Arachne

 

By now, the humans have made it to the second challenge.

 

"Shit, what is that?!" (bandit)

 

'That' refers to a carefully laid out system of sticky threads on the ground.
They aren't thought to cause any harm but instead, allow for live capture.
After something is caught, you just have to put them down with some sleeping poison and then drag the prey back to the nest where you web them in until further processing.
A great way to preserve the meat in a fresh state.

 

"It's on the ground! Guys, avoid those patches!" (Koros)

 

Naturally, we made sure that they'd have to confront our meticulously prepared obstacles in this challenge run.
For this reason, we spread guiding threads all around the course.
This was a wise decision, as those humans directly try to circumvent the area with the ground covering.
If only to get stuck in the other web.
Maybe I should give them some pointers.
For this reason, I transform back onto my human form.

 

"Ah, ah, ah! No cheating. There's only one way out. You'll have to watch your step." (A)

 

I made sure to leave some places free to step through.
Yet this is going to slow them down, and the hisses of Nerysi's familiars are already audible.
By now, I’ve noticed that there's one of them which is the most directed and loudest of the bunch.
That might be their leader.
If he deserves that designation that is.

I observe how he's intentionally waiting for someone else to step in front of him.
Which is a good individual tactic to clear the way.
Yet as I said, this careful stepping is quite slow.

 

"This is taking too long!" (K)

"Wha-" (bandit)

 

Oh, once again he pushed someone.
Yet this time, the one in question isn't dying directly.
He just got stuck to the threads on the ground.

 

"You asshole! You scum! Piece of shit! If I ever get you!" (bandit)

"Yeah, yeah! Quiet down! Or better, make as much of a racket as you can. That's going to keep them on you." (Koros)

"Urgh!" (bandit)

 

Ahaha!
He just stepped on him and uses him as a platform to leave the rest of the webbed ground behind himself.
Now those who're remaining do the same.
Yet as he's not too pleased about this treatment, he throws one of them down.
That one gets his leg stuck on the ground.

 

"Hah! You had it coming!" (bandit)

"You have this coming!" (bandit)

 

"Whack"

 

Now he's punching him!
The other can barely move but shifts his body as much as he can to bring the other further out of balance.

My oh my, humans can be so funny!
Such pettiness at the edge of death.
I don't mind them and simply pass by.
Different from the common belief, we aren't immune to our own stickiness, instead, we simply have a good sense for the threads.
And to be safe, I regularly douse my feet in my acid.
The probably only thing that can dissolve the threads in case we get caught up in them.

When I reach the other side, Nerysi's familiars finally arrive.
They directly walk up to the nearest tree and simply move along the branches in the canopy.
Yet naturally not without some of the smaller ones rappelling themselves downward onto those left behind.
And once again screams sound through the forest, inducing the remaining eight to run a little faster.
That is, until they come to a sudden stop.

 

"Wh-what is this?" (Koros)

 

He looks at the probably greatest challenge.

The thornwall!
A thick hedge of thorny greenery.
With a nasty little feature to it.

 

"Beware, the thorns are coated with a hefty poison. Avoid touching them!" (A)

"B-but this isn't fair! There's no way we can get through this!" (K)

 

Once again the loud one.

 

"Oh, don't be like this. You could simply cut a path through it for yourself. We even left you some tools." (A)

 

I point at an assortment of rusty weapons we took from their predecessors who dared to enter our forest.

 

"Screeee!"

 

The sound of Nerysi's brood approaching is enough to motivate them to get started and stop saying pointless things to me.
They frantically hack at the vines in their way, yet soon one gets too eager and brushes his hand against the thorns during one of his swings..
For a moment, he just continues.
Then he seems to notice something, remembers my words from before, and his face slowly distorts in horror.

 

"Gorel! Don't stop we need to push further!" (Koros)

 

While the other is saying this, the man's arm already starts to cramp.
It jerks in uncontrolled patterns and actually dislocates his elbow.
The pain throws him backward, right into more of the vines.
Kyroki mixed a particularly nasty concoction there.
I doubt she would openly admit it, but aside from wanting to test out the fruits of her research, I'd say she's especially motivated to let them suffer particularly hard because of Nerysi.

The way their own muscles are ripping them apart is certainly not a painless way to go.
Though, that's well-aligning with my intentions for them.
That little display of the meaning of suffering not only distracted our group of humans but made them all warier of the thorns, which in practice slows them down severely.
But then Nerysi's brood comes into view from behind them.
Different from their prey, they just climb along the trees and draw closer at an astonishing speed, the smaller ones following swiftly behind, each at their own pace.
They're becoming now very aware of what they have to expect if they idle further like this.

 

"Goodamnit! Cut through!" (K)

"I don't want to die!"

"They're coming!"

 

They almost made it when finally the broodlings reach them.

 

"Half of you! Defend the chokepoint! The rest presses further on!" (K)

 

That's not too stupid.
The poison on the vines is impartial to who gets killed by it.
The broodlings can't just overwhelm them.

 

"Raaaaahhhh!"

"You won't get me! You won't get me!"

 

They're swinging the iron hatchets and blades wildly in the direction of the broodlings, yet without the coordination to actually achieve anything while the spear-like legs of their opponents poke at them.
With their poor weaponry, I don't think they will be able to hold them off for too long.
In addition, they have another disadvantage.
It's totally possible to get past our little thorn wall.
Especially if you can climb like Nerysi's little ones.
So the humans can't afford to stay for too long as they're about to get encircled.
And I believe then the race can be considered finished and it should be fine to send in the acid throwers.

Finally, the humans break through to the other side.
However, once again they're too overeager and those on the outer edges of the group scrape against the thorns.
Not only this, but the ones in the skirmish with their pursuers realize that they can't just turn around and run from their faster chasers.
Once again, panic proves to be a poor advisor for survival, especially in their current environment.
Though, I doubt that there have been other ways to live much longer.
Once the broodlings overwhelm them it might actually be considered a mercy when they deal with the twitching poison affected.
I'm not even sure if the poison kills in any other way than by the inevitably caused injuries.

Yet now there are only four of them left.
They run as fast as they can in a straight line.
But it seems one of them can't keep up and collapses.
This makes him easy prey for the broodlings but it buys more precious time for the others.

They're running on and on, their chasers close behind them.
Suddenly, the leader throws his hatchet at the one in front of him.

 

"Aaaaghh!"

"Sorry, Jin! Can't have you running faster than me!" (K)

 

Truly, this human has a very interesting perspective on survival.
Such a fascinating concept.
I know why I like studying them so much.

 

"Koros, you asshole!" (Jin)

 

Yet now there's only one other left in the race.

 

"The others are all on you! Am I to be next?!"

"Only if you get in my way! Just run somewhere else!" (K)

 

And so he does.
Might be better, as a fight would have slowed both of them down.

Now both of them are running with the broodlings behind them.
Suddenly one of the fastest, which was the first one to climb past the vines, jumps the boss one from the side.
They grapple, yet the man didn't retrieve his weapon.
Instead, he suddenly throws his hand into its mouth.

 

"Eat this!" (K)

 

Yet instead of biting it off and killing him, the little one jerks, cramps, and ultimately desists.
Oh my, it seems he picked up one of the vines while they had to wait at the last obstacle.
The boss who's the focus of my interest runs further through the forest towards a light.
A light that grows, promises freedom, and ultimately grants sight on the area past the trees.
Our territory's largest clearing where I've stationed all my acid throwers.
I move a short distance ahead of him and turn around.

 

"Congratulations for making it this far! I'm very curious how well you'll survive the acid onslaught next!" (A)

"You, you can't be serious! This isn't fair!" (K)

 

Huh?
What has fairness to do with this?

 

"Well, you can choose to just give up here. Or you can keep on trying to escape. It's up to you." (A)

"Is there even an end to this?" (K)

"Sure. Just a couple more miles in this direction. Though, the other traps might pose an impediment for you." (A)

"But... you said you'd let us off if we escape!" (K)

"Sure, but I never said anything about your chances to actually make it." (A)

 

"Screeeeeee"

 

Oh, here they come.

 

"Seems like it's dinner time." (A)