As Lassim was running towards the scene, his spirit sense picked up a strange situation ahead.
A young girl, speaking in the spider language with gestures and all, appeared in his view and caught his attention. Her voice was haughty, brimming with confidence.
"[OH YOU’RE IN TROUBLE NOW! One of the Widows is definitely coming to save this princess! I told you who I was but you didn’t listen! You had your chance, now watch and see!]"
Focusing his spirit sense on her specifically, Lassim saw a very young-looking half-girl, half-spider. She bore a resemblance to the Widows, but with unique features that set her apart.
Thick golden rings encircled her overly large abdon, and an intriguing V-shaped, tiara-like growth that was also golden, adorned her forehead.
Despite her confident deanor, Lassim could sense she was surprisingly weak, at the Spirit Incubation stage, roughly SI5. Her opponent, however, was a far more formidable creature—a Spirit Ascension level beast!
The creature, a massive twin-headed buzzard with dark, nacing feathers, looked both terrified and injured. Lassim noted so sort of chemical burns marring parts of its feathers, evidence of so sort of acidic attack.
This situation, it was bewildering; the giant buzzard seed to be bullied by this diminutive spider girl.
Without hesitation, Lassim appeared between the two beings, his spirit pressure causing the weakened twin-headed buzzard to collapse to the ground. His imdiate assumption was that the buzzard had been attacking the girl.
Yet, as he assessed the scene, he realized she was entirely unhard. The golden tiara on her forehead glowed slightly brighter as he got closer, likely protecting her from his divine spiritual pressure.
When Lassim appeared, the little half-spider girl panicked, her posture shifting, clearly nervous.
"[You’re not one of my sisters! Who are you!? Why do you have my mother’s scent!?]" she yelled, backing away.
Lassim sighed internally, realizing he had stepped into a situation that would take ti to untangle. Mari’s amused chuckle resonated in his mind, seeming to have deduced the sa thing just now.
With a calm deanor, Lassim introduced himself using the spider language, "[I am Lassim. I carry a [Rathlek], which might be what you refer to as your ’mother’s scent.’ What’s going on here?]"
The girl’s panic seed to ease slightly at his ntion of the [Rathlek]. "[Great! So you’ve done so service for my mother. I’ll give you an even better one of those trinkets if you can help convince this stupid beast to be my mount! My mother never lets go far away and I want to have fun! This is the perfect size for to ride on and travel far away for fun!]"
Lassim stood in silence, his eyes scanning the surroundings, his spirit sense alert for any approaching threats. Then, tension thickened the air abruptly as he could sense flashes of movent all around him.
"[Well, what are you standing there for? Help convince him,]" she demanded, oblivious to the impending change in the situation.
Just as Lassim expected, a few seconds later, twelve topless, half-woman, half-spider Widows appeared, surrounding him. They looked much younger, and less clothed, version of Maelin, their bodies a deep jet black compared to Maelin’s faded hue. Each one radiated an intense, threatening aura.
Lassim knew he could escape if necessary, but the collateral damage would be imnse and definitely cause more problems than it was worth. He sat in silence as he studied their encirclent.
The little spider girl’s face lit up with joy upon seeing her "sisters." She turned to the buzzard, her deanor shifting to an imperious authority.
"[See? I told you they would co! Now, listen up, you big, DUMB bird! You’re going to be my mount whether you like it or not. I’m tired of being cooped up and this is my chance to see the world! So, you’d better behave, or else!]" She pointed dramatically at the buzzard, her voice ringing with a childish petulance.
The buzzard, despite its fearso appearance, seed extrely reluctant to accept her words, its two heads trying to create so more distance as it slowly backed away nervously with a limp.
Lassim watched this interaction with growing confusion. It was totally backwards from what he’d anticipated. He was going to show up and be a hero, yet… He was now being asked to help bully this poor beast?
However loud and obnoxious the princess’ words were, the Widows paid her no heed, their eyes fixed solely on Lassim, ready to strike at any mont. Their silence and stillness were unnerving, like predators waiting for the perfect mont to pounce.
Lassim, attempting to break the tension, heaved a heavy sigh before he spoke to the closest Widow, his voice carefully asured as he used the spider language. "[So… It probably looks strange, but I arrived after hearing the sounds of a battle. I just ca from the swamp town this morning. The one near the Aetherian border.
I’m only heading south and was about to offer my help to this young lady, but I don’t believe she needs my help anymore so I’d like to go on my way if that’s alright with you.]"
The Widow’s eyes narrowed slightly, the tension in the air not dissipating. The situation was delicate, and Lassim could feel the weight of their scrutiny bearing down on him. He kept his stance relaxed yet ready, his senses attuned to any sudden movents and his grip on his halberd firm.
The leading Widow, her mandibles clicking softly, finally spoke, "[You carry the Queen’s [Rathlek], yet you interfere with our princess’s gas? Explain yourself, child of man.]"
Lassim maintained eye contact, his tone respectful yet firm. "[I had no intention of interfering with her gas. I rely sought to ensure her safety. If I’ve overstepped, I apologize. My path lies south, and I an no harm to any of the Queen’s subjects.]"
The Widows exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable. The princess, however, seed unfazed by the tension, her eyes fixed eagerly on Lassim. "[If you help get this mount, I promise my mother will reward you greatly!]"
Lassim inwardly groaned, the situation growing more complicated by the second. The Widows’ presence ant he had to tread carefully, but the princess’s insistence left him with little choice. He sighed, ntally bracing himself for whatever consequences might follow.
One of the other Widows stepped forward with her extrely pointy and spear-like spider legs, a smirk playing on her lips. "[If you truly an no harm, child of man, then perhaps you can assist our princess in finding a suitable mount. It would be...wise of you.]" The subtle threat in her tone was unmistakable.
Before Lassim could respond, the princess’s interest in the twin-headed buzzard seed to wane imdiately. She looked up at Lassim, eyes sparkling with excitent. "[Wait a minute! I don’t want this dumb old bird anymore. My new big brother can help find sothing much better! Right, big brother!?]"
Lassim blinked, caught off guard by her sudden change in deanor as she quickly made her way towards Lassim and grabbed his arm that was still holding the halberd with her two tiny hands.
The buzzard, sensing its reprieve, wasted no ti. With a grateful squawk, it took to the skies, its massive wings beating furiously.
The princess, completely oblivious to the buzzard’s escape, introduced herself with a flourish. "[I’m Silvari, princess of the Threads and future Queen of the Arachnid! Co on, big brother, let’s find the perfect mount!]"
She then forcefully took one of Lassim’s hands off his halberd and began dragging him towards the center of what he suspected was "The Funnel."
As they moved through the dense web-covered forest, Silvari talked incessantly, her voice a rapid-fire stream of excitent and demands. "[It needs to be big and strong, but also fast! And it has to look cool and also a bit cute. Maybe sothing with lots of legs or wings? Oh! And it should be able to talk, too.
That would be amazing! We could have so many conversations and it would listen to well!]" Her eyes sparkled with each new idea, her enthusiasm bubbling over.
Lassim felt like he was in a kidnapping situation, but instead he was the one being kidnapped by the little spider girl!
He cast a glance back at the twin-headed buzzard, now a distant speck in the sky, its wings flapping desperately to put as much distance between itself and Silvari as possible. The creature’s escape was so hurried that Lassim could almost imagine tears of gratitude in its eyes.
Despite the absurdity of it all, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of responsibility for this energetic, bratty princess. The way she clung to his hand and led him with such determination made him sigh internally, resigning himself to the adventure ahead. Silvari’s grip was surprisingly strong for her size, her tiny hand warm and insistent as she pulled him along.
They approached the heart of the Threads, the webbing growing even denser and more intricate. The silken threads ford elaborate patterns, shimring in the sun’s light filtering through the dense, web-covered canopy above, giving an eerie and epheral glow to it all.
The ground beneath them vibrated with the life and activity of countless spider creatures, many just yet unseen. He could feel the subtle tremors of their movents.
Silvari continued her monologue, describing fantastical creatures she imagined as potential mounts. "[Maybe it could be a giant butterfly sphinx! Or, or a talking black-tipped dragonfly with glittery wings! And it has to be loyal, and brave, and...oh! Maybe it could even fly us through the skies so we can see everything from above! Can you fly yet big brother?
I’ve heard you creatures can fly when you’re strong enough.]"
Silvari’s chatter continued unabated, Lassim took a deep breath, steeling himself for whatever he was going to need to do to get out of this ss. What kind of creature could he even help capture for a princess, let alone a spider-princess?
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