Evil Celestial Spider [Celestial Grimoire]

Merlin TV Universe, Darkling Woods

Time: Month 11, Day 6

Current Celestial Points: 100

Celestial Points Gathered (This Year): 1000/1000

Monthly Roll: 1/1

---

The captured humans lay bound in thick webs against the chamber wall. They had stopped struggling hours ago, exhausted from fighting against silk stronger than rope.

The spider watched them from her perch. Eight eyes tracked every twitch and shiver, every bead of sweat that rolled down their necks. The soul-strike had worn off, leaving them aware but weak. Perfect for questioning.

Her children moved through the shadows around them. Some hung from silk lines above, while others patrolled the ground below. The humans flinched whenever a spiderling passed too close.

"Please," the younger hunter whispered. "Let us go. We meant no harm."

The spider descended on a strand of silk, stopping at eye level. "You entered my territory. Examined my webs. Threatened my children."

Both humans jerked back at her words, eyes going wide. The older one pressed himself harder against the wall. "It... it speaks?"

"I speak many languages now." The spider moved closer, mandibles clicking softly. "You will teach me about your world. About Camelot. About humans."

"We won't tell you anything, monster!" The older hunter tried to sound brave, but his voice trembled.

One of the spiderlings dropped onto his shoulder. He went very still as eight tiny eyes stared into his face.

"You misunderstand," the spider said. "This is not a request. Tell me of your king. Of your kingdoms. Of your ways."

The younger hunter broke first. He spoke of Uther Pendragon, ruler of Camelot. Of the Five Main Kingdoms that made up Albion - Camelot, Mercia, Caerleon, Gawant, and others. His voice grew steadier as he described the politics and alliances between realms.

The spider listened as they revealed the workings of human society. They told her of castle life, of how people organized themselves into nobles and commoners. Of markets and trade, of armies and patrols.

But it was their tales of magic that interested her most. They spoke of sorcerers and witches, of creatures born from the Old Religion. Dragons that once filled the skies. Trolls that lurked in mountain caves. Griffins that hunted at twilight.

"And your king hunted them?" she asked. "These magical beings?"

The older hunter nodded slowly. "The Great Purge. Uther declared war on magic itself. Hundreds died. Sorcerers burned. Magical creatures were driven to extinction or deep into hiding."

"Why?"

"Magic killed his wife. Or so they say. Now it's forbidden in Camelot on pain of death."

The spider considered this information. A human king who destroyed magic out of grief and rage. Who burned his own kind and drove ancient creatures from their lands.

Dawn approached. Light snuck through the webbed trees, touching the humans' faces. They had grown calmer during the long night of questioning, perhaps believing their knowledge would spare them.

The spider moved to the younger hunter. Thick strands of web pinned his arms against the chamber wall, while more silk wrapped around his chest and legs. He couldn't even turn his head away as she drew closer.

"Thank you for this knowledge," she said softly.

Her fangs pierced his throat. Blood welled up around her chelicerae as venom pumped into the wound. The hunter tried to scream but could only manage a wet gurgle. His body convulsed against the web restraints, but her silk held firm.

The older hunter thrashed wildly in his bonds. "Stop! Please, for the love of God, stop!"

She ignored his pleas, focusing on her meal. Her fangs tore away a chunk of flesh, exposing muscle and windpipe. Blood sprayed across her face as the hunter's heart continued pumping. His eyes rolled wildly, desperately searching for escape, but the webs might as well have been iron chains.

She ignored his pleas, focusing on her meal. Her fangs tore away a chunk of flesh, exposing muscle and windpipe. Blood sprayed across her face as the hunter's heart continued pumping. His eyes rolled wildly, desperately searching for escape, but the webs might as well have been iron chains.

The spider worked her way down his body slowly, enjoying her first human. She cracked open his ribcage to reach the organs beneath, pulling them out one by one while he still lived. His muffled screams grew weaker as she consumed his liver, his kidneys, his intestines.

The older hunter vomited down his chest, but couldn't look away. The web held his head in place, forcing him to watch as she dismembered his friend piece by piece. "Please... he has a family... children..."

She paused her feeding to look at him. Blood and gore dripped from her mandibles. "So do I."

Then she returned to her meal. The younger hunter had finally stopped moving, though his heart still beat weakly. She took her time with what remained, swallowing down each morsel of flesh and muscle. Her children watched from the shadows, learning how to properly feed on human prey.

When only scraps of meat clung to blood-stained bones, she turned to face the surviving hunter. Tears streaked his cheeks. A dark stain spread across his trousers where he'd lost control of his bladder.

"Please..." he whimpered. "I told you everything..."

"Yes," the spider agreed, stepping closer. Fresh blood still coated her fangs. "You did. Do not worry, you will serve another purpose."

...

The spider stepped back from the fertilized egg sac, looking around her chamber. Many of her children had gathered around, watching carefully.

She noticed several spiderlings shifting their weight impatiently, bristles twitching. The pheromones and their mother's movements had clearly stirred their own instincts.

The spider raised herself up on her hind legs, mandibles clicking for attention. All eyes turned toward her as the room fell utterly silent.

"My children," she began slowly. "You have seen how I breed powerful offspring."

Many affirmative clicks answered her. The spiderlings closest to the webbed male leaned forward.

"Some among you carry the Superior Mother gift within." The spider's pedipalps stroked her fresh egg sac gently. "Soon you will need mates of your own."

Her head turned toward the human male, still pinned against the chamber wall.

"Bring strong mates back here. Whether boar or deer, their traits will strengthen the colony. Take humans whenever possible, but be cautious to not take any covered in metal armor."

Several spiderlings shifted forward at her words, legs twitching with excitement. A rust-colored female with thick bristles clicked her mandibles rapidly.

"Mother, I have felt the heaviness beginning in my abdomen these past few days."

The spider regarded her daughter with multiple eyes. "Then it is time for you to take a mate. Choose a strong male from any prey you can capture and bring him back here."

Another spiderling, this one slate-grey with darker mottling across her carapace, moved closer. "I too have begun developing an egg sac, Mother. What is your guidance?"

"You must both find powerful mates immediately," the spider said, gesturing with a foreleg. "Our colony's future strength depends on injecting new bloodlines with each generation. Take any buck, boar or human male you can subdue without risking serious injury."

More spiderlings clicked in acknowledgment. Several swayed their abdomens from side to side, displaying the signs of maturity.

One particularly large offspring tapped the ground sharply with his front legs. "What of this human male, Mother? Will you consume him once your eggs are formed?"

The spider turned to regard the webbed form still hanging against the wall. The man flinched under her scrutinizing gaze.

"No, this one may still provide use. Keep him secured and prevent him from harming himself. I will decide his ultimate fate once the next batch of eggs hatch."

The spider turned away from the webbed human, satisfied her children understood her instructions regarding finding new mates. Several spiderlings were already moving toward the chamber's exit webs, mandibles clicking with excitement.

A small group approached her, clicking eagerly. The spiderling in the lead had brilliant turquoise markings streaking across her abdominal chitin.

"Mother, we've been practicing the subspace power you passed to us." She extended a foreleg to demonstrate.

A ripple appeared in the air as the turquoise-marked spiderling reached into seemingly empty space. She pulled out a chunk of preserved deer meat, the flesh as fresh as the day it was stored.

"We discovered something important about these storage spaces," she clicked excitedly. The other spiderlings crowded closer, mandibles twitching with shared enthusiasm. "The meat never spoils inside. Time stands still within."

The spider examined the deer meat with her front legs. The blood remained bright red, muscles still firm and unmarked by decay. "Show me more."

Five more spiderlings stepped forward, each opening their own invisible pockets in the air. They withdrew various stored items - rabbit carcasses, bird meat, even segments of another boar from weeks ago. Every piece remained perfectly preserved.

"We can keep our food safe this way," another spiderling clicked. "Hidden where enemies cannot find or destroy it."

The spider moved between her children, once again surprised at how smart they were. "You cannot store living prey?"

"No, Mother. We tried with a mouse, but living creatures cannot enter the space." The turquoise-marked spiderling gestured to her siblings. "But we can divide our food stores among those who inherited this power. Each of us carrying a portion."

A smaller spiderling with unusually long front legs clicked rapidly. "The spaces move with us wherever we go. If we must abandon the territory, our food comes too."

The spider considered these discoveries. Her children had not only used the inherited ability well, but found new applications she hadn't considered. The colony would be stronger for their initiative.

"This changes how we store our kills," she clicked decisively. "No more hanging meat in the open. Keep everything in these spaces except what we need for immediate feeding."

The subspace spiderlings began moving through the territory, carefully removing wrapped prey from the web network. Each bundle disappeared into invisible pockets, safely preserved until needed. The exhausted human male watched with wide eyes as hundreds of kills vanished into thin air.

One of the hunters dropped down from above. "Mother, what of the human's body?" She gestured toward the picked-clean bones still wrapped in silk.

"Store the bones," the spider clicked. "They may prove useful for future hunting strategies."

The hunter nodded, gathering up the bloody skeleton. It too disappeared into a subspace pocket, leaving only dark stains on the web strands.

She settled back onto her web, content to watch her offspring busy themselves.

Three weeks passed as the colony grew stronger. More egg sacs hatched, bringing the total number of offspring to seventy-nine. The new storage system proved invaluable as the growing numbers required more food.

The spider felt a familiar stirring in the space between moments. She could once more reach for power, and that was exactly what she did.

[Wolf in Sheep's Clothing – Shin Megami Tensei II] – Costs 100CP, 100CP available to spend.

While many demons roam the world as ravenous hordes or hired muscle, some take a more...refined approach. Regardless of how inhuman or strange your form is, you are able to disguise yourself as a human, appearing as one by all intents and purposes even by detailed technological scanners. However, this disguise is a thin one...should you use any offensive powers or spells, the facade will melt away and your true form will be revealed. You may assume and discard this disguise at will.

The spider considered this power carefully. The captured hunter had spoken of powerful magic users hiding among humans. Sorcerers who could cast magic, witches who commanded the elements, druids who spoke with nature.

Such power would strengthen her brood immensely. But approaching these magic users in her true form would only lead to battle. They would see her as a monster to be destroyed.

Unless...

She could walk among them undetected. Learn their ways, find the strongest among them. When the time was right, she could take what she needed to ensure her next brood carried magical blood.

The disguise would serve another purpose. If knights discovered the colony, she could appear as a helpless captive. They would waste precious time trying to "rescue" her while her children prepared proper welcomes.

The spider reached out and accepted the power. Magic flowed through her body, reshaping chitin and muscle into softer flesh.

Her eight legs merged into two arms and legs. Multiple eyes melted into a single pair. Demon horns shrunk away as black hair sprouted from her scalp. The transformation completed, leaving behind a tall woman with pale skin and dark eyes.

[ Wolf in Sheep's Clothing acquired ]

The spider tried to take a step forward in her new human form. The movement felt wrong - only two legs to balance on instead of eight. She wobbled uncertainly, missing the stable connection to her web through multiple limbs.

Her spiderlings watched with concern as she attempted another step. The ground rushed up to meet her face as she toppled forward, unable to compensate for the strange center of gravity. Leaves and dirt pressed against her new skin, so much more sensitive than her old carapace.

"Mother!" Several offspring rushed forward, helping her up with gentle leg touches.

The spider wanted to reach out with her front legs to steady herself, but found only human arms responding. No spinnerets to shoot a safety line. No sensitive hairs to detect air currents. She felt blind and deaf compared to her true body.

"This body is wrong," she clicked, the sound coming out as human speech instead. Even her voice felt strange vibrating through soft throat tissue rather than mandibles.

She missed the security of her eight eyes. The human's two eyes left massive blind spots that made her feel vulnerable. The urge to transform back grew stronger with each passing second.

More spiderlings gathered around as she made another attempt at walking. They formed a protective circle, ready to catch her if she fell again. The spider focused on moving one leg at a time, fighting against instincts that expected six more limbs to coordinate with.

"The ground feels different," she told her children. "I cannot sense vibrations through these feet. How do humans detect approaching danger?"

A spiderling touched her leg gently. "We will watch for you, Mother. Our eyes will be your eyes until you master this form."

The spider nodded, immediately regretting the unfamiliar head movement. She missed the precise control of her chelicerae, the ability to inject venom into prey. These dull human teeth seemed useless for hunting.

"There is a stream nearby," one of her offspring clicked. "You can see your new shape in the water."

The spider accepted her children's guidance as they led her carefully through the web network. Multiple legs supported her awkward steps, preventing further falls. She kept reaching for web strands that weren't there, muscle memory expecting silk that would never come from these human hands.

Branches scraped against her exposed skin. She longed for her protective carapace, for the familiar weight of demon horns on her head. The human body felt fragile, like a newly-molted spiderling before its shell hardened.

The stream came into view between the trees. Clear water flowed over smooth stones, creating tiny ripples in the surface. The spider knelt down, supported by her concerned offspring, and looked at her reflection for the first time.

Human eyes stared back at her from a fair face framed by long black hair. The features were sharp, almost predatory - a hint of her true nature bleeding through the disguise. But to any observer, she would appear as nothing more than a tall human woman.

A strange face stared back from the water's surface. Long black hair framed pale features, falling past shoulders in straight lines. The spider tilted her head, watching the reflection mimic the movement. Dark eyes blinked back at her, set above high cheekbones in a face she didn't recognize.

"I cannot tell if this form will attract or repel humans," she told her children. "Their standards of appearance make little sense to me."

The spiderlings clicked encouragingly. "The hunters we captured might provide insight, Mother."

She nodded, slowly growing more comfortable with the motion. Her offspring guided her back toward the heart of their territory, catching her whenever the two legs threatened to betray her balance.

Five men hung suspended in web cocoons near the central chamber. The spider's daughters had captured four more over the past three weeks - two woodcutters and two more hunters who had wandered too close to the colony.

The exhausted men looked up as she approached, eyes widening at the sight of a human woman.

"Please," one of the woodcutters called out. "Help us! These monsters will kill us!"

The spider stepped closer, testing her new legs carefully. "Monsters? I see no monsters here."

"The spiders!" Another captive struggled against his bonds. "Giant demon spiders everywhere! You have to run before they return!"

She examined the men's reactions, noting how they strained toward her. Even weak from her daughters' efforts and paralyzing venom, they tried to protect what they saw as an innocent woman.

"Lady, please," the youngest hunter begged. "Cut us free. We'll escort you to safety."

The spider smiled, the expression feeling strange on her new face. "You find this body appealing then? Attractive by human standards?"

The men exchanged confused looks. The older woodcutter spoke up hesitantly. "My lady, this is hardly the time to... but yes, you are very beautiful. Now please, help us before those creatures come back!"

"Beautiful." The spider tested the word. "That will be useful for walking among your kind undetected."

The captives' eyes widened as several spiders the size of small dogs came from the shadows. The men watched in horror as the spider-things gathered around the woman's feet, clicking excitedly.

"You're... you're one of them?" The young hunter's voice cracked.

The spider nodded, growing more confident with each human movement. "I am their mother. Thank you for confirming this disguise will serve its purpose."

She turned away from the men's struggles and desperate pleas. Her children followed close behind, ready to steady her still-awkward steps as she practiced walking on two legs.

"We should find you proper human coverings, Mother," one spiderling clicked. "The captives wear strange skins over their bodies."

The spider looked down at the heavy breasts on her torso. "Yes. Humans seem oddly concerned with hiding their flesh. Bring me something suitable from the next prey you catch."