The Curator
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Chapter 133: The Spiderqueen
🕑 Added 2024-12-18 09:36:12 +0000 UTC"What troubles you, my love?" Eryndor asked his wife, Isis. They sat together in one of his grand palaces, their gazes fixed on a newly crafted statue. A lesser god had created it in their honor, depicting the two of them standing triumphantly over the lifeless body of one of the Spiderqueen's daughters. The Spiderqueen, an ancient deity herself, was still three eras younger than Eryndor and Isis. Yet, within her domain, her power far exceeded even Eryndor's.
Over two hundred ears ago, one of the Spiderqueen's younger daughters had dared to assault one of their worlds. It was a bold, almost reckless move for the young goddess. But once Eryndor and Isis, with the assistance of numerous lesser gods, severed the connection between the nascent web and the Spiderqueen’s great network, the ambitious invader found herself trapped in the very snare she had attempted to weave. This was the way of the Spiderqueen's kind—they expanded her vast domain by entwining more and more planets into her cosmic web.
Attacking Eryndor and Isis was audacious, to say the least, but the distance of the main web from their realm made it feasible to disrupt the connection. Were it not for the Spiderqueen being preoccupied with a war against another empire of spider gods, such an offense would have spelled disaster for Eryndor and Isis. Since her ascension, no one had managed to defeat the Spiderqueen—a remarkable feat, given how many gods had tried and failed to destroy her after her rise to godhood.
Now, the Spiderqueen's expansion seemed to have halted, at least in the direction of the apex gods—those powerful factions she seemed unwilling to confront directly. Little was known about her. How many gods supported her? What horrors unfolded on the planets within her web? Most believed her domain served as a breeding ground for her young, as no gods or other lifeforms had ever emerged from its confines.
"It is the girl I blessed," Isis finally replied, her voice tinged with anger. "After one of my avatars in the tutorial instructed her briefly on how to refine a healing skill, she took all the advice and knowledge I offered—and then rejected my blessing." The final words came out as a hiss.
Eryndor stiffened in shock. Such defiance was almost unheard of. Most gods lost their blessed followers to death, not rejection. For a mortal to spurn a blessing was a rare and intolerable affront. Mortals who dared such rebellion had to be hunted and made an example of. Yet, this girl was in the tutorial, the realm where Ankhet would soon emerge. Every ally was needed in the coming trials. Still, Eryndor's hatred for anything that wounded his beloved wife burned hotter than any strategic considerations. He already began plotting.
"We can spin this," he murmured. "Make it known that the girl is in league with the undead. It would justify her execution while uniting others against a common enemy."
"She will regret betraying your trust," Eryndor vowed, his tone resolute. He sent out immediate instructions to his blessed and the minor gods who had imbued mortals within the tutorial with divine favor. The girl's days were numbered. Marked as a traitor to the great and benevolent Isis, her survival in the tutorial would soon be impossible.
<--
"What's wrong, Eve? You look so weak. Did something happen?" Kargul asked, concern etched into his rugged face. They had just finished a grueling battle against a black tiger, and for the first time, Evelyn seemed drained beyond her usual limits. She had paused her boosting skill midway through the fight to heal Kargul—something she usually did effortlessly. Now, sweat beaded on her brow as she leaned heavily against a nearby tree, her breaths shallow and uneven.
"It's nothing," Evelyn said after a moment, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "I'll feel better after the system shop." Her tone was casual, but her mind churned with uncertainty. She couldn't bring herself to tell Kargul—or anyone—that she had rejected her blessing. The consequences of that decision were hers alone to bear. The system shop would appear soon, and with it, the chance to forge a new path. If only she had a clue what that path should be.
Evelyn bit her lip, her thoughts racing. Her agility and intelligence stats were impressive, far outstripping the others. Strength, toughness, even wisdom—all woefully inadequate by comparison. She needed an offensive skill, something to deliver real damage, but what? Even light warriors required a modicum of strength, and she had none. Offensive spells seemed the only viable option, but how could she face Cathrin with something as basic as a fireball or lightning bolt?
Cathrin, the blood witch, wasn’t just powerful—she was among the top contenders in the tutorial. Evelyn shuddered at the thought of their eventual confrontation. A simple spell wouldn’t suffice. She needed a plan, something clever and unexpected. But regret gnawed at her. Had she been too hasty in rejecting her blessing? At least it would have provided stability, even if it locked her into a healer's path. But no—her current path felt suffocating. She wanted more. She deserved more.
Her thoughts shifted back to Cathrin. Blood witches were essentially blood cultivators, closely tied to darkness. A counter to such power would logically be light-based skills, capable of dispelling shadows. But was that how it worked? Evelyn wasn’t sure. Alternatively, she could embrace the darkness herself, becoming a predator in the shadows like an umbral assassin. That felt even less realistic. Her current affinities were earth and wind—not exactly prime candidates for a shadowy predator’s arsenal.
Still, her affinities had served her well so far. Earth granted her enhanced mobility on uneven terrain and a slight boost to resilience. Wind, meanwhile, sharpened her speed and heightened her awareness of incoming attacks by detecting subtle shifts in the air. Perhaps an offensive wind or earth skill was her best bet. Not something to counter Cathrin directly, but something to empower herself further. Her focus shifted as the system shop appeared. She could only hope that the voice of the system would assist her.
She entered without hesitation, her thoughts a tangled web of determination and doubt. "Hello, Voice of the System," she began, her tone firm despite the uncertainty gnawing at her. "I might’ve made some... questionable choices. I need an item or skill to fight a blood witch. More than that, I need something to help me step away from being just a healer. Do you have anything that fits?"
A pause followed, the Systems Voice deliberating. "There are items and skills that might suit your needs," it finally responded, its voice calm and measured. "But more importantly, you’ve received an invitation—from a goddess of significant power."
Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat. "An invitation? From who?" she asked, her voice sharp with surprise. Why would any god take an interest in her now, after she had rejected divine favor? And how had they even noticed her at this stage in the tutorial?
"Not your former patron," the voice clarified. "And not a god of healing."
Evelyn frowned, her confusion deepening. "Then who?" she demanded. Her mind raced through possibilities, but none seemed plausible. She had no extraordinary qualities beyond her healing and evasive skills. What god would concern themselves with such meager talents?
"The Spiderqueen has invited you to her realm," the voice said, its tone carrying a strange mix of gravity and intrigue. "I believe she may hold the answers you seek."
The Spiderqueen. Evelyn froze, her thoughts colliding in a chaotic spiral. Why would the Spiderqueen—a figure of legend and fear—extend such an offer to someone like her? Evelyn had read about her in some of the books, she had bought from the system shop to learn more about the many factions of gods. Still, the pull of desperation outweighed her hesitation.
"Fine," she said after a moment, her voice unsteady but resolute. "I accept."
In the blink of an eye, she found herself suspended in the vastness of space, standing on an intricate web spanning incomprehensible distances. Its threads stretched across the void, anchored to planets so far away they appeared as distant pinpricks of light. The stillness was unnerving, broken only by the faint vibrations rippling through the web.
Suddenly, movement caught her eye. A spider—tall but not towering, standing just over two meters high—crawled toward her with terrifying speed. Each step seemed to defy logic, covering the distance of entire planets. Some sort of spatial distortion must have been at play; no single step from its slender legs should have carried it so far. As it drew closer, Evelyn’s breath hitched. The creature was like nothing from Earth. Its sleek, hairless body radiated an aura of darkness, as though shadows themselves clung to its form. Its fangs gleamed menacingly, but its proportions were strangely delicate—its abdomen small, its limbs impossibly thin.
The spider stopped before her, its multitude of eyes almost level with her own. It regarded her in silence for a moment before its form began to shift. The transformation was seamless, unsettlingly smooth. Where the spider had stood, a woman now appeared—breathtakingly beautiful, save for the two additional eyes on her forehead and her claw-like, inky black fingers.
"Welcome to my web, child," the Spiderqueen said, her voice silken and chilling. It carried an undercurrent of menace that set Evelyn’s nerves on edge.
"Why did you invite me?" Evelyn asked, fighting to keep her voice steady. "I’ve already rejected one blessing, and I don’t see how yours would help me."
The Spiderqueen smiled, a slow, predatory grin that sent a shiver down Evelyn’s spine. "You rejected a path that was wrong for you," she said, her tone laced with amusement. "But my blessing is different. I offer you power not to heal, but to hunt."
Evelyn hesitated, her fear warring with the flicker of hope ignited by the Spiderqueen’s words. Could this be the path she had been searching for?
"Well, your rejection of your former blessing is what piqued my interest in the first place," the Spiderqueen snickered, her sinister amusement evident. "That Isis and her husband killed one of my daughters, which is why I’ve kept an eye on them ever since. When I heard, through one of my spies, that a mortal girl had not only rejected Isis's blessing but was also branded as an ally of the undead—giving the blessed in the tutorial a convenient excuse to hunt you down—I couldn’t resist finding out what kind of person you were."
"Okay... and were you satisfied?" Evelyn asked, her tone laced with confusion. She couldn’t fathom why a being like the Spiderqueen, so foreign and monstrous, would take an interest in her. Sure, rejecting Isis's blessing might have weakened her former patron, but how significant could such a blow be? The revelation that gods had directly ordered their blessed to kill her left her reeling. It was an escalation she had never anticipated.
"Oh yes, I’m satisfied," the Spiderqueen replied, her tone shifting to something colder, more calculating. "You harbor a considerable amount of hate, don’t you? Why don’t you tell me why?" Her voice took on a sharper edge. "Don’t worry; I will forget everything about this conversation if you decide not to accept my blessing."
Evelyn hesitated, her chest tightening. This seemed like the perfect chance to unburden herself—an opportunity to vent her story to someone who, by all appearances, had no stake in her past. The Spiderqueen would forget it all if Evelyn refused her offer. Gathering her thoughts, Evelyn recounted the events of the tutorial, sparing no detail. She explained her reasons for rejecting the blessing and her desire to carve a new path, one that aligned with her needs and goals rather than the constraints imposed by others.
The Spiderqueen listened in silence, her expression unreadable. But as Evelyn reached the conclusion of her tale, explaining her intent to change her class, the deity’s lips curled into a smile—a knowing, almost predatory smile.
"This Cathrin you spoke of must have been blessed early in the tutorial,” the Spiderqueen began, her voice deliberate and contemplative. "Only the more powerful gods are bold enough to risk their resources so early. There aren’t many blood witches who have ascended to such high levels. If I had to guess, I’d say it was likely Morgana, as the others rarely bless mortals—at least, to my knowledge, it hasn’t happened so far. Morgana would be a worst-case scenario for you. She combines ritual magic with close-range combat, and the blessing this Cathrin received was probably close to legendary rarity—most likely exalted or ancient."
"I don’t see how that information helps me," Evelyn interrupted, frustration creeping into her voice. "And, for the last time, I don’t want to turn into a spider."
The Spiderqueen’s smile widened, revealing sharp, gleaming teeth. "No one said anything about you becoming a spider, though I think you’d make an excellent one," she said with a sly smirk. "You and I aren’t so different, you know. My attributes are primarily agility, intelligence, and wisdom—much like yours. I have skills that would complement your abilities beautifully, transforming you into a force to be reckoned with."
"And what kind of... human would I become if I accepted your blessing?" Evelyn asked, her tone sharpening with defiance. "I’ll also won’t be anyone’s mindless servant."
"You wouldn’t change at all," the Spiderqueen replied smoothly, her tone carrying an undercurrent of amusement. "And I have no need for mindless servants. My only requirement is that you reach godhood eventually so I can recoup my investment." Her voice darkened slightly. "As for the quality of my blessings—let’s just say I am no less than an equal to Isis. I do not give out 'low-level' blessings." The last words were infused with a subtle menace, and Evelyn thought she could feel the air around them ripple. Space itself seemed to vibrate, as though warning her not to press further. Perhaps the system was shielding her, as it had promised...
"Alright," Evelyn conceded cautiously, her suspicion mounting. "How many skills are we talking about? And what’s the rarity of this supposed blessing?" She crossed her arms, trying to project confidence even as doubt churned in her mind. Surely, this couldn’t be as generous as it sounded.
The Spiderqueen remained silent for a moment, her many eyes glinting thoughtfully. "I offer you an empyrean blessing," she said finally. "As for the number of skills—well, it varies from individual to individual. But in your case, it should be more than four."
Evelyn’s breath caught. An empyrean blessing was nearly unheard of—almost on par with becoming a god’s chosen.
"You still haven’t told me what skills I’d receive," Evelyn said aloud, her voice trembling slightly despite her best efforts to remain composed. This seemed too good to be true, and she couldn’t help but wonder what the catch might be.
The Spiderqueen tilted her head, her expression almost playful. "Hmm, let’s see. You wish to remain a healer to support your companions, yes?" She appeared deep in thought. "For this to work perfectly, you’ll need to delay your evolution until the tutorial ends and eliminate as many of the blessed from other gods as possible. The system grants substantial rewards for such actions—credits, experience, and additional advantages when you reach E-grade. And as for the skills..."
Comments
Grey Grick
Well if a lot of people are staying at level 80 for the better class, thalion will have a massive advantage when he gets there
ReadingObsessed
'Why can't you be more like your friend, Thalion?'
Amazon Shopper
Significant advantages for killing gods blessed you say…(thalion giggling in the background)
