SWNOVELXO Chapter 35 Empty Nest
Everyone studied the ascent to the top of the spire. We needed something to stop the weaver from electrocuting us while we climbed. I could Slipstream my way to the location, but I felt in no condition to fight—certainly not to solo it.
Fabulosa smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes. The uncharacteristic expression immediately drew my suspicion. “Remember how I said a second ago that you could take a breather? Would you do something first? I want to experiment. Could you jump on the web and back to this limb before it electrocutes you?”
I gave her a wounded look. “Why me?”
“If it shocks and knocks you off the web, you can return with Slipstream. It’s an instant, right? You can cast instants while Stunned.”
I hadn’t even thought of that.
Fabulosa continued. “I want to see if the electrical shock happens at the beginning or end of the clicking sequence.”
I grumbled about being a lab rat and followed her instructions. My eyes followed several copper strands down the web. If I could time it correctly and each strand supplied a different circuit, I could jump from one section to another. My robe threatened to catch onto the spurs, so I removed it. Cloth armor covered in sap would prove more of a liability than a protection.
I took a running jump onto the spire. Because of its thick webs, it didn’t shake when I landed, which meant I could maneuver. Performing short leaps 70 feet off the ground wracked my nerves, but my wolfman stunt against the golem raised everyone’s expectations of what I could accomplish in battle. I didn’t want to back out of a challenge now.
When I landed on the shaft, the spider hissed in outrage, lowered its abdomen, and discharged voltage. A bright light flashed, illuminating its underbelly. The volume and abruptness of the sounds startled me, and I immediately jumped off the spire and onto a tree limb. I didn’t even use Slipstream.
Fabulosa clapped her hands. “Nice! I think we got this.”
It would have been encouraging if she cheered for my heroics or safe return, but that wasn’t the case—she focused on the spider to learn its attack pattern.
Fabulosa pointed to the column. “Again!”
I hopped back and forth on the metal ladder and played dodge-the-electricity. The others listened for variations in the zapping sounds, but its consistent timing made predicting shocks possible. Jumping from strand to strand showed it needed two seconds before using its ability again.
The weaver protested my acrobatics with frustrated hisses. It broke its 2-second pattern and caught me in a flow of electrical pain. A Stunned debuff hit me with 80 points of damage. I barely Slipstreamed to safety on the branch beside Fabulosa.
Fabulosa steadied me as the Stun wore off. She returned her gaze to the spider. “Fooey on this. I’m not saving my power point for Featherfall. I’m spending it on Reverb.”
Charitybelle raised her eyebrows. “Reverb? What’s that?”
“My primal magic rank reached 14 while shooting Ice Bolts at Mr. Sappy, and then Reverb appeared. I studied the spider while it shot electricity out its backside. It lifts its rear legs before releasing a charge—which makes me think it’s not immune to electricity.”
Fabulosa gave us the spell details.
Power (spell)
Reverb (tier 3)
Prerequisites
Discharge, Primal magic rank 14
Cost
40 mana
Cooldown
One hour
Cast time
1 second
Description
For 5 seconds, caster reflects the next primal energy attack to its caster.
Reverb offered incredible potential. It only reflected one attack, so wasting it involved risks, but it had many applications. I wanted it, but it required spending points on Lightning Bolt and Discharge. Discharge acted like a melee-only version of Imbue Weapon, but it didn’t scale well.
Knowing Reverb existed dissuaded one from stacking damage into a single nuke. Since spells like Lightning Bolt and Discharge applied to targets, I had to assume many players had Reverb.
I wouldn’t have learned about Reverb without Fabulosa. Playing The Great RPG Contest side-by-side with other contestants enhanced my knowledge base. Between Charitybelle’s managerial skills and Fabulosa’s heroism, their company had immense strategic value—as well as friendship.
Fabulosa didn’t have Featherfall, so we tied a rope around her waist. We needed to catch her if she missed Reverb’s timing or if it didn’t work as we expected. She jumped on the spire, cast Reverb, and shook the webbing. “Come and get me, sucker!”
The arc weaver sent a shock down the metal, causing Reverb to trigger and send the electrical attack back at the monster. Stunned, the creature tipped backward and tumbled down the shaft, a 70-foot drop into the ground.
Everyone lept onto the spire, climbed to the top, and back down after the spider. Weighted with sticky sap, I reached the nest last and played the caboose climbing down.
The weaver lay dead by the time I reached its underground lair. Charitybelle grinned at me when I caught up with everyone. “Can you believe it? Fab’s Reverb did tons of damage, and the fall caused the rest. We didn’t even have to fight it! You didn’t miss a thing.”
Fabulosa snorted. “Yeah, I picked up all the experience when it fell. I was the only one in combat. Sorry about that.” She disingenuously rolled her eyes and pantomimed innocence.
I turned my attention from my gloating friend to the arc weaver’s underground lair. The domed ceiling sprouted a thick crown of roots. Although the spider had freshly pruned them, a few still invaded its floor space. A shaft of sunlight splintered the darkness, illuminating the arc weaver’s motionless body.
I reignited Presence, which had extinguished during my long climb down. Its brightness somewhat spoiled the serenity of the earthen cavity. Dust particles lingering in the air glowed under my spell’s radiance.
Charitybelle inserted her hand into the spider’s mandibles, feeling for a core.
I crouched down beside her. “You’ve conquered arachnophobia.”
Charitybelle hummed in amusement. “You know what’s funny? I think it’s only the little spiders that creep me out. This thing’s size makes it less spidery.” She pulled out a core.
Item
Yellow Core
Rarity
Rare (yellow)
Description
Level 20 core
Boss Monster Bonus Clever
Fabulosa snorted as she examined the crystal. “It wasn’t undead. Unlike everything else here.”
Sorted piles of metal filled the earth’s irregular hollow. The weaver somehow ingested metal to repurpose it into new shapes. Mineral Communion’s duration hadn’t ended, but there wasn’t much to learn. I saw visions of the spider puttering about, consuming metal, and spinning it from its electrically charged abdomen.
Amongst the scrap metal, we located many noteworthy items.
The two non-magical finds included masterwork items. Fletcher picked up a suit of elven chain armor of historical significance. It counted as one of the best items in the haul, so he and Iris relinquished further treasure claims.
Charitybelle picked up an ornate helmet that didn’t diminish the effects of spells cast from any school. It didn’t give extra stats, but the extra armor mitigated incoming damage. None of us wore headgear, so it provided a solid upgrade. She cocked her head in various fashion model poses.
Fabulosa helped arrange Charitybelle’s hair so it wouldn’t get bunched up. “I like your new hat.”
Charitybelle adjusted the helmet. “Me too, but I think I want to get an undergarment for it. Like an under cap, so it stays snug.”
“You should get something lacy. Maybe in blue. Do you like blue?”
“What about green?”
Fabulosa frowned at the suggestion. “I don’t know if green is your color, C-Belle.”
“It’ll blend in like camouflage, but lace would be nice. Maybe something frilly would be cute.”
Fabulosa picked up an amulet of +5 agility. She hoped it would help her wield her Phantom Blade, which had been causing more problems than it solved. I would have liked the amulet, but I had my eye on the weapon.
Item
Creeper
Rarity
Rare (yellow)
Description
Level 18 piercing/ranged weapon
+2 Strength
+3 Damage
Gives wielder 30 yards of infravision and keen hearing from the weapon’s spearhead.
At first, I didn’t understand the item’s description until I closed my eyes and concentrated on the spearhead—much like Charitybelle does with Chloe or me with Mineral Communion. My vision’s point-of-view moved around as the spear’s tip bobbed. When I thrust the weapon, it looked as if I lurched forward. Its motion made me dizzy, but opening my eyes stopped the effect. Aside from infiltration or spying, I couldn’t think of ways to use it. It amounted to a +5 piercing weapon that bumped up my strength—an upgrade from the +2 damage from my Black River Cudgel.
Aside from Creeper, the lair’s moist earth rotted most items made of leather and cloth. It seemed a small wonder that the weaver hadn’t turned the rags into another golem.
Charitybelle found a usable pair of boots that gave +2 willpower and +2 agility. They looked so old that I doubted they’d survive the next rainfall.
Covered in sap, I hesitated to put my robe on. Iris must have felt the same way. She rubbed soil on her armor to remove the sticky stuff. But it quickly became apparent she needed an agent to dissolve the sap, and she gave up.
We also found a leather belt that gave +4 damage against humans. My Dark Room rope occupied my belt slot, so I couldn’t take it. It would be great against other contestants—at least those who played human avatars.
Charitybelle wrinkled her nose at the belt. “The +4 damage against humans sounds a bit dodgy. I’m not sure if I want to be caught wearing it in Grayton.”
“I’ll wear it then.” Fabulosa snatched the belt, wrapped it around her waist, and pantomimed a feral snarl. She wriggled her fingers threateningly at Charitybelle.
“You’re weird. Get away from me.” Charitybelle waved her friend away—who burst into snorts and giggles.
The rest of the nonmagical bounty included scrap metal. Half-dissolved items, ingots, and metal nuggets comprised the bulk of the subterranean junkyard, and we added the amassed iron, copper, and brass to our inventory. We collected about 18 coins’ worth of gold and found abundant silver in coins, silverware, utensils, cups, and bowls. We could use it in Hawkhurst or appraise it on our return to civilization.
When we returned to the forest, we picked through the sap golem’s remains for cores or treasure. We found nothing except another cracked core. Before we left, we swept through the surrounding grounds for stray undead before continuing to Basilborough. We found a few harmless stragglers caught onto trees, and the spy weavers made no objections to dispatching them. Perhaps they’d remain as forest firefighters or grow into arc weavers one day in the far future. For now, they remained passive witnesses to our visit.
It did not surprise me that Glenn and Oscar had stayed in the Dark Room all day. They slid down the rope upon our return, joining us at the campfire.
Glenn gave us the bad news. “We heard goblins poking about. You’ll want to deal with them before opening the route.”
Iris tiredly nodded. “How many?”
Oscar replied. “We only saw a hunting party. I counted a dozen.”
Iris looked about, unimpressed by the report. “That’s not so bad. We’ll be safe in the Dark Room. I’m resetting my cooldowns before worrying about goblins.”
Her attitude set the tone for our afternoon. We needed rest and didn’t think they’d attack until the evening. We didn’t plan on resuming our trip until tomorrow.
We cooked an early dinner and regaled them with our adventure.
Iris wore leather and metal armor, so she planned to boil, steam, and polish off the sap when we returned to Basilborough.
My cloth cassock looked in a worse state. The sleeves and folds stuck together, and sap worked into the fabric, making it unwearable. I donned some traveling clothes and planned to be less aggressive if we encountered more trouble. Besides, Fletcher’s new chain mail made him an excellent tank.
The goblin ambush we anticipated delayed our journey to Basilborough the following morning. They picked their moment of attack with care.
We’d piled out of the Dark Room, ate breakfast, and prepared for the day’s journey without a hint that they’d surrounded us.
They’d crept up on us, picking the right time to attack. Before leaving, we grouped up at a brook to fill our waterskins—that’s when multiple nets fell up on top of us.
Before they scooped us off the ground, I used Slipstream to escape. Ropes hoisted the rest of our convoy off the ground, and a dozen level 10 goblins leaped from the bushes.
Name
Goblin Hunter
Level
10
Difficulty
Easy (green)
Health
200/200
The goblins must have tracked us, waiting for the perfect opportunity to net us together. None of us had cast major spells since leaving the weaver, so they wouldn’t have known about our spellcasting—otherwise, they wouldn’t have bothered. Netted spellcasters were a dangerous quarry, and my escape meant they couldn’t stab their catch with impunity.
A spellcaster and a ninja-looking fellow wearing black leather directed the ambush, barking commands in Goblin, a language we hadn’t heard in use since the iron mine.
My netted friends sent volleys of Scorch and Shocking Reach, bombarding their leaders while I defended the net. Iris called out focus fire targets, hoping that killing the pair might end the assault, but the goblins persisted after their leaders dropped.
I fought without armor, using my new spear, Creeper. Without my stamina shield or robe, I felt vulnerable. However, my allies’ healing spells more than compensated. It had been so long since I fought against humanoids I’d almost forgotten the advantages stances created against armed opponents. Moving through their defenses as the academy taught, I inflicted damage on my opponents, who possessed no ability to read my attacks.
Fletcher and Iris sawed through the net with their blades while I defended them.
With multiple Rejuvenates fortifying me, I had the luxury of withdrawing whenever my health fell. I alternated between defensive withdrawals whenever I needed heals and attacked when opportunities presented themselves.
When Fabulosa’s Lightning Bolt tore through a trio of goblins, I used the distraction to Charge without receiving retaliatory strikes. I even cast Compression Sphere to break my opponents’ formation.
The four remaining goblins broke off and fled. I chased until it became clear their ability to evade surpassed my pursuit skills, and they escaped.
The net hung in ruins when I returned to my friends, who rested on the riverbank. They’d recovered remarkable nonchalance, joking and laughing while they waited for my return. Chloe sat on Charitybelle’s arm, swallowing small pieces of meat. The easy victory invigorated our egos, putting a spring in our step for the last leg of our journey.
It counted for our last bit of excitement before reaching Basilborough and the bosom of humanity.