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“That's it, I’m calling it. We are lost in the woods.” Taako slumped down to the ground with a plop, feigning exhaustion.
“Taako, I love you dearly, but it has literally been two minutes and we can still see the ship from here.” Lucretia’s voice was exasperated, but she had expected something like this when the two of them had been assigned to explore together.
“Cret, let me be clear, I was not built for the wilderness. I am meant for better things, pampering things, soft things!” Taako whined and threw his hands above his head to emphasize his point.
Lucretia’s eyes rolled long and hard. “It is one day, Taako. We need to check the west side of the forest and see if we can get a bearing on where the light is. Now,” she started as she began to walk forward, “I can leave you here and allow you to find your way back to the ship, which I guarantee will end with you getting lost.”
Leaves crunched which each step she took. “Or you can get up right now and follow me until it starts getting dark, and I promise when we get back to the ship to clean the whole kitchen top to bottom.”
Taako’s lip jutted out in a pout, but the deal was too sweet. The kitchen hadn’t been cleaned since they landed, tidying was not the Taako way, and it was in serious need of some love. With a dramatic sigh he levitated himself up, extending his legs as he did so.
“Alright kimosabe, I’m in, but don't expect me to like it!”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Lucretia placated, patting the elf on the shoulder and continuing on to the day's exploration.
When they first arrived on the plane, the crew had believed they had simply landed at the center of the forest. After some readings and days of exploration, it was concluded that the forest was the entirety of the plane, and as ominous as it was, it didn’t compare to the day cycle with light only lasting for 4 hours of the day.
“You know, I am digging the daylight vibe of this forest. Got some really good lighting coming from that canopy.” Taako’s voice held a note of disinterest and Lucretia wondered if he was simply trying to break the silence of the forest.
Lucretia tried to think of a response, but Taako and her hadn’t ever been good at holding a conversation. They were just two very different people and no matter how they tried, there always seemed to be a point of tension between them. So she simply kept walking.
It was an hour later when she noticed the footsteps that had been following her most of the trek were no longer there. She slowed to a stop and turned around, but Taako was nowhere in sight and it appeared he had just vanished in thin air.
A slight panic arose in Lucretia. “Taako?” Her senses were on high alert and she listened intently for any noise.
Had she really lost him? How could she have been so reckless? How could she have been so unattentive?
“Taako?” she called again, the panic now creeping into her usually calm voice.
Quickly she retraced her steps back, trying to find the point when she had lost Taako. Heavens, Lup would never forgive her if she had gotten him killed. Too many of the years had gone by with the two of them separated, it never ended well.
Finally a second set of footprints met with Lucretia, but this did little to solve the mystery as Taako’s steps appeared to have just stopped. They did not branch off in any direction nor were there any footprints heading back the way they came. She spun in circles searching high and low, making sure to not miss anything, but there was no sign of her friend.
“Oh Taako," she muttered.
Suddenly in the distance there was a cry of pain, and Lucretia’s head snapped up trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. All was quiet and then a cry cut through the air once more, coming directly north from where she was.
Lucretia ran.
Branches scraped at her arms and roots threatened to trip her, but she held steady as the screams, Taako's screams, became louder. With each step she made promises to herself, she would never get annoyed with him again, she would help him make dinner, she would listen to him talk about his clothing. Anything as long as he was safe, he was her family and he had to be safe.
The trees suddenly gave way to a small clearing and there in the center attached to a large web was Taako, his whole body cocooned except for his head. When he saw Lucretia he sobbed in relief and started to wiggle his body, attempting to free himself.
“Taako, what happened?” Lucretia called, trying to figure out how to climb the web to get to him.
“Listen I'll regale you with the deets later, a story of woe and tragedy and triumph, but that thing is gonna be back soon. We gotta book it out of here, capiche?” Taako’s voice quivered with fear and for once Lucretia knew he wasn’t being dramatic.
She pulled out her dagger and began cutting parts of the web, trying to make a straight cut to the captured elf. The web was thick and didn’t feel like anything Lucretia had felt before.
“How many spiders did it take to make this thing? I’ve never felt the web so thick and abrasive.”
“Less talky more cutty! We can analyze the shit later, look i’ll even help you in the lab, just get me out of here,” Taako whined.
Lucretia almost snapped at him, but a scraping sound behind her made her whole body go cold as a sinister chuckle echoed through the woods.
“Well, what do we have here?” The voice asked its words breathy and disjointed. It paralyzed Lucretia with fear.
The scraping sounds continued like something was being dragged across the forest grounds. “You really do catch more flies with honey.” The voice teased.
A shadow began to appear at Lucretia’s feet and she could feel the breath of the beast on her neck, and yet she still did not move.
“Lucretia, wake up and move!” She heard the shout and barely processed it in time as she dodged out of the way of a sharp hairy leg.
As she refocused the shape of a giant spider as tall as the trees in the forest stood before her. Its fangs dripped with venom and its body quivered as it stared at her in anticipation ready to pounce at any moment.
“Oh mercy.” She muttered, holding her hand up in warning, “Listen to me, we mean you no harm. This is your world and we are only guests,” Her thoughts ran through her brain so fast she barely registered any of them.
“But,” she started again, “If you do not let us go, I will not hesitate to end your shit.”
The arachnid merely smiled a toothy grin at her. “What a feisty little thing you are. How presumptuous of you to think you could take on the likes of me. You are nothing and you will only be an appetizer to my main course.”
There was a moment of silence, a tense stand off to see who would move first. Then a shrill war cry rang through the air.
“Fuck him up, Cretia!” Taako shouted.
The spider lunged just as Lucretia called out her spell, a dark green mist spread from her hand and surrounded the beast. Mid attack the arachnid froze hissing as the mist began to drain its energy. It’s legs were the first to go, shriveling and decaying in a matter of seconds, causing the creature to crash to the ground. Lucretia rolled to avoid the crash just in time watching with fascination as the creature hissed in pain its life force drained from its body.
Lucretia pulled out her dagger and sneered at the spider as it glared its beady red eyes at her. “I am more than an appetizer you pest. I’m the whole damn meal.”
Her dagger made an oozing sound as it sunk into the head of the spider and after a moment or so it stilled. Lucretia’s breathing was rough and hard, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. She tried to take calming breaths and refocus her mind, but she was shaking and could feel herself becoming numb as panic set in.
She rarely adventured out of the Starblaster and when she did she only interacted with people other members of the crew had deemed safe. And never, ever, had she engaged in battle and killed a native creature, no matter how evil.
The panic was overwhelming her now and she dropped to her knees gasping for air trying to rebalance herschel. Nothing was working she couldn't think, her vision blurred and she could feel tears running down her face.
Then there was a hand on her wrist, cold and warm all at once and sturdy. Her attention flicked to the hand which squeezed her wrist tighter and the sensation was so jarring she found herself focusing on it. The sensation was like a rope, a safety line in the ocean of panic that she clung to pulling herself free of the waves. Then a voice…
“Lucretia.” It was a voice that was calm and steady and she felt the rope tug between her hands. “Lucretia, It’s okay. We can go back to the ship with the others.”
Her vision started to clear and the voice came into focus. “Taako.” She breathed shakily.
A goofy grin appeared on the elf’s face, “Mad props on the kick ass spell, Cretia. Got the whole web and creepy crawler over there. Where’d you learn a spell like that?”
It took a moment for Lucretia to process his words, “I, I uh, practiced when we were in the plane with the graveyards everywhere. It’s uhhhh, it's like necromancy, but stronger.”
Her words were distant, and although Taako would never admit it, he had been worried he wouldn’t be able to snap Lucretia back; hearing her talk was relief enough.
“Hachi machi, you’ve been spending too much time with Barold and Lup. Blek, Necromancy, gross magic, not the Taako brand.” He subtly lifted her up and began guiding her back to where the Starblaster was making sure to not let her see the corpse of the dead spider.
“I’m sorry, Taako.” She said softly, “I should have been paying more attention.”
Taako snorted. “Cha boy can take care of himself, listen let's get back to the ship. I’ve had enough of tall dark scary trees and I owe you some macarons.”