"Ehm, what?" (N)
With my spiders, they’re more likely to be running at me, not away.
Yet I don’t sense anything amiss.
"Your formerly human familiar. You need to call her back!" (E)
"Oh, her. But, I gave her permission to go out whenever she wants to." (N)
It seems like she needs some time alone.
Coming from Eritu's look, this answer wasn't the one she was looking for.
"Are you serious? We all trusted that such a thing wouldn't happen when you claimed her!" (E)
I can’t keep her with me at all times!
"She just needed some time to be alone. I-I won’t keep her close against her will! What exactly do you expect from me?!" (N)
At this, her surprise quickly gives way to concern.
"Neri, one of my brood just returned from the outskirts of the forest. There, she had spotted your familiar walking towards the borders of our territory. Did you not make certain she wouldn’t return to humans?" (E)
What?
Why did she go so far away!?
"I, I didn't know she'd do this! She, she's…probably just taking a walk!" (N)
"Well, it's just that some of Masiabi's familiars were assigned to prevent this kind of escape. She might be attacked if she crosses the border. Which is why you need to call her back!" (E)
Wait, what!?
"How could you decide this?! Behind my back! You, you can't do this!" (N)
Talisa gently takes hold of my shoulder.
"Neri, this is nothing new. You need to understand. We can't afford a familiar to run wild and draw attention towards us. So we had to place some form of security. Furthermore, our own familiars are as well subjected to this. We constantly maintain some of Masiabi's stronger variants on the border of our territory. It can happen that errant familiars try to walk out and don't react to our control. If that happens, they are a threat to others, as well as our sanctuary. Also, we couldn't completely trust in your ability to control your familiar. You are not the most proficient at this." (T)
That doesn't make this right!
They, they are going to punish her for no reason, other than her wish to escape this nightmare!
"This is why, as I’ve been saying, you should call her back." (E)
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Alright.
Might not be nice for Liana, but this is about her life.
We can figure everything else out afterwards.
- "Come back."
Did she hear me?
- "Come back!"
I can feel her general direction, but my connection is only telling me that she isn't stopping.
"It’s not working!!" (N)
"I feared so. You’re too far away from her to make the command take hold quickly. She might feel a nudge, but not enough." (E)
"Please! Don't hurt her! Can't you tell Masiabi to keep her familiars from harming Liana?" (N)
Can't they just web her up instead?
That's what spiders are good at, right?
"Masiabi is currently hunting in another part of our territory. It might be that her familiars will only incapacitate your familiar, but I can't guarantee this." (T)
"Then you do something! Stop her without harm before she's too far!" (N)
"Neri, we don't know where she is. Our territory is vast, and the familiar that spotted her was one of the smaller variants, so it took some time till this development reached me. We would spend too long searching. I think all we can hope for is that either she stops of her own volition, or that she will survive the following encounter if she doesn't." (E)
"No. No!" (N)
This isn’t right!
I start running.
As the others aren't going to help, I have to somehow stop Liana.
If the distance is the issue, then I need to decrease it.
And this as fast as possible.
I know just where she is and have to reach her.
As fast as possible!
"Scrtsh"
I feel a strange sensation from my back, as my dress parts at intentional seems.
"Stckstckstckstckstckstckstckstck"
I surge forward, much faster than before.
I know what happens, but I keep myself from looking, or I’ll stop.
And I can't stop.
I need to reach Liana!
Damnit!
She's still so far away!
Why can't she stop?
Oh my god, what if the hunters attack her?!
Faster!
I need to be faster!
With never-before-known speed, I rush through the corridors of the sanctuary.
Talisa made me memorize certain signs in the webbing, which roughly tell me directions.
Therefore, even in my panicked state, I can discern a path that's leading me up to the forest.
Once I break through, the light scorches my eyes.
Argh, it hurts so badly!
Nonetheless, I push myself forward.
Prying my eyes open for the occasional glimpse, I manage to move around the trees.
I can't afford to stop.
I need to catch up to Liana!
Faster!
Why can't I go faster?!
I feel how the dress around my back gives further in, my steps widening just a bit farther in distance.
The pain makes me ignore anything else, as I force myself to move on.
Faster!
Faster!!
The trees surge past me, and ever so slightly, Liana's presence draws closer, her impression becoming clearer.
Yet from the maps I studied, I can also very roughly tell that she's far too close to the border.
- "Liana! Stop!"
I don't want her to get hurt.
Whatever her reason, I'm sure we can work something out.
Yet that won't work if she gets eaten by Masiabi's familiars.
I actually feel how she hesitates for a moment, but then pushes on again.
I run on, and on.
Almost automatically, with no conscious thought by now.
Always focused on Liana.
Then something weird happens.
From one moment to the next, my vision shifts, and I’m abruptly looking at things from a strange new position, while still noticing the trees my running form passes somewhere else.
There, I'm walking much slower, with a nagging feeling coming from behind.
But nonetheless, I’m pressing forward with clear determination.
Yet then, suddenly, a huge, bright brown spider drops down in front of me.
It raises itself up, ready to strike out, while more are moving into position.
They're going to attack!
- "No!!!"
Before the strike can connect, the spider becomes still, as if hesitant to proceed.
But then my viewpoint begins to move, and again the spider readies itself.
- "Wait!!!"
Now both halt in place.
During this time, my other form kept moving onwards, coming closer and closer, until I finally arrive.
When I do, my strange vantage point turns around and I... I... I'm looking at a silvery-white spider drawing closer.
It’s huge, though maybe only half the size of Eritu’s eight-legged form.
Unlike her fuzzy coat, this one is smooth and looks rather metallic.
Then it stops.
I stop.
And I'm suddenly looking at Liana.
As well as literally everything else around me.
"N-Neri!?" (L)
Oh my White Lady!
I'm a spider!
A spider!
Aaargh!
A spider!!
I fall on my back and attempt to roll about, my legs thrashing wildly as I try to get that image out of my head, trying to ignore how my vision currently is and what that means for me.
I don't want to be a spider!
I really, really don't want to be a spider!!
Please, make this stop!
How was it again?
Just pull everything back in.
Push all the bad thoughts away.
Put the legs away!
The frickin' spider legs that I grew and that carried me all the way here!
While I wildly throw myself left and right, I feel how the legs slowly retract.
Something around my head shifts, as if a veil is pulled around it, until my vision becomes a bit more constricted, but just that little bit more right.
I start to regain feeling in my arms and legs.
My human arms and legs!
Then my eyes open.
Oh, my White Lady, thank you!
This is better.
This feels right.
I'm back in my human body.
I take a moment for myself, but then my familiar sense tells me that someone is looking.
Liana!
At least, I'm a spider no more, but there's a different problem.
I am stark naked!