The Spider Queen

Night had fallen and the dim light of the stars could be seen above the city.

While the noble and wealthier districts were able to afford streetlamps, the poor areas on the other hand were left to rot in the darkness.

Sophie glanced down at the map in her hand as she cautiously made her way towards the meeting point.

Time had sped up the moment she had accepted the quest from the Archdemon of Pride so now the mission had begun.

Rescue or sell the count\'s daughter...

Well obviously, she was going to rescue the poor girl. But she needed a plan to make sure that things didn\'t go south.

Sophie tucked the rusty knife in one of the pockets of her tattered robe and tried to make her body as small as possible.

The darkness of the city and the long shadows that were cast against the walls made it easy for a skinny girl to navigate her way to her destination without being seen.

Besides... guards usually did not patrol the slums.

"Excuse me child..." a frail voice called out from behind a nearby stack of crates.

Sophie\'s footsteps slowed down and she waited for the voice to continue talking.

"Can you spare me some coin? I\'m so hungry... please..." the voice continued to plead with desperation.

Sophie could vaguely make out a figure hidden in a large, oversized robe but was unable to tell if it belonged to a man or a woman.

She didn\'t have much time to waste but still... she could afford to be soft-hearted in a game.

Sophie dug around in her pockets and found a few copper coins that were stained with blood and grime.

"Here you go," Sophie whispered quietly as she placed the coins on top of the crates. A gnarled hand extended outwards from the robe and snatched the coins with haste.

Without even a word of thanks the figure ran away while whispering something incomprehensible under their breath.

[You have been blessed!]

[Beggar\'s Luck- A lack of coins greatly increases your luck stat]

[The Goddess of Mercy smiles at your kindness]

[The Archdemon of Pride scoffs at your naivety]

Sophie glanced at the blue translucent windows that appeared in front of her body and then promptly took out the remaining coins in her pockets.

She would need all the help that she could get.

Luck was a rather fickle thing so hopefully this so-called blessing would be able to give her an edge in her upcoming mission.

The young woman checked the map again to make sure that she was going in the right direction and then proceeded to walk onwards.

The meeting place was at the border of the slums. On the bank of a narrow river that separated the poor district from the merchant area.

Only a few bridges connected the two areas across the body of water, but it was possible to swim from one side to the other.

If you were fortunate enough to avoid the man-eating water snakes in the river of course.

Sophie turned around a corner and saw the bridge in the distance.

It was a quiet night and only a few drunks could be seen sipping on dirty glasses and slumped on the ground.

On the other side of the river was another world.

The merchant district was well lit, and people could be seen moving from stall to stall looking at wares.

The famous night markets.

No place for orphan girls with little cash or the means to pay for the goods. Sophie furrowed her brows as she saw several guards patrolling up and down the bridge.

Wait...

Sophie held her breath as a beautiful woman dressed in pale white armour appeared out of thin air.

Strange runic circles floated around her body and her eyes were completely purple and glowing as if she was possessed by the divine.

The woman talked to the guards for several seconds and then her gaze turned to the slums.

Sophie could detect no emotion in her eyes as if she was looking at insects deep beneath her feet.

[The Archdemon of Pride wants you to tear that arrogant woman\'s eyes out!]

"Same..." Sophie muttered quietly.

The female paladin was clearly on a mission since she didn\'t stay for long and walked away towards the night markets.

Hours passed quite uneventfully as Sophie maintained her vigilance and was forced to beat up several drunks who tried to harass her for money.

The time for the meeting was getting closer and closer. The boss had said that her contact would arrive at midnight and now was nearly time.

Clop! Clop!

Sophie\'s head turned in the direction of the sound and saw a horse trotting down one of the bridges with a small carriage behind it.

A rat-like man with tiny beady eyes held the reins of the carriage and he kept glancing in all directions as if he was being followed by someone.

Sophie continued to watch and saw as the man dipped into his pockets and slipped something to a nearby guard.

She wasn\'t sure exactly what it was but judging by the flash of gold... it was most likely a bribe to look the other way.

She needed to move now.

The young woman stealthily approached the carriage as it arrived on the other side of the bridge.

The rat-like man driving the carriage saw her coming and his face broke out into a welcoming smile.

"Ay lass... it is good to see you," the man warmly spoke as he rubbed his hands together.

"Tell your boss... we\'re even now. I ain\'t risking my neck when the count finds out his precious daughter is gone."

"Where is the girl?" Sophie demanded in a cold tone.

The rat-like man\'s expression shifted slightly, and a strange emotion surfaced in his eyes. He gestured for Sophie to come inside the carriage.

"Not here... we\'re too close..." the man softly whispered as he pointed at the bridge.

Sophie nodded in understanding and opened the carriage door. She slipped inside and was immediately overwhelmed by the stench.

By the gods... the interior of the carriage was filthy.

Nasty brown stains were present on the cushions, the floor was littered with garbage and the walls...

Sophie could only hope that the used panties glued to the walls did not come from the girl tied up in the backseat.

It did not appear as though that was the case since those panties were clearly too large for the young girl who did not appear to be older than fifteen.

The count\'s daughter was a pale fragile girl who looked at Sophie with terrified eyes. She wore a plain white dress and there was an emerald amulet hanging from her neck.

Sophie quickly inspected the girl with her eyes and was relieved to discover that her clothes were untouched.

"Don\'t worry lass... I know the drill... your boss would have killed me if I damaged her merchandise before the client got her," the rat-like man said with a chuckle.

A silent rage bubbled up in Sophie\'s heart, but she waited patiently as the man continued to sprout disgusting words.

"How did you manage to catch her?" Sophie asked curiously as she did not look at the girl and projected an aura of indifference.

"Simple... the count has a bastard son and let\'s just say... his mother wants him to be the true heir to the estate," the man casually spoke.

"Ahh... nobles and their power struggles... I tell you lass... we commoners have it good. All we got to do it find enough money to eat, shit and sleep."

The carriage jolted slightly as the rat-like man drove deeper inside the slums until they arrived at an empty warehouse.

"Alright... we\'re here... I see some of your boss\' men... looks like... arghhh!" the driver slumped forward as an arrow was shot into his throat.

Sophie grabbed the count\'s daughter and pulled her to the floor just as several arrows were shot through the wall.

What was going on?

The sounds of fighting and cursing came from outside. Sophie pulled out the rusty knife and hastily began to untie the ropes wrapped around the young teenage girl.

"What\'s your name?" Sophie quietly whispered as she continued to pull apart the ropes binding the girl\'s wrists together.

"Amira... but..." the girl stuttered nervously as she watched Sophie free her.

"Okay Amira. Listen to me carefully... I am going to get you home, but you need to trust me," Sophie spoke gently as she removed the last binding.

"Can you be brave?"

Amira nodded but it was clear that the soft noble daughter had never experienced anything like this before.

"On the count of three... we are going to get out of here..." Sophie muttered under her breath as she grabbed the young girl\'s hand.

"Ready?"

"One... two..."

"Three!"

[The Archdemon of Pride approves of your suicidal plan!]