements were fluid, almost blending with the shadows. She would occasionally reach out, her fingers brushing against the stone, feeling the vibrations and screeches that rippled through the cave. She considered warning Alex and John of what was to come before deciding against it; her reasoning unclear.
The cave's groans deepened, a chorus of cracks filling the vast space. Rocks began to crumble, and distant crashes shook the space around them. Distant screeches sounded, one after the other a chorus of arachnid screams. The rumbling grew louder, the sound of distant crashes and smashes echoing through the caverns. The composition of the cave made it difficult to pinpoint the direction of the noise.
It was all around them.
A sharp stone, its point sharp and jagged, detached silently from above. It plunged towards Alex. The girl, her movements a startling blur, lunged forward. Her arms reached out, a futile gesture to intercept the fall.
Alex, with a swift wave of his arm and a grunt of resistance, swatted the rock out of the sky. It crashed beside him, fragments scattering across the ground.
“C-careful.” The girl spoke softly beneath her bandages, “I tried to stop it.”
“Thanks, Kid.” Alex felt genuinely appreciative of her help. Johns too. Having company amid chaos was a far cry from his days spent alone in the Jungle.
The cave's tremors increased in intensity as dust shifted off the surrounding rocks, floating in the air in haunting waves. Alex stood still, his brow furrowed, eyes scanning the newfound shift of their surroundings. It sounded like battles were occurring through the cave system, or perhaps there was a wide-scale cave-in. He gulped at the idea of being trapped below ground and a bead of sweat trailed down his temple, catching the dim light. He slowly lifted his gaze upward, squinting at the glowing text of a notification that appeared with a ding and hovered before him.
The soldiers guarding the entrance turned to face each other and began to battle, all allegiances seemingly lost. Their many limbs blurred and sparks flew as 12 swords clashed between them.
In the midst of distant crashes and screeches, Alex and John stared at the battling Arachnae in confusion, their stupor halted as rocks began to fall from the ceiling.
Large rocks.
"Keep moving!" Alex's command sliced through the tension. “Head to the entrance!”
All three of them moved with unsure steps, towards the battling soldiers.
They stopped their mad race, all three halting in their tracks as the Arachnae soldiers fought on at the end of the path, unaware of the humans in their midst.
A few feet away from Alex, John, breathing heavily, wiped a smear of dirt from his cheek. His hand trembled slightly as he reached up, touching the notification with a tentative finger, his eyes reflecting a mix of confusion and wariness. As both he and Alex received identical notifications.
[Dynamic Quest Updated!]
[Dynamic Quest - ‘The Hidden Queen’s Lair’:
Designation ‘The Hidden Queen’s’ colony has completed its first sapient evolution birth cycle and initiated a ‘Rite of Evolution’. The members of the colony will proceed on designation ‘The Hidden Queen’s’ orders to attack, cannibalise and consume each other and all present life forms within the colony en Mass until they either achieve higher unseen forms of evolution or a set number of designation ‘Mature Soldiers’ and designation ‘Mature Workers’ have evolved.
… calculating.
Should the Rite complete, high-level members of designation ‘The Hidden Queen’s’ colony will proceed to subjugate the land above, as the predicted level difference of colony members as a result of the rite will leave a 47% chance of subsequent non-Arachne victory.
As a result of the Rite, colony protocols and defences will be abandoned as all members seek to evolve and strengthen the hive. The opportunity to accomplish feats that have not been achieved on planet designation ‘Pyra’ for over a century has presented itself to all surviving non-Arachnae inhabitants present within the lair.
1: Harbinger of escape: Escape the heart of Arachnae designation ‘The Hidden Queen’s’ colony alive. reach any non-Arachnae settlement to complete quest
Reward: Feat generation, E-grade equipment, Insight of the imperial
2: Arbiter of Evolution: Defeat the evolved swarmlings before an unprecedented evolution occurs.
Reward: E grade Weapon x2, E grade equipment x2, Insight of the Imperial.
3: Sapient Saviour: Defeat the Queen of the swarm while there are no defences!
Reward: Various E Grade equipment. Various E Grade weaponry. Insight of the Imperial. Insight of Evolution.]
[Quest Rewards and Quest reward volume dependent on contribution.]
In contrast, the girl stood apart and some distance behind the two, tilting her head curiously at the floating words. The subtle, unnatural fluidity of her movement was more pronounced in the stillness. Her fingers twitched at her sides, almost imperceptibly, as if sensing something beyond the notifications. The faint, purplish light from the marbles in her hand cast a ghostly hue on her web-covered face, her eyes hidden yet seemingly focused on the floating messages. She could not understand what she was looking at, for she did not know how to read. She had grown accustomed to the system translating her companions' words to her and felt no surprise as the meaning behind the Quest screen flooded directly into what she believed to be the space behind her eyes.
The webbing in her face parted briefly, moving with a life of its own to reveal human lips and soft flesh that strangely resembled that of Alex’s sister. And If Alex had taken a better look earlier, he would’ve thought the small section of her lower face that he’d glimpsed resembled that of old pictures of his mother that he’d seen as a child.
As Alex and John faced the notifications, the girl's human mouth split into five parts. Chitin, fangs, and mandibles lay intertwined with human flesh, and two large fangs dripped with venom as an inhuman mouth opened wide before sealing again with webbing wrapping back of its own accord.
And as it did so, the girl popped several of the glowing cores into her open maw.
Oblivious, they all stared at their notifications.