Chương 3: Moonweaver

The Moonweaver was moments away from firing its web. Kal rolled to his right. A dust cloud blocked his vision, and a shower of earth pounded his body in the very next moment. As soon as the roll came to a stop, he stood up. His body was aching all over, but he gritted his teeth through the pain. He didn't have much time to think, so he gave the area around him a quick scan. His sword was two meters away, lying on the ground beside a tree, and he was still at the beginning of the forest.

He fell into a breathing rhythm Carcian had taught him. His heart rate slowed a little, and his head cleared. The only thing he thought about was keeping the Moonweaver in his sight, especially its websack and the long back legs that could pierce through him like he was nothing. The Moonweaver stepped away from him, and the crowns of the trees became visible again, soft sunlight bringing color to the forest around him. That was the worst thing that could have happened.

While he was below the creature, he was safe from its legs, but now the creature was free to attack with its razor-sharp legs. Kal watched its movements while he kept moving in its blind spots. He needed an opportunity to dash toward the tree and take his sword. Afterward, he would need to head deeper into the forest, where the taller trees were. The Moonweaver turned some of its eyes, meeting Kal's. Its leg descended toward his position.

Kal focused on the leg, and at the last moment, he stepped behind the closest tree. The leg pierced through the ground, rattling the tree. There was a slight opportunity for him to go for the sword, but he wasn't confident in making it there alive, so he rushed toward the Moonweaver, hoping he could make it below the creature, in its blind spot. More legs descended to pierce him, but somehow he was able to predict them and move out of the way at the last possible moment.

The Moonweaver wasn't making it any easier for him. It kept retreating with every leg stab, its large red eyes constantly fixed on him. Kal fell into a rhythm, just like he had while training with Carcian. The leg stabs reminded him of the training he'd done avoiding his brother's spears. The legs were much faster than the spears and lethal, but the adrenaline from his first life-and-death battle made him just a little bit faster, and his reactions felt sharper than they ever had before.

The leg stabbed a step from him, the pulverized earth and rocks pelting his lower leg. He stepped to the right. Another limb struck where he had been a moment earlier. He slowed as a leg pierced the ground in front of him. He pushed himself with all of his strength, using the leg to launch himself toward the sword. The momentum gave him just enough speed to dash toward his sword. There was no chance to get under the creature. Going for the sword sounded a lot better than the alternative.

The creature took a few more steps back, following the rhythm they had both fallen into. In moments, his blade was in his hand. The familiar weight steadied him for half a heartbeat before he took off running toward the deeper part of the forest. If he wanted to live, he needed to take every advantage the terrain would allow him. Defeating the creature was already out of the question. Kal heard the creature chasing after him. The noise was growing louder by the moment.

He scanned the terrain in front of him, choosing to run toward the areas with the tallest trees, hoping that it would delay the Moonweaver just for a moment. In just a few seconds, it was already a few steps behind him. On the far left, he saw a clump of the tallest trees he'd come across so far. It wasn't the place he wanted to get cornered, but the alternatives were worse.

The trees around him were around three meters tall, while the area he'd chosen had a few that reached over four, the tallest stretching past five. The Moonweaver itself stood nearly as tall, looming over the forest. Just as he crossed the first of the tall trees, a shadow fell over him, followed by a loud snapping noise. His heart thumped, and Kal threw himself to the side. A loud crash followed. He turned toward where he had stood moments ago. The top of one of the tallest trees had been driven into the ground.

The Moonweaver stood above him, casting a dark shadow over the forest. The creature had snapped the trees like twigs. There was no chance that he would survive. Still, he willed himself to get back to his feet. His blade, which he hadn't even had the time to properly study, was held tightly in his hands as he got into his family's balanced stance. His left leg was digging into the ground, while his right was a step forward.

He wasn't sure if he had chosen the right stance, but he was pretty sure it didn't really matter. If the creature wanted to kill him, he was confident it would have already done so. Still, he chose to fight and charged toward the closest leg. The black limb had a thick layer of carapace protecting its flesh, its surface carrying a metallic sheen.

In the middle of the leg, where the joint was located, there was exposed flesh, but he couldn't reach it, so he chose to attack the exposed part in the lower section of the leg. He swung with all his strength, hitting the defenseless part of the leg. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Clang! His hands shook from the impact; it was the same sensation he'd felt when he'd hit the carapace earlier. There wasn't even a scratch.

He didn't stop; he hit the weak spot again and again. His dream of becoming a mage, his dream of making his family proud. Everything sped through his mind. After enough hits that he lost count, he fell to his knees. Utterly exhausted. The Moonweaver hadn't moved from the spot. Its red eyes felt as if they were seeing through him. Panting, he scanned the treeline around him, hoping for something. Anything that would get him out of the situation. A few dozen metres away from him, he saw movement among the trees.

Had his family seen the mistake they made and sent help? He wondered. Maybe his brother had followed him in hopes of seeing his victory, and… now he would be forced to help him. Something deep within his chest reignited. Just as he was about to scream for help, his voice caught in his throat. The treeline was filled with humanoid forms, but… but they weren't human. They weren't here to help him. From the treeline, grey humanoid figures stepped out, horns protruding from their heads... demon folk.

His blade fell to the ground, the only thing that had been keeping him up, and with it, Kal hit the ground as well. His only remaining hope was extinguished. What were the demon folk doing inside their territory? Was another skirmish with them about to begin? And what did that mean for the future of his territory? The questions disappeared almost as quickly as they came. It didn't really matter what the future held, since he wasn't sure if he himself had any future.

He was only going to become food for the Moonweaver or a slave for the demonic tribes. He wasn't sure which option was worse. An enormous force pushed his body onto the ground. His head hit the ground hard, filling his mouth with grass and earth. He struggled with all of his remaining strength, lifting his gaze just enough to stare at the demon folk. They… they were floating. Some were trying to free themselves, while most were completely motionless, frozen expressions of terror on their grey faces.

Before he could even think about what was going to happen, a sharp pain hit his head. Everything went dark.... Kal woke up with an excruciating headache. A familiar pounding noise came from all around him. It sounded just like the Moonweaver's, the only difference was that it lacked the same weight behind each impact. Dozens, if not hundreds, of legs pounded against the ground around him... no, there were definitely hundreds. Each impact sent a shiver through his body, raising every hair on his skin.

He wanted to open his eyes and see what made the noise, but... no. He already had an idea, and he refused to open them. He controlled his breathing as he focused on the sounds around him. The pounding continued as his heart raced. It took him a long time before he gathered his courage to take a peek. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Hundreds of spiders were walking around him, followed by the clattering of their fangs… or whatever the spiders used to communicate. His whole body shook, and he lost the ability to breathe.

He didn't want to breathe or… make any sound. Before he could even see where he was, his eyes shut. Breathe, he repeated in his mind. His lungs started burning some time later and he was forced to take his first breath after what seemed like an eternity. What should I do? Even under all the fear and panic that was overwhelming him, he still wanted to find a way out… to survive. To survive long enough to experience the wonders of mana and magic.

He didn't want to die before he'd at least tried to accomplish his goals. He didn't want to become the first Lunvale to die during his Coming-of-Age. He also... didn't want to disappoint his father and his brother. After a long time, he managed to calm himself slightly. Calming himself took everything he had. Slowly he took a deep breath, trying to make as little noise as possible. Then he took another. He wasn't sure how much time had passed before his breathing had returned to normal and his body no longer shook.

There was only one thing on his mind. To survive. To make it out of the mountain. He slowly opened his eyes again, this time further than he had managed previously. He was inside a dark cave, the only light coming from a few spots on the ceiling, and the whole cave was filled with Moonweavers. There was no chance he would be able to escape. He closed his eyes again. The darkness sounded much safer than the alternative. Time slowly passed as Kal was deep in his thoughts. Nothing.

There was nothing he could do to change his fate. The only way he saw himself surviving was if his brother... or father came to his rescue. Nothing else was going to change his fate, and since he was in the middle of his coming-of-age quest, he was certain no one was coming. But how had he found himself in this dire situation? The mountain, especially the peaks where the quests were supposed to happen, should have been cleared by the clan's soldiers... multiple times until they were satisfied with the results.

Now, not only had he faced a Moonweaver, he had also seen... something. He wasn't sure what. His memory of the last few moments was fragmented, and he wasn't sure what was missing. He only knew that he'd seen something that wasn't supposed to be there. Or maybe he was missing something. Did he miss something crucial about the quest? If he took everything his brother had told him into account, everything pointed to him having gone against a Moonweaver, too. But then...

How had he managed to survive and leave the mountain alive? His mind went blank at that. There was no way his brother would have survived... then what had happened during his quest? Did his brother run away from it? He shook his head, at least inwardly. He didn't dare to move his body, even inside of his mind. He didn't want to attract any attention toward himself. Some time later, the ground shook. The same way it had when he was running from the Moonweaver. His heart started thudding inside his chest.

He wanted it to stop. It was making too much noise. The loud steps continued getting closer to him. Was this how his life would end? In a dark cave, by the same creatures his family farmed for their silk? His hands began to shake again, and this time, it didn't matter how much he tried to make it stop. He couldn't stop them from shaking. The creature stopped in front of him, but he didn't dare to open his eyes. Kal's body tensed, every muscle tightening as he braced himself for what was coming.

"You're awake," a voice resounded in his head, followed by a clattering. Every hair on Kal's body stood on end.