5.4 - Escalation (Patreon)

5.4 - Escalation

Taylor

“FALSE! FALSE! YOU ARE FALSE! LADY OF SPIDERS, WEAVER OF CHAOS! I BESEECH THEE, HEAR ME, FOR THIS ONE IS FALSE AND WOULD SEEK TO SUPPLANT YOUR PLACE!”

“You can hear her now?”

I nodded, eyes closed. “She won’t stop screaming… it’s actually starting to give me a headache.”

“And you can’t control it?” 

“No.” I answered Gale for what must’ve been the upteenth time. “My power doesn’t seem to like that it can think even though it’s telling me this is a spider and it should be in my control. I can feel her damn legs when they move!”

“Perhaps your power is tied to a creature’s level of sentience.” It was Barcus the gnome that added his two cents in now, looking utterly fascinated. Hell between him and Gale I was pretty sure they were about to start sharing notes. 

“You people seriously have talking spiders here?” That was Sophia, and for once she and I were on the same page, at least in terms of incredulity.

Because fucking really?

“Not typically.” Gale said. “The most common form of spiders with intelligence are altered in some way by magic, usually by Drow or Lolth the spider goddess.”

“Yeah.” I commented drily, trying to rub away the headache that was boring a hole through my skull. “Heard all about Lolth. This one’s a big fan.”

Shadowheart turned to address Gale, “Then it likely is some form of Dryder, or former priestess of Lolth” She concurred. 

Wyll chose that moment to interject. “If that’s the case normally I’d advise that we steer clear of such a needless conflict, but Lolth is a jealous, capricious and cruel goddess. If this… dryder or former priestess contacts her, it wont be long before we’ll have another problem on our hands.”

Sophia, chewing on a piece of last nights jerky scoffed “You guys sound like she’s gonna come down and smite us or some shit.”

“Ao would not look kindly on such direct intervention-” Gale answered in complete and utter seriousness. “But curses, assassins, poisons; She will certainly try and I’d rather not have to look over my shoulder for her particular brand of danger.”

Sophia paused mid chew. “You people serious? You’re talking Gods. Like actual Gods?”

This time however, the rather reasonable question in my mind garnered looks of what I could only view as genuine horror across every single non Bet native’s faces.

“Are you telling me you worship no deity?”

“You can’t mean to say everyone in your world is condemned to the Fugue plane!”

“Please tell me this is some… jest in bad taste!”

Sophia raised her hands, like she was trying to back away from a live wire. “Holy fuck talk about stepping on a third rail!”

Hell even Durge looked disturbed, staring at Sophia like he’d never seen her before.

“That… is something we’ll address… tonight.” It felt like a warning. “The four of you risk dying and being condemned to a fate worse than ceremorphosis.” He muttered. 

I… actually had to share a look with Sophia, and even Madison and Emma.

These people were either far far more religious than any of us originally thought… or we were missing some… pretty massive context here. 

“For now, let’s address this latest concern.” He refocused, looking at me with a nod. “There must be a cave nearby. Where it nests. We find it, we find our Dryder.”

—

Finding the cave wasn’t hard.

It was actually under the village itself. And now that we were entering it, I could sense that the hill was honeycombed with winding, narrow passages and open cavities.

“I have control of the other spiders.” I said to the rest of the team as we ventured in. But squinted, trying to push away the screaming and bitching of the Spider Queen to concentrate. “There are other things here though-” I said. “Not spiders, can’t control them. They look like…” That couldn’t be right. “People?”

“Walking on two legs, looking somewhat bloated?” Wyll whispered. I nodded.

“Etercaps most likely.” Wyll said. “They congregate with giant spiders like this, symbiotic relationships.”

“Fascinating, really but I assume we’re gonna have ta fight them?” Karlach was fingering the haft of her axe, to my eye it was a nervous sort of fidgeting.

“How else is this supposed to go?” Astarion’s sardonic tone probably didn’t ease her nerves much. “We’re not here to have tea and biscuits we’re here to poke a Lolth worshiper full of holes.”

“Fair point.” Karlach conceded. 

“Quiet.” Durge pressed his hand to the wall, and came away with his hand coated in sticky webbing. 

Then a second later he reached again and this time pulled on the sticky white strings tearing them. 

Immediately, I felt the things in the cave moving, rushing towards us.

“IMPOSTOR, USURPER! FALSE! LOLTH, HEAR ME NOW-”

The screaming didn’t stop, as Durge nodded. “Get ready.” He said. “They’re coming.”

I saw Karlach grin, marching forward to stand at the front, along the narrowest part of the claustrophobic tunnel as Wyll’s hands danced with flames and Astarion readied his bow to shoot past the woman’s shoulder. . 

—

Sophia

“What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s a manual.” The Gnome, Barcus answered Madison’s question with the same enthusiasm Sophia remembered from Kid discussing one of his new gadgets. “The smith, evidently, learned how to infuse the anti magic properties of the Sussur tree into his metalwork. Ingenious. And fascinating.”

“Anti magic?” Madison was sitting by the fire, scratching at the new Dog’s neck and head enthusiastically, affection which the Dog accepted with his tail thumping into the floor with repeated meaty thwacks.

Durge had only taken Hebert, Wyll, Astarion and Karlach with him to deal with Hebert’s… whatever. Nominally it was so Gale and Barcus, who did have some arcane knowledge of his own at least in an academic sense, could help teach Madison and Emma more magic, though Madison looked like she was taking more time to play with Scratch than actually study.

And for the rest of them to keep an eye on the village. The last thing anyone needed was for some second wave of goblins to come sniffing around and catch everyone with their pants down inside of a cave where there might only be one exit.

It made sense. But it still felt like she was getting benched. For Hebert.

God did that gall.

Lae’zel was outside, practicing her sword forms, and Shadowheart was the designated lookout for at least the next hour, after that, Sophia would take her spot, followed by Lae’zel. 

“Oh yes. Sussur is a rare tree, found almost exclusively in the underdark and its blooms repel magic, cutting one off almost completely if within its presence.” Barcus explained happily. 

“Wait-” Emma who was also sitting nearby reading a book Gale had provided “You mean there are things that can shut Magic completely off!?”

The others probably missed it, Sophia didn’t. That barely there twitch of her arm rising to touch the circlet on her head before she corrected herself, the arm returning stiffly back to her book and gripping it too tightly. 

“Oh yes.” Barcus was oblivious. “Infuse it into a weapon and a mage will find it much harder to cast spells, into armor and it would break apart the magical attack like vinegar dissolving papyrus, brilliant, brilliant work! If it’s true of course.”

Madison looked at Gale. “Is that for real? A tree that just shuts off magic?”

Mullet looked… not annoyed but definitely irritated by the question. Or at least what they were talking about. “The Sussur tree is magical in nature, or so studies have shown, thus its anti magic properties can be likened to a permanent ‘Counterspell’ effect in whatever area it is in. Nothing is fundamentally bereft of magic. It exists in all things.”

“... That was a very roundabout way of saying yes.” Emma suddenly said.

It made Sophia chortle, the startled laugh coming up in a snort as she tried to hold it in. And that in turn made Emma smile even as Gale gave her a dry look. 

Still. A weapon or armor like that sounded useful. A pocket ‘trump’ effect to shut down magic. 

“Huh… Hey, question.” She called towards the two nerds of the group.”

“Yes Miss Hess?” Mullet replied. 

“This… infusing of magic into different weapons and armor and such, how common is it?” She asked. “Like, Emma’s headband. Scale of one to ten?”

“Oh-” Gale shook his head. “A circlet of intellect is incredibly rare, this one is damaged and one can see the power of it still lingering damaged as it is. So it is not a good comparison at all. But on the whole I’d say it’s relatively common.”

“Honestly it depends on who you ask and where you are.” Barcus added. “Take we gnomes for instance. “Relatively common is an understatement. Pretty much everything from our tools to our weapons have some enchantments added to them. Though we prefer a mixture of ingenuity and science to simply magical reliance. Even so the stronger the enchantment the more gold one charges, and the most legendary, master crafted equipment is typically a royal sum, even for just a single ring.”

Made sense. If you were good at something don’t do it for free. Even the Protectorate and Wards got paid. “But I could say, get a crossbow that shoots fire bolts or something?” Now that would be fun.

Mullet shrugged. “Such things are not impossible but a bit of a waste. Most crossbows are meant for quiet assassinations in my experience which ‘fire bolts’ would be distinctly counterproductive. But poison, or lightning, those I know the Drow frequently utilize.”

Sophia grinned, her mind going towards the possibilities.

Hell, Emma got a circlet, and freakin Hebert of all people stumbled into having some mystical noseless whatever leave all his shit in her head, the odds couldn’t be too bad that she’d find something interesting soon. 

—

Taylor

The Etercaps were all dead behind us. With Durge having lured them into ground of his choosing and none of the spiders coming to aid them in defense of the nest, they’d fallen easily, leaving a clear path for us.

As we went deeper in I brought out the spiders that I had under my control.

They were massive.

Pale things, with a faint sheen of powder blue in their skin.

I saw Wyll stiffen. “You’re certain they’re under your control?”

I nodded. “Of course.”

“Frightened of spiders Oh Blade of Frontiers?” Astarion taunted, smirking over his shoulder.

“I am of phase spiders.”

That made Astarion’s smile drop. “Wait. These are Phase spiders?”

Wyll nodded, and I had to ask-

“I take it these are special?”

“Extremely.” Wyll said. “I’ve only encountered a nest once, and it was a terrible battle. Twenty men went in, not including myself, only three came out. These beasts can teleport, stepping between the folds of reality to pounce on unsuspecting prey. The same applies to their bite, fangs phasing straight through armor as though it weren’t even there to puncture flesh and inject the venom directly.”

Karlach gave a low whistle. “Damn. That’s…”

“Yeah.” I finished lamely, looking at the acquired beasts in a whole new light. 

Forget Darwin Barks and Black Widows I mean… hell.

Some of them were even the size of small ponies for goodness sake. 

“That makes things dangerous.” Durge said. “It stands to reason the Dryder, or Queen… is going to have the same abilities.” He looked at me. “Where is she?”

I pointed to our right. “That way.”

“She still screaming in your head?” Karlach asked. 

I nodded with a very dry look. “She keeps calling for Lolth to hear her, and strike me down or whatever. I’m pretty sure she’s scared of actually fighting because she can’t ambush us. She knows I can sense her.” I looked back at the spiders. “I… don’t know how to make these guys teleport though. Or do their phasing thing.”

“Depriving the queen of her numbers advantage is more than enough for now.” Durge noted. “Let’s go.”

And so, we ventured in deeper.

As we drew close, I could practically map out the whole of the interior chamber through my bug sense alone, not necessarily because there were many… active spiders, but rather because the spider queen had laid so many eggs, eggs that were practically ready to hatch that I could literally map out the walls through just the thousands of egg clutches. 

But before long, we made it into the main chamber. And my eyes immediately found where the spider queen was hiding. 

“Ther-”

I didn’t even get to finish the word.

One second there was a shadow about a hundred feet away, hanging on the ceiling in a shadowed cubbyhole. In the next, with a flash of blue, I felt the thing behind me.

“YOU DIE!”

The shriek across my mind made my heart leap into my throat as I lunged forward, rolling out of a scything front leg that tried to swipe and sever my spine. 

I rolled forward, Karlach and the others rounding at the sound and sudden displacement of air. I turned- and felt my eyes go wide.

It was one thing to sense the thing through my power. It was another thing to see it.

It was huge. It’s legs must’ve been twelve feet across or more, It reared up, and its body must’ve been eight feet long, it stood taller than Durge and Karlach both. 

I felt its muscles twitch, its nervous system warning me before my eyes could and I reared back, barely dodging a stab from her front legs that would have skewered me. My heart leapt into my throat, feeling the barest hairs of those legs  brushing across my nose. 

“IN LOLTH’S NAME!”

Astarion fired an arrow, the projectile struck the underside of her body, just between the left front legs, while I felt the build up in her venom sacs, the bile pooling, bloating the sac behind her fangs, as the muscle’s bunched and tightened. 

I said the first thing I could think of. “SPIT!”

I didn’t think anyone would react, I didn’t even think it was a coherent warning truth be told, just blurting out the word with no context in near panic as I did, but Durge evidently understood, a blast of thunder and wind bursting from his hands to send the poisonous green bile that spewed from the spiders maw off target, shunting it to the side. It hissed and bubbled, where it landed, the smell alone practically made me gag as it began dissolving the rock. 

Wyll blasted it’s other side with fire, Karlach roared, charging in- but in a blink the massive monstrosity of a spider vanished. And for a split second, like a flash of a photograph in my mind I saw her nervous system light up across my thoughts, in the briefest, infentismal window of time for the Queen to leap between worlds and reappear beside Durge.

“LOOK OUT!” I tried to reach, tried to pull him out of the way but we were both too slow, a front barbed leg, sharp and tiped like a blade punched clean through the Dragonborn’s thigh, he roared in pain and in that same breath spewed a cone of cold ice from his breath right into the spider’s face even as he went down.

Astarion nocked another arrow, letting loose, the projectile once more biting deep as the Spider took a swipe with her other leg, nearly taking the elf’s head off as he dodged.

“MY HAIR!” The Elf, very loudly exclaimed, his face twisting in fury as a single curly lock fell. He nocked his next arrow with an energy I’d never seen from him before. “You bitch!”

Wyll spoke an incantation “Tenebrae” and suddenly, I was blind, my eyes shrouded in utter darkness.

But I could still sense the spider queen.

I could see her, she couldn’t see me.

That was all I needed. 

I focused, the practice I’d done, rudimentary as it was, let me access the hands of harm- the balefire flames of death energy flickered and dimmed. In spite of the memories flooding my mind, and passing behind my eyes, this still wasn’t second nature.

But it would have to be enough.

I rushed forward, and the spider's every movement, every twitch was known to me, like a flare going off in the dark. I slipped and slid between her legs even as she thrashed about wildly to try and catch any of us in her sudden blindness.. 

I was already underneath her.

I punched straight into the spot that Astarion had shot, feeling the haft of the arrow brush along the underside of my fist as I drilled death energy directly into her wound.

The Spider Queen screeched and reared up, A chunk of her body, quite literally dying, necrosis taking hold at the impact zone. But she wasn’t dead yet. Four legs whipping and scything down tearing into rock, searching for me as I dipped and slipped between each talon. Her own nervous system betraying her with perfect clarity. 

I saw another opportunity, another weak point and struck again.

The Kick slammed into one of the two legs holding her upright in that moment, and the energies in my blow ate at the flesh of the leg, practically dissolving the thin, stringy meat at the joint as the Spider toppled over.

My foot came down- and suddenly wouldn’t move. 

The Darkness vanished and Karlach took a swing at the fallen beast’s head.

Her nervous system lit up like the fourth of July again. The whole thing a snapped photo for the brieftest instant as she phased away. Every node, every connection becoming clear.

She appeared in the ceiling above, half of one leg twitching down here as Wyll grabbed hold of Durge’s coat and pulled the larger man behind him, He, Karlach and Astarion still holding weapons.

I looked down at my foot.

I’d stepped on webbing.

It was white, and not letting go.

I tried to pull my leg free but it was like I’d stepped into thick mud. There was give but it was sucking me back into place.

The Spider Queen gave a satisfied howl of victory in my skull.

Her nervous system lit up, bright and readable one more time.

I knew where she was going to appear, I knew exactly who she wanted to kill.

And this time, I made every other spider’s nervous system light up like hers.

The Queen appeared in front of me with a flash of blue, only her flash was just one of many more.

Ninety seven more to be exact. 

Her children came. At my command. 

And her cry of triumph turned into one of rage. 

“NO! NO!”  I heard her scream as her own children leapt onto her body and began biting. Legs slashing, blood spraying. “LOLTH WILL DEVOUR YOUR SOUL FOR THIS! DO NOT LISTEN MINE CHILDREN!”

She tried to fight, but she was one, they were many, and suddenly, with a howling maddened screech the Spider Queen let out a sound of pure rage, and even as I was having her own children eating her alive, she was ready to take me down with her.

The clawed tip of her front leg came down like a lance.

Only for Karlach’s axe to smash it aside, the large, flaming woman interposing herself between me and the Spider queen.

Karlach’s feet were just as hot as the rest of her, the Webbing on the ground lighting up like tallow, my own leg was singed and came rather close to burning but I barely felt it, pulling my limb free and rushing to get out of reach of the Spider.

I heard her rage and the monstrous spider trashed and clawed and bit. I had a hundred children practically ripping her to pieces. Their teleportation clumsy, the sheer weight of numbers brute forcing it to make up for my own lack of skill.

But that was enough.

Venomous bites, slashing legs, peppered with arrows, fire, lighting and Karlach’s chopping axe, it was more than enough.

She killed forty two… before she finally collapsed. 

‘Lolth… hear… me… Kill… this-’

It was the last thought I’d ever hear from her. 

As she died the others gathered around her corpse, Karlach poking it with her axe to make sure it was dead, and Wyll offering Durge a shoulder to lean on.

“You’re sure these other ones of yours aren’t feeling… vengeful???” Astarion asked. 

I nodded. “I have them under control.” 

Looking towards Durge, and the blood oozing down his leg, I frowned. The memories of the previous night with Scratch and Madison coming to the fore.

Pulling on that knowledge, I moved my arms and body as I did then, harnessing the healing energies in the world and my own inner strength, seeing the pathways of his own magic in my mind and targeting them to accelerate the healing process. 

“What are you-” Durge’s question was cut off as my hands touched the wound on his thigh, green life energies coalescing around the wound.

Skin re-knit, scales came back, and the only evidence left of the injury was the blood stain and a puncture hole.

The Dragonborn stood, pulling himself free of Wyll as he gingerly tested his weight on the leg. 

“Alright since bloody hell when can you do that?” Astarion asked. 

“Last night.” I answered.

Astarion stared at me for a good, long second. “And now you have a small army of Phase spiders?”

I shrugged.

He stared at me for another long second. 

Then he turned to the rest of the group. 

“I formally suggest that when people ask what exactly she can do our simple and succinct reply should be ‘Yes’”

 “You are indeed becoming very versatile.” Wyll complemented with a smirk.

“Still does she have an army of phase spiders? They’re tame now but what about when you’re asleep?” Karlach asked. “Like, they try to bite me they’ll fry their fangs off but you lot are gonna be in trouble.”

That… was a good question actually. 

“Something to examine later perhaps.” Wyll cut in. “When we’re not in the midst of a very dank and dreary cave.” He paused looking at the corpse of the queen. “Our work here is done. Back to camp?”

“Wait-” I said, holding up a hand and pointing. “Deeper in. I think there’s a room.”

“A room?”

I shrugged at Astarion’s question. “I can sense furniture, a table, a bed. What else could it be.”

“Let’s check-” Durge nodded. “There might be valuable resources.”

No one argued. 

And so, deeper in we went.

It wasn’t very far to be honest. But when we arrived the room was covered in webbing. 

It didn’t stop Durge from exploring, saying he sensed magic.

Turns out, he did.

The room had quite a few magical items. A robe, a staff some daggers. We also found a journal, detailing how the Spider Queen was a follower of Lolth, a drow, who turned herself into a spider out of pure fanaticism. 

But there were two things that stood out. 

“Boots of what?”

“Web Walking.” Wyll explained, after examining it. “They won’t get stuck on the spider's webbing, and, in theory, helps to support your weight on them as well.”

I listened… and suddenly, I had an idea. 

“Can you give me those?”

Wyll raised a questioning eyebrow, but handed them over without a fuss.

Behind me, I heard a very distinct click and Karlach groaned. “For fucks sake!”

Turning around to see what the hell happened I suddenly understood exactly why she’d done that.

The “click” had come from a jewel being placed in a socket.

The jewel was beautiful, as large as an ostrich egg, it looked like pure amethyst.

And the socket it had been placed into- was that creepy book Durge had picked up. 

A book that was now opening.

Durge smiled, needle like teeth showing a satisfied, dangerous sort of joy.

I understood Karlach’s dismay perfectly. 

Before we left however, I did urge everyone to grab a crate, or chest or box, something to carry things with. 

“What for?” Astarion had complained. 

“The Phase spider eggs.” I answered, “No reason to leave them here when I can make them hatch to get more.”

I heard Durge snicker and turned, finding the Dragonborn outright guffawing with laughter… I didn’t get why.

Ok, apparently I didn't post/update 5.3 that's my bad. But to be fair, no one told me I hadn't! Ya'll should keep me informed about these things!But in all seriousness, here you go, two updates for the price of one today, next chapter is the end of arc 5 in the blighted village and next arc we finally get to the temple of Selune and all the fun surprises within. :3