Chloe didn't waste time. She unleashed a volley of Magic Missiles. They were aimed directly at the giant spider's eyes.
But this time, the spells just bounced off. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. The spider barely reacted. The eyes weren't the weak spot anymore. They were like polished stone.
"Crap!" Chloe cursed.
But Jack's [Mysterious Dream] was working.
It was assaulted by the visual nightmare of water filled tunnel. The symphony of rainwater and river sound from [Mysterious Lullaby]. And the salty smell of seawater beach from [Alraune's Myriad Aromas].
The monstrous spider slowed. Its movements became disjointed. It swayed. Its mandibles were clicking weakly. It was trapped in a hellish underwater nightmare.
Seeing her chance, Amaranth yanked open her satchel. She didn't hesitate. Two serpentine forms of swirling mist erupted into existence. They were hissing and lunging at the spider. Her Mist Serpents were on the attack.
Jack watched the spider convulse. It was still caught in the throes of his illusion. A crazy idea sparked in his spectral mind. It was utterly ridiculous. But he thought it wouldn't hurt to try.
He channeled a tiny amount of his spectral energy. Then he casted one of the most pathetic spells he knew. A cantrip. [Water Splash]. A mere, harmless droplet of water hit the giant spider.
And the spider freaked out.
It thrashed around. Its legs were scrabbling at the stone floor. It choked and gurgled. Its massive abdomen heaving. Its eight eyes rolled back in its head.
"What the hell did you do?" Chloe asked, her voice a mix of awe and confusion.
Jack was just as stunned. "I... I don't know! I casted a nightmare, targeting its worst fear. Drowning. Maybe the water splash helped... making it fell deeper to the nightmare. Making it think it was actually drowning?"
It was insane. But it was working. The spider suffocated. Its biological systems were overwhelmed by the illusion.
"Chloe! More Water Splash!" Jack shouted.
Chloe blinked. Then, she obeyed. Another pathetic splash of water. Another convulsion from the spider.
Amaranth, seeing a chance, recalled her mist serpents. Instead, she focused her primal magic. She conjured thick clouds of water vapor. The vapor condensed, forming a weak localized rainfall directly above the struggling spider.
The effect was immediate and drastic. The spider's thrashing grew weaker. Its legs were twitching. Its body shuddered one last time. Then it went still.
The truck-sized monstrosity was dead. Killed by… drowning. Illusion of drowning.
Jack looked at the spider's corpse with astonishment. He couldn't believe it. It worked. Didn't spider breathe through its tracheae? Could it really be killed by an illusion of suffocation?
Amaranth lowered her hands. "That… was unexpected."
"Tell me about it." Chloe said, still staring at the dead spider.
"You were a great help, both of you!" Amaranth said. She met Chloe's gaze.
Then her gaze turned to the transparent Jack. A ghost-like being with stage magician spectral attire. He was a mystery to her.
The two had helped her. But she was still very guarded, especially toward Jack. There was something unsettling about the spectral being.
"Jack Mystery!" Jack said. Introducing himself nonchalantly. "A friendly specter. Pleased to meet you." He took of his hat and bowed extravagantly.
"Amaranth." Amaranth introduced herself. Jack noticed she didn't tell him her full name. Very vigilant indeed. "Sorry, but are you...?"
"A specter? Soul of the dead?" Jack completed her question. "Yep. That was me."
"You don't look like any ghost... any specter I've ever heard." She commented. "Aren't specter evil spirit?"
Jack shrugged his spectral shoulder. "I haven't met any other specter yet. So I can't really say I'm different or not. But I've met some ghosts. Not much different from humans. Some good. Some bad. I don't think specters are any different."
"He is not that bad, Sis." Chloe chimed in. "Are you a Mystic Scholar too?"
"She is Primal Sorceress." Jack replied. "You know... one of the lucky guys with innate supernatural talent."
"Primal what?" Chloe looked baffled. Amaranth showed the same expression.
"Wait! You don't know that?" Jack exclaimed in shock. "Mystic Arts. Supernatural Power. Force of Faith. Eldritch Contract. Those four basic power system? You don't know?"
"I heard about Force of Faith." Amaranth said. Obviously. Her uncle was an ex-priest. "But I had no clues of the other things you said."
"Dr. Crafton only taught me about Mystic Arts." Chloe added.
Jack facepalmed. He had a preconception that everyone with transcendent ability had that knowledge. He was apparently wrong.
He explained briefly about the four power system. And then, they exchanged information. Filling in the gaps in their experiences since the teleportation.
Amaranth didn't have much to add. Her journey had been similar to Chloe's and Jack's. It was a relentless struggle against arachnid horrors.
As they continued through the labyrinth, the adrenaline faded. Their vigilance was still high. But the conversation turned lighter. Jack and Chloe even began a playful debate.
"What will be the worst thing we face here?" Chloe asked. She was wrinkling her nose. "One spider bigger than that last monstrosity, or, like, a hundred smaller ones?"
"A hundred smaller ones, definitely." Jack answered without hesitation. "Imagine the chittering. The sheer volume of... nope."
"But the gigantic one could just… crush you in one move," Chloe countered.
"Yeah, but at least it'd be quick." Jack said. "The little ones would swarm you. Get in your hair. Lay eggs in your… never mind."
Amaranth watched them. A flicker of amusement appeared in her eyes. The strange duo. The ghost with a penchant for the dramatic expression. And the scholar with a surprising amount of grit.
...
Then they found him.
He was lying face down in a side passage. His limbs were twisted at unnatural angles. Dead.
Jack quickly recognized him. He was one of Dr. Crafton's teenage students.
"Oh my god! Paulo!" Chloe whispered. Rushing to the body's side. She knelt. Her fingers were trembling as she reached for his neck. Searching for a pulse. There was none.
"He's dead." She said. Her voice was flat. Without the trace of positive cheerfulness it usually had.
Jack floated closer. He examined the body. It wasn't the work of a spider. A clean, precise stab wound marred his back. Straight to his heart. A sword. Or a dagger.
"He was stabbed." Jack stated. His tone was grim.
Amaranth approached cautiously. Her eyes were scanning their surroundings. "And… robbed. His weapon is gone. And his bag. He always carried his bag, didn't he?"
"Yes. Paulo put his notes in his bag. He always carried it." Chloe looked up. Her eyes were wide with horror. "Someone killed him? Not a monster? One of us?"
Jack nodded slowly. "It's looking that way."
Realistic dialogue ensued.
"Who would do this?" Chloe asked. Her voice was cracking. "He was just a boy."
"Someone desperate." Amaranth said. Her gaze was hardening. "Or someone… opportunistic."
"But why?" Chloe demanded. "What could he possibly have that was worth killing for?"
Jack considered the possibilities. "Maybe it wasn't about what he had. Maybe it was about… silencing him. Did he know something? See something?"
"He did always have his nose in a book." Chloe said. "But what could he have learned in this place?"
"It doesn't matter." Amaranth interrupted. Her voice was sharp. "What matters is that there's a murderer among us. Someone willing to kill for… whatever reason."
Jack immediately thought of Jasmine Moonlake. Her almost-black karma. It was a testament to a life lived on the fringes. But he kept his suspicions to himself. It could be anyone.
"We have to be careful." Amaranth said. Her eyes were darting nervously around the labyrinth's dark corridors. "We can't trust anyone."
They moved on. The weight of their discovery was heavy in the air. The playful banter was gone. It was replaced by a wary silence.
They encountered more spiders. Smaller ones. Bigger ones. Ones that scuttled on the ceiling. And ones that dropped from above.
But they fought them as a surprisingly effective team. Chloe's magic spells. Amaranth's supernatural power. And Jack's spectral abilities. Combined, they made the three of them a formidable force.
...
Then, they found another corpse. This one was a documentarian. It was the same modus operandi. Stabbed in the back. Robbed clean.
"This is escalating." Amaranth said. Her voice was tight with anger and worry.
"Definitely not the spiders." Chloe added in grim expression. "Unless they learned how to use swords while we weren't looking."
"It's the same person." Jack concluded. "The same, ruthless efficiency. Was he carrying anything valuable?"
"Mr. Hustleson usually carried his spear, gun, copper watch, and notes," Chloe replied. "Nothing that would be worth killing for."
"Unless... his notes were valuable?" Jack paused, trying to collect his thoughts.
"But who would care about that in a place like this?" Chloe looked at Jack with questioning eyes.
...
Not long afterward, they found a third body. It was a bodyguard. A hired muscle for the expedition.
But this one was different. He wasn't stabbed. Half of his body was charred, turining into a blackened husk. And standing over him was the culprit. A huge, fire-breathing spider.
This time, the enemy was a monster. Not a murderer. And the three of them had to fight it.
The fire spider was a tough opponent. Its flames scorched the stone walls. It forced them to scramble to evade it.
But it had the same weakness as the giant spider. Jack snagged it in a nightmarish illusion of drowning.
And the girls used flimsy water spells. To drag it deeper into the illusion. The fire in its throat sputtered and died. It thrashed, choked, and finally collapsed.
...
Hours later, the labyrinth seemed to be winding to a close. They could hear voices in the distance. They were faint but audible. Other survivors. They must be nearing either the exit or the center of the labyrinth.
"I'm going invisible." Jack announced. "I'll be your trump card. In case we run into the backstabbing bastard."
The two girls exchanged nervous glanced.
"Be careful!" Chloe said.
"Oh, come on! I'm already dead. What worse thing could happen to me?" Jack replied. His body slowly disappeared. "You two were the ones who need to be careful."
Then, the two girls stepped into the main chamber.