Chapter 21: Web of Love

  Isobella hummed happily, though her vacation was short she enjoyed every minute of it. She and Drasna had returned from Vulcarose earlier that morning and were only an hour away from the chateau. Drasna kept pace with her but had been walking on her hands for the last five minutes to prove a point. Isobella smirked and gave the monk a shove causing her to fall over onto the dirt road.

  Drasna sat herself up and pouted, “Hey! You cheated!”

  Isobella muffled a giggle with her hand, “Maybe I did, and maybe I didn’t. You didn’t say I wasn’t allowed to push you. I guess I get to be the big spoon tonight.”

  Drasna stood up and crossed her arms, “You’re lucky your adorable, money bags. Anyway, have you figured out where to hide that puzzle?”

  Isobella cocked her head, “I thought we agreed to keep it in the reading room at the chateau?”

  “Yeah, but where’s the adventure in that? We should put it somewhere to reward people for adventuring. Like that cave over there!”

  Drasna pointed to a cave in the mountain pass. If it hadn’t been pointed out to her, Isobella probably would’ve missed it. It was on the other side of a river accessible by an old bridge.

  “That doesn’t seem like a very frequented place, the puzzle might sit in there for a long time, maybe forever.”

  Drasna shook her head, “Nah, I know somebody will find it, and besides you don’t want our vacation to end so soon do you? Let’s do a little spelunking, maybe we’ll find a gem as pretty as you.”

  Isobella sighed and agreed, “Fine, one last bit of excitement for our vacation.”

  Drasna snatched the noble's hand and charged into the cave “Alright! Let’s get moving.”

  The inside of the cave had a bucket of torches with some flint and steel. Isobella found it curious, but it meant people had explored it often enough that the puzzle may be found after all. Drasna lit a torch and handed it to her, but Isobella declined.

  “I can see in the dark, Drasna.” Isobella stated, her eyes glowing purple.

  Drasna pouted, “Right, warlock powers, I don’t understand how I always forget about those. So is it like daylight here to you or like black and white?”

  “I see like normal, all the colors.”

  “Cool!”

  The duo wandered deeper into the cave, it had a few twists and turns, but seemed to be a straight path. There were old mine tracks broken apart on the ground with busted up tables and chairs. Isobella spotted a few broken bottles littering the rocks and rusty pickaxes leaning against the walls. She giggled as her overeager girlfriend tripped and stumbled in the low light her torch provided. At that moment she became distracted and walked into a spiderweb. Isobella shrieked in unbridled terror.

  Drasna dropped her torch and grabbed Isobella's shoulders, “What happened, are you ok?”

  Isobella thrashed and raked the webs out of her hair, “No no no no! I hate spiders! I don’t want to do this anymore! I wanna leave!”

  Drasna pulled the noble close, “I’m sorry, I had no idea. Thanks for being brave for me, we don’t have to keep going, let’s just go home.”

  Isobella sniffled in the monk's embrace, “Thank you…”

  Just as Drasna bent down to pick up her torch, a mass of thick webbing fired from deeper into the cave. Drasna yelped as the sticky substance engulfed her back and dragged her deeper into the cave. Isobella watched in horror as her favorite person in the world disappeared. Isobella felt her knees shake and smack into each other, her blood ran cold as a frozen lake. She choked on her own breath panicking, unable to move she felt her heart race like it would burst.

  Playful giggling could be heard from where Drasna had been dragged away to, followed by grunts and struggling from the monk. Isobella stood firmly in place, shaking like a leaf, as Drasna’s struggles grew silent. Isobella could feel the sweat trailing down her back, she was afraid of what must’ve been a spider of some variety, one big and strong enough to take her Drasna away from her.

  Stolen story; please report.

  She wanted to run but refused, she would never forgive herself, life without Drasna was unthinkable, unacceptable. Afraid as she was, she took a step forward.

  “D-Drasna…, please say something…”

  When no response came, the noble swallowed a lump in her throat and shuffled deeper into the old mine. She shuttered at the sight of massive webs that caked against the walls and continued to call out. She froze in fear when two skeletons came into view, both suspended in a large spider web, picked clean. She used the sight to strengthen her resolve and delve even further. Isobella eventually made it to a large chamber with many fancy track systems and of course the biggest web of them all. Everything was crystal clear with her eyes.

  The web held many bodies and cocoons, but most importantly a massive spider, with long and thin black legs. Instead of a head, a human torso came out of it, like some kind of spider centaur or mermaid. The human half was pale and wrapped in black silk that Isobella assumed it made itself. Two human eyes sat normal on her face, with 6 more pure red ones on her forehead, some of which were covered by long and shiny black hair. Isobella grinned her teeth as the spider lady was nuzzling with Drasna who was tightly wrapped in her webs. Ankles and knees pressed together with her muscular arms pinned behind her back, and several layers of spider silk over her mouth.

  Failing to notice Isobella’s presence, the spider lady ran her fingers through Drasna’s hair and caressed her face with her nails.

  “Oh my, you squirm so marvelously, Blondie, I’ll keep you wrapped up like this in my warm silk for an eternity. Well, that, or until I get hungry.”

  Drasna attempted to speak, but could only manage a muffled, “Mmmmph!”

  The spider lady leaned in closer to the monk, “Well, perhaps a little taste would be ok.”

  Isobella became petrified at the sight of Drasna so helpless and restrained by the spider. She was only able to break through her fear as she witnessed the pale creature chomp down on Drasna’s shoulder. Isobella’s rage flared to life and her eyes shined even brighter as she punched two bolts of magic into existence. The attack landed square on the monster's back, who quickly became aware of Isobella.

  “Didn’t have the heart to leave your friend behind? How sweet, but she’s my cuddly morsel now!”

  “GIVE…HER….BACK!”

  Isobella punched another two magic bolts into existence, but only landed one as the spider lady lunged at her, digging her claws into the noble’s ribs. Isobella held her side, wincing at the pain she pulled the dagger from her thigh, the blade glowed like moonlight as she swung at the monster. The pale lady fearing the blade backed off, and hissed while Isobella pointed a finger at her.

  “PERISH!”

  The monster screeched in pain as a wave of necrotic and rotting magic slammed into her. Isobella walked slowly around the spider, every step of her boots clapping against the ground. She pointed at the monster again.

  “GROVEL!”

  The spider lady became overwhelmed with a sense of obedience and slumped over onto the ground. Isobella took the moment and plunged her dagger into the monster's back, making it scream in pain. Isobella pulled her dagger free and ran over to cut Drasna free. Calathiel’s blade cut through the webs like a hot knife through butter. The noble hugged and squeezed the monk in pure joy that she was okay.

  Drasna’s arms were pinned by the hug, but she stared in awe, “Izzy! That was incredible!”

  Isobella declared, “Nobody takes you away from me!”

  The hug lasted for five whole minutes before Isobella finally released the monk, not that Drasna was bothered by it. She decided to attempt to ease the tension

  “You know, these webs are surprisingly soft, you think it could be used for clothes? I recall you wanting me to wear something special right?”

  Isobella raised an eyebrow, “Is it really that soft?”

  Drasna turned pink in the face, “To be honest, I wouldn’t mind being wrapped up in it if it was you instead of that spider.”

  Drasna held out a handful for the noble to feel, it felt like her bed sheets. The material was also very light and strong, Isobella imagined the possibilities. Dresses, bed sheets, towels, ropes, they all made her smile.

  Isobella stood up and walked over to the spider lady, “I know you’re still alive, playing dead won’t save you, unless you’d like another stab, or a punch from your dinner.”

  The spider's eyes opened and she clasped her hands together, “Please be merciful to me! I was only trying to eat!”

  Isobella kneeled and held the monster’s chin in her hand with her eyes glowing purple, “I believe we can come to an agreement. I’ll let you live, but you need to be a good girl for me and have ten pounds of your finest spider silk for me every month. Now won’t you give me your name?”

  The monster’s eyes widened, “My name? It’s Ellma, wait every month, but-”

  Isobella clarified, “Indeed, and if you try to run away, believe me when I say this. I’ll find you, and when I do, I’ll lock you in my cellar and farm you for it.”

  Ellma shook in fear and nodded, “Y-yes ma’am!”

  Isobella smiled, “Good girl, now run along.”

  As Ellma skittered away, Drasna spoke up, “Wow, that’s one hell of a silver tongue you have. I kinda feel bad for her, but not really. So…should we get out of here already? I think I hate spiders now too.”

  Isobella nodded, “Yes, and no more impromptu adventures.”

  Drasna giggled, “Yes ma’am.”