Merlin TV Universe, Darkling Woods
Time: Year 1, Month 9, Day 28
Current Celestial Points: 0
Celestial Points Gathered (This Year): 1000/1000
Monthly Roll: 1/1
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Amara's pedipalps twitched as she sensed the vibrations through the silk strands. Adrian was returning, together with seven survivors from his hunting party. But they weren't alone - a large beast trudged alongside them, bound in layers of webbing.
She adjusted her position on the web, eight eyes focusing on the approaching group. They drew closer, and Amara recognized the creature as the Griffin that had ruled the northern woods. Its golden feathers were matted with ichor, wings drooping in silk restraints. The once-proud beast now moved with a sluggish gait, eyes dull and unfocused.
Her offspring had been successful in their ambush, though the cost seemed high. She awaited Adrian's report, pedipalps brushing against anchor threads to better interpret the web's signals.
Adrian and his siblings deposited the Griffin in a central chamber, allowing the webbing to suspend it from the ceiling. The young spider-thing approached Amara, his horns tilting in a gesture of respect. "Great Mother, the Griffin has been captured as you desired. But..." His mandibles worked in agitation.
One of the boar-gene hunters stepped forward, bristled legs rasping against stone. "Twenty-three perished in the assault. All attempts at physical strikes proved ineffective against its magical defenses."
Amara's eyes narrowed as she processed this information. Such losses would need to be replenished. Still, her primary concern centered on the prize now hanging before her. "And its soul? The condition?"
Adrian responded with a commanding click. "Shattered. We employed soul-strike tactics that fractured its spiritual essence piece by piece." His pedipalps gestured towards the Griffin's lifeless eyes. "Only an empty husk remains, but it lives - ready for breeding."
Amara's chelicerae clicked in satisfaction. A soulless beast would breed just as well as one with spirit. She turned to the surviving hunters, legs tapping against silk strands. "Move it to breeding chamber three. The one with the human females."
The hunters responded immediately, coordinating through leg signals to shift the Griffin's weight. Silk lines creaked as they guided the creature down tunnels lined with webbing. The beast's wings dragged against silk walls, golden feathers leaving trails in the dust.
Amara's pedipalps twitched with anticipation as she entered the breeding chamber. The Griffin hung suspended from the ceiling, its powerful wings bound by silk restraints. A dozen human females surrounded the beast, their cocoons swaying gently as they whimpered in fear.
She turned toward Adrian, inclining her horns. "Begin the breeding process. Take all of the females."
Adrian clicked an acknowledgment, skittering over to the nearest human cocoon. The woman inside screamed as his chelicerae sliced through the silk, causing her to tumble to the silk floor. She scrambled backward, eyes wide with terror.
…
Amara relaxed, disregarding the pathetic sobs filling the air. A simple tap of her legs against the webbing summoned more of her offspring from outside the breeding chamber. They scurried inside dutifully, dextrous palps already working to spin fresh cocoons around each female impregnated by Adrian.
Giving a final look around the breeding chamber, Amara made her way out to one of the egg chambers. Once there, she began the process of spinning silk to prepare for her eggs. Her spinnerets continued working, creating a small, dense pad of silk that would form the base of her egg sac.
When the base was ready, Amara positioned herself above it. Her abdomen contracted rhythmically as she released a cluster of small eggs onto the silken foundation. Within minutes, several dozen eggs formed a neat pile.
Then she began the crucial work of wrapping her clutch. Her spinnerets began layering protective silk around the eggs. The outer layer she spun was particularly dense and tough, designed to shield her offspring from predators and harsh conditions. Some strands she infused with special silk that would help maintain the proper humidity and temperature within.
The entire process took less than an hour. When finished, Amara inspected her work - a small, round egg sac securely anchored to the web, destined to hatch into the next generation of superior Griffin-gene offspring.
Amara skittered along silk lines toward the center of her territory, legs weaving signals through the strands. Female offspring who carried the Superior Mother gift responded immediately, scurrying from various tunnels and chambers.
"Begin breeding with the Griffin," she clicked, mandibles working precisely. "We must maximize the potential of this capture."
The females rushed to obey, horns tilted in acknowledgment as they disappeared into breeding chamber three. Amara settled into her web, eight eyes half-closed as she focused on the vibrations flowing through the silk network.
Three weeks passed.
The egg chamber hummed with life. Amara's two griffin-gene egg sacs pulsed with movement, the silk walls stretching as the spiderlings inside pressed against them. Nearby, terrified screams echoed from the human breeding chamber as the dozen females began giving live birth.
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The first egg sac split open. A dozen spiderlings crawled out, demon horns already sharp despite their tiny size. But what drew Amara's attention were the wings - delicate membrane-like structures sprouting from the abdomen. One spiderling tested them immediately, rising a few inches into the air before settling back onto the silk.
The second egg sac hatched moments later, releasing another dozen winged offspring. A lot of little spiderlings began flying back and forth in front of her pedipalps.
From the human chamber came wet sounds of birth, followed by the skittering of new legs. These spiderlings came out covered in afterbirth. Each one bore the mark of human-gene influence - two front legs ended in flexible hands rather than standard spider appendages.
Amara watched the newborn spiderlings explore the silk strands around them. The Griffin genes had produced interesting results, but she needed to consider the next step for expanding her brood. More magical creatures would need to be captured, perhaps even dragons if they could be found.
Silk strands vibrated as Adrian climbed onto her web, his horns tilted in a respectful greeting. "Great Mother, I have discussed matters with the elder siblings." His chelicerae clicked thoughtfully. "We believe it would benefit the colony if I were to breed you."
Amara's pedipalps twitched as she considered his words. Adrian continued, mandibles clicking together. "I share most of your gifts - the subspace pocket, soul-strike magic, and human disguise. Our offspring would have a higher chance of inheriting multiple gifts."
She shifted her weight on the web, eight eyes studying her most capable child. Adrian had proven himself during the Griffin hunt, displaying tactical thinking beyond what she expected. His suggestion made sense - breeding between gift-bearers would strengthen the bloodline.
Her front legs tapped against the silk in agreement.
Several weeks passed as the colony expanded. Amara watched from her central web as the Griffin-gene offspring grew at an accelerated pace. The winged spiderlings darted through the air, testing the limits of flight. A group of them swooped down on a wild boar, easily overwhelming the beast despite still being very young.
"The wings are stronger than expected," clicked one of the elder hunters, observing as the Griffin-children tore into fresh meat. "And look how the boar's tusks barely scratched them."
Amara's pedipalps twitched. While these offspring hadn't inherited the Griffin's complete immunity to physical damage, they shrugged off blows that would have cracked the carapace of her boar-gene children.
A month later, Adrian approached her web again. "Great Mother, we should preserve the Griffin's seed in your inventory." His chelicerae worked as he explained. "If we lose this territory, we'll maintain access to these superior genes no matter what happens. Even if you had to respawn in another world."
She tested the concept immediately, drawing some of the Griffin's essence into her subspace pocket. The seed remained viable - apparently living material on this scale didn't trigger the pocket's restrictions. Adrian's suggestion proved valuable, as always.
The breeding chambers remained busy. Human females screamed every three weeks as Adrian maintained a steady breeding schedule. Their wombs produced strong offspring with human-like hands that sometimes inherited the human disguise gift, perfect for infiltration work.
Meanwhile, the Superior Mothers focused entirely on breeding with the Griffin. More winged spiderlings hatched each month, strengthening the aerial capabilities of the colony.
Amara herself bred regularly with Adrian now. These sessions produced offspring in which each spiderling inherited at least two gifts - usually some combination of Authority of The Beast, Major Boon, subspace storage, soul-strike magic, human disguise, or Omniglot, though there was more variety than she had expected. The offspring hatched more intelligent than standard broods, already communicating in complete sentences within days of hatching.
One morning, as Amara inspected a fresh clutch of eggs, Adrian brought news. "The Griffin-gene offspring have surpassed the boar-gene offspring in size," he clicked, legs tapping against silk strands. "They've developed an effective hunting strategy - three fly high while two attack from below. No prey escapes."
Amara’s pedipalps brushed against silk strands, sensing the vibrations of griffin-gene offspring soaring through nearby chambers. "The boar genes have served well, but we must focus on superior bloodlines now."
Adrian’s horns tilted in agreement. "Breeding with common animals wastes resources. Even human men provide minimal benefits compared to magical creatures." His front legs gestured toward the breeding chambers. "I can continue seeding the human females since it requires little effort, but the Superior Mothers should dedicate themselves to Griffin-gene production as they have done for some time."
Silk strands vibrated as several offspring approached. One of the elder hunters spoke up. "The human males consume more food than they're worth. We should process most into foodstock for the new broods." The spider's chelicerae clicked thoughtfully. "Keep a few alive for those learning human mimicry."
Amara rose from her web, legs spreading as she issued commands through the silk network. The vibrations spread outward, reaching every corner of the territory. Within minutes, spiderlings began dragging dazed men from cocoons toward the feeding chambers.
The spiderlings began processing them for food, causing the prey to let out loud screams. Web strands carried vibrations of efficient butchery - limbs separated, organs stored, bones crushed for marrow. Nothing went to waste.
A month passed.
Amara inspected the growing colony from her central position. The Griffin-gene offspring had established aerial patrol routes, wings humming as they soared between chambers. Below, new human-gene spiderlings practiced shifting between forms, mimicking the expressions and movements of their old food supply.
A full two years had passed since her spawning in Minecraft. Amara felt the shift in time through her carapace - a new cycle beginning, which meant she could gather another thousand Celestial Points.
She clicked commands through the silk network. One of her subspace children deposited a fresh boar carcass on her web within seconds. Amara tore into the meat, consuming the entire animal... but she gained no points.
Her mandibles clicked in frustration. The boar posed no real challenge anymore - she had grown to the size of a black bear, with a carapace thick enough to shrug off boar tusks. Even without using soul-strike magic, she could easily overpower such prey.
She needed stronger food.
Amara descended through silk-lined tunnels into one of the practice chambers. Thomas huddled in a corner, clothes hanging in tatters as he watched a female offspring practice human seduction. The spiderling wore a human disguise similar to Amara's disguise, but with brown hair and smaller breasts.
"Great Mother." The offspring stepped away from Thomas, bowing respectfully.
Thomas's mad laughter echoed off the walls. "My wife! My beautiful wife returns!" He crawled forward, eyes unfocused. "Did you bring more eggs? More beautiful eggs for me to eat?"
Amara's mandibles snapped shut around his head. Bone crunched between her fangs as she consumed his body... but again, no points appeared. Mere humans had become too weak to challenge her.
Her mandibles chomped down on the remnant skull fragments. Knights might prove different - they wielded steel weapons and wore metal armor. Their trained strikes could potentially harm or even kill her. But none had been captured by her offspring, since they rarely went this deep into the Darkling Woods.
What to do…