“Are you done regaling us with stories of your sexual prowess yet?” Suka begs.
“Hmm, yes, as fun as it is, perhaps progressing the narrative is for the best?” Spindle accedes.
I shake off my lust-haze and speak up, “Right, so how did you get everyone past the Sand Worm?” That question has been bothering for a while now, and I’d really like my curiosity satiated.
Spindle gives us a look, like she expects us to have gotten it already. “You all do recall the Sand Goblins have lures for the Worm?”
“…So, you forced one of them to sacrifice themselves,” I state, not liking how that makes feel.
“Fu-fu-fu, Spindle isn’t that simple, of course.”
“I volunteer. Did job goot, too,” a Sand Goblin girl says, stepping forward.
“But how did you survive?” Suka wonders, puzzled.
The Bee girl swarm buzzes over and the largest one, their leader, exclaims, “We pulled them away at the last minute!” If I’m not mistaken, the young insectoids already look a full year older than they did this morning.
I can’t help raising my voice in distress at this news, “You risked the girls???”
“Eh? …Long, long rope. No danger,” the Bee girl leader insists.
“Just so,” Spindle agrees. “They easily drew the Sand Worm away from the emigrating tribes in this way. The Sand Thumper attracted its attention, drowned the footfalls of our group, and the girls yanked our volunteer high into the air when they saw any sign of the Worm’s approach. An almost trivial strategy when carefully considered.”
“Wait, you didn’t even ntion the Cactus Turret?” Suka reminds us, “What happened there?”
The Wicked Webling smirks, “It seems you’ve forgotten a simple fact. The Turret’s range extends radially from its position at the far edge of the Eastern Desert. More specifically, its vision is limited to a do that only touches the desert floor in a circle of a few hundred ters diater."
"Right, on account of the world being round," I say, revealing lore passed down through generations from ancient humanity. "Since we're basically standing on top of a globe, tangential sight-lines grow further from the surface of the sphere the further out you go. Good thing I paid attention in class growing up! But how did you know that?"
"Spindle gleaned this knowledge through logic and observation during her airflight into the desert earlier in the day.”
Wow, my Webling lover is smart!
“In other words?” Suka presses, not quite getting it, though an inkling of Spindle’s strategy already sparks in my mind.
“Oh!” Opal exclaims, “The further from the Turret, the higher one can safely fly!”
I head-pat my genius Lamia proudly as Spindle continues, “Exactly. Spindle took the asure of the Turret’s range with a rudintary kite and wove sandshoes for the Goblins with sticks and thread. Once Spindle had the critical information of what obstacles to expect, it shouldn’t surprise anyone she was able to devise counterstrategies.”
“How did you have ti for all this and the orgy?” Suka wonders aloud.
“Spindle had been working on her plan to sneak past the Worm on her way ho all day, of course. She isn’t soone who waits until the last minute to finish important tasks.”
I have to hand it to Spindle. I gave her an inch, and she ca back with a mile! Never did it occur to that the wily Webling would solve half my problems in the Eastern Desert if I let her loose there. Originally, I just wanted her to blow off so steam to help with her demon issue—yeah, I should check in on that. “Um, so, you ntioned your new friend there,” I indicate Delilah the Mothra, “But, Spindle, how is your… little problem?”
Delilah, despite seeming totally out of it in a personal world of pleasant haze, takes one of Spindle’s hands and gives it a soft squeeze. Oh, wow. The Webling returns her lover’s gesture and levels a confident gaze at . “Manageable.”
“Great,” I say, looking from Spindle to Delilah to their entwined hands, and back. “Really great!”
Spindle cocks her head slightly at my response as a grin steals onto her face. “Vermillion, perhaps you’d be interested in sampling Delilah’s unique… flavor?”
The Moth girl’s green glowing eyes turn in my direction, her pupils swimming through enigmatic sights beyond my understanding before focusing on . She smiles like I’ve woken her from a lovely dream and says, “I believe in free love. You can ‘sample’ any day of the week, Verm-uh-Vermi… Miss Alex.”
“I might just take you up on that, though I may be cutting tonight’s orgy short. Big day tomorrow, and all.”
“Mmm, my vapors do a wonderful job of relaxing you if you’re feeling too stressed to sleep, Miss Alex.”
I resolve to seriously consider using Delilah’s abilities, though I’ll need to use them responsibly or else risk muddling my thoughts prior to battle. Then my mind once again returns to sober matters. “Hey, Gabby, how long do I have to wait before I’m allowed to get worried about Cottontail, Gale, and Jonny’s team?” It’s been a while since Cottontail’s disappearance at this point, and I need soone with a level head to modulate my panic response.
“We should go after them,” gan says while pacing a furrow into the ground. Spindle’s story distracted her, but the Denki Nezumi is gradually becoming a nervous wreck the longer she’s separated from her two beloveds.
“Wait another few minutes,” Gabby instructs with an eye on the setting sun, “Then check your Partner Map again, Alex. If they aren’t on their way ho by then, you can organize a rescue mission.”
The Misty Grove mission was supposed to be a simple gathering job. What the hell happened?
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