pAnDa (nov)e1
The tale was told of secret valleys or caves with the bones of these creatures from thousands of years of morbid pilgrimages piled upon each other. Such legends may have been inspired by the Drider Graveyards –– a Mycelial Grove that formed parasitic relationships with creatures unlucky enough to wander too close in its depth.
These violate, subterranean, fungal colonies were so named for the frequency with which they victimized players. The more they suffered, the larger the colonies grew.
As Ren neared the area the smell of decay in the caverns was overwhelming, and the silence was like death itself.
Drider Graveyards were known for collecting vast quantities of fungal-infected corpses. They were corrupted swarms of sentient fungi that could release spores that animated the dead, befuddle the mind, and even poison the earth.
The graves were stationary, but their roots extended out in every direction, granting them alarming reach ad control over their territories.
Where there was darkness and death, these groves flourished, requiring a steady supply of protein to survive. A sure sign of a nearby drider graveyard was a terrifying stench, a disgusting combination of mold and decaying flesh.
The graveyard had amassed a variety army of corpses, some of which included fearsome and rare monsters that would make an experience adventuring party balk, with or without a graveyard.
Drider graveyards have many potent abilities at their disposal, but their greatest strength was their ability to animate and puppeteer the corpses of their victims.
This was the hardest part that Ren must face in Mycelial Grove. Just thinking about being attacked by swarms of corpses and spiders already made him sick.
However, he just had to play it smart and not hard.
The corpses and the graveyard would do whatever it took to keep him earthbound so he could be vulnerable to the graveyard’s effect, which was to make his terrain difficult.
But if he could push through that piles of corpses and get out through the only hole on top of the ceiling, then it was his win. He didn’t have to fight, actually.
Using [Dracula’s Cape], he didn’t have to slog through minions.
And, of course, like in the previous parts of the Mycelial grove, Ren could harvest the Drider Graveyard even when alive if he used [Appraisal] to check and recognize ingredients and materials.
There was only one item, though, and that was the [Pacifying Spores], one of the main ingredients for creating combustible items.
Ren looked over at that tiny hole in the ceiling while the Spider and corpses of their victims like Orcs, elves, beastmen, dwarves, and so many others closed in on him.
If he used [Dracula’s Cape] and turned into a bat, flying into that hole, Ren would definitely get out from this last part of the Mycelial Grove, and he would finally arrive in the Queen Fairy’s Tomb.
The only problem was the spiders getting in his way and the thick webs spiraling on the ceiling, making sure that no one would reach the exit.
Ren used [Multiattack] and threw a bunch of combos on the approaching corpses, vines, and roots to keep them at bay. He then made sure to work on the networks of webs that would prevent him from escaping.
Ren took a step back when a group of corpses suddenly appeared behind him. While leaping away, he cast [Inferno] while throwing five [Duds] simultaneously, using [Alchemical Attack] to reduce a large chunk of the corpses numbers and give him some room for breathing space.
One touch from those corpses, and he would suffer poison and rot. Though he was immune to it, he would still suffer damage from their claws or bite attack.
Ren was thankful that the corpses were slow and that the skills and spells they had were gone when they were reduced to corpses. They only acted as mindless creatures at this point, with the only skill available to them being claws and bites.
When Ren managed to bore through a hole in their web, he didn’t waste any time and equipped [Dracula’s Cape] and turned into a bat before flying quickly towards the ceiling.
The only downside of this [Dracula’s Cape] was the fact that Ren couldn’t attack when in bat form, so he hurried upward while the spiders in the area were still ignoring him.
Ren’s eyes glowed in focus when he was almost at the top. Only one meter and he would finally get out of the place when a large shadow suddenly loomed over him.
If he didn’t change trajectory, Ren would surely collide with that giant shadow.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Ren didn’t have any choice but to get back on the land again and change to his real form while glaring at the new threat who had just arrived and taken its position on the highest pile of corpses.
When the Moon above casted its glow on the little hole in the ceiling and revealed the face of the new arrival, Ren took a step back and gasped.
The one who appeared was the biggest Spider that Ren ever saw in the game, and instead of the usual androgynous feature that he usually saw on giant Spiders with a human upper body, this had a male form.
He had brown skin, long black hair and had the right muscles in the right places. His face was defined except for its eyes, which contained only darkness. He was smirking, showing his white teeth while the lower half of his torso was replaced with long eight gargantuan spider legs while its spider stomach protruded so big behind its back.
Ren blinked because he seemed to be seeing something, for right in front of him was no other than the High God Anansi.
Ren knew that Anansi was roaming the Elven realm, but what was it doing here in Drider Graveyard in the Mycelial Grove?
Ren had never had first-hand experience exploring Mycelial Grove before. He just had knowledge about it because of the information he had gathered in the past.
However, there was no Anansi showing up in those reports. Or maybe because he was the first to explore Mycelial Grove, and the others who knew of it before chose to hide the information?
Whatever the reason was, Anansi, Trickster Spirit of Knowledge and Stories, was right before him now.
