#desus fanfic

[frayaziwriter]

I'm A Spider - Wait, What?

Chapter 1

You weren’t sure what was happening.

One minute, you’re dying and the next you’re-

Actually, where are you? It feels like you’re in some sort of container.. You squirmed a bit, and the thing pushing against you on all sides rocked back and forth, but you couldn’t seem to break through. 

Huffing, you tried again. You felt something give way and pushed once more. 

Crack. Crack. CRACK.

You topple out of whatever container you were stuck in and land harshly on the hard rock below. What the hell?? Where-? Turning around, you catch sight of - is that an egg? Did you just come out of an egg?

What was going on??

You frantically glance around, your eyes searching for something you weren’t quite sure of what but were confident you’d know when you found it. And all you saw were similar eggs to the one you just climbed out of.

The hell??

A shadow loomed over you and you glanced up. Flinching back, you skittered back into the remnants of the silver egg. Above you stood a giant yellow spider. 

‘Holy fucking shit!’ You thought. Your feet moved instinctually and you found yourself skittering across the rocky ground away from the monster spider. ‘What the hell is that?!’

[Answer; an Arch Knight. Arch Knights are a type of spider monster. This one belongs to the Golden Spider Clan.]

‘What - what - what - what?’ You screeched as a golden egg beside you started cracking. Skidding to a stop, you watched dumbfounded as the golden egg broke apart to reveal - another giant yellow spider.

Even though they were roughly the same size as you, they were still bigger than you and it was terrifying.

The spider crawled out of its egg and met your eyes. A moment passed and then-

A loud screech stabbed your nonexistent eardrums.

You swore your soul left your body a second time. ‘Okay - what the fuck?! Why the hell am I surrounded by giant spiders?!’

[Answer; you are in a spider-hatching cave.]

‘Yes, I got that thank you, but why?! And what the frick are you?! Why are you in my head?!’ You jumped when more golden eggs around you started cracking. Out came more bright yellow spiders, and suddenly you were being bombarded on all sides by cries from unreasonably big baby spiders.

[Answer; I am your {Unique Skill; Chiron}.]

‘Okay.. That explains nothing. ‘Skill’? What are those? And why am I here?!’ You flinched when the Arch Jurogumo behind you suddenly dropped a giant snake-like corpse. All the spiders around you rushed towards it. Your stomach rumbled. 

[Notice; you are running low on energy. Suggestion; eat. The Arch Jurogumo delivered sustenance.]

‘So, you want me to go to the giant spider that may or may not eat me in the hopes of getting food? Do you want me dead?!’

[Suggestion; if you do not want to die, eat the Black Serpent.]

‘...I’m hallucinating. This is a fever dream my brain made up as I’m dying.’

[Notice; you have already died. You have been reborn as a Small Lesser Taratect.]

You froze. ‘...I’m a what..?’

[Answer; you have been reborn as-]

The world went dark.

[...Notice; starting {Auto Pilot}. Hijacking body in three...two...one. {Auto Pilot} is now on.] <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

When you woke up next, you were eating something and yet you weren’t in control of your body. 

‘What the fuck?!’

[Notice; you had fainted due to low energy levels and high shock levels. {Auto Pilot} had been activated for safety.]

‘You can hijack my body whenever you want?!’ You thought as you gobbled up another bite of food. ‘That’s creepy!’

[Notice; you were going to die. Deactivate {Auto Pilot} now that you are safe from dying?]

‘Yes, please!’ And suddenly your body was yours once again. You peeled yourself away from the food and shook your new body. You were full now, so you backed up from the Arch Knight and - shit, that is a really big snake. You eyed it one last time before turning tail and making your way to what you assumed was a stream of clear water.

It was coming from some sort of crack in a wall and was pooling into a hole. You studied it for a moment. The hole was smooth at the edges, showing that it’s been smoothed down by the water for years upon years. Eying the cracks in the wall showed the same smooth edges as the pool.

The water itself looked clean, but... There was always that lingering doubt in the back of your head. ‘Is this even safe to drink?’

[Answer; yes.]

‘...Oh. Thanks?’ 

Reaching a leg down, you poked the water’s edge. Ripples spread out from your touch and you watched, transfixed, as the image of your new body came into focus.

‘So.. I really am a spider.. Heh, this is so weird.’

It was..a bit jarring to see a pure white spider with eight red eyes staring back at you instead of your old human face. Actually, scratch that. It was downright unsettling! There was still a part of your brain convinced this was a fever dream, but..the more time you spend in this cave, the more you realize that it wasn’t a fantasy your brain made up to soothe you in your dying moments. 

This was real. 

And you had no idea how to handle it.

You decided to deal with this later. So, you dipped your leg into the pool and cleaned the droplets off of the spiky fuzz on your pointy leg. ‘Now that I have a clear head.. How the hell can I eat regularly? Spiders don’t have the same kind of digestive system as humans! Does this mean spider monsters in this world aren’t actually spiders?’ Then, you paused. ‘I just realized.. I’m the only spider here that’s white.. And everyone else has a different body shape, too! I wonder why..’

[Answer; you are the first and only Jorogomo of your clan. Congratulations.]

‘Huh. Thanks.’ You paused and turned back to your reflection. ‘Hey, you mentioned earlier a ‘yellow clan’. What’s that about?’

[The Golden Spider Clan is the fourth spider monster race to appear. They belong to the monster species “Jorogomo”, commonly known as “Giant Spiders”. There are currently three older clans before the Golden Clan; Obsidian, Bronze, and Ruby.]

‘Does that mean...I’m clanless? I’m a different color than everyone here..’

[Answer; you are the first of your race. Congratulations.]

You huffed. ‘So, I’m currently clanless.’

[Answer; correct.]

Moving away from the pool of water, you face your siblings. (Were they actually your siblings? You knew regular spiders can have hundreds of children at once, but your new form isn’t exactly just like a spider..) ‘Nice to know. So, uh.. Why do they look different?’

[Answer; the Golden Clan are known as the warriors of the Jorogomo species. They have evolved for battle.]

‘I..see. This implies that Jorogomo races have separate abilities, correct?’ You clicked your chelicerae together. ‘Since the Golden Clan are the ‘warriors’?’

[Answer; correct. Would you like to learn the other races’ purpose?]

Humming, you shake yourself in a quasi-shrug. ‘Sure, why not? Should come in handy later.’

[The Obsidian Clan are known to the surface world as “Black Spiders”. They are the oldest clan of the Jorogomo species. Their purpose is espionage and planning. The Bronze Clan is the second oldest. They are the species’ builders and have carved out the underground colony the species lives in today. The Ruby Clan are the medics and farmers. They provide sustenance and medicine for the species. You already know the Golden Clan’s purpose, and your clan’s purpose is currently unknown.]

You would sigh if you could. ‘Because I’m the first.. Got it. Okay. Um, thanks! Now, do you have any suggestions on leaving this place?’

[Notice; it is not recommended for a Small Lesser Taratect to travel outside of a hatching cave. Especially one belonging to the Golden Clan.]

The chelicerae clicked again. You eyed the hulking form of the Arch Knight just...staring out over the sea of golden spiders. What was up with it? ‘How come?’

Just then, a spider hatchling near you shrieked. You turned around just in time to see it pouncing on another hatchling. The two spiderlings screeched and clawed at each other, and soon a few more spiders got caught in the fight. You shrank back as more and more hatchlings joined in, and then you found yourself skirting around individual fights to find safety.

[Answer; the Golden Clan is prone to fighting each other, especially in the first few stages of evolution. Golden Spiders live by the rule of, “Survival of the fittest.”]

‘Oh great!’ You think frantically while you skitter around pouncing spiderlings and flying claws. ‘I just had to be born in the most belligerent family ever!’ You swiftly found a rock column and climbed it. 

Turning back once you deemed yourself high enough, you watched as all hell broke loose down below. You shuddered. ‘Glad I escaped that..’

“Damn, it started already? Not even an hour into life and they’re already fighting! Nice!” You jumped at the sudden voice echoing through the large cavern and glanced up at the Arch Knight. That was the first spoken voice you’ve heard since you died! It took you a few moments, but you eventually managed to spot the speaker.

And once your eyes landed on her, you double-take. What the hell? What’s a girl doing here?!’

Standing right next to the Arch Jurogumo was a girl with beautiful golden hair. She was decked out in full armor and a weapon was held tightly in her hands. Her red eyes flitted across the sea of fighting baby spiders and a grin spread across her face. You estimated her physical age to be around mid-teens, but something told you that her looks were deceiving. (She looked so...unassuming. Like the kind of person who rarely got angry.)

[Notice; that is not a girl.]

‘Then..who is she? What is she?’

[Answer; that is the Golden Queen Spider.]

Holy shit, the queen was a human?! Wait.. queen? Like a queen bee?

[Notice; the Queen Spiders are the leaders and mothers of the clans. They are not human.]

Oh. But, she looked so..human-like. 

“Hey, hey,” The queen patted one of the left forelegs of the Arch Knight impatiently, “You said you had something to show me? What is it?”

The giant spider turned to look up at you before raising its first right foreleg to point at you. You felt your heart skip a beat. (Wait, do you even have a heart anymore? Does it even pump blood like human hearts?!) The queen followed its leg and her red eyes were suddenly on you.

‘Oh, shit-’

An even bigger grin stretched her face while her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She raised her weapon (which you belatedly realized looked a lot like a spear) and slammed the butt of it down on the rocky ground. The sound echoed around the cavern, and all fighting ceased.

You clung harder to your little pillar. ‘I’m about to die, aren’t I?’

“HEY! WHITE SPIDER!” She screeched and pointed the tip of her weapon at you. (That wasn’t a spear.. What was it? An ax? No..) “GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!”

‘Oh, hell nah. I’m staying here, thank you very much.’

“DON’T MAKE ME COME UP THERE, YOU FUCKER!”

You cowered and skittered back up the pillar. ‘Why is she so scary?! She looks so nice! It should be illegal!’

[Answer; the Golden Clan are warriors who abide by-]

‘I know why she’s so aggressive, it’s just that her looks are completely throwing me off!’ You huddle in a nook high up the pillar. You could hear the queen seething down below and snuggled deeper within the hidey-hole.

“DON’T YOU-! OH, FUCK YOU! YOU BETTER COME DOWN HERE BEFORE I COUNT TO THREE, DAMMIT! ONE!”

Can she even get up here? You have a suspicion that she can in fact get up to you.

“TWO!”

..On second thought, maybe it’s not wise to piss off a warrior queen.. Especially when she has an army of children right below you..

“THREE! ALRIGHT, YOU ASKED FOR IT, BITCH!” And silence. And more silence. 

..Huh. Maybe she wasn’t coming-

“MOTHERFUCKER GET OUT HERE!” Oh shit, there she is! The queen grabbed ahold of your foreleg before dragging you out of your hidey-hole. You screeched and squirmed in her hold, trying desperately to wriggle your way out of her grip, but surprisingly she was strong. (You hated it.)

“Oh, come on,” She huffed as she glared down at you, holding you up with just one hand. If you could cry, you would be doing so right about now, “Even those weak fucks down there can put up a better fight than that. Where’s your fighting spirit?!”

You glanced down and shrieked even louder. She was floating?? Queen Spiders can do that??

[Notice; all Queen Spiders have the {Skill; Thread Manipulation}. They can use strings to manipulate objects, including people.]

‘S-So, this is just her being held up by strings?’ A glint caught your eye, and you peered closer to see a mass of thin strings just under the queen’s feet. ‘O-Oh. Fun. W-What’ll happen if she drops me? Will I go splat, or..?’

Silence. ‘C-Chiron? Hello?’

Still silence. ‘Dammit, Chiron! Don’t leave me here to die!’

“Alright, you tiny little maggot,” The queen glowered at you, “You’re coming with me. Don’t even think about running!”

‘I’d rather not go anywhere with you-!’

And then she carted you off to...somewhere. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

The caverns were quiet when she forced you out of the hatching cave. Not a single other spider was in sight - well, besides her guard spiders. They looked similar to the Arch Knight but smaller. Does that mean they were of a different rank or something?

[Answer; they are Knight Spiders. They are the highest evolution male spiders can achieve while female spiders can achieve the evolution rank Arch Knight. Due to this, they are primarily male spiders.]

Ah. Okay. You trill softly as you skitter along nervously by the Queen’s heels. ‘This is starting to sound more and more like an RPG mixed with regular nature. Back home, male spiders were normally smaller than females.’ At this, you paused. ‘Hey, does that mean that Arch Knight is technically my mother?’

[Answer; Arch Knights and Queen Spiders are the only ones capable of reproducing. Arch Knights are also in charge of child-rearing. They do this through a nest rotation.]

‘So, that’s a maybe. Got it.’

“Damn, you are one stubborn bitch, aren’t you?” The Yellow Queen huffed as she crossed her arms over her armored chest. You angrily clicked your chelicerae at her. ‘Don’t insult me when I can’t insult you back!’ She smirked, pausing to drop into a squat beside you. You flinched back as she examined you. “There you go! Now that’s the kind of fire befitting of the Golden Clan! You really did come from one of my offspring, huh?”

Then she popped back up and continued to stroll leisurely with her weapon laid across her shoulders. “Anyways. We should hurry it up; the caverns will be crawling with my kin soon, and we don’t wanna keep Blackie waiting! She’s a certain type of angry that scares even me!”

‘If this Blackie person scares this monster of a girl, then how strong is she?!’ You quivered. Suddenly, you really don’t want to continue following her..

“HEY!” You flinched at the fierce glare she sent over her shoulder. “HURRY IT UP, HALF-PINT! WE DON’T HAVE ALL DAY!” You skittered after her with a small shriek. Seemingly satisfied, she turned back around and hummed. “You know, despite how annoying you are, I kinda can’t wait to see what you’ll accomplish!”

You hissed, and she laughed at your obvious indignation. ‘How rude! I’m not annoying!’ The Queen turned around and walked backward, sending a feral grin at you. Your hissing cut off and you shrank back from her.

The spider-girl heaved a heavy sigh and grumbled. “Now I’m starting to wonder how you ever came from my clan. You’re feisty, but you’re so-so-so... timid! It’s mind-boggling.” 

Huffing, you stomped after her. ‘She’s so rude..’

“So, might as well get this out of the way now!” She exclaims, turning the corner. You glance down the other way. Nothing but more tunnels. How are you ever going to navigate this place?! “Welcome to the Colony. The land of the Jorogomos! There are currently four clans watching over it - ah, fuck!”

You jumped at her sudden shout and she turned to glare down at you. “You’ll end up making us fuck with the maps! We just got everything established, why’d you come now of all times?!”

(You had no idea what she was blabbering about, nor do you want to know. ‘She’s so scary..’)

“Anyways, four clans were watching over it. We’ll need to adjust some things, again. Dammit.” Why the hell was she glaring at you?! You didn’t do anything but hatch! “We Golden Spiders are in the far west. Our job is to keep that fucking Church in line.” Church? What church? Is it like the Catholic church? “The Obsidian Clan is found in the southwest, our closest neighbors. The Rubies are in the southeast. And then the Bronze fuckers are all the way to the northeast. Don’t know how the hell they haven’t been caught yet by the surface dwellers..”

You glanced around you as your little group trudged through the tunnels. ‘Surface dwellers, rock tunnels.. Are we seriously underground?! Ugh, I hate that! I wanna be outside!’

“But,” The Queen continued, “Keeping the Church out isn’t all we Golden Spiders do. The full picture is to protect the Colony from all threats. Obsidians are the info-gatherers and strategists, Bronze are the architectures and archivists, and Rubies are healers and farmers.” Do you have to sit through this? Chiron already explained all this to you.. “Your clan will be in charge of something else once it grows. Who knows what it’ll be; I for one thought we had all we needed. Apparently not.”

‘Right.. Each clan has a different ability..’ You look away from the Queen. ‘So, what’s mine?’

[Notice; I cannot give you that answer.]

If you could sigh, you would be doing so. ‘So this is something I need to find out for myself.. Yay.. Cue the stereotypical inspiring speech from an elder or something-’

“Hey, what’s taking so long?!” The Yellow Queen snapped at you. “Don’t make come over there! We’re already behind schedule!”

You squealed and ran after her. ‘So scary!’ <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

It was an hour or two after you had left the care of the Golden Clan, and boredom was numbing your mind. Your two escorts were eerily quiet and you still haven’t figured out how to use that Thought Communication ability.

‘Hey, Chiron? What’s the evolution tree look like for Jorogomos?’

[Answer; Small Lesser Taratect, Lesser Taratect, Medium Taratect, Greater Taratect, Knight Spider, then Arch Knight. The Small Lesser Taratect stage is the shortest one.]

You looked up at the Knights before you. ‘How do I evolve then?’

[Answer; monsters normally evolve when taking in enough magicules. Most monsters are unable to evolve without the process of Naming, but some species can do so by consuming other beings with enough magicules.]

‘I’m assuming the Jorogomos is one of these few?’

[Answer; correct.]

Nodding, you tune back into reality. ‘I see.’

The earth was vibrating a little.

A thought hit you and you almost gasped. ‘Hey Chiron, did the Gold Queen have bigger eyes than normal humans?’

[Answer; correct.]

‘Her mouth was also looking a bit weird.. Huh. This is a prime example of the uncanny valley, and yet I’m not disturbed by it. That’s so weird.. Is it because I became a spider?’

Rumbling cut into your thoughts and you perked up. ‘What’s that?’ Your little group of three marched onwards, toward whatever was making that rumbling noise. Soon, you started to see other Knight Spiders crawling along the tunnel walls. You stared up at them as you moved along.

And then you came upon a problem.

Turns out giant spiders are kinda bad at keeping track of tiny spiders like you. Maybe that’s why you weren’t allowed to leave the hatching cave before the Queen kidnapped you.

(..Spidernapped? Oh well.)

Nothing had prepared you for the absolute chaos that was the intersections in this underground society.

‘Can I get through this mob?’ You thought to yourself as you stared out at the moving crowds of spiders much, much bigger than yourself. You flinched each time a sharp leg stepped too close to your body. Spiders moved every which way; up, down, sideways, forwards, and backward. It was hard to keep up with all the legs scrambling everywhere. ‘Is this where I die a second time?’ 

Chiron was suspiciously quiet. You couldn’t help but shrink in on yourself. Even the one thing meant to help you doesn’t believe in you..that stings..

‘Oh well. If I die, I die. I already dealt with dying once, I can do it again!’

And with that, you scrambled after who you thought were your escorts. 

You jumped through gaps between the legs and scuttled under giant bodies as quickly as you could move. Turns out smaller spiders are actually really fucking fast. You ended up scaring yourself on more than one occasion with your speed.

‘God, I hate this. Where’re my escorts?!’

You thought you spotted them turning onto a side tunnel and scurried after them. ‘Wait for me!’ <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Turns out you didn’t see them go this way.

It was a couple of hours after what you have decided to deem the “Intersection Nightmare” when you stopped.

Your escorts were nowhere in sight, and you’re pretty sure you stopped seeing other spiders about an hour ago. Chiron was unhelpful in locating the giant Knights, and all the tunnels looked the same. So you supposed it was time to face the music. 

Falling to your stomach, you grunted. You’re completely and irrevocably lost. Maybe you should have known better than to think you’d be fine navigating a maze when you’ve never done so before.. Guess you’re still a little bit human, huh? That’s comforting to know.

‘Chiron, I’m lost, aren’t I?’

[Notice; the probability of being lost is 99%. Suggestion; find a safe place and wait it out.]

‘That’s a good idea, but...’

A grumbling sound rumbled from your stomach, and you whined. ‘How long will finding me take?! There were at least a hundred different tunnels back there and I can still see so many down here! And I’m hungry!’

[Notice; there are around a thousand individual tunnels in the Black Spider section of the Colony.]

You stick a claw in the air and glare up at the ceiling. ‘That just proves my point! They’ll take forever to find me! God, where even am I?’

[Answer; you are in an abandoned section of the Obsidian Spider section of the Colony.]

‘Oh?’ You perked up and rolled onto your back. ‘Why was it abandoned?’

[Answer; humans sealed the Storm Dragon, Veldora, 300 years ago in this section of the caves. The Obsidian Spiders abandoned it to avoid detection by the humans. It is now known as the Sealed Cave.]

‘Huh.’

An echoing screech from down the tunnels caught your attention, and you worriedly got to your feet. ‘Hey, uh, Chiron? Is there anything else that lives in the Sealed Cave?’

[Answer; yes. It is home to several different monsters.]

‘And what exactly are they?’

[Answer; not including Obsidian Spiders, there are Monstrous Centipedes, Giant Bats, Black Serpents, and Armorsauruses.]

You skittered back as the screeching got louder. ‘And..how big are they?’

[Answer; bigger than you.]

‘That’s so descriptive, Chiron, thanks.’ You huffed.

[Answer; you’re welcome.]

...If Chiron was an actual tangible being, you would have tried to strangle it. (It’s a really good thing that it isn’t, otherwise, you would have probably died in the near future.)

‘So, what’s coming my way? And can I beat it?’

[Answer; a horde of Giant Bats. There is a high probability of your death if you face them as you are now. Suggestion; run and hide.]

You took one moment to settle your nerves before turning down a random tunnel and booking it. ‘Run and hide. Right. Tiny legs, don’t fail me now!’ <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Growwwl.

‘God, I’m hungry..’ You whined as you sluggishly made your way down another tunnel. You had managed to outrun the Giant Bats and were now looking for a place to lie low for a bit. ‘Ugh, what I wouldn’t give for a nice, juicy steak right about now... Hey, Chiron? How long has it been since I got lost?’

[Answer; 7 hours.]

Your legs almost buckled underneath you, but you somehow managed to keep your footing. ‘..And how long has it been since I last ate?’

[Answer; 15 hours. Notice; energy levels are low. Suggestion; eat.]

And then your legs fell out from under you once more. You groaned. ‘But what am I supposed to eat if there’s nothing here?!’

[Notice; there is a nest of Monstrous Centipede hatchlings nearby. Suggestion; eat.]

You paused. ‘You want me to eat a giant bug? Something that was considered a pest and not to eat back home?’

Chiron was completely silent at this, and you let out a sigh before getting to your feet. ‘Fine, fine. I’ll go eat the baby monster bugs. How far-?’

[Would you like to use the {Skill; Spider’s Sense}?]

You tilted your head. ‘I have a skill? And it’s called Spider’s Sense?’

[Answer; correct. It provides a mental map of sorts of a certain radius in an area. Use the {Skill; Spider’s Sense}?]

Sighing, you shrugged. ‘If it’s gonna help me find that nest, then go for it.’

Suddenly, you could feel everything. You flinched ‘What the.. Is this-?’ 

Every movement, every crack or crevice in the walls around you, even the tiniest particles in the air were suddenly just - there! It was like you were that one character from Demon Slayer! It was so cool! (It was also a bit overwhelming..)

You snapped out of your awe at another painful grumble of your stomach and skittered down a tunnel and then up the wall. It led you to a spacious cavern, not unlike the ones you saw back in the Colony.

In the center of the cavern was a pit. Crawling closer, you could see a mass of long, wriggling centipedes crawling about. The closest one was about five meters long. 

‘Holy shit. And these are babies?! They’re bigger than me!’

[Notice; Monstrous Centipedes have the {Skill; Paralyzing Breath}. Suggestion; tread lightly.]

You shivered. ‘Duly noted. Thanks. Question; do they have more than one brain or heart?’

[Answer; no.]

Your forelegs, which were already sharp claws, glinted in the light when you readied them. ‘Good to know. Thanks!’

And then you drove a claw through the head of one centipede nearby. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

[Notice; evolution requirements met. You are now evolving into a Lesser Taratect. Congratulations. Suggestion; find a safe place.]

You jumped at the sudden notification, dropping the half-eaten bug on the rocky ground. ‘Wh-Wha?! Evolution?! Already?!’

It was only a day after you had become lost. You were still working on a little home nearby. Would it be safe enough-? You shook yourself and double-timed it. ‘It’ll have to be! Chiron, what’ll happen during evolution?!’

You spotted your new hidey-hole nearby.

[Answer; you will automatically fall into slumber. Notice; evolution will commence soon.]

‘Shit! That means I’ll be vulnerable! Hold on, I’m almost there!’

You ended up tripping and rolling into your hole. Slamming into the walls, you groaned.

[Notice; evolution will now commence.]

The world was engulfed in black as your stomach rolled with nausea. 

[Congratulations on your evolution to Lesser Taratect. Notice; you have gained new skills.]

notes: and this is the first chapter of this fic! hope you enjoyed! stay safe, and please remember that you're all AWESOME! XP

[druh19]

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[mahgi]

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[thegreenaardvark]

Suspicion

Daryl paced the small trailer that he shared with Paul. It was just before sundown, and Daryl had been watching the sun sinking below to the horizon for the last hour. When he had gone out on a run with Aaron three days ago, Daryl realized he couldn't continue pretending he didn't know anymore. He had been pulling the wool over his own eyes for months while his boyfriend had found every opportunity to meet Aaron out beyond the walls of Hilltop. The first few times, Daryl had walked Paul to the gate and giving his shoulder a soft grip before watching him go off into the wild. He had considered Aaron to be a good friend for a long time and, at the beginning, he had no reason to suspect that Paul would ever cheat on him. 

It had been two years since Aaron had lost Eric, and with a lot of encouragement from Maggie, he had begun to start dating again (though Daryl wasn't too sure what qualified as 'dating' in this world now). 

What had started out as one  or two couple hour trips outside of the Hilltop to pick up some supplies for the community had gone on to quickly become days spent outside with only each other for company. Daryl had tried and tried to think of some reason that Paul would want to spend his time out there with Aaron instead of him, but he couldn't deny it anymore. 

Daryl had known it would never last. And while he didn't think it would happen like this, he couldn't bring himself to hate Paul for it. 

He tried not to think too hard about it. Daryl wanted to focus on the 14 months that he had been able to have with the man. He was fine on his own. He knew that Dog would follow him anywhere. He would go back to how it was before; build another cabin by the river and being comforted by the rustling of the forest around him instead of having the sound of Paul's slow, deep breaths beside him. But it hurt as he stared at the duffel bag beside the door that held his sparse belongings. 

He should have been gone already. He hadn't bothered to write a note, and he knew that Paul was likely looking forward to having his privacy back inside these walls. 

Daryl had never needed these walls, or these people, or even this trailer. But it had been so good...so good to have someone next to him. He hadn't had that since before the turn, and even then it was never for longer than a couple of weeks. But he didn't need it...he had survived on his own before and now he would do it again. 

He breathed the smell of the trailer in deep, trying to commit it to his memory before picking his duffel up off of the floor. 

He hadn't heard the door open behind him and as he turned he found Paul standing in the doorframe. 

"Daryl?"

He didn't answer, eyes tilted towards the floor. 

"Daryl...what is this?"

Paul had his long hair swept over one shoulder of the long black trench coat. He shrugged the coat off, uncharacteristically throwing it off to the side somewhere. 

"It's fine..." Daryl muttered, still staring at the floor.

He went to zip around Paul but Paul grabbed the duffel strap around Daryl's shoulder, pulling him back inside the trailer and closing the door behind them both and managed to finally catch Daryl's eye. A mixture of confusion and hurt was written across Paul's face, and it made Daryl's heart lurch. He should have left earlier...

"Daryl what...where are you going?"

"It's fine..."

"No! Stop saying that," Paul said before walking across their small living room towards Daryl.

Daryl dropped the bag then, gripping both of Paul's shoulders and pushing him at arms length. 

"Didn't have to sneak 'round y'know," Daryl started, "Y' could've just told me."

"Told you what?"

"Aaron's a good guy..."

"Yeah, I know. That's why we're friends with him. What does that have to do with anything?"

 "Stop, jus' stop," Daryl said. He had started to loose the calm in his voice. He had wanted to get through this without some kind of screaming match, but he guessed that wouldn't be happening, "I know alright. I get it. I know what you've been doin' out there with 'im."

And then Paul looked furious, "You knew and...and...you were just going to do that? You were going to run out on me?"

"What do you want from me Paul. Knew this...thing, wasn't gon' last forever. I just...I at least thought you'd be honest 'bout it."

Paul swiped at the moisture that was now running down his cheek, "You're going to talk to me about honesty while you've got a bag packed at the door? You were just going to go and pretend like nothing's wrong..." Paul let out a shaky breath, and his voice broke as he asked, "Were you even going to tell me why?"

"You're fucking him."

And then Paul's fury was back, "I'm not fucking Aaron! Why would you think that?!"

"Because I ain't blind! He's ten years younger 'n' me an' he ain't been scarred to shit. Y' just spent half o' the week out there an' came back with an empty trunk; so don't fuckin' lie to me!"

"W-...I...I wouldn't do that. I never gave you any reason to think that I would."

"Oh come on..."

"You know what?! Fuck you Daryl! You want to know what I was doing out there with Aaron? Fine, here!" Paul yelled before throwing a small piece of metal against Daryl's chest. 

On reflex, Daryl caught the small piece of metal before it clattered to the ground. He opened his palm to examine the small object: a smooth rose gold ring.

"I wanted it to be a surprise, so I asked Aaron to back me up out there; and it's not like I can just take a bus down to the mall anymore, so yeah, it took a couple of tries to find a one. But I never slept with Aaron. I wouldn't do that, you know that. At least...I though you did. And you your telling me that this is just temporary for you? That you knew it would never last? I care about you and...maybe it was stupid, but I kind of thought you'd fucking care about me too. But if that's all you thought this was t-then maybe you should just go."

Daryl stared dumbfoundedly at the ring, and then up at Paul's face. His cheeks were wet again while angry red-rimmed eyes stared back at him. The ball of guilt sitting behind his ribs felt like it was made of lead. 

"Paul I-I'm..."

"Just get out."  Paul said. Daryl figured the sentence was meant to sound commanding, but the sound of it was barely audible over the buzz of fluorescent lights.  

Paul turned away from him and braced his hands against the dining table, shoulders slumping forward. Daryl cautiously placed one hand on the side of his hip. He waited to see if Paul would bat him away, but he he didn't. Daryl could hear Paul struggling to keep his breathing even as he wrapped his other arm around the smaller man's middle. The hand on his hip went to push away Paul's hair so that he could rest his chin on his shoulder. 

"I'm an asshole," Daryl muttered, "An' I'm sorry I-I fucked up."

Paul didn't say anything, and Daryl took it as his cue to piss off. He untangled himself from Paul's smaller frame and grabbed his bag before leaving the trailer behind. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Daryl had set himself up in the steeple at the top of Barrington house. It was cold and full of spiders, but nowhere near the worst place he had ever slept. After he had found an old bolt of canvas to tack across the one leaking window, the draft could be easily ignored with a thick sleeping bag and an extra pair of socks. 

It had been a solid week since his fight with Paul, and he had yet to set foot back into the trailer. He knew Paul didn't want him there, and if he was being honest, he didn't know if he wanted to be there. He loved Paul...of course he did. But he knew Paul deserved better than some asshole redneck that would do nothing but hurt him in the end. That's what he did wasn't it? He hurt Paul...

No, the best thing he could to now was leave the other man be. 

He had never wanted to hurt Paul...

He was on his way back inside the gates of Hilltop, bow slung over one shoulder and a string of squirrels over the other when he came into view of Aaron's furious gaze.

Daryl had never found the other man particularly intimidating, but that view was sure being challenged as Aaron all but dragged him behind the barn.

"What the hell is going on?!" Aaron hissed, the usual pleasantness in his tone gone. 

Daryl turned to walk away, but Aaron grabbed him by the back of his collar and pushed him back towards the shadow of the barn.

"No, seriously Daryl, what the hell happened between you and Jesus? He said you just moved out last week and haven't spoken to him since."

Daryl scowled, "Sounds like you already know."

"He said you accused him of cheating on you. I mean...what the fuck Daryl?! You really think he's do that? That I'd do that?! For gods sake I-I was married for 14 years. I...why, just why?!"

Daryl shrugged, "Deserves some one who knows what the fuck their doin'."

Aaron stared at him incredulously for a moment before saying, "He deserves someone who's actually willing to talk things out instead of running off! I mean, He just went from getting ready to propose to having his relationship implode out-of-the-blue. And you what...thought he was going to just forget it happened?"

"He should  forget it; forget the whole damn thing. Ain't like it fuckin' no more anyhow..."

"Don't try and bullshit me! I know, and you know; that man loves you, and it is stupid to pretend anything else. You're the one who fucked up here.

"Y' think I don' get it?!" Daryl shouted back, "I know fucked up a'right? Ain't nothin' I could do 'bout it now."

"You know, I don't think you do get it Daryl! I came by to see how the proposal went this morning; you know, while you were out hiding in the fucking woods. Do you even notice that the man is a fucking mess?"

Daryl's guilt kept him silent.

"Now, how I see it, you've got two options: you can march back there and figure this shit out together, or you can keep on acting like an asshole and pretending like you don't give a fuck about him, which we both know is wrong. I think I know which one you should choose."

Daryl took a deep breath, "Got one more thing I got to do first."

________________________________________________________________________________

In the end it took him a couple of hours to complete. 

Going out and finding a copper pipe that would be the right size.

Filing off what he needed to make it.

Rounding off the edges and brushing down the sides. 

It wasn't nearly as nice as the one that Paul had found, but Daryl knew he only had a limited time to do this before Aaron would undoubtable come back to Hilltop to kick his ass seven was to Sunday.

Daryl smacked the flat of his hand against the door to the trailer twice before he heard the knob unlock. Paul was clad in a pair of grey joggers and a black t-shirt that Daryl recognised was his from the tear along the hem. The soft hair that usually framed his face was unwashed and tied in a knot at the back of his head. Paul tried to slam the door closed, muttering a half-hearted 'fuck off Daryl,' but Daryl caught the edge of it with his palm and followed Paul as he retreated back inside the trailer. 

Paul was leaning against the table with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, "If you came by for the rest of your stuff, its in a box in Barrington," He said tersely, "Minus the shirt; that's mine now."

"Whatever y' want."

"Good! Well, there's the door then!

The piercing affect of Paul's glare was intensified by crystalline green of his iris'. It would have been convincing had his waterline not still been a slight shade of red. 

"Jus' talk t' me..."

Paul scoffed, "I'm not the one that's been hiding out in the woods all week."

"C'mon Paul."

"You know what? Fine. You want me to tell you how I've been sneaking off with someone else for weeks? You want me to tell you about all of the sex I've been having since you've been gone? Because it really doesn't matter what I say to you, does it? It's not like you'll believe me anyway. I mean why would you start now right? Because I'm  clearly the one with trust issues here. I went out with Aaron who, like me, is one of the emissaries between Hilltop and Alexandria so its not extatically like I never see him, four a couple of days and you immediately jump to the conclusion that I'm hooking up with him. What, is it because I'm gay? Or do you just think I'm that much of a slut? Because, I hate to break it to you Daryl, but not everyone lives like they've been raised in a covenant. Just because I played the field a little bit in my early 20's doesn't mean I'm going around fucking anything that moves."

"I know."

"And I told you that because I wanted to be honest about it, not because I was trying to...to brag about my number or make you jealous or something. I really didn't think you were going to just throw that back in my face, but hey, I guess I was wrong. After all, I didn't judge you when you told me about your lack of experience, so I guess it was just stupid for me to expect the same treatment!

Daryl hummed in acknowledgement, "Shouldn't've been like tha..."

"No, no! I'm not done here. It's my turn to be a jackass right now. 

Because I'm not the one who accused my boyfriend of being a cheat while he was out trying to figure out a nice way to fucking propose! I-I-I don't know what you want from me. H..." Jesus tried, and failed, to choke back his emotions, "How long were we together Daryl? Thirteen, fourteen months?"

Daryl nodded.

"And how many of those months were just a joke to you?"

Daryl wanted to look away from the evidence of the hurt he had caused running down Paul's cheek, but he forced his eyes to lock with Paul's.

"Was never a joke t' me. It's...It ain't you Paul..."

"It's not you, it's me huh? Really?"

"It's true. Ain't ne'er wanted t' be wit' another man 'fore. Hell I ain't really wanted t' be with anyone 'fore you. None o' them girls my brother sent after me made me want what I want from you."

Paul took a deep breath to calm himself before he asked, "And...what exactly is it that you want from me Daryl? Because I can't keep guessing anymore."

Daryl took a slow step foreword. Then another, waiting to see if Paul would shove him back towards the door of the trailer. But Paul didn't; he just stayed statue still as Daryl lightly wrapped one arm around his hip, "Just want you. Only ever goin' to want you...I'm sorry."

There was a full minute of deafening silence before Paul finally allowed himself to nod his head. Daryl pressed their foreheads together and breathed in Paul's scent, pine and apples underneath which was a musk that was uniquely his. And Paul let his chin lean up so that their noses could brush together lightly. Daryl could feel the heat coming off of Paul's lips, but he pulled back slightly so that he could look Paul in the face. 

"Just one more thing," Daryl began. 

"What is it?"

Daryl reached into his back pocket, his fingers sweating so badly that he almost dropped it before he brought the brushed copper ring between them for Paul to see. 

"Will you mar..."

Then Paul's mouth was against his, his fingers tangling into Daryl's hair. And Daryl could breathe again. He could breathe better in that moment than he ever could have without Paul wrapped up against him.

Daryl pulled back from the kiss, but didn't dare pull his body away from Paul's.

Paul nodded his head quickly, "Yes," He replied before wrestling his left hand free for Daryl to slip the ring on. 

The ring wasn't perfect. It was just slightly too big. There were scratches across the surface from where Daryl had brushed the pattern into it, and there were places where the metal was ever so slightly too sharp; but just like Daryl, it was his and he wanted to take care of it. 

[chuckeroo777]

Fanfics Master Post

Dungeon Meshi:

Laios Got Eaten: AU story where Laios gets eaten instead of Falin.

A Stomach's Gentle Embrace: Softcore smut about Falin's time in the dragon.

Bionicle:

The Chirox Codex: A massive bestiary of reimagined Rahi.

Deltarune:

Vessie's Big Adventure: Deltarune, but the soul has it's own body.

So I'm a Spider, So What?:

Alternate Ending: The ending was way too abrupt, so I wrote my own epilogue.

[theyreunderadumpster]

Everything I read said not to kudos on chapter one of a long form fic and to be happy if you even get one and I am at 6 and all this makes me wonder is if I'm a god?

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

Remember this old thing???

I'm taking a crack at translating it myself.

But I'm already stuck on the first line...

"フ°ロシトです"!???! Mori, please stop using katakana out of nowhere...

[nnsg-manga]

SHAMELES PLUG 4 WATASHIS FANFIC!!

OK so watashi knows i havent updated in lliek... *stares at calender* o_O *covers up calender nervusly* a VERY long time...

SO U CAN READ MY FANFIC INSTEAD!!!!!! (cover art by watashi btw)

its on AO3 and wattpad in case u want 2 read it!

N e ways it wold mean ALOT to watashi if u were interested bcuz im kind of burnt out frum stuff atm and trying 2 get back into writng and wutever

ALSO watashi PROMISES that new updates will be soon-ish so... YAH! READ MY FANFIC PLZ IT GIVES ME LIFE!!!!!! :D

[selfish-wanderer]

Record of Isekai

Crossovers are going to be the death of me. Not many things make me feel the same as pairing two universes that mingle well (and sometimes that don’t) and seeing something wonderful come out of it.

But how about 10+ series? Following the Record of Ragnarok formula is possible, and I need people talking about this.

Summary

Existence was made up by several universes, endless worlds connected with each other. Normally independent from each other, one day, the divinity of each world came together and decided the fate of those that are transported and reborn to new worlds: Erasure. Yet thanks to a certain Valkyrie, they would get a fighting chance! Thirteen against thirteen, in a battle called Ragnarok! Gods, divine and similar would face the mortals in one against one duels! Will the divine get what they want or will the mortals defy fate itself?

Review

First and foremost, aside from being a crossover fan, I must admit that I really like the isekai genre. A fat chunk of it is trash, don’t get me wrong. But we don’t always need a gourmet dish to satiate our hunger. Sometimes the shitty burger with more grease than actual nutritious content is just the thing we’re craving.

But I digress. Why am I talking about Record of Isekai?

Well, obviously because it’s fun. It’s well-written. There’s obviously a lot of thought going into each fight, but most importantly it doesn’t suffer from the same problem that the canon RoR suffers.

If you read Record of Isekai, it’s probably because you liked RoR and at least know some of the fighters that are going to be on the human side. Characters like the isekai quartet, Rudeus Greyrat, and Cid Kagenou have all been gathered to fight for the right to jump between worlds and to continue existing no matter what the gods say. And that’s perfect for the story that this fanfic is trying to tell.

We know these character, or at least have an idea of who they are. The story doesn’t dwell too much in their backstories because of this, and the pacing doesn’t suffer as result. Furthermore, the gods that fight are also from other series that people can recognize and be surprised by. And as result, each outcome is all the more impactful. You cheer for these guys to win, even if you don’t like their series, because the gods they’re pinned against really test their might. The OP pls nerf factor of isekai MCs is effectively nullified as they enter the arena. The bleakness feels even worse because you know most of those characters could probably fight toe to toe with RoR gods.

So if you like the premise or isekai or crossovers, go give this story a shot. You can find it on Space Battles and AO3. I won’t say anything else because it could spoil the battles. I’ll only tag with the series I remember seeing.

And don’t forget to support the author, if you want. It’s a great story and I honestly don’t want it to get dropped. Hope this post helps spread the word!

[red-bap330]

[jahaliel]

the voyage is done

how many times can a heart break in the middle of a war

as you watch them fight like they never fought for you your rose tinted glasses shattered when you were young

(at ten fighting someone else’s war at fourteen, sixteen, fighting to live)

they still wear them standing strong acting like nothing’s wrong how many times can a heart break in the middle of a war?

@stereden  <3

[frayaziwriter]

I'm A Spider - Wait, What?

Chapter 4

While Rimuru was busy gathering the ‘troops’, you decided to split off and set up defenses with your webs.

First came a series of traps. You’re not sure how strong a Direwolf’s sense of smell is, but you’re hoping the natural smell of the earth and plants will cover up any scents from you or your webs. And if they end up smelling through the covers, then a whole bunch of traps will slow them down. It should give you enough time to finish up the village’s defenses.

You dug up pits and placed covers made from plants and sticks that were held together with a little bit of your Sticky Thread. Next, you shoved all of the extracted rock and dirt from the pits into web nets. You attached those to trip wires and hid them in the branches above.

Then you placed nets under more leafy covers to catch unsuspecting wolves and trap them high in the air. And finally, you cut down a few trees and stripped them of all branches before stringing them up to trip wires and securing them to trees and boulders. The pack of Direwolves was coming from the east, so you placed all of these traps everywhere you could think in that direction in the hopes that at least one of them would be sprung.

It was mid-morning when you started, but by the time you were finished, the sun was setting. 

‘Okay, I think that should do it.’ You thought, gazing over the last of the traps. You had started further into the forest and made your way back to the village as you placed them. ‘Rimuru! The traps are all set!’

‘Is that why you disappeared?! Nice thinking!’ You skittered back inside the village gates. ‘Things here are going...smoothly. Well, as smooth as it can go with untrained and terrified Goblins.’

Rimuru turned from his spot on a rock, the elder and his son beside him. In front of him laid a map. “Hey! Mind showing where you placed the traps?”

The elder gasped. “Miss Spider, did you really? Thank you!” You waved a claw around. ‘Of course, I did. It’s a smart thing to do, and I can make traps. Oh, speaking of which..’ You turned your attention to the map and placed a claw delicately on the paper. ‘So, they’re coming from the east, right? I didn’t know where exactly they would come from, so I placed traps pretty much everywhere. If they don’t fall for them, then they’ll at least be slowed down. It should give us more time to prepare.’

“Nice work!” Rimuru hopped happily in his place. You perked up and clapped your forelegs together with a clang. “We’ve been fortifying the village with a fence while you were gone. Think you can help me out with some Steel Thread?”

‘Of course! Let’s go!’ <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

The moon was high in the sky by the time the wolves arrived.

You had perched yourself on the gate as soon as the sun went down, looking out to the forest for any sign of the pack. The Goblins stood behind the fence with Rimuru waiting just outside the gate.

An hour after the sun disappeared from view, an echoing, yelping howl pierced the air. The Goblins whimpered in fear. You reached out a claw and delicately set it upon an invisible string, one of many Steel Threads connecting to the traps you had laid hours earlier. They were situated up high in the treetops to avoid detection by the Direwolves.

If you could grin, you would be sporting one of the feral kind.

‘A trap has been sprung.’ A gasp rose from the crowd. Rimuru nodded, turning back to the Goblins. “Everyone, keep your wits about you! I want you all to stay vigilant no matter how far off they are!”

“YES, LORD RIMURU!”

The next few hours passed like this. A howl of pain or shock would echo through the forest, followed shortly by vibration on an invisible string. You would keep a careful eye as the wolves made their way to the village and update your friend on the wolves’ whereabouts. ‘Rimuru, it seems like they’re taking the direct route. All of the strings in that direction keep vibrating.’

‘Did you put enough traps there?’ You nodded. ‘Of course, I did. The direct route has the most traps.’  

Rimuru hummed. ‘How far out are they?’ A string was plucked, a howl rose, and you hissed. ‘They’re close now. About thirty minutes.’

He sighed, melting a little. ‘Good. Thanks.’

‘Of course!’

And then the wolves arrived forty minutes later. 

You could see their forms bounding through the underbrush and appearing over crests of small hills. ‘They’re here everyone. Get ready!’ The Goblins jolted. “Wh-What?” The elder’s son exclaimed. “Where are they? I can’t see them!” You glanced down at them. ‘They can’t? Then how come I can?’

[Answer; the Jorogomo species have adapted to caves with little to no light. Giant Spiders can see in darkness just as well as they can in light. This is the {Skill; Night Vision}.]

‘Oh. Right, forgot about that. So that means they can’t see very well right now. That makes this whole situation much more dangerous.’ You huffed. ‘Rimuru?’

‘Yeah?’

‘I can see the wolves, but the Goblins can’t. This is dangerous. We should send them deeper into the village.’ Rimuru nodded. ‘Good idea.’

Suddenly, the wolves stopped advancing. You could feel their gazes piercing you and you let out a soft hiss. ‘They stopped. What do we do?’

Rimuru bounced forward. “Turn back now, and nobody gets hurt! This is your only warning!” He called out. You almost smacked your claw against your face again. ‘Seriously? That’s all you’re going to do?’ The Slime flinched back from you. ‘W-Well...’

A howl broke out, and suddenly the pack of wolves was tearing over the grassy hills. You hopped down from the gate and brandished your claws. You and Rimuru stood on either side of the gate, purposefully drawing their attention to you. ‘You ready, (Y/N)?’

‘Ready as I’ll ever be!’

‘Then let’s get this party started!’

The first wave of wolves yelped and fell to the ground with whimpers as they ran into the final two lines of defense.

-“So, the plan is to tire them out and whittle their numbers down with traps laid throughout the forest,” Rimuru called out to the surrounding Goblins. Behind him, you scuttled about on a board of wood Rimuru helped you make. A huge handmade map was tacked to it, and as he spoke, you tapped the areas where the traps were, “Then if they get through the traps, we’ll hit them with arrows and a skill we call Steel Threads.”

You scurry to the other side of the map where the village was drawn and tapped the ink fence. “I want you all to stay behind the fence.” The Goblins nodded along, but the elder’s son raised his hand. “And if they get through it?”

“They won’t. Trust us.” Your friend reassured him, yet you could see the doubt crossing the Goblins’ faces. You hopped down next to Rimuru and hissed.

The Goblins turned to you. ‘We spent weeks in the Sealed Cave using this skill against giant monsters who wanted to eat us. You can trust the plan; the Steel Threads will hold.’

Rimuru nodded beside you. “Exactly what she said! Those wolves won’t know what hit them!”

A cheer rose in the huddled Goblins at this. You nudged Rimuru, who nudged you back, in relief. You managed to motivate and reassure your new people. Great. Now all you had to do is execute the plan.

Shouldn’t be too hard.-

Blood dripped from the thin strings, and the rest of the first wave of wolves were shot down with arrows from the Goblins. You clicked your chelicerae together in your new form of a grin.

The plan was going smoothly.

A new set of thoughts infiltrated your mind, and you assumed the pack leader was using Thought Communication. ‘What’s that?’ Rimuru was kind enough to answer him. “It’s our skills; Steel Thread!”

‘This is your doing?!’ Rimuru wiggled, puffing himself up. “That’s right!”

The pack leader growled. ‘A puny monster dares to attack us?! I will squash you like a bug!’ And with that, he lunged forward, biting through the taut strings. You screeched in indignation. ‘Pot, meet kettle!’ You twirled your forelegs around some loose strings you made just for this and tugged.

With a growl, the pack leader pounced on Rimuru, but he was caught mid-air. Rimuru wobbled in place. ‘Thanks, (Y/N)! That was perfectly timed!’ You nodded.

The wolf struggled, growling. “And that’s Sticky Thread.” You hissed while the leader continued to struggle against your strings. ‘This won’t...stop me!’

‘Yes, it will.’ You tightened the strings with a light tug. The wolf growled in response. ‘Not even you can escape a spider’s trap when it’s sprung.’

‘Damn you, bug!’ You clicked. ‘Not a bug. I’m a badass Jorogomo. Get it straight.’  

Another wolf, this one with a star pattern on its forehead, cried out. ‘Father!’ Rimuru and you glanced at each other. “You know, this isn’t a fight you’ll win easily. You have family, a pack to look after. Do you really want to lose everything just for some village?” The Direwolf leader snarled. ‘I’d rather die than back down now!’

The remaining wolves howled at the words of their leader, and they bounded toward the village. Rimuru sighed. “Fine, then.” And then a razor-sharp blade of water sliced off the leader’s head. 

You watched blood spray everywhere before the head slowly dropped to the ground, bouncing once. The wolves stopped in the pursuit and all was quiet for a moment. While Rimuru quietly made his way to the head, you let go of the Sticky Threads and allowed the body to fall. A loud growl rose from the ranks of the Direwolves.

“Listen up, Direwolves,” Rimuru shouted across the field to the remaining pack members. “Your boss has been slain! I’ll give you two choices, you can submit or you can die!”

Silence. Then, the one with the star pattern stepped forward with a growl. ‘You killed my father, our pack leader! Submitting without a fight means dishonor on my father’s soul!’

...You gotta admit, that was pretty fucking metal.

And then the wolves rushed forward. Rimuru darted forward, slurping up the dead wolf’s body while you readied more Sticky Threads. The wolves pounced and you pulled on the strings. Each one was snared almost instantly, yelping as the strings tightened on their bodies.

...Despite the cool-ass line Star Wolf spouted, it was kinda lame how they all got captured instantly..

The wolves howled and snarled, snapping their jaws at the two of you. Rimuru glowed and a black mist overtook him. It dissipated and out stepped another Direwolf. The real wolves quieted down and your Slime friend let out a growl. ‘Hear me! I will show you mercy just this once! If you refuse to yield to me, then I’ll allow you the chance to turn tail and run!” And with that, he opened his newly acquired maw and roared.

The sound washed over the wolves, buffetting their coats. It ended up loosening the strings holding them up, and they all fell to the ground. You watched as they impressively stood their ground against Rimuru’s menacing roar and slowly crept closer.

Just as he paused to take a breath, all the wolves laid down with their heads on their paws and their tails tucked as close to the ground as they possibly could.

‘WE YIELD. OUR PACK WILL NOW SERVE YOU.’

You plopped down onto your stomach. ‘Yaaaay, we won.. God, I’m starving. Can we celebrate?’

“That’s it?” The elder Goblin muttered. “We won? Just like that?” Rimuru reverted to his original form and landed with a bounce. “Yup! All’s good in the Goblin hood!”

And then a cheer rose up in the Goblin village, and all the Goblins dropped their weapons and embraced each other in relief. You turned to Rimuru and poked him. ‘I’m hungry. We should get some food. Celebration time.’

“Good idea. Hey, wolves!” You saw their ears perk up. “You said you’ll serve me, right? Well then, the first order of business! Mind hunting something real quick? We’re going to celebrate our newfound peace! You’re welcome to join in.”

Star Wolf raised his head. ‘You would welcome us into your homes even though we came to kill you all?’ Rimuru tilted his body. “Uh? Yeah? Now that you serve me, you’re a part of our village. This is the beginning of a new friendship despite the rocky start! It makes sense for you lot to join in on our celebrations from now on. Besides, you must be hungry after all that fighting!” Star Wolf’s tail slowly started wagging. ‘T-Thank you.. You are so kind. Right!’ He stood up and howled. ‘We shall go and hunt something for this celebration! Let’s go, pack!’

‘Hold up!’ You raise a claw, still splayed out on your stomach. The wolves paused and turned to you. ‘There are some wolves stuck in traps, right? I’ll come with you to free them.’

Star Wolf’s tail wagged harder. ‘Thank you, little spider! Then let us be off!’ He darted forward to gently pick you up before placing you on his back. With one last howl, the pack with you clutching tightly to Star Wolf’s fur ran back into the forest to rescue their pack members and hunt something for the impromptu celebration.

‘Holy crap, slow down! I’m about to fall off! Woaaaah!’ <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

The night was a beautiful one.

The stars were shining bright and the moon was a beautiful shade of silver. 

It was peaceful. But then it wasn’t.

Screams rang out as fire engulfed homes. The people ran, sprinting away from the chaos while the warriors stayed to fight. But it was futile. Orcs in metal armor broke through their hastily made lines and slaughtered all they came across. Soon, there was no one left.

Only a small group of six escaped in the night.

Their eyes hardened in their grief and anguish as they watched their homes and people burn to the ground. 

And when they left, they swore blood. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

The next day, Rimuru had everyone gather together. He stared out at the sea of wolves and Goblins and hummed.

You and the village elder stood on either side of the block of wood he sat upon. You were busy cleaning your claws of grime when Rimuru spoke up. “Listen up, everyone!” All the Goblins and wolves perked up, turning to him as a hush fell over the group. “Okay! Here’s what we’re going to do about the living situation! I’m gonna have you all pair up!”

Murmurs broke out among the crowd at this. Rimuru tilted his body to the side as he inspected them. “You seem confused..”

“We’re not sure what you mean by the term ‘pair up’, Lord Rimuru.” The elder cut in with a confused smile on his face. “Ah! I see. You’ll form groups of two.” More murmurs. You raised a now clean foreleg and trilled.

‘Oh! You mean the Goblins and wolves will live and work together in groups of two, right? For bonding?’ Rimuru bounced in place while the crowd shared looks and murmurs. “Exactly! To fully integrate the Direwolf pack into our village and to provide protection!” You tapped your claws together. ‘We could probably make a guard with these pairs later on! Or maybe a hunting party!’ The crowd gasped, quickly agreeing to both you and Rimuru.

“Alright! Yesterday’s enemy is today’s friend! From this day forward, I want you all to work together and get along. Got it?”

“YES!” 

Rimuru nodded once in satisfaction. “So, help each other out and have each other’s backs! Anyway, moving on. Next, we’ll need to figure out food, shelter, and clothing. We should form teams to hunt and gather food, build new houses, and probably get some people to work on strengthening the village’s defenses.”

‘Oh! I can head the building or defense party!’ You say, sticking your claw up. “Great! Thanks, bud!” Then Rimuru turned back to the crowd. “Then let’s start with... Yo elder, do you guys have names or what?” The elder Goblin shook his head. 

“Well, it’s very unusual for monsters to have names, but even without names we can still communicate our thoughts to one another.”

‘So that’s a ‘no’.’

“Ohh, that’s cool..” You snorted at that. “Still though, it’ll be easier if you all had names, so if it’s okay with you guys, I think I’ll just give you some.” At this, the crowd gasped, murmurs breaking out. Even the elder whipped his head around to stare incredulously at Rimuru. “Wait, really?! But, are you certain you want to give us all a name?”

“Uh. Yeah?” And the crowd went ballistic. You flinched back at the sheer volume of the celebrating monsters. ‘U-Um. Chiron, why are they so excited?’

[Answer; Naming others is a dangerous process. Once the individual known as “Rimuru Tempest” Names a monster in a Master-Subordinate bond, a large number of magicules will be transferred from his body to theirs. This is dangerous because monsters primarily live on magicules. If monsters run out, they will die.]

‘..Oh. Oh, shit!’ You tap a claw on Rimuru’s gelatinous body. ‘Rimuru, buddy, are you sure this is a good idea?’ The Slime nodded. ‘Uh, yeah. Why?’

‘It’s just...Chiron says this is a dangerous process.’ Rimuru paused. ‘Did it say anything else?’ You shrugged. ‘Um, monsters run on magicules, run out you’ll die, and a Master-Subordinate bond will require your magicules. I think that’s it?’

‘I see.’ Rimuru shook his head. ‘But I can’t take back my word now. I’ll name them until I need a break, okay?’ You hissed. ‘You better be careful.’

‘Got it!’ He turned back to the celebrating monsters for a moment. ‘Hey, you implied there’s more than one kind of bond.’ You clicked your claws together. ‘I did? Huh.’

Rimuru was silent for a moment. You both watched as the Goblins and wolves slowly calmed down. ‘Great Sage says there is more than one kind. There’s something called ‘Equal Naming’.’ You tilted your head and he turned back to you. “I’d like to Name you first. Do you accept?”

Flinching, you chirp. ‘What? Me, too?!’ The smaller monster huffed. “Well, yeah. We’re friends, right? Of course, I wanna Name you!”

The elder’s son cut in. “Alright, everyone! Let’s make a line after Miss Spider!” You panicked as the Goblins all excitedly ran behind you, tripping over themselves on the way. Glancing behind you, you let out a sigh. ‘I guess I don’t really have a choice but to accept, huh? Alright, friend. Name me.’ The Goblins and wolves cheered at your answer and you all watched with bated breath as Rimuru pondered over a fitting name.

“How about, ‘(Y/N) Anansi’?” You shrugged. ‘Sure, why not?’

And then you gasped as a golden light started emitting from your body and an indescribable feeling engulfed you. It sounded absolutely crazy, but it was almost as if the name your dear friend gifted you had stamped itself across your very soul. Like, a brand or a tattoo announcing to the whole world who you were exactly. It was..surreal..

The monsters behind you cheered once again. Crawling to the side, you inspect yourself.

‘Well? How do you feel?’ You trilled. ‘Different, but also not. Stronger? Yeah, definitely stronger.’

“Alright! Next!” The elder and his son ended up being after you, and you silently watched on as they became Rigurd and Rigur the Second respectively. You clapped your claws together respectively when the two bowed to Rimuru in thanks.

Then the Goblins were done and Named. You cheered along with the Goblins off to the side, carefully throwing your claws up with them.

But then it was the wolves’ turn. You watched carefully as Rimuru went through name ideas for Star Wolf, who was front and center. You had noticed he was starting to melt a little, so you stuck close by his side. “From now on, you’ll be Ranga!” The wolf started glowing and his tail wagged back and forth. ‘Ranga..’

And then what you feared was going to happen, happened. Rimuru cried out as his body completely melted into a puddle. 

Cries rose out as the monsters surrounding you all panicked. Smacking a claw over your face, you jumped onto Ranga’s back and shrieked. ‘Hold up! No panicking! Let’s all just calm down and think rationally!’

“B-But, Lady (Y/N)-” Rigur the Second stammered, and you pointed a claw at him.

‘First off, just ‘(Y/N)’ is fine. Second, to help Rimuru best we need clear minds. So calm down! Panicking is not going to help anyone!’ The monsters glanced at each other before nodding. “RIGHT!”

You jumped off of Ranga’s back. ‘Sorry about that, Ranga.’

‘It is fine!’ He replied, his tail wagging. You trill at the adorable sight before skittering back over to Rimuru. Poking him once, then twice, you groaned. ‘He’s out. I doubt he’ll be waking anytime soon, too.’

“But, what if he’s dead?” A Goblin girl, Haruna, if you remember correctly, asked. You quickly shot that down. ‘No! We are not thinking about that! Positive thoughts only!’

You couldn’t help but mentally scold yourself. You’re starting to sound like a hypocrite..

-“Ah, come on, (Y/N)!” The nurse before you rolled her eyes as she checked up on you. “Happy thoughts only. How are you going to get healthy with an attitude like that?”-

You shook the memory away and turned to Rigur. ‘First thing first. Is there a hut or something where we can put him in for the time being?’ Rigur snapped to attention and nodded. “Y-Yes, ma’am!” You nodded. ‘Good. Let’s get him in there.’  

Some Goblins came forward to help you scoop up the puddle that was Rimuru and move him to the hut Rigur lead you all to. And then you gathered everyone back up and hopped onto the stump Rimuru previously inhabited. Everyone stood at attention as soon as you got yourself situated. ‘Okay, now that that’s dealt with, let’s move on.’

You glanced around at the crowd. ‘Rimuru is currently incapacitated, but it doesn’t mean we can slack off. We still need to organize our hunting, building, and defense parties. I’ll be the head of the building party. Who volunteers for the hunting?’

A hand went up and you pointed a leg at them. ‘Okay, good! You come up here. And who wants to be head of defense?’ Rigur’s hand shot up and you gestured for him to join you. ‘Alright! We got three party heads set up! For the rest of you, I want you all to choose which party you would like to join! No one is allowed to skip out on helping, either! You work or you don’t eat. We don’t currently have the luxury to slack off, so I expect all of you to work as best you can until Rimuru awakens. Understood?’

“YES MA’AM!”

‘Alright, let’s get to work!’ <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

It was later that day when it happened.

You were eating dinner with everyone at the center of the village when a wave of exhaustion hit you like a tidal wave. The slab of meat slipped from your claws and you fell over to one side. Thankfully, you managed to catch yourself before you could faceplant in someone’s lap, but that still garnered attention.

‘Lady (Y/N)?’ Ranga, who you were sitting next to at the time, whined, drawing attention to you. ‘Are you alright?’

‘Y-Yeah, yeah. I’m okay.’

[Notice; evolution requirements met. You are now evolving into a Greater Taratect. Congratulations. Suggestion; find safe place.]

‘Ah, shit.’ You abruptly got to your feet and tried scurrying away to Rimuru’s hut. “A-Ah! Lady (Y/N), what’s wrong?” A Goblin called out just as another wave of exhaustion washed over you. You stumbled even as you threw a, ‘I’m fine!’ over your shoulder. “You’re obviously not, Lady (Y/N)!” That was Rigur. He jumped to his feet and raced over to you. “What is it?!”

[Notice; evolution is now commencing. Notice; you have gained new skills.]

And the world turned black once again. You are really starting to hate evolving. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

‘Passive..breathing?’

Why would you need passive breathing? You’re dying, for god’s sake, what use will that be for you now? You have so many questions.. What will the afterlife be like? Will you go to heaven or hell? Is there even an afterlife?

Man, you wish dying can come with a manual or something. Maybe a teacher or a guide? Like Chiron or Kharon from the Greek myths! There are so many questions you need answered. You hope whoever or whatever helps you across doesn’t mind the maelstrom of queries you’ll hit them with.. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

When you awoke once more, the sun was up. 

You groaned and slowly stood up, shaking off the molted exoskeleton. ‘Dammit. Whyyy?’

[Answer; you have evolved into a Greater Taratect. Congratulations. Notice; you have gained new skills.]

‘..Fine. Let’s do it. What are they?’

[Notice; you have acquired the {Skill; Antidote}. This skill gives you the ability to create healing potions out of your venom. They are strictly for venom-related injuries, regardless of what kind it is. You have also acquired the {Skill; Predator’s Sense}. This skill senses those with ill intentions in a limited area. Congratulations.]

‘Wow, that’s..really useful. Like, really really useful. Thanks!’ You chirp back before shaking out your legs. Your stomach growled and you froze. ‘..I guess first things first. Food.’

And with that, you left the little hut you were placed in. You stopped just outside the doorway and stared. Everything felt...smaller. Must be because you grew again. You were only to Rigurd’s hips before you evolved; now you’re eye-level with his shoulders! And your backside is much taller than your head, so you’re even bigger than you thought!

Speaking of Rigurd, you could see the elder talking to some other Goblins. You skittered over to him. ‘Hey, Rigurd.’

The old man jumped and whirled around. If you had eyebrows, they would have shot up at the sight of him.

Rigurd was different now. He had more hair, some liver spots on his head had disappeared, and he no longer needs a cane to walk. And when he spoke, his voice wasn’t as shaky. “Lady (Y/N)! You’re awake! Oh, I’m so glad you’re alright!” You let out a soft trill. ‘Ah, thank you. I’m fine now, I just evolved. It’s not a..fun process for me... Hey, you called me ‘lady’ again.’

“I cannot call you just by your name, my lady! It would be rude to call someone so important to our lord by anything else!” Rigurd replied. You..decided to let it go for now. The elder swiftly led you to the center of the village. “Are you hungry? You’ve been out for a full day, it’s just after breakfast so there should be some food leftover.”

‘Mmm, food..’ Your stomach growled at the reminder and the elder laughed at the sound. “I hear you’re hungry! Good! You’ll be happy to learn that while you and Lord Rimuru were unconscious, we’ve been working as best as we could!” You chittered. ‘With breaks, I presume?’

“Yes, with breaks! We took your words to heart the other day and have been taking fifteen-minute breaks every two hours!” You nodded. ‘That’s good. Has Rimuru woken yet?’

Rigurd shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. It’s been two days and he has yet to show any signs of waking.” Lowering your head in disappointment, you groaned. ‘I see.’

“Lady (Y/N)!” You perked up at the sound of your name and turned to see the hunting party arrive. Many of the Goblins were beaming at the sight of you. One Goblin who you recognize as Rigur hopped off his wolf and jogged over to you. “You’re awake! Good morning!” You trilled out a happy noise and rocked side to side. ‘Good morning! It feels so good to be awake.’

Gobta, another Goblin, came up behind him and nervously looked you over. “Y-You sure got b-big.. You’re a bit b-bigger than one of the w-wolves...” 

‘Yup! I evolved into a Greater Taratect! That was why I passed out like that. Sorry if I worried you.’ Rigurd and Rigur jumped to reassure you while Gobta frowned. “So, what exactly are you again?”

You tilt your head to the side. ‘A Jorogumo, like the Obsi - sorry, Black Spiders in the Sealed Cave.’ Your chelicerae clicked together as you thought. ‘Why?’ Gobta waved his hands around.

“N-Nothing much, I was just curious. It does explain why you’re so..big and s-scary lookin’..”

Ah. Right. You glanced down at your clawed legs and imagined what your face might look like. Actually, you have no clue. In your past life, you’ve never seen a spider up close before, and you haven’t seen a mirror or clear water to look into here.. But even so, you must be scary for Goblins since you’re a spider bigger than them. A thought hit you and you tried to discreetly back up from the three Goblins.

“Gobta!” Rigurd was saying. “Don’t just say things like that! It may come off as rude!”

His son nodded frantically. “And Lady (Y/N) is a lady, after all! It’s rude to comment on a lady’s size!” Poor Gobta fearfully glanced between the two, looking like he regretted every single decision he’s made up to this point.

‘No, it’s fine!’ You raise a claw before abruptly placing it back down. ‘He helped me realize I’m probably rather scary to you Goblins, so I apologize if I am.’

“Not at all!” Rigur exclaimed, his father nodding along. You felt like smiling. ‘Thank you, but I still might be to others.’ The two deflated and you gently nudged them with your abdomen in an effort to show your gratitude. ‘Well, I’m off. I’m going to eat then get straight to work! Buh-bye!’

And then you headed to eat. 

The three Goblins were left silent for a only moment before Rigurd reached over and smacked the top of Gobta’s head. “You should be ashamed of yourself. You made the lady self-conscious!”

“S-Sorry! Sorry!” <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

The next day was when Rimuru finally woke up from his impromptu nap.

You knew he did because Ranga ended up blowing his hut away by just wagging his tail. (You weren’t quite sure if you should squeal at the cuteness or be afraid of his strength.) Unfortunately, this also sent Rimuru flying. You ended up having to use your Double Jump skill to catch him.

He landed on your back, his body sticking onto you as it did to that rock back in the Sealed Cave. You let out a high trilling noise. ‘Heya, Rimuru! Welcome back to the land of the living!’

‘(Y/N)! Thanks for catching me!’

‘Of course!’ And then you were landing. It wasn’t exactly a smooth landing, but neither of you got hurt, so you’re counting it as a win. (Thank god you have fall damage protection now! In your past life, that would have seriously injured, if not outright killed you! You know you’ve cursed the god that decided it was a good idea to put you in a spider’s body before, but now you’re praising their decision.)

The Goblins cheered when the dust cleared enough for the two of you to be seen. One of them even ran forward to grab Rimuru right off your back and toss him up like a beachball while the wolves howled their delight. 

Later, when they all settled down, you managed to pry Rimuru away so he could have a moment to breathe. ‘You okay, bud?’ You thought as he hopped onto your back. 

‘Could be better. Everyone evolving all of a sudden threw me for a loop.’ You shook your head. ‘Oh, it wasn’t quite sudden. They’ve been steadily changing over the past three days. I’m the only one who evolved suddenly. Scared the bejesus out of everyone, but not as much as you had.’

‘I see - wait, THREE DAYS?!’ Rimuru melted a little. ‘I was out for three whole days?!’ You nodded, skittering away from the group of happy wolves and Goblins. ‘Yup. You’re the worst, you left me and Rigurd in charge! I thought I was gonna die of anxiety!’

Rimuru patted your back with a little hand of slime. ‘That’s how I feel every time I have to be a leader with these people. Welcome to my world.’

You huffed in frustration. ‘Yeah, well, you got some practice in your last life. I haven’t had any!’

‘Master, Lady (Y/N).’ The two of you jumped at the sound of Ranga’s voice. The wolf, who now had a horn sticking out of his star mark, bowed his head at the two of you. “Oh, hey Ranga! What’s up?”

‘It is a relief to see you both in good health and conscious.’ You spotted his tail starting to wag and stepped back a little. ‘I heard you needed a moment away from the celebration, Master?’

You perked up and reached back to grab your friend. “H-Hey, (Y/N)! What are you-?”

‘You heard right, Ranga! Here! Take him and go. You’re doing me a massive favor, thanks!’ The wolf bowed his head to allow you easy access to his back. Placing Rimuru down on his white and purple fur, you waved and backed up. ‘Now I can go wrangle those Goblins back into work! Bye!’

And then you marched off to drag the newly evolved Goblins to work, leaving Rimuru and Ranga alone. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Rimuru gathered everyone in the center of the village when he returned from his outing with the wolves.

He sat upon his usual stump with Ranga laying to his right, Rigurd standing confidently to his left, and you right behind him cleaning your legs of grime once again. You all waited for the Goblins and wolves to settle down to start the meeting. You paused. Why were you having a meeting, though?

Rimuru had decided to place a fuzzy white thing on his ‘face’ before the other monsters had arrived as a sort of joke, which you had responded to by trying to convince him that he would only end up embarrassing himself.

So, once everyone had quieted down, he spoke in a rather old and weary voice. One you’d think an old man would speak with. (You tried not to look at Rigurd at this thought.)

“Right. It took five whole minutes for everyone to settle down and stop gabbing.” Silence greeted him. You lowered your head, shaking it slightly in disappointment. 

‘I told you, but you didn’t listen.’

“Lord Rimuru?” Rigurd and Ranga turned to look at the Slime. “What’s that on your face?” He shook whatever it was off with a blush and responded with, “Nothing. What’s on your face?!” You would’ve rolled your eyes at that comment. ‘Real mature, bud. Real mature.’

‘Shush.’ You snickered, the sound coming out as a hissing trill. “Anyways, as you can all see, we’re a big happy family now. In order to avoid complications, I think we should set a few ground rules.”

You hummed. ‘Oh?’

“RULES?!” The assembled monsters glanced at one another. Rimuru formed a small hand, holding up only three of the slimy ‘fingers’. “There are three rules. Please do your best to follow them. First; no attacking humans.” You churr as you finish cleaning yourself. You figured that one makes sense, considering you’re barely even a village. Humans were notorious for absolutely demolishing something if it hurt one of their own back on Earth, so you doubt much has changed in this world of magic.

“Second; no fighting amongst yourselves.” Again, that makes sense. If you grow bigger as a village, fighting would only lead to disaster if it’s not nipped in the bud early on. “Third; no belittling other races. That’s it!” You remembered racism back on Earth and are suddenly glad that Rimuru does as well. That would have been bad if both of you forgot..

Rigur rose his hand after a brief moment of confused murmuring. “Sir?”

“Yes? You have a question?” Rimuru points to him with his slime hand. “Is there a reason we’re not allowed to attack the humans?”

He flinched when Rigurd scolded him, “How dare you question him!” You carefully place a claw on his shoulder as Rimuru waved him down. “Calm down, Rigurd, it’s fine. It’s simple, really. It’s just because I like humans. That’s all.”

That was such a lie..

But Rigur bought it. Then again, you were the only one to know of Rimuru’s true origins, so you supposed you can’t really blame him. (You did find that particular lie to be hilarious.)

“Okay then!” Rigur smiled at him from his spot front and center. “Makes perfect sense!” Ohh, he’s a sunshine child, wasn’t he? Rimuru spluttered at the beaming smile for a moment before composing himself. “Another thing is, humans typically live in large groups and if you mess with them they might retaliate against us. If they were to come after us in earnest, I doubt we could handle them. Besides, getting along with them is beneficial to us, too!” At this, everyone nodded in agreement. “Are there any other questions?”

Gobta stood up with his arm outstretched. “Me!” Rimuru quickly allowed him to answer. “When you say, ‘Don’t belittle other races,’ what’s that mean?”

The Slime tilted to the side. “Well, you all have gotten stronger by evolving, right? It means you shouldn’t let that go to your head and use that strength to push others around.” As he spoke, you nodded vigorously behind him. “It’s not fair to think you’re better than they are. Besides, what if they get stronger one day and choose to start pushing you around?”

“We understand you, sir!” Thank god for that. You stretched out your legs as Rimuru closed up the assembly by giving Rigurd the title of ‘Goblin Lord’. You watched the Hobgoblin fall to his knees with tears of happiness streaming down his face, clapping politely with your clawed legs. 

Afterward, the food and lookout teams went out to work while the building team stayed behind with Rimuru supervising.

Unfortunately, that means he’ll witness the absolute disgrace of a house you and your team created. You were certain that if you could do so, you would be crying rivers of shame over this house. “Are you sure that’s a house?” The Slime asked as the ‘house’ rocked back and forth unsteadily. You and Rigurd flinched, you lowering your face into your claws and Rigurd looking everywhere that wasn’t Rimuru.

Then the house fell apart.

Rigurd scratched his neck and mumbled to himself. “Well, this is most embarrassing.”

‘I am so ashamed as a spider.. Forgive me..’

“...Regarding the clothing problem.. I just think we need more coverage is all!” You didn’t want to know why his voice was so strained. Nope. Don’t wanna. Rigurd cleared his throat. “We don’t have anyone skilled at making clothes..” Rimuru turned back to the two of you. “If you can’t make them, then couldn’t you just buy them somewhere?”

Gobta, who was passing through at that moment, cut in. “Oh! There are some people we trade with now and then!” Rigurd snapped his fingers and frantically turned to him. “Not only do they have some people who can make us clothing, but they might also have somebody who knows a bit about building houses as well!”

‘We’ll be saved from this utter embarrassment?’ You quietly ask, face still firmly glued to your forelegs, and Rigurd placed a comforting hand on your abdomen. “Hopefully, yes.”

Rimuru nodded once. “Well, we aren’t getting anywhere this way, so maybe we should go see them? Who are these people?” 

The elder crossed his arms. “I’m referring to the Dwarves who live in Dwargon.” This brought you out of your little hidey-hole in your forelegs. You whipped your gaze up to stare incredulously at Rigurd as Rimuru promptly (and reasonably) freaked out. ‘Of course, it’s the Dwarves. Can’t be a fantasy land without Dwarves.’

“Then, I’ll travel to Dwargon on our behalf!” Rimuru announced, and you whipped your gaze from Rigurd to him. “Rigurd, (Y/N), are you guys cool with looking after the village while I’m away?”

At this, Rigurd snapped to attention and shouted, “Yes! Rest assured that everything is safe with me and my muscles!” as he slowly flexed his arms. Rimuru turned to you next, and you groaned. ‘Fine.. At least you’re giving us a warning this time around.’ The Slime bounced happily. “Thanks, you two! I’ll leave tomorrow morning right after breakfast!”

“Yes!”

‘Okay. Now leave me in my pit of misery and embarrassment..’ You say as you return to your hidey-hole. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

You and Rimuru stared down at the map.

It was later that night, and you and Rimuru had decided to go over the route Gobta suggested. Just to ease your mind. At least, that’s what your Slime friend had said. The map was much more detailed than the one you had for the wolf attack the other day. There were actual roads and countries listed on this one. 

Your claw carefully traced the route to the kingdom of Dwargon as you snacked on a piece of meat one of the Goblinas had deposited at your feet. ‘So, according to Gobta, it’s going to be about a month on foot.. How long do you think it’ll take on the Tempest Wolves?’

Rimuru shrugged. ‘No clue. I’ll try not to take too long, though..’

‘Thanks..’ You flopped onto your stomach once more. Rimuru turned from the map to you. ‘..You’re much bigger than before. I assume that’s because of me Naming you?’

You shrug, trilling as you reached for another slab of meat. ‘No clue. Chiron said that eating beings with magicules is one way for my species to evolve, so the Naming could have kickstarted another evolution. I’m pretty sure Rigurd almost had a heart attack when both of us went down.’ Your friend eagerly leaned closer. ‘So? What are you now?’

‘Greater Taratect!’ You say proudly. ‘I got new skills, too! I’m betting I’ll be nigh unstoppable to any trespassers!’

Rimuru bounced happily. ‘That’s great! I’m glad I’m leaving the village in your and Rigurd’s capable hands, then! Or, well, capable claws.’ He poked one leg and you churred out a laugh. After a moment of silence, you tap the map again. ‘..Promise you’ll be careful?’

‘I promise.’ Rimuru leaned against you in your version of a hug. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

“Alright! You kids behave!” Rimuru called from Ranga’s back. You and the rest of the village waved goodbye, calling out wishes for safe travels and the like.

You raised a singular claw for a few seconds before placing it down carefully. ‘Don’t do anything stupid!’

‘I won’t!’ Rimuru shot back, groaning a little. You clicked your chelicerae at him in your best imitation of a smile. ‘Good. Now get going! You promised not to be gone too long, so go!’

And with that, the party of five ran off on their wolves, leaving the rest of the village behind. They soon disappeared from view and you turned back to the village. ‘Alright! Let’s not slack off while he’s gone! Food and lookout crews, get to work! Building crew, follow me!’

Then the village split off into their separate tasks. You skittered to the nearby trees surrounding the village with your crew trailing behind you.

‘Everyone here?’ You ask, turning around once you reached a tree. All your members glanced around at themselves before hesitantly nodding. ‘Good. Following our failure at building a house, Rimuru and I decided it would be best if our crew made firewood and logs for construction instead. That way whoever he brings back won’t waste time gathering supplies! I want you all to cut down some trees today. Tomorrow, you’ll be stripping them of their branches and cutting them up. This is what we’ll do until Rimuru returns. Sound good?’

A hand went up. You nod at the Goblin, who then stepped forward. “But, if we’re going to be cutting down trees, what will you be doing?”

You raise your claws. ‘An excellent question! I’ll be making the village temporary houses with my silk so we have good shelter to rest in while we wait! Any more questions? No? Then let’s get to work, everybody!’

“YES MA’AM!”

notes: chapter 4 is done! what did you guys think?

unfrotunately, the next chapter is the last for this arc, and depending on the results of the poll i'll be posting the day after the next chapter, it might be a while before the next arc.. sorry everyone.. but hey, new stories i haven't posted to ao3 yet! that should be fun.

anyways, hope you guys enjoyed it! have a great day/night, stay safe, and please remember that you're all AWESOME! XP

[aquariius-rising]

Masterlist

Here are the characters I feel comfortable writing for! Check back often as I may add more over time.

Naruto

Sasuke Uchiha

Deidara

Shikamaru Nara

[maweallgotohell]

writing update

Hey guys,

I'm currently working on two fanfictions.

One is about

*drum roll*

JEROME VALESKA (who tf would've thought🙄😅)

And the other one is actually about an, I think quite unknown character from the anime 'Komi can't communicate' - Sonoda Taisei.

So yeah, those might take some time, so check it out if you wanna.

I'll probably be posting those on here too so yeah.

Oh and btw: for longer fanfictions, I often pick an aesthetic which decorates the story, if you know what I mean.

The Jerome one will be decorated with this aesthetic:

and the Sonoda one will be decorated with this aesthetic:

(The pictures aren't mine. All credits to their creators.)

I'll still be trying to update on my one shots and scenarios tho.

Love ya

Bye <3

[w4rgrl]

Hi I wrote another fanfic!! This is about Nakanaka and Yamai making out. Thats all. I had this scene in my head for a long time and I needed to write about it.

[chuckeroo777]

So I'm a Spider, So What: Alternate Ending

After finishing the light novel series, I had major issues with the abruptness of the ending. So here's my take on it.

This takes the place of the chapter "Everyone Ever After".

The fic is under the cut. Expect extreme spoilers!

It's been a while hasn't it?

Me? I'm just enjoying the fruits of my labor.

Well, not my labor per-say, they were a gift as thanks for all the other work I've done. Seems like even after all this time, people still think fruit is my favorite food.

I know, right? You pilfer one dried fruit, and suddenly that's your whole personality in their eyes.

Huh? Why aren't I currently in D's clutches? Well, she decided to be nice and let me hang out on the planet until Ariel dies.

What? That doesn't sound like the kind of thing she would do? Even an evil god can be nice once in a while. Just look at me.

There definitely wasn't any begging involved.

Or groveling.

Definitely.

I definitely didn't have to agree to something humiliating to get this time off.

Anyway, it's been a little over a year, and Ariel died a couple weeks ago, so I'm currently just chilling until D gets here.

Guess I'll fill you in on how everyone is doing.

Naturally, I spent most of my time hanging out with Ariel and Sariel. They are just too cute together. I don't think I've ever seen Ariel happier.

They had so many stories to share with me about the days before the system. She really was practically Ariel's mom.

Man, and I thought how I got my name was dumb.

As for Sariel, she was nothing like I thought she would be.

Like, I always assumed the Divine Voice (temp)'s mono tonality was due to Sariel being puppeted by the system, but no. That's just how she always sounds. Even when she's clearly excited.

Even creepier, she was apparently conscious the whole time she was in there.

Yikes.

Like, I had an inkling that was the case since she redirected the attack away from Guli-Guli, but wow. The fact that she's still sane is a miracle in itself.

And that means she was privy to all my many petty crimes.

Huh? What do you mean they weren't so petty? I'll have you know I'm a model citizen.

Even weirder, instead of getting mad, she just lectured me about the ethics of killing.

Yeah, I dunno. I don't really get her. But as long as Ariel is happy, that's good enough for me.

Anyway, as much as I love my grandma, I didn't spend all my time with Ariel.

Vampy has some big plans. She wants to become the Frost Vampire Queen.

Yeah, I don't know exactly what that means either. But basically, she wants to live in a castle.

Seems a little childish to me, but if she wants to live her vampire lord dreams, who am I to stop her.

Oh yeah, that's a thing. By this point, all the skills and titles and stats have worn off, but some people and monsters still retain certain abilities.

Like, Vampy wasn't a vampire because of her skill, she had the skill because she was a vampire. So even in her natural state, she still has basic vampire powers, like mist form, and the ability to call upon creatures of the night.

Plus she still has the perk of being a progenitor! No vampire weaknesses! Thank goodness she decided to just be queen of a remote little village. She could definitely take over the world if she wanted.

So, remember that remote spot in the Mystic Mountains? Where Guli-Guli's soul haven village is? That's where Vampy is building it. It's gonna be a pretty long-term project, but Nia decided to help out in exchange for a very nice bedroom.

Thank goodness we no longer have to worry about soul deterioration. Even highly corroded souls like Ariel's should be good to go. Now that children can be born with fresh souls again, old souls can take as long as they need to recover before returning to the cycle.

I'm very curious about Ariel and Sariel's next incarnations, but their souls are so damaged it will probably take centuries for them to recover.

Anyway, Mera is naturally helping Vampy too. Ever since Envy wore off, she seems to have calmed down, at least a little.

It's been a bit rough for him. He used to be fine wearing a cloak in the day, but without defense stats or fire resistance, he basically can't endure sunlight at all anymore.

Ah well, at least he's happy.

Once Ariel passed, the puppets decided to go join Vampy. I suppose they also find the idea of royal role-play enticing.

Oh yeah, Wald is there too. I'm not sure if Vampy has noticed.

As for Mr. Oni, I was pretty concerned for a while there. After the battle he got real somber, and every conversation sounded like he was saying goodbye for the last time.

Thankfully, before he could commit to anything, a population of surviving goblins was discovered in the deep north.

So, yeah! That sure lit a fire in him. He's been really busy, helping the goblins recover after the system's collapse, and acting as a diplomat to get goblins recognized as a legitimate humanoid race.

It's nice to see him so passionate about something again.

Speaking of passion, Yuri has been cooking up a storm. I thought it would take a while before she got results, but dang.

I guess between literally everyone reading Taboo, Dustin's death, and Sariel actually showing up as a witness, it wasn't hard to get most people on board with a more accurate religion.

Seriously, it only took three months for her to fully reform the Word of God church into the Church of Goddess Sariel.

And Sariel isn't the only one they worship. Get this: They worship me!

Albeit, I'm seen as an evil god, but I guess that's fair.

Basically, they view Sariel, Guli-Guli, and I as role models for how people should live their lives.

Frankly, I think that's a terrible idea.

I think my ridiculous pride and perseverance is probably a hindrance without the system. After all, my hell-training techniques don't really work without skills.

But oh well. I'm probably gonna try and stay uninvolved with the church unless they start spreading some ridiculous rumors about me.

Okay, that's blatantly untrue. I can't wait to see what sort of ridiculous claims they make about me. They already seem to be under the impression that I killed D. I was worried she might smite them for that, but everyone seems un-smoten, so I guess she doesn't care.

Let's see, who else?

Ah, yes, Yamada. Apparently he has no interest in taking the throne, instead pushing it off onto his older brother.

I was kinda hoping to watch the implosion of his harem situation, but sadly, it turned out to be a non-issue.

Yeah, turns out he just has a lot of friends who are girls, not girlfriends.

Yeah, Fei didn't actually have any romantic feelings, and Yuri is too busy being a Pontiff to pursue her minor crush, so the only ones actually fighting over him were Sue and Katia.

Like, I'm no romance expert, but even I can tell Yamada and Katia like each other. A lot.

Sue has calmed down after being caught red-handed in the love nest, but she's still making things difficult for them. Guess we'll just have to see how things go.

As for Ms. Oka, she and Anna have been working on finding all the half-elves they can. After everyone found out what a POS Potimas was, his remaining descendants have had it rough.

So, they decided to start rebuilding the Elf Village, and turn it into a safe space for those who still have elf blood.

By the way, I ended up telling Ms. Oka about how she saved my life as a spider.

Look, I didn't mean to make her freak out again.

Look, it's not your fault there were utterly ridiculous butterfly effects from that decision.

Thankfully, I don't have any other world-shattering revelations for her, so hopefully she'll be fine.

I've heard some of the half-elves plan to study Potimas' tech, hoping to make them work off more traditional power sources.

I mean, that seems like a terrible idea to me, but as long as I keep an eye on them, it should be fine.

Huh? How do I plan to keep an eye on them if D is gonna come get me?

My spider surveillance network, duh. Just because D will be forcing me to be physically by her side doesn't mean I can't still influence things. Plus I'm keeping in contact with Philmina and the others.

Not that I intend to actually do much. But if anything comes up, I'll catch it.

Like how that old mage guy has been studying magic.

Yeah, even if the system is gone, ambient magic power still exists. He's been studying how to potentially manipulate it even without Magic Power Operation and Magic Power Perception.

Frankly, I'm not sure if it's even possible.

But he already showed off his ability to perform magic beyond what the system provided, so if anyone can figure it out, it's him.

I don't mind humanity using magic, though I'm a little concerned it might use up MA energy. Guess I'll just have to keep an eye on it.

Let's see, what else?

The demons are doing alright. They've taken heavy losses over the years, but now that new souls can be born, they can finally start to repopulate.

Without the skill growth bonuses, demons and humans are a lot more comparable than they used to be. I guess we'll just have to see if the peace lasts.

I hope so.

Well, with Balto heading the restoration efforts, I'm fairly optimistic.

Oh, and get this.

He married Boobs.

Didn't see that one coming. I always thought she was licentious sort, but maybe that was just me being racist.

I mean, she literally calls herself a succubus. Can you blame me for assuming?

Let's see, who else? I don't have that many acquaintances, do I?

Oh, right, the other reincarnations. Uh, the adventuring duo got married, so that's nice.

Really, for the most part I've just let them do as they want.

Most of the reincarnations the elves caught have settled in Uppenbebetenia. With the high concentration of reincarnations, the place might become a little Tokyo.

Although, I have my eye on Kudo. I think she might be heading some sort of cult? So far they've just been exchanging a lot of hand drawn manga, but I'm worried about the contents.

Eh, it's probably fine.

So, yeah. I've been popping all over the place to visit everyone. But I've mostly just been vegging with Ariel and Sariel. It's been nice to have a break after all the craziness.

Shame D is gonna ruin that any second now.

Anyway, once they died, we ended up having a huge funeral. Guli-Guli ended up giving this amazing eulogy.

But I didn't cry. I have my pride.

Ok, maybe I cried a little.

Honestly, I probably would have cried more, but my eyes were sore from crying so much at Ariel's deathbed.

Even Vampy cried at the eulogy. That's how you know it was moving.

What? Why didn't I give a eulogy?

Have you heard me?

That's right, you haven't.

Cause I can't talk. Especially to a crowd.

Seriously, turnout was incredible. Nearly ten-thousand in attendance, and nearly all of humanity was able to watch thanks to some remote projections I set up in the major cities.

Seriously, just standing next to Guli-Guli with all those eyes staring was enough to make me feel like imploding.

After the ceremony, we ended up burying them together in the approximate location of Sariel's orphanage. We had discussed it prior to their death, and it seemed the most appropriate thing to do.

And that was that.

So, yeah. Now it's just a waiting game. Honestly, I thought D would yoink me the second Ariel's heart stopped beating, but apparently not.

"Shiraori. I'm back."

Ah, there she is to ruin my relaxation. Maybe if I don't turn around, she'll ignore me.

"Shiraori, I'm talking to you."

Don't call me that. You are literally the only one who calls me that.

"Well I have to call you something, don't I?"

Call me White. That's my name.

"Hmph. I hoped to gain some modicum of control by naming you, but I suppose I was beaten to it."

Look, I'm going with you, alright?

"Why don't you look over here and see your surprise?"

Up to this point, I've been consciously excluding her from the perception of my x-ray vision.

I wearily turn around.

Only to see her manic grin as she holds up the tackiest maid outfit I've ever laid eyes on.

"I'm a little late because I wanted to make sure to find the perfect uniform for your new position."

I stand and stare at her.

Seriously? My name is White. Why do I have to wear this garish travesty?

"If you wear the accompanying bonnet, I'll let you have holidays off to visit your friends."

If my eyes were open, I'd narrow them. What's the catch?

"I only celebrate leap days."

Huh. Honestly, that's a lot better than I expected.

I sigh and extend my arms. In a flash, I've used spacial magic to swap my dress for the uniform.

She smiles wickedly.

"Now, let's head home. You've got training to do."

Wait? Training? I thought you were just gonna make me be your maid!

Hey, what are you-

But it's too late. We're already gone.