Days have passed since your encounter with Ra’zu. You expected to find answers in The Outer Regions – instead, all you’ve found is devastation. If anyone ever did live here, they’re long gone now. Stone ruins scarred by lightning jut out of the grey mud, the last remaining testament to a long-lost civilisation. A lonely bell, still sitting in the tower of a ruined temple, dings listlessly as a gust of wind cuts through the stillness of the swamp. You shudder – is this the fate that awaits Melvor, should you fail to stop The Herald and their minions?

It’s hard to know if you’re making any progress, or just meandering in circles. How would you know? It all looks the same. You can only put one foot in front of the other and let time slip away completely. There is only the here and now. And hope… always hope.

One morning, you notice something interesting about the way the sun rises in this region. It's as if time simply stops for a while, and the sun is stationary for about an hour. As you watch this spectacle, you notice something different on the edge of the horizon. The gentlest light, calling you on. Could this be the path forward? You only have your instincts to work with. You decide to redirect your journey towards it.

As you draw nearer, the fog thickens. You feel your heartbeat increasing. A sense of victory that you are perhaps breaking through – but also dread. But there is no time for apprehension now. The fog is now too thick to even see your hand in front of you. But you press on.

Finally, the fog starts to clear. Something swims into view. Cliffs seem to rise up above. You find yourself up to your ankles in water. A wide lake, but shallow enough to cross on foot. You press on, the icy cold lapping at your ankles.

Emerging from the lake, you are faced with only one choice of path – a narrow opening in the cliff ahead. You scramble across the shore, pebbles scattering beneath your feet. You reach the mouth of the cave, and quickly duck inside. There must be a way through.

You slow your pace as the cave darkens ahead of you. In the pitch black you find yourself groping ahead, navigating blind and with only the cold grip of rocks and debris to guide you, no sound but the hollow drip drip from the roof of the cave echoing ahead. It feels as if you are heading deeper and into a much larger cavern.

At last, a shaft of light from above appears ahead of you. It casts eerie shadows along the walls, and you have a sense at last of the vastness of the space around you. And now, ever so faintly, new sounds. Scuttering noises seem to emanate from all around. You move forward, trepidation rising and strangling your breath. The thin light glances off silvery webs draped across the stones surrounding you.

Something moves in the corner of your eye. You turn in horror. Three enormous spiders crawl forward.

You scream and reach for your blade. Quick as a flash they surround you, scuttling in ghastly formation. You whirl around, slashing wildly. The first spider falls, but as you pull your sword from its back, a second knocks you to the ground.

Panting, you thrust the sword upward, taking the second in the chest. The legs of the third are pinning you down, but you swipe hard to catch its back leg, splitting it in two. The spider collapses backward and you roll forward, cutting a second leg and planting the blade in its chest.

You take a moment to catch your breath and wait for the twitching to cease before pulling your sword out. Getting to your feet, you wipe dust from yourself and begin to edge towards the shaft of light. You see a great tangle ahead where multiple cobwebs knit together – or is it one large web? It seems too vast to be the work of even three of the spiders you’ve just defeated…

Distracted, your footing slips. A sudden sensation of great depth. You’re falling.

Suddenly, something catches you. Clouds of dust fly up as you tumble backwards. You’ve stumbled into a web of your own. A vast, sticky web. You thrash, desperate to escape, but that just makes it worse. Great clumps of sodden spider-silk choke you as you cry out. Suddenly, you hear a deep, rumbling vibration nearby, followed by a blood-curdling screech.

You turn your head as more web stretches across your face, obscuring your view. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to blind you to the terrifying sight of her approach, her long legs in diabolical motion. She does not scuttle – she is steady and regal in her approach. She is enormous. Her six eyes fix upon you. The spider queen!

“What brings you heeeeere, little one?”

“Mmm-mmf! Mmmmf!”

The Spider Queen rolls her eyes – it’s quite a sight – and slices through the web binding you with a single swipe of her massive claw. You tumble to the ground, gasping for air.

“Little one. You must leave the way you came, or I’m afraid I must destroy you.”

“I seek the Millennium Tower,” you say, breathlessly, “To save my people.”

The Spider Queen tilts her head to the side and chitters. You think she’s trying to laugh.

“But this is my home, little one. My dark prison. They said it must be thus. Sent me here, in the dark, with nothing but poor little ones to eat.”

“You can’t just leave?”

The Spider Queen chitters again.

“You think that’s how the world works? How delightful… none of us can simply leave. Not without their say-so.”

“I believe we have some say in what our lives look like. We make choices.”

“Funny how those choices of yours have led you here, little one! And now you’re going to die!” she leans forward, taunting, her hot breath on your cheek. “Tell me, little one. Are you happy with your choice?”

As the queen bends forward, gnashing her fangs, something catches your eye. The dark expanse of her back has a strange marking. It almost resembles a face, etched out in green. But its eyes are not green. The twin orbs staring back at you are quite clearly purple.

“Wait!” you say.

“What is it?” The Spider Queen smiles. “It’s not polite to keep a lady waiting for dinner…”

“That marking on your back – what is it?”

The Spider Queen’s whole expression changes, and she snarls:

“Do not speak of it.”

“It’s The Herald, isn’t it? Is that who cursed you?”

“Do not SPEAK OF IT!” the Spider Queen howls, clutching at her head. You take the opportunity to grab your sword – and it’s a good job you did, because when she uncovers her many, many eyes, each and every one is filled with rage…