"Yeah. The NPC we are looking for is living down there. Just let me set up…"
Before Liam could finish, two shadows suddenly flashed past him.
"Let's goooo!"
"Yaaayyy!"
Liam watched dumfounded as Cyclone and Balm rode on their basilisks, jumping off the cliff.
"What?!"
"Careful!"
Everyone was shocked for a moment before they suddenly realized something. Their precious mounts had [Flying Dash]. Relieved, the friends watched as Cyclone and Balm only fell for a second before activating their skills and skilfully drifting towards the protruding rock below.
"Haha, that was fun! Let's do it again!"
"Right. Have you seen Mirage's face?"
"No, I was looking towards the front."
"What a pity. It was quite funny."
"Let's hope Fortune has recorded it!"
On top of the cliff Liam's eyebrow twitched as he noticed everyone stealing glances at him.
"What's there to look at?"
The friends couldn't help but laugh lightly until Quickstep reciprocated the earlier favour and switched the topic:
"So, what should we do? Should we jump as well or are we using the rope ladder?"
"You can jump if you want to. I only brought the rope ladder in case someone isn't comfortable with jumping off the cliff."
Although Liam didn't mention any names, everyone knew whom he was talking about. Radiant Shield felt touched, keeping Liam's considerate action in mind. The others looked at each other silently. Silver Blade shrugged her shoulders and got off her mount, prompting the others to follow her example.
A few seconds later Liam had secured the rope ladder. Silent Acacia decided to go first, descending the cliff. He expected the flimsy ladder to sway strongly but this didn't happen. Only when he reached the rock did he realize that Cyclone and Balm had gripped the ropes and held the ladder in place.
The others followed one by one. Radiant Shield was anxious as always. He went last, desperately keeping his eyes on the sky. Finally, he felt the solid ground under his feet and let out a deep breath.
"Shield, you're getting better and better!"
"Awesome, Shield!"
"Looks like you will be getting rid of your fear soon!"
Radiant Shield smiled wearily, enjoying the warmth in his chest as his friends complimented him. He had a feeling that if this continued, he might indeed be able to overcome his fear of heights. But just as this thought came to him, Radiant Shield looked down from the rock towards the ocean below. He realized how close he was standing to the edge. Stumbling backwards he almost fell to his butt.
"Ehm…"
The others felt awkward and quickly changed the topic. They turned around and studied the opening leading into the cliff. In front of them was a broad and short corridor which seemingly connected to a cave.
Liam glanced at Silent Acacia, asking him to take the lead. The hunter was confused for a second before he realized something. If Liam asked him to take the lead, there had to be traps in the corridor.
Thus, Silent Acacia moved slowly and carefully. He stayed vigilant and scanned the walls with his eyes. After only a few steps he noticed a conspicuous rock attached to the ceiling.
"Careful, guys. Please take a step back."
Making sure that everyone kept a safe distance, Silent Acacia aimed his bow towards the ceiling. He took less than a second, his movements nonchalant, but the arrow perfectly hit the rock. Suddenly it cracked, turning into dust. Something silently fell from the ceiling. It unfolded in midair, revealing a large, sticky web.
"Ewww, is this a spider web?"
"Oh no, are we dealing with spiders?"
Some of the friends showed unpleasant expressions but the strongest reaction came from Fortune as her legs shivered, and her face scrunched up. Silent Acacia in front of the group also froze. Nauseating images ran though his mind. He imagined what would happen if he hadn't noticed the trap. He would be caught in the spider web and a large, man-eating spider would appear and drag him away.
"Ah!"
Suddenly Silent Acacia let out an embarrassing shout as he felt something on his shoulder. He shot around and saw the face of his girlfriend. Quickstep barely suppressed her laughter.
"You are really watching too many horror movies, Acacia!"
"What… do you mean? I wasn't afraid just now."
"Sure. Should I take the lead?"
"No! I have the pathfinder skill. I'm the most suitable!"
"Great! We'll be staying here while you dismantle all the traps, alright?"
"Eh…"
Some chuckles could be heard from the party. The amusing exchange between the couple lifted everyone's mood. The friends joked around for a bit before Silent Acacia went ahead and scouted the tunnel.
The young man advanced silently. As he reached the web which now covered the floor he took out an arrow and poked the web, seeing how the thick, white strings immediately stuck to the sharp tip, impossible to cut. Silent Acacia felt some dread and made sure to stick close to the walls, avoiding the web.
As he continued Silent Acacia found two more traps before reaching the end of the tunnel. He turned around and waved at his friends. The followed him with equal caution. Thankfully everyone made it through without getting stuck.
After the party got out of the tunnel, they found themselves in a spacious cave. It was sparsely illuminated by luminescent crystals giving off a warm, orange light. There were a few plants in the cave which seemed to be deliberately planted and well taken care off. On one side there was a large object covered by a black cloth.
"G… guys… what is that?"
Suddenly Cyclone's quivering whisper attracted everyone's attention. She pointed towards the right, halfway up the walls. The others followed her finger and suddenly froze.
There was a large web reaching from one side of the cave to the other like a sticky, white hammock. A large being was lying on top of it.
It had the lower body of a spider with eight hairy, black legs. The lower body alone was already the height of a person. But on top of it grew a human upper body. It was lean and muscular with greyish skin. Its face was that of an older man with a bushy beard and unkempt black hair. But the most unsettling part of it were the four closed eyes on its long forehead.
"It looks terrifying."
"Is that… an Arachne?"
"I didn't know they existed in Crunaboul."
"Arachne are part of the beastkin. Also known as Spiderkin.", explained Liam calmly.
"Well, thanks. Doesn't make it less scary."
"Guys. Did it just… move?"
As Balm said this, everyone suddenly stopped their whispers. They stared intently at the Arachne and indeed saw its legs twitch slightly. Everyone's stomachs sunk. A few of the friends silently drew their weapons, getting ready to attack at any moment.
At that moment the Arachne slowly stretched his arms. He groaned like someone who woke up from a bad sleep. His eyelids twitched and he slowly opened his eyes.
Suddenly the air froze. The players and the beast stared at each other. Sharp, red eyes scrutinized the party. Radiant Shield took a deep breath and was just about to initiate the fight when a shocking scream echoed through the cave.
"AHH!"
The friends were dumbfounded as they watched the Arachne scream in terror and jump from his web towards the wall. He effortlessly scurried over the smooth stone towards a dark corner close to the ceiling and curled up his body there, trying to hide from everyone's view.
Balm blinked her eyes in confusion, whispering to her friends:
"Guys… are we the monsters?"
"Perhaps it's because our levels are so high. NPCs start to fear us."
Fortune's nose twitched. She smelled a story and quickly started her commentary:
"Dear viewers, something strange must be going on here. What could have happened to scare someone like this Arachne so much? It there something we aren't seeing? Perhaps we are surrounded by invisible ghosts?"
"You think so? Should I throw some lightning?"
Liam watched in amusement as his friends discussed. A few seconds later he realized that they were going in circles. He asked his friends to stay back while he and Silver Blade carefully approached the scared Arachne.
With each step they advanced, the NPC shivered and tried to curl himself up even more. Eventually he realized that the players wouldn't stop. He pointed a leg at them and spoke in an almost hysteric voice:
"Stop right there! Don't come any closer!"
Liam nodded at Silver Blade and the two complied.
"Mister, there is no need to be afraid. We are here to help you.", began Silver Blade.
"Yes. No one should be forced to suffer from such a crippling fear. Please, tell us what happened."
"No! I… I can't. Stop talking!"
"We will stop if you tell us what is going on."
When the Arachne didn't answer Liam and Silver Blade briefly discussed in the chat and took a few steps back. The Arachne appeared visibly relieved. His head peeked out below one of his legs and one eye opened slightly.