Eight Legged Freaks (E)

Ashton slept for a solid six hours the sounds of falling rain and rolling thunder lulling him back to sleep whenever he stirred. He eventually woke up though not in the place he remembered. "W-what? Where am I," Ashton said, blinking his bleary eyes.

(Hello Ashton.)

It was still strange hearing the voice feminine of his travel buddy greeting him. But Ashton wanted to at least become more familiar with Kyu so he decided to speak back. "Good morning." Waking up in the cave immediately reminded him of the events of the previous day? It wasn't exactly sunny when he first woke up and he didn't spend a decent amount of time running. That got him thinking. "Hey Kyu, does the system have some sort of built-in clock?"

(Sorry to disappoint but as of the current moment, the system does not incorporate any timekeeping functions. But right now that should be the least of your worries.)

"What makes you say that?" Ashton went to rub his eye but something was stopping his hand. He moved his hand and felt something smooth but sticky. 'This must be what she meant.' It felt soft against his skin but when he tried to push it refused to tear. Some of the substance even stuck to part of his hand and arm. Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind. Dark cave, restrained by smooth but sticky material. "Oh no. Please god no. Kyu please don't tell me I'm stuck in…" Ashton didn't dare finish

(Some form of silken webbing. What creature produced this I can't say for certain. But whatever it is must have been hiding somewhere deeper in the cave. They might have been hibernating or even doing the same thing we were and we disturbed them somehow.)

"Disturbed them somehow?" Ashton went over everything that happened then it hit him. "It was that beginner package thing. First, it blinds me now it's going to get me eaten," Ashton spat in a panicked huff. He suddenly felt a calming energy sweep across his mind preventing him from escalating further.

(You need to calm down, sarcasm won't help anything and panicking may only attract the attention of whatever did this.)

"Thank you. I needed that; now what to do about this silk." Ashton went over a few ideas until he remembered one of the things he got. "Hey Kyu, if I'm thinking correctly I remember receiving some torches from that gift." That package got him into this situation so it was going to get him out.

(Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?)

Ashton could hear the concern creeping into Kyu's voice. "I just want to know if the torches come pre-lit or not." The silence following that statement didn't make Ashton feel any better. "Kyu?"

(Yes the torches do come already lit. I just don't want you to set yourself on fire.)

"I'm glad that you care but I'd rather deal with some burns than whatever was able to carry me off." Kyu was still a bit hesitant but she didn't say a thing and let her partner continue with his idea. "Let's hope this works." Ashton summoned a torch causing the silk around his hand to immediately start burning away. "Yes, burn faster because after I'm out of this I'm going to find a way to scorch this place." The trapped boy watched with a satisfied grin as his silken binds turned into soot-like ash. The smell however was not the best. It was something that could only be described as a mixture of charred meat and burning hair. "I always hated the smell of burning webs, '' Ashton resolved.

(Let's just get out of here before we attract any unwanted attention.)

"You did not just say that."

(What did I say?)

"You just don't say that kind of thing. It's like inviting bad things to… " Ashton was cut off by a string of web flying past his head. "You and I are going to have a serious talk about flags when this is over." He turned to see where the web came from only to find three sets of eight glowing purple eyes staring back at him. "It just had to be spiders." Memories of his past life started rising in the back of his mind. The sight of a giant spider's nest falling toward his head while his grandpa laughed in the background. Ashton was ready to turn tail until Kyu chimed in.

(The chances of outrunning these beasts are low. I would suggest fighting them but doing so without any gear pretty much guarantees death. I suggest using those coupons you got earlier and hoping you get something good.)

"You mean to tell me that there's a chance of getting something bad," Ashton whispered through his teeth. He could hear the creatures let out low chattering noises while the lights that were their eyes grew the least bit closer.

(The Gacha Wheel is for the most part completely random. You may get something amazing or completely useless. It's pretty much a gamble.)

Ashton could hear the twinge of shame in Kyu's voice and let out a breath. "Don't blame yourself, it's not like you could have known we'd be in a situation like this."

(Wasn't I the one who told you not to go into the cave?)

"You can't sweat the small details like who said what and who should have listened to who. We have giant spiders to deal with." With that Ashton pulled up his inventory and activated both coupons. 'Here's to hoping," he thought as two wheels materialized and began spinning. Kyu planned on giving him an earful after this.

[Congratulations! You have just won the item Sun Cloak. Would you like to equip? Y/N]

Congratulations! You have just won the item Flametongue Dagger. Would you like to equip? Y/N]

After rapidly clicking the yes button Ashton's body was briefly enveloped in white light. When it faded a golden cloak appeared draped on his shoulder and a small blade covered in intricate patterns appeared in his right hand. He took a defensive stance as the runes covering the weapon pulsed, coating its blade with fire. There was now enough light in the space to allow Ashton a good look at what he was fighting. The creature in question looked like the godforsaken fusion of a grey work and a tarantula. Each creature had a canine head filled to the brim with jagged teeth and a set of sharp-looking mandibles supported by a large body with a set of eight armored legs conversed in a layer of greyish black fur.

[Quest Activated! You will gain this notification every time you encounter a new quest.]

[Quest: Eight Legged Freaks - You've awakened in a new world and what's the first thing you stumble into? Why Giant spiders of course. These creatures are called danger beasts and they want to kill you and you don't want that so it's now your job to kill them.

Task: Kill 3 Adolescent Wolf Spiders

Rewards: Access to the Hunter class, and the knowledge that there are now three fewer of these horrid things running around.

Penalty on Failure: Death by Organ Liquefaction]

One of the creatures growled at the new source of light before turning around to launch more webbing causing Ashton to jump to his left. 'This has gotta be the stuff people have nightmares about,' the reincarnator thought to himself as he ran in with an arcing slice. His swing was sloppy but it managed to connect, clipping the arachnid's leg. The sharp edge of the blade pierced through its carapace allowing the fire to take hold effectively searing the inner flesh. This all happened in a few seconds as the other two wolf spiders shot their string catching Ashton allowing the hurt one to bring its maw down on his left arm.

Ashton winced from the pain before ripping away his arm before the beast could dig any deeper. 'Please don't have venom,' he internally prayed using the position to drive the dagger into the beast's underside. The flames burned the creature's insides further filling the cave with the smell of burnt meat. Putting all the strength into his arm Ashton pulled forward dragging the blade through the creature on top of him bisecting it. The body of the creature slumped to the side as Ashton scrambled away. His hands were shaking but his eyes were still focused on the remaining two.

(One down, two to go.)

Kyu was trying her best to be encouraging while Ashton readied his blade. Both wolf spiders charged with a combination of howls and hisses. Ashton wasn't expecting them to be so fast and was caught off guard. He screamed when he felt a set of mandibles clamp down on his leg. "Goddamn, it" Ashton hissed as he brought the flametongue down on the beast's head.

(Keep going, there's only one left!)

"This one is for all the arachnophobes out there," Ashton said with a newfound determination. He's managed to beat two of these things and that made him confident. The wolf spider once again charged at him while shooting more webs. Ashton's blade sliced through the web leaving a trail of ash as he and the creature went for their finishing blows. The thick mandibles dug in like a vice while the teeth ripped away at his flesh. But Ashton wasn't backing down either. He stabbed the dagger in the space between the wolfish head and the upper exoskeleton.

"I refuse to die this early to a goddamn spider!" Ashton screamed, causing the runes on the blade to glow even brighter. The blade was now spewing flames as Aston separated the head from the body.

[Congratulations you have completed your first quest!]

[Prerequisites met to gain access to the Ranger Class. Would you like to select this as your Primary Class? Y/N]