After Veronica had left, Coran considered his options.
He smiled as he came up with an interesting way to test the people who made their way to this little lair of his.
'Ah.... yes, this will work.... and if I record it, it could serve as a form of entertainment for my masters. I see this as a win win scenario.'
Coran then got right to the creation of this little maze, throughout the area.
He made it out of his cloth, which he produced. Alicia and the children watched in amazement as Coran shot across the room, spinning walls one layer at a time as if he was laying bricks.
In moments, an entire maze filled with traps, tricks, rooms, and all sorts of fun had been created.
Coran then took a seat next to Alicia and the children, to wait patiently.
"Darling, could I ask a favor of you?"
"D-darling!?"
"We gotto play husband and wife if we are going to raise these kids properly. But anyways. Could you help me out when the humans arrive?"
"What do you need me to do?"
"Ah, Nathan. You too. Could you help me out?"
"What do you need?"
"Alright everyone. Listen up. Here's what were gonna do."
----
The group of 5 which went down the first tunnel in the maze was made up of the following people:
Herald: A guard in his mid 30s who happened to be off duty today, and as such was able to take part in the raid. He currently wore a suit of bronze armor and wielded a legionnaire spear.
Kroal: A millworker in his late 30s who spent his days lifting heavy bags, and as such was well built. He wielded a large spiked mace, and daunts a set of chainmail armor, which he purchased with some savings.
Heinz: A butcher in his early 40s, who had no armor but held a large butchers knife, twice as long as a human head.
Clorus: A craftsman in his early 30s who dealt in fine metalwork and jewelry. On his side was a shortsword and he wore a set of leather armor.
Dr. Kraven: A young man who usually worked as the village Doctor. On his back were a bow and a quiver of arrows, as he had a slight amount of training in archery. He planned to support his group of warriors from the back row.
The group walked slowly and carefully down the hallway made of cloth, in the darkness.
"'Me and Kroal will take the front lines. Dr. Kraven, you take the back. You're the most important person here out of all of us, after all.", Herald stated.
"Ah, don't say that. You all contribute to society just as much as I do.", Kraven responded.
"Don't flatter us. You know well that we're just grunts who are doing what we need to do. To be honest, you shouldn't even be here- with all the respect of course. You should have stayed behind and taken care of any patients who come back injured."
"Well.... that may be true, but I can't just allow something like this to happen and sit back. Call it a man's ambition."
"Haha! That's the spirit", Heinz shouted, patting Kraven on the back. "Indeed, it's a mans ambition to face a monster once in his life. You gotto be able to tell the story to your kids one day, right? How you bravely entered the nest, and perhaps even witnessed the beast yerself?"
"Well.... that's not exactly what I meant, but...."
"Ah, loosen up a bit doc!", Clorus shouted. "We're here for the glory either way, right boys? We regular folk never get a chance like this to go on a little adventure. It may not be any dragon, but it's surely something to bring up at dinner parties! Add a little exaggeration here and there, and this spider becomes one of the most abominable beasts you've ever thought up of. A true horror story- one that would take a real man to face down directly without shitting himself in fear."
"Hahaha!"
The three other men, Kraven aside, laughed cheerfully as they made their way down the hall.
Kraven however, was concerned.
As a doctor, he was concerned over the recklessness and loose attitudes of these men. Even assuming they were experienced in this type of thing, carelessness would only lead to unnecessary injury.
The only man who had actual fighting experience here, however, was Herald.
This made Kraven even more concerned.
'I hope all the other groups aren't like this. I'm probably gonna be having quite a few patients to tend to in the near future.'
Kraven walked with one arrow in his right arm, ready to nock and shoot at any given time.
However, as the group walked and walked, the tunnel of cloth seemed to go on forever.
There were a number of twists and turns, and after a long time, they came to an open entrance which led into a room.
The room too was made from the cloth substance, and the group all shuffled in, to find that it was nothing more than a dead end.
"Darn.", Herald said, while inspecting the room.
"It looks like we hit a dud here.", Clorus commented. "Should we turn back and try to meet up with another group?"
"That would probably be best.", Kraven agreed.
Kraven turned to head back, however as he did so, a gate shut down, closing off the entrance, and locking the group in the dark room.
"Eh?"
"What just happened?"
"The... the door shut."
"What!?"
"What!??!"
"It shut???"
"Let me try something!"
Herald and Kroal made their way to the entrance, and tried to find a place to pry it open, but couldn't find anything. It was as if it were a wall in the first place, and they were now locked in a room with no exit to be found.
Kraven found himself sweating.
'Have we fallen into a trap? This.... is this one of the monster's traps?? How could that be?? How could a monster do something like this? Is this some sort of sick prank?'
"Uh oh boys...."
"I don't see any way out of here...."
"You guys are probably just idiots! Lemme try this!"
Heinz made his way over and started feeling around, but to no avail.
There was nothing.
"What the hell?"
"Let me try."
Clorus too tried to do something, but couldn't. He then got a bright idea.
"These walls are made of cloth, right? Then what if I just...."
Clorus slashed at where the entrance was with his shortsword, but he only heard a hard clang and the scraping of metal as his sword scraped across the wall.
"What the hell.... this material isn't cloth, that's for sure.... it's as hard as steel when you hit it!"
"Are we trapped in here??"
"Calm down everyone.", Kraven stated. Everyone looked to him, concerned, but Kraven was collected.
"If we are trapped in here, then it means that the monster has to show himself to consume us, right?"
"That's... that's right! And when he does, he'll be sorry that he took us on!", Herald shouted, readying his spear.
"For now, let's take a look around and see if there's anything strange here. It's dark, so it might be difficult, but let me know if you notice anything out of the ordinary."
"Got it, doc!"
The four men started searching every corner of the room, trying desperately to find anything. A hidden switch, a button, anything.
It was then, that Kraven noticed that he should check the ceiling as well.
"Take a look upwards. Do any of you see anything out of the ordinary?"
"I don't see anything, but I can't really tell....", Herald answered.
"I got an idea. Why don't we try something out."
"What is it, doc?"
"Let me climb on top of your back, and search around the ceiling for anything."
"Oh, good idea! Here, come on up!"
Dr. Kraven climbed up onto Herald, sitting on his shoulders piggyback style. Herald walked around the room while Kraven felt out the ceiling, and when he reached a corner, there was something that pressed down with a satisfying click.
"We got something!!", Kroal celebrated.
"Too early to celebrate. Take me to the other corners. Let's check all of them.", Kraven ordered.
Sure enough, in each corner there was a button, and when all four had been pressed, the gate started to open.
"We did it!", Clorus shouted.
"Very well done. No, really. I'm quite surprised. It seems that there is one useful face among this lot."
A raspy voice came from the door, where the exit was.
As the gate opened, it revealed the figure of the monstrous spider from the drawings.
"That's!"
"It's the monster! Get ready to attack, boys!!"
Dr. Kraven quickly got down from the back of Herald, and nocked an arrow.
He was ready to fire, and the other men were already running at the monster with their weapons drawn, with Herald at the back from having to let Kraven down.
"Ah, no no no. We can't have any of this. Please calm down, everyone.", Coran said while seeming to raise his arms up as if he were surrendering.
The spider seemed to be talking, but the men did not stop their attacks. Kraven aimed the arrow, but couldn't get a good shot on the spider, as the other three men were all taller than it.
"Calm down? Are you trying to escape from us by surrendering or something? Ha! Die, monster!!", Kroal shouted, while swinging his mace at the beast.
Clang!
The beast held up one of his arms, and the mace hit right into the sharp metal spike that was covering the arm.
"This bastard's using those things as gauntlets! Attack his body or his face!", Kroal shouted, just as Heinz slashed at the chest of the spider vertically.
"Got it!"
Clang!
The bandages which the spider wore seemed to harden as the blade came into contact with them, and ceased any damage from going through.
"He's wearing armor as well! That stuff isn't cloth! Go for the head!!"
Kraven could have sworn he saw the monster flash a toothy smile as Heinz said this.
Heinz jumped back, allowing Clorus to thrust in with his shortsword, aiming right at the eyes of Coran.
"I got you now, beast!!"
Coran did not so much as blink, but this time, it was not a clang that was heard.
It was the wretched sound of creaking metal as it was twisted and warped.
When Clorus looked up, he saw that his own sword had been bent like a snake.
"W-what??"
He looked at it in surprise.
Kraven thought he heard the monster click his tongue.
"Tsk tsk. There's barely even a need to test people like you. Simpletons, who won't even listen to what I have to say before attacking me needlessly."
"Shut up, monster!!! Agh!!!!"
Herald too thrusted his spear as Kroal stood out of the way, aiming right for the heart of the monster, in between the bandages.
However, before this thrust was finished, Herald felt himself being thrusted backwards.
Looking around, he felt something sticky.
What was this?
His head was dizzy.
He couldn't really tell what had happened, and his movement was constricted.
"Looks like this one has a little bit of brain damage. Humans are so weak, yet they act as if they are so strong. They can't even handle being thrown around a bit. Tsk tsk. I was going to have some fun with this group, but honestly, you all bore me. There is only one interesting man here."
Herald looked around to see that his comrades were all tied around him in nets, stuck to the walls.
The spider creature seemed to be reaching for a blowdart at his side.
"Let me ask you something, 'doctor'. Do you have any idea what you are doing?"
"What do you mean?"
Kraven too was tied to a net. It seemed that he had been unable to loose the arrow.
"I mean, what are you doing here? Saving the children? Bringing them back to their caretaker, so that they can live happy little lives again, after being kidnapped by the big bad spider?"
"How are you so intelligent?? How can you speak like a human???"
The spider swung over to where Kraven was, and pressed his face up against him.
"I'm the one asking questions here. I said, why have you come here?"
'Why is this monster asking me this', Kraven thought. 'How can he be so intelligent?? It's almost as if I am speaking to a human! It's unfathomable! I've never seen a monster before in my life, but are they all like this, or is it just this one??'
"I've come here to bring back the orphans.", Kraven responded, after calming his breathing.
He was trapped. Ensnared.
There was nothing more he could do but answer the questions of this beast, in the hopes of extending his life and the lives of his comrades for even a second.
But why did he want this information in the first place?
To figure out why he was being targeted?
Shouldn't he already know that?
"Then, let me ask you this. What do you consider 'saving'? If I were to let these children go, but give them away to a slave trader who beat them and treated them worse than even a monster like me did, then would that be saving them? I want to know. Tell me, Doctor."
"Of course not!! Why would you even ask something so obvious!?!"
"That's the right answer. So, I think I am going to keep the children in my possession. I've already adopted them, after all- even if it wasn't a legal adoption. Ah well. I suppose I could just forge some papers or something."
'What is this spider talking about!?!'
"But you in particular, you seem useful. You seem at least willing to speak with me, unlike these brutes.... therefore, I have decided that I will kidnap you, and force you to watch what I do to the children."
"Dr Kraven!!", Kroal shouted, looking over with a concerned face.
"You need to get out of here! Don't worry about us!!", Clorus agreed.
"Hm? A group of heroes, eh? My masters certainly don't like anyone who tries to be a hero. But man, are you guys stupid or what? I've already ensnared you all, and you think that sacrificing yourselves will do anything? I'll have to eliminate you here and now. Consider this your punishment for not cooperating with me before."
Coran pulled out his blowdart, and shot over 4 darts in an instant as each of them penetrated into the skin of the four men.
The darts hit them square in the necks, and their mouths began to foam as they coughed up blood and guts.
"Blergh!!"
"Ugh!!!"
Their eyes rolled back, and the men died on the walls.
"Ah, nice and peaceful."
Kraven watched in horror as the men died in a matter of moments. Their weapons would have dropped to the ground as they loosened their grips on them, but they were caught in the nets.
Just what was the thing in front of him?
It was a beast that could toy with human lives as it pleased, taking on full warriors without even worrying about itself.
Kraven was scared.
Terrified, even.
He should not have come here, but here he was, ensnared in this net.
He looked over to the spider beast, and wondered what horrible things he would be shown.
"Now then.... I think I'll take you over to the winners chamber. Don't worry. You will get to see the children soon enough."
-----
Kraven found himself knocked out, and when he woke, he was sitting near a campfire, tied up in what seemed to be a cocoon of silk.
He could not move a muscle, and he was lying on the ground.
Looking around, there seemed to be a number of skinny children running about and playing happily.
Some of the older girls were tending to young children, and the older boys seemed to be monitoring the energetic children as they ran around.
It was.... a strangely peaceful scene?
It didn't make any sense.
Just a moment ago, Kraven was in a situation where he had witnessed four people die, and right now he was in this happy scenario?
Had he passed out? Was he dreaming?
Those men were not exactly saints, but they were good men.
They all had families to care for, and children to come home to.
Kraven let out a tear as he thought this.
He didn't have any family to return to, so his own death would have been preferable over theirs.
If only he could have exchanged his life for another one of those men, perhaps it would have been better.
But here he was.
Where was he?
He didn't know.
"Mister, why are you crying?"
"Is something wrong?"
Cassandra and Jane approached Kraven, and he looked up to them sadly.
"Nothing.... nothing.... just... go play."
"Ok..."
"Mhm..."
The two girls walked back to sit down at the campfire again, and twiddled their legs as they smiled.
"I can't wait for mom and dad to get back."
"Do you think they'll have some food for us again today?"
"I don't know about that. Food every day is only for rich people, right? Mom and dad probably aren't rich."
"Do you think so? But how did dad get all that food the other day?"
"That was probably a one time thing. Like a celebration for our adoption."
One of the younger boys, Edward, ran up to the girls who were talking.
"I'm really happy that we got adopted!!"
"Me too, Edward.", Cassandra responded, making room for him to sit next to her.
"I love dad and mom! They're the best parents ever!!"
"Yeah!", Travis said, joining in.
Jane smiled.
"Mhm.... I couldn't have hoped for better parents. I never thought that anyone would want to adopt us."
"Me too...", Amelia stated, as she walked over while holding Frederic, who was smiling.
Kraven looked around at this strange scene, and wondered just what was going on.
He wanted to wipe his tears, but couldn't, as he was trapped in this cocoon like thing.
"What's going on here? Children?? Are you all the orphans?"
Nelson, the 2nd oldest male, walked over to Kraven.
"No, we aren't orphans. Not anymore."