Chương 10: Web of Lies

Recap: Two adventurers planned to bag you and take you to town. You voted to USE THE SPIDER WEB. Being kidnapped was not on my bucket list. Dying via vending machine was enough indignity for one lifetime. Jax lowered the burlap sack. It smelled like onions and despair. Kael stood behind him, holding a lantern, illuminating my beautiful, deceptive wood grain.

"Ready?" Jax asked.

"Drop it quick," Kael said.

"Don't want the trigger to—" Now. I didn't hesitate. I focused on my stomach. The Spider Web had been in there since I woke up. It was old, tattered, and technically "non-functional" according to the system. But mixed with my digestive acid? It became something else. It became bio-hazardous sludge. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Regurgitate Cost: 1 Stamina Current SP: 18/20 I opened my false bottom a crack. Just enough. THWACK. A glob of gray, acidic slime tangled with webbing shot out.

It wasn't a graceful stream. It was a wet cough of dungeon nastiness. It hit Jax square in the face.

"ARGH!" Jax dropped the sack. He clawed at his eyes.

"It burns! It's sticky! What is this?!" Kael stumbled back, raising his lantern.

"Jax! What happened?"

"Get it off! Get it off!" Jax screamed. He spun in circles, smearing the acid-web across his leather armor. The webbing stretched like mozzarella cheese from hell. I didn't wait to admire my handiwork. I engaged my muscles. Scrape. I slid out of the alcove. I aimed for the corridor leading deeper into the dungeon. Away from the exit. Away from town. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"Hey!" Kael shouted. He wiped his own eyes, trying to see through the smoke and chaos.

"The chest! It's moving!" He swung his sword. Blindly. CLANG. The blade struck my side. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Taken: 2 HP Defense Applied: -5 DR Net Damage: 0 HP Hardwood vs. Steel. Steel bounced.

"Did you feel that?" Kael yelled.

"It's hard as iron!"

"Kill it!" Jax gagged, still rubbing his face. Kael lunged again. But he was blinded by the smoke and his friend's panic. He tripped over a dead rat. THUMP. I was already five feet away. Ten feet. My stamina was draining. Moving was exhausting. But every second counted. I reached the junction where the goblin bodies lay. The loot. The silver ring. The copper coins. The metal tag. I could stop. I could eat the gear. Metal items count toward my Ironband Mimic evolution. I needed 3 metal items. I had zero.

But Kael was getting up. He was wiping his eyes. He was angry. If I stopped to eat, he might catch me. If I ran, I'd stay safe but remain weak. My tremorsense pinged. I turned it back on. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Tremorsense (Active) Cost: 1 MP/sec Current MP: 4/10 The vibrations showed Kael's heartbeat spiking. He was reaching for a throwing dagger. I was at a crossroads. Literally. Left: Deeper into the Warrens (More monsters, more loot).

Right: Back toward the Entrance (Safer, but adventurers patrol there). Straight: The Bone Pits (Floor 4 entrance. Dangerous. Unknown). And at my feet, glinting in the lantern light, was a rusted iron dagger dropped by a dead goblin warrior. Current Stats: HP: 12/15 (Unchanged) Mana: 4/10 (Tremorsense active) Stamina: 18/20 (Regurgitate cost) Inventory: 3 Pebbles. Spider Web (LOST). Grib (Digesting - 2 hours left). Status: Escaping, Tremorsense Active, Loot Nearby. What do you do?

A) EAT THE DAGGER Stop and swallow the rusted dagger on the ground. It counts toward Ironband Evolution. Risk getting hit while eating. (Cost: 2 SP (Bite/Swallow). Gain: 1 Metal Item. Risk: Kael attacks.) B) FLEE TO FLOOR 4 Ignore the loot. Slide straight toward the Bone Pits entrance. Leave the adventurers behind. (Cost: 5 SP (Sprint). Gain: Safety (maybe). Risk: Higher Level Monsters.) C) HIDE IN THE CORPSES Slide under the pile of dead goblins and rats. Camouflage among the dead.

Let them think you ran further. (Cost: 0 SP. Camouflage Check. Risk: Smell might give you away.) D) THROW PEBBLES Use your tongue to flick pebbles down the left corridor. Create a fake noise distraction. Run right while they look left. (Cost: 1 SP. Lose 1 Pebble. Distraction Check.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 9! Option C (Spider Web) was gross and effective!

You blinded the adventurers and escaped the bag, but you're low on stamina and still in danger.