by Jamey Sultan
Ironically, the notification distracted James from the task at hand. He stubbed his toe on a stalagmite, taking one damage. He cursed under his breath, vowing to focus more on his environment to avoid other obstacles.
You have gained a Skill Rank in Night vision.
You are now Skill Rank 2.
Impressive. You only bumped into a few rocks. How’s that toe feel?
As silently as he could, James continued his trek through the cavern on high alert. It wasn’t until he made it to the back of the cave that he found another spider.
Cave Spider (Level 2)
James tried to wrap his head around what he was seeing. The spider was about the size of a Human, with two crab-like claws accompanying the other eight legs. It was covered with a thick, bristly fur and, as he watched, it raised its beady eyes to look directly at him. His stealth was clearly not fooling it.
Whoever named this creature must have had a loose definition of what a spider was, because this spider was nothing like James had ever seen. He wished he had a flamethrower with him. Or fire magic. He could picture himself flinging a fireball at the spider, incinerating it and being welcomed as a hero spider vanquisher.
Trapped in daydreams of glory, James almost missed an obvious question.
Why didn’t the spider attack me last night?
He’d been defenseless and asleep, but it hadn’t so much as scratched him. Also, why wasn’t the spider attacking him now? The last one had been much more aggressive. This one wasn’t moving.
James answered his own question when he saw that the spider was perched on a cluster of eggs. It wasn’t leaving the nest because it was protecting its children. James felt a twinge of sympathy for the maternal creature. He’d probably killed her mate. But then he remembered that it was a giant flesh-eating spider and any sympathy he had felt for it vanished, replaced by musings on how to kill it.
He spent the next four hours doing reconnaissance as James watched the spider’s every move, waiting to see if he could spot a weakness. For the first three and a half hours the spider stayed still as a statue in the center of its web, but in the middle of the fourth hour, a bug lazily floated past the spider. Reacting faster than James could see, the spider snatched the bug out of thin air with a lightning fast movement before spinning a web around the bug and draining it.
James had an idea. If the spider’s mate wasn’t around to bring it food, then it would probably get hungry, especially if it wouldn’t leave the nest to look for food. If someone were to actively go around the cave hunting bugs, then the spider might get even hungrier. Once it was hungry enough, James had an idea on how to deal with it.
Before he put his plan into action, he would need to collect supplies. James retreated to the corpse of the first spider to plan his attack.
Back at the corpse of the previous spider, James pulled out his dagger and started cutting into the carcass. He was looking for the spider’s poison gland, but wasn’t exactly sure what it would look like. Hopefully, he’d know it when he saw it.
His first attempt to penetrate the spider’s armor failed, and his dagger skittered across the spider’s exoskeleton without leaving a scratch. When that didn’t work, he smashed the pommel down repeatedly until it cracked the exoskeleton, revealing the soft flesh underneath.
Finagling his knife around, James worked it up against the spider’s flesh and cut a deep hole inside. A rush of blue ichor flowed out of the spider’s corpse, soaking his arms. He groaned, wrinkling his nose in disgust, before diving elbow deep into the spider corpse, fishing around for organs. His fingers found… something. Firm, yet squishy.
He gently tugged at it until it came loose, and he pulled it out of the spider. It was a black sac the size of his fist, dripping with blue blood. It felt delicate, but not fragile enough for him to destroy it by normal handling. Sort of like a rough beach ball. He placed it carefully on the ground next to him. A notification popped up.
You have gained the skill Harvest
Harvest (Skill Rank 1):
+1% to harvested materials
Oh no. Oh no, no, no. You’re butchering that poor spider, you monster.
You have gained the skill Anatomy
Anatomy (Skill Rank 1):
This skill allows you to better understand the anatomy of monsters and sapients alike.
You have gained 2 Skill Ranks in Anatomy.
You are now Skill Rank 3.
James wondered why he had gained so many skill ranks from one action. Maybe it was because he already knew a bit about anatomy from his prior life? Not that spider anatomy was a big part of paramedic school, but still. Hopefully, his knowledge of medicine would translate into a boost for healing skills if he learned them. It would be cool to be a healer in this world, especially if he could use magic.
Cave Spider Poison Gland:
Rank: Unusual
- Causes 1-2 poison damage/second for 30 seconds if ingested.
The poison gland taken from a Cave Spider. Its durability has dropped a little from improper harvesting, but it’s still usable. Just don’t drop it.
With some quick math, James figured out that the poison gland would cause between 30 and 60 damage with an average of 45 damage. That meant… absolutely nothing to him. It would’ve been helpful if he knew his enemy’s health, but he didn’t, so it wasn’t.
James spent the rest of the day busy hunting for bugs. When he caught one, he squished it into a ball around the poison gland. None of them gave him any experience, but they also didn’t seem able to hurt him, which was nice.
That night he camped out near the spider, waiting for the right moment to attack. As far as he could tell, it didn’t leave its web once, which meant that it wasn’t getting much food, especially not with James hunting down most of the bugs in the cavern. It would get hungry soon.
Chapter 4
Finally, the morning came. Time to put his plan into action.
James had leveled his Stealth to four and Night Vision to six, due to his constant creeping around the dark cave.
Once he’d slathered the last bit of bug guts on the poison gland and made sure that he’d coated it completely, a notification popped up.
You have gained the skill: Cooking.
Cooking (Skill Rank 1):
+ 1% to flavor
Congratulations, you learned to cook. An essential skill, though maybe not the way you do it.
Bug Ball (Poisoned):
Rank: Unusual
- Deals 1-2 damage per second for 30 seconds.
+ 1 strength for 5 minutes after consumption.
A ball made from squishing bug parts together. Delicious and nutritious!
James stared at the notification, then back at the bug ball. It surprised him that the system counted the Bug Ball as food. Not that I’d ever eat one.
James crept back to the spider and prepared himself by drawing his dagger to finish it if the poison didn’t take care of it. He crouched behind a stalagmite and observed the spider as it twitched in irritation. It was getting hungry.
A bead of sweat dripped down James’ face as he concentrated. He wasn’t a great pitcher. In fact, some people would say that, aside from gaming, he had no hand eye coordination at all, and they’d be right. But he needed this to work, so he took careful aim and tossed the meat in an easy underhanded lob. Bits of bug dripped off of it as it flew.
With a blur of motion, the spider’s leg shot out and snatched the morsel out of the air and shoved it into its face, where the spider devoured the meat hungrily.
You have poisoned a Cave Spider Matriarch (Level 3) for 1-2 damage per second for 30 seconds
Not sticking around to see the aftermath of his stupid plan, James bolted.
He managed three steps before the Cave Spider Matriarch’s razor-edged claw snagged his calf. Hot blood flowed freely down his leg as the spider dragged him back.
James kicked at it with his good leg, and his boot connected to the creature’s face with a satisfy
ing crunch. The spider screeched in pain and shook him from side to side until he couldn’t tell up from down, then threw him into the wall of the cave.
James hit the wall. Hard. The wall knocked the wind from his lungs, and he collapsed, wheezing. He tried to stand but vomited everywhere instead. Dizzy, he crawled away from the spider as it advanced towards him.
Slowly, James pushed himself to one knee, groaning as pain shot through his leg. He tried to stand, but the wound was deep, and he couldn’t put any weight on it. On top of that, his left arm refused to move, and his chest burned with every breath. Gingerly, he palpated his ribs. Not broken. Just bruised. His health bar flashed dangerously in the corner of his vision.
He finally got to his one good leg and raised his dagger, pointing it at the spider as it launched at him. He flopped to the side, barely dodging the attack. James realized the poison’s duration had probably passed, so he slashed at the spider with his dagger. It skidded off of the spider’s carapace, barely scratching it.
In a moment of inspiration, James reversed the dagger and smashed the pommel into the spider’s abdomen as it turned towards him. A small chip crumbled off where he hit, but the monster didn’t seem to notice. It slammed its clawed arm into James’ chest, throwing him backwards again. This time he stayed on his feet, which was fortunate, as he didn’t think he’d be able to get up if he were knocked down again. Wincing, James coughed up a spray of blood on to the rocks. Every breath he took was agony, and it felt as though he wasn’t able to fill his lungs completely.
James prepared for another pass as he waited for the spider to come to him. James swayed, barely staying on his feet, but he was alive. The spider charged, swinging its clawed arm like a club. Ignoring the pain in his leg, James jumped into the air a half second before the arm hit him and grabbed on to the spider’s appendage like it was a twisted carnival ride. When the arm recoiled, it brought James close enough to strike at the monster’s face.
James buried his dagger in the spider’s eye. It screeched, frantically swinging its arm around, trying to dislodge James, and the dagger by proxy. Unfortunately for the spider, James had let go of the dagger, leaving it lodged in the blood-red orb.
James landed on his back a few feet away. A bed of moss cushioned his fall, but his leg still screamed at him. He tried to get to his feet with no success. Giving up, James glanced at his notifications.
You have gained the skill Poisons
Poisons (Skill Rank 1):
+ 1% poison lifespan
You have killed a Cave Spider Matriarch (Level 3)
+ 9 experience points
You have gained 1 Skill Ranks in Small Blades.
You are now Skill Rank 2.
It still seems like you’re having trouble finding the pointy end.
You are affected by the following status effects:
- Bleeding (Moderate): - 5 health points per second until your wounds have healed
- Broken bones: - 5% total health until fully healed
- Unknown: Advance your anatomy skill to learn this effect
Well, that’s not good.
It was nearly impossible for James to breathe. His lungs felt like they were on fire. All that, and he hadn’t even gotten enough experience to level up.
Slowly, he let the bliss of unconsciousness overwhelm him. The last thing he saw before collapsing senseless to the ground was a shadowy figure standing at the entrance of the cave, watching him.
***
Nana Rasner stepped out of the shadowed entrance to the cave. She approached his supine form, gave it a brief survey, then tutted. “Can’t have that now, can we,” she muttered to herself as she knelt next to him, tilted his head back and examined him.
Her eyes glowed yellow. Life Mana flowed through her body as she channeled a diagnostic spell, Eyes of Aiana. James’ body glowed with a faint red light as her skill highlighted key clinical signs. A red glow on his neck drew her attention to his engorged jugular veins. She could also see a red light highlighting his ribs, suggesting that the spider had broken them. There were a few other highlights on his body for minor bleeding, but nothing else jumped out to her as urgent.
Quickly, she dropped her bag on the ground next to her. It was loaded with fresh herbs and it made a loud thud as it hit the ground. Hands expertly navigating through the clutter inside the bag, she retrieved a smaller bag that was stuffed haphazardly under some Sweetroot tendrils—her emergency kit. She pulled a slim, sharpened bamboo needle out of her bag and set it to the side, then placed her ear to his chest, listening. Normal breath sounds on the right side, but nothing on the left.
Just as she’d suspected. Cracked ribs and a punctured lung. With practiced hands, she felt his chest for his third rib and placed the bamboo needle against it. Slowly, she slid it in until it hit the rib, then angled the needle upwards, but not too far. She wanted to avoid the highly vascular area underneath the second rib. She slid the needle forwards and let it skate down the rib and into the pleural cavity. A whoosh of air whistled out of the bamboo, confirming that she’d placed the needle in the right place.
Now that the stranger wasn’t in immediate danger, she pulled a large roll of gauze and a bundle of dried Roundleaf out of her bag. She placed the leaves in her mouth and chewed, careful not to swallow. She opened her pack back up and pulled out a few more bottles—liquids, powders, even one that contained a gas.
Nana Rasner talked to herself while she worked. “These poor kids. Go out on a grand adventure and get killed on their first outing. Why they think they can pick up a sword and tackle a dungeon...” Angrily, she spat the leaves, now chewed to a pulp, into a mortar and pestle. She then took a pinch of powdered Red Silkweed and sprinkled it over the Roundleaf, then three pinches of Flowered Whiteroot. It was important to add the Whiteroot after it had flowered because Whiteroot by itself was toxic. But the flowers not only canceled out the toxin, they reversed its effect and made healing potions more effective.
She pulled the stopper off of the Deadnettle gas bottle and, careful not to inhale, wafted the gas upwards out of the bottle and blew softly, coating the rest of the ingredients with Deadnettle gas, then stoppered the bottle before the gas could numb her mind and body. When the gas touched the Red Silkweed, the herb expanded, emitting a soft glow.
You have crafted an item: Bloodlock Paste
Bloodlock Paste:
Rank: Rare
+ 10 health regenerated per hour.
You can apply this paste to wounds to control bleeding
Warning: External use only.
Tenderly she applied the paste to James’ injuries before wrapping them with a bandage. She gasped when she saw the brand on his calf and quickly covered it up, shaking her head and muttering a short prayer. Once she’d finished applying the paste, his breathing audibly improved. She then pulled a softly glowing red liquid out of her pack.
Rosebud Health Potion:
Rank: Rare
- Instantly heals 130 health.
- Will heal any broken bones.
A health potion crafted from the Nightsand Rosebud.
The paste would do wonders for his external bleeding but wouldn’t do much for his internal bleeding and the health he’d already lost. The Rosebud Health Potion would instantly set him back to full health. Combined with the paste that she had applied to his outer wounds, it should give him enough time to recover from his internal injuries without dying. Carefully, she lifted James’ head up and poured the glowing red potion down his throat. He coughed reflexively as some of it went down his trachea before his body reacted and guided the liquid down. Laying him back down, she dabbed at his forehead with a cool, wet cloth and settled down to wait. Over the next five seconds his body regenerated, pushing the bamboo rod out of his chest cavity as the hole closed.
Chapter 5
James woke from dreams inhabited by nightmare monsters with too many legs. He coughed violently, trying to clear his lungs, eventually hacking up what looked like a large
clot. A hand rubbing his back caused him to flinch.
Where am I?
He looked around, relieved to see the familiar cave around him. Sure, it had been inhabited by spiders and he’d almost died there, but it was his, dammit. His eyes drifted towards the figure behind him, an older woman with graying hair. She sat on the stone next to him, rubbing his back tenderly. She looked at him with concern in her eyes, but smiled. “Hello, dearie. How are you feeling?”
James groaned, but when he sat up, he realized that, miraculously; he wasn’t in pain. He checked out a box of text floating above her head.
Name: Lilian Rasner
Race: Human
Level: ???
Class: Lifegiver
He rubbed the back of his head, an anxious habit, and spoke hesitantly. “Did… Did you save me?”
She smiled at him. “I was gathering herbs by the riverbank and heard you fighting that awful spider. I made it to the entrance of the cave just as you collapsed.”
“Thank you,” James said appreciatively. He felt amazing, but a bit woozy. “Did you give me something for pain?”
