Chapter 3 – Another toy human

After fucking the queen, the loyal spider servants capture me, their spindly limbs carry me with to one of the alcoves within the cave. With a forceful toss, they cast me into the cold and dusty space. My belongings and gear follow, a jumbled pile of equipment that echoes with a metallic clang.

They probably don't think much of it.

The alcove is a chilling spectacle, the air heavy with each of my breath. The dim light reveals an unsettling scene — numerous people, cocooned in silken wraps, hang from the ceiling like grotesque ornaments. Their rotten bodies sway slowly.

As I struggle to orient myself in the dimly lit space, I realize the cocooned figures were once like me — intruders, seekers, or perhaps victims of a pact with the queen. They are a display of the fate that awaits those who enter her domain.

"I am fucked," I whisper to myself as I sink down onto the cold, dusty ground within the alcove.

The weight of my situation settles upon me like a suffocating shroud. I shouldn't have entered the cave, I should have kept descending. How can one even fathom challenging a queen with powers beyond mortal comprehension?

Running is not an option, not when the crystal is so close to my grasp.

Lost in thoughts of rebellion and escape, a subtle movement catches my attention. I turn my gaze to the suspended figures. Among them, a woman struggles within her silken prison, her movements desperate to catch my eye.

As I inch closer to the suspended woman, the dim light casts a ghostly glow on her features. Her blonde hair is a stark contrast to the dusty pallor of her skin. The silk cocoon clings to her naked body like a confining shroud, accentuating the contours of her strained form. Her breasts, large and plump, look about to burst as they are entwined in the spiderweb.

Her eyes, a vivid shade of piercing blue, lock onto mine with a silent plea for recognition. Despite the pain etched on her face, there's a resilience in those eyes, a glimmer of determination that refuses to be extinguished by the queen's web.

"What... who are you?" I whisper. The woman's response is stifled by the silk web wrapped tightly around her mouth, and her eyes narrow with frustration as she attempts to convey her thoughts.

I quickly assess the situation and, realizing the extent of her restraint, reach for a piece of my torn equipment. With careful precision, I start unraveling the silk web encasing her mouth. The woman watches with a mix of impatience and gratitude as the threads fall away, allowing her to draw a deep breath.

"Well, that took you long enough," she finally whispers, her voice annoyed.

I help her remove the final spiderwebs from around her body, she must have been in her twenties. She was tall, although a few inches shorter than me, her body toned. She looks at me from head to toes, only now I notice I am still naked.

"Who are you?" I ask, trying to shift her attention away from my body.

She straightens, a hint of defiance in her gaze, and with a subtle flick of her blonde hair, she responds, "I'm Mila."

Her tone carries a touch of aloofness, and I sense a layer of guarded mystery beneath her words. "I come from Laesta,"

"What are you doing here, Mila?" I whisper, my eyes scanning the shadows of the cave, wary of any hidden threats.

Mila meets my gaze with a steadiness that defies her guarded demeanor. She watches me as if she is not naked but wearing the thickest armor in the entirety of Laesta.

"I'm here for the same reason you are, I assume," she replies.

"The crystal," I say, my voice barely audible in the cavernous silence.

"The crystal," she echoes me.

I take a moment to share the revelation that the queen imparted to me. "The queen told me the crystal is within her body," I confess, the words hanging in the air like an unsettling revelation.

Mila's eyes widen, a flicker of realization crossing her features.

"She is lying to you. Let me guess, she made you fuck her?"

"How do you…"

"First, I heard the moans," she says with a shrug, "Second, you wouldn't be the first."

"Has she fucked you too?!" I almost shriek with surprise.

Mila smiles subtly. "She is called queen for a reason."

I want to ask for more but the shriek coming from the outside of our alcove makes me stop.

"I need to hide," Mila says, horror written in her eyes. She run searching for one of the bodies fallen on the ground to hide behind. My heart quickens.

"How do you know she is lying?" I ask just before she ducks behind the body.

Her gaze challenges me. "I believe the tales of the crystal in the bottom of this pit, don't you? If you must believe someone, will it be the monster or the tales of your own kind?"

I don't answer.

"She must like you, if she keeps you without a cocoon. Use this to our advantage."

Our?

"You're going to help me?"

Before she is able to answer, a sudden rustle of movement catches my attention. Mila swiftly retreats into the shadows, concealing herself from the watchful eyes of the spider servant who emerges from the outside of the alcove.

The spider servant approaches me. Its expressionless eyes seem to pierce through the dim light as it delivers an unexpected message. "The Spider Queen requests your presence for dinner," he states, the words hanging in the air with an unsettling formality.

The invitation to dine with the queen is laced with an ominous undertone.

I accept nonetheless.