by Cebelius
"Last question," he asked, dissatisfied but at least willing to accept Shy's answer. "What the hell picked Marcus up and flung him way the hell out here in the first place?"
""The Queen.""
Yuri and Mila glanced at each other, then shrugged. Mila went back to work as Yuri said, "Unlike her brood, the queen apparently prefers a 'trapdoor' approach. Marcus just happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time."
"Where are your boots, Master?" Euryale asked, glancing down at his feet curiously. Terry was looking at Shy as the gorgon asked her question, and saw her eyes widen as a half-fearful expression flickered across her face.
Yeah, I guess if I hit one of those webs bare foot it WOULD be pretty bad. I'm in my socks but there's no telling if whatever makes the strands sticky wouldn't soak right through.
"Right, boots," he said. "I need to watch where I step. While I was looking for Marcus I wound up hitting one of the strands on the floor. I had to cut my laces and leave them behind. Should be on a straight line back toward the cave we're headed for."
Shy's fearful expression had faded, and she turned away as everyone began walking. Terry spent the time watching where he was going. He found his boots with no problem, and getting them up off the floor was as simple as holding a torch against the strand near each boot. There was a brief flare-up, and the webbing seemed to melt like cheap plastic. When it hardened again it lost its adhesive quality.
As he didn't have any extra laces, he passed the boots off to Laina for safekeeping. She packed them away in her backpack without a word.
'When will we be discussing our new contract?'
As far as I'm concerned, I'm still in imminent danger, or were you not listening when everyone said a fucking spider queen was waiting for me?
'That isn't a danger. You know as well as I do what she wants to talk to you about.'
Terry winced at that and had no coherent reply. After a few moments he thought, Before I sleep, we'll deal.
'You've threatened my existence twice today, Master. Our relationship grows tenuous. Don't make me wait too long or I will find you in breach.'
I keep my word, Prada.
'That is the only reason I have not ALREADY found you in breach. To threaten your familiar, were I to take that threat seriously, would obviously be a breach. I think you know that instinctively, Terrence Mack. Fortunately, your power persuades me to disregard your threats as being made 'in the heat of the moment.' Talk to the spider queen and find resolution with her ... then you deal with me.'
Terry's jaw clenched and he made no reply. What could he say? He had no regrets about what he had said, or done, to save Marcus' life. The fact that it now put him in an entirely different kind of danger wasn't lost on him though. He did not want to make an enemy of Prada.
As he'd been paying attention principally to where he put his feet, he didn't see the spider queen until the group stopped as a unit and he glanced up to see where they were.
When he did see her, he boggled.
The woman standing in front of him was easily twelve feet tall and massive, though the bulk of that mass was a black abdomen that extended behind her and was supported by six entirely insectile legs. The final two legs were attached where a normal woman's thighs would be, and were shaped as two halves of a disc that looked like solid stone. The disc wasn't put together at the moment and was jagged through the middle, but it was obvious the spider queen could fit them together like two pieces of a puzzle.
Those limbs covered everything up to the middle of her taut, blood-spattered stomach, and his eyes followed a line of pale flesh delineated by black carapace sides that led up to a set of breasts that were so out-sized for her frame as to be in the realm of caricature. Black chiton held those massive assets in place, and her arms and shoulders were covered in it. Her limbs were entirely plated in natural armor and her hands, while possessed of the typical four fingers and a thumb each, ended in sharp points not unlike Euryale's brazen claws.
At the moment, those claws also dripped fresh blood, and given the glisten he saw elsewhere on her shell, it was clear that she could hold her own in combat.
What really took him aback though, was her face.
She had a rich head of pale, fluffy white hair held back in a loose tail that cascaded down her back until it pooled at the junction of her human and spider portion. Her pale-skinned face had human proportions, a chin, cheeks, sharply defined nose, but it was also studded with red eyes that seemed to glimmer with their own inner light as she looked ... well, presumably at him. There were no pupils that he could see — nothing but a uniform red color.
Her mouth also stood out, as it was couched by a pair of what looked like nothing so much as miniature black arms, complete with fingers and thumb, that nestled just under full lips with fingers intertwined.
Those two arms actually spread apart as though to welcome his presence as she spoke in a voice that was deep, but quiet.
"Ahh. So it is true. I had never hoped to meet a template, yet here one has come into my lair. This pleases me."
"Terry Mack," Terry said, nodding and hoping he wouldn't be expected to shake hands.
The spider queen tilted her head, then said, "Ahh, your name. Mine is Ephe, though it has been a long time since I have spoken to anyone who might speak back. I must apologize for disrupting your friend's balance. With the death of my brood, and the thunder of the then approaching horde, my tremor sense did not differentiate the footfalls of your group from theirs."
'A lie. Her tremor sense would have told her exactly where your group was, and the relative weight of each of its composite members.'
"Why didn't you attack when your brood was killed," Terry asked.
The queen regarded him for what seemed to him a long time before she answered.
"The sounds and the feeling coming from above me were ... wrong. One of yours I presume, came and challenged my children. Such a move was unsettling, and I felt no desire to risk my own life when those of my brood were so easily taken."
She waved a hand about, taking in the shattered stone all around as she added, "It seems my caution was warranted."
"Why come out when the zone beasts attacked then?" he pressed.
She shrugged eloquently, and folded her chiton hands under her impressive chest.
"I sought the element of surprise. Given I no longer have a brood, I will need a great deal of food to nurture another ... which brings us to you, template. I will require your seed in exchange for the lives of your companions. I have already given them to you so you may, of course, refuse me, and instead we will fight. I will take at least one gift back, perhaps several, before I can be subdued. I am very, very strong. I will, naturally, save you for last, and at any time during our battle you can submit to my offer. Take your time thinking, I am in no rush."
As she spoke, the two tiny arms on her face looked like they were rolling around each other like a merchant dry washing his hands. It was unsettling in the extreme. Her eyes never blinked, and she seemed unperturbed by what was going on. It was clear to Terry that to her, this was just business.
And there is NO WAY I can fuck that thing.
'Perhaps NOW would be a good time for you to renegotiate our contract, Master. There are things you should know before you proceed here ... with the lives of your companions at stake.'
"Now!?" he muttered. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
'Now, Master. Bear in mind, your interests and mine still coincide. You may trust me in at least that much.'
He glanced at his companions and saw them all looking at him curiously. He felt compelled to say, "Sorry, Prada's talking to me."
Looking up at Ephe, he said, "If we're in no rush, do you mind if I sit? Few things I need to work out."
"Of course," Ephe said, settling her body a bit lower to the ground as she gazed at him. "Take all the time you need. Your companions should not do more than sit though, lest I suspect treachery."
"Just, talking to Prada,"
he said, more to let the rest of his companions know what was going on than to reassure Ephe. "Give me a few minutes, please."
Prada got straight to the point.
'Ephe has demanded your seed, not sex. She seemed amenable, I would agree to her request.'
What do you expect me to do, jerk off in a bottle?
'Nothing so crude. Should you do something like that, a great deal of your potency will be lost, and she would not be pleased. Instead, you should use me as a vessel of transference. Storing mana is part of my function as a familiar, and I can maintain the proper temperature and conditions within me to ensure your seed remains virile, at least for a few minutes.'
Unease settled on him like a wet blanket, and his lips twisted as he thought, And in return?
'We'll wrap it up in our new contract, which you should start negotiating now.'
What other powers can you offer me?
'All that I've previously suggested is still on the table. How much you get depends on how much you give.'
Can you be precise?
'In what way?'
How much of my ... power, are you taking with each normal feeding?
'Ah, I see. You wish to know what resources you have to trade before you give them away. Sensible, and since I cannot lie to you and have no desire to deepen your mistrust, I will tell you that on the day I feed to satisfy my current contract with you, you lose approximately one fifth of your power, which you recover over the next eight hour period, or immediately upon coitus with one of your bonded women. In order to grow, I require at least three fifths of your power per feeding at the current rate, or to feed three times as often, your choice. You can, of course, go further. You could feed me every day and lose no more than a fifth each day, and I would grow rapidly. Once I have attained a size and weight commensurate with your own, I will require no more than four fifths of your power in any given week, disbursed as you choose.'
That seems rather counter-intuitive.
'Think of it as the difference between a program designed to build muscle, as opposed to one that maintains your current strength.'
He blinked. That actually made perfect sense to him. He got a sense of deep satisfaction from Prada, and refocused.
All right, so in exchange right now you've offered me, let's see ... enhanced speed, enhanced strength, your offensive capabilities, your ability to transfer cum, and the ability to tap into your tremor sense. Anything else?
'I can also become one of your bonds, should you choose to have me in that way. I have no idea how that would change your resources or my abilities, but I would be eager to learn.'
Uh huh. Skip that for now. If I increase the amount of 'power' I'm giving you by a factor of seven, I'm going to wind up without a drop of blood in my body by the end of the week. How does THAT work?
Amusement flooded through his mind as Prada's curious laughter sounded in his head.
'Milk. It does a body good.'
"Oh for ffff-!"
He pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt heat rising along the shells of his ears. Despite the fact that he'd grown somewhat used to Laina 'feeding' him, it still embarrassed the hell out of him when he really thought about where that milk came from.
Another thought occurred to him, and he blinked and sat up straight.
You also said you knew what was going on with me, why I'm sore and borderline sick all the damn time.
'... I did say that, yes.'
Still trying to play me?
'Always. You said 'Anything else,' not everything else. Do bear in mind this is business. If you want it to be more than that, you'll have to start treating me better in general, and that's not something I can put a price on.'
Terry thought about what was on the table for several minutes, turning the various permutations over in his mind. Finally, he organized his thoughts.
I want to be able to access your tremor sense at will, your knowledge, ALL your knowledge about what's going on with me, the ability to transfer, and an agreement that you'll perform general tasks when I ask you to immediately as long as they don't directly endanger your existence ... such as helping me save my friend's life. In exchange I'll offer you the requisite three shares as opposed to the one you get now.
'That's surprisingly stingy of you, Master.'
Prada, I threatened you because you wouldn't work with me. I'm not about to try and force you to adhere to my ideas, but as long as you and I are in this, I need to know I can count on you for help, whatever help I need.
'I note that you have NOT asked for my offensive capabilities. This makes me curious.'
I don't need an assassin. I don't WANT an assassin.
'Whether you want one or not, the time may come when you need one. I will not be so easy to negotiate with in the future, Master.'
That actually made him laugh, then shake his head as the rest of his thoughts clicked into place. He was working as much on instinct as anything, but Terry knew his instincts were good.
Four shares then, and consider it an ongoing apology for threatening your life.
'... You planned to give me four from the start.'
Yeah, and don't tempt me to demand access to your thoughts in the same way you seem to like peeking inside MY head. I'm already at a chronic disadvantage with you as a consequence of that, but I'm willing to let it go. Honestly, I don't WANT to know what's inside your mind, but I'm not stupid, Prada. The NEXT time we deal, I will not permit you to be connected to me while we do it. So yeah, you're right. The next time we negotiate, it won't be so easy.
'I see ... No, you aren't stupid, Master. Very well. I agree to your terms.'
Prada shifted around on his waist, then part of her flowed with liquid ease into his pants.
'Let's get Ephe's requirement out of the way then, shall we?'
Wait, WHAT?
'Try not to get insecure about how quickly this happens, Master. I do — after all — know your body better than you do.'
20
Worth It
Euryale resisted the urge to tap her foot as she folded her arms across her chest, glaring at the spider queen as she waited along with the rest of them for Master to get done doing whatever it was he was doing with Prada.
I can't believe no one's asked me to kill her. This is being made so much more complicated than it has to be.
While her help had indeed turned the tide against the zone beasts, it had been her entrance that had cost them two of their members, including the one with the door masquerading as a shield. As far as Euryale was concerned, that made her just as hostile as the zone beasts.
Yet here we are, waiting to see if Master is going to fuck her.
Her scowl deepened. She didn't care who her master took to bed, but she did resent the feeling that the spider queen had forced the issue, and that she was being taken seriously.
Anyone she could kill isn't worth having anyway.
Her lips twisted and she fought with herself to stay still. She reminded herself that this wasn't her decision to make, and she'd been pestering Master a lot lately.
At least he saw sense and let me handle the little ones.
The thought brought a smile to her lips. When she had made her vow, she had done so simply to be able to ensure she could stay with him. He had asked for her help, but she hadn't wanted the relationship to be that shallow. 'I help you, you help me,' seemed hollow to her. She wanted more. She had an irrational but powerful need to surround herself with him and never let go. Terry Mack had truly become her world, and anything she did for him, large or small, made her happy.
Anyone who took from him, or threatened him, aroused in her a murderous rage. This spider queen had caused Master to be injured, and she now stymied his progress. It was enough — more than enough in Euryale's eyes — to make her life forfeit.
Her attention was caught as she noticed Master hunch over himself. He'd been seated upright, but was now leaning forward as though in pain.
"Master?"
> "S-salright, love," he said through gritted teeth. "No problem. Every TIME I think I can't be further hummmmiliated, something like this happens."
His expression twisted and his eyes rolled back in his head as he let out a low gasp, and then he seemed to relax, panting. His face was beet red. So were his ears.
A giggle brought Euryale's attention to Shy, who had a hand over her mouth and was also blushing, though for her it darkened the greenish tint of her skin.
"Okay, what just happened to him?" Euryale asked.
"Oh."
The gorgon turned and saw a blush creeping up Laina's cheeks and turning the insides of her ears dark.
Euryale turned and glared at Shy, who leaned in and whispered, "He's using Prada to give Ephe what she wants."
"I don't ... oh. Really? Master! I'd have done that for you!"
He just groaned, set his elbows on his knees and covered his face with his hands as he muttered, "Someone kill me now."
"I don't understand," Euryale said, turning back to Shy for an explanation. "Why is he embarrassed?"
"Boss has hang-ups," Laina said, to which Shy simply shrugged and nodded.
"Not being comfortable with a, you know what? No, not discussing this." Master got up and walked toward Ephe as he said, "I agree, you can have what you want from me provided you're willing to receive it through an intermediary."
The spider queen tilted her head, mandibles easing over one another as her unblinking eyes considered him. Euryale's attention returned to her and she took several steps forward, making her intentions clear as she showed her claws.
Ephe's eyes flickered briefly, but other than that she gave no indication she cared for the gorgon's presence as she said, "How can I know that you intend to honor our deal rather than kill me using your familiar?"
"If you want it, this is the way you get it. Decline and you'll get that fight you promised us," Master said, folding his arms across his chest.
What happened next was over so quickly that even Euryale barely recognized something was going on before it was done.