MAGNUS

I woke slowly to the feel of something soft yet firm beneath my head. I could hear sporadic sounds of combat around me. Considering I was waking up at all I could only assume we won. I opened my eyes to find Vara looking down at me. Based on the position I could guess that she had volunteered as my pillow. Awkward.

She helped me to sit up and passed me one of the water flasks. I took a sip to wet my mouth before I asked, “What happened?”

“Before you pulled your fainting maiden act or after?” she asked in an annoyed tone.

“Hey, it isn’t like I planned to pass out in the middle of a fight, and after of course,” I replied.

She let out a frustrated sigh, “You scared the hell out of us. When Kitsu broke that obelisk the spiders went psychotic. Some attacked each other, some ran off into the woods, and the rest kept attacking us. They weren’t as coordinated though so we got most of them.”

I heard the snap and crackle of a lightning attack from nearby and the screech of a roasted spider and she continued, “A few of those that ran off have circled back, but it’s nothing like that swarm.”

“Kitsu?” I asked.

She smiled, and I swear I saw a blush creep up her neck before she answered me, “You remember that mouse you left in my chambers as a kid?”

“That was a Blink Mouse! What the hell did you feed it,” I exclaimed.

“Well she’s grown up, it has been a decade,” Vara defended.

I chuckled, “Damn, so she did a unique evolution then. What did she use to cut the stone?”

“Two actually, and she can create blades of some kind of energy that literally cuts space,” Vara explained.

Jessica said from behind me, “Yeah sounds like the house of mouse needs to lay off the anime.”

Vara and I looked at her in confusion. Jessica just sighed and shook her head before saying, “Don’t worry about it. Richard’s dialed in on the metal their chitin is made out of. We are clear for the moment. Tak and Mai are collecting some of the obelisk and making rubbings of the rest. It’s a bit too heavy to carry all of it, but we didn’t want to leave it all here.”

“Probably a good idea, someone was using it to siphon the aether from those trappers, and control them like they were puppets,” I explained.

“Yeah, Varis helped us piece it together when we got close enough to it. There was a second set of bindings that were masked somehow that prevented anything with an aether flow from crossing them,” Jessica said.

“Then how did the mouse cut through it?” I asked, my brain a little sluggish.

Both women just looked at me and shook their heads before Jessica said, “You need coffee, stat.”

Vara said, “Do you remember that conversation back at the start of school about a Blink Mouse and a cage?”

I hung my head. Teleportation, which meant, “It didn’t prevent proximity, it was just a wall.”

“Ding ding ding, give the man a prize. Tak got a rubbing of the runes, but they are actually a part of the foundation of whatever was here before,” Jessica said.

That was interesting, “And the obelisk; was it part of it too?”

Both shook their heads and Vara said, “No, but the style was similar. There were glyphs on it that were outside the pattern we found back at the academy. Almost like flourishes or extras to hide what was the actual binding.”

I stretched and twisted to make sure I wasn’t in need of more rest as the other three rejoined us. Richard said, “You feeling okay?”

“I should be fine. I probably should avoid using my aether for a bit though,” I replied.

Varis fluttered over to hover in front of my face, her dainty fists on her hips as she leaned forward and shouted, “Damn right you need to avoid using your aether. It’s all I can do to replace enough to keep you going. You almost proved the professor wrong about humans not becoming aether starved monsters. That Talent of yours is still drawing more aether than you are generating. It’s slowing down, but you really need to avoid aether use for a while.”

“I need a way to measure that at some point,” I murmured.

Varis flew over and grabbed me by the ear, “Did you hear me?”

“Ow ow yes I heard you. I can still use my cards if trouble comes right?” I replied.

“Yes, you can use your cards or your gun, but no active aether use. Which means Linaravax and your sight are off limits,” the little pixie replied.

Tak spoke up, “I think the first order of business is to let the Weaver know what happened to her brood, and then get out of the spider territory.”

We got moving, Varis perching on my shoulder with a grumbling explanation that she couldn’t channel her aether into me from inside the crystal. I noticed Vara stayed close by, and at times I caught glimpses of the shadowy form of Kitsu teleporting between trees above us.

It didn’t take us long to reach the Imperial Weaver’s nest as we followed the trail we had made. When we approached Richard called out, “Do you want us to go around? It’s kind of hard to come say hello when you have the area barricaded.”

A rasping chuckled echoed from the trees above us and the spider said, “Foolish manling, you act as if you were a guest.”

I spoke up, “Well if we aren’t guests then I guess Fenris should be told you don’t want to be neighborly.”

The chuckle became full laughter before she said, “Come into my lair.”

I overheard Jessica mutter, “Said the spider to the fly.”

Richard began moving forward, but I noticed he kept one of his weapons in hand. I fingered the case with my Fenris card in it. If the Weaver decided to be inhospitable we would respond with force.

“Peace manling, I will not risk the wrath of the master of this mountain to get a few bites of flesh with no benefit to me,” the rasping voice called as the spider once more lowered herself to the ground before us.

Tak spoke up while Richard kept a close eye on the massive spider, “We thought you should know what happened to your brood.”

It took us a few minutes to explain fully, but when we had finished I watched as the Weaver crouched down to almost lay on the ground, her legs tucked beneath her. She said, “A pity they have gone mad. I will ensure the rest that remain do not cause problems. You removed the source of the affliction, correct?”

I shook my head, “We removed the obelisk, but we don’t know who the person is that put it there.”

“I somehow doubt that your progenitor will allow such encroachment in his territory to go unanswered,” she said with another rasping chuckle.

I gave the spider a mischievous smirk and said, “Oh I am pretty sure he will be just this side of furious.”

“I will allow him to collect the vengeance as these had departed the nest seasons ago. But you have earned a boon of me, what would you have?” she asked.

Vara replied, “We were looking for a trapper, but it seems they all were made monsters. We will not bother you for anything further.”

“No, I will not allow a debt to exist. You who smells of fire and metal, is it only iron and steel you shape, or can you shape more?” she asked with a glance to Richard.

“I have more practice with them, but I can feel other metals as well,” Richard responded.

“Then come close if you dare,” the big spider said.

Richard looked at us before he braced his shoulders and stepped forward. The Imperial Weaver raised one foreleg and rested the tip on his shoulder, “Courage and strength. These are traits my daughter will learn from you. Care well for her or even the mountain’s tree won’t protect you from me.”

It was only with that statement that I noticed the silken egg sac attached to the spider’s leg. A palm sized metallic spider crawled out the webbing, across the limb, and onto Richard’s shoulder. The little spider had the same striated carapace as the larger one. Richard raised the summoning crystal and the spider crawled on top of it before eventually fading into it as the binding completed.

“Now, away with you. I am feeling a bit peckish,” the spider said before she rose into the air on an almost invisible thread.