Chapter 06: Spiderwoman
The forest thinned. They ran up the hill at first they didn't understand what was meant, but then they noticed.
Light fell through a hole hewn in the left of the two high mountains that formed the pass of the dead animals. It hit the altar, which was carved from a reflecting stone. But since there was never any light on it, no one noticed that they reflected themselves in it, they paid even less attention. The altar reflected the light back, but not exactly on the rock, but towards the other, right, mountain. There was a pattern in the beam of light, a cross.
“This is the entrance! "they cheered.
“You saw? ", Mia asked as they ran down the path again in a monkey tooth, but this time they all grinned.
“No time for explanations! ", Luffy took her hand and pulled her with him. Daro ran after them, barking.
"Couldn't you have told us earlier that we just had to wait for the light?",, Nope! ", she shrugged her shoulders," why are you running like that, you now know where the entrance is! "
"Yes, but we still want to go today!"
“We're getting rich! ", Nami shouted with joy.
“Maybe you can experience something in this city when people live underground! ", said Zorro.
,, Yes, after the weird beasts I really feel like action! "added Luffy.
“But the most frightening was still Beatrice! "laughed Natasha," a real witch! "
,,Thank-you! ", playfully offended, she twisted her mouth, but then laughed because she liked the expression.
They ran to the dinghies, drove with them to the two sailing ships that were anchored in the river, packed the most essential things that one would need for such a tour. You set sail.
“We are docking with the ships at the front of the pass, so we can leave behind faster! ", Nami explained and pointed to the map at the last major briefing," then we will go ashore and inspect this mountain more closely.I bet we can get to this town today. "
,,Probably not! "said Mia.
,,Why not?"
"It's a long way to get to this city, it takes about a week!"
,,One week?"
“And who is guarding the ships? ", Dorothee wanted to know.
"Always the one who asks? "said Jacqueline.
"Then you have to stay here with me because I definitely won't be able to do anything great against these gnomes!"
“Besides, my sister is coming with me! "objected Natasha.
"Then both of you stay here!"
"And why not you?"
"And why not the others?"
"You started with it!"
"But you guys can defend yourselves better!"
"So what, maybe there is something dangerous in this city, what are you going to do then!"
,,Definitely not!"
"Every treasure is guarded by something, the guards up here are pretty pointless!"
"You just want to ruin the treasure for us!"
“Men always want to be the first to discover everything! "They threw this and other slogans at each other's heads.“Why are they arguing right now? ", Anna wanted to know.
“I don't know, you should have just opened your eyes! ", Mia answered. Silence, a synchronous turning of the heads in their direction. Did she know something against what she hadn't said?
“These strange guards are afraid of water! ", Mia explained after a few seconds of total silence," otherwise the two nutshells would have been on ...! "
,,I see!"

“There is the gate! ", called Luffy, who had arrived first.
The gate consisted of two huge stone door wings, which were only set apart from the rock wall by their pattern.
,,Wow! "Sanji marveled and lit a cigarette and puffed on it.
“Break up like it! "suggested Charlie.
“This is a piece of history that cannot be broken open so easily! ", Robin instructed him calmly.
,, But crowbar in the gap and press! ", Jack explained and pulled one out at once.
“Those are really way too banal methods! ", laughed Jacqueline," if you break in somewhere, you should be in style. "“Who are we breaking into? ", Anna wanted to know.
,, Uh ...! "They desperately searched for an answer.
“We're not breaking in, we're on a treasure hunt, that's a difference, and we only have to open the gate to get to the treasure! ", Gina lied off.
,, You can also talk about everything nicely! "Mia said dryly.
“How do we break in? "Nami wanted to know instead," I don't see a keyhole, no door handle, absolutely nothing! "
,, Press! ", said Zorro. They all looked at him confused, how did he come up with this idea, that was too easy, first such a complicated thing with the altar and the light signal and then a door that has neither a keyhole nor a handle should be to be easy to push open?
“He's right, at least that's what the book says! ", Mia commented," just press it on. All complicated constructions should discourage how easy it is! "
"Somebody should understand that!"
"Why is it so difficult at first and then so easy?""Because the traps that are hidden behind the door are difficult enough!"
"Fall?"
“First come the wrong stairs. Then the stilt canyon, the saber walk and if we survived that, all we have to do is pass the one beast and we'll have it! "
,, Reassuring! ", Luffy, Zorro and Charlie all braced themselves against the door, they had already thought of a little counterpressure. For the door all the forces that were pressing on it were too much after the first second, so the large door wings swung open and Zorro, Luffy and Charlie fell forward into the darkness, only their screams could be heard.

,,Oh you ...! ", Nami breathed, they were standing a few minutes in front of it, the screams had long since stopped," what happened there? "
“They probably fell into the snake pit, that's what happens when you use the first step! ", Mia explained indifferently, even though it pissed off in a strange way, she wanted to jump after and help them."Like a pit of snakes!"
“Every single step is held in place by two small protrusions in the wall. Not very big, you have to be very careful and balance if you want to go down the stairs, otherwise it goes down! ", Mia explained, she went to the forest, grabbed one of the branches, broke it off the tree and asked Ace to light it," we must go looking for her! "She stepped into the darkness, through the fire one could see recognize the stone corridor behind the door. Mia stood on a built-in step in the entrance, the next one was missing, a black hole extended in its place. From the first on, all the steps continued like a normal staircase.
"Wait a minute, you said there was a snake pit! ", Tasha interfered," should we really get down there? "
“It's enough if I do it alone! ", Mia remarked," but watch out for the steps, they are tough, I have to balance properly! "
“I'll come with you, I'm bored anyway!", Jacqueline followed her on the scion.
“Wait a minute! ", Ace stopped them and gave them a bell jar, which you usually put over candles to protect your light from wind and weather. Inside it was a light, a small burning flame that burned all by itself.
“That stupid branch will soon be burned down and the flame never goes out! ", Ace explained with a grin.
They took a step forward. The step had been wide and long enough that they could easily fit through the hole. that she had left behind.
Daro could be heard whimpering a few minutes later, when they had long been balancing themselves on the steps. A lot of fingertip feeling was required for this. One misstep and they would end up with those down there too.

“The case doesn't have to have been so deep that you didn't answer us! ", Mia found when they arrived, down in a deep underground passage. When they looked up, they saw the opening that the step had left behind.Light shone through. An ugly face of a goblin was seen. The laughter came down, then disappeared.
The fallen step was below them, they had landed on it, and it was no longer whole.
Not to be seen by the boys. Apparently they had moved on.
,, Guys! ", Jacqueline sighed and went first, Mia again carried the light Ace gave them," Don't you rely on the ... I don't see any snakes here! "
“But I can hear them! ", Mia looked up, little stones fell down," don't you hear the hissing, the licking how their greed for food drives them wild and yet they hold back, sway themselves in safety, watch us from a safe distance! "
"Your education is encouraging! ", said Jacqueline, but she was not impressed by it. Her steps are reflected in the corridor, the boys must have run, they couldn't catch up with her ....

(,, From the tradition, we believed the snakes, the devious poisonous snakes, its cause for concern, but it was too cruel to pronounce its real name.It lay in wait for us, ready to catch us and to eat ... ", Chapter Eight:" The Slayer! ")

,,What's this? ", Jacqueline stopped in disgust, her voice had a certain shrill that you usually only heard from Natasha," is disgusting! "
,,What! ", Mia stretched out her arm, there was nothing to see, but she felt it," Cobwebs! "
"Cobwebs? "Jacqueline's voice took on this strange shrill," I have a certain aversion to spiders! "
“You're scared of them! ", Mia concluded immediately.
,, I wouldn't express it that quickly, but ... yes! ", she swallowed and wiped the sticky webs aside," You said there were only snakes here! "
“I was lying! "was Mia's cold answer.
"You damned ....!"
,, Be quiet, or do you want them to hear us! ", Mia covered her mouth and now went ahead. The light of the flame, which gave off a remarkable amount of light, reflected on the weaving, from time to time they became thicker and denser. The corridor continued."We should have reached the nest soon!"
,,Nest?"
"Sure, the huntress is also having kittens, isn't that how it is with spiders? ", Mia looked around thoughtfully," I don't know my way around! "
,,Class! "Jacqueline grumbled.
,,Do you hear the ? "Silence. Then a click. It wasn't snakes. Something was moving quickly towards them, far too fast, but not from the front but from behind.
,, It