"An Arachna tide floods City D-18?" Tardium said. It was a rare occasion that the Arachna would invade Sector D.

"Must have been a leftover from Sector B," Constrien said. He lowered his gun that exuded smoke from its barrel and reloaded it.

Piles of Arachna surrounded the group. Aside from them, the bullets and metal junks littered the ground. Sparks of electricity flew from the puddles of green blood and spread to the corpses. They radiated a gory smell mixed with a hint of a cooked fragrance.

"Canaris, come back," the Elven Arbiter said. "Let me help you."

She waved her hand above Canaris, who was kneeling. A mist of Fons weaved into a complex formation that collapsed into a torrent of light when she squeezed it.

The light washed over Canaris. It covered his body and absorbed all the dust and blood. The moisture generated by the spell livened his skin and removed the bloody stench on his furs.

"Such a convenient spell," Tardium said and eyed the figure standing beside him. Her tight attire revealed her artificial curve, though her cold expression gave an aloof vibe.

On her waist, she sheathed two white rapiers. Through the scabbards concealed their appearance, they attracted attention by reflecting light with their smooth surfaces.

Like a female knight, she stood upright with one of her hands on guard, preparing herself for a sudden ambush. Created by special material, her rapier could easily slice a spiderling in half.

Her black hair fluttered with the dust wind. She didn't mind the dirt as long as she could respond to any threat. Endurance and stamina weren't her issues.

"Mucia, why can't you clean yourself like that?" Tardium sighed. He envied the Elven Arbiter of her art of Fons. If he could become an Arbiter, he wouldn't have to risk his life like this.

"Master, my model lacks a spell-casting circuit. You must first install a pathway in me," Mucia the android said. Her voice was devoid of emotions, empowering her cold beauty vibe.

"Forget it. You have no sense of humour," Tardium sighed. Though he wanted his android to do more, his pocket couldn't afford it. Spell circuit was too expensive.

"Cut it, Tardium. She's your android, and you argue with her. Who even argue with an android anyway?" Constrien interrupted. It was getting too much.

Constrien told Tardium to buy an android to protect himself. If Tardium could get a shield, the success rate would increase.

"Boss, you're siding with her," Tardium said. He should have spent more credit on Mucia and buy her more advanced gadgets. A heart-warming android that could comfort him would be great, though it would also ruin the cold beauty vibe.

"Drop it," the Elven Arbiter said. She opened her eyes after she finished her daily prayer. "Let's go. It's getting late."

When she spoke, everyone stopped to listen. Her status as an Arbiter with the religious background was too big to ignore. If she complained about them to her Household, their fate wouldn't be pleasant.

"Yes, lady Cyania," Constrien said. He readied his guns and stretched.

"If you say so," Tardium said. He stopped arguing with Mucia and stood up. He commanded his device to reveal a hologram of the landscape around him.

"After this sparse forest, we'll reach the location of the mission," He traced an optimal path with his finger. Though they had to take a detour to avoid the hotspot of the Arachna, it would save them times and resource.

"A forest? Don't embarrass yourself like last time," Constrien said. The tight space and complex terrain countered most of Tardium's gadgets. The friendly fire could occur if he were careless.

"This time I have Mucia." Tardium smiled at Mucia.

"It is within my responsibility to protect you."

"Let's not waste any more times. Otherwise, three days will become four days." Constrien said and turned to Cyania, who was stroking Canaris's fur.

"As you said." Tardium groaned and stomped away.

Behind him, Mucia rushed to him, not caring about his emotions. Her objective was to protect him from external harm, not to heal his internal scars.

Constrien shook his head before running to Tardium. Though they had cleared the zone, it was never good to separate, especially when they were doing the B-graded Mission.

...

Princess sat on the throne and pondered. Beside her, Angelica cleaned her body with a wet towel. Though she earlier refused. Angelica lectured her until she complied.

"Mistress, you should take care of your hygiene. Please allow me to tend to your daily needs." Those were the words Angelica said before she meticulously cleaned Princess.

She swiped the towel across the dark-purple carapace and polished it until it could reflect light. She scrutinized Princess and dusted her joints. She only stopped when she saw her face through the reflection.

"Allow let me clean them, too," Angelica said.

Princess absentmindedly nodded. She shifted the spider legs on her back to Angelica. A trickling sensation spread through her body as Angelica handled the limps. Princess glanced at the Broodmother. Countless baby spiderlings swarmed around it.

Princess strengthened her back and commanded them. In an instant, the spiderlings gathered with the Broodmother. They formed a small black hill, climbing and falling in a strange pattern.

"Mistress," Angelica said and walked around Princess to the other side. "Allow me to clean this pair too."

"Don't you feel tired? Rest if you do."

"It's my duty and pleasure to serve you. Please allow me to help you."

Princess understood Angelica. As a supportive android, Angelica wouldn't be of much help in the upcoming battle. She struggled to find her worth, though Princess wouldn't mind if she didn't do anything. For Princess, Angelica was determined to do everything she could to help.

By helping to organize the vessel and to take care of the mundane tasks, Angelica could at least ease Princess's stress. Only by doing that, she wouldn't feel guilty.

"You're great at this," Princess said.

She shifted her attention to the tiny spiderlings and separated them into groups. Though they couldn't do anything significant, they could become distractions and traps. As long as they were of uses, Princess would use everything.

"Mistress, would you allow me to clean your face?"

Angelica replaced her towel and looked at Princess's azure pupils. She marvelled at the beauty of the hybrid between the human and the Arachna. In that pair of eyes, she saw an unquestionable authority of the royalty who commanded respect.

Princess supported Angelica's cute decision and closed her eyes. She allowed herself to drift into rest, feeling the soothing warmth of the towel. Angelica's light motion gently lulled Princess into sleep.

"Mistress, now you're as clean and elegant as you should be."

Angelica examined Princess with proudness in her demeanour. In anticipation, she looked at Princess and tensed, waiting for the praise.

"You did well," Princess said.

Because of her excitement, Angelica failed to notice the strange expression in Princess's eyes. They diluted and brought a fleeting memory from the depth of her heart.

...

"Don't you feel tired? To help me, another woman, clean her body," the mistress said and coughed.

"Mistress you're my only friend and superior. It's my joy to take care of you."

"I order you to go back to sleep. You'll ruin your face with dark eyes."

"Would you allow me to clean your face?"

The mistress rejected and took the towel to clean herself. The maid could only watch with a crestfallen expression, though the mistress still gave up midway and allowed her to help clean.

"Please ring the bell if you need me. Otherwise, I'll be back in an hour."

The maid extinguished all candles and exited the room. She lightly closed the door, her footsteps fading to silence as she left. In the darkness, the moonlight illuminated the room. They went through the window and refracted into beautiful rays of colours.

"Up above and down below, how would life be?"

The mistress pondered about a question which kept her awake until her maid came back.