Part 2
"So, what brings you all to the Webwood?" Magwyr asked as they approached Canneroc. "Aside from scarring your friend here for life? Considering everything that has happened, I would have expected you all to have a small army with you."
Agarth grinned, pointedly ignoring the death glare Faith was sending his way. "We're actually just passing through," he explained. "We're on a pilgrimage to the old Fate Weaver Shrine of Dellach to get some insight on our young friend's fate here. And while we're at it, we hope to understand Amalur's fate." He gestured around him. "Current events have forced us to change our itinerary."
"Yes, having the spider population suddenly unite and launching an all-out attack do tend to do that." The Winter Fae sighed. "No one knows how this happened, but there are rumors that the Widow has returned from the grave."
"The Widow?" Faith went near-white. "Please tell me that that's just a story."
Gwyn grinned, shrugging slightly so as not to jostle her spear. "It's just a story… but considering how the spiders are currently acting, there may be some truth."
"Perfect. Just perfect."
Magwyr frowned as they crossed the bridge into the village. "Whoever it is… they are dangerous. The villagers haven't been able to leave, and because of the Crystal War, no one can help them. They are essentially on their own and against an enemy that can pop out of the ground if it so chooses to."
As if to prove her point, a giant Silk Wrapper emerged from the ground right before Faith as they stepped onto the dirt road. Faith, predictably, let out a terrified scream at how sudden it was.
Her response to being terrified was swift and brutal. Her sword, which hadn't left her hand, was up and down smoothly. She stabbed the spider right in the head through and through. The spider twitched, then went still.
Magwyr blinked at this. The ordeal lasted no more than a minute, showing just how dangerous Faith herself was. "That was quick," was all she said.
Faith nodded, panting hard as her adrenaline faded. "Yeah… I hate spiders," she replied.
"So I see."
Agarth nodded, grinning. "Personally, I don't see why," he mused. "With your reaction speed, it should be the other way around."
Tilera sighed, rubbing her eyes in exasperation. "Agarth, perhaps don't poke at the woman with her sword out," she suggested. "Otherwise, she might turn that sword on you."
The fae looked over at the dokkalfar. "Can I assume that teasing Faith about her fear of spiders is a bad idea?"
Gwyn nodded. "I think so," she replied, smiling. "I understand completely, of course."
Magwyr nodded, noting that Gwyn did have a pretty smile. Then she focused on something far more critical. "That spider was in the village's borders, which is not supposed to happen."
"Which means the village is no longer safe."
Tilera took a look around, taking note of something else. "There is no one walking the streets right now, either. Perhaps they've fortified themselves in the Inn. They're designed to endure a beating, no matter what."
"That's the truth."
"Well then, let's go!" Faith quickly moved out. The others followed at a more sedate pace. Any port in a storm, after all.
Deep within the Webwood, a malevolent presence snarled. She called to her children to come to her. This enemy was actually dangerous.
She would need to learn more about them before sending her army out again.
Ω
As it turned out, they made the right call. It didn't make it any easier to deal with the heartbreaking results of the spider attacks.
The Inn looked more like a refugee camp than a social gathering place. More than a dozen cots were set up in the center of the building and probably more on the second floor. Most of them were occupied by injured villagers. Those still upright were crouched behind upturned tables, weapons trembling in their hands. Children hid in the corners, hugging one another for comfort.
Gwyn found herself wondering how many of them were now orphans.
Agarth looked around, staying focused on the task at hand. "Is there anyone currently in charge of this village?" he called out.
"I am," a voice piped up. A moment later, an Almanian of around thirty-two came to the front, looking remarkably well put together. "Garanar Vernt, at your service. I am currently the leader of this village, for what it's worth. Are you the soldiers I asked for?"
Faith shook her head. Now that she was out of the way of the arachnid presence, she had calmed down a little. "I'm Faith. We're just a group of travelers trying to get to Ettinsmere when we met your lovely next-door neighbors." Her gaze shifted. "Now, do you know why this is happening?" she asked.
Vernt shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. We were finishing up our silk harvesting when the first attacks occurred. I immediately sent out a call for assistance around two weeks ago."
"Two weeks… I was only aware of the last few days," Magwyr noted, a little surprised. "Did I miss something important?"
"The spiders began attacking the village three days ago. They've been attacking anyone and anything within the Webwood for at least three weeks. And they have managed to reach all the way to Yolvan."
Gwyn rubbed her head fretfully. "I must have missed them, then. I came through the Webwood on my way to Gorhart about three weeks ago."
"You were extremely fortunate. Anyway, a few days ago, our resident protector Barten took a hunting party with him to try and get to the root of the problem. They have yet to return. So, I would accept help from even that Tilera woman to discover what happened to them."
Tilera managed to keep herself from bristling, though her eyes did flare at the slight, for slight it was. "The spiders threaten everyone in the Webwood and possibly beyond. I am more than happy to assist Canneroc in its time of need," she stated, somehow managing to keep from snarling at him. She did take a bit of delight at seeing him suddenly backpedal a little bit.
Vernt quickly inclined his head. "Of course. Thank you, ma'am."
"Now that we've settled that, what do you want us to do?" Faith asked, thankfully steering the conversation back on track.
"Oh… uh, yes. I would like you to try and find Barten," Vernt replied, regaining his confidence. "I want to know if he is alive or not. If he is, please make sure he makes it back to Canneroc. We'll need him here."
It was a reasonable request, considering the circumstances. However, Faith noticed that his tone was a little flat. He didn't seem as concerned as he made himself appear. His eyes were blank, almost deliberately so. She had a feeling that he was hiding something. Something he didn't want the other villagers to know. She wouldn't be surprised if he sought one of them out to speak to privately.
"We'll look into it," Agarth stated for all of them. "You'll need every able body you can get."
"Thank you, all of you. I promise you will be rewarded." That, at least, was genuine gratitude.
Ω
"Did anyone else catch that?" Tilera asked as they ate some lunch. "He was hiding something."
Agarth nodded. "He's not as concerned for this Barten as he pretends to be," he noted. "As for the attacks beginning three weeks ago, why haven't we heard anything about this before? Even a lack of messages from Canneroc would be enough to raise some alarms."
Faith thought for a second, figuring it out rather quickly. "A messenger did get through, and a task force was sent," she suggested. "They probably were attacked the second they entered. If none survived, the outside world probably cut their losses."
"A sound theory," Tilera replied. "The silk is valuable, but not that valuable. And with the Tuatha battering our defenses, there wouldn't be enough for a second attempt."
"And then there's the fact that they made it to Castle Yolvan." Gwyn frowned. "What is Castle Yolvan, anyway. My memory is a bit rusty there."
Magwyr nodded in understanding. "Castle Yolvan is an ancient Fae fortress that was used to defeat and kill the titular Widow," she explained. "It was long before I came to the Summerlands, so I am unaware of all the specifics. Who the Widow is, however, I cannot say. The downside of not having a writing system."
Everyone nodded at that, all thinking the same thing. They had a rescue mission and two mysteries to solve: Vernt and the Widow. And there was a good possibility that they were linked in some manner. They would have to split up to figure it all out.
Tilera nodded. "Alright then, Gwyn and I will head for Castle Yolvan and try to uncover the mystery of the Widow's true identity," she decided. "Faith, you and Magwyr are the ones who will have to go and save Barten."
"Joy." Faith wasn't really enthused with that, but she would do her part, hopefully not losing her shit in the process.
Agarth nodded. "I guess that leaves me with learning everything I can about Vernt," he noted.
"You want to switch? Considering my luck, I wouldn't be surprised if the hordes come down upon me the second I step outside the village borders."
"Oh, fear not, fair maiden," Magwyr teased. "I shall protect you from the bad monsters."
Gwyn giggled at the impressive death glare Faith sent Magwyr's way. Teasing her occasionally wouldn't be so bad.
Ω
"Once we get to the cave, Gwyn and I will continue to Castle Yolvan," Tilera explained as they reached the edge of the village. "Find Barten and get him back here as quickly as possible. Then hold tight until we get back. The last thing we need is either of you trying to take this Widow on without backup."
"Not a problem," Faith replied. "I'm not that eager to meet the spider's mom. Just be careful, you two. Don't try and find out every last secret in that place."
Gwyn smirked at that. "Don't worry about that, Faith. If I were that crazy, I wouldn't have survived being Warsworn for more than a month."
She didn't believe the dokkalfar but decided not to push it. This wasn't the time, as they had a job to do. She took a deep breath and put one foot forward, setting it on the ground.
Nothing happened.
Magwyr grinned as Faith let out a sigh of relief. "Well, now we know your luck isn't as terrible as you thought. Come on, let's go save the day."
The four set off on their latest adventure with those semi-optimistic words bolstering them.
Well aware that someone was watching them.
Ω
They were right, of course.
The Widow watched them from their lair, black eyes narrowing. They wondered about one of their party. Not the dustlings, of course, but the Unseelie Fae that traveled with them. It was quite an oddity.
What was she doing with them, helping them? Why protect those who took from her children? And who were these outsiders that would even think of trying to fight her? How powerful were they?
It didn't matter. The spiders would get them all in the end.
"You know, I would have thought that Vernt would have met with us before we left," Tilera stated as the four ladies continued to their first port of call. "He's probably hoping that we'll do something about Barten."
"Let's be thankful that he decided not to. I would have had to restrain and throw him into someone's basement."
Magwyr frowned at this. "Why would he want to kill his village's best warrior, especially now? After all, isn't his being there what kept Canneroc from being destroyed?"
Faith shrugged, her gaze never resting from its frantic observation of the surround. "There are several different reasons why," she explained. "On the one hand, Barten could very well be a megalomaniacal, bigoted, self-righteous bastard with delusions of grandeur. He could be on this quest of his in an attempt to claim glory for himself."
"On the other hand," Gwyn piped in, "Barten could be an all-around good person trying to end the threat before it can end Canneroc, and Vernt is an opportunist who wants more power for himself. Silk mining is a lucrative deal, and Barten may be in the way."
Both sides of the argument were possible. Tilera had heard similar stories throughout her tenure in the military.
Faith sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Well, we'll find out if we find Barten," she said. If he's an asshole, we'll know immediately."
"And if he's not an asshole?" Gwyn asked.
"Then we'll ask him why Vernt would want him dead."
Ω
The spiders appeared to have left Canneroc for the time being, meaning the frightened populace could finally step outside without too much worry. And, to Agarth's relief, the Inn wasn't the only place they had found refuge.
The Fate Weaver observed them all, taking note of their strained expressions and hesitant movements. He noticed that they were looking over their shoulders every few minutes. If there was a sudden sound, they tended to jump at it. Their battle had been long and hard. And they couldn't rebuild so long as the spiders threatened them at every turn, meaning the blacksmith was currently twiddling his thumbs.
As for Garanar Vernt was concerned… well, no one had anything good to say about him. Nothing too terrible, either. He was a bit loudmouth, always trying to convince everyone that they could expand their business ventures and increase their profits almost tenfold. However, he could never find any support as the rest of them were satisfied with what they were receiving. He also had nothing against Barten other than disagreeing with him on whether or not the Widow was real. Barten believed that the Widow was responsible for this.
Vernt did not.
All in all, there was nothing here that suggested sinister intentions. It was more like the Underdog and the Big Dog snapping at each other, neither one backing down. But with the Big Dog currently out trying to protect his turf, the Underdog probably thought he had an opening to sway some villagers to his way of thinking.
He would need to talk to Vernt, but he didn't see any reason to be concerned. He quickly flagged down a nearby villager. "Do you know where I can find Mister Vernt?" he asked.
The villager nodded. "He's usually at the bridge leading directly to the Webwood's heart," she replied. "Been doing that for the last few days. Can't tell if he's waiting for news on Barten's safe return or looking over what he thinks will be his new kingdom someday."
"Probably both. Well, excuse me, and thank you." He quickly set off to the bridge, where Vernt definitely was. He was currently smoking from a pipe, watching into the distance. "Imagining all of that to be yours?" he asked.
Vernt grinned. "Aye, that I am," he responded. "All of that potential wealth out there, and here we are, trapped within this village while we wait for our Commander to come back from hunting a myth."
"You don't believe in the Widow is real."
"I don't. And even if the being existed, it would have died centuries ago."
Agarth thought about it for a second. "And what of Barten?" he asked carefully. "I understand that you don't particularly care for the man."
Vernt chuckled. "You've spoken with the other villagers, I see." He took another puff. "We've never seen eye-to-eye,' he explained. "He prefers to limit how much silk we harvest. We need to expand our business ventures. So if he were to die, I would not shed a tear for his passing." He frowned. "However, I will not ask for his death. I'm not that cruel. He would leave a son orphaned, which I know how that feels like. So no, I will not pray for his safe return, but I will not pray for his death, either."
Agarth nodded in understanding. This man was not good, but he did have some limits, at least. "Well, I'll pray for a safe return for all of them," he said. "Thank you for your honesty." He walked away, pondering about what he had learned.
Vernt hadn't lied, but he was still hiding something. So what to do?
He needed to break into Vernt's house and see what he could see.
Ω
"This must be the cave," Faith stated, staring in trepidation. "Looks like we're committed now."
"Indeed." Magwyr looked at the two Alfar. "We'll see you back in Canneroc. Good luck."
"You two," Tilera replied before she and Gwyn continued on their way.
Faith sighed. "Well, time for us to go into the mouth of the beast," she muttered, steeling herself. She was NOT looking forward to it one bit.
The Winter Fae smiled. "Oh, I'm certain that everything will be fine. All we have to do is get in, find Barten, and get out. A straightforward mission."
"Yeah, it's a simple mission. What we're going to be facing is the complication."
"Well, let's do it quickly, then. Wouldn't want you to have a heart attack, after all."
"Yeah, let's." And, moving with a confidence she did not feel, Faith strode into the cave, Magwyr behind her.
Okay, this chapter was a little shorter, but this is also going to be a pretty decent story arc... I hope. Also, Garanar Vernt in the game does actually ask the player character to kill Bertren, just so he could assume total control of Canneroc. Depending on your own choice, he will either succeed, or he will be banished and killed. Now, I'm not going to do that, as I'm going to give him a somewhat different ending here.