The World We Live In: Chapter 33 (End of Arc III)
#33 of The World We Live In
Here it is! End of Arc III: Arachne's Gold. It's not a long arc, I know, and nothing's happening worth noting. This arc is supposed to be used for introducing new characters beyond the first quartet, Karkas, and Kazan. It's short, but I hope it's enjoyable!
Thanks for reading the story so far! I know it is long and this is the first time I do serialized story arcs still within the same setting, while I usually make a sequel series after one ends. I'm experimenting a new format while also trying to create a new world that has its fantasy element grounded with less epic storyline, to make it more realistic, at least in my opinion.
Anyway, enjoy!
Narati and Arachne
"Oh, one more thing. There is a slight...problem about Narati," said Arachne while smiling nervously.
"What did you do to him?"
"Well, you see...you just warned me about that part where he's... crazy and such. I didn't know he had that kind of thing, so I did so for him without thinking and well..."
"What happened?"
"I accidentally awakened something that could be something good or bad for both of us. He's not clingy or lusty, just...awakened."
"You mean he's gay now?"
"How can someone be gay if he's surrounded by females?!"
"Sorry, my bad. I usually associate 'awakened' with that."
Arachne sighed. "Anyway, he's not problematic or such, but he's not intimidated by the other Rachnids, even becoming friends with the young ones. It's not surprising, given how he's still 16. But, aside from that, he's a great help with some of the old machineries. He's natural at that."
"So, what's the problem?"
Upon seeing Narati, Raine realized what happened. Since he was practically naked when taken hostage, the spiders gave him a silk-made cloth to wrap around his private areas. He somehow returned to the way he was before meeting with Raine and Jek: feral. But then, it was different now. He seemed cheerful, and was chatting with some of his peers. He didn't seem scared or intimidated, only smiling and playfully tease one of the young Rachnids.
But then, he saw Arachne and the rest of the group. He waved his hand and said, "Rachy!"
This made the rest of the group, who were not Rachnids, looked towards Arachne, in surprise and confusion. She looked away and nervously said, "Yeah...that's what happened."
"He called you with a pet name?"
"Pet name! No, not that! Rachy is my nickname. My fellow Rachnids call me Rachne if formality is not involved. He just like to call me that, and I call him Nara."
"Oh..." Raine then made a smile. "You two are dating?"
"I'm not!"
"You seem so flustered."
"No, we're not! And besides, he's still under aged!"
"How old are you anyway? If you're that old, then you shouldn't get too attracted to him."
Arachne groaned. "Alright, human! I'm 21! Still not convinced?"
"At least you're in legal age. But, Arachne...I don't think that's how a queen acts."
"Don't worry. The term 'queen' is just for formality. We are equal here, and that's the reason why the old building is repurposed into a hall for everyone. But of course, I need privacy, so the room is still mine."
"If you say so. So, how's the deal? Will you take it?"
After the rest of the group were gone, meeting with Narati, Arachne said, "To be honest with you, the reason I agree on all that is because of Nara. If it wasn't for him, I might not be able to meet outsiders, and become friends with them. I have always been fascinated by the world beyond this forest, but hearing how everything was practically over, I felt lonely and scared. Seeing your reaction towards me make me realize that there are worse monsters than we are."
"You're not a monster, Arachne."
"I kept reminding myself that, but I'm not sure." Arachne then lifted her head. "But none of those matters now. I'll take that proposal, human, but on one condition. I'll be handling the spiders."
"Suit yourself. It's not like we're forcing you to be Wanderers."
Arachne giggled again. "You're something else, you know that? I forgot to ask your name in all of that."
"I'm Raine Winlow."
"Raine, huh? Thanks for giving me an interesting experience."
"As do you, queen of spiders."
She smiled and kissed Raine's cheek, then shot a web from her hand and she went upwards, towards the trees. The human looked at her and whistled.
"Never thought I say this, but, for a human like me, a humanoid-looking race is better than beast races," said Raine to himself. "It just doesn't feel right having a one night stand with a vixen."
He sighed and walked towards Narati, who had been talking with Asterios and laughed after hearing a joke. In the end, they finally found a group of new people who were willing to help them in case of trouble. The spiders were very formidable, as they could instill fear in many people, especially those with low courage.
For now, their help was not needed, but what about later?