Tales of Jahe Chapter 2: The Bigger the Area, the Stranger its Inhabitants

[Dragonsbane]

Naerzul yelped, the bright light nearly blinding him, "Can you turn that thing off!? Just SMASH them!" Crawlbone pounced, thick claws tearing off legs and pulping exoskeletons, while Naerzul recovered his sight.

[Kazastankas]

Firecall, too focused on the giant spiders that came after the smaller ones, did not notice too much of the light, with his head turned the other way. His macestaff flew here and there as giant spiders were smashed in the abdomen by the furious strength of the barbarian, who wove between the legs of his adversaries in order to tangle them up and bring them down.

[My Lead Airbag]

The bright light appeared to have some effect, as all the spiders began to skitter away, crawling up the walls and into the holes, dragging their friend's behind them.

"Whew, maybe they're scared off." Job said.

As if to mock them, a larger hole burst open and the staff was instantly enmeshed in web. This new spider was huge, and as it forced its way out of the rocky wall, all the previous spiders and more came flooding through.

The events that transpired next would later be classified as the second most one-sided battle ever waged, being beaten by the still current champion, Group of Unarmed Goblins vs. Fire Dragon in Lava.
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"Ohh...my head..." Job said. His body was pain, and this was the second time he had been awoken from an injury in a new location, except this time everything was upside down. Torches hung from the walls and spiders seemed to be milling about nonchalantly, if spiders could acheive such states. On his sides, his group hung in webbing in various stages of conciousness.

"He he, sorry about the big guy, he's just not a people person, since most try to kill him. If he banged you up at all I apologize, we just get a little crazy if...well there are lots of things." A feminine voice said. Job placed it above him, but he couldn't see, much less move his neck. "Oh, how foolish of me. My name is pretty unpronouncable with your tongues, so you can call me by my given Lupos Name." The voice said. A large spider seemed to slide down, then whirled itself around, allowing Job to see the head of a beautiful woman stretched over the back of a spider the size of him. "She Who Roams the Cave on Many Legs. You can call me...hmm, Skitta, since you seem to be fond of the word. How can I be of assistance to your group?"

[Rhiya Ravenwing]

Silvergem hadn't had much time to recover her energy when she was paralyzed and knocked unconscious for the second bloody time before she could react. When she woke, her body ached with the after-effects of the poison that still coursed in her veins. Her hair cascaded downwards like a dark, foam-streaked waterfall, and her violet eyes flashed dangerously.
She looked over towards Job, and saw him conversing with a distinctively female spider.

[Ganurath]

Howling Call was close enough to Job to hear the conversation. She Who Roams the Cave on many Legs? He had heard of a spider-person in some old book, but he thought she would have died by now, judging by the age of the book. He tried to look around, but to no avail. He spotted a spider down below, and tried to use the spell on it he had used on spirit bat. The flow of information overwhelmed him so that the connection severed and he yelped in pain. Seeing through so many eyes at once overwhelmed him, but he recovered momentarily. He began sorting through his head, trying to figure what important details he had spotted...

[Kazastankas]

Firecall took the whole 'hanging upside down' thing with surprising calm. He had been outmatched by the spiders, but it seemed that he wasn't dead. He pondered the consequences of this. Were they to be poisoned slowly to death? Tortured? Left to die without pride or honor? Of course, then he heard "How may I be of assistance," and fell silent, listening to the conversation that would soon begin.

[Dragonsbane]

Naerzul's physiology wasn't entirely human...and poisons were all too common in the swamps. He heard the conversation as he awoke, his spiky black hair dangling, he raised (lowered?) one eyebrow, though the motion didn't seem to have the same effect while hanging upside down, "So....the Mother of the Web isn't just a myth? Well...I'm pleased that you haven't killed and eaten us yet, but would you mind letting us down?"

[My Lead Airbag]

"Mother of Webs? Do you wittle Elves still call me that? Take one wrong turn and suddenly you end up being a myth after killing a few swamp monsters...and don't worry if I'm hazy to you Mr. Lupos, I was around when your kind still named themselves after every body part they could find. If you think my given name is long, you shoulda heard the one who gave it to me." Skitta said. She seemed to be floating now, moving from member to member giving them a look over, although Job still saw the web string holding her.

"Thats...interesting, but why exactly haven't you eaten us yet? Not that we're complaining, just seems...strange to keep us here for no reason."

"Eat you? Why would I do that? Sentient creatures are an acquired taste I've found, and I'm in no mood to acquire it, so you're safe from that. Over the eons my diet has slowly shifted to whatever I can find in the caves or the forest, like bats." Skitta explained, then shot a leg out at the dark and grabbed a screeching bat, then stuffed it into her face and chewed loudly. After spitting out the bones, she continued. "No, I merely brought you here to ask for a favor, although it is one of those favors that requires you to take it or I'll kill you and string your entrails around my abode as a future warning you understand."

Job gulped, as he was in no position to bargain. "Why should we believe that once we do you this favor we'll live?"

"Well, I could have let my brothers and sisters eat you alive, but I let you off with a little poison. Besides, if you do my favor, you would be far enough away to avoid seeing me again."

"What is it, exactly?" Job said, giving up all hope of avoiding whatever they had to do.

"Just kill the Forest Guardian, Mulhespa."

[Dragonsbane]

"Tell me more about this guardian...and why do you want us to kill him?" Looking down, Naerzul saw his familiar sitting on the cave floor beneath him, its short, bony tail wagging like that of a dog.

Turning his gaze back towards the spider, he added, "Not that I'm refusing or anything, I just need some details."