Arachnomancer 72 Ambush Or....

After that encounter sleep was impossible. Brooding over my thoughts the light outside the shelter started to fade. We move back to Ravel's camp after it's dark. I really need to aquire some sort of communication device or something. Telepathy works with all subordinates, 'technically'. I still haven't found out how to use it with anyone other than the broodmothers and Set. It also can't be used over lengthy distances either.

I watch the outside turn pitch black and, I start ordering the spiderlings along Xelu and Nemesis.

"I want to guys to get them to move quietly and quickly back to Ravel's camp." Gin

'Tsskkk! That one. Dont be tempted master. Once I acquire some humanoid form I will make it so that no one else will mean anything in your eyes.' Set

Set actually speaks up for once. She keeps to herself a lot recently. I can tell that she is very alert most of the time. Each time I get injured she becomes very agitated and it seems as if her alertness is getting progressively worse. To a degree where she abandons talking.....

Perhaps that's something I should look for with the new broodmother or guardian..... Some sort of scouting subordinate would do fine as well. I can probably borrow one from Wetho. I could also get one from the Sillith Faction as well.

"Hurry up you gar-.... Nice... Spiderlings.... We need to return to the previous camp before sunrise.... Or else." Nemesis

"Go to camp. From before. While dark." Xelu

Nemesis doesn't seem to want to treat the spiderlings well. A vast difference to how metal spiderling community that Kess has. They seem to enjoy following Kess and I've seen them dance in weird ways in celebration. Some even worship her.... Although.... They do inexplicably die sometimes.... Then they get eaten....

Xelu's spiderlings are rather simple minded and will follow instructions rather well. Her curiosity leads her to get them to do weird things sometimes. When eldritch clumps of flesh with tentacles and thorns start pushing themselves together in weird ways.... You start questioning your sanity.

Vulki's spiderlings are all a ball of energy. They are extremely mischievous and caused plenty of problems before Vulki reprimanded them. Since then only themselves and enemies have suffered through various tragedies that they conconct. Even Nemesis suffered from them before she was converted.....

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We get moving rather quickly. After a while, we come to a clearing filled with a faint blue glow..... Fireflies? Interesting. I catch one and bloats up and explodes into a blue goo in my hands.... Gross! I rub my hands through the gra.s.s. I'm not sure if my hands smell now....

*sniff

Surprisingly nothing. Anyways I leave the clearing to see a small patch of trees. Walking closer, Set freaks out.

'Watch out! There are people in there!' Set

I focus in and see a couple ma.s.sive figures along with a couple small ones.

"s.h.i.t! How is he that observant!?!? Well, the element of suprise is gone...."????

Only six figures walk out. A brown hairy.... Troll? Not quite like Ymrilab. It has tusks and is more lean than pudgy. Two small figures look like sterotypical goblins. Green, pointy nose, thin limbs.... Next is a ma.s.sive red ogre. Very peculiar clothing.... Something that would make parents would cover their children's eyes. Sleek black spandex covers him very tightly showing an aweful sight. On his hips are a bunch of pouches that radiate a aura of foulness. Putrid green ga.s.ses escape sometime with his minute movements. A young girl with a similar set of wings and tail to Ten is there as well. Only her tail has a heart shaped figure at its end and her horns don't leak blood. Lastly is a fully obscured figure. Black robes with some sort of mist blocking his face.

"So you are the one that is working for the Drow Queen, huh.... I'm surprised you lingered around for so long. If you would've run back to that drow encampment, we wouldn't have had time to set this ambush up." ????

d.a.m.n. These guy knew about the route I wanted to take back.... How did they know I was around here though? Sure I attacked that nearby city but, unless they specifically knew the distance that I took from it.... I look back and realise my own stupidity. A horde of spiderlings are truly hard to hide. Especially when some are litterly made of fire They are probably strong for them to try and ambush me with only the six of them....

"Can we negotiate here?" Gin

"Negotiate!?!? Did gou want to negotiate when parents turned into some kind of undead monstrosities and tore their own childrens hearts out!?!? Did you want to-" Young Girl

"Tot, that's enough. What's the point of arguing?" Troll

"No, Varres, he needs to know why he has no right to negotiate with 'actual' people." Tot

*Sigh

"Fine." Varres

"Absolute sc.u.m. No better than those pieces of drow s.h.i.t. A worthless creature that only brings horrible-" Tot

Nemesis interrupts her by shouting heavily foul language. That 'Tot' seems to hold a deep grudge against me. I did start a horrible slaughter though so, I won't deny her words. I'd thought that drow were horrible before but, I find myself able to commit similar atrocities. In the end though, what does it matter? Why are those parents and children important? I do feel a deep attachment to Set and the others as they are truly important to me. Inival, Ravel, Wetho, Drun, and all the other elves are different in a way as well. Perhaps I am a hypocrite and can arbitrarily value people. Well, that doesn't matter. What matters is dealing with this issue here.

"-Dirty b.a.s.t.a.r.d producing sow. Why don't you let that giant pervert f.u.c.k your throat out of your a.n.u.s-" Nemesis

"Nemesis, stop!" Gin

I only caught the end of that there. It seems that Set and Inival are angry as well. Xelu doesn't seem to understand and is trying to match the moods of the others.... I hope she doesn't pick up on the type of language Nemesis was using....

"Negotiations are open...." Dark figure

"Union Head!?!?! You can't be serious!?!? That guy has no morals!" Tot

"I agree with the head as well" Ogen

"Ogen!?!? Weren't you the most eager to introduce him to your 'mister fister'!?!? What is going on!?!?" Tot

"Tot. Calm down. You should have some sort of sense on how dangerous this guy is. I feel my scalp itching just standing here" Varres

"We can still kill him!" Tot

"Not without losing a few of us at the very least. At worst we could all end up dead. It's not just him either. There is a horrible presence lingering here." Varres

"Quite perceptive Varres. Anyways. Gin is it? We want to make a deal. You have a lot of influence in drow society it seems. I want you to end their involvement in this war, if at all possible.... It seems that the Black Iron Pyre is launching a ma.s.sive strike on us...." Union Head

"Union Head? Why are you telling him about that?" Goblin 1

"It would've been fine to just ask him to try and pull back enemy forces." Goblin 2

"He'll learn either way. We captured a drow n.o.ble and learned some information. The main reasons behind the drow's invasion is due to this artifact and due to some valuable resources we've uncovered. We'll hand the artifact over along with the resources that we have collected so far over if you pull out...." Union Head

It's quite a deal. It makes sense though. What did they do to p.i.s.s off the Fallen Dwarves so much? To the degree that they are willing to bribe the Drow Theocracy to leave.... I can't really make a decision here though.... Ravel will be the one to make the final decision....

"Someone's coming.... Drow Scout?" Goblin 1

A drow scout is running really fast with his legs flinging forward in ridiculous arcs. He comes to a halt behind me. He looks at the situation and sweat starts building up on his forehead.

"Umm.... Her majesty wanted to give the Saint a method of communication.... Here...." Drow Scout

That's rather conveniently timed. Huhh?.... The drow scout takes off at an incredible speed, probably running away from these elites from the Union....

"Well. That makes matters more simple." Union Head

Yeah.....