Before heading to the guild to reserve a dungeon, the group made a quick stop at a weapons shop. It was a far cry from the fancy artifact store they’d visited earlier, with its utilitarian setup. Swords, axes, shields, and other basic gear lined the walls, neatly arranged but without much flair.
The shopkeeper, a grizzled man with a gray beard and arms like tree trunks, watched them warily as they entered. His eyes lingered on Pell and the skeletons, but when he saw Josier among them, he wisely held his tongue.
“We’ll take three basic iron swords,” Pell said, pointing to a rack of simple, no-nonsense blades.
The shopkeeper grunted and grabbed three from the rack, placing them on the counter. “That’ll be one gold.”
“One gold?” Enya blinked, then glanced at Pell. “That’s pretty cheap for swords. Right?”
“They’re the most basic we’ve got,” the man said with a shrug. “Plain iron. No enchantments, no frills. Just sharp enough to do the job. That what you wanted?”
“Perfectly fine with us,” Pell replied, tossing a gold coin onto the counter. He checked the swords briefly for any chips or cracks, then nodded in approval. “These will do fine for the trio.”
The skeletons each took a sword, and though they looked ordinary, they swung their weapons. Pell expected them to be quite clumsy, but they swung with an almost veteran-like experience. Or maybe he was just seeing things. He wasn’t a swordsman after all, so he knew nothing about swordsmanship.
Enya eyed the display again, a flicker of interest crossing her face. “Think I should get a sword too?”
“No,” Pell answered immediately. “You’re a mage, you don’t need one. Especially if you’re using that book of yours as a spellbook. Besides, spellblades are overrated.”
With their purchases made, they headed to the guild to reserve their dungeon.
“Yes, these two would like to reserve a hunting ground for the day. An F-rank one, if any are still available,” Josier said, standing at the counter and addressing the elf woman behind it.
Behind him, Enya, Pell, and their trio of skeletal companions waited. As expected, nearly everyone in the guild hall was staring at them. But, just as Josier had reassured them, the looks were less hostile—likely because of the city official with them.
“There are currently seven F-rank hunting ground dungeons available for reservation,” the elf said, scanning her records. “A metal slime dungeon, twin-horned rabbits, lesser-harpies, lesser-fire wisps, tree sprites, or crystal spiderlings.”
“A crystal spiderling dungeon?” Pell asked, intrigued.
“Indeed,” the clerk confirmed. “It’s a popular choice and potentially quite profitable. However, most adventurers avoid it because... well, spiders are terrifying.”
“Terrifying?” Enya echoed, her head tilting in curiosity.
The elf nodded with seriousness. “All spiders are.”
“Let’s do the crystal spiderling dungeon,” Pell declared.
Enya glanced up at him, her curiosity piqued. He noticed her expression and explained, “Crystal spiderlings are basically spiders fused with crystals. Most of the crystals they produce are junk—common, worthless stuff. But every now and then, you’ll find rare ones that can sell for as much as sixty gold.”
“You heard him,” Josier said, nodding toward the clerk. “Crystal spiderling dungeon it is.”
She nodded, stamping the documents before glancing at the bracer on her wrist to confirm the reservation. After a brief wait, she handed the papers over. “You three may proceed to the warp crystal room. Your code is A83Y.”
“Let’s move,” Josier said, motioning for them to follow.
Before they left, Enya leaned over the counter. “You’re really pretty, miss,” she said earnestly.
The elf smiled faintly. “I know.”
“Eh?” Enya blinked, surprised by the blunt response.
“C’mon, kid,” Pell said, circling back to tug her forward.
As they walked, Enya glanced up at Pell, pouting. “Wasn’t she supposed to call me pretty back?”
Pell sighed and shook his head. “You’ll never get one of those pointy-ears to compliment anyone else. Elves think their race is the obsidian standard. If an elf ever tells you you’re pretty, they’re either lying or blind.”
“Gate number confirmed. Opening portal,” announced a guild official dressed in a blend of a secretary suit and adventurer’s padded leather armor.
They stood now in a heavily secured chamber that radiated authority. The walls were made of fortified white stone, and glowing crystals were embedded in the corners, casting a soft, constant light. The thick, dense mana in the air made everything feel charged, as if the room itself hummed with energy.
Two other guild officials, a man and a woman, stood near the entrance, keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings. The first official placed her hand on a large floating crystal in the center of the room. It began to glow brightly, and moments later, the light receded, revealing a swirling portal. The space beyond it appeared warped, a shifting blur within its transparent, circular frame. It was as though the portal existed there, but not quite, like a mirage teetering between presence and absence.
“I’ll go first,” Josier said, stepping forward without hesitation. He vanished into the portal, his figure dissolving into the shimmering light.
Enya gripped Pell’s hand and pointed at the vortex. “Are we going in there?”
“Yes. Let’s go.” Pell led the way, his bony feet clicking softly against the stone floor as he approached the portal.
Enya followed closely behind. As she neared the swirling mass, her face only inches from its glowing surface, it suddenly flared with white light. A sharp, disorienting sensation rushed through her, and for a brief moment, she felt her body detach from her senses, her perception spinning out of control.
The headache was sharp, like an explosion of noise in her head, but it lasted only a few seconds. When the chaos finally faded, she blinked rapidly, her vision clearing. Slowly, the cavern around her came into focus—vast, overwhelming in size. The air was cool, tinged with a faint, mineral scent that almost made her sneeze.
The cavern’s walls stretched far above her, a beautiful blend of gray and blue-green stone, dotted with clusters of glowing white crystals. The light they emitted cast an eerie, almost ghostly glow over the space, making the stone look alive, as if it had grown around the crystals. Some clusters jutted out from the walls in jagged formations, while others were deeply embedded within, almost like the stone had wrapped around them over time.
Enya’s gaze drifted further into the cavern. The floor was uneven, with loose rocks and patches of moss that spread along the base of the walls like spiderwebs. In the distance, the cavern opened into a labyrinth of tunnels, some narrow and jagged, others wide enough to allow several people to walk side by side. The blackness within them gave no clue as to what lay beyond, but the faint sound of dripping water and the occasional scuttling noise hinted that the cavern was very much alive.
“Whoa…” Enya whispered, her voice barely louder than a breath. Her eyes sparkled with awe as she took in the sight before her, clearly captivated by the glowing crystals around them.
The three skeletons appeared shortly after, standing still and gazing around the dungeon with the same wonder. They, too, seemed to be taking in the strange beauty of the place.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Josier said, standing a few paces ahead, arms crossed as he surveyed their surroundings. His calm demeanor remained intact, but even he couldn’t hide the appreciation in his voice. “Haven’t been in a spiderling cave for probably three years now.”
“It’s bigger than I expected,” Pell added, his hollow voice echoing faintly in the vast space. His glowing eye sockets scanned the cavern walls, already sizing up the potential for treasure. He was already considering which tunnels might lead to the richest finds—rare crystals or ores could make the trip worthwhile.
Enya stepped closer to one of the walls, gently reaching out to touch a cluster of white crystals. They felt cool beneath her gloved fingers, their soft light shimmering as she brushed against them. “These are so pretty. Are they valuable?”
“Not those,” Pell replied dismissively. “White crystals like that are too common to fetch much. They’re just light-conductive rocks, really. They lose their shine when exposed to sunlight. The rarer ones—green, yellow, or really any other color—those are worth something. But don’t start yanking them out of the walls yet. Some of them are brittle. For now, just focus on the spiders, kid.”
“Speaking of which,” Josier interrupted, his tone sharp. “We should get moving. It’s quiet now, but it won’t stay that way. The spiderlings won’t come to us; we’ll have to find them deeper in. They probably have nests somewhere, and that’s where we’ll find them.”
Pell nodded. “Stay close, kid. These tunnels probably twist fast. Looks more complicated than the undead dungeon we were in. Last thing we need is you getting lost down here.”
Enya nodded, her excitement tinged with a touch of apprehension as she glanced at the dark maze of tunnels ahead. With a deep breath, she tightened her grip on her gloves and followed Pell and Josier into the unknown.
The faint glow of the crystals illuminated their path, the promise of treasure—and danger—spurring them forward.
They chose a tunnel at random, a moderately wide one that sloped gently downward. The soft glow of the white crystals embedded in the walls proved a stroke of luck, casting just enough light to guide them. Without it, they would have been walking blind in complete darkness, with only Pell’s glowing eye sockets providing any visibility.
“Guess we don’t need a lantern after all,” Enya said, glancing around.
“Good thing,” Pell muttered, tapping the side of his skull with his bony fingers as he walked. “Lantern oil costs money, and we’ve spent enough today.”
“That, and you sold that one lantern to that merchant guy,” Enya added.
They continued down the winding path, the tunnel narrowing in places and then widening again. The air grew cooler as they walked, carrying with it a faint dampness that clung to their skin. Enya was about to comment on the strange echo of their footsteps when something caught her eye.
“Wait, look!” Enya exclaimed, hurrying to the side of the tunnel and pointing at a crystal embedded in the wall. Unlike the abundant white ones, this one was a muted green, its glow faint but distinct.
“Hm,” Pell murmured, stepping closer to inspect it. He tapped the crystal lightly with one bony finger before folding his arms. “An uncommon crystal of some kind. Not sure exactly what it is, but it’s nothing too special. Could probably fetch a few silver, maybe a gold at most, if the quality’s decent.”
Enya tilted her head, puzzled. “So, it’s not worth taking?”
“Not yet. Leave it for now,” Pell replied. “It’s stuck in the wall, anyway, and we don’t have any mining tools. The main loot will be the crystals we get from the spiders. But if we see something valuable, we can leave and come back with a pickaxe or something to mine it out.”
Enya gave the crystal one last glance before stepping back to rejoin the others.
As they moved deeper into the tunnel, the faint sounds of dripping water and the soft hum of the crystals filled the air. But soon, another noise joined the mix—a faint, quick scurrying echoing from further ahead.
Josier halted in his tracks. His sharp eyes scanned the darkness beyond the crystals’ glow. “That sounded like a spider,” he said, voice calm and casual. “Do you want me to take care of it?”
Pell shook his head. “Just step in if things get a bit dicey.” He turned to face Enya. “You’re up, kid.”
Enya glanced at her three skeletons, standing in their usual silence, their basic iron swords at the ready. Her expression hardened into a focused, determined mask as she prepared to direct them into combat. The scene reminded her of the battle with the noble skeletal knight, memories of that fight flooding her mind.
The scurrying grew louder, and soon, a faint shimmer caught their eyes—something small, fast, and moving through the dim light ahead.
“Alright, Grace, Tim, and Muffins,” Enya said, her voice steady. “Get ready!”
“Alright. I get Grace and Tim. But why the hell is one of them named Muffins?” Pell muttered as he slowly backed up to give Enya space.
Ignoring Pell’s comment, Enya positioned her three minions in front of her. Their posture shifted to a battle-ready stance—swords raised slightly, knees bent, one shoulder forward, arms poised to swing.
Out from the darkness, a crystal spider the size of a pillow scuttled into view. Its black body gleamed in the dim light, with legs slightly crystallized, reflecting the shine of the white crystals on the walls. Atop its body was a small white crystal, identical to those embedded in the walls.
“Attack!” Enya yelled, pointing her finger forward. Her command shot through Grace, Tim, and Muffins, and they responded instantly. The three of them charged forward in perfect synchrony, their movements identical. There was no discrepancy in how their joints moved or how their swords bobbed. It was like seeing one skeleton cloned into three.
A crunching, grinding sound came from the spider. Its fangs opened, and the sound that followed was like pulverized stone. As her minions closed the gap, another wave of high-pitched squeals echoed from deeper within the cave.
“That spider is calling reinforcements. You better take out that one fast before they swarm,” Josier warned from behind.
The crystal spiderling turned and began to scurry away. It was trying to escape, likely to regroup with the others.
Mana: 27/30
Enya channeled mana into her palm and unleashed a low-powered 3-mana bone spear directly in the spiderling's escape path. The stone ground rumbled as the bone spear erupted from the earth, sending rubble flying in all directions. The spiderling was knocked back, its escape route blocked. It sprawled momentarily on the ground, giving Enya's minions the chance to close in.
Grace, Tim, and Muffins reached the spiderling in unison. Their iron swords swung down in precise, coordinated arcs. Grace’s blow shattered one of the spider’s crystalline legs with a sound like glass breaking. The spiderling screeched, thrashing wildly, but the second and third strikes by Tim and Muffins landed almost simultaneously—one cleaving into its thorax, the other severing another leg.
One last grinding cry echoed from the spiderling before it collapsed into a heap of glittering shards, ichor, and blood.
System Notification: You have landed a killing blow on Luminite Crystal Worker Spiderling (Level 3).
You have received 27 EXP
Experience Remaining Until Next Level: 67/549
“Not bad,” Josier remarked, giving a slight nod.
Enya allowed herself a small smile.
“How long ‘til those other spiderlings come? And how many?” Pell asked.
“Probably around 20 seconds. Maybe 3 or 5 for the first wave. Generally, they don’t call for the entire horde when they see a single enemy if I recall correctly.”
Enya acknowledged the tip and hurried forward. She summoned her bonecarver’s quill and positioned herself in front of the spiderling carcass. Stabbing the quill down, she pierced the open wound left by Tim, and the soul-energy absorption process began immediately.
System Notification: You have absorbed 27 points of soul-energy.
Soul-Energy: 88/100
The last time she checked her soul-energy was back at the inn when they arrived in Talo. She recalled it had only been around 61 points then. This meant she’d gained 27 points of soul-energy from just a single crystal spiderling. And there were more coming. If the next one provided as much, she'd reach her limit with just two kills.
The sound of more scurrying came from deeper within the passage. Enya stood and ran back to Pell and Josier, but kept her three skeletons positioned in front of them.
“Second wave. These spiderlings will probably attack, since they’re responding to the previous one’s distress call,” Josier said. “They can be quite fast and will sometimes climb up the walls and ceiling, shooting webs from their mouths at their target. Unlike regular spiders, they aren’t made of silk, but rather thin, crystal. They’re sharp enough to slice through your skin, so be careful if any of them hit you.”
The scurrying grew louder, echoing ominously through the cavern. Then, from the shadows, four crystal spiders emerged. Their segmented bodies gleamed faintly in the crystal light, their razor-sharp legs clicking against the stone. Without hesitation, they split up to attack from all angles. One darted forward on the ground, another leaped up and skittered along the ceiling, while the remaining two scaled the left and right walls.
“Grace, Tim, up front! Muffins, stay back a bit! Watch that spider up top!” Enya shouted. Grace and Tim moved forward as commanded, their skeletal forms creaking faintly with each step. Muffins, staying in the rear, adjusted its posture to face the ceiling, its iron sword angled upward.
Enya focused hard, keeping track of all four spider positions. Her eyes flashed yellow as the world seemed to slow around her. Her bond with her three skeletons felt stronger, closer. She could almost feel what it was like to be them.
With a deep breath, Enya began channeling mana into her hand, preparing a bone spear. At the same time, the four spiders charged. The one scaling the right wall was much faster than the others, quickly outpacing them and dodging her skeletons’ movements to intercept it. It scurried ahead until it had a direct line on Enya, then launched a bright, gleaming cobweb through the air. Its crystallized structure was sharp as a knife.
“Hey, watch out! Use your mana—” Pell shouted, but Enya was focused, drowning out his voice.
Raising both arms in an X-shape, her gloves absorbed mana from her body, and a circular mana barrier appeared right in front of her. The web struck it directly, emitting an ear-piercing screech upon impact. The force of the strike made Enya stumble back a few steps.
Recovering, Enya lowered her arms and prepared another bone spear—her previous one having been interrupted by her barrier gloves.
“Die, you stupid spider!” she shouted, and with a burst of mana, a five-mana bone spear shot out from the ground, directly underneath where the spiderling had been mounted.
Theory: Do you believe Enya Empyria is Lia Empyria?
