Chapter 114

As though she were conducting an orchestra, the Fluted Forest Spider Queen whistled a haunting high-pitched melody to her children — and like deformed spindly puppets, her offspring danced to her tune.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see two green and yellow splotches rapidly scuttling along the pebbles from further downstream. A third followed far more slowly with at least one broken leg. While they would bolster the Queen’s numbers, I was kind of glad I wouldn’t need to go hunt down the spiders that didn’t drown.

The small reprieve gave me time to consider how to deal with the remaining spiders. While coming up with my plan, I dipped my sword into the flowing current to try and wash off the fragments of chitin stuck to it along with the yellow ichor from the dead spiders.

The Queen was reduced to seven of her spawn that arrayed themselves around her in a loose line — clearly waiting for her command. Further downstream the eighth one, still injured, stumbled along. Trying and failing to heed the whistling commands.

Of the little spiders, I wasn’t too concerned. Seven was a lot, but they were also small and couldn’t get under my feet since I was still shin deep in the water. They would be forced to jump at me, and I had already proven I was faster than they were. The Queen was another matter entirely, and again, I mentally thanked my mother for giving me the Compendium.

While the Queen's children might be dumber than rocks, she wasn’t. I reminded myself of the passage in the tome — a Fluted Spider Queen was capable of launching a spitting attack that was part poison, part acid. Capable of eating through metal and leather alike, just a few drops would be enough to incapacitate a grown man. More than that would spell death.

With pain throbbing through my chest from my cracked ribs and my ankle still tender, I couldn’t help but smile. Sure, I was risking death here — and not just my own — but even though I didn’t have a choice, wasn't this the kind of adventure I had dreamed about all my life? When the adrenaline started flowing and everything was on the line, my reaction continued to be focus rather than fear.

My grin grew wider as my vision narrowed. The music changed and the spiders attacked. Scuttling across the ground, they threw themselves at me in unison. Behind them, the Queen reared up, its horrid mouth opening wide. Against the assault, I hunched down and charged forward. There was only one threat here, and it wasn’t the little drones.

I sensed the gathering of aether in the Queen’s throat. The moment of warning provided me with more than enough time as the little spiders sailed past or over me. Two threads of aether coursed out of my core as a ball of green-looking mucus launched itself from her throat on a direct path for me. If I dodged to either side, I would eat a little spider to my face or bare chest. In front of me, another of her minions crouched, ready to throw itself at me if I ducked. The Queen had set her trap. I sprung mine.

The first strand of my aether flowed into the ring on my hand, eating up almost everything I had recovered since entering the Rift. The aetheric barrier formed in front of me, my charge not slowing in the slightest as I stomped on the crouching spider. The mucus hit the barrier, splattering and sliding off it as I juked to the side to avoid the falling remains. Her drones were behind me now, scurrying to turn and charge at my back. It was too late for them — I had the initiative.

Once more, aether began gathering in the back of the dreadful hole that was the Queen’s mouth. She would get off another shot before I finished closing the distance between us. The second strand of my aether finished its shaping and I marvelled at how much easier control came with the addition of Aether Manipulation. A spell I had struggled to cast for months, and only succeeded at once, formed in the seconds since I started my charge. Shadows beneath the Queen rippled like smoke as they crawled around her distended belly and across her eight beady eyes.

I juked again, sidestepping the moment Shadowblind obscured the Queen’s vision. My ankle screamed in protest, betraying me as I collapsed sideways. Years of training under George and Nazim made my body react on instinct, rolling across my shoulder before returning to my feet. The second aether-filled spray of acidic poison went wide, the Queen’s song changing to a high-pitched trill that I chose to interpret as fear as she tried to scuttle backwards.

Too slow.

My last two steps towards the Queen were closer to hops as I avoided putting too much pressure on my injured ankle. She opened her mouth a third time, aether gathering again at the back of her throat. This close, I could see the pedipalps inside twitching as they retracted to make room for her spittle. My blade descended in a perfect arc splitting her head in two. A final wheezing trill signaled her death as she deflated, the air in her abdomen rushing out to sing her funeral dirge.

The ensuing silence almost made the world feel empty, with only the trickle of the stream and whisper of the wind to fill the gap left behind.

No notification blinked in my vision as I turned to face the remaining drones, leaning most of my weight on one foot. Eradicate the infestation — that was what the Rift Path had said. A questioning whistle came from one of the remaining spiders. I didn’t give them time to organise — not that I thought they could — mostly, I just didn’t want them running off into the bamboo forest. With their camouflage, it could take me days to find them all, if I even managed it.

In the wake of their Queen’s death the monsters seemed confused as they tried to communicate with each other. I stomped through them, cutting them in half when they jumped at me and crushing them beneath my boot when they didn’t. My leather boots were covered in their sticky innards by the time I had hobbled down the stream. The final drone, missing two legs and already bleeding, was crouching on a stone. It barely reacted as my foot descended, only looking up at the last second to witness its demise.

The notification pinged in the corner of my vision, followed a moment later by a second. Limping over to the water I sat down by its edge, my legs extended to let the liquid wash over my boots. Everything hurt, my aether was basically bottomed out, but I had won. I laughed in amazement. I had won! Sure, Fluted Forest Spiders were only really found on the first floor of the Echoing Depths — a minor challenge for most adventuring parties as long as they weren’t complete idiots. But, I was only eight and all on my own. Combining my knowledge, skills, training, and magic — I had defeated a nest alone.

I would have spent longer indulging in my feeling of victory, but I knew I didn’t have time. A glance at the waterfall told me my true enemy was still waiting above like a looming spectre. There would be time to relish what I had accomplished later. For now, I had notifications to deal with.

You have completed a Rift Path! Eradicate the Fluted Forest Spider infestation (1/1)

Reward: 2 Unallocated Stats, 6 Aether Coins.

The Unallocated Stats were added to Gifted while six aether coins shimmered into existence right next to me. So smooth was their creation that my aethersensing only managed to alert me that there was a shift in the ambient energy for a fraction of a second. From my reading, I knew the Unallocated Stats that were rewarded were the same for everyone involved while the aether coins were singular and would’ve had to be split. Unfortunately, I had nowhere to put the coins.

That realisation triggered a second one and my eyes widened before I scrambled down the stream in search of my ripped and torn shirt. I found it clinging to some rocks in ankle deep water and quickly pawed over the fabric. My sigh of relief blended into the tinkling of the stream as I pulled out the safe and sound Skill Seed. In my frantic move to get rid of the webs tying me up, I had completely forgotten about it.

Better clothes, I told myself. That’s what I am going to spend my aether coins on. Enchanted clothes with secure pockets.

I stumbled back to my pile of shiny aether coins, placing my Skill Seed in the middle of them so it wouldn’t roll away, then opened the second notification.

Achievement Acquired! Complete a Rift Path solo while not possessing a Class.

Assessing engagement and environment.

Determining physical assistance rendered — No assistance provided.

Determining equipment assistance rendered — User succeeded with a mundane weapon.An enchanted ring of Aetheric Barrier was used. Spells were cast by the user. No other aether-related assistance was found.

Determining capability of opponents — Opponents were in an optimal state.

Determining distance in development between user and opponent — User is still three years from Class Unlock. Opponents were Adept Tier ranging from 1st to 9th.

Determining risk of engagement — Risk of death very high.

Reward determined.

Reward: Boon Upgraded: Child Warrior upgraded to Child Aether Knight - Gain an extra Stat at even numbered Tiers from all weapon or aether related Paths. 25 Steps on the Path of Exceptionalism.

So, now my aether Paths would also receive extra Stats the same as my weapon Paths. I couldn’t help but notice that the reward would help in the future but not at this instant, which had me suspecting my lack of a Class Path was influencing the results. The thought hung around as I stood slowly, scooped up my rewards, and limped back towards the waterfall.

I wonder if the Achievements earned while you have a Class Path are more likely to be instant improvements. Like Class Path progress? I mused as I deposited my treasure in a pile and moved over to the bamboo forest.

I decided that I would ask Nazim when I saved him. Putting thought to action, I picked a tree only a little thicker than my arm and got to work.

Two swings, check the top of the waterfall — that was my rhythm as I lamented my lack of a hatchet. Griselda had been right all along — axes were just better.

With a guess that I only had three candles left to get out of the Rift and save Nazim, I pushed through the pain. Exhaustion came on its heels, as if the ache in my chest wasn’t enough. The first trunk fell — the bamboo node I had been hacking at splintering. When it crashed on to the ground, I expected the Eyeless Spider to come investigate — it didn’t.

The tree had been over six metres tall and I set to splitting it into three logs of roughly equal length. When my right arm grew tired, I swapped to my left. Trimming the branches almost felt like a break as I tiredly soldiered on. For the tips, I sliced away some of the wood with my sword before sitting down and taking Jemma’s dagger in hand.

Carving the wood into sharp points went less well than I had hoped. Bamboo turned out to be much tougher than I had expected, prone to splintering or cracking. Even so, I managed to create sharp points on both sides of the hollow wood that I knew would cut me if I fell on them. I just hoped they would be enough to punch through the Rift Champion’s thick chitin carapace.

My other hope was that I wasn’t too slow escaping it — after all, the bamboo stakes wouldn’t do much if it caught me before it fell into my trap.

I glanced once more at the waterfall above. This close to the stream of water the exit hidden was hidden from me along with the spider's hulking form. Even without seeing my enemy, I swore to myself that no matter what, I was getting out of here. One way or another.