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frayaziwriter · 10 months ago

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I'm A Spider - Wait, What?

Chapter 3

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE’S GONE?!”

SLAM!

The spiders around them flinched, chittering to themselves. The black Knight kneeling before them refused to raise his head.

Gold snarled, standing from her throne to pace. Ruby and Bronze shared concerned looks as she slammed the butt of her halberd against the stone flooring while she went. Obsidian simply watched from her own throne, claws curled thoughtfully over her fanged mouth. Her gaze flickered between her soldiers and the seething Gold.

Then Gold screamed and swung her halberd into her throne. “What the fuck were you doing?! Getting stuck in your own fucking webs?! I told you to take care of her, and then you turn around and LOSE HER! She’s been gone for A MONTH! I oughta tear off your limbs here and now-”

“Gold.”

Silence.

Obsidian nodded, her deep voice slipping out. “Thank you. I understand your frustration, sister, we all do, but now is not the time to fight. We appreciate your willingness to defend our kind, but when it’s directed at our kin, you shouldn’t let your rage blind you. Please, sit.” Gold’s jaw hitched a few times before she reluctantly sat in her damaged chair. “Now, we listen to his report.”

Ruby and Bronze nodded on her right while Gold scoffed and slumped in her chair to her left. Smiling, Obsidian turned to her soldier. “Begin.”

‘Yes, my queen.’ The Knight churred softly. ‘As you are all aware, my partner and I lost the princess shortly after she came into our care. We searched for hours, but could not find any trace of her. It was only recently that we felt her.’

Her two sisters to her right gasped and Gold sat up straight in her chair. Obsidian rose a singular, bedazzled eyebrow. “And where is she?”

The Knight let out a hissing whine. ‘I apologize, but we lost her again. There was an abnormal Slime eating everything it came across in the area-’

“You mean to tell us you fucking let her DIE?! What is wrong with you-”

Obsidian delicately cleared her throat. Gold growled and sat back, glaring down at the ebony Knight. He shook his head. ‘No, you misunderstand, Queen of Gold. It seems the princess managed to avoid the Slime until... My partner apparently spotted her close to the Slime and rushed to her aid, only to end up sliced apart and eaten by the Slime. I do not know of what happened next for I was attacked shortly after by a Monstrous Centipede.’

Outrage in the Obsidian’s section rang up before their queen raised her clawed hand.

It was silent for a long moment. Ruby clenched her hidden hands into fists; Bronze crossed her legs with a frown; Gold seethed in her seat; Obsidian leaned back into her throne with a thoughtful expression once again painted across her face.

“Go back and look for her. She should still be in that cave system, correct?” Obsidian asked her soldier. He flinched. ‘The thing is, my queen, she was in the Sealed Cave.’

The four queens gasped as a wave of shocked hissing rippled through their audience. Even Gold was gobsmacked. “She made it...there? That little shit made it to the Sealed Cave all by herself?” She started laughing to herself. “Damn, those Whities must be resilient as hell to be able to go that far at only the Small Lesser stage!”

Obsidian let a smile curl her lips while hope sparked in Ruby’s eyes. Bronze simply raised an eyebrow at this. Then, Obsidian stood to her full height, her black dress shifting along her skin. “This is a delicate situation, sisters. I suggest allowing the Obsidian Clan to investigate this.”

“Oh, hell no!” Gold slammed her left fist into her chair arm. “Your soldiers are the ones who lost her in the first place! I say we eradicate that stupid Slime and drag her back home right now!”

Bronze raised her hand. “I suggest a vote. We vote to either let the Obsidian Clan perform their investigation or to rush in to save the princess.”

Ruby nodded. “Yes! I agree.”

“Then we shall hold a vote,” Obsidian spoke, and all other chatter froze in its tracks, “Those who say we rush in, raise your hands.” Gold shoved her hand in the air. “And those who say we wait, raise your hands.” The hands of Ruby, Bronze, and Obsidian lifted.

Obsidian nodded. “Then it is settled. We shall wait. Court is dismissed.” <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

You took Rimuru to your hideout after he helped you up. On the way, he told you his story, from getting stabbed to being reincarnated to finally-

‘Wait, so YOU’RE the reason why Veldora suddenly disappeared?!’

‘Uh? Yeah?’

-eating Veldora to free him of his prison.

You huffed, glaring as you pointed a leg at him. ‘Do you have any idea what you just did?! All of the monsters in the vicinity have been going bat-shit crazy since Veldora disappeared! I’m pretty sure there’ll be a power vacuum and they’ll fight to the death soon!’ Rimuru bounced back to avoid your jab. ‘A-Ah, sorry?’

‘You made my second life hell and all you have to say is ‘sorry’?! Ohh, I should bonk you on the head for that!’

‘A-Ah, speaking of our second lives,’ Rimuru slithered back, his form melting a little under the glare you shot at him, ‘How long have you been in this world, exactly?’

You paused, crossing your front two legs, and trilled out a hum. ‘That’s a good question.. Chiron? Do you know?’

[Answer; you have been alive for a month and a week. Notice; you are low on energy. Suggestion; eat.]

‘Great. I’ll do that soon. Thanks!’ You clicked your chelicerae and turned back to continue. ‘About a month now. You?’ Rimuru hopped after you. ‘Um, since a little before Veldora disappeared?’

‘So, a week at most. Got it.’ You glanced up. ‘Oh hey! We’re here!’

Rimuru stopped and glanced around. ‘Woah.. Did you do all of this?’ He gestured to all the webbing you had put up as a defense and you nodded. ‘Yup! Do you have a way to get up there?’ The Slime paused and turned to you. ‘Get up where?’

You pointed a claw up at your little cliff home. ‘Up there! That’s my temporary home!’

He followed your foreleg and stopped. ‘Uhh, I got a Sticky Thread skill from that other spider monster?’ You flinched. ‘Right! Well, you get up there and I’ll join you soon.’

‘Where are you going?’ You gesture back to the tunnel behind the two of you. ‘I’m hungry, so I’mma catch us some food! There’s this pit of baby centipede monsters nearby and they’re actually kinda good.’ Rimuru’s body tilted to the side. ‘Oh, I think I can help with that!’

And then he expanded to spit out - was that an adult Monstrous Centipede?! You skittered back with a shriek. Rimuru returned to his original form after spitting the corpse out and turned to you. ‘Is this enough for you?’ You stared at the dead Monstrous Centipede for a moment, nodding slowly. ‘U-Uh, yeah. Yeah, that is. Where..? How..?’

‘I have a Water Manipulation skill, so I used a move I call ‘Water Blade’ to cut it up.’ You stab a claw through one of the pieces and glance at him. ‘Is that what you used on that Black Serpent?’

‘Uhuh!’

‘Wait, so how do you have the Sticky Thread skill? I thought that was a Jorogomo thing.’ You drag the piece inside your defenses, huffing as it gets caught on the sticky threads.

Rimuru bounced up and used his ‘Water Blade’ move on the centipede to cut it into smaller sections. ‘I also have a skill called ‘Predator’. In layman's terms, it allows me to analyze and copy any skill of anything I eat.’ You froze for a split second before turning to him and picking him up with your two forelegs. ‘You mean to tell me that there’s a high chance you’ll get stupidly OP stupid quick?!’ You shook him in your claws. ‘How the living fuck did you get so lucky?!’

He wiggled out of your claws and bounced away, out of your reach. Huffing out a sigh, he shot out a blob of white silk and helped you drag the corpse inside your home. ‘I guess? And I reckon my dying thoughts were turned into my skills.. Oh! Speaking of dying, how��d you end up here?’

You were getting ready to slice into the flesh of the Monstrous Centipede when he asked that. Turning to him, you went to speak but..something stopped you.

‘Actually, that’s a really good question.’ You tapped your left claw on the ground as you thought. ‘..I remember my previous life. Well, to an extent. There are some blank parts that I can’t fill in no matter how hard I try. Unfortunately, how I died is one of those. All I can recall is being in pain and wishing it to stop. Oh, and a voice talking to me. Don’t know what it said, though.’ Shrugging, you hesitantly go back to slicing into the dead centipede. ‘It’ll eventually come back, so I’m not worried.’

‘But,’ Rimuru shot another blade of condensed water at the corpse before you, ‘It doesn’t bother you? That you can’t remember some things?’

You paused. ‘...It does bother me, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Trust me. I’ve spent the last month and a week trying to remember, nothing will force my memories to come back until they’re ready.’ With a trill, you dug into the meat with gusto. ‘So until then, I’ll be patiently waiting!’

Rimuru was quiet for a long moment as you ate quickly. ‘..I hope you remember soon.’

Glancing up at him, you wished you could move your mouth into a smile. ‘Thanks, Rimuru. I hope so, too.’ <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

The heat was unbearable.

It bore down on him, practically baking his flesh. It had already vaporized the water from the cracked ground. He didn’t know when it would steal the water in his body and cook him from the inside out, but he knew it would be soon.

He stumbled, slowly falling onto his face. He couldn’t lift a finger. The hunger gnawing at his stomach and the heat scorching his body stole his energy.

It was so hot..

Footsteps. Coming his way. Footsteps?

They paused at his form. A shadow loomed over him.

“I think I shall give you a name and some food.”

..Food?

He looked up. Someone with a mask crouched next to him, staring down at him through the lenses of the beaked mask. “Who..are you?”

“I am Gelmud. If you like, just think of me as your father.” His vision wavered, and he blinked. “Or, would you prefer to die?”

A pause. Then,

“Give me a name. I’ll take that and the food.” A hand placed itself on his forehead. “Very well. I shall Name you Geld.” A surge of raw power flushed into him and a golden light shined from his steaming flesh. “Geld, huh?”

“One day, you will take possession of the Great Forest of Jura and become the Orc Disaster.” Gelmud held out a piece of meat, and he sat up to grab it. Saliva dribbled from his mouth and he grabbed the still-fresh meat and fervently tore into it.

He couldn’t see the satisfied grin behind the Majin’s mask as he devoured the first piece of food he’s had in months. He was too immersed in his empty stomach.

Geld was swiftly yet quietly taken by his hunger, and then he was no longer Geld. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

‘-and there I was, dangling from her grip like, who the hell does that?! To a baby?!’

You screeched, throwing your forelegs in the air as you paced about your little cliff. Rimuru watched from the wall. A question mark made of slime was starting to form on his forehead before suddenly shifting to an exclamation mark. ‘Wait, you weren’t kidding?! She actually did that to you?!’

‘Yes! Yes, she did!’ You slam your claws down and slump to the ground. ‘And then I got lost almost as soon as I left her care. I’ve been wandering around ever since. The only good thing that came out of this was that I evolved into a Lesser now Medium Taratect.’

Rimuru tilted to the side. ‘What’s the evolution tree look like for you?’

Scratching your head with one claw, you hummed. ‘Well, I know my species starts at Small Lesser Taratect, then evolves to Lesser Taratect, then Medium Taratect, Greater Taratect, Knight, and finally Arch Knight.’ You paused and clicked your front two claws together. ‘The Knights Spider is the final evolution for males while Arch Knight is the final form for females. At least, that’s according to Chiron. No clue why the Queen looked human, though. Oh! Chiron is my version of Great Sage.’

‘She looked human?!’ Rimuru wiggled. ‘How can a Jorogomo evolve into a human form?!’

‘I know right?! Especially since the Arch Knight is the final evolution for females! It makes zero sense!’ You continue to pace. ‘It’s been driving me crazy ever since I met her!’

Rimuru’s body melted. ‘Just thinking about it for a minute is making my nonexistent brain hurt.. Let’s talk about something else.’ You agreed, skittering to his side before flopping to the ground. ‘Have you found the exit yet, (Y/N)?’

You shook your head with a groan. ‘Damn.’

‘Since Veldora disappeared, it must be chaos outside if it’s chaos in here..’

The Slime nodded along. ‘..Do you even want to go outside?’

You stopped. Glancing up at him showed him facing away from you, his ‘face’ tilted towards the edges of the cliff. You let out a soft churr and held out your forelegs. The claws glinted in the dim, blue light. ‘...It’s the one thing I want most.’

-“We can’t go outside today. I’m sorry, I know you were looking forward to it.”-

-You weakly coughed, your lungs too stiff to support you through the fit. When it was finally over, you stared up at your hospital ceiling, completely exhausted. It's getting harder and harder to breathe with each passing day. You suppose it wouldn’t be long now.-

Rimuru glanced back at you. You tilted your head. With a hum, he leaned into you. ‘..How ‘bout we blow this popsicle stand and escape together?’ Churring softly in response, you leaned into him as well. ‘You wanna take me along with you? Are you sure?’

‘Of course!’ Rimuru wiggled in indignation. ‘We’re friends now, right? I’m not gonna leave you behind here, especially since you wanna leave, too! That wouldn’t make me a very good friend.’

If you could cry, your eyes would be tearing up right now. ‘Rimuru...you’re the best. Thank you.’

The Slime wiggled once more. ‘A-Ah, you’re welcome! Hey, you said you need to sleep, right? You should get some rest and tomorrow we’ll start looking for the exit!’

‘Right! Night-night!’

‘..Night.’ <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

You yawned as you sleepily scurried after Rimuru. The Slime was bouncing ahead of you, just a meter of difference between you two.

‘So, do you have any idea where this exit is supposed to be, Rimuru?’

‘Not a clue! I was hoping to stumble on it before I ran into you, and now I was kinda banking on you knowing where it’s NOT.’ The Slime landed and turned to you, waiting for you to catch up. You trilled. ‘Hmm. Okay. I’ll lead you to where my knowledge of the place ends, okay?’

‘Right on! I knew I could count on you!’ Rimuru happily hopped in place and followed close behind you when you turned down a different tunnel.

As the two of you traveled through the caves, you would pass the time sharing stories between fights with stray monsters.

-Rimuru gasped. ‘Wait, you mean to tell me they both just ganged up on you? For no reason?’ You groaned, churring as you stabbed a claw into a piece of meat. ‘Yes! I was minding my own business and then they just literally fell into my path! I got the hell out of there as soon as possible.’

Shaking yourself, you turn to him. ‘So? What about you? How did your fights go down?’

Rimuru hummed. ‘Well.. You saw the Black Serpent, but sometime after that, I came across an Armorsaurus! I decided to turn into a Black Serpent and...well.. Let’s just say I’m never using one of its skills on a living being..’

‘Oh..’ You shuddered at the mental image your mind conjured up.-

At one point, the two of you came across a giant pit. You both decided to skip over the dark pit by using the Sticky Thread skill and swinging across the gaping hole.

-‘Alright, let’s use Sticky Thread and-’

‘Ahuaghahahaagh!’ You stared after Rimuru as he swung across on his own thread. He landed safely before turning to you. ‘You coming?’

You jabbed a foreleg at him, pushing back giggles. ‘You stole my idea! Thief!’

‘Uh.. Oops? Sorry..’ Grumbling, you shook yourself and swung over. Rimuru chuckled beside you. You curiously click your chelicerae at him. ‘What’s so funny?’ He shrugged. ‘It’s just, we were both thinking of the same thing! You know that old saying about how great minds think alike?’

You paused. The two of you shared a look before dissolving into fits of peeling laughter .-

You also teamed up against a lone Giant Bat.

-The two of you dodged the flying rodent. You were quickly getting annoyed, since every attack you would send its way, it would always dodge. Perks of being able to fly, you guess. ‘Rimuru, how’s your web skills?’

‘Not the best. Why?’ You leap up to a stalactite to avoid a concentrated blast of sound aimed at you. ‘Well, I was thinking one of us could make a trap while the other distracts this thing. I guess since I’m the better weaver, I’ll make the trap and you distract?’

Rimuru immediately sent a Water Blade at the Giant Bat, which was swiftly dodged. ‘Sounds great! How long do you need?’

You trilled out a hum. ‘I’d say ‘bout five minutes? Think you can last that long?’ Rimuru sent you a slimy thumbs-up. ‘Absolutely! Don’t disappoint!’

‘It’ll be a masterpiece, I assure you!’ You giggled and got right to work.-

In the end, you both pushed the bat into your trap. Rimuru sliced it up and consumed it with his Predator skill. Then it was back on the road for you.

And then you came across another hurdle.

A rather large pond of clear water stood in your way. Rimuru jumped on in, splashing you a little as he used his Water Manipulation skill to glide through the water. You could hear him practicing speaking as he went, and honestly? You were kinda jealous. You wanted to speak aloud, too!

‘U-Um, Rimuru? Do you think you could wait for me on the other side?’ The Slime circled back around to face you. You stood at the edge, nervously clicking your clawed legs together.

‘Yeah, sure. But, what’s wrong?’ You point to the water. ‘I’ll drown.’

A question mark appeared out of his gelatinous body. ‘Oh? Do you not know how to swim? I can probably help-’

‘No, no no no, that’s not it!’ You frantically wave your legs around. ‘Spiders back home had something called ‘book lungs’. I don’t know how similar monster spiders are to the ones on Earth, but I don’t want to test my theory.’

‘What are ‘book lungs’?’

You tilted your head to one side while crossing your top pair of legs. ‘Book lungs are respiratory organs most arachnids have. Their lungs are shaped in a way that resembles the pages of a book and instead of manually breathing in air like mammals, they have holes on the underside of the abdomen that passively takes in air. If my theory is correct, I’ll drown if I try to swim.’

Rimuru was silent for a long time. ‘..Oh. That’s...not good. Yeah, it’s best if you avoid swimming.’ He jolted in the water as if a thought suddenly struck him. ‘How are you going to get across, then?’

Humming, you glance around. ‘I could always swing from the ceiling like Spiderman, or crawl on the walls?’ Rimuru sighed. ‘Just be careful, okay?’

‘Promise!’

And with that, you two separated. Rimuru went back to swimming while you skittered to the closest rock pillar. You climbed up and stopped to take in your surroundings.

You turned to look at the walls and ceiling. You could go the wall route, but there’s still a possibility that you’ll fall and drown, and it was a longer route. Another path you could take is to walk across the ceiling. But then you’re fucked if you lose your footing unless you manage to react quickly enough and catch yourself with webbing.

Or you could go the fun yet dangerous route; Double Jumping off this pillar and swinging from the stalactites you can see in the shadows above. ‘Chiron? Which one would you suggest?’

[Answer; the wall option.]

‘Hmm, mostly safe but long commute. Alright. Hopefully, Rimuru doesn’t mind the time it’ll take me..’

And then you jumped off the pillar and skittered to the wall, climbing up and across the pond. On the other side, there was a forest of stalagmites of various sizes and a pile of boulders. No easy way to the path Rimuru was now waiting on.

Sighing, you jump off the wall and landed on the closest stalagmite, which was just on the edge of the pond. You took a deep breath to settle your nerves. ‘That was too close..’

[Notice; the stalagmite points are sharp enough to pierce your body. Suggestion; be careful.]

‘Oh, shit. Really?’ You shuddered. ‘Right. Sharp pointies. Avoid sharp pointies. Got it. Simple enough.’ You shot a glance over to your right at the path. Rimuru sat there, still practicing his speech. ‘And try not to land on Rimuru. Piece of cake.’

[Would you like to use the {Skill; Double Jump?}]

‘Yes! And then Sticky Thread!’

You jumped, twirled around mid-air, and shot off a glob of Sticky Thread. It latched onto a stalactite and you swung forward. At the last second, you cut the web off and flip through the air, not unlike Spiderman. You then repeated this process several more times until you were right above your new friend. You let yourself swing upside down for a moment before you waved at Rimuru.

‘I made it safe and sound!’

‘You still have to land without a scratch!’ You blew a mental raspberry before carefully lowering yourself. Once your claws clacked on the rocky ground, you spread your two forelegs out victoriously. ‘Ta-da! Safe and sound!’

‘If I had hands, I would applaud you.’ You bowed as best you can as Rimuru bounced happily. ‘Thank you, thank you. Now! What’s next?’

Rimuru hopped over the ridge. ‘This way! Oh, woaaaah!’

‘Rimuru?!’ You scurried after him and crossed over the hill just in time to see him smack right into a stalagmite. You winced in sympathy. ‘You okay there, bud?’ As you crawled down the hill, Rimuru struggled to push away from the jagged stone. ‘Just fine!’ His voice was strained from the effort, but then he popped off and you couldn’t help the snort of laughter at the glower he sent it.

And then you two moved on after a moment of rest, dodging other monsters and taking brief periods to eat and sleep as you went. Then a week or two later, you found a set of large, double doors. You and Rimuru cautiously stepped closer.

‘A door that big has gotta be the exit, right?’ Rimuru murmured through the link as a slimy question mark appeared. ‘But how are supposed to open it? Do we just Water Blade it, or what?’

You trilled, shrugging in response. Something pricked along your consciousness, and you yelped. ‘Rimuru, hide!’ You hissed and pushed him behind a pillar of rock nearby. ‘What? What’s going on?’ The doors suddenly opened with a loud rumbling noise and the two of you watched as three people strolled in. ‘Oh.’

‘Yeah. Oh. Good thing I have my Spidey Sense..’ Rimuru glanced at you. ‘As in, Spiderman’s spidey sense?’

Shrugging, you huddled closer when the three humans turned invisible. ‘It’s called Spider’s Sense, but I like to call it my Spidey Sense after Spiderman.’ You watched as the group’s footsteps appeared in the dust-covered path. ‘I wonder if I’ll ever be able to do that.. Many spiders are considered ambush predators, so that’ll be very useful for capturing prey.’

Rimuru jolted, his form melting a little bit. ‘A-Ah. Right.’ You crossed your forelegs. ‘What.’

‘Nothing! Nothing! Oh hey, we should leave since they’re gone now!’ He hopped forward and raced to the doors. You stifled a shriek before skittering as quietly as you possibly can after him.

‘H-Hold up!’ <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

‘Hey! The sun!’

Rimuru bounced on ahead of you excitedly. You hissed when the bright light stabbed your eyes, covering them with your two forelegs as you crawled forward. You’ve been in a cave for so long, you kinda forgot how bright the sun was. ‘Hey, slow down! I need a moment!’ The Slime paused and glanced back at you.

You had stopped near the doors, hiding behind a rock with your clawed legs shielding your eyes. ‘What’s wrong?’ He asked while bouncing closer to your form. ‘Just give me a sec. I’ll be fine.’

‘..If you say so...’ Rimuru tilted his body to the side before turning to take in your surroundings.

You shook your head and slowly lowered your claws. ‘Okay, I think I’m good now. I completely forgot how intense the sun could be. Thanks for waiting.’ And then you froze as your eyes finally locked on the environment you two stumbled into. ‘Wait. Are we...really outside?’

‘Yeah. It’s pretty here, isn’t it?’ Rimuru hopped in place. ‘‘Pretty’ is an understatement..’

The forest was beautiful. Lush green grass and colorful wildflowers grew in copious amounts between the trees and bushes. Golden rays of sunlight filtered through the branches and dappled the ground. The sky was a bright blue with beautiful white clouds and the wind brought with it a clear and flowery scent. You had to sit down for a moment; you were so used to the smog and bland colors of a city that if you could, this scene would have brought you to tears.

It was the most beautiful thing you’ve seen in both of your lives. ‘Rimuru, tell me, am I dreaming? Am I actually outside in a forest?’

‘Yes? I mean, no, you’re not dreaming, and yes, you’re in a forest!’ Your Slime friend paused. ‘You sound so..awed by that. Is it really that beautiful to you? It looks like a normal forest to me.’

‘This is normal?!’ You rounded on him, grabbing him by your claws once again. He flinched in your hold. ‘Uh? Yes?’ You rock side to side excitedly. ‘Seriously?! They’re all this beautiful?!’ Placing him down, you turn back to the forest. ‘Were forests this beautiful back home?’

Rimuru hummed. ‘Well, I didn’t get out of the city I lived in much, but from what I’ve seen, yeah.’

‘You mean to tell me we were blessed with naturally beautiful sights and humans STILL fucked it up?’ You huffed, slashing the air with your claws. ‘If only I could strangle humanity..’

‘U-Um..’ Rimuru’s body melted and he leaned away from you. ‘(Y/N)? By any chance, is this the first time you’ve left a city?’ You stopped waving your razer blade legs around and hummed. ‘Well, I always wanted to go into nature in my last life, but I was too sick and the weather never cooperated with my good days. On bad days it was beautiful outside, but on good days it was always horrible. The furthest I ever got was the front door before something went wrong. I've only ever seen forests like this through pictures, but it's not the same..’

The two of you spent a few moments of silence just admiring the view before Rimuru cleared his nonexistent throat. ‘Well, if it’s your first time in a forest, then..’ He bounced away and deeper into the forest. ‘Let’s go explore!’

You squealed and raced after him. ‘Alright!’ <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

You ended up rolling in a sunny bed of grass while Rimuru made his way down a dirt path.

It was…peaceful here. You loved it. The birds were singing beautiful songs, colorful flowers were blooming, and the sun was a golden ball of light in a deep blue sky.. Your dream finally came true! You’re finally doing normal things!

You rolled onto your stomach to slice a flower up before holding the delicate plant carefully in your claws. ‘This has got to be the best day ever. Hey Chiron, what’s this flower called? It’s so pretty..’

[Answer; that is-]

“HI! IT’S NICE TO MEET YOU ALL! MY NAME IS RIMURU AND I AM A SLIME MONSTER!”

‘What the ever living fuck?!’ You jumped at the loud sound of Rimuru’s voice cutting Chiron off. Unfortunately, this caused your claws to slice the bloom into shreds. You stared down at the remnants of the flower sadly. ‘Rimuru! What the hell?’

‘...Oops?’

‘‘Oops’? You just made me destroy a flower I was admiring!’ You huffed, getting up to pace agitatedly. ‘Why were you yelling?’

‘A bunch of Goblins just appeared and I was trying to talk to them.. Sorry about that..’

‘Jesus..’ You smack a claw on your face. ‘Hold up, they wanna take me somewhere. Think you can catch up with us?’ You perk up. ‘Right now? You haven’t taken any turns, have you?’

‘Nope! Just follow the dirt path!’ Shrugging, you leave your little grass bed and skittered down the path. ‘Okay. See you in a bit!’

[Would you like to use the {Skill; Double Jump}?]

‘Yes!’

And then you ran down the dirt road, jumping to shave off a few seconds. Soon, you spotted the light blue ball of slime you called your friend and skidded to a stop. You ended up with your head hanging over Rimuru’s body. Glancing down, you trilled. ‘Hey, Rimuru! I’m here!’

‘Right on!’ You turned back to the Goblin horde ahead of you. They were shaking, pointing their weapons at you, and you’re pretty sure their faces aren’t supposed to be that pale of green. ‘..Uh. Are they okay?’ Rimuru paused. ‘They look...like they’re about to shit their pants.’ You snorted.

“S-Sir! That-That s-spider-!” The head Goblin pointed at you, and you trilled out a note of confusion. ‘Me?’

“Everyone, this is the friend I was telling you about!” Rimuru chirped. “And now that she’s here, we can go! So take us to your leader!” <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Rimuru ended up riding on your back as you followed the Goblins into their village.

You...weren’t sure this should be called a village in the first place. There were very small tents scattered about the area, but that was it.

An elderly Goblin appeared out of the biggest hut and almost fell to his knees at the sight of both you and Rimuru. “Ah! You’re here! Please, come in, come in!” He ushered the two of you inside the big hut with his cane and before you knew it, Rimuru was resting on a very comfy-looking pillow and you were being fed meat.

‘Oooh, this smells good!’ You eagerly stabbed a claw into the first piece and shoved it into your mouth. ‘It tastes just as good as it looks! Thanks!’ The elderly Goblin flinched back, yet bowed his head. “Th-Thank you for your kind words, spider.”

He then turned to Rimuru. “Welcome to our humble town, we are so honored to have you here. I am the elder of this village.” Your friend bounced on his pillow. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you. So, what kind of favor did you guys need from me?” Oh right. You’re here because of a favor. Not because of the good food. You had to force yourself away from the platter of meat they gave you to pay attention.

“Have you perhaps noticed that many of the monsters in the area are unusually active as of late?”

You clicked, turning to Rimuru. ‘What did I tell you?’ You said only to him. He flinched back, melting a little. ‘I told you it was gonna be chaos out here! And it’s your fault!’

‘Sorry..’

“Uh, no?” The elder’s shoulders drooped. “Our god, who has always protected us, suddenly disappeared without a trace about a month ago. As a result, the monsters around this area have started to continually harass our poor village.”

‘Their...god? A month ago?’ You sent a sharp glare at Rimuru. ‘Veldora. Your fault.’

‘Right.. You did tell me this was going to happen..’

‘Uhuh.’

“We tried to fight them off ourselves, but we simply lack the numbers.” The elder continued. The other Goblin, the one who led that search party with the broken-down tools, spoke up. “And that’s why we asked you to come here!”

“I don’t know, I’m just a lowly Slime!” You snort at that, skittering back over to your food. “I’m really not that strong so I doubt I’d be too much help.”

The elder laughed in response. “You’re so modest.”

“And funny, too!” A question mark appeared on his head, and you point a claw at him. ‘Please tell me you aren’t actually that oblivious.’

“Huh?”

“There’s no way that a mere Slime would emit such an overwhelming aura! It’s quite obvious that you’re a very powerful monster!” The elder replied with the younger Goblin nodding along. You smacked a claw against your face at the blank look they received. ‘You’re really that oblivious?! It’s part of the reason why I was terrified of you in the first place!’

You received no answer, but then Rimuru started to sweat heavily. (How the fuck can he sweat? He’s a Slime! Slimes don’t sweat!) ‘Oh, shit! Is that really my aura?!’

‘Yes! Yes, it is!’ You snap back at him before gobbling up the rest of your food to stew silently in your annoyance. ‘(Y/N), I am so sorry, I didn’t even know!’ While he says this to you, he starts laughing. (You were the only one who could hear the nervous tinge it held.) “You noticed, huh? How wise of you!”

“But of course, strong one! There’s no hiding your rather formidable air that surrounds you.” The elder smiled at him and Rimuru nervously bounced. “I should have known I wouldn’t be able to fool the village elder! You’ve all shown a great deal of potential! Congratulations!”

You snorted, cleaning your claws as he struggled to suck in his aura. He eventually managed it and the elder gasped. “Ah! I understand now! You were testing us! Hopefully, enough of our people were appropriately frightened at your powerful aura!”

“Uh, yeah! Totally! I’m impressed you were brave enough to speak to me at all!” If you could roll your eyes, you would be. ‘You have no clue as to what you’re doing, do you?’

‘Is it that obvious?!’

‘Only to me. I think.’ You finish cleaning your claws and stand up, skittering on over to him once more.

“You honor us with your kind words. Now, regarding the favor we wish to ask you..”

“Ah! Yes, what is it?” Rimuru and you turned your attention back to the elder, who then proceeded to recount all the attacks from a pack of Direwolves the past month. You lowered your head to show respect at the mention of the Goblins who had lost their lives during these attacks. When you looked back up, tears were welling up in both Goblins’ eyes. “Altogether, there are about one hundred Direwolves.”

Rimuru wiggled a little, turning his ‘face’ to the Goblin faces peeking through the closed-cloth doors. “How many people do you have?”

“Including women, we have about sixty who can still fight.” You plopped yourself down and crossed your top pair of legs as Rimuru melted in his seat. ‘Those aren’t very good odds.. It’s like a boss level in a video game.’

You slowly nodded. ‘Yeah. And they’re all too low-leveled to even stand a chance.’

“So, that Goblin warrior went and fought against wolves even though he knew he couldn’t possibly win?”

The elderly Goblin’s hand clenched. “Yes. Even though he knew the odds were against him, he gave his life so he could bring us information on our foes.” He bowed down, shoulders shaking as the younger Goblin lowered his head with a tortured expression twisting his features. “You see, that warrior was my son and his older brother.”

You covered your face with your legs while Rimuru apologized quietly. “Elder? I do have a question.”

“Y-Yes, sir?” Rimuru turned back from studying the worried Goblin faces the two of you could see peeking in. “What’s in it for me? What would I get in return if I decide to help you? There has to be something you guys can offer.” It was silent for a long time. You sent a glare to him.

‘Before you kill me,’ Rimuru leaned away from you minuscule, ‘I don’t want compensation, but they see me as a powerful monster. It would be weird for a strong monster to help weaker ones without anything in return.’ You huff. ‘So you’re putting on an act. Of course.’

“We,” The two of you turned back to the elder Goblin, “We can offer our unfaltering loyalty.” He fell back down into a bow, and you couldn’t help but uncomfortably shift at his display. “Please, strong one, I’m begging you to grant us your divine protection! And in return, our whole village will swear to you!”

His son followed his lead and bowed. “We promise!” They waited with bated breath for your answers. You turned to your friend.

‘Rimuru. We can’t just leave these guys hanging..’

‘I agree.’ He replied. ‘It’d be too much of a dick move to say no to this.’ Just then, screams rang out as a distant yet loud howl echoed in the air. The two Goblins gasped and ran out of the hut. You shared a look with Rimuru before crawling after him, the Slime hopping onto your back.

You emerged from the hut just as the elder was attempting to calm his people. “Now now, everyone! Just remain calm!”

Rimuru hopped once on your back. “You have nothing to fear!” The Goblins turned to him with terrified tears in their eyes. “Because we’re going to defeat them!”

The elder gasped. “S-So...you?” Rimuru, glancing around at the gathered Goblins, nodded. “In lieu of Veldora the Storm Dragon, I, Rimuru Tempest, will protect you! I’ve decided to grant you your wish.” The Goblins all fell to their knees one by one, thanking him. The elder dropped his staff and shakily bowed. “Thank you so much, Lord Rimuru! We are eternally grateful to you, and from this day forward, we are your loyal servants!”

“You can count on me!”

You raise a claw. ‘Don’t forget about me! I’ll help protect you guys, too!’

“THANK YOU SO MUCH, LORD RIMURU, MISS SPIDER!”

notes: and these two are finally talking! hope the wait for them to actually meet wasn't too long.. let me know what you guys think!

(we all know what he was thinking in that sneaking scene, don't we? *wink*)

anyways! stay safe out there and please remember that you're all AWESOME! XP

#fanfiction #fanfic #ao3 fanfic #ttigraas #that time i got reincarnated as a slime #tensei shitara slime datta ken #so i'm a spider so what #kumo desu ga nani ka #rimuru tempest x reader #rimuru tempest/reader #frayawrites

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rumbelleshowdown · 1 month ago

Text

⭐️⭐️

Author: DancingFey

Group B: dark and stormy night; purple flowers; hurt/comfort

⭐️⭐️

You Haunt My Dreams (You Saved My Soul)

A/N: content warning for implied/referenced suicide and torture

At first, he thought he was in the Dark Castle’s dungeon. The room had no windows, and the only light came from a furnace whose flames burned a sickly yellow. Familiar implements of torture were spread throughout. A basket of pokers sat between the furnace and a table of flaying knives, pliers, rattan canes, tawses, and other implements of pain that were too blurry for him to see clearly. Floggers, ranging from a single tail to a cat o’ nine, were mounted on the wall.

But then, he noticed the birch rod, the hoods, the glass bottles filled with shimmering water, and a cleric shouting from a tome at a person bound in manacles and suspended from the ceiling.

“Cleanse the darkness that hath taken root in this poor soul! Repent for the deeds acted upon thee and forsake the devil that thou once served!”

A piercing wail echoed through the chamber as another cleric materialized out of thin air and struck the hanging figure, a woman with tangled, greasy hair as dark as the finest ale and sea-foam eyes filled with tears—someone he would recognize even in his dreams.

“B-Belle?”

“Begone, foul creature! Thou shalt not claim our Lord’s kin. Fear not, tarnished one, for we will purify thy soul and rid thee of the Dark One’s influence.”

“Belle!”

He summoned his magic to turn her tormentors to dust—no snails or roses, not for their ilk—but his magic did not respond. He tried again with a stronger spell, but once more, nothing happened.

The man behind her raised his arm to strike again. Unable to use his magic, he lunged at her tormentor and collided with an invisible wall.

He frantically searched the room for ruins, magical objects, squid ink—anything that could be used to trap him—but found nothing.

With no other option, he slammed against the barrier. It didn’t break, but a flash of light caught his eye. He glanced up and saw the flames from the furnace reflected above.

Was he being held back by glass?

Suddenly, he saw himself from a distance as if he had cast a Seeing Eye spell, despite the absence of any animals to serve as a medium.

A twisted version of himself was trapped inside a dressing mirror.

His yellow-green scales were as large as armor plates. His sharp nails curved like the claws of an apex predator. He had more teeth than a human, each fang sharp enough to rend flesh and crush bones. His eyes were dark pits devoid of light, reflecting his soul.

Was that monster him? No. No, something was wrong. He had changed. He wasn’t that beast anymore!

“What’s going—”

Like smeared paint on a canvas, the world shifted.

He was standing on a balcony atop a tower.

How did he know it was a tower?

His beautiful Belle—his brave maid, his True Love, his wife—stood on the ledge.

Since when was Belle his wife?

Her tattered crimson chemise fluttered in the night breeze.

He was sure she didn’t own any red underthings. He spotted ruby droplets dripping from her gown, vanishing over the edge, and realized what was wrong.

“It’s blood. You're covered in—"

“I’m sorry.” Impossibly, her tear-stained eyes cut into him, even though he stood behind her and she gazed outward toward the horizon. “I can’t take t-this anymore. Y-You were right, Rumple,” she sobbed. “You are a monster.”

She jumped off the ledge, and he wailed. He couldn’t reach her. He was still trapped—always trapped, trapped in poverty, trapped in marriage, trapped in war, trapped in his own skin.

As she fell, Belle’s voice grew louder until the tower began to crumble.

“You killed me. You killed me! You killed me!! You killed—”

“Rumple! Rumple! Wake up!”

He bolted upright, his eyes snapping open, a scream caught in his throat as he struggled to breathe between rapid gasps for air. The covers on the bed flew across the room, slamming against the far wall.

It wasn’t only the bed sheets; the bedside lamp, the wall decorations, their clothes, and even the bathroom nightlight swirled around the bedroom like a tornado.

“Rumple—Rumplestiltskin! We’re in Storybrooke. We’re safe!”

Startled, he turned toward her voice. Belle was sitting in front of him, dressed in her favorite nightgown, the one he had hand-embroidered with purple flowers because being a spinner was still a core part of him, and the poor man inside wanted to provide pretty things for his wife to enjoy.

“Take deep breaths with me, in and out. There you go. Can you tell me three things you can see?”

“Y-Your eyes, the f-flowers on your n-nightgown, t-the shut door.”

“Good, now can you tell me three things you can hear?”

He closed his eyes, “W-Wind, r-rain, thunder.”

“You’re doing great. Last one, can you move or touch three things for me?”

He patted the bed. “The mattress.” He twirled a loose thread around his fingers, a familiar nervous habit even after centuries. “My nightshirt.” Finally, he wiped the tears off his face. “My tears.”

His gasps for breath gradually ceased, and once the panic subsided, all the objects swirling around the room dropped to the ground.

“There’s my husband.”

“B-Belle, there was a tower and clerics. They were—” He couldn’t say it. “You were hurt, and then you,” his voice trembled, “f-fell.”

She was tortured because of her association with the Dark One. No one believed she was merely his maid. Everyone assumed the Dark One had ravished the Beauty. She was hurt because of him. She had jumped because of him. She had died because of him.

“Stop that.” She slapped his cheeks. “Regina lied. She may have kept me locked in a tower, but there were no clerics. I was not tortured, not—not with pain—isolation, maybe, by this realm’s standards, but not what you’re imagining. You had a nightmare. Sweetheart, it wasn’t real.”

Belle leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. His fear faded as he knew she was safe in his arms, and he would burn the world down to keep her that way.

A crack of thunder startled them apart. With a frown, Belle looked at the rain hitting the window. “I was going to suggest a walk to clear your head, but it’s a bit too much like one of those ‘dark and stormy nights’ from Henry’s books for a midnight stroll. How about I make us some tea instead?”

“That sounds lovely. Just—” He looked away, whispering, “Leave the door open so I can hear you, please.”

He didn’t need to see her face to know she was smiling as he revealed another weakness—no, not a weakness. During his and Belle’s last appointment with Dr. Hopper, Archie explained that expressing his needs to his partner was not a weakness, and with open communication, expecting them to be fulfilled was not unreasonable. Everything Milah taught him about marriage was wrong, and they were working to undo the damage—Archie called it trauma—that his early life had caused.

Belle left the door open as she went downstairs. With a minor enhancement spell, he could hear her in the kitchen. He closed his eyes and listened to the familiar, calming sounds of Belle making tea.

He opened his eyes just before Belle returned with a tea tray in her arms. She served him tea in the chipped cup. It was his most treasured possession, along with Bae’s baby blanket.

They drank in companionable silence, the chamomile tea soothing his frazzled nerves. He spoke, intending to compliment the tea, but instead, what slipped out was a question that had haunted his dreams ever since Regina told him that Belle threw herself off a tower.

“How can you love a monster like me?”

Belle set her tea down and straightened her back—she had a spine of fucking steel—like she always did when she was determined to make him listen.

“I will say this every day for the rest of our lives if you need me to. You are not a monster, Rumplestiltskin. A monster would not feel remorse for their actions or fear their monstrosity. You have always been a man who makes bad choices. But, Rumple, making mistakes is part of life. Everyone, hero or villain, has regrets. I know the Dark Curse’s effect on your mind is lessened here, but even if we were still in the Enchanted Forest, I would help you fight it. I love you, and True Love, Rumple, doesn’t mean everything’s perfect. It means that we support each other through the good and the bad. If we work together, we can achieve our happy ending. After all, love is the most powerful magic of all.”

His lip wobbled as he placed the chipped cup on the bedside table before collapsing into his wife’s arms. She held him as he wept for the beast he once was and for the man he aspired to be, the better man he believed he could become, with her support, with her love.

He could do anything with Belle by his side.

#rumbelle showdown #rumbelle fic #round 2 #group b #author: dancingfey

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