Despite the proud start, Sely is now worried. The stench of sap is everywhere and the spiders increase in number. Seeing the plants that continue to fall in the background, hearing their noise that is lost in the forest.

It's unnerving!

“Wylco, how long until we get there?”

“Not much, but I ask you to rethink your…”

“Shut up.”

Sely hugs Wylco to her chest and holds the knife close at hand. Just one false step and…

AND…

And nothing.

Sely is unable to kill in unnecessary situations. Hunt or save a life, but she wouldn't be able to do that in cold blood.

And then the sap of these spiders is lumpy and fetid. All an incentive to leave them alone.

Well, Wylco doesn't know it and doesn't seem to understand it, luckily...

Of course, Endya is such a coward.

The young man ran away at full speed while Sely caught the spider.

He'll hear me when I come back!

Whenever I come back…

A group of spiders surround Sely, forcing her to stop. A vanguard has descended to the ground while the bulk of the contingent is still in the trees.

Each as large as Sely, they sport the same brown and green brindle fur as Wylco.

“Stranger put the prince down.” A crippled spider with seven legs stretches its neck like a snake towards her.

“Y-yeah, you heard what the captain says, put me… aah!”

Is this here a prince?

Could he be the son of the spider king of Creraga?

Sely squeezes with just a little more force, pointing the knife at the captain and studying the situation.

There are too many, I can't hope to escape.

In a fight, with just the knife they would beat me. Their spiderwebs are a problem, they could shoot treacherously.

“Look,” Sely puts the knife away. She keeps Wylco tight with her elbow.

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The spider wriggles but has no way to break the grip. Its companions become agitated and bend over on their paws, as if ready to spring.

“I want to help you,” Sely resumes decisively. The eye constantly runs from right to left and its antennae are erect; she is ready to avoid even treacherous attacks.

The rumble of a falling tree in the background. An ominous roar causes some spiders to tremble. Sely sees them.

They are scared, passing by them could give me a better chance of escape.

The captain turns its long neck and then retracts it into its body. “Help us?”

“Yes. I want to help you I came as an ambassador from Vanoge.”

“Tse. Has old Toslevi kicked the bucket? Haha, of course.”

Sely grits her teeth.

“Yes, he is dead.”

“And they would hire a half-bug as a middleman? Look, don't beat around the bush. Put the prince down and let's get this over with, as you can see we have more pressing problems.”

“I have them too. I'm not going to waste any more time. I am the daughter of Toslevi. He was murdered a few days ago and this attack by the scolopendras could be connected.”

The spiders begin hissing in a language Sely doesn't understand.

The commander says nothing. It just stares at her with its eight expressionless eyes.

“Are you telling the truth?”

“But what question is that? I have to go save Filo and I have to talk to your king!”

“Filo?”

Wylco squirms. “The guy who hangs around here a lot! One of my brothers decided to capture him huh...”

Sely tightens her grip.

She hears another tree fall.

“Okay,” the captain turns its back to Sely. “Help us and we will help you. I'm sorry about your father. He was a good friend of the king. But I warn you, you could find death near here.”

Sely nods and releases Wylco. The latter immediately runs away towards the first plant and the spiders abandon their threatening poses.

“What is it about?” Sely is curious and she can feel her heart beating fast. She has now accepted, but she cannot back out.

But I don't want to die either…

“An attack by the Marquise of Diamonds. We are used to border skirmishes...” the captain sighs, “but this is an attack in force.”

The spiders and Sely set off.

“Is this such a big threat?”

“Of course, that monster the Marquise sent her most successful experiment against us. A sort of giant centipede, fed on her children.”

Sely shivers and tries to hide it. She remembers the unpleasant words with which her mother spoke of the Hive Monoliths, but she never thought it could go that far.

“And you can't overpower it?”

The spider turns its neck and looks at Sely. She is unable to understand the expression. “We're trying.”

Maybe shooting in the right spot…

“I think your weapon might be effective.”

“Yes, I hope so too.”

I also hope I don't make a mistake since I only have one shot...

⁂

The sea of bodies and fallen plants opens up in front of Sely. The unbearable stench and cloudy sky make the landscape a death field.

Spider legs, chelicerae, pools of sap and branches and trunks and…

Sely tries not to think about it and grabs the gun.

A mass of spiders in the background tries to submerge the horror.

An immense and ferocious creature, whose existence Sely had never even conceived.

A titan.

A scolopendra the size of an ancient sequoia that crushes when rolling pierces when walking, and lashes when turning.

Without any effort it breaks the webs that the spiders shoot, its armor is not even scratched by the poisonous bites and around it, there is only an open space.

The monster snakes among the branches, as if looking for someone.

Maybe the king, or a prince. But it does not matter.

First of all it is necessary to identify a vital point. With just one shot, Sely can't afford to miss.

At that moment, the spiders and the captain she came with abandon her to join the sea of victims.

Fear has never stopped me.

Fear has never stopped me.

Fear...

It won't stop me!