"As you wish." He bows. "My constructs will bring you food under the cover of night. Please, eat as much as it takes to satisfy. There are always more ghouls." Spidery branches of oily, black, rotten bone slowly push out of the snow and reach for the sky, surrounding the burrow. A sudden, faint sound is heard, like a jar being opened for the first time, but in reverse.
"Not even the Prince can top my service." He declares proudly. "No task is too difficult, no find too rare! Say my name thrice and I'll be right there!"
The nymph-for-now looks at the forming spires of bone with amazement and a small shred of caution, realizing just how lucky she was to have him as an ally. "I promise I will, I'll need this for what comes next. Speaking of, could you please keep me and everyone else in the burrow safe while I'm in the cocoon? I'll be very vulnerable during that stage, but... something tells me it'll only take a few days." She's already finished a third of her plate, her pace careful yet swift, motivated by that hunger scratching at her mind.
He pulls out a pocket watch. "I'm afraid I'll have to set up some sentinels. Ever heard of a Bobbit worm? Nasty fellows, absolutely horrifying. Living bear traps, and they bury themselves until they can grab prey and pull them down. I'll put in some invisible spiders too. If anything larger than a rat, other than you two or Mother Moth, triggers any of the webs or worms, I'll be here in a jiffy."
"I haven't heard of those before, no, but they sound rather fearsome. Between that and the spiders, odds are nothing will hurt us. Thank you again." She pauses to clean some of the blood from one of her hands, adding a few more symbols to her silk wrappings before continuing her meal. The runes on the silk seem to be specifically placed, as if meant to guide the metamorphosis in the right way, with especially complex ones on the back of her neck and between her shoulder blades, the latter only partially visible through the wing slits of the dress.
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Former Spider Queen of the Spider Guild, and friendly neighborhood scheming creature.
"Made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders."
My pronouns are she/her.
Web Weaver of Everlasting Narrative! (title bestowed by Drummer)
He pulls out a pocket watch. "I'm afraid I'll have to set up some sentinels. Ever heard of a Bobbit worm? Nasty fellows, absolutely horrifying. Living bear traps, and they bury themselves until they can grab prey and pull them down. I'll put in some invisible spiders too. If anything larger than a rat, other than you two or Mother Moth, triggers any of the webs or worms, I'll be here in a jiffy."
"I haven't heard of those before, no, but they sound rather fearsome. Between that and the spiders, odds are nothing will hurt us. Thank you again." She pauses to clean some of the blood from one of her hands, adding a few more symbols to her silk wrappings before continuing her meal. The runes on the silk seem to be specifically placed, as if meant to guide the metamorphosis in the right way, with especially complex ones on the back of her neck and between her shoulder blades, the latter only partially visible through the wing slits of the dress.
The shadow man fades away with a final bow, taking his box with him.
He pulls out a pocket watch. "I'm afraid I'll have to set up some sentinels. Ever heard of a Bobbit worm? Nasty fellows, absolutely horrifying. Living bear traps, and they bury themselves until they can grab prey and pull them down. I'll put in some invisible spiders too. If anything larger than a rat, other than you two or Mother Moth, triggers any of the webs or worms, I'll be here in a jiffy."
"I haven't heard of those before, no, but they sound rather fearsome. Between that and the spiders, odds are nothing will hurt us. Thank you again." She pauses to clean some of the blood from one of her hands, adding a few more symbols to her silk wrappings before continuing her meal. The runes on the silk seem to be specifically placed, as if meant to guide the metamorphosis in the right way, with especially complex ones on the back of her neck and between her shoulder blades, the latter only partially visible through the wing slits of the dress.
The shadow man fades away with a final bow, taking his box with him.
*Good place to end?*
Adeline bids him farewell as he disappears, before finishing her meal over the course of another hour or so. Roughly two and a half ghouls' worth of flesh later, she is more than satisfied, thanking the constructs for the meal before she cleans the blood off of her hands and mouth. She gently goes to find her familiar Cinnamon, picking the stuffed creature up gently and petting it in her hands. "I have a very important mission for you, Cinnamon." She starts, hugging it before she places it near the sleeping Carnival. "Can you look out for her while I'm gone?" The plush familiar makes some small squeaking sound in response. Adeline smiles. "I knew I could count on you. I'll be back soon, I promise."
Cinnamon curls up beside Carnival, watching as the nymph finishes adding the runes to her silk wrappings and proceeds a silk thread and a bone needle from her satchel. That invisible thread has been tugging at her heart long enough. She's ready now.
While they are sound asleep, Carnival feels the burrow growing warmer, like she was sleeping in front of a fireplace.
"I haven't heard of those before, no, but they sound rather fearsome. Between that and the spiders, odds are nothing will hurt us. Thank you again." She pauses to clean some of the blood from one of her hands, adding a few more symbols to her silk wrappings before continuing her meal. The runes on the silk seem to be specifically placed, as if meant to guide the metamorphosis in the right way, with especially complex ones on the back of her neck and between her shoulder blades, the latter only partially visible through the wing slits of the dress.
Former Spider Queen of the Spider Guild, and friendly neighborhood scheming creature.
"Made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders."
My pronouns are she/her.
Web Weaver of Everlasting Narrative! (title bestowed by Drummer)
The shadow man fades away with a final bow, taking his box with him.
*Good place to end?*
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
Awake, impure, divine
Adeline bids him farewell as he disappears, before finishing her meal over the course of another hour or so. Roughly two and a half ghouls' worth of flesh later, she is more than satisfied, thanking the constructs for the meal before she cleans the blood off of her hands and mouth. She gently goes to find her familiar Cinnamon, picking the stuffed creature up gently and petting it in her hands. "I have a very important mission for you, Cinnamon." She starts, hugging it before she places it near the sleeping Carnival. "Can you look out for her while I'm gone?" The plush familiar makes some small squeaking sound in response. Adeline smiles. "I knew I could count on you. I'll be back soon, I promise."
Cinnamon curls up beside Carnival, watching as the nymph finishes adding the runes to her silk wrappings and proceeds a silk thread and a bone needle from her satchel. That invisible thread has been tugging at her heart long enough. She's ready now.
While they are sound asleep, Carnival feels the burrow growing warmer, like she was sleeping in front of a fireplace.
*I'd say that's a great place to end!*
Former Spider Queen of the Spider Guild, and friendly neighborhood scheming creature.
"Made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders."
My pronouns are she/her.
Web Weaver of Everlasting Narrative! (title bestowed by Drummer)