Arachne

 

- Neri -

 

Ugh, I didn't sleep well last night.

Or today?
I still believe my sense of time might be a little screwed in this regard after all the time down here.

Anyway, I think I had a nightmare.
It's quite fuzzy, but I guess nobody is surprised that it involved spiders.
Spiders and a sense of... violence?
I think there was some fury involved.
I think I was hunted in the dream, the spiders directly on my heels.
Argh, this is so confusing.
Recalling dreams is difficult.

While pondering, I realize that I'm a tad bit hungry.
Should I try going out by myself?
Uh, but there are spiders out there.
What would I do if I encounter one?
Could I talk to it and ask it to go away?
Do I want to talk with spiders?
I could probably at least check if the door works as intended.

While bringing my elongated nails to the spot where the locking mechanism is supposed to be, I wonder why they don't disturb me more.
After all, they're a bit like claws and by all means, as clumsy as I am I already should have poked myself several times.
Yet weirdly, it seems like I instinctively know how to avoid this.
Maybe this also translates to my weaving ability.
I'm still practicing, but I guess I make good progress.
And just as easily, I can slide my fingers into the gap and push the door open.
Before I get out I carefully look left and right down the hallway, to check if everything's clear.

Okay, no spiders anywhere close.
That's a good thing by itself.

I walk through the webbed corridors and only realize on the way that I have no idea where I would even get some food.
I probably should have waited for one of the sisters to come, but after this nightmare, I felt somewhat restless.
You know, like if you're hunted you don't want to hide out in the same place.
But it's not like meeting any spiders on the way would be better.

Oh no, there is one.
Okay, it's small, and from the brown color I can tell it belongs to Eritu, but it's still a spider!

 

"Pl-please, go away!" (N)

 

Oh, it does.

This could be related to my weird spider monster abilities.
Which might be the only positive thing about this change.

Okay, now I can breathe easy again and continue on my way.
In hindsight, it might've been wiser to ask it for directions, yet this is still slightly beyond me.

Oh no, another one!

Sure, this should be kinda expected in the spider nest, but for obvious reasons, I avoid thinking about how many of them are around me.
The ones I can feel in my mind are already bad enough.
It almost requires effort to ignore my familiars.
Speaking of them, now that I had the corresponding thoughts, I realize they're not in their room.
But why?

Before I can think closer in that regard, something wraps around me from behind and lifts me up.

 

"Hey, Nerysi!" (M)

 

Masiabi!?!
She squeezes me tightly against her for a moment but then lets go.

 

"Sorry, couldn't resist." (M)

"How did you find me?" (N)

"Well, you're not exactly inconspicuous. Actually, you emitted something like a strong signal to all familiars to not approach you. That's quite perceivable for anyone closeby." (M)

 

So that means all the spiders relay my position.
And if I remember it right, Talisa even has some other means to locate me in the sanctuary.

 

"But what are you doing here?" (M)

"Uh, I, I got hungry and no one came." (N)

"You shouldn't go where we store the food right now. There's currently some 'processing' going on, if you understand." (M)

 

Oh god, they're dissolving some poor creature.

 

"Okay, but... I don't really want to be alone at the moment. I, I had a nightmare." (N)

 

I'm slightly embarrassed to say something so childlike, but on the other hand, I suppose her perception of me can't get any worse.

 

"Oh, no! A nightmare? Are you fine?" (M)

 

Wow, she sounds seriously concerned.
Which is more than I would've expected from her.

 

"I-it's no big deal. I just thought I was being hunted." (N)

"Uh... being hunted you say? By spiders, I suppose? That... must've been terrifying." (M)

 

What is with her?
Why is she so obviously avoiding my gaze?
Does she know more about this?

 

"Did... something happen?" (N)

"Something? Ehm, what should have happened? Ahaha... Ehm, no?..." (M)

 

Right...

At this point, I become aware of a very disturbing fact.
Which is that right now, all my familiars are currently heading in our direction.
Just to mention, the bond works both ways, so the spiders can perfectly make out my position.
I suppose it’s obvious how I feel about this state of affairs.

I need to say, the fact that they're rushing in my direction is already inducing a mild panic that almost makes me forget about Masiabi's suspicious behavior.
But what makes it worse is that some of them are also incredibly fast.

 

"They're coming!" (N)

"You're aware that they're your brood? It's not like there's any risk for you." (M)

"That's not the point!" (N)

 

I'm scared.
Should I run?
But there's no way I would even make it to the end of the corridor before they'd catch up.
But what then?
Forget it, there's no time!

They're here!!!

 

Sharp silver legs emerge from the next corner.
Metallic carapaces glisten in the shallow light.
Some of them are already larger than the average dog, but the smaller ones are just as bad.
A scream gets stuck in my throat and my shaking legs simply won't move.
There are so many and... Is that blood!?!

Oh my god, they killed something!
They murdered a living being, the remains of the deed still splattered across their bodies.
I feel sick.

It only gets worse the closer they are, but shortly before the moment where I think I would faint they stop.
Yet now they are jittery and jump up and down.
It's certainly a horror show, but as much as I'm terrified, I grow in equal measure confused.
This is because through the bond we share their weird behavior translates to something like "Praise me! Praise me!".

 

"Wh-wh-what is going on here?" (N)

"Nothing to grow concerned with. You can believe me. Ehehehe." (M)

 

Is she aware of how super unbelievable she appears?
She's even actively looking away to avoid my gaze!

I need to clear this up.
But first things first!

I turn to my brood.

 

"Could... Ahem, could you please retreat a few steps?" (N)

 

Or rather many, given that the number of legs makes a small distance quite the ordeal already.
They feel a bit disgruntled for not being praised, but do as I asked them to.
Now I feel a bit more secure interacting with Masiabi.

 

"They're covered in blood and somehow think I would be happy about this! What did you do?!" (N)

"Uh, just a little hunt. Everything's good now, I promise!" (M)

"You hunted!? Made them hunt?! What?! Why?!" (N)

"They, they need the practice. You, you could just tell them it was a job well done. It's not important what they hunted, really!" (M)

 

 

Then why are you so actively distracting me from it?
I, I should calm down.

I know, I will try asking nicely.
She's weak to this.

 

"Would you please tell me? I can see that there's something you have on your mind." (N)

"I-I don't think I should." (M)

 

Okay, then let's resort to more extreme measures.

 

"Please, big... sis?" (N)

"Oh... Oh my! Ehm, well, you see. But please don't freak out!" (M)

 

If the giant spider monster says not to freak out that's kinda a reason in itself to grow increasingly concerned.

 

"What happened?" (N)

"It's not a big deal, really. We dealt with some humans. Some real baddies, just so you know." (M)

 

Humans?
That means they just killed people.
They probably eradicated them all or she wouldn't be so relaxed about it.
That's like daily business for her, isn't it?

 

"How do you know that they were baddies?" (N)

 

It's not like she made them write down all their sins before doing the deed, right?

 

"Uhh... That's maybe the slightly problematic part about this." (M)

"Could you please just tell me?!" (N)

 

I'm growing distressed.
She's clearly holding back something and I want to know what.
It's obviously concerning me if she still doesn't want to tell me.

 

"Sigh, fine. We dealt with the guys who killed your family." (M)

 

The words hit me like a shock.
They, they dealt with them?

How can this be?!
The people who brought me all this pain are now gone?
Just like this?

 

I drop to the ground, unable to think anymore.

 

"Nerysi! Wh-what is wrong?" (M)

 

I feel her awkwardly putting a hand on my back, but it seems she doesn't know what else she can do.

 

"C-can I help you somehow. What is wrong? Aren't you happy that they're gone now? They can never hurt you again!" (M)

 

I can't answer this.
Am I happy?
If my many nightmares weren’t about spiders, they were of that day.
How everything happened.
Their faces.
Surely, I was angry at them, but mostly I was just devastated.
Too shaken to really process what happened.

Now that I hear that they're dead I, I don't feel glad or happy.
There's just... nothing. nothing at all.
I feel empty.

 

"I-if it helps. In some way you killed them. Well, your familiars. But that's basically the same thing." (M)

 

No, it doesn't.
Maybe I thought about how it would be to take revenge, it would've been possible, probably, but my parents would still be dead.
I've got nothing back from this.
And now there's nothing left that relates to my old life.
It's all lost.

 

"Everything's gone. There's nothing left. I feel... lost. Hick!" (N)

"Wh-what do you mean? You're still in our nest, right? I'm here for you, Nerysi." (M)

 

This isn't enough!
I'm not just what they want me to be.
Not just an Arachne!
I-I'm not...

 

"I'm not Nerysi! I'm Neri!" (N)

"Nerysi, please calm down." (M)

"Please don't. Stop it! Please!" (N)

"Ner-" (Masiabi)

"Please... Could you please just once call me Neri? Just one single time?" (N)

"Uuhhh. Talisa said I shouldn't. That it wouldn't be good for you to cling to the past." (M)

"Please. Hick! Please! Just once!" (N)

 

I need to hear it. I need to hear that I'm still there.
I need to hear that I existed as a human.
As the daughter of my parents!

 

"Urgh. Fine. For you... Neri." (M)

 

She said it!
She truly said it!
This, this makes me feel better.

I lay myself against her, burying my face into her chest.
She lays her hands around me but isn't squeezing as she would usually do.
Just holding me gently.

 

"Hick. Thank you." (N)

"Don't worry. I'm here for you. And I will eradicate whoever bothers my wonderful little sister." (M)

 

Okay...

Should this concern me?