"Felix, we need to surrender. At this point, we're more likely to starve before they do! Our men are fatigued and hungry. We're out of rations, and it's impossible to hunt because the wildfire scattered all the animals!" Commander Davis explained.
"I don't care if the men are tired or hungry. We outnumber them. All we need to do is sack the city and everything will be okay. Order the men cut down trees to make trebuchets and a battering ram, while I message my cousin for mage support," a miserable Felix ordered.
"Fine, but we'll need to use the wagon wheels. Know that if this doesn't work, I'm canceling my contract and retreating with my men. I won't have my men die from starvation," Commander Davis informed him.
"Do what you like, your mercenaries were merely insurance anyhow. I'll be able to sack the city with or without your help," Felix sneered.
Commander Davis frowned hearing those words. Years of experience had shown him thugs were no match for mercenaries.
"This wilderness village has a protection array, but just how strong is it? And how wealthy is the lord to waste an array on a backwater village? Moreover, why didn't that bastard tell me the village had an array, I never would have joined this hair-brained operation, despite the money," Commander Davis seized in anger.
It was common knowledge that only mages and trebuchets could collapse protection arrays.
Losing the first battle was like a dagger through Felix's heart, rendering him speechless. Based on the information he had from his cousin, he expected this to be easy work. He only hired the mercenaries as an extra precautionary measure.
He did not know any protective array around the village. All his plans hinged on simply overwhelming the villagers with sheer numbers and force, and now his strategy had been foiled by an invisible wall of magic. His face grew pale, beads of cold sweat dotting his forehead. His dream of returning to his criminal prominence was crumbling around him.
The mercenaries didn't need further instruction. They were tired, hungry, and now utterly disheartened. Still, they followed Commander Davis' order and quickly started reclaiming wood to build the battering ram.
Felix's mind raced. He had put all his resources into this operation, and now it was on the brink of utter failure. Moreover, he could already see his credibility in the underworld eroding. From his last call with his cousin, the rebels had the advantage. His anger grew, but there was nowhere to direct it.
Putting his pride aside, he called his cousin for aid.
"Conway, how is the civil war? Has the empire put down those pesky rebels yet?"
"No, these damnable insects somehow snuck into the palace. Our faction is being pushed back, these Travelers are too strong and too many. Felix, have you seized the village?"
"Ah, we set fire to crops and sieged the town. I planned to smoke them out and kill the Lord Brown."
"Was?"
"The village has an array…"
"An array! I told you not to understand the man. Travelers are smarter than you give them credit."
"Just send me a few mages…"
"From where? There is a battle raging in the imperial palace. The emperor and his brother have ordered every loyal mage tower to join the civil war."
"How else can we acquire the village without mages? Our rations were burned in the fire…"
"And who told you, it was a good idea to set fire to a prairie in summer? Fool of cousin, all you know is gambling and extortion. If you can't seize the village, take the mine. Surely, your men can overpower a few dwarves. Besides, mine is more important than the village. If you cut off their income, they'll run out of money to purchase food. Then the village is ours!"
"Fine, we'll attack the mine. Tell me, does the mine have any defenses?"
"None, at the time. It might have changed. But I doubt he could afford to purchase an array for the village and the mine."
"Fine, I'll call you after we sack the mine," Felix ended ending the call.
"Boss, what do we do now?" one of his thugs asked, a sense of unease visible on his face.
"We'll attack the mine?" Felix snapped. "Commander Davis, leave a few troops here to siege the village, our next target is the mine!"
He sank into his carriage, his thoughts a whirlwind of contempt and defeat. As he looked back towards the village, he saw Thaddeus standing at the gate, watching them with a victorious smile.
"Let the smug bastard smile. Wait till he learns his precious gem mine is in my hands. Let's see how that dog acts after he's been beaten. Soon, I'd be victorious, and he'll feel only desperate and resentment," Felix mumbled to himself.
…
Thaddeus watched Felix, his thugs, and half the mercenaries march towards the mine. A smile formed on his lips.
"If they knew what awaited them in the mine, they surely would have preferred to surrender outside the walls.
A week ago, sent a message to the Spider Queen, Arachnia informing her the village was under attack and most likely his enemies might venture into the mines. These people, Thaddeus wrote, were a feast for her and her children. For which the Spider Queen wrote her thanks for keeping his agreement with her kind. She also asked when Adventures and Travelers would return to her dungeon.
Looking at the message again, all Thaddeus could reply was that he was working on it.
Hearing chopping and hammering noises, he turned his head towards the forest where he saw the other half of the mercenaries building a covered battering ram from scrap wood. These enemies he would take care of himself, Captain Joseph, and the village guards.
…
Felix and Commander Davis cautiously made their way up the ramp to the mine. Standing outside, they marveled at the massive carved mine's entrance.
"According to my cousin, we take a left at the split inside the cave. The Dwarf settlement is a slow decline from there be on your guard.
As soon as they walked into the mine, they received a telepathic message:
"Welcome guests have you come to claim the mine?" the Spider Queen asked.
"Yes, who are you? Are you a dwarf mage? Surrender now, and I'll let you live," Felix lied.
"Lord Thaddeus said kept his promise, invaders have come to the mine. How trustworthy! He promised us a feast and delicious plump presented itself to me. My children are grateful."
"Commander Davis, look spiders are coming out from the cave?" pointed a mercenary.
"Men take positions, swords at the ready," ordered Commander Davis
The mercenaries swiftly formed a defensive line at the mouth of the cave. The sight before them sent shivers down their spines. Countless pairs of glowing eyes stared back at them from the darkness of the cave, the reflection of their torchlight revealing enormous, skittering forms emerging from the shadows.
Felix paled as the Spider Queen's voice echoed in his head. "You dare to take what belongs to Lord Thaddeus? You are nothing but food to us."
As the monstrous spiders began their descent upon the men, Felix felt a sudden chill of dread. This was not at all what he had expected.
"Brace yourselves!" Commander Davis yelled, lifting his sword. The men followed suit, gripping their weapons tightly and steeling themselves for the onslaught.
The spiders were gigantic, their bodies covered in thick, glossy chitin that reflected the torchlight ominously. With a horrid chittering sound, they attacked. The men fought valiantly, their swords slashing through the air as they defended against the monstrous spiders.
Felix was not a fighter, he was a planner, a schemer. He had thought seizing the mine would be easy, but now they were battling monstrous spiders under the command of a Spider Queen. He backed away, horrified at the sight of his men being overpowered.
"What the hell is this?!" He screamed, trying to retreat but finding himself pinned between the battle and the mine's entrance. His mind raced as he struggled to find a way out of this mess.
"Retreat!" Commander Davis ordered; his voice barely audible over the sound of the battle. But the order came too late for many. Men were falling, their screams echoing through the cave as they were overwhelmed by the spiders.
As the remaining mercenaries broke ranks and fled, Felix was left alone at the entrance of the mine, his body frozen in terror as the spiders turned their attention toward him.
"Leave? I think not, My children do not harm Lord Thaddeus and his people on my command, but I cannot deny them fresh meat when it wanders in so willingly," the Spider Queen's voice echoed in his head, a menacing promise of impending doom.
The last thing Felix saw was a massive, fanged mouth closing in on him. His dream of reclaiming his criminal prominence, of seizing Woodhaerst, all shattered in an instant. All that remained was his desperate scream echoing through the cave before being abruptly silenced. The mine, it seemed, had claimed another victim.