— Skill: Message activated. Active Memory Fragment Recording::::
Eight eyes watched the carnage unfold beneath its station. Normally, such violence within its scouting area would go unnoticed, but there were humans fighting. They were emboldened by the lack of goblins keeping them busy, but Her Majesty must have known that already. She hates humans, it thought. It should activate a Skill to draw her here and maybe it will get lucky to witness its Queen.
The carriage was in pieces, snapped off at its front axles and one of the horses was slain. It did not understand why the intruders were there, but after seeing the soldiers get slaughtered by bandits it knew its beloved Queen would be here soon to quell the disturbances. A red haired girl was dragged out and stabbed brutally to death, so the eight eyes shifted its attention towards the second woman in the cab. This one piqued its interest, as she slipped out the other side and dove to the mud beneath the wood. She looked desperate. The Messenger Spider liked desperation. Food? It should hide and wait, the eight little eyes determined. Hide. Wait. Yes, all for its glorious Queen.
— Skill: Thought Sense activated.
Elaine hid beneath the crushed remains of her Father's carriage and tried her best to conceal herself as she scanned for any sign of help. Amid the burning remnants of dropped torches, the bodies of her guards were all she could see. Her pulse pounded thunderously, she feared if not her heavy breath the bandits would surely find her by the loud beating of her heart.
She shrieked as a large shadow stomped in front of her. A heavy boot splattered mud across her face as the shredded canvas was lifted. Pain racked her head as a strong hand pulled her up by the hair, she screamed.
"Found ya," an evil laughter belched from the large boot's owner, a huge bandit, assaulting her ears. The stench of her fallen guides' bodies slashed at her nose, and an even more foul, greasy hand cupped her mouth. "Shh, shhhh, don't make no noise. Or you'll end up like her! Haha!"
Her head was yanked violently, and the view of a crushed woman half-submerged in the mud assaulted her. Her loyal maid, Mary's body, lay lifeless beneath the grimy foot of one of the bandit's cohorts. She tried to scream but was immediately seized by the throat again. Elaine struggled in the man's grip, her vision hung in the balance from slowly succumbing to the nasty stench of the man's palm. Her Holy skills were paltry compared to whatever this large brute had. She needed to breathe and speak to activate them anyways. Despair filled her, why was she to die in this cursed place alone? She had come out to see her dear sister, but this is what she got instead.
"A fine cutie, you are," the bandit laughed. Elaine's world flipped as she felt her body lift, and the ground stabbed her back as she was thrown. Branches and tough rocks ripped at her dress. "You’ll sell for a lot! Boys, we’re going to be rich!"
Other fiendish voices laughed in mocking tones. Elaine's screams were jammed in her throat, unable to dislodge as she felt her dress's frills tear even more.
"Help me!" Elaine tried to shout, but it was in vain. Her screams enraged the bandit. All she could do was watch his hand come crashing down upon her face. Something bright flashed from behind him and her world suddenly became a white light. She felt her body collapse in the mud again, convulsing. A magical attack? This was lightning! Through her blindness, she could only see her Status’s HP draining rapidly.
Elaine heard new screams, but they were not her own. Charred ashes flicked on her skin, and her hands grasped hardening hot dirt. Her appearance no longer mattered to her at the moment. She decided to lay there instead and wait for whatever the new attacker was. She hoped that this intense presence seemed to be on her side!
“First Spell: Arcane Missile! First Spell: Dark Bolt! Skill: Martial Arts! Hiyah!”
“She’s too quick!”
“A monster attack!”
More screams, and worse, the cacophony of flesh and bones crunching echoed in the night.
"All done, now let's see if I gained any Stat points," a woman's voice came nearby. The attacker sounded younger than she was! "This won’t do, this doesn’t even rank up the Stats by even one letter! Damn, Prestige Ranks are no joke."
Elaine opened her eyes to see her savior, to be surprised at the sight of a what appeared to be a dark haired girl covered in blood hanging a thug up by a mysterious strand. The stranger snapped her fingers and the final bandit exploded in a misty cloud of red. There was no longer a trace of her assailants left. A demon? She had heard of such creatures haunting the forests late at night, but she always dismissed those as fairytales from her mother. This demon girl had an odd mask on, obscuring her face. She seemed to be preoccupied in the fallen bodies to notice her. Elaine gulped. There was no way she could escape, yet her rescuer continued muttering to herself.
"E-Excuse me?" Elaine stood up and interrupted the demon girl.
"Wha? Whoa!" The girl jumped. "A survivor?"
"T-Thank you," Elaine covered herself, but bowed. The gesture seemed to make the girl uncomfortable. "For saving me."
"Who, me?" The girl looked around. There was nothing but the dead and her poor Mary. Her violet eyes scrutinized her, but her savior did not seem to be looking at her. Suddenly, her whole demeanor changed. Fear? Why was she afraid of me? Elaine wondered. “Oh, no! Y-You’re m-my D—“
"Y-You did save me, right?" Elaine begged. "Don't eat me, I'm not tasty!"
The masked girl raised her hands, as if she was afraid of her.
"L-Look, let's pretend we never saw each other, yeah?" She looked around nervously. Elaine was perplexed at this powerful figure's reactions. "I'm still in training! I can’t beat you! I wasn't supposed to be seen! Here! Use your pendant, someone will get you. Honest!"
The masked girl tossed the green pendant to her. The moonlight made its jade sheen become ethereal as it glided in the air. Elaine caught it by instinct before remembering that was what the beauteous gemstone was for.
"H-Hai," Elaine clasped her hands over the jewelry, though when she looked at the grounds and the roads the bandits bodies were reduced to nothing but puddles of blood. Sizzling smoke made her plug her nose. Acid? "Why would you save me?"
“Eh? I didn’t mean to—“ The stranger crossed her arms. “I didn’t do it for free, I mean. I’m ah, looking for some information. Do you know what ‘Age of Love, day of three is?’”
“Day of three?” Elaine counted her fingers. “That’s two days from now.”
“And the Age of Love is…?”
“That’s this season! How do you not—“
“Thanks!” The masked girl’s sharp eyes hid something inside them, making Elaine close her mouth. She was dangerous, but the uneasiness was coming from those enchanting, violet and violent eyes. She was sure this strange girl had intent against her, but as quick as a dagger it withdrew itself. The girl bent her hips and leaned forward as she winked, the mask covering her mouth creasing as she smiled. “Now bye, bye! Remember that pendant, okay!”
Elaine’s heart settled back in its normal rhythm. It was an odd question, but at least that was a satisfying answer to her rescuer. A cloud of dust erupted from the ground, making her scream and duck. She looked back up and saw that the girl was already gone. There was nothing to do but weep for her fallen maid, alone in the forest. Still, in the silence, a burning passion to get stronger started to grow inside of her. I’ll see to it that I’ll repay you, kind and strong masked girl. Elaine swore that night, and even if she could not get revenge for her maid she’ll save others just like her. Like her sister, Charlotte.
High above the unknowing girl, however, barely illuminated by the moon the spider started to shake as it reveled in the new Stats it had gained. The Messenger Spider shuddered again, much more violently this time. It felt like its body was pulled apart but it was still standing. Slowly, another Messenger Spider appeared beside it. Ah, it realized. There were now two of itself on the same leaf. It could see in sixteen different directions now. The Messenger Spider looked at its clone, which copied its movements. Soon, the Messenger Spider could move both of its copies independently.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
All the more eyes to serve its Queen.
— The Recorded Memory Fragment has ended.
I closed the Message from that little spider and shuddered. Was I always that terrifying looking? My eyes were also red, so I assumed they changed when I used Skills and magic. It must be because I had equipped the Human Killer Title I acquired from annihilating bandits all yesterday. I switched it out to the Spider Queen. There. I thought smugly. I’m not so terrifying anymore, now am I?
I glared at Attor and dared him to answer me. The dragon resting at the foot of my bed simply snorted and continued watching the Spider Workers scuttle around my tower. I crafted each of them bags of holding and tools made from Magic Wood. They were smart little guys, using their hammers and conjuration Skills to repair the room. The Dark Stone could turn off the Ward surrounding the Tower, but that flimsy thing did not even hurt my lowest level Spider Worker. He simply walked through before I could command him to stop, taking 10% of his health away and toasting his fuzzy butt a little. I sighed.
They were cute, yes, but they were not as clever as I thought.
What was I doing? I sighed and tossed myself in my bed, facing the wall. That girl, Elaine, was my sister though she was married into the Royal Family already. Or perhaps engaged means she will be battling the Royal Family? Not a clue! Her Status had several terrifying Skills in it. That’s why the Stars labeled her my Doom, despite her level being low. It also confirmed one of my fears: More than one Hero can exist.
DANGER! DO NOT ENGAGE THIS ENTITY!
— Elaine Bohun, level 6
— Class: Human Hero [Legendary]
Buffs: Divine Equalizer, Divine Sword, Divine Shield, Immune to Darkness, Immune to Lesser Demons, Immune to Charlotte
WARNING: This Entity possesses high EP and Divine Elemental Skills.
Engaged to the Second Prince of Sharra, the Bohun Duke’s daughter has been rumored to possess powerful magic that the King desired. The Bohuns have been granted much more freedom and power over their territory in exchange for her potential might.
Well, I didn’t know what any of that meant but it sounded like a no-go for me. And one of those buffs felt too personal! So I did what any normal person would do: I fled in terror! I was lucky to be alive! Still, I knew the Divine Equalizer Skill mentioned Powerful Demon and Hero, but I did not realize until now that there could be multiple Heroes in the Human Realm. This was really bad, wasn’t it? Elaine seemed weak, but if I fought her I knew I would definitely die in the process. The Divine Skills did not seem like they were like my magic, which used my Mana and Spellpages. Why did Wisdom make my Status like this?
I guessed we were running out of time and that was the best she could do given that the other Hero was breathing down our necks. What should I do about this family I’m a part of? Half of them want to kill me and only one of them can actually do it! If I were to rule this Realm, I could simply exile that woman. Yes, I could do that! There’s no way she’ll want to talk it out, right? None of the other humans I ran into so far have wanted to talk. Maybe I am doing it wrong. Perhaps I should ask Attor on how to speak with humans. He’s been around here longer than I have!
I rolled over, only to see him snoring. I guessed not. The Spider Workers have done their job and have scurried back to their dens by now. Oh yeah, the Starfall! It’s happening tomorrow! I should prepare for it! I sat up, but drowsiness immediately overcame my anxiousness. I’ll prepare for it, later on… I fell into a deep sleep.
— Master is sleeping.
— Sleeping?
— Master?
— Beautiful Master. Queen, Queen.
— Queen?
— Sleeping peacefully.
— Ever so peacefully.
I stirred, but I wanted the voices in my head to go away.
— Sleeping… sleeping… sleeping…
I know, now be quiet! I rolled over to sit up but as soon as I opened my eyes I saw a face hanging over my head, watching me with unblinking eyes. Gah! I screamed and tried to back up. The face belonged to the dead girl Blanche took over! She bent back and straightened, but I hear bones snap inside of her somewhere.
“B-Blanche, are you in there?” I glanced at the unblinking girl. She used to be bald from her hair being torn apart, but now she had long and beautiful white hair, matching the pale moonlight outside.
“Blanche, Blanche, Blanche…” the Body Spider confirmed. “I am… Blanche.”
The girl’s body looked like a normal healthy one, but there were some slight complications. I sat on the bed watching Blanche attempt to move her new body. When I called her name, her head swilveled a bit too far as it rotated around on her body to look at me completely, snapping her spine in half. Then it smiled. You are definitely a creepy one, I shuddered. The body crumpled to the ground, as her arms struggled and snapped while she sat up again. I hesitated to help her up, but suddenly Blanche started glowing white as her healing magic activated from inside of her body.
“I shall teach you how to be a human, Blanche!” I told her. Blanche smiled again, terrifying me. Now I know what other people think when I smile at them. “You walk like this, one in front of the other!”
Blanche looked at me walking for a few moments, while I returned the favor. Her stiff body snapped a leg forward before stomping into the ground and falling over.
This was going to be a long night.
After a sleepless couple of hours, the sun was rising but Blanche now no longer twisted her body incorrectly and broke apart. She was quite beautiful, though I knew in the end she was just a meat puppet controlled by a small spider within her. I shook my head. No, I refuse to allow myself to think of this girl as a simple Body Spider. If we are to train being a girl together, then Blanche was every bit of a person like I was now! She could walk naturally and asides from sometimes brutally breaking herself she could move easily now.
“My Queen,” Blanche’s new voice was soft, just like her previous owner’s voice.
“Please, call me Charlotte,” I told her. Her unblinking eyes were going to freak me out, but even if I blinked in front of her she did not seem to notice.
“My Charlotte,” Blanche's neck popped again as she spoke and her throat bulged unnaturally. The girl stood as still as a statue, watching my every move.
“Close enough,” I felt an odd rosy sensation roast my cheeks. It took an hour to get her down the stairs, but she eventually got adjusted to using her knees and feet. I pointed to the broom, still feeling that odd tingling on my face. Was I going droopy? What was happening to me? Blanche’s eyes followed my fingers for a moment before proceeding to sit on the broom. “We’re going to leave you with the Fey, okay? They can train you!”
“My Charlotte,” Blanche said.
“Okay, whatever,” I pouted. “Hold on, here we go!”
Blanche did not hold on to anything, but luckily for us the broom kept her locked onto the handle. Her lifelessness did not even react to how high we were going. She was much more brave than I was, I guessed as we flew off to the mountains. The cave entrance was more grand than I remembered. Instead of just a hole, massive pillars towered over the trees and were embedded into the mountain side. A huge staircase crawled between beautiful polished platforms with Lizard Golems sitting on top of them like Statues. Spider Warriors marched in and out of the entrance, with plenty of room left for Blanche and I to fly right in!
“You!” The Pink Fey greeted me with a shaking finger. “We’ve been waiting for you! And who is this?”
“Blanche,” the Body Spider responded blankly. So she is able to understand people, or maybe the monsters can communicate together better than I could since I was a human. Or maybe I was not one anymore? The tag was lost when I leveled up.
“You’re creepy!” The Fey held her hips and inspected Blanche. The Body Spider did not react to the shining pink orb darting around her, but kept its unblinking eyes on me.
“She’s the Body Spider I had awhile ago,” I explained. “This is the body she’s using. I was hoping you can train her to be more agile and speak better.”
“Us?” The Fey stared at the girl and shook with fear. “Very well then. We have a gift for you. To celebrate our new Coven together.”
“G-Great,” I could barely utter before the Fey cast a small spell, resulting in a pink cloud bursting above my hands. I reached out to catch it. It was the size of my fist. “What is this?”
“A Spider’s Eye,” Pink proudly proclaimed. “A Focus for you, from us! All of us.”
It was then I realized that this whole cave got remodeled. There were rooms for magic experiments, storage for the rock golems, and vast tunnels leading back towards the Burrows. I marveled at the beautiful architecture. There were ornate pillars reaching the cavern ceiling and hexes bordering each of the rooms. This was not as lavish as my Demon Castle, but it would do for the Fey.
“T-Thanks,” I stared at the sphere resting in my palms. The Focus was one of the eyes of the beheaded Spider Warrior from our battle here earlier. Even in death, they will serve me. It was not lying, I held it close to my chest. It felt like glass and pulsated with power. I shall not let you down, fuzzy butt!
— Tier 3 Focus “Spider’s Eye” obtained. Hexes can now be added in the Spellbook!
“W-What should I do in this Coven?”
“A Pact,” Pink sat on Blanche’s head. Several Fey immediately began swarming around her, taking a liking to the girl already. “Guide her away to the Magic Rooms!”
“A Pact?” I asked. I heard about it, but was not sure how to go about it. The Fey, crossing her arms as she floated in front of me, sighed.
“Not right now, silly! But you will need one,” Pink said. “The Pact shall make a servant out of an unfortunate girl, while you get more life force and reap her strength!”
“That sounds tempting,” I agreed. “I’ll keep an eye out for one of those. I also have to admit something, okay?”
“What is it?”
“I wanted to keep Blanche safe from the Starfall tonight,” I sighed. “It’s the last thing I get to do before I have to return to my Father’s.”
The Fey stroked her chin in thought.
“Certainly,” she said without anymore hesitation. That was easy, I guessed. I smiled and Pink paled at the sight of me. Gah! “Can you not smile like that? You are terrifying! And do come back to visit us, we can teach you Hexes that you won’t see from the Air Fey or the pesky Water Fey, hehe!”
“I will,” I promised. These Hexes I had were useful, but I doubted they would help in a Starfall. For now, I had Prestige Attack to maximize again. Still, a promise is a promise, I mused as I grabbed my broom. The Pink Fey’s light faded as I waved goodbye to them from the exit. I never go back on a my word.