Friend of fear was doing its thing, and despite knowing I was utterly terrified and was going to live or die at the whim of either a spider or else some other creepy-crawly that lived in the middle of the nest of cobwebs, I calmly considered my options. The thing wasn't moving, just paying attention to me with whatever esoteric senses it happened to have. It wasn't visible from here, so it shouldn't be able to see me with conventional sight either.

Running was pointless; there was no way whatever it was wouldn't be able to catch me if it wanted. Staying frozen like this wasn't a viable long-term solution, even if it continued to not move; I needed to eat and sleep and stuff. Either I walked calmly away and hoped it lost interest, or I started collecting silk and hoped I could stash a useful amount into my item box before it came and killed me. Collecting the silk had the largest chance of death, and I didn't want to waste the respawn time right now, but if this silk had been produced by a monster of that power, I'd bet it was a heck of a lot better than what I was currently using.

Which probably meant my spider claw daggers couldn't cut it, now that I thought it through... Although it also meant that if it was sticky, I might be able to make climbing gloves that would let me do a spiderman impression on the cliff, rather than requiring a rope.

I'd been exploring the jungle for long enough that the fox-kin had probably set up camp in the shrine room already, so dying would at least let me cross back to my own cave without bumping into them. I drew a dagger and tried to cut the nearest strand. As expected, I had no luck. My professional spear with its attack rating of twenty-five could, as could my sword of paralysis, but both were a bit unwieldy to be collecting whole webs.

Not that I'd get the chance, because the presence had started moving. I spun towards it, but still saw nothing. Please don't be an invisible spider...

"What a brave little fly you are. Or perhaps your brain is as lacking as your ears?"

I still saw nothing. No, wait, there was a spider sitting on a tree branch, but it was ten centimetres across at most, and that was including its long, spindly legs. The body was even smaller. It was practically Earth sized! The presence I was feeling came from that?

Novice empath picked up a burst of anger and hatred, before it suddenly cut off, replaced by resignation and hopefulness. An interesting combination, but not one I could explain right now. It was, however, within my appraisal range...

Aranea regina

The monarch of all aranea. Not only may she command her lesser kin as she sees fit, but she has powerful weapons of her own. Her silk is stronger than steel, her venomous bite poisonous enough to kill the strongest of adventures, and her acid powerful enough to melt even enchanted armour. Even her sharp legs are spears that could pierce through flesh and bone without resistance. She also wields powerful magic of ice and decay. Any who fall into her webs should despair.

No mention of her size, I thought with a smirk. Of course, smirking in front of the intelligent monarch of all spiders wasn't the greatest of ideas... I felt a light impact on my leg, and looked down to see a thin strand of silk wrapped around it, just in time for the world to flip over. By the time everything stopped spinning, I was hanging upside-down in the web I'd been trying to collect, the spider queen standing right in front of my face.

"Do I amuse you, little fly?" she asked. Her voice was remarkably eloquent for a tiny spider. Her mouth wasn't even moving! Where was the sound coming from?

I was probably dead again, and I hadn't managed to collect any web whatsoever. Should have walked away... Even so, best not to piss off the monster any further. "Sorry, I was reading your species' description. That's what I found amusing, not you."

"Oh? A description? Is that one of your vulpes abilities? By all means, please do tell."

Vulpes? That explained her ear comment. "I'm not one of the vulpes," I clarified, "but yes it's one of my abilities." I read it out in its entirety.

"And yet, despite the advice of your own ability, you remain remarkably free from despair," she commented. "Still, that description pleases me. What about it provided you with amusement?"

"It didn't mention your size," I answered honestly.

The spider queen stared at me in silence for a few seconds. "Yes, well," she finally started. "I know there are some who judge things solely by their appearance. They generally do not live long. A smaller body means lower food requirements, easier living arrangements, and it's simpler to move around this place without wrecking everything. It's greatly convenient, and if it causes idiots to underestimate me, that's nothing more than another benefit."

She resumed her silent stare for a few more seconds before continuing, "Are you underestimating me, too? Is that why you show no fear?"

"Nah, I'm plenty afraid. I just have another ability that lets me not show it. I've also been eaten by a spider once before, but I got over it, so it's not the end of the world if it happens again."

The spider queen couldn't blink, and had no eyebrows to raise, but nevertheless managed to radiate surprise.

Novice empath advanced to level 3

Ah, right, I still had that skill turned on.

"One does not generally 'get over' being eaten, but your abilities are very strange. Perhaps that is one too. But it need not happen again, if you are willing to offer me a favour. You claim to not be of the vulpes sagax, despite sharing much of their form. Tell me, are you their ally?"

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Oh joy, a second overly powerful monster is about to offer me a deal. Let's hope this one goes better than the last. At least her question was easy to answer.

"Fuck no. The first time we met, they tried to enslave me. The second time they tortured and tried to rape me. Some of the individuals are okay, but the species as a whole is not something I want to try my luck with for a third time."

The spider queen's hopefulness switched off, and instead she radiated pure glee and anticipation. Apparently, I'd given the correct answer. "Excellent. This jungle is nice, but it is... limited. I long for juicier meat. Alas, the barrier around the area prevents me from leaving. Promise to find me some way to leave this place, to enter the cavern the vulpes sagax occupy, and I shall spare you."

Well, that was an offer that opened up a lot of options. This spider queen could probably break through their checkpoint or weave a silk ladder all on her own. What she couldn't do was fight all of the fox-kin. I'd felt some that were at least as strong as her, and if they ganged up, she'd have no hope.

"They have people in their town that are at least as strong as you," I pointed out. "And what would stop me agreeing, but betraying you and never coming back here? Also, sparing me isn't much of a payment, given that even if you didn't I would... well, get over it."

"I know their kind. Their higher ranked members are too... What would be the word? Not arrogant, although they are certainly that, too. Aloof, perhaps? They see 'simple' problems as being beneath them, and they won't move for a few missing adventurers and scouts. It is a rare occasion indeed on which one of their leaders leaves their town walls. I have enough self restraint to avoid attracting the attention of anything I can't handle. Just as I have the self restraint required to deal with you."

Her knowledge was actually a bit strange. She had in-depth knowledge of their civilization and the layout of the dungeon, despite only coming into existence when I fixed the shrine and never having left this cavern. Did she have some sort of life before then? Was she born with the knowledge?

"As for your betrayal," she continued, "I have nothing. Even if you did, I would lose little, but the fact that you asked the question is promising. Had you immediately accepted, perhaps I would have reconsidered. And what is it you want for payment?"

That was easy enough. "A reusable way down into their territory. It would need a long silk rope. Maybe five hundred metres. Maybe some resistance training later, but that can be another discussion, since you'd get something out of it too."

"Resistance training?" she asked, radiating confusion once more.

"Another of my abilities is that the more something injures me, the more resistant to it I grow. You can offer poison, corrosion and ice, at least."

"You wish me to wound you?" she asked incredulously.

"Wound, kill. I'm not fussed. Like I said, you'd get something out of it; you can have the corpses afterwards. It's not as if I want them, and it's a waste to leave them lying around."

The spider fell silent once more, now feeling amusement and even more glee. I doubted she would reject the offer even before feeling her reaction; it was nothing but upsides for her, after all. "It is true I would get something from such an arrangement. But what manner of being are you, to make such an offer?" she asked eventually.

"A human," I answered. "We live on the surface."

"I... see. Never have I heard of such a creature. But very well, if you can get me out of here, I shall agree to your terms."

She waved a leg, and I fell from the web. The blood rushing away from my head as I was finally turned the right way up left me feeling dizzy, but despite that, I was pretty sure the queen had just cheated somehow. She'd been further than a leg length away from me and any part of the web, so how did I just fall off it? Some sort of thread control ability?

Anyway, she seemed to be acting like it was a done deal, but I was still considering it. The fox-kin were annoying buggers, but did I want to unleash this monster on them? The town was full of civilians and children... Who had all turned on me the moment they saw me collared, admittedly, and who were talking like they never left town, anyway. Who would leave town? The warrior caste? They were the ones who had annoyed me the most, so I had little pity for them.

Yes, the most likely targets she would catch would be warriors, and the fox-kin were capable of doing something about her if they ever wanted. It was a deal I was prepared to take. Then how would I smuggle her through the barrier? I had a few ideas, but we'd need to experiment to see what worked.

"Well then, shall we get going?" I asked.

"Already? You are in a hurry, little fly."

"Katie," I said. "My name."

With an overpowered flesh-eating spider queen perched on my head like some sort of low-budget Halloween costume, I made my way back to the cavern entrance. I was starting to appreciate my mapping skill a little more now; with the dense trees and lack of visual range, there was no way I'd have found my way out so smoothly without it.

My first experiment was to simply walk through the barrier with the spider on my head, but the barrier wouldn't let me pass. Not entirely unexpected; the centipedes had the same problem. My next idea I'd already ruled out on the way, after trying to store one of the jungle's beetles in my item box and failing. Despite accepting moss, it didn't like more complex living things. Of the last two, she wouldn't like one, and I didn't like the other, because it would probably result in the shrine punishing me.

"So, you could try to force your way through. I've seen someone of your power do so before, but presumably you've tried that already."

"Alas that it is not so simple. I've not tried before, but I don't need to. I know I can't force my way through the barrier."

How did she know that? If this is information implanted in her at creation, who says it needed to be accurate? Maybe the barrier was as psychological as it was physical?

"It might be worth a try even if you think it will fail," I said, "because I'm pretty sure you won't like my last idea. I could put a slave collar on you and remove it once the attempt is over, whether it works or not."

That was a stretch, too. So'layn had commented that they didn't work on powerful monsters, and this spider certainly qualified as powerful. Not to mention how small she was compared to the size of the collars I had. Even if she cooperated and could somehow let the collar take effect despite her resistance, would that be enough for the barrier to let us through? The only evidence I had was Ja'yakril's comment about me getting so close to the town without a collar, but that was enough to make it worth a try.

She considered for a moment. "I do indeed not like it. That's rather more trust than I'm willing to put in you; should you betray me, I would lose far more than a meal. Nevertheless, I know I cannot force my way through."

Still unwilling to attempt to force her way. A pity... "Well, even if I fail to get you out of here, I'm still up for some resistance training. Maybe human meat will suit your tastes?"

The spider leapt over to a wall and stared at me as hard as only something with eight eyes could. "So willing to trade your flesh to me, little fly. Do you think so little of death? Humans are some sort of undead spirit, perhaps? Very well, we shall try your collar, but first..."

Before I could react, the spider queen leapt to my shoulder and plunged her fangs into my neck.

Poison resistance advanced to level 19