The queen was about twice the size of a regular taratect, most of the bulk was on her abdomen. She was fast in a straight line but not particularly maneuverable. I took advantage of the terrain and trees around the area to keep my distance.
I fired a few more arrows at her, most glanced off her carapace but one hit the mark. The queen screeched as one of her eyes was skewered. I dodged to the side behind another tree as she barreled over my previous position.
While she turned around, I made some distance and prepared a second shot. It took her a few seconds to home in on me. I fired and took out a second eye. She was down two, only six remaining. This time, the queen kept her distance and we slowly circled each other.
I felt an arrow whistle nearby and took my eyes off the queen for an instant. Vel had killed a spider that had been ready to ambush me from behind. It had been all the distraction the queen needed, I barely managed to avoid the fangs that were bearing down on me. A leg swiped from the left and I rolled under the queen.
That unexpected move gave me just enough surprise to shove my dagger in her thorax, the blade got stuck but disabled two of her legs in return. She tried to stab me with her fangs but I managed to kick them away with a hair's breadth of margin.
My heart was thumping in my ears. Being in close combat with a spider that big was not my idea of a good time. Two arrows from Vel managed to hit the back of her head. It gave me the space I needed to step back and fire my own. From up close, the arrow sunk deep and I saw the queen flinch. She was slowly flagging.
Her next lunge was easily avoided, her disabled legs slowing the spider down. I fired my last arrow but it only scratched her. I hoped Vel was not out as well.
In the end, it was a single misstep that got me. I slipped on a worker corpse that was obscured by the vegetation and stumbled. The queen charged and managed to get on top of me. I parried her fangs with my left arm. The razor sharp fangs pierced through my arm guard and I felt the poison pump into my muscles, the slow prickling pain spreading from the wounds.
I managed to kick the queen off before she could inject everything. We needed to kill her quickly, I had a few doses of anti-venom in my pouch and some health potions but fumbling with phials in combat was a bad idea.
The queen was on her last breath. I watched as an arrow from Vel managed to pierce one more eye and sink deep into the monster's head. Before it could react, I closed the distance and managed to flip the already unsteady queen over with a well placed kick. With my knife nearby, I ripped it out and stabbed at the joint between the thorax and head.
The struggle stopped after five stabs, the queen gave one last screech and her legs curled in on themselves.
I immediately dropped my dagger and pulled out the potions. The anti-venom tasted like shit but I felt the pain from the poison inside of me slowly recede. I chased it off with two small health potions and a stamina recovery potion.
"Lis," Velatha almost tackled me to the ground, "you're okay?"
"Let me check," I said and pulled up my status.
Name
Liscura Van-Niu
Ancestry
Dark Elf
Status
Level 21 (Rank 2) | 65 Essence
Health: 246/590 (+78%/h)
Stamina: 569/810 (+110%/h)
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Mana: 1780/1880 (+170%/h)
Focus: 0/114
Effects
Potion Toxicity (12%, 2h 52m)
"All good," I said and returned her hug, "anti-venom did its job."
"The workers and hunters stopped coming," Vel said, "most probably fled."
"Let's harvest the queen and get the hell out, I need a bath."
I had gained three levels from clearing the nest and killing the queen, goal accomplished. The details would have to wait until I was back to the village.
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The way back to the village was quieter. The massive fire from the nest had likely scared any other predator away. The clearing was large enough that it was unlikely the fire would spread and from the clouds forming near the cavern ceiling, some rain was due soon either way.
When we reached the gate, the guard welcomed us back. Our first stop was the healer building, Vel and I unloaded our respective collections of ingredients into the storeroom. I took the opportunity to restock on potions as well.
"Ah, my favorite duo," Breknir said as we entered the main room, "I see that your expedition was fruitful. Any injuries?"
"Got bit by the queen," I showed him my arm and the fang marks, "anti-venom worked but it was not fun."
"No, I imagine not," he said with a frown, "let me take care of it."
He ran his hand along my forearm and a golden light seeped into my skin. The health potion had patched the holes but I knew the tissue underneath would need time to properly heal. It was a testament to Breknir's skill as a healer that the spell left no visible mark. It was as if I had never been bitten in the first place.
"Thank you," I said with a smile.
"Ah, anything for my favorite apprentice," I batted his hand away as he ruffled my hair.
I made a quick retreat with Vel in tow.
"I will keep you informed about the class ceremony," I heard Breknir say with a chuckle as we rounded the corner.
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In the middle of the day, the baths were mostly empty. Vel and I leaned against each other for a while, just enjoying each other's presence. After half an hour, I decided to finally check all the system messages I had been ignoring.
> Your group has defeated [Juvenile Taratect Worker (Level 1-9, Rank 1)] x 16
> Your group has defeated [Juvenile Taratect Hunter (Level 12-14, Rank 1)] x 12
> Experience gain reduced by 20% for fighting with a group
> Experience gain reduced by 10% for fighting a familiar enemy
> Essence Absorption collected 28 ES
>
> Reached Level 19 (Rank 1)
> Gained: 3 ES
>
> Your group has defeated [Juvenile Taratect Queen (Level 23, Rank 2)]
> Experience gain reduced by 20% for fighting with a group
> Experience gain increased by 50% for dangerous encounter
> Experience gain increased by 50% for defeating a monster above your rank
> Essence Absorption collected 2 ES
>
> Reached Level 20 (Rank 2)
> Gained: 20 ES, Primary Class Slot, Secondary Class Slot
>
> Reached Level 21 (Rank 2)
> Gained: 3 ES
I whistled at the carnage we had unleashed.
"That was a lot of spiders," I said.
And a lot of essence, I thought. I was higher than where I had started.
"I went through my entire quiver twice," Vel said.
"Thank Gaia the fire killed the bulk of them too."
"The queen was pretty high level too. I didn't know you could find rank two monsters inside the barrier."
"It was still a juvenile," I said, "Normally queens evolve from the older forms."
"Maybe it's a new evolution, would make sense for them to adapt."
"We should report to the scouts I think."
Vel nodded and pulled me in closer for a kiss. It was pretty clear the fight with the queen had reopened a fresh wound. I spent some time reassuring her that I wouldn't take stupid risks again, and that I'd be more careful of where I stepped.
"I saw you got three levels out of it."
"I did, I'm rank two now," I said with a smug smile.
Vel pulled me into a close hug and softly kissed my neck. I ran my hand through her hair. I shelved the idea of picking a class for later, first I had a girlfriend to tend to. We had plenty of time after all.
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The scout's headquarter was located near the main gate, it was a squat building with a tall tower which housed their messenger birds. The office was located at the back of the building and Vel and I had to get out of the way of a few scouts in a hurry on the way there.
"Liscura, Velatha," Alea greeted us when we entered her office, "I heard your hunt was successful, congratulations. What brings you here?"
"When clearing the nest," I started, "we encountered a taratect queen," Alea raised an eyebrow. "Identify marked her a Juvenile Taratect Queen, rank two, level three."
"Are you certain about this?" She asked. I nodded.
"I can confirm it," Vel added, "my Identify showed the same."
"This is worrying," Alea said, "rank two monsters shouldn't be able to enter the outer barrier."
"Does it protect against a monster evolving while within the barrier?" I asked.
"It should," she said, "I will send a messenger to Nis and request the help of Lysanthir to check the anchors."
It looked like things were in good hands.
"Thank you for the report," she continued, "we'll handle it from there."
We bade our goodbye to Alea and returned to my house for the rest of the day.