forum Runner's Start (Private)

Started May 19, 2019 by Deleted user

tune

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Tessa nodded at Arachne. "You heard him. We're going. But we're getting answers too."

The demon rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just give me a minute." She turned around and started working on making the portal.

Runner hesitated for a moment, then put his hand up. "Uh….I think I could help with the portal. I just need someone to cast a spell at me."

"You can't create a portal to someplace you've never been to, boy," Arachne spat, her many spider's legs working with her normal arms to spin a large web between two buildings. The pattern slowly formed a large swirl, and…was it moving?

"I've done it before," he said quietly, looking down at his feet awkwardly. He didn't much like this woman.

Tessa sighed and came up to Runner out of sympathy while they waited. "Ignore her, she's old and cranky and can't make a portal as quick as she used to."

"That's why I offered to help," he said, pulling a face. Maybe she knows who Rhianon is. "Who's the other woman?"

Tessa looked over her shoulder at Rhianon, who was watching Arachne work with interest and sometimes calling out advice. "Don't know much. Just that she's an exiled Fae princess corrupted with Dark magic. I think. If the legends are to be believed. But if I've learned anything during my time as a demigod, it's that the legends are almost always to be believed."

"She seems familiar to me," he admitted, wrinkling his nose up. "Like she's family or something."

Tessa shrugged. "She might be. You never know." She gently nudged Runner. "If she is, you'd better hope she's not as big of an asshole as my father turned out to be."

"How big of an asshole was he?" he asked, tilting his head.

"He makes hotheaded seem tame." She snorted. "He expelled me and my friends because my one friend pulled rank one too many times–and he just didn't like us from the start."

"Hm. What the shit am I supposed to say? "Definitely doesn't sound nice."

"Nope." She popped the p, then looked over to see how Arachne was doing. "Would you look at that–Grandma has finally finished."

"How old is she?" Runner asked, not really needing to look to know it's open. "Everyone talks like she's ancient."

Tessa scoffed. "Old enough to be considered rude to ask." In reality, everyone was just too afraid of getting their tongues ripped out to ask.

Runner shrugged. "Fair enough. How dangerous is the place we're going?"

Rhianon finally glanced Runner's way. "Immensely. Stay near the Queen, and her subjects will not harm you. Stray too far, and you will find yourself getting ripped limb from limb. Or, perhaps, eaten alive. All rely on their mood."

"I doubt it," he said, shivering under her gaze. "I'm not very easy to kill, Ms."

"We'll see about that, now won't we?" Arachne chimed in. She lifted herself off her feet with her spider legs and entered her portal. Rhianon's hidden gaze lingered on Runner for a second before she headed through the portal.

He shuttered once again, scrunching up his shoulder and pulling a face. "Creepy…"

"Like I said–corrupted by Dark magic. Let's go before they leave us." Tessa lightly pushed on Runner's back to get him moving.

He stumbled slightly, but made his way over to the portal, bending over to slide through the portal. "Yeah, that probably would be best, wouldn't it."

(Oh, now it's time to finally flesh out this world. Let's see how I do…)

Instantly, the sickeningly sweet smell of the demons inhabiting the dark world overwhelmed their senses. No light reached this world, for it was clouded by heavy black clouds of ashen mist. The rolling land was dead and littered with webs. Upon closer inspection, the webs were actually holding the cracked and decaying land together. Some pieces of earth shifted and cracked some more, but didn't fall thanks to the straining webs desperately holding on. Death hung in the air.

Giant flies flew overhead. Demons skittered across the ground. These demons had the upper body of a beautiful or handsome human, and the lower body of a hideous, bulbous spider of all kinds and species. They sneered and hissed and salivated as the group walked by. Arachne kept her head up high, occasionally growling and hissing at the demons that came too close.

Runner walked through this world with a raised eyebrow, studying the things that would supposedly rip him limb from limb. They don't look that scary.

Tessa snarled at a few that got too close to her for comfort. "Don't let their looks fool you. That's to draw in their prey. The real monsters show once they have you trapped in their web."

Runner seemed to ignore her, nearly bumping shoulders with a red head. As soon as they got close, she flared her sharp, needle-like teeth that were more like crocodiles than humans.

Arachne roared and charged the redhead. They got into a squabble, and the redheaded demon scrambled away with a slight limp. "That's for disobeying my orders," the queen scoffed, heading to the middle of the group.

"It wasn't that big of deal," he said, tilting his head at the woman's response. "If she would've tried, she wouldn't have been able to do much."

"It's a matter of principle, boy," Arachne said over her shoulder. "I gave them a direct order to leave you lot alone, and she disobeyed. I am Queen here, and they are the subjects. There are consequences to disobedience."

He frowned. Diplomacy and authority were not his strong suits. "Huh. So, everyone here's out for our flesh at the moment?"