My eyes flew open in panic. I tried to move but couldn't. My face was wrapped in cobwebs so I couldn't see, but I realized I was being carried by many tiny claws. They led me round and round, then up and further up, scaling a wall; hinted by the direction of gravity. I croaked out a muffled scream of fear as I imagined falling but the claws had a sharp strong grip. My body shivered in horror as I tried to stay still least they lost hold of me.
Then abruptly we were back to the ground and I was led round and round again before everything changed so suddenly as I was tossed to the ground. Tiny claws started cutting my binds. Once my hands were free, I used them to tear the cobweb covering my face.
The spiders drew back from me quickly. Blinking, I took in the room. It was a wide cavern with fire colored orbs on the walls and ceiling brightening the place like lamps.
All around the cavern spiders spread out. On the ceiling, on stalactites, on walls, on the ground... except for the small circle around me. "What the fuck?" I groaned in fear, reaching for an arrow with shaky hand. Luckily I'd never let go of the bow, and the quiver was still on my waist. I nocked an arrow and drew, eyes darting around the room. I saw several level 50s spiders and up, even a level 96, but none above. Though that was little consolation.
Deep down I know I am screwed but I won't give up, not without a fight. "Don't come close," I said. Oh fuck, would they even listen?
"That's not the way to go about it," a voice said. I jerked to look at the back of the room where something was rapidly approaching. Something large.
"Who are you?" I scrambled to my feet.
"I am called Dunee, the queen of spiders." The creature appeared into the light. A giant black hairy spider as big as a house. Its four red eyes stared down at me from across the room. I found my throat drying and my hands trembling at the pure horrifying majesty. It was the scariest thing I have ever seen.
"What do you want with me?" I asked. Somehow.
"An excellent question," I realized the spiders were parting a way for 'Dunee' to come over.
"Stay back!" I snarled leveling my aim at the creature.
"Do you really think that will help you?" The spider sounded amused. As if on cue I glimpsed at the giant bar floating above its head. [Spiderqueen Lv1269]
"Oh shit," I said, that's like a thausand levels higher than me. The defeat made me lower my bow.
"Good girl," the spider coed. I said no more and just watched as it -or she?- stopped before me. Four eyes blinked at me. "First, I'll like to apologize for how roughly you were brought here but we didn't have much of a choice."
The spider has a distinct female voice that vibrated all over the place. "I don't understand," I said.
"I know," the spider nodded, "but I just have a question then we can get you back to your friends,"
"Sure," I took a deep breath, "anything to do that," I was ready to answer everything I know about Camp. That must be what the spider wants right? Cause they keep hunting her kind. Maybe she wants revenge or a way to stop people from delving into the dungeon.
"What's in your pocket?"
"What?"
The spiderqueen stooped down so she stared at me, almost eye level. Her mouth moved. "That's my question human, I am very curious about it, what's in your pocket?"
What's in my pocket? I wondered that too. What could possibly be in my pocket that could interest a giant monster? I suddenly realized this was all rediculous. I was abducted by a talking giant spider that just wants to ask something stupid. I started feeling faint. "That's why you brought me here!? To ask what's in my fucking pocket?"
"Yes," the spider circled around me, knocking down her smaller brethren. "I felt its presence, like a god. What could you possibly have that could bend the All Power so? What powerful creature is hiding in your pocket?"
"Creature?" I blinked. Wait, Groove?
"Aha! You remember, tell me,"
"Why do you want to know?"
"Because I am curious. We do not have much time, human, I must return you... Do you know how many rules I broke just to get you here? So, TELL ME!"
I found my mind turning, working in overdrive as I took in the implications of her words. Rules, there's a rule binding her. Yes she could break it but that also meant she couldn't just do anything to me without repercussion. I might be wrong here but I reasoned I'd have to take a risk in the end. Cause I doubt this giant spider would bother talking to me if killing me was a feasible option. In truth, I could just show her, but what would be the fun in that? What would I gain? How would I gain?
"No," I whispered before I could chicken out.
"What did you say!?" The spiderqueen screamed. "Repeat that human and I'll tear you to a thousand pieces! Now, SHOW ME!"
"That's not how it works," I insisted. She glowered at me making me draw back with a squeak. "A trade!" I insisted. "Yeah, that's how it works spiderqueen! And an oath that you'll only see and not touch the creature, plus you'll have to return me to my friends alive and well after." I started bringing out any bullshit I'd read in novels.
The spiderqueen glared at me for some time then nodded. "Very well, an oath I can do, but what will you want as a trade?"
"You'll owe me a favor?"
"No, no favors. However, I can give you something of value. Infact, something you'll need to survive..."
"Let me see it first,"
"Very well," The spider waved its front limbs making the air shimmer. A purse sized pouch appeared in the air and dropped towards the ground. I caught it before it did. "What's this?"
"Check inside,"
I gave the spider a skeptical look before thrusting my had into the bag, I came up to empty space as if I'd put my hand into a hole. Feeling around, I touched something then wrapped my hand around it and brought it out. It was a bow. Golden in color with intricate design on its shaft. "The Golden dragon," Dunee, the giant spider, chipped. "You can't equip it now till you reach level 30 but it's a very powerful weapon, do you want it?"
I had falling in love with the weapon at first glance. "Yeah," I nodded grinning.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
The spider leaned closer till she was only an inch away from me. "Show me," she whispered. Blowing hot air to my face that made my hair scatter.
I skittered back. "Okay geez," I said, then reached beneath my leather armor into my pocket and grabbed Groove, pulling him out. The creature squirmed in my hand then settled down with sullen resignation. The spiderqueen stared at it with glowing eyes as I held it out for her inspection.
"Impossible," she shrieked drawing back. The reactions was so abrupt that it startled me and the other spiders. "Where did you find this girl!?" She sounded aghast, horrified, and confused.
I frowned. "Someone gave it to me,"
"That someone is not alive, I believe?"
"Maybe, what about it?"
The spider paused to stare at me. "Hide that little thing girl, hide it like your life depends on it, which it does, then maybe you'll live long enough.... The bag I gave you can hide it's presence from sensitive beings..."
"I don't understand..."
"You don't have to, leave, now!" the spider said then turned to her brethren and hissed. A giant spider the size of a car scuttled forward. "Get on it, it'll take you back, and put that lizard away!" The spiderqueen turned and went away.
I stood frozen for a moment before deciding to trust the spiderqueen. I pushed my hand into the pouch to my fore arm till I touched the bottom before nodding. I first threw in the bow then eased Groove in, before hiding the pouch in my pocket. It wasn't that big when not stretched and didn't look inflated by its content.
After that I climbed atop the waiting spider as instructed. "Never take it out of that bag in the dungeon or anywhere with someone powerful," the spider's voice came.
"Why? What's this thing?" I shouted over the other spiders. No reply came and the spider beneath me started moving. I grabbed its fur reflexively and rode it out of the chamber. We appeared atop a cliff with a dark and swirling bottom. The little blue lights above didn't come close brightening it.
It was surreal.
I went round and round the cliff atop the giant spider, descending through a set of stairs cut into the cliff's wall. Then when the stairs were gone, the spider took me over the edge of the cliff and started crawling down. I stared into the abyss below, eyes wide in terror. By the time we reached the ground I was feeling like puking.
We came out of a shaft by the wall and the spider landed on the floor in a room with orange orbs brightening it. Looking around, this was surely the Lower Floors.
The spider shook its body and I jumped off. I turned to look at it sullenly, atop its head floated [Hellspider lv118]. It was the bastard that captured me. It turned and scaled up the wall back towards the higher floors quietly. I stared up into the darkness of the shaft we appeared from before turning around with a sigh to go find my party.
As I went up the corridor I wondered if we should continue hunting at this point or if we should withdraw because it might offend the spiderqueen. But since she didn't warn about it, I think it's alright.
Besides there is some kind of game at play in the dungeon, some alien law guarding it, probably the All Power. That law wants us to hunt. Encouragees us with floors and rewards. For what end? That's remains to be seen. But the spiderqueen won't get in the way of that.
I checked the time first. [03/12PM]. Yeah I still have time. I picked my way silently up the hallway, watching out for traps. I noticed a spike trap in the middle of the corridor- telling by the holes in the ground- so I had to squeeze against the wall to walk past it.
As I inched close to an intersection I heard the sound of scuttling so I nocked two arrows and turned over the left. The spider was in the middle of this corridor, I aimed and shot. The two arrows struck it on the head breaking it to light particles---- I absorbed the orb it dropped before moving on.
In the next hallway I found two spiders scuttling on the ceiling. They were both level 2 so I had to fight for a little bit to take them out. I absorbed their orbs too. So far I'd absorbed nine orbs but half of those are level ones. I'd need about twelve level 2 orbs to level up by the way, therefore double that for level ones.
I killed two more level 1 spiders before I started hearing the sound of combat. My party! I continued in my pace, studying everything before I go forward.
Bumping into a level 3 spider in the ceiling just as I came into a corridor, I didn't hesitate as I dove forward to invade its swooping pounce, before turning over my shoulder and pulled my bow. The arrow meant for its head struck it in the body as it moved to evade. I shot two more arrows before I was done with it, decorating its head like a porcupine. Then I snuck forward.
The sound of combat increased as I drew closer; Sound of explosions and grunts amid shrieks and scuttling of monsters. I could hear them saying something.
I peered over the corner to see the backs of several hellspiders swarming towards a room where orange light kept flashing. I glimpsed movement through the door. My party seemed to be trapped in an abush room. Ambush rooms are rooms usually found in the lower floors that let monsters swarm you from different corridors. This corridor I was perching in is probably one of many leading to the room.
What about Bridget? Can't she help? First thing first, let's clear out the hallway.
I drew three arrows firing at the spiders, killing two in an instance. Puny level 1s. There was a moment of confusion as the stupid spiders didn't know I where I was attacking from. Taking a deep breath, I pulled out another three arrows and shot. This time the spiders tracked where the attack came from and turned around. But I'd reduced their numbers by more than half already.
There were just three of them left of the seven prior. Just as I drew another three arrows and was about to shoot I heard a scratching sound behind and spun just in time to see a spider coming from behind me. Only instinct and my skill saved me as the world suddenly slowed and I moved away. The monster pounced at empty air, but my skill wasn't done. The world was still slowing, till all the spiders were stuck in their positions moving as if through a viscous field.
Reacting quickly. I started shooting, taking them all out starting from the one that ambushed me. I dropped them one by one before my MP ran out. In fact the last one just fell when my Mana ran out. I felt my quiver, no arrows too. Dumb luck. If one of the two had ran out a moment earlier I'd probably have found it harder to survive.
After recycling my arrows, I hurried into the room. My party was just finishing up their fight when I appeared and put an arrow each into two Hellspiders. Holden took out the last with a punch, it broke into pieces of light. Then everyone turned to me.
"Sam!" Sid said with wide eyes. Only how much I know her saved me. I know for a fact Sid wouldn't welcome me with this much enthusiasm even if the world ended so I turned around in irritation to see a giant spider crawling up the hallway towards me. I drew two arrows and shot at it. It barely slowed it. I looked up above its head. [Level 3]
I shot another, then another, but it kept gaining space. Next I shot at its leg taking it out from under it. But still it kept crawling on its stomach, shrieking as it came for me like a fucking zombie. It was horrifying.
Just as it drew before me though, Sky appeared next to me all of a sudden and swung down her sword. With a bang and spray of light it bursted into pieces. There was a moment when the puss and mucus like entrails rained down on us. Then everything turned into light and washed away with the wind, leaving us relatively clean.
I turned to Sky. "Thanks,"
She grinned. "You are welcome princess,"
"What happened here?" I looked around and asked. Taking in the sheer number of monster orbs scattered around.
Sid walked over. "We should be asking you that," she said studying me. "After the spider took you away we decided to clear this floor and rescue you, but I failed to recognize this as an ambush room and got swarmed. What happened? How did you get away?"
"Well the spider dragged me around and just dropped me and left," I shrugged. They gave me skeptical looks but I ignored them. "What about Bridget?"
"We don't know," Holden said looking anxious. "We should get the hell out of here, I think the scene is broken,"
"Broken?"
"Yes, I never seen one until now but I have heard stuffs. Sometimes a scene misbehaves, like how we saw that level 118,"
The three's expression turned bad at the mention of the spider that abducted me. "I agree with the Tank," Sky said. "Maybe we'd have enough adventure for today eh?"
I'd been planning on clearing this floor but it couldn't be helped. "Fine," I nodded. "We should gather the orbs and share before that,"
"Aye captain!"
I watched Sky went off with her bubbly enthusiasm then sighed. Turning, I saw Sid looking at me and knew she's trying to piece what really happened. Not that she can ever guess. I gave her a smug look at that thought.
A sigh of relieve escaped my lips as I walked out of the portal into the clearing of the forest. Sid, Sky and Holden soon followed, all of them looking relieved to have escaped the dungeon. I spotted Bridget sitting under a tree. She immediately sprang up and walked over. "What happened?" She asked sounding worried. Of course relative to her usual Automaton monotone.
"It's a long story," I sighed tiredly. "Why did you just leave anyway?"
"I didn't leave. The dungeon sent me out and wouldn't let me back in."
"As I thought, it was a broken scene!" Holden exclaimed, nodding to himself.
"What do you want to do now?" Bridget questioned staring at the portal.
I looked at the others, they nodded. "We'd like to call it a day," I told her.
The automaton looked relieved as well. "Sure, let's return,"
Thus came the end my first dungeoning experience.
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