"AH! BIG SPIDER!!!"

  Stella recoiled to a wall when her eyes first locked on her savior, an adult Human-sized black spider, save for her ochre, fuzzy legs. Each of her eight legs glimmered with six golden rings, coupled with a diamond-shaped crimson gemstone that matched the color of her eyes.

  Jakaang hung on a silk thread, anchored on the ceiling. "How observant you are..." she retorted sarcastically. "...for a Human." Her eight eyes glared at her husband. "I would've appreciated a warning, Anut."

  "I didn't know!" Anut mounted his wife's head. "I thought it would be rude to ask her race, so I assumed she was some special breed of Yūrei."

  Better than a sick Ogre...

  The immense arachnid rolled her eyes. "I don't know how to hide this from my fellow seamstresses. Lucky for us, Akaru didn't recognize the girl as a Human, but who knows how long that'll last!"

  The memory of the Frog sentry sent a wave of pain down Stella's psyche. However, that sensation was laced with something else... something that made her blood boil and her hands slowly close into fists...

  Yes, she knew what it was... Anger... Dissatisfaction, to be more exact... After all this training, she lost a fight in the most anti-climactic way possible. It was worse than if she was pummeled into a bloody pulp. At least that way, she would have gone with some dignity!

  Speaking of people who made her day worse, where was that fucking-

  "Looking at your feet won't change how much you screwed up." Maro smugly remarked, sitting a couple meters away from the girl. "At least, I can't say you're a weakling anymore..."

  Jakaang tapped two of her legs together. "That reminds me. What happened on that tunnel? I felt consecutive Saniya bursts just before I reached you, a mixture between the crystal's energy and yours." She let go of her thread and landed. "I've never seen, heard, or read about such a phenomenon..."

  Stella stroked her arm, still faintly sore. "Human and Monoke Saniya don't mix. I was too focused on the fight and forgot about that detail..."

  "Tell me about it!" Anut nervously laughed, jumping from his wife to Stella's arm. "But, most importantly, how are you feeling?" His fuchsia eyes scanned hers with concern. "You were in a critical state, child. Jakaang could barely heal you properly after tending to Akuru's eye."

  The girl's entire body tensed. She inhaled sharply at the recollection of her opponent's nasty wound flashed in her head. What was wrong with her? Why she always felt the need to hurt people in the worst ways?

  This was what she feared when she maimed Gryla's pego jam golem. A soulless puppet was just the beginning...

  "He's alright!" the smaller Spider assured her. "My wife is an outstanding healer. I had difficulties removing the tiny rock pieces stuck in his eye, but everything ended well for him."

  Stella exhaled as relief washed over her. For how long was she holding her breath?

  Jakaang's crimson eyes appeared to have softened a tad. Or perhaps it was just the girl's nerves regulating?

  "I'm afraid you two will stay here a little longer." She glanced between you and Maro. "Hōkō can't reach our tunnels in respect for our people's privacy, so I'll need to guide you back through the path you came in. The problem is that Akuru had enough time to wake up from my non-deadly dose of poison and must be desperately searching for you." She anxiously rubbed her feet together, creating a more rackety version of the noise that could be better described as a piece of wood attempting to purr. "You know firsthand how fast he is, and if he catches me protecting surface-dwellers, I can say goodbye for future promotions!" She pointed upwards. "They'll take most of my tools away as punishment. I can't afford that!"

  Stella finally looked up, and how did she regretted not doing it sooner. A sparkly, crimson web connected tens of sewing equipment, including spinning wheels, needles, pins, buttons, and countless colors of rolls of strings and sheets of silk, all hanging like exotic Christmas decorations. The canary yellow sikpha crystals illuminate the darkened stone walls as if countless fireflies lived in harmony with the web weavers.

  "Beautiful..." the girl muttered before looking at the Spider artisan. "You got a beautiful office, ma'am."

  Jakaang started to giggle, a high-pitched sound that danced and lept through the thin walls of the Human's ear, sending goosebumps throughout her body.

  "Who'd have thought a Human would be such a flatterer." The Spider carefully picked up her shorter spouse. "At least you know how to pick them, darling." She nuzzled against him.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Anut chuckled, embarrassed. "Not in front of the kids, dear."

  "You don't have this level of restraint when next to the latest egg sacs?"

  "T-That's different!"

  Stella's body hair stood up by the arachnid flirtation. Her eyes preferred to focus on the responsible for all this trouble.

  "How's your tummy, Maro?" she teased. "Can it still handle your mommy's tit milk?"

  "Fuck you." The pup started to growl. "Because of you, I'm stuck here for who knows how long!"

  "ME?!" A rush of anger coursed through her veins. "Asshole! We're only here because of YOU!" She pointed at him, her eyes intense. "Because you can't stand that someone like me is walking around with precious Lien!"

  "AND WHY WOULDN'T I BE MAD?!" He stood up, barking. "YOU KNOW ABOUT WETH AND KEEP ACTING LIKE YOUR PEOPLE DIDN'T CRUSH HER FAMILY!"

  "That was the last fucking straw..." she thought, tensing her jaw.

  Stella met him eye to eye and pushed him with both hands. "Lien chose me by herself! I wasn't on my knees and begging to be her girlfriend!" She pulled him by the collar. "You got a problem with her choice?! Go bitch to HER, not me!"

  Maro desperately tried to push her away, his voice wavering by the second. "Take your hands off me!"

  "Make me!"

  Maro opened his jaw as far as he could, but before he could attack the Human, the tiny Anut jumped on his head. "Kids! Let's not get our webs twisted!" he begged. "If you can wait just a couple more hours, Akaru will be far enough for us to return you home!"

  Stella huffed before letting go of the pup. The Spider remained unshaken as the canine fell with his back on the ground. "I can't wait that long! Not when I'm next to this mangy dog!" she spat.

  Anut jumped to her arm, then quickly crawled to her shoulder. "Don't be like that! Whatever grudges you hold for each other, I'm sure a bonding exercise would scrub that off! Is what we do with our spiderlings."

  Stella shook her head. "What? You saying we should climb to the ceiling together?"

  "Hunting larger insects also helps if you're more inclined to that."

  Hunting, huh... That strangely sparked some inspiration in the girl's mind. Her brewing idea was... undeniably dangerous, but if she had some assistance...

  She glanced back to the pouting Wolf pup. She wasn't too delighted at what she'd have to do, but he would be the only help Stella would get if she played her cards right.

  "Maro?"

  His eyes widened in genuine surprise at her saying his name correctly.

  "Anut here gave me an idea. But rather than us becoming pals, it's about speeding our way out."

  Maro cocked an eyebrow. "How?"

  "I'm curious as well." Jakaang approached them. "What are you scheming?"

  Stella rested her hands on her hips. "You don't have to do anything else. I got humiliated by that Frog, and I'm not one to leave with unfinished business." She turned to Maro. "And I feel you're not very happy about it, either."

  He crossed his arms. "Maybe. But neither of us can beat that big-tongued jerk."

  She snapped her fingers. "Yes. But if we fight Akuru together..."

  Both Spiders uttered a loud "WHAT?!"

  The Wolf was speechless for a few seconds before breaking into laughter. "Did that explosion scramble your noggin? Do you think I'm stupid enough to risk capture so you can feel better about yourself?!" He scoffed, turning the opposite way. "Idiot."

  Stella shrugged. "That's fine." She leaned her back on a wall. "I guess we'll have to keep each other company for long, long-"

  "FINE!" He quickly turned back around, clutching his ears. "The sooner we beat him up, the less time I have to hear your voice!"

  The power of hatred saves the day! It was so much easier than the girl thought, too.

  Jakaang shot a red silk string from her mouth to the ceiling and clung to it. "You want to squander my help? Then do it far, far away from my work." She climbed upward. "You coming, Anut?"

  The much shorter arachnid darted between his wife's direction and the kids, stuttering. "Wha-What are you two doing?! You don't need-"

  "Too late, shorty!" Maro huffed as he and Stella sat, facing each other. "What's the plan?"

  Stella smirked. "I got a few ideas. Before, I was a little sloppy using earth magic, and I'm not talking about the crystal exploding on my face."

  The pup leaned in. "I saw how you tried to break the sentry's Saniya barrier. If you had clustered all those rocks in a single mass, you could have done a LOT more damage."

  She nodded. "I know. I don't want to destroy the dude's eye again, but if we attack him together, it will be enough for him to use his shield again."

  "How noble," he said sarcastically.

  Stella decided to ignore the remark and asked. "Can you keep up with his speed? If we catch him in an open area, that might be an issue."

  Maro grinned. "I am more than fast enough to keep him busy. That was how I kept him from capturing me for so long."

  "Good, good. You can distract the Frog while I bombard him with rocks. I hope he isn't that durable..."

  He frowned. "Hey. I don't like that you're making me the bait!"

  "Just long enough so I can hit his weak spot," she assured.

  The pup blinked twice. "Oh? And what is-"

  "ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?!" Anut shook his tiny legs in desperation.

  Stella stroked the back of her neck, blushing. "Hey! Anything to add?"

  The tiny Monoke exhaled sharply. "I knew Wolf pups were prone to pick fights, but are Humans the same way? No wonder you found a girlfriend in Pantsti..."

  Her cheeks burned hotter. She didn't even dare look at Maro after this comment.

  Speaking of the Cerberus, the pup impatiently talked. "Look, I appreciate what you've done for us, but we're not waiting here until midnight."

  Geez, they were going to wait THAT long?! Hell fucking no!

  Anut closed his eyes. "I understand." He took a deep breath, steeling his resolve and posture. "That's why I'll assist you through this fight! I'll heal your superficial wounds and reenergize you for a tad amount."

  Stella pumped her fists in the air. "Sweet! We got ourselves some support!" Her smile reached her eyes. "Who's ready for a rematch?!"

  "Yes, we're all excited..." Maro rolled his eyes. "Now finish what you said about his weakness."

  She pouted. "Can't even make this fun..."