From below her, she heard Teacher Povari call, “Did you find them, little Guin?”
“Ah- yes!” Guin called back down to her.
“We will go now, Candidate Guin,” said the Veil Ant with red eyes. “Make haste to the Webspinner! I — we — wish you luck!” The ants dispersed and resumed their business, disappearing into the branches and leaves.
“Guin?” called Teacher Povari again.
“Yes! I’m coming down now!” Guin shouted. Shifting carefully on the branch, she got to a comfortable point, then swung herself down to the ground.
Teacher Povari clapped. “Good job! No stranger to climbing trees, then, are you? Did you find the ants?”
“Yes!” answered Guin again, clapping her hands together. “Thank you so much, Teacher! I have learned a lot today!”
“Very good!” answered the woman warmly. “Next time we meet, why don’t I teach you about some medicinal plants?”
“Yes!” With that, Guin hopped down and ran past the Gatekeeper, who was fast asleep at his post.
Trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible, she ran around behind the schoolhouse and dove into the woods, pulling up her map as she did so. According to the map, the place where the Webspinner was supposed to be wasn’t far. Running straight for it, she arrived within five minutes.
It was nice actually having directions.
The area was a nice little clearing, small, with a little pond sitting against the forest’s edge and surrounded by balsams. The pond itself wasn’t very pretty, with the look of one of those ponds that only formed after it rained. It had its own charm, though. Between Guin and the pond sat a large, rotted tree stump that she assumed was the home of the Webspinner.
As she walked up to it, however, she caught a glimpse of red from the corner of her eye.
A familiar little fox stared at her from the edge of the clearing, its beady black eyes shining in the sunlight.
Guin blinked. “Hey — you!” she said, trying not to frighten it, but it crouched and raised its paw when she stepped toward it. Putting her hands on her hips, Guin looked around and muttered, “Well, now, this is a problem. Where is your mother?” The little fox’s ears drooped as it looked at the ground. Had it understood her? “You...”
Before she could finish her thought, the fox shot off into the woods. Guin ran over to the edge of the clearing and looked for it, but it was already too late. Where ever it was, it was long gone now. “Did it understand what I asked it?” she wondered aloud. If it did, she feared what the little fox’s reaction implied. It was probably useless to go searching for it now.
Guin looked over to the stump. The little fox bothered her, but maybe there was a way to find it by asking the spirits of the forest. Going over to the stump, she called, “Webspinner? Is this the home of the Webspinner?”
She looked around. Predicting that anything with the name of ‘Webspinner’ would be a spider, she searched the delicate, beautiful webs that decorated the stump.
“You seek me, child?” an ethereal, feminine voice sounded in Guin’s head. A tiny blue spider came up and sat upon one of the broken, jagged edges of the stump. “Why do you seek me? Has someone sent you? Not many outside of the Veil would call upon the Webspinner of White Fox Forest.”
“You are the Webspinner?” asked Guin.
“I am,” came the sweet voice. “I am Selestiana, the Advisor, Webspinner in the Wood. Have you come seeking your fate? If you have come without being granted an introduction, I fear that I shall hold only ill-natured fates. You should turn back before my curse takes hold.”
“Actually, Webspinner, I have been sent to you by the Veil Ant Ji-Or-Pon, who named himself as one of the guardians of the forest, and on behalf of a horse named Giran Rune, whom Ji-Or-Pon called ‘The Watcher,’” Guin told her, her mouth fumbling a bit over the odd combinations of words.
The tiny spider tilted its head. “Then you are welcome here, child. But why would the Watcher and the Guardian have sent you to me? I cannot read their fortunes if they are not present.”
“It seems that Giran Rune had a meeting with Wise, the Great Owl, but doesn’t know where she is,” Guin explained, missing the old MMORPG system of just being able to turn in a quest for points. Remembering the details and speaking such unfamiliar names was hard! “He sent me to the Veil Ants to ask where she might be, but Ji-Or-Pon said that she hadn’t been to his... Its? Tree lately. So, he... it? Sent me here to you to ask where she might be.”
How was she supposed to gender an ant? Or a spider, for that matter. Guin looked at the Webspinner but just shrugged internally and let it go.
“I see...” the Webspinner was saying. “Did Ji-Or-Pon say anything else?”
“Anything else?” Guin wondered aloud. “Only that I should ask you about Wise’s location. He also said I should use his name to receive a reading, but I’m not sure what that means.”
The spider laughed in her head. “Then greetings be to the Candidate! I shall tell you where Wise is, for I surely know that without consulting the webs. However, allow me first to read the web of your fate, lady Candidate. Might I have a taste of your blood?”
Guin blinked. “M-My blood?”
“Yes. I must taste the blood of the individual whose fate I am to spin. It is a small amount, a small bite if you would permit. As long as you are who you say you are, it shall be over with quickly and painlessly,” said the Webspinner.
Because death was a non-factor in the tutorial instance, Guin felt she had nothing to lose. It was possible, she supposed, that she could be cursed forever, but it didn’t seem very likely. So Guin hesitantly put her finger up to the tiny blue spider. Somehow it seemed like those around them smiled as the spider took the tiny bite into her flesh. It didn’t feel like much of anything except pressure.
“Now,” said the voice. “I shall send my spiders to search for you when my web is completed. It won’t take long, so you needn’t go far.”
Given her freedom, Guin returned to where she had last seen the little fox. Shuffling through the underbrush, she made her way through the dense forest. It seemed darker than the forest that she had run through to get there, deeper, more mysterious. A shiver ran down her spine, and she rubbed at the gooseflesh on her arms that it caused.
Stolen novel; please report.
“Little fox?” she called out, taking one step at a time. Guin grew more confused with each step she took. The atmosphere was thick as if she were walking against the wind during a hurricane, but the air itself was deathly still. Turning to look back, she could still see the bright and airy clearing where the Webspinner was — she had not gone nearly as far as she felt she should have. Was it the mechanic of the instance border? she wondered, looking back into the darkness. Or...
It was a magical forest. A forest that was said to be the home of powerful creatures, and she was just a child. Level 0. But what about the fox? Her stubbornness egging her on, she pushed forward, calling out.
One step, then another. Dizziness overcame her. The world was spinning. The forest, waves of... what? Spirits — why are there no spirits here? Guin wondered as she felt her knees give out. She struggled to breathe. A flash of green. Lights? No — a pair of eyes glimmered out from a body of black fur. Oh.
Guin fell, clumsily trying to pull herself away from whatever it was. She couldn’t make out its shape. It was too dark. Her mind was too clouded. Teeth? Teeth.
“H-Hey,” she mumbled, her voice cracking. “T-This is the tutorial... y-you can’t... I just wanted to help... the little fox... I wanted to help.”
The image in front of her shattered, and the pressure drowning her broke like a fever in the night. Guin gaped at the sight of the little fox before her, its eyes glowing like fireflies. Tail between its legs, it ducked its head as its eyes dimmed back down to black.
“You!” she exclaimed, sitting up. “You did that?”
It crouched low to the ground, ears flat against its head. “Yip!” it went and bolted again. Guin sighed and pulled herself up to her feet. The dizziness was gone, but the air remained thick and unchanged.
“Hmm...”
“Candidate?” A pair of tiny voices sounded in her ears, but when Guin looked around, she saw nothing. “The Webspinner is finished. Please return to the glade.”
Guin looked off in the direction the fox had gone. Just what was it with that thing? It certainly wasn’t a normal fox — though being in the White Fox Forest, Guin would be shocked if any other animals here were ‘normal’ either. She returned to the glade and walked over to the stump where the Webspinner waited. Looking inside the hollow, she saw a new, beautifully patterned web stretching across the stump’s top. Guin had never seen such a thing. The Webspinner quietly observed her handiwork.
“It is done,” the ethereal voice proudly told her. “Before I read you your fate, I will say: Candidate, my reading is only accurate for a period of time. Should you disrupt the threads of that fate, then it will change. I shall not read it to you in the language of my forebears, nor shall I tell you the full fate I can read in my web. I shall only speak of its fortunes, paths, and the terms you may choose.”
The little blue spider seemed to look into Guin’s eyes as she spoke. “You are a Candidate. Before you lay four paths. There is the path of solitude in the ancient forests of the North, the path of mystery through the deep mists of the East, the path lined with gold in the infinite West, and the path of power in the blood-soaked South. Your fate is yours to choose. In all cases, the spirits of the wood shall call you master, and those outside the Veil shall hail you as a hero.
“The path of solitude shall turn you into a titan. Never shall you fall to an enemy; all that lay before you will be as a child’s plaything.
“The path lined with gold shall make you richer than the kings and queens of the mortal realm. You shall command man and spirit alike, controlling their every desire.
“The path of mystery.... Even I cannot say what the path of mystery will bring you.
“But the path of power shall turn you into a god, for better or ill. You shall be nothing less than a force of nature. Unlike many I have met, all paths are open to you. This world is your cradle.”
From what Guin heard, these paths sounded like the classes that would be available to her should she continue on this quest line she had discovered. Excited at the prospect, she smiled and bowed to the Webspinner.
“I think you, Lady Webspinner,” she said graciously.
“You are very welcome, Candidate,” answered the spider. “All of the spirits shall be watching you and your choices. As for the owl, Wise, I will not tell you where she is.” Guin’s mouth opened involuntarily as the spider continued, “instead, I shall send you to those who can escort you to her. It would not be proper for one such as yourself to be un-escorted before Wise.”
Though she wasn’t happy about continuing on the wild goose chase, these spirits seemed intent on sending her through. Guin nodded. “Who are they, and where should I find them?”
“They are the Three Fools of the Forest: Jeek, Ororos, and Little Lili. Idiots all, but their hearts are good. You can find them to the west of here. I shall mark your map—” There was a ping. “With that, I bid you good luck, Candidate. May the spirits of the forest treat you well.”
Quest Completed!
You have found the Webspinner, and she has told your fortune. However, she has yet to tell you the location of Wise. Now, you will have to meet others who will guide you to the owl.
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Quest Chain Updated!
Though you have found the Webspinner, she hasn’t told you where you can find Wise. Instead, she has sent you to find three others, called the Fools of the Forest, who will guide you to the owl.
This quest is OPTIONAL. It can be skipped.
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You have been offered a quest!
The Webspinner has given you a reading of fate, and very soon, you will have to choose between four paths. The choice leading to your destiny is in your hands.
This quest is OPTIONAL. It can be skipped.
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“Thank you, Webspinner!” Guin bowed, accepting both of the quests.
“It is my pleasure, Candidate. But I might add there is someone here who has something to request of you. Should he have the courage to pursue it?” the Webspinner’s voice ended in a hinting note.
Guin turned around to see none other than the little light-orange-colored baby fox, quaking in his little dark brown paws, his white-tipped tail tucked fully between his legs. Gaping at him, Guin knelt at his side.
“Yip...” he squeezed out. “Yi-Yiiiiiiiii...”
“Be calm, fox child,” spoke the soft voice of the Webspinner. “Speak the words your mother taught you.”
“Yiiii,” he tried again, looking up at Guin with watery eyes. “Yiii-p... Pi-Please... Please help my momma... P-Please - t - they... They... Yiiiiiiii....”
Guin’s brain stopped for a moment before she reached out and patted the small thing on the head. “Hey now,” she said warmly. “Don’t cry....”
“M-Momma...” he whined. “They took my momma!”