Lee stood with his hands on the large metal double doors of Em’s tower. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Em scuttling nervously behind him. Her human half was stoic, regal, and fierce, but her fang legs and spidery half twitched and jostled, giving away her emotions.
Lee gave her a polite smile and decided to ask her one final time before he opened the door. “Are you ready? You know you don’t have to do this.”
Em turned and scuttled to the door, her face an unreadable mask. “I am ready.”
He gave her a nod and pushed the doors open fully, creating a large enough entryway for Em’s massive form. He walked outside a few paces, then turned to encouragingly watch her debut into the world she had previously forsaken.
She walked up to the boundary between her and the rest of the world and ever so slowly lifted her hand. Her fingers caressed the trailing sunlight entering through the door. After a few deep breaths, she was still lingering in the doorway. Undecisive.
Lee felt like he needed to give her some encouragement—a final push. He walked up to the doorway and spoke softly. “You’ve been living your life vicariously through all of your books. You’ve never felt the need to leave because you’ve been experiencing the world through the lives of others. But, the thing is, you have a life of your own. You can have a story of your own—a real adventure. You’ve had the whole world at your fingertips, but you’ve been terrified of the ocean at your door. The fear of the unknown. Get on out here and experience the world for yourself.”
The rest was on her.
He stepped back and watched as Em’s face shifted between excitement, fear, and determination. Em took a final deep breath and stepped out into the light.
The sun was shining on Em for the first time in years, reflecting off her metallic body and revealing her in her entirety for the world to see. Her sharp-edged metallic limbs gleamed in the sunlight, and her pale white skin glistened. She was squinting as she gazed upon the sun high up above.
Lee allowed her to sort out her emotions and collect herself before speaking. A teasing grin on his face. “Wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Em straightened her back and literally looked down upon Lee. “It was trivial for one such as I. Come, let us go find Vanny.”
Em began to scuttle away, but she quickly slowed to a stop. She looked over her shoulder, face full of confidence and surety. “I seem to have forgotten where she lives. Lead the way.”
Lee burst into a laugh, causing Em to slam her legs into the ground anxiously. She paused and glanced down at the dirt underneath her. She had expected stone, but the feeling of slamming into the dirt was unfamiliar and new.
Lee led Em through her courtyard, her metal gate, and onto the long dirt road. Em peered curiously at everything around her, as everything looked very different from up close. Previously, she had viewed everything from the top floor of her tower.
They walked down the dirt road together, side by side.
To Lee’s surprise, Em was quick. Her casual gait was the speed of Lee’s jog. She often paused to inspect the foliage or grass, letting Lee have the chance to catch up to her. He wasn’t sure if she was doing it on purpose, but he was thankful nonetheless.
As they approached the village, Em’s confidence began to flag. A slight glimpse of worry flashed on her face, but she didn’t slow in her approach.
The first person they encountered was a farmer leaving the village to return to his home. He was alone on the dirt road and was walking casually. When he spotted Lee and Em, he paused and stood off to the side of the road. His eyes planted on the dirt beneath him.
If he was being completely honest, Lee had expected worse. He wouldn’t have been surprised if the man started to scream and run away; viewing Em's form for the first time was... an experience, but he was glad that Em’s first social interaction wasn’t an absolute disaster.
As they grew near the man, Em slowed to a standstill. She stood before him, chin up and staring down her nose. The man in question didn’t meet her gaze and stared at the dirt beneath his feet, his shoulders quaking minutely.
Lee wasn’t sure if he should step in, but before he could decide, Em spoke up. Her tone was calm and confident.
“Hello. I am Emthraxiatus Mertalicus Sepheroxus. You may call me Em. How are you today?”
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The man glanced up at the Arachne standing before him and met her eyes for the first time. He sent a quick look to Lee before stuttering out a reply. “I… I am fine.”
Em gave a hasty nod. “That is good.”
She immediately began speed-scuttling toward the village, leaving Lee behind to stand with the man.
They both watched her back with varying emotions. Lee wasn’t sure whether to be happy that her first social interaction with a stranger turned out okay or frustrated that she left him in the dust. The farmer had a mix of fear and anxiety, which quickly gave way to confusion.
Lee gave the man a pat on the shoulder. “That was her first time speaking to a stranger in years. Thanks for being kind.”
The man, unsure what to say in response, just nodded with confusion.
Lee sighed and began jogging after Em, hoping to catch up before she tried to talk to more strangers.
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Villagers turned their heads as Em and Lee made their way down the main dirt road of Breye. Vanessa’s house was near the center of the small village. With that being the case, the villagers got a full view of Em’s Arachne form.
It was like a parade. Everyone watched from the side of the dirt road as Em strolled through the town, turning and gazing at all of the buildings and people. Some people cowered away and quickly ran off toward their homes. Others fearfully gave her a nod of respect and tried to pretend she wasn’t there. Some of the village children openly gawked, their tiny eyes spread wide in surprise and their hands feebly tugging on their mother's or father's pants legs as they pointed.
To Em’s credit, she took all of the judgemental stares and fear in stride. Even Lee couldn’t tell if she was uncomfortable—something he had thought he was pretty good at spotting. If he were to venture a guess, he would say that she was either putting on a brave face or just accepting the way the world viewed her kind.
Vanessa was waiting and ready when they made it to her home. She stood outside of her front door with a hand covering her mouth. Her shoulders shook from the pent-up emotions held within as she tried not to let loose her tears of happiness.
Em’s facade began to break as they grew closer to Vanessa. Her face twitched with anticipation, and blood-red tears began to pool in the corners of her eyes, which caused some of the nearby villagers to fearfully back a few more steps away.
Lee didn’t say anything as Vanessa rushed forward and wrapped Em in a shaky embrace. Her tears ran freely as she mumbled quietly into Em’s shoulder. Being somewhere in the lower five-foot range, Vanessa had to jump up to hug Em’s human half, which meant that Em had to stoop down and catch her.
After a minute of hugging and murmuring to one another, Em gently placed Vanessa back onto the ground. Vanessa wore an enormous smile as she wiped her eyes. She turned toward Lee, strode up to him, and then wrapped her arms around him—a heartfelt hug. Shocked by the sudden hug, Lee awkwardly hoverhanded for a few seconds. Eventually, he gave in to the moment and returned the hug with a gentle smile spread across his face.
Vanessa broke away and wiped her misty eyes before giving Em a good look over. “You did it…”
Em raised her chin and spoke casually. “I had come to accept that my tower isn’t all that there is or will be.”
She glanced meaningfully at Lee. “Though stories may be filled with excitement and adventure, it is simply a stand-in for what is real. I will have my own adventures and experience stories for myself. That is why I’m leaving.”
Lee had been nodding with a smile but paused when he registered what she said.
She’s what? Where is she going?
Vanessa looked extremely happy and began to tear up again. “You’ll do great. You’re strong; you just need to be careful about…”
Em placed a hand on Vanessa’s shoulder, cutting her off. “I know. Hopefully, Lee will be able to dissuade those seeking to harm me before it comes to blows.”
Lee’s mind was rambling from what Em had just said.
She… is coming with me? Since when?!
“Uh. Em. Are you planning to travel with me? I don’t think we talked about any of this…”
Em just waved away all of his attempts at protest. “What better way to experience the world than by the side of a God Blessed? Of course, I’m coming with you. I shall write our stories down so that others who were in my situation can see that anything is possible.”
Lee’s mind was racing. He was happy that she had left her tower, but he didn’t expect her to want to come with him. From a purely logistical point of view, it was a terrible idea. She couldn’t fit into the wagon, there would no longer be a defender of Breye, and anywhere they traveled would be dangerous for her.
He didn’t necessarily mind her company. She was definitely unique, but she was reasonably pleasant to be around. He could talk with her about magic and healing and considered them friends. He would also prefer traveling with Em over the four stooges he had with him—Kooco not included. Sadly, he didn’t see a way to ditch the stooges. They would just follow wherever he went at this point.
In the end, he shrugged and decided to welcome her aboard. “Well, I can carry your stuff, I guess. We’ll need to find a way for you to travel with us on the wagon.”
Em flashed a grin as she grew excited from imagining her future adventures. “Excellent. Come, We shall greet my future companions and prepare for departure!”
Em scuttled off down the street, more confident and sure with her actions. She waved at the villagers she passed. Some even had the courage to wave back at the ten-foot-tall spider-woman passing by.
Lee sighed resignedly and jogged after her. “Wait for me!”
Hopefully, Jeremy and the other stooges wouldn’t freak out when Em arrived at camp. He trusted Jeremy and Thomas, if he was still there, to know better than to attack.
But… Meriah might be an issue.