They stumbled across two more Stoneback Maulers before finally reaching the cave. The mouth was small, only 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Hannah would have to duck down if she wanted to stay atop Buttercup, and that was only if he could navigate the floor covered in uneven stones.

  Deep down, he knew going in was a bad idea. It wasn’t like hunting in the wasteland was the only way to level 25. He could’ve kept killing Carrionwing just outside the outpost. He hesitated, waiting for someone else to suggest turning back, but Julian and Hannah only gave him reassuring smiles.

  Whether it was rage or embarrassment that pushed him into the tunnel, he didn’t know, but his feet poked into the darkness anyway.

  His gloves shone brighter as he fed the inscription as much essence as it could take. The shallow mouth opened to a cramped tunnel sloping downward, with natural stone pillars supporting the low ceiling.

  “You wait out here, Buttercup,” Hannah said, slipping off the buck’s back. “I gotta go help Uncle Harvey.”

  “We can just head back!” Harvey blurted, seeing his opportunity.

  “No, it’s fine. I’m happy to help.” Hannah assured.

  “You were right, we should see if we find anything useful for Elena,” Julian added. “I’d take the lead, but you’re my light.”

  Damn it, Harvey. You had to get snarky right before the stupid cave? God, my feet hurt… He swore at himself.

  Turning towards the darkness, they shuffled forward. The stone pillars were smooth, suggesting the tunnel had been carved by wind, water, and time instead of the jagged edges of his mine. The floor was covered in large, uneven stones that had presumably fallen from the ceiling, forcing them to watch every step. The sound of their armor bounced off the walls, warped as it worked its way down the tunnel.

  Concerning signs started to appear as they crept down the tunnel. Webs. Thick constructs that had lain undisturbed for years, not the hasty work of a widow building cobwebs in the dark corners of your house.

  “I told you there’d be spiders.” Hannah hissed.

  “I know! I agreed with you!” Harvey retorted, turning back to face her. He expected to see a snide look, but froze when all he saw was horror.

  “Eeaahh! Harvey! Kill it!” Hannah moaned, pointing at the ground in front of him.

  Harvey jumped, banging his helmet into the ceiling as he searched. He didn’t see anything.

  “What? Come on, Hannah, now really isn’t the time…” He said, exasperated.

  “There!” She shrieked, pointing to a small web in the corner. A small, black spider no bigger than a playing card sat gingerly on the web, four beady eyes staring up at them. Eight wiry legs supported an abdomen covered with sickly green streaks.

  “Calm down, Hannah. It’s…” Julian began as Harvey yelped and threw a fireball at it. “Tiny.”

  You have slain Level 1 - Kalthera Widow. Minor Essence Gained. 17 Merit Earned.

  “Phew! It was just Level 1,” Harvey sighed.

  “You don’t think a fireball was a little overkill? You could’ve just stomped on it, or better yet, left it alone!” Julian chuckled

  “Never. That was a spider, and spiders deserve to die.” Hannah quivered.

  Deep in the tunnel, a guttural roar echoed towards them, the rock acting like a trumpet carrying the call to the surface.

  “That didn’t sound small. Run!” Harvey yelped, hurrying his friends back up the tunnel. Skittering steps followed them as a larger brood of spiders the size of soccer balls chased more tiny Kalthera. They were less than 100 feet away from the mouth, so they reached the open air before any fangs arrived. They were stunned to see over two dozen Stonebacks running for their lives, some even running into the forest where their camouflage would be useless.

  “Uh oh.” Harvey worried, turning back to see an ocean of black spewing out from the tunnel. Hundreds of tiny spiders followed by dozens of their larger brethren, each with the same sickly green pattern covering their bodies. It was like a magical plague was warping the wasteland, and all Harvey could do was keep running while crushing any spider that came underfoot.

  Hannah leapt onto Buttercup’s back just as the first started crawling up his legs, panicked barks erupting as he sprinted towards the forest. Julian covered himself in flames, letting them devour any low-level spider stupid enough to get close. Harvey tossed fireballs into the densest clusters, dozens of kill notifications appearing in his mind with each explosion.

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  It was unlike anything he’d ever seen, and something even the most wicked horror movie director wouldn’t dare show on the silver screen. The spiders were just too fast, and Buttercup was the only one with a hope of outrunning them. A second roar filled the valley, and Harvey turned to see two massive Kalthera the size of a small car exiting the cave.

  “F-Grades!” He screamed.

  “We can’t outrun them! Turn and burn, NOW!” Julian yelled, his body swelling as he activated Burning Resolve. A symphony of shrieks filled the air as the spiders around him burned to a crisp. He stomped on a soccer ball, and a burst of emerald liquid squelched out from its abdomen.

  Harvey wanted to run, but wasn’t going to let his friend fight alone. Hannah was already shooting arrows from the edge of the treeline, building up strength as Steady Draw charged. Reluctantly, he turned towards the evolved spiders and leapt into the air. Booster helped him cover almost 20 feet in a single jump, and he rained down fireballs beneath him like a bomber jet as he soared.

  Julian made a leap of his own, a ring of flame billowing out around him as he landed closer to the alphas. They responded with wet globs of silk shot from their mouths like a cannon. Julian was fast, but he was also a big target. A glob landed on his leg, and a swarm of baby kalthera oozed out of it, looking for any opening to sink their teeth into. The flames covering his body made quick work of the swarm, but Harvey knew he wouldn’t be so lucky if he took one of those globs himself.

  They reached the spiders simultaneously, and each got to work on a target. Harvey sent a Fireball near a cluster of Hannah’s arrows, hoping to recreate the strategy they’d used fighting the zombies so long ago. The explosion shattered the shafts, sending shrapnel carving into the fleshy abdomen. The spider roared in pain before firing a glob of sticky web right at his head. Booster sent a wave of force shooting from his side, throwing him sideways.

  He’d practiced using the skill a lot, but his body didn’t seem to listen in the face of such a terrifying enemy. He used too much essence. Blasted harder than he meant to until he hit the ground hard, skidding through a carpet of spiders. Before he could scramble upright, pain stabbed into his neck. Something had gotten under his armor.

  The warhammer disappeared into his slipsack, freeing his hand to grasp the spider latched on between his helmet and his breastplate. It was one of the few spots on his body that wasn’t covered, and he was paying for it now. The body crunched in his palm as he squeezed his fist shut, killing it before throwing it to the floor. He reached for the slipsack, grabbed his hammer, and sprinted for the F Grade.

  Julian was having a much better time. The spider was faster than him, but couldn’t penetrate his armor. He swung his sword in wide arcs, trying to push through the front 4 legs that struggled to repel him. Another web sack stuck to his chest, but a surge of essence in Firebreak Mantle incinerated it in moments.

  “Julian! I got bit!” Harvey shouted.

  “Hang on!” Julian replied, changing his sword angle to try to slice through the spider's leg instead of going for the kill. It worked, a glossy segment flying away with a spurt of blood. The spider recoiled in pain, leaving a second leg for him to cut. Fire and steel rampaged ahead until the sword was buried between the beady eyes.

  His flames made most attacks to a creature’s main body lethal, so Julian yanked his sword free before turning to Harvey.

  He was hurting, struggling to breathe as necrosis spread from the two pinprick holes on his neck. Harvey threw fireball after fireball, but the skill wasn’t strong enough. He’d ravaged the weaker spiders around him, but couldn’t create an opening to the F Grade’s body. His face started going numb as his throat swelled closed, the venom of a level 1 strong enough to interrupt his focus. Four wiry legs moved in a blur, carving into his armor every time he tried getting close enough for a finishing blow. Fangbreaker didn’t help because the second he dealt with one leg, another was ready to counter.

  He didn’t know what to do.

  “Harvey! Jump!” Hannah yelled.

  Not having any better ideas, he leapt to the sky, letting Booster carry him higher than ever before, just as a shuddering crystal arrow tore through the air. The spider had reared onto its hind legs, reaching for Harvey and exposing its underside. The arrow struck true, embedding deep right between the head and abdomen. Harvey felt weightless as his descent began, only to be blasted away by a massive explosion that rent the Kalthera in two. Chunks of spider flew in every direction, bathing the wasteland in blood, guts, and venom.

  Harvey was able to soften his landing with his skill, but still tumbled away in a heap. His body ached from the impact, and his vision closed in as the poison ravaged his airways. He heard Hannah scream in the distance and was about to close his eyes as a raging sun appeared right on top of him. Flame licked his face through the slit in his helmet, but it didn’t burn.

  The sun poured a strawberry milkshake into his mouth, and Harvey took a gasping breath. The health potion chased the poison like a cat trailing a mouse, its verdant life overcoming the noxious death. Harvey saw a flaming Julian shrinking back to his normal size, holding an empty vial in his hands.

  “Thanks.” Harvey croaked before falling into a wracking coughing fit. Radiant light shone from within, leaking out of his plate armor in steely blue shards. He heard Buttercup’s hooves clopping against the hard stone, and Hannah leapt down to kneel at his other side. The rest of the spiders must have retreated when their leaders died, mercifully leaving them to rest.

  “Is he ok?” She asked Julian.

  Harvey felt like hell, but grinned as he looked up at the man, woman, and Buck staring down at him. When his coughing finally abated, he gave a thumbs-up.

  “Worth it.” He said.

  You have slain Level 1 - Kalthera Widow. Minor Essence Gained. 17 Merit Earned. X112

  You have slain Level 14 - Kalthera Widow. Essence Gained. 687 Merit Earned. X7

  You have slain Level 28 - Kalthera Broodmother. Major Essence Gained. 1798 Merit Earned

  …

  Your class, Arcanist, has reached Level 25. +1 Vitality, +2 Endurance, +2 Wisdom, +1 Willpower, +2 Free Points

  Your Race, Veilstrider, has reached Level 25. +1 to all stats

  …

  You have reached the maximum level of your G Grade class. You may create a Capstone skill at the Loom that is guaranteed to evolve with you when reaching F Grade. Your class, profession, and race have all reached the limits of G Grade, enabling a complete F Grade evolution. Your ink stirs, the Loom awaits.