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Necessary Exchange

Looking around the big marble building, it was apparent that it was well-maintained, despite of age. The hall was grand, with high ceiling that were covered with spider webs. Fire illuminated the room, and the statues that were around. They somehow felt alive, as if unwary adventurers turned to stone.

Upon seeing their uneasiness, the spider queen said, "Just so you know, I'm not one of the Gorgon sisters. Some of my ancestors had a bad taste. But, we Rachnids don't throw away things, so in the end...they stay."

"Rachnids? But I thought..."

"It's not like 'drider' is a correct term, is it, minotaurus?"

Asterios was surprised. He had never heard that form of his race's name in a long time.

"I may have lived in this forest, but I know a Minosian armor at first glance. No one wear that thing anymore, though, so you are either a costume player or you have been sleeping in a very long time."

"You said 'ancestors'. Does that mean you're not..."?

"Immortal? No one is. There are spells that can extend life, but immortality in expense of others? I'm not that kind of deranged, even if people are intimidated with my race. But well, I guess that's that."

She then directed them to another room, where she locked the door and said, "My name is Arachne, and as that minotaur might've explained to you, the reigning queens were always called Arachne. So, I guess I'm...Arachne the fifty-second."

"That's a long heritage with the same name."

"Yes, it is, and personally, I don't like it. But I'm hatched from the queen herself, so yeah, that's how it works."

Arachne then offered them chairs, and sip a tea made from leaves in the forest.

"So, I noticed that this place is Amazonian, if that's the right term," said Kazan. "Do you, like...kill your groom like spiders do?"

"The ferals might've do that, but no, we don't. Usually, we received their seed in us, and from there, we hatched many young Rachnids. Due to an ancient magic, our descendants are always female, and I prefer it that way."

"So, what happen to the men?"

"We lead the out, of course, but not without 'playing' with them first."

This made Raine shudder. "W-what did you do to him?"

"The rat boy? Oh, nothing much. He seemed docile, but I guess he's 'one of a kind'."

"Oh, no...you don't want to encourage him. That kid's crazy!"

"Yeah, I understand what you mean. For a boy, he's been through a lot. I know some men who had seen war and lost a lot, but he seemed to suffer a lot, and his only way to cope was to deal with it, and...ended up like that. But that aside, he's fine. The girls take care of him and gave him clothes. One of the spiders took him in while he was naked."

"His clothes are a sign that he was in danger."

"Wrong first impression, but kinda works. Anyways, if you want to meet him, he's in the back."

Raine stood up, but then was stopped when Arachne shot a web near him.

"First, the agreement, then the exchange. I won't let you take him before we agree on something."

"We need to see if he's okay first, then we talk," said Raine while maintaining his composure.

"You may do so after you agree with the exchange, human," said Arachne. "Now, I will give you my proposal. We have been stuck living in this forest for so long, with our means of food dwindling due to mutation and settlements destroyed or abandoned. You are the first settlers who had ever stepped into this village for over a hundred years. It seems that our presence in this forest had dissuaded many potential settlers, and our...monstrous appearance, on some standards...could be the death of us.

"My proposal is this. Supply us with food from your produce, and we will let your friend go. It's easy to fulfill, but I need your word that this exchange will hold on until everyone in this room die, including that rat boy, and from there, we will renew the exchange. Do we have a deal?"

Raine kept silent, while the rest of the group tried to think about it. They knew that Narati's return was something they needed, as he was a capable Wanderer and fighter, but, the deal was a bit too much. If they swapped Narati for produce, it could be disadvantageous since it was very one-sided. Even if life is precious, they could not make that deal unless there was a compromise.

But then Raine chuckled, which took Arachne's attention.

"Hey, spider queen, let me tell you something," said the human with a wide grin. "You don't go around ask for our food as ransom. A person's life is far more valuable than that."

"I've suspected you'll be the one who object," said Arachne with a smile. "Interesting. Most people are intimidated by our appearance to directly take the offer. But you don't seem like it."

"I live for the muns, and I won't let you swindle me out of it just because of appearance. Human or not, you still need to understand business, Arachne. Now, let's get things done, so we can let this incident behind us. So, now, Arachne, we are the Wanderers, and one of our people is in your custody. Now, we can trade him to us, but then, we don't have any prisoners with us, so prisoner exchange is out of question. And then, there's a matter of the world out there. Are you aware of the state of the world right now?"

"I've answered that question a while ago."

"Yes. Now, I don't know what kind of deal your ancestors did in Asterios's time, but I guess food wasn't an issue back then. Now, however, we need those foods to survive, and not everywhere is good for it, so let me give you this. We can share the foods between us. In turn, you will defend Diamondback's Nest from any external danger."

Arachne looked at Raine, pleasantly surprised as he silently sipped the tea provided by a Rachnid beside them. The rest of the group were also surprised by this. As he drank the tea, he said, "Oh, and this tea can become a healthy herbal drink that can extend lifespan and make people live longer and better. Let me give you another trade. For the leaves, we will ensure that we won't let anyone burn the forest down."

"And how do you suppose that might work? A mere sight of the giant spiders will dissuade people."

"There's a saying out there. 'When you see a monster, kill it with fire.' The moment someone sees your kind, they will burn this whole place. We will ensure that it won't be a problem for you. So, what do you say, spider queen? Do we have a deal?"

Arachne went silent for a while, smiling and looking at Raine. Suddenly, she jumped towards Arachne and grabbed him. Using her legs, she climbed up towards the roof and said, "If you're willing...I want your seeds to be in me."

Raine shuddered with that fact, and almost lost his composure before the spider queen giggled playfully.

"You should see yourself in the mirror, human," said Arachne. "But I might ask you seriously if you're willing. It's not like I'm gonna eat you, right? Seeing how you negotiate and your composure makes you an interesting fellow in my eyes."

"S-so, do we have a deal?"

"Of course, we are! But let me warn you, though. You and your chosen people might be indifferent to us, but remember that we are still considered monsters to most. We are not beast races, nor are we magical beings. All we did is to cause fear and chaos."

"Fear and chaos? What? You're a Chaos Race?!"

"Chaos Race, huh? That sounds poetic."

"No, you don't understand. If your race's purpose is to sow fear and chaos, then you're a Chaos Race. What exactly did your ancestor do?"

"Well, they terrorized the forests before we become one kingdom."

"Huh...that's...kinda mild, if you ask me. You know that rat boy, Narati? His race was responsible for a pandemic that killed hundreds of thousands."

When Raine's face turned solemn, Arachne said, "What's wrong?"

"I hope you understand, Arachne, how that Fa'ar had suffered, just because of his ancestors..."

"Oh..." She looked out, where Narati was sitting and talking with some of the spider ladies. "How old is he?"

"16."

"He's barely an adult and he has gone through a lot. Your world out there is screwed up."

"Nothing's sane nowadays."

Arachne looked at Raine and understood. The only sane people left were those who were oppressed, and the ones who were lost...became the leaders. She looked at the small group, who were ushered out of the room by one of her waiting ladies, and wondered if her race would be able to get out of the forest one day and live among the others.

It might just be a dream, but it could become reality.