WebNovels

Chapter 40 - Chapter 40: Mineral Eaters...

Selene was running, her breath catching in ragged, panicked sobs. She was nearing the exit, the sliver of daylight a beacon of safety. But with every step, her mind screamed at her.

No... No... No, this isn't right.

Her actions felt like a betrayal. She was abandoning him. The man who had promised her freedom.

Then the sound ripped through the cave, a choked-off cry of agony.

"Arghhh!"

General! His name was a silent scream in her mind. What am I doing? She slapped her own face, the sting a sharp dose of reality. Instead of bursting into the light, she pivoted on her heel and ran back into the darkness.

A series of strange, rhythmic clicks echoed through the cave... a wet, sharp sound like chitin on stone. Ch'k... ch'k... ch'k ch'k..

As soon as she saw the faint glow of the Ephone on the floor, she snatched it up. She aimed the beam where Aexl was supposed to be pinned to the wall, her mind braced for the gruesome sight of a mutilated body, a headless torso, severed limbs... but what she saw made her entire world tilt on its axis.

The General was intact. And he was trying, and failing, to contain his laughter.

"Hahahahaha... Stop it! You're tickling me... stop it, I know, I know!"

The giant Golden Spider was nudging his sides with its foreleg, its mandibles producing the strange, rhythmic clicks. Ch'k... ch'k... ch'k....ch'k..

"Huh?" Selene could not believe what she was seeing.

"Oh, Selene, you're back," Aexl spoke, his voice strained from holding back laughter. "They're not scary."

Ch'k... ch'k... ch'k ch'k..... ch'k ch'k ….

"Huh?" Selene still couldn't understand.

The spider that had pinned him seemed to understand a silent command. "Okay, remove the web," Aexl commanded. The Golden Spider delicately plucked the sticky webbing from his arms as if it were fine silk.

"What is happening?" Selene finally managed to ask, her voice trembling with confusion.

"Ahh, these spiders aren't deadly. In fact, they don't eat flesh." Aexl patted the enormous creature's head, and it responded by cuddling against his side like a house cat. "What they did to me was a simple greeting."

As if on cue, the swarm of spiderlings, which had seemed so terrifying moments ago, cautiously approached. Selene's hair stood on end as the Blue Spider ambled over and gently rubbed its head against her leg.

"See? They're friendly," Aexl muttered.

The tension in Selene snapped. "Get off me!" she shouted, shoving the massive spider away. "I was worried for nothing!" Tears of angry relief streamed down her face. Aexl quickly grabbed her hand. "Don't be mad..."

She collapsed against him, sobbing, overwhelmed by the whiplash of terror and relief. As he held her, Aexl felt a warmth spread through his chest... a feeling of being cared for that he hadn't known in this world. It was a phantom limb, an echo of a feeling lost when he lost his wife on Earth due to som... He brushed the thought away, locking it back in the dark vault where it belonged.

"Let's get to business," he muttered, gently pushing Selene to arm's length.

"Yah... thanks. I'm okay already," she replied, wiping her eyes. "But how... how could you communicate with them?"

Aexl pointed a finger at the Golden Spider, which clicked its mandibles in response. Ch'k... ch'k ch'k... ch'k...

"Morse Code," Aexl muttered.

"Morse Code?" Selene asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What's that? Some kind of bug language?"

"Something like that," Aexl replied, his voice distant as he patted the Golden Spider's head. "It's... hard to explain. For now, just know they are ready to help us." He turned to Selene, a strange, almost paternal look on his face as he gestured to the giant arachnids. "Selene, meet Jane." He indicated the Golden Spider. "And this big fellow is Pete."

The two spiders shuffled their legs in acknowledgment. Aexl then pointed to the swarm of smaller ones. "And this is... one, two, three..." he began, then stopped, shaking his head. "It's too many."

He led the way deeper into the mine. And then they saw it. The Mother Lode. The "unlimited" supply Selene had spoken of. The raw ore veins in the cavern walls were scarred with thousands of tiny bite marks, where the spiderlings had been feeding. But the truly incredible sight was what they left behind.

All around the cavern floor, instead of dirt and rock, were gleaming, metallic excretions. They weren't ore; they were pure, refined ingots of strange and wonderful minerals. Some pulsed with a soft, internal luminescence in the darkness. Others caught the beam of the Ephone's flashlight and reflected it in dazzling, colored hues. It was a forge's dream, a treasure trove of processed, high-grade metals, just waiting to be collected.

In a far corner of the cavern, a truly massive pile of the ingots was stacked. Pete let out a series of clicks. Ch'k... ch'k... ch'k....ch'k..

"What did it say?" Selene asked, her voice filled with awe as she stared at the treasure.

"That," Aexl replied, a deadpan expression on his face, "is their comfort room."

Selene just slammed her palm against her forehead. "Our problem is solved by... spider poop."

"Refined spider poop," Aexl corrected, a smirk playing on his lips. He addressed the two spiders again, his voice taking on a commanding tone. "Tomorrow, more villagers will come here to gather these... ingots. Do not harm them."

Pete clicked in response. Ch'k... ch'k... ch'k....ch'k..

"What did it say?" Selene asked.

Aexl translated, "He said 'thank you.' It's apparently starting to get crowded in here."

Pete clicked again, a longer, more complex series of sounds. Ch'k... ch'k ch'k... ch'k...

Selene looked at him, waiting.

Aexl's expression grew serious. "He says that in return for my kindness, and for helping them manage their... waste... they will serve me." He looked directly at Pete and Jane, seeing the intelligence in their unblinking red eyes.

Jane replied with a single, sharp click. Ch'k... ch'k...

Aexl's demeanor shifted. He was no longer a man talking to a beast, but a commander accepting an oath of fealty. He gave a slight, formal bow to the two giant spiders. "You have my thanks. And I assure you, no harm will come to you or your family under my command."

Ch'k... ch'k... Jane and Pete replied in unison. A wave of excited chirps and clicks erupted from the hundreds of spiderlings, a joyous, chittering sound that echoed through the treasure-filled cavern.

Just as Aexl finished his address, a low buzz emanated from his pocket. He pulled out the Ephone. The screen was no longer on the flashlight utility but displayed a series of stark, white text boxes against a black background.

[You have gained an Artifact:][Jane the Spider - Webmaker][Pete the Spider - Mineral Weaver][1000 Spiderlings - Miners]

Aexl's breath caught in his throat. His mind, usually a fortress of calm, tactical assessment, reeled. What the hell did I just gain? Unlimited resources? A cheat? The possibilities screamed through his thoughts, entire logistical chains and production schedules flashing through his mind in an instant. This didn't just solve their resource problem; it broke the entire game.

"What the hell?" he breathed out, the words a mix of shock and elation.

Selene, overhearing his quiet exclamation, just shook her head in weary disbelief. "To be honest, I don't know anymore. What kind of general are you?"

Aexl just threw his head back and laughed, a genuine, booming sound that echoed in the vast cavern. The sheer absurdity of it all was too much.

Jane let out a soft series of clicks, nudging his arm gently. Ch'k... ch'k... ch'k....ch'k..

"What did it say now?" Selene asked, crossing her arms.

Aexl's laughter subsided into a wide grin. "She said that's all well and good, but they'd appreciate it if we could fix their lights." He gestured to the dull, unmaintained Ignis Pyrite veins on the walls.

Selene tilted her head, a long-suffering sigh escaping her lips. Talking to a giant spider about interior lighting. This was her life now. "Selene?" Aexl called out, snapping her from her thoughts.

"Don't worry," she replied, rubbing her temples. "I'll ask some villagers to replace the lights."

"You're the best," Aexl said, his grin turning mischievous. He leaned in conspiratorially. "You know... this darkness is good for some things." Before she could react, he reached out and brazenly grabbed her chest.

Selene's entire body went rigid. "Remove your hands," she hissed, her voice deadly calm, "or I will kill you. I swear it."

"No need to be mad," Aexl replied, pulling his hand back, though his smirk didn't fade. "Just grasping the prize. Seeing if it was real."

"They're real," Selene muttered, her face flushed with a mixture of anger and embarrassment as she turned and stalked towards the cave entrance.

Aexl chuckled to himself and quickly bid a formal goodbye to Pete and Jane. As they stepped out of the cave and into the sunlight, he stretched, feigning a yawn. "So tired. I think I need to rest. Decoding all that... clicking... is surprisingly tiring."

Selene, her anger already dissipating, glanced back at him. "You could rest at our house. Take your lunch with us as well."

Aexl's eyes lit up. "Yah, I remember. Your mom is the best cook in the village, they say." He quickly mounted Kentucky and reached down, effortlessly pulling Selene up to sit behind him.

"She is," Selene said, a hint of pride in her voice as she settled in behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Don't worry. It will be the best meal of your life."

As the cuckoo started its rhythmic, ground-eating pace towards the village, the promise of a hot meal seemed like the perfect end to a day of acquiring an army of sentient, metal-pooping spiders.

****

The rhythmic thud of Kentucky's feet slowed as they entered the familiar cluster of homes that made up the village. Pulling the large cuckoo to a halt in front of a well-kept cottage, Aexl slid off its back, then turned to help Selene down. As her feet touched the ground, the door to the house opened.

Mereia stood there, wiping her hands on an apron, a warm, knowing smile on her face. "I saw you coming. I've already sent a large pot of stew to the hall for everyone, but there are still leftovers in the kitchen for the three of us, if you'd rather eat here."

"No wonder the food at the hall was so delicious," Aexl said, his own smile charming and easy. "It's because you cooked it."

Mereia's eyes sparkled with a hint of something deeper. "That's not all that tastes good, you know, General."

"Of course," Aexl replied smoothly, a silent understanding passing between them. Selene, however, just looked from her mother to Aexl, completely missing the undercurrent of their exchange.

"Come on, you must be hungry," Selene said, gesturing for Aexl to come inside.

"I am," he admitted, "but if it's alright, could I use your bathhouse first? It's been a long day."

"Of course," Selene said, pointing towards a small outbuilding behind the main house. "It's just back there."

"I should get back to the hall for a little while," Mereia said, untying her apron. "Juvia will need help serving everyone." With a final, meaningful glance at Aexl, she bid them goodbye and bustled off towards the center of the village.

Aexl walked over to Kentucky, grabbing a pack from the bird's harness. He gave the cuckoo a familiar slap on its flank, sending the wild bird off to roam and forage. With his bag slung over his shoulder, he followed Selene into the quiet house. The door clicked shut behind them, sealing them in the sudden, intimate silence.

Aexl's mind, which moments ago had been filled with logistics and strategy, was suddenly consumed by a single, overriding thought.

Me and Selene... alone?

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