Expedition 89: Spiders! Hell Yeah!

Dear diary,

I really like this greatsword I got but it definitely has some drawbacks. Today I left Nexrin in a really dangerous position and if he hadn’t survived I don’t know what I would have done with myself. We went out to the Badlands together but he did all the tracking obviously since he’s a ranger and all. The first spiders he tracked down were in a ditch. It seemed great since we could shoot them like fish in a barrel but then they shot webs at us so instead I jumped down into the ditch to bring the fight to them. Actually, that was a terrible idea because of this new belt I got, it hurt a lot to fall on the ground, like I was made of clay or something. Luckily since I was fighting them up close I could sweep my sword around and hit more and they couldn’t get up to Nexrin so he could pick them off from above. He tried to harvest them for silk but only got the hang of it by the third one. I was hurting a little bit so he healed me up.

The next two he tracked down had set a trap in the trees with a bunch of web around, hunkered down so they were harder to hit. Nexrin threw a rock at one so it popped up and I took it out with a couple of arrows. But Nexrin got pulled by the web trap toward the center. Even wrapped up the spider couldn’t hit him though. I tried to free him but I could do it and he just did it himself. The other spider had hidden under some sand but I still managed to slice through it with my greatsword. Nexrin handily harvests both web sacs.

Since it was getting dark, Nexrin decided to try to take out more spiders at once. I should have been more cautious but I agreed with him since he’s so much more experienced than I am. He tracked a group of spiders to a cave, probably where they were keeping their eggs. It was a narrow entrance so I went first since I’m more expendable—or at least safer because of the sword. The guard-spider restrained me but I shook free and with a burst of energy took it out in two blows of my greatsword. Nexrin fires on the 3 spiders hiding in the back of the room. I get restrained by web again but tear it off and recover some strength. Nexrin fires on the back line again but doesn’t quite take them out. Still standing, one fires at Nexrin and the other one tries to bite me. The two on the front line get me, though, and I reappear in my bed at New Lallybroch. I’m so worried I don’t know what to do. There’s no way any of us could get to him in time to help. Maybe I should go grab Yezra in case he’s dead. I think they said they had a big diamond… I feel awful but I don’t want to bother Clarity, she’s really busy and has been distant lately. I don’t know what’s going on with her but I’m afraid to ask.

. . .

Oh thank goodness Nexrin came back to town. He says he took out the back line just fine but the front ones hadn’t taken any hits and were really intent on taking him down. One of them hit him with a web and the other one bit him really hard… realizing he was in a bind he used his magic wings to hover but they followed him up, climbing on the walls, and bit him really hard again. He used his breath weapon on one but didn't quite take it out and they kept whaling on him. With his war pick he broke the web and took out the wounded one and healed himself while he finally got the fire built up again in his… belly? still not sure how that works… and took out the other one. I’m so glad he made it back, I would never have forgiven myself if he hadn’t. Maybe I shouldn’t do this hunting thing too much… the sword makes me more of a liability in this one.