THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

Outside the city, I look at the compass and head west. We run for about thirty minutes and reach a hill with two or three holes on it.

"Okay, let's…Ah, shit!" What kind of idiots am I? I completely forgot to buy a new raizen.

"Fuck!!"

"Woof!"

"No, not you K'nor."

"Woof! Woof!"

"Yeah, I know. You are a good boy."

I pat his head and bring out Tatiana's dagger..

"Why do I even keep this thing?" I don't know why I have kept this dagger for so long.

We enter one of the holes and find a skeleton a bit ahead. This doesn't look good. Hopefully, he was weak. If not, I might have to go back and prepare better.

"I won't know until I try, I guess."

The skeleton is holding a torch and a sword. The sword is broken and but still in good shape. The torch can still be used. He has two holes the size of a coin on his forehead. That must be where he got bitten.

I take his sword and the belt around his waist. The dead don't need clothes, anyway. He has a metal gauntlet on his left arm but seeing as there is a hole on it, I don't think it can be of much help against those things.

We continue inside the cave and I notice weird strings spread all around. The cave is already dark and silent but I can still see without trouble. I think K'nor can rely on his sense of smell as well so it's okay.

Suddenly, I hear a weird sound. Something is coming, slowly, furtively. I push a string with the broken sword and move but doesn't break.

"Is this the arachnies' silk?" It is really resistant but supple.

Finally, I notice a flash moving towards me, right from the front. At the same time, two others are coming from my left. The 'screeching' sound they make as they move is very helpful in determining their position, especially now since I can't really on my sight too much.

K'nor fires a wind ball at the arachny coming from the front and I hear something cracking.

"SCREECH!!!"

Yup, he got it for sure. The other two jump on us but K'nor fires another wind ball while I receive the one coming to me with the broken sword. It enters its mouth, right between the two fangs protruding outside.

The arachny doesn't even get to scream. The sword went right through its head. The other which got hit by K'nor's wind ball is still shaking on the floor a bit. It lost three legs.

Those things aren't so big. They are slightly smaller than a gragora but they don't weigh that much. I don't know if that purple-looking color is their real color or if it is just in the dark. I should find out later. I store the arachny I killed then finish the other two and store them as well. I should try to bring them back as intact as possible to get as much money as possible.

***

One hour later, we have killed ten arachnies. I thought they would either be stronger than that or that there would be more of them. We have advanced deep inside the cave and I can barely see anything now. I hear the splashing sound of water droplets hitting the floor from time to time but that's about it.

I touch the wall as I walk until I suddenly feel something.

"A shaft?" Judging from the texture and the coldness of it, it's a metal shaft. Is it a spear?

I grab it and pull it out of wheverer it was then.

"Screech!!"

Like it was waiting for that moment, an arachny screams in front of us. I try to release the spear or whatever but it can't. My hand is somehow glued to it.

"Fuck!" It was a trap? Those things are clever enough to lay traps. I hear noises coming from the front and the back. We are surrounded.

"K'nor! Let's go back first!"

"Woof!"

We start running towards the entrance but as we run back, we suddenly encounter two paths. They weren't there when we entered. What the hell is going on. Two arachnies jump on us from the back but we killed them and take the left path. I will trust my instinct for now.

Arachnies rain on us as we advance but we manage to kill or evade them without much trouble. But now I am sure of it, I took the wrong path. It didn't take so much time to reach the entrance, and we are even running. Plus, this path keeps going downwards. The noises coming from behind us are so loud I can't imagine us going back.

"A bit more effort, K'nor!"

"Woof!"

We continue to push forward until I suddenly see something.

"Incredible."

That shining and changing light, how could I ever forget it. We enter a place that looks quite the same as the one before.

"To think that I would find an Angas pool here."

The arachnies have all stopped right at the entrance. Are they afraid of that thing as well? At least that gives me time to think about a strategy.

"Cissa, let's use Stampede."

"Okay."

I advance towards the entrance and release draconic energy. The same storm of energy appears but it seems weaker this time. The clone appears but it looks hollower.

"Those chains really restricted the amount I can use."

"It's like I said." The clone speaks with Cissa's voice then looks at the entrance. "their number didn't shrink much."

"Yeah." The storm killed about fifteen or so arachnies, I can still see more than fifty waiting in the dark. I try to move my hand and it obeys this time. The weapon to which it got glued is on the ground.

"This is my luckiest day yet."

It wasn't a spear but a raizen. And still in good condition at that. A completely black raizen with three golden lines on the blade and a single one running through the shaft.

"Sweet." I hold it and it isn't too heavy even though the shaft is made of metal. The blade is a bit rusty but it should do.

"K'nor, you stay here and don't approach that pool no matter what! you hear me?!"

"Woof!" K'nor sits and looks at us while panting.

"Let's go, Cissa."

"I will be right beside you."

We both jump in the fray and slaughter the arachnies. Even though my draconic power is reduced, it is still a bit of an overkill to use it for those weaklings.

"SCREECH!!"