Everyone walked to the main hall with Charjer trailing. As he stepped into the foyer, a large red spider reached out and grabbed him.

"Hey!" he yelled. The spider bit his arm, causing him to yell in pain, and flung him across the room.

"Red scarlets!" exclaimed Ryoga, equipping himself with an ankus. The others drew their weapons and waited for Ryoga's command. Two more appeared to either side of the first. Migat screamed and high tailed it out of the cave, plunging fifty meters to the earth below.

Ryoga began shouting orders. "Gohan, Smirk, take the one on the left. Ate, Cueball, right. I'll take the middle one." They all advanced upon their attackers dodging blows left and right. No matter how much they hit their adversaries, they just seemed to absorb it and attack with more ferocity.

One by one they were flung back across the room. Charjer still lay where he had been thrown against the wall. Kechara was tending to him. She looked up and saw the three spiders move toward them.

With one hand held out, she created a fireball, which she threw towards the attackers. It hit one and caused it to burst into flames making it go wild for a few minutes all the while screeching until it lay in a smoldering heap.

The other two jumped back and tried to advance once again and again she did the same to one of them. She was tired now and Charjer began to stir. He tried to move, but it ached everywhere in his body and his left arm lay dead at his side.

How are we going to get out of this one? he thought to himself with a worried look on his face.

Then, through the wall came the mighty Cerberus. It leapt forward through the large hall and lunged at the remaining red scarlet as it flew through the air towards Kechara and Charjer, grabbing it in mid-air and biting at it with all three heads, ripping it apart.

Charjer heard it speak to him once more before passing out. I thank you, brave warrior, for helping to retrieve my children. You will always have my help should you ask for it.

***

"I think he's coming to."

Charjer awoke to find himself in the first aid station looking up at the smiling face of Kechara. He smiled back.

"You were poisoned by a red scarlet," he heard Ryoga say. "Nasty creatures. Their poison causes paralysis. So if you were wondering why you couldn't move your arm, that's why. Been two days since that battle. I still have some bruises left from it. Haven't been thrown around like that in ages."

"Things haven't been this exciting since Grapht left," said Gohan from the table. Ate, Cueball, and Smirk agreed.

Thank you, Kechara told Charjer through their telepathic link. Charjer smiled and no one saw as he held her hand.