Chapter 756: The Kingdom’s Spider (Patreon)

The spider had been unconscious for a while. Long enough for Luke to start wondering whether he had saved her, or merely delayed her death. He remained crouched beside the creature, pouring what few healing potions he had managed to brew over the past several days onto her wounds. The liquid’s herbal scent mingled with the damp cave air as it ran over chitinous plates, broken legs, and the crushed side of her head.

“Good thing she didn’t die,” the spirit said.

“Yeah, but you’ve left me with one hell of a problem. How was I supposed to explain this to my girlfriend with no warning?”

The little green orb floated around the spider’s body, studying her in silence for several seconds.

“I’m still quite surprised. She possesses the Light of Consciousness.”

Luke looked down at the spider. “She didn’t before?”

“No.”

“I thought sentient monsters were born that way. I didn’t know they could become sentient.”

“Most are born that way, though there are rare cases where it happens through evolution.”

“Evolution, huh?”

“When a monster becomes powerful enough, it does not merely grow in strength. Its consciousness can develop as well.”

One of the spider’s legs twitched. Luke stopped pouring.

“Which means she became self-aware while she was trapped here.”

“Yes. But that is strange. She fed only on my sap.”

“Does your sap have some magical property that could’ve caused it?”

“No. Whatever happened, it must have been one of the spider’s natural skills.”

“And that’s rare?”

“Extremely.”

Luke looked at the unconscious creature. A monster developing consciousness on its own probably wasn’t something he should brush aside. Another leg twitched.

“Charlie, I’d better talk to the spider first,” Luke said.

“Okay... but if she tries anything, I’m hitting her for real this time.”

So that super punch wasn’t for real? Women can be terrifying.

Only then did Luke realize how frighteningly effective the potion had been. The spider’s broken legs were reforming before his eyes, and the crushed side of her head was knitting itself back together. This was no natural regeneration. The creature absorbed the potion’s healing properties with absurd ease.

“Ow... that hurt,” the spider mumbled, rolling onto her side. She gingerly rubbed her head with one leg.

“Hey, Norn. Can we talk?”

“MALE!”

The spider lunged at Luke, but one of her newly healed legs buckled beneath her. Before she could recover, Charlie caught another leg and yanked her to a violent stop.

“Stay away from him!”

Charlie had one of the creature’s legs locked in a crushing grip.

“Let go of me!” Norn snarled, baring her fangs as she twisted around to attack Charlie.

Luke stepped between them, and the spider froze instantly.

“First rule: don’t attack me.”

“I wasn’t attacking you.”

“Okay. Sure...”

He wasn’t brave enough to ask what, exactly, she had planned to do once she caught him during that “attack.”

“No fighting,” Luke said. “Sit.”

“B-b-but...”

“Sit.”

The spider muttered a complaint under her breath.

Then she sat.

That actually worked?

“My name is Luke.”

“My name is Norn,” the spider replied with far too much enthusiasm.

Luke had the uncomfortable feeling that Norn considered this a major step forward in their relationship. He glanced at the green orb. Illyra remained silent.

She’s really leaving this to me.

The spider’s stomach rumbled.

“Hungry,” Norn said, rising again. “Need the tree’s blood!”

“That’s exactly why we came to talk, Norn. You know where you are, right?”

“Norn is trapped inside a cave. But the food is good,” she replied cheerfully.

“Do you know how you got here?”

The spider grew thoughtful.

“Norn lived in the mountains. Every male Norn found ran away. Norn doesn’t know why. Then I appeared here. The food is good. Very good. I woke up and slept a few times, but I never found a way out.”

Her sense of time is completely warped. Hers and the spirit’s. Neither of them could tell me whether it’s been five years, fifty, or five hundred.

“It must’ve been lonely, being trapped in this cave,” Luke said.

“It’s fine now. I found a male!”

She lunged at him again. Charlie yanked the spider’s leg before she could get close.

“You’re not allowed to attack Master Luke!”

“I’m not going to attack him! I’m going to mate with him! Let go!”

Charlie hurled the spider aside and stepped in front of Luke, solid as a wall.

“Stay away from him!”

“Get away from my male, Tiny Fang!”

“I’m already with him! He’s my male!”

The two started arguing again, and Luke realized his life had reached a level of absurdity even he wasn’t prepared for.

“But he won’t be yours anymore. I’m here now,” Norn said, seeming to smile. “I’m a much better option. You only have two legs. I have eight. Your fangs are tiny, and mine are much bigger. You have only two eyes. I have eight. You only have that pale fur on your head. My whole body is furry. I’m better than you at everything. And I’m much prettier.”

“Poor Luke,” Artemis said inside his mind. “That spider’s going to drain you dry in more ways than one.”

“First,” Luke said, raising one hand, “I’m nobody’s male. I’m a free-thinking individual.”

He received two murderous stares.

One from Charlie.

The other from the spider.

What is this? Am I being oppressed? Is this what people call psychological abuse?

“Welcome to the spider matriarchy, man,” Artemis said. “This is where the hot, powerful women dominate the males. You’re just a pleasure machine they see as a sex object.”

Luke decided to ignore her before his sanity deteriorated any further.

“Hey, Norn. The tree said she’s very sad because feeding on her is making her sick.”

“I was hungry and trapped in here. What was I supposed to eat? There were other spiders, but I don’t eat spiders. There was other prey, but it tasted bad. The tree tasted best.”

“Hmm...”

Illyra continued studying the spider, perhaps trying to determine whether her sincerity was genuine or some kind of trick. Luke didn’t need to be an enlightened higher life-form to know Norn was telling the truth.

“But the tree is my friend. If you hurt her, I’ll be sad. Don’t do it again.”

Norn stared at him. “My male would be sad?”

“Very.”

“Okay.”

Luke blinked. “Okay? Seriously?”

He stared at her for another second.

That was either extremely useful or deeply alarming.

“Yes. And when are we going to discuss our future spider offspring?” Norn asked eagerly, all eight eyes fixed on him.

“Norn, I already have a... female.”

Charlie looked pleased by that.

“But that’s easy to fix,” Norn said. “I kill the female who owns you and eat her head. Then you become my male.”

“That’s not how relationships work, Norn. You don’t have much experience with this, do you?”

The spider’s legs curled inward. Two of them covered her eyes.

“Yes... I’m very inexperienced.”

What? Is the spider... embarrassed?

“Yeah, Luke. Nothing is immune to your charm. Not even spiders,” Artemis said.

That’s not what this is. It’s pure coincidence. You saw that she fell for the spectral beast’s spider form, right?

“I’m used to the plot bailing you out by now, man. Don’t worry. Coming from you, it’s normal.”

I’m innocent here. You think I enjoy being in this situation?

Luke cleared his throat.

“Norn, I know the way out of this cave. The world outside is much bigger than it is in here, and I’m sure there are plenty of other males out there.”

"You’re going to release her?" Illyra asked.

What else am I supposed to do? You told me to coexist with her. So I’m letting her go. And don’t forget, I still have a Core mission to complete.

"Releasing her would be extremely irresponsible."

Then it won’t be just my problem. It’ll be ours.

"Were you not the great Monarch who claimed he would solve everything?"

So the enlightened spirit finally shows her claws...

Behind him, Norn’s stomach rumbled again.

***

An orc spear tore past Garen’s head and vanished into the trees. He urged his scaled strider down the narrow forest road, its powerful hind legs devouring the distance as the few soldiers he had left raced behind him on their own striders. The orcs pursued them on enormous boars, laughing as they charged with spears in hand. Ever since they’d crossed paths with that general’s army, the orcs hadn’t given them a moment’s peace.

An ugly wound stretched across Garen’s stomach. Every pounding stride of the creature beneath him sent pain tearing through his body, but he held firm. Behind them, one of the boars flashed with light.

“Tamers.”

Garen looked at his men and clenched his teeth.

“You’ll have to go on without me.”

“Commander? Why?”

“We have six men and three scaled striders.”

“We can make it.”

“I’ll hold them here.”

Before anyone could argue, his voice hardened.

“That is an order from your commander, in the name of the Kingdom of Solvar. Anyone who turns back for me will be branded a traitor. Now go!”

Garen threw himself from the saddle. He hit the ground with his sword already in motion, the blade biting deep into one of the boars. The animal collapsed, taking its rider down with it. Garen rushed forward and finished the orc before he could rise.

The others began circling him.

“Well, human... you’ve got guts.”

“Small and brave.”

“Think that metal sword makes you special? We’ve got weapons of our own.”

An orc thrust a spear at him. Garen barely dodged and cut through the boar’s legs. The animal went down screaming, throwing its rider. Garen pounced on the fallen orc, then twisted aside as another charged him. He drove a shoulder into the attacker and knocked him back.

Then a larger boar approached, with an orc wearing pieces of black armor sitting astride it. Human sword hilts had been strapped across his chest like trophies. His presence was different, heavier and more dangerous.

“So you’re the one killing my men.”

A captain.

More orcs arrived. The captain jumped from his boar with an axe in hand, and Garen realized he was completely surrounded.

“Even if I fall here, many more will rise against you.”

“Then we’ll kill them too,” the captain replied, smiling as he raised his axe.

“You have no idea how vast this continent is. Don’t think it’ll be like wherever you came from.”

“And you have no idea how vast the place we came from is!”

The captain charged. Sword and axe collided violently. Garen activated [Calamitous Situation].

Pain sharpened his senses, and his grip steadied. The more desperate the battle became, the more naturally his sword seemed to move. The skill strengthened him whenever he was wounded, surrounded, or badly outmatched. It was made for situations this hopeless.

The captain’s next strike should have shattered Garen’s guard. Instead, Garen turned the axe aside by an inch, slipped inside the orc’s reach, and opened his stomach with a single slash. The captain staggered back, pressing a hand to the wound.

“It’s not healing...”

For one heartbeat, Garen thought he had him. Then every orc around them raised a weapon.

The captain smiled.

“Don’t think I’ll go down easily,” Garen said.

The captain raised his axe and pointed it at him. At once, the surrounding orcs lifted their spears and bows. Garen batted arrows aside as he advanced. Several slipped past his defenses and hit him, but he kept moving.

If I’m going down, I’m taking at least one captain with me.

Heavy footfalls thundered along the road behind him.

Idiots. One of them came back.

The captain’s axe began to fall. His head hit the ground before it did. Garen never saw the strike. The orcs froze. So did Garen. A knight stood there in full silver armor.

A moment later, screams echoed along the road. Arrows rained down on the orcs. They tried to scatter, but there was no time. Knights riding scaled striders burst from between the trees. The silver knight moved like a blur, cutting down enemies before they understood what was happening. It didn’t take long for the remaining orcs to fall.

The knight approached Garen and tossed him a healing potion. Garen caught the vial in midair and stared as the man removed his helmet.

“King Kyran? Is that really you? King Kyran Vale?”

“Just call me Kyran,” the man replied.

He was young, with short blond hair, and looked far too relaxed for someone who had just cut down a group of orcs like weeds.

“You’re a long way from Solvar, Garen,” Kyran said.

“And you’re a long way from Marlow.”

Once they had confirmed that no orcs had escaped, the two groups moved away from the road. Garen soon found his soldiers alive.

“Commander!”

He only nodded, too relieved to turn the moment into a speech. They traveled for roughly an hour before reaching a camp where Kyran had more soldiers stationed. Small tents were tucked between the trees, scaled striders were being tended, and armed men kept watch over the forest.

At the camp, the full scale of the problem became clear.

“I was returning to Marlow,” Kyran said. “Then the orcs appeared. We fought a few groups, but after that we had to take detours to avoid larger battles.”

Both men had been in Rosehall for the same meeting. Garen had been fortunate enough to cross paths with Kyran again. Despite his youth and his status as the youngest king on the continent, Kyran had already earned Garen’s respect. After the rescue, he had earned even more.

“Our main concern was the Core’s warning,” Kyran said. “Now the orcs have decided to become more aggressive.”

“The Kingdom of Duskridge was responsible for watching the coast where these orcs landed and settled,” Garen said. “If they had moved deeper into the continent, Duskridge should have sent messengers.”

“Don’t forget, we’re talking about the same kingdom rumored to be working with the Empire.”

“Even so, I didn’t expect this. A foreign army on the continent threatens them just as much as it threatens us.”

As night began to fall, everyone knew they couldn’t remain there much longer. The orcs seemed even more eager to advance after dark. Garen entered the main tent, where several of Kyran’s trusted soldiers and commanders had gathered.

“You had rotten luck traveling with such a small escort,” one of them commented.

Garen wasn’t a king, nor was he the sort of man who insisted on traveling with a massive guard. Honestly, he hadn’t expected an attack like this. He’d wanted to get there and back as quickly as possible.

Traveling with such a small force was no longer an option.

“The orcs have never come this far in such numbers,” Garen said. “Never into inhabited lands. They’re changing strategy after spending a year settled along that coast.”

“That army you saw,” another commander said. “Which road do you think they’ll take? Solvar, Marlow, or Rosemark?”

“Rosemark.”

“Why?”

“It gives them farmland, roads, and a clear route deeper into the continent. If they take it, they won’t have to rely on supplies from the coast.”

Garen’s expression hardened.

“And they weren’t searching for a road. They already knew which one to take.”

Silence settled over the tent.

“We need to warn Rosemark,” one of the commanders said.

“It won’t be enough,” Kyran replied. “Rosehall is fifteen days away even on a scaled strider. Even if they send reinforcements the moment our messenger arrives, help is still a month away.”

They still had to send a messenger. But no reinforcements would arrive in time. Kyran couldn’t continue toward his own kingdom either. The orcs were using the only road leading to Marlow, and trying to cut through the Beast Forest was a death sentence.

“Our best chance is to head for the cities along the way,” Garen said. “We gather the local forces, slow the orc advance, and buy time.”

“I’m with you,” Kyran said. “There’s no way through to Marlow anyway.”

They would all have to head for the nearest city. And if Garen was right, the orc general was already marching on Rosemark.

***

The moment they left the cave, Norn froze. Sunlight touched her chitin. The spider slowly raised her head and stared at the sky.

“I haven’t felt the sun or the wind in so long,” she said.

For several seconds, she didn’t move. Then she exploded into motion, leaping between the trees, far too happy for a creature with fangs that large. She climbed trunks, jumped across branches, and at one point scaled the Great Tree itself. She had promised Luke she wouldn’t feed on it again, though he wasn’t sure how much that promise was worth.

From the top, Norn surveyed the entire region before leaping off and plummeting back down near them.

“This place is much bigger than the cave!” she said.

Her stomach rumbled.

“Here.” Luke pulled several boars he had hunted from his pocket dimension.

Norn approached one and sniffed it. Or at least Luke assumed that was what she was doing. He had no idea how the biology of a gigantic spider worked.

She nudged the boar with one leg. “Boring.”

Then she wandered over to his makeshift camp, where he had left his cauldron, crates, table, and materials. She stopped beside the cauldron and examined its contents.

“Hmm...”

She dipped one leg into the bottom, then brought it to her mouth.

“It’s delicious! I want this!”

Luke walked over. A little of the liquid still coated the bottom of the cauldron.

“That’s a kind of healing potion. I made it.”

“Do you have more?”

“I do...” He pulled a few vials from his storage item. “A little.”

“Pour it on the food! Pour it on the food!”

Luke poured the potion over one of the boars. Norn devoured it immediately. Her fangs tore through bone, flesh, and hide with an ease that wasn’t exactly pleasant to watch. Then she licked the last traces of potion from her leg. Luke looked at the empty vial in his hand.

Oh no.

“Delicious!” Norn said. “I want more. You made the liquid yourself?”

“I did.”

She moved closer. Her eight eyes fixed on him in a way Luke didn’t know how to interpret.

“You are a very talented male. And such a... small male.”

Is that good or bad, Artemis?

“Depends on the spider’s active imagination. But judging by that tone? Probably good. Or not so good for you.”

The little green orb emerged from the cave.

"Thank you again, botanist. You helped me. With the spider no longer poisoning me and stealing my strength, and with the pests eliminated, I will be able to recover naturally, even if it takes time."

The orb began to drift away.

“Where are you going, Illyra?”

“I am going to my children.”

“And what am I supposed to do with the spider?”

“I do not know. But I must speak with my children. I will return later to help you. Now that my illness is finally gone, I need to tell them I did not withdraw because I rejected them.”

For once, Luke had nothing sarcastic to say. The spirit shot away faster than he had ever seen her move, like a mother too anxious to wait another second.

Norn pushed the remaining boars toward him. “I want more! Norn is hungry, my male!”

Sighing, Luke poured every healing potion he had left over the boars. While the spider ate, he began thinking about how to explain the rules to her. Charlie remained nearby, watching her every move.

“Norn, this place, this forest... it’s all part of my kingdom. I mean... my nest.”

“Your nest?” the spider asked, pausing mid-meal.

Speaking in those terms might help her understand.

“Yes. And I’m willing to let you live in my nest, but only inside it. I’ll take care of you and feed you.”

Norn’s eyes brightened.

“In exchange, you don’t eat anyone without asking me.”

“Even Tiny Fang?”

“Especially Charlie.”

Charlie’s expression darkened.

“You also don’t bite, poison, trap, chase, or wrap anyone up.”

“What if they attack Norn?”

“Then you can defend yourself.”

“What if they are rude?”

“That is not an attack.”

Norn pointed one leg at Charlie.

“Tiny Fang is rude.”

“Charlie is not food.”

Norn lowered her head, clearly disappointed.

“And you don’t leave the nest without telling me. I’ll handle the food. Deal?”

She darted toward him, two legs nearly wrapping around him.

“My male cares that much about me?”

“Yes...” Luke glanced at Charlie and saw the dark look on her face. “I mean, not in that way. But I don’t want to lock you in the cave or hurt you by fighting you. You’ll have all the space you need in this forest. My nest is big enough for all of us.”

The spider backed away, studying the forest around her.

Then she turned to Luke.

“I like it. I will fill our nest with webs, male.”

“Our?!” Charlie snapped.

Luke cleared his throat. “On second thought, Norn... from now on, you should stay with me. Don’t do anything bad. I’ll teach you how to live in the forest.”

Charlie looked at him.

It’s our best chance of coexisting with this spider, Luke told her mentally.

Luke glanced at the empty potion vials scattered around the camp.

I may have just adopted the most expensive creature in the forest.

Then another thought occurred to him.

“Norn, how would you like to become a citizen of my nest?”

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