Erin wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry as the ground shook beneath her feet, before she could make a decision one of the qek stirred. The one who’d lost the earlier fight. Momentarily distracted from the approaching threat, she stared in fascinated horror. The qek was doomed. Wounds large, small, and beyond counting slowly oozed their dark lifeblood into the snow.

Its yellow eyes fluttered open as another tremor passed through the ground. The monster stared into the sky above, giving no sign that it was aware of Erin’s presence. She ignited another fireball in her hand without thinking.

[We don’t have time. It’ll be here in a mome-]

Erin cut off her objections by launching the fireball directly into the nearly dead monster's face. It didn’t cry out or try to avoid the attack. Erin wasn’t sure how she felt or why she’d done it. Perhaps it was pity or maybe just the chance at loot.

[Qek Scavenger Slain: Would you like to loot?]

“Yes,” Erin told her without hesitation.

Qek Scavenger Loot

1 of 1

Default:

9 copper maefars, 2lbs of qek meat.

Equipment:

Select this option to discover loot

“Equipment.” Erin selected, her heart thundering in her chest as the qek turned to bright light. As the light faded away, she leaned down, snatching up the coins and meat into her inventory. The equipment she had been given turned out to be a slender, but sturdy wooden staff. Flat at both ends, with a bronze ring wrapped around the middle, little more than an inch wide.

She grabbed it and ran, heading directly away from the sound of the approaching giant.

[Hide!]

Lisa urged her, and Erin could feel more than just words coming across whatever link they shared. If she kept running, she would be spotted and she would die. Erin ducked behind a wide tree, just beyond the edge of the camp and tried to control her breathing.

Thump

Heavy footfalls dislodged bits of snow from the trees as the creature crested the top of the hill Erin had stood on just moments before.. Once again she experienced the air vibrating as the thing breathed. She could practically feel the resonance of its lungs against her skin as it took in bucketful's of air.

Thump

It came down the hill at a sedate pace, moving closer to her hiding spot as it made for the one remaining body. The qek who had won the fight, and had its throat ripped out. The only one Erin hadn’t been able to loot.

If the monster had anything more than the meanest intelligence, it would know that there weren’t nearly enough bodies for all the tracks, blood, or noise that had been made. The sounds of flesh tearing like wet fabric flowed into her ears, followed soon by the jarring pop-pop-pop of bones being crushed, like the nails-on-chalkboard equivalent of bubble wrap.

Some insane part of her wanted to get a look at the giant that had been haunting her steps. Thankfully the portion that had to do with survival was calling the shots, and she remained where she was, back pressed firmly into the tree.

The gut-churning sounds of the giant's feeding had slowly subsided as it stood in the clearing and Erin's imagination ran wild with terrifying scenery. As the tension built a new sound reached her ears. It was the sound of an ax taking its first bite out of a tree, but it was too soft and there were too many axes.

A clattering of metal on wood came out of the trees on the opposite side of the clearing causing the giant to growl as it shifted position.

[It seems that your fight with the qek drew in more than one predator.]

What is that?

Erin asked, directing the panicked thought.

[I’m sure I don’t know, but from the sound there are quite a few.]

How is it this place just keeps getting worse?

Lisa didn’t answer and Erin's attention was diverted by the giant growling deep in its throat as the metal-on-wood sound grew closer. She had a realization. Whatever these new arrivals were, they were approaching from up in the trees.

The giant roared so loud that her ears ached with the force of it, and Erin had to fight the urge to bolt deeper into the forest. The sound echoed back from everywhere even after the creature had fallen quiet.

Once the echoes had ceased, silence reigned and the air was thick with tension. She could feel the barely restrained violence that existed between two formidable enemies sizing each other up.

There was a crunch of snow as the giant shifted its position and then chaos. A curious whistling sound was instantly drowned out by another roar.

[Run]

Erin darted from her hiding place, moving directly away from the clearing. She slipped around trees, trying to keep as many between her and the monsters as possible.

Her higher tier body showed its mettle as she ran faster than she ever had in her previous life, or maybe that was just the panic. Several minutes later she was forced to pause to catch her breath. The giant’s roaring had faded, and she was tentatively hopeful she had given them the slip when she heard it. A scratching sound from up above as something moved between the trees.

Erin tilted her head up and spun in a slow circle. A white-knuckle grip on her new staff as her eyes tried to pick out what her ears perceived so clearly.

A branch fell from above without so much as a sound and with a graceless stumble, Erin dodged away, narrowly avoiding it.

[Eyes up.]

Lisa supplied as Erin turned her head to inspect the branch that had nearly brained her. Instead, Erin looked up and had the vague impression of a shimmer in the air, like a heat distortion. Clinging to the side of the tree just above where the branch had fallen.

“What the-’ Erin began, her eyes going wide as her stomach sank, but the monster realized it had been seen. A spider the size of a dinner plate faded into view as the shimmer vanished. Chitin shining like metal, its bladed legs gripped the tree while its crimson eyes watched her.

Not wanting to look away, she did her best to scan for more shimmers in the area around the spider, without ever taking her eyes off of it.

[It appears to be alone for the moment.]

Erin grimaced at that. The noise they’d made back in the clearing meant there were likely dozens. This one must’ve spotted what seemed like easier prey and followed her as she ran. Now that its surprise attack had given it away, it didn’t seem keen to start a fight.

“Do you think it’s waiting for backup?” Erin asked through gritted teeth.

[It’s possible. This species seems to hunt as a cluster.]

Erin shifted her grip on the staff to free up her right hand and conjured a fireball. The effort of doing so caused sweat to bead on her forehead accompanied by a vague sensation of nausea.

[Your body is reaching its limit. You need to eat and rest.]

As the ball of flame bloomed to life in Erin’s hand, the monster's legs gave the barest twitch. She had her doubts that a single fireball could hurt something so armored, and Lisa was right. Erin could tell she was running on empty. She doubted she had more than a few casts left at this point.

“Well it’s followed me this far, I can’t imagine it’ll give up.” She said as she aimed with the fireball. She could practically feel the tension in the creature's body as it prepared to spring away.

Erin released the trigger on the spell and sent the fireball streaking through the air. With all her will, she pooled magic in her palm as quickly as she could and willed into existence a second fireball. As expected, the spider leaped away, becoming a blur as it aimed for a different tree.

A sensation like being cold swept through Erin's body as she forced the spell into existence. She pivoted on the spot, her eyes moving to where the spider would land. She fired the spell as she went down to one knee, too dizzy to keep her feet.

The spell hit its target, splashing over the spider as it dug its legs into the bark. Erin was dismayed, but not surprised to see its limited effect. A wave of orange flame rolled around its shiny metallic body before fading away into the air.

Erin despaired from where she kneeled in the snow, but as she looked up at the monster she saw that the attack hadn’t been a total waste. The majority of its shining red eyes had gone black, burned away. Only three remained, and they were fixed on her. Despite the creature's inability to produce any kind of human expression, she could sense its rage.

Perhaps that’s what drove it to lunge at her, or maybe it was the fact she seemed injured. Thankfully,

The wave of dizziness was passing quickly. She rolled to the side and pushed herself back to her feet. Legs splayed wide, the spider struck the spot where she’d been standing.

[The staff.]

Lisa supplied unnecessarily as Erin had already shifted the long piece of wood into both hands and was preparing to swing it in an overhead chop.

For one reason or another, the knife-legged arachnid didn’t seem to be able to move as well in the snow, and luck more than planning had left her on its blind side.

Unable to see the attack coming, and moving awkwardly, the staff struck the center of its body with a loud crack. The spider thrashed its legs in silence as she pressed down on its back, crushing it between her staff and the ground. Cracks had appeared in the chitin with the initial impact, and as she put her full strength behind the length of wood, they widened, the center beginning to cave in.

She dug her feet in and pressed down with a last monumental effort and the monster's exoskeleton collapsed with a crunch.

[You have slain: Iron Spiderling, would you like to loot?]

Certain she shouldn’t linger, but too tired care Erin flopped down into the snow and said ,“Yes.”

Iron Spiderling Loot 1 of 1 Default: 12 copper Maefars, 0.5lbs iron chitin Equipment: Select this option to discover loot. Artifact: Select this option to discover loot.

Even wounded, aching, and exhausted she couldn’t repress her curiosity. She’d never seen the Artifact option before.

“Lisa?” Erin asked the air, trusting that the intent of her question would be understood.

[Artifacts are magical items. These can vary widely in function and power. Additionally, they can be crafted as well as obtained from loot. They are rarer than Augment runes, but less so than Spell runes.]

“So it could be anything?”

[Within reason.]

Erin laughed at that, from her perspective there was very little about her entire post-death experience that could be called reasonable.

“Alright, let's see the artifact.”

The spider's body began to glow with a bluish light, quickly growing bright enough that Erin had to cover her eyes. Once the light was gone, a pile of goods remained: A leather pouch that contained the as-of-yet useless currency. A few flat pieces of the spider's metallic looking chitin, and a hat.

Erin picked up the hat and looked it over. It was leather lined with soft fur on the inside. Warm looking, but with no obvious magical properties.

“Lisa?” Erin asked again

[Bronze quality All-Purpose Hat: This hat changes to suit the wearer's needs. ]

Erin raised an eyebrow and then slipped the hat onto her head. The fit was a little loose at first, but after a moment she felt it adjust itself to suit her.

“A magic hat huh?” She asked, “seems a little underwhelming for an artifact.”

[At least your ears won’t be cold anymore.]

Erin nodded as she gathered up the money and chitin and added them to her inventory. Then she used her staff to help push herself back onto her feet. An act which her entire body protested.

[We should retreat to the den so you can eat and recover.]

“Agreed,” Erin said as she looked around, “Do you remember which way that was?”

Under Lisa’s direction, Erin began to make her slow way back to her hole in the ground.