Why were any spiders living deeper in their domain? That question should have been asked by them, because Ves'ra very much doubted much could pass the smaller spiders.

Now she knew. While something that somehow managed to stay invisible through her fog was slowly spinning a huge web all around the clearing the forest floor as well as the trees slowly filled with insects.

Bees and Ants to be exact.

They didn't worry her - every mage in her village would be able to kill them - though the big spider did very much worry her. She wouldn't want to fight it head-on with millions of monstrous insects supporting it.

This called for a subtler approach.

She had time, only about half the forest edge was trapped and insects were still coming under the illusion that hid them. Looking up she saw a few clouds above, but knew it wouldn't start to rain anytime soon. Well, she could change that, couldn't she? With a small effort of will waves of energy left her, vanishing up into the clouds. A few minutes later rain started falling, decking everything around them in water and giving her more than enough to work her magic.

Waves of energy left her, suffusing her surroundings and entering even the tiniest waterdrop.

While her magic worked, slowly raising the water into the air and creating a thick bank of fog around them she continued to eat like nothing was happening.

By the time her fog started leaving the clearing the spider made significant progress, which spoke of it being huge.

She wouldn't let her future meal intimidate her! As the fog thickened she actually saw the web-maker speed up, and an outline of a spider appeared on her senses. It was huge, nearing four meters high and double that in width.

Perhaps she should prepare something else, should the fog not work out. It would add a few minutes to her preparation, but you couldn't be too prepared.

"Gather up." She yelled after her preparations finished. The kobolds looked up, already slightly alarmed by the increase in watches saw the serious look on her face and immediately assembled around her.

With a small application of her will all water around them was repelled, forming a shield around them.

"We are surrounded." She stated. The kobolds looked around, first panicked, then confused.

"There are a few thousand insects and one very big spider around us." She explained. "I assume they're hidden by the spider's magic, though I don't know for sure. Prepare for battle, I will take care of the spider, but you'll have to kill the insects. It's best you don't leave my shield though"

A part of her considerable energy-reserves left her, vanishing into the surrounding fog. The fog around the spider froze immediately, before forming into spikes of ice that tried to pierce its eyes. They missed, as she didn't really see more than a vague outline. The spider screeched in anger, and its illusion vanished, all webs and insects suddenly appearing in thin air.

The insects, all about as big as a hand, surged forwards, loud buzzing filling the air as the bees took flight.

"Now, take care of them." She commanded. The kobolds nodded, happy to do something. As another part of her magic left towards the spider she took a moment to take in its form.

The spider was around four meters tall with nearly translucent white fur and chitin. It was obviously not meant for direct fighting as much as their earlier prey, as its head was bigger. Its small, beady eyes were filled with anger, all focused on the kobolds assembled in the middle of the clearing.

After her ice hit its body she immediately started melting it, using the head she still had access to and started spreading water around its head. The spider started thrashing about, trying to shake the water lose - to no avail, her magic made sure of that.

Just as the whole head started being covered in water, stopping any air from entering its lungs and started constricting the spider stopped suddenly moving. Ves'ra was about to snort in amusement, that wouldn't let it escape, her water crashed together, suddenly without purchase.

Her village started fighting just now, ants slowly making their way through her shield while bees dived down, stinger first.

Her people were prepared, and even though the insects were huge they were only huge for insects, and thus easily dealt with by the kobolds. She should have told the fire-mages to hold off though, because the air in the shield started stinking, invading her nostrils and nearly causing her to cough.

Suddenly the spider appeared a few centimeters from the still floating ball of water. Just as she was about to react it jumped at them, only to be stopped dead by the shield of water.

As it swayed back, head obviously fuzzy from the sudden stop she saw its mandibles were cracked from the force. Ves'ra grinned a toothy grin, and activated her first contingency be for it had the time to vanish again.

Suddenly small bolts of lightning appeared everywhere in the fog, no longer held at bay by her power, instead directed to gather as a single, huge ball of electricity.

The fog around the spider rushed towards it, completely wetting its fur on body and head. The ball of electricity dissolved into a bolt, and discharged into the spider with loud cracking and a blinding flash of light.

The spider screeched again, this time in pain. As her vision came back a few moments later she was greeted by a slightly smoking spider, laying on its back with its feet curled up on its abandon.

"Let's go, surround it, we can't have these insects steal our food. Geh've, clear a way." She commanded.

The mad kobold nodded, laughing madly as he set himself on fire again, running towards the dead spider crackling madly. The rest of them followed, together with her shield of water.

Once they took care of the hundreds of insects already swarming the spider they turned outwards again, and started killing off the insects still trying to attack them. It didn't take long for whatever entity that controlled them, probably a hive-mind or queen, to see the futility of its actions and back off, leaving them with their prize.

"Alright, let's build a small wall and get back to eating." She said. "And I really hope that was a female." She muttered, shuddering at the thought that an even bigger spider could be lurking around.

The kobolds nodded, and soon enough they started cutting the spider apart while Tes'va increased the strength of their metabolism, allowing them to digest the smaller spider within moments and making space for the bigger one.

After one bite Ves'ra felt bliss, the spider's body had been significantly weaker than that of the drake, but arguably more powerful, being invisible and somehow absent when moving slowly as well as being a powerful mage, so it tasted just as good, if not better.

A few hours later Ves'ra curled up against Arvog and ready to sleep. The few hatchlings still with them were already in an evolution induced sleep, and would awaken as new kobolds sometime soon.

With all her village nearly as powerful as her it was only a matter of time until they hunted their next worthy prey, so she started drifting off with a smile on her face, nearly drooling while thinking about the next such monster they'd hunt.