04-19-2018, 03:55 PM
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...
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...
![[Image: 1NDUEKD.png?1]](https://i.imgur.com/1NDUEKD.png?1)