Heavy Metal

An unsettling change in atmosphere marked the transition from goblin-infested forests to the spider's domain. The air grew colder, and shafts of sunlight struggled to penetrate the canopy above. Fine, shimmering strands of webbing hung like veils between the trees, glistening faintly whenever light touched them. Occasionally, faint scuttling sounds echoed from above, putting everyone on edge.

"Are you two sure that this is going to work?"

"Getting cold feet Rusty? But I guess you're made from cold iron!"

Aburdon cackled inside Rusty's helmet as the group approached the spider-infested forest. They had made sure to arrive during the day, knowing the webs would be somewhat visible in sunlight. The glinting strands reflected faintly, revealing the network of traps, but the thick canopy of trees filtered the light, leaving much of the forest shrouded in shadows. The dimness provided perfect cover for the monsters lurking out of sight, ready to pounce.

"No... but won't the entire forest burn down, along with all the preserved bodies these monsters hold?"

Rusty asked. He hadn't been in this world long, but he understood how fire worked. If the webs were as flammable as Aburdon and Alexander claimed, setting them alight indiscriminately could spark a wildfire. The blaze might spread through the Everlasting Black Forest, consuming kilometers of wilderness. Worse still, such an inferno could attract the attention of nearby settlements or even the local adventurer guild - a complication they couldn't afford.

"That's a valid concern."

Alexander admitted, his tone calm.

"But the flammable toxins are usually concentrated in the capture nets these spiders create. Their lairs and the wrappings around their victims aren't as combustible. So, if we stick to the plan and lure one or two spiders first, we should avoid any large-scale fire."

"I see."

Rusty nodded, turning his helmeted head toward Gleam.

"Gleam, be ready with those flame spells. Once I give you the signal, cast it. Can you handle that?"

"( •̀ ω •́ )"

Gleam chirped confidently, her antennae twitching with excitement at the chance to show off her magic. She quickly skittered down from Rusty's shoulder and took cover behind a tree that wasn't completely veiled in webbing. Her body quivered slightly as she glanced up at the enwebbed trees. Her instincts screamed of danger, but she was ready. While the spiders were scary, with her friend Rusty around, she knew that there was nothing to fear.

Rusty stepped forward, his iron frame gleaming faintly in the filtered sunlight. Carefully, he trudged into the maze of webs, the strands sticking to his metal plating but failing to harm him. The material was incredibly strong and sticky, pulling him to a halt almost immediately. With each step, more of the sticky fibers clung to him, forming an unyielding trap.

Despite his immunity to the paralytic toxins coating the threads, the sheer tensile strength of the webs immobilized him. He glanced back at Gleam, who peeked cautiously from behind the tree, her small silver body reflecting the faint light.

"I'm stuck already?"

Rusty muttered, testing the web's strength with a few futile tugs. He was surprised and it made sense while this whole place was deserted. If he couldn't get in more than a few steps, then other adventurers or even monsters probably couldn't either.

"Let's hope your plan works."

Before long, the forest grew eerily silent, broken only by the faint clicking of approaching legs. From above, a massive spider descended on a silken thread. Its dark-brown, fur-like covering glistened faintly in the sunlight that filtered through the canopy. Its many eyes gleamed as they focused intently on its prey. Mistaking him for an adventurer ensnared in its web, the spider clicked its fangs menacingly, creeping closer with deliberate caution. Rusty, however, remained calm and waited.

The monster moved slowly, taking its time to inspect what it believed was its latest catch. Rusty struggled against the webbing, managing to free an arm briefly before becoming even more entangled. It was clear that the more he struggled, the tighter the web held him. Finally, he stopped moving, feigning defeat. To the spider, his stillness signaled that its toxins had done their work. Satisfied, the creature descended fully to the forest floor. Its movements were slow but purposeful, its fangs shone with venom as it prepared to strike.

"Now, Gleam!"

A small marble-sized orb of fire shot from behind the tree, streaking toward the webbing surrounding Rusty. The flames ignited on contact, spreading rapidly across the toxic strands. The sudden blaze caused the spider to screech and recoil, its sensitive legs catching fire. The creature thrashed violently, dropping to the ground as it tried to extinguish the flames, but it was too late. The web burned away, freeing Rusty and consuming the spider in one swift motion.

Rusty stumbled forward, shaking off the remnants of the burnt webbing clinging to his iron frame. Though the sticky burning threads engulfed him, they caused little actual damage to his metallic body. Behind him, the spider thrashed violently, its movements erratic but still full of life. Wasting no time, Rusty reached for his sword. With one swift motion, he drove the blade into the monster's head. The spider's eight legs twitched wildly in all directions, its body spasming in its final moments. Soon, the creature stilled, lifeless

"Good shot, Gleam!"

"( •̀ ᴗ •́ )و "

Gleam chirped, waving her antennae excitedly. She looked proud of her success, her confidence boosted by the small victory. The flames continued to churn for a while but just like Alexander mentioned previously, they did not consume the entire forest. Eventually, they reached a part of the webbing that wasn't as flammable and sputtered out, leaving only faint smoke and scorched remains in their wake.

"I told you it would."

Alexander said smugly.

"Now we know the plan is viable, so you can execute it on a greater scale."

"I suppose even a broken clock is right twice a day…"

Aburdon muttered in a rather disappointed tone, while Alexander finally had something to gloat about.

"Now, let's move along with the plan."

This was just the first test of their grand master plan. They stood on the outskirts of the spider monster territory, where the concentration of these monstrous spiders was relatively low. This allowed them to safely test their theory. The experiment confirmed that the forest wouldn't ignite into an uncontrollable blaze. Now that the sticky threads had burned away, they were free to search for their target: well-preserved bodies for Rusty.

" („• ֊ •„)੭ "

"Oh, you'll check? But what if something happens?"

Gleam was quite the climber and some nearby spider cocoons were hanging up in the trees. She wanted to go there to check but Rusty hesitated. Gleam's enthusiasm was infectious, but the sight of the dangling cocoons high in the canopy made him wary. Each of the silken prisons swayed gently in the breeze, like morbid fruit waiting to fall. If there was anything he had learned from this world so far, it was to never underestimate even the smallest threats.

He turned to the monster spider he had just defeated for confirmation and activated his identification skill. Just as expected, the monster was not something his friend would be able to handle that easily.

The explanation was longer than what he was accustomed to, but his skill had continued to level up, allowing him to gather far more information about this world on his own.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Gleam…"

" ( • ᴖ • ) "

"It's not that I don't trust you, but there might be more of them hiding in there, what if one jumps out?"

" (ง '̀ - '́ )ง "

"Well, I'm glad that you are confident in your abilities but there might be too many there to handle…"

Gleam was more of a caster than a fighter. These spiders had higher strength and constitution than her and were ranked above her as well. It was entirely possible that within those cocoons lurked the spider's offspring, not just the bodies of adventurers he was searching for. It was much safer for Rusty to climb the tree instead. His body was remarkably durable, and even if he were pierced by the spider's fangs, their venom would have no effect on him.

" (｡•́︿•̀｡) "

"Don't look at me like that… How about this? Why don't you stick to my shoulder, if more spiders appear, we'll take them on together?"

" ( ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ) "

After a back and forth, both of them agreed to climb it together. While Rusty's climbing skill wasn't good enough for dungeon walls, trees weren't as much of a problem. Rusty approached the base of the tree, his metallic fingers flexing as he tested the bark's grip. The wood gave a satisfying hold, and Gleam scurried back onto his shoulder, her silvery body shimmering faintly as she prepared to ascend with him. However, before advancing further a shift in his body began taking place.

His frame became elongated as he switched into his more dextrous form. Only then did their ascent begin. Rusty moved steadily, his iron frame making faint scraping noises against the bark. Gleam adjusted her stance, balancing on his shoulder, her antennae twitching at every distant sound.

The hanging cocoons swayed closer with each step upward. The higher they climbed, the denser the webs became but as expected, they lacked any toxins or stickiness. Gleam flicked her antenna toward a particularly large cocoon, her silent way of indicating their first target.

Rusty nodded and adjusted his path. The cocoon was suspended from a thick branch, its silken strands anchored firmly to the surrounding foliage. As he reached out to examine it, the cocoon jerked slightly, sending a ripple through the nearby webs. Gleam froze, her body tense, and Rusty paused, his hand hovering mid-air.

"Something's inside?"

"Be ready."

Alexander's voice echoed within his helmet as his right eye shone brightly with his light.

"If it's alive, it might not be friendly."

Rusty placed his foot on a sturdy branch and used his arm to steady himself against the large tree. With careful precision, he began cutting into the oversized cocoon using his sword. As the fibrous shell gave way, the contents were revealed - a humanoid figure trapped inside. However, the body was in a grim state, as numerous smaller spiders had already begun gnawing at it. The exposed hole allowed light to spill into the cocoon, prompting some of the spiders to scatter and attempt an escape. That was something Rusty couldn't permit.

Continue your saga on empire

Rusty's skill identified these smaller arachnoid creatures as G-rank monsters, ones he could dispatch without much trouble. Though their size was smaller than that of Gleams, they were still formidable, each about as large as a man's head.

Rusty wasted no time. His sword flashed as he slashed at the retreating smaller spiders, cleaving through their webbing and fragile exoskeletons alike. Gleam sprang into action, her antennae glowing faintly. Instead of using her spells, she engaged the little monsters directly. She leaped forward, surprising Rusty, and ferociously bit the spiderlings to death. Her silvery carapace was quite resistant to the smaller monsters' bites, which allowed her to unleash her ant fury.

It was quite the sight to watch Gleam ferociously tear through the G-rank spiders. Despite her small size, she moved with precision and speed, her mandibles crushing exoskeletons with ease. She leaped from one tiny spider to the next and made sure that none of them escaped. Rusty, on the other hand, focused intently on stabbing his sword into the cocoon, ensuring that whatever was inside didn't make it out alive. Eventually, the area was dripping with greenish liquid seeping from the monsters' bodies.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side,"

He remarked while seeing all the severed bodies of the forest spiders.

"ᕙ( •̀ ᗜ •́ )ᕗ"

"Yes, I admit I underestimated you, but… are you okay?"

Gleam tilted her head in confusion.

"( ╹ -╹)?"

Though the battle was over, Rusty noticed Gleam moving much slower than usual. She had been tearing through the spiders like a whirlwind but had inadvertently ingested some of the strange fluids they were composed of.

"Ah, I think our lady Gleam has overdone it. Don't worry, she'll just be out of commission for a minute or two. Those toxins usually wear off quickly."

Aburdon chimed in as he also noticed that the effects of the paralyzing toxins were starting to take effect. Gleam on the other hand let out a pitiful groan.

"(´•︵•`)"

She stopped moving, clinging weakly to one of the larger branches. Her body felt stiff, the paralyzing toxin taking hold. Rusty chuckled softly, removing his helmet as he moved to help her. Gently, he picked her up and placed her inside his chest plate right through his exposed neck, then placed his helmet back on to safely lock her inside.

"Don't worry, Gleam,You'll be safe in my body. Just rest for now."

Gleam chirped softly, clearly embarrassed at what she had done.

" (,,>﹏<,,) "

Rusty had designed his new body with a few specific features in mind, all stemming from his time spent trying to save his friend. The interior of his chest had been modified with care - a small metal shelf installed so Gleam could be secured and safe. She wouldn't slide into his legs or be harmed in transit. It was the perfect little hideaway, offering protection whenever she needed it.

"I wonder, maybe if my body becomes larger, Gleam could stay inside and cast her spells from within?"

Rusty asked and Alexander was the first one to respond.

"I suppose that could be a possibility, but perhaps we should first get through this first?"

Rusty nodded and used his sword to prod the spider cocoon, peeling it open for a closer look. With the spiders dead, he could finally examine the body inside. It was far from pretty - riddled with holes, the face half-melted and partially devoured. He grimaced at the sight. If he ever tried using this body, anyone who saw his face would likely assume he was some kind of undead monster.

"This one's a dud."

He muttered to himself, moving on to the next cocoon. He hoped one of them might contain something viable - something he could actually use. However, neither of them contained any humans but regular animals instead. It seemed that he would need to move further into the forest and put himself in more peril before he would discover his new identity.