The Brood Mother’s nest, all things considered, was remarkably nice. It was located near the very top of the tallest tree in the forest. A ledge ran around the whole tree like a veranda, jutting out from the tree trunk by several feet. Webs connected it to the central trunk at set intervals to keep it steady and to support any extra weight. The building itself was made from wood and the web and looked like a treehouse. A very nice, very large treehouse. There were no doors or windows, just breaks in the walls and I wondered what they did when it rained.

“This is beautiful.” I murmured as I stood near the edge and looked out over the sea of treetops.

No matter which direction I turned all I could see were more trees and sprawling hills. Squinting against the bright sunlight and trying to filter some of the glare with my augments I could just make out a range of Mountains not too far from our location, The peaks standing proudly out amongst the trees. To my right and far far away I could see a large pool of water, the sun bouncing off its surface to attract attention.

“Do you have many views like this in your world?” Nel asked from her place next to me.

I cast one more look out at the expense of green that swayed gently in the breeze and tried to shake the sadness it conjured. Part of me wished Sanderson was here to see it. I was just a thug, I shouldn’t get to see something so beautiful while he was stuck in a cold metal room looking at holo-vids all day, but Sandy wouldn’t leave his lab. Not for anything, so I’d do what I promised him. Help the people, help the planet, and stop the pesky humans. I’m practically a saint!

“No. There are no views like this in my world.” I murmured quietly.

I think I’ve had a lot of character growth in the last day. I went from not caring about the green of a tree to almost shedding a tear when I saw a bit of beautiful scenery. Give me a week and I’d be writing poetry about flowers and sing sonnets about the wonders of grass. I needed something to punch…

“Human!”

Ah, perfect! Just what the doctor ordered. A punchable Rima.

“My Master calls for you. The Brood Mother will see you now.” Rima said, his chest puffed out in pride.

“Alright Rimmy, just give me a sec.” I smiled as his face turned red and his spider feet beat against the wooden floor in agitation. His human feet looked like they were about to follow suit.

I cast one last glance at the world around me and took a deep steadying breath. I could get used to the air up here, it was thin but clean. As prepared as I could be I motioned at Rima to lead the way. Nel fell into step beside me.

As soon I passed the threshold I acquired three new companions. I call them companions but in reality, I think they may have been escorts/guards. Each was massively muscular and had the same metal armor that, while not nearly as impressive as Zava’s, were probably just as effective at turning a blade. Each carried a spear, which I was starting to realize was the preferred weapon of the Denvii, as well as short swords at their waists. Full metal helms hid their faces from view.

What I found interesting was that one of the guards didn’t have the additional spider legs jutting out of his lower back and it made him look surprisingly human. Though, knowing my luck, he’d remove the helm and have a spider head or something.

The inside of the house...nest?...was an intricate series of hallways and rooms that twisted and turned in on itself. Web dividers, too thick to see through, acted in place of the interior walls and made me feel like I was walking through a house of mirrors...except with webs...house of webs? Not for the first time, I wondered if the webs were made by them shooting it out of their ass or something but I didn’t think this was the place to ask.

When we finally made it to the throne room I stopped to gawk. It was the hollowed-out trunk of the tree. Crystals of light, bracketed by metal, were pegged to the wall, the soft warm glow filling the room and bouncing off the polished throne.

I’ll describe the rest of the room real quick and the throne before getting to the Brood Mother cause...Woah boy!

Circular and bare of any furnishings, except for a row of chairs lining the walls, the main part of the room was bare. On cloves were positioned at intervals around the room with fully armored and armed Denvii standing at attention in them.

The throne sat in the middle of the room on a raised dais that was four steps high and was made of wood that looked to be carved from the floor. The seat, with all its cushions and cloth, was backless. And for good bloody reason.

I had expected her to come down from the ceiling on a web string or something more...well, spider-ish. I got the ‘more spider-ish’ part right, everything else up to and including her entrance was wrong.

The Brood Mother was unlike any of the other Denvii I had seen so far. For one she was larger, much larger. Her skin was a blend of obsidian and ivory. I say obsidian because that’s what it was, not ebony which is just dark brown, but black. A pitch-black that seemed to absorb light with the ivory coloring acting as highlights. For a second I didn’t even think the ivory was a color, I thought it was just a reflection of the light along the ridges and contours of a black stone statue but then the Brood Mother stood up and moved and the highlights moved with her.

She was a woman from the waist up, beautiful and sensuous with wide curved hips and a bare toned midriff. Ivory lines curved around the hard ridges of her hips and swirled in a gentle slope along the dip in her navel, before traveling up to her breasts. The pure white highlights swept down the outer swell of each full breasts and across each of her fat nipples before sweeping sideways across her ribs.

From the waist down she was all spider. But the biggest fucking spider you’ve ever seen. The coloring was the same deep black but the white highlights were restricted to the segments and joints of each leg and the underside of her large swollen spider abdomen. The spider part of her swayed as she stepped across the throne room towards me.

Looking into her face I would have said she was beautiful. If she weren’t so terrifyingly alien. Dark hair fell like a waterfall of shadows around her face, an occasional white strand mixed within the lot. It was hard to make out features on the darker parts of her face, the black tending to blend together, but the ivory streaks along her nose and over her full lips helped a little. Eyes that were like twin drops of blood stared into my own as she towered over me. Her sclera (the usual white part of the eye) was almost as black as her body.

I saw no hate in her gaze. No animosity. No love. No compassion. No warmth.

She would just as soon see me dead as she would let me live.

To her, my existence was insignificant.

And suddenly I hated her. I hated her and what she made me feel with a bone-deep loathing that made my teeth grind together and my fist clench. I hated feeling insignificant. I had been that already and I had fought to make sure I never went back to it. I had fought to make myself more.

I had been born in a gutter and spent my earlier years rolling around in polluted mud like a pig. Forgotten. Unwanted. Invisible. Sanderson’s father had been the first person not to spit on me in passing. Sanderson himself the second. They taught me that I could be more and I raged. Raged against the injustice of my insignificant birth to a woman who had probably overdosed as soon as I fell out of her. Raged against a society that saw me as trash to be disposed of. I had been an animal before they found me, willing to bite the hand that fed me and take the arm for good measure.

I had worked hard to improve myself. The work wasn’t always clean and it sure as shit wasn’t pleasant but over time I had made a name for myself in Dockside. Made a rep. Haha won’t go back on his word they would say. Hire Haha, if he accepts he won’t betray us. In Dockside, loyalty was worth more than the money people thought you could buy with it and I was known for being loyal.

I had worth.

One look from the Brood Mother and I felt like that little wild animal in the mud again, ready to bite and snap and tear at anything just to prove I was tough.

“Bow” Nel hissed urgently at me and I turned a little, keeping the Brood Mother in my sights, and out of my peripherals, I saw Nel and Rima kneeling on their human legs, their spider ones laid out flat behind them.

Ignoring her I turned back to face the Brood Mother. I had to crane my head back to look her in the eyes and her head tipped to the side as she observed me.

“You will kneel!” The low growl of Zava reached me from behind before the scrape of metal, signaling he had drawn his sword. “Or I will make you kneel.”

“No.”

I didn’t growl. I didn’t whisper. I didn’t mumble. I didn’t shout. My answer was calm and level and as unyielding as steel. Beat me, break me, destroy me, I will never kneel unless it's to someone deserving.

I heard the soft pad of his feet as he approached and readied myself for the fight of a lifetime. I would need to overclock like never before. First would be Zava behind me, I needed to end that quick so that meant disable or kill. Next would be Rima, no doubt he would jump up to defend his master and he had something to prove. His arrogance and pride would leave him open as he tried a flashy move to draw attention. Nel...well I didn’t want to hurt her, she had been kind to me so far...but if she got in the way then I would remove her. I just met her like a couple of hours ago after all and had no reason to expect loyalty from her.

Next would be the guards that followed me in, they were the closest. Then the ones in the onclove. Then the rest of the nest.

Sorry Sandy, looks like I can’t help all the people like you wanted.

“Enough.” The Brood Mother hissed. She didn’t raise her voice. If anything, she whispered, but the sound traveled around the throne room the same as if she had shouted. The sound of Zava advancing stopped instantly.

“He is not of the Brood,” she continued in the same whisper that slithered into my ear. “He is not one of my children. I would no more bow to a human than he would to me. I find no offense in his actions.”

She took a step back so she wasn’t looming over me and the spider half of her body sunk low to the floor, her six multi-segmented legs bending to accommodate the move. This brought her human half almost level with me. If I looked straight ahead I could see her tits, and aroused is not the state I needed to be in right now so I dragged my lecherous eyes back to her face. Yup, that's a lot more effective than a cold shower!

“Why have you come to my Brood, Human?”

I opened my mouth to answer but Nel beat me to it. She didn’t rise from her position on the floor and when she spoke it was muffled since she kept her head bowed but it was still enough to get the Brood Mother's attention.

For the second time that day I got to listen to Nel describe her gathering trip and the sudden attack of the Forgotten. The Brood Mother moved over to her and in a move that was surprisingly gentle and affectionate, she cupped Nel’s face and pulled her to a standing position. When Nel started to describe my dashing rescue the Brood Mother once more turned to regard me, her face and eyes still expressionless.

Guess she was a little racist.

I was expecting the news of the missing Central Life Core to get some reaction from the large spider woman but her face remained as emotionless and cold as ever. Her eyes did widen when Nel explained that I was from a different world and Aeris had requested aid.

“Is this true Human, are you from a branch world.”

“Yes, Brood Mother.” I know it sounds sappy but she had shown concern for Nel, one of her own, and that I could understand. It earned her a little respect. Not a lot, but enough to address her by title instead of ‘Your Broody-ness’.

I tried not to look at the pendulous sway of her large bare breasts as she turned to me and moved closer. Honest.

“Show me your screen.” It was not a request and I felt my hackles raise at the tone of her voice, my natural stubbornness coming into play, but I pressed the skin between my thumb and pointer on my left hand and swallowed a little of my pride. I couldn’t very well argue at every turn or I’d never get anything done.

I heard a soft Ting just like earlier and a small transparent screen flashed across my vision before disappearing a second later.

Skill Activated: Negotiation (A)

The Champion has put aside his own feelings in an attempt to reach a mutual understanding with a possible ally. Aeris bears witness and approves. Assistance granted.

What the fuck was that?

I shook aside the thought and brought my palm up to have a quick look at my screen before I shared it with the Brood Mother.

Name: Haha October

Class: Champion

Race: Biotic humanoid.

Evolution: I

Stored Mass: 0.00 kg

Total Mass:

322.535

Integrity : 93.83%

342.485kg

MCR (Mass Conversion Rate): .88/sec

Physical Mass: 365kg

Power levels: 93.12%

ARR (Ambiant Recharge Rate): 0.026/sec

Micro-Evolution: 0/4 terms met

Unlocked Evolutionary Skills:

- Human (Augmented)

Primary Skills:

Hand-to-hand Combat (A) Small arms (Un) Negotiation (A)

Talent:

Iron bones (You remain unbroken under even the strongest of blows.) Iron skin (You remain unscathed under all but the sharpest of blades) Iron Stomach (You remain undaunted by all but the strangest of meals) Iron Will (You remain unbent under the power of others) Artificial Being. (Not of flesh and blood you are immune to diseases and poisons) Fighter. (You have struggled since the day you were born. Only through blood sweat and tears have you achieved all that you have and all that you are!)

Alignment

Neutral - Primary World Aeris views you with Neutrality. Aeris awaits the need to aid or destroy you

Gifts

- Gift of Tongues

- Gift of Transmutation

I did some quick math in my head, trying to figure out what my damage was like, and figured I should be at 365kg but I didn’t have the stored mass to finish healing and bring me up to scratch.

Part of me balked at the idea of sharing the information with the Brood Mother but that vanished when I looked in her eyes. I could see past the cold, emotionless exterior to the mother beneath. She cared about her children, and she considered every one of the Brood to be her child, even those that were rightly her grandchildren. Wrapped around that care was an iron will and tireless dedication to the growth of her people. She would do anything to ensure their safety. She would kill me, yes, but only if I proved to be a threat to her children.

I shook my head a little dizzy at the sudden insight.

Skill deactivated: Negotiation (A)

Ohh, that explains it.

I blinked the pop-up screen from my eye and held out my palm to the Brood Mother. She shuffled forward, her human body bending at the waist so she could better look at my hand. If I wasn’t so distracted by the thought of a planet helping me out I would have been staring at the large black breasts hanging in my face.

“You were right, dear child.” She said to Nel as she straightened up. “He is indeed from a branch world and Aeris has even granted him the class of Champion.”

All of my companions gasped in shock. I wanted to strut my stuff at their obvious awe, but I wasn’t sure what stuff I had to strut so I just nodded along like I knew what she was talking about.

“I will grant you permission to see Saza, though what she shares with you is her own choice.”

I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Finally, I was going to get some answers. I turned and smiled at Nel, her smile a mirror image to mine. I noticed that Rima was looking at me a little differently. I wouldn’t say it was worship, but it sure as hell wasn’t animosity.

“Child, though it now dries upon your naval, your blood has been spilled. What has harmed you?”

Everyone froze as she asked Rima the question. I half expected him to point his finger at me and taddle like the little baby he was but he surprised me by hesitating. I gave him a little respect for that. He still told her eventually. I didn’t blame him. The Brood Mother had perfected the art of the stare. An art she turned on me once the short, bloody story was finished.

“There will be reparation.” The Brood Mother whispered. Her red eyes boring into me.

I considered pointing out that I had only retaliated and was, in fact, the wronged party. One look around the throne room proved how very stupid that thought was. Like a mother would take the side of a stranger over her son..grandson...broodson? Man, I do not understand spider relations.

“I demand reparation through combat,” Nel said and nodded to me encouragingly when I looked at her.

Meh, I could do with another fight.

“I accept!” I declared happily.

“It would be dishonorable,” Zava spoke up from behind me quickly. I didn’t bother looking back. “He is not of the Brood. He is not even of the Denvii!”

Rima was looking between his master and his Brood Mother, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. For someone who had stuck a spear through my artificial guts, he certainly didn’t look that interested in trying it again.

The Brood Mother turned and walked back towards her throne, her insect abdomen bobbing with the movement and settled herself down on the cushioned seat. One slim arm rose to tap her sharp chin as she looked at me, some unknown emotion burning in the pits of her eyes.

“You are wrong Guardian. He is Denvii.” She said it with a little smile like she enjoyed telling a joke only she understood.

“What!” I said.

“What?” Zava said

“Wha….” Ok, you get the idea. We all said ‘What’, each as shocked as the other, blah blah blah. Moving on.

“Aeris has seen fit to classify him as a biotic humanoid. Not completely human and not completely...biotic? Which I believe is some strange term from his homeworld, correct Champion? Regardless, It matters little.” The Brood Mother's eyes turned to regard Zava. “Denvii are those who have found a balance between the two halves of themselves. Not quite one, not quite the other. Does he not qualify?”

There was a stunned silence as everyone tried to process this bit of news. I was right along with them. If I was following it all correctly then the Denvii was not a single race of people but any person who was a mix of two races. The Brood: Spider and Human. Me: Bio-robotics and Human. The werewolves we had fought earlier, the forgotten, had lost their human side and become animals and so were no longer Denvii.

Huh, who knew?

“It’s that easy?” I asked.

“I see you as Denvii and so my Brood sees you as Denvii.” The Brood Mother stated with finality.

There was a throb. It came from inside me, from my core, the very center of my being, but at the same time, it shook the world around me. Or seemed like it to me.

Primary World, Designated: Aeris, bears witness to the first acknowledgment of it’s Champion.

A denizen of high standing and holding significant sway on the side of Aeris, the side of balance, has acknowledged you as one of the people. You are further welcomed by Primary World, Designated: Aeris.

Reward: Your relation with Aeris has improved. Integration progressed.

Gift of further Integration: Advanced Mass Conversion.

I read through the popup box quickly and it faded from view. I looked around, expecting to see people watching me, but most of them excluding the Brood Mother seemed to be looking off into space.

“Are they all seeing the same notification I did?” I asked the spider woman on the throne.

“A variant.” She said.

“Why?”

“Why do they see it? Cause Aeris wishes it so.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“No. Why did you acknowledge me as a Denvii and make me a person of this world?”

“Ahh,” she adjusted her bulk till she was more comfortable and tapped rhythmically on the hand rest, her taloned fingertips tap-tapping out some unknown beat as she studied me. “I acknowledged you for the very reason I will make Rima fight you tomorrow. Growth. You and he and all my children must grow and evolve and be better than you are right now. That is a mother’s truest wish is it not? Furthermore, Aeris calls you Champion and I call Aeris, Master. Who then am I to question his choice? Instead, I will do what is in my power to help him and push you along.”

Aww shucks, she may be bi-polar but the Brood Mother was a big ol’ softy.

“But remember this well Champion; if you bring harm upon any of my children I will tear you limb from limb and suck the juices from your body. On Aeris I swear this.”

Fuck pissing off a mamma bear. Don’t piss off a mamma spider.

One by one the rest of the group finished reading their screens, I could tell cause they stopped staring into space like a bunch of idiots, and once more turned their focus on the Brood Mother and my gorgeous self.

“Rimatrastorama,” She said addressing the still kneeling young man. “You will face off against the Champion tomorrow at dawn. Zavanrosiphra, you will oversee the duel and ensure they do not kill one another.”

“Br-Brood Mother,” Rima said quickly. “I do not seek reparation. The Champion was only acting in sel-”

“Silence!” Zavan barked, cutting off his apprentice mid-sentence. “The Brood Mother has spoken. Do not shame yourself further!”

“Yes, master. I thank you, Brood Mother.”

The Brood Mother dismissed us after that. She kept Zava with her though. I think she wanted to discuss everything I had just told her but she didn’t want to do it in front of me. I didn’t care. She and I may have reached an understanding but her final warning still rang in my ear.

As we left the throne room and once more started navigating the web maze back to the outside I noticed only one guard following us. I took it as a sign of the growing trust they were showing me, or as more rope to hang myself.

“So, where to now?” I whispered to Nel. Rima walked ahead of us.

“I will take you to see Saza who you will tell your story to. I have no doubt the Brood Mother will call upon her for advice and my Master prefers to hear information from the source. She will also be able to answer any questions you may have. She is very knowledgeable.” There was deep affectionate pride in Nel's tone and when she brushed a strand of hair from her face I caught a small smile pulling up the corners of her full lips. Her red eyes turned to me and crinkled around the edges as her smile widened. “But first I am sure she will wish to clothe you. She is well past her mating years and may not like the temptation.”

Once out of the treehouse/ nest or whatever they called the Brood Mothers building, our security shadow disappeared, leaving just the three of us standing in the fading afternoon light.

“I will leave you now, sister…”There was a slight pause as Rima struggled to say something to me, his eyes bouncing all over the place and his spider feet seemed to shiver in agitation. “Champion, I...I will see you tomorrow at dawn for our duel.”

I watched his retreating form as he walked to the edge of the platform and jumped off, his spider legs spreading out behind him. I looked at Nel and cocked an eyebrow.

“What’s with the change of attitude?”

“Come, I will explain on the way to Saza’s nest.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the tree trunk. Her hand was surprisingly warm and I could feel the light calluses under my grip. I looked down, which of course drew her attention down to our joined hands, and she let go quickly. I pretended not to notice the blush that crept across her cheeks, turning her tanned cheeks just a shade darker.

“Lead the way,” I said, smiling a little too wide.

Oh, I’mma get her.

Not looking at me, Nel scurried down the tree with ease. It was a lot harder for me to go down then it was for me to get up (oh, I’m sure there's a dirty innuendo in there somewhere if you want to look for it.) but it took less energy so there is that. I managed to use a series of controlled slides with my direction being controlled by my feet and my speed by my grip. I left grooves all over the tree trunk and saw Nel glance up and wince more than once. Or maybe she was wincing because she kept getting a peek up my skirt.

Nel waited for me on a thick branch, still high above the rest of the Brood, and started running along it when I joined her. It was so thick I could actually run beside her and not even worry about falling off. She reached a fork in the branch and jumped off, whooping in joy as the wind tugged at her hair and pulled it out to stream behind her. Hardly fazed I followed without a second thought. It was a twelve-foot drop to the next branch and her spider legs caught her without a hitch before folding back up against her back and letting her run on her toned human legs. I hit the branch a little harder and had to roll.

“I love this!” She called back to me as she raced along the branch. “The freedom, the risk!”

She wasn’t wrong. There was a certain...exhilaration to it, running hundreds of feet off the ground at such speeds. Although I was a bit busy perving on her ass in front of me to really appreciate it. What! It’s so round and jiggly and the way it bunched as she moved. I’m only human...ish.

“So back to your brother.”

“Right, my brother,” I could hear her roll her eyes. “I know he may seem a bit...dim...and a little battle crazy, but he has always dreamed of being a warrior.”

She paused to hop off the side of the branch and fall the two feet to the one below.

“Perhaps it would be more accurate to say he has always dreamed of being The warrior.” She spun gracefully on her heels, barely losing speed or balance as her spider legs flashed out to support the move. She looked me in the eye. “The Champion.”

I nearly stumbled but caught myself. “What!”

“It is not that strange. Many of the young boys on Aeris dream of being the Champion...some of the young girls to,” The way she said it made me think she might have been one. “Every child dreams of being the one chosen by Aeris. You must understand, the Champion is the pinnacle of what a warrior is: strong, proud, brave, loyal, honest, a shining light to those trapped in the dark. All sides, even those who are loyal to Hale, respect and fear the Champion.”

I almost laughed out loud at her description of the Champion. I was one of those things, loyal, and I guess if someone gave me a flashlight I could find someone trapped in the dark, but other than that? I wasn’t even a real warrior. I was a brawler. Something I took great pride in thank you very much.

Nel crawled around the trunk of the tree, her figure disappearing from view, and I had to slow down as I tried climbing around. It took me a bit longer and when I reached the far side I saw Nel standing on another branch and smirking at me, her left foot tapping the ground in mock impatience.

“When Rimatrastorama was not chosen as Champion he turned his sight to the next best thing. Still determined to protect, but now unable to protect the world, he settled for his clan: The Brood. That is why he is apprenticed to Zavanrosiphra.”

Wait, she made it sound like the Champion was meant to protect the world...that can’t be right...can it?

“I imagine finding out you were the Champion then realizing that he had stabbed his childhood idol in the stomach may have come as a shock to him. To all of us.”

“So...our duel or whatever tomorrow...he doesn’t want to do it?”

“No. If anything, he is worried he will disappoint you and will fight all the harder to prove his worth.”

“Her Holy Broodness said something about pushing her children to be better.”

“She is indeed wise. Rimatrastorama will do all he can to impress you, the Champion, and it may indeed push him to be better. Also, I suggest you do not call her that name again or Zava will spring from the bushes like some great serpent and strike at your head.” She laughed at her own joke, the sound rich and throaty and it made me smile.

She stopped so suddenly at the edge of our current branch I almost went shooting past.

“Saza’s nest is just up ahead. Through those branches."

Time to go get some answers. Finally!