Ragnarok handed over some hides so Atlas could make him a set of reinforced pants. Quelin asked him what wands he could make but the Basic one was worse than what he already had so he opted out. Atlas finished up the pants and used his other six Rough Wood Logs to make Sturdy Wood Rods. He could be sure their price would hold steady since they were a building material. It also helped they were easy to carry.
You gained 550 total experience in Woodworking.
You gained 1,185 total experience in Leatherworking.
With all the crafting out of the way, the group continued their journey. When they entered the designated area, it confirmed their fears. Enormous spider webs crisscrossed all over the place. Sounds of battle drew their attention. They followed the noise and emerged in a clearing where a party of eight fought the monster herself. Black Widow looked nothing like he expected. Instead of a giant spider, they watched an eight-foot tall woman with four extra legs in her back fight against the party. Eyes covered her forehead and two large fangs protruded from her mouth.
The creature deftly blocked attacks with her extra appendages as she kicked at the party. From time to time she shot bundles of sticky webbing at the combatants from her mouth, either slowing their movement or tying up their weapons. They all stood back and watched the fight with interest.
“Should we help them?” Quelin asked.
“I doubt it. Since they started the fight, I’m sure they’d be the only ones to get credit for the kill. I don’t want to have to fight that hideous thing twice. We’ll just have to wait for them to finish the fight and for her to respawn.” Atlas reassured them.
One of the group fighting the spider monster finally spotted them near the fight. They waved a hand at them and yelled over the noise.
“Hey, can you help us out here?”
“Sorry guys. This is a competition. Not going to help our opponents with a fight.” Quelin told them.
The group grumbled, but they were too busy to voice much in the way of an objection. The fight continued and Atlas observed it. The spider moved and attacked in a pattern. Two slashes with her appendages, then a kick from her legs and a special ability completed her combination. The web spitting was one special, but she would occasionally leap high into the air and try to pounce on people and impale them with her spider legs.
She actually succeeded in one of those attacks and speared one of their party members directly through the chest. Atlas watched as the man died and his body dissolved and became nothing more than a gravestone marker.
“Maybe one of his party will be nice enough to get his stuff for him without stealing it,” Gemma said.
“Wouldn’t hold my breath on that one. He’ll respawn in few hours but at the pace we are moving he won’t be able to catch back up before the event ends. They’ll probably take it and run.” Quelin assured her.
“This fight shouldn’t be too bad,” Atlas said as he watched them.
“Not too bad? They have all eight members and are struggling to beat her. How do you think four of us will have less trouble?” Ragnarok asked.
“You see it too, huh?” Quelin asked.
Atlas turned to the vulpine and smiled, “Sure do. She has a distinct pattern and they either haven’t noticed it or don’t know how to take advantage of it.”
He described the exact pattern he’d noticed, and they all watched the fight to confirm what he said.
“How does that help us, though? We know what she’ll do, but the big problem is her ability to block attacks,” Gemma said in resignation.
“That’s partially true,” Quelin quipped, “She has one major weakness. She can’t block on both sides at once. It must be a limitation of the limbs. If they would time their attacks and have people attack from each side simultaneously, they could take her down quickly. She looks pretty frail and probably has minimal health. Her strength is in her defensive abilities.”
“So, we need to split our attacks. Gemma and Quelin, you think you two can coordinate attacks? Rag can tank her head on and I’ll play support with my heals. Each of you pick a side and launch attacks together.” Atlas explained.
The group currently fighting eventually won the struggle. They had one fewer member, and a handful of them looked like they were in critical condition. They wouldn’t be fighting much for a little while as they recovered.
“Thanks for nothing, assholes,” one guy in the group mumbled as they stumbled past them.
They took a seat near the edge of the clearing and waited. It took another ten minutes, but the Spider Queen finally emerged from a burrow on the edge. She walked out toward the center before turning her gaze to the party and waiting.
“Guess we won’t have any element of surprise,” Ragnarok quipped.
“Nope, let’s go get her.” Gemma said as the group advanced forward.
“Hello, my lunch,” the spider monster hissed at them.
“Not today,” Rag said as he charged at her, shield raised.
Gemma and Quelin dashed to the opposite sides and took up position. Atlas cast Barkskin to prepare Rag for the onslaught that was about to start. Her first two strikes rang off his shield before he dropped to a knee and dug the bottom into the ground. The spider woman kicked out and rebounded from the reinforced shield.
Two arrows flew in from one side while an arrow of fire zipped through the air on the other. Off balance from the rebound, she failed to block the attacks and only hit one of the normal arrows with a glancing blow of her spider arm. One arrow sunk in deep in her side and the fire arrow splashed the right side of her chest, scorching the carapace lined breast. The arrow she deflected cut a small glancing blow along her back.
“You insects dare to bother me?”
She turned
