Chapter 1 - Three Rolling Stones

In a dark cavern somewhere in the Shuru Mountains...

"Behind you, another one!"

A voice rang out in warning as a grotesque eight-legged creature creeped up behind a girl in white flowing clothes. Her alluring face shifted into a frown as she quickly looked up - not towards the creature, but the source of the voice.

The spider acted during this moment of presumed carelessness. It screeched and threw its body towards the figure in white. As light fell on it through a hole in the ceiling, a frame as tall as a man and wide as many was revealed. A sickening crunch rang out. Blood flowed down its hideous maw.

But was it the girl's?

"Huaap!"

The spider was flipped over to a side, and the girl appeared, stuck to its abdomen by means of a hand dug into its meaty underside. Her clothes remained fair except for the sleeve, which was now stained green from the wound. As she pulled her hand free, the drenched cloth tore to reveal underneath... an unexpectedly muscular forearm. It wasn't bulky, but the rippling strength contained within was visible at a glance.

It drew a stark contrast with her face, which was alluring enough to cause a war among nations. But with her musculature, perhaps even a village marrying her off would have to pay a hearty dowry.

Realising that half her arm was left uncovered, the frown on the girl's face deepened as she gave the nearby carcass an angry kick. She then yelled back to the man who had warned her before, "Do you think you need to tell me, Ma?"

'Ah, her sleeve... poor spiders...' thought the tanned young man named Ma.

However, he didn't get a chance to open his mouth again.

"Help..." came a whisper, nearly indiscernible among the screeches echoing in the cavern.

Siha Ma shifted his gaze towards the source of the voice, while keeping one eye on his own foe.

"Sha!" exclaimed Siha Ma. He was seeing the robed figure of his friend flitting between life and death as two dozen hairy legs assaulted him from impossible angles. "At least shout by how much crap you're in. Sis, help him! I can barely handle this one."

Siha Ma's own sword couldn't penetrate the carapace of his foe in any short time. He tried to get below it or go around more than once, but the damned thing stuck close to the ground and relied on its appendages to fight. He was stuck!

And while Siha Ma could only watch on, the robed figure was in a place full of opportunity for death, able to cling to life by relying on his treasure set of twenty needles. As he deflected the claims at his life he could not avoid, the strain on his vast mental energies worsened, and he continued to sustain minor wounds.

"H-Honey! I'm coming!" cried out the girl, her frown giving way to worry's visage.

'Such a form of address... What would the spiders think?' joked Siha Ma to himself. Although they faced strong foes, both of their abilities were better not scoffed at. As for Wang Du, the girl rushed towards her "honey" with giant, inhuman leaps that left cracks on the grey stone floor disproportionate to her size.

'Ah, is this the gracefulness of immortals?' thought Siha Ma, before turning serious in a moment. 'However, it is fortunate that Sis is here with us. Both Sha's weapon and mine are no good against this many spiders. But she should just be able to-'

And right then, as if unwilling to remain mere thought, his expectations rushed to become reality. The girl neared a spider and threw a fist at it. It almost looked comical until, combined with her momentum, the fist penetrated with a crunch and a squelch until she was stuck up to her elbow. With a cute shout of exertion, she swung that arm, and the spider along with it, smashing it into another one of the fiends. Both went flying but it left the girl gasping for a good ten seconds.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

However, she wasn't worried about the third grey spider. Yan Sha loomed above it like a hurricane at coast. Perhaps the foolish creature thought it had an upperhand, six to be exact. But man had wit, and man had tools. The needles fought its limbs two-for-one, which still left four that the robed figure devoted to a continuous assault on its many eyes.

It took a little longer to spill its brain than what it took for the other spider to rush back, but the difference was covered by the girl, whose casual blows left cracks beneath its grey hair.

Only two now remained, one against each man, and adding to the three killed before, it would amount to seven carcasses in a few moments, as they had crushed a couple of them before being ambushed.

When put at a disadvantage, Spirit Monstrosities such as these would choose to flee. But these maddened freaks just kept on coming. Yet their efforts were in vain. Outnumbered, the grotesque being lasted not much longer.

As the three regrouped, Wang Du sat down to rest for a moment. She pulled the most weight in the fight and swallowed mouthfuls of air to show it. Although they were in a hurry, punctuality wouldn't help save their asses if they got ambushed again. Yan Sha, however spent his mind was, kept vigilance nearby.

"Sis, can't you keep going? Although spider-kin are known to store their prey for some time, pondering of her fate worries me."

"Ma, you... you know it might be too late, right? The villagers said she got lost a day ago. Even though we found this place..." She didn't continue, but her tone forebode a gritty result to the ordeal.

"...Of course, Sis. But didn't I make a promise to her mother that we'd find her? It is against what I believe in to let a poor thing like her die in vain." Having made his stance clear, Siha Ma stood quiet, a practiced smile, which contradicted his words, was plastered upon his brown face.

"What is the Shu Clan thinking? Sending children to gather spirit herbs in this mountain is nigh murder..." Flicking a rock in frustration, Wang Du grumbled. The projectile, small as it was, met its end as a thousand pieces shooting away from the cavern wall.

Seeing them both turn silent, Yan Sha spoke up to mediate. "It isn't their fault. With Shu Nan being of age sixty this year and still stuck at the 6th Layer, their only hope is to nurture a new leader. Annoyed as you may be, Du-" she blushed a little with how he addressed her"- their circumstance is Master's concern. As for you, Ma...

"Let your sister rest. The seven we slayed shared a similar size, and so it worries me that a progenitor may lurk nearby. To have a brood reach the strength of 6th Layer as a collective, we are looking at a fearsome opponent. We will need her strength if we are to flee in such a situation.

"Not to mention... didn't you see how crazed those spiders were? Spirit Monstrosities know to retreat when outmatched. Yet the seventh kept coming at me. I'd have suggested we leave if I didn't know you better, Ma."

The reason within his friend's voice convinced Siha Ma. He pestered Wang Du no more, and instead focused on recovering his strength. The girl, on the other hand, grumbled a little before taking out a strip of cloth to cover her missing sleeves. She also took out a wooden cylinderical container from the bag on her waist. Within, a white cream was revealed. Without ceremony, she grabbed Siha Ma's arms and began applying the spirit medicine.

However, just as the conversation fell to a lull, the ground began to shake; it was imperceptible at first but grew more noticeable by the moment. The girl was the first to frown, followed shortly by the robed figure.

She put her ear to the ground, and as consequence of not letting go of Siha Ma's arms, pulled him to the ground as well.

"Something is coming!"

Two voices rang out; one panicked and the other unhurried.

Whatever was coming clearly cared for punctuality more than they did. Only a moment passed before a wall tens of meters away burst outwards toward them, showering them with rocks.