Dreambert & Bedsmith: Journey in Pythyria -- a M&L:DT fan-sequel

Chapter 1 - "Forgot the Bug Spray"

The soft crackling of nature echoed in the duo's ears as the blimp landed on a soft, spacious area. There was only one wooden sign; it read "Pythyria" in a soft, majestic manner, carved into the wood's flesh as if by a claw.

Dreambert glanced down at his tablet, looking at the time as he searched for the app to communicate with Eldream.  "Well, we're here I suppose. Thirty minutes early…" As the prince began to type a message announcing their safe arrival, Bedsmith exited the blimp, luggage in arms, and immediately collapsed onto a flower. Unlike the flowers at Mushrise Park, to their shock, these weren't trampolines. They were just… really big flowers.

Upon a more focused view, they noticed everything was big. The trees seemed to be almost hundreds of feet tall, bushes were like canopies, and some patches of grass appeared like forests to the two Pi'illos.
What was unnatural, however, was the absurd amount of cobwebs. Some were small and underneath flowers, while others covered halves of treetops. They all had a strong, sparkly appearance, as if made out of gems.

"Seems like a spider infestation of sorts made it here.." Bedsmith stayed put on the large flower, dusting off some pollen from his dress and scarf as he commented on the atmosphere. The two decided to stay together as they ventured through the large forest, keeping their luggage close behind them.

They weren't aware of the spider-like silhouette that was following them.

Attempting to use the map feature on the tablet, Dreambert was agitated at the lack of "internet service" that apparently had to be available. Finally accepting defeat and sliding the device back into his luggage, the prince caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a leg lift up from the ground.
"Bedsmith? Did you see that?" Upon hearing no answer, Dreambert turned to look at where his companion was. Seeing the other shaking in place, he looked ahead at the direction he was facing.

And his face turned pale.

It was a huge, spider-like being, about as tall as the trees surrounding them. They were a sickly mesh of purple and black colors, hues too familiar and traumatising for the prince. Gems sparkled for claws and a horn on their head and tail, mimicking the glow of their eight eyes. A sly grin peered through the beast's jagged mouth, their fangs slowly rising up as if to bite. They didn't seem to notice the two in a visual manner, being far too tall.

"And who could be here, disturbing my entrance?"
The spider's voice almost echoed through the woods, a sort of authoritative tone hissing through. The two Pi'illos, only up to the figures' furry spider claws, scurried to hide under a flower in intimidation. They exchanged mutual glances of terror as the spider slowly crawled along, placing more webs along the trees. Then, out of their horn, a little ball of light formed as if powering up a ray of light. But instead… an egg. A small egg was placed onto one of the cobwebs, and another, and another…
"Well, it seems whoever is here could become a nice welcoming meal to my children…" The spider chuckled ominously as they monologued, "all I need is to get the true feast."

As the sound of soft footsteps tapped away, a new noise emerged: the cracking and breaking of gemstones.

They needed to run.

And so they did. Luggage in hand, they fled as fast as they could in the opposite direction. Ignoring the sound of angry baby spiders and the feeling of leaves and grass blades itching their clothes, the two Pi'illos made it to a different clearing, with a pond in the center. This area had no cobwebs as of yet, to their comfort.

Bedsmith immediately collapsed next to the pond, gasping and panting for breath. Dreambert sat down next to him, concentrating on his breathing and heartbeat. Bedsmith managed to cough out a question neither could yet answer: "What are those things?"

Dreambert turned to see the newborn spiders, hissing and surrounding the area. It seemed they didn't want to enter the clearing for some particular reason. Upon a closer look, they had the same gem horns and claws as the bigger spider they saw before. But unlike that, these were much smaller, just matching heights with the two Pi'illo folk. They also looked much less intimidating.

The prince squinted his eyes, giving the arachnids a glare. "I'm not sure. But we'll have to stay clear of them for a while. Maybe we could find a hiding spot or create a sort of checkpoint here."

He turned to face Bedsmith, who gave a tired nod and a smile. The two then began a call with Eldream on the prince's tablet.
A little laggy, the video recording of the elder could be visualised on the screen. "Hello, you two! You seem tired, what happened already?" Dreambert sighed, placing a hand to his forehead. "We may have arrived half an hour early, and encountered a… potential invasive species. We will need to discuss that with the king as soon as possible." Eldream nodded, a worried look forming on his face.

"I see.. I hope you two stay safe! And look who also wishes you a good journey!" Upon tilting the screen, the two Pi'illos were greeted with the Zeekeeper, sitting next to Eldream and waving. "What's up, Bert and Smith? Eavesdropping right now, and that's gotta suck man. Hope you two get a good rest!" Dreambert smiled softly at the familiar demeanor, waving back with Bedsmith. "I wish you two a good time as well, keeping watch over the kingdom while I'm gone."

After a sweet goodbye and see-you-soon, Dreambert turned off the tablet and set it inside of his luggage bag. He laid down next to the pond, next to Bedsmith, sighing softly. By now, the spider creatures had left, and the two were safe.
"In a few minutes, we can resume our search for the king," Bedsmith mumbled softly, "and then we can relax and solve the spider problem! It's gonna be easy, right?"

Dreambert turned to face Bedsmith, raising an eyebrow. "This isn't making beds, this is making alliances. And also ridding an entire ecosystem of an invasive species. It won't be easy, but it won't be impossible. We just have to stick together, alright?"

Bedsmith looked up, smiling a bit.

"Alright."