58: Battle in the cave

"We must proceed with caution," Fiona whispered, a hint of tension in her voice. "The Spider Queen is far stronger than a common Phase Spider. If we alert her, we might be in for a tough fight."

"Lilian, first, have that Phase Spider carefully explore the cave," Fiona continued, her gaze fixed on the depths of the cave. "Especially near the Spider Queen. I need to find out if there are any companion herbs that can neutralize poison."

I nodded, secretly calculating how we should react if a battle became unavoidable later.

Fiona dispelled the invisibility spell on the charmed Phase Spider, while Lilian, through their mental link, guided the spider to slowly move deeper into the cave, especially to places where herbs might grow.

Time ticked by, and the air in the cave seemed to solidify.

While waiting for Fiona to discover something, I also quietly discussed feasible battle plans with my companions for the fight that might erupt at any moment.

Randall gripped his shield, his gaze vigilantly scanning his surroundings; Dragon King silently hovered in mid-air, ready to act at any moment.

"I found it!" Fiona exclaimed excitedly, a hint of suppressed thrill in her voice. "On that high platform, near the Spider Queen, those few plants might be what we need."

"Lilian," Fiona continued, a hint of anticipation in her tone, "Is it possible to have that spider pick those few plants and bring them back?"

"I'll try," Lilian responded softly, closing her eyes and concentrating on guiding the Phase Spider through their mental link.

She commanded the Phase Spider to approach those plants.

The charmed Phase Spider moved erratically towards the high platform, then used its Blink skill, instantly teleporting onto the rocky platform where the Spider Queen was located.

"Hiss... growl..."

The Spider Queen let out a low hiss, clearly displeased by the sudden appearance of one of her kind. She waved her forelegs, attempting to drive away the uninvited guest.

The charmed Phase Spider had no choice but to retreat from the platform.

"Hiss..." The Spider Queen followed closely, chasing her down from the platform.

"Something's wrong, the Spider Queen seems to have noticed me," Fiona's voice held a hint of tension. "She keeps circling this spider... What is she doing? Visual sharing has been interrupted!"

"The Charm spell has also been dispelled!" Lilian's voice was tinged with panic.

At the same time, several Phase Spiders hissed from deep within the cave, as if responding to the Queen's call.

"We can't outrun them," I said in a low voice, tightening my grip on my short sword. "Prepare for battle!"

Fiona and Lilian immediately began chanting spells, Randall guarded me, his shield held high, his eyes like torches.

Dragon King still hovered in mid-air, awaiting my command.

I gripped my two Fang Daggers and began to cast Thunder Sword.

As the footsteps of the Phase Spiders grew closer, Fiona and Lilian completed their spellcasting in succession.

This time, Fiona summoned two clusters of Mana Vines with extra-long tendrils, glowing faintly and emitting a slight warmth, "growing" out from the high rock walls in front of them.

Lilian, this time, summoned two smaller Water Elementals.

With a "whoosh" of flowing water, a large amount of water suddenly surged from the low-lying area in the cave ahead.

In the blink of an eye, it filled the trench at the bottom of the cave, forming a small pond.

Then, the pond rapidly contracted, condensing into two Water Elementals, about 2 meters tall, identical in appearance to the large Water Elemental from the evening.

"Woo... hum..."

The two Water Elementals roared simultaneously at the approaching Phase Spiders, their voices echoing through the cave.

After a few blinks, the five Phase Spiders, including the Spider Queen, arrived in front of the Water Elementals.

The Water Elementals condensed water balls and ice blades in their hands, engaging in a fierce battle with the Phase Spiders.

The Mana Vines, under Fiona's control, also assisted from the side, creating trouble for the Phase Spiders.

While all the Phase Spiders were entangled, I commanded Dragon King to fly invisibly towards the high platform with the spider eggs to collect those herbs.

Just as Dragon King flew above the high platform, the Spider Queen seemed to sense something. Her compound eyes suddenly turned towards the platform, and she let out a low hiss.

Immediately after, her body moved swiftly, breaking free from the entanglement of the Water Elementals and vines, and began to teleport towards the high platform.

Each of her teleports could cover dozens of meters. In a few blinks, she returned to the top of the high platform.

I kept Dragon King invisible and high in the air.

Here, Randall and I also joined the battle.

Randall, wielding his shield and greatsword, fought against one Phase Spider.

I, on the other hand, used my Fang Daggers enchanted with the Thunder Sword cantrip, launching long-range attacks, enveloping four Phase Spiders one by one in explosive energy.

If they moved more than approximately 1.5 meters, they would suffer thunder damage.

The Spider Queen, however, did not understand these things. She saw the four Phase Spiders gradually losing, then looked at the spider eggs beside her, and let out a piercing shriek.

The four Phase Spiders in front of us retreated one after another, teleporting towards the high platform.

"Crack-crack-crack... crack-crack-crack..."

A huge thunderous roar echoed through the cave.

The Thunder Sword's spell effect took hold, and the four Phase Spiders suffered thunder damage again, falling out of the void.

Two of the already heavily wounded Phase Spiders sustained even greater damage and were in a dying state.

I was prepared; arrows accompanied by the sound of thunder tore through the air, and a venomous wolf-fang arrow struck the massive head of one of the dying spiders.

This spider struggled for a few moments, its eight legs wobbling uncontrollably, then it stumbled and fell into a deep, dark, huge crevice in the center of the cave.

Fiona's Mana Vines, at the moment of their teleportation and blinking, shot out like venomous snakes, flying swiftly towards them.

Another dying spider, being a step too slow, was impaled by the tips of two Mana Vines.

The remaining two lightly wounded Phase Spiders dodged the Mana Vines' attack and, within a few breaths, had teleported back to the base of the high platform.

The four of us, due to our spellcasting and attacks, had already been passively forced out of our invisible state.

Lilian walked forward behind one of the Water Elementals, and with a flash, she actually entered the Water Elemental's body.

Her legs transformed back into a fish tail, and the Water Elemental now acted like her armor, encasing her, as she and the other Water Elemental walked towards the high platform.

Fiona cast Animated Mana Vines, and countless Mana Vines formed a vine armor on her body.

Dozens of long vines hung down to the ground, lifting Fiona high up and replacing her legs for walking.

From behind, Fiona looked like a hulking forest giant, following behind the Water Elementals, moving quickly forward.

Randall and I followed behind them, quickly approaching the high platform with the spider eggs from one side of the huge cave.

In the center of the huge cave floor, we passed the deep, dark, enormous crevice, where glowing mycelium grew on the rock walls inside.

I peered into the depths of the crevice, seemingly unable to see the bottom.

No time to study it carefully, we had to get to the high platform as soon as possible.