Lilas' Mini Stories

Beast Logs - 2 (wizardposting)

Journal Notes: 3

The next beast on the list was one I wasn't looking forward to...

The giant arachnid some have called the Silk Cutter. It made a home inside of a derelict church and has been nabbing those who wander too close. Its legs are sharp enough to slice even the toughest of armor and will strangle you with its webs before dragging you off to its lair. Many of the locals I talked to spoke of it as a boogeyman of sorts. They say it's as large as a house, as tall as the trees, and as quiet as a feather in the wind. You won't know it has you until it's too late.

Of course, that didn't help my fear of insects. Why in the hells would I willingly approach this thing?! It's a giant spider!

But alas, it's what Belladonna put on the list. I have to deal with it... I'm getting shivers up my spine just from thinking about it.

I made the walk out to where the church was said to be. I was told once I found the graveyard, then I was in the right place. Thankfully, the enchanted map I was given by my new friend Alexios helped a ton. The area surrounding the church was so dark that I could barely see my own two feet. But I arrived and my gods I wish I there was a way for me to back out. The graveyard was covered in huge webs from the ground to the trees that were sharp to the touch and glinted like swords. It was as if there were razor blades everywhere you walked.

Now I understand the 'Silk Cutter' name... Very appropriate.

I made Soot hang back since he could easily get caught in the webbing and entered the graveyard myself. I was twisting avoid getting sliced. The deeper I got, the more thicker the webs became that they practically formed entire walls around the church. Just touching a single web could expose my location to the arachnid but I didn't have any other way to get around. So like any young mage my age, I used fire.

I whipped out my wand and burned all of the webs surrounding me with a flame spell. The crackling of the webs smelt like burning metal that made my eyes water. It opened up some paths for me and I was able to see the wrapped up carcasses of animals and people hanging inside of the church. Past travelers and locals from the village.

Next thing I know, a loud shriek shot toward me from the church and I narrowly avoided getting tackled by the creature itself. It was faster than I expected and tore quite a huge hole in my robes. I was surprisingly lucky that was all it did. The locals weren't lying when they said the Silk Cutter was huge. Maybe even larger! The thing towered over me as if my worse nightmare came to life.

It used its legs like spears to try and impale me. I was quick to dodge them all and block what I couldn't by manipulating the shadows into a shield. I'm not a fighter by any means and have to make a note to get better at combat. Any longer and I could've ended up as another meal for this thing.

Once again, I thank my druid friend for teaching me this spell. One that temporarily puts anything into a calming state. I used it right as the Silk Cutter charged me and the spell hit the creature like a wall. It tumbled to the ground before me and one of its legs did knick me on my leg.

I assume the Silk Cutter was not poisonous or else I would've been in huge trouble right about now...

Having the ferocious arachnid in this frozen state allowed me to quickly gather some notes on it and take samples before the spell wore off. I tried to avoid looking at its head as much as possible. The dozens of beady little eyes stared into my soul made me want to curl up on myself...

After I felt like I had enough, I swiftly killed the beast once it started showing signs of waking up. I used the same flame spell to let it burn alive like the abomination it was but also ignited the rest of the webbing in the area. The light from the fires must've caught some of the locals' attentions. A few came out and were amazed to see the giant arachnid burnt to a crisp. I wasn't expecting payment for dealing with the beast but I was offered gold and traveling supplies for free from the merchants as thanks for dealing with their boogeyman.

Another beast to add to my journal and soon I'll be on to the next.

Maybe I could try finding a nice little unicorn to befriend. Or anything that doesn't have 8 legs and millions of eyes...