On the Shoulders of Titans Page 20

  I had pretty much no idea what she was talking about. I’d already fought one giant spider, though, and I had no desire to fight more.

  Unfortunately, I could already see a handful of person-sized spiders descending from the roof of the cavern ahead. The webbing they were using wasn’t the metallic kind — that must have been from the other creature Mara was describing, but I couldn’t see that yet.

  Beyond the spiders, I could see a raised section of stone with a single glowing green crystal on it.

  “We fighting or leaving?” I asked.

  “We’re going in,” she replied.

  Then she rushed into the center of the room and punched a spider in the head.

  “Fair.” I drew my sword and followed.

  Something snagged my leg only a moment later.

  I stumbled, but I’d been ready for this. I managed to keep my balance, sweeping my sword down and severing the web.

  I spun, following the webbing to its source, and I saw her.

  She was six feet tall, with black hair that reached all the way down to her feet. From the neck down, she was wrapped in that same metallic webbing that we’d seen on the walls, and she had a strand in her hand that I’d just severed.

  “My, my. What a sharp sword you have there.” The woman smiled at me.

  Meanwhile, Marissa grabbed another person-sized spider around the neck, lifted, and threw it over her shoulder. I heard a crack as it landed, then she kicked backward. It went limp.

  Three more spiders descended around her as she moved toward the back of the chamber. “Resh it. Don’t talk to her, Cadence. She can compel men to do her bidding with her voice. Just stick her with something sharp.”

  I looked back at the dark-haired woman. “Sorry, purely business. I’m sure you understand.”

  I advanced, swinging my sword upward in an arc and sending a shockwave of force in her direction.

  She waved a hand and the webbing around her rippled, shifting into a shield of webbing, blocking the attack. “Now that’s a rude way to start a conversation. I really wish you’d stop.”

  I shook my head. “Nah.”

  I took a few steps forward, barely avoiding another strand of webbing that was on the floor at ankle height.

  Her shield of webbing shifted into a long blade. “So rude. You invade my lair, tear down my webs, fight my children...”

  “...Cut you in half...” I continued, taking a gamble and jumping forward.

  The room had a high ceiling. High enough, I guessed, that I could use the ring of jumping safely. So I did.

  The sudden surge of transference mana sent me fifteen feet in the air, and I flew over the spider woman with my sword raised to strike as soon as I landed.

  She spun, hurling a glob of webbing at me. I slashed that apart on instinct, and the force sent the halves apart, but some of it still brushed against me and stuck to my arms.

  Disgusting, but fortunately, not enough to stop me.

  I landed and swung again, this time directly at the spider monster.

  She reshaped the webbing around her into a sword, blocking my own.

  The transference mana around my blade began to cut through her webbing, but slowly.

  And it had gotten stuck.

  “You should really stop struggling. We could have such a good time together if you’d just listen to me.”

  “Shut it, spider hag.” Marissa threw something — which I belatedly realized was the glowing green crystal I’d seen earlier — and it thumped into the spider woman’s forehead.

  She recoiled at the impact, and a trickle of blood dripped from where it had struck. She wasn’t particularly resilient, at least.

  “Ow!” The woman rubbed her face. “That really hurt!”

  “No seducing my friend!” Mara absently punched another spider in the face, then side-stepped a jet of webbing that one of the others fired at her from its spinneret.

  “I’m just trying to have a polite conversation!” The spider woman spat a glob of acid in Marissa’s direction. Marissa dodged, but stepped into a glob of webbing on the floor nearby, getting her foot stuck.

  I jabbed my sword at the spider woman while she was distracted, but she managed to avoid the swing by stepping to the side. “What sort of conversation?”

  The spider woman shook her head. “Well, for one thing, I was wondering if you’d be opposed to me eating you. I mean, it’s really hard to get quality food down here, and people are just the best. Don’t you think?”

  “Eew!” Marissa started pulling at her stuck leg, then punched another spider that tried to bite her. “We are not letting you eat us!”

  The spider woman reeled back like she was about to spit again. My sword was still stuck in her webbing, so I stepped in and punched her.

  “Ow! So rude!” She pulled back, ripping my sword free from the webbing in the process. “Okay, fine, then! You could at least bring me a light snack. Maybe some kobolds?”

  Kobolds?

  Were those the source of the lighting upstairs?

  “We are not feeding you people!” Marissa managed to tear herself free, but a spider slammed into her from behind, knocking her over.

  It raised its head, ready to bite.

  I spun and threw my sword directly through the creature’s open mouth.

  The spider fell limp.

  “Rude!” The spider woman complained. “That was one of my favorite kids!” She frowned. “I think. They’re so stupid. And so hard to tell apart.”

  She turned toward me and reshaped the webbing around her into a net. “If you won’t bring me any kobolds, I’m just going to have to eat you whether you like it or not.”

  I raised both hands. I was unarmed now, and I didn’t like my odds of fighting her in close quarters without a weapon.

  And she was really chatty. Maybe I could play with that.

  “I’m not going to bring you any sentient creatures to eat. And you can’t eat us. But I do, have, uh...” I reached into my bag. “Some beef jerky?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “What is this...‘beef jerky’?”

  I blinked. I hadn’t expected that to go anywhere.

  Marissa pulled my sword out of the head of the spider I’d killed, making a sickening crunching sound. “She’s just distracting you so she can web you and eat you, Corin.”

  It was probable that Marissa was right, but I also wasn’t in a good fighting position. Buying time was an advantage for the moment, not a disadvantage.

  I wasn’t feeling any sort of weird magical attraction to this creature, and it did just seem to be asking for food.

  I pulled some beef jerky out of my bag. “Preserved cow meat with a variety of spices. It’s a little tough, but the spice gives it a lot of flavor.

  The spider woman sniffed the air. “It’s meat, though?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. It’s a little tough, because of how it’s been dried, but...”

  “Give it here.”

  I handed the beef jerky over to her, and she immediately tore off a piece and began to chew.

  Her mouth twisted, her eyes narrowed, and then...

  “This is delicious.”

  She kept eating. “Do you have any more?”

  “A little bit. If you’ll call off your other spiders and agree to give us safe passage, I’ll give it to you.” I opened my hand in a giving gesture.

  The spider woman seemed to consider that.

  Then, she swallowed, and let out a screeching cry into the air.

  The remaining spiders retreated back to the ceiling.

  Marissa blinked. Then she raised her sword and took a step forward.

  “Not a step closer, sword girl. Meat man, give me more food.”

  I reached into my bag, pulling out another piece of jerky. The spider woman reached for it, but I pulled my hand away. “Agree to give us safe passage.”

  She frowned. “But I don’t want to.”

  Are you kidding me?

  “Look, this is a good deal
for you. Us humans are bland and not seasoned at all. This beef jerky is much tastier.”

  The spider woman folded her arms. “I don’t know... You’re probably right, but you have a lot of meat on you. It’s really a quality versus quantity argument.”

  I waved the beef jerky at her. “There’s also the chance that we’d kill you if we keep fighting.”

  “Nah.” She shook her head. “Not with all the webs you’re stuck in.”

  I blinked, looking around. There were strands of webbing stuck to the back of my legs and my shirt.

  When did that happen?

  I tensed, but I could still make this work.

  “I’ll destroy the jerky with my magic if you attack us.” It was a complete bluff. I didn’t have fire magic or anything similarly destructive.

  But I doubted she knew that.

  “No!” She reached forward, but I moved my hand again. “Okay, fine, fine. You can go. Just give me that food.”

  “I’m going to have my friend cut me free first, then I’m going to give you the jerky.”

  “Fine, fine. Ugh. You humans are so hard to deal with.”

  Marissa moved forward, cut me free, and handed the sword back to me. I held it in my off-hand while I cautiously offered the remaining jerky to the spider.

  She snatched it out of my hand with great fervor, then put it straight in her mouth.

  She closed her eyes, obviously savoring the flavor.

  That helped me realize something important. “You’re...not an illusion, are you?”

  She opened her eyes again, beginning to chew. “Oh, no, little human. I’m quite real.”

  I’d interacted with plenty of convincing solid illusions during the other tests, and I knew they could talk, but this spider woman was so animated and eccentric that she reminded me of Vanniv.

  It was possible they were being controlled by a very enthusiastic actor, but I didn’t get that feeling.

  This was an actual monster. Most likely a summoned one — they wouldn’t risk putting us down here with a natural monster. It probably had instructions to act a certain way, but it also still clearly had senses and instincts of its own.

  I could work with that.

  “You mentioned kobolds. Are those what we’ll find on the upper floors?”

  She shook her head, continuing to eat. “Mm, no, not here. The ones that were in this mine got eaten already.”

  “By you?”

  The spider woman shook her head. “No, no. By the thing that lives below.”

  Well, that sounded foreboding.

  “What sort of thing?” Mara asked.

  “Don’t know. I’m not going down there. I’ve got a nice lair right here. Dark, comfortable, lots of food wandering into it...”

  “We are not food,” I reminded her.

  “Fine, fine.” She continued to chew on the jerky. “You can go.”

  I reached into my bag. The jerky had been the only trail food I’d brought with me. I had the flask that gave me an endless water supply, but no other food in the bag.

  But I did have some food stored in the Jaden Box, and I did have the box stored in my bag.

  Could I get more out of this creature if I traded her more food?

  Maybe, I decided, but it’s not worth the risk of using the Jaden Box in a position where I’m clearly being watched.

  If another teacher knew I had the Jaden Box, that could raise questions that I didn’t want to answer.

  I was still pondering my approach when Mara asked something important.

  “Ya know, we’re trying to find a magic weapon down here. Don’t suppose that’s in your lair?”

  “Nah. That’s up in the other thing’s territory.”

  “We’re going to head that way. Don’t s’pose you’d want to come with us and eat whatever monsters are up there?”

  That was a brilliant idea. I wished I’d thought of it first.

  “Nah, I’m comfy down here. But let me give you some advice, since you gave me something delicious. Get in there, get your shiny thing, and get out. Don’t provoke the beast. You won’t like what happens.”

  That sounded like good advice.

  “Okay, thank you. We’re leaving now.”

  Marissa pointed, and I gradually began to withdraw from the room.

  The spider woman waved. “Happy hunting! Feel free to come back if you want me to eat you later.”

  We made our way out of the room, then carefully watched our step all the way back to the intersection.

  “Well, that could have gone worse,” I offered.

  “You didn’t listen to me.” Marissa folded her arms.

  “I was kind of disarmed at the time.”

  Mara shook her head. “No, I’m not complainin’. You were right. Went much better than if you had listened.” She ran her hands through her hair, a look of frustration on her face. “I donno what I’m doin’ down ‘ere. Don’t think I’m cut out for this.”

  I furrowed my brow. “You’re kidding. You were annihilating those spiders back there.”

  “Aye, but I didn’t even think about the idea of trading with ‘er. I just assumed, you know, monster. And that we’re s’posed ta fight monsters. How’d you figure ‘er out?”

  “I think what really tipped me off was that she seemed to have a sense of taste. It all could have been a really talented Shadow controlling her, but the way she was acting struck me like she had senses of her own. That made me think summon — and summons can be bargained with.”

  “I’d n’er have thought a that.”

  I shrugged. “Sure, but as soon as I brought it up, you took advantage of it in a way that I didn’t. You thought about bringing her with us to make the rest of this easier — and that was a stroke of genius. I doubt any other individual monster down here will be as powerful as she was. If she accepted, it would have handled the whole rest of the test for us.”

  Mara looked away. “But she said no.”

  “Sometimes the world’s most brilliant ideas don’t work. Doesn’t make them any less insightful.”

  “I suppose.” She started walking again, but kept talking. “I s’pose. I just feel lost sometimes, you know?”

  “More than you probably realize.” I sighed. “I’ve been behind on a lot of the basic classes all year. Father pulled me out of school three years ago, and I was never a good student even when I was going to class. Good at tests, but I never had the attention for reading anything that didn’t interest me. Never did my homework. Now, that’s all been coming back to haunt me, because there are a lot of basic things I either never learned or never paid enough attention to.”

  “At least you got to go to a school for a while.” Marissa sighed.

  I raised an eyebrow at that. “I know you grew up outside the city, but...no school at all?”

  “Home schooling, they called it. Mam and Pap taught me a few things. Guess I should feel lucky they knew how to read, at least. Most everything else was either wrong or just not good enough.” She shook her head. “Not their fault. Same thing their parents did for them, to be sure. And they saved up everything they could to send me to that Judgment. Now I just want to do them proud.”

  “I’m sure you will.”

  “Are you? I’m not so sure. I’m not learning anythin’ that’ll help back at the farm. Can’t punch wheat and make it grow.”

  I blinked. “You’re planning to go back home after this?”

  “Sure. Ain’t everyone?”

  Definitely not.

  I didn’t want to get into that topic, though, so I just shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe. Anyway, you’re a lot more than just a fighter, Mara. You protect people.”

  “Sure, good if the occasional thief shows up, or a wild animal. But if I could do what you can do, maybe I could make a real difference. Make all sorts of tools to help people.”

  I laughed. She gave me a frustrated look, so I raised my hands defensively. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just that the first thing that happened when I
got home was my father telling me how disappointing and pathetic I was for having a coward’s attunement. And the worst thing was, I pretty much agreed with him. Everyone has always told me that this attunement means I wasn’t good enough to get one like yours.”

  “Your father said that?”

  “In much more loquacious and pretentious terms, but yes.”

  “Then your dad’s an ass.”

  I laughed again. “Maybe. But I think he just wanted me to be more like him. Do the family proud.”

  “Aye. I guess I can see that. Guess that’s what most parents want.”

  “I’m sure your parents will be very proud of you, Mara. And if punching doesn’t help at home, you’ve got life mana too right? You could learn to heal.”

  She paused in her step, seeming to consider that. “S’pose I could, couldn’t I?”

  “Think they teach that for Guardians as an elective. Maybe you could take it next year.”

  She nodded, looking thoughtful. “I might just do that.”

  We walked in silence for a time after that, until Mara paused again. “Think I can see something up ahead.”

  We reached the source of the light. It was a small room filled with mining equipment, with still-lit lanterns on the walls.

  Also, bodies.

  Specifically, they were kobold bodies. Kobolds were humanoid monsters that tended to be about three feet tall. Some looked closer to human than others — many had animal-like characteristics, or could change in shape.

  These particular ones looked mostly like smaller versions of humans, but with greenish-blue skin that reminded me of metal. It wasn’t an unlikely resemblance; some kobolds worked in mines, and they tended to take on characteristics similar to the metals they worked.

  They weren’t known for being very smart, but they were generally peaceful. Humans traded with them on occasion, frequently metals for other types of metals.

  I didn’t like seeing their bodies, even knowing they were probably just illusions.

  Mara approached the closest one, cautiously ducking down and flipping him over with a foot. I would have complained about her callous treatment, but I realized she was probably just being cautious about the possibility that they were faking and laying in ambush for us.

  After all, the lights were still on.

  That implied there was something still alive down here.