Sol was about to use [Analysis] but fortunately held himself back. He knew that the ability could be detected, and seeing the creature silently eating its meal, Sol realized it was best not to alert it.
'If we fight, everyone in the museum will likely die.'
The others wouldn't even notice him fighting the monster, and they wouldn't attempt to escape to safety.
Even without [Analysis], Sol had another way to gauge its strength. He opened his eyes to see the tethers around him and was shocked. Alongside many normal sized tethers, the creature had the biggest tether he'd ever seen. It was over two feet thick, completely dwarfing the next biggest tether he'd seen, which was a law technique and only two inches. The only saving grace was that all of its tethers, including the giant one, were extremely dim, as if they were drained of energy.
'The tethers give skills power. If they're this dim, it must be because it's still weakened from centuries of starvation.'
Sol knew that if the creature were at its peak, he wouldn't stand a chance against it, but in its current state, there was hope.
As it ate, the creature's many eyes lazily scanned the surroundings, savoring the heart in its grasp. Sol made no sudden movements, calming his heartbeat as he felt the creature's gaze briefly land on him before drifting away toward the city.
'I need to get everyone out of here... For now I'll pretend to be under its influence so I don't raise suspicion.'
With a forced smile, Sol walked past the corpse at the bottom of the stairs and approached the museum. The guard at the entrance noticed him.
"Sir?" She looked confused, surprised to see the expedition leader here instead of with the away team. Still, she knew better than to question him.
"I need to talk to Rex. Can you take me to him?"
"Yes, Sir. But I'm still waiting for… umm, what was I waiting for again? Never mind, I'll take you to Sir Rex."
For a moment, she thought she was standing watch with someone else, but she quickly dismissed the idea. Surely, she had been guarding the entrance alone.
Inside the museum, Sol was surprised to see everything in a relatively good state. While some objects were clearly damaged and worn from age, most of the displays and exhibitions looked almost new. He assumed there was some kind of preservation magic in place, which made sense, given the location.
The guard led him to Rex and Lazuli, who were examining a dwarven contraption, discussing its function.
Rex was the first to notice him. "Captain? What are you doing here?"
"Can you both close your eyes for a moment?"
Sol didn't want to explain and risk wasting time, not after what had happened at the base camp.
Lazuli tilted her head. "Huh? Why?"
"Just trust me."
"Okay…"
They closed their eyes, and Sol quickly wrapped the headbands around their heads. When the headbands activated, they felt their minds clear up instantly.
"What did you… wait! I forgot to check where Holan went!"
Suddenly remembering that he was going to check the situation regarding the missing guard, Rex used his detection skills to scan the area and quickly found the soldier, or at least, his remains.
"What?! He's dea—"
"Shh! I know." Sol said as he held his mouth shut. "Calm down and help me gather everyone quietly. We need to leave now."
Lazuli, though confused, sensed the urgency in his tone. With their help, they gathered the rest of the group. By having them close their eyes, the hallucinations didn't interfere, allowing them to put on the protective equipment without issue.
Soon, everyone was wearing the headbands and masks, and Sol gave a quick rundown of the situation.
Rex, who had waited until the end of the explanation, asked, "So, it's on the roof of the museum right now? I tried scanning the area, but whenever I checked up there, I didn't sense anything."
Sol thought for a moment. "It could have left, but if it's still there, I think its hallucinations get stronger the closer we are to it."
It was a reasonable guess, and Rex agreed. "So, we head back to camp and make for the castle before this thing decides to eat again. Easy enough."
Sol nodded. "Now that you're somewhat shielded from its ability, we can leave. But don't draw its attention. If it realizes we're free from its hallucination, it might attack. If that happens, you lead them back while I hold it off."
"Alone?" Rex didn't like the idea of Sol fighting the creature, but he understood they might not have a choice. "Okay. I'll get everyone back safely."
The team left the museum in an orderly but speedy fashion. Upon exiting, they saw Holan's body, but no one showed any reaction. Briefed on the situation beforehand, they knew they couldn't afford to make any suspicious moves and draw its attention. Still, seeing their comrade's corpse stirred anger within their hearts.
As for the creature on the roof, Sol and Rex quickly glanced at it. All its eyes were closed, and it appeared to be digesting or resting. They weren't sure which, but it was a golden opportunity to leave, and they weren't going to waste it.
Sol signaled for the group to pick up the pace as they made their way back to the base camp.
...
After its first meal in centuries, the creature, known as a Bliss Spider, was digesting its meal. Maintaining its delirious bliss, even in at its weakest, had been exhausting. But as it digested the heart full of bliss, it became more tolerable.
When the Bliss Spider first encountered the expedition group, it ignored them, heading straight for the exit, hoping to escape the city that had been its prison for countless years. Though starving, the spider prioritized its freedom, planning to feed once it was free instead of the few people here. The world outside would then serve as its new hunting ground and while it knew its creator had died if it had enough time it could become the new God of Bliss.
Unfortunately, by the time it arrived, the door was already shut. In anger, it clawed at the Azrem Alloy doors, but its claws couldn't even scratch the surface. Not even at its peak had it been able to do significant damage to the alloy and the little damage done would be repaired near instantly.
With escape impossible, the spider turned its focus back to the humans and orcs inside. There were around 100 of them, not nearly enough to satisfy its hunger, especially since their hearts weren't yet filled with bliss.
It decided to hold off on feasting, learning from its past mistakes. This time, it would leave some of them alive for two purposes. The first was to space out the meals, allowing it to last longer. It would influence them to reproduce, effectively farming them like cattle. The second option was to follow them, hoping they would eventually open the gates, allowing it to escape.
For now, it waited, hoping for an opportunity. But even so, it couldn't resist snacking on a few of them.
As it finished digesting its first meal, the spider contemplated how many it should eat next. Deciding that keeping half alive would be sufficient for its plans, it opened its eyes to look down at the museum to pick its next meal. But they were all gone.
It didn't find this odd, assuming the food had simply moved elsewhere. It was about to follow them when it sensed something, something it despised. Fear, anger, and despair were radiating from the humans and orcs reuniting with the others.
It couldn't eat hearts filled with negative emotions. They were repulsive to it, even in its starving state. These emotions went against the very core of its being.
Rising to its feet, the Bliss Spider began moving toward the source of the negative emotions. Whatever was causing them, it would stop it, and return its prey to their previous blissful state.