A large door loomed over them, covered in white webs that glowed faintly in the dark. It was carved from the same stone that made up most of the dungeon but it was engraved with deep markings and grooves that ran up and down the length of the massive stone door. The two figures below it didn't care about such a structure as they watched the shadows in the distance. Their eyes are glued towards the far end of the corridor, waiting for any signs of their friend and their guide to appear at any moment.

"W-We need to go back and look for her!"

"Didn't you see what the Goblin just fought?! It's a fucking spider, Semilia! A Giant fucking Spider! That thing was bigger than any spider that I have seen so far!"

"And Riel's probably being hunted by it!"

Semilia pointed at the darkness they emerged from, her angry stare fixed at Stefan's unnerved gaze.

"I know! But we can't just leave this place! If we get lost as well, it would be even harder for us to escape!"

Stefan clenched his fist tightly as he stared down the hallway. 

They didn't know when it happened, but somewhere in the endless maze of corridors they somehow lost track of Riel behind them. They have been waiting for what felt like hours now and the two of them paced back and forth while they waited anxiously. Stefan prayed silently to the Goddess while he frantically thought of which dark turn in the twisting maze did they lose sight of their friend. But he couldn't focus on listening for Riel's cries with Semilia crying beside him while she shouted Riel's name.

"Riel! Riel! Please! Don't die!"

"Shut up! Didn't you hear what Goblin said?! We make too much noise and those monsters are gonna find us!"

"I know! I know! But Riel couldn't have gone far! She was behind me near the last few turns so she must be near!"

"If you start attracting monsters here, I'm-"

Something clicked its mandibles in the darkness. Stefan swung his sword around and listened closely.

At the far end of the hallway, there was nothing. Nothing except the distant feeling of something rumbling. Semilia drew an arrow and the bow glowed brightly in her hands while Stefan placed a hand on the wall. The walls and floor of the dungeon were definitely rumbling and his instincts shouted at him to hide behind the door. Semilia suddenly shot out an arrow beside him and it cut through the still air silently as it flew. 

"Spirits of air, guide us in the darkness."

As it flew straight and true into the darkness of the dungeon, streaks of light followed after it. Stefan watched as the arrow lit up the length of the hallway like a bright flare while Semilia notched another arrow into the flaming bow.

The arrow shattered at the far end of the hallway. As it did, it lit up a large area around it and Stefan watched the empty corridor anxiously. The light faded slowly as the shadows slowly grew darker once more. But before it could fully disappear, two shapes shot out from the sharp turn. They were followed by a mass of writhing shapes on the walls and on the floor while the sounds of frantic screaming and shrill shrieking filled both of their ears.

One of the shapes shot a large fireball at the mass. It briefly illuminated their faces with the red light of the flames as they ran away from the things that chased after them in the darkness. Stefan's eyes bulged at the sight of Riel being dragged by the Goblin while they ran from what looked like countless spiders the size of large hunting dogs. Semilia's skin crawled at the brief sight of the hairy creatures and she immediately loosed arrow after arrow at them. They heard Riel and the Goblin shout at them as the arrows passed by over them, but Semilia ignored their cusses as she fired another volley of arrows.

"Door! Open door!"

The Goblin shouted through frantic pants and labored breaths. His voice was filled with fear as he pointed at the door behind Stefan. 

Stefan didn't say another word as he turned to open the door behind them. There was a lever beside the door, but it was rusted and it barely moved an inch as he struggled to push it down. He groaned as he pulled down with both hands while the thunderous rumbling that came from the mass of spiders grew louder. Soon, Stefan's feet were now pressed firmly against the wall as he pulled down on the lever with all of his might.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Finally, the lever budged from his attempts, and Stefan was thrown off of it after his footing slipped. He pulled himself up from the floor quickly as the door in front of him groaned mechanically. Dust and webs rained down on them as the door shook and slowly pulled itself up into the ceiling. 

Immediately, Semilia and Stefan looked behind them as the mass of spiders behind the Goblin and Riel screeched to a halt. There was something beyond the doorway, everyone and everything there knew it. At that exact moment, the door was opened, a feeling of dread washed over everything outside of the door. But as everything except the stone door came to a stop, the Goblin grabbed Riel and began to run once more.

"Inside! Inside!"

His voice broke their trance and the two of them charged into the hallway behind the door. The spiders didn't follow them, but their eyes remained glued and fixated on them as they ran inside.

The Goblin gulped as he shoved Riel forwards into Stefan's arms as he pushed the lever upwards behind them. He rolled forwards and slid into the other side of the door as the stone door fell down like an executioner's blade. They clutched each other as a thunderous crash and clouds of dust were shot outwards from the door's impact. The spiders behind them were blown back as the lever clicked in place.

As the dust settled, the Goblin grumbled and looked down the length of the hallway. He opened his lantern and uttered a prayer to the Goblin God.

----------------------------------------

The hallway was lit up by strands of glowing thread. It was still dark, but at least they can see in front of them now. Unlike the maze behind the door, there were no turns or hidden passages beside them. It was just a long and narrow hallway that stretched out in a straight line. Stefan could make out what looks like a door at the end, but he still wasn't sure if it was a door or just some trick of the light.

"-And that's what happened. The Goblin tripped over some egg sacs and this massive swarm came out from one of the turns near us."

"Eugh... Just thinking about it gives me a chill."

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"You should've been there when Goblin was nearly eaten by this giant one! We turned a corner and this massive spider came crawling out of it with its mouth open!"

The Goblin shuddered while Riel told the others what they had gone through.

They had to take another route after some of the Giant Spiders sensed the light coming from the Goblin. It took them an hour to circle around them, only to accidentally stumble upon their nest. He felt a tingle run down his back as he remembered the sight of spiders bursting out of their eggs. 

"And the Goblin found you? Wait, where did you even-"

"Took wrong turn. Followed smell of pe-"

"Shut up about that! I had to heal you back up when you found me!"

"Okay."

Stefan and Semilia looked at the Goblin while Riel punched him a few times on the shoulder.

"A-Anyway, where are we?"

The Goblin didn't even look at her while they walked. He had a serious expression on his face as his eyes narrowed at the end of the hallway.

"Came here once. Almost died, but she let me go."

The Goblin snarled as he felt the scar on his back tingled slightly at the memory. Stefan and Semilia shared a glance between them as the Goblin scratched at his arm.

"No monsters here. She said I should go through here if I want to kill her or die."

Her words still echoed in his mind. The things he has seen with Riel were nothing compared to the horrors hiding behind her doors. They could've taken other routes towards the center of the labyrinth, but those were meant for people who want to die. This way was different since it was meant for him and him only. A safe path that will lead him to the person who wished to kill and devour him.

"And who is the person that showed you this path?"

"She is Mother. Mother of Spiders. She is true monster."

He snarled at the words that came from his mouth. It was true, she was a monster in the truest sense. She was intelligent, cunning, deadly, but most of all...

She was grand.

He could still remember walking into her lair as the massive spiders that guarded her room escorted him there. He couldn't forget how beautiful she looked as well as the dreadful feeling of primal fear that came from her. He thought about the feelings that ran through his mind back then. He remembered how he thought he was gonna die or how he was gonna get eaten up. He remembered the strange egg sacs behind her that came out from her massive abdomen and the feeling of her sharp claws as it rend the flesh on his back-

"Goblin!"

He snapped back and looked at Riel. She was looking at him, and Stefan was now patting his back as they walked. Wait, was he crying? Why is he crying?

"So there's something there that makes even a Goblin shiver in fear, huh?"

Stefan rubbed the top of his head with his hand. He was clearly hiding his fear behind his smile, but it was fine.

"We'll just beat it into a pulp if we have to! It's just a massive spider, right? We'll squash her like the bug she is!"

He knew that was a lie. After all, how could Stefan squash such a massive monster? Perhaps it was how Humans cheered each other up, but it just made the Goblin feel even more uneasy.

The doors were already opened when they reach them. They have always been opened, opened to him, and no one else. Everyone watched silently as the Goblin walked forward, his hand firmly on his sword. He was terrified of what lay behind the door, of her in particular. The three adventurers stood behind him, ready to pounce on whatever appeared in front of them.

For a while now, the hallway was filled with their voices. He didn't join in due to the nervousness he was feeling. They could've been talking about killing him right there and then and he still would've ignored their voices back then. Whatever lay beyond the doors he was holding scared him, and he didn't dare to look away from it.

Slowly, he opened it. They gulped as he did so, the black doors covered in glowing, white threads of silk creaked as he pushed them open. The room was inside was...

It was full of the same bright threads strewn around the door. The walls are covered with fleshy bags that pulsed every few seconds and there was something hanging from the ceiling. Strangely enough, the room smelled like lavenders and incense even though both are not present. At the center of it all is a treasure pile that looked like a small hill covered in spider threads. The three of them looked at the large room in awe, then they looked back at the Goblin in front of them.

He was shivering. It wasn't that cold in the dungeon, but he looked like he got soaked in the middle of a blizzard. His eyes were fixated on the large mass that laid quietly at the center of a large spiderweb. The sword in his hands shook as he slowly took a step forward. 

"Arachnea, tur ir Metras ki Epsras!"

The Goblin yelled out loudly, his voice as shaky and as terrified as his body. The creature smiled and spoke with a nostalgic tone while her back was turned towards them.

"You show your face here once again, Goblin. I have been waiting patiently ever since you stepped foot onto this floor."

The three adventurers watched as the black thing shifted its body gracefully. The web groaned in protest as the creature turned towards them, its massive weight held up by the thick strands of web that stretched over them.

Eight legs stretched out from the bulbous and hairy abdomen and ended with a pair of massive claws on each leg. Each leg was as big as Stefan and four times longer than him and it was covered with coarse, black hair that rustled with each movement. Its massive, black abdomen was unfathomably huge and it cast a large shadow on over them. It was covered in hair as well and it had a pair of spinnerets at the end that constantly spun a strand of silk into a thick ball.

"I back. I will fight  you, again."

"Brave. I see you brought friends this time. But to think you'll go this far for the treasures I guard."

Finally, the head of the massive spider turned towards them. 

It was massive, and it had a thick exoskeleton that glimmered like steel. Beneath it is a pair of massive fangs that dripped with white venom and a pair of thick, dextrous feelers moved in front of them. But that wasn't the head of the large monster, it was only the middle part of the creature. Its upper body is small compared to the rest of it, but it was the strangest part of the monster.

On what should be the forehead of the immense spider, is the form of a woman. Everything below her waist was the rest of the spider, everything above was beauty unparalleled. A silk robe that glowed more vibrantly than the threads that covered the room was draped over her pale body. It was thick enough to obscure her delicate, snow-white skin but thin enough to make out the curves of her body underneath the layers of such fine clothes.

Her face was like that of a fair maiden with long, jet-black hair that flowed freely like the silk she spun. Her crimson eyes outmatched the glimmer of her silk as her gaze bored down on them all from above. It was beautiful, and to gaze at it felt like a sin to Stefan. 

"To think that you still have the courage to try and steal from me yet again. Or perhaps you have come with offerings instead?"

Her grin made the two men glance away in fear of what might happen to them. To think that such a creature like this existed, one who uses her looks like a net to ensnare the hearts of men and monsters alike!

"No! Came here to-"

"I know, I know... I left that door open in the hopes of you trying to kill me once again. Or..."

Her human hands pressed against her cheeks, a finger tapped her luscious and red lips as she stared down at them.

"My children will not bother us this time. But I am inclined to ask those apes behind you what is the purpose of their visit."

"They... They want to go home."

Her eyes widened for a moment, then they narrowed down at the three adventurers behind him.

"The door... You want the door this time..."

The Goblin watched as Arachnea descended from her web. The massive legs that held up her enormous frame looked like massive pillars to them.

"But you know that such an item is not something to be given away, correct?"

"I know. That's why-"

Before he could finish, something shot out from her hands. Everyone dodged as a ball of silk shot out towards them, the Goblin swatted away another one with his sword as Arachnea hissed at him. The ball slowly melted away, the venom that covered it did its job perfectly as a weapon.

"I despise you, Greenskin. A worthless vermin that lives and scavenges mushrooms in that hole in the wall. Yet, I have been missing you as well, Goblin."

One of her legs came crashing down on Stefan, but he managed to dodge it by a hair's breadth. Arachnea's fangs clicked together loudly as she reared up on her four legs.

"I will no longer make the mistake of letting you go like the last time you were here. Although, I wish to speak to you one last time about the many stories you have in that mind of yours."

"And I will kill you properly as well."

The Goblin snarled in defiance as Arachnea's fangs dripped a different color of venom. His right hand grasped for the sword, and with the other, he prepared a spell. He chuckled slightly as he watched Arachnea warily as her massive fangs moved upwards.

Then he charged forwards, towards her. Towards death.