“I… I can’t believe it!” The golden-haired girl’s jaw dropped to the floor. “A talking spider!!!”

  “HUUUh?!” Lily was just as—if not more—flabbergasted. “You can understand me?” she added, putting even more pressure on the girl’s magical restraint by trying to take a single step forward. And I can understand her! Maybe this world and mine share the same languages, the spider thought.

  “D-damn, you’re quite… something,” the girl said, gulping loudly as she looked at her knocked-out friends. “I’m not here to fight,” she added, standing her ground, “but I’m not backing down.”

  Is she for real? Lily mused, wondering whether the girl had heard a single word she said. “I do not want to fight,” she retorted.

  The golden-haired girl’s eyes quickly shifted from Lily to her friends, then back to Lily, with a doubtful expression on her face.

  “Oh, right, them…” Lily lifted her pointy limb to scratch her head, breaking the girl’s concentration and, with it, her magical bindings. “I told you they attacked me first, sooo…” She scratched her head.

  “I’ve never seen anyone move that easily while affected by Hold,” she blurted out, taking a couple of steps back as she spoke. “How can I trust that you’re telling the truth?” the girl asked, taking a deep breath.

  “Well, your friends are still alive, for starters, doesn’t that tell you something?” Lily replied as she slowly walked toward her.

  The golden-haired girl hesitated for a second, “I guess…”

  “Nice!” Lily lunged toward her, startling her as she appeared right by her side. “So, can we be friends now?”

  “Kyaaa!” she yelled, falling to her knees. “Please, don’t eat me!!!”

  She definitely has a flair for the dramatics, Lily thought, giggling at the trembling girl. “I’m Lily-I think—nice to meet you,” she said, using her utmost joyful tone and extending one of her many limbs as a greeting.

  “Oh.” The previously startled girl was now just motionlessly staring back at the little spider. “What do you mean, you think? Don’t you know your name?” she asked.

  “It’s a long sto—”

  Before Lily could finish her sentence, the girl cut her off. “WAIT! You have a name?!” she blurted out, standing up in a flash and pointing a finger right at Lily’s face. “What the hell? Are you a special monster or something?!”

  Is she okay? Lily wondered, slightly worried about the girl whose face had just turned as red as a tomato. “I’m just a Standard Spider,” she replied, trying to reassure the girl.

  “Yeah, well, monsters at your rank don’t usually have names,” the girl retorted, curiosity clearly taking over as she scanned the little spider from head to toe. “Anyway, I’m Nari. Nice to meet you, too,” she added, kneeling before Lily to get closer.

  “So, what were you guys doing here?” Lily asked, her eyes sparkling up.

  “Well, uhhh…” Nari scratched her temples. “I’m not sure you really want to know,” she said, shaking her head.

  Lily just looked back at her in silence, a big frown plastered across her arachnid face. This girl is weird, she thought. “Why not?”

  “Okay, we were hunting monsters for a quest, and also to practice fighting,” Nari blurted out, immediately covering her face with her hands.

  “Oh!” Lily laughed. “I do that too, and for food as well,” she said, gently tapping the girl’s head with her pointy limb.

  Nari let out a deep sigh, as if those words had lifted a considerable weight from her shoulders. It wasn’t every day that someone could speak with monsters like that, and she wasn’t going to waste that opportunity. “Tell me more,” she said, her face drawing closer and closer to the little spider, her ears ready to collect as much information as possible.

  “Like what?” Lily asked, somewhat flustered by the girl’s sudden change in behavior.

  “Everything!!! What do you eat? How old are you? Are you actually from the Labyrinth, or did you travel here?” She spoke so fast that it was almost impossible for Lily not to lose her train of thought.

  “Well—”

  But Nari wasn’t done yet. “What kind of spider are you? Do you have spider friends?” She kept adding questions, taking no breath in between, firing them like a machine gun.

  She’s insane, Lily thought, giggling inwardly at the idea that she might have just found someone even more hyper than she was. “Everything, like two days old, I’m from another world, no idea, and uhhh, nope, I’ve been kind of alone here, unless we count the many monsters that tried to kill me,” she replied in a single breath.

  “Kyaaa! From another world?!” Nari shouted, eyes wide and sparkling as she stared at the little spider. “And what world would that be?”

  Lily shook her head. “I don’t remember, sorry.”

  “Oh, I see…” Nari gently patted one of Lily’s legs. “Whoa, you’re so soft,” she added, “like a blanket.”

  She’s easily distracted, Lily thought, her heart sinking for a moment as she stared at her. “You remind me so much of—”

  “Nari, run!” a deep voice shouted from behind, followed by heavy footsteps. “Taunt!” Otto exclaimed, trying the same move again. “Don’t let your guard down!” he added, sprinting toward them, sword drawn and ready to strike.

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  “Otto, sto—”

  “Not again,” Lily mumbled under her breath, her tone growing more annoyed by the second. “Water Bolt,” she whispered, sending a little sphere of water toward the terrain before the warrior.

  “Ha, you misse—” He slipped on the damp ground, falling face-first before he could get any closer to them, rolling around on the ground in pain.

  “You can even use elemental magic?” Nari blurted out, clapping excitedly.

  “Ouch, that hurt so much!” Otto yelled back, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. “Why are you talking to that thing instead of helping me?!” he added, sniffling loudly as he spoke.

  “That THING?” Lily rebutted. “How dare you?!”

  Before he could even realize what was happening, Lily grabbed one of Otto’s legs with her web and pulled him toward her so fast that he even let go of his weapons. She then launched another web toward the ceiling and tied it around his feet.

  “I’m sorry, don’t eat me!” Otto yelled, freaking out. “WAIT, did you tal—”

  “She’s not gonna eat you,” Nari said, giggling at her frightened friend, who was now hanging upside down before them. “We’re friends,” she added, “with a talking spider! Isn’t that SO COOL?!”

  “Oh shit… please let me down, or else I’m gonna—” He frantically reached for his mouth and suddenly turned pale, prompting Lily to slash her web and let him fall to the ground. “T-thanks,” he muttered, breathing heavily.

  “Are you okay?” Nari asked, tapping her index finger on the guy’s sturdy-looking pauldrons.

  “Y-yeah, I’m fine now, just a bit tender in my chest and arms. I think one shoulder might have popped out,” he replied, rolling onto his back to face the rocky ceiling. “Where’s Claus?”

  The little spider immediately pointed to the left. “Uh, the other guy is behind that rock, probably still out cold,” Lily replied, giving the buff guy a cheeky smile. “I didn’t even lay a finger on him! Not that I have any fingers to begin with…” she blurted out, guessing what the guy was probably thinking.

  “Let me guess,” Otto took a deep breath. “He heard you talk?”

  “Yuuup,” Lily giggled.

  “He can be such a wuss sometimes,” Nari added, joining in the little spider’s giggles. “Anyway, let me take care of your health first. Then we’ll wake him up,” she said, extending her hands toward the guy. “Renewal,” she chanted, and a green light suddenly enveloped her hands.

  Whoa, is that healing magic? Lily wondered, staring in awe at the golden-haired girl.

  Just as with Nari’s first spell, its effect took only a couple of seconds to take hold, and Otto felt immediately better, so much so that he even managed to roll his previously damaged shoulder, demonstrating just how skilled she was with magic.

  The buff guy took a good stretch and nodded. “Thanks, it feels better already,” he chuckled as he stood straight up. “Come on, let’s get Claus and head back to the city,” he added, offering his hand to help Nari up, which she happily accepted.

  Lily stood motionless, watching as the two humans made their way toward their friend, wondering which city the guy could be referring to, since she hadn’t yet seen any signs of civilization.

  “Bro, you got your ass handed to you by a little spider,” Otto laughed, giving the sleeping guy a hard slap across the face. “Time to wake up!” he exclaimed.

  And so did you, Lily thought to herself as she slowly approached them, not wanting to startle the mage again.

  “I can’t believe this,” Nari sighed, joining Otto’s efforts to wake the unconscious man by shaking him.

  “Are we sure he’s really fine? It doesn’t—” Before Otto could finish, a loud snore cut him off. “Never mind…”

  Both humans sighed loudly again, rolling their eyes.

  “Well, you could carry him,” Nari suggested, giving the buff guy a cute smile, “or we could wait here until he wakes up.”

  “Hell no!” Otto retorted, crossing his hands. “Neither option works for me, so we’re gonna have to figure something out, or I’m gonna leave his ass here.”

  “Come on, he’s your brother. I know you’re not gonna do that,” Nari giggled, kneeling before the sleeping guy. She hesitated for a moment, then slapped him again, so hard that her hand left a faint red imprint on his face. “I cannot believe he’s still sleeping even after that,” she mumbled under her breath.

  “At least now you can believe me when I tell you how hard it is to wake him up in the morning,” Otto retorted, stepping back once he noticed Nari’s side-eye. “I don’t know what—”

  “Water Bolt,” Lily chanted, drenching the sleeping guy. “There, that should do it,” she added, turning around toward the startled humans.

  “AAAh!!!” Claus suddenly woke up screaming. “Let me gooo,” he shouted again, struggling to flop away from Lily like a fish out of water, still caught in her webs.

  “Yup,” the little spider giggled. “Your brother’s gonna be fine.”

  “Dude, stop screaming. You’re hurting my ears,” Otto said, stopping his brother’s movements with his foot.

  Claus fell silent in a heartbeat, his gaze fixed on his brother’s foot. “TAKE your dirty SHOES off of me!” he demanded, trying to wriggle free from under the pressure of Otto’s sturdy sabatons.

  “Shut up, or we’re gonna leave you here with our new friend,” Otto retorted, jokingly pointing toward the little spider, who was growing increasingly unsure whether she had made the right decision in befriending them.

  They’re all insane, Lily thought, mentally facepalming herself. “Stay still,” she suggested, freeing the trapped guy before any of them could even notice. “There, you’re free now.”

  Otto immediately stepped back once he realized what had happened, even more impressed by Lily’s speed and accuracy.

  “S-shit…” Claus gulped loudly, still unable to believe his eyes and ears. “T-thanks,” he muttered faintly as he sat up, “and thanks for not eating me.”

  “I don’t eat humans, plus I don’t think you’d taste that good,” Lily replied.

  “Take that back!” Claus retorted, raising his voice. “I’m sure any other monster would think of me as a gourmet meal,” he added, fidgeting with his hands.

  “Huh? Did you hit your head?” Lily wondered, staring at the guy in confusion. That one look was all it took for Claus to stand up and immediately hide behind another rock. “I was just trying to check—never mind,” she sighed, giving up on trying to understand him and making the other two chuckle.

  “I think we'd better head back now,” Otto suggested, nudging his brother to come out.

  “About that…” Lily cut him off. “Which city were you referring to earlier? Is it far or something?”

  “He’s talking about Dunkel,” Nari replied, taking the lead in the conversation. “It’s about an hour, maybe an hour and a half at most from here,” she added.

  Lily instantly spaced out. Dunkel—why does it sound so familiar? she wondered. “That name…”

  “They finally announced a new player hub in the next update! It even has—”

  Wait, keep talking, don’t stop! Lily thought frantically to herself as the voice suddenly fell silent. What the hell does that mean? she wondered.

  It was definitely the same voice she had already heard twice before, like an echo at the back of her mind; no doubt about that. But instead of giving Lily answers, it left her with more questions than she had started with.