The Phantom Thread, Arachne Tribe (1)

Chapter 56: The Phantom Thread, Arachne Tribe 1

Our group is attacked by zombie-like creatures in the forest.

-x-x-x-x-x-

A short scream was heard and the sound of a fall, then the two bodies fell to the ground again as if threads had been cut from their bodies.

"You wicked bastard!"

Piyo is kicking something fallen in the grass. The attack probably occurred while the animal was in a tree.

"N-no, stop it."

"This is..."

I stood next to Sharin and looked at the culprit. She has the body of a human woman, but she doesn't have legs, and instead has the body of a large spider.

"It's an Arachne. I've heard rumors about them, but this is the first time I've seen one of their kind."

Looking at Sharin, who seemed confused, I stopped Piyo. She has long black hair, a hoodie over her head, and a long skirt with lace at the hem that covers her upper body. On her hands she wears oddly shaped gloves with iron claws.

That's where Nina comes in. He pushed me and Sharlyn aside, approached the Arachne, grabbed her clothes and lifted her up.

"You're the one responsible for attacking the cat, aren't you? You'll see me, you miserable!"

"I, um, I, um, I'm sorry."

While stammering an apology, the woman shrank in fear as Nina pointed a dagger at her.

"Nina, let her go. There's no need to take her life now."

Nina snorted in disgust at my words and threw Arachne to the ground.

"So why did you do it?"

"Well, my goal is to become a necromancer, and since you were passing by, I thought I'd test my skills a bit."

Apparently she was trying to use us as guinea pigs for her experiment. It seems she is just curious and has no intention of harming us.

"What are you doing in the depths of the forest?"

I told her the whole story so far.

"I understand, it must have been difficult. How about you go rest a bit in my village?"

"Yes, I'd love to do that, we have no food."

Everyone except Nina agreed with Sharin.