...It's a Fire World

[Viola]

Trying out a few writing styles here. So my next post or so might be inconsistent until I settle down. That includes the general tone I'm using for Viola.

I cling loosely to Kumoko as we plunge through the gate, instantly greeted by a harsh heat battering down upon us. The ground is black, sodden with ash, and looking up doesn't yield any sight of the sun, giving the new world a subterranean feel. I cough. The acidic sulfur from the air ravaging my lungs mixes with the lingering speckles of blood at the back of my throat. My body lurches, and before I can brace against it, tremors run down my arms threatening to break my grip.

Clenching, I try my best to maintain my grasp. Muscles strain. Still weak.

I could learn every magical trick in the book, but nothing will ever fix my vitality - from what I remember. Much of my repertoire is missing, but some is slowly coming back. Stop time. Loop time. Warp time. All utility - nothing potent. At least I still have my swords. Steel is reliable, even when spawned by magic. I'm sure, once I've healed and recovered, I'll have progressed far enough towards my former strength to defeat the clown. It'll be dead soon enough, however, so I intend to leave It behind me.

A shiver runs down my spine as I recall those events. Its claws piercing me. Its teeth chomping down. The many times I died.

Shuddering involuntarily, I find myself falling for a split second.

Kumoko shifts beneath me, compensating for my weakness as her many legs scuttle over the hot rocky floor (she's pink, so my assumption of her gender is as good a guess as any - better than referring to her as an object, a thing, an It).

"Thanks." My voice is breathy but still as tranquil as always, not as raspy as one might expect. The tear stains on my cheeks have dried, leaving my skin unblemished, pale, yet not as ghostlike as when I was more deprived of blood.

The skin around my stump has closed under the makeshift bandage, but it's too sticky for me to take off. I can survive without a hand for a time, but it would make things difficult. Faint tingles run over my nerves, and I can almost see a silhouette in the corner of my eye. It extends from my loose blood-soaked sleeve. I wiggle those fingers, but feel nothing, and see nothing when I humour the delusions. Only an everpresent fuzz - like electrical static - as if an alien being is caressing my missing limb.

It is uncomfortable.

Kumoko spins around while my breathing adjusts to the climate, and regrettably caused by some of my thoughts. The particulates in the air irritate my eyes, but I manage to create a weak filtration spell to prevent any further discomfort. I blink. Smoke was bad, but this was much worse. The terrain only looked more treacherous deeper into the world. 

Was anyone living her? There was a flat land near the fountain, would it not be more suitable to build a house there?

Perhaps, I consider, everyone is simply underground. A tropical paradise hidden by a smoldering ceiling. I have seen many climates, but nothing like this. Volcanos and mountain ranges? Yes. Anything as hellish as the place? No.

On a different day, I might have found myself taking samples, or protecting someone else as they did. That didn't matter now. So many years of research left behind. All on topic for the betterment of the realm, rather than my own interests. 

Consciously, I force myself to shrug. I don't know if that's the correct reaction, or if I should act in any way at all, but I want to be expressive. Loss is a rather dull feeling to me. It is hard to become attached to something when you know one day it will fade away.

I look down at the spider, about to mention that it might be better to try our luck elsewhere. She is fast. The clown is occupied, or dead, we would be fine. I don't want to push my luck - but I am a slow walker. It is unlikely I could ever match Kumoko's pace on foot, so she may have to carry me everywhere. If she is unable to travel here, it would be best to retrace our steps and take another path.

Yet, before I do speak, she shakes her head, spins around, and merrily speeds off away from the archway. If she could talk, I imagine she would be humming. She strikes me as a happy individual, but that could just be my mind projecting what I want to see upon her. Regardless, Kumoko is trustworthy, and while my predicament is less limited, we both have our troubles expressing ourselves.

I take a shallow breath while my eyes strategically examine the surroundings, scrutinisingly noting every little detail. Many I forget within seconds. The dark sky shifts, revealing a sliver of orange over the far horizon. Any shadows it painted were invisible among the dark terrain, with lava pools and veins casting their own focused glow.

We travel for some time, but I make no noticeable progress healing my hand. A sliver of strength flows through my body, however. Enough to lift a small rock, and maybe even throw it. I wouldn't count on that. My warm magic fizzles down my spine, soothing and comforting, contrasting the unrelenting heat with a much more welcoming embrace. In comparison, it makes the burning air seem less intense. Tolerable, even. I don't want to get used to it.

Notably, the odd spread crushed rocks lay in wave besides our path, signifying that others may have ridden here before. Perhaps on horseback, or by carriage. Or, worryingly, maybe they were large enough to crush the stones themselves.

I have no wish to turn every meeting into a hostile encounter, but I must be wary. Kumoko could have eaten me. Power may be at my disposal, but that doesn't mean I can drop my guard around others. My foresight is unreliable and fails to give enough warning to prepare myself adequately against a skilled opponent. It is a tool. Not a crutch.

And Kumoko is a friend. Not a tool.

This is a new world, one I have no obligation to assist in its development, or sustainability. I want to be young, not to look down on others because of my years. We're all equals here, pulled in together.

Which leaves a dilemma.

What do I do?

Or, what do I want to do?

If there are many others, they have factions, allegiances, and probably enemies too.

I'm certain I can prove useful, should my looks not hold weight on their opinion. Escaping an orphanage is not something I wish to do any time soon. But, it does provide some safety. In my experience, many are reluctant to kill a young girl, even if they know her looks are deceiving. Nothing to rely on, but something that could prove useful.

A girl and her pink spider friend. An intelligent pink spider. Like a fantasy adventure novel.

Ruling. Leadership. It was a strain. Many monarchies have been my puppets. Dressed up faces dancing to my plans. A quiet life would be unsuitable, also. I want to do things. See things. Something new. Danger is inevitable.

But first.

"We can rest."

I try to balance, pointing a finger towards a dark cave. Enhancing my reactions, I shift in slow motion. Time crawls, and with perfect precision I lean, twitching my weak muscles to stay balanced with no hands. The focus I dedicate to my simple stunt is a testament to my limited physical capabilities. I have ridden ponies with saddles. Kumoko's body is not naturally suited for riding, it will take some getting used to. I can learn. I want to learn. I'm riding a pink intelligent spider. After eight hundred years, I don't get many 'firsts' anymore. Good firsts, anyway. 

The future intrigues me. For a moment, I wish I could throw away my years. That I could have come here as a little girl. A real little girl. Youthful. Happy. Energetic. Wishful, with ideas and ideals for her fate. Like the little me back at the orphanage, before she learned how special she was. Or the more matured, but still playful, girl at the church. A magical novice, weak but unyielding. Longing to one day gain a taste of adventure.

They would have died to the clown.

Time resumes as normal. My magical crutch doesn't drain much energy, leaving me confident in my abilities.

Kumoko nods and scuttles forwards. Her movements are a little odd as if she's playing a game of 'don't step on the cracks'. I pay it no mind, assuming her legs are simply frail. I would hope we're not walking on a proverbial field of landmines.

My mana hisses, expelling out of my good hand and moulding into a fresh steel blade. Kumoko glances back up at me, hearing the noise. I try to smile back, to assure her I am merely using the swords blue glow as a torch, but it comes across as grim - like I'm expecting a fight.

Steadying herself, Kumoko renews her trot, fangs barred as she plunges us both into the near-darkness.

[Claptrap]

Claptrap’s quiet robotic snoring reverberated through the ashen fortress, the small robot having fallen asleep on the couch in the common room. 

“CL4P-TP unit batteries and reserve power fully charged.” Chimed the cheerful Hyperion voice, rousing Claptrap with a start. 

“Ah, I'm sorry your potato salad was too salty!” The robot cried as his wheel extended suddenly and flung him from the couch. Claptrap hit the ground with an “Oof.” And realised that he was not in fact making potato salad for an insensitive CL4P-TP owner, depressingly ignorant to the fact that Claptraps have no sense of taste, and thus cannot tell the saltiness of potato salad. 

“Oh, it was just a dream…” Claptrap sighed as he wiped an oil tear from his eye. “I should probably get that leak checked.” The robot rolled onto his back and hefted himself up onto his wheel. Seeing as no one was harassing him for his outburst, Claptrap guessed that he was alone. 

“Hmm… I'm really bored.” Claptrap mumbled to himself. “I should get out and do something.” The robot wheeled over to the bounty board and brought up the current bounties. 

“Ooh, creepy clown! Oh, Shadow is already on it. Luci? Eh, I think I might short-circuit if I look at her too long. King Ghidorah?” Claptrap paused for a moment before chuckling to himself. “Yeah, that’ll go reeeal well. Oh! I've got it!” Suddenly inspired, Claptrap rushed out the door of the fortress before remembering too late that a flight of stairs lead up to the entrance and immediately falling down them. Claptrap picked himself up with a groan but his enthusiasm was unharmed. The robot called upon his omnillium and summoned up a bandit technical.

“This is what power feels like.” Claptrap mused to himself as he hopped in the driver seat, only to remember his inability to reach the pedals. The robot summoned his shotgun and, reaching down, managed to poke the pedal with the muzzle of the gun. Claptrap yelped as the technical shot forward, barely managing to steer the wild vehicle as he made his way towards his destination. 

After a few hours of precarious driving Claptrap arrived at the spot. Hopping from the car, Claptrap observed his surroundings. “Yep. This is the place.” The robot dashed over to a boulder nearby and hauled himself up it, getting a better look at his surroundings. The lava streams, the obsidian hills, the acid rain and, of course, gate was visible from here. 

“Now it begins.” Claptrap muttered. “Yo, it's Claptrap comin’ atcha, robot mad enough to answer Captchas. Say I'm bad at rapping and I'll call you a liar, I come from the steppes because my verses are fire. Ashen blade, I've got it made, got OM comin’ from the sky, look down Claptrap’s barrel and know it's time to die. You know I'm real, made of steel, ain’t got no Achilles heel, Claptrap coming at you so hard you… Uh… Don't even know how to feel…” Claptrap paused for a few seconds. “No, I can do better than that… Uh, come on Clappy…”

From his rocky perch, Claptrap noted the small girl riding the giant, pastel pink spider with vague interest. Although he felt no inclination to approach them, he couldn't help but wonder; “Can I use this in my free styling?”

[Kumoko]

AH Hot hot hot hot!

Of course the first thing that greets me as I stumble through the archway and into another whole new world (verse?) is heat! Everywhere! The tumultuous air blasting my exoskeleton feels like it’s something fresh out of the oven! My legs pump, my stride becoming unsteady as I hop from one foot to the next, alternating between all eight of them in an effort to not burn them on the scorching rock beneath. My vision, which up until now had been spinning, finally clears up, but it does nothing to soothe my already-churning stomach. Or whatever organ it is I have that takes the place of one. I don’t know, do spiders have stomachs? This feels like something I should know, being a spider and all. Maybe I should actually like, take the time to read up on them. It’s probably pertinent information.

Anyway!

I blink the dizzying fog out of my eight eyes, taking in the new environment before me. And just like I feared...

It’s a fire world.

The ground consists of black, cracked volcanic rocks as far as the eye can see, occasionally interspersed by a glowing river of lava. The sky... Well, there isn’t much of one. Soot and ash pour out of towering volcanoes in the distance, absolutely filling the sky with black clouds and leaving a sulfuric scent in the air. It seems more like the surface of Venus that any world I know. Hell, it feels even more infernal than even the middle layer in The Labyrinth! This is not a place for a spider. Every fiber of my being screams out to me, begging me to turn around and waltz right back through that gate, walk a bit longer, see if there’s anything else in that white void. Because anything would be better than this.

The loli on my back clings to me vaguely tighter. I can barely feel it over all the other senses vying for complete control; the heat threatening to consume me, the air laden with a heavy ash. As terrible as it all is, I still decide. No. Though I can’t summon up a menu, though I can’t call upon Miss Appraisal, I can still feel it. This air, hellish as it might be, isn’t hurting me. Sure, it might be more than a bit uncomfortable, but I’m not dying. That’s more than can be said about if I were to take a stab at the white void behind me again. Chancing another trot through there would be chancing a meeting with all the demonspawn that greeted me in the first place. And I do not want that. 

I shake my head to clear my thoughts. I’ve been running since I’ve gotten here. I don’t know how long it’s been, but it’s been awhile. What I absolutely need to do is sit down somewhere, set up a web, and just think and plan. I need to rest and regain my energy. I can’t risk traipsing through that void-like hub world if I’m completely and utterly exhausted. The same goes for this world as well. I don’t know enough to take risks. That’s why I need to trek in further, find somewhere to hide away.

With that in mind, I (regretfully) set off further into this hellish wasteland. The ground may hurt me with every step I take, but it isn’t hurting me. It’s painful, but I’m not on fire. And neither is the girl on me. I can’t really see her to tell, but the fact that she isn’t screaming and/or flailing about tells me that neither her clothes nor her hair are burning. And that’s all I need.

The hellscape passes by as an almost forgettable blur as I skitter along. Though I’m moving at a perfectly respectable pace - not too fast that I can’t get a good look at my surroundings - I’m still not really... noticing a lot. It’s dark, it’s dreary, there are volcanoes spewing ash everywhere, and I really need to watch my step so I don’t go and dunk one of my feet into an unnoticed puddle of lava, but there really isn’t much of anything, really. It’s just so...

GAH

BORING.

I mean, I sorta expected as much. The middle layer didn’t really have much going for it either (other than way too many match-ups that just weren’t in my favor, of course). But still, at least the middle layer had something. This is just a slog! There’s nothing! The few things I do see consist almost entirely of small, lizard-like creatures that just take off at the first sight of me! I mean, I am a giant spider, and there is a loli riding me. But still! Why can’t you guys show a little bit of gusto? Come on! I want an easy meal!

Of course, the lizards do not listen to my pleas. Selfish little bastards just keep all to themselves. Mark my words, lizards! Your meat will be mine! Just... later, when I don’t have a little girl I need to keep affixed to my back. Other than the lizards, there are a few more things that I can see scurrying around the blackened, ash-covered stones making up this god-forsaken hellhole. Sometimes it’s a snake! Or even small rodents. That’s really it. And just like the lizards, all those things take off the moment they catch even the slightest glimpse of me. Ugh, no easy meal today. Well, at least they shouldn’t be too hard to catch with my speed.

“We can rest.”

The almost silent voice of the small girl on my back breaks me out of my internal rambling. Right, I suppose we could. If I could actually see a place we could hide out in! There’s nothing but rocks and hills as far as the eye can see! Where exactly, Viola, are we supposed to rest...

There’s a small, black-clad arm above me. I can see it through my upper two eyes. Though I can’t see it extremely well, I can still tell the general direction it’s pointing. And in that general direction... I shift my head, following the line her arm is making, and... She’s pointing right at a stereotypically ominous hole in the ground. Or rather, by ‘ground,’ I mean, ‘in the side of a hill.’

...

I really should have expected that much, but something in me is still a bit disappointed. I know we’re not about to find any forests in this hellscape, which means if we want to hunker down, it’d gonna have to be in a hole in the ground. Or under an overhang, or something along those lines. Basically: the sort of places that remind me of home. The sort of places that I’d rather not be, even in spite of my natural affinity towards places like that.

Despite how hesitant I sound about this whole thing, I’m already turning towards the cave Viola pointed out. As we both know, the longer we stay out in the open, the larger the chance of something big and hungry noticing us. There may only be small little lizards and such scampering around right now, but I know from experience that there could easily be much bigger things lurking out of sight. Maybe a dragon hiding in one of the many rivers of lava carving their way through this rocky wasteland. Or maybe there’s a wyvern of some sort soaring up above the ashen clouds. Neither would be a particularly favorable match-up for either me or my half-dead loli passenger. 

Now, you could also say that there might be something living in the cave as well. Maybe a giant snake made its nest there, or a troll, or something along those lines. To which I say: “Well, I guess I’ll just die then.” As much as I absolutely detest having to head into that pitch-black cave, it’s not like I really have much of a choice. While yes, death could potentially be lurking in there, death is almost certainly lurking somewhere out here. We just haven’t stumbled across it yet. And besides, I don’t know about the young charge on my back, but I have a much better chance of fighting back against something inside the cave than something out here in the open. My spidery mobility has always been my greatest strength, and that’s a strength I lose on flat ground like this. 

My mind is made up, and I carry on forward, towards the great open maw drawing steadily nearer. Though my gait is a bit awkward (since I’m deliberately avoiding any cracks in the ground so I don’t go and dunk my foot into a puddle of lava), I never break stride. Now’s not the time for hesitation.

... I say just as an unexpected sound grabs my attention. An almost magical chime, too close for comfort, breaks my grim determination, and my steps slow for a second as I quickly jolt my head over to look at it. Wait where’d that sword come from? A blue, glowing weapon hangs in the air just in front of me, floating exactly as quickly as I’m walking. It never gets any closer or any further. That’s Viola’s, isn’t it?

I shift my head up, my pace slowing down just a bit more so that I don’t trip over anything during this brief moment where I’m not actually watching where I’m going. The eyes nearer the top of my head look up at the bright blue girl on my back, and she just looks back, a similarly grim smile on her own face. Looks like she’s thinking the same thing I am. If something does live in here, we need to be prepared to fight.

Ah... Crap.

I grimace and bear my fangs, turning back to focus all eight eyes on the cave in front of me, just in time for us to plunge beyond the mouth of it and into the near pitch-black beyond. The oven-like heat of the wasteland behind quickly fades away, along with the already-dim lighting. In a matter of seconds, blackness consumes my vision...

... Or it would. If I wasn’t already more than capable of seeing in the dark. Thank you, spidery senses! The dull, blue glow of Viola’s sword also helps illuminate things a bit, making it vaguely easier to see the myriad of pillars and stalagmites scattered all about. Only a bit, though. Even if it wasn’t there, I’d still be able to weave my way through all the little gaps with practiced ease. And for the owner of the sword, I can still tell that she’s having a tough time seeing even with the light. Her almost imperceptibly light body leans forward, upsetting my balance a bit, as though she’s trying to get closer, peer further into the darkness.

I’m sorry kid, but that’s not really gonna help you. For a moment, I consider stowing her away somewhere. Perhaps hiding her behind one of the many stone pillars, or maybe even stashing her in one of the many small indentations in the walls. Just hide her somewhere and let her rest and recover. Then, while she’s doing that, I, the cave-clearing queen, can prove my worth once again and clear this cave out in record time!

But...

I can’t do that. Though so far the cave has consisted of nothing but a long, gently sloping tunnel - no unexplored side-routes that something could get the jump on her from - I still can’t just leave her sitting around. First of all, I don’t know how dangerous this cave actually is. If I encounter something that I couldn’t handle alone, then I’m good as dead. And if something did make its home in this cave and was just out grabbing a quick bite to eat, then when it returned, it’d just find a nice, tasty offering of one little girl just sitting around waiting to be munched on. And then I’d die too when I came back to check on said tasty offering. 

Thus, I simply press on, keeping the goth loli with me. My lone, skittering steps echo quietly off the cave walls, giving off a foreboding feeling. That’s how it always is when you go and plunge yourself into the dark depths of hell. You never know when some horrible creature is gonna erupt from the shadows and oh hey that’s a wall. 

I’m greeted by the deadest of ends after casually stepping around one of the larger pillars in this cave, and am forced to stop dead in my tracks. I slowly turn my head up, eyes trailing up the craggy, volcanic rock cliff in front of us. The blue light of Viola’s swords cast a dim glow over the smooth, black stone. I can feel her leaning even closer, starting to put weight on my head. Please stop that, it’s hurting my neck, it’s just a dead end it’s not worth it.

“... A dead end,” the little girl’s soft voice breaks the complete silence of the cave, her voice echoing off the stone walls, back and forth over the course of a few seconds.

What did I just say! Actually wait you wouldn’t know I was thinking that now would you. No telepathy. Right. Gotta get that fact lodged firmly in my brain. I simply nod to answer, slowly turning myself back around. Now that this little cave has been proven to be safe, we can rest in it to our heart’s content. Unless it turns out the owner of it has just been out and about like I feared earlier...

But we’re probably fiiiiiine. I didn’t see any ominous bones laying around, so odds are it’s uninhabited. Thank god. Plus the fact that it’s nice and cool compared to out there means I can rest easy without suffering. And Viola can too, probably. I doubt she was faring too well either, given the fact that her dress looks like it has eight layers to it. 

I start forward once again, wrapping my way around the pillar that originally revealed this dead end to me. First things first, I wanna set Viola down somewhere and finally give my legs a rest from this strain. How long have I been carrying her for? Way too long. I just wanna lay down and take a nap. Then start figuring things out after I wake up from said nap. 

But I can’t do that quite yet. Gotta set down Viola, then I gotta make a web. Probably two layers, one just inside the entrance, where the air is cool enough that it won’t spontaneously combust, and then a second one slightly further in. If I double them up like that, it’ll drastically decrease the chances of something dangerous managing to stumble its way in here. Anything small enough to slip through it should be something I can handle. Anything bigger... Well, if it’s not small enough to slip through, it’s getting stuck. Really stuck.

But how big should the gaps be for optimal danger-avoidance? Ah... I should probably just go with “big enough for Viola and I to slip out of.” Not together, of course. A gap big enough to fit us through while she’s riding me is big enough for big, dangerous things to get through. Though whatever it is, it’ll probably just stumble into it like a dumbass, so I shouldn’t worry too hard. But still. Viola and I are about the same size (if she was on all fours, that is), so something that big should be good. It’d give us a way out without having to cut down the web. Though that’s only a big deal if we’re planning on going out and coming back a few times. As far as I’m aware, the plan right now is to just hunker down, rest, and head back to the hub-world tomorrow. Or at least, that’s what I want to do. I don’t know about Viola.

Anyway!

I got lost in web-planning there. We’re already close to the entrance. Didn’t take long, now did it? In all fairness, it’s not a big cave, and even my normal walking speed is fast. I slow to a stop a good dozen or so meters away from the entrance. Though I can see the dim, ashen light pouring in from the cave mouth, we’re still deep enough in that it doesn’t reach here, so we’ve only got the glow of Viola’s sword to illuminate our surroundings. It doesn’t do a very good job of it.

Okay kid, no more free rides. I slump to the ground, legs splaying out, body pressing against the cool-ish stone beneath. Ahhh... I just wanna lay down like this forever. I can already feel the strain just... washing out of my legs. Seeming to get the hint, it only takes a second or so for the loli to slide her way off me, her dress shoes tapping against the rock, more than twice as she takes a few, awkward steps back.

“Thank you,” she says respectfully, monotonous words bouncing off the lonely walls of the cave.

Yeah, no problem. Without turning to face her, I nod, closing my eyes for just a moment I swear. Just gotta catch my breath quick and then I’ll be up and at it in no time. That web will get done, don’t you worry your pretty little face.

“Do you... have a plan?”

... Ugh I guess I have to get up now. Er... I mean... I told you I’d get up in no time! Just a moment, just like I said. Slowly, painfully, I push myself back up, turning as I do it to face the goth loli. Now, how do I get this across... Okay. I mime three different actions with 4 different legs. My front two make a motion sorta like crocheting, while leg three points at me, and leg 4 points over at the entrance to the cave. I’m gonna go and spin a web to protect us.

Viola nods along placidly, her long twintails bouncing faintly with every weak motion of her head. That doesn’t help me but alright. Next, I point at Viola with one leg, using another two to simultaneously make a pillow next to my head. You rest. The loli nods again in response to that. Ah... having eight legs is so convenient...

You wanna know what would be more convenient though?

Actually being able to talk.

I don’t know if she’s actually understanding any of this. All I can do is hope, really. 

Anyway, after that... I take up the classic ‘thinking’ pose again, tilting my head a bit to the side. How do I mime the passing of time? What we’re going to do tomorrow? Argh... This is hard and I’m too tired to think straight. But how do I tell her that that’s all I’ve got for now? Ah... I hope this isn’t too rude... Dropping my post, I start making a little “shoo” motion with my legs and then point at myself and the entrance. You go do your thing, I go do mine. Hopefully, the fact that we can discuss this later is implied.

Viola cocks her head vaguely to the side, staring at me with those big, almost-emotionless eyes, before nodding slowly. Good, I think she got it. Now time to go and build that web...