Karya went fishing often and was very good at it.
But catching a spider required careful planning. Although Vile Maw wasn't a demigod in the true sense of the word, if the first attempt failed and it escaped back to its lair, capturing the giant spider afterward would be a real headache.
Karya had no interest in venturing into a spider's den to go hunting among the webs.
He didn't look again at the three bandits still struggling to free themselves. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and began considering the specific steps of this pest-control operation.
First, he needed to visit Vile Maw's lair and learn as much as he could about its habits. That would let him scout the area in advance and prepare the right bait to lure it in.
He would devise the rest of his targeted plan step by step, based on how the creature behaved.
After visiting Vile Maw's lair, Karya also needed to check out the temporary market the treasure hunters had set up on the Shadow Isles. Not because he planned to rob them again, but to see what useful materials he could find on the spot.
What if three pieces of bait weren't enough?
Finally, Karya needed to find a suitable location for the operation and figure out how to lure Vile Maw there. That would directly determine whether the hunt succeeded.
The black mist that shrouded the Shadow Isles wasn't well suited to his sand's abilities, so setting traps in advance was clearly essential.
Vile Maw might be used to ambushing its prey in its own webs, but this time, Karya intended to make it fall into his web!
Vile Maw happily stretched all its limbs—oh, all eight of them.
The black mist of the Shadow Isles might have been