Chapter Seven - Spider
This maid woman was strange, Cricket decided.
It wasn't just a little strangeness. After all, she was an elf! Those were uncommon enough in these parts that Cricket could have dismissed some of the strangeness as just a bit of a cultural clash. No, Rosario the level two [Scullery Maid] was strange-strange.
For one, she didn't know basic history.
This was, of course, fertile ground for imaginative (but slight) reinterpretations. "And so, with great candor, grace, candor, and violence, the five Great Heroes defeated the five Great Generals of the Demon Lord's army, and brought peace and prosperity to all the lands! Except Lithos, which was kinda left to rot."
Rosario nodded along. "Two additional questions," she said. "First, do you actually know what 'candor' means, and second, can you expand on the five Great Generals?"
Cricket snorted. She was caught! "I think it's a type of bird? As for the five Great Generals, they're all dead, so what's it matter? If you really want to know... actually, maybe don't go asking around?"
"Why not?" Rosario asked. It sounded like she was genuinely curious.
Cricket debated a quick lie, but for all that it would be funny, it could also land Rosario in a spot of trouble and Cricket was a trickster, not a betrayer. The maid had given her warm food, a bath, and a job.
"The five Great Generals ran a crusade across the world at the Demon Lord's behest. They did some rude things, as one does in war, and now if thou speak their name in the wrong place, some may curse you. Most won't. It's been three generations for humanity, and more for others, but the long-lived? Why, you may have been around when they rampaged, no?"
"I... see. Just their names?"
"They have Titles, of course," Cricket said.
"And titles are?" Rosario asked. She didn't put the right weight on that word. It lacked gravitas.
Cricket stared at her all the same. Children knew what Titled were. It was like being unaware of rain and sunlight. Still, perhaps the maid was leading her on for a reason? "A Titled is anyone who reaches the Titled tier in their job. The fourth tier. One day, I may reach level fifty and turn my [Jester] into [Harlequin] and if I spend the rest of my short little life working particularly hard, I may become a titled [Death Jester] or [Troupe Master] or some such. And then I'll be granted a Title, by the Adventurer's Guild or the Kingdom itself. Perhaps... Cricket the Most Magnificent and Handsome and Available?"
Rosario chuckled lightly at the last part, which had Cricket standing taller.
There was no greater joy than making someone laugh. That was the troupe's motto. It wasn't here anymore, but... well, that didn't mean that she couldn't be happy anyways. So, she grinned, then gestured ahead.
They had made it into the forest near the Emerald Brook. A lot of the traveling they would do was going to be across open plains, following the rather meandering river, but there were a few places where the road cut through a small forest.
Cricket glanced up. The sun was on its way down, but they had another hour or three of light left before they would have to set down camp.
"So, what are their Titles?" Rosario asked.
"Hm? Oh, the Great Heroes or the Great Generals?" Cricket asked. The Titles were a safer subject. No one would get too prissy if someone referred to a General by their Title. It was the names that were dangerous. Knowing them alone might suggest that someone was a worshipper, and those were... an issue.
"Yes, those," Rosario said.
"Well, you have The Corpse King, who made a mess of the Bowman's woods. Very unpopular there. The Red Hand, who defended Alpta and the cities to the west. Not so hated. The Butcher of Hazelfort. You can guess where his name is cursed."
"Hazelfort? The large city on the edge of the Bowman's Woods?"
"That's the one," Cricket said with a nod. So, she knew some geography. "Then there's the Faithful Maid, who went missing, ironically, and the Wicker Witch, who almost destroyed Thornethorn."
"The Faithful Maid?" Rosario asked.
"You chose the Job without knowing about her? She's a local legend!" Cricket said. She spun around and walked backwards. The old cobbled road was even enough for it. "Story goes that she was the last defender of the--"
Cricket paused, then spun around. There was a noise.
Bandits? They weren't too common, but most were pretty civilized. They'd ask for some change and move on, really. Especially if she flashed her adventurer's ring.
"You heard that too?" Rosario asked.
"Yup," Cricket said. She smiled and tried to look confident, but nonetheless slipped her hands into her inventory and pulled out a trio of knives. They were old, well-worn, and maybe a little more dull than they'd once been, but they were good second tier weapons, and she was a decent fighter with them. [Knife Throw] and [Juggler] were both handy skills to have at times.
"I can hear something, it's strange," Rosario said.
Cricket nodded, tensing up. It was coming from the woods, off to their right, the same direction as the river. A predator? They were usually cleared out by the Adventuring Guild along the road, but this was near the river, they'd come over to drink sometimes.
Then she saw what it was at last, and the tension bled out of her.
A [Jumping Spider] came scuttling out of the woods.
It was about as tall as Cricket herself, with long mandibles and many, many eyes. But it was just a first tier monster. Nothing too dangerous; and they didn't hunt in packs.
"W-what is that," Rosario said.
Cricket almost giggled. Not a fan of spiders, then? "It's a most terrifying foe!" she said. "A [Great Jumping Spider]! Flee, oh maidenly one, or watch as I sacrifice myself to save us both from its ravenous ma--"
She paused as the air grew suddenly, dangerously, heavy.
Every one of her instincts told her to stand very, very still.
Rosario had raised a hand and was pointing her palm at the spider. Her face was set, emotionless, but... but Cricket could feel the fear in the air. It was tinging the outpouring of raw magical energy that was blasting off of Rosario like heat out of a [Blacksmith]'s forge. That was a lot of mana. That was a very, very lot of mana.
"What are yo--" Cricket began.
"[Disintegration Beam]."
The air screamed.
At first, the magical attack formed a glowing circle the size of the town square. Then that circle shrunk, the runes and markings becoming tiny, glowing script as the spell condensed into the size of a coin.
Cricket had spent some time around a [Mage] or two. The Troup had a [Firebreather] who knew some pretty advanced magic. There were some at the guild, too, and of course [Enchanters] and other jobs that had magic use amongst their many skills. They tended to pick up a Spell or two along the way.
She had never felt this much raw mana being torn out of nothing and pressed into the shape of a spell.
The most surprising part, perhaps, was the speed. A spell beyond the simplest cantrip required an aria, a song or poem or something.
Rosario had spoken two words. The circle formed in a blink.
Then the spell launched.
It started as a narrow beam. So thin and small that it was almost invisible. A thread of gossamer in the wind.
The spell exploded. A burst of energy ripped out of it, and Cricket was sent flying backwards, ass over teakettle. It was only years of practicing her [Acrobatics] skill that let her land on her feet at the end of that.
The air was fire and heat and dust.
Then it was all sucked inwards and... nothing.
The spell ended with a tiny, pitiful little shriek, like a kettle being pulled off the fire.
The entire right side of the road was missing.
No, that wasn't true. The spell was more precise than that.
There was a tunnel missing. Like a giant had scooped a section of the world away. It started narrow, then grew wider, and deeper. Soon, the missing section intersected with the river. Water was rushing into the gap.
In the far, far distance, she saw that the side of an entire mountain was glowing red-hot in the cooling evening air.
She slowly turned towards Rosario, who had composed herself.
The [Scullery Maid], level two, cleared her throat. "I don't like spiders," she said.
***
They made camp, and it was rather awkward, but she was playing her role as [Maid] and so didn't comment on it.
The first bit of awkwardness came from their lack of any camping equipment. She had spare skirts to serve as blankets, and... that was it. She considered turning them into a tent, that was well within her ability as a [Seamstress] but it would ruin the image. Maybe as they travelled?
Or maybe not, she didn't want to lose any of her dresses.
So, that was one part. The second was their food and water situation. Which was to say, they had none.
She had some leftovers, at least, so not quite none. And they did have a fire, thanks to a utility spell, but that was it.
The other half of the awkwardness was the strange looks that Cricket was giving her.
Hardly her fault.
That spider was the size of a (small) car!
It got what it deserved.
She may have poured in more mana than was necessary. A slightly upcast [Firebolt], which was a cantrip, could blast apart a wall. A powerful, upper-tier PvP spell like [Disintegration Beam] took to the upcasting a little better.
She settled on the ground, trying to look prim and proper about sleeping under the stars. Well, the stars and a few small shields and warning spells.
Cricket had settled down too. The talking was kind of over. Hopefully the morning would bring back the rather pleasant mood.
Though...
She did recall something from their discussions already.
"Status," she muttered. The system menu came up, same as it had been. No levels for the spider kill, but [Maid] didn't level from combat, obviously.
She was more interested in one of the sub-menus.
"Titles," she muttered next.
Rosario Thorn
Titles
The Faithful Maid
The Black Apron Archmage
The Guardian Sword of Hellisdalr
"Ah... well, that might be complicated to explain," she muttered.
***