The Spider Queen

(Zrudread University)

(Forest Lord Kingdom Park- Maze Complex)

Moon was now obediently flying through the endless maze as he had spent the last five minutes getting ruthlessly scolded.

Sophie could not believe that this lazy little glutton was willing to give up at the start of the exam without even trying.

She took a few moments to compose herself and then focused on the task at hand.

Solving this maze would not be an easy task.

There was no doubt in her mind that the obstacles and traps hidden within would definitely pose a problem.

In addition, time was of the essence as Sophie knew that she could not maintain the blood bond connection for an extended period of time.

[Halt!]

A loud mechanical voice came from a nearby passage that caused Moon's flying speed to unconsciously slow down.

The sounds of grating and sparks could be heard as a large mechanical monsters dragged its massive body through the opening.

Sophie frowned at the sight of a jumbled mess of cogs, parts and sporks that were messily welded together to form some sort of abomination in the shape of a worm.

[Do you want to enter my shortcut?] the robotic voice stared at Moon with glowing red eyes.

"Moon be careful and keep your distance," Sophie whispered into her pet's mind.

She was unsure if this offer was genuine or was this a trap set by the maze designers.

If it were the latter, then Moon's small stature and poor control over his ability meant that a fight would not go in his favour.

Moon nodded his head secretly and flew a bit further away but still kept within earshot of the strange creature.

[All you have to do is choose a companion]

The mechanical monster hunched over, and two small openings appeared on its back.

Out of these holes came two long thin metallic snakes that rose into the air and hissed at Moon.

The snake on the left was made of a green metalloid material and had short spikes growing out of its spine.

The snake on the right was composed of a reddish-brown metalloid and instead of spikes there were small bumps growing along its back.

[My darling son is the more powerful of the pair, but his great strength and wisdom are only matched by his dark ambitions]

[He may turn on you at the first opportunity]

The green snake waved its tail around proudly and stared at Moon with a hungry expression in its eyes.

[My cowardly daughter fears the strong and bullies the weak, but she will not betray those who prove themselves worthy]

The reddish-brown snake closed its eyes peacefully and paid no attention to her father's words.

She appeared to be disinterested in Moon's appearance.

Should we take him up on the offer or leave?

Sophie was truthfully torn into two minds.

On one hand her instincts were not setting off any alarms so whatever this mechanic monstrosity was saying was most likely to be true.

What was concerning was the description of its children.

The son appeared to be the stronger one, but Sophie did not want Moon to travel with something that could betray him at any moment.

The daughter was hardly any better as Sophie was unsure of what exactly the words 'prove themselves worthy' meant.

What would Moon need to do to seem worthy?

"Let's just keep flying straight and ignore them," Sophie made up her mind and sent a message to Moon.

Moon nodded his furry little head and continued to fly in a northern direction.

He could feel three pairs of eyes staring at his figure as he disappeared into the distance.

Moon could not help but shiver slightly when recalling the memory of those intense gazes.

Why did his mommy want him to go to such a scary place?!

The frostwing bat continued to fly at a fast pace but the scenery remained unchanged and oddly enough there were no more split pathways.

Ten minutes passed by uneventfully until Moon was met by an enormous black metallic wall that sealed off the path.

Moon landed on the ground cautiously and placed his tiny hand on the stone but to his dismay, the stone seemed quite firm.

That's alright.

Moon was a smart boy and would solve this problem.

Sophie had also noticed the obstacle and was about to tell Moon to turn around when her pet decided to put his plan into action.

Chomp!

"Owww!" Moon shrieked in pain as he felt his fangs almost shatter.

He rolled around the ground in agony while Sophie contemplated the meaning of life.

Why did Moon think that he could bite through solid metal?

Was this her fault?

Did her blood somehow turn Moon into a little fool?

Sophie decided on the spot that Moon would only be allowed to watch education channels from now on.

"Are you okay baby?" Sophie put away her messy thoughts and comforted poor Moon.

Moon tearfully sat up from the ground, crossed his arms and then refused to move.

He had seen an idol drama where the scary monster chasing the hero had devoured a pile of rubble to find him.

Moon thought that his fangs were even sharper than the silly monster so naturally he should also be able to eat metal.

"Moon… Moon…. Moon we need to go," Sophie gently spoke.

Her frostwing bat continue to lay on the floor and sulk.

Moon's fur had bristled up due to his irritation and now he looked like a puffy fur ball.

This entire thing was stupid, and he just wanted to go home!

Sophie sensed his negative feeling through the blood bond and decided to use her last resort,

"Baby listen…. If you can try just one more time…."

"I will take us on a private trip to the beach."

Moon perked his ears up and a small trace of excitement flashed across his face.

He had spent a few days at the beach during the time Astrid and her siblings were looking after him and Moon had fallen in love with the ocean.

He loved hearing the gentle waves crashing against the shore.

The salty sea breeze that touched his fur.

And the cool sensation of the water when he dipped his toes in the shallows.

Squeak! Squeak!

(Just the two of us?)

"Yes," Sophie whispered with a loving tone.

Moon flapped his wings excitedly and rose into the air with renewed determination and courage to pass the exam.

Finally, he would get some alone time with his mommy!

No princesses allowed!