“F-Fall back. We need to talk about what we are going to do here.”

  After a couple of minutes of horrified silence, Aura finally spoke as she turned away from the horror in the room ahead. As she does, both Maul and Ryse are still nearby, both wearing expressions of horror and disgust. She still tasted the acrid bile that she forced down on witnessing everything and began to fall back down the tunnel. The sound of retching was very faint, evidence that one of her friends has a weaker stomach than her.

  Thankfully, both Maul and Ryse heed her warning and follow her as she falls back. It only takes a couple of minutes of walking before they came upon Violet and Kaelen. She was hunched over, dry heaving above a dark stain on the silk covered ground. He meanwhile was standing behind her, holding her hair and rubbing her back. He looked up on their approach; eyes filled with a distant look. None of them expected that sight, and already she knows it will be one she never forgets.

  Standing in silence and solidarity, it didn’t take long before Violet stops heaving and shakily stands up. The puffy eyes and tear streaks showed that they were crying as well, and even now the despair is still there. And much as Aura wanted to break down, there will be time for it later. For now, they need to plan.

  “I think… that it is obvious when I say that we need to kill those... monsters. We may have only come here intending to rescue Calen and Jackie, but this has grown bigger than them. All those people, those women, need to be saved. And I doubt that the monsters will stay sleeping the whole time.”

  Her voice was still a little shaky, but there was steel to it as well. She should have expected that there was more to this place after that Quest appeared. The details escaped her right now, but it had implied that there were more people that needed saving.

  “I agree we need to do that, but just how are we going to move all of them? There were dozens, it looked like. And with them stuck higher up on the wall as well, it is not going to be easy. If any of those other monsters return, we could be in trouble.”

  Kaelen’s voice was strained, as if holding himself back from shouting. With the horror of the situation settling in, anger seems to be steadily rising. Anger and determination shone brightly in the eyes of her companions. Any previous conflict that had been brewing was pushed aside for now, as a common enemy emerges.

  “I might have something that could get them down, though it is dangerous. What is a bigger concern though, is what is going to happen when we get them out of this cave. Those women, did not look to be in too good of a condition. But what I am wondering is just where they came from? They’ve been here a while, so have these monsters taken out another settlement? Or is Fortress not as secure as we thought.”

  While Aura perked up slightly at Ryse mentioning a possible way to get the captured down, his comment about Fortress had her wince. Her gaze shifted to Maul, expecting a slight blow up from him, only to be surprised. His expression remained serious and gained an almost distant look to it as he answered.

  “There are no other settlements within a week’s travel of Fortress, at least according to my father. He mentioned when I was young how when he grew up, the closest settlement fell to monsters. Since then, we’ve been on our own. Which means… which means that those women came from Fortress. Non-Soldiers should not have been at risk for encountering monsters, they are too weak to be allowed outside of Fortress. So, for them to be here… I don’t know.”

  It was something that she would like to know as well, though figuring out those details could be saved for the future. With everyone seeming more calmed and focused now, it was time to figure out how to take out these monsters.

  “Okay, so before we saw all those people I did use my skill on the monsters. One of them is another Venomweaver, but the other two are called Silkweavers. They look like the one that captured Calen and Jackie, so we should expect them to spit out silk to both capture and heal. Keeping them separate is probably a good call.”

  Saying that, the fire of determination grew as a hushed conversation began. While it should theoretically be easy for them to take down the three monsters as easily as the last due to being stronger, they already overestimated themselves once. So, a proper plan of attack was something that needed to be decided on before making a move.

  Grouping close together was decided against near instantly and unanimously. The monsters had demonstrated the ability to spit and cover an area, and considering just what they spat it could easily take out their numbers advantage. That same issue meant that closing in on them would be difficult if they could not get close before the monsters woke up. Though, perhaps not as much as they were worried about.

  Maul tests something out while they are talking, placing one of his hands against the sticky webbing on the walls. Aura watched with first concern, and then relief as he pulls himself free with some effort. While her own twenty-five STR was not enough to break free from the webbing, thirty-five was. Which meant that he should be more than capable of breaking free if a Silkweaver trapped him.

  Thinking of that sent her mentally back to the recent fight. Pulling up her character sheet, she saw that the [Poison] effect was gone, and with it the numbness. However, thanks to [Natural Body] the poison was not as much of an issue for her. It would certainly hurt if she was hit by it, but the pain was nothing compared to what was going on in there. On bringing up her suggestion of taking on the Venomweaver up close.

  That would leave Kaelen with dealing with the other Silkweaver, and he seemed to be confident that he could at least hold it off. At which point he brought up the point that they cannot just assume to take on the monsters alone. Jackie had made that mistake and was actively suffering the consequences of it. While they did have knowledge of what to expect from these monsters, they could still pull out something surprising. The Venomweaver had shown to be able to spit both a mist and a concentrated spray after all.

  Of course, that didn’t even account for what Ryse and Violet contributed to it all. While Aura had magic that was between the two of them as far as strength, keeping the Venomweaver distracted up close was probably for the best. But that didn’t change the fact that it could be the most dangerous of the monsters and needed to be taken out first. With the two of them helping her, that could be accelerated.

  Having figured out what roles everyone will end up playing a final plan was ironed out, they weren’t done. While they assumed that the monsters were unaware of their presence, they needed to plan around that as well. On entering the chamber, they would all split up to avoid taking any area attacks. Violet and Ryse would stick near the walls of the room and begin to creep around the edge towards the hanging people. Aura, Kaelen, and Maul would begin to head for their respective monsters. Whether they woke or not, their jobs were to fight to both kill and keep them busy. Aura’s monster would be the one primarily targeted by Violet and Ryse while they moved, the Venomweaver being the most dangerous. And once it fell, Aura herself would move to assist whichever of Kaelen or Maul was closest, while Ryse and Violet help the other person.

  Strategy decided on, there was a moment of silence to compose themselves. Looking over everyone, Aura gives tight smiles and nodded to them all. This was not like in video games or the like, where a rousing speech was given to raise morale. No, this was more like being ready to rush into a burning building to save people inside. Everyone knew what was at stake here and was determined to save others.

  The walk back to the hatchery area was swift, their formation grouped together so that they could spread out more easily. As it came into sight, she took a moment and noticed that none of the monsters had moved from where they had spotted them. As they step over the threshold into the room, something flickered in the corner of her eye. In the faint light of the webbing on the walls, something that looked like a long strand of hair fell to the ground as they passed through.

  Loud screeches filled the air a moment later, the three monsters revealing that they were indeed awake. Everyone went still for a moment beside her, and as the single Venomweaver and one of the Silkweavers reared back, she cried out.

  “Scatter!”

  A glob of poison and webbing fly from their respective monsters, but everyone was already on the move. She dove forwards and collided with the ground with a slight thump, just in time as the entrance to the hatchery had the ground covered in sticky webbing and poisonous liquid. The lack of anyone crying out told her that nobody was caught up in the ambush, so she slowly rose from the somewhat adhesive ground to assess what was happening.

  The initial plan was already no longer viable, given how the monsters were still clinging to the walls and out of reach. It also made having Ryse and Violet stick to said walls dangerous. Getting the monsters off their perch could be difficult, as they were already rearing back to spit once more. Despite this setback everyone had started to spread out, with Kaelen and Maul heading towards their targets. Standing fully herself, she saw a glob of webbing being sent her way. Making a quick decision, she raised her empty hand towards it and quickly chanted her spell.

  The bolt of Mana erupted and collided with the webbing midair. Having experienced being hit by the spell, Aura knew that it didn’t have much physical force to it. Compared to that Mana Giant Spider, her attack was stronger, enough to disintegrate the approaching attack. Immediate danger dealt with she turned her attention back to her intended target and began to rush through the chamber towards it. A bolt of Mana collided with the monster, drawing its attention towards Violet who had managed to land the first attack.

  Seeing the monster begin to rear back, Aura took careful aim while still moving. Chanting as quick as she could, her spell soared through the air and collided with the monster just after it spat out another glob of poison. It was joined shortly after by Ryse’s spell, the twin blasts of magic slamming into its carapace moments later. And while neither threw off the monsters aim, it deals noticeable damage, given the shriek it let out.

  [39 Damage Dealt]

  With her focus fully on the Venomweaver, the lack of any cries of distress told Aura that Violet avoided the attack. The chittering of the monsters was starting to grow louder, whether it was communication or just pain was impossible to say. She watched as the thing turned its attention towards her and reared back. Raising a hand, the chant escaped her lips, and another bolt of Mana flew forwards. Her legs tensed as she prepared to dodge out of the way, only for the unexpected to happen.

  She watched as the Venomweaver jumped off the wall. Her spell crashed harmlessly against where it had just been, with two others doing the same. The monster twisted in the air, before landing solidly on the ground maybe ten feet from her. She felt the vibrations of the landing through the webbing she was standing on, and multiple other vibrations told her that the others had jumped down as well.

  Pushing that to the side, she took her club in hand and charged towards the grounded Venomweaver. The monster met her charge head on, the things higher AGI on display. Getting into melee with these Spider monsters was something she had begun to grow increasingly used to. But this time, things went differently. Rather than just raise one of its front legs to lash out, it raised two. Being mid-charge, her momentum was too great to divert her charge. And the slightly longer legs meant that she was likely to take the hits before delivering her own.

  He said not to do this, but I have a backup just in case.

  Making a split-second decision, Aura decided to do something Maul heavily advised her against when he was teaching her how to use the club. Whether it be in a real fight or a spar, clashing weapons was never a good idea. Not only would it be a test of strength, but it could result in weapons getting destroyed. Sturdy as the stone clubs were, risking destruction was never a good idea when your life was on the line. But without knowing just how hard this thing could strike, she had to risk it. That was not to say that she couldn’t even the odds a bit for her.

  “Heavy Strike.”

  Twisting her body to swing for the leg coming from her right, she invoked her weapon skill. A slight glow applied to her club, and there was a thunderous crack as it collided with the coming leg. For a moment there was a pause, then a cracking sound was heard as the leg bent from the force of her impact, before being knocked away as she finished her swing.

  [34 Damage Dealt]

  [-16 HP]

  As the swing finished, a heavy hit was delivered to her back from the other leg that had been coming. The force of it and her swing sent her stumbling forwards slightly, leaving her unsteady but not falling. A bolt of magic flashed past her face as someone missed their attack, and the monster itself let out a screech as it hopped back. Standing tall, Aura’s back throbbed from where she took the attack, but she was in better shape than the Venomweaver. The front leg she had hit was bent out of shape and held in the air. And as her eyes met the monsters, anger burnt in its many eyes.

  Moving to charge forwards again, the monster once more showed intellect by jumping out of the way of another couple of spells. Its new location put it closer to the far wall where people were being held, and she continued to move towards it. With it having shown a surprising amount of agility and intelligence in dodging spells being cast at it, wasting Mana was pointless. It didn’t look to be in too good of shape either, so attacking it straight on may be for the best.

  Being further back, the spell fire from Ryse and Violet was less accurate. Meaning that the attacks either missed or landed glancing blows. Taking a deep breath, with the few body lengths between them, she gripped her club and charged towards it once more. And once more, the monster seemed to take her challenge and met her charge. When it raised one good leg to swing at her, Aura began to prepare to meet the clash once more.

  Only to be caught off guard when the things head reared back suddenly and a glob of poison was spat her way. She quickly turned her head and raised her arms for further protection; in doing so she still took the glob head on. It was a slight saving grace, as this much closer there was more force behind the glob, enough to knock her to the ground. Which helped her avoid the leg slamming into her.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  [-18 HP] [Poison Effect Gained]

  The numbness set into her arm immediately, which made her fall to the ground so much more jarring. She felt her club dig into her side as she fell onto it, and groan of pain escaped. The leg of the spider slammed into the ground next to her, and she felt it walk until it was looming over her. Then came the sound of hissing and she sensed it continue to move, as if in pursuit of someone else. Through the blood pounding in her ears, she heard someone call out her name.

  She was fine, the poison glob was the lesser of two evils. Trying to flex her hand while it moved, she didn’t feel it do so. With the Venomweaver having passed over her, figuring she was dealt with, she raised her not numb arm and chanted out loud. At her words the monster froze, legs buckling as it jumped into the air. While this let it avoid the two other spells launched at it from afar, it left it vulnerable to her own. Her magic blasted out of her palm and collided with the underside of the monster.

  [39 Damage Dealt]

  Screeching in pain, it twisted in the air as best it could to turn towards her. That was the last mistake the weakened monster made. Aura had realized that while these monsters were smarter than normal, they could be caught off guard. And that surprise left them vulnerable. Gripping her club tightly, she raised as the monster landed on the ground. With her in a fighting stance, it ignored Ryse and Violet who were still ready in the distance. Rearing back as if to spit another glob of poison, it instead erupted from the mouth like a font of blood as her companions struck it from behind. The legs then gave out, and it collapsed with golden particles slowly coming off it.

  [Venomweaver Giant Spider Defeated!] [+66 XP]

  The brief window of notification was ignored as Aura took in the other fights. Kaelen was the furthest away, practically at the center of the chamber. She saw his sling in one hand as he struck with his club in the other. He was fighting the Silkweaver cautiously, dipping in and out of the reach of the monster and avoiding what looked like fresh web on the ground. Maul was closer to her and the edge of the room, playing a much more dangerous game. Despite having a larger weapon with his new leg-based cudgel, he was trading blow for blow with his foe. More than that, she saw the white of webbing on his legs which told her he had been hit by that attack at least once. The fact that he was still moving was a testament to his STR, but it was still risky.

  “I-I’m out of mana. I’ll see what I can do for everyone trapped!”

  Violet called out then, doing their best to avoid the battle to get to where they planned. Giving a nod of understanding and seeing Ryse begin to fire Mana Bolts towards the Silkweaver, Aura began to make her way over to help Maul. The best thing about this one’s position was that it couldn’t see the dead Venomweaver, and with all the noise of combat it probably didn’t hear the death rattle either. With a small start, she began to charge towards the monster in battle with Maul. Her steps were not light, and it perks up after an exchange of blows with him. Putting strength into her legs, she finished her charge with a forward leap. Club in her good hand, she brought it down hard on the monsters’ abdomen at the same time as Maul strikes it from the front.

  [18 Damage Dealt]

  The monster let out a shriek as it was hit from two places at once, her own grunt of pain joining it. The momentum of her jump had her crashing into the thing shortly after her attack, and like one of those fairground attractions where people could stick to walls, she found herself stuck to the monster by her top. The abdomen was covered in a layer of adhesive webbing, and while it didn’t gain purchase on her club it did so on her top.

  It was clear the monster was not expecting something like this, as it began to buck and try to shake her off while trying to fight off Maul. The sudden motions were more than a little nauseating, but Aura was well and stuck on the monster right now. Which worked to her advantage, as it left her free to attack with magic. Straining her neck back so her face didn’t get stuck to the thing, she waited until the bucking forces her numb arm onto the monster before chanting once more. Much like when she had first tried it in the cavern with the cocoons, she felt her Mana gather in hand before blasting out as she casts. The layer of silk was thinner compared to then as well, and the force of it when combined with the bucking was enough to blast her off the monster with a slight tearing sound.

  [39 Damage Dealt]

  Landing on her back again, she was quick to recover this time and rose again. The Silkweaver couldn’t focus on her, not with Maul smacking it from up front. And now that the two of them could work together, it stood no real chance in winning this fight. Knowing to avoid the abdomen to not get stuck, Aura dipped in and out smacking the area of the monster where the legs meet the body. While her strikes did only half the damage of her magic, it was good practice for using the club with her off hand. After a short time, a roar of exertion sounded from Maul. The sound was followed followed by a definitive crack and gurgling sound before the monster fell dead.

  [Silkweaver Giant Spider Defeated!] [+100 XP]

  [Level Up! You Have Reached Level 5! Class Up Will Now Begin.]

  The notification confirming the death was good, and Aura already started to turn to help Kaelen. As the second notification appeared, before she has a chance to question it everything went white.

  Color slowly returned to Aura’s vision, and as the detail came, she inhaled sharply. The scene was both familiar, and one that she had never thought she would see again. Somehow, she was in the living quarters back at the fire station she worked at. Taking everything in, it was almost exactly as she remembered it. From the dining table where the crew ate meals, to the beige couch that she and her coworkers had relaxed on while on the clock. Exploring further, she found the attached kitchenette was there as well. The only things that were not right, were that the doors to the other rooms didn’t open. The windows, rather than giving a look of outside, were simply blacked out. Finally, the hole the fireman’s pole was supposed to lead down was instead just solid ground. She was still wearing the padded cloth armor, but attempting to access her menu proved fruitless.

  “Is this some kind of cruel joke or something. Showing me this place, why are you doing this?”

  While she had a feeling nobody could hear her, she still called out to the empty room. Her voice was strained, and tears began to spill from her eyes. Whatever the reason for her being in this place, it was a cruel thing for her. At the same time, as standing there and taking in the familiar environment, she remembered better times. That alone filled her with a sense of determination.

  I… I will get back here. I need to. Not just this place, but all the people I know. My friends, my family, I need to get back to them.

  In this strange space, time lost meaning as she cried and reminisced. At some point she moved to sit on the couch, taking her familiar spot on it. Coming out of her reminiscing, her eyes landed on the large television hanging from the wall. There was text on it, golden text, which had not been there before. Taking a calming breath and wiping the tears from her eyes, she walked closer to take it in and let out a sigh at the writing.

  Available Classes:

  STR ≥ 15. Fighter Class.

  VIT ≥ 15. Defender Class

  DEX ≥ 15. Rogue Class.

  ATU ≥ 15. Mage Class.

  “Only four classes… that really is not a lot to work with. I mean; I guess more could become available later but still.”

  With the text before her, she knew that it was time for her to lock in. While it hurt to be in this place, and it was cathartic to let out some of her emotions, it was not the time for it anymore. She was not only still trapped in that world but was actively in the middle of something to rescue others. Whether or not time was passing she didn’t know, but what she did know was that she had spent far too long crying.

  Looking at the class options themselves, while they were basic, they could lead to something. There was a slight bit of wonder at what the class for having 15 AGI would grant, but not being able to assign her skill points from leveling meant it would remain a mystery for now. Instead, her eyes focused on three classes in particular, Fighter, Defender, and Mage. On not finding that the focusing did nothing, and with no remote she reached out and tapped the television, selecting Fighter first.

  Instantly the screen shifted, becoming something akin to her the screen when she created the avatar that become her. She saw herself, dressed the same but in motion. She was fighting an unseen foe, and the weapon she used kept shifting. Each weapon was used with skill, though before she can focus on the details of them, some text appeared.

  Reading what choosing [Fighter] would grant had her mind racing. Gaining a dedicated stat point every level would be helpful, but it was the skills that drew her attention most. [Iron Grip] and [Strengthen], while not saying what they did, were basic enough that it was obvious. It was the fact that it was also offering to increase a weapon mastery that had her mind racing more than anything.

  “It could just be filler, since a Fighter needs to be able to fight. And depending on how many weapon types there are, it could honestly be one of the most versatile things on offer. But… maybe it also means that these skills can be obtained otherwise?”

  With nobody around, she had no issue speculating out loud, but she didn’t linger on the screen for too much longer. She had intended on a Paladin like build when this was all a game, and while that did lead to a Fighter mindset, there were two other classes that could fit as well. So, after not confirming Fighter, she instead picked Defender. The screen was replaced again, this time showing her dressed in various kinds of armor. Once more she seemed to be fighting, or rather defending, against an unseen foe.

  Looking over what Defender had to offer, a surge of disappointment and dread filled her. While the skills themselves didn’t sound impressive, the damage reduction bonus told her one thing. If Fortress had taken this class, which was highly likely given his HP, fighting him in melee was not going to be an easy feat. More than that, for a class called Defender, it seemed more on self-preservation than defending others. And while keeping yourself alive was the best way to save other people, it was not the kind of way she wanted to do things right now. So, closing out of it she quickly brought up the final of the classes she was thinking about, Mage.

  The screen shifted again, this time showing her standing and firing off a wide variety of spells from her hands. The familiar glow of her healing spell, a more powerful blast of raw Mana, blasts of wind, gouts of fire, and more are being wielded by this Mage version of her against some unknown foe. A few ideas for possible spells did come to mind, though she quickly turned her focus to the writing on the screen.

  The disappointment from Defender was quickly washed away at seeing what Mage has to offer. While the notion of Ritual Magic was rather vague, it was the skill [Quickened Casting] that confirms her earlier suspicions. In most games, heck in most fiction regarding magic, spells always went from being cast aloud and through chants to being something that the powerful could do silently. It was something she had suspicion that Ryse may have been capable of doing, though that could also be his second Innate Skill at work.

  Either way, locking such a skill to a single class didn’t make sense to her. And when combined with what she saw in Defender and Fighter with giving access to a skill that could be gained normally, she was sure that all these skills could be gained independently. Some of them were vague enough that she had no idea how but being able to gain even a couple of them through hard work could make things easier. Given she had found a Grand Quest Line, a possible ticket out of this world and back home, she needed all the help she could get.

  With that in mind, the choice for her was obvious. She was already finding out that fighting head on was not always the most efficient way to do so. And the possibility of Fortress having Defender made confrontation as an escape even less likely. More than anything, [Fast Learner] could be a difference maker, depending on exactly what it did.

  “Honestly, with this I can probably start putting points into my STR and Mana now. Magic is good for now, but I still have no idea how damage is calculated with it. And if I get another class, I can always take Fighter then.”

  Decision made, she raised a hand and pressed the confirmation. It glowed for a moment, before having her pick one of the class skills, where she went with Fast Learner without any hesitation. The whole tv screen shined golden before going black. It was then that the ground beneath the firepole opens, a golden light pouring from the hole. Walking over to it, Aura only saw the golden light on looking down. Taking one last glance at the familiar surroundings of her home away from home, she gripped the pole and slide down into the golden light.

  [Class [Mage] Has Been Chosen]

  As soon as the golden light faded, she stumbles slightly. In that familiar space, she hadn’t realized that the aches and fatigue her body had been going through were gone. Now, back in the hatchery once more everything came slamming back into her. The musty smell of filth and poison, and the sounds of combat coming from behind her. As her eyes adjusted to the lower light, she saw the Silkweaver’s slowly dissolving body in front of her, and Maul standing at her side with a grim smile.

  “You took your time deciding, but congratulations on getting your class.”

  Maul had seen better fights, and clearly his strategy was not the greatest. Already bruises were beginning to form on his arms. And the way he was favoring one leg over the other spoke volumes. Yet at the same time, and it could be the light tricking her, his arms seemed to be bigger and more defined.

  “Thanks, I guess you got yours as well then? Was I out for long?”

  “I did yes. And since we went through it at the same time the answer to that is no. I’ve only been watching Kaelen and Ryse fight for a few seconds.”

  Maul was quick to answer and visibly relaxed compared to before. Turning, she saw Kaelen and Ryse are still engaged in combat with the last Silkweaver. It had slowed down a lot from when she last looked at it, and patches of the silk covering its abdomen look to be missing. Even from where she is standing, one of the many eyes on the monster looked to have burst. While Ryse had positioned himself closer to the people held on the wall, Kaelen was still engaging in direct melee combat with it. He looked to be in good condition, despite the long fight.

  His victory was easily confirmed, and she a smile grew on her face as he delivered an upwards swing on the mandibles of the monster. It must have been preparing to shoot out silk webbing, as a gush of white erupted from the mouth before its legs go limp as well and it collapsed. A relieved expression grew on Kaelen’s face, and they lock eyes before his expression turned blank.

  “Huh, I guess he was close to gaining a class as well. That makes all three of us as some of the strong—.”

  Time slows down, and Aura’s eyes widen in shock as a silvery white form fell from the ceiling. Falling in the center of the room, right behind where Kaelen is standing, it landed with a resounding thud. With a carapace the same shade of silver white as the silk, even from this distance it blends with the background. The lack of glow to its form is the only thing that makes it stand out.

  Rising to the full height, it was around as large as the Venom and Silkweavers. Unlike them, this thing was not fully Spider. Emerging from where the head should be was a humanoid torso. Slender in nature, it was still covered in that silvery white chitin all throughout. Calling it a Drider would be a lie, as while the upper body was humanoid in shape it was still covered in carapace. And attached to the neck was a human sized spider head.

  “Kaelen, move!”

  A voice called out, and Aura was unsure if it was her own or somebody else. Already she was starting to move forwards, and she saw Maul doing so as well. Kaelen continued to just stand there; mind lost in his class up as the new monster raises the front legs of its Spider body. The ends of the legs gleam slightly in the low light of the room. Before they plunged forwards through his chest.