Stevie shivered as the spider legs brushed against her back. In twenty seconds flat, she was wrapped head to toe in a gauzy spider silk wrapping. Only her mouth was left uncovered.

Arachne towered over her, a small smile playing at her red lips. She reached down and snatched Stevie's stuff. She dangled the stem of the apple over Arachne's face.

"Now," she crooned. "Tell me how you found the ores. If you're going to make this difficult, well, all the more delight for me."

And Stevie realized how stupid she had been. She was about to open her mouth when the sound of breaking glass filled the room. Arachne disappeared. Stevie peered down through the hole. Arachne writhed in lava about fifty blocks below. Then she died.

Stevie looked around. She heard a voice behind her.

"Hey."

A cute guy in a blue t-shirt and jeans was looking at her.

"Hi?" she squeaked, her cheeks turning fire engine red.

"I'm Steve. So-" he fidgeted around uncomfortably. "I've been hunting that girl down for ages, and I found in an ancient book left in the ruins of a temple that spiders can't respawn in lava, so. . . ."

"Oh! I'm Stevie!" Stevie said, startled. "Um, nice to meet you."

That was fifteen years ago.

"What the crap do you mean, the zombies are attacking our village?!" Shouted Stevie.

Steve patted her arm. "Now now, sweetheart," he said in a please-don't-go-crazy voice.

The villager priest bowed. "Yes, your majesty. It seems to be quite a problem. We tried traps, we tried attacking them, but no matter what, we can't get rid of them. We need the kingdom's assistance."

"Did you try the lava pit trick?" Steve asked, and winked at Stevie. He had set up that trap when he had first met Stevie.

"No, sire. Lava is rare in this tundra region."

"Then ask Squiderpa for some ink sacs, Poseidon for sponge, horsetail hairs from Buck, and redstone from Minea. Make some dispensers and levers, too."

The villager looked puzzled, but obeyed. Steve told him how to put the parts together.

At night the villagers and The royalty anticipated the monsters. But instead of zombies as they expected, a tall girl in a black wool jacket, a spider-silk tunic and various spider accessories stood in the middle of a crowd of cave spiders.

A thin smile spread over her face.

"Hello again," she crooned. "How nice to see you two again."