People steered clear of Elyn’s room at the moment. That was due in part to the big sign she had plastered on the outside of the door but also to the many strange sounds emanating from her alchemical experiments.

There was the usual bubbling and boiling of liquids, clinking of glass, the tapping of a mortar and pestle... but the strangest sound was the odd whirring coming from within. It sounded like something was moving. Or, at least, trying to.

Inside her room at the headquarters of the Order of Ikaatan, Elyn recalled something her good friend Lanala had told her about an autonomous, mechanical spider with the ability ti spin synthetic webs that her sorceress friend told her had to have been created through alchemical means. Being skilled in alchemy herself, Elyn decided to give it a try. But making the spider’s silk, intended to trigger the thing to try and web her up in it, proved to be the easy part.

All she had to do was fill an iron canister with an adhesive used to repair ships from the Ikaatan capital. The adhesive had also proven effective when rope was coated with it to even more effectively restrain captives. Elyn had experimented with the black adhesive before but had never thought of trying to turn it into something else.

She experimented at first with rope but found the strange, mechanical stone spider she had built, mimicking the one created by the evil sorceress Jhana, couldn’t grab hold of it in its cylindrical, rotating mandibles. It was too thick to wind up around a sort of spool between them and thus couldn’t aim it to web up Elyn effectively.

Instead, Elyn experimented with the adhesive itself. She found it stuck to itself rather well and, if she was able to make it solidify somewhat, she could make it into a thin enough, cord-like material to create her spider’s silk.

After some careful mixing of ingredients, including a thick type of tree sap, she was able to start rolling the adhesive into thick, sturdy cords. But they were easily pulled apart and, not to mention, the wrong colour for a spider’s web. So Elyn dyed the adhesive white with some effort, having to turn it from black, before finding some way to make the cords more solid.

For this she used a thin vine found within the very warm, almost jungle-like forest surrounding their headquarters. She had to boil it to toughen it up but the boiling also made it more flexible. Combined with the adhesive, the two ingredients melded together to create perfect, pale strands of spider’s silk, which Elyn wound happily around the spool she would place between her mechanical spider’s mandibles. She hummed happily to herself as she wound it around again and again, hundreds of times. She must have created thousands of feet of the silk, Elyn guessed, and it would be more than enough to wrap her up and gag her, leaving her to struggle in its tight embrace. Now all she needed to do was get the spider moving and make it actively hunt her. That proved to be the hard part.

Elyn’s strength in magic came from fire and telepathy. She would expertly wield flames, read and influence minds but any special conjuration spells were usually left to Lanala, the most powerful magic user among them.

But Lanala wasn’t there to help that day. So Elyn had to make do with what she’d learned from her powerful sorceress friend.

After attaching her newly made spool of silk into the thing’s mandibles, Elyn looked the strange spider over. Its body was made of stone, just like Jhana’s creations, and its legs were spindly, wooden things with round hinges acting as joints to help it walk. Building it had proved to be the easiest task. Infusing it with magic to make it autonomous and creating the silk had proven to be a lengthy process.

Day after day she tried to make the thing move but it just wouldn’t. In between all their adventuring, some of her Order friends asked her about it.

Meryn was the first to see what Elyn was up to in her room. The Gold-Eyed Maiden, the woman in yellow with red-bobbed hair, wondered what was keeping the ivory-skinned beauty in her room so often. Elyn, forever dressed in her battlemage outfit of a small, red satin shirt without sleeves, baring her midriff and barely concealing her chest. Her shorts were also remarkable short, clung tight to her body, coloured red and black, matching both her shirt and her black arm guards. This time wearing a pair of shining, strappy red leather sandals, Elyn had changed up her usual footwear somewhat but Meryn usually took notice of such small details. It was practically instinct for her by now.

Looking into Elyn’s soft red eyes as she brushed aside the pretty, loose strands of her short orange hair, Meryn wanted an explanation.

“What is that thing doing in your room? Isn’t that something Jhana created?”

Elyn nodded and smiled. “It is. But Meryn, my dear, why would you ask me such a question?”

“Those things are going to cause us nothing but trouble,” Meryn said. “Jhana couldn’t even control them. There are still some in the temple.”

“Well, if something goes wrong, you’ll be here right? You were the one who beat them and rescue Lanala, weren’t you?”

“I know how to disable them. But that is besides the point,” Meryn said. “You’re toying with dangerous things and I want to know why. Is this some kind of research? Are you trying to build a weapon? What?”

“It is research of a kind, Meryn. Once I heard about how they had Lanala all nicely wrapped up, I vowed that as soon as I could find the time, I’d just have to try it.”

“Try... you mean to tell me you’re building this thing... to be caught by it?”

“Of course! You know me, Meryn. Always trying to get in my own brand of fun.”

Meryn shook her head. “You’re absurd, Elyn. If Artema were hear she’d blow a gasket.”

“And are you going to blow a gasket in her place? What’s my punishment to be? Locked in the training cell in chains for a week? Ooh, or how about tied up in a chair outside the gate to be gawked at by confused visitors, tightly gagged so I can’t even make a sound? Or maybe you could-”

“Elyn, enough,” Meryn said. She rubbed her eyes. “I’m not Artema. It’s not up to me to decide what happens around here. Just... don’t let that thing loose. I will destroy it if you do. Understand?”

Elyn smiled. “You mean-”

“Yes,” Meryn said with a sigh. “I won’t try to stop you and your ridiculous ‘experiment.’ Have your fun.”

Elyn giggled and leaned forward, kissing Meryn on the cheek. “Thank you so much, Meryn. I owe you one.”

“I’ll say. For not letting this get back to Artema, you owe me more than that.”

“Maybe bring your lovely girlfriend to Disa. We can have a double date. I’ll bring Aurora and even pay for it. You can have whatever you want. How’s that for evening the score?”

Meryn nodded. “I’ll take that,” she said, shaking Elyn’s hand.

“Great! Now... I have work to do. You don’t happen to know any powerful conjuration spells by chance?”

Meryn shook her head. “I’m not messing around with that stuff anymore. It ended... badly last time I tried.”

Elyn giggled again. “Oh, you mean that old story about the first time you fought Fa’rah when you-”

“Yes yes. No need to bring it up. Just... keep that thing under control.”

Elyn saluted and curtseyed to her friend. “Of course, fearless-”

“Don’t start calling me that.”

Elyn smiled wide again. “Of course. Good day then, Meryn.”

...

Mirelle, the petite green-haired, red-eyed spellsword in her pretty green and brown dress was the next to see what Elyn was up to. The sweet, bubbly woman caught a glimpse of the spider as it twitched before collapsing to the floor again while Elyn had left her door open.

“Oh!” she said. “What is this?”

“Mirelle,” Elyn said. “How careless of me to leave the door open... But it’s all right.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No,” Elyn said. “I just want to make sure this spider only has one victim when I get it working... me.”

“Oh... um... is this your attempt to have more, um, fun?”

Elyn smiled. “Ah, how well you all know me. Yes. I want it to catch me and wrap me up in silky webs like Jhana’s did to Lanala.”

“Back in the temple...” Mirelle said, recalling the memory. “We were lucky that we stayed outside that day.”

“Seems so,” Elyn said. “Still, I did miss out on some fun. Lanala and Taria both got to get nicely tied up that day while I was stuck outside working on a potion... at least it worked.”

“Which is why I’m a little concerned... because you’ll be able to make this work. It’s... a bit dangerous, don’t you think?” Mirelle asked.

“Well... yes!” Elyn replied. “The danger is part of the fun. And when I’m all webbed up and helpless I won’t have any way to free myself until someone else comes in the room. By then, I assume my magic will have worn off since I am nowhere near as skilled as someone like Jhana or Lanala. And the spider will be dormant again and whoever discovers me can help free me after I’ve had my fun struggling.”

“You... assume? What if the spider is still active?”

“Well... then fortune may have to favour me,” Elyn said with a smile. “If Meryn is the one to find me, she knows how to disable them. If it’s someone else, well, they might just have to have some fun along with me...”

“Oh dear,” Mirelle said. “That doesn’t sound like fun for the second person.”

“I’ll put up a warning,” Elyn said, still smiling and waving her hand dismissively. “That way, if the spider is still active, whoever finds me will know what they’re in for and can ready themselves in case the spider catches them too.”

Mirelle sighed. “Well... okay. I can’t say I look forward to it. But, if I’m the one to find you and the spider is still active... well... I’ll do my best to fight it. And, with you, it might be fun to get webbed up if it catches me.”

“That’s the spirit!” Elyn said. “You always see the bright side, Mirelle.”

“Well I certainly try to. And it’s not like we’re anywhere dangerous so it shouldn’t be too bad.”

“Exactly. We’re at home! And with as many knowledgeable, strong, smart women as we have around us, we can overcome one tiny little mechanical spider. Right?”

At Elyn’s words, and her growing adept skill with magic, Mirelle felt a sudden unease rising in her stomach...

...

There was no way Elyn could have predicted this but she was having the time of her life. Her magic had been very successful and the spider almost immediately sprang to life and crawled around the room, launching her homemade silk at her. First, it gagged her with a quick-fire splotch of sticky silk that quickly wrapped itself around her mouth and the back of her head, filling her mouth and rendering her silent. Then it leapt on her and wrapped her up tightly from shoulders to ankles before webbing her up in the corner of her bedroom, helplessly webbed, gagged, and struggling away.

She fought her bonds as hard as she could, playfully screaming and moaning into her gag, but Elyn simply could not free herself. She was completely helpless and at the spider’s mercy. But the thing took no more interest in her and hid itself in a dark corner of the ceiling, just above the window. And Elyn was having too much fun struggling to notice that the spider wasn’t losing energy. It just remained there, an eyeless stone and wooden automaton, waiting for another victim. Or ‘intruder’ as it likely saw.

Elyn had no way of knowing who would come for her or what was happening but Meryn had gone to the city for the day and wouldn’t be back until nightfall. But several others had gathered at the Order of Ikaatan headquarters just to catch up with old friends. Artema and Lanala remained absent, still enjoying their retirement and a bit of a vacation, but the others had come back for a short stay, having accomplished what they needed on their own. Elyn’s girlfriend, Aurora, remained back in Weston for the time being though the two of them never separated for long. For now, though, Elyn would have to remain stuck in her webbed up bondage captivity. But she hadn’t counted on the next series of events.

Even with the sign on her door, warning the others that the mechanical spider might web them up if they entered, it deterred no one. First, Elyn’s friend and old ice magic wielding rival, Luna, the ebony-skinned woman wearing a skintight, pale blue body suit, dark blue gloves and thigh high boots, with her pale eyes and pale blue hair kept long and tied in a braid... knocked on the door.

“Fire witch...” she said. Elyn smiled at the old nickname. Their little back and forth banter had diminished in recent times as they both found themselves much more amicable with each other and much less willing to try and get under the other’s skin. But Luna and Elyn still did like to trash talk each other and give each other derisive nicknames all in the name of fun.

“What are you doing in there?”

“Mmmph!” Elyn said, silenced by her webbing gag. “Mmnn gmmrlll...”

Luna sighed. “I can barely hear you. Listen, if that damn spider isn’t dormant, there’s going to be hell to pay. I should leave you stuck by all rights...”

Elyn didn’t know how long she had been webbed up in her room but it had likely been a few hours or more.

“No telling how long you’ve been in there...” Luna said, as though reading Elyn’s thoughts. “Fine. But remember... hell to pay.”

Luna opened the door, slowly, peering inside, ready with some of her ice magic and her spoken spells... before a splotch of silken webbing shot across the room, gagging her in the same way as Elyn. It didn’t take long for the big, mechanical spider to leap onto her and web her up just as tightly as Elyn, stashing her on the wall beside its other captive, scurrying back into the corner again.

Luna struggled, glaring daggers at Elyn, who simply smiled and tried to shrug, giggling beneath her gag. But now with two of them stuck, it would be some time before anyone else found them.

Another knock at the door made both women call out, muffled by their gags, squirming every which way to try and find something loose.

“Elyn? Are you in there?” Mirelle asked. “Oh... I see you tried out your experiment. Um... is Luna in there with you?”

“Mmmmph!” came her answer from Luna, the woman Mirelle had married.

“Ah... I wondered if she had found you. Um... I guess it’s up to me then?”

Opening the door, Mirelle hadn’t even opened it all the way before the spider was upon her, wrapping her up just as quickly, gagging her the same way, and then sticking her to the wall beside Luna where the two of them struggled mightily, unable to free themselves.

Next came the stoic Taria, the bandit hunter, the Sword Master of the Order, and a well practiced warrior... who had no experience dealing with a spider like the one in Elyn’s room.

Soon, the blue-haired warrior in green was webbed up, gagged, and stashed with the other captives as she tried to enter and battle the automaton, only to wind up as yet another helpless captive. Now Meryn was their only hope.

When she arrived back at the headquarters that night, noticing a conspicuous silence, she sighed to herself.

“Elyn’s damn spider... better go to work.”

Meryn was perhaps the most adept stealth agent of the group and, drawing the small crossbow at her hip, crept silently inside, making her way to Elyn’s door. She could hear the sound of four women inside, struggling and mewling into tight gags, unable to escape from the spider’s webbing. But she heard nothing of the spider.

“Probably hiding in the dark...” Meryn said to herself. “Need something noisy...”

From her memory, Meryn knew that this spider, like Jhana’s was attracted to sound and vibration when it attacked its victims. It was the only way for it to navigate. She had been with Celia before, who was an expert at dealing with the spiders Jhana made but, this time, she would have to make do without her.

“All right... bolt to the mouth. Damage the webbing mechanism...” Meryn said. “Give it the run around until it gets tangled up and collapses... simple enough. In theory...”

Meryn crouched down beside Elyn’s door, letting the muffled sounds from the four captives draw the spider’s attention as she turned the knob and threw the door open, staying out of the doorway. As predicted, a splotch of webbing shot out of the room, sticking to the wall on the other side of the hallway. Meryn listened for the strange, thudding movement of the spider as it scurried about.

She heard it moving toward the door before it stopped, listening for its movements. It started walking again when it realized there was no one to capture before it crawled back up the wall and into the corner where it had been hiding.

Left corner... above the window on the ceiling Meryn thought to herself. Make this one count.

With her crossbow loaded and drawn, silently, Meryn crept into the doorway, remaining as silent as possible. There she saw the spider, exactly where she thought it was, and took careful aim at its head, eyeing the cylinder between its mandibles. She fired once, the bolt buried itself into the spool, and the spider scrambled across the ceiling, falling to the floor, its limbs flailing in the air as it tried to right itself. Meryn wasted no time, drawing her sword and cutting off its wooden legs to render it immobile, kicking it aside and letting it try to spin more webs uselessly, only getting itself tangled in the process.

“Well... that’s done,” Meryn said. She turned to the four mewling captives, freeing Taria first, then Mirelle, then Luna... leaving Elyn stuck to the wall.

“Thanks,” Luna said. “Didn’t know how long we were going to have to wait.”

“Don’t mention it,” Meryn said. “As for you...” she walked to Elyn and looked her in the eyes. “I told you that thing was dangerous.”

Elyn just shrugged again. “Mmmpthph ppmrt mmf thmm fmmnn!!”

“Well... let this be a lesson. And another favour. Are you comfortable?”

Elyn squirmed a bit but she nodded. “Good. I’m leaving you here till morning.”

Elyn’s eyes widened and she squealed into her gag in excitement. “Rmmlmm!?”

“Okay, easy now. This is as much a lesson as anything. I want you to think about the possibility of endangering your friends with silly experiments like this and how much they mean to you. Because you don’t want to see any of them hurt, right?”

Elyn nodded again.

“Then reflect on that. And... have fun. You’ve been working hard in here. You deserve to enjoy the fruits of your labour. I know this is exactly what you wanted so... enjoy it. I’ll be back to cut you free in the morning.”

Elyn squealed again, squirming in her webbing bonds, helplessly bound. She tried to thank Meryn but the words were garbled, and muffled, but the message got across.

“Just... try not to get anyone else caught up next time, okay?”

Elyn nodded once again.

“All right. I’m sure you’ll have a good night. Try not to enjoy it too much.”

Elyn just giggled as the others left the room, struggling away in the webbing, moaning and groaning into her gag, having an absolute blast. But Meryn was right. She had been a bit reckless in not preparing her friends for this and in getting them stuck too. In future, she would be certain to be more prepared. Because, with as much fun as she was having, Elyn wanted to try this again. The tight, sticky webbing was just too much fun only to be experienced once. So, with all her thinking, Elyn started planning out not only her next adventure with the spider but further bondage adventures. And she couldn’t wait to experience what bondage fun the future held.