Chapter 46: Bound by Silk
Arthur’s eyelids trembled faintly, then slowly he opened his eyes. He stared at the white wall before him hazily, and after a long period of silence and stillness, he let out a very long sigh.
’I survived, again, but at what price this time?’
He took a deep breath, and slowly moved his exhausted body, and got up from the ground. At that moment, all his joints emitted a loud cracking sound, and he felt intense pain and dizziness.
His legs trembled, and he lost his balance for a moment. He steadied himself in place, and waited patiently, for his body and mind to regain their stability.
After everything calmed down, he let out a second long sigh, then carefully examined his surroundings, and as he had expected, the white walls around him were made of silk threads.
’It seems she built her nest around me while I slept, well, this does not truly matter, she is in control and can do whatever she pleases, I only hope she is not the type who treats her pet badly.’
Unfortunately, this was the bitter reality, for he currently was no different from a pet, or perhaps a slave, it was difficult to be certain, since he did not yet know the spider woman’s intentions, or rather he did not yet know his mistress’s intentions.
In any case, there was no use thinking about things he could not control, and in addition to that, there were other priorities occupying his mind.
’I am incredibly thirsty, and hungry as well.’ He licked his cracked lips from intense dryness, and without any hesitation, left the room he was inside.
The nest was extremely massive, and filled with a large number of rooms and corridors of various sizes. He roamed through the place for several minutes, and in the end, with the help of his powerful senses, found a small exit.
He passed through it, but the moment he placed his foot outside the nest, the silk threads inside his body moved, and he froze in place.
He felt a slight pain that made his face tense, and in the next moment, the spider woman’s voice echoed inside his head.
"’So, you have finally decided to wake up, but, where do you think you are going so quickly?’"
Her tone carried heavy sarcasm and dominance, yet, he was not bothered, or rather he did not care, for her personality and actions were exactly as he had expected, unbalanced, and extreme.
The only thing that surprised him a little, was that she was able to communicate with him telepathically, but even this made sense in a way, given the wide range of effects the silk threads she had planted inside his body possessed.
’Wait...’ Suddenly, a terrifying thought occurred to him.
’Taking everything into account, is it possible she is also able to read my thoughts?’ His pupils contracted, and his heartbeat quickened for a moment.
Just thinking about this possibility greatly unsettled him.
’Well, this may seem logical, but it is better not to jump to conclusions. I must test her when I find an appropriate opportunity.’
He calmed himself, and as a precautionary measure, emptied his head of everything important.
As the silence dragged on, the spider woman grew angry, and increased the pressure she was exerting on him through her threads, and said coldly: "’Speak.’"
Arthur let out a muffled groan, then answered honestly:
"I am not thinking about fleeing, the thing is, I am very hungry and thirsty, I need water, and I also need to hunt something to eat, can I do that?"
His calm response surprised her a little, and most importantly, his talk about hunting gave her a very good idea, or rather a solution to her current problem.
She had built her nest in a very bad area, and her webs had barely caught any monsters during the past four days, and given her nature, she did not like the idea of going out to hunt by herself.
"’Go, and do not return until you bring me every monster you can hunt, make sure the quantity is large, otherwise, I will eat you, for I am also hungry.’"
She laughed lightly, her voice was pleasant and melodious to the ears, yet, a shiver ran down Arthur’s spine.
He swallowed hard, and replied very politely: "I will do my best."
’"You’d better’"
Her presence disappeared, and in the next moment, the silk threads in his body returned to their stillness, and he regained his ability to move.
’Well, I have become a slave, what a surprise indeed.’ He could only lament his fate. Without wasting any more time, he left the nest, and began searching for what he wanted.
His senses worked at their maximum, and with extreme caution, he moved through the forest. He was in an unfamiliar area, so he carefully examined his surroundings and formed a mental map of the path he had taken.
Unlike the rest of the areas he had previously seen, this part of the forest was completely different, the trees around him were leafless, thin-trunked, and towering in height.
The ground was black in color, and barely any grass grew on it. As for the air, it was heavy, and slightly suffocating, but the strangest thing of all, was that the place was completely filled with various types of mushrooms.
Literally, mushrooms grew on everything, in tree trunks, on top of rocks and beneath them, and even on top of each other, forming very strange shapes, some beautiful and vibrant in color, and others dark and gloomy.
’There are no monkeys, and I don’t hear any birds, even the insects are few. This place is truly unsettling in a frightening way, tsk, why did that spider build her nest here?’
Normally he would have stopped for a few minutes, to carefully examine the mushrooms, but honestly, he was not in the right mood for such things currently.
He avoided touching the mushrooms with his body, and after about two hours of searching, his nose picked up a familiar scent, alerting him to the presence of a nearby water source. Without any hesitation, he headed toward it.
Little by little, the mushrooms around him decreased, replaced by beautiful and soothing green grass, and the same with the tall dry trees, for life had returned to fill them.
The air became purer, and various sounds came from every direction.
In the end he arrived at a very massive lake he was unable to see the end of, filled with clear blue water, and the bright sunlight reflected on its surface.
He licked his lips with longing, and with great difficulty prevented himself from running and jumping into it, for he had to first ensure the place was safe.
He carefully examined his surroundings and then stood on the shore of the lake. He stared at the water for a moment, and at that moment he saw his reflection, blood and dirt covered his entire emaciated body.
His expression showed extreme exhaustion, and on his head, the flower crown was still present, it had stuck to his skin from the dried blood.
His lips twisted in a mocking smile, and slowly, he bent and plunged his head into the water, some blood floated around him, then he began drinking greedily.
Seconds passed slowly, then a minute, two, five. Like a black hole, he continued swallowing water without stopping until a full quarter of an hour had passed, only then did he raise his head.
He felt greatly refreshed, a satisfied expression appeared on his face, and again he directed his gaze toward the water, now that he had quenched his thirst, it was time to bathe.
He walked two steps inside, and before he submerged completely, he felt a slight change in the current near him.
His eyes widened, and without any hesitation, he retreated at top speed. At that moment, the water exploded where he had been, and a massive crocodile pounced on him.
’Oh shit, here we go again.’
