Tangled Webs
© 2023 by Walter Reimer

Thumbnail art by  DragonMelde, color by  Major Matt Mason



“Aka, that’s two of the three reagents,” Varan remarked. “Wait a moment, Vesan,” the mage said to the rogue, “and I’ll put a freshness spell on those blossoms.”

As soon as the glow faded from the asters, one said, “Hey fellas, you see the tail on this guy?”

“Yeah,” another said, “and you know what they say about kami with long tails.”

A third snickered, “Means they’re short elsewhere.”

All five of the cut flowers giggled and Vesan glared at them before giving Varan a questioning look. Varan said, “Aka, perhaps a little too fresh.” She reached out a hand and modified the spell slightly while Meredith tried, mostly successfully, not to laugh.

The golden palomino mare said, “That leaves the swamp water.”

“Yes,” Vesan replied, “and since we haven’t encountered the trap yet, the swamp is the likeliest place.”

“We do need that water,” Varan said as the trio started walking away from Old Grimbel’s house. “Let’s see what’s in store for us.”

There was a forest situated along their route, with no path leading into it. A freshly-painted brand new sign read, Danger! If you go into the woods tod with a line of paint trailing off the sign, as if the painter had been surprised and dragged off.

“Oh no,” Meredith said. “Another Teddy Bear Picnic?”

The tip of Varan’s tail shuddered. “I hope not.”

“I never encountered the Picnic,” Vesan said. “What was it like?”

“It seemed perfectly innocent at first, with drink, dancing and little cakes,” Varan replied, “but it had a creeping corruption to it, paired with a type of corrosive. Before Meredith and I knew it, we’d been cuddled and petted until we had lost all our clothes and equipment, and her Purity stats had fallen to two.”

“And that’s when the Teddy Bears – well, they were anatomically correct,” the paladin added. “The picnic turned into an orgy very quickly, and we were essentially dead by orgasm in a very short time.”

Vesan blinked. “I’m very glad I missed it, then.”

Varan gestured affirmatively. “That encounter taught us to save frequently, and be especially wary of anything that looks innocent or cute.” She grimaced, the corners of her mouth pulling upward. “At this stage of the game, I wouldn’t want to meet a Level Twenty Teddy Bear.”

The three began to move into the forest, Meredith keeping a paw on the hilt of her sword and Vesan’s hand scant centimeters from one of her daggers. Varan summoned her mana supply and was holding it in readiness to power a variety of combat spells.

The underbrush was thick, restricting visibility to a few meters, and the sunlight was soon partially eclipsed by the tree canopy over their heads. All three adventurers made their way among the trees in single file, looking around and behind them as they walked, ears perking at the various sounds.

Below the rustle of the leaves and branches in the canopy and the songs of birds was another sound. It was more felt than heard, and it resembled an indistinct voice speaking in an empty room but heard through a closed door. It was a quiet voice, but after a while it felt like an incessant scratching inside one’s skull; what it meant and what influence it might have was unknown.

The air under the forest canopy, thick already with the smells of flowers and decay, seemed to grow heavier, more oppressive, and Varan paused. She was leading the group, and Vesan put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right?” the rogue asked.

“I’m not certain,” the mage admitted. “Are you two feeling all right?”

“Dizzy,” Meredith said, the paladin putting a paw against a tree to brace herself. “I . . . “ The mare took a few deep breaths and shook her head before straightening up. “The swamp can’t be too far away. Let’s get what we came for and get out of here.”

The trio drank some of the water from the waterskins they had in their inventories and Vesan said, “I’ll go first now,” and the rogue drew one of his daggers as the party set out again.

It grew darker even though the sun was still high in the sky, forcing Varan to cast a light-spell on the head of her staff. The mage looked up and made an odd sound at the back of her throat. “What?” Meredith asked.

Varan pointed her staff upward and increased the light, revealing a haphazard network of spider webs crisscrossing from tree to tree.

“I can’t see anything moving up there,” Meredith said, squinting. “Do you?” Both shlani gestured negatively and the paladin drew her sword as the party resumed moving through the forest.

The light on Varan’s staff abruptly went out, and in the darkness there were two startled, muffled cries accompanied by wet squelching sounds.

Vesan dropped into a crouch, dagger poised, his feline pupils dilated fully and his ears swiveling. “Varan? Meredith?” he asked.

There was a reply when a heavy mass collided with the rogue’s back. “Hello, sweetie,” was whispered in his ear.

Something that was a combination of wet, sticky and slick was slapped onto the kam’s face; there was an explosion of very bright colors before everything went dark.