ELDRITCH NIGHT (Rough Draft)

Chapter Three: A Widow Fled

After travelling for several hours Gloomweaver had finally stopped. I didn't pay it much mind, as she had stopped several times during our prior journey. Instead I was spending my time focusing on my stats, and trying to decide how to allocate my FP, or Feat Points. This time, however, almost immediately upon stopping I felt a sense of vertigo and my stomach clenched. I was falling for what seemed minutes but was in reality only several seconds.

I bounced, but the elastic web my cocoon had become entangled with didn't let me rise too far. After several seconds the bouncing and vibrations had stopped, but my insides still felt like a shaken can of soup. I was dizzy, the world spinning as my senses tried to catch up.

I retched into my mouth, but nothing was available as my stomach had long been empty. My lips were dry, and my head rung as if I was suffering from the after effects of a three-day bender. I could hear ringing in my ears and my own ragged breathing. I was obviously dehydrated, but I feared my injuries might be more severe.

I waited alone in the dark. Below the web was a wide chasm. Roughly a hundred yards in front of me was a sheer cliff face that while difficult could probably be climbed. The stone appeared to be a deep blue and was unlike any rock formation I had ever seen. The identity of the rock was not an issue, after all I've got a skill for that. The real problem was that I couldn't see the top or the bottom of the cliff, so I had no idea how long such a climb would be.

I wasn't alone for long before Gwerlum, The Gloomweaver, also affectionately known as Big Momma Spider, was upon me soon. She grasped my cocoon between her front two legs and I began to spin. The spears on the tips of her two forelegs were for spinning web rather than the instrument of murder I had imagined them to be. It was like the world's largest, and most deadly, crocheting needles. Perhaps Big Momma was a grandma as well?

Silk wrapped around my cocoon, though not as tightly as before. She most likely just wanted to make sure I was secured to the web. As a final touch she left me with a blast of venom to the face that immediately began burning my eyes and inner nose.

I needed to scream, but I forced the impulse down. Instead I dug my fingernails into my palms and clenched my jaw. I could hear the enamel on my teeth cracking as they ground together, but I was able to resist screaming. I had no idea if the spider believed me dead, but I knew that drawing extra attention to myself would be dangerous.

Congratulations! New skill(s) gained. Pain Tolerance (1/10).

Congratulations! Poison Resistance has improved (4/10).

I passed out again and when I awoke there was no sign of Big Momma. Barely noticeable vibrations, however, told me that I was not alone in her web. When I was finally able to calm down and orient myself to the situation, I turned my attention back to my feats. If I didn't have an active goal to work towards I knew that I would panic and shut down.

I could already feel the terror picking away at my sanity bit by bit.

FP available (11)

6 Feat(s) available for purchase-

Newbie (0/1)

Prestidigitator (0/3)

Scholar (0/3)

Warrior (0/3)

Acrobat (0/3)

...

The first five feats seemed useful if fairly basic. Much like most of the system, the true value of each skill was hidden behind a knowledge wall. Those with the advantage of system knowledge would know which feats to pick and how best to allocate their stats, while those of us figuring things out for the first time had to rely on blind luck. The lack of descriptions made each choice a gamble. Despite this, the final feat is the one that really caught my eye. Unlike the others it cost 10 FP, which was almost my entire reserve and for the same cost I could afford four different feats. Despite that, it was obviously a higher-level feat and likely held synergy with abilities I already had.