After a while of skittering around, I found that I could control my legs much better. With it, came increased speed and less focus on moving my limbs properly was required.
I walked up to what I could make out as a cave wall. I hit my head against it because my depth perception turned out to be at an all-time low.
Frigging eyes…
I looked up to the wall.
If I was a spider, I’d have no trouble climbing this.
I planted the ends of my legs against the stone and found that they simply stuck to it. I then started my ascent. I’d probably be much safer up high.
I found an indent in the rocky wall going a couple of inches deep that would fit me quite easily. I entered it to find it unoccupied.
I relaxed slightly but kept my eyes wide open in case anything tried to take me out.
Not that I could see much, but still…
Okay, Elysa. What am I?
-
Name: Kealyna
Race: Tiny Brown Cave Spider
Level: 2/10
Experience: 2/20
Evolution Points: 0
-
-
Skills:
Very Weak Venom
Weak Jaws and Teeth
Very Weak Spider Thread
Very Weak Poison Resistance
-
With everything laid out before me, things became much clearer. I could easily tell what these skills meant. I was just a bit sad that everything was either weak or very weak. Those gods really did a number on me, didn’t they?
One thing that I noticed was that, apparently, I was a different species from my siblings, although, it didn’t tell me much.
Apparently killing things would give me experience. Once I gathered enough experience, I would increase in level and gain Evolution Points. I had spent my first Evolution Point on getting these jaws and teeth, but what other things could I get with those?
-
Currently Available Enhancements
Enhancement
Cost in EP
Very Weak Exoskeleton Hardening
1
Bad Spider Vision
3
Very Weak Magic Resistance
5
-
Hold on a second. Bad spider vision? Just how screwed am I if that’s an improvement?
Does that exoskeleton hardening do what I think it does? Elysa?
-
Exoskeleton Hardening:
Improves natural armor against physical attacks.
-
So it would seem…
The magic resistance enhancement caught my eye as well. Hopefully, I would be able to learn some magic of my own. I remembered how to use magic from my previous life, but I noticed I simply did not have the mana reserves to cast any of them.
I wasn’t even close.
I was a tiny spider after all…
A tiny spider with the mind of an elven knight. I guess that did put me at a huge advantage over non-intelligent creatures.
I seemed to fully remember my old life. I didn’t think any of my memories had been stripped away as was the goddess’s intention. It was probably for the better, regarding my current situation.
It was just… quiet…
I would not get to talk to anyone. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. I never talked much to anyone. I simply did my knight duties and training and that was it. I had never loved, and I don’t think I was ever loved, myself. Not after my parents had left my life.
I couldn’t dwell on that now.
If they were awaiting me somewhere in this world, I would find them. Even if I was… this. I wanted to let them know I’d never forgotten them.
Looking back at the floating blue box that once more displayed what I was I noticed something else. My level was 2 out of 10. Did that mean that I would not be able to get stronger than that?
Elysa?
-
Level Cap
After hitting the maximum displayed level, you can evolve into a stronger species which then gets reset to level one. Multiple choices are offered for each evolution, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Choose carefully!
-
So I would be able to get stronger.
I wondered what these possible evolutions would be. Would I be able to talk to elves, or, goddess forbid,
humans
?
I gritted my new teeth at the thought. I hated humans. They were the reason I found myself here in the first place.
I tried speaking, but I couldn’t produce anything that went beyond simple hissing.
Talking seemed a long way off… for now.
The idea that I had moments before sprung to mind again. It was macabre, perhaps even evil, but I could kill more spiders before they hatched as a means of getting this
experience
relatively easily.
I mentally marked the location of this nook and skittered down the cave wall. I soon reached the clutch of eggs that were spread out over the floor and walked around a bit to make sure none of them were hatching yet.
Here is to exploiting my sapient brain to the fullest.
I started hacking away at the nearest egg and created an opening soon after. The being inside didn’t appear to be fully formed yet, that much I could see through these crappy eyes.
They were going to be the first thing I would improve.
It didn’t take much effort to kill this spider. I didn’t even have to use my venom. I simply removed its weak head from the rest of its body with my fangs and pedipalps.
-
You have killed a Tiny Black Cave Spider: EXP+6
-
I disregarded the window as I was already upon the next egg. The spider inside seemed to be lively and tried to attack back. Unfortunately for it, I was already quite a bit older and better used to my body. I could dodge its attack quite easily before sinking my fangs in its abdomen to inject more venom.
-
You have killed a Tiny Black Cave Spider: EXP+12
-
-
Level Up!
Kealyna has reached level 3!
You have been awarded 2 EP.
-
I took quick notice of the fact that I got two evolution points, instead of one, but disregarded the message once more as I knew I was going to need another Evolution Point before things got interesting.
I wouldn’t need it for now. I needed to get as much done as I could, given I had no idea when these eggs would hatch. For all I knew, they could hatch any moment and start attacking me.
I went around and kept killing infantile spiders with venom and jaws until I’d exhausted myself.
Knowing I would need to rest. I simply walked away from the massacre that was this nest. I bumped into the wall with my head a second time as I cursed my terrible eyesight. I then made my way up and hid inside the nook where I took a careful look at my progress.
-
Name: Kealyna
Race: Tiny Brown Cave Spider
Level: 6/10
Experience: 23/50
Evolution Points: 7
-
Well, I wouldn’t say I did too bad for my first hours of being a spider with this… blessing. Although my actions so far hadn’t been very… knight-like…
Alright, Elysa, I’d like to evolve my eyes and my exoskeleton hardening.
Pain shot through my body once more as I felt every bit of chitin that covered my new body draw power from my core. After that has passed, I could see some of the blur that was my eyesight begin to clear.
I could now see more details on anything that was close by. I looked out of my cranny and cast my gaze at where I’d killed the not-even-born-yet spiders. I could vaguely make out the white of the eggs, but that was it. I couldn’t properly judge distance, either.
I had no idea how big I, or this cave, was. I had a rough idea, but my vision was too blurry to get proper estimates. I thought I was half an inch or so, give or take.
I then started wondering about my future in this world. To make any contact with anyone, I’d first have to get out of this cave. My issues were that I had no idea how strong I, or anything else for that matter, was. Then there were the problems that I might not understand any language besides my own.
Maybe Elysa knew?
I asked my blessing what language I was currently thinking in and whether the language existed in this world.
-
You are currently thinking and reading in Elven. The language spoken by the Elves of this world is a variant of the language impossible to comprehend at the moment. Language skills become available with later evolutions.
-
So I’d have to keep killing in order to at least understand my own kind.
My former kind…
No matter, I could do this.
I was too tired to continue for the time being. I decided to do what spiders do and create a web to close off the opening so I’d at least be somewhat safe while I was sleeping.
I placed my rear end on the rocky surface and pushed out threads. I had no idea how I did it. It seemed to come naturally.
After long minutes of work and making sure to seal the area off, I was happy with the web that now separated me from the outside of this small crevice.
I relaxed and let my legs slide off to the sides as I felt unconsciousness take my fatigued body.