The first phasing lizard yielded no reward, but the second one was worth its weight in gold. The spiderlings obtained the ‘Strong Magic Resistance’ skill from it, which had me overjoyed.

Defensive skills. That was how I liked it, and there was still plenty of time left to find more.

However, finding the creatures turned out to be quite the struggle. Due to their ability to hide well and us not being sure what their exact habitat was, we were left guessing as to how far in the dungeon they appeared. One thing was almost certain, though. It was unlikely they’d be close to, or beyond the living trees.

Nevertheless, we were still able to find four more within the next few hours, and found yet another upgrade to their magic resistance skill, which was now considered ‘Very Strong’ by my blessing.

It left me wondering how to get physical resistance. As far as I was aware, those were my exoskeleton upgrades I got in the past. I reckoned my spiderlings obtained magic resistance from these creatures because those used magic themselves. As for physical defense…

Would the bisons be a good place to start? Their hide was tough and their skulls were immensely strong, hard enough to knock out many an animal and elves alike.

“Hmmm,” I let out absent-mindedly as I thought about the subject. I couldn’t come up with a better idea, so I felt like we might as well try this. At least Bisons weren’t difficult to find. Sure, they were spread out far and wide, but at least I could see them.

“What kind of idea did you just get?” Cellestra asked in response to my noise.

“They got an offensive spell, they got proper magic resistance now as well, which leaves us with just one thing to go to form a strong basis.”

“I see what you mean, and what did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking those bisons on the first floor would be a good place to start. Maybe the bovines in the water on the second floor would work as well, but the issue there is the sheer number of them. I don’t know if I can deal with them while keeping the spiders safe.”

“Well, your intuition seems solid enough to warrant trying it, no? Besides, those aren’t tough creatures to deal with, at least not for you.”

“Thank you for your confidence,” I said with a warm smile. “And yeah, that was the best I could come up with. Let’s hope it works. For now, whatcha say we head back? I’d like to see how the carpenters are doing.”

“Sounds good. Do remember to tell the others, especially Elle, not to just jump on them.”

“Oh, I think they know.” I turned to the spiderlings who’d lined up and were looking at me with their large eyes. “Right?”

They all nodded in unison using their pedipalps.

“Perfect,” I said before letting out a small chuckle.

With arrangements made, we made our way back to the surface, but the moment we stepped out of the portal, something was off. The soldiers that were usually seated around a campfire were gathered close to the entrance and talking to a person that I hadn’t seen before.

His armor was nearly identical to the soldiers’, minus the helmet, but a short, red cloak no longer than a foot was what set him apart. He immediately turned his head to us, revealing a wrinkled, battle-scarred visage. The damage he’d sustained in what I thought to be his younger years didn’t seem to be just superficial. His eyes were unfriendly, possibly due to what I was, but I couldn’t be sure.

“So,” He said, after staring at me from head to fangs in a condescending voice. “Heard you found something. Care to explain?”

I looked at him, trying to find out what his intentions were. It was obvious this was about the arm we’d stumbled upon, but the question, combined with this man’s attitude made me feel uncomfortable.

“I’ve already told the guards everything I know,” I stated clearly. “What would you like to have explained?”

“How you found it, how you killed the person it belonged to perhaps?”

I found my eyes grow wide and felt anger grow within me at this accusation, yet I remained composed and tried to answer as calmly as I could.

“I haven’t killed anything except for dungeon creatures. That arm I brought here had obviously been left there for quite some time before I found it. Besides, it doesn’t make sense for me to return it if I did kill a person, does it?”

“So you did kill them?”

What was this person? Was he trying to frame me, or what?

“I did not.”

“Don’t you think you’re taking this a bit too far?” One of the soldiers spoke up to my defense. “I don’t think she’d do such a thing.”

“Perhaps,” The caped man replied, shifting his gaze to the soldier, then back to me. “I’m just trying to get all the info I can, and I feel there’s something she’s not telling me.”

“I’ve already told these soldiers everything,” I stated again. “The only thing I don’t know is who it belonged to.”

“Now now. There’s no need to get mad.”

Seriously. What was this guy’s problem?

“Will you need anything else from me?” I asked impatiently. “I’d like to get going. I’ll be back here tomorrow most likely, so if you can come up with any proper questions, you can ask them then.”

His lips curled into a sinister smile which sent a shudder down my spine.

“No, that will be all for now. I’ve come to know a thing or two.”

I did not like the sound of that, but I did my best to not show anything as I turned around and left, eager to put distance between us.

Once far enough away, Cellestra broke me out of my ongoing quiet rage.

“What was up with him?”

“No idea,” I said, shaking my head. “But I don’t like it, and neither do I trust him. That felt like he was trying to frame me, goddess knows why.”

“He was scary. That’s for sure.”

“Agreed, and I’m left with the nastiest of aftertastes from that little encounter.” I paused for a second before an idea popped to mind. “Hey Cel, do you feel like staying with my parents tonight?”

“You mean in the storehouse?”

I nodded.

“Sure. Do you think your parents may be targeted or something?”

“I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell not gonna take the risk. The building is large enough for all the spiders so I don’t foresee any issues there. We better make sure to take all our things with us as well.”

“Think we should ask Soranir who that person is?” Cellestra suggested.

“Even if we do, what of it? He didn’t look like he cared, just throwing accusations at me and all. No, something about him is off and I have no doubt he’ll be back tomorrow.”

“What will you tell him then?”

“Same as today. There’s very little to it. If he chooses not to believe me, then so be it. I know Soranir will, or even Elysa, but I don’t like involving her over and over again.”

“That’s fair. Still, I think it might be a good idea to talk to the mayor, just so he is aware of that person’s attitude, just in case.”

“If you think we should do that, then I don’t mind. Suppose we’ll head there first thing in the morning?” I asked.

“Sounds good to me,” She replied with a nod.

“Alright. Let’s see how our home is doing,” I said, regaining some composure. I really wanted to take my mind off of things, and seeing how far the fence had progressed was just what I needed.

When we got to the nest, I was happy to see several men at work, including the person we’d spoken to. They didn’t at all seem bothered by the structure of silk behind them, and were using some threads of their own to measure.

The foundation had been made. The trench had been refilled with dirt and what looked like some kind of filling material around the pickets to hold them steady in place. The middle of what would be the wall was already designated for a door, with a doorframe in place. Pretty much everything was in place. All that was left was applying the planks.

“That’s pretty impressive,” I said. “Looks very solid.”

I was talking to Cellestra, but my presence had obviously not gone unnoticed. The carpenter we’d talked to before, now without the layer of sawdust, walked up to us and replied to my observation.

“Solid for sure. Just wait till it's finished.”

“When will that be? Any estimate so we can be here to finalize payment?”

“Maybe tomorrow, but the day after would be more realistic. Transporting the heavy oaken wood may or may not take some time.”

“Understandable,” I said with a nod. “It’s looking great already, though. Can’t wait to have it finished.”

“Heh,” He let out a small chuckle. “I think the boys feel the same. Some of them weren’t too comfortable being here, but they have an act to keep up.”

I smiled widely.

“Well, they don’t have to fear me, or the other spiders for that sake. I think we’ll leave you to it. We’re starting to get stares and I’d hate for someone to hammer their thumb.”

“Take care,” He said after a single nod.

I made a quick stop inside the nest where I gathered all our belongings in the form of Cellestra’s clothes and the spell orb, before skittering off.