Anya

Wood Elf [♀]

Level: 18

HP: 4250/4250

"Will you be alright?" you worriedly inspect Anya as you cling to your wooden staff. "Leronil made this cave sound like a nightmare, especially for people below Level 20."

"I-it's okay!" the young girl puts on a brave face. "I've been through way worse with the Elderwood Scouts! And with my trusty bow by my side, I have a means of protecting myself!"

"if you say so..."

After trekking through the forests within the vale, you, Anya, and Celia reach Whitewidow Cavern. You currently don your ragged cloak, fresh from the cleaners, over your fur dress.

As the Elderwood Valley is isolated from the outside world, you don't encounter many monsters on the way. You'd bump into the occasional slime, but for the most part, these woods are safe and mainly populated by the local wildlife.

Celia takes point and lights the entrance with the lantern she brought along with her. The inside of the cave is pitch black, and a cacophony of low rumbling noises and periodic dripping sounds bounce off the walls. Anya is visibly unnerved.

"Okay, we're here," Celia holds her lantern up. "Stay close behind me and be on the lookout for the ingredients we're looking for. You have the paper with you, right Garden Beast?"

"That I do."

Ingredients to Collect:

• Scabwort (Purple Mushrooms with White Spots) x10

• Blue Cap (Blue Mushrooms, duh) x10

• Whitewidow Moss (White Stringy Plant Growing on Walls) x5

• Paletoxin Glands (Celia'll tell you where to get it ^.^) x5

"Good. Also, be sure to keep track of our inventory. We wouldn't want to return empty-handed."

"On that note, where do we get these Paletoxin Glands?"

"Oh, right. None of you were briefed on the cave's fauna..."

"Fauna..?'

"Mm. Nevermind. You'll understand once you see it."

With those ominous words imparted unto you, you three make your way into the cave. It takes a minute for Anya to move her legs, but she eventually does once your silhouettes disappear in the distance. Getting left behind has always been a fear the young girl harbored.

Descending through the rocky corridors of this grotto, you are confounded by how unique the environment feels. The gloomy ambiance, the humid air, and the unsettling warmth are unlike anything you've ever experienced.

As this is your first time spelunking in a cave, these sensations shall forever be etched into your mind.

You accidentally bump into Celia as you're occupied with your surroundings.

"Ah, sorry—!"

"Look!" Celia stops dead in her tracks to show you the chamber. "We've finally struck gold!"

The area was indeed a gold mine. Every damp corner was teeming with mushrooms and the jagged walls were draped with clumps of hanging moss. The sun pokes through a small hole in the ceiling, barely serving as an additional light to this ill-lit cavern.

You and Anya look on in awe, astonished by the life that flourishes beneath the earth.

"Well, what are you two waiting for?" the woman sets her lantern on the flat stone surface. "Let's get to work!"

And three of you harvest the mushrooms and moss whites, making sure they correspond with the list in your hand. It's hard and a little gross with the bugs crawling around but rewarding once you see the place picked clean.

[Scabwort]

Description: A white-spotted purple mushroom known for its highly poisonous properties. Favored by beginner alchemists for its lack of side effects.

Quality: Normal

Weight: 0.2

[Blue Cap]

Description:

A blue mushroom known for its healing properties. Favored by beginner alchemists for its lack of side effects.

Quality: Normal

Weight: 0.2

[Whitewidow Moss]

Description:

A rootless pale plant that endemically grows in Whitewidow Grotto. Its anti-bacterial properties are second to none, making it highly desirable for low-level alchemists.

Quality: Normal

Weight: 0.5

By the end of your gathering session, you have accumulated a decent amount of ingredients. Alas, you are a few short.

"What's our progress?" Celia turns to you.

You screw up your eyes and try reading through the list again. "We've got enough Whitewidow Mosses and Blue Caps, but we're missing a couple of Scabworts."

"Damn, and there are no more in this area. Welp, we have no choice but to search deeper into the cavern."

"B-but, what if we get lost?" Anya objects.

"Oh, don't worry about that," you reply. "My talent Pathfinder, allows me to retrace our own steps through tracking our scents."

Talent: Pathfinder

Description: Your superior sense of smell makes it so you can track scents to their source like an animal.

"T-that's surprisingly handy..."

"Mm! It sure is!" you wink at the girl and give her a thumbs up.

"Let's cut the chit-chat and keep moving you two! We should be back before dark, lest Anna gets worried," Celia says, heading into the unknown.

And you follow suit without delay, having stored the ingredients inside your belt bag. As you walk down the uneven slopes, you spot familiar splotches of white along the walls. At first, you think these are more Whitewidow Mosses, but soon you realize that isn't the case.

"Hey, Celia," you ask with a concerned tone of voice. "Are these spider webs?"

"Ah! As expected of the Garden Beast, your intuition is as sharp as ever!" Celia says, confirming your suspicions. "This is actually a den of Giant Spiders. We are to kill these monsters and harvest their sacs for Paletoxin Glands."

Suddenly, Anya scurries up to you and clings to your arm.

"Hm? What's wrong Anya?" you find it increasingly difficult to move.

"D-d-did you say g-g-giant spiders..?" you feel the girl trembling as she tightens her grip.

Celia notices her panicked behavior and laughs. "Hahaha! Oh yeah, I forgot! You're totally afraid of spiders aren't you?"

"I-if you knew that why didn't you tell me this was a spider den?!"

"You never asked, dummy."

"Y-y-you're the dummy here!"

Anya buries her face in your cloak. You can tell she's very upset with the circumstances she finds herself in.

"Now, now," you comfort Anya in the way she does best. "Celia, let's leave for now. We can always try again tomorrow!"

You look up, expecting to see the woman, and are instead met with a lantern resting on its side. The flame within flickers as your uneasiness kicks in.

"Celia?" you call out her name. "Where are you?!"

Only silence returns.

Anya, upon registering this fact, screams. "I don't like this! The spiders know we're here!"

"Calm down Anya. Let's not lose our heads over this."

You recall using your Echolocation talent in situations where you can't see too clearly, and immediately activate it.

And you are bombarded with so much clamor, that it nearly deafens you.

"Ow!" you cover your ear. "Well, there goes that plan. Can't make heads or tails out of this noise."

You shift your attention to your arm and smile. "It's gonna be okay Anya, I can get us out of... here..."

The girl no longer holds on to you. She's gone like a puddle under the scorching sun.

"Well... crap..."

You use Ignis to illuminate the way, as the spell burns brighter than the dying fire in the lantern. Blindly meandering through the darkness, you can sense the scuttle of creatures around the cavern. They move just barely out of sight, and it honestly freaks you out.

The systems of webs grow more complex the further you go—an eery indicator of how deep you are in this den of arachnids. And once you reach a dead end, you are compelled to call your friends' names.

"Celia! Anya!" you yell. "Scream for help if you're nearby!"

In response, your ears catch muffled but discernible shrieks. You rush to the source of these faint cries and find an opening hidden behind a cluster of stalagmites.

Stepping inside, you bear witness to an underground chamber completely coated in a network of webs. And in the center of this room, hanging from the ceiling is Anya and Celia. They are wrapped in spider silk, and they struggle to move.

"How did you..?" you scurry over to help them down. "I-I'll cut you loose, hang on!"

You unsheathe your dagger and slice open the web sacs carrying the elves. You then catch them before they hit the ground.

"Are you guys alright?!" you check them for injuries. "You're not hurt anywhere are you?"

They stare past you, and you cannot understand what is wrong.

"L-l-look..." Anya quietly stutters.

"Look?"

"Behind you..." Celia completes her sentence.

"Behind... me..?"

Slowly, you turn around.

And you are met with hundreds of pale-colored spiders crawling toward you. Each one of them is slightly larger than the Mystfox and their crimson eyes are all locked on you three. The hair on their backs and the venom dripping off their fangs send chills down your back.

Standing in the middle of them is a white behemoth of an arachnid. Eight eyes, eight legs, and a boatload of children under its command.

The Broodmother

Whitewidow Spider [♀]

Level: 35

HP: 25000/25000

Your first instinct is to scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"

And your next is to equip your most powerful spell.

< Magic Tab Unlocked Spells Element Type IGNIS FIRE TOUCH FLAMMA FIRE SPRAY AUGUE FIRE BOLT INFERNO FIRE AREA > FIGNUM FIRE EXPLOSION

Fignum it is. You aim it at the horde of abominations and let all hell break loose.

"Wait," by the time Celia realizes what you're about to do, it's already too late, "Garden Beast stop!"

"Fignum! Fignum! Fignum!"

You eviscerate the throng of monsters and their mother in an instant. They melt like ice in summer's wake.

But in quickly dispatching your foes with hellfire, you also destroy half the cave with them. And you are forced to carry your friends and book it out of there before the rubble buries you.

From that day forth, you swore never to use explosion magic indoors ever again.

You also happen to develop a fear of spiders that same day. Such is an eventful journey.

Objective Failed: Collect ingredients for Elder Anna.

Current Objective: Learn what it means to live.