“Nope, I’m not doing it,” Gigi declared defiantly as she crossed her arms.

“Come on, Gigi, we’re already here. Besides, Secco didn’t know anything about what Jörg could be,” Drake implored. “If you are going to beat him, we are going to have to know at a bare minimum what he is.”

“But…why does it have to be her?” she hissed. Gigi eyed the foreboding door to the witch’s keep. She hated to admit it, but Drake was right. Ariana was her best bet at figuring out what Jörg was and what weaknesses that could bring with it. That didn’t mean she had to like it. Gigi felt more than a touch intimidated by Ariana. She also felt the need to jealousy guard Drake from whatever her designs were, scientific or…romantic. A feeling that had only intensified since the last time the couple was before the witch.

“We don’t even know if she’ll help us,” Drake shrugged.

“Oh, for your baby blues, she will,” Gigi mumbled. “Fine!” Gigi threw her hands up in the air. She stomped up to the door and raised her fist. The door creaked open before she could slam her fist.

“I guess we’re expected…” Drake said nervously.

“Gods, she is creepy.” Gigi shuttered and stepped through. Drake followed.

***

The pair made their way into the pitch darkness. The couple walked in and was met with the familiar, if unwelcoming, corridor. Gigi sighed and cursed how dark it was. Like before, the inky smog was different from regular darkness; it was electric with magic and alive, and she could only see a few feet before them. Then, she was nearly blinded as a fire began to burn right before her face. The flames gathered until they formed a ball that bounced in the air. It seemed to wait for them by the stairs.

“Hells! She did that on purpose!” Gigi cried, covering her now-blinking eyes.

“You okay?” Drake asked with concern. He put his arm around her.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she grumbled. “Let’s just get this over with.” Gigi rubbed the pain from her eyes, and the two followed the floating flame down the stairs. Finally, they arrived before another large door. This time, Gigi moved too quickly for it to open on its own, and she shoved it hard. The door flung open dramatically to reveal an irritated-looking Ariana at her desk. Annoyance radiated from her pink eyes as she leaned forward.

“You know it’s proper to knock, goblin?” the witch asked angrily.

“Did you know it’s rude to try and blind people?” Gigi shot back.

“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re very welcome for the lantern spell.”

“Gigi…” Drake cautioned. Gigi shot him a look of irritation and fluttered her ears. “Fine, you ask,” she said curtly as she folded her arms.

“Ariana, I have an offer for you,” Drake said wearily. Gigi looked at him in confusion. He hadn’t mentioned this before they came. There was also something about hearing Drake say Ariana’s name that made Gigi’s insides shrivel. “Gigi has a fight coming up, but we don’t really know what we’re up against.”

“A pity,” Ariana said coolly. “You mentioned an offer?” Her eyes flashed to Drake’s with keen interest.

Drake drew in a deep breath and let it out. “If you give us what we need to know about her opponent, then I’ll let you study me.”

“WHAT?!” Gigi roared as she turned to him.

Ariana seemed to consider his words. A small smile slid across her face. “Deal.”

“NO DEAL!” Gigi cried. She looked from Drake to Ariana with horror plastered on her face.

Drake turned to her. “Please? Even if you don’t trust her, trust me on this?”

“Drake, we don't know what she’s going to do to you!” Gigi pleaded.

“I intend to contact Drake’s patron god,” Ariana said, standing from her desk. “An opportunity to have direct contact with a god is exceedingly rare.” She glided over to a vast curiosity cabinet and opened it. She twirled her finger, and the shelves slid and rearranged until whatever she had been looking for presented itself before her. She plucked up the small trinket and closed the door. She walked over to them with a small black box in her hands.

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“This,” she held up the box, “is a memory weaver.” Ariana opened the polished container to unveil a tiny red spider made of gemstone. “It will save us from wasting time on the vagaries of words.”

“What in the Seven Hells are you babbling about?” Gigi asked.

Ariana sighed. “This will go in your pointed little ear and capture the memory like a fly for us. Then, it goes over to the wall and weaves a picture of what it has captured. That way, I can more easily identify what this creature is.”

Gigi stared a hole through the little red arachnid. “Yeah…no, that’s not happening.”

“I’ll do it,” Drake volunteered. “I saw him too. Let’s just get this over with.”

Ariana shrugged. “Good enough.” She snapped her fingers, and the ruby spider sprang to life. It hopped from the box and onto Drake’s shoulder. “Now picture this Jörg fellow and only Jörg. Please do your best to avoid mixing in any…private memories.”

Gigi blanched at what this little spider could pull from Drake’s thoughts. She prayed to whichever gods were listening that she wasn’t about to be looking at her own naked body.

The spider leaped from Drake’s shoulder into his ear. “Whoa, well, that feels weird.”

“Try to be still. We don’t want it to get stuck,” Ariana warned.

“Umm, is it supposed to, ugh, burn?” Drake asked.

“A little,” Ariana said with a shrug. “Should be done just about…now,” she said, holding her hand out. Drake shuttered as the ruby arachnid reappeared and hopped away. It landed gently in Ariana’s palm.

The witch brought the spider to a blank space in her library's wall. The spider threw itself with relish at the blank canvas. It quickly went to work laying down fine crystalline silk. Gigi was entranced, so she walked closer as the spider zipped from corner to corner. Before she knew it, the arachnid had finished a rendering of her nemesis in stunning detail. Drake had chosen a memory with Gigi in it after all, where she had punched Jörg in his scaly side.

“Can I keep this?” Gigi asked, slack-jawed.

“You may not. The web dissolves in a matter of hours. Now let me focus.” Ariana put her hand on her chin and concentrated.

Drake joined them by the wall. “Any luck on identifying our poisonous friend here?”

Ariana clapped her hands, “ah yes, that’s where I recognize him from. Your foe here is of the Jörmungandr.”

“The who?” asked Gigi.

“The Jörmungandr of the Serpens Sea are a people in the south under the Draconic Empire. They were once a mighty undersea kingdom. However, they tried to overreach and lay siege to islands claimed by the Draconic Empire. The kingdom took the islands, and the Draconic Empire launched a counterattack. The Empire took back the islands…then laid claim to the rest of their kingdom.”

“That’s sad,” Drake said as he stepped beside Gigi.

“Yes, yes, very sad,” Gigi said, waving her hand. That’s not what I need to know, though.”

“No, I imagine it is their poison you are more interested in. They are capable of projectile vomiting this poison as well as injecting it through their hollow point teeth and claws as venom. It has a corrosive effect, making it extremely painful. Its toxicity also makes it a highly prized ingredient for potions.”

“Can I beat the poison somehow?” Gigi asked.

Ariana laughed hard. “Was that a real question?”

Gigi scowled. She opened her mouth to tell the witch off.

“What happens if she takes a shot of it?” Drake cut in.

“Well, luckily for you, there is an antidote. However, even the slightest scratch from their venomous teeth or claws will paralyze a victim within five to ten minutes. If a victim doesn’t receive the antidote within a day, their heart will stop. The victim is, of course, paralyzed and in agony while they await death’s sweet embrace. This effect makes it an especially popular choice for revenge amongst scorned lovers.” Ariana’s pink eyes fixed on Gigi. “Excited for your fight?” Ariana smirked.

Gigi went pale. A tremor of fear ripped through her as she stared at the picture. She blindly fumbled for Drake’s hand. Her trembling fingers found him and locked on. She knew she was grabbing too tightly but couldn’t help it. If Drake minded, he didn’t say anything.

“Where do they store their poison?” Drake asked.

“An excellent question,” Ariana stepped toward the picture, “in a sac, right…here,” she said, jabbing her finger at the base of the serpent’s torso. “It looks like you were very close to hitting it. If you had, I doubt we would be having this conversation. The sac is right next to their liver, so rupturing it…well, it does bad things to them. Hopefully, your luck and aim will be better next time.” She shrugged and began to walk toward her desk.

Drake turned to Gigi with purpose in his blue eyes. “That’s where it hurts, Gigi, where you aim with your entire soul.” He raised her shaking hand and palmed it, closing it into a fist. “You were only a hair away before, Gigi. You can do this, slay that snake.”

Gigi looked into his eyes, which brimmed with faith in her. She was petrified by how deadly her nemesis had turned out to be, but she couldn’t falter now. The goblin drew a sharp breath and held it to steady herself. She noticed Ariana casually watching them from her desk. Gigi ground her teeth. No, she would not look weak in front of Ariana or anybody.

“What do we do now?” conviction filled her words.

Drake smiled and nodded. “We train.”