entangled

The crowd cheered. Tiso lifted his shield to bask in the glory, to lift his friend to the light he deserved. Then, a shadow swallowed the shimmering steel. Crunch. Laughter.

Why?

Why!?

Tiso jolted awake. The spider had been behaving weirdly the past few days. It had been trying to weave as usual, but sometimes it would set its weaving aside and sit across from Tiso’s corpse just to stare at it. Sometimes it approached the mouth of the den’s tunnel as though it was going to go outside, then thought against it and returned to either weaving or staring at Tiso. The stew it had cooked lasted for quite some time. Tiso was surprised it hadn't gone bad at some point. Maybe it had, and the spider was so desperate to keep its food stores for as long as possible that it didn't care. Tiso spent most of his time reliving his death over and over. He couldn't stop if he wanted to, and the Wyrm knew he did. Sometimes Tiso sat across from the spider and watched it weave. He had nothing better to do, after all. It held up its strands in frustration. Tangled, knotted, disgusting. What was this spider even doing wrong? Tiso squinted at the webs. What had the ones in the stories looked like? He tried to recall.

Nurse Mira, these stories are scary!

This is your responsibility as a soldier. I tell you the stories so you know what to protect us from.

Tiso shook his head violently. He recognized the voice that his memories had, and he wasn't going to confront it now. The spider chucked another ball of wasted silk aside with a sigh. While it was spinning a new strand, Tiso swiped his finger through it. It cut, as though Tiso had run through it himself.

“Ack! Hey!” The spider set the torn strand aside. It didn't ball it up or anything, just put it out of the way. Tiso cut through the next strand too. “Why are you doing that?”

I couldn't tell you even if I knew. I’m just bored, I guess.

The spider put down the newly cut strand. After a few moments of looking at the two strands side by side, it seemed to have an epiphany. It tied the strands together at one end, then held the opposite ends so the knot hung between them and formed a triangle.

“Is that right?” Tiso thought for a bit, then knocked on the pot next to him. Thunk thunk. “This whole time I’ve been trying to do it with one thread since that's how i thought the spiders of this land did it, but maybe I’m not seeing what they're truly doing…” The spider perked up. “We have to go to the spider den!” Tiso knocked on the cauldron with another heavy thunk. “No? I’ve been there before plenty of times. It’s not too dangerous.” It giggled. “I actually get treated very nicely when I visit Herrah’s disciples… they're like the family I never had, I think.”

Then why don't you live with them, you nuisance?

“I know what you’re thinking. Why don't I live with them, right?” Tap tap tap. “They're not doing too well. Herrah’s asleep, and they're hungry… but they won't eat anything cooked. I've tried sharing with them, but… they'd rather die with Her…” The spider put its hands over the webbed holes in its mask. “Ah, I can't go anywhere anyway. Not like this…”

You’ve been sitting in here because your stupid eggshell mask is broken? Pah.

Tiso never wore a mask. A hood was enough. Masks obstructed one’s vision, which created blind spots. A blind spot in battle was death. Then again, he died with a hood on. Not having blind spots didn’t matter if you weren't paying attention. Tiso knocked on the spider’s mask once.

“H-huh? No? What do you mean by that?” Tiso picked up a discarded piece of chitin and threw it at the door of the den full force. “I thought you didn't want to go to Deepnest?” Tiso threw another piece of chitin at the door.

Would you seriously rather starve than go out in a broken mask? You’re more pathetic than I thought.

“Okay, okay, we’ll go.” The spider adjusted its mask so most of the holes were on the back before donning Tiso’s shield, picking up its basket, and leaving the den. He sulked a little as he followed the spider through Kingdom’s Edge. It stopped at a few of the newest discarded corpses from the arena. It had been long enough since Tiso’s death that none of them bore the marks of Tiso’s shield, but he looked anyway. He flinched and looked away when the spider took its cleaver out of the basket. Hack. Hack. Hack. Tiso shuddered. It was such a haunting sound for such a pathetic creature.

“Ooh! This one’s super fresh!” Tiso almost gagged at the excitement in its voice. “Maybe I can take it with me to my friends…” Tiso heard a small grunt as the spider hefted the corpse onto its shoulders. When Tiso turned to look, it had the corpse in a firefighter’s carry. This didn't seem to impede its movement. It walked up the walls effortlessly even with the extra weight and the loss of one set of arms.

Tiso followed it into the City of Tears. The sound of rain against glass irritated him, like the sound of a thousand pebbles hitting his shell. The spider stopped to look out a window at the city below.

“Isn't it pretty?”

Tap.

“No? You don't think so? But look at it…” The spider put a claw against the glass. “The light is so soft and gentle, catching the rain in its glow. It looks like the streetlights have halos. The water reflects light off the roads too. It's like the city itself is glowing.” Tiso peered over the spider’s shoulder at the city below, resting a claw lightly on its back as he leaned. It was right, now that Tiso bothered to look. His friend didn't make it this far. No memories accompanied this place except for Tiso fighting his way through it to get to the arena. “Your hand is warm.” Tiso jerked back in surprise. The spider giggled. “I always thought a ghost would feel cold, but… you feel like sunlight through the rocks.”

Sunlight...?

Before Tiso could get lost in another daydream, the spider moved on. When it left the building it lifted Tiso’s shield to use it as an umbrella. Tiso would've been mad about that, but after he thought about it for a moment he realized that would be exactly what his friend wanted. Tiso’s friend had always protected him. When they slept in caves, he slept closer to the entrance to shield Tiso from the wind outside. He held his arms over Tiso to guard him from the rain, used his back as a shield against enemies, and gently carried Tiso over rivers and streams. It was his friend’s dying wish for his shell to become a shield. Yes, being an umbrella for this tiny spider would be exactly what Tiso’s friend would wish for. So Tiso wasn't mad, just melancholy. The rainy weather and blue tones of the city didn't help. The husks patrolling the streets were hollow and empty, closer to lost spirits than Tiso could ever be.

The spider moved quickly. Through the fungal caverns, up through the misty canyon, through the mossy caves, and into a pit of darkness. Tiso found that here too he could see the outlines of the cavern far better than he could when he was living, almost as though they were drawn in white chalk. The spider bore no lantern, instead clinging to the silk on the walls and using that to find its way. The infected spiders completely ignored it. How? Tiso was never ignored by infected bugs. Was it simply because it crawled along the webbing like one of them? It was dark, after all. Maybe spiders didn't sense prey with their eyes so much as through the vibration in the strands of silk. In all the stories Tiso had heard, the bug heroine only got attacked after walking into or over a web. He watched the spider crawl through the darkness with intrigue. If he could crawl like it could, then he wouldn't have to worry about—

Oh. He forgot he was dead again.

The spider eventually led Tiso out into a massive cavern with a steep drop. It walked across the gap on threads of silk that were so thin as to be invisible, gently swaying left and right to keep its balance while holding its corpse offering. Tiso looked down at the waters below as he drifted after the spider. It was stagnant and dark, dirty and ominous. A corpse thrown in there would never see the light of day. Perhaps that's what made the water so murky, decaying bits of chitin suspended in soupy mold broth. The spider crawled into a suspended nest made of webs, so Tiso followed. Robed figures with clay masks were within. The inside of the nest looked like a restaurant, with little stools scattered about and a bar in the very back with various bottles. A bench was in the center of the restaurant. Webbing clung to most surfaces, and the bench was no exception. The figures turned to face the spider when it walked in, then approached.

“Wandering Spider. It is good to see you again.” These figures spoke the same language Tiso did. How? They were surely spiders? The spider— which Tiso would now begrudgingly call Y/N to differentiate it from these robed figures— set down the corpse it had brought.

“I brought food… and um…” It fidgeted with its claws nervously. “I wanted to see how you made webs again. I still haven't figured it out.” The robed spiders looked at each other, then at Y/N.

“You are a trapdoor spider, and we are sheet weavers. The way you spin and the way we spin will always be different. You must embrace the beauty of your own work.” Y/N’s shoulders drooped.

“But I… want to make pretty webs like you guys…”

“Your webs are beautiful in their own way.” Tiso took a step back when he realized the spiders had drawn uncomfortably close around Y/N. Their eyes were cold and hollow, and their robes resembled those of the noble class husks shambling around the City of Tears. Perhaps they had been stolen from past prey, used to lure in unsuspecting new prey with their caricature of friendliness. “Is that an offering for Her?”

“Oh, no, um, it's for you.” Y/N gently nudged the corpse with its foot. “You guys must be hungry, right?”

“She must eat before the rest of us.”

“But She’s asleep…” The spiders seemed agitated by Y/N’s insistence.

“She must eat before we do. Our only concern is taking care of Her.” One of the spiders lifted the corpse up and dropped it back in Y/N’s hands. “Please take it to Her.” Y/N looked dismayed.

“A-alright… if it’ll make you happy.” It shouldered the corpse before climbing up a wall. Tiso followed, of course. There was a bench up here as well, but it wasn't covered in silk like the one ‘downstairs.’ Y/N ignored this, climbing straight up until it came to an open chamber. A thousand candles cast a warm glow on the webbing on the walls. Light filtered down from above, reflecting off the shell of a massive beast. Tiso quivered slightly as he beheld it. The beast wore a large mask with massive horns and had its primary and secondary claws folded over its chest as though set up in a casket for a funeral service. The beast didn't twitch, sigh, or give any indication it was alive. Y/N dropped the corpse it had been carrying next to the stone slab the beast was laying on. It seemed upset by this, lingering to stare at the seemingly lifeless monster in the crypt.

“...Ghosts don't eat, right?”

Tap tap tap.

“Then why do they insist on bringing everything they catch to Her…? Why starve themselves…?” Tiso didn't know the answer to that. Y/N stared for a long time. After a while, it turned to leave. Instead of going back the way it had come, it turned to go deeper into the den. Tiso looked around for something to throw. He grabbed one of the candles and threw it. It went out as it flew, but didn't make a sound due to getting caught in one of the webs. Y/N still turned to look, as though it could feel the impact somehow. “Oh. I’m going this way because this is their nest. I’ve never been invited in before…” Y/N turned back to the passage it wanted to go down. “Maybe someone in here will be weaving, and I can watch them?” Tiso threw another candle. He didn't particularly care if Y/N and the other spiders got into a fight over this, he just wanted to leave as fast as possible. The webs everywhere and the clicking of myriapods and the cold eyes of spiders were all starting to freak him out. Something crawled under his chitin as he threw a third candle. Y/N had thoroughly ignored him and was far ahead by now. He dashed after it, not willing to leave his shield behind in a place like this. Y/N skittered along the walls as usual. Tiso expected everything to ignore it as they had before, but to his surprise he heard a strange noise. From the shadows darted a hulking creature with massive claws, slashing at Y/N at top speeds. Y/N was sent flying across the tunnel followed by the chunk of web the beast had ripped off the wall with its claws. The claws brought themselves close together and back, revealing their true nature as two halves of a mask. Y/N whipped out the cleaver, but just as fast as it was brandished it was knocked out of Y/N’s hand and lodged into the wall on the far end of the hall. Y/N lifted Tiso’s shield in front of it with a squeak, its feet scraping across the ground as each strike from the Stalking Devout drove it backwards. The shell of Tiso’s friend held firm, the sound of metal against ceramic inciting the desire to fight within Tiso’s heart. Watching the spider flounder with the shell of his friend filled him with wrath. If he were alive, this opponent would be no match for him! Y/N cowered behind the shield, trembling more with each strike but unable to move to get away. It figures he’d be stuck with a creature whose fear response was “freeze.”

Turn my steel shell into a shield. Embed my weapon into the shield if you can, Tiso. It’ll serve you much better than me once I’m gone.

Don’t say that. We’re gonna get out of here. You’ll be okay. We’ll both get out of this alive.

Normally I’d encourage that kind of hope, but I don't think that’ll be the case this time. I don't feel as strong as I used to. Please do this for me.

I couldn't. I couldn't do that to you.

I want to continue to protect you. Please, Tiso…

Tiso reached around the spider to squeeze its hand, forcing it to pull the trigger embedded into the grip of the shield. The overlapping plates pulled back to reveal a crossbow. It launched a large metal spike into the opening in the Devout’s face left by the striking claws, causing it to scream and writhe and throw its body against the walls.

“Wh-what was that!?”

If you’re gonna use the shield you might as well use it properly.

Y/N pulled the trigger a few more times. The spikes impaled the Devout, nailing it into the wall. It squirmed, screamed, and wailed, unable to break free. The infection leaked out of its body until it all bled out. It stopped moving, hanging limply. Y/N finally turned and ran, grabbing its cleaver out of the wall. It hit the floor of the restaurant and dashed out of the building. Tiso barely managed to notice that all the robed spiders were gone. Y/N crawled under the webbed nest, clinging to the silk strands and trembling. How pathetic. Every account of spiders Tiso had heard painted them as bloodthirsty beasts ready to rip apart anything that touched their webs. Yet here was Y/N, cowering like a common bug!

Tap.

“H-huh? Wh-wh-what is it?” The spider’s voice was quiet and strained. Tiso tapped the mask again. “...No…? What are you saying no to?” Tiso pulled on one of Y/N’s arms. Y/N reluctantly crawled out from under the nest and along a silk strand to the stagnant water below. It sat down on the bank and deflated. “I-I just wanted to watch them weave…”

That’s why you don't poke your antennae where they don't belong. Not that you have antennae.

Tiso sat down next to Y/N. It hugged its knees to its chest.

“I guess I should give up on that.” Tiso rolled his eyes and lightly flicked Y/N’s mask.

If you’re gonna give up on a dream that easily, then it was never worth pursuing in the first place. How pathetic.

“No…? No, you’re right…” Y/N took off its mask and wiped its eyes with its claws. “I… I have to keep trying.”

Why do you bother? You don't catch live prey anyway. You’re a scavenger.

Tiso sighed. The spider couldn't even hear him. He stared at the murky water. It was so dark that even the perfectly smooth surface didn't reflect anything. It looked like liquid darkness.

“I don't know why I try… the webs are pretty, but I don't have much use for them…"

Thought so.

“Is being pretty enough reason?” Tiso was about to flick Y/N with a firm no, but he hesitated.

“Sometimes the use of something is just to be beautiful.”

…

Tap tap tap.