Chrysalis

Despite my tough talk I was shivering inside my own carapace as I waited to see if the spider would pursue me into the tunnel.

I retreated all the way to the junction, thinking that if worst came to worst I could hide close to the wolf lizards or aggro them onto the spider and try to slip though their den.

Fortunately this spider appears to be as cautious as me!

And why not? All he has to do is sit inside his web and wait for the prey to be delivered, stuck and unable to fight! Practically free Biomass! Truly, being a spider is like easy mode in this dungeon!

My resentment is building towards this web spinning noob. Thinking of all the hardships I've been through whilst this chump is sitting here collecting free XP. My rage is reaching towards the sky, to the very heavens themselves!

To ease my fury, the spider must die!

Of course, I only consider this course of action since I have weighed the odds and I think I can win. There are a few reasons for this, firstly, the tunnel is unusually bright, so spotting the spider and its web is not as hard as it would have been just after I arrived in the dungeon, secondly, the spider appears to be small, possibly as weak (stats wise) as I am, if I can remove the natural advantage it gains from its web, I can win.

That only question is, how can I ensure I never fight it in its web? Phase one is already complete. With my two acid attacks yesterday I can presume that the spider has lost at least five HP. Unless it can secure food to replenish its strength I will continue to attempt to lure it to where I can attack it from range.

Simple.

The weakness to my plan, is that I need to ambush the spider a number of times in order to be victorious, however, if the spider can ambush me even once with its poison fangs .... Lights out.

Antennae, forward! Eyes, open! Brain, focused to a razors edge! There must be no mistakes! Moving in this way I advance towards the web once more, inspecting every stone and fold in the rock for hidden arachnids.

No sign of it however, the horrid thing is probably licking its wounds behind the safe walls of its web, provided it has a tongue.

Since I can't see it, I will process as I did before, trying to lure the fiend here by disturbing the web. As I did before, I prepare some choice stones and line them before flicking them one by one into the web. I use four stones this time, trying to create a larger disturbance to convince the creature a juicy prey has become entangled.

I quickly hide in a shady position and prepare to wait.

And I wait.

And wait.

goes by without any seeing even one hairy leg. Not coming out eh? Yellow are ya?! Too chicken to fight face to face like a

This is also fine.

I need to

web using my mandibles. I ramp up to seven stones this time, the web

and observe. Come at

perfectly still and quiet, not even a whisper echoes off

to be cut. If this spider wants to play a waiting game with me, I'm game. I wait an hour before I make my

spider is either more wounded that I initially thought or is too wary to approach this side of its nest after getting an acid bath last

I find an area of softer, looser stone and begin to shift it

it wafting and shivering once more. Unlike the heavier stones I was using before, this stuff doesn't get the web

It sticks.

and again I send the fine stone into the web where some of it rebounds and

don't need to cover all of the web, just enough for me to be able to pass through without being stuck. Then I will be able to infiltrate the inner sanctum of my

I'm half way done I take another opportunity to retreat and hide, just in case the spider has at last been drawn

later and I'm back

I try to cover as much of the web as I reasonably can from the ground with as thick a coating as I can. If I get a leg stuck to this

through. Being as careful as I can I pass my antennae across each strand

I have secured a path of retreat, here in the creatures lair, there

to be as stealthy as I can but dark, shadowed areas are becoming harder

that runs both ways, although I can't hide very

I can see threads running along the walls and floor here and there, some of them so fine

What's that?

a shape over there, close to the wall! I can't be sure though, is it a fold in the rock, or is

Take this you bastard!

off

has reached