Chapter four

Courageous Black Spider

A/n: i would like to thank Mikq for the character of Mutabae Ganaza . Now on to addition to Mutabae the second to final ranger to join the main cast before the final ranger gets revealed.

Mutabae wasn't the tallest kid… Nor the strongest, or smartest, or anything like that… As a person he was painfully average.

But, well, his dad gave good advice. Be grateful with the cards you're dealt- it could be worse as well as better. And, well, he was content with being a short king.

But even the best advice doesn't drive away the type of scum Mutabae deals with.

"Hey, manlet!"

Case in point, the thug that was breathing down his neck right now, pinning him to the wall.

"Let's cut to the chase." He grins. "I'm short on change. I heard dwarves hoard gold, y'know?"

"G-get lost." Mutabae tries to sound intimidating, but the stutter doesn't help. The thug's leer just gets nasty.

"Alright, endless shrimp, let's do this the hard way." The thug growls, and grabs onto Mutabae's wrist and punches him in the stomach. As he recoils, he feels his wallet being swiped from his pocket.

"Thanks for that, dwarf." The thug grins, and begins walking away as Mutabae slumps to the ground.

Well, there goes his gas money… At least he can cancel his cards.

"What th- ow!"

The thug suddenly flinches, dropping the wallet. A large, black spider had crawled down from the ceiling, hanging by its thread, seemingly having bit the delinquent's hand.

"Oh, hell no! Why's that thing so big?!" The thug yells, before taking off in a sprint, leaving Mutabae's wallet behind.

The spider didn't care for the yelling, and merely continues to thread down, landing on Mutabae's wallet.

He grunts as he gets up, walking over to the arachnid. "Hey, little buddy. Thanks for getting my wallet back."

"You're welcome."

"Wha-" Mutabae blinks. "Did you just talk?"

The Black Spider's beady eyes stare into Mutabae's- basically his only confirmation.

"You want to learn how to stand without fear." Its body shuffles, unveiling an onyx-colored crystal. "Find the lake in the center of the city, and you'll learn what true courage means."

Before Mutabae can ask further, it vanishes, leaving a crystalline dagger in its place.