Chapter 9. Through the Pit of Horrors

Just like last time, I spent the most of the evolution process sleeping. I preferred not to dwell too much on the alternative, but to think that during those ten hours that I was unconscious, my body experienced severe physical changes like the reshaping of my carapace or the replacement of organs, it just helped to creep me out.

When I woke up to the sound of a notification, my whole body felt strange. Somehow, I was already accustomed to my spidery frame, and changing it took me out of balance. Under different circumstances, my curious self would have been intrigued by the implications of this ‘evolution mechanic’ and what exactly made it possible. But for now, I had bigger worries.

The first thought that crossed my mind after waking up was the girl, measuring how terrified she would be after regaining consciousness in front of Beta. The instructions I had given to my spawn were quite simple: Stand. Therefore the girl would eventually realize that Beta meant no threat to her at all, and thus, I was worried she would try to do something reckless like leaving the cave on her own.

The reason why I could go in and out whenever I pleased was due to my [Arthropod Adhesion] trait. Climbing across the wall, and safely exiting through the hole in the ground. There were other ways to get out of the cave, of course, but those involved using the vines and roots as spelunking equipment, and since there was no way of knowing which ones were safe to grab, it could be prone to accidents.

I needed to rush back to the cave and make sure the girl wouldn’t hurt herself while trying to escape. Even after taking into consideration the recent events, my plan hadn’t change that much. That girl still represented a unique opportunity to gain any information about this new world, and I wasn’t going to let it slip. Figuratively or literally.

With renewed resolve, I pushed through the chrysalis, tearing it apart. The white carcass put little to no resistance to my claws, and I was free in a matter of seconds. Once out of that cramped environment, I couldn’t help to marvel at my current body. I had gotten taller, and two extra appendages sprung at my sides simulating a pair of arms. However, there were no fingers in them; instead, there were five long claws, presumably, the ones I’d used to set me free.

I quickly snapped myself out of that train of thought. Focus, I told myself and began running towards the cave.

“Where is she?” I quizzed out loud to no one in particular. Neither Alpha nor Beta could reply to my question, but my idea was to get used to that language I’d recently learned. It didn’t sound like anything I’d heard before back on Earth, but somehow the grammar and composition still reminded me of a mixture of Spanish and French.

When I arrived at the cave, there was no one inside besides Beta, who was in the same position which I’d left her. My heart sank thinking that the girl had indeed run away, leaving me alone. But the reality was so much worse.

The tunnel that led further into the underground and that I had sealed up to prevent anything to come out here, was now open. The river stones I used to block the entrance weren’t that heavy, so it made perfect sense that the girl could have pulled them away and ventured deeper.

“Don’t tell me she plans to find another exit over there…”

I didn’t give it much thought. My previous reluctance of going inside got thrown out of my mind, as I began moving the rest of the stones and clearing out the path. I’d my minions to protect me if anything went wrong, and this new body made me feel invincible.

However, just moments before venturing inside, I remembered that the Hivemind skill selection was available again. So, I brought forth the screen and took the option that would help me the most.

Hivemind skill selection. You can choose one after every evolution. [ Mind Meld ]

Fusion your mind with the minds of the creatures within your [Hive] and share their senses, emotions, and knowledge. [ Divided Mind ]

Increases your concentration allowing the control of a bigger [Hive].

A confirmation thought later, and I could feel my body already suffering the changes. The connection with my spawns was altered, allowing me to see and hear through their minds. At will, I could shift between the point of view of both Alpha and Beta. And it would be a lie saying that I wasn’t disoriented at first, but time was of the essence. This place was like a maze, and there were other unruly and nastier creatures lurking at every corner. I didn’t doubt that [Mind Meld] would help me cover a much broader ground, and tinnier down the search, so that’s why I choose it.

I just hoped to find the girl in one piece.

After using [Mind Meld] to see through the Beta’s memories, I confirmed that the girl had indeed escaped to the tunnels.

Although my gut was telling me not to do it, I had no other option than to split out our search party. It tore a great burden in my mind, but I pushed it aside and focused on leading the three of us simultaneously into that suffocating cave.

While I took the center and most obvious path, I willed Alpha to explore the right one and Beta to the left.

“If I can’t even babysit one human, how does The Manager think I’m going to watch an entire planet?” I felt the need to complain just moments after beginning the pursuit. According to Beta’s recollection of events, the girl couldn’t have gone too far, but it still felt like an endless task.

Ignoring the growing migraine due to over exhaustion and lack of practice, I continuously shifted views between my minions, looking for any tracks. But sadly, even though we shared our senses, for some unknown reason, I couldn’t use my other skills while in their bodies.

I was relying entirely on luck to find the girl, and that always has a price.

Right when I was looking through the eyes of Beta, I caught a glimpse of the girl being dragged away by another spider.

And as awful as it was from me, I relaxed.

I knew for a certainty that the spider wouldn’t eat the girl right away, but carried her all over towards its nest, and then and only then, start eating her up. I knew that because that was the same thing my instincts told to do with all my victims.

[ Follow ]

I put Beta on stalker duty and quickly rushed over there. Alpha also got his new orders, but since he was currently on the other side of the place, it would take him a while longer to reunite with Beta and me.

Even though my mental exhaustion, following Beta wasn’t a challenge at all. I’d already noticed it before my evolution, but now the connection between us was even stronger. Somehow I could feel where my spawns are at any time. The ‘signal’ sort to speak, could get weakened with distance, but I still had a general idea of their position, strong enough to find them on my own. That said, the several branching tunnels didn’t make it any easier for me.

In any case, it didn’t matter.

At some point in my hastened approach, I found something revealing. There was cobweb everywhere. I hadn’t even seen how the [Araneidae] variation looked like, but web making was their characteristic trait.

I was getting close.

When I turned around the corner, while carefully avoiding getting stuck in the abundant webs, I finally got to meet up with Beta. She was frozen in place, and after turning my eyes to see what she was seeing, I froze too, as a primal fear started to take over my body, and my newfound confidence got torn to pieces.

Before me, there was not only one of the [Araneidae] but at least a dozen of them. We were outnumbered, and even Beta could understand those weren’t good odds. However, we were also getting out of time to rescue the girl. The thing that had taken her captive was already covering her entire body with a web, mummifying her. And once she got bitten, it would be over.

Using the link, I forced Alpha to come in faster, but he would have to come here once the fight had already begun because I wasn’t going to wait any longer.

“Hey! Four-eyes!” I shouted, trying to earn the spider’s attention. “That’s mine.”

Well, it worked. And considering I just pissed off an entire family from getting dinner, suddenly I wasn’t that happy about it.

Although it may appear otherwise, our opponents weren’t complete idiots. There was always a very elemental thought or instinct guiding their actions, but it was there. And after sensing that I was the bigger threat of the two of us, they divided themselves accordingly. Three of them were to face Beta, while I had to deal with the remaining nine.

It was about time to see what this body was capable of doing.

I quickly rushed ahead, activating anything I thought could help.

Using [Quick Reflexes] I fared to avoid most of the silk shoot by their spinnerets, but some threads still managed to reach my legs, pinning me down to the stone. After making a pirouette, and using my claws to break free, I jumped towards the nearest two and stomped them with my weight.

Two less, seven to go.

All I had to do was to keep avoiding their bites and webs because once I got close and personal, my claws would cut them like butter. Perhaps this, after ignoring the memory absorption, was a terrifying aspect of the [Assimilation] skill. Not only I could obtain new skills through eating others, but I also nurtured my overall stats with theirs. I’d stopped been average since the moment of my first meal.

And then it happened.

A horrible creak came running through the cave’s length, pulling my attention back to its source. Two of the [Araneidae] facing Beta had taken a grip on her, allowing the third to land a voracious bite, ripping off one of her legs. But just when I was about to rush and help, the other two tore away a couple more, and Beta’s lower frame got exposed to any attack. When she stopped twitching or trying to escape, it became clear to me what had just happened.

The link between us was severed, and no stimuli coming from her, nothing at all.

Beta was dead.

For a moment, I didn’t even know what to feel. Fear? Anger? Sorrow? She wasn’t even two days old, so why did I felt the need to express emotion? Was it because of our connection? I wondered. From the very beginning since they were ‘born’ I’d decided to use them as disposable pawns, so why was so different now, that it had actually happened?

I shrugged it off. It didn’t matter.

The ones that disposed of Beta were now joining to the ranks of those facing me. [Prey Instinct] was going mad, and I had to make some efforts to keep my legs from shaking.

Neither the spiders nor I decided to strike. I was an unknown to them, so they kept their distance. We prowled around each other in circles, trying to size our strengths. And I wouldn’t make any advancements until Alpha arrived here to level out the situation.

He reached the battle moments later, and I immediately took control of him. We were one mind in two bodies. I could feel my brain shaking up, like if a hundred knives were shoved into it, but I tried to put it aside to the best of my ability.

I lunged Alpha forward to absorb the thread shot by the spiders. The silk exited their body in a liquid state but almost immediately hardened into a cord that if not for my claws it would have been challenging to cut, not because it was particularly strong, but incredibly flexible instead.

Just like Beta before him, Alpha also got pinned down by a group of spiders, but since I already knew what their strategy would be, cutting them down was a piece of cake. I killed two more on the spot, and another ran away heavily maimed. Of the initial twelve, now only five remain.

I didn’t accomplish those attacks completely unscathed though. I’d some cuts here and there, and I felt their paralyzing venom fighting inside me against my own antibodies. However, when I was just about to strike again, the spiders started to back off. And finally, they ran away.

It wasn’t what I expected honestly, but I didn’t give them chase.

New messages flashed through my sight, as we licked our wounds and savored the bittersweet victory.

Trait [ Prey Instinct ] has reached level 4!

Trait [ Quick Reflexes ] has reached level 4!

Trait [ Robust Exoskeleton ] has reached level 3!

Ability [ Blood Rage ] has reached level 3!

Ability [ Intimidate ] obtained!

I closed off the screens, and after setting Alpha free from his restraints, we left the tunnels and returned to the surface. While I used the webs to make an improvised cart and hauled the bodies, Alpha carried the girl. This time I wasn’t going to leave the brat alone and would be by her side until she awoke.

While I was waiting for the girl to wake up on her own, I started looking through the list of notifications still unchecked after my evolution.

[ Evolution ] — Trait [ Sharp Claw ] obtained!

[ Evolution ] — Ability [ Mana Manipulation ] obtained!

[ Evolution ] — Ability [ Psionics ] obtained!

Gaining [Mana Manipulation] and [Psionics] took me entirely by surprise, though the first one stood the most with me. I mean, come on! Having played video games during all my youth, I very well knew ‘mana’ was usually linked with ‘magic.’ I’d already seen the word ‘mana’ before on my status page. But did this mean that I could now use magic? Needless to say that my enthusiasm was barely under control.

Without a second thought, I brought forth my status page.

General Information. Name: Morgan. Sex: Female. Species: Hivemind. Age: 4 days, 22 hours, 56 minutes. Subspecies: Arachne. Biomass level: 1/20. Physical and mental attributes. Strength: 42. Intelligence: 128. Constitution: 53. Agility: 55. Status. Vitals Saturation Regen-rate Health: 238/238. 0.006/second. Mana: 320/320. 0.07/second. Stamina: 270/270. 0.08/second. Status Effects. —

It was gone. The [Manaless] status effect was gone.

Okay, let’s keep it together for now. I’ll have time to try it later.

Once I was done checking my status and skills, I decided to get things rolling.

“It’s alright,” I said out loud. “You can stop faking it now. I know that you’re awake.”

Indeed she was. I’d already caught her opening and closing her eyes like a sly snake. Whenever she thought I wasn’t looking, her eyes shifted between the cave’s exit and me, probably making an escape plan or convincing herself to move forward with it. She also managed to find a stone with a sharp edge and hide it under her garments, no doubt to use it as a weapon in the event she finally decided to make a run for it, but such moment never came.

At first, I was somewhat amused. Now, I was just getting impatient.

“That rock won’t help you.” I insisted, but the girl remained reluctant to face me, and I could tell her body was tensing up. Sighing, I walked towards her exposed ear and whispered inside.

“Wake up!”

She flinched.

“I-I’m awake. I’m awake!” She repeated between shivers. “But please, please don’t eat me, please!”

“I’m not going to eat you, girl.”

She gulped down, “Really?”

“Yes, really,” I stated, though apparently, the girl didn’t believe me. I understood she was scared. After everything she went through, I’d also be a nervous wreck at this point. I needed to convince her there was nothing to fear.

We stayed quiet for a long time that the silence was almost palpable. All because I wanted the girl to speak first.

“B-but aren’t you a monster?” she asked eventually, still stuttering.

“I may look like one.” Hell, I may even be one. “But I can assure you that I mean you no harm.” And before she could say anything, I interjected again. “After everything I did, why would I eat you now? I saved you from the panther, didn’t I? And now again in the cave!”

“That was you?” She asked. Her eyes open like plates, eyeing me up and down. “You look so different! What happened?”

“Well, I—” Shit, what was I now, a rookie? I was about to reveal more information than what she had told me! Not that this was some interrogation of anything, but if I wasn’t careful, I may end up saying something I shouldn’t.

“That doesn’t matter.” I coughed. Damn, I was beginning to miss facial expressions. “In any case, how are you feeling?”

I tried to change the subject and start making her feel more at ease. Hopefully, that would loosen up her tongue, so I could finally begin learning stuff about this world. I didn’t hold many hopes for the knowledge this girl had, but I would take anything at this point. I was getting sick of the plethora of unknowns.

Also, I wasn’t going to rebuke her poor judgment either. I mean, I get it. I truly did. She was afraid and confused, but running into the forest in the first place and later trying to escape through the tunnels weren’t decisions worthy of any praise, but the complete opposite. If it weren’t for me, she would already be two times dead.

“My hand…” Her voice pulled me out of my thoughts. She brought her left hand to her chest, where she caressed the two lumps with her other hand.

Suddenly, something flick in her eyes as she turned them to me. They were emerald green.

“Papa!”

“Papa?” I repeated like a fool.

“My father! Where is my father?”

Please don’t tell that until now she remembered she had a father. I sighed. No, this thing actually happened a lot with people who suffered one traumatic experience after another. The brain just shuts down and stops thinking about the future and focus solely on the present. However, once the adrenaline runs dry, and the reality starts to sink in, well, that’s when shit happens.

She was getting hectic, and an anxiety attack now wouldn’t do her any good.

“Girl, look at me. Look at me.” I said, shaking her up. “Can you tell me your name?”

Of course, I already knew it. Thanks to those damn memories.

“I-Ione.” She muttered.

“Alright, Ione. You need to breathe.” I motioned her to follow. “In…”

“… and out.”