The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(Rohsan Province- Private Beach)

Small wisps of smoke filled the air as Sophie tried her best to get the bonfire going. She frantically slammed two pieces of stone together hoping to produce a spark.

No luck.

The hybrid girl furrowed her brows and then cocked back her fist. She allowed some of her qi to flow towards the meridians in her right palm.

Flame fist- Inferno!

Sophie's arm glowed red and she punched forward using very little of her true strength.

A tiny flame erupted from the tip of her knuckles and landed on the pieces of dry wood.

Finally!

It was technically cheating to use a cultivation technique but honestly Sophie wasn't going to tell the other girls what she had done.

"Alright I got the fire started!" Sophie yelled cheerfully. Her voice reached the two girls sitting by the edge of the water and they turned around.

Sophie felt her heart skip a beat when she saw Cleo's gorgeous appearance. The princess wore a tight two-piece bikini that highlighted her fit physique.

Curly messy hair fell below her shoulders and her piercing green eyes sparkled with mischief and love.

That was not to say that Rachel was unattractive it was just that Sophie only had eyes for her girlfriend.

"Come let's see if we can catch any fish for dinner," Cleo replied back with a smile.

Sophie quickly walked over and pulled out a fishing rod from her storage bag.

She sat down next to Cleo and reached for a piece of bait from the bucket near their feet.

The suns were slowly beginning to set on the edge of the horizon and warm orange rays of light illuminated the beach.

Sophie sighed contently as she felt the waves crash gently against her feet while the cool ocean breeze brushed against her face.

"Hey Rachel… how did you enjoy the swim?" Sophie asked curiously as she attached a piece of bait to the hook.

"It was amazing… you should see the beautiful plants that are underwater. I saw one that could walk! Well, I guess technically it swam but you know what I mean," Rachel replied happily.

"And there were these cute tiny furry animals that would briefly hide under the sand whenever my shadow approached."

"Honestly… this place is amazing. I'm surprised that there aren't any people here."

"Yeah, I agree. This is a lovely place and I think the only reason why it hasn't become a proper tourist attraction yet is because it is a private beach," Cleo chimed in thoughtfully.

Sophie hummed a soft tune under her breath as she listened to her girlfriend and her friend debate on whether or not the beach should be open to the public.

She felt a small tugging sensation on the line which meant that hopefully a fish had taken a bite of the bait.

The hybrid girl narrowed her eyes and focused. This time she was determined to reel in her catch and impress both Cleo and Rachel.

Sophie quickly pulled on the fishing rod and began to reel in the line. The tugging sensation got even stronger as the fish desperately tried to escape.

Just a little bit more… have patience… don't use your enhanced strength…

The seconds felt like minutes as Sophie carefully reeled in the line and eventually saw a thrashing fish on the other end.

"I got one!" Sophie excitedly yelled as she held up the fishing rod and showed off her catch to the other two girls.

The fish that was on the line was around six kilograms with a long sleek body and silver scales that gleamed under the light.

"Put it in the bucket!" Cleo replied cheerfully as she pointed at a bucket underneath the shade of a nearby tree.

Sophie walked over and saw that the bucket was filled with saltwater from the ocean so the fish wouldn't die immediately.

She grabbed the fish and carefully removed the hook from its jaw. Small flecks of blood stained her fingertips, but Sophie was not bothered by the reddish liquid.

She placed the fish in the bucket and then walked back over to Cleo and Rachel with a proud smile on her face.

Rachel raised up her palm and Sophie gave her a high five. Cleo on the other hand leaned in and kissed her briefly on the cheek.

"Well done," the princess whispered softly. Sophie winked at her girlfriend and had to resist the urge to make out with her on the spot.

"Alright should we start setting up the tents for tonight?" Rachel suggested as looked up at the sky and saw that it was getting dark.

"Sure… do you all want to do it the old-fashioned way or use the inflatable tents?" Sophie asked casually.

"Why don't we try setting them up ourselves and then if it doesn't work, we'll take the easier option," Cleo said thoughtfully.

Sophie grabbed her girlfriend's palm and led her over to the bonfire that was still burning brightly. She tossed a few pieces of dry wood into the blaze and the fire got even bigger.

The three girls had all packed properly for their camping trip and Sophie was given lots of equipment and food from her dad.

Her storage bag was completely filled to the brim with every single piece of camping equipment that one could possibly need.

Everything from rope to tents to even weapons… just in case of course. Sophie always made sure that she was armed.

Actually, right now there were two knives strapped to her hip. Her experiences in the Unovan Syndicate had given her the habit of always carrying blades.

"So, let's get started then…" Cleo's soft voice interrupted Sophie's musings. The princess stared at the large green bag on the ground that contained the disassembled tent.

"Yeah… I mean… how hard could it be?" Rachel scoffed as she unzipped the bag and pulled out the different components.

"Tent poles, clips, pegs, tie-out points, rain fly, tent body…" Sophie held up the instruction manual and began to read it out loud.

"It says that first step is to…"

"Don't worry about the booklet… look it's just common sense," Rachel casually spoke as she reached for one of the pegs.

"Okay… let's do it your way first," Sophie placed the booklet on the ground and joined her friend.

Twenty minutes passed and now the suns had completely vanished over the horizon.

Pale moonlight washed over the beach, but Sophie wasn't bothered since her golden eyes could see perfectly well in the darkness.

"Yeah… this was a bad idea," Cleo chuckled softly as she gazed at the 'tent' that had just been assembled.

Well assembled was a bit of a stretch. Half of the tent had collapsed while the other side was barely standing.

Sophie wasn't sure how the ground sheet had ended up on the ceiling of the tent but there it was.

"Time to use the instruction manual?" Cleo narrowed her eyes and turned to face Sophie and Rachel who both looked sheepishly at the ground.

They both replied at the same time with similar words.

"Yep…"

"Yeah…"