Lore/Story For The Wynn (18)

Spoiler: Long Lost

‘Are those...’ The blondie stopped as they looked around the first cavern. She saw a few spiders about to pounce them from above as she used a Charge spell to push them out of harm’s way. They skidded to a stop next to a pulsating green egg. Green eggs that are the size of a human head were everywhere, some were on the ground, while others were attached to the ceiling by webs. As their gaze moved further upwards, they could see a gigantic web that stretched across the cavern above them, acting as a ceiling. Numerous devoured soldiers and travellers, from young to old laid everywhere in the small cave. Only their armoured skeletons alongside their weapons remained, trophies for the nest. Krisstal wondered hadn’t they rescued the people in the woods, their remains would be here instead, a sad and cruel destiny. She was glad they were able to save them then, but now the danger of being spider food was now upon both of them.


Several giant mushrooms grew so big the spiders found them excellent shelter to protect their eggs. It was a gruesome sight to behold as Reygina remembered something Captain Enduyn had said to them before he left. ‘This place was previously a natural cavern on the outskirts of Nivla forest, but it seems this has quickly become the one of the largest infestation of arachnids the province has ever seen due to the lava’s heat and warmth. Be careful and don’t wander too far in, those who enter a spider’s nest are most certainly never found again. Not until the nest was destroyed. Careful of the Spiderlings and Snapjaw Spiders as well, these rarely leave the nest but are just as dangerous when encountered.’ Reygina shuddered at the sight of spider eggs, in one of them she could see a small Young Forest Spider ready to burst out.

The spiders’ red eyes glared at the two girls menacingly, angry that they have trespassed their secret territory. Spinwarp Spiders shoot poison blasts at them, forcing them to enter deeper into the cavern and away from the exit. Spitter Spiderlings spat web fluid at them as the Eerie Spiderlings teamed up with the adults, desperate to sink their fangs into their skin and inject the lethal poison. The spiderlings, although smaller in comparison, were still at least the size of a fist and just as ferocious.


‘How are the eggs so large but the spiderlings so small…’ Krisstal wondered. Her answer came when a spider egg next to her exploded, and out of it came several Eerie Spiderlings and Spitter Spiderlings. ‘So one egg houses multiple spiders. That explained how the number of spiders came to grow so large so fast.’


One of her spells accidentally exploded a spider egg that wasn’t pulsating with warmth, its revolting contents spilled out. Krisstal’s scream echoed through the caravan as she saw things stirring from the egg, as the most horrifying creatures she had ever seen slowly inched their way towards her.


If Reygina ever thought the Guard Spiders were sickening, the Premature Creeplings were even worse. They were basically spiders that had hatched before the right time or looked nothing like a spider at all, possibly due to corruption somewhere mutating the spiders and their eggs. This is a large cavern after all, so she didn’t find it unbelievable spiders may have accidentally stumbled upon a corruption spike as they made their nest.


The spiders drove them to a corner, the farthest away from the entrance. ‘We’re surrounded!’ They braced for the inevitable but nothing happened, the spiders instead just looked at them as if they hadn't seen a human being before.


‘Why aren’t they attacking?’ Krisstal asked while on high alert, ready to unleash a spell at the first sign of hostility. However, the spiders stayed silent, it was as if time had frozen them in place.


She soon got her answer. From the numerous small burrows that could easily fit a spider echoed the Arakadicus’s hiss. ‘Oh, it seems I have guests. You're both just in time for dinner... hehe… My poor babies are starving. But what shall they feast on? How about... you?’


Guard spiders from outside the entrance shoved dirt and gravel to seal the entrance and binding the earth together with webs. Reygina noticed it and grabbed Krisstal’s hand, but before they could teleport away, the spiders fired webs at their feet, distracting Reygina from doing the hand signs for the spell. Krisstal quickly used a Bash spell to free themselves, but the spiders shot poison and fangs at them, forcing her to change direction and away from their target. They dodged the attacks and made their way to the entrance but by then they had been sealed inside.


With their way out blocked, the girls had their backs against each other, ready to defend each other’s flanks from the spiders that had surrounded them. ‘But this won’t be fun for me. Instead, I’m going to give you a chance to get out of here. If you manage to slay twenty-six spiders with a yellow mark on their back, you may proceed to the next room. Let’s see if you’re as good as the humans say.’


A high-pitched scream echoed throughout the cavern as the spiders charged at them. Saw-tooth Spider spiders shooting their fangs, Stalker Spiders dropped from above to attack, Spinwarp Spiders try to spray them with deadly poison.


‘Reygina!’ Krisstal shouted as she batted away a spider with her spear. ‘You destroy the marked spiders. I’ll protect you!’


‘Alright!’ She healed them for good measure before teleporting to a higher level to better survey the spiders. She knew something was up when she saw no marked spiders on the ground.


‘Should have known it wouldn’t be this easy.’ She could hear a spider hissing above her as she blasted upwards, knocking a spider off from one of the burrows within the cavern. Reygina let out a small cheer when she saw it was a yellow marked spider that she had hit. Her eyes focused on the many holes at nearby walls and the giant web ceiling as she scanned the area, quickly finding two on her left. With a quick teleportation, she blasted them with her wand while knocking one of them right at Krisstal. Krisstal automatically exploded it to bits with her Bash spell as if she had read her mind.


The girls worked together in sync and switched their roles when necessary. No sooner had they managed to kill twenty-six marked spiders when a large hiss once again filled the carven. The spiders stopped their attacks as the recruits used the opportunity to take a rest. ‘Hehe… this is but a test. The challenges ahead are more gruelling than this one.’ The spiders retreated as a session of the caravan came loose, revealing the way the Arakadicus wanted them to go.


‘Only one path to go,’ Krisstal pushed some hair from her face, frowning. ‘We better hurry before they trap us in here.’


‘It doesn’t look like a promising idea.’ The mage remarked as she healed them. Her fingers nervously wove around her staff.


‘No, but it’s the only thing we can do now.’ Krisstal reluctantly agreed as they explored the new opening.


They travelled through the newly revealed passage that was only held together only by webs and silk, as if even the slightest disturbance to the earth will cause the whole thing to collapse. They marched on until they found themselves above the giant web ceiling.


‘Woah…’ Some spiders began moving the armour pieces and skeletons on the giant web, placing them in a manner as if they were making a path for the soldiers to walk on. ‘You don’t think…’


‘For your second challenge, you parkour over the armour pieces and skeletons till you reach the other side. You are strongly recommended to touch on the giant web which signals to us your willingness to become food.’ The spider queen said. Since the cave system was so big, Reygina had a hard time pinpointing the queen’s exact location ever since they started. The spider’s voice seemed to originate from everywhere at the same time. She could see their destination far, far ahead, barely visible were if not a nearby lava stream.

Reygina shuddered in disgust as she saw the spiders finish placing their pathway, then quickly retreated into the burrows or continued with their tasks, whatever it may be. ‘I doubt we could simply teleport and charge our way forward, even if we use our spells as much as we could. We wouldn’t be able to cover the distance needed, even if we alternate our mobility spells together. Besides, once we stop, our combined momentum would send us crashing into the giant web.’ She let out a sigh as the spiders shot out strings of web that connects the giant web below to the ceiling above, creating an added layer of obstacle. It is clear in some places they couldn’t just simply move ahead in a straight line, they had to leap in a zigzag pattern.


Krisstal nodded after listening to her advice. ‘We better keep going as we’re told then.’ She took a deep breath before jumping down, landing on an iron chestplate. Even if it's good armour to have now, she knew she couldn’t remove the only platform they have, which has barely enough space to stand on, even for one person. ‘Reygina’s observation were spot on.’ They wouldn’t be able to land anywhere, there wasn’t even enough foothold.


Her thoughts were disturbed when she saw herself sinking slowly towards the web. She quickly jumped on the ribcage in front of her before seeing the web below the iron armour slowly straightened. ‘So we can’t stay on anything for more than a few seconds…’


She quickly signalled Reygina to move fast before she hopped onto the next foothold, this time a pair of leather leggings. Reygina followed behind, signalling her back that she will be careful. Krisstal was about to jump forward when a Stalker Spider, hidden from view under its reflective web pulled on the web that held the piece of helmet she was going to land on. It moved out of place by just a few centimetres, but enough to make her lose balance and fall. Krisstal gasped in horror as she feared she wouldn’t land steadily on the next item.


Reygina, thinking fast, took off her helmet and tossed it right under the warrior’s foot so she could step on both helmets, preventing her foot from sticking onto the giant web. The spider hissed in annoyance when it realised it had failed to capture her and hastily left its place before the girls could notice its location.


‘Th… thanks.’ The warrior tried her best to control her breathing as soon as possible while hopping forward at the same time. ‘I almost…’


‘The webbed moved on its own, it’s not your fault.’ Reygina replied, landing on her helmet. She doubted she could pick it up again and decided to leave it where it was. Krisstal’s life is worth it.


‘Salted…’ She cursed when she realized the spiders were what caused her near disaster. ‘I’ll make them pay!’


They continued without too much interference from the spiders, albeit observing their surroundings first before jumping forward. One of the Saw-tooth Spiders tried to use the same trick on Reygina this time, but she managed to blast the spider away before it got its chance.


‘Last one…’ Reygina said as she hopped forward, landing on a large platform this time. ‘And… done!’ They hugged each other to congratulate their success in completing the challenge as they collapsed on the floor to rest, their hearts hammering against their chest, wiping the beads of sweat off their faces. Their bodies aching from the physical and mental strain.


‘Impressive… Most impressive.’ The spider queen let out a long shrill laugh. ‘You survived better than most.’


‘You’re the loser who cheated in the first place.’ Krisstal taunted, despite knowing she might regret later on.


‘Argh, I will deal with you personally.’ The Arakadicus let out a furious growl that shook the earth. ‘You dare enter my nest, slaughter my babies and mock me? Perhaps you should witness first hand those who dare to challenge me!’


Out of the darkness, a soldier fell from above, bound in webs. ‘Help! I don’t want to die! Save…’ He was cut off when he was suddenly pulled away from them, engulfed by the darkness.


The girls were about to chase after the poor soldier when they were assaulted by a new type of spider with oversized deadly pincers-like fangs, ready to cut their digits off like a small pair of scissors. The snapping sound of their fangs dampened their natural screeching.


‘Snapjaw Spiders!’ Reygina warned. ‘Their jaws are strong enough to snap rocks five times their size in half instantly. They could even damage our leather armour and weapons if we’re not careful.’


Krisstal dodged a web shot from the Snapjaw Spiders as she used a Bash to knock them back. ‘Go ahead, I’ll be right behind you! We gotta get that soldier out of here!’


Reygina nodded in agreement before jumping in the air and teleported herself just out of the harm's way. The Snapjaw Spiders screeched angrily when their jaws clamped shut and made the narrow miss.


Reygina followed the soldier’s terrified pleas for help as she went deeper into the nest, using his voice as a guide. However, just as sudden as the soldier appeared, he disappeared without a trace, alongside his cry.


‘Where are you?’ She cried out into the void space. She heard sounds of a struggle above her as she pointed her wand upwards, expecting another sneak attack from the spiders. Only to see a pair of feet dangling above her from a web, and it belonged to the soldier.


‘Don’t worry, Sir.’ Reygina tried her best to sound confident and calm, despite her shaking like a leaf. ‘I’ll get you down!’


She was about to shout her position to Krisstal when the hanged man’s feet swung at her direction. The mage stopped and immediately checked on him.

‘Ah- Adventurer!’ The hanged soldier spoke as loud as he could, but strength was leaving him fast. ‘I b- beg you... do not c- continue on…’


‘We’ll get you down, just hang on!’ Reygina begged and held back her tears as she used as many healing spells as possible. Her limbs began to tingle and grew numb with each spell cast, but she pushed on. Even when she tasted the unmistakable metallic taste of blood dripping from her nose due to the strain of using so much of her mana and stamina.


‘You might believe you c- can fight t- this monster... b- but you can't…’ The hanged man coughed out some black and purple blood. ‘The Arakadicus is... is a coward... it traps you and f- feed you to its... children…’


‘Please, just… hold on.’ Reygina clenched her jaw in a sorry attempt to hold back her sobs. She did everything she could, but she knew it won’t matter in the end. She heard a final cough before the hanging man died right in front of her. ‘Oh…’ She let out a low moan of sadness and empathy from her lips as she wiped the blood and tears off her face.


Krisstal had arrived just in time to also see the soldier’s final moments. She placed her hand on the mage’s shoulder and encouraged her that they should defeat the spider queen to stop anyone from being food and suffer the same fate as him. ‘You want to take some time?’ She quickly found the irony in this situation. When they first arrived at the entrance, Reygina was the comforter and she was the one in an emotional state, feeling the obligation to aid the people in need weighing on her shoulders, their expectation of her skills and courage. Despite she still felt conflicted and wanted to prove herself, she knew Reygina needed her now, not the other way around.


Reygina’s voice cracked as she swallowed back a sob. ‘No, I’m fine, this isn’t the first time.’


‘Don't mind our other guest back there.’ The Arakadicus mocked, adding insult to injury. ‘He had such a bitter taste. However, my babies think you look delicious... hehehe… Now…’


Two ropes fell from above, almost hitting them in their heads. ‘You need to climb this long rope to get to the platform above. I’ll be waiting for you above. Didn’t you come all this way for me?’


Reygina could still feel some numbing and tingling sensation from her limbs, but she dismissed it as anything of concern. ‘Maybe I’m still recovering from using that many spells in a short time, I had never pushed myself that far before…’


Krisstal seemed eager for the boss battle as she hurled herself at the rope. She tugged on it to see if it’s secure when another small ball of web dropped from above, Krisstal managed to catch it before it impacted her face.


‘Yuck, these things again.’ She threw it far away before hoisting herself up. ‘Looks good! Let’s go!’ She coughed, almost choking her own aspirations. She hoisted herself with all her might and climbed up. The web was strong enough to sustain her weight and equipment while not too sticky to the point she couldn’t get her arms and legs off the web.


She began making her way up when she found her coughing fit so severe, she had no choice but to stop and catch her breath. She felt the taste of iron in her mouth as she unintentionally let out a cough so forceful, she saw blood clots ejected from her mouth.


‘Salted… What’s going on…’ She felt lightheaded as she struggled to hold onto the web. The strength of the web began weakening bit by bit, or was it actually her grip? The whole web began to twist and turn.


Reygina coughed and shouted something that reached deaf ears. Instinctively, she cast a heal spell in the manner how Suri taught her, hoping it would be enough to snap the warrior back to her senses. She highly doubted the possibility of catching her if she did indeed fall.


Luckily, the warrior managed to hold onto the line as she shook her head to fight off the vertigo.


‘You alright? We can head back down if you…’ The mage coughed hard, interrupting her concerns.


The warrior definitely shook her head and as she continued to climb upwards. Despite now there was a searing pain slowly spreading throughout her body, ironically, like a spider creeping inside. Her mind focused on one thing: Defeating the Arakadicus. She mentally repeated to herself to avoid unnecessary moves and even pushing away any unnecessary thoughts. Once she’s done and killed the spider queen, the soldiers can be happy; everyone will be happy, she will be happy.


‘We weren’t bitten so we couldn't have been poisoned.’ Reygina thought to herself as she noticed the blood clots she and Krisstal had coughed out just now. Her mind trying to come up with anything that makes sense on how they could be deteriorating so suddenly. ‘It could be the stale air, or the lava’s heat…’ She thought to herself, and was going to share her theory with Krisstal when she realised she had already climbed to the top.


‘Wait for me!’ She hurried up the web as she felt like her body starting to burn up, her fingers and toes felt like jelly.


‘Come on Reygina, you can do it!’ She thought of a whole crowd of herself cheering her on like an audience supporting their favourite sports team. Before she even realised it, she had reached the top. She expected to see Krisstal standing there waiting for her but instead all she saw was pitch black darkness. With no sign of the warrior anywhere, she took a deep breath before walking forward but suddenly felt her legs had given up on her as she fell face down on the dirt.


‘What’s… going on?’ Her eyes welled up with tears. She’s all alone in a spider nest where she is the food. What could possibly go worse…


From nowhere, a green and red hairy humanoid spider appeared out of nowhere. Their white claws and black markings across their body caused the mage to tremble in fear. She quickly aimed her wand at them, only for the green one to act first by shooting a web from its mouth and lassoed the wand away before she could do anything. In that instant, the red monster charged ahead and tackled her to the ground. The mage struggled to push the monster’s fang away from her with her hands but fighting off whatever was causing her unwell has been draining her strength more than she wanted to, in fact, it seemed to get worse with every second. She felt the weakness spreading to her arms and then to the tips of her fingers. She knew she wasn’t going to last long, her grip was loosening, her will was diminishing.


‘Help…’ She cried as the green mob began wrapping her up in its web starting from her feet. The webbing was much stronger than the web rope they had just used. She tried to kick the web away from her, but her strength paled in comparison to the web that was as strong as steel. The web wrapped around her quickly, now up to her hip. She struggled to push the red one away, only for its drool to scatter across her face when it screamed at her.


‘Remember the web balls you girls picked up and tossed away?’ The familiar yet sinister cackle resounded throughout the cavern.


Reygina’s last ounce of strength had finally left her as the red spider monster’s fangs sank into her shoulder. She let out a cry of pain, but a black mutant spider with the same white claws and markings similar to the red and green variant, appeared from the darkness and punched her. The blow was so great it stunned her and Reygina could see stars across her field of vision.


The bleeding wound immediately inflamed and swell as the poison travelled throughout her systems. She felt her insides burning so hot she thought she would spontaneously combust, but she couldn’t do anything with the webs now up to her waist. The red and black creatures had pinned her arms to her sides so she wouldn’t struggle and cause them any hassle.


The Arakadicus continue to terrorise the captured mage happily. ‘We made those web balls and you two were gullible enough to just pick it off with your bare hands, thinking it was just soggy old webs with water. Unlucky for you, they’re coated with a colourless poison that feels like water, created from one of many different poison mixes passed down through the generations of Arakadicus. Your skin quickly absorbed it without you girls knowing, and it worked magnificently.’


The cocoon was now up to her chin. ‘I knew this type would be too old for you to recognise, even if you have the current antivenom circulating within you. And you have met my new children. The red one here is a Bloodcurling Arachne noted for its fast reflexes and speed. The green ones that are good with webbing are known as Sticky Arachnes. The black one is a Sinister Arachne that could sucker punch any soldier out cold with its strong fists and claws. They never leave the nest and those who saw them never live to tell their existence to the outside world. Guess who’s one of them now.’


‘But do you know they used to be food as well?’ She felt her head spinning and bleeding from the heavy punch by the Sinister Arachne. ‘During my journey to become The Arakadicus, I stumbled upon a black root underground and found it alluring and made my burrow near it. It changed me, made me stronger, faster, better than the other inferior candidates… and then I realised what my own poison can do when I bite humans. I can turn living and squirming human meat into these arachne creatures if there’s enough food, or when I feel like it.’


Reygina struggled to breathe as the webs wrapped around her mouth and nose. ‘Qira would be dethroned so quickly by me, I shall be the mistress of not one but two colonies! My children there shall await my arrival after I’m done repairing my nest you humans destroyed. Heh, but then again, it did attract you fools to come to me.’


‘Now that you know so much, here’s one more gift for you just before you were eaten.’ Another Sinister Arachne came out of the shadows and threw a cocoon next to Reygina. The cocoon rolled and came to a stop just millimetres from Reygina.


‘Her poison mix was a bit trickier since she was recently given a dose of antivenom. So instead we decided to give her a hallucination type venom on the webs we dropped for her specifically before your rope climb.’ Reygina could see the cocooned girl was none other than Krisstal, wrapped from head to toe in webs. ‘She thought she saw another captured human ahead of her and ran towards him, but instead, it was actually a Sinister Arachne. We knocked her out and webbed her before she could even understand what had happened. She was quite the pest, being so disrespectful to me, but I know just what to do with her just before she dies.’


‘Hehe, I might even be better than that doctor with a strange mask, given my expertise in mixing these poisons and venoms to make such fascinating toxins. But enough talking,’ the spider queen hissed deafeningly that shook the ground. ‘My children! Let us feast! Take them to my chambers.’


The arachnes spit out a web to attach the cocoons as they dragged the girls deeper into the caravan.


‘Skywalker. Hearolie. Save us…’ The toxin had knocked the mage out.

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Would he have to be on the run forever? Or should he come clean and hope they would understand? He could feel his adrenaline coursing through his system as the sun slowly sank below the horizon. It would have been a relaxing and enjoyable view, had it not been his mind plagued with the knowledge of what’s about to happen.


‘Come on… Think of something. Anything.’ Hearolie thought to himself. Being imprisoned in his own body was… frightening to say the least. No, it’s something words can’t describe. His mind and spirit were completely served from his body, like a missing chip that caused an iron golem to go haywire. His senses are screaming at him to do one thing, but Yahya was able to easily overwhelm his will power and make him do something else.


‘How exactly does that potion work…’ He tried a few things before as the hours ticked by with little to no success. He couldn’t force his body to disobey Yahya by being stronger willed. At a desperate moment, he even tried to use an arrow to stab his leg so he couldn’t go anywhere, but his arm stopped mid-way and the arrow dropped harmlessly to the ground below. Thankfully, he’s still conscious and aware of what he's doing, so at least the potion didn’t make him as brain dead as a zombie. What would happen if he were to find himself pinned by two large logs in one moment and then woke up in a jail cell behind bars the next.


He mentally evaluated what he could gather from those experiences. ‘Could he be using my senses to watch and control me?’ Deciding that being idle would lead him nowhere, he decided to test his theory.


He forced his eyes closed and then turned his head towards the sky instead of the houses below. He noticed how his body did indeed have a slight delay, how it took a full second or two for his eyes to snap open uncommanded and for the houses to meet his gaze once again. Slight, but his reaction was slower than when he tried to injure himself.


‘If only I could find a way to blind myself…’ And then an idea hit him, he remembered his corruption spike trip with Stiba who had told him Spinwarp Spider have the ability to shoot venom and blind their prey. An idea so crazy that it’s suicidal, yet he knew it would be the only way. If he’s going to be blind forever… He hoped at least his friends would stay with him.


A sudden surge of emotions suddenly washed all over him when he realized the situation he is in and the events that are about to happen. What if things didn’t work out? What if his friends left him all alone because he’ll be a burden? How can he be the world’s best archer after this? He felt his cheek wet, and there was not a single cloud for miles. He felt scared, terrified of the consequences, perhaps it would even be better to die while fighting off hordes of mobs later while blinded, at least he would be remembered as an honourable and noble archer than being branded as a criminal by history. He had never felt so… vulnerable.


Vulnerable.


That word stung him as if a spider had bitten him and it jogged something in his mind.


‘Rivalor, what class do you want to be?’ A young Hearolie asked. He couldn't pinpoint where and when this took place, nor could he exactly picture his brother’s face. All he could recall was the conversation, but it was more than enough to spike his emotions.


‘I want to be an archer, seems fun being able to hit your target while jumping from tree to tree, or sniping monsters from faraway.’ His brother had his back turned towards him, blocking the setting sun from the younger sibling’s view. From Hearolie’s perspective, it was as if a halo had appeared over his brother, making him look like some almighty deity. ‘What do you want to be?’


‘Mum and dad never seem to be particularly happy with anything I do…’ The younger brother felt sad. ‘I don’t think I should even pick my class.’


‘I’m sure whatever you choose, you’ll be amazing at it, little bro. You’re gonna prove them wrong someday!’ He clasped his shoulder and patted his head. ‘Father and mother will change someday. I promise, they’ll see you differently one day, maybe they’ll even give you the attention you wanted for so long, just be a little bit more patient.’


They heard a woman calling their names from the house behind them. ‘Oh. Dinner.’ He shrugged before returning to the house. ‘Come on. Let’s go.’


‘Yeah… I want to be an archer just like you!’ He yelled out and followed him.


He never forgot those words as the years passed. He waited. He tried. He failed. Again, again and again. Every time he felt disappointed or saw his brother being praised for something, he bottled it up and forced a smile to congratulate him. Nodding aimlessly at how his family would praise him and how he should be like Rivalor. It hurts to bottle everything up for so many years. But if he were to be caught crying or being weak, it’ll make his parents revolt him even more. As Rivalor was getting showered with more and more praise, he found his hope of having the smallest attention and respect he wanted to have slipped away bit by bit, like water escaping through a cracked glass bottle. He once did tell a few friends, but… that’s another story. He didn’t want to dwell in his memories any longer.


Again, it’s strange. He knew these memories aren’t fake, he could remember the general event, but he could never picture the time, place and details of any memory. Once he tries to think deeper, he found himself unable to recall anything, except his relationship with his parents, some small fragments of the past, and the emotions during those moments.


He felt tears welled up in his eyes and merged as small droplets. He hated crying, it reminded him of everything he didn’t want to be. How he was betrayed. How he was given false hope. How he had hoped it was all but a false memory.


‘Was it all a lie? Was he just sugarcoating what he actually thought?’ He thought to himself. It then dawned on him he couldn’t dry his tears since his arms weren't responding. ‘Great…’


Taking in a few deep breaths, he decided the best time to execute his plan would be when he would be on the move again. Now he just needed to wait and hope luck would be on his side.


But what if luck was never on his side?


He needed it most all those years ago. They say, ‘Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity’. He never got the chance to prove himself. On some occasions, he chickened out; at times, his parents weren't there to witness his moments. If only he were tougher and braver back then, perhaps he would have stood out more, perhaps he wouldn't feel so eager to…


His arms started moving on their own, snapping him back into reality. He slowly climbed down the tree he was on and made his way back down to the ground. He cursed under his breath when he felt a small piece of bark punctured his finger, blood dripping from the wound and onto his arm. ‘That Yahya better not…’ His body suddenly jumped up as a piece of web was shot, his timely dodge allowed the spider to miss its target and only hit a tree nearby harmlessly.


‘Wrong spider…’ The archer thought to himself. But instead of walking back to the village, he found himself walking on a dirt path that led away from the unsuspecting citizens.


‘Wait what?’ That threw him off guard. From what he knows, Yahya would want a bowl so badly he wouldn’t just give up even after knowing they’re out of stock. Yahya also couldn’t read his mind, just control his movements, he was absolutely certain of it. If he could, he would have made him go straight to the rooftops where the spiders wouldn’t be able to get him.


He soon got his answer when he saw a huge tree in the middle of the ground next to him, but it wasn’t just any tree. It was much, much larger than the oak trees surrounding it. This tree was at least three times their size, and the closer he got there. He started to feel a bit uneasy. An overwhelming sense of dread and despair rushed over him.



‘There must be another corruption root nearby…’ He tried his best to withstand the corruption's influence. It reminded him of the time he was in the decrepit sewers with Skywalker and Krisstal. Speaking of which, he wondered how they are doing now. Maybe they are having a nice full meal in one of the many restaurants in the city, or perhaps still practicing and learning new spells from the professors. The whole reason he was in this mess was because of his inability to learn one new spell, now he had wished he wasn’t such an idiot and ran off to cool down. He should have sat nearby, but there is no time to regret.


He stood there motionless near the tree. Was Yahya trying to turn him into a corrupted and then attack the village? If he turned into a corrupted… He might kill his friends, he might lead an army to attack the village, or worse, attack Detlas or Ragni or some other civilization he hadn’t been to before. Regardless, he cannot allow Yahya to succeed. For once, he decided to put aside his dignity and pride, he won’t lose this battle no matter the cost, especially not to a maniac.


‘No!’ The surge of emotions, enhanced and amplified by corruption, gave him free will momentarily. He moved a meter or two before he could feel Yahya’s control returning, his voice booming inside his head. He grabbed his head and yelled as loud as he could to cover Yahya’s screaming. He even tried to cover his ears as hard as he could, despite knowing it wouldn’t too anything, but he just wanted Yahya’s to shut up and leave him alone.


His eyes then saw something that made his heart skip more than a few beats, the gravel on the ground was hard and rough with jagged edges like tiny blades, ready to tear his skin if contact was made. As Yahya won over, his feet locked in place and his arms began shooting forward to stop his fall without his command, it dawned on him the spider plan won’t be an option, there was no opportunity for him to break free long enough at all.


Luck was never on his side.


‘Oh, mushrooms!’ His head turned so quickly he felt a strain in his neck. A frightened Fungal Parasite was close to him and obviously Yahya only had eyes not on the brown monstrosity, but at the equally revolting, mouldy brown mushrooms growing on its back.


‘Crap, these brown variants can…’ The monster released a fine brown cloud of dust from its pores across its midsection. In spite of this, Yahya made him sprint through it to grab the mushrooms as the brown mob hurriedly escaped. ‘… Paralyzing spores.’


No sooner had he stopped, he felt his whole body tingling and full of numbing sensations. Every muscle in his body felt like they were squished forcefully together, his insides tying knots. The cramps were excruciating, as if a thousand needles had struck him. His whole body lost all sensations as he fell on the ground.


‘No! My mushrooms… Mushroom gods, I am confident you will like the next one.’ Yahya’s disappointment was as clear as day as his voice became nothing more than a whimper as the paralysis took over. He felt a sudden surge of coldness wash over him as he felt Yahya’s voice leaving his mind. There was no-one but himself occupying his mind now. A sense of euphoria washed over his mind and soul. He did it. He had freed himself, albeit not how he planned it.


‘Now what.’ The monsters were inching closer and closer. ‘Guess this is it then…’ He felt every ounce of energy that he had in him slipping away. He gave up. At least he died fighting, from a certain point of view.


‘This is goodbye then.’ He thought to himself. Just another adventurer getting lost in the woods and killed by mobs. ‘This is just embarrassing…’ He tried to close his eyes to at least not see himself being eaten alive, only to realise the paralysis wouldn’t let him do that.


‘Hang in there!’ He saw the trees moving closer to him, and then the branches. Soon the blue sky was the only thing that met his eyes. He is leaping through the air, but how?


‘Don’t worry, Sir!’ He heard a voice next to him, whoever he is, he saved his life. ‘I got you.’


The stranger put him down at the Nivla Village and carried him towards one of the tents. ‘Take care of him. Yahya’s doing. We got a swarm of Rotten Zombies heading our way.’ With a blink of an eye, he was gone.


‘What… Did he teleport?’ But that couldn’t be true, they had leapt high into the sky just now. So either he turned invisible or… ‘Was he just that fast?’ The professors were as quick as him, sure, but they were professors. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the stranger blitzing through zombie after zombie, moving so fast that they were just a blur amidst the greenery.


‘He’s an archer.’ One of the mages in the village rushed past him to aid the people fighting outside, leaving him alone on the floor as a mage spoon fed him some herbs.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

‘So what do you know about HIM.’ They had reached the city in no time thanks to the caravan and were now comfortably seated in the detective’s office. The office is neatly cleaned with a bookshelf on one side of the wall. There was a large and detailed map of the Nivla forest stuck on a billboard, with red circles and numerous pins written with notes. On another board, there were many sheets of paper were taped to it, the ninja could see some were news about missing people whereas several cuttings were about conspiracy theories. The room had a scent of flowers that he wasn’t familiar with, but it was very pleasant, giving the office an enjoyable place to work.


‘Those terrible terrors, dare I say they are even worse than the monsters out there.’ He offered Skywalker some herbal tea and he gratefully accepted it.


‘They attacked me and my friends in the Woods. We were saved by some Grookwarts professors.’ He took a sip from the teacup, ‘huh, rose tea?’


‘Tell me more, son.’ Detective Gadget took out a notepad and pen. ‘With honey.’


The ninja told him about the strange weapons they used. ‘They had a red broadsword, a wand with a flame, and a shoto sword.’ His fingers interlocked with one another, and his shoes brushed against the dark oak floorboards when he moved the chair.


Detective Gadget’s mouth hang wide open when he mentioned it. ‘Interesting, that’s what Professor Vossil and Professor Jules said is stolen.’


‘Something wrong?’ Skywalker asked.


‘I have received a robbery case here in Detlas regarding a stolen shoto sword. That short sword you mentioned in particular, does it look like this?’


He held an old painting of the familiar orange weapon for Skywalker to see. ‘Yeah, that’s the one!’


‘Eureka!’ He clapped his hands overjoyed. ‘Now we know that they have it, we just need to find it.’


‘We can ask the soldiers to search the woods.’ The ninja suggested.


The detective shook his head, to which Skywalker frowned at his idea being shot down. ‘That might cause them to flee from the woods. By the time we arrive, they might have already moved to another hideout in Wynn.’ He stirred his cup of tea as he tried to come up with a plan. ‘We need something more subtle… How would you like to join me in solving this case? You survived their assault; think you can do it again?’


‘Can I?’ Skywalker thought to himself. He could barely defeat one on his own, and they are somewhat related to Herobrine. Cold sweat formed on his back as he felt his heart racing at the thought of it. ‘Can I?’


‘Hey son, it’s alright to say no.’ Detective Gadget reassured him. ‘I think the barracks have some strong soldiers available. I think one of the Elite Soldiers can spare some time…


‘But not only is this a great chance to take what other strange weapons they have; it might help me get closer to knowing more about Herobrine.’ This opportunity may never appear to him ever again if he let it slip. ‘I’ll do it!’


‘Are you…’


‘Yes!’ He shouted and slapped his hands on the wooden desk, his reply came out much louder than what he expected. ‘Sorry.’


‘Alright then let’s give you an upgrade.’ The detective stood from his chair and led Skywalker out the door. ‘If you follow me…’ They climbed down a flight of stairs to a storage area within the barracks. Skywalker let out a gasp of surprise when numerous armour stands with different armour types, attached with all sorts of weapons. ‘We collect and store accessories, weapons and armour here in the barracks, whether it’s from soldiers who died in battle or those careless enough to have lost them. However, policy is we could only lend you leather armours and extra weapons from the Weapon Merchant and Armour Merchant in Detlas. Our soldiers do need to have the better gear in case of invasions or war.’


‘Woo…’ Skywalker gasped, looking at all the gears waiting for him to choose.


‘If you’re lucky there might be a few leftover stuff from other places,’ the detective immediately patted the ninja’s back when his eyes started to gleam. ‘Don’t get your hopes up though, we always let the soldiers pick first, then it goes here. So, I doubt they would be much different from the ones in Detlas in terms of power and durability. Still, just see what you can make use of them.’


The detective told him that he’ll be waiting for him at the entrance as he left Skywalker alone to decide what he wanted. ‘Time to get some revenge.’ He smiled as he cracked his knuckles.


His heart raced as he and the inspector travelled back to the woods, but the fight he had with H.I.M was still fresh in his mind, this time he will be ready. Before he even was aware of it, they had reached the edge of the woods once again.


‘Alright, we are here. I’ll be watching so don’t worry son.’ Detective Gadget smiled.


‘Will do.’ The ninja replied and began making his way through the forest, testing his new equipment in the meantime.


The spiders were still relatively plentiful, but not as much as last time. He even saw some spiders left him alone and just scurried away from him instead of attacking him like before. If anything, he’s the one picking fights with them now.


Despite this being a good sign, he can’t shake the feeling of something going terribly wrong in his bones. ‘Wonder why…’ His thoughts were disrupted with the rustling of leaves next to him, far too loud for it to be a spider.


He did a backflip just in time to dodge a fireball that was shot at him. He landed right on top of a Young Forest Spider as he squished it like a pancake. The gross remains were all over his new boots. ‘Gonna have to clean that later.’ He shivered. He hated spiders.


‘Well lucky me! I was tasked with finding you, but you found me instead.’ He recognised that voice instantly.


The mage let out a sadistic laugh, still having his face covered with a hood and mask, the white makeup that was spread over his eyes visible occasionally at the right angle.


‘I promise this will be quick.’ He held his staff and pointed his double edged chainsword at him.


Skywalker readied himself for battle, knowing how their speed and strength were bolstered by the peculiar weapons they held. He had first-hand experience with them, and he knew the devastating power they hold. Luckily it was just one opponent this time, and he had seen what the mage is capable of so far. This time, he is ready.


Like last time, the mage teleported around him and fired spells at him. Skywalker recognised he was aiming for his blind spots again and tried to dodge instead of reflecting the attacks back with his new sword - White Ghost. The sword constantly glowed white ever since Skywalker picked it up. Detective Gadget reminded him that this is because the sword can only do air element damage and nothing else, so if any enemy had air element resistance, the sword would be close to useless. ‘This won’t be an issue.’ Skywalker reassured him as the caravan slowly took them closer to the woods.


‘Ah, you somewhat improved a bit.’ The mage complemented. ‘Though you’re just lucky because you had better gear instead of training.’


Skywalker kept quiet as he didn’t want to break his concentration. When his eyes couldn’t see the mage, he closed his eyes and used his natural superior senses to predict his opponent.


‘Whirlwind!’ He swung his sword around to deflect an oncoming fireball. The fireball shattered as the flames spewed around him. The mage was caught off guard as he accidentally landed one of the small fires on the ground when he materialised.


‘Well that was really quick to end.’ Skywalker was catching his breath but couldn’t stop himself from letting out a sarcastic point at the mage.


Whether he was in pain or too embarrassed to talk back to him, the mage simply cursed under his breath as he stomped the fire out. He glared at him before teleporting above the trees, Skywalker could see a purple glow through the many layers of branches and leaves.


‘Now what,’ Skywalker focused, his mind racing with possibilities on what he will do next. ‘That’s new.’


The mage suddenly appeared behind him, but Skywalker was quick enough to duck under his orange sword’s strike and sent a roundhouse kick at the mage's stomach in retaliation.


‘Oof.’ The kick knocked the air out of his lungs, and he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder that made him drop his wand. He had one eye opened just in time to see the ninja raise his sword in an upward arch which he barely dodged. Even so, the blade still managed to cut his mask in half, and it fell off, revealing his face to the ninja.


‘Had enough?’ The sword just stopped inches from his nose as he turned around to glare at the ninja.


‘Tell me… Woah…’ He could see the ninja visibly shocked from seeing his appearance without the mask.


Instead of teleporting away, the mage simply smiled. ‘Should have gone for the neck. Better luck next time.’


‘Wait…’ Skywalker tried to grab his target, but the mage disappeared in front of him, leaving the two halves of the mask behind next to his wand. ‘Teleportation? How?’


‘Goodbye.’ Skywalker turned to see the mage smiling sadistically as he dropped down from above, the wound on his shoulder he had inflicted had stopped bleeding already in mere moments. He could see Detective Gadget out of the corner of his eye trying desperately to warn him from his hiding spot. He could see the orange sword’s jagged edges a few centimetres from pressing into his skin, and soon his head will be separated from the rest of his body. He’s going to die, and he couldn’t do a thing about it. He frantically raised his hand forward in a futile attempt to push the sword away. When he made contact with it, he blacked out.


He was recently promoted, a dream come true for any H.I.M. Sure his mission was to capture him alive, but he doubted bringing a headless corpse back would make any difference. Still the same person, isn’t it?


‘This is your target!’ One of the leaders had a sketch of Skywalker on a brown parchment. Whoever did the drawing had excellent artistic skills, even the tiniest details were captured picture perfect.


‘Dead or alive?’


‘Alive.’ His leader was also hooded. In fact, none of them know what each member looks like, it helps them keep their real identities a secret. Their appearances are changed periodically with the potions, sometimes their voices too if needed.


‘What’s so special about this one?’


‘He’s the chosen one!’


‘Chosen?’


‘Said personally by himself.’


‘I see. I shall depart at once, but where can I find him?’


‘It was reported that he left in a caravan heading towards Detlas, with his two female companions somewhere in the woods.’ The leader pointed at the trade hub city on the large map that spread across the wall. ‘I doubt he’ll be leaving anywhere without them, considering this is at least their third time appearing in the woods as a group.’


‘Interesting. But he might be a hard one to capture, considering he held his own against me and Rari.’That wasn’t her real name and neither is the next name he will be given. The first name he remembered that was given to him is HIM-Two two four.


‘Your name in this mission will be ‘Hudson’. You have shown great skill and courage in trying to capture the chosen one and his friends. Had it not been the intervention of those squid face professors…’ He smashed a wooden chair to pieces with his green hammer. The entire meeting room shook violently as a result. ‘Even Abbadon feels my rage.’ The massive emerald green hammer glowed as its green white flames erupted from the lower part of the handle. Yet they gave off no heat at all.



‘For H.I.M!’ The mage now known as Hudson saluted, as he picked up his Magma Sword and left the room.


‘For Herobrine.’ His superior replied.


‘Things don’t always go as planned anyways.’ He thought to himself. Right as the sword began pressing against the ninja’s skin, his eyes glowed a familiar white. Within the blink of an eye, Hudson saw the Ghost Blade strained against his sword that was known as the Magma Sword. The ninja’s sword had somehow blocked the attack at a blinding speed and at the same time kicked him right in his chest, sending him flying backwards. The force was so great that branches had snapped and hit his head.


‘Indeed.’ Skywalker said in a voice that was no longer his. ‘You dare hurt my vessel!’


‘What the…’ Hudson was still recovering from the blow; he could feel bone fragments punctured his internal organs. He coughed up blood as he struggled to stay conscious.


‘Hurting any vessel is death beyond death.’ Herobrine smiled statistically. Skywalker’s eyes glowed intensely like flashlights. Hudson looked blankly like an innocent child, trying hard to understand what just happened. One moment his sword was about to hack his neck off, the next he was kicked away with inhuman strength. The ninja is suddenly giving out an immense and terrifying aura, as if something has snapped within him. The air around him felt heavy, he struggled to even lift his finger off the dirt, like his bones had turned to lead. He wanted to desperately ask what had happened, but it came out as nothing but a whimper.


Skywalker picked him up by his neck and sent another kick that caused Hudson’s body to crash through bushes and flowers like a football soaring through the field. He quickly ran and followed the airborne mage before Detective Gadget could comprehend what just happened, who thought the ninja had turned invisible.


‘Please…’ He tried to speak but all that came out were air bubbles from the expanding pool of blood in his mouth. Hudson knew his back was broken at that point. Every time he breathed out, blood squirts out like a fountain from his mouth, then when his body breathed in a futile attempt to survive, he could feel the blood rushing back into his lungs. He is drowning in his own blood.


Skywalker looked down at him with a menacing aura that resembled nothing like the ninja. He was essentially another person, heck, maybe he isn’t even a person anymore. ‘Who are you…’


‘Your God!’ He whispered back as he took the Magma Sword next to him and used a spell right in front of him. ‘Seismic Wave.’ The last thing Hudson knew was his destroyed body dangling on a treetop as death claimed him.


Skywalker regained consciousness. ‘Woah what happened.’ He saw himself holding the orange sword and his bleeding hand. ‘Right… I tried to stop the attack, then…’


‘There you are!’ The detective panted as he came to a stop. Skywalker could feel the heat radiating from him as he sat onto the ground. ‘That was quite the kick for Salted Sake. You send him flying all the way here.’ He handed him some healing potions as he bandaged Skywalker’s hand.


‘Did I?’ The ninja stared blankly at him, if that did happen, he had no memory of it. In fact, he couldn’t recall how much time had passed.


‘Oh nice!’ Detective Gadget pointed it out. ‘You got the sword back. The archaeologists will be pleased, but ah… Where did our assailant go?’


They looked around and saw nothing but blood around them and a small trail heading deeper into the woods. ‘He might have gotten away… I’m sorry.’ Skywalker sighed.


‘It’s alright son, you were fine and we at least got the stolen sword back.’ Detective Gadget reassured him as they walked back towards the main path. ‘Say, did you cause that loud boom I heard moments ago?’


‘... No?’ Skywalker replied. ‘None of my spells I know so far make a boom sound. Whoever did that, it isn’t me.’


‘Well nevermind then.’ He brushed the question off, much to Skywalker’s relief. ‘Might be the army doing their excavation at Mount Wynn.’


‘Something important?’ His ears perked up.


‘They are finding the spider nest.’ Detective Gadget said.


‘Can we go help them?’ Skywalker asked. ‘They might need our help.’


‘They can handle it themselves, besides.’ He pointed to the sword Skywalker is holding. ‘We need to return that to the owners first. You did a fine job helping us already by recovering that. You want me to hold that for you?’


‘No, no.’ Skywalker brushed it off. ‘I’m alright.’


‘Suit yourself. A shame we didn’t locate their hideout as planned.’ Detective Gadget said. ‘I’ll be sure to report your excellent work to the generals. You at least deserve some recognition.’


Skywalker smiled gratefully and thanked him for his kind act.


‘A case closed.’ The detective stretched his back, fleeing his muscles stretched and relaxed. It felt good to finally solve this case. The number of cases had been increasing, and while it’s good business, it still not a good sign to see HIM being such a threat to travellers. Still, he couldn’t shake the eerie feeling about the boy, something seemed off about him. Perhaps that is another case that needs to be solved.


Little did they know, had they not focused on the small blood trail decoy left by Skywalker’s possessed body and instead looked up, they could have seen the mangled body parts of Hudson left scattered on a tree.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

‘You feel better?’ The hooded archer asked. Hearolie could finally speak thanks to the medication and antidote provided, even though it was nothing more than a whisper.


‘Yeah…’ Hearolie sat up. He stopped for a bit to think how he should express it. ‘Thanks for… you know.’


‘Don’t mention it. Thank salted you were found in time, or else you’ll become another Yahya’s Apprentice.’ The archer was still wearing his hood, preventing Hearolie from seeing his face. ‘Several people got tricked by Yahya and got poisoned by his mushrooms, we didn’t save them in time and they were never the same again. Now they’re running wild saying they are brothers of his.’


He left his bow in the care of a nearby blacksmith. The blacksmith got to work immediately as if they had had a mental conversation. Clearly, he wasn’t some stranger in this village. ‘Didn’t help when they wandered too close to corruption sources or got transformed by mobs.’


‘Why the hood?’ Hearolie asked. ‘Surely you wouldn’t mind being recognised as a hero here.’


‘On the contrary,’ His saviour replied. ‘It’s not what I wanted.’


When he saw the surprised look on Hearolie’s face, he continued. ‘I do this not for the sake of fame or recognition. I did that a long time ago, and I hurt those closest to me instead.’ He looked at the villagers outside cleaning up the mess, such as burning the corpses. ‘Being here for nearly six years, I have been through many places and saw so many people who needed protection but never got it.’


‘You heard about Bob right? The legendary soldier of the Wynn province?’


Hearolie snorted as if it were a rhetorical question. ‘Name one who hasn’t.’


‘You seem new here.’ The archer laughed.


‘To this village? Yes, you can say that.’


‘There’s more to these houses on the ground. The Nivla residents mainly live in treehouses, but it’s a bit south of here.’ He pointed to the general direction. ‘The gradual increase in spider activity in recent years caused more people to move to ground level instead, so their homes are less vulnerable to spiders as they prefer laying eggs on trees, where the humans won’t be able to easily spot them.’ He then shook his head and sighed. ‘I suspect there is a new spider queen called the Arakadicus somewhere out there, but my search is somewhat in vain.’


Hearolie wanted to ask more but held his tongue back, he was in no condition to hunt for this Arakadicus, whatever it may be. Plus the medication is making him woozy. ‘Another time.’


‘What is your class by the way,’ the hooded man asked. ‘I didn't see your weapon when I found you.’


‘Archer.’ Hearolie replied.


‘Not hunter?’


‘Archer.’ He repeated.


‘I’m a hunter.’ The hooded figure whistled. ‘So you are a fellow user of the bow. Cool.’


‘Yahya stole my bow when he threw me the potion.’


‘Alright!’


‘I didn’t lose it okay!’ Hearolie protested. That came out of nowhere, but for whatever reason he felt like he needed to bring that out. Maybe he thinks he’s a pathetic loser for losing his bow. ‘Don’t even think about it.’


‘I believe you.’ The hunter gave him a thumbs up. ‘Pretty sure if I say something else, his voice will break my windows…’


‘Anyways,’ He continued where he left off before being distracted. ‘I wanted to be like Bob and protect others. So, I become a mercenary for hire to protect civilians. I still need the emeralds to survive and afford stuff, but I charge them as low as possible.’


‘That’s… nice of you.’ Hearolie didn’t get why he wouldn’t charge more nor make himself popular, it would surely make his daily life much more comfortable, though he didn’t think he’s in any position to judge.


‘What about you?’ The question snapped him back to reality. ‘What do you do?’


‘I’m a monster hunter, I eliminate monsters for the right price while travelling with my friends. I’m building my reputation to become the best archer in history, better than Bob.’


‘Ah I see we have something in common.’


‘No, not really.’ Hearolie sniggered. ‘I’m better than you at archery when I recover.’ His ego overtaking his mind for a moment.


‘Sure… Wanna bet?’ The hooded smiled. ‘What do you want to hunt then?’


‘Yahya.’ Hearolie smiled, not just because he thought this would be a good challenge but also a good opportunity for revenge. ‘Are you up for it?’


‘He is a dangerous one, are you sure?’ The hunter asked.


‘Are you up for it.’ Hearolie said in a slightly more forceful manner this time, eager to prove to him how good he is.


‘Sure, why not. Although what do I win from this, say if I capture him first.’ The cloaked hunter rolled his eyes while smiling.


‘You get to know my name. If I win, you’ll help me find this Arakadicus so I can personally kill it.’ Hearolie said. He thought of the way to decide the winner. ‘Half a day to come up with our own plan and strategy. And then we race against each other to see who captures Yahya first.’


‘Whatever you say, sunshine.’ The hunter laughed it off to which Hearolie gave him a disguised smile in return to hide his annoyance. ‘No do-overs, we deal?’


‘Deal.’ The two archers fist bumped as a sign of agreeing to the terms.


‘I swear in the name of Salted.’ The hunter said.


‘I swear in the name of Salted.’ Hearolie repeated. ‘We will prepare and capture him tomorrow.’


‘Great.’ One of the mages walked in with a bowl of herbal medicine. The hunter thanked her and handed her an emerald for his gratitude. The mage thanked him and left them alone. ‘Drink it, after a good night’s sleep, you’ll be in tip top shape by tomorrow. You weren’t doused in the potion’s effect for that long, so there won’t be any lingering effects after your recovery.’


‘Please, I can win even when I’m being handicapped.’ Hearolie rolled his eyes. For some reason, he had a feeling he would be getting along with him quite well, as if he had known him for a long time. Perhaps it was because of the hunter’s competitive nature, and he does respect the stranger’s work for protecting the weak.


‘You’ll get your ass kicked then.’ The hunter teased. ‘I’ll give you one of my extra bows, you can choose and try it out on the treetops.’ He gave Hearolie some water after he had drunk the medicine. ‘Take a good rest, you’re gonna need it.’ He laughed as he left the house.


For the first time since forever, he was not mad at being teased like that. He felt like home.


‘Home.’

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Reygina woke up from a sharp pain in her arm, yet her eyes could barely open even when she tried as hard as she could. She could faintly see a silhouette in front of her, from what she could make out, it appears to be a large and irregular shaped arena with some statue erected on one side. The smell of the dead filled the air. She wondered how many people are here with her, alive or dead.


‘So you’re awake!’ A sinister voice hissed. Reygina tensed up and tried to look around but in vain. ‘Had you already died by now, we would have placed you and the other meatbags surrounding the arena rather than up here. That is our dining place after all.’


‘The Arakadicus…’ Her voice muffled through the web, she tried her best to act brave and recalled Skywalker’s advice on being as fierce as she could. However, nothing came out. Her mind was blank and her senses were going haywire.


‘And you’re the main course. You look so good; I think I'll have a taste of you myself!’ Reygina’s screamed died in her throat. She tried desperately to break herself free, but the webbing had bound her whole body like steel clamps. Fear and desperation completely filled her mind. She can see the queen of spiders now, at least her eight red eyes that glowed in the dark despite her being blinded by the webbing. Her gigantic black abdomen merged perfectly with the shadows and her fangs reflected the light given off by the lava travelling somewhere here. Despite her massive size, nobody would even notice her presence before it’s too late. Her legs were the height of a single floor building when stretched as she could barely make out the fine hairs surrounding her entire body.


Reygina watched in horror as the gigantic spider slowly made her descend onto her web. Despite being so huge, the spider was certainly a lot more careful when treading through the webs, as if like a mother cradling her baby. Reygina thought her size and weight would cause the web to vibrate so much she’ll throw up, but with the gag in her mouth, she realised that would mean she will be… she didn’t want to think about it.


The Arakadicus had made its way towards her prey agilely. She hissed at the mage which led to even some webs spat all over her. Her oversized fangs raised up as Reygina let out her loudest scream yet as she began to tear up.


‘Hahaha,’ the giant spider mocked as her fangs sank back into her mouth with a click. ‘Made you squirm.’ She made herself comfortable next to the captured mage as she raised one of her legs and pointed at the unconscious Krisstal in front of them.


‘Even if you got the antivenom, it won’t help you.’ The spider spit as she spoke. ‘As I said, we can change our poison mix every generation, so your kind’s antivenom development will have a tough time catching up and remain useful forever. We even submerge ourselves in different poison baths to help our defences against elemental attacks.’


She moved one of her legs towards the mage’s face and removed the web covering Reygina’s eyes. With the web removed, she could have a clear view of the warrior and the arena. She could now see the thing erected at the centre is an idol built in the face of the Arakadicus. For a moment when the spider’s fine hairs touched her face, she thought she was hit by thousands of fine needles.



‘Ah, what you’re seeing now is the Arachnid Idol.’ The spider seemed genuinely happy that the mage noticed the idol, eager to show off her possession. ‘My children would send their foods into it one by one inside, where we would use the lava heat to cook the food inside. It’s like a giant oven. The idol is also the only pathway in and out of this place, my chamber. We would always build a new idol when we move to a new nest or when there is a new Arakadicus. The current Arakadicus makes it personally to ensure good luck and good fortune, for it is also a mandatory skill for candidates chosen to be the future queen. We pray to it every time we capture prey, and a way of thanking the previous Arakadicuses blessing us for the successful hunt.’


The Arakadicus then pointed her fangs at Krisstal, which focused the mage’s attention to her ally instead of the idol. ‘She seemed to be different though, her body seemed to fend off the poison better than you. Perhaps the humans’ current antivenom is luckily still slightly effective at defending you two from the first poison attack when you went below ground. I'll take note of that, you food won’t be so lucky next time.’ She cackled mockingly.


‘Is she…’ Reygina teared up. She wanted to cry but she was too tired to even wiggle her way out of her cocoon now. It was like the cocoon had been constantly draining all her mana, and soon her life as well.


‘She’s fine for now, relatively speaking. But not in a few hours.’ The spider laughed as they saw the panic and fear written across the warrior’s face.


Reygina watched as Krisstal was bitten by one of the spiders near the arena, her warning was nothing but a gargled cry of desperation. ‘This will wake her up just enough for her to fight one last round before collapsing, for good! Let’s enjoy the show.’


The spider’s retractable fangs shot outwards and rubbed her fangs together to cause a high pitch disorienting sound. Reygina being right next to her can feel ringing in her ears, she let out a scream of pain before being shot with another jet of webs across her face, concealing her vision again. She immediately felt the lack of oxygen due to the webs. ‘We do not appreciate noisy food.’ Terrified of what other harm she might bring, Reygina stayed silent and obeyed.


She couldn’t see but she could barely hear the spiders forming into the familiar tarantula-like forms, only this time Snapjaw Spiders and the different spiderlings and arachne variants joined in as well. Judging from the lack of spells cast and multiple recognisable high pitch cries, she knew Krisstal was barely moving around as she should, and fighting multiple tarantula monsters this time. Fighting one took everything she got, and now she had to face at least three alone. She could hear grunts and cries of agony as the tarantulas tortured her to fight back. Fangs shot out like Hearolie’s arrow storm and she could hear a loud scream from Krisstal, and yet she was powerless to help her.


She felt her body being detached from the web and carried by two large hooks. ‘Let’s give you a closer look at her, it will be your last.’ She realized the Arakadicus was carrying her down with her fangs to where she presumed is the arena. She could hear a lot of spiders below her as she was gently lowered. Her webbing around the eyes and mouth were once again removed as she greedily breathed in the stale air as much as she could. She could hear a cry of shock and surprise from Krisstal. But before she could say anything in return, she looked down to see her webbed body surrounded and hoisted by one of the tarantulas, essentially floating on top of a sea of black spiders. Her whole body turned white as she felt numerous fangs pressing against her cocoon, threatening her to stay still. She couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t breathe properly; she couldn’t think properly, she couldn’t even scream. Reygina felt the area begin to warp and wobble as her head became lighter and lighter. Krisstal shouted something but she passed out before she could hear her.


‘You bastard!’ Krisstal stumbled forward as she coughed up blood. She could feel her consciousness threatening to leave her. She felt horrible seeing her friend like that. Skywalker nor Hearolie are here, and none of them know where they are. They might simply vanish into thin air with no hope of ever finding them, not even their skeletons. They’re existence only remembered by others as some poor souls lost in the woods or missing people drawn on posters.


Krisstal wanted to surrender and lay down her weapon, yet something inside her told her to keep fighting. A voice that told her to never give up. She struggled to stand still, just like last time when she was bitten and poisoned by a spider. This time however she willed herself to stand despite the searing pain all over her body from the relentless attacks of the three tarantulas. ‘Let her go!’ She glared at the humongous pest while wiping the blood off her mouth and nose. The poison within her circulated ever faster with her increasing adrenaline and rage inside her.


‘Hmm… As expected from one with such fighting spirit.’ The Arakadiacus observed. She rubbed her fangs again and the spiders dispersed from their tarantula forms. They carried Reygina’s cocooned body away from the arena and into the stone statue's mouth.


‘You’ll join her soon enough after I’m done with you.’ She hissed. ‘I’m going to enjoy breaking your mind and spirit.’


Determined to not go down without a fight and counterintuitive, she smiled at the face of danger. ‘Bring it.’

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And here is the end of this chapter. I’d say it’s quite the ride. Who is this stranger that seemed to be so patient with the unbearable Hearolie? Will he be able to land a victory against him? Will Detective Gadget’s curiosity get the better of him? We now start to witness even more effects of what happens when Skywalker grabbed hold with the peculiar weapons. From a simple emotional rollercoaster to now possession, what happens in the future as his destiny seems to get more and more intertwined with those weapons. Another long chapter and I’m sorry for the delay like last time. I’m working to plan how to make my chapters shorter and easier to read, and hopefully the next one won’t take months to complete again.


Thank you to every officer, admin, builder and others who created and developed Wynncraft. Do share important information about Wynncraft, such as easter eggs and timelines or even 'wynn'consistencies. As the information will help me improve my story greatly. Thank you once again for reading until the end. I do not own anything except this story. If you are interested, I could add your player characters as characters in my story, just send me your name and a screenshot of your character (with or without gear) in wynncraft, preferably your front, side and back. It would be a bonus if you can list out the names of your gear and mount. Feel free to talk to me about things not related to Wynncraft as well, I would never mind changing topic anyways. Thank you all and may the force be with you. This is an unofficial story made only by myself and everything here is based on either what's currently in the game or my interpretation of what's currently in the game. Hypixel weapons belong to Hypixel. I only own the main characters and this story only.


Other sources:


Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/699806539-for-the-wynn-king's-recruit-part-1


Fanfiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12951945/1/For-The-Wynn


Archives of our own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14778395/chapters/42299039

 

Wow thats a lot of text

 

lol I thought this was for adults (18+) but really it was the 18th episode xDDDD

 

nice story

 

I always seem to be a little late every time you send out a new chapter. Good job with this one.