A screech echoed from deep within the narrow passage, sharp and chittering. It was unmistakably the sound of a spider—though not a war cry or a call to reinforcements. It carried the idle cadence of crystal spiderlings, communicating amongst themselves. Still, to the trio, it was a signal of something lurking ahead.

  “The spider queen’s nest is probably down that way,” Josier said.

  “How dangerous are we talking?” Pell asked, his voice quieter than usual.

  “I can’t say for certain how large this nest will be,” Josier replied, “but spider queens typically have at least ten to fifteen others nearby. Most of the worker spiders don’t stay at the nest—they just drop off crystals or ore. What’s left are warriors and royal guards defending the queen.”

  “Are the guards stronger than the ones we’ve already fought?” Enya asked.

  “Most likely,” Josier said. “Guards protecting the queen would be at least as strong as several regular warriors. If there are, let’s say, ten warriors and two guards, their collective strength could easily match that of twenty or thirty ordinary spiders.”

  Enya’s gaze fixed on the dark passage ahead. Her body tensed, her senses sharpening as her mind focused. A yellow gleam overtook her eyes, and her perception stretched outward, slipping through the twists and turns of the passage like a phantom.

  Her vision reached a vast, circular cavern about 300 feet ahead. The walls, floor, and ceiling were thick with cobwebs glimmering in shades of green, yellow, and pale blue. At the cavern’s center stood a massive, cocoon-like crystal woven from web, its surface pulsing faintly with a rhythmic blue light that brightened and dimmed like a heartbeat.

  Scattered throughout the chamber were at least a dozen crystal spiderlings, clinging to every surface. Near the enormous crystalline cocoon was a smaller spiderling, its body entirely encased in shimmering blue crystal. A bright crystal protruded from its back, glowing faintly in the dim cavern. It was no larger than her own hand, but it seemed to be the most prominent feature to the cave, aside from the large cocooned crystal.

  Next to the spiderling, were two others, much larger. They were as taller than the other pillow-sized spiders, and probably reached up to her waist. These were probably the royal guards that Josier had mentioned. The two spiders were covered in green crystallized scales, but a pale blue gem, similar to the spider queen’s extruded from their backs.

  She pulled her senses back, her perception field slingshotting back through the passages until they retracted back into her.

  “You see anything?” Pell asked, noticing her stoic, focused gaze that lasted a few seconds.

  Enya blinked a few times, grounding herself before speaking. “Yeah. The queen’s nest is definitely ahead. There’s a big crystal cocoon at the center of a large chamber, and it’s glowing like it’s alive. Spiderlings are everywhere—at least a dozen—and there are two guards stationed near the cocoon. They’re huge, like waist-high,” she said, raising her hand sideways and using her own waist, for example, “and covered in green crystals. They also have pale blue gems on their backs.”

  Pell tapped his bony fingers against his forearm, the sharp clicks breaking the tense silence. “Two guards, huh? What about the queen?”

  “I… think I saw her? There was a smaller spiderling, hand-sized, right next to the cocoon and near the guards. It was completely made of blue crystal.”

  Josier hummed thoughtfully, adjusting the cuffs of his suit. “A spiderling entirely made of blue crystal? That matches the description of the queen. She may not look intimidating, but with her guards and those spiderlings, this won’t be an easy fight. I’m not sure you’ll manage safely on your own.”

  “What about you? Can you take them on?” Pell asked, his tone laced with curiosity. For all his skepticism, Pell couldn’t ignore the fact that Josier wasn’t just any city official—he worked directly at the jailhouse, a role likely requiring both combat prowess and tactical skill.

  “Easily, I’d say,” Josier replied smoothly. “I’m not at Nakrin’s level—he’s a Diamond-tier War Paragon—but I’m still a solid Platinum-tier.”

  Pell crossed his arms, skepticism flickering across his bony face. “B-rank, huh? You look the part now, but when I first saw you at the prison, your hair was a mess, and your suit looked like it had been through a raccoon stampede.”

  Josier chuckled, unfazed by the jab. “Fair point. I don’t usually wear my uniform or anything formal. I’m more of a bounty hunter for the city—recon, tracking, that sort of thing. They called me in to find your representative,” he said, nodding toward Enya, “and insisted I wear something official. Let’s just say it was... a bit of a rushed effort.”

  The faint echo of scurrying ahead lingered in the passage, a reminder of the hive's proximity. “So,” Josier said, his voice calm and measured, “would you like me to take care of the hive, and Enya here can do what she needs to afterward?”

  Pell tilted his head, turning his gaze to Enya. “What do you think? You’ve been handling the regular crystal spiderlings pretty well so far. But the guards and the queen—they might be at the top tier of F-rank creatures, maybe even E-rank.” He glanced sideways at Josier, silently asking for confirmation.

  Josier only shrugged, his expression indifferent. “Hard to say for sure,” he admitted.

  “E-rank? But this is an F-rank dungeon,” Enya pointed out, frowning slightly.

  “It’s not uncommon for bosses or epic creatures—those stronger and more dangerous than the norm—to rank higher than their underlings,” Josier explained. “Take a goblin-filled dungeon, for example. The boss could be a goblin mage, but you might also find a troll or another stronger monster mixed in. The queen and her guards might be a rank higher, or they could just be particularly strong F-rank monsters.”

  Enya tilted her head. “Can you still kill them if they’re E-rank?”

  Josier raised an eyebrow at the innocence of the question.

  “Kid,” Pell interjected with a chuckle, “if he’s a Platinum-tier War Paragon, he could probably clear C-rank dungeons in his sleep and handle B-rank monsters on an average day.”

  Josier nodded, smiling faintly. Yes. Something like this hive wouldn’t pose any challenge to me. If you’d like, I can clear it for you. However…” He paused, his gaze resting on Enya. “If you’re using this dungeon as a training opportunity, it might be wiser to face them yourself. I’ll stay back and provide support if needed. I guarantee you won’t get hurt—at least, not seriously—if things begin take a turn for the worse.”

  Enya had handled herself well against the spiderlings so far. The first encounter had been rough—she’d been unprepared and unaware of how they fought. But now she knew better. She understood their cobweb attacks and had a sense of their strength—strong enough to crack Muffin’s skull with a focused bite.

  Her three active minions were in decent shape. She’d mended their bones using her summon skeleton spell, but their weapons were worse for wear. The swords they carried were chipped, cracked, and had bent or broken shards. Swinging against creatures nearly as hard as stone wasn’t ideal for those blades, but it was what they had to work with for now.

  “Alright,” Enya said, her tone firm. “I’ll take them on first and see how I do. If it doesn’t work out, Jassner can clean up.”

  “It’s Jos—” Josier started, then sighed. “Never mind. That works.”

  Pell nodded in agreement, and the group of six pressed forward toward the sound of scurrying. The cobwebs grew thicker with every step, until almost everything was covered, and the stone of the cave disappeared. Tim, Grace, and Muffin took the lead, staying roughly fifteen feet ahead of the rest, acting as vanguards.

  After a little over a minute, the passage opened into a wider section of the cave. The noise of scurrying intensified, echoing around the space. The passage expanded into a cone-shaped cavern that led to a higher ledge, which sloped down in a ten-foot drop to the chamber floor. Dozens of spiderlings skittered along the walls and ceiling, their movements appearing almost hypnotic.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  At the heart of the chamber stood a diamond-shaped crystal cocoon, constructed entirely of cobwebs and glowing with an eerie blue light, casting shifting patterns across the cavern walls.

  The glowing crystal dominated the chamber, marking it as the centerpiece. Below it, was the small spiderling queen. It’s legs twitched delicately and rhythmically, as if responding to some unseen signal. Next to her, were the two royal spiderling guards. One of them were perched on a nearby stalagmite, its legs braced in a defensive stance, while the other paced back and forth in front of the queen.

  Around the chamber, the normal crystal spiderlings scurried across the walls, floor, and ceiling, in what appeared to be a chaotic pattern, but something felt odd about their movements. They seemed to avoid the queen and her guards.

  Behind her, Josier leaned slightly to get a better view, his expression calm but calculating. “The queen looks like she’s coordinating them,” he said in a hushed tone. “She’s not just sitting there. See how the smaller ones keep glancing toward her? They’re taking cues from her movements.”

  Enya nodded. With each micro-movement the queen made, it seemed the other spiderlings moved in accordance. The actual patterns and commands she gave weren’t something she could recognize—she couldn’t speak spider, after all, but it was obvious that they all performed differently whenever she made a slight motion.

  “That’s quite a large cocoon, but that queen… those blue crystals have to be valuable,” Pell whispered, in the only way a skeleton could—raspy and not so whisper-like.

  Pell turned to Enya. “What’s the plan? That’s a lot of spiders to fight. Those… guards? Those things are quite tall too. I’d imagine they could be as strong as the demon rat from back then.”

  Enya bit her lip, trying to organize her scattered thoughts into a coherent plan. She wasn’t exactly a battlefield strategist, and the sheer number of enemies ahead didn’t make things easier. Her mind darted between options as she weighed the risks.

  “Uh… okay,” she began hesitantly, “what if we try to distract them first? Like, maybe Tim, Grace, and Muffins can lure the smaller ones away from the queen?”

  Pell tilted his skull slightly, his posture radiating skepticism. “Lure them where, exactly? The chamber is swarming with them, and unless you’ve noticed some secret exit I missed, the only way in or out of this hive is right where we’re standing.”

  “Right,” Enya muttered, her face flushing slightly. “Then... what if I just use my bone spears to try and kill the queen and the guards before they have a chance to react?”

  Pell nodded slowly but didn’t look convinced. “Better, but those guards are huge. I doubt your bone spears will take them down in one shot. And if you miss or don’t hit a vital spot, you’ll lose the element of surprise.”

  Enya frowned, her mind racing as she scanned the chamber. The skittering spiderlings, the hulking guards, and the delicate, twitching queen each seemed to reinforce how precarious her situation was. Then her eyes landed on the glowing cocoon hanging above the queen. A thought struck her.

  “Hey, Josier,” she asked, her gaze fixed on the cocoon, “what exactly is that thing in the center? The glowing cocoon above the queen?”

  Josier hummed thoughtfully, following her gaze. “Hard to say. It could be some kind of hive spawn—future workers or soldiers, perhaps? It’s not uncommon for creatures like these to guard their eggs or young zealously.”

  Enya narrowed her eyes at the pulsing cocoon. It was made entirely of cobwebs, but the light within was coming from something inside. Whatever it was, it felt critical to the hive’s existence.

  “What if,” she began slowly, her thoughts clicking into place, “I send Tim, Grace, and Muffins to focus on destroying the cocoon? Or maybe just two of them, to act as a distraction? If the spiderlings are ordered to protect the cocoon, they’ll swarm to defend it, right? That’ll leave me free to target the guards and the queen with bone spears. Or Tim could fight the guards directly while the others keep the smaller ones occupied.”

  Josier folded his arms, considering the suggestion. “Not a bad idea. A distraction like that could force the spiderlings to focus on the cocoon. However...” He paused, his tone cautious. “I’m not sure if one of your minions is strong enough to handle the guards on their own, even with you supporting them. Those guards are built to defend, and the queen... well, she’s the centerpiece for a reason.”

  Enya chewed her lip again, her eyes flicking back to the cocoon. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it was better than charging in without a strategy. She just needed to make sure her timing was precise. “Then I’ll have to make sure my bone spears count,” she said, more to herself than anyone else.

  Enya’s fingers fidgeted slightly as she began forming the details of her plan. Her gaze darted to her minions—Tim, Grace, and Muffins—all standing in their slightly uneven stances, their glowing eyes unwavering and waiting for her commands. She knew they weren’t invincible. The memory of Muffins’ skull cracking under a spiderling’s bite was still fresh in her mind.

  “Alright,” she said, her voice steadier now. “Here’s what we’ll do. Tim and Grace will focus on the cocoon. Their only goal is to destroy it—or at least, make it seem like they are going to destroy it and nothing else. Muffins will stay close to me, ready to intercept anything that tries to get too close. I’ll take aim at the guards first—try to weaken them with bone spears—and then go for the queen.”

  “Hmm. Not terrible,” Pell said, leaning on the wall with a nonchalant air. “But what happens if your minions get overwhelmed? Or if the queen doesn’t just sit there and take it? She might decide to attack you directly.”

  “I’ll send Muffins out to guard me, while I use up all my mana to attack the guard and queen. “ Enya hesitated, glancing at Josier. “If things go south, you’ll step in, right?”

  Josier inclined his head slightly, the faintest hint of a smile playing on his lips. “Of course. I said I’d keep you from getting hurt, and I meant it. But be aware, if I step in, I’ll likely finish the fight quickly. That means you’ll lose out on valuable experience.”

  Enya turned her focus back to the chamber. “Tim, Grace, Muffins,” she said, her voice firm as she pointed toward the cocoon, “you know what to do.”

  The skeletons moved into position without hesitation, their blades gleaming faintly in the cocoon’s light. Tim and Grace took the lead, their bony frames clicking softly as they moved toward the edge of the drop-off. Muffins lingered closer to Enya, its cracked blade held high and waiting for the next command.

  Josier stepped back slightly, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “Whenever you’re ready, then. I’ll keep watch for anything unexpected.”

  Pell shifted, his glowing eyes narrowing on the scene below. “Remember, kid, speed and focus matters here. If you hesitate, they’ll swarm us before you even get a second shot.”

  Enya nodded, swallowing hard. Her eyes flashed yellow, and she took in her surroundings. She raised her hand, summoning the faint glow of magical energy as her fingers tightened into a claw-like shape, a spell circuit instantly appearing above her hand. Her breathing slowed, and she aimed carefully at the nearest guard.

  “On my count,” she whispered. “Three... two... one...”

  With a sharp motion, she fired her first bone spear. The ground beneath the chamber rumbled slightly, as the bone spear formed, heading straight for the massive spiderling guard perched on the stalagmite. The moment the spear cracked through the ground, Tim and Grace surged forward, clattering down the slope toward the cocoon.

  The chamber exploded into motion, a cacophony of hissing, skittering, and the sharp sound of iron swords meeting chitin.

  Instead of a cry of pain, the guard let out a furious shriek when Enya’s bone spear hit him. The spear’s tip struck the guard’s legs, but the blow was glancing, causing only a minor graze. It thrashed in violent tantrum, leaping from its perch with a deafening hiss, its eyes scanning the room for its attacker. The queen responded with a series of rapid, twitching motions, and the hive's chaos transformed into an eerie, synchronized defense.

  Spiderlings along the walls and ceiling halted their chaotic scurrying, turning their attention to the intruders. Several of them spat razor-thin cobwebs toward Tim and Grace, their silken threads slicing through the air like blades. Tim rolled to the left, his movements clunky but effective, while Grace twisted nimbly to the right, her skeletal frame weaving through the attacks with a more catered precision.

  Neither broke their focus on the cocoon.

  Two spiderlings darted forward from the ground, their crystalline legs glinting in the blue light. They leaped simultaneously, one aiming for Tim’s chest and the other for his skull. Tim reacted swiftly, raising his sword horizontally. The first spiderling slammed into the blade with a sickening crunch, its momentum forcing Tim to stagger back.

  The second spiderling landed but immediately hopped once again, lunging for his head, its mandibles snapping viciously. With a swift, jerky motion, Tim ducked low, the creature sailing just over him and landing in a skittering heap a few feet away.

  Grace faced her own threats. Two spiderlings descended from above, their movements eerily smooth as they dangled from silken threads. The first struck, its mandibles snapping inches from her skull. She spun away, her chipped blade slicing upward in a desperate counterattack. The strike hit home, cleaving through the underside of the spiderling and splitting it in two. Its crystalline remains fell to the ground in a heap, glimmering faintly in the chamber's ethereal glow.

  The second spiderling lunged at her before she could recover, forcing her to sidestep sharply. She lashed out with her blade, grazing its side and sending it recoiling with an angry hiss.

  Tim steadied himself, his glowing sockets locked on the cocoon. Ignoring the spiderlings closing in around him, he swung his sword in a powerful arc, driving one of the smaller creatures back. Grace quickly joined him, swinging her sword in her own desperate but more calculated manner. The two pressed forward, intent on carving a path toward the glowing cocoon at the chamber's heart. The goal was to reach the cocoon and distract, not to fight and kill the spiderlings.

  The queen twitched rhythmically, each motion accompanied by a sharp, high-pitched chitter. The sound seemed to ignite the remaining spiderlings into a frenzy, their erratic movements snapping into a coordinated assault. Almost all of the smaller spiderlings surged toward Tim and Grace, converging on their position and encircling them in a suffocating, trap-like formation.

  Meanwhile, the royal guard who had been merely grazed by Enya’s earlier bone spear, finally zeroed in on its attacker. It turned its hulking form toward the source of the intrusion—the narrow opening near the top-middle portion of the chamber, the only entrance to their hive. Its multifaceted eyes gleamed with a predatory focus as they locked onto Enya, who stood at the threshold, a second bone spear circuit already taking shape in her hands.