Klaw, Anath, and Elyndris moved to a larger chamber and planned their next move. Ten humans, who seemed aggressive, waited outside the barrow. Most likely, they wanted to rid themselves of their monster problem and blame the goblins. Then they could return home heroes without anyone to muddy things up.

Elyndris had a plan to surprise the humans. It required a magic thing, which meant Anath had time.

"Hey, Klaw. Can you give me the tokens you grabbed? I want to surprise Daggat." Anath asked.

"Uh… sure. I don't really get how they work." He said. Klaw was resting. His rib was broken, which won't slow him down but was still uncomfortable. He was mulling over what to spend his skill point on.

It took a bit of time to walk him through the process of giving her his tokens. Anath had experimented with the token system before. There were a lot of options. Party perks, system perks, and aesthetic choices such as system colors, font choices, and more. The aesthetic choices were cheaper than others. When selecting a perk, you could choose if the perk belonged to you, the party leader, or if it belonged to the party as long as you were within it. If you left, the perk would fall back to you.

Weirdly, the token system was only available through the party system. At least, as far as Anath knew. But most of the perks interacted with the system interface itself.

"Are you okay? Okay?" Spider said after she was done with Klaw.

"I'm fine. Thank you for worrying, though." She tried to pat it on the head, but it didn't work.

"I feel odd. Weird, yes? Strange. Changed a little bit? I like it, yes, yes."

Anath looked at the assistant. It had indeed changed slightly. It was fuzzier, cuter. Its little face had more detail and was more expressive. What had caused that?

"You look fine, but different. Why? What happened?"

"You grow. I grow. I am you."

"That would explain why you are so cute. Now, let's go shopping."

She had 32 tokens to spend. Luckily, she knew exactly what to buy. Instant Messaging. It cost 20 tokens. Anath selected the purchase and opted for the latter choice. It belonged to her, but while she was in a party, it acted as though it was the party leaders.

Immediately a new menu option appeared. The message tab. In it, she discovered she could directly message party members, leave a message in a group chat, create group chats, and block party members from messaging her. She moved over to the group chat.

Just thinking the message was enough, but she could manually type it as well.

Anathema: <Hello!>

Anath grimaced at her name, but she found she could change it to a nickname.

Alfred: <I see you have all been busy. Three levels in this short amount of time.>

Zuss: <How does this work?>

Zuss: <Oh.>

Zuss: <Hey, do you guys have Daggat?>

THE MIGHTIEST LARVA: <Did you lose the goblin already?>

Klaw: <This is handy. We're about to be ambushed by a bunch of humans. We'll let you all know if we die.>

Alfred: <I will provide my updates at a later time. You all seem busy.>

The Cutest Spider-girl: <Umm… what's going on with Daggat?>

"What's this? I can't use it. Tell them I said hi, hi!" Spider said as it skittered around the screen.

Zuss: <Those humans might be my fault. I killed one, and they didn't like it. I'll fix the Daggat issue.>

The Cutest Spider-girl: <Spider says hi.>

Spider ran in little circles in its excitement.

Klaw: <No chance he wouldn't be messaging us some orders or a half-thought-out plan. Bet he's asleep. Or knocked out.>

Anath giggled reading the messages. There was a sudden connection to her friends. They now had a secret place where they could talk.

Hunter: <Hello! Daggat got hurt. Then I looked away and he was gone. Sorry. We'll find him though. Can't talk right now.>

Daggat was hurt? What was going on on their side? She sent Daggat a private message, but he didn't reply. Well, he's not dead. That was the important thing.

Now, Anath had 12 more tokens. She scrolled through the options to find something interesting. One that caught her eye was called Virtual Arena, but it cost 50 tokens!

Looking through the system perks, there were a few that interested her. Queuing allowed her to queue skills and biotraits ahead of time, and they would automatically unlock. Daggat would like that. One called Sample allowed her to test out an option before purchasing it, but it required the virtual arena.

Then, she found her favorite. Lore. It cost ten tokens, but it revealed the origins of some skills, traits, classes, or evolutions. That meant stories. Anath liked stories. She purchased it.

Now she had two tokens left over. She spent them on a decoration pack called Heart of Spring.

Now she could decorate her status void with a springtime look. One of the options was a Spring Rain Scent. She selected it and the stale, putrid scent of the barrows was replaced with the pleasant scent of spring rain.

"I wish we could decorate, but we need to prepare," Anath said to Spider.

"Yes, yes. Biotrait to spend. Upgrade spider legs? Enhance Multi-eye? Full body exoskeleton? Options, yes, yes."

"I think I have a better use of the biotrait." Anath stood tall and took a queenly stance. "Spider! Open the regenesis menu!"

"What are you doing?" Said a voice. Elyndris. She had entered the shared status void.

"Oh! I… um, was going to make it a surprise." Anath said sheepishly.

"Anath. Are you sure you want to do this?" Elyndris was motionless. She was always motionless when she was thinking deeply.

"Yes? I think so?"

"You've fought tooth and nail to avoid this. Why now? We can get out of this without you evolving."

"It's not about the humans! I just think it's time."

"I… am worried that your recent trauma has shaken your thinking. Maybe wait a few days."

Anath growled and stomped a foot. "' Anath spend biotraits, Anath evolve, you'll be stronger'" Anath mocked, "But now that I can you say no? You're not in charge of me."

Elyndris slithered towards her. "Girl, I am worried about you. I won't stop you. But, are you okay?"

"Why do you keep asking me that? It was just pain. It's not like I haven't gone through something like that before. A few times, actually. I just realized I didn't have to try so hard. It was fun being so strong. Let me have fun! I never got to." Anath paced back and forth.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Well, if you are sure. Do you want help?"

"We can handle it. Right, Spider?"

"Yes, yes. We can do this!"

"Oh, by the way, did you pick a biotrait?" Anath asked.

"I need the altar. I want to get the apex of metamorphosis all at once. I wonder if I can unlock a feat for doing so."

"Do you not know?"

"No. I don't know everything."

Elyndris slunk off, leaving Anath to her choice. Anath knew she cared. Elyndris just wanted to make sure Anath hadn't gone crazy. Maybe she had, but so what? For so long she was trying to be the girl that her mother wished she was. It was time to forge her path.

Together, the two of them inspected the evolution options. There were more than before. Not just the spider-themed and human options, but more… grotesque options as well. Minotaur, Hill Brute, Hulk Beetle, Orc, and similar options. Was that because of the strength core? Either way, no thank you. She was NOT going to turn into something big and muscley.

Now that she had come to terms with her spider nature, she took a good look at those options. Lycan (Giant Spider), Giant Spider, Arachne, and Arachtaur. Arachne and Arachtaur had a symbol next to them that denoted they contained lore. She selected the button for Arachtaur, and a small paragraph of lore popped up.

<Deep beneath the earth, a spider hatched. Vast, cunning, and silent. As it rose, it grew in power and wisdom. One day, it met a woman: clever, radiant, and kind. The spider loved her but dared not say, hiding its heart beneath chitin and stone.

It walked beside her, learned speech, and at last took on a man's shape. But the spider remained beneath—buried, hidden. When he confessed, she recoiled. Love from a beast was an abomination.

Abandoned, the spider soured. It lured humans into its lair, tricking them with its human half. When it rose as a dragon, it was hunted. Slain by strangers who never knew its name.>

Anath made a face at Spider and shook her head. That story was too sad, she would always remember it whenever she looked in a mirror. Next, she tried Arachne.

<The first Arachne was an elven princess, known in all the lands for her beauty and grace. But when her home stood on the brink of ruin, she chose to become a monster. Her form changed to an Elven Paragon but did not corrupt. Instead, she became so terrible and beautiful that even the angels wept.

To protect the sacred valley of her people, she wove a vast and deadly web. None who entered left. Each invader was caught, drained, and fed into her growing power. When the weave was complete, she rose above it all, no longer elf. She became the Arachne Dragon, eternal guardian of her people's last sanctuary and self-proclaimed most beautiful in all the world.>

"Ah, that's more like it. Beauty, elegance. One day I will be beautiful, might as well start early!"

"This one? Yes, yes?"

"Yes, I think so." She selected it.

[You have selected regenisis: Arachne. Accept? Yes/No]

She moved to select yes, then hesitated. Was this really okay? She was abandoning humanity. Or had humanity abandoned her? Of all the humans she had met… each one had attempted to kill her. Or close to it. If the humans above were truly going to ambush them, which was likely. Especially since Zuss killed one. They could probably message, too.

Besides, she would still be Anath. That was the important part.

"Accept, yes."

Anath dropped unconscious.

For what seemed like a while, she floated in a void. Then, text appeared.

[Regenisis denied. Reason: Lacking cultural, regional, or genesis connection.]

[Overruled. Authorization: Archangel. Reason: Hey, come on, She's a spider girl! Can't get more Spider girl than Arachne's legacy. I'm giving this one to her. Good luck, A. -V]

[Regenisis to Arachne complete. Dexterity and Charm increased by 4. New trait: Integrated Spinnerets. Extra limbs. ERROR. Note: Conflicting traits detected. Please choose one option.]

What… was that? Why give the option if it was to be denied? And who, or what, is V? Anath had never seen a system message so… informal and personal before. It filled her with dread.

She was given two options. Two more arms, or two more spider legs. She didn't know evolutions gave her options like this.

She floated and considered. Four arms sounded cool, but then she would have to learn how to USE four arms. That would be like learning to walk again. Learning her spider legs again was already tough. Then again, two more spider legs wouldn't do much for her. Some more attacks, maybe some more control over climbing.

It was a difficult decision. She thought to the future. Once she mastered extra arms, then she would have all sorts of interesting things to do with them. Fighting with four swords, sure. But the practical things appealed to her. Imagine how quickly she could fold laundry.

She could pet Birdy twice as quickly.

Anath decided. Four arms it was. She locked in the decision.

With a flash of light and a surge of energy, Anath squealed herself awake.

[Feat achieved: Mighty Alacrity. Cause: Bring dexterity to 15. Reward: Improved Flexibility. Accept? Yes/No]

Anath selected yes.

"Four arms. That's pretty cool." Klaw said. He was standing over her, arms crossed. Then he helped her up. "How do you feel?"

"Amazing!" Anath said. "The pain is gone. I feel like I slept a week." She bounced up and down on her heels, she felt so much lighter.

"Yeah, it's a rush. Congrats, welcome to the tier two monster club."

Anath looked over herself. She was mostly the same. Thinner, maybe? Longer limbs and a more… elegant shape. Not thinner, she decided. Just, shaped differently. Like the elves drawn in her picture books.

Her second pair of arms were situated underneath her original. Or the new ones were on top. It was hard to tell.

Moving them felt weird. The upper arms had full motion, but the lower ones kept getting interrupted by her upper ones. That was until she shifted them. Her shoulder blades had become much more complex. It was as if they were jointed, allowing her to move the overall position of either set of arms to allow for a wider range of motion. She could, with some experimentation, move both sets of arms freely. That was going to require a LOT of practice.

"How do I look?" Anath asked.

"Hmm… same height. A bit thinner. Your ears are all pointy. But, it looks more… natural. Like the armor, mandibles, and eyes are supposed to be there. It's hard to explain."

Then Anath noticed her hands. She had long, pointed fingernails. They felt more sturdy than before. She also had an instinct involved with them. She scratched them into the floor and released a subtle tension inside her. Thin, sticky strands of web extended from her fingernails. They glistened in Klaw's torchlight.

"Oooh, gross," Anath said with fascination. She looked at the tips of her fingers. Underneath her new nails were what looked like tiny maws with a dozen little fangs. The sight made her slightly ill. But, as she produced web from her finger, the tiny fangs automatically spun and twirled even smaller strands into one cable.

Then, she experimented with all four arms, following an instinct that she always had. Each web from a finger spun into the four others of a hand, and all four hands twirled them into a single, strong cable of web. In a short time, she had a web sprawling from one wall to the other.

"That… could be useful," Klaw said, then plucked a thread with a claw. It twanged. "So, good evolution?"

"Yes!" Anath said. She was a bit disappointed with the strength core, but it felt good to take her own path.

"Ah, you're up. I was thinking- ah! What? Get it off!" Elyndris had flown directly into the web. It stuck to her, wrapping and catching. The worm thrashed and snarled, ripping the web to shreds. It seemed it was strong enough to catch her, but not hold her for long. The web was poorly made, just a test. With some proper experimentation, she thought it might even stop Klaw.

Klaw erupted in laughter. Anath joined him a second later.

"Well, since you are at full health, here." Klaw tossed Anath something. A pill. "Take a refresher pill. We will need your rage." He popped his own pill.

"Oh, this WILL be fun," Anath said, taking the pill. She felt another rush as it refreshed her rage. "I want to try out these arms. Does, um, anyone have extra swords?"

Anath

True Name: Anathema Soul: Monster/Mortal Genseed: Human [ 3 Str, 3 Dex, 3 Con, 3 Int, 3 Wil, 3 Cha; Standard Size] Genbloom: Arachne [ +4 Dex, +4 Cha; Standard Size, Integrated Spinnerets, Extra Limbs]

Monster Level: 6 Berserker Level: 6 [+3 Str, Dex Con, -1 Int, Wil, Cha; Berserker's rage, Great Vitality]

Attributes [0/7]: Strength: 12 Dexterity: 15 Constitution: 13 Intelligence: 10 Will: 8 Charm: 11

Feats: Encounter: True Angel Knowledge: System Knowledge Act: Vile Concoction Act: Devotion [layered feats] Act: Overwhelming Power

Skills(0/9): System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge] System Assistant: 1 Skill Boosts: Survival (1) Savage Legs: 1 Berserker's Spirit: 1 [Synergy: Warrior's Spirit (Burst of Strength + Burst of Alacrity + Burst of Vitality) + Berserker's Rage] Purge Poison: 1 Great Vitality: 1 Blood Rhythm: 1

Notable Natural Skills: Survival: Apprentice Savagery: Apprentice

Biotraits [0/6]: Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Vile Concoction] Extra Limb (Arachnid) x4, (Humanoid) x2 [Source: Variant, Arachne] Venomous Mandibles [Source: Variant] Multi-eye [Mutations: Magnified, Night Vision; Source: Variant] Hardened Chitin Exoskeleton Integrated Spinnerets [Source: Arachne]

Transformations: Night Stalker form: +2 strength +2 dexterity Claws Dark Vision

Notable Gear: Blade of the Dessert Flower

Other: Variant: Arachnid Traits

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