Undwospi

Chapter 1

A fireball hit the giant spider, singeing a patch of hair.

The spider, easily two stories tall, paid no attention. It, with its dark green coat and towering, brown hairy legs, was initially mistaken for the scenery. The spider made its grand entrance by shaking the ground with a single stomp and turning humans into gel encased in skin with a single bite.

The few remaining soldiers backed away. Their weapons held high in their final defiance. Bill, the tallest of them all, watched the disaster develop around them.

Spiderlings the size of dogs swarmed their position earlier. Their coats, the same shade as the spider's, gave them camouflage in the dense forest. Their eight red eyes, in two rows of four, were the only warnings the soldiers got. The small detachment of the main army held their ground until the spider arrived; the battle was decided.

The soldier's formation was disrupted by the spider's single stomp into their ranks. On the rapidly chaotic battlefield, the spiderlings used their numerical advantage. Their small fangs paralyzed the victims, leaving many soldiers in agony waiting for their demise.

The cries of the soldiers ended abruptly. The hisses of the spiderlings warned of their approach. The spider's screeching hiss shook the ground. Covered in sweat, Bill's spear trembled so violently it fell from his grasp. He abruptly turned around, kept his head up and tackled through the spiderlings between him and freedom. The three millimeter thick armor allowed him to go unscathed through the spiders.

The cries of his fellow soldiers echoed behind him.

Screw the punishment for desertion. Screw them! I want to live!

Bill sprinted as quickly as his legs could take him, leaving behind the soon-to-be silenced cries; the hisses were also left behind.

I will survive this day!

A simple fire spell lit the branches.

Sam moved close to the flames and rubbed his hands together. His thin fur coat did little to ward off the chill.

Wish I still had the other coat.

His emerald eyes reflected the flames as he stared into the fire, reminding him of the scorch marks on his bald head. His stomach growled in protest; his mouth turned to a frown.

Where are they?

The winds picked up and threatened to blow out the flames. Sam moved so his back was against the wind. Shivering more violently, he casted a stronger fire spell and added more branches. The pile of branches diminished to only a handful.

Sam gazed at the dark silhouettes of the trees in the distance. His earlier trip yielded the pile of branches so he contemplated a second trip to gather more fuel.

"Look what I got?"

A large shadow emerged from the darkness. The small fire revealed a well-built man with a goat over his left shoulder, hiding a nasty scar going diagonally across his upper body. The hares in his right hand captured Sam's attention. His belt held a small dagger with worn edges and hints of rust, along with a small pouch.

Gary lay down the kills beside Sam and looked around.

"Where are the others?" he asked as he removed the dagger from his belt. "Did they actually catch something today?"

As the best hunter in the group, Gary consistently caught food for the party. His archery skills and sixth sense were legendary in his village. The same couldn't be said about the remaining two party members.

Gary skinned the hares, expertly removing the entire hide intact. While the hides smoked over the small fire, the hunter gutted the hares, quartered them and pierced the meat with saplings to be cooked over the flames.

Sam's eyes remained on the hare meat. Gray, however, went to work with the goat, performing a similar procedure. Sam sneaked a glance later and noticed not a drop of blood splattered past Gary's hands. Even the ground was relatively unstained. Gary worked quietly and efficiently on his own despite his stomach growling louder than Sam's.

Their party consisted of four members; they were all born and raised in the same village. The village was situated in the distant north, a place known for its snowy landscape and packs of wolves. Occasional trade caravans visited the village and brought with them foreign goods and stories; the latter motivated these four young people to travel abroad.

Sam observed the slow process of the meat turning a light brown shade. The sweet scent from the meat made his mouth water; he eyeballed Gary's pouch, a small bag filled with spices native to the north. Gary joined him by the fire once he finished seasoning the goat. Their stomachs growled in unison.

The wind had died down, bringing about an eerie silence interrupted by the occasional crackling campfire or their growling stomachs. The silver, seemingly perfect sphere in the sky illuminated little of the landscape around them, their campfire the only source of light in a several miles radius.

Normally, Sam was fascinated by the spheres in the sky. Four spheres existed but only one was currently visible. His grandparents told him of a time when all four spheres were visible in the sky; their combined illumination lit up all of Undwospi, a vastly different scene from the dark and bleak landscape surrounding him. Stories and myths about the silver spheres were numerous but no one knew for certain their purpose.

The weak rays of the single sphere meant travelers must be equipped with fire spells or torches. Sam was told he could join the adventure if he could fulfil the role of lighting the path for his party members. This motivating factor saw him practice regularly, eventually mastering the basic fire spells and earning a spot in the party.

The silence was suddenly interrupted by a low growl. A pair of red eyes in the darkness stared at the campfire. A few more eyes appeared shortly after and the growls grew louder. Seconds later, the red eyes vanished into the darkness. Two shadows, one big and one small, materialized where the red eyes were and approached the campfire.

Sam raised his hands in preparation of casting a spell.