Trout's Landing.

"Phew! That sure was a tough fight!" Morty proclaimed over the now dead beast.

"Morty, Clive shot it through the eye and it died instantly." Jeb stated as Clive and Sam both wandered over to the felled beast and were checking out the fresh corpse.

"Well yeah, but that doesn't mean we have to tell everyone else that. Gotta liven it up a little! Roll around in some dirt and put a cut on your head for dramatic effect!"

"Alright, get rollin' and cuttin'." Jeb said and pointed towards the ground.

"I didn't mean me."

"Figured as much."

"What do you think it is?" Sam said as Jeb and Morty continued to argue in the background.

"A manticore." Clive stated as he poked the barrel of his gun at the scorpion tail that was still twitching.

"A what?" Sam asked and planted a solid boot on the tail to keep it from lashing out and injuring someone post-mortem.

"A manticore, at least from fantasy stuff it looks like." Clive explained.

"Well, whatever it is. It's dead now, and now we have our turkey." Sam declared.

"Do you really want to eat it?" Clive asked as he poked the dead creature.

"Waste not, want not." Sam stated and pulled a pocket knife out and made to skin and prep the beast for transport back to the lodge while Clive secured the tail.

"You know how to prep a manticore?" Clive asked.

Sam paused as the tip graced the fur of the beast before sighing.

"No. I don't. Do you?"

"No. But I think as long as we keep the tail secured to prevent it from envenoming the meat we should be fine."

"Should?" Sam asked with a questioning brow.

"This is just as new for me as it is for you." Clive said.

Sam sighed and eyed the still twitching tail that was fighting against Clive's boot before plunging the knife into the beast's flesh and began to clean and prep it as best as he could with Clive helping keep the tail as still as possible while trying to help with what he knew about manticores from their fantasy games.

"You honestly expect ME to be the one to roll around?!" Jeb asked heatedly.

"Why not?! You're already dirty! Just look at my clothes! These'll already cost a small fortune to clean!"

"Remind me again why you even came out here Morty?" Jeb asked tiredly and with no small measure of annoyance.

"I told you! I came because-SPIDER!!!" Morty cried out and swatted at Jeb's shoulder.

"Ow!" Jeb cried out as Morty continued to smack and slap his friend.

"Hold still! It's fucking huge!" Morty said and continued his assault.

Sam and Clive both sighed and continued with their fantasy butchering while Jeb managed to get far enough away from Morty to cease his assault.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"You didn't see it?! Hell forget seeing it, you didn't FEEL it?!" Morty asked incredulously.

"See and feel what?!"

"THE! SPIDER! JEB!" Morty punctuated each word as if it was supposed to be obvious.

"No, Morty. I didn't see or feel this supposed spider!" Jeb yelled.

"It was as big as my fucking hand! How did you not feel or see it?!"

"Probably because it doesn't exist!" Jeb yelled again.

"Will you two knock it off! Hard enough cuttin' this thing up without you two actin' like you're four!" Sam bellowed.

"I didn't start it!" Jeb retorted.

"Don't matter! I'm endin' it!" Sam declared before returning back to his prep work. Most organs looked the same as in any other beast. Heart, lungs, liver, kidneys. All could be ground up into a decent enough stuffing. He and Clive just hoped that none of it was weird and inedible.

Then again, he saw his son make a blue apple from nothing and he was sure as shit that the fish in the river aren't normal either. Normal had checked out a long time ago when it came to anything and everything around Jeb, Sam thought with a sad sigh. Then a tired one as Morty and Jeb resumed their arguing.

-----

Anna's Parlor.

The arachne watched the impudent wretch that had assaulted Her Lord as well as almost kill her little watcher that followed him about wherever he went. Her eyes had spotted them coming up the path and was about to take the chance to acquire some more slaves. These ones looked quite healthy, she thought when she saw them. Especially the ogres. They were durable and sturdy and would make excellent menial slaves for forges or mining. But ogres, like orcs and trolls, were notoriously ill-tempered and odds are that they would fight until they died. If she paralyzed them first they would make for a couple of particularly robust nests for several brood spawns.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The former occupant of the cave that they had claimed had fled before the first eggs could hatch. She couldn't sense the spawn and wouldn't until they hatched. But for all she knew that fat beast could be well away from her! A dozen were placed within it and if they didn't hatch close by there was a good chance that they'll hatch as feral giant spiders.

Oh well, not like they'd be any issue to her or Her Lord, she thought as she turned venomous thoughts to the pustule of a human that had earned her ire on several accounts just within first seeing him.

If it wasn't for those worthless kobolds getting in the way she would be tormenting that wretch by now. But no. The kobolds gave them passage through and up to Her Lord. From her vantage point through the eyes of her little watcher she gleamed that he was familiar with most if not all of them, and appeared to share a familial bond with at least two of them.

Which made any idea of taking them as slaves unappealing. Not like many of them would be good for anything but menial labor or as servants. The halflings and the strange looking goblin would be little better than as brief entertainment or snacks for her brood. The ogres were the ones with the most potential as slaves, but the humans were well and truly varied.

One old, four young. Three looked to be in decent enough shape while the other two were either too plump or too thin and would need to be worked carefully to see that they didn't expire under the lash. All in all, better prospects were had elsewhere along the mountains and hills of her new home as her many eyes saw some roads that ran nearby that would be good for some ambushes. There also appeared to be more of these lodges that Her Lord had taken for his own as well as places to set up camp that seemed to see regular enough interaction that she could easily wait for fresh prey to arrive.

Then that horrid human assaulted Her Lord! She was first surprised and then curious as to why he had not felled the annoying human as easily as he has done with many other insignificant beasts and creatures. Even her own watcher could tell from the tension in his body and vibrations as he spoke that Her Lord wasn't on kindly terms with the human.

"So why then not strike him down?" She muttered as she watched as the two of them continued to argue and bicker while the other two humans gutted and prepped a manticore.

Pesky beasts they were, she thought when she first spotted it. Prone to flying away from threats it deemed to great to fight or at least envenom and she had little luck luring it down into the trees or more shallow chasms and ridges. For it to come down into the forest for such a poor ambush suggested desperation. Either it had young nearby or it was starving to resort to such a clumsy display.

She wouldn't be surprised at either. She wasn't sure exactly how the magic that operated the portals and rifts worked. But it seemed to vary depending on intelligence. For those like herself and perhaps the halflings and others, there needed to be a certain measure of intent within the target. The rift wouldn't open to her, but it did for the slaves she had tormented enough for the rift to appear before.

But for simple beasts like a manticore, or even the murlocs and others, it probably didn't matter in that regard. They were but simple beasts prone to their bestial natures and habits. Sure some had a measure of intelligence to them, but they were still beasts and animals. If she killed, it was because someone or something had offended her so or because she desired to. If a manticore or giant bee killed someone, it was because it was for food or protection.

Which again brought her back to this human that annoyed her every second he spent existing. Why hadn't he been struck down? Why hadn't he been cleaved from existence? So many questions appeared to her and each one didn't have an easy answer. If any human, let alone mortal, dared act such a way in front of a god or even a demi-god there would be nothing left but a smear where they once stood.

The only explanation was that they were familiar to one another before Her Lord began to come into his divine role and thus still had a measure of attachment to him. The others he appeared to keep a friendly enough attitude towards and so she could reason enough to maintain that connection. But why this louse? Just the short amount of time she has observed him as proven that their connection could be easily severed with little if any loss to Her Lord.

Unless, she started to think. He knew that she was watching. He had to know. What if this was a way to tell her it was ok to take this one but not the others? After all. Why end your enemy's misery by simply killing them when you can spend decades being pleased by their sweet torment and agony?

She smiled and focused the outer host of her brood that stalked nearest the lodge of Her Lord and uttered but two words that would seal his fate.

"That one."

Like a ripple in a stagnant pond the edges of her influence hummed and vibrated as several of her hunters departed to carry out their Broodmother's decree while she had a burrower make its way towards their location. She smiled deliciously as she could see how to ensnare this impudent little fly.

-----

"Ok, we're done." Clive called out as he and Sam propped the now butchered manticore onto a sturdy enough tree branch so that the two of them could haul it back.

But it seemed like Jeb and Morty weren't listening as they continued to argue and shout as if the two of them were the only people around. Clive sighed, Sam sighed, they both sighed as the two argued on.

"Will you two stop it already?! Let's go!" Sam called out.

Jeb threw his hands in the air and made to follow after Clive and his pa only to pause when Morty started going off in a different direction.

"Where're you goin'?"

"You writing a book?" Morty called out.

"Just answer the damn question Morty!" Sam yelled.

"TO! TAKE! A! PISS!" Morty punctuated as he marched away.

"You do know there's restrooms back at the lodge right?" Jeb called out.

"With no running water and shit and piss that's been sitting there for God-knows how long? No thanks. If bears can piss in the woods so can I!" Morty retorted.

"You really wanna risk it after we just ran into a manticore?!" Clive yelled.

"You're more than welcome to come and hold it if it makes you feel better!" Morty retorted as he rounded a small bush to do his business behind.

"Leave him. With any luck he'll get eaten." Sam stated with a light tone before beginning to leave.

"We're really just gonna leave him?" Clive asked.

"Can't save stupid, Clive." Sam declared.

"You know I can hear you right?!" Morty called out from behind the bush.

"Well hear this then. We're leavin' so shake it and hustle up!" Sam called out before marching away with Clive and soon Jeb after a minute of debating whether to actually stay and wait for Morty or not.

Awfully tempting, Jeb thought but in the end decided to leave Morty alone. For about thirty paces. That was all though. Enough to make Morty think they actually left him but not enough to where he couldn't come and save him if/when something eventually came to eat him. Though he doubt it if that thing was around here. Predators didn't really care for sharing space and he was sure it'd be a bit before something else decided to move in.

At least that's what he thought as he spread his awareness out around him. Slowly so as to avoid the unpleasantness of last time. This far away from Anna though he was surprised to still get that weird feeling of brushing against her mind so soon. Course he chalked it up to her home being close by and some of her spiders were probably nearby. Especially several large ones that were making their way in his direction for some reason.

Could giant spiders talk, Jeb wondered as he contemplated warning Morty to get him to hurry up. He doubt it. Not like they were too chatty the last couple times he's ran into them. He felt them speeding along towards them from the tree branches above as they got closer and closer to them. He could see them as they passed by overhead. What looked like three giant huntsman spiders crawled through the branches with an eerie quietness that gave him goosebumps.

He didn't have much time to question where they were going though as two of the spiders neared the spot where Morty was doing his business and descended down with far less quiet and grace than they just showed before.

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!" Morty called out as he turned and faced the two enemies before him, unaware of the single spider that inched closer oh-so quietly from above.

Jeb wondered why the three didn't just rush Morty all at once when he remembered he still had a gun. HAD, being the word as Jeb saw the spider above Morty shoot a string of web that trapped the weapon against the tree Morty had leaned it against.

Jeb stepped a little closer to get a decent look of what was happening. Not enough for Morty to see him, but enough for Jeb to get a good idea of when/if to step in or not. If the spiders wanted Morty dead they would've killed him without potentially even alerting him that they were there. At least that's what Jeb figured as to why the spiders started to act aggressive but not actually rushing towards Morty.

"JEB?! CLIVE?! SAM?! ANYONE?!" Morty called out helplessly as he now found himself unarmed and threatened against three giant arachnids.

He should help Morty, Jeb thought. Yet he remained where he was and watched. Curious as to what the spiders had planned as he watched them as they almost seemed to be corralling him. The three spiders would hiss and shriek at Morty to keep him moving but would jump or dart nimbly before he could go in a direction that they didn't want him to. Jeb followed along from a safe distance. A passive specter as he watched his friend be led somewhere by the spiders.

He didn't have to wait long before his curiosity was sated though as his awareness picked up something large coming towards them from below the earth. Even from his spot he could feel the ground shake as whatever it was burrow their way. Morty looked around as the spiders then surrounded him and kept him in place even as Morty continued to cry out for help. Help that fell on indifferent ears as Jeb watched the ground just behind Morty explode as a giant trapdoor spider burst forth, sending several trees nearby crashing down upon their brethren as dirt and stone shot from the earth in its massive wake.

Morty didn't get to scream before the giant trapdoor spider that was probably bigger than a house screeched and the three huntsman spiders webbed Morty into a cocoon and hauled into the freshly made tunnel before he even knew what had happened.

"Huh." Jeb grunted indifferently. Well, they did warn Morty, Jeb thought as he turned around and started to make his way back towards the lodge.

It wasn't until the lodge was within sight that he paused and began to process what just happened like a human being should. His friend was just taken, and more than likely traumatized, and he barely felt a thing as he watched it all happened.

"Holy fuck." Jeb muttered as he ran a hand against his face at the realization of what he'd just done sank in.

He just let his friend get kidnapped. Sure they did warn him, and sure they haven't exactly been on good terms for a while now. But did Morty really deserve all that? Deserve to be slaving away for Anna in her dark labyrinth of tunnels?

For the life of him the answer wasn't as firm and resolute as he would've liked it to be. A friend, hell a decent human being, would've stopped him from being taken in the first place. They would've at least went after him. Yet here he was taking a leisurely stroll back as if nothing had happened.

Then there was the fact that if he returned without Morty that people would question him as to where he went. As much as the rest of them disliked Morty, Jeb doubt that they'd care for him just leaving him or even getting the idea that he had something to do with him going missing in the first place. Jeb shook his head. Holy shit, he thought as he just processed what he just thought about.

"Yeah. That's not good." Jeb stated and went to deposit his rifle with the Trap Master before wandering back out into the woods a ways. The others didn't say anything when he conjured an apple from nothing, but he wasn't sure just vanishing into thin air would have the same reaction.

So once Jeb was sure he was far enough away from the rest, he began the process of teleporting as he thought about Anna's parlor. Hopefully this indifference didn't cost Morty his life and Jeb a friend.