31 Legends

"That's…a huge spider," Mira said, gulping as it began to sidle around in front of them. It's menacing pincers kept on snapping at the empty air in front of it, it's many eyes concentrated on Mira and Strider.

Strider twirled Anglachel around in his hand, the words that the spider spoke deep on his mind - 'Ungoliant'.

'Impossible. Spawn of Ungoliant more likely. But…no, that's impossible. How does it know that name!?' Strider thought, gulping. He didn't anticipate hearing of something from the old legends in this new land.

'All spiders are descended from Her,' Anglachel whispered in Striders mind. 'Spawn indeed - as are all those of her ilk.'

'Enough! I do not need you speaking to me at every turn,' Strider shouted at his sword.

'You've used me freely for so long. You and I are entwined. But now is not the time,' Anglachel said before going silent. Strider sighed and turned his attention to the spider again. All the while, it had decided not to attack him or Mira; it simply kept hobbling around - although, to his surprise, it began looking at his sword as well.

"Mira, it might be best if you left," Strider said.

"Like hell I am! I still don't believe that you're feeling better. Besides, it's one spider. I can handle it," Mira said, shifting into her Satan Soul: Sitri.

"Just…be careful," Strider said.

"Hypocrite," she said with a smile before rushing the spider. As she shoved it, however, it still didn't react - in fact, it hardly even moved. Mira jumped back to Strider's side, frowning.

"It's got a strong hide," she said. "I'm surprised I didn't do anything to it."

Strider soon rushed forward as well, his sword outstretched. As he got close, the spider braced itself. Strider shifted slightly and grazed its side. To his surprise, however, he had hardly even drawn blood. The two stood on either side of the spider, curious as to how strong it was.

"Barely a scratch. Now that is surprising," Strider whispered. He jutted forward yet again - but this time, the spider reacted. Lithe on its eight legs, it shoved two of them backwards. They hit Strider straight in the chest and rocketed him through a few trees.

"STRIDER!" Mira shouted, surprised that he had taken damage. She barely dodged the spider rushing her, its pincers outstretched. Strider slowly got up, slightly dazed.

'Didn't expect that,' he thought, licking his lips. 'No holding back, then.'

He rushed the spider yet again, slightly above the reach of its legs. As he landed on top of its massive body, he drove his sword into the hide of the spider. He felt his blade run deep through, but as he retracted it, he was hit by a spurt of purple blood. He flew off the spider, hearing its pained screeching. Struggling to get the blood that hit his eyes out, he was defenseless at the second rush. He felt the spiders pincers drill into his chest; again, Strider was sent hurtling into the trees.

'Bastard,' Strider thought as he stood back up, spitting out some blood. The spider stared at him as it had since the beginning of their bout. It seemed to be intelligent, Strider thought, more so than other beasts he had faced until now.

'Ungoliant,' he thought to himself again. 'That's a name from Middle Earth, though - but this is Fiore. It shouldn't know that name…it shouldn't.'

'Enough thinking about that! Slay it, quickly!' Anglachel snapped at him. Scoffing, Strider nonetheless obeyed. He rocketed toward the spider yet again; but this time, the spider was prepared. As Strider flew at it, it jumped forward several meters. The attack caught Strider by surprise; next he knew, he was on his back, holding off the pincers of the spider. As he looked down its hairy underside, he saw something more terrifying; a single, sword-like stinger. The spider stabbed the ground with it several times before retracting it up again, seemingly ready to strike Strider. Strider quickly uprooted a tree and sent it flying at the spider, buffeting it back a bit more. As he got to his feet, he looked around in a panic for Mira. To his relief, she was still levitating above them.

Seeing her chance, Mira rushed the spider in a blink of in eye. Making sure to keep her distance from the stinger and pincers, she launched a powerful stream of fire at it. The spider screamed as the fire seared its hide. It quickly jumped and began rolling around in the river, dousing itself. As it lumbered back to its feet, it focused its many eyes on Mira, snapping at her.

'It's weak against fire, but it knows how to put it out. Intelligent indeed,' Strider thought as he took advantage of the distant and rushed in close yet again. Instead of aiming at the hide, however, he swung his blade at one of the spiders legs. It came off with ease. The spider screeched in pain as it stumbled a bit; but, still having seven more, it refined its balance easily - its eyes focused again on spider.

Turning around, the spider suddenly shot out a thick wad of webbing at Strider. The webbing hit him head on and latched him onto a tree. It pressed its advantage, rushing Strider with its pincers outstretched. Strider got himself loose at the last second, cutting the webbing telekinetically with Anglachel, before leaping out of its way. The spider quickly adjusted its course, however, and thrust to the side, hitting him head on.

The thrust had a lot of power behind it; Strider was sent careening into a tree, the spider gazing down on him, menacing. With a scoff, Strider got to his feet.

'Enough playing around, Númenórean. End it. Now,' Anglachel told him. Rolling his neck, Strider's eyes and mouth erupted in a blaze of blue light. Caution in the wind, he rushed the spider head on. It reached its pincers and thrust them at him. Telekinetically holding Anglachel away, Strider attempted to grab on to the pincers. To his surprise, however, the telekinetic barrier he had always set up was pierced. He could feel every of the spider on him, his handing rubbing raw as the monster began bucking. Strider held on tightly, quickly coming back to his sense. As the spider raised him up, Strider readjusted himself and smashed his boot into one of its eyes. The spider screeched in pain as blood seemed down, blinding some of its other eyes.

Strider quickly drove Anglachel into its eyes using his telekinesis. As he looked at Mira, she understood and joined. Coalescing her fire into a thin stream, she levitated by its side and focused exclusively around its eyes. One by one, each of its eyes soon died out, devoid entirely of sight. As Strider got back on the ground, he saw the spider suddenly begin to flail around. It began to go wild, bucking here and there, stabbing its pincer on the ground and snapping at nothing.

Strider wasted no time pressing his advantage yet again. He quickly sliced off three more of its legs in separate positions. The few that remained weren't enough to sustain its massive body. The spider collapsed on one side and rolled on its back, its legs curled up in the air as though it was dead. Still, it continued to snap at the air with its pincers. Strider quickly worked his way down the head of the spider, stabbing it in various points. He drilled his sword as deep as it would go, only satisfied when he heard a squelch or crunch, sure that he had hit something important.

"Mira. Fire," Strider said, pointing at the holes he created.

"That seems…like a bit much," she said uncomfortably. While she remembered how he had dealt with the dragons, this seemed much more intimate - it was two on one and the beast was at their feet, blood and gore seeping out of the new man-made holes. It pincers had slowed down and it seemed to be holding on to the last thread of its life.

"We need to be sure," Strider said. Mira looked at him long and hard before she nodded. She sent a few bursts of fire into the holes - and suddenly, it screamed out in pain again. The spider writhed in agony, twisting as much as it could as the flames burned it from the inside. It was a minute before it had stopped screaming, its body slowly grinding to a halt. It kept twitching as Strider circled it, like a predator stalking its prey.

As he moved closer to its stinger, however, he regretted it. Strider felt a terrifying pain erupt in his shoulder, where he had been stabbed by a cursed blade long ago. The last thing he heard before passing out was Mira scream his name; and the last thing he saw was an eruption of fire that suddenly ensnared the spider whole.

-o-

"What is it now, old man?" Strider sighed, taking a seat. He looked much younger. There was no stubble on his face, although his hair still reached his shoulders. He wore a black shirt and pants, a sword, bow, and quiver on his back. The old man sighed as he came in.

"Who was it this time?"

"Who was who this time?" Strider wondered innocuously.

"Like you don't know," the old man said with a laugh. "Anyways, that's not important. Time for your lesson."

"What are doing today?! Did you see what I can do with the waterfall now?!" Strider asked excitedly.

"Close. We're going to be working on something far more important than your telekinesis will ever be," the old man said, flipping through a massive book he had in front of him.

"What?" Strider asked, thinking the variety of answers over in his head.

'Is he going to teach me more Magic? Maybe Fire or Water Magic. Or how to speak with animals. Or—' Strider kept thinking.

"Nothing as useless as Fire or Water Magic. Besides, after all your focus on telekinesis, learning much of any other kind of Magic will be difficult," the old man said.

"Whys that? Isn't it still the same base knowledge?" Strider asked.

"What you need for Elemental Magic is far different from Telekinesis, which is far different from any other kind of Magic. Telekinesis is the basis for all types of Magic, yes, so logically you would learn to use others. However, do you know what sets it apart from Elemental or other kinds of Magic?"

Strider thought on the question before it hit him. He let out a heavy sigh, his head hanging dejectedly.

"The element has to be produced," he whispered.

"Correct," the old man said. "And to produce it, you must be born with it. At the very least, Strider, it's something that I cannot teach you. Perhaps if you see enough of the world, you may learn something that you cannot learn here. But for that, you need something that you lack even now. And that brings us back around to today's lesson."

"If it's not learning more Magic, are you going to teach me how to fight better? Or how to use my Te—" Strider began before he was cut off.

"Calm down, child! Again, no - not Magic. You have plenty of power in that and I imagine you'll only grow. But to put it to use wisely what you require more than anything is knowledge and perspective," the old man said, turning to face him at last. His magnificently long, white beard twinkled in the sunlight as his he looked at Strider's quizzical face with keen eyes.

"Knowledge and perspective?" Strider asked, frowning.

"Indeed. Knowledge is the most important thing in this world. For example, when you first came here, you couldn't use telekinesis," the old man said. "But with knowledge, you learned how to use it, did you not?"

"I suppose," Strider nodded along. He had never given that aspect of it much thought; he could use it so well now, it almost seemed to be second nature to him.

"It's true. Very true. Certainly training is an important aspect, but training without knowledge is like shooting an arrow without having a target - aimless and useless, a waste of resources. With knowledge, however, the target comes into view and you can shoot it - and over time, hit it consistently and perfectly. Which is why our next lesson will be a long one - to imbue you with the knowledge of the world," the old man said.

"Alright, then. So…what first?" Strider asked.

"That's the question, isn't it? History, my boy. History is where we begin - the First Age and onward," the old man said.

"Oh, fuck…" Strider said, rubbing his face diligently.

"I had a feeling you would react like that, so we're going to start in a far more interesting place as it relates to history," the old man said.

"And where might that be?" Strider wondered.

"Legend," the old man said with a smile.

"Legend?" Strider wondered, his interest piqued.

"The First Age is notable for its many great warriors and the beasts that they had to fight. Many of those spawn live to this day, as you might know. The giant spiders, dragons, balrogs. The list goes on. But was that beginning for them? Or simply when the people of the age found out? It's wholly possible that they existed before - when the world was younger and the lands were closer. And then, of course, are those beasts that existed since time immemorial - where even the oldest cannot say where they come from," the old man said.

"Like what?" Strider wondered.

"Ungoliant, for one," the old man said.

"Ungoliant? What's that?" Strider asked.

"A primordial evil, taking the shape of a spider. The legends are scarce when it comes to her. Darkness incarnate, in some stories; here since time immemorial, an eternal enemy of the light. No one knows whence she came into being, only that she was there when being became. That which know is that she was evil to her core, allying herself with the Enemy. But when he was defeated, she escaped to Hyamentir, in Valinor. She made her home in the darkness, devouring all the light that touched near her - that which she hated, she needed. She wove her Unlight throughout the land - draining the light and leaving naught but darkness behind. After his defeat, Melkor sought her out and convicted her to attack the Two Trees. After much prodding, she agreed. The beast drained the trees of their sap, poisoned them hertofore, and drained the Wells of Varda. However, Melkor had not intended for her to grow so powerful - and powerful did she grow. In size, scope, and strength - so hideous, even he began to fear her," the old man said.

"If she was so powerful, how come she's not around still? Plenty of dragons made it through the First and Second Ages," Strider said, listening intently.

"I was getting to that. Before he set her upon the Two Trees, he had to convince her. He bribed her - he would keep her sated eternally, letting her devour all the light that she saw. As Melkor, now Morgoth, attempted to escape Angband, she followed. She knew that he was weakened and would be unable to fulfill his promise. She devoured the light of some of the gems that he had stolen and demanded that he give over the great gems that were left in his possession - the Silmarils. When he refused, she struck. Morgoth cried out in pain and the Balrogs that remained in Angband woke and leapt to his defense. They tore apart her webbing and laid siege to her. She fled; the Balrogs would've given chase, but Morgoth stopped them. Perhaps it was to rebuild himself; more likely it was because she would've destroyed them. This was a monster that could strike fear into the heart of an enemy so great and powerful, hardly anything comparable has been seen," the old man said.

"Is she still alive?" Strider wondered.

"Who can say? The rumors are she died. Escaped to Nan Dungortheb where she bred the Great Spiders that haunt and roam the lands today. It's said in the end, so hungry, she devoured herself. But others say that Eärendil slew her when he came across her during his journey. In the end, it's anyone's guess. Certainly she has not been seen or heard of since the First Age," the old man said.

"Maybe if she had been a bit quicker, she could've slain Morgoth," Strider said.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. His was a great power indeed. They saw when she attacked him, his scream was so powerful, the echoes could be heard long after. Lammoth, they called it - the land of the Great Echo. If one shouted, Morgoth would shout back at them. It was after this attack and his rescue by the Balrogs that he raised the mountains of Thangorodrim and rebuilt Angband," the old man said.

"What if she is still alive? Can anyone today defeat her?" Strider wondered.

"I suppose if she's still alive and you encounter her and live to tell the tale, you could let me know," the old man said with a chuckle. Strider simply smiled; he wondered how he would stack up against the beast?

"What about the Great Spiders? They still live now, don't they?" Strider asked.

"They do. The Great Spiders - oversized and intelligent beings. They can commune with each other, but in a tongue that's hardly known to others. They hate the light, but couldn't live without it; they thirst for it and wish to devour it. There are the Giant Spiders made their homes in the Mirkwood. Then the Umaiar Spiders - like Ungoliant in their strength. The ones we know the least of; their fate is unknown. And finally, the Spawn of Ungoliant. She mated with and devoured the mortal spiders, producing this hellspawn. Nigh-immortal, larger, more powerful, and far more intelligent than the others. Beasts unto their own," the old man said.

"How far do you think they've spread?" Strider wondered.

"Far by now," the old man said thoughtfully. "Perhaps her Spawn has even crossed the sea to the east and south by now - they've certainly had the time to do so."

"And how would one go about destroying a beast like that? Maybe I ca-," Strider began before begin cut off.

"You need to grow much stronger to handle something like that, my boy. Wiser. More attentive. Spiders are quick and devious creatures; one is not dead until it is completely dead," the old man said.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, old man," Strider said with a small smile. "What's next? Or can I go?"

"Tell me - what do you know of Balrogs?"

"They were corrupted by Maiar that were corrupted by Morgoth," Strider said, knowing the basics. "Demons of smoke and fire and part of his army."

"And so much more. With an army of drakes, balrogs, and orcs, Morgoth assailed Gondolin after Maeglin, son of Eöl, betrayed the city. And at the fall of Gondolin was the greatest Balrog to ever live - Gothmog," the old man said, leaning back with a twinkle in his eye. Strider looked at his mentor curiously; whenever he was talking about the battles of old, during the First Age, there was a gleam in his eye - as they he wished to be there, looking at it all unfold.

"Gothmog?" Strider asked quietly.

"The High Captain of Angband. His rank and power was equal to Sauron at that point in time. He wore an armor that sent fear through those that he fought. Under it, all that was visible were two red dots - his eyes as they trained in on you," the old man said, leaning forward. "He carried his whip and battle-ax into battle, striking fear in those that fought him. He strength was such that he was given the title Lord of the Balrog."

"It was during Dagor-nuin-Giliath - the Battle-under-stars - that Fëanor, the High King of the Ñoldor, went to Angband with a small company of elves. The Balrogs set upon them, slaying his company; but Fëanor fought valiantly. Towards the end of the fight, however, Gothmog appeared. He inflicted a mortal wound on the elf, which killed him. He killed another notable elf later - Fingon. And likely so many more in the time in-between, before, and after," the old man said.

"But he died as well, I'm guessing?" Strider wondered.

"During the Fall of Gondolin, yes. He fought Ecthelion, one of the great heroes of the First Age. His sword knocked out of his hand, Ecthelion ran at the Balrog and plunged them both into the Fountain of the King. The waters quickly put out the fires of the Balrog; but they also drowned Ecthelion," the old man said.

"So Gothmog's dead?" Strider asked.

"He is…as are most of the Balrogs. Few remain; most of them have burrowed into the deepest parts of the world. They await the return of their creator," the old man said quietly.

"Morgoth was destroyed, though," Strider said.

"His physical body, yes. But his spirit? It is alive and well. Unable to do much, certainly; but do not be fooled, Strider. Evil remains," the old man said.

"You seem fascinated by it all, old man," Strider said.

"Meaning?"

"Just an observation," Strider said. "The old legends and tales and whatever, all these books. I've never asked, but who exactly are you?"

"Who am I? Just an old man, living out the end of his days in peace," the old man said with a smile.

"An old man that knows about Magic that no one else knows about. An old man living in an idyllic place that barely seems affected by what's going on outside," Strider said.

"Indeed, indeed. Luck be a fickle lady, my boy," the old man said with a smile.

"Fine, fine. Be coy," Strider sighed. "Now, is that all? Or is there another legend you want to regale me with? Maybe we can bore Sauron to death."

"That's it for now. The rest I'll let you study on your own. Here - read this book within a week. I expect a remark on everything in it within two weeks. Off you go," the old man said, telekinetically flicking the book at Strider. Strider caught it, almost tumbling. The book was massive and heavy; with a sigh, he headed out.

As the old man watched him go, he frowned. Stretching his hand out, he clenched it multiple times. With a final look outside, he quickly shut the curtains of his house.

-o-

As Strider woke, he felt a sharp and terrible pain in his left shoulder and arm. He let out a anguished shout and ripped off the cloth around it. He grimaced as he saw the black blood that had soiled the cloth as well as the black mark on his shoulder. He touched it and immediately regretted it; another shot of pain went through his body, enough to force him to lay back down.

He had a hazy recollection of what had happened. He and Mira had fought the spider. Mira had set it on fire and as he walked around the rear, the spider had quickly plunged the stinger into his shoulder, narrowly missing any vitals. Looked behind, Strider saw the true extent of the damage; the wound was a through-and-through. Even as he tried, he was barely able to move his arm - any attempt was marred with a mind shattering eruption of pain.

Strider attempted to move his fingers and was relived to see he could still control them, despite his limited movement.

'The old man was right. Not dead until it's completely dead. Can't believe I missed that,' Strider thought to himself angrily.

Looking to his right side, he saw that Anglachel was resting neatly on the bed with him. He grasped the sword tightly.

'What a fool you are,' the sword whispered in his mind. 'Do not be so callow next time. I cannot be wielded by the others in your guild. You command me; I command you.'

'Damn blade,' Strider thought.

'You do not wish to return me until your task is done; and I do not wish to return until my thirst is slaked,' the sword retorted. Strider sighed; he had no rebuttal to that.

Soon, the door quietly opened. Mira walked in, a look of worry on her face. As she saw that he was awake, she quickly rushed to his side.

"Strider! Are you okay?!" Mira demanded, being sure not to move him to much. She knew that the black wound ached and hurt him and she didn't want o cause him more pain than necessary.

"Hey, Mira," Strider said, managing a smile. "I'm fine. Just…ow, ow. Just…a little pain. Nothing I can't deal with, though," Strider said, slowly sitting back up.

"Can you move your arm?" Mira asked nervously.

"A bit," Strider said, turning it ever so slightly. He did his best to ignore the sharp eruption of pain that just jutted through.

"Hold on, I'm going to get Mrs. Porlyusica here. She'll put it in a sling," Mira said, rushing back out to get their resident doctor.

As Porlyusica and Mira walked in, they were accompanied by Erza, Bisca, Cana, Lucy, and Juvia - all of whom stared at him with worry in their eyes.

"Hey, ladies. I'm fine, reall—OH GOD!" Strider shouted as Porlyusica roughly moved his left arm into position.

"Someone whose fine doesn't find religion at the instance of a little pain," Porlyusica mused. She maneuvered some liquid to his lips; Strider took a deep draught and felt the pain lessen slightly. He looked at Porlyusica in surprise; thus far, he hadn't tried anything that had helped reduce the pain this much.

"W-What was that?" Strider asked quietly.

"Something I recently designed after getting a feel for that wound you have. Can't do anything about it but I can whip something up to help with the pain. Now keep quiet while I put this one," she said, tightly wrapping his arm in a sling.

"Uh…shouldn't you be a bit more gentle, Mrs. Porlyu—" Lucy began before she was cut off with a strict look from the doctor.

"You should be fine by tomorrow. The makeup of your shoulder and arm underneath the wound is completely different from a regular person. Almost vacuous; the stinger just went through you. Besides the pain, you'll be alright," Porlyusica said, taking her leave. Strider sighed and slowly stood up, taking a moment to get his bearings.

"You really need to stop getting into these kinds of situations," Mira said, giving him a tight hug. Strider returned the embrace, sighing but agreeing. There was soon another knock on the door.

"Feeling better, then?" Master Makarov asked as he entered, General Arcadios at his side.

"I am, Master. General, what're you doing here?" Strider asked, surprised.

"I had heard about the attack through the grapevine. When I learned what it might've been, I rushed over as soon as I could. As Ms. Strauss informed me, it was a spider that attacked you, was it not?" Arcadios asked.

"It was. Why?" Strider wondered.

"The Kingdom has had reports recently about large webs being spun in the forest. We investigated and found the webs, but not much else. About a month ago, however, we started hearing about people going to the forest and not coming back out. Again, we investigate but didn't find much besides webs. But to hear that you played a spider - a giant spider, at that; I would like to investigate once more and see if we might be able to find out what really happened," the General said.

"Sure. Let's—" Strider began before he was cut off.

"You can't go right now! You're still healing!" Lucy shouted, her voice shrill.

"Indeed. You ought to get some rest. We can wait a—" General Arcadios began before Strider shook his head.

"No, no. I need to get out, General. Can't stay cooped up for to long. I promise I won't do anything stupid," Strider said, looking at the girls.

"I intend to ensure that," Erza said flatly.

"As do I," Mira agreed.

-o-

"Do we really need this many people?" Strider wondered as they waited in the forest. Several guilds had joined them, creating a party as big as the one that fought against the dragons.

"I'd rather not take chances if I don't—PRINCESS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Arcadios yelled exasperatedly as Hisui approached them, a look of worry on her face.

"Strider! Are you alright?" Hisui asked frantically, raising some eyebrows.

"I'm fine, My Lady. Although I think it's best if you—" Strider began before she cut him off.

"I can't do that, especially if citizens of the city might be hurt or in peril. My father and I intend to see this through with you," she said. The King appeared behind her, a saddened look on his face.

"It hasn't been long since these attacks started. At first, we didn't think much of them; plenty of beasts roam free in the wild but they've never posed a problem to the people of my city. Even when I heard of the webs, it didn't bother me to much. But when I heard that my people began to go missing, it stirred a worry in my heart. If there's more of these kinds of creatures, then we need to be ready to deal with them immediately. Hisui and I will stay close by," the king said.

"Men! Surround the king and the princess! Ensure their safety by all means!" Arcadios barked.

"Strider…do you think there's more of them?" Hisui asked nervously.

"Difficult to say, Princess. I haven't seen the webs so I can't be sure if it's one, ten, or a hundred. That said, it was a big one so it's certainly possible it was solely responsible. That said, it's best to make sure that it really was the only one," Strider said.

"Mirajane mentioned that the spider said something when it attacked. Do you remember?" Erza asked.

"Hmm? Not really. What did it say?" Strider said.

"Ungoliant. I've no idea what that means, though," Mira said, frowning.

"Ungoliant…" Strider whispered.

"Alright! Everyone's here. We're going to split into teams and head out. Keep a watchful eye out for any spiders or webbing you might see. Remember, they're weak against fire!" Arcadios yelled.

-o-

"Think we'll find some more?" Natsu wondered as he led the team around the forest. They had so far encountered nothing, not even a small piece of webbing.

"It's possible, although I certainly hope not," Strider said, rolling his neck. The aching in his arm was still diligent.

"I really don't like spiders," Lucy shuddered, holding Strider's cloak tightly.

"I don't think anyone does," Strider said with a slight chuckle.

"I think I see an opening up ahead," Wendy suddenly said, peering through a clearing. As they passed to the other side of it, they were greeted by a cavernous opening.

"Spiders prefer the dark," Strider said mindlessly, quickly heading in. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he was hit with an overwhelming smell - one he knew well.

"Natsu. Send up a flare," he whispered.

"What is it?" Natsu asked.

"Just do it. Everyone needs to get here - quickly," Strider said. Natsu quickly did as he asked.

"Shouldn't we go in?" Wendy asked.

"Not yet, Wendy. Let's wait for everyone to get here…just in case," Strider said, resting a hand on her head. If his hunch was correct, he didn't want the little girl to see more than she had to.

It was another fifteen minutes before the other guilds caught up with them.

"What is it?" Arcadios inquired. As soon as he crossed the threshold, however, he understood.

"Princess, you stay out here, just in case," Arcadios said.

"Bu—" she began to argue, but was cut off by her father who seemingly understood.

"Please, Hisui. Just in case," Toma said.

"…Very well, father," she sighed.

"Wendy, Shelia, you two should stay out here as well. We don't want our healers getting up encase there's something in there," Strider said.

"Bu—" Wendy began before Makarov overruled her.

"I think he's right, Wendy. Romeo, Lisanna, you two as well," the wise master said. By now, he had smelled it as well. Leaving some of the guild members outside just in case, Fairy Tail, Mermaid Heel, and Lamia Scale headed inside.

As they pressed further inside, the pungent smell only intensified. It was at the point that several people had to stop and take a moment, trying to keep their bearings that.

"What the hell is that?" Sting asked, coughing.

"We'll find out soon enough," Strider whispered as he crested over a small hill inside the cavern. As he reached the other side, he blanched, his suspicions confirmed.

The reaction was near unanimous - shock, horror, disgust. Several of the wizards had to turn away, rubbing their eyes in an attempt to forget.

It was the spiders den, they were sure - and its feeding ground. They could make out the several half eaten corpses lying around, some hanging from the ceiling, cocooned in the silky white webbing. Carrion birds made their way inside, picking apart the remains to the best they could. Flies and other insects made their homes within the rotting entrails, lazing around in the crusted blood that seemed out. Looks of horror and anguish were enshrined in the few faces that remained whole.

"Oh my God…" Mira whispered, her eyes wide at the carnage.

"This…this is…" the king said, gulping.

He knew about the necropolis that lay underneath the city - residence to many deceased figures from times long past. Never had he stepped foot in it, however; and never had he condemned anyone to live their life out there. But neither did he ever take the time to look at what had been wrought - on the innocent or the guilty. But as he looked at the rotting carcasses of the men and women he represented, he felt a tremendous and overwhelming sense of guilt and responsibility.

The king was the first to descend down the hill, Arcadios and Strider at his side. The two men looked at each other, sighing at their inability to help the poor souls that remained.

"The spider's lair," Strider finally said, breaking the silence. Slowly, but carefully, the others began to follow the three down. Several wizards chased the birds out of the lair.

"Damn scavengers," Sting snarled.

"It's not their fault, Sting," Rogue whispered.

"We need to get these people down! They might still be alive!" Lucy said frantically.

"I don't think so," Toma said gravely.

"But…if they…" Lucy trailed off, shuddering.

Strider quickly used his telekinesis to rip the hanging figures from the ceiling, resting them gently on the ground. He, Arcadios, Erza, and Kagura quickly got to work in cutting the cocoons open, being careful to not hit any flesh. As they popped open, they were hit by another disgusting smell. Strider grimaced as he saw what had happened.

"That smells like…" Mira began, covering her nose.

"They were still alive when this happened. It looks like they were paralyzed by the spider," Strider said, noting the puncture marks on each of the people. He looked at his own wound, thankful now for the black mark…if what Porlyusica said was true, it appeared as though that might've saved him.

"They were still alive when it wrapped them up?" Cana asked, shuddering violently.

"Yeah. Their biological functions were still active, at least. But it's not like the waste could go anywhere, especially considering how tight they were wrapped. Pissed and shat themselves for days," Strider said, whispering the last part to himself.

"What're you looking for?" Arcadios asked as Strider began to move around the cave.

"To see if it might've laid any eggs, General," Strider said. It wasn't long until he hit the jackpot. "Ah. There we go."

The others quickly rushed over. They behalf hundreds of eggs, larger than normal for a spiders spawn. To Strider's immense relief, none of them were squirming, none even seemed to have hatched yet.

"We ought to destroy them, Your Majesty," Strider said.

"I agree, Your Highness. These beasts cannot be allowed to hatch!" Arcadios agreed.

"Do it," the king said breathlessly. Several of the king's men came forward, about to strike with their spears, but were stopped by Strider.

"Perhaps it'll be easier and less gory if we just crush them, Your Majesty. Jura?" Strider asked, looking at the Wizard Saint. Jura nodded, as did the king. With a quick jab from his Iron Rock Wall, he crushed all the eggs in one fell swoop. He decided to leave the rocky wall in its position; no one was keen on seeing the result.

Strider went back to examine the bodies, a sad look in his eyes. No doubt that the process was painful. He could see places where the webbing was slightly stretched, indicating that the people inside had tried their best to get out. He wondered how long the paralyzing agent was active for - and hoped that the pain was as minimal as possible. He knelt down one particular corpse - a young woman with blonde hair that was drenched in grime and webbing. Her lips were parted, her eyes wide open in unseeing terror. He closed them for her, sighing deeply.

'All this happened while I was here,' he thought to himself. If he had heard the rumors, perhaps he could've helped them.

"Hiro hyn hîdh ab 'wanath," Strider whispered before getting back up.

"Men - let's do one more round to make sure that's the last of them. I want you to search very nook and cranny of this place!" Arcadios barked. His men obeyed immediately and set about looking for any more eggs or signs of spiders in the cavern.

"Are you alright?" Mira whispered as she moved to Strider's side.

"Hmm? Yeah. I'm fight. Are you okay, though? Not an easy sight to see," Strider said.

"I'm fine," she said soothingly. "Let's get out of here. I don't think there's much more that we can do, and it seems like there's no other spiders."

"Right. Let's go," Strider said.

-o-

"I don't know how you can stand these things, Lord Thranduil," Strider said in disgust as he looked at the carcass of a spider in front of him. It was an easy kill, he though; a slight bit of his telekinesis had broken its limbs without effort. All that was required was a quick jab.

"It's certainly an infestation," Lord Thranduil said, sighing as he cleaned his sword. "The spiders have called this place their home for ages. I image that they will eventually die out, however. This isn't the Spawn of Ungoliant - simply Giant Spiders. At the very least, they consider orcs, uruks, and goblin their enemies. They make no differentiation between who they attack."

"Do you think there's an easier way to get rid of them, though?" Strider wondered.

"Perhaps after Sauron is gone from the world," Thranduil mused. "His refuge in Dol Guldur is what called them here in the first place. Though he has abandoned it, his Shadow looms over Middle Earth. When the Shadow is gone, so will go the evil that depends upon it."

"We've killed the others, My Lord," Zentha said as she slid down a tree and landed deftly on her feet, smiling at Strider and Thranduil.

"Excellent. Head back home then, Zentha. Strider and I shall be along shortly," Thranduil said.

"As you wish, My Lord. Strider," Zentha said.

"My lady," Strider said graciously.

"How has my son been, if I might ask?" Thranduil asked.

"Excellent, My Lord. I'm not sure if any of your other archers compare to him," Strider said with a grin. "With a bow and arrow or a sword or his daggers, he's the best of the best."

"And the dwarf?" Thranduil wondered.

"They might not know it yet, but they've definitely struck up a friendship. Every fight is them comparing their kills," Strider laughed.

"It will be an eye opening experience for both, then," Thranduil mused. "The two men?"

"Aragorn is…Aragorn. As always, sir," Strider said.

"He will make a wise king," Thranduil mused.

"So long as Denethor doesn't deny him his birthright," Strider said.

"Authority is not given to him to deny the return of the king," Thranduil said, looking to the sky. "And so the White Tree will bloom once again."

"I hope so, sir," Strider said softly. "Boromir…I don't know. I'm not sure what's going on in his mind. His father is the Steward and he wasn't as receptive."

"No, I imagine he wasn't," Thranduil sighed. "Men are proud."

"Pride goeth before destruction," Strider mused.

"Indeed. Which is why one must remain cognizant to not let it overcome their sensibilities," Thranduil said. "Come. I've a gift for you before you go."

-o-

"Training? So soon?" Strider asked, slightly surprised.

"I think everyone wants to get their mind off of what happened today," Mira said softly as they got back to the hotel. Most everyone went to their rooms to quickly ready themselves for the fight that was coming up soon.

"I guess I can understand it from that perspective," Strider said. He moved his left arm around a bit. Still pained, he had regained a bit more feeling at least.

"I think it's best if you just get some rest, though," Mira said nervously.

"No way. I need to be doing something," he said, rolling his neck. "Don't worry. I won't push myself too hard."

"Good. Come see me when you can, though. I'll be with Lis and Elf," she said, quickly kissing him on the cheek before heading to her room.

As he took a seat, Master Mavis came up to his side, as glum as the others.

"How're you faring, Master Mavis?" Strider asked.

"Similar to the others," she sighed. "It is a difficult sight for anyone to see. I've hardly ever seen something like that. But I wanted to talk to you about something else. Will you escort me outside?"

"Certainly," Strider said. The two left, heading towards the outskirts of the city. As they began walked on the path out into the forest again, Mavis spoke.

"Mira mentioned something about what the spider had said. Ungoliant," Mavis said.

"Right," Strider nodded.

"It only occurred to me a little while ago that I remembered a legend about a creature named Ungoliant," Mavis said.

Strider nearly tripped as Mavis said that. Eyes wide, he stared at the back of her head.

'Impossible,' he thought, shocked.

"What do you mean, Master?" Strider finally said, his voice hardly above a whisper.

"It's not a very well known legend, I admit - barely a footnote in the Legends of Ishgar. But it was a story about a giant spider that's been alive since time began. The book mentioned that the spider could eat light and that it lived in darkness - and that it wanted to keep eating light until none remained. It also mentioned that all spiders came from this Ungoliant," Mavis said, shuddering slightly.

"I see," Strider said. "That's…something."

"There was something else that the book mentioned, however," Mavis said.

"Oh? What might that be?" Strider wondered.

"That Ungoliant came from the Northern Continent," Mavis said, stopping and turning to face him. Strider looked down at the diminutive First Master, a searching look in his eye.

"Do you know anything about what it means, Strider?" Mavis asked.

"I know the name," Strider finally said, beginning to walk again. "The parallels between the legend, as I heard it, and what you told me are strikingly similar. But, to the best of my recollection, no one has made the journey here besides myself. I can't begin to explain how a legend from my homeland would find its way here, Master."

"Nor do I," Mavis said, frowning. "Perhaps you might want to do a bit more research on that when you go home again. If your legends have made it this far, it stands to reason that other people have as well. Please do your best in finding out. I won't press you for more just yet."

"Thank you, Master. I will," Strider said.

"Strider," Mavis said, suddenly stopping again.

"Yes, First Master?" Strider wondered.

"Ungoliant, the First Spider…is it still alive?" Mavis asked softly. Strider paused and looked around, thinking about the question yet again.

"Perhaps. Legends don't die easily," he said, turning around and heading deeper into the forest yet again.