Part 3

"Do you think Faith will be alright?" Gwyn asked as they continued on their journey. "I know we were teasing her about it, but to put her into the very center of her fear is a little cruel."

Tilera nodded in agreement. "It is, but we have very few options," she reminded her. "She is also a very capable warrior with hyperactive reflexes. She should be fine if a whole group doesn't surround her." Her gaze swept the surround, brow furrowing. "I'm more concerned about us. We have a day's journey still before we reach Castle Yolvan. If these spiders and their Master are eager enough, they will send everything they have to stop us from reaching our objective."

Gwyn had to agree with that. If their enemies wanted to stop them, then there wouldn't be much the two of them could do to stop them. The fact that they weren't doing that was rather telling. It meant that either they weren't seen as a threat, or would be dealt with when they reached their destination. On the downside, it meant some power was out there, controlling the entire spider population.

"You know, I'm starting to believe that the Widow may be real," she admitted after a moment.

"You and me both, Gwyn," Tilera confessed. "You and me both."

Ω

The cave was dark and dank.

Those were Faith's first impressions of the place, and they were accurate. If Magwyr hadn't utilized her magic to create a light, they would have been stumbling into the walls a lot. And judging by some of the things they had seen so far, that was good.

Magwyr shuddered in disgust as she barely avoided stepping into a puddle of… something. "I am sincerely hoping that Barten isn't too far within this place," she stated.

Faith nodded in agreement, hand on her sword hilt. "You and me both." Of course, their reasoning behind the statement was completely different. Faith didn't want to run into the spiders. Magwyr didn't want to venture too deep into the cave.

To take her mind off her phobia, the young Almanian asked, "So, when you're not helping in defense of villages, what are you usually doing?"

"Oh, well…" The UnSeelie Fae thought about it for a second. "I'm a member of the House Ballads… technically."

"Technically?"

"I'm a part of several of their stories. Most of them are not well known, but they are there. And they all play out one after the other without fail."

"Ah." Faith smiled somewhat as she thought about it. "You know, I'm pretty certain that our current mission could be seen as a ballad in the future. And one that would make the Fae proud."

Magwyr smiled a little at that. "It would be an impressive story, to be sure," she agreed. "However, I'm pretty sure Hallum wouldn't want to acknowledge it. He is a stickler regarding the stories told in the Telling."

"So I've seen. He certainly didn't take it very well when Ticon chose me to become Sagrell. If he weren't a Fae, I figured he would have had a heart attack."

"That would have been an interesting sight to see. Hold on." Magwyr's ears suddenly twitched. "I think I hear something. Quite a bit of scrabbling… and, I believe a bit of a struggle as well. I think we have found Barten."

"Are you sure?" Far be for her to doubt, but she did need to make certain that she wasn't imagining things. Judging by how her ears twitched, her ears might be more sensitive to sound.

"I'm positive."

That was all Faith needed to hear. She gestured for her friend to take the lead, silently unsheathing her sword. They would likely encounter the arachnids shortly, and she wouldn't be caught off guard again.

The two moved forward, only stopping when they reached a wall of webbing. Magwyr brought her staff up, unleashing a blast of fire, destroying it easily.

What lay before them was a war zone. Bodies of hunters and spiders were strewn across the cave floor. It appeared that there were more arachnid bodies than hunters. The party seemed to have fought to the bitter end, taking as many of their enemy with them before they fell.

But the fight wasn't over yet. One man was still fighting, taking a spider out with each blade swipe. Taking a deep breath, trying to shove her fear down, Faith charged forward.

Magwyr created an energy field around herself to bolster her magic before unleashing a series of fire bursts at the arachnids. One struck a venom spitter before it could lunge at the man's blind spot. At that point, Faith entered the fray, skewering a Giant Arachnid. She moved quickly, not wanting to be here any longer than required. "You alright?" she asked, slashing at another one when it got too close.

"I am, though I am getting tired." He caught another one. "We need to get out of here!"

"You'll get no argument from me! Let's go!" Without any other prompting, they made their way for the exit, Magwyr laying cover fire down as they retreated. The spiders hissed at them, but couldn't get closer without getting scorched. As such, they were able to leave relatively unscathed. Quite the impressive feat, to be sure.

And, deep within the cave, the Widow watched from her lair.

Ω

"That was close," Faith panted about ten minutes later, the three of them resting on a hill that they 'acquired' from some brownies. "I honestly thought they were going to chase us the whole way!"

"I'm just glad that Canneroc sent someone! I've been on the move for the last three days, just trying to get to that damn Widow!" The man straightened up. "The name's Barten. I'm the head protector of the village."

"Then our mission was not in vain." Magwyr finally smiled. "I am Magwyr, and this is Faith. Canneroc sent us to find you because they have come under attack. The spiders managed to find a way past the river. They have managed to hole themselves in the Pub, but there is no telling how long they can last."

"Damn it! I've been gone too long! I had hoped to end the Widow before she could do just that!" His posture slumped. "And by now, that bastard Vernt probably has full control of the village!"

Faith grinned. "Actually, you'll be surprised to know that Vernt asked us to find you," she admitted. "I'm guessing he isn't that much of a fighter."

"No, he isn't. The man is more of a loudmouth with delusions of grandeur. What he wants, which I believe will put us in even greater danger than we are now."

"…Is there anything else that he wants?"

Taking a deep breath, Barten began to tell them…

Ω

Getting into Vernt's house was a simple affair. Apparently, the spider attack had been so sudden that he hadn't had time to secure his home. Searching the building was also rather easy. Like most of the silk farmers, it was comprised of only three rooms. He didn't own much, meaning he was down on his luck. The man didn't even own a knife.

There was nothing here that could incriminate him, however. He talked a big talk, but he wasn't bribing or hoarding any of the silk. All in all, he was just an average jerk.

Agarth was certain that there was more to it, however. His instincts were telling him that Vernt was hiding something. He took another look around the room, taking a step forward.

His brow furrowed. The floor sounded a little different here. He crouched down, running his fingers over the boards. 'A trapdoor,' he thought, grinning a little. He quickly reached the edge of the door, finding several too evenly spaced holes and pulled up.

The door moved easily, revealing a ladder leading into the darkness. Making sure that his sword was secure, he started climbing down.

Ω

"Ah, home sweet home," Barten declared in relief as they crossed the bridge to Canneroc. "I didn't think I would ever see this place again."

Faith wisely kept her mouth shut, despite her own viewpoints concerning living anywhere near spiders willingly. Not her place.

If nothing else, the villagers were happy to see their protector, rushing over to greet him. It was a good sign that she and Magwyr had done the right thing.

The blacksmith went up to them, grinning broadly. "Thank you both," he said, shaking Faith's hand. "You've just restored some hope that we'll make it through this nightmare."

Faith shrugged. "We didn't do much," she replied modestly. "He was still putting up one hell of a fight when we got there. All we did was give him some backup."

Barten turned to look at them. "Don't sell yourselves short. If you hadn't shown up, I would be dead. You two might as well be an army."

Magwyr leaned in once the blacksmith left them. "Should we tell them that we were as fast as we were because you couldn't stand to be anywhere near the eight-legged beings of doom?" she asked quietly, adding a definite lilt of mischief.

"We will not," Faith retorted just as quietly. "Anyway, have you seen Agarth?"

"No, I have not. Perhaps he is still investigating Vernt." Magwyr looked around. "It's possible he is in a spot where he couldn't hear this din."

"Yeah… you know, we should probably have a word with Vernt. Just to make sure that he didn't do anything to him."

Ω

The tunnel was long, extending beyond the village's borders. He knew this because he had heard water rumbling above as he walked.

Agarth had been walking for about an hour, his thoughts his only companion. And his thoughts could have been in a better space. He found himself thinking about his Fate and forcing himself back into the here and now, only to repeat the process. It was quite annoying, as it happened five times within that hour. And the tunnel wasn't coming to an end any time soon.

He finally stopped after a few more minutes, sighing. The tunnel was heading right into the very heart of the Webwood. He wasn't sure where it ended, only that he wouldn't go any further without some backup. And he hoped Faith and Magwyr were back. With that thought, he turned around.

A slight skittering sound caught his attention, and he swung his torch around in the direction it had come from. He had a pretty bad feeling he knew what it was.

A pincer suddenly broke through the wall, confirming his suspicions. "Maybe Faith's fear of spiders is justified," he muttered, already starting to run back to the ladder at a speed that surprised even him.

The spider was right behind him, and he could hear the skittering. But he didn't turn to look. He just went for the ladder and clambered up it. He was turned around, slammed the trap door shut, and took a step back, sword unsheathed. He could hear scrabbling as the spider tried to get in, tensing. But after several minutes, it seemed to quit trying and returned to the tunnel.

The Fate Weaver finally let out a sigh of relief, relaxing. "Nothing like being chased by a murder monster to get the old juices flowing," he muttered before his thoughts darkened. "Vernt."

He stormed out of the house, looking for the little bastard.

Ω

Vernt sighed, rubbing his eyes in exasperation. "Yes, Agarth talked to me after you went on your rescue mission," he explained. "Barten here is already aware of what I think. Other than that, I have no idea where he is."

"I see." Faith frowned. "Well, don't go anywhere. I might need to talk to you later." She went back over to Magwyr, shaking her head. "He doesn't know anything. If anything, he seemed more annoyed than anything.

"Indeed." Magwyr smiled. "Perhaps this means he's alright. He might even walk through the door."

"Yeah, but I don't operate like that. I suggest we look for him. It'll make me feel better."

As she said that, the door to the Inn swung open, startling everyone there. And to Faith's utter relief, Agarth stepped inside, slamming the door shut. His glare searched the crowd, finally landing on his target. Surprise, surprise, it was Vernt he was focusing on. "You stupid, idiotic buffoon!" he snarled.

Faith rolled her eyes. "Never mind. You were right," she admitted. "Let's get over there before he kills the idiot."

Just a few minutes later, they were ready to help him with the murder as Agarth explained the tunnel he had found underneath Vernt's house to all present. "That is how they could bypass the river," he finished. "There's very little stone there, just really packed Earth."

Vernt sighed, turning to face the other villagers. It was clear to them that he hadn't told them about it if the glares they were currently throwing at him were of any indication. "Yes, I dug out a tunnel that I could use to escape in case of an attack," he admitted. "But, in case you didn't notice, it's practically useless."

"Why didn't you tell us about it beforehand?!" one of the villagers shouted. "We could have used it to escape them when they first showed up!"

He sighed again. "The tunnel goes under the river directly into the Webwood, people. The spiders were probably already in it by the time they attacked. So no, we couldn't have gotten out that way."

"He's right," Agarth stated. "And while I don't know how far he managed to dig, I can tell you it stretches quite a bit further. Probably all the way to the Widow's Cave."

Barten looked at Vernt, shaking his head. "I have known you to do some stupid things in your time here, Garanar… but this is beyond the pale. Where does the tunnel lead, exactly?"

"Well, it was going to be exactly where Agarth stated. However, I ended up digging to Ettinsmere." He shrugged. "I have a bad sense of direction."

"And no common sense." Barten shook his head at him. "Even if we use the tunnel, we would just be trading one enemy for another." He turned away in disgust. Vernt would have to be dealt with later. Right now, they had a far more immediate and dangerous threat that required their attention. "You have my thanks for helping me back there," he said. "Sadly, I must ask for your help."

Faith sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Let me guess. You want us to go and slay the Widow?" he nodded. "That'll prove difficult, considering we still know nothing about this thing. She'll also be likely protected by her children. Taking her head on would be suicide." She grabbed an empty seat, plopping down in relief. "Let's just wait for our friends to get back from Castle Yolvan before we set up a plan of attack."

"You sent them to Yolvan?! She'll probably have some of her children there!"

"And our friends are pretty powerful warriors," Agarth replied, grinning. "And they'll find a way to get in unnoticed."

Ω

"Well, so much for not being noticed," Gwyn growled, pulling her spear out of a Crudok. "If this doesn't get the Widow's attention, then she doesn't really give two shits about us."

"Or she doesn't care about Crudoks or Brownies," Tilera suggested, looking up and frowning. "Not that it matters. Castle Yolvan appears to be inaccessible, still."

"Still?"

"The main entrance to the castle is up there. There used to be an uprising that allowed people to enter, but that has long rotted away." Tilera looked around. "We're going to have to find another way."

The Warsworn nodded. "So we need to find a basement door. That should be easy." She began canvasing the area, looking for that possible opening. Tilera eyed the surround, just on the off chance any spiders appeared.

"I have something!" Gwyn finally called out, pushing some tall grass out of the way. "There's a hole here! It looks like there used to be a ladder here!"

Tilera joined her, looking down. After a second contemplation, she leaped down. "I have a door down here!" she called up after a moment. "It looks like it leads into Yolvan's basement!"

Gwyn soon joined her, looking at the door. "Well, here we go." Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward, opening the door. The two Alfar slowly entered, the door closing behind them.

Ω

The Widow watched them as they entered Castle Yolvan, gaze narrowing. If they wanted to learn more about her, then she would allow them that pleasure. She couldn't guarantee that they would be leaving alive, however.

On the other hand, the other three would prove a little more difficult to deal with. They were aware of the tunnel. She would need to figure out how to lure them out of the village.

Her attention shifted back to the two Alfar, a malicious smile appearing as a plan began to form. Perhaps she would allow them to live after all. That didn't mean she couldn't have fun with them first.

Ω

Another door opened. A head poked out, looking around. "Clear, so far."

Tilera and Gwyn slowly stepped out into the hallway, weapons out and ready again. Just because they had had a few moments of peace didn't mean they could relax their guard. Spiders were most likely here, but so were other creatures. No deserted structure was ever truly deserted.

The structure itself looked alright, though it definitely had seen better days. It almost looked like it was being held up by massive vines and roots. It was as if the Fae had already found it as a ruin and merely added their own touch to it.

"That is something I wasn't expecting to see," Gwyn noted, taking in the sight of a Lorestone.

Tilera nodded. "Surprisingly enough, the Summer Fae have had wars, though they were nowhere near the level of brutality that we young races have. Nor are they very long, usually lasting only weeks. For the Fae, they are battles worthy of story and song." She thought about it for a second. "Let's see if this story is of the Widow." With that, she went over to the stone and touched it.

The stone slowly slid down, settling onto its rocky pedestal. The inscriptions on it began to glow a light blue. And finally, a voice emerged. The two Alfar listened carefully.

"This is Yolvan proud and mighty, shaped and hewn by Fae of old. If you hear us, then we are sleeping still. But be strong of heart, new one. Our powers are old, but our triumphs are eternal. We have brought peace to the Webwood, and the forests of summer."

Two pairs of shoulders slumped when the stone rose up, taking up its original position. "It was just a prologue," Gwyn groaned. "I thought there would be a whole story here."

"Fae tend to use multiple stones to get their whole story out for all to hear," Tilera replied. "They also tend to have them spread pretty damn far apart." She sighed. "Well, let's keep going. We'll find another one eventually."

They entered another corridor, entering another room after a few minutes… and blinked, somewhat surprised. "Okay… not that far apart," Tilera murmured, activating the Lorestone.

"Corruption and decay and filth were grown, were spread like sickness from the fens and dells of this place. They were led not by a beast, not by a fell one, but by her… the One Who Walks Alone, the mother of a hundred thousand spiders. She is a queen of web and poison. She calls herself the Widow."

"Well," Tilera stated once the recording ended, "I guess wewere right about that."

Gwyn nodded in agreement at that. The Widow was starting to sound like a dangerous being if the Summer fae were afraid of her. They said they defeated her, but considering the current state of affairs, it wasn't a permanent defeat.

She was a little concerned about what the other lore stones would tell them.

Ω

Faith shoved Vernt into one of the Inn rooms. "Stay," she stated, shutting the door and placing a chair under the knob. "There. It's not the best way to incarcerate someone, but it'll do."

"Not bad." Agarth grinned. "He sure as hell didn't look happy."

"I could care less. He put us all in danger just because he literally dug himself a literal hole and did not even tell his own people about it. The spiders had a direct line to Canneroc this whole time. And we're probably going to have an invasion at some point." She shuddered. "I'm not looking forward to that."

He nodded. "I can guarantee that we're not going to die here."

"I thought you couldn't see my fate."

"I can't. I can see mine, however. And my life will not end here."

"…Oh."

His gaze shifted toward the main room, where the villagers were busy fortifying for what could possibly be their last stand. Even with Barten here, the knowledge of how the spiders got in deteriorated their belief that they would make it out of there. They needed nothing less than a miracle to help them. Defeating the Widow was that miracle. But they needed to know what they were up against. Attacking head-on wasn't going to work, as Barten could attest.

"What about the tunnel?" he suddenly asked. We can find a way to close it before they attack again. It won't stop them, but it may buy us some time."

Faith nodded. "True, but how are we going to do that, and where would we do it? We could end up making things a lot worse for them."

Agarth thought long and hard on the question. It was a reasonable one, too. Where indeed? "It would have to be on the other side of the river," he muttered. "And it would also have to be far enough away that it wouldn't cause lasting damage. As for how… I doubt we have any explosives here we can use." He suddenly snapped his fingers. "Wait a minute… we can ask Magwyr for help on this."

"Yeah… yeah. That's right! Her spells are powerful enough to do the job. And hopefully, she would know where to best strike!" Faith was practically vibrating in relief. Finally, they had a solid plan of attack that didn't involve getting up close and personal with those eight-legged monsters.

Things were looking up.

Ω

"The canopy stretched far and blocked the light of summer, but we pressed on and forward, to Cathrus, to the Widow's den. We were but weak when we arrived, but she was weaker still, her children having died before our march. To Isharra we commended her, and then we felt the call of winter, and some turned to sleep, and I kept watch." The stone, satisfying its task, rose up again, awaiting the next person to touch it. However, this one stone had given them a major clue as to the identity of the Widow. And it was not to their liking.

More and more, it sounded as if the Widow herself was fae. Kind of an obvious conclusion, to be sure. But they weren't sure what kind she was. Now… it was starting to sound like another Winter Fae. Perhaps even a precursor to the Tuatha Deohn.

Gwyn shook her head. "I don't get it," she grumbled. "The Tuatha already have all the power in the world to kill us and the time to boot. Why go through all of this trouble, just to control a bunch of spiders?"

"It's not happening fast enough," Tilera replied almost immediately. "Their primary force has been more or less delayed at Mel Senshir, so Gadflow is sending his advance scouts to find other means. Perhaps the Widow Canneroc is dealing with isn't the Widow at all, but a copycat with similar abilities."

Well, this made things a little easier for them. A Winter fae could be killed easily enough, especially if they weren't armored up. They would simply come back later, but it could be done. But there was one thing that wasn't adding up. "If that was the case, why try destroying Canneroc first? Why not go after Odessa, or Rathir? With the entire Spider population of the Webwood at their disposal, it would be an easy task."

"The Tuatha want to kill everyone, literally. Canneroc is convenient as a testing ground for their control, a place to just wreak some havoc and to make a statement all at once. The only unanswered question that remains is what happened to the Fae that were defending this castle." The Ljonsalfar sighed. "Come on, Gwyn. There are going to be at least two more lore stones to hear before we leave. Perhaps we will find the answer to that question."

Gwyn nodded, though she remained skeptical. While the Tuatha were powerful and had been using arachnids as part of their attack force in Klurikon, they wouldn't be able to effect control over a race in the lands of summer. The magic would clash almost instantly, leading to chaos on both ends. It would also lead to the Summer Fae declaring war on their Winter brethren, which was the last thing the Tuatha wanted. No, it had to be just another Winter Fae.

Their journey through the ancient ruins had other forms of danger, even though they hadn't run into any Arachnids yet. However, plenty of rats existed within the confines frothing at the mouth. It didn't take long to kill them, though they did avoid being bitten by the barest of margins.

The next Lore Stone they discovered was worth it, though that was by no means a good thing.

"Some colder wind of winter blows than we have ever seen. Summer does not return our brothers, our clans, to us. What will happen to the vigil I keep? Winter already calls me, and no relief is in sight."

Gwyn noticed something off about this lore stone as the message played. She walked around it, taking it in at every corner. "This one is pretty recent," she noted after several minutes of observation. "It looks like it was created within the last few months."

Tilera frowned, looking it over. "How can you tell?" she asked. "I can't really see the difference."

"It's very subtle, but easy to spot if you can tell the difference. For starters, the stones we saw earlier were smoothed out, possibly due to years of light erosion or painstaking work from the Fae. This one feels much rougher, like it had been set up in a hurry, or that it hadn't been exposed to the elements. Second, the energy here appears far more vibrant, like it's fresher." A dark feeling began to percolate in her, as if something terrible was going to happen. "Let's find the last stone," she suggested. "I have a hunch about what happened here."

The two Alfar quickly went down the last corridor, almost at a run. It didn't take long for them to find the last lore stone. With a heavy heart, Gwyn saw that this lore stone was still newer. It was also far cruder in construction, meaning it had been done in a hurry. With a deep breath, she touched the stone, watching it sink into the pedestal.

To the surprise of both of them, the faint outline of a male fae, the author of the lore stones, appeared before them, looking almost frightened and resigned. And, before them, he began to speak, weariness seemingly weighing him down.

"The Widow walks. I can feel the Webwood pulsing with her anger. Her spiders are at the gates. We never thought this day would come. The Widow walks. The Widow walks…"

His head turned, and his hands came up just as a Venomsplitter suddenly appeared, attacking him. His death cry was cut short as the Lore Stone finished.

"This one was done within the last few weeks," Tilera stated, horror all over her face. "Just before the attack began."

Gwyn nodded, spear coming up. Fear was beginning to course through her. "This was no Tuatha," she breathed. "The Tuatha couldn't bring that level of rage." She started looking around. "We need to get back to Canneroc. They're not the only ones in danger. The entirety of Dalentarth and Yolvan are at risk."

"How very astute of you, Dustling," another voice stated out of nowhere. "And how nice of you to come tripping about my web. I thought my fun was over…"

The two of them began whirling around, trying to locate the voice. It seemed to be echoing from every single direction, bouncing off of every wall.

"Come, Alfar. You both seem like sturdy warriors who can defeat all odds. Surely you have no reason to fear a simple Fae."

"But you're no simple fae, are you?" Tilera replied. "No simple fae could control the entirety of a species that aren't even of Isharra. But you sure as hell are no Tuatha."

"Quite right. Though I know naught what these Tuatha are. Nor do I care. If they seek to destroy you dustlings, I see no reason to stop them from doing that." The voice paused for a moment. "Come, join me where the Keepers of Yolvan used to hold their seat of power. I shall let you see me for who I am before I destroy you." With that, the voice cut off. In the distance, the sound of a door opening could be heard.

The two Alfar looked at each other, silently debating their options. There was a good chance that they couldn't escape, as the exit was most likely blocked. But going to meet the Widow didn't seem like a good idea, either. They both came to the same choice.

"Well, let's see what our doom looks like," Gwyn stated.

"And hopefully, we shall survive it," Tilera added.

Ω

Here is Part 3. Part 4 will mark the end of this story arc's beginning.

Okay, due to possibly financial restraints, the Widow was simply just a Summer Fae with some added markings on her face, as well as completely blackened eyes in the game. She controlled the Spiders in an effort to destroy Canneroc. As the Fateless one, you fight her in Cathrus, her bringing her children as reinforcements. Cathrus is going to be in the next part, of course. But at the moment, I am finishing up writing out the next chapter of my League of Legends story.