The four royal guards and Noroeth were currently having a meeting inside the main chamber.

"Things are getting complicated. Aside from our own clans, the fours others have declared their separation. Two of them are already prepared for war against Mara." Azureus announced.

"It's true. My scouts have detected large movement in the South. If we don't do something quick, the Arachnids will launch an attack on Ceadric in a few days. We are not ready for a all-out war yet. But these idiots don't know when to quit!" Mephisto complained.

"Then how about we go deal it ourself? No need to use our own troops, only send a small group of elites." Naberius proposed. He was bored staying at the castle all the time. Now was the chance to finally move some muscles.

"I also want to solve this quietly Naberius. But we are talking about an army here. And you know those Arachnids will just go crazy if we kill the queen. Remember that she is one of the oldest demon in Ragna. It won't be that easy to get her." Amelia analyzed.

"At any case we can't let them attack Ceadric. Not yet anyway. Where is Alastor anyway? If he took the sea route then he should be in Ceadric. Mephisto, do you know where he is?" Noroeth said.

"Unfortunately no! He made me promise not to send any scouts after him so I did not. I wonder where he is right now." Mephisto confessed.

"Helios" a young voice replied.

The five turned to the source of the voice, right next to Naberius. Without anyone noticing, little Alice has sneaked up into the room, nibbling a small cake on her hands.

"What did you say?" Mephisto asked.

"Helios Academy. He is there to investigate about the attack on the village." Alice continued to eat her cake.

"How do you even know?" Noroeth inquired surprisingly.

"It's a secret. Hihi!" the little girl giggled.

"Hum! Where he is is not the main concern now. Right now we need to deal with this invasion issue first!" Mephisto interrupted.

"Me me! I can go!" the girl yelled out, raising her hand high above her hand.

"Wait what! What can you do?" Amelia and Mephisto raised their voice. Now it was not time for joke.

"Hold on a minute! I agree that she should go. With me!" proclaimed the beastman.

"Are you crazy? She is just a kid." Noroeth emphasized.

"So is Alastor. But look at him now! And I have taught Alice for a long time now. Alastor was good but Alice is a genius in melee combat. And you know how strong she is. Trust me in this!

Alice go pack your things! I will go by your room when we are done!" the old wolf insisted.

"Ok uncle Nab!" she ran out excitingly without closing the door.

.....

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.....

Naberius was on his way to Alice's chamber. Just before knocking on her door, he heard her voice talking and decided to snoop,

"I am finally going out! What should I wear?"

"Whatever you want"

"If I do something good, brother will be proud of me right?"

"Of course he will!"

"I have to get stronger enough to protect him."

"Yes you are!"

All Naberius heard was Alice talking to herself. He grinned at how innocent the girl was and how childish she was.

"How nice to be young!" he thought out loud.

.....

.....

.....

"So where are we going?" the two were now in the forest south of the castle.

"You don't even know where you are going and you just volunteer like that?" asked Naberius.

"...Is that bad?"

"Nope. I like it! Just like my style!" The wolfman grinned "We are going to the Spider Den, where one of the eight dominant clans of demon lived on Ragna. Long story short, we remind them who is the boss here. But we should avoid killing the queen as she is the only one who can keep them in check. If she dies, the rest will go berserk, which is what we are trying to avoid." Naberius said.

"Okay I can do it!" the little girl joyfully answered.

To shorten the journey, Naberius had Alice on his shoulder and dashed through the forest. In just a few hours, they were standing in front of the cave entraNce.They entered the cave together with Alice holding a great sword, fidgeting following behind.

The cave walls was covered by a thick layer of web. Alice could see some little spiders hiding among the web but they should not pose any risk to them so they let them alone, while still staying aware of their surroundings.

After a while, they stumbled across an enormous chamber. What was unsettling was actually inside. Thousands of spiders at the size of a grown man were parading around in formation. On the ceiling, on the wall, on the ground, everywhere. The whole room was filled with spiders. And Naberius found several rooms just like that. Luckily the tunnel they were in only passed through the room on the high ground, almost like a window peeking at the swarm of insects down there.

"This is worse than I thought! Alice try to stay quiet! We can't deal with this much on our own" he murmured.

Alice covered her mouth with her hand and nodded in agreement. But then.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" an inhuman voice echoed from inside, stopping Naberius and Alice on their track.

They looked at the origin of the voice: a giant spider with eight eyes.

"Who dares trespass the Queen's domain? State your name and business or face the wrath of her Highness' elite guard!" the spider threatened, showing its large claws.

But it did not receive the answer it expected. Instead of a surrender from the stranger, an axe was coming in its direction. Nevertheless, thanks to its quick sense, the spider jumped back, avoiding the attack. It then spitted web attaching to the axe and tried to pull the axe away from Naberius. Though the beastman was at a disadvantageous situation because of the cramped cave tunnel making him unable to swing the axe freely, he still was able to use his brute force and pulled the axe toward him. The insect had to use all his strength just to stay fixed on his position. What it forgot was the little girl accompanying the beastman. But what could a small girl like her do in ? Surely nothing much.

But it realized it could not be more wrong. While it was occupied with the axe, the girl swung her great sword, decapitating the creature. Its body moved in a uncontrollable state before succumbing to the wound and fell down. But the body dropped into the room, warning all the others spiders of the presence of intruders above.

"Shit! Run!" Naberius yelled.

The two tried to run back to the entrance. However they could hear footsteps echoing from there, hundred of them were coming their way. Now they had no choice but to go further into the maze.

Eventually they ran into a dead end. Naberius prepared himself for a final stand.

"Be ready Alice! ....Alice?" but the girl was nowhere to be found. When he looked around carefully, he spotted a small hole on the wall with a pair of small legs quickly disappeared into it.

"Alice come back here right now! Alice!!!" but there was no answer. But he did not have time to worry about the little girl. Hundreds of giants spiders were now blocking his way and the only way to find Alice was to pass through them.

They said people became desperate when pushed into corners. Even so for monsters. So what would a half man half beast do in this predicament? One simple answer: he kills. Naberius entered a berserk state. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" he shouted as he started slaughtering everything on his path. His screams echoed in the entire cave, alerting even more spiders to come.

Not far from there, only a couple of walls from Naberius, Alice has managed to come out of the gap and was now inside another large chamber. But this one seemed different. There was no spiders there. Not a single one. The room was dark but there were a gap on the ceiling to let the moonlight in. One step into the room could make a veteran pass out. The malice emitting from inside, the bloodlust filling the air, fear, resentment. All came from a entity hiding inside. The spider queen.

From the shadows, eight bright dots gleamed as a figure walked out. But it was no human, or not anymore. A ghastly creature with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of an enormous spider. Her eights shiny eyes glowed in the dark. With her pale skin and red lips, she looked strangely alluring, despite the razor-sharp spiders legs on her back, not for walking but for stabbing her victims.

"Who are you little one?" the queen asked the girl in front of her.

"Alice! I am Alice! Who are you miss?" said Alice joyfully. She stared at the queen but she was not afraid. Rather she was curious of her strange appearance.

"Me? My name...what was it? It has been far too long. I have forgot about it. They usually just refere me as Empress of the Depths, or the Arachnid Queen." the Queen gave a sorrowful look as if she was reminiscing about her past. Then she continued "Come closer child!"

Alice slowly walked toward the queen. As she approached her, the spider lifted her spiky hands and touched Alice's cheeks.

"So young! So innocent! ....so fragile!!!" suddenly the woman started to strangle the little girl, lifting her onto the air. "Do you know what it feels like? To have your children slaughtered by those scums above? Of course you don't. But no matter. If they take my children away, I will take theirs! Don't struggle my child! It will be over in a second! So DIE!"

Despite her incredible strength Alice was no match for the spider's fortitude. All she could do was struggle while gasping for breath. Eventually her vitality ran out. Her body now hanged motionless from the queen's hand.

"Pitiful child!" the spider woman carefully placed Alice between her arms before entangled her body inside a pouch made of web and hanged it on the wall. "Your body shall be nourishment for my children!" said the queen before turning away.

But only a few steps away and she could feel something behind her. She turned her head back, only to see it started glowing red before something sharp pierced the pouch from inside and cut it in half, releasing Alice. The little girl, who appeared lifeless a moment ago, now held a burning hot sword too big for her size.

"Ragnarok!!!" the queen screamed as she saw the weapon Alice was holding. She knew it too well. "Where did you get it? Where?" she screamed at the girl.

"Come and I will tell you!"

.....

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.....

Naberius continued his rampage across the entire maze of spiders. To see where he has been going for the last few hours, just follow the trail of dead spiders. But now his movements have become a bit sluggish. He ran out of stamina. It did not matter how powerful he was, fighting non-stop by himself against hundreds of enemies has left him exhauted. Now once again he found himself in a corner.

"Is this where I die? No!!! I have to keep going. I have to find Alice. I have to...." but he could not even finish what he said. He needed to catch his breath. His visions have became blurry due to the poison from the spiders despite his natural poison resistance but everything had its limits and he has reached his.

Suddenly Naberius could hear an inhuman scream echoing across the maze. This one was different from the spiders he encountered. As the spider heard the screams, they started to lower their claws. They were no longer hostile.

Naberius could not understand. A moment ago they were out for his blood and now just like that they would let him go. As he walked toward the spider while still maintaing his guards, the insects separated into two lines, making way for the beastman.

Finally he stumbled across a giant chamber. This one was different as it belonged to the Spider Queen but he paid no heeds for such details. All he could see was little Alice inside, standing next to the Queen herself.

"Alice! Get away from that woman!" Naberius shouted and took out his weapon, preparing for battle.

"Wait wait uncle Nab! She is fine! She promised that she won't trouble us no more! Isn't that right Archna?" the girl said and turned toward the Queen.

"It's correct! I apologize for my indiscretion and for all the troubles I have caused.I will recall my troops and await orders from king Alastor!" the Queen humbly answered.

"What ? Archna? What the hell happened when I was gone?" Naberius was confused.

"We just had a little talk and find some common grounds. That's all, uncle Nab! Now let's go home!" Alice dragged an hesitated Naberius toward the exit. "Goodbye Archna! I will visit again!"

"Have a nice trip, lady Alice!" Archna bowed toward Alice.

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