Amber Sword

The knights drew their longswords at the Princess’s command, forming a line, ready to face the enemy. The witches, on the other hand, stood with Brand, forming distinct groups. The massive sword-toothed spiders, crystallized into clusters, lunged forward in an instant, yet to everyone’s surprise, these terrifying monsters seemed to ignore them completely, splitting to the sides and darting straight into the darkness on the other end.

What is going on? Everyone turned in shock to see these crystallized monsters rushing forward without stopping, disappearing into the depths of darkness on the other side, leaving only a fading rustling sound behind.

Not only the knights, but even Brand and the witches beside him couldn’t help but be puzzled. When something anomalous occurs, it often heralds danger; most monsters are brutal and murderous; such strange behavior likely has a cause behind it.

"Are they...running away?" Princess Griffine asked hesitantly in a low voice from behind Brand.

Yes, they’re running away! Like a bolt of lightning struck his thoughts, Brand realized the truth. His face changed; each of those massive crystallized sword-toothed spiders was as formidable as a human swordsman who had entered the Golden Domain—what could be driving them to flee in terror underground?

The answer was quite obvious now.

"Sheathe your swords, run quickly, something is chasing them from behind!" Brand’s scalp tingled at the thought of the Spider Mother’s terrors. He suddenly felt he might be jinxed with this place, always encountering various plights each time he visited.

The knights hesitated a bit but soon reacted, changing their expressions, sheathing their swords, and turning to retreat. Brand feared

they might panic and run blindly into Anarons’ spider webs, quickly speaking out to guide everyone on the path.

This underground was layered with spider silk everywhere; advancing along the riverbank seemed safest, but only Brand knew it was a trap— the truly safe path was actually next to the cliff, with a narrow passage one could pass through.

In fact, there was treasure there, but Brand wasn’t considering that now. He led everyone through the jagged stalactites, avoiding those huge spider webs that connected almost the entire underground passage. Before long, everyone heard the shuffling sounds growing closer behind them—like a giant hand brushing the silk threads.

Princess Griffine instinctively turned her head, instantly seeing within the darkness four pairs of crimson eyes, each the size of a fist. She let out a low scream of ’ah’, her legs weakened beneath her, nearly stumbling.

Brand swiftly caught her, "Don’t look back; she’s also searching for us."

"Is that the Spider Mother?" The Princess managed to calm her inner fears and asked quietly. "Yes, that’s her." Brand nodded affirmatively and replied.

He didn’t need to look back to know that the Mother Spider was trailing them. Dark Perception in the Amber Sword was indeed a formidable attribute; now, once again, it wielded its power, for Brand could feel the chill creeping over his back. However, that sensation wasn’t comfortable at all.

"Can she not see us?"

"She’s confirming our location." He wanted nothing more than to tell the Princess that the Spider Mother’s many eyes were merely cosmetic or meant to terrify; they were numerous, but her real eyes were the silk beneath her. She detected the prey’s location through vibrations; her silk permeated the underground tunnel, and even the slightest tremble would alert her.

The group was pursued by the spider, fleeing rapidly through the densly webbed caves. Brand specifically chose narrower caves to maneuver through, greatly limiting the Spider Mother’s advance speed. Nevertheless, that gigantic monster remained closely on their heels.

The knights were just fine; their rigorous training enabled them to handle such situations easily, keeping pace with Brand even in heavy armor. However, the witches, often lacking exercise, soon started faltering, several old witches panting heavily at the rear, forcing Brand to slow his pace to ensure no one was left behind.

Consequently, the spider mother drew even closer, almost within reach, as Brand nearly felt each distinct step of her segmented limbs. A surge of urgency filled his heart; they were already very near to the narrow passage he remembered—just a bit further and they’d make it.