Strangely, now that everything was falling apart, Caelan Whitfield had finally become a satisfied customer. Gideon shouted for the man to run but he seemed oblivious to the danger, mesmerized by the spectacle engulfing the courtyard.

In a panic, Gideon dropped to his knees and placed his staff’s case before him. His hands fumbled with the clasps, and he cursed under his breath before finally steadying himself enough to undo them. Drawing out his staff, he looked around and tried to assess the situation.

It was chaos.

Countless spiders poured into the courtyard while the broodmother towered above them, her body as large as the gatehouse itself. Gideon was still shocked—not only could she talk, but she somehow spoke Gleurican Common. She was focused on Clonk, who had leaped off the stage and was running towards the rack of weapons at the edge of the courtyard, up against the wall.

Gideon hadn’t known, until Clonk’s story, that there had once been an entire armory. There was almost nothing left. He didn’t recognize the weapon Clonk had mentioned in his story on the weapon rack. None of the armaments looked magical.

The broodmother seemed to anticipate Clonk’s movements as she slashed one of her legs down towards him. As Gideon looked closely, he realized her legs ended in three short claws, each gleaming in the moonlight, as sharp as a blade.

Clonk dodged to one side, nimbly sidestepping her attack. She struck the dirt, sending up a cloud of dust that obscured Gideon’s vision.

Marcus hadn’t moved from where he stood next to Gideon. He waved his hand, and a light burst from his fingers. Two copies of himself flickered into existence on either side of him, then ran in opposite directions.

Most of the other guests started running as the spiders grew closer to the dining tables. Only a couple of them were still rooted to their spots. One of the caravan guards, realizing that Caelan Whitfield wasn’t coming, ran forward and grabbed his arm. He pleaded for Caelan to flee.

Meanwhile, the spiders drew closer.

Quickly, Gideon rose to his feet and placed the crystal of his staff against the ground. Though he’d been getting better at targeting his [Quake], he didn’t think he had the time for such precision now. He took a deep breath, charging the staff’s crystal with his mana until it glowed in the darkness with a bright green light.

When he cast [Quake], a tremor passed through the ground in a large arc in front of him, shaking the tables and chairs and causing Caelan Whitfield and the guard to stumble. Gideon walked forward, continuing to channel the spell as he moved. The earth where he walked was stable—everywhere in front of him, however, began to rupture and fragment.

For a brief moment, he cursed himself. This was going to take a lot of effort to clean up.

As the [Quake] reached the spiders, they began to trip in the cracks and crevasses, losing their footing on the uneven ground. If he could buy enough time for the guests to make it into the castle, they could bar the doors. It would be easier to defend from the inside. Hopefully, by then, Kelvan would hear the commotion and come to help them.

Gideon released his staff’s [Echo], an aftershock following the [Quake]. The two spiders closest to Caelan were both trapped. Gideon lifted his staff and cast [Hail of Stone] at each of them. The rocks found their targets, striking the spiders on their heads and eyes as they howled in pain.

The dust had settled, and Gideon looked to where Clonk was holding one of the broodmother’s legs above his head. She must have tried to attack him again, and rather than dodging, Clonk had decided to grapple with her.

Despite his small size compared to the spider, he seemed more than her equal in strength. He pulled with all his might, and the broodmother stumbled forward, plunging off the roof of the gatehouse and falling towards him.

She slashed at him with one of her other legs, and Clonk ducked beneath her blow. But his grip on her loosened, and the broodmother pulled herself free. However, he took advantage of the moment and managed to reach the weapon rack, grabbing a spear.

Gideon focused his eyes on the broodmother and used [Appraise]. It was time to know as much as he could about what they were dealing with.

Status

Name:

Silkspinner Matrifex

Level:

Attributes

Might:

Brilliance:

Fortitude:

Willpower:

Finesse:

Properties

Moon-Touched

Skills

Further Information Obscured