Chapter 23: Book 1, Chapter 23: The More, The Merrier!

As a kid, Shane never really loved spiders as some other kids could. A pet spider was pretty low on his list of viable pets, but they didn't bother him. Growing up, Shane was usually the one who would kill house spiders while his mother shrieked and his father drank. With that said, having a spider companion now was certainly different, and it quickly entered territory he would rather not experience.

"Thank you, Sharlot, but I'm going to have to decline. I have other interests I must attend to," he said, squirming uncomfortably.

"Interests like love interests? May I kill them for us?" the spider asked, her voice dripping with bloodlust and something else he couldn't reasonably interpret.

"Nope! Nothing like that. Now let me go." he commanded sternly—the charade had worn out its welcome.

To his relief, she quickly let him go and used her two front legs to rid him of excess webbing.

"I am forever yours to use and command," her voice whispered in his mind.

"Thank you, Sharlot. I'll…keep that in mind."

Revulsion briefly washed over him at the thought of what she meant. Thankfully, before any more disturbing images flooded his mind, Liz floated through the door with someone following behind her.

"I'm back, Shane! I have your new st-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Liz's virtual eyes went wide with shock and alarm.

Shane tried to stifle a grin at Liz's reaction.

Sharlot gave Liz the briefest of glances before eagerly awaiting a new command from her beloved master.

"Calm down, Liz. Everything is fine. This is Sharlot, a new sentient companion from one of my recent quest rewards."

At that news, Liz seemed to calm down, while the well-dressed elderly gentlemen behind her hadn't reacted in the slightest.

Liz eyed the spider carefully for a few more moments before her concern vanished—replaced by her usual bubbly attitude.

"A new companion is great news! I'm so happy for you, Shane. The more, the merrier!"

She moved through the air to her left, revealing the well-dressed elderly man behind her.

"While we are on the topic, this is your surprise! I found him gardening out back this morning."

The older man stepped forward and made a slow and graceful bow toward Shane. Shane was surprised to notice he had a full head of hair for someone who certainly looked older.

"Hello, master Shane. I am Humphrey, your dwelling's steward. Henceforth please rely on me for anything you or your home might need."

The older man looked roughly within his sixties, with a long beard and upward-twirling mustache—all of it gray in color. Feeling just a tad anxious, Shane walked over to the still-bowing Humphrey and offered to greet the steward with a slightly damp outstretched hand. After the briefest of hesitations, Humphrey delicately took Shane's hand and gave it a single firm shake.

"I appreciate your services, Humphrey. I have faith you'll take proper care of my new home. Speaking of, what are some of your services?" Shane asked inquisitively.

"Simply put, I'll keep your dwelling clean and sorted. I can cook up to three meals a day with flavor preferences included. Lastly, I manage the stocking and restocking of any of your dwelling's stations," said Humphrey matter-of-factly—his voice truly like that of a distinguished butler.

Feeling far less distinguished than this man behaved and a little out of his element, Shane gave Humphrey a short, awkward bow. A poor imitation of the one he initially received.

"Thank you, Humphrey. I am grateful."

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"It is my pleasure, master Shane," Humphrey said as he gave another short but exuberant bow.

Liz floated over to Shane, who looked uncomfortable to her digital vision.

"Don't feel bad, Shane," she whispered. "You know, the previous version of you also struggled with social encounters too!"

This revelation didn't make him feel any better. Feeling embarrassed, he excused himself from the interaction with his cheeks nearly as red as cherries. Shane smoothly walked out the front door—with a skittering Sharlot hot on his heels. Stepping outside greeted Shane with a soft cool breeze and the shining sun high in the cloudless sky. He looked down at Sharlot, who eagerly awaited any kind of instruction.

"Why don't we give you a test run and see how you do in battle," he said, grinning.

The giant spider started doing what looked like a little jig, with her legs bouncing up and down in an alternating rhythm.

"I would love nothing more, except for you, of course, master." her red eyes glimmered with desire.

"Ahhhhh, ok, right," was all he had the patience to say. I'm really not looking forward to visiting Krooth with her in my clothes, he thought to himself miserably.

Liz appeared behind them just as they were about to set out on their quick adventure.

"Hey, you two!" She shouted as she came floating up to Shane.

"Before you go, I wanted to let you know I instructed Humphrey to whip up something tasty for you upon your return!" she said in a sing-song voice.

Shane's interest and stomach were piqued at finally getting to taste something that wouldn't end in his death. He whirled around and gave the floating metal ball a quick hug.

"That's awesome, Liz! Thank you, I can't wait."

"You've earned it, Shane. Good luck with your excursion today. I will stay here and monitor your new steward's first day—not that he needs help. That and it will give you two some alone time," she teased, failing to stifle a giggle.

Shane sighed heavily, waved Liz goodbye, and started walking west through a dense field, away from his new home and opposite the road to Krooth. I need to beat the snot out of something, he thought.

They didn't walk for more than ten minutes before coming upon what looked like a good challenge for the two of them. A large swath of dead land was no more than fifty or so meters ahead of them. Parts of the putrid brown field smelled like they had decayed in the hot sun. Many small gobs of neon-green ooze dotted the landscape, eating away the remaining healthy flora and shrubbery.

The decay was slowly spread by four humanoid creatures roughhousing with one another. Each was roughly four feet tall, with the biggest Blightling standing just a head taller. To Shane's eyes, their pot bellies would make excellent targets for Sharlot, who was studying the group of naked creatures carefully.

She carefully observed the Blightling's movements and how they moved with their three-toad, webbed feet. Studying how their humanoid muscle structure moved underneath their neon green polka-dotted splashed across dark skin gave her valuable insight she felt comfortable exploiting. The Blightling's clawed hands and snaggletooth mouths seemed to be their deadliest tools—Sharlot was feeling confident.

"Shall I attack those four Blightlings for you, master?" Sharlot asked, seemingly unconcerned with the challenge.

Shane could see that two of the Blightlings' auras were much weaker than his own, with a light blue color. The third was on par with Sharlot as it, and she had green auras relative to his own. The last, slightly bigger Blightling had a white aura—which meant it could be on par with his current strength. None of this worried Shane, as his "Skeleton Crew" could probably take out at least two of the weaker ones on their own. I can quickly intervene if she begins to struggle, he reassured himself.

Shane's grin returned as he anticipated what his new eight-legged companion would be capable of. He wasn't going to let her die, but if he didn't have to help out too much, he would find some way to reward her.

"Alright, Sharlot, time to show me what you can do!"

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