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A Soldier's Life - 287 - The Vault of the Spirit Arachnid (final edit 6-24-25)
🕑 Added 2024-10-30 04:35:48 +0000 UTCChapter 287: The Vault of the Spirit Arachnid
I was up well before the others and went to check on the horses. Ginger got an extra rubdown while I handed out half-apples to the rest of the mounts. As I brushed her flank, I found myself quietly explaining that I’d be gone all day on a dungeon delve and that she shouldn’t worry. Of course, she couldn’t understand me—but I spoke to her anyway. Ginger wasn’t just a mount. She was a companion I trusted.
Leaving the stables, I found most of my companions in the common room sporting hangovers. Even Maveith had his head face down to avoid looking at the bright glowstone sconces. I passed out some morning glory stems, but my supply was getting low. Benito, who was not joining us, was missing, and a quick earth pulse confirmed he was asleep alone in his bed upstairs.
Mateo didn’t look the least bit regretful about last night—if anything, he seemed energized. He always talked a big game, but now that I thought about it, I couldn’t recall him ever actually following through before and visiting a brothel. Glasha joined us a moment later, wearing an unmistakable orcish grin. The two of them carefully avoided eye contact, which I found quietly hilarious.
I briefly toyed with the idea of calling them out, just to see their reactions, but thought better of it—especially with Blaze casting sidelong glances between Raelia and me, clearly trying to puzzle out whatever was going on between us.
“We have an hour before sunrise. Do you have any questions?” I asked. The delve group was Raelia, Maveith, Mateo, Glasha, and me. Blaze was just here to see us off.
“What is our share of the loot?” Mateo asked with a smirk while sucking on his morning glory noisily.
“Equal share of the reward chests, and I decide on the distribution of anything else found.” My tone indicated I was referring to the essence. I still was uncertain if I would reveal its presence to Glasha yet, but I would hate to leave so many essences behind. No one else had a question, and they seemed recovered enough from celebrating.
I only knew the entrance was just outside the city. “Glasha, can you lead us to the entrance?”
It was about a mile’s walk beyond the western gate. Nearby, large oak trunks—probably cut from inside the dungeon—were stacked neatly to dry. Six tattooed orcs in steel cuirasses stood guard, each with long spears and blades at their hips. They looked like experienced warriors, not just gatekeepers.
Glasha stepped forward to speak, her voice clear and authoritative. “Glasha Mistborn, the Chronologicaler. Here to delve today.”
I half-expected some kind of confrontation from whoever we had displaced, but the guards were the only ones present. Still, I couldn’t quite figure why so many elite-looking sentries were stationed at a single dungeon entrance. There was no immediate sense of danger, but I made a note to stay alert when we emerged—just in case.
The largest of the sextet nodded, his face hidden under a polished steel helm, and motioned his men to move aside. Blaze took the opportunity to depart. “Good luck, and bring me back a trophy.” He clasped wrists with each of us before returning to town.
I was last and seriously said, “Make sure Benito doesn’t get into trouble.”
“I will do my best, but I am just one man,” he said, a warm smile spreading across his face as he released my wrist and stepped back. As he walked away, I felt grateful to have someone so dependable by my side as backup. Maveith, fierce and loyal, was not just a friend but a formidable force in battle. Yet it was Blaze who had a keen eye for details—the subtle ones—often noticing things I missed and, sometimes, things I wasn't quite ready to share.
The entrance to the dungeon was down a short series of black stone steps. We walked through the familiar black, oily surface. The entry chamber was small, just a rough twenty-foot circular room. White chalk writing on the wall abounded in Orcish. The graffiti filled the walls from floor to ceiling, and reading it all would take over a day—if you could read it. I was sure there was wisdom in those words on the dangers ahead, but we didn’t have time for Raelia to translate.
I unsheathed Boris' dungeon blade, the glossy silver metal gleaming in my grasp as anticipation charged the air. The others fell into formation, Maveith taking a strategic position beside me in the tunnel that led to the next chamber.
The Shimmering Labyrinth had been unlike other dungeons—it offered a myriad of starting areas and a non-linear path among at least three levels. In stark contrast, we stood in the Vault of the Spirit Arachnid, a traditional series of rooms, each one more demanding than the last, designed to test the limits of our combat skill and cooperation.
Above us, luminous moss clung to the ceiling, casting a mesmerizing light throughout the space. Its vibrant hues—a swirling mix of soft yellows and deep blues—imbued the chamber with a twilight glow, creating a fascinating and foreboding atmosphere, as if it were alive and watching our progress.
“Is everyone ready?” I asked. Seeing no objections, I reminded everyone of our opponent. “There should be five myconids in the next room. Each is about as strong as a man, and they will use their arms as clubs. Some myconids can release spores to poison or force you to sleep, but the ones we are facing do not have that ability. If they do release a cloud of spores, hold your breath or you will experience a violent coughing fit.” I waited until everyone nodded, and I led the way.
The moss seemed to be brighter when the tunnel ended. The chamber beyond had a high ceiling with glowing moss that showed ripples of colors, mostly yellow and blue, with some lines of green. Large pillars of black stone stood throughout the chamber, with thousands of small mushrooms dotting the floor. A ten-foot myconid walked carefully among the small mushrooms as if he were tending a garden. Although it had two arms and two legs, that was its only resemblance to a person.
Its entire body was a living fungus. I noticed the other four myconids in the chamber. “Mateo, since you are intimately familiar with it, guard the cleric’s body.” I didn’t turn around to see his reaction as I dashed into the room.
I targeted the tallest one first. It was a little comical to me how slow it seemed as I removed its spongy, fibrous arms with forceful slashes. Maveith was having more trouble as his hammer had gotten embedded in the head of his first target. Raelia circled a blue myconid and cut chunks out of it with her short blade. I moved to intercept a green myconid that was moving toward Mateo and Glasha. It cast a mist of spores into my path, and I held my breath as I engaged. The fungoid men were poor fighters, relying on direct, telegraphed attacks. I quickly cut down my second opponent and stepped well clear of the cloud before inhaling again.
It had only taken a minute for all the myconids to be disabled, and now it was about removing their heads, which didn’t take long. They bled slowly with a clear, viscous fluid oozing from their bodies. The blood was useful as a glue, but difficult to harvest and keep fresh. I was more interested in the spongy masses around the head and arm pits that released the spores.
Corvus’s runic dagger appeared in my hand as I worked quickly to harvest what I could. Glasha had watched the fight, impressed, and was now standing over me. “I know an alchemist in the city that pays well for myconid flesh.”
“I plan to keep these, I dabble in alchemy myself,” I replied.
“Since when?” Raelia said in surprise from across the chamber, drawing an interested Mateo. Realizing her mistake, Raelia shut up, and I harvested in silence as the others wandered the chamber and located the reward chest.
Mateo edged closer to me, and I thought he was going to ask about Raelia, clearly indicating that she knew me before we met in Artiria. “How did you know? Was it because we were so loud?”
I chuckled a little as he seemed slightly embarrassed. I didn’t know if they had been loud or not, but if he were going to give me a reason for being aware, I would use it. “Yes. You two were definitely enthusiastic. Glasha doesn’t seem a bad sort. How was it?”
Mateo struggled for words, ensuring no one could overhear him, as he leaned in. “Bit weird at first with the face and skin and tusks, but everything was normal after I got past it.” He grinned, “She has incredibly strong thighs from riding so much…”
“Never kiss and tell.” I interrupted him, not needing to know the details. Or maybe I was slightly jealous, as it had been a few months for me.
Maveith was searching the mushroom carpet but returned frustrated. “I didn’t find anything I recognized. I'm not sure if they are edible or not.” His statement made me think briefly of Konstantin, who could tell if something was poisonous. I hoped the veteran had made it out too.
“It is fine, Maveith. I am sure there will be other useful harvests. What was in the reward chest?”
“Six silver coins and a potion that Glasha said was cure poison.” I nodded but thought it was not a great reward. Yes, the dungeon potion was probably worth a few golds since it wouldn’t expire until the seal was broken, but I didn’t feel that it matched the danger level.
“You can hold onto the potion,” I decided. I had my spell form to purge any poison. “Mateo and Raelia can split the silver.”
We had cleared and harvested the first room in fifteen minutes, and I ushered my group toward the next chamber. I stood in the tunnel, looking at the large pool of green murky water covered in algae. The green glowing moss lining the ceiling reflected off the surface, making it appear an even deeper shade of green. A few swirls in the water indicated the giant snapping turtles beneath the surface. I don’t think the healer told me how many there were, but I identified four distinct moving swirls.
“I will handle these. You all can wait here,” I said. When one of the swirls got close, I stepped onto the bridge. The water churned, immediately closing on me, and I waited. The turtle surfaced in a foamy mess as it surged onto the bridge. A long neck shot forth and slammed into the stacked air shields, stunning itself momentarily. I moved around them and hacked the head off in two-handed slash. I was beginning to appreciate Boris’ dungeon blade. I was able to isolate the other three and similarly dispatch them all in less than five minutes.
Looking back at the group, only Maveith wasn’t impressed as he tried to muscle the first turtle shell onto its back. “Leave it, Maveith. I don’t feel like turtle soup.”
Disappointed, he had a pleading look, “But it goes extremely well with chicken broth and potatoes. It was one of my favorites growing up.”
Maveith needed a win after our slow travel. “Fine, just harvest one. While we wait, Mateo and Glasha can scout the next room. Do not enter,” I warned.
Mateo looked confused for just a moment before realizing I planned to use the collector. He ushered Glasha down the corridor. When I was sure they were out of sight, the collector appeared in my hand.
As I worked on collecting the first turtle, Raelia hovered over me. “She is smart and will figure out you are sending her away for a purpose eventually.” I ignored her and focused on the essence forming from the weak azure smoke being pulled into it. A small, dark purple sphere formed—a minor strength essence. The dungeon was harvested so often that I doubted I would get anything but minor essences.
“I would have preferred not to have her along at all,” I said testily while I consumed the first essence. Moving to the next turtle, I added, “She is planning something. See if you can figure out what it is.” I handed the next minor essence to Raelia and the third to Maveith. The fourth I gave to Raelia to hand to Mateo secretly.
We waited while Maveith got some turtle steaks, and I stored them. The meat had a funny scent to it, and I hoped it was safe to eat. The chest was another disappointment: ten silver coins and a vial of thick black oil. The best I could decipher from the dungeon script was that the contents were something called ever-burning oil.
We joined Mateo and Glasha at the end of the corridor. They parted ways so I could inspect the room. The ceiling had the same glowing moss we saw throughout the dungeon, but pulsed slowly. It shifted from a bright blue-green to completely black in a slow, repeating strobe effect. Large sections of the ceiling were also completely free of moss. This was likely where the lurkers should be hiding, but I couldn’t see them at all.
“I see four,” Glasha offered, seeing me struggle.
I grunted, still trying to find my first one. “How many should there be?” I asked, as I don’t think the orc healer told me.
“Five,” she said definitively.
Seeing I was not going to admit I couldn’t find the creatures, she pointed to the far wall, “There are two there overlapping.”
I blinked rapidly when the chamber was at its brightest and could now see the black rocks looked too smooth in that area. She quickly pointed out two more nestled in the transition between the wall and ceiling. I was actually impressed she had spotted them. “Have you delved into this dungeon before I asked?”
“No, but I have been in the Endless Dark and fought lurkers before,” she admitted. With Glasha’s back turned, I noticed Raelia slipping Mateo the essence, which he consumed immediately.
“Why did you travel into the Endless Dark?” I asked conversationally, content to wait until all threats could be identified.
“The Caliphate monitors all access points to the Endless Dark. Sometimes, the Supreme Cleric orders expeditions into the depths to survey the known paths,” Glasha responded, still scanning the chamber for the last lurker.
“To what end?” Raelia inquired from behind us.
Glasha directed her focus at my group. “They monitor the wandering creatures. Although we explore all thirteen dungeons in the Caliphate, some entrances remain a mystery. These dungeons become saturated and periodically release their spawn into the Endless Dark. Most perish in the Endless Dark, but a few manage to reach the surface. That is why the Esenhem elves foolishly destroyed most of their dungeons.”
“Most forget, but it was the dungeons who trained and equipped my people, your people, and your people, to fight the Titans. Without the dungeons, we would have stood no chance at victory. The Boutan orcs honor dungeons and what they provide,” Glasha said proudly.
Maveith was listening raptly and asked, “Why did the dungeons help fight the Titans?”
Glasha’s head tilted left and right as she struggled to come up with a reason. “I am not sure, as it was five thousand years ago. But I think the Titans were trying to destroy the dungeons. It is why most of the great dungeons no longer exist. This,” she indicated around her, “Is just an infant dungeon, no more than three thousand years old.”
“So, dungeons can have babies?” Mateo asked, perplexed.
“This is not the time to discuss lore,” I said, halting the conversation. We eventually located the last lurker above our entrance.
I indicated to Glasha and Mateo, “Mateo, take Glasha and wait with her in the last chamber.”
Glasha was surprised and slightly angry, “Why? I can help. Why don’t you trust me?”
“Where did you go, and what were you up to after you logged the job completed in the Adventurer’s Hall?” I asked pointedly.
Glasha’s eyes studied me for a moment like she was trying to peer into me and get all my secrets. Maybe that was exactly what she was doing. “I was sending a message to Cleric Mynasha to get to Grila in the next two days if she wanted to contract your services.”
“The escort job I already told you I didn’t want to take?” I said irritably. “I am still not interested.”
Glasha wasn’t deterred, “If you help her. She can help you get what you want. Maveith’s sister.” She had a triumphant, tusky smile on her face.
Damn it. “Who told you that?” I asked harshly. But I really didn’t need to ask. Mateo was already slinking away.
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Comments
Brianna Stormcloud
Thanks for this week's chapters 📖🍿
Erick Thiemke
to contrast with the chapter "A Woman Can Not Keep A Secret
Erick Thiemke
corrected
GucciG
Thankfully, Glasha pierced through Eyrk's stubbornness. Did Eryk really think he could waltz into some Warlord's home and steal one of his legal slaves? How did he think he was going to leave the nation? Having connections to assist was the only real answer to begin with; it was how he was so successful back in the empire as a legionnaire. I was beyond irked for a while because of his attitude. Thank you, Glasha.
Andrew Crews
Sure, they were out of sight [❌ unclear phrasing; doesn’t strongly convey certainty or sequence], the collector appeared in my hand. Edited Version: Once I was sure they were out of sight, the collector appeared in my hand.
Silver Beard
Even if Ginger has his Essence affinity; she'd need a several apex of intelligence to begin to overcome her natural instincts. Without it would take 100's. A constitution essence of any size would slow age's natural deterioration of muscle and flexibility, which is likely why it's valued. It doesn't make the mount better in any way just lets them hold them own for more time.
Silver Beard
Nice update; but seeing as it's only minors he's getting- skip the collector for the rest of the delve, and just make it fast. If they finish before noon- they can leave before Grila even shows up!
BLead Irish ambassador
I also thought it didn’t fit the story. He has been betrayed by his last girlfriend about an artifact. And for minor essences. If it was for channeling or apex or the super rare ones I would understand
BLead Irish ambassador
Agreed. That is just wrong
BLead Irish ambassador
Author said chieftains become chieftains by conquering all the dungeons plus one extra. If you do that you have enough honor to take from those with less honor. - maybe?
BLead Irish ambassador
Title should be. A man cant keep a secret.
Salvo
Maybe Eryk could say the owner of the collector is Raelia family? They are powerful diplomats and generals, so the wealth of a collector is not strange. Eryk and Raelia are on the same mission to help Maveith. Imagine saying this: a stone Goliath/ elf alliance is being built from a noble diplomat in training, but adventuring teams is the cover for her guards. Raelia would love to boss Eryk around, flip the power dynamic in the budding relationship.
daniel dantas
I forget that only he actually uses essences efficiently, anyone else is a complete waste
BubblyGhost
'now you're thinking with portals!'
BubblyGhost
Honor is justification for the honorless
BubblyGhost
Bro, what in the shonen plot armor maguffin are you smoking?
BubblyGhost
Possibly, but not in the way I believe you're thinking. Remember every creature and race has their own artibute 'breakpoints' and quantifiable scores. Plus, ginger is just a horse lol. Don't get me wrong I love animals but only Eryk actually gets a visible increase with every essence
daniel dantas
eryk needs to feed ginger with essence, I think the penny has just sunk in for me, but if eryk fed ginger with essence of constitution and mind, would it make her more intelligent?
daniel dantas
half-trust*
daniel dantas
It makes more sense and yet it's doubtful why he needs to reveal the collector, what's in it for him? He doesn't want to establish contacts or anything. He just wants to save mavith's sister and leave, the plot is already moving forward with mateo telling him this and glasha proposing a deal. And I'll go further, this agreement allows a semi-trust for the mc some of his artifacts to discover their functions, in any case, revealing the collector is unnecessary
Erick Thiemke
corrected
Erick Thiemke
yes - I am going to remove the collector reveal in the edit on Friday. It is a way of pushing the plot foward but I think more trust needs to be established so maybe by the end of the dungeon it will be revealed. instead he will send Maveith and the cleric to scout teh next chamber while he harvests
Erick Thiemke
mateo got it
Erick Thiemke
corrected
Erick Thiemke
no, nothing like that
Erick Thiemke
corrected
Mason W
I agree, sharing he has a collector is the dumbest thing he has done.
Steven Savage
"Mateo edged closer to me, and I thought he was going to ask about Raelia, clearly stating that she knew before." -->...I thought he was going to ask about Raelia clearly IMPLYING that she knew ME before OUR MEETING IN (I forgot what the town's name was)
Steven Savage
It's definitely a huge risk. I think Glasha seems chill but Eryk doesn't know enough about orcs or her, in particular, to really trust her. Hopefully Eryk has a better plan to test how trustworthy she is as they progress through the dungeon. Otherwise revealing this now would be a HIGH risk for LOW reward. Salvo did bring up a semi-valid point about how Glasha could keep quiet about the collector in exchange for reviewing it to find out its origin--which wouldn't be for Eryk's crew to go and farm but rather have the orcs push to venture out to get their own collectors. Eryk also has artifacts that he wants reviewed to find out what they do so I guess he wants to establish trust now. Kind of a big leap though.
Reid
Bro, what state of mind do you have to be in to have "dimensional portal-induced castration" pop in your head
Reid
Yeah, dungeon essence collectors are actually so easy to farm that almost no one has one. On that matter, let me and the boys go back to the empire that we're all fugitives in, farm a dungeon a couple thousand time and hope we don't get caught in the process, to maybe get another collector of the same type and potency. Great plan, absolute 10/10
Salvo
Dungeon loot can be farmed bro, so locating which dungeon it came from is important. I will say they may need to mature to supply artifacts like the collector; it is practically lost technology.
NightRider
Can Eryk use his Earth Speak ability to find a hidden room in the dungeon with a secret boss that has never been harvested, the rewards would be legendary! It could possibly be found if you dive into the large pool of murky water where the turtles were, and find the underwater entrance. The reward could be be a second dungeon essence collector which he could give to Cleric Mynasha as a gift/bribe, that she can use to gather other orcs to her cause, using the gathered essences it harvests, as rewards to her loyal followers. It would also put her in Eryk’s debt and she would be forever eternally grateful to him. It would also add to the fame and growing glory of Eryk’s Fortuna’s Chosen guild party. Dragging the head of the secret boss out of the dungeon and giving it to Blaze in front of the dungeon guards would certainly add to their legend!
NightRider
Will Cleric Mynasha be an half-orc? If she is attractive, she may supply Raelia with some competition, for Eryk’s affections. It would be quite humorous if Glasha Mistborn was Mynasha’s mother whom she conceived with a human lover. Mateo had best be careful or he could become a daddy if Glasha decides she wants another child!
Silver Beard
It's just an excuse to take what they want. It's not just the collector- Eryk has any number of items that he'd get challenged for if he advertised ownership.
Silver Beard
pillow talk and drunken confessions. They're in the Dungeon...where does Mateo think he's going to run too? Maybe the perfect time to show them how big his space is...and stick Mateo where he can't do any more damage.
Reid
And Ted Bundy was just a nice family man lol. Plus I'm pretty sure his collector came from a dungeon bro so her touching it really doesn't add any value.
visigoth
Eryk hasn’t really been keeping the best discipline lol
Salvo
Maveith taking a strategic position beside me in fornt of the tunnel - ‘front’ “I plan to keep this these, I dabble in alchemy myself,” I replied. ‘Delete this or these’ The dungeon was harvested so often I doubted I would get anything but anything but minor essences. ‘Delete one: but anything’
Chachi
mateo should be axed
NightRider
I am confused, There were 5 myconids in the room, Eryk killed 2, Maveith and Raelia killed 1 each, who killed the fifth?
NightRider
Seeing no objectives, I reminded everyone of our opponent. Seeing no OBJECTIONS, I reminded everyone of our opponent.
PatronTurtle
How does someone gain honor here, to have enough to not be questioned? Does he need to kill another high leader to be left alone or would that insight more challenges?
Salvo
She paid generously and taught him Orcish for weeks, for free, on their journey. As a mage, she cares more about revealing history. And, just touching his essence collector could reveal WHERE it came from. Sure, it’s an infinite money machine, but what if Eryk could harvest more of them? I’d risk asking a historian for that knowledge… in a dangerous monster filled dungeon, that same historian probably wasn’t paying attention and died cause of it…
Pope Yoda I
I wonder if a dimensional portal-induced castration would discourage future challenges or just introduce him to yet another aspect of orc culture he wants no part of.
Salvo
I love, LOVE the orc logic of “there is no stealing in orc territory. But, if you aren’t honorable and have good stuff, you’ll be challenged to fights for a ‘lack of honour’. It’s direct, sincere and shady as hell at the same time!
Andrew
Wow, Thank you!
Reid
The double chapter drop was sick. But, I'm not gonna lie, him using the essence collector in front of an orc who he's know for not that long, who's allegiances are not confirmed, in a country that is unknown to him and his group, who's people are know to be legit racist slavers that have a dislike for the empire him and most of his group had a previous allegiance to, is kinda retarded. I feel like Eryk should be a bit more paranoid and understand the risk of him showing what essentially is a priceless artifact (that is INCREDIBLY beneficial to him and his people) to what ammounts to a stranger in order to maybe gain a handful of minor essences, a few major essences, and a couple apex essences (that he could just collect from another dungeon) would not be worth it. Like he literally hid his amulet from her that night prior knowingly forgoing it's benefits in order to keep it a secret, so why then show the collector. It feels a bit forced to be honest. Good couple of chapters minus that 👍
Jordan
“Nineteen, if the last accounting is correct, each is owed by a powerful cleric or warlord.” owed -> owned
Erick Thiemke
its 12:36 am for me - well past my bed time
TastyApple
Nice! Double chap in one day.
Erick Thiemke
EDITED 11/1/24....(removed the collector being revealed and added some lore. transition at end it a bit bumpy) 4th of 4. I am going to go back and read-edit 286 and 287, as I just tweaked the plot a little toward the end of this chapter. Tomorrow, I am going to finish the World Sphere chapter. 288 they will finish the dungeon
