Sally struggled to pull her mind out of her wonderfully warm dream. The howling, chilling winds of the night-long journey through the empty lands of the dead Kar Kingdom were nothing more than a distant memory. Unfortunately she had to return to reality, at the very least she wasn't fleeing from Goblins and bizarre cultists anymore. Sally’s eyes were not greeted by the rough wooden ceiling, but rather an endless crevice of dark, soft brown skin. Her nose was nestled in deep between the warm soft mounds, nestled so deep that she could barely look up, and filled with a lovely scent.

“No…” A voice muttered from above. “No, it doesn’t go there. What… What do you think you’re doing?”

The voice giggled and Sally was pulled closer. Now it was impossible to breathe through her nose but her mouth was just able to break free from the soft flesh. Sally wormed her head upwards, her chin pushed through the seemingly unending brown expanse.

Ulyaa, Atros’s first Arachnid, licked her lips as she continued to dream without a care. Sally remembered that while she had shared Ulyaa’s bed for warmth she was on the other side. Her hand reached back straight and she could not find the edge. More strangely Ulyaa was not wearing her thick night shirt. Sally still had hers on, but it meant that she had her head placed squarely in the center of some of the largest breasts she had ever seen.

“Ulyaa?” Sally's voice was muffled by Ulyaa’s enormous breasts. “Ulyaa. You’re kind of smothering me.”

Ulyaa’s eyes slowly fluttered. She yawned but quickly succumbed to sleep once more.

“Come on.” Sally chuckled as she wiggled herself down. “I can’t stay as your pillow forever.”

“Yes you can.” Ulyaa’s eyes slowly opened. “It’s not too bad. Right? Just stay there and keep me warm. You know that most people in Atros would pay a fortune for this, right?”

“I would like to breathe.”

Ulyaa relinquished her hold and Sally freed herself. She placed her hand onto her pillow, some distance away, and found it extremely cold.

“When did you pull me close?” Sally idly scratched her neck. “And when did you lose your shirt, if it’s so cold.”

Ulyaa chuckled and ran a hand through her perfectly straight hair. “When it got really cold. It’s winter, after all. You can’t expect me to...Ugh...Shit.”

Ulyaa’s usually calm and soft face contorted in extreme pain. Ulyaa pulled her human torso towards her spider bottom. Her eight legs spasmed as she bared her teeth in pain, she ground her teeth so hard together Sally heard clicking noises.

“What’s wrong?” Sally crawled towards her and threw away the covers. “What’s happening?”

Sally saw that Ulyaa was not wearing her skirt but her eyes were drawn to her spider body. It looked swollen. Very swollen. At the very bottom of the bed lay a slowly growing pile of faintly steaming white silk. It looked normal but Sally had never seen Ulyaa make it like this.

“Is it the silk?” Sally held Ulyaa’s trembling hand. “Is… Is there something wrong with it?”

“It hurts.” Tears ran down Ulyaa’s face. “It feels like I’m going to rip apart!”

“What can I do?” Sally’s arms and legs trembled, just like her she was unsure of what to do.

“Get… Get me to the edge.” Ulyaa panted. Beads of sweat began to run down her face. “And help turn me over. Then I need you to help get this silk out of me! I don’t care where it goes, I just need it out! Please!”

“R-Right.”

Sally almost tripped out of the bed. She brought the biggest bucket she could find, one that Ulyaa had been using more and more frequently for her silk deliveries, and placed it at the end of the bed. Ulyaa managed to use her spider legs to push her towards the end and, with Sally’s help, turn over. Ulyaa screamed as the weight fell on the underside of her spider body. Sally winced as she could only maneuver the bucket closer. The silk erupted from her rear and landed heavily into the bucket to form a large mound, completely covering the bottom in a matter of terrifyingly short breaths.

“How do I help get it out?”

Ulyaa pulled the pillow to her mouth and bit down hard. She used her hands to show Sally what she wanted to do.

“I’m sorry if this hurts, Ulyaa.”

Ulyaa gave a single nod as her spider body began to undulate, from the join of her human torso towards the spinneret, as Ulyaa had called it. Sally stood behind Ulyaa and followed the undulations with her hands, pushing as hard as she dared. Ulyaa thumped her hands into the bed but angrily glared at her when Sally stopped. The flow of silk quickly began to increase and the mound began to grow. Ulyaa’s cries began to lessen as the pile overflowed the large bucket and spilled onto the floor. Eventually it began to slow and stop completely. Sally stared in disbelief at the overflowing pile before her.

“Fuck.” Ulyaa laughed. She gently patted the pillow, trying to smooth out the bite marks. “That was really bad.”

“H-Has this happened before?”

“Not this bad.” Ulyaa shuffled her body onto her back. She pulled her human torso forward and gently rubbed her underside. No longer did it look swollen, rather it looked smaller than it had when Sally first met Ulyaa. “But it’s fine now.”

“That was not fine.” Sally glanced at the pile of silk. “You don’t normally make this much.”

“It’s fine.” Ulyaa’s body shuddered, her spider legs splayed out as wide as they possibly could before collapsing. “Ugh. I feel like shit. And I’m supposed to be going to our lessons today. I somehow don’t think we are, Sally. Well, at least I won’t. You can go if you want. Just be sure to tell Mezot why I’m not there.”

Ulyaa chuckled. “Maybe not exactly why. Mezot doesn’t know how to be discrete, at least that’s what I think will happen. She's a good Mage but… You know.”

For a single moment Sally considered going and leaving Ulyaa to rest. Something told her that was not the right decision.

“We’ll get you some help.” Sally crawled back onto the bed. Her eyes caught Ulyaa’s shirt resting against the wall and the head of the bed. “That Beast-kin… Kal? She healed me after I was nearly frozen. I’m sure she can do the same for you.”

Ulyaa slowly nodded. “Alright. I think they’re in Atros until this afternoon. Then they’re going on another raid into Seocuria. I wonder what they'll bring back this time. Or who?"

“They’ll be happy to see all of this.” Sally nodded towards the overflowing bucket. “They always want more...What’s wrong? Is it hurting again?”

Ulyaa pulled herself upright and retrieved her shirt. She frowned as she saw how tightly it hugged her chest. Sally felt a serious pang of envy. Perhaps that was because she allowed Ulyaa to use her as a pillow. Ulyaa caught her looking and shrugged.

“Out of the three of us, I think that I’m the only one that’s not with someone.” Ulyaa spoke softly as she stepped around Sally and onto the cold floor. “I wouldn’t have minded being with Anton, but… I don’t like sharing. You know?”

Ulyaa began to rummage through her collection of clothes. “Though he seems to have an eye for those that don’t mind. Like that new one from Frindal.”

“What are you talking about?” Sally had a decent idea but she was more concerned about the piercing cold feeling that ripped through her heart when Ulyaa said she would’ve been with Anton. Was that jealousy? It was a bad feeling, that was for certain.

Ulyaa returned to the edge of the bed and beckoned Sally closer. Sally continued to frown, even more so when Ulyaa brought her into a tight hug, her head straight into the center of her breasts. She lifted her up so her head rested just above, her cheeks just poking out.

“You’re unbelievably cute.” Ulyaa smiled as she rocked her back and forth. “An adorable little warm pillow. You know that?”

Sally continued to frown, still unsure what she should be feeling. Ulyaa gave her back a gentle pat before breaking the hold.

“You’re going to need to get dressed as well.” Ulyaa smirked as her spider rear wiggled back and forth. “Unless you want Anton to sink his teeth into me while you’re not there.”

The coldness pierced her heart again. Ulyaa looked at her face and laughed. She waved Sally over as she began to pull out their winter clothes.

What was that? Why did I feel cold? Maybe... Maybe Kal, or someone else, can tell me.

Sally placed her feet onto the cold floor.

I don’t think Ulyaa’s going to tell me.

---[]---

Sally watched in silence as Kal, the Half Breed Beast-kin, gently prodded Ulyaa’s spider body, specifically near the spinneret. Ulyaa kept her face and body perfectly still as Kal asked her simple questions about what happened. They were not outside, thankfully, but inside Anton’s large house. Sally did not think it was that large on the inside. Especially when there were so many people inside a single room.

“So this is the first time it’s happened?” Anton asked. He sat opposite Ulyaa, with his arms folded. Sally was certain that he was different. Taller and his clothes appeared to be tighter across his chest. He also wore thick gloves despite the warmth. “I did tell you not to stress yourself to make your silk. There are a lot more of you now, you know?”

Ulyaa sighed dramatically. She opened her mouth to speak when she let out a cute yelp. Kal raised her hand in apology as she stepped back. Kal frowned and held the underside of her swollen stomach.

“Little bit close, Kal.” Ulyaa smiled. “But, no. Anton. I haven’t been trying to make this much silk. It sort of just came out of me.”

“But it hasn’t been getting worse?”

Anton flicked his eyes as two more women entered the small room. One was so tall that she had to stoop her head low just to enter, her bright red hair tied into large braids, and she looked up at the ceiling so her large orange horn did not scrape the wood. Sally saw several dent marks on the tops of the doors, not just into this room. The other woman caused Sally to frown in confusion. She was a normal human, with tanned skin, lighter than Kal’s, with dark brown hair held in a golden netting. A bright blue floral scarf lay tight around her neck and an equally bright and colorful shawl. The rest of her long full body dress was black and decidedly plain. The dress’s sleeves were short enough that her hands came through, the woman wore long fingerless gloves made from the same colored material as her scarf.

“I have brought some food.” The scarf woman held up a small tray of vegetables and cheese. “If any of you are hungry.”

“Thanks, Zuhura.” Anton had her place the plate onto the table.

“See?” Ulyaa muttered to Sally as Zuhura returned to the door.

“Sounds like it’s an over-production of silk.” Anton muttered as he received a nod from Kal. “Ulyaa? What do you remember of your… Um. Your fellow Arachnid’s treatment in Seocuria?”

The tall woman offered Ulyaa a large stool. Ulyaa placed it underneath her body to take the weight off her legs.

“Thanks, Rasha.” Ulyaa gently rubbed her front legs. “I don’t think we were treated particularly good or bad. For a slave. Since… Well, we were normal.” Ulyaa stuck out her tongue. “But we didn’t produce this much silk, even at the best of times.”

Something flashed through Anton’s eyes. He looked to Rasha, specifically her, quite frankly unnecessarily gigantic chest. Her clothes only brought more attention to it. Just seeing it made Sally unnaturally annoyed.

“We know the Seocurian’s have performed selective breeding over the years.” Anton folded his arms. “Now… Um. Sally?”

Sally’s shoulders jolted. “Yes?” Her voice broke, even though it was a single word.

“This is going to involve some rather intimate questions. And I don’t know if you are old enough to be here.”

“It’ll be fine.” Ulyaa waved him down. “She already knows that Eider’s being pummeled into the ground every night by her two bodyguards. This will be nothing.”

Rasha and Zuhura shared a surprised look.

“I’ll...” Anton smiled. “I’ll still try and make this as painless as possible. But who did they get you to have children with? Anything special about them?”

Ulyaa folded her arms and closed her eyes, thinking deeply. Sally felt the coldness cut through her heart once again.

“I’m not really sure.” Ulyaa sighed. “They just seemed like normal Arachnids. To me, at least. None of us really had a choice in the matter. It was mate or be raped.” Ulyaa shrugged. “Actually, now that I think about it, I do remember, after they took away children the last time I gave birth-”

“What?!” Sally winced as everyone looked at her.

Ulyaa smiled and gently held her shoulder. “I’ve come to accept it, even if I don’t like it.” She turned back to Anton. “I do remember some of the Seocurian’s asking if they were going to make a lot of silk. They sounded… They sounded kind of frustrated. Does that mean anything to you?”

“Maybe.” Anton beckoned Rasha closer. He held her hand, his were like a babies in hers, though she acted very tenderly. “Rasha had some serious issues after I healed her. There were complications. Which...” Anton’s eyes narrowed on Rasha. “Which she didn’t tell me about. But it taught me that healing’s can have negative side effects. So I think I know what happened to you.”

“And that is?” Ulyaa shuffled closer. “You’ve been building up to this big reveal.”

“Essentially, you’re eating far better and are in better shape than any Arachnid in recent history.”

“Okay...”

“But the Seocurian’s have been breeding the Arachnids to make more silk, without giving them better conditions. So they’ve been giving you the potential to make silk but you’ve just never had the resources or been well enough. And now you are.”

“Oh… Oh!” Ulyaa shuffled back. “That makes sense. I’ve been making more and more recently. Big buckets all the time.” She placed a hand onto her spider body. “Even now it feels like I could make a small bucket’s worth right now.”

“What’s happening?” Sally asked softly. “I… I’ve never been out of Soulthor...”

“Thanks to the Seocurians breeding, Ulyaa is overproducing silk.” Kal said calmly. Her horizontal feline eyes were completely out of place against her beautiful human face. “Producing far more than her body can safely handle. Only her poor diet and conditions were holding that back. But now she’s in Atros she doesn’t have that issue. And I don’t think it’s going to get any better, worse probably, as her body continues to recover and adjust to her new lifestyle.”

“Ulyaa can’t go through that every morning.” Sally said, strangely defiant in her words. “I don’t want to see that every morning.”

Zuhura silently raised a black brow.

“I can appreciate that.” Anton slowly nodded. “I can’t imagine what it was like. For either of you. Somehow, we need to limit the amount of silk Ulyaa produces without starving her.”

“Good.” Ulyaa folded her arms and gave Sally a wink. “Told you they would know. Any ideas?”

Anton shook his head. “Our options are to either ensure that you never become full with silk. Or… We cast a prayer on you to limit the amount of silk you can make each day.

“That one.” Ulyaa reached out for Kal’s hand, which she offered. “I don’t want to be woken up multiple times a night just to get this out of me. Besides, what if Sally’s not there? I’d be lost without her.”

“Sally was sleeping in your house?” Zuhura asked softly. Her brown eyes narrowed on Sally.

“Eider’s no longer there.” Ulyaa shrugged. “Besides, she was always cold. And I don’t really want to keep putting wood on the fire. Much better for everyone if I just have a cute, portable heater.”

“Really?” Sally folded her arms.

Ulyaa grabbed Sally and hugged her tight. Kal smiled and shook her head and placed a hand onto Ulyaa’s shoulder and muttered a string of words. Sally had no idea if it worked but Ulyaa shuddered and let out a deeply satisfied moan.

“Was that really necessary?” Kal sat on Anton’s lap. An incredibly long tail slid free, wrapping around and brushing against his neck. “There’s no way Tethra’s prayer would make you do something like that.”

“Just wanted to tease the little girl.” Ulyaa let Sally go, gently ruffling her head.

Kal smiled and gave Ulyaa’s shoulder a squeeze. “But do talk to us if it gets any worse. Okay?”

“I will.” Ulyaa reached back and wrapped her arm around Sally’s shoulder. “And if I don’t I know that Sally would go behind my back to help me.”

“I…” Sally cast her head down slightly. “I just don’t want to see you in so much pain again.”

“Excellent.” Anton held a hand to his chest as he coughed loudly and repeatedly. Sally glanced at Ulyaa as Kal held him until it stopped. “We… Sorry about that. I’ve had a very nasty cough since…That whole mess with the Fire Elves-”

“Are they up here yet?” Ulyaa asked, slightly loosening her hold on Sally. “I really want to see one of these Fire Elves. Do they look like the Dark Elves? They have really beautiful skin and hair. Is that weird to say?”

Anton chuckled. “Not really. But they can’t leave, not without Nithroel and the entire Wood Elf army descending upon us. And we cannot defend against that.”

Ulyaa gave a single nod.

Fire Elves? The Dark Elves seem very… What’s the right word? Thin and fit? Calo and Sheso…

“But if you’re feeling a bit better we need to prepare for the next raid on Seocuria.” Anton stood up. Kal placed a hand on his chest and muttered something. Anton smiled and kissed her. “I feel a bit better.”

“It still feels like it’s not doing much.” Kal murmured.

“Just that it keeps coming back.” Anton gave her hand another squeeze. “So we need to find Eider. Since she’s not living with you anymore-”

“Bath House.” Ulyaa said confidently. “Warmest place in Atros for a Cobra.”

“Right. We need to go find her.”

Ulyaa tugged lightly on Sally’s arm. “And we need to go to Mezot’s lesson. Otherwise she’d get angry.” Ulyaa smirked. “If you can imagine such a thing.”

“I actually can. You two learn well and fast.” Anton’s face darkened slightly. “Atros need every advantage that we can get.”

---[]---

Sally groaned as she tried her best to copy the words and letters on the stone board. Today Mezot was not teaching them magic, but rather a comprehensive lesson on how to write and read, at least according to her. Most were struggling, Ulyaa included, but a few were not. Axia looked thoroughly bored by Mezot’s lesson. She idly spun her pencil back and forth while desperately trying to keep her eyes open.

“If I...” Axia grunted and stretched her arms over her head. Mezot looked over, Axia returned a smile and wave.

“What did you say?” Sally asked. She was trying her best to learn the letters but it wasn’t as easy as she first thought it would be.

“I’d rather be practicing my magic.” Axia yawned and began to tap on her desk. A smile slowly crept over her face. “Though I will say that Atros is much nicer than Graterious.”

“It’s definitely cleaner.”

Stolen story; please report.

Sally remembered her old village of Soulthor, the ever-present grime and filth that no matter of cleaning or washing would remove. Or, at least that’s what she knew they told themselves. When they were caught out in the rain they came back quite clean, only for it to be replaced a few days later.

Axia chuckled. “And my mother is being listened to by an entire class. So that’s nothing short of a miracle too. I know that she’s loving it here...”

“And?” Ulyaa leant closer towards Sally. She kept most of her attention focused forward. Despite Mezot being a little strange at times she could also be quite perceptive, especially to those who were disrupting her lessons.

“I’m just a little bit annoyed.” Axia clicked her neck. “You know?”

“Okay...”

“I feel so small.” Axia’s eyes narrowed on Ulyaa’s chest. “Everywhere I look I see these massive things, just bouncing everywhere. You, Verona, Kal, Rasha, especially Rasha. Not to mention that Seocurian woman Loretta and even Marion. Oh, and Zuhura too. They’re strutting around with those massive, bouncing lumps of fat and we’re stuck with this?!”

Axia ran her hands over her chest. They formed a gentle smooth arc as her frown continued to increase.

“I don’t think that my father’s side, the disgusting pig of a man that left us, I asked Verona and said it was incredibly unlikely I’d get any bigger.” Axia slumped forward and allowed her head to loudly crack onto the table. “The world isn’t fair to us, is it Sally?”

“I...” Sally looked to Ulyaa for help.

Ulyaa simply shrugged and quickly returned to her writing. On her other side sat Lux, a young Beast-kin boy with long white rabbit ears, looked around Ulyaa at Axia resting her head on the table. Sally knew he wanted to say something to her but did not know what. He tried to reach towards her, Ulyaa cleared her throat, and quickly returned to his writing. For a moment she thought he was scared by Ulyaa. Instead it was Mezot, slowly approaching while Axia rocked her head back and forth. Mezot stopped to the side of Axia’s table and hovered her staff and the large Charm over Axia’s head.

“Do you need some water?” Mezot asked in her normal, calm voice. “Is your head hurting?”

“I’m fine.” Axia pulled herself up. The pencil had become stuck to her forehead, surrounded by slightly reddened skin. “I’m just annoyed that I’ll never look like Ulyaa.”

“Why...” Mezot’s eyes narrowed on Ulyaa for a few tense moments before she slowly walked back to the board and continued to teach with a renewed vigor, her hand strokes guided by annoyance and frustration.

“See?” Axia clicked her tongue. “It’s easy to get out of trouble with her. Just need to direct her attention somewhere else.”

“To me.” Ulyaa muttered. “And a part of my body that I can’t change.” She tapped her spider rear. “At least it’s not about this.”

Axia opened her mouth to speak but she quickly clamped it shut.

Sally returned her attention to the lesson. Slowly but surely she was beginning to understand what the letters meant, what actions her hand had to take in order to write clearly and quickly. A part of her was annoyed at how easy it was now but she knew that it was only due to Mezot’s continued practice and the knowledge learned from her own struggles.

Mezot rang a tiny metal bell that sat on her desk. “That is the end of today’s lesson. If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask.”

“It’s nearly lunchtime.” Axia smirked at Sally and Ulyaa. “Finally. I get to eat some of Anton’s cooking again.”

“Is it that good?” Ulyaa raised a brow. “Did I miss out by not being… You know?”

“Isn’t Anton married to Verona and Kal?” Sally asked softly.

Axia nodded. “And Cetina, Rasha and my mother. I think he’s got his eyes set on Zuhura… She’s actually really nice. Stupidly nice, at least to me. And probably Calo and Sheso. Pretty smiles and legs. I’ll say that. They usually come with him on his journeys but he hasn’t done anything to them.”

“And you?”

Ulyaa watched most of the students leave. Sally was strangely happy to see that some were staying to speak with Mezot, though Mezot was clearly overwhelmed and expected one or two at the most. When she looked past Ulyaa she saw Lux, the Beast-kin boy, with ears turned to listen. Did he feel the pang of jealousy too?

“What about me?” Axia folded her arms definitely. “Anton’s already told me that I’m too young, or some crap. I need to wait until my eighteenth birthday before I can do anything. But once I’m that old...”

Axia licked her lips. “There’s nothing he can say to stop me.”

Lux twitched in his seat.

“He could just say no.” Sally said calmly.

Axia winced and lightly jabbed Sally in the arm. “Don’t ruin the fantasy I’ve got going on in my head. It’s a good one too.”

“See what I’m saying?” Ulyaa laughed. “Everyone around him is a little crazy.”

Axia shrugged but did not deny it.

“It is a little strange.” Sally muttered. She idly tapped her desk. “Ulyaa? What are we doing after lunch?”

Ulyaa clicked her tongue. “Well, I normally have to deliver my silk… ”

Sally remembered the large pile still sitting in their house.

“But I think we’ll be sorting stuff.” Ulyaa shrugged. “It’s not like we can help with the harvests, after all. Not when everything’s covered in snow.”

“Just one of the advantages of being Anton’s step-daughter.” Axia sniggered as she stretched her arms. “I don’t have to do any of that.”

Ulyaa reached over and hugged Sally. “We still need to practice a bit more.”

“I think Mezot’s looking at us strangely.” Sally slowly pulled Ulyaa’s warm arms away. Mezot was trying to signal them to join her, at least that’s what Sally thought she was doing. It was difficult to tell with her sometimes.

“Yeah...” Axia leant close to Sally. “’I wonder what she wants with you two?”

---[]---

“I didn’t think she meant for me to come along too.” Axia threw Sally a brow. “But I suppose it’s not too bad.”

Sally spared Axia a single glance. She sat underneath a wooden awning that protected her from the snow, with their small packed lunches resting beside her on a small wooden table. Her Charm rested against her side as she nibbled on a small piece of bread. For some reason Sally thought she looked identical to a small rabbit devouring a carrot. Axia frowned as Sally continued to look.

“Please pay attention.” Mezot’s voice quickly brought Sally’s attention forward.

Ulyaa stood to her side, in her winter clothes, with Mezot just in front. She pointed towards the empty snow covered expanse.

“Both of you are some of the most talented students that are in Atros.” Mezot gripped her Charm’s staff tight, flakes of snow slid off and fell to the ground. “And I would like to see how well you can do.”

Mezot looked a little worried. “I… Wish to see how effective of a teacher I am.”

“Are you sure?” Ulyaa winced slightly. “I still don’t know if I’m ready.”

“I’ve only seen the structure of Principle Magic a few times.” Sally said. “I think I understand it a little bit.”

“Better than me then.” Ulyaa nervously laughed. For some reason Sally felt like she had said something wrong, but didn’t understand why.

“There is only one way to know for sure and that is to practice.” Mezot tapped the butt of her staff onto the solid snow. “And I’m sure that Anton would like to know that I have made some progress.”

“You’ll need these.” Axia said loudly. “Principle Mages can’t use magic without Charms, after all.”

Axia presented them with two small staffs with an equally small silver disk fastened to the top. Unlike Mezot and Axia’s the gemstones were small and decidedly plain. Mezot saw Sally’s confused expression.

“These are Training Charms.” Mezot held hers close. “While they are not too powerful they can be used by any Principe Mage to create any type of magic. Unlike mine, which if anything other than Water or Ice Magic is used it will be even weaker than yours. And might damage it too.”

“Anton’s… Old magic is much easier.” Axia mused. “Just make a shape and then release it, at least that’s what he says. Then there’s that other stuff, but that’s just confusing for me.”

“What is happening to him?” Sally asked. “His voice was different, he seemed taller too.”

“I,” Mezot pursed her lips. “I do not know what is happening to Anton. No one really does, not even himself. And I don’t think Longinious does either.”

“The fish woman.” Axia nonchalantly said. “That’s what I’ve heard a lot of people call her.”

Sally had seen her once. At first she thought she was a fish type of Beast-kin, but no Beast-kin could float through the air. Then there was the white armor, head crest like the fin of a fish and multiple arms. She wasn’t exactly normal. But no one near Anton was.

“So I would like both of you to cast a simple spell.” Mezot pointed towards the snow. “It doesn’t matter what it is, anything will be fine.”

“And don’t overdo it either.” Axia murmured. “Unlike Anton’s Glyph Magic, where you just pass out if you use too much, Principle Magic can be a lot worse.”

Sally did not like the face that Axia pulled, nor that Mezot made the same one.

“I’ll go first then.” Ulyaa nervously stomped her eight spider legs. “I’m noticing that Sally’s not trying to stop me. Even though she said she would go first. Oh well. Here we go.”

She closed her eyes and gripped her staff tight. Her lips trembled as she tried to recall how to flow her mana through the Charm.

“Don’t try and not use words.” Mezot’s voice was almost stern. “It is extremely difficult, even for me, to do something like that.”

“Ah. Right. Sorry.” Ulyaa smiled bitterly. “Guess I just panicked a little bit there.”

“Sally. Why don’t you try? You appeared to have an affinity for Earth Magic. So try to make an Earth Shot, if you can.”

Sally felt her blood turn cold as everyone’s attention fell upon her. It was less than a half-dozen people but everyone looked at her with expectation. She gripped her staff tight and closed her eyes.

Remember what I was told. Flow the magic through the Charm to create the magic. It shouldn’t be too hard. Right? Mezot and Axia do it all the time.

Sally took another slow, deep breath and began to channel her magic. She followed everything that she had been taught in her short time in Atros and, much to her surprise, it was surprisingly easy. A thin strand of the heaviness, which she had been told was her mana, flowed through her hand and into the Charm. As she directed it through the Charm’s crystals she felt the mana begin to change. She opened her eyes to see the gemstones on her Charm glowing bright.

Then... Release it!

Sally severed the mana entering her Charm and the bright gemstones turned dim. At the front a small stone, no bigger than her fist, began to swirl and grow before flying out at tremendous speed. It struck the snow and drove deep enough to throw up clods of brown dirt and frozen blades of dead grass.

“Excellent.” Mezot’s frown did not match her words. “But why didn’t you speak the spell? It’s extremely dangerous for a novice to do something like that.”

“I...” Sally looked to Ulyaa for help. She looked equal parts jealous and frightened, all of which made Sally feel terrible. “I just did what you taught me, that’s all. I forgot to speak-”

Sally stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, Mezot’s. Her normally vacant expression was replaced by one incredibly warm and motherly.

“But please do not do something so dangerous in the future. You are one of our best potential Mages, so I do not want you to injure yourself. You have no idea just how terrible uncontrolled magic truly is.”

“What does it do?” Sally asked. “Will I pass out or not be able to use magic?”

Axia clicked her tongue. “If it’s a Summon that goes wrong, your flesh will warp before it, the Summoned creature, tries to kill you. Then it will kill you unless you have a very powerful Mage with you. And if it’s just magic? I saw a Fire Mages skin burst into flame. Blood and flesh burning-”

“When did you see that?” Mezot nearly shrieked.

Axia waved her down. “First couple of days after we arrived at the Royal Academy. No idea who it was, but it made me respect you even more, Mother. Knowing that you can handle such terrifying and dangerous magic with such skill and ease.”

Mezot’s eyes flicked to her daughter but she turned her attention to Ulyaa. “Can you please follow Sally’s lead? I believe that you had an affinity for Fire. Please try your best.”

Ulyaa still looked very nervous as she stepped forward. Sally’s body moved on its own as she held her arm. Ulyaa snapped her head towards her, fear and confusion drenched her face. It was not fear of Mezot or of failing to make magic, but something much deeper.

She hasn’t told me anything of her time when she was a slave of the Seocurian Empire...

“You’ll be fine.” Sally whispered. “I’m right here.”

Ulyaa smirked. “I’m having to be comforted by someone less than half my age. That’s just not going to be how I do things in Atros. Not after everything that we’ve been through.”

Ulyaa gave Sally’s hand a pat and took another step forward. She spread her legs to brace herself and focused everything on her Charm.

“Alright you little shit...”

Ulyaa began to chant the words for the most simple fire spell. Her Charm glowed bright just before a large ball of fire emerged and hovered in front of her Charm.

“Umm...” Ulyaa shied away from the suspended ball of flame. “How do I make it go somewhere?”

“Point your thoughts towards where you wish it to go and completely release the mana.”

“That...” Ulyaa took another deep breath and the ball of fire responded. It struck the snow and immediately melted a large chunk, the liquid water dissolved through the remaining snow and disappeared.

“Well done.” Again Mezot’s expression and words did not match. “But I believe I told you to use your weakest spell, not a Fire Ball that large.”

“That was the weakest. Wasn’t it?”

Axia stepped forward and shook her head. She chanted a quick spell. A small whip of fire struck the same spot, melting a very small section of snow.

“That’s the weakest of my Fire Magic. But I think you tried to create a Large Fire Ball.”

“I didn’t think I did.” Ulyaa looked very embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to do too much.”

Mezot gently rubbed her face with her glove. She pulled away when a particularly large snowflake landed on her nose.

“Regardless, today has been very good.” Mezot began to smile. “I’m sure that the rest of the class will soon be able to perform magic. Anton will be very impressed. I wonder if we’ll get the opportunity to expand.”

“You want to be the Headmaster of your own Magical Academy?” Axia raised a curious brow. “That’s pretty ambitious, especially for you.”

Mezot’s eyes turned distant and misty. “Do... Do you think that I could?”

“Aren’t you already?” Sally asked.

Mezot’s smile widened. “Yes. Yes I am!” She seemed very happy. As he raised her hand her stomach growled like a ravenous beast. Her once proud expression instantly vanished, replaced by great shame and embarrassment.

“Come on mum.” Axia waved them towards the shelter. “You’ve been putting off having something to eat for quite a while. Let’s have some of Anton’s cooking.”

Axia waved them towards the shelter as she lit the small brazier with one of her spells. “No one’s going to say anything if we share. Right?”

---[]---

“Right here.” Ulyaa pointed to a large but non-descript wooden building. “We can drop off my silk and let the seamstresses do their thing.”

Ulyaa gently patted the large covered wooden bucket resting on her back. Underneath the sheet cloth lay a densely packed mound of Arachnid silk, some fresh and new. So new that the snowflakes landing on top melted nearly instantly.

Sally’s face burned with embarrassment remembering how the fresh silk had been placed on top. After leaving Mezot and Axia to return to Anton’s house, Sally and Ulyaa returned to their home to pick up the silk she had made that morning. Ulyaa had scoffed at the overflowing mound as she rubbed her spider body. Without warning she emptied herself of as much silk as she could, much to Sally’s shock and surprise. Ulyaa had only laughed as Sally’s face turned red hot. Somehow it was different to that morning, at least she wasn’t in any pain as she did it.

“Do we need to do anything else?” Sally asked softly. “Normally you just tell me to wait outside.”

Ulyaa shrugged. “It’s just not that exciting. Honestly. There’s nothing to see. I drop this off, they ask the same question, when is the next one, and then we’re done.”

“But with so many more Arachnids, they won’t need so much. Right?”

“Absolutely not. There’s so much they need it for. And all this.” Ulyaa nodded to the pile of silk. “Doesn’t actually go that far. So they’re always wanting more.”

“I just don’t want to see you screaming again.”

Ulyaa smiled before holding Sally tight. “Oh. You’re just so damned cute. You know that. I was starting to think you didn’t trust me or something.”

Sally had not expected such a thing. She jumped back slightly, until she saw that Ulyaa was dramatically pretending to cry.

Sally felt her eye twitch in annoyance. “I meant so that you weren’t being so stressed to create all that silk. And it sounds like they always want more-”

“I know what you meant.” Ulyaa ruffled Sally’s hair. She rubbed it flat, as the loose hairs felt very strange. “But thanks. Though I may be sorted the others will need the same… Help. And someone needs to tell these people that we have our own limits.”

“Would they even listen?”

“Probably not.” Ulyaa laughed. “Some are from Qaiviel and have never worked with such high quality material before. And I don’t want to always be annoying Anton for help. There’s more than just him… Have you met Jeff?”

“No. Is he a Beast-kin?”

Ulyaa shook her head as she opened the door. Strange noises flowed out, a rhythmic clicking of wood. “He’s a human, one that was here when Anton first arrived. I think that he’s one of the few people that would speak to Verona like she was a person.”

“Verona seems nice.” Sally scratched her head, straightening the last few strands of hair. “Was she bad before she met Anton? Like Rasha?”

“Rasha was just lashing out because of Seocuria. But for the other one? I… I don’t know. I don’t think so. I think that people disliked her, well, for the normal reasons. Because she’s pretty, talks easily with everyone and, most importantly, has massive tits and a good body overall. That meant men leered at her and, in their stupidity, the women blamed her rather than the men. Don’t get that last bit, but that’s what jealousy does.”

“I… Didn’t know.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Ulyaa nodded towards an approaching young woman. “You don’t need to be jealous of anyone here. I’m not about to give up my best bed warmer.”

The young woman looked to be about Verona’s age, rather plain, at least compared to most of the people of Atros.

Did I just actually think that?

“More silk, Ulyaa?”

“Yep.” Ulyaa passed over the heavy bucket. The woman heaved as she quickly let it rest on the ground. “Don’t worry, from now on it won’t be so much. At least that’s what I hope.”

“Actually we’d prefer to have even more of this.” The woman removed the sheet and smiled at the piles of silk. “Much more. The Dwarves are asking for as much as we can get. Can you… Make anymore?”

“Doesn’t-”

Ulyaa held Sally’s shoulder. “They know exactly where it comes from. But what do the Dwarves want?”

“Special pieces of clothing for their new types of armor. Do you want to have a look?”

“Sure. We’ve got a bit of free time.”

The woman smiled as she heaved the overflowing bucket up, leant back slightly to take the weight, and walked deeper into the building. Sally immediately saw the source of the noise. Looms and spinning wheels lay everywhere, all working tirelessly but she could not see any spinning Ulyaa’s silk. Most were cotton or wool. At the furthest side she spied a small group of Arachnids. They had quite the variety. Not all were as dark skinned as Ulyaa nor as buxom, but all could make silk. Ulyaa gave them a gentle wave before winking at Sally. Annoyingly she wasn’t sure what she was trying to hint at.

“Here we are.” The woman placed the bucket onto a waiting table. “We’ve even got some new helpers, since it’s quite delicate work.”

“Really? That’s so cute.”

Sally did not immediately understand what she was seeing. Several women were sewing some sort of pale yellow and brown cloth, but something moved between them. A giant rat scampered onto the tables and sewed some type of insectoid hide to the shirt with extremely small needles and only a single thread of silk.

“W...What?”

“They’re called Hamtaro’s.” The woman said.

All of the rat creatures stopped and faced her. Nervous noses twitched as they rapidly pulled together into a group. Sally was even more surprised to see they were prepared to use their needles as weapons, which appeared much larger in their hands than they would in hers.

“Sorry guys.” The woman slowly waved her hands. “Nothing’s wrong. Someone just didn’t know who you were.”

She motioned to Sally.

“H-Hello.” Sally said softly and waved.

The Hamtaro’s stared at her for several tense heartbeats before they returned to their work, always keeping an eye towards Sally.

“They have extremely delicate hands, far more than even the Dwarves, but they are extremely easy to frighten. Most of them. They’re getting better though.”

“I don’t remember any Beast-kin like this.” Sally softly said to Ulyaa. “Are all Beast-kin… People sized? Human sized?”

Sally winced but Ulyaa didn’t care for her slip.

“We’re not sure if the Hamtaro’s are actually true Beast-kin.” Ulyaa began. “But I know that they’d be ki...Hunted by anyone outside of Atros. Did you know that Anton saved them from being slaughtered by the Frindals? I think that’s incredible.”

Sally caught one of the Hamtaros’ smiles as they continued with their work; she could not tell if it was a boy or a girl.

“I’m glad that they’re doing better.”

“Me too.” Ulyaa almost clapped her hands, stopping herself at the last moment. “Sorry. I remembered they don’t like a lot of noise.”

“Only because it meant the jailors were coming.” A voice called out. Though soft it rang with great authority and confidence.

Sally saw a Hamtaro confidently walking through the building. This Hamtaro had a well-fitted cloak, a cloth padded metal helmet shaped for his head and a short metal sword hanging from his waist.

“Midas!” One of the sewing Hamtaro’s waved happily. “Why are you here?”

“I’ve just finished my training and I wanted to make sure that everything’s alright with my people.” Midas effortlessly jumped up a small flight of stairs designed for the Hamtaro’s. “There are so few of us.”

“Training?” Ulyaa raised a brow. “Are some of you planning to become Mages? Have you been checked to see if you can use magic?”

“We have. But none of us have any magic.” Midas shrugged, he kept his arms folded, to exude strength or indifference to them Sally did not know. “But I know that if all of my people learn to fight like me then Atros’s future is secure. And many of these Human and Beast-kin soldiers need some serious work. It’s quite an embarrassment if I’m completely honest.”

Midas sighed and shook his head. “Anton is in some serious trouble if Atros comes under attack.”

“I’m sure they’ll do fine.” Ulyaa folded her arms. “They’re not going to be alone, and only those that volunteer leave the city to fight.”

Midas clicked his small tongue. “Perhaps. Perhaps I am being a little harsh on them.” He stroked some of his whiskers. “After all, I was the last Hamtaro left to fight in Frindal. Many others fell so I could live.” He coughed. “But...”

Only the clacking of the looms and spinning wheels filled the uncomfortable silence that descended.

“How can you fight Human or Beast-kin soldiers?” Sally asked. “I...I know this is going to sound bad-”

“You think they’ll just squash us?” Midas raised a curious brow. “Let me show you what we can do.”

Midas jumped from the table and ran towards Sally’s legs. Before she had any time to react he had clambered up her legs and reached her shoulder. Something incredibly cold and sharp pressed against her neck.

“And you’re dead.” Midas withdrew his small blade. “That’s how quick and easy it is to die. Despite being a Principle Mage you could not even manage to raise your finger.”

Sally felt her entire body begin to shake and tremble. With only a bit more force it would have pierced her neck. And then nothing would ever matter for her again.

“Hey.” Ulyaa grabbed Midas by the cloak and pulled him away. “There’s no need to be mean like that.”

“I was merely demonstrating how easy it is for someone of my size to kill a much larger opponent.” Midas allowed his cloak to suspend his weight. He defiantly folded his arms once again, pulling the cloak tight around his upper body to disperse the weight. “In fact, it’s how I dispatched most of my foes in the arena. Piercing the neck creates a great spurt of blood, great for the cheering crowds.”

While Midas appeared to long for such applause Sally saw the other Hamtaro’s look incredibly distressed, almost guilty.

“But, I do express my apologies, miss...”

“Sally.”

“Miss Sally.” Midas nodded deeply. “It is a failing of mine that I, perhaps, do not know how to appropriately act with Humans.”

One of the Hamtaro’s scoffed.

“Spending almost all of my life fighting does not leave much time to socialize.”

“It does not.” Ulyaa placed Midas onto the table. “So do you plan to join Anton on his raids into Seocuria?”

Midas shook his head. “My potential death would put my people at risk when we are in such a precarious state. So I have declined.”

“I see...” Ulyaa shrugged. “It is a volunteer thing. Well, we need to get going. We just needed to drop this off.”

Midas caught their attention. “If you have nothing better to do, then may I suggest that you join the guards for their afternoon practice? I’m going to put everyone through some serious training. And having a few Principle Mages there would be a great help. I’ve been told that Mages are a rare but important part of this continents armies. Especially Graterious. But it may be necessary to fight against rebellious forces. Should the worst eventuate.”

“Umm...”

“Even Mages need to know how to defend themselves in melee.” Midas folded his arms. “Though you may never need to fight like a true soldier, it may buy you valuable time until help arrives. Or the strength to flee.”

“I like that.” Ulyaa chuckled. “You’ve clearly got a silver tongue, as they say. No wonder you survived so long.”

“Maybe we should try it.” Sally offered. “How bad can it be?”

Neither saw Midas’s smile.

---[]---

“Why did we listen to Midas?” Sally desperately tried to suppress a tired yawn. Her whole body shook, screaming to sleep. “That was… Insane!”

Ulyaa closed the door and stomped her spider feet. Like her she could barely muster any strength, her human torso leaning forward with her arms drooping low.

“Yeah. He was pretty ruthless for a little rat wasn’t he? Don’t know why...” Ulyaa stopped and stared into the small lit brazier, providing both light and staving off the worst of the winter cold. “They’re out there right now.”

“What?” Sally was so tired she had difficulty removing her clothes. Her arms and legs ached from a level of exertion that she did not know she was capable of.

Ulyaa helped her when her collar became stuck around her head. “Anton, Eider… Cetina and Rasha. Not to mention hundreds of people from Atros. They’re out there right now, fighting to free the Beast-kin that are still enslaved.”

Ulyaa sighed as she looked at her hands. “And I can still barely use any magic. A bit of Fire Magic but that’s about it...”

“Mezot says you’re doing well.”

Ulyaa scoffed. Her shirt and skirt came free much faster. “I think she’s being nice. Besides, they say that I have the most potential of the people of Atros, well, until you came here, but it doesn’t mean anything if I can’t actually do it. Their worst Mage will probably do better than me.”

Ulyaa put on a brave face but Sally could see through her trembling legs that she was still very distraught. Sally quickly put on her night clothes, Ulyaa had barely moved except contorting her face into a deep frown, and beckoned her to come closer. Sally hugged her tight the moment she could, uncaring of exactly where she was grabbing. Ulyaa let out a single sniff before returning the hold even tighter, even momentarily lifting Sally’s feet from the ground.

“Thanks.” Ulyaa wiped away a single tear running down her face. “I actually needed that. I suppose that I’m worrying too much. At least I hope I am. It must be because of how tired I am. That must be it.”

“We...” Sally held her hands. “We just need to practice more. I’m sure that Mezot will be happy if we ask her directly for help. I don’t think anyone is other than Axia. And that’s...”

“They’re all strange.” Ulyaa smirked. “I should put on a shirt, shouldn’t I? Especially after everything that Axia was moaning about.”

Sally had been avoiding looking at Ulyaa’s chest, though it was a losing battle. Ulyaa quickly put her shirt on, jumped onto the bed and lay on her side. She patted the bed and continued to smile. Sally was too tired to think of a reason not to go, not to mention that her bed was incredibly cold on her own. Ulyaa chuckled as Sally lay within a foot of her humanoid body and pulled the bed covers up to her neck.

“Good night, Ulyaa.”

Ulyaa shuffled slightly closer and settled in for the night. Sally knew that she would probably awaken to the same scene as she had that morning but did not have the energy to care. Ulyaa’s hands almost touched hers as they both drifted off to sleep. Despite that she was eagerly awaiting what tomorrow would bring. Atros was far, far more interesting than anything she could have ever imagined.