In a dark room in a gloomy home, sat a little girl. The room was empty. No chairs, or toys, no bed or window. Not even a door. The only thing in the room, aside from the little girl, was the spider. The girl was crying into her cobweb dress, too afraid to look up.
“Please, go away.” She begged, for the hundredth time.
For a long moment, nothing happened.
“No.” The spider whispered, voice directly behind her.
Anath woke up with a start. It was the same recurring nightmare she always had. Anath’s room was much like it was in her nightmare. This one did have a bed, though the sheets were shredded and the wood marked with countless cuts. The window was small, an attic window, and thick boards were nailed to keep it shut. Small cracks let the light through. The door to the rest of the house was locked from the outside.
She yawned and stretched. She could feel her mandibles stretching wide, quivering with hunger. Her four extra legs extended and curled. These four legs sprouted from her back. They gleamed with black carapace and ended with dagger like points. Finally, she blinked her many eyes until the countless images slowly drifted into one complete vision.
Then, she waited. She didn’t have toys to play with. The spider had broken them. Eventually, a small flap opened at the bottom of her door. A tray slid inside. It smelled wonderful. Some sort of soup, a few rolls, and a cut of cheese. A few candles accompanied the food, as did a stack of papers. She sneered at them and replaced them with her own copy. Work sheets, poems, math problems, and lessons. Contents changing depending on the day.
Leaning towards the flap, Anath asked, “Father, do you think I could come out today? I know to stay away from windows.” There was a long moment of silence.
“Not… not today.” The voice was strained, almost fearful. “Some important people are meeting with me today. I will need you to be silent.” Her meager hopes sunk.
“Yes, father.”
She ate her meal in silence. Then worked on her work books. She couldn’t go to school with some of the other children, she knew better than to even ask, nor could a tutor come to her. So, this was how she learned. Sometimes, she would make stories from the puzzles and poetry, creating narratives of the outside world.
The rest of her time was spent huddled in her bed, straining to catch glimpses through the window, or staring blankly at her statistics screen. She glared at her curse, willing it to go away.
She remembered the angel of chaos visiting her. It had congratulated her on an interesting variant. She hated the angel of chaos almost as much as she hated the spider. She could see it, whenever she looked at her statistics. A spider made of glowing lines, like a child’s drawing, that lurked in the corner of her most personal space, her status void.
Anath waited until she could hear talking from below her. She dashed to a spot on the floor she discovered was best for listening in. Placing her ear to the floor, she heard the clinking of glasses and scraping of forks. An actual dinner. They had small talk as they ate, her father and some man. Anath nearly fell asleep from boredom before they had a more interesting topic. She refocused on the conversation.
“… are you doing, Lord Fountwhich? Trade has been difficult, lately. Is it affecting the town?”
“Yes, it is.” Said her father. “With Ackland missing, the roads have become more dangerous. It is becoming more and more expensive to convince drivers to risk the road east. Though, it has allowed me to focus more on trade through the gulf.”
“Silver linings!” The strangers voice was clear and concise. Younger than her father, for sure. “Of course, trade by sea is always a gamble. Especially for an intermediary, like yourself.”
“What’s life without hardship? I make do.” There was an awkward silence.
“Do you, Caleb?”
“What do you mean?” The tension in the room was felt even through the attic floor.
“I know you have debts. With your wifes… accident, her family refuses to help. Near daily goblin attacks. And there are the rumors…”
“I don’t know what you are talking about!” Caleb spoke sternly, and quickly.
“Caleb… Caleb, my friend. I feel for you, I do. You’ve done a good job of sweeping it under the rug, of letting people forget.”
“Forget about what. I run a clean business, and I do not like what you are implying.”
“Your child, Caleb. There are still rumors. Some think your wife drowned it, then herself. Others believe she’s locked in the cellar, as a bargaining chip against your late wifes family. More wild rumors than that float around, trust me.”
“Get out. Get OUT!” There was the clatter of silverware. “How dare you bring this to me… in my own home.” His voice was seething.
“I’ve seen it myself, Caleb. Every night, a faint glow from the attic window. The crying, the screams... Neighbors think it is the ghost of your late wife. Lord or not, Caleb. I can bring the kings justice here, if I believe a child is being mistreated.” There was a long silence. Anath’s breath stopped. He was talking about her! She tried to stay quiet, but her nightmares… sometimes she woke screaming. Her hole body shook in fear over what he would say. Finally, her father spoke.
“What do you want?” He sounded weak, defeated. The same voice he used when speaking to her.
“Only your discretion, Caleb. Nothing more. Someone will be arriving soon. I just need you to make sure there is no trace of his passage.”
“That can be difficult… the guilds are very perceptive.”
“I will offer 200 silver coins to be used in any way you see fit to solve that problem.”
“What’s the catch?”
“No catch. He will not harm your town or people.”
“Smuggling is too risky. I… run a clean business.”
“If only you could do the same for your household.”
“Damn you. Fine. But I don’t want to see you again after this.”
“Well, that’s understandable. Once this business is concluded, I won’t have need of you. Oh my, is it that late? I will see myself out, then.” Then he raised his voice. “Have a good night, my dear!” Anath giggled. She imagined what this man looked like. A handsome nobleman, to be sure. No one had spoken to her except her father in… She didn’t know how long.
When he left, she waited. It felt as though a weight was pressing on her stomach. Then she heard the familiar sounds of her fathers footsteps creeping up to the attic.
The footsteps creeped close to the door. Slowly, the flap opened.
“Candles. Now!” He hissed, voice seething with rage. She hurriedly shoved them under the door. Then, he left her in the dark. Anath did not get any dinner that night.
The next day, she had no choice but to wait in the dark. Wordlessly, he gave her dinner through the flap. It was cold, dry fish. Likely her meal from yesterday. She picked at it in the dark. Since then, her meals became less frequent. Every time he gave her them, she begged for the lights back. For hot food, or more water, or change her bedpan more frequently. Sometimes he obliged. Other times, he ignored her.
When she began hearing another voice from below, a womans, she stopped getting food altogether.
She became hungrier and hungrier as time went by. The woman came by more frequently. Anath could hear her giggle through the floor boards.
One day, she risked yelling for help when she heard the woman. She wasn’t used to using her voice, so it was weak. But, someone heard. Footsteps climbed the stairs quickly. Anath shivered in fear, they sounded angry. Someone fiddled with the locks outside her door.
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Her father opened the door with anger. He held a lamp to light his way. The furry, fear, and disgust on his face was warped into a monstrous facade.
“Be silent, girl! You are lucky I don’t just… just…” Tears ran down his face. “Just… please be quiet.”
“I’m hungry. Please, papa.” Her voice was light and desperate.
His face softened for a moment, then he finally looked directly at her. The immediate disgust that settled over his face filled her with shame. She knew that disgust. She felt it every day, whenever she was reminded of the spider. He slammed the door, and relocked it. Anath cried herself to sleep that night.
She didn’t know what to do. Yelling for help would enrage her father, which was the last thing she wanted to do. He was never violent with her, but yet he still frightened her. Once, she reached through the flap in the door to see if there was anything she could find. Anything at all. Her hand brushed against something warm, and it squeaked. She nearly tore her arm off from how quickly she pulled it back through the flap.
A rat. If there were rats in the attic… maybe some other critters could be as well? Desperation won over disgust. She used some wadded up cloth shreds to prop open the door flap.
About an hour latter. A rat inched its way inside, tentatively exploring its new environment. Then, the spider struck.
That night, she didn’t have a nightmare. But, when she woke, she looked up at her bed. Not up, she realized. Down. Her spider legs held her to the ceiling. She shrieked, then dropped on the bed. Minutes latter, she heard the footsteps.
Her father slumped on the other side of the door. “Please… jush go way.” His voice was slurred and slow. She could smell the alcohol on him.
Slowly, she opened the door flap. “Please, help me, father…” she begged. Then she slid the dried husk of the rat through. “The spider is winning.”
Her father screamed. The sound of his sprint was swiftly followed by his tumble down the stairs. Anath cried softly, but she had no tears left.
Later, the sun shone through the window. With nothing to lose, she once again tried to peer through the cracks. Lifting her body was getting harder by the day, but this time, the spider helped. She didn’t ask it to. It has been moving on its own.
With its help, she was easily able to climb the wall. She had never reached this high, she strained her self to get a clear peak at the sky. But, now, she could look down.
A boy was playing on the street outside. He swung a stick like a sword. Anath smiled, her heart fluttering. She reached out to touch the window, and the top plank fell. It wasn’t fully attached! Her view immediately expanded, but the movement caught the boys attention. He looked up and met her eyes. Then, his went wide with shock and fear. He ran.
Anath felt like she was stabbed through the heart. Then she realized the spider was holding her to the wall still. She forced it back, pushed it away. It fought her for a moment, then she fell. She curled where she landed. He had seen her. SEEN her. She wasn’t supposed to let anyone see. No one was supposed to know that her father kept a monster in his attic. She felt guilt, fear, and… rebellion. An excitement for breaking the rules.
Over the next few days, the spider ate three more rats and one bat. The act disgusted Anath. So much she wanted to vomit. But, try as hard as she could, she was not able to stop the spider from feeding.
One night, she woke to sobbing outside her door. Her father was slumped outside of it, reeking of brandy. He kept whispering her mothers name, kept apologizing, and he prayed.
Anath felt numb to this. To far removed to feel normal emotions. Almost casually, she asked him, “Father, am I a monster?” He cried louder.
“Yes… oh divine… yes. I’m sorry. I don’t have the strength.” He fled her door, once again. This time, he dropped something. She reached through the flap in the door. Easily, she pulled the object into her room. It was dark, but she could feel its shape, and its sharpness. A dagger.
Some time latter, she didn’t know, Anath was startled by a sound at the window. A thunk. Another one hit shortly after. Then a minute later, a stone flew into her room through he gap in the window. She felt for it. The stone had a wrapping of some sort. She smoothed it out. Using the light from the window, she discovered it was a note. Parchment wrapped around the stone. It simple read “Hello.” She was never more thankful that her mother taught her to read before the… accident, than she was now.
The spider pulled her up the wall, and she let it. Looking out, the boy had returned. He waved at her, smiling. She smiled back. He wrote another message on a piece of cloth this time, and wrapped it around the rock. He motioned to throw it.
She ducked out of the way. He managed to hit the target his first try. After scrambling to read the letter, her heart sank.
“Are you a really a monster?”
She still had charcoal from her work sheets. On the back of the cloth, she wrote “Yes”. Then she wrapped it in the stone, and threw it back. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him.
A few minutes later, and a few attempts, another stone came through the window. Then there was shouting, her father was telling him off. Afraid that she wouldn’t see him again, she read the cloth message. “I want to talk to you. Can you break out?” Light seemed to cascade from within her soul. He wasn’t afraid of her. For the first time far too long, she cried tears of joy and relief.
Several rats and one brave bird later, another stone hit her window. Eagerly, she crawled up the wall. It was dusk, but she could barely make him out. He waved at her, then beckoned her towards him.
She thought of how to break free over the last few days. She spent most of that time resolving her heart. She hadn’t heard from her father since then.
She took the dagger, and used it to pry at the planks. The top pulled out easily. The second, not so much. She pulled and pulled, but it wouldn’t budge. Then, the spider tried. Using the leverage of six legs, it wrenched free. She did the same with the last. Then, using the dagger, she broke away the last of the wood panel window. Before her was a hole she could barley squeeze through.
Anath hesitated. She had only been outside the house a handful of times, and that was with her mother. She had nothing in this room, but still. She had a feeling if she left, she would never come back.
That was ok.
The spider was keeping her alive, but that was not living. She longed to be free. To play with the boy and to eat hot food again. To bathe and to wear something other than a single over sized shirt. Footsteps climbed the stairs to the attic. Steeling herself, she crawled through.
The dusk air was biting, it was mid autumn. But it was welcome. The boy looked up at her with awe. Briefly, she worried about how she would get down. The attic was on the fourth floor of the large home. The spider solved that problem without asking. She squeaked in surprise as the legs lowered her down the side of the wall.
She stumbled when she got to the bottom. The boy was slack jawed as he watched the display. Awkward, Anath waved at him. “H… hi.” She said, sheepishly.
The boy snapped out of it. He then looked serious. He had a large jaw and piercing eyes. Despite still being a boy, to Anath, he looked how she imagined the heroes of her reading lessons looked. “Good job. But, we’re in the open. C’mon, I know a place.” He spoke seriously. Too seriously, with the same cadence of children playing as guards. But Anath only heard determination. He took her hand, and then ran between the houses.
Anath felt like her heart was going to leap from her chest. Not from the exercise, though she was certainly not used to it, but from sheer excitement. He led her to the edge of town, taking routes where they wouldn’t be spotted. It seemed like he had this practiced. Was that why it took so long for him to contact her? She smelled the ocean breeze, but they were going to opposite way. Towards the forest. Mist was already starting to form. It made sense, she figured, they didn’t want anyone in town seeing her.
Finally. They stopped in a clearing by a fallen tree. She caught her breath. Then he turned to her. His smile was wide, like a cats. “Wow, you really ARE a monster. That is so… cool.” She blushed.
“I’m Anath. Thank you. For… um…. Rescuing me.” Her voice become quieter with each word. There was a rustle of bushes, and another boy stepped into the clearing.
“Oh… gross!” he snorted. “I thought you made it up!” Anath stepped back. The spider moved its legs, agitated.
“I know, right!” He grabbed her arm, a bit too hard. “She came with me and everything. Just like I said.” Anath suddenly felt exposed. Vulnerable.
“Um…” was all she managed to say.
“So… how do we, uh… you know.” The boy who gave her the courage to escape grinned at his friend. Then, from his belt he pulled a long bread knife. Anath’s blood went cold. She tried to pull away.
“If I can get experience killing a monster, I am a shoe in to make guard training!” Anath tried to scream, but she was too shocked. She couldn’t believe what was happening. Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. How could she be so stupid? This was exactly why she was kept inside, this was why she was kept safe. Anath deeply regretted running from home.
“I don’t know, Hanz. What if she’s lying? Or something. I don’t want to get in trouble.”
“Are you an idiot? Look at these!” He tried to grab a spider leg. In that moment, Anath escaped. “Grab her!” She made it three steps. The other boy grabbed her in a bear hug then wrestled to push her to the ground.
Anath froze, but the spider was always cool and collected. It took over. Her fangs pierced his collar bone.
“Ah! What did you do?” He cried, then dropped her. She began to crawl away.
Someone grabbed her foot and pulled her back, her arms covered her face in fear.
Anath could feel them move on their own accord. The spider had control. It lashed out, once, twice, three times with all four of its legs. Each strike, she felt contact, and then the piercing of skin. Her own screams of fear drowned out the sound of the boy being repeatably stabbed. He let go of her. Anath ran.
[You have defeated - Human, level 3. Experience Gained.]
Anath froze. Slowly, she glanced back. Hans was a bloody mess on the ground, blood pouring from a dozen stab wounds. His stomach, arms, face… his eyes. The other boy was holding his neck, where he was bit. He was breathing heavily, but it was ragged. His entire throat was swelling. Spittle was foaming at the edges of his mouth.
Her vision blurred. If she could, Anath would have vomited right then. Her instinct was to get away. To flee from the terror. She did, rising to her feet and dashing into the woods.
[You have defeated - Human, level 3. Experience Gained. You have gained one class level. One Skill Point awarded. All attributes increased by 1. One growth point available.]
Anath
True Name: Anathema
Soul: Monster/Mortal
Genseed: Human
Monster Level: 2
[Class] Level: 3
Attributes [1]:
Strength: 6
Dexterity: 6
Constitution: 6
Intelligence: 7
Will: 7
Charm: 6
Feats:
Encounter: True Angel
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Vile Concoction
Skills[1]:
System Aptitude: 1
System Assistant: 1
Biotraits []:
Disease Resistance
Extra Limb (Arachnid), x4
Venomous Mandibles
Multi-eye (Simple)
Other:
Variant: Arachnid Traits