Spirit Taming

Chapter 586: Jungle Spider Parent

The fallen trees gave them all the best place that they could go to to rest. Without even waiting, they began to prepare the area. Jerold had learned to set a few basic traps. The easiest way to have some form of alerts to what was happening around them.

While they were basic trip wires or bell traps, this was a jungle. The wind was not strong enough to set them off unless it was a beast that was able to make enough wind to cause the bells to go off. Therefore, the trap was an excellent warning. However, Clark knew that these meager traps were not enough.

The spiders had a very fine way of traveling. They were used to using delicate movements and silently moving through the forest when they were hunting or waiting for prey. Therefore, it was very easy to imagine that they would be able to sneak up. But there were more beats to worry about.

"Should we risk a fire?" After making their move through spider alley when they had the chance, Isa had considered what she could and could not do to help.

"The fire might not bother much. Especially after we saw the commotion with that spider silk money. But that was when we were trapped in their little square of webs. Now we might attract other things." Clark's point was easier to grasp than other potential issues. Now that the spiders were not isolating an area, it was more likely that they would run in to more beasts.

"We were unknowingly protected like food in a cupboard. I hate that." Reese's voice was soft and he had mumbled, but they all felt the very same about it. But the spiders were not to blame. This was a natural instinct to survive and manage their food. It would be cruel to hold that against them since they were not at the same level as intelligent races.

"It was just how they hunted. If we were here any time other than that, we wouldn't have dealt with the babies." Grace silenced the grumbling as she helped prepare some more water. She had already helped Isa before to condense ice then have the blaze elemental heat it to a boil to make sure it was  safe. This was a method that Clark had not considered but was glad that they could do.

It expanded their possibilities for water in a pinch.

"As much as I think this area is great, what knocked this tree down? I can't tell what the claw marks are.'' Jerold had been studying the beats prints in his books, he should have been able to give the group some form of idea what had knocked these trees down. Even if it was a while ago that it had happened.

"It's been too long to worry about that. They are down now." Brad shrugged while he and Ralph started to anchor a line down in to the rotting tree trunk to be used with the tents. It would be more stable to have a few additional lines. Even if it was more work. But that would also allow them more comfort out in this wilderness. That was just enough to help them all sleep better.

"I think I know." Maria was slowly pulling her daggers out while Lit had already taken the empress cape form. The entire group instantly dropped whatever they were doing. Just in time to hear the scraping of something sharp and hard of wood.

'Cannibal spider- rare

The cannibal spider is  a unique mutant spider. It mutated and started to consume its brothers and sisters after hatching. This carried through the years and it eventually consumed enough of the other adult jungle spiders to be able to produce many eggs. It can not produce more cannibal spiders which is a natural effect due to its large clutches of eggs every year.

It is able to mix the venoms of both the yellow and orange jungle spiders creating an oddly stronger venom that will easily reduce the insides of whatever it attacks to liquid that it will easily consume.

The exoskeleton is streaked with orange and yellow which allows an oddly camouflaged effect in the areas between the banana trees and the setting sun. This is why it is able to sneak up and consume the strange adult jungle spider. However, it is also considered an enemy to them. That means when its children grow up, they will attack it. But they are also its food.

It has no means to grow stronger due to its mutation. However, that does not stop it from growing in size. It is able to get larger over time.

The exoskeleton is ideal for light armors because it is old enough that the exoskeleton is well defined. It can also be made in to weapons due to its sharper legs. The fangs are even tough enough to pierce some metals or be forged with metals. Its weakness is its eyes since it is very sensitive and can be overwhelmed.'

"It was asleep and now it's awake." unwittingly, the entire group had missed the beast above them. This huge spider had blended with the odd coloration of the sky in the trees. Therefore when it had woken up and saw that the space it cleared as its home had new food in it, the mutated spider had begun to move.

Long sharp legs made their moves towards them. Small spider silk lines were already moving too. It proved to Clark that the cannibal spider had control over the threads that it could produce. It was using them to spin webs that would keep them all trapped in the small clearing of fallen trees that it had made years ago while growing.

"Isa, use your blaze elemental to burn its eyes if you can. But watch out, it will be fast to block since it will see that coming." Clark knew well that the spider's multiple eyes would give it fair warning. It could see their movements without moving its head. It would be able to block attacks.

"Screw blinding it, let's just flatten it like the little ones!" Ralph called out his molten boar. The two of them didn't even hesitate to move forward. Instead of the forging hammers, Ralph had the axes pout and ready to cut off the legs he could use as materials for forging.

"Damn idiot trying to get himself killed." Isa swore as she melded with the blaze elemental and sent out a fire ball at the spider's eyes. She knew that the attack would easily get blocked since this was an older beast. One that definitely would take a challenge to beat since Clark had warned them and even started a plan.

The legs of the spider moved faster than what Isa had expected. She saw one slash through the fire ball like it was just another of its webs. Then Ralph and his molten boar were slapped back. But the molten boar had taken the brunt of the attack. Its body being tougher than most beasts bodies due to the metal affinity didn't take much damage.

But Ralph, who was thrown back, was definitely going to feel it later.

Without any more hesitation, Brad shouted at the cannibal spider. It heard him and moved toward the prey that was clearly larger and waiting to be  eaten. If it only knew that its leg trying to pierce the shield Brad held was actually trying to harm a beast, then it might not have been so distracted when its sharp leg cracked and caused itself pain.

"Fool." Reese mocked the spider as he partnered with Brad and the two counter attacked while the spider was distracted. Their teamwork led them to easily strike at the spier's joints. A single movement between the two had sheared off two legs. That was a total of three damaged out of eight.

"That's four!" Clark slashed another leg. His speed and flow through the spider's pain had easily allowed him to call the black lightning spear from his spatial ring and cut another leg.

But when the ground shifting under the remaining four legs of the spider, Ella was proven to be the one at the source. She had called her earth prince to move the ground enough to imbalance the already pained spider.

"That's why you shouldn't look down on us. We are better as a team. Not that we can't handle you alone." Grace pulled the string of her bow and let loose an arrow of ice she and her frost finch had made. It burst in a small gust of frost that slowed the spider more.

"I agree, you failed." Jerold appeared above the spider falling from a nearby tree. His dagger placed perfectly to cut yet another leg off. Meanwhile, Maria had moved as well doing the same.

This left the recovered Brad to leap ahead in revenge. His two axes cleaving through the head of the spider. "That was for slapping me!" The group took a collective breath before they returned to calmness. Their teamwork was without question the reason they had easily repelled a larger beast like this.