Foul Harvest! [Solo]

One of the famous landmarks that stretched across the realm of Pandora was nestled within Oak town. And this seemed to be right season for a harvest. The apples of Oak Town, he had heard, was perhaps one of the best that existed. Apples that were shining red like rubies hanging off of trees, and the insides of it filled with the satisfying crunch and juiciness with every bite. It was perhaps an over-exaggeration, but he had heard many good things about it. The people here seemed to respect the apples from the orchard. In fact, selling them would not fetch any high prices within town. And importing them would run the risk of the apples losing their scrumptious flavour. But if he was to settle in well within De Fiore, he had to at least give them a try. And offer his recommendations for Lexia if she does come up here.

As he made his way to the grand orchard, he was surprised to see a lot of people waiting outside the gate with their baskets. Instead of joy or anticipation to eat the apples within season, there was instead dreaded cries and paranoia in the air. People looked to one another, confused and scared. Others were enraged and shouting at the gatekeeper, who was desperately trying to calm everyone down. Strange. There was no shortage of apples. He could see off in the distance that the rows of apples trees were full of those red fruits.

But he could not help but feel something was off about them... were there supposed to be nets draping over the trees like that? They looked far too thin and silky to offer any protection anyways.

Excuse me, what's happened? Sly said, placing a hand on one of the gentleman's shoulder. His face was lean but heavily furrowed with his fury when he turned to Sly.

"Why won't you ask them? It's the season of harvest but they're not letting us in."

Sly nodded and shifted past him and the rest of the crowd, wriggling his way to the front. Just as he did, another man emerged from behind the gate, huffing out of breath and covered in the silk. It was then Sly realised that they looked like spider webs. The man who was out of breath whispered something to the gatekeeper, who just shook his head and paced about, huffing a deep sigh.

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Words: 403/100
Post: 1/8

You having a spider problem? Sly asked.

The two looked towards him, and absent-mindedly discarded it. "They are everywhere. We can't figure out why but they are dangerous."

"I tried to deal with it meself..." the second man huffed, brushing off the sticky web. "Nearly got myself bit by the bigger ones."

I see, Sly looked off to the side, finger to his bottom lip. Is this a common problem of the orchards?

"It happens every now and then, but why now of all times? We cant just use our exterminators, it will take forever and tarnish the apples."

Hmm, what kind of spiders are they?

"Go in and you will see. There are thousands of those buggers! Heck we don't even know how one evening they all just appear. Unless we can find a way to get rid of them all, we have to close the orchards until... well, they all just leave."

Sly nodded a little. Thousands of spiders all in one evening migrating into the orchard? It seemed like a huge coincidence with the season of harvest. He was equipped for a fight, but there was no way he could run around like a maniac exterminating every spider. Let me investigate. Mayhap I can find the cause of all this.

The two men looked to one another, and they shrugged. The gatekeeper gave Sly a nod. "We will pay you for your troubles and reward you the best of our finest apples."

"Hey I wish I can help but... I don't think I want to gamble my life again. I wish you the very best of luck in there."

The gatekeeper unlocked the gate and pried it open a little, allowing Sly to slip through. The crowd grew erratic a bit until the keeper explained what Sly was going to do.

The sight was incredibly dreadful. Down a small depression, to where the great orchards was, became a large forest of silk. Sticky and thick strands connected almost every branch and every apple to one another. Closer inspection and he could see the tiny movements of those creepers. Even the grass ground was infested in these tiny things, as he carefully weeded past the web-covered strands beneath his feet.

And just as he stood in the mouth of the entrance, the hue and aura in the air grew dim and cold. Like it was about to rain despite the clear sunny day. It was a depressing scene. Before him, there were tears through the webs, indicating where the man earlier had ran through. Sly himself was not certain what he was going to find in there saved for a number of poisonous spiders. Taking a deep breath, he slowly manouevred past the hanging web and into the fabled orchard.

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462/100
Post: 2/8

Health: 100%
Left hand: [Unequipped]
Right hand: [Unequipped]
Items:

Clockwork Rapier-Simple
Clockwork Sidesword-Simple
BAT-1 butterfly knives

The member 'Sly' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Monster Dice' :

The trees here looked dead or frozen in place the further he ventured in, starting to look like a blizzard had struck the place. Aside from the ghostly wind that breezed by him, echoes of distant cracks and creeks made his spine tingle. It was not like him to be completely exposed like this as he walked deeper into the orchards, ignoring much of the smaller spiders that wouldn't do any harm. He would normally find some cover and go in between them. At least he would have the advantage of sneaking up any adversaries wandering by. But within this orchard, such feat was impossible. These spiders were everywhere, and no doubt they would have their eyes on him now.

After a bit of twisting and turning, avoiding large webs and cutting his way through, he stopped when three small spiderlings wandered by and stopped at the sight of him. If they were even hatchlings at all. These things were almost the size of his own boot. And no doubt still as aggressive, much like the rats he had to kill back in the Urban City. They reared, bearing their still developing fangs, and hissing towards him. Then they crawled forward.

Sly dug into his waist, and drew two throwing knives. He flipped one of them to his other hand and, stepping back each time, tossed the blades forward. Both of them landed squarely into the heads of two spiderlings. The other, just as it was a metre away, leapt forward. Using his arm, He batted the spider up in the air. It screeched and toppled backwards onto the ground. Sly ran forward and, before it could roll to stand, he sent his boot straight into its upper body. The exoskeleton cracked easily, and it gave way to the slimy fluids that dribbled over his heel.

Sly crunched his face and scrapped his boot against the ground. At least these things wont grow up to breed anytime soon, but still he doubted they were the source of this swarm. But if these things were just hatchlings...

Sly drew out his rapier with his left land, and left the sidesword strapped to his waist for now. He would not be needing it until the time calls for it.

--

Words: 377/100
Post: 3/8

Health: 100%
Left hand: Clockwork Rapier-Simple
Right hand: [Unequipped]
Other items:

Clockwork Sidesword-Simple
BAT-1 Butterfly knives (18)

(Post does not count. Rolling monster dice)

The member 'Sly' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Monster Dice' :

At this point, he was sure he was walking by a nesting grounds within the orchards. A few heavy egg sacs were placed under several trees, many of them already hatched and becoming nothing but a basket of old and rotting slime. And just luck would have it, when he was about to take a step towards one of these sacs, another burst open with a crack. Sly immediately stepped back from the flood of tiny spiders that poured in like a erupted volcano.

From the same egg sac, after the rest of the spiderlings had disappeared off somewhere in the orchards, a few legs slipped out of the slimy folds, fumbling for a surface to stand on. Great, more of those giant hatchlings. Without waiting for it to come out, Sly marched forward and stabbed his rapier forward. Just under the 'petals' of the egg sac and straight through the abdomen of the one leading spider trying to get out. The other two burst out almost after that, and Sly jumped, retracting the blade. The two fell to the ground with a wet plop, their bodies still covered in that liquid and struggling to pull themselves back up.

Sly decided to slam his boot on both of them before the slime could dry off. He had to start thinking about what he was doing at this stage, killing nothing but hatchlings. Surely there were was a source to all of these, but he had to move deeper. If only he could eliminate it quickly and get out as soon as possible...

--

Words: 262/100
Post: 4/8

Health: 100%
Left hand: Clockwork Rapier-Simple
Right hand: [Unequipped]
Other items:

Clockwork Sidesword-Simple
BAT-1 Butterfly knives (18)

The member 'Sly' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Monster Dice' :

He seemingly left what was a nest of these spiders. Unfortunately, whatever made them there was not present. He could destroy the rest of the eggs, but that would take even longer and he would be better off letting the others deal with them once he eliminated the source of all this. The webs grew thicker and thicker. Until it felt like he was in some sort of ice cave without the chills. Still he avoided the webs like they were a plaque as much as possible, and used his rapier to cut through the silk that hindered his path. He stepped on several more spiders along the way, and every now and then checked his own person in case he caught one hanging on him as well.

After some more walking, he eventually found the path which the second man from earlier had managed to cut through. So he followed this path, only for a short distance before there rested a larger spider in the way. Almost the size of a human no doubt. Sly quickly drew out his Sidesword, just as the monster reared, it's fangs showing and leaking the corrosive venom. He took on his battle stance, rapier high above his head, and sidesword pointing from an angle below him, like he was shaping a mouth with them. He waited for it to come closer, waiting for it to rear it's hideous head again to try and bite him.

Once it did so, Sly flipped the sidesword onto its flat side and rammed it up against its belly. The spider was on its two very back legs and struggled with its balance for a moment. It was all Sly needed to slip under it and stab both blades into its abdomen and carve through the exoskeleton to the other side. He removed the rapier from its belly, then pushed the sidesword through and across the abdomen, past the spineret and emerged behind the spider unscathed.

He flicked both blades from the remains of its insides and elegantly sheathed the sidesword with a well-practiced swift motion, before the large beast behind him rolled onto its back and flailed its legs, like a dying spider should. He shook his head, before marching on.

--

Words: 374/100
Post: 5/8

Health: 100%
Left hand: Clockwork Rapier-Simple
Right hand: [Unequipped]
Other items:

Clockwork Sidesword-Simple
BAT-1 Butterfly knives (18)

The member 'Sly' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Monster Dice' :

Almost immediately following this spider, another emerged. Almost the same type it seemed, perhaps made worse that he sheathed his sidesword far too early and it was already making its way to him. Thinking quick on his feet, he reached into his waist and drew out two throwing knives, tossing them forward just as he brandished them. He couldn't care less about aiming at this point. It was already close enough that  his blades would guarantee a hit anywhere around the monster. None of them produced anything fatal. One stuck into one of its legs, the other was lodged right into its mouth. The spider stopped momentarily, trying to stunned and trying to spit the blade out.

He took advantage of this. Rapier in hand, he plunged the blade forward in a step-thrust, impaling through its head. An elongated shriek or squeal escaped from its mouth, its legs moving about randomly. Then slowly it ceased, and it dragged the weapon down with it as it slumped forward. A boot to its eyes and he forced the rapier out of the spider. That was certainly surprising, but now he had even fewer throwing knives to use. With spiders these big, there was no telling what the source of it all would bring. He had speculations that there was, indeed, a queen of some sort that led them here.

If he could just flush her out and assassinate their royal mother, mayhap the spiders would see no meaning in remaining in the orchards and will scatter with the wind. With that in mind, he placed a hand on his sidesword's hilt and marched on, keeping his eyes sharp for even the slightest of movements. He was now in deep...

--

Words: 287/100
Post: 6/8

Health: 100%
Left hand: Clockwork Rapier-Simple
Right hand: [Unequipped]
Other items:

Clockwork Sidesword-Simple
BAT-1 Butterfly knives (16)

The member 'Sly' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Monster Dice' :

And just right around the corner, he would have forgiven himself if he thought he had run into yet another nest of spiders. He had been seeing these larger ones much more frequently. And unfortunately, it looked as if the second man's path have ended here before he made a break back to the safety of the gates. One of these large spiders stood in his way, repairing the turn webs. It's back was turned to Sly at least, as it chewed away the 'worthless' dangling threads that were already beyond repair, or after creating a mesh for what the new web would look like once it had spun it.

It was at least a much easier kill for him. Silently he treaded forward, rapier out and poised to strike. Carefully he took on his fighting stance, ensuring all the noise anyone could hear was the cracking joints of the spider and its clicks. After being close enough, Sly held his breath, stepped forward, and stabbed cleanly through its spinneret. The spider screeched, pulling itself forward and rolling into the web before it. It flailed its limbs, but the more it did so, the more it caught the surrounding web, as the silk stuck to the legs, then the body. Not wishing for it to draw anymore attention, he ended it's suffering and plunged the sticky blade through its body again. A few twists against the carapace, and he finally silenced the thing before it could create anymore disturbances.

Or it already have. From the distance, many clattering of legs dancing over the webs or the ground were slowly heading his way from where he was facing. Stepping back from the corpse, Sly swung and cut his way through in the opposite direction, needing create a bit of separation from the coming swarm...

--

Words: 303/100
Post: 7/8

Health: 100%
Left hand: Clockwork Rapier-Simple
Right hand: [Unequipped]
Other items:

Clockwork Sidesword-Simple
BAT-1 Butterfly knives (16)

The member 'Sly' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Monster Dice' :

He broke into a short run, if only for a few moments, before the distant chattering and squealing disappeared. Slowing to a halt, he froze in place, trying to pick up anymore sounds in the far off distance. Nothing else. Just the echoes of those lone spiders here and there as they spun their webs. He surely hoped he was getting close. This deep into the orchards, not even a shred of sunlight could penetrate through the thick silk. It only lit up those above, providing enough light to see where he was going, but with a grey and bluish tone. Like one would expect on a rainy day or during the dawn before the sun was even up.

Starting to get a bit weary, he finally carved his way through another opening. A much larger one at that. Another nesting ground, with a few eggs having already hatched. But this was much different. There were so many of them piled up under a tree, almost encompassing it. Knowing what the tree had been through, even he would wince at the thought of eating any of the apples there. But at least he found the source of all the spiders coming around. This one, hanging in front of the tree, was even larger than the ones he encountered earlier. Almost twice his size. Above it, several of those familiar large spiders had been dancing about in their webs, their abdomens not as swollen as this larger one was.

The broodmother spider it seemed. Finally...

Without wasting anymore time, Sly fished out another two throwing knives, both in between his fingers, and flicked them towards the broodmother. Both landed true in its engorged abdomen and it flailed frantically from the wound, uttering a horrifying screech and gargle. It's hairy body slammed onto the ground, but she managed to find her footing, like the wound barely affected her. Turning around, she saw her attacker. But she just remained where she was and uttered a lower cry.

To his left, one of the egg sacs popped open. Only now did he realised just how smaller it was compared to the rest, and one familiar foot-sized hatchling emerged. Without bothering to dry itself, it marched its way towards Sly.

I don't have bloody time for this! He thought, charging at the broodmother. Noticing her assailant approaching, the broodmother turned her abdomen up and shot a thick string of her web up to the very top of the tree. Then she propelled herself off the ground. Sly quickly turned his attention to the hatchling, which had climbed up the root of a tree and sprung forward. Merely he batted the spider away with the rapier like a baseball bat, the slightly sharp edge enough to produce a shallow cut to force the softer hatchling to bleed itself to death.

--

Words: 474/100
Post: 8/8

Health: 100%
Left hand: Clockwork Rapier-Simple
Right hand: [Unequipped]
Other items:

Clockwork Sidesword-Simple
BAT-1 Butterfly knives (14)

Grabbing another two throwing knives, Sly backed up a bit and quickly, hoping to at least see there were still some of the thread that the queen had left to climb up. It was too late to try and cut it, and so he instead opted to throw it right under its belly. Another screech left her, and, flailing a bit, she quickly lost her grip on the web and slumped back onto the ground with a heavy thud, on her back this time. This thing is still bloody huge for him to climb on top and deliver a killing blow without being thrown off at some point. He plunged the rapier into the broodmother's side and ducked away from the mindlessly swinging legs, drawing his sidesword out in the process.

He had left the rapier stuck against it, but surely this time she would be too wounded to even stand up quickly at this stage. Sly took his time, slowly walking to where the large abdomen is. Then, swinging the slightly heavier sidesword in his grip like a broadsword, he fixated his grip and, with a small grunt, pierced the thicker blade through the carapace. Another shrill cry left the broodmother, and Sly drew the blade out. Then sunk it back into the broodmother again. And again. And again. Filling her with multiple blade wounds, also killing off any developing eggs that were inside her.

His arms grew tired afterwards. And by then, the broodmother had stopped moving. She was finally slain. And with that, the spiders would slowly leave on their own. If not exterminated by the citizens of De Fiore. Sly pulled out both his swords and, after giving them a few heavy flicks, sheathed them to his waist. Then he looked up. It had already begun. The larger spiders were receding into hiding, even if they saw a human right below them. The fading scent of their queen must have finally forced them to retreat. And almost immediately after, the distant clicking stopped. Like all the spiders in the orchard just froze in time.

He huffed a sigh, and retraced his steps slowly. He was finally able to deliver the good news. But he doubted the apples would be ready for harvest in a while until this whole area was cleaned.

What a pity...

--

Words: 388/100
Post: 9/8

Health: 100%
Left hand: Clockwork Rapier-Simple
Right hand: [Unequipped]
Other items:

Clockwork Sidesword-Simple
BAT-1 Butterfly knives (12)

The member 'Fetus' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'D Class Reward Dice' :