ushernet Spiders.
Spiders.
Well, as always, if anyone wants to support me or just read three chapters ahead in both of my stories, that's possible on my (P)(A)(T) for just 2 dollars!
If not, I still appreciate you reading my stories. Thank you!
I won't drag this on; as always, happy reading to everyone and good night!
(P)(A)(T) /CalleumArtori
[...]---[...]
POV: ???
"Let me see if I understand..." My voice was flat, causing Cinder's image on the transmission to shrink. "You knew about the existence of a girl with silver eyes for over two weeks and didn't think it was worth telling me?"
It was almost amusing to see Cinder shrink, realizing the gravity of her mistake.
Almost...
"I didn't..." Cinder started to speak before deciding it was better not to make excuses. "I have no excuses, master, it won't happen again."
"Hmm..." I hummed, my fingers tapping on the throne's arm slowly.
I wasn't angry with Cinder; the foolish girl had no knowledge of the silver-eyed warriors, and her failure to inform me immediately was acceptable.
No, I was irritated because a pair of those eyes still existed in Remnant. I thought the last one had been that girl with the axe... Summer, if I recall correctly.
It seemed one of them had managed to escape my radar...
"Cinder." My voice cut through the silence. "I assume you have an image of this silver-eyed girl." A photo. I might not be aware of every technological advancement, but I knew a thing or two.
"Of course! I thought the master would inquire, so I gathered as much information as I could!" Cinder nodded quickly, eager to please me.
A few minutes later, thanks to Arthur's efforts to set up a transmission tower in my lands, I had the images and information of the girl in hand.
"Ruby Rose..." I didn't need to scour my memory to recall the last silver-eyed warrior's surname to know that they were related.
They were almost identical, to the point where I briefly doubted if they were not twin sisters, but the age didn't match. A mother-daughter pair? It was likely...
"I'll forgive your mistake, Cinder." My forgiveness was enough to visibly relax Cinder. "But let it not happen again; I won't tolerate a second mistake." Before, she was unaware of the silver-eyed existence, hence my forgiveness; now that she was aware, I won't tolerate any more mistakes.
"Yes, master. It won't happen again." I'm sure it won't, Cinder, for your own sake.
After a few minutes of transmission, with Cinder updating me on her plan's progress, I turned off the Scroll.
I remained silent for a few seconds, organizing my thoughts, before speaking.
"Arthur, inform Tyrian that I want to see him in an hour; I have a new mission for him." Even with no one in the throne room, I knew my orders had been heard.
"Your wish is my command, Her Grace." Arthur's voice came from the ceiling speakers, confirming that he had heard me. "Does Her Grace also want me to hire some mercenaries to assist in the mission?"
"Unnecessary." Mercenaries would only slow Tyrian down, as they wouldn't be able to keep up with him while he tracked the silver-eyed girl, and they would distract him.
Tyrian hadn't killed any of my other servants only due to his loyalty and fanaticism towards me, but I had no doubt mercenaries would end up being killed one by one by the faunus.
I didn't care about lives, but it would delay him while he "enjoyed" himself.
Tyrian might be one of, if not my most loyal pawn, but he was also one of the most mentally disturbed individuals I had ever met in my entire life, and I had lived a lot...
"As Her Grace wishes." Arthur's voice ceased, with the speakers falling silent.
I let my body lean back in the throne and closed my eyes as I thought.
Is this little girl one of your new pawns, Ozma? Like the other?...
Foolish, as always, it's almost embarrassing how far you've fallen. The "Eternal Huntsmen," instead of fighting, threw hordes and hordes of children to delay me...
Delaying the inevitable... I almost pity your students, so blind... So heroic...
As always, it seems you continue to tell lies to everyone, not mentioning that heroes always have the same end...
Whether by my Grimms, pawns, or chance, they all die...
I opened my eyes slowly and looked at the picture of the girl. Silver eyes, black hair with red streaks, and an innocent smile.
... This child won't be an exception...
[...]
POV: Devas Asura.
"I see I'm not late." I spoke aloud as Melissa was about to begin talking. "Did you sleep well, Sleeping Beauty?"
The reference went over the guide's head, but the meaning didn't.
"I've had worse naps." He shrugged before grunting in pain, not from any lingering wounds from his previous actions in the battle, but rather from Melissa's fist hitting his head.
"Worse naps... Is that so?" The smile on Melissa's face unnerved Dylan, who quickly retreated to the other side of the bed. "I might put you to sleep, then; let's see if we can find a middle ground..."
Dylan raised his hands in surrender quickly. "Not necessary. I'm good with the current amount of sleep." Even as he spoke, the guide waved his hands in denial.
"By the way... How long have I been sleeping?" Dylan asked after reaching the end of the bed.
Whether the question was to distract Melissa or out of genuine curiosity, I didn't know, but it worked in both cases, as the nurse replied.
"Two days and a few hours." She sighed, lowering her arms and unclenching her fists. "You worried me, little brother..." Melissa's voice was part irritated, concerned, and happy.
Concerned because the guide had serious injuries, even if they weren't fatal. Melissa had said what Dylan did was risky, and any mistake could have left him crippled forever.
Irritated by her brother's supposed lack of self-preservation, nearly getting himself killed.
Lastly, happy, after all, Dylan had recovered well, without consequences.
("They are so cute.") I heard Lucy's voice in my head when the siblings hugged.
I didn't respond to the ax, nor did I think she was really talking to me; it was just a comment.
After a few seconds, they separated, and Dylan turned to me.
"What? Want a hug from me too?" I said jokingly, to which Dylan laughed and declined. "Here, I think this is yours." I pulled out a broken arrow I had found buried in the snow behind the Deerclops and tossed it to the guide.
"Thanks for the help." I spoke as Dylan looked at the arrow in his hands.
I knew that even without Dylan's arrow distracting the deer, the outcome of the battle would be the same, but that didn't matter here; it was the intention that counted.
Dylan had injured himself to give me an opening, and I was grateful.
The guide hesitated for a moment before sighing and smiling in a relieved manner, as if he were glad he had done something.
"You're welcome."
[...]
After talking with the guide and the nurse for a few more minutes, while Melissa did a final check-up to make sure everything was fine with her brother, we left the room to go find the others.
"Kid!" Gilbert shouted as he slapped Dylan's shoulders, causing him to stagger slightly forward. "You had us worried; I'm glad you're better."@@@@
"Are you crazy, old man?" Dylan shouted back, at the same time Gilbert laughed.
After everyone congratulated the guide on his recovery, I mentioned something to Annabel.
"About the spider nest, where is it?" She seemed surprised for a moment by the question but answered.
"It's south of the city, a few kilometers away. Why? Do you want to go there?" She asked, drawing everyone's attention to the conversation.
"Uh... Do you really want to go see those things?" Selina seemed uncomfortable with the idea.
"Yes. Are you afraid of spiders besides bees?" What was the name of the insect phobia again?... Entomophobia?
"The small ones, no; the ones that are five meters tall? That's a different story." Almost everyone, along with (CHAT), nodded in agreement.
("Not me! Spiders aren't trees, but they fall the same when I cut their legs!")
"Fair enough." I ignored the voice in my head and shrugged.
"I want to see them for myself and, if possible, gather some materials from them." I was curious to see what a giant spider would be like in real life, even knowing it would be something weird. I also wanted some bodies to see if I could make something with them.
"Sure." Annabel nodded. "I can guide you; I was planning to wait a few weeks to check the nest's condition because of the snow, but I'll take the opportunity."
"Weren't you swamped with paperwork and work?" Melissa asked, before having to dodge the countess's elbow that almost hit the nurse's ribs.
"Work? Paperwork? I finished everything I had to do; a few hours of rest won't hurt..." If the fake smile didn't give away the lie, the twitching eyebrow did.
Seeing this only reinforced my idea never to get involved in any position or work that involved paperwork.
While Annabel contained her breakdown, Robyn approached me and pointed at Lucy.
"That's new..." The zoologist commented, her snow fox jumping and lightly patting the ax's head.
("A fox! And white! Can we keep it?!")
"Yes," I replied to Robyn.
("No, she already has an owner") I transmitted my thoughts to Lucy, who whined.
"I'll see if I can cut down some trees." I ignored the joyful exclamation from the voice in my head and continued. "Even frozen, I want to cut some for testing." Boreal Wood was a good material, frozen like this? I should be able to create an excellent paint for anything involving ice.
That and satisfying the genocidal desires of the ax at my waist... Actually, I need to find a strap to put the ax on my back...
Robyn nodded at my response and didn't comment further.
A few minutes later, with Annabel putting someone in charge of everything in her absence, we were all in the Humvee.
"Can I drive?!-"
"No." I cut off Selina's speech, making her pout.
I ignored the murmurs from the Steampunk who quietly cursed me as selfish and cruel and sat in the driver's seat, with everyone else getting in shortly after.
"Which way?" I asked Annabel, who was in the passenger seat.
Dylan had gone to the back seat, as it was easier for the countess to guide this way.
-//-
[Spider's Friend... Or close enough! (Completed!)]
Secondary objective: Prevent the extinction of the Wall Creeper nest near Winterhord! (Completed!)
Reward: Spider Egg (Nest)
-//-
Funny how I killed more spiders than the storm; still, I was considered their savior since reducing the numbers of live spiders and feeding the others had been enough for the mission to be completed.
Did I lose some tons of meat I had in the inventory? Yes, but at least the reward seems to have been worth the price...
-//-
[Spider Egg (Nest)]
Type: Consumable/Placeable
Rarity: Blue
Use: Place the egg in a large enough place for hatching and feed it with mana for the nest to develop.
(Note: Depending on the environment, mutations may occur in the spiders born from the nest!)
(Note: It is recommended to use the user's mana so that the spiders recognize you as "Father/Mother" and do not attack you!)
Description: An egg containing the potential to be something more; a whole nest in a single simple spider egg.
-//-
A nest of these things, one that would recognize me as an ally and not attack me... Moreover, depending on where I "planted" this nest, the spiders would undergo mutations...
The price had definitely been worth it, even if I couldn't use this thing now; it was more than an excellent reward.
Where I would put it, I didn't know, but that was something I could see in the future.
With these two secondary missions completed, only the secondary mission of returning to the kingdom would be left to complete them all.
("Shall we cut some trees now?"). Lucy's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
("In a bit"). "Talking" with my thoughts for someone else to hear was strange...
("Okey Dokey Loki!").
Schizophrenia has never been so real...
[...]
[TohsakaHeiress]: I'm going to burn every spider I see in front of me... Ugh! Gross, I'm still shivering! (Chibi Rin emoticon throwing an explosive ruby at a spider).
[JiraiyaIsAnIdiot]: Snakes are still at the top of the list of creatures I hate the most, but spiders have solidified a strong second place! (Old toad emoticon crossing an "X" on a list).
[WiseWizardGleam]: Hagrid would have loved to see that nest of spiders; it's a shame the stream only lets you invite three other people. (Old wizard emoticon sighing).
[AsuraLady]: (Emoticon of a lion with a pink mane throwing a Molotov at a spider).
[AinzOoalGown]: It wasn't the biggest nest of giant spiders I've ever seen, but the atmosphere was good; it gave a creepy feel to the environment, even though the spiders were weak. (Skeleton emoticon approving).
[Darkness]: Those webs seemed sturdy enough to trap a human body, even if they struggled and begged for freedom... (Female paladin emoticon drooling).
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]: I'm too tired for a bigger reaction than "Stop embarrassing me," so I'll leave my indignation in an emoticon: (Indignant generic guy emoticon).
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]: I'll type for Megumin since she can't move - Megumin: "I've come to hate spiders; I'm going to blow them all up, thanks for the trauma! :D"
After returning to WinterHord, I spent some time reading the (CHAT) while testing some things with the Wall Creeper silk.
The silk was ridiculously good at conducting mana and resistant, to the point where I prioritized building an armor with the Deerclops fur as a priority.
"You guys know there's an Arachnophobia filter, right?" I asked the (CHAT).
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: I found out a few minutes after you entered the nest, didn't say anything because I thought it would be funny. (Iron Man emoticon eating popcorn).
[MagicalGirlSera-Tan]: Huh? Me too, didn't you guys know? (Confused magical girl emoticon scratching her head).
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]: Wait... What?! What?!
I shook my head amused. The stream had a few extra filters that I bought; most of them were cheap, around Ten Thousand SP, almost all for phobias.
I thought it was obvious since their icons were easy to find, but it seems I was mistaken.
("Who are you talking to, partner?"). Lucy asked.
"The others, in my head."
("There are others!? Where?! Can I talk to them?!").
"I'll introduce you to them later."
[...]
The next three days were calmer.
Winterhord seemed to be recovering well without the constant presence of hallucinations and the Deerclops' screams.
"Are you sure you don't want help?" Dylan asked me. "Melissa can sew, I know a few things too, we can help."
"Nah, I'm good." I declined the help.
I knew how, I just needed practice, so it was better for me to train than to receive help, especially since I was training with normal threads, not Wall Creeper silk.
Besides Robyn, who was sleeping on the couch after a shift at the hospital, the only ones in the room were me and the guide.
Melissa was helping Annabel with something, probably paperwork.
Darnell had gone to help rebuild some houses with Gilbert, and Selina had gone to assist the two with her mechanical arms.
"What are you going to do after this?" Dylan asked after a few minutes of silence.
"After Winterhord?" I asked, to which he nodded. "Obviously, go back to the kingdom, but that's not what it's about, is it?" I commented.
"No..." Dylan sighed.
"Worried?" We both knew that something was wrong in the kingdom, just not exactly what.
"Yeah, something tells me that whatever is happening is big... And it's going to be dangerous." The guide's voice was heavy.
"Yeah, I also think it won't be simple." The mission practically confirmed that for me. "But what we can do is prepare, getting stressed for no reason is foolish."
Getting stronger, getting new equipment, weapons, armor, all of that was better than stressing.
Dylan nodded in agreement, but still seemed worried, which was fair, after all, it was his home that was in danger.
"And you, Robyn, what are your thoughts?" I asked the "sleeping" woman.
"How did you know?" She didn't even try to hide that she had woken up some time ago.
"Your breathing changed." I answered honestly.
I had become much more sensitive to how everyone around me breathed after learning Sun Breathing.
"By the breath... I should have guessed." Robyn shook her head and lay down again.
"If the question is about what's happening in the kingdom, I have no idea." She replied looking at me with only half of her face, the other half buried in the pillow.
"I won't lie and say that I'm worry-free, after all, the princess and the duchess are involved." Robyn fell silent for moments before continuing. "But, as you said yourself, worrying is unnecessary."
"In the end, I'll help with what I can, but I know that the main job won't be mine, after all, the princess and the Duchess of Symbols are involved and will be the "front" of the battle, if there is a battle..." Robyn repeated the earlier words she had said.
For some reason, finishing the sentence, she looked at me as if she was sure that I would also be part of the "front" of the fight, which, frankly, she wasn't wrong...
Before I could comment, I don't know how, but I felt one of the emergency tickets tear inside the VoidBag, and a mission appeared in front of me.
"Devas, did something happen?" I heard Dylan's voice ask me, but I didn't pay full attention, focused on reading the words that had appeared.
-//-
[Emergency Mission! (Ticket) - (1/2 Part]
Rarity: Amber
World: Remnant (RWBY)
Time limit: 30 days. (Max)
Mission Description: Due to Ruby Rose unlocking her "Silver Eyes" earlier and using them in battle, the "Queen of Grimm" became aware of her existence and sent one of her most loyal pawns, Tyrian Callows, to hunt her down.
Prevent him before he completes the mission the queen gave him.
Reward: ???
-//-
The worst part was not the mission, not the surprise it came out of nowhere, but that there was a note at the end of the mission.
A note that hadn't appeared in any other mission.
[NOTE: In case of refusal, an 80% chance of death for: Team RWBY + Affiliates]
[...]---[...]
I'll be brief here.
Well, we finally entered the new arc, and for those who guessed it, yes, it's an RWBY arc!
Devas went to a viewer's world for the first time (Ignoring HOTD, as they became viewers later).
What will happen? That's for the future!
They asked me for a schedule, so I set one up. The next chapter will be released on 26/02 (Day/Month) (In two days, in case someone is in a different time zone).
So, that's it. Good night, everyone, and happy reading!