In the darkest part of the woods, a girl and a spider wandered. They were lost. For days they traveled aimlessly, sustaining themselves on the bounties of the wood. Squirrel, mostly. Despite the spring season, the nights were cold.

So the girl, Anath, needed to find a home. Shelter, at the very least. But all she found was a tavern. This tavern was run by men and women. Humans despise monsters. She was a monster. So, she moved on.

On her fifth cold night, Anath broke another rule. You were not supposed to spend skill points on natural skills. More so, it was stupid. Despite that, Anath lingered in the skill selection screen, staring at the options.

“Catching a natural skill, yes? Yes, yes. That is bad. But, it might be needed. Do it. Or don’t. Do you wish to live?” The spider asked. It scuttled in her status void. Its form was that of a spider but made of blue two-dimensional lines.

“Go away.” Anath pleaded once again. It would not. It could not. She was stuck with it.

“Use me. Need me. I can be good for you. That’s why I exist.”

She made her decision quickly so she could leave the void space. She gained a level in the natural skill, survival.

Her mind fluttered, as though a hundred moths danced in and out of her mind. Then she was left with knowledge. She could fish, hunt, follow basic tracks, and most importantly, start a fire.

“Good choice. Taboo. But nec-” She left her status void. She needed the skills to survive. But she had essentially just set her back a whole level. She could have gained this skill by reading the right book or by convincing someone to teach her.

But, she had no library. No bookstores, either. And who would teach a monster?

She knew now that her meager shelter was not strong enough to be useful for long. She could make a lean-to, but she also didn’t want to stay too long. Another issue, she knew how to make fire, but that didn’t mean she could.

After some trial and error, Anath determined she was too weak to create a fire by drill, even after spending a growth point on strength. Even if she took the time to make a bow drill, she didn’t think she could do it either. That left one other way of starting fire. Flint and steel. Of which, she only had steel. Luckily, she kept the dagger her father had left behind.

She scrambled in the dirt for almost an hour before she gave up. No flint, or other hard stone.

“I know a way. Yes, yes. A way to help.” The spider’s call was like a scratching inside her skull. It hadn’t spoken to her in years, not since she demanded its silence. Why did it speak now? Was it simply excited?

“Leave me alone!”

“Flint is not needed. No, no. You need stronger than steel. Not stone.” Anath groaned and sunk into the soft dirt. She was cold, tired, and hungry. The spider was the last thing she wanted to deal with.

“What?” Her will was weakened by the cold. Otherwise, she would have resisted questioning it.

“Steel sparks. Fire. You need warmth. I can give it to you. I found a way.”

“Why would you help me? You’ve ruined everything. My entire life.”

“It is why I exist. It is why you chose me.” She winced. It didn’t tell the whole truth, but some of it. She did select the system assistant skill. She was a child, and it glittered gold. What child could resist the golden skill?

“How, then?”

“Hardened Chitin. Arachnid legs have chitin. You qualify. Then, when you get an exoskeleton, it will be stronger!” Anath shivered, not from the cold.

“You just want to make me more of a monster! You villain!”

“I don’t understand. You have monster soul. Yes? Yes. Can’t be more monster.”

“I don’t want to be.” She sniffed but held back the tears.

“You can’t be more mortal. No, no. But can be both.”

Anath knew, intellectually, that she was a mortal AND a monster. Not just a monsters. But, normal people do not have talking spiders in their heads or have wall-climbing legs, mandibles, or six extra eyes.

“No! I am a monster, but I won’t become more of one. I won’t do it!” She sat cradled, trying to warm herself. For a while, she just shivered. The wind howled, bringing with it more chill. It was mid-fall, closing in on winter fast. Finally, it was too much. “Fine. But only this one time.”

Hesitantly, she opened and entered her status void. The spider skittered over the screen and opened the biotraits menu. Then it scrolled down and down until “Hardened Chitin” was seen.

“You select. Yes, yes? I cannot. Only assistant.” Feeling sick, Anath selected the biotrait. The spider legs went numb for a moment, then there was a cracking sound as chitin was condensed, moved around, and reinforced with metal. A leg gently curved forward, for her to see. It was dark, but she felt it. Smooth and hard, almost like cast iron, but warm to the touch. Then she found the point and cut her thumb.

“Ouch!” She sucked her thumb, it was only a small cut. But, those legs were SHARP.

“Synergy. Chitin stronger. Makes legs stronger. Legs sharp. Stronger chitin, sharper legs.” The spider cackled.

Anath held up her dagger. “Strike this.” It did. Sparks sprayed from where the leg met steel. Her feeling of disgust transformed into hope.

An hour later, she had a small fire going. That night, she slept warm for the first time since she had left.

—

Anath had traveled far enough away from her village to enter the old wood. Too far for the townsfolk or surrounding hamlets to tend them. Here, wildlife was abundant and feral. Even the squirrels, which she ate most, had an edge of spite to them. It had been weeks since she mastered fire. Or, rather, learned to make it reliably. Her survival skills had increased by one level. She had gotten used to the sounds of the birds and insects, the uneven footing, and the fog.

So when the birds suddenly stopped chirping, Anath knew something was wrong. She instinctively skittered out of the open. A mountain lion? Wolves? Tentatively, she moved onward, eager to leave the area.

Almost immediately, she found a cat. It was sprawled out on some tree branches, lying in a way to catch the sun. It was black with a white chest and wore a striking red hat. Anath blinked at that detail, then realized the size of the thing. It was huge, at least the size of a dog. It opened one lazy eye in her direction.

“You know, cats often feast on spiders fair, But for me, I wouldn’t dare. ” Its voice was deep but almost musical.

“Oh… um… ok?” Anath didn’t know how to respond. A talking cat? Was this a monster? Some wizard's pet? It didn’t look particularly monstrous. It would be rude to ignore it, at least.

“So tell me now, why have you come near? You tempt your fate by trespassing here.”

“I didn’t know I was trespassing. I’m sorry.” The cat grinned at her. Then it dropped to the forest floor, landing on its hind legs. It walked towards her and twirled around her. Anath grew dizzy by spinning to keep it in sight. It was almost a dance. The cat then bowed low. She curtsied in return.

“A mistake, to be sure. But, why are you here, maiden pure?”

“I am no maiden!” She huffed. “I ran from home. There is nowhere to go. So, I wander.”

“You wander so I must wonder. What you’ve done is no small blunder.” The cat twirled away and flopped down in a patch of sun. It adjusted its red hat.

“I am sorry if I upset you. I can go… somewhere else.” She started to creep away. The cat snapped to its stomach, its ears flattened.

“Oh, but must you flee? Stay and keep me company!” It grinned widely and lowered. Its tail swished back and forth. Something about its look scared her. She took a step back.

“I couldn’t. I shouldn’t. I am not very fun-” Its claw raked across the ground, cutting her off. It stalked forward. She saw it for what it was. A predator toying with its food.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“Then be a good prey, and RUN!” It yowled at her. Anath broke into a run.

She half sprinted, half stumbled through the forest. She could feel it behind her, leaping from branch to branch. Taunting her with more forced rhymes.

“Skitter, skitter, little spider. Fangs so sharp, but none the wiser.” It sang to her in a soothing tone even as it chased her. “Run and hide, but don't you see? Your eight legs won't outrun me!”

But she did not run with eight legs, only two. Anath skittered to a stop as the cat was already in front of her. It winked. She turned and ran. It was faster than her, much faster. At any moment it could catch her and drag her off. The only thing keeping her alive was boredom.

The spider tried to pull her along, but she denied it. She despised leaning on the spider for anything, even to walk or climb. Childishly, she hoped it would go away if she ignored it.

The cat sprang from a bush to her side and slashed a claw at her leg. It cut skin and she stumbled to a roll.

“You danced, you ran, you played along. But now it's time-“ Anath slashed at the cat with her dagger. It pulled back just in time. A single whisker drifted to the ground. The cat was furious. It hissed sharply as it brought a claw down. But, the spider had pulled Anath away with its four legs.

Like a hill being worn away by the wind, her hold on the spider softened. She ran with all eight legs. Well, six and two arms. It felt natural to her. The spider legs effortlessly carried her over large obstacles, assisted by her climbing. She sprinted when she could and skittered on spider legs when she couldn’t.

The cat was chasing at full speed, but slowly it was catching up. Anath needed a plan, fast. She could practically feel her stamina deplete with each step. All of her instincts told her to trap it, somehow. But she had no web. Anath wouldn’t let herself die here, not before seeing what the world outside of her room offered.

Resigned to using the spider to escape, it wasn’t much of a push to use it to attack. Anath found a large tree and lept on it. She allowed the spider to carry her up and around, out of the view of the cat.

The cat assumed she was continuing to run. It burst through some light branches, losing its hat, and then hesitated for a moment to find where she had gone. Then, Anath and the spider attacked. She kicked off the tree, aiming for the cat. She hit it on the back, spider legs wrapping around it. The two of them rolled, the legs forming a cage.

It was strong and its claws were strong. Already, she could feel it prying at her hardened legs. If they were not reinforced, Anath was sure they would have snapped. But, before it could escape, the spider bit it with all of its mandible's strength. She could feel the venom pumping into the cat.

Then the cat turned and kicked with its back legs. Its claws dug long, deep cuts into her chest and stomach as it broke free of her grasp. Anath screamed in pain.

The cat landed gracefully, then turned. It wobbled.

“A meal that bites is still a feast-” Weakly, it stalked towards her.

“I hope you choke, beast!” Then she threw the dagger. It wasn’t a strong throw, but the cat was sluggish and fell over when it jumped out of the way. But the attack was just a distraction.

The spider brought its wrath down upon the cat.

It stabbed with four sharpened legs, each thrust like that of a spear. Cat blood joined Anaths own. She didn’t know if it was the poison or the repeated stabbing that killed the monster. But, eventually, it stopped moving.

[You have defeated - Cait Sith, level 8. Experience Gained.]

That night, Anath discovered she didn’t much care for cat meat.

[You have devoured - Cait Sith, level 6. Experience Gained. You have gained one monster level. One biotrait point awarded. All attributes increased by 1. One growth point available.]

—

With summer, came hunting seasons. Humans were straying further and further from their homes to hunt the large wild deer that the forest was known for. The hunters knew the dangers of the old forest, and how to appease its master. The cait sith reigned over its territory for nearly half a decade. But, the hunters came to an understanding. They would bring gifts of milk and fish. In return, it allowed them to hunt.

But, now, a new monster was stalking them. It would take from their offering bowls, and it would let them hunt.

Some claimed it was a monstrous spider, one the size of a child. Others said it was a hybrid of spider and demon. Other still claimed it watched them at night with countless eyes. Whatever it was, it was fast and did not want to be seen. Upon its head sat a red feathered cap and it wore a coat of furs.

There were many names given to this new monster. Spiderbeast. Night Terror. Eight eyes. One name stuck. The Shy Spider.

—

Anath flew through the woods, through her territory. She leaped from tree to tree, scuttling across them with the aid of the spider. She was chasing a raccoon. Soon enough, Anath landed heavily on its back and the spider delivered its venom.

Anath spent her growth point on intelligence. Her mother told her it was important for many trades. She didn’t know if she would ever get a trade, being a monster, but she still wished to honor her mother's memory.

The spider's venom took time to work. So even as the raccoon died, she would have to wait for it to soften. A nice meal of drained raccoon, a bowl of milk, and a small lonely fire.

She froze when she heard a thunk. It happened again, followed by the sound of something thrashing through branches. She scurried up a tree and moved in that direction.

A deer, with large antlers, was thrashing its head as if mad. It reared back and slammed its head onto a tree. The tree didn’t budge, but the deer must have hurt itself. Then it started barking madly. She stared wide-eyed at it. Was it sick? What could drive a deer into such madness?

Then she saw it. A small, pink growth on its head. It wriggled. Anath wanted to help the deer, but what could she do?

“You have biotrait. Yes, yes. Hypnotic gaze will calm the beast.” She ignored the spider's advice. It only chimed in whenever she had a problem that could be solved with a mutation or she was idly looking at her options. Changing her body still disgusted her, so it was unspent.

She thought about jumping onto the deer's back when it gave a shudder and fell over, stiff as a board. Anath stifled a gasp. It… just DIED. No warning or wounds, other than its strange growth.

She dropped to the ground, the spider cushioning her fall, and approached cautiously. There was a soft sound. Like scraping bone. Or chewing. She walked around to look at the growth. It was smaller than it was earlier. Then Anath stumbled back as it wormed its way out of the hole in the deer's head. It wasn’t a growth, it was a WORM.

Disgusted with herself for being scared over a worm, she stood up. The worm had teeth. Teeth covered in blood and brain.

“What are you looking at?” Said the worm. Anath’s jaw dropped open. Cats talking was one thing. But a WORM? She didn’t say anything back, only stared. “Oh, good. A proper meal, not a mortal.” The worm flicked its tail and flew through the air at her.

The spider smacked the flying worm out of the air. It hit the ground with a grunt. It rolled back to face her, then hurtled through the air again. Anath ducked.

“Stop dodging!” The worm demanded with the authority of a queen.

“No, gross. Go away?” Why did everything that could talk want to eat her?

“Wait!” The worm stopped moving. “You can talk?”

“YOU’RE the one asking that? You are a talking worm.” Anath was still on guard. She held her dagger and the spider pointed its legs.

“I am no simple worm, you wench! I am Elyndris! The mighty! Besides, You are a talking spider. I don’t see what’s so weird about it.” Anath felt heat rush to her face.

“I am not a spider!” Birds scattered from her scream.

“You are not a spider with eight legs and dripping fangs, and I am not a worm.” Elyndris chuckled. “Good! Don’t accept yourself as you are. See yourself as you will one day be.” It slithered towards her, jaws contorted into a creepy grin.

“Wait… you tried to eat me! Why am I talking to you?”

“Because you have good sense. It is wise to make allies with a soon-to-be dragon.” Elyndris coughed. “Besides, I thought you were a mindless monster. You should have said something sooner.”

“So, you don’t want to eat me?” Anath was calming down. If you looked past the blood and teeth, it was kind of cute. In its own, wormy way.

“Do YOU want to eat me?”

“No. You… don’t look very tasty, sorry.”

“Then I do not either. It is the way of the world. Devour those who would devour you. Speak with those who would speak with you. It's the second part most people get wrong.”

“Oh. Well, good. So, how can you talk.”

“You know, that is a rude question. How can YOU talk.”

“Years of learning from my mother and father, and by schooling.”

“Oh. I can talk because… I can? Huh. I never thought about it. I know HOW. I have the parts.” The worm slithered over to the deer carcass. “Doesn’t really matter.” Eyndris took a tiny bite from the deer. “So, what’s your name.”

“Anath.”

“Do you know where we are, Anath? The name of the realm.”

“Do you not know?” Anath got to her knees to better speak with the tiny creature.

“I hatched a few weeks ago and haven’t found anyone I could talk to. Except for the ogre… well, I didn’t know it was an ogre at first. Mistakes made, lessons learned.” What happened to the ogre?!

“This is the Old Wood, a few acres of wilderness in the Elderveil forest. At least, that’s what I overheard from hunters.”

“Are your people nearby?” Anath drew her knees to her chest. The scars from the cait sith complained.

“I… don’t have anyone. I’m a monster.”

“So?”

“So… what? I was born a monster. No town would want a monster child.” If worms could shrug, Elyndris just did.

“Plenty of people are monsters. Isn’t anything to get hung up on.”

“I was locked away. They tried to kill me.” She said softly.

“Oh. Ok, yeah, fuck them. Should I find these people that hurt you, I will devour them from the inside out!”

“Their… already… Elyndris, it’s getting cold. I need to go back to my shelter.” She stood up. “Be safe… if you can. There are humans in these woods.”

“Wait!” Anath looked down at her. “Take me with you. I have much knowledge, and you can tell me the way of the world.”

“Why would you want to? Do you plan to eat me in my sleep?”

“Foolish girl! If I wanted to eat you, you’d already be dead. No. Your legs are long. They can travel far. I wish to borrow them. In return, I will gift you strength second only to the mighty Elyndris!”

Internally, Anath was torn. She felt sorry for this worm, and she always wanted a pet. But, the last time she trusted someone ended up with two dead. But, they were humans. Humans naturally hate monsters. What about two monsters? Well, this was a worm, after all. How dangerous could it be? “You’re… lonely, aren’t you.”

“A dragon does not get lonely!” The worm turned away in a huff. Anath smiled.

“You ARE! Well… I’ve been lonely a long time.” There was an extended pause. Then, gently, “I could… show you how to be lonely? If… you want.” The worm turned to face her.

“I suppose that would be an acceptable trade. Knowledge for knowledge. A dragon needs minions to do the day-to-day as well, I suppose.” Anath giggled.

“Alright, well, come on Elly.” She held a hand out for the worm.

“Elly!? I refuse! I am the mighty ELYNDRIS and will suffer no nickname.” She crawled into Anath’s hand and then was placed on a shoulder.

“Whatever you say, Elly.” Laughing, Anath returned to her shelter with her new friend.

Anath

True Name: Anathema

Soul: Monster/Mortal

Genseed: Human

Monster Level: 3

[Class] Level: 3

Attributes [0]:

Strength: 8

Dexterity: 7

Constitution: 7

Intelligence: 9

Will: 8

Charm: 7

Feats:

Encounter: True Angel

Knowledge: System Knowledge

Act: Vile Concoction

Skills[0]:

System Aptitude: 1

System Assistant: 1

Survival (Boosted): 1

Biotraits [1]:

Disease Resistance

Extra Limb (Arachnid), x4

Venomous Mandibles

Multi-eye (Simple)

Hardened Chitin

Other:

Variant: Arachnid Traits