Students of Adventure — Chapter 2: The Spider Job

The group crowded around the common room board the moment new jobs went up. While most everyone was there, Hibby unfortunately had early classes and was absent. After the events of the week prior, everyone was eager to start quests.

Hazel had officially been assigned as the group's advisor, due to the recent arrival/return of one Vin Roseknight. The school was also preoviding a second advisor to help share the load, with word that they would be waiting for the group within the courtyard. 

Amongst the many different quests available, one stuck out. Students were losing pets and familiars near the forest tree line, and the group needed to talk to a girl named Moony Hawthorn about the most recent disappearance. Payment was House Points. For a first-year party watching House Manticore run away with the standings, that was motivation enough.

They took it.

In the courtyard they found Moony already talking to someone. He was a Centaur in long and winding wizard's robes with a lute slung across his back. As the group approached, the Centaur would turn and introduced himself as Buckston Gallowguard, the second advisor provided by the school.

Moony was a mess. Her cat Tubbers had vanished near the tree line. Kyle Light and May Oakwood, two other students, had both lost familiars in the same stretch of woods. Whatever was taking them wasn't stopping.

Before the group could head out, Professor Hannibal Sorensen came over and pulled Spruce aside. Urgent message from her mother, he said. Spruce wished everyone luck, gave them an apologetic smile, and went with him.

As the group started to leave, Arden noticed something on the ground, causing him to stop. Shiny, pretty things on the ground share a spot in Arden's heart and always capture his attention. That's just how he operates. As Arden was turning his newly found rock over in his hands, a nearby student of the name Ryan Wilson came strolling up, the robes and color of House Manticore present, plucked it right out of his palm, and started mocking him in front of the small crowd gathering around them.

Vin was not having it. A quick gesture and Ryan's feet caught on a patch of air that had no business tripping anyone. He hit the ground hard.

Harriet Gold, a beautiful young student and Ryan's girlfriend, was already moving. Before Vin could finish whatever she was starting, an unseen force ripped the wand out of her grip and sent it skittering across the courtyard stones. Sandre charged in and caught a shoulder to the chest from a third student, Henry Phillips,  that put him on the ground six feet back.

The three stood together, smug smiles on their faces. The Golden Trio of Pinewood, rotten to their core. 

Before Vin or Sandre could do anymore, Buckston stepped in and shut it down, using his authority as advisor to send the Trio away with threats of words to the headmistress.

The group gathered and dusted themselves off. Vin, having sneakily took back the shiny rock from Ryan, slipped it into Arden's hand, making the young sorcerer smile. The group turned their attention back to the quest at hand.

The trail at the tree line told a story. Scuffle. Something dragged. They followed the trail deep into the woods, only to find things strangely quiet. They scanned the area.

Webs in the branches. Webs on the stones. A strange chittering noise as the ground slowly opened up.

Phase Spider. Trapdoor Spider. A whole nest of smaller ones coming alive at the smell of warm blood.

Vin got snatched first. The ground opened under her and she was gone, dragged into the Trapdoor's burrow before anyone could shout. Up top, Hazel and Buckston cut through the Phase Spider and the webs raining down. Sandre and Arden held the line on the ground.

In the dark, Vin fough, flinging spells at the spider that dragged her. One of the spells managed to hit it in the eye, causing it to let go as its head exploded open. Vin frantically climbed out of that hole covered in spider guts with the Trapdoor's body behind her. Sandre grabbed Tubbers on the way out. Already cold. Already stiff.

Then the nest woke up.

Dozens of them came pouring out of the ground like boiling water out of a pot. Hazel raised her hand and a ball of light bloomed in her palm. Not a torch. Not a lantern. An actual piece of sunlight, burning cleanly in the middle of the forest. The spiders couldn't look at it. They recoiled like the light was physically hurting them, and the group ran.

They made it back to the school at dusk. Lamps and candles were going up along the walls. A crowd was already gathered near the House Foxtail portal door, which is never a good sign.

In the corridor that led to their private hangout, a statue stood that had not been there that morning. A Pinewood student frozen in defensive stance, wand hand outstretched, the other arm thrown up like they had seen something coming and tried to block it. Stone robes slashed in multiple places. Deep cuts across the figure. The head was missing.

Sandre scanned the ground. His breath caught. The head was several feet away, face up, eyes wide, mouth open in a scream that had nowhere to go.

It was Spruce.

Chapter 3 drops next Friday. 

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