The Broodmother's Parlor.

Jeb wasn't really paying attention anymore. Kinda hard to do that when the ghostly flames illuminating the rather nice chamber showcased just how utterly fucking MASSIVE the dragon skeleton above him was! Jeb was pulled out of his slack jawed state by Anna humming nearby. VERY nearby. He turned his head down to where she was before and was immediately confronted with two orbs filling his vision.

"Do you like them My Lord~?" She cooed with a purr.

"Uh, uhm, yeah." Jeb stammered as the hamster in his brain short-circuited.

"They're real you know. You can touch them if you want." She continued to purr while also tracing a finger along the bare flesh of his neck.

"The uh, uh, b-b-bones? Right?" Jeb stammered as his brain got back onto the mouse wheel and he took a step back and tried REALLY hard not to return his gaze to anywhere but where they were practically glued to moments ago.

She smirked knowingly and teasingly before turning her gaze up to the skeleton that casted dark shadows from the eerie light.

"The Elder Dragon Karnatex. The Great Stone Dragon that held domain below the surface of our world since it first came to be."

"How, uh, how did it die?" Jeb asked as he composed himself more.

Anna guided Jeb over to one of the tables.

"The Elder Dragons have held domain absolute for millennia. For centuries mortals alike were helpless to even hope to stave off their wrath or wanton desires. Karnatex was no different. He ruled the stone itself. His domain was the vast network of tunnels and chambers that snaked for untold miles beneath our world."

Jeb took a cushioned seat as Anna lowered herself so Jeb wouldn't have to crane his neck so much as she continued.

"He bored through stone like a fish through water. Some even say that the tunnels and caverns below the surface was entirely his doing. Others said that when the ground shook it was him as he came near civilization."

"Regardless of what was true and what was myth, eventually conflict arose between him and those of us that dwelled below the surface. Most of the dwarves were unaffected. Perhaps some kind of bargain was had between them and the dragon? But the rest of us? Those of us that lived within the Umberdwell? We were left to fight off his attacks on our own. For the most part few even among us actually cared. All his attacks did was collapse some tunnels on some slaves or hideous beasts. Maybe an outlying settlement of less-than-noteworthy value or concern."

"But then he attacked Korim-Kaerin. The beating heart of our under-empire. It was brutal. Deaths by the millions. Umber Elves and slaves died that day. The latter was more an annoyance and inconvenience if anything. But the former? There was a reckoning to be had for how many Elven Houses were obliterated in the attack. Especially since it was revealed that the favored consort of the Grand Matron was among those that had perished. She was inconsolable. She demanded that the dragon was to perish."

Anna stopped as a handful of humanoid shapes appeared from some sort of servant entrance nearby. They filed into the room bearing gilded trays arrayed with food both foreign and familiar to Jeb as well as goblets filled with what seemed to be wine if the color and smell was anything to go by.

They were a pitiful sight, Jeb thought as he tried not to look at the forlorn and broken faces of the slaves as they shuffled over to the table and placed their loads upon it before Jeb and Anna. Not making a sound as they did so. They didn't wear chains, Jeb noted. But from what he could see in their eyes, or lack of that is, they were completely broken. A fire had died within them and now they shuffled around where needed.

They didn't even respond when Jeb mumbled a thanks as he took a goblet and sipped on the smooth wine within or popped some sort of succulent meat into his mouth. Anna however seemed rather annoyed at the lack of... anything, from them. She turned towards Jeb and dipped her head in a bow.

"My apologies once again My Lord. I'm afraid that much of my slaves are in poor condition. Those that are in fairer shape are busy seeing to the smithies or the kitchens."

"Yeah, I noticed. They seem rather..." Jeb trailed off as he tried not to look at the husks.

"Yes. Many slaves are little better than menial labor, perhaps a bit of entertainment at best. These are those that have been worked, starved, and... conditioned into a proper workforce."

"So what is it that you do?" Jeb asked.

Anna cocked a brow and gave him a lighthearted grin.

"My Lord. Do these hands look like they belong working a forge? Or a butchers knife? No. While there are those among my former kin that practice such arts. They are not remotely close to the brutish and tedious work that slaves do. Where my former kin can forge metal that could rival anything our cousins on the surface can in craftsmanship, slaves are fit for only mining and smelting. Where my former kin can create meals that would make anything else tasteless in comparison, slaves are fit to only prepare ingredients or serve food and drink."

"You keep sayin' former kin. Why?" Jeb asked as the slaves, thankfully, returned to the nearby tunnels as silently and hollow as they entered.

"On with the story then. As I mentioned, the Grand Matron called for the death of the Elder Dragon. Entire cities were drained of slaves and warriors. The arenas were emptied of gladiators. And a call was called upon those of us that served the Goddess of Spiders. A call that spelt of sacrifice and transformation."

She gestured to her lower half.

"I was among those that were chosen for such a sacred honor and duty. To be ascended by the Spider Goddess herself along with hundreds of others. Some, like myself, survived the... ordeal."

She winced and took a steadying breath before continuing.

"Where I had walked in on two legs I then walked out on eight. My vision expanded in both how and what I was able to see. I could now see heat within the flesh of others, I could see the mana suffused in the air and everything around, I also later found I could switch my vision to those of my brood in a sort of organic scrying. I could even see the souls of those that had passed from this world."

"That sounds... distressing." Jeb replied as she took a deep sip of her chalice.

"It was. It took months to be able to control which sight we wished to see from. But it was a better fate than those that failed the ritual. They were little more than beasts horribly mutated. Their once elven features were now a grisly contortion of pain and madness. But they were called to serve and so were corralled until the assault upon the dragon's lair."

"A year passed and a vast army marched upon the Elder Dragon. Elves armed and armored in the finest crafted metals. Slaves that marched by the millions to their deaths. And arachne such as I, skittering through the lines and formations or along the cavern walls or ceilings along with our countless broods. We marched for weeks within the dark tunnels and caverns. All but the most desperate of creatures left us be as we marched. The Grand Matron herself led the way from a grand palanquin carried upon the backs of a hundred slaves along with her harem of consorts and concubines and other fineries."

"Then we came upon the lair. We knew because we were almost immediately attacked by those insufferable lizards. Entire tunnels were saturated with those infernal traps they so love to make. They even rigged several tunnels to collapse on us! But the Grand Matron would have none of it. Slaves were driven forwards to set off all the traps or to excavate an entirely new tunnel until we came upon the lair proper."

"He was waiting for us." Anna remarked with a mirthless smile.

"With barely a wave of her hand the Grand Matron ordered scores of souls to their deaths. Stony scaled kobolds with glowing crystalline horns assaulted us with stone and crystal spears while the Elder Dragon roared and rushed towards our numbers."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"It was a bloodbath. The Grand Matron and her entourage died within minutes as they expected to watch a slaughter and not participate in the actual fighting. Scores of soldiers with centuries of experience died just as quickly. But do you know who didn't die, My Lord? Us. We arachne, chosen by the Goddess of Spiders, remained even as the slaves were cut down in arching swaths by the dragon's club tail or feasted upon by his jagged stony jaws. While he did that we got to work. Sending our broods to swarm him while we hung back. They died as was demanded of them. But we survived. Even after the battle had ended in several houses retreating back with their remaining warriors and slaves. Even as the last of the slaves were killed, we remained."

"For over a hundred years we skirmished with the dragon through the bowels of the planet. But we persisted. Never allowing the beast to rest, not that its pride would allow it as we continued to pepper it with spiders and venom. As our numbers dwindled to less than a hundred all the venom had finally taken its toll on the great beast when we fought it within the ruins of a former dwarven city. Its strength sapped as the venom of an innumerable amount of spiders ate away at it from the inside through the little cracks within its stone and crystal armor."

"Those of us left, pushed for one last attack. We threw everything at it. All our broods were sent to die one last time and even we joined the fray. Determined to exploit this chance given to us. It could've escaped. There were tunnels close enough for it to do so. But it remained. It did nothing but fight us until it finally collapsed upon its own weight and the light left its eyes."

Jeb looked more than a little impressed at the spiderwoman.

"What happened after? Was that when you came here?"

She chuckled.

"Oh this was centuries ago My Lord. No. After we had finally felled the beast we found ourselves with no purpose. Sure there were some of us that had returned to our cities before the final battle. But we never heard from them again. It was only afterwards that we found them naught but glorified prisoners and slaves to our former kin!"

"After the battle we turned to infighting as to what would become of us. Some wanted to do as the others did and return as champions and reclaim their former lives as chosen of the Goddess. Others wanted isolation from everything after so long of a fight. Some suggested working with the Umber Dwarves. If there was an opinion then it was voiced. Eventually we fought. Many of us died as some tried to assume a position of power over the others. In the end it was me and those closest to me in opinion that won. After that we went our separate ways to forge our own realms within the now unclaimed Umberdwell."

"Centuries passed and I built a kingdom of my own within the darkness. My brood was rebuilt and slaves were acquired from all that was found within my domain and beyond. I even managed to claim the remains of the elder dragon from the remnants of the kobolds that had made a home within the stony flesh of their draconic master." She said proudly as she gestured to the hanging skeleton.

"But how did you get here then? How did you get THAT here?!" Jeb asked.

"Some weeks ago I noticed that some of my recently acquired slaves were disappearing. At first I thought they had escaped but I had found no signs of such a feat. But then the strangest thing happened one day when I was disciplining some slaves. A portal. A golden portal had appeared within the wall nearby!"

"Naturally the slaves took it as a sign to run away. Some made it, most didn't. I sent some of my brood after those that did through the portal to retrieve them. As they did though, the portal closed behind them. I was annoyed at losing slaves to some sort of magical portal. So I tortured those that remained in an effort to find out how it was done and who had done it." She said simply before sipping her wine and refreshing her throat.

"But I got nothing from them. After a few days it happened again though. But I was prepared this time and not a single slave escaped. Unfortunately the portal didn't last long enough to investigate. So over the coming weeks I experimented. I found that those slaves with a bit more life and will in them were more likely to conjure this portal. But they couldn't merely do it on a whim. It took many slaves and many days of torture before another portal appeared. From there it was rather simple."

"I was able to keep them alive, and in enough pain to somehow fuel the portal, while my brood went across and scouted out the area we are currently in. After that I had my brood and slaves begin moving everything across the portal. Eager to explore this new world and domain I had discovered! Hours later and much of my possessions had crossed as did much of my brood and slaves. Even the bones of the mighty stone dragon itself was able to be brought over!"

"How?" Jeb asked. He was pretty sure that whatever portal or magic that brought her, and the kobolds and others, here couldn't've lasted THAT long!

"Easy. The more I drew out the torment, the longer the portal lasted for. But not long enough to bring many of my possessions over. Eventually the good remaining slaves died and what force or will that powered the magic began to dissipate. I and those of my brood that still remained in our former domain rushed through the portal before it finally closed. Trapping us in this new world." She explained as a slave refilled her chalice.

"That's pretty... impressive." Jeb said, he actually kinda was. But he was mostly being polite. He was more worried that her casual talking about her treatment of slaves wasn't bothering him as much as he thought it should. Yet another thing to worry about another time, he thought.

"Of course My Lord. Over the years I've become rather skilled in drawing things out~." She purred huskily with lidded eyes towards him.

"I'm uh, sure you have. Uhm, anyway! Thank you for your hospitality, and the... clothes. But I need to be goin'. The kobolds will be gettin' worried with me gone for so long and I'm sure I've taken up too much of your time!" Jeb stuttered and made to leave.

"Take care My Lord. Your presence here will ALWAYS be a welcome one!~" She cooed as she popped some cubed meat into her mouth with her tongue in a sensual way that was VERY unnecessary!

Jeb got up and tried REALLY hard not to make it apparent just how much her teasing was affecting him. He left the chamber and began to make his way through the labyrinthian halls of the arachne. After about the eighth or so intersection though he realized something very important.

He didn't have a Scooby-Doo as to where he was going.

"Fuck!" Jeb cursed as he looked around in some vain hope of there being... something! Something like a big red glowing sign that read EXIT THIS WAY perhaps. But to no avail.

He was about ready to go back and ask her to lead him out. But he really didn't want to do that. He was already feeling weird about all the teasing she gave him and giving her more time to do so was just a bad idea, he thought as he started down another hall.

Another intersection later and dealing with a lusty spiderlady wasn't sounding so bad to Jeb. He groaned though. No, he thought. He had to get back to Ruby. Back to the kobolds. Back into normal clothes that didn't make him look about one torn thread away from being a steamy romance novel cover.

Then he recalled something as he was about ready to head down another hall. Couldn't he just teleport back, he thought as he remembered the rather aggressive tutoring his ma gave him. It wasn't that long ago yet it felt like forever.

"How did it go again?" Jeb mumbled as he tried to recall what it was exactly she had taught him. Being thrown off a cliff that may or may not have actually existed aside.

He took deep breaths and closed his eyes. He pictured the giant sycamore tree. The river. The dusty old cabins. He pictured Ruby and their eggs by a fire. He pictured his home. His NEW home.

-----

Trout's Landing.

The Chief and the Trap Master stood beside the sycamore tree as they watched the tribe digging out their home beneath its roots. The cold was already hampering their progress and the thick roots didn't help. They ran deep within the ground and none of them would be surprised if it also reached into the river to drink deeply of the murky water.

All the while they watched the river and the woods nearby in hopes of Jeb returning. The day was nearing its end and they were growing worried. The Den Mother had been occupied tending to her eggs and so they kept the fact he was gone from her. But they'd have to tell her if it got dark and he had yet to return.

Watching things get done was painstakingly slow when they were worried about something else. Especially as the implications of Jeb not returning was equally dire. They had grown fond of Jeb. Certainly more than their former draconic master, and didn't want to believe that something had happened to him. Especially as it seemed to be doing something they themselves were finding increasing difficulty doing.

Which made the two leaders rather depressed. They worried that without Jeb then they really would die in this world. Not just because of the fact that its likely that their tribe would die out eventually, but because the weather would likely drive them below ground before too much longer.

"Do you think he will return?" The Chief turned and asked the Trap Master.

The Trap Master groaned as he stared at the river.

"I don't know."

The Chief shuffled and pulled his welcome mat poncho closer.

"We should inform the Den Mother. She deserves to know the possibility at least."

The Trap Master sighed and turned away.

"Very well. Let's just hope that Je-OOF!"

He grunted as he turned and walked right into something. He rubbed his snout and glared up at whatever it was and his jaw almost dropped as standing before him was Jeb!

"Jeb?" The Trap Master asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Master Jeb! You returned!" The Chief cried out and the nearby kobolds did the same as they all turned and saw Jeb standing among them.

Jeb meanwhile looked around like he wasn't entirely sure whether to believe that what he was seeing was real or not. He eventually looked down at the kobolds that looked up at him in concern and wonder. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that he really was home.

"Yeah! I have returned!" Jeb called out grandly while half tempted to recite MacArthur's speech.

"Where did you go? And what are you wearing?" The Chief asked to nods from the Trap Master and others of the tribe as they gathered around.

Jeb looked down and realized that he was still wearing the gilded armor and silken garments from Anna.

"That... is a long story. Which I will tell y'all another time! Right now I need to do somethin' VERY important!"

"Like what?" The Trap Master asked as Jeb turned towards the admin building and hurried off.

"Like, Ruby!" Jeb called out as she made her way out of the building and looked around.

"Jeb! I was wondering where you were! What are you wearing?" She asked as Jeb eagerly closed the distance between the two of them excitedly.

"Another time. Right now I need to do somethin' very important." He replied as he neared.

"Oh? Like wha-OH?!" She began only to give out a surprised yelp as Jeb picked her up and twirled her in the air for a moment before bringing her close for a loving embrace.

"Like showin' you how much I love you." He whispered to her and kissed her.

She giggled.

"Oh? How are you going to do that?"

"Let's go find out." He teased and brought the giggly kobold back into building and towards their room. Leaving the rest of the tribe to look on, more than a little confused as to what just happened.

The Trap Master and the Chief both looked to one another before shrugging their scaled shoulders and returned to their duties. Content and relieved that Jeb was back, even if he was dressed strangely. He'll tell them where and what happened later. They were just glad he had returned to them.

-----

Anna watched through the eyes of her little spiders that had littered the fishing lodge as well as the one that had accompanied Jeb throughout his ordeal with the murlocs and the exploration of her home. She watched with a sigh as he brought the little kobold to their room and began to make love to her.

"So close." She muttered as she stopped her peeping. If only she had been able to keep him here longer than perhaps that would've been her that he ravaged instead.

Oh well, she thought as her mind returned to overseeing the expansion of her domain. There was always next time, and there WILL be a next time. He wasn't hostile to her, he wasn't indifferent to her. It was obvious from several angles during their meeting that her teasing and charm had worked to a degree. Not enough to convince him to remain with her and be her consort. But enough that let her know that this wouldn't be the last that Jeb would be within her home.

Which meant that she needed it to get ready for when he did, she thought as she summoned her brood. It was obvious that her remaining slaves were insufficient to host him. She would need something a bit... fresher. Something with a bit more life to them than these slaves that had been broken. So she sent her brood out to the north, east, and west in search of slaves.

When next Jeb returned, he would be welcomed with fresh-faced slaves ready to do whatever was commanded of them. Surely he would welcome something with a bit more life than the husks that merely shambled around doing menial and tedious tasks, she thought as she turned her gaze to the soulfire he had graciously provided for her. She loved the way it gave her abode such a haunting look. The blue flame causing the decorations to glint and shine sinisterly in its ghostly light.

She looked around her domain one last time, and content that things were now underway for when next she would host Jeb, she skittered towards her personal bedchambers for some relaxation.