The water of the lake was an unnatural electric blue yet still totally opaque. The trees and plants nearest had grown twisted in the presence of the corrupted water. Their stalks spiraled off into impossible patterns, and the usual symmetry of nature was replaced by chaotic growth and hard angles normally not possible. In the center of the lake was a small sandbar island, maybe thirty square feet altogether. On top of the island sat the objects of Pauvert’s ruin: the idol and the guardian.

  The idol was easily identifiable: a large black monolith, as tall as a man, pushed into the sand. At its rectangular base, a series of pipes stretched outward and went into the lake. The black stone was covered in what looked like veins the same electric blue of the lake, flickering faintly in the shade of the trees. The top of the monolith was cracked, and there the veins were most dense and pulsing faster than anywhere else. Well, that was problem number one.

  Problem number two stood beneath it, unmoving. It looked like a man made of metal; not a knight or soldier, but something closer to what I would think of as an android. It was perfectly shaped and symmetrical, and its carved musculature looked like something out of a textbook. Where its face should have been was a blank sheet of steel. Blue veins also spread out over its body and formed a crude face on top of the flat faceplate. In one perfect hand, it held a one-handed sword. It didn’t move to attack as we approached the lake, but its head did cock ever so slightly in our direction. I noticed that the air over its body was shimmering slightly, as if it were putting off lots of heat.

  “Here it is, Lugenhelm. The source of my headaches and its protector. It just stands there, day and night, until something sets it off.” Aranya spoke casually, but I could tell she was frustrated. She was the apex predator among apex predators here, and a queen in her own right. It must have been a new sensation to feel like anything other than the absolute authority in her own domain.

  ‘What exactly sets it off? And what can it do?’ She thought for a second, then made a loud clicking, chittering noise with her mouth. "It's easier just to show you," she said with a shrug. Within seconds, five presumably male spiders had dropped down and were surrounding us. They were smaller than the two we had fought on the road, and there seemed to be more intelligence in their dark gaze as well, but they were no less intimidating. Mug gripped his glaive tighter than before, but I knew it was premature. If she wanted us dead, we’d be dead. It was as simple as that.

  “Boys, be a doll and bring me that thing on the lake’s head. Sooner rather than later, if you don’t mind.” I wasn’t an expert in spider body language, but even I could tell that the predominant thought in the heads of these males was, ‘wait, really?’

  The bravest one chittered back at Aranya, placing himself as close to the ground as he could in an act of submission. If I had to guess, he had just said, “Oh Great and Beautiful and Terrible Queen, Eater of the Moon and Birther of a Thousand Thousand Great Soldiers and Sons! I am but a humble worker, but might I make the gentlest inquiry of you, She Who Would Entrap the Sun and Drain the Gods! Your wisdom is infinite, your mercy divine, your splendor terrifying, your judgment unerring, but might I ask: what the hell, you want me to do what?” Or at least something like that.

  She didn’t bother responding. She just lifted one massive leg and drove it straight through his head. He twitched twice then stopped jerking. She whistled and another spider came from the trees, standing directly atop its murdered brother.

  “I do loathe repeating myself, so I will assume you five know your place and tasks at claw. Yes?” They bowed in unison then skittered up the trees, swinging and jumping from branch to branch over the lake. The trees were so large and tangled that they covered most of the visible sky, and what sky was visible was interspersed with webbing. It allowed them to have access to the entire lake from above.

  The guardian stood still, only slightly craning its head up as they moved. The fastest moving of the male spiders made it directly above the island and dropped down silently, apparently trying to end it in one surprise attack.

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  The guardian moved so fluidly and quickly that I almost missed it. One moment it was standing, sword to its side, and the next it had sliced the spider into three pieces. Two more attacked in unison, and it did the same to one while ramming its free hand directly into the mouth of the other. I could see the acid on its mandibles bubbling on the guardian's arms but not leaving a mark. The final two tried to tangle it in a thrown web while it was removing its arms from their dead comrade; the veins on its body flared and the webbing burned off by whatever magic powered it. Before the webs could even fully burn, it had charged and taken off one’s head while pointing two fingers at the other, emitting a burst of blue flame that enveloped the attacker instantly.

  Then it was done, taking a few seconds to push the corpses into the lake and returning to its post. I heard Mug gulp beside me in fear. I agreed, but of course it was too late to turn back. For one, we had promised Pauvert. More importantly, we had promised Aranya, and she was here in the terrifying flesh. She sighed dramatically as she watched her kin lifelessly sink to the lakebed.

  “Well, those were never going to make it during a mating season anyway. Entirely too snack-sized. Still, what a waste! This is what we are up against, Lugenhelm—it cuts and burns us with hardly any effort, then goes back to guarding that cursed idol! Even the pipes; I tried to have some males dig them out, and it was there within minutes! It's infuriating!” We had seen the enemy, and it was powerful.

  But… something about it gave me slight hope. It had attacked with fire and a sword. The sword looked sharp and deadly, but also not magical at all, with no sign of the webbing blue veins as everything else. The fire looked hot, but we had already faced a fume wyrm whose breath melted steel. I had Heat Dissipation and Chitinous Plating as skills, and Mug… well, he had a glaive now, but that could easily be replaced for some sort of maul or warhammer.

  Basically, even though the enemy was tough, our fights had given us the tools to handle this, or at least last longer than some overgrown arachnids.

  ‘Madame Aranya, I wish I could tell you I have some genius plan to defeat that thing with hardly a scratch, but I don’t. All I can do is bash myself and Mug against it and hope it breaks before we do. I know this is Pauvert’s fault, but can you find it in yourself to assist us?’ She tapped her front leg on the ground rapidly as she considered. Then, a sly smile grew on her face. It made her look more predatory.

  “Oh, why not! I’ll be honest, I wanted to just watch you two die in agony facing it—you know, as a little treat—but there’s something in your tone that says you really think you can win. Can you?” I couldn’t shrug my trashcan body, so instead I sort of rocked from foot to foot.

  ‘I dunno. Probably? Maybe? There’s a chance anyway, if we have some help. It’s not guaranteed of course. I can’t promise you won’t get hurt. Maybe even killed.’ She grinned again, wider and more dangerous than before.

  “Do not worry about me, talking bucket. I have fought and won in battles to the death from the day I emerged from my cocoon and took my mother's life. If you and the goblin wish to run headfirst into danger, what kind of queen could I be if I complained or let cowardice stay my strikes to aid you? I’d be no better than those dead males!” She stretched her human arms above her head, then took to the trees the same way her kin had.

  ‘Alright Mug, you know what we’re doing. Ditch the glaive, I’ll make you a hammer.’ Mug jumped inside and caught the recycled long-handled hammer.

  “Master Lugenhelm?” he asked cautiously.

  ‘Yeah, what's up? Don’t worry Mug, if you stay inside, we should be ok. Just wait for my si—’

  I was interrupted by Mug giving a slight stomp of annoyance. “No! Apologies, no that is not it, Master Lugenhelm.” I was shocked. Mug was never that forceful.

  ‘My bad, Mug. What did you want to ask?’

  “Do you… do you think Madame Aranya would be ok with a height difference? In a mate, that is? And number of legs—do you think that she could learn to overlook someone missing six of them?” I was flabbergasted. The little orc had decided that now was the time to assert himself? With her?

  ‘Mug. She eats people. She eats her OWN people. Plus, you couldn’t even talk to her! You can’t be serious.’

  “Unfortunately, I am, Master Lugenhelm. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. My tongue was tied by her strength and power.” Wow. I mean, she was pretty, but for Mug to call her the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen; he must be smitten. Maybe my squire had a softer side underneath his bumbling exterior.

  “I have never seen a woman with such a giant pa—”

  ‘Mug, shut up. Let’s go get killed.’

  “I was going to say presence!”