Vur stood with his arms crossed, his chest puffed out. White fog filled his surroundings, and a slight frown appeared on his face as he looked around. He raised an arm, and the frown on his face deepened. Rather than fog, it felt like he had been trapped by…. “Spider silk?”

An orange blaze appeared in the distance, causing Vur to turn his head. Thanks to his movements, more and more white strands clung to his body, but he didn’t let that stop him. He grunted and waved his arms in front of himself, pulling and ripping through the white fog without a care in the world. A second later, blood-red flames burst into existence beside him, revealing a spherical area filled with phoenix flames and a demon standing in the center.

Tafel glanced at Vur before her lips curved upwards. She let out a tiny laugh as she walked over. “Here,” she said, and pawed at Vur’s body with flaming hands. The white silk covering Vur’s body evaporated away, not even leaving ashes behind as the phoenix flames consumed them. “Is Auntie alright?”

Vur glanced to the side before nodding. “She used a rock to block herself.” The brown runes on Vur’s arm glowed as he pointed his hand to the side. There was a low rumbling sound, and a few seconds later, a cocoon of white silk rolled into view. Vur jerked his hand to the side, and the cocoon of silk tumbled into the still-burning phoenix flames nearby. The white material evaporated away, and an egg-shaped rock came into view. Vur tapped on the rock, and it cracked open, splitting directly in the center before falling apart to the sides.

Lindyss let out a yelp and unceremoniously fell to the ground, barely stopping her face from hitting the ground with her hands. She raised her head and glared at Vur. “Don’t mess with the rocks I’m controlling,” she said while climbing to her feet. Her head angled to the side, and she squinted at the wall of white. Even though Tafel had cleared out a section not too long ago, the fog was descending once again. “This is an impressive ability. Can you copy it?”

Vur nodded and raised his hands. Silken threads sprouted out of his fingertips, causing Tafel and Lindyss to back away. Vur flicked his fingers, and the threads detached, falling to the ground where they got stuck on his pants and feet. Vur’s brow furrowed as he stared at the threads. He wiggled his fingers, and the fallen strands rose off of his body. A grin appeared on Vur’s face, and he danced his fingers about, causing the strands to swirl and whirl in the air. He glanced to the side where an orange light was approaching from within the fog.

The white wall burnt apart, revealing Deowi and Gaegukja Yeol’s flaming figures. “Hey,” Deowi said. Before he could say anything else, his eyes widened, and he ducked his head to the side. Strands of silk shot past his ear, screeching as they went due to how fast they flew. Deowi whirled his head upwards and shouted, “Damn, Geomi, I’ll stop, alright? That cheap shot wasn’t cool!”

Vur closed all but two fingers on his right hand and hooked them backwards, turning his wrist in the process. The strands that had flown past Deowi paused before surging backwards, hitting the flaming man’s leg from behind. He stumbled forward, grabbing the strands beside him to prevent himself from falling. Deowi’s eyes twitched as he burned away the strands of silk covering his arm and leg. “You know you can’t bind me, Geomi! I’m going peacefully, damn. Stop provoking me.”

“Who are you to address me by me name?” a lumbering voice asked. Red circles of light illuminated the fog wall, and seconds later, the white silk parted, revealing the figure of a giant caterpillar. It was as large as a barn, and there were red, pulsating spots covering it from end to end. “Deowi of the Extreme Heat Clan, are you challenging the authority of the clans and guilds who’ve established this peaceful zone in a land rife with death?”

Vur stared at the giant caterpillar and gulped. He had never really been a fan of eating insects, but some of the insects inside the tower, they looked so plump and juicy. The princess ant pupa had also been extremely appetizing, but Tafel had forbidden him from eating it because it could conquer empires and because it was valuable. The giant caterpillar in front of him could probably conquer an empire, but it didn’t look very valuable. Vur turned his head towards Tafel but kept his eyes on the caterpillar and whispered, “Can I eat it?”

Before Tafel could reply, the caterpillar flashed and wiggled its head to face Vur. “I can hear you, dragon,” it said. “Know that I do not fear you. On the first floor of the tower, my power reigns supreme.”

Stella poked her head out of Vur’s chest. “What if Vur fights you on the second floor of the tower?”

“Then I will fear him,” the caterpillar said and nodded its head as if its words were only natural. “Dragon, I shall propose a deal to you.”

Vur tilted his head to the side. “A deal?”

The caterpillar nodded. “I can sense the presence of a White-Striped Princess Ant Pupa underground.”

Tafel looked at Vur. “Underground?”

Vur nodded and patted the brown runes on his forearm. “I’m letting Deedee take care of it.”

The caterpillar waited until Vur’s attention was focused back on it. “My hope is for you to take one of my eggs and care for my child when it hatches; raise it alongside the ant pupa. In exchange, I will remove three of my prolegs and give them to you for consumption.”

“Now, hang on just a minute,” Stella said, flying out of Vur’s chest. She blew away a stray strand of silk that was gravitating towards her. “As a dragon, Vur’s time is very precious. Asking him to spend it taking care of a caterpillar egg is asking for a lot.”

“Yes,” the caterpillar said. “That is why I am offering my legs as payment.”

“Show some more sincerity,” Stella said and gestured broadly towards the caterpillar. “Look at how many legs you have. Look at how many you’re offering.” Stella placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. “No, I think you need to give up a dozen legs at the bare minimum.”

“These are my legs we’re talking about,” the caterpillar said. “Do you think caterpillar legs regenerate? Because they don’t.”

Stella crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “Six legs?”

The caterpillar shook its head. “Three.”

“Five?”

“Three.”

“Four?”

“Three.”

“Three and a half?”

“Three.”

Stella huffed. “You drive a hard bargain, so we’re not taking it.” The fairy queen glanced up at Vur. He was still staring at the caterpillar with a faraway look in his eyes. A sigh escaped from Stella’s mouth, and she glared at the caterpillar. “Fine. Three legs.”