Chapter Four-Hundred Thirty-Nine (Patreon)

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Tiny

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A fly wriggles in his web, not knowing it’s already captured.  And yet, if he moves to wrap it, it will free itself.  A unique conundrum.

Tiny stirs in his lair, listening to the threads of Fate as well as the very mundane ones tracking the delvers in his maze.  The ones in the maze have learned to keep their visits brief.  The ones that could escape him, he has learned how to weave his webs to snare them even through their affinities, a hint of fate letting him slip a cord around even shadow affinity delvers before they can escape.  The ones that can fight him usually have more lucrative battles to wage.

The few who seek him for guidance are an interesting respite from his meditations and vigilance, helping keep him grounded in now instead of floating through the ephemeral possibilities of later.  It’s a delicate thing, to drift without really watching, to hear the threads be plucked and know what they mean, without having to directly look.  It is perhaps the Weaver’s greatest wisdom to understand that looking can change things.

But a spider doesn’t need to look to know, and indirect observation allows glimpses without disrupting the weave.  A lesson the fly would have done well to learn.

Still, it’s not without its own subtlety.  Tiny still doesn’t know where it is, which is the prime reason he hasn’t informed the Weaver just yet.  He will move to counter the fly directly, and it may be able to escape, more like a moth shedding scales than a fly, perhaps.

There are targets and a time the fly plans to take advantage of, the movements of the foe pointing toward them so obviously that Tiny wonders if they could be a trick, but the weave seems insistent on the prime goals of the enemy: subsume the Weaver.

Tiny forces himself to relax, not letting himself apply too much tension on the weave, lest he change something in his anger.  It is a simple plan, the sort the Weaver himself might make.  Strike when the enemy is vulnerable, distract it further, finish the job before the foe can even respond.

But it has underestimated the scions of the Weaver.  Any other sanctuary would not have the forces to repel so many invaders, but the Weaver has enough to be able to plan his defense without even needing to inform him.  Though they must be careful to not let the threads of their trap be seen before it is too late.  A moth may shed its scales to escape a web, but that only goes so far.  Once entangled enough, there is nothing the moth can do but be eaten.

He must speak with the other scions, but which ones?  Fluffles, certainly.  The Conduit is a major point in the moth’s plan, and so must be part of Tiny’s.  Grim will be required as well.  The Groundsreaper is subtle and powerful enough to be able to defend one of the points of attack.  Rocky, too, will be one to bring in.  The moth is almost certain to be allied with the Betrayer, so it’s not unreasonable to suspect Harbingers will be in play.  Rocky has already demonstrated his ability to handle one, and he’s gotten stronger since then.

And… Sue.  She may be young, but she is as dedicated as any of them.  Tiny may be the Weaver’s Guardian, but he doesn’t have to be the only one.  And while he can manipulate things on his end, he is forced to admit his direct combat capability is… lacking.  Sue, on the other hand, is incredibly tough and strong.  With a bit of training from Rocky, she will be a true force to be reckoned with.  Her training thus far has proven that much.

He waits for the sun to set, signalling the delvers to return to their own lairs, and freeing him to gather the scions.  He can feel the gaze of the Weaver on him as he does so, and isn’t surprised to see Teemo soon arrive with questions.

“Heya Tiny.  What’re you doing?  Boss says you look like a spider with a mission.”

Tiny smiles at the phrasing.  “I am.  I have found the signs of what he’s looking for, but I can’t give the Weaver much more than that.  It seems the enemy has Fate affinity, and is not so subtle in using it as we are.  To tell more would be to shift the threads, instead of allowing us to weave a trap.”

Teemo’s eyes widen.  “You found the Betrayer?”  The attention of the Weaver intensifies as Teemo continues.  “Boss, he says he can’t say too much, because they also have Fate affinity, and aren’t above looking.  Tiny says if he tells you everything, you’ll move and change stuff, and he won’t be able to trap whatever it sent.”

Tiny doesn’t even need Teemo to feel the unhappiness through the bond, and he can’t blame the Weaver, either.  Nobody enjoys being the bait in a trap.  Still, he soon feels begrudging acceptance through the bond as Teemo smiles.

“Boss doesn’t like it, but he’ll trust you, Tiny.  You’re one of the first, like me.  We get him.  Is there anything else we can do to help?”

The large spider smiles at the Voice, hoping the Weaver can feel his resolve.  “Anything else risks altering the weave.  We’ll keep everyone safe.”

Teemo nods and ducks through another shortcut, though Tiny can feel the Weaver’s attention still on him.  Well, it shouldn’t change much for him to watch Tiny gather the chosen scions.  If anything, it should ease his concerns.  Himself, Rocky, Fluffles, Grim, and Sue are quite the team to set against the quiet moth.

Rocky, Fluflfes, and Sue are easy enough to find, so he heads to the cemetery to gather Grim, first.  It will be simpler to bring him to them at the training room, instead of all of them gathering around the graves.

The Groundsreaper is quietly walking the graveyard, ensuring the tranquil rest of those interred.  He raises his skull when Tiny steps from the shortcut, careful to stick to the paths as much as possible.  The skeleton scion approaches and tilts his head in silent question.

“You feel it too, don’t you?”

Grim slowly nods, the grip on his scythe tightening for a moment.  One of the very few ways to upset the taciturn scion is to threaten the delvers, and he surely must feel the threat looming.

“We can deal with it, but we must be subtle.  I will mind the threads to hide us, but I can only do so much.  Will you help?”

Grim nods and follows as Tiny turns to leave, the two sharing a comfortable silence on the way to the training room.  The spars immediately halt as Tiny enters, leaving precious little room for training.  Between him and Sue, there’s not much room for either to train.

“What’s up, Tiny?” asks Rocky, eying Grim as well.  Just Tiny would be unusual, but Grim as well indicates something more.

Tiny reaches for the thin threads of Fate, carefully weaving a blind spot.  It will collapse eventually, but it is required to not disturb the greater weave with their plan.  The others watch in concerned silence as he works, all of them able to feel the Fate being woven, even if they don’t recognize exactly what Tiny is doing.  Once finished, he speaks without preamble.

“I have found traces of the Betrayer, and of its planned attack.  It will strike after the raid, after Fluffles is defeated by the delvers.  It will attack the raid group, the army baths, and the town itself.  But all of these are feints to get us to abandon the core, which the moth will drain itself.”

The others bristle at the declaration, but Tiny holds up a pedipalp to quiet any questions before they can be asked.  “We can deal with the threats, but we must be careful in how we approach.  The enemy will only strike if it thinks it has won, and it will be at its most vulnerable when it strikes.  If it thinks its plan has failed, it will disappear back into the shadows, and we may not get another chance.  The risk will be significant, but the Weaver knows as much as he can about it, and has approved.  He trusts us to act on his behalf, even without knowing all the details.”

The others look determined, with Fluffles speaking first.  “What do we need to do?”  They all nod in agreement, all of them ready to not only repel the attack, but to turn it back on the Betrayer.

“We must keep the plan contained, here.  Do not speak it once we are done.  If you can, don’t even think about it.  Secrecy is paramount, even from the very weave itself.  It will right itself, but if we do this correctly, it will do so only after we have captured the moth that thinks it can dance through our web.”

They all nod once more, so Tiny starts explaining.  The plan is simple at its heart, which is deliberate.  Not only has the Weaver proven that a simple plan is one that can be adjusted as need be, but a simple plan also puts less strain on the weave.  A few subtle nudges to the threads are easier to accomplish than attempting to change it wholecloth.

When he’s done, he ties off his small weave with a knot that will eventually come undone on its own, and they all return to what they were doing.  And so Tiny waits in the center of his web, feeling the lines for disturbances.  With luck, his plan will unfold as he hopes it will.  And if there are frays in the thread, he can only trust in the others to handle them.

The moth is a cautious foe, but it is too enticed to see the invisible trap waiting for it.  Like so many others, it will be ensnared before it even knows it is in danger, and once wrapped nice and tight, will be dealt with at leisure.