The knocking at Anath's door the next morning was like a hammer to her skull.

"Wake up! We go monster hunting today." Daggat's voice was muffled by the door.

Anath groaned. Everything hurt. She had a terrible headache and every part of her body throbbed. Hunter assured them that his hearth would affect them even in their rooms, so it was a relief to be able to sleep in her own bed. Old as it was, it was still the most comfortable thing she had slept on since she was a small child.

She slept on her side, with her legs tucked out of the way. Subconsciously, she rolled over in a complicated maneuver and pulled the blanket back over her.

Some time later, there was another knock. "Anath, Elyndris, come on! Sun is up."

"Noooo," she moaned. How many fractures did she have from yesterday's fights? No real broken bones, but that orc didn't hold back much, and Klaw hit hard even when he held back.

"If he knocks again, I will blow him to pieces," Elyndris murmured in her mind. She shared the room with Anath, sleeping in a box lined with cloth and stuffing. On more than one occasion, Elyndris had to fight Birdy for access to her own tiny bed. Anath wasn't sure what she would do in her larger form, but she hoped she would stay in the room. It was nice to have a roommate. Someone to talk to late at night when one couldn't sleep.

Anath did NOT want to fight today. Or do anything, really. Sleep called to her. But she was also incredibly thirsty and hungry. Her throat felt like sandpaper, and she felt weak. That was her mistake for going to sleep as soon as she could.

She crawled out of bed using her spider legs. They were sore, too, but in a different way. They felt tight and stiff, and they itched on the inside. It had been happening slowly since she evolved, but now it was more noticeable.

"Elly…" Anath yawned and began to dress, "Let's go find some food."

"I do not require food. Just… rest."

"Are you sore, too?"

"Mentally sore. Exhausted. And, yes. I could feel your pain. It left its mark. I think your wrist is fractured, by the way."

"Which one?" Anath felt her wrists, then winced as she found the right one. It was bruised and swollen. Checking herself, she had several bruises all over her body. Each would have been a deeper wound, like a cracked rib or a sprain, that was healing.

She healed quickly, yes, but not so quickly to sleep off bone injuries in a single night. She would need two, at a minimum. Hopefully, Klaw and Hunter weren't hurt as badly. Klaw had metal bones, and Hunter had a lot of meat protecting them. Unlike Anath, who was nothing but skin and bone. Well, that wasn't true, she supposed. Since the strength core, her body had adapted. Still, this, but she had noticeable, refined muscles. Not at all ladylike.

Anath had taken some time to decorate her room. She had mounted Natak's sword, for now. Since she had decided to try for less slash-heavy weapons. She strung webs in her room in a pretty fashion, like drapes. It made the room feel classy and rich. Not at all old and cobwebbed, no, sir.

There were some trophies from monsters she killed. She had taken the habit of taking them when she butchered a monster. Warg teeth, a couple of orc tusks, a skull from… something. Anath couldn't remember. The important thing was that they were polished white to add a little bit of brightness to her room. Behind the webs, she had also hung dark cloth that she had found. It was better than the faded walls, and black was pretty. Above all, she wanted the room to be pretty, and she thought she had done a good job.

The fact that Elyndris wholeheartedly approved of the room decorations just showed Anath she did a good job.

"Come on," Anath said, "you can meld into me, if you want." She held out her hand, and Elyndris eventually slithered up it. The worm then settled around her head.

As soon as Anath opened the door, she heard noise. Arguing. Klaw's gruff voice was growing from an argument to yelling. By the time she entered the hallway, there was a bang, and Daggat was rolling down the hall.

He skidded to a stop in front of her and looked up, "Klaw is cranky this morning. He'll come around once he's got food in him. You ready to kill a BIG monster?"

Anath sighed and rubbed her temples and behind her ears, a perk of having four arms, "Daggat… I don't think I can."

He gave her a questioning look, "You too?" Then his eyes opened in surprise.

"I told him no, since you couldn't," Elyndris said.

"We don't have a lot of time. Rika is vulnerable now, and I want to get to her as strong as we can be."

"Well, you should have thought of that before making us fight ALL day for TWO stupid points."

"The orc told me it was significant! Besides, didn't you get fifteen con from it?"

"Yes… Daggat, I am aching. If we fight… I can't help too much."

He sneered, "Klaw said the same thing. I thought Hunter's fire would heal you up." His tail whiped back and forth as he thought, "Fine. It will give me time to work on alchemy."

Anath relaxed, "Thank you."

"Speaking of which," he said, "I've been thinking. I think I've been doing alchemy wrong."

Anath wanted to scream. He loved to talk and talk. "Oh?" She said politely.

"See, I've just been mixing stuff to see what happens. But I've got a grasp on it now. Instead of mixing random shit, I want to make custom potions for each of you. What kind of power-up do you want?"

"Uh… is there a list?"

Daggat waved his hands, "No, no. Don't think of it like that. You want to be stronger? Faster? Scarier? Turn your chitin into full armor? Breath fire?"

"Oh, can you make me good at dancing? I've always wanted to dance."

"Dance?" A thought occurred to him, and he grinned, "Ah… yeah. I think I can do that. Already got ideas."

He scampered off to hurt himself again, probably.

Down the hall, a door opened, and Hunter crawled out. He looked terrible.

"Morning!" She said.

His smile was slow, but genuine, "Hello, Anath. Elyndris." Then he yawned. Anath had to brace herself from being pulled towards him, and she could feel wisps of strength essence leaving her core. "Breakfast…" he mumbled.

"I'm hungry too. How are you feeling? Sore?"

He just nodded.

"Me too… You don't have to cook if you don't want to."

"I'm not THAT sore. I just need to find a bigger bed."

From her head, Elyndris said, "Or perhaps stay in the stables."

"Hush!" Anath said.

"Hmm?" Hunter grumbled.

"Oh, nothing. We aren't going to fight today, Like Daggat wanted. Elly told him no."

He nodded, "That's good. I'm going to make… porridge. Beer porridge with… oh. We're out of meat."

Anath made a sour face, "Beer… porridge?" She preferred wine or mead.

"It's a dwarven comfort food my ma made for breakfast lots of times. Ale, syrup, and stale bread. Mix in some butter or cream, and it's a tasty, warm breakfast. We have lots of old bread from the village. Oh! And I can get Daggat to make it magic for us! So he can get the feat." He was more animated with each word.

Anath giggled at his excitement. Whenever Hunter was happy, everyone was. "Okay, let me know when it's ready."

They parted ways, and Anath wandered the manor. She forced Elyndris off of her while she performed the morning rituals. Once refreshed, she was feeling more awake, but still sore.

"If we are not fighting, what are we doing today?" Elyndris asked.

"I want to try to finish the scarf. What did you want to do?"

"Normally, I would practice magic. But my mind must recover. Perhaps I will be… lazy. Yes, I will be lazy today."

Anath giggled, then made her way to the workshop.

In the few times working here, Anath had made it more comfortable. She liked the workshop. It was a place to make things. Anath liked making things. First, making the camp sites when she was living in the woods by herself. That seemed so long ago, but it had only been about a year since she left home. Making webs was fun, and she liked to draw. Now she was learning to make something useful.

The weird old ladies taught Anath the basics of weaving and sewing. They taught her a lot in a little time. Soon, she would want to go back to learn more, but she had a handle on what was needed. She hoped.

Anath had spun string from her webs and had plenty of it. The string was infused with strength essence, so it was strong and sturdy. She had to wash it; otherwise, it kept sticking to stuff. Today, she just needed to weave it into one long strip. Nothing fancy, but it had to be long.

The goal was to crochet a scarf using her homemade silk yarn. The issue was that the string, while thicker than a regular spider web, was still very thin, even when spun together. This meant it was more difficult to crochet, AND it would take longer. The final product would benefit from the extra work, however, so she wasn't worried.

In the magic toolbox, Anath found a crochet hook. She wasn't sure if the box was simply a storage device or if it just made small tools. Either way, she was glad it was here.

Beginning the weave was the worst part. She had to start over three times. But, finally, she remembered the proper way to start it.

That was enough to unlock the apprentice weaving skill.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Woo!" She cheered, waking the napping Elyndris.

"What? What!?" Elyndris asked, slithering around the table.

"I got an apprentice weaving!"

"Oh. That's all. Bah." Elyndris paused, "This is boring. I am going to see what Klaw is up to."

Anath frowned at her as she drifted away. Well, at least Anath had made progress. Now she could finally spend that point she had been saving.

Her options were Quick Weave, which decreased the time it took to make a weave, somehow. There was Weavers Aid, which allowed her to manipulate weaving tools as though she had an extra hand. That one was useless to Anath; she had plenty. The last option was Reinforce Fabric, which allowed her to enhance the durability of the fabric.

She was torn between Quick Weave and Reinforce Fabric, but in the end decided on Quick Weave. If she ever got a spare point for crafting, she would gain the latter. For now, she needed to get the scarf done as soon as possible.

Hunter messaged that breakfast was ready, so she took a quick break to snag a bowl for herself. Nobody seemed interested in eating together this morning; everyone had their own interests.

Continuing the weave was significantly easier. It was simply repetitive from this point on. Mind-numbingly repetitive. She wished Elyndris had stayed, for someone to talk to.

Once she was a foot or so into the scarf, this wish was granted.

"Heya!" Ivory said as she walked through the door.

"Ivory!" Anath said, "I got the skill."

"Good job! Hey, do you know where Daggat went? I want to know when we're going to see my tribe."

"He's down- uh, he's working on alchemy stuff. Not today, I am too tired."

Ivory sat down, "Yeah, I heard about yesterday. Rough, but I am impressed you made it through. Orcs can be intense."

"All for two stupid points," Anath grumbled.

"A constitution boost, right? Still good."

"I was just hoping for something with a bit more… benefit?"

"You are spoiled, most feats aren't so good."

"Two points? A skill is better than that."

"Wait, do you know how ability boosts work?"

"No…" Anath admitted.

"Ohh. Okay. Well, your first one in an ability is worth two. But the second is worth three." She leaned in, "And the third is worth FIVE."

"That's… ten points for three skill points? Wow, okay. How do you get them usually?"

"Different skills. But it can be a pain. The system won't let you get an ability boost from the same skill level. So, to get all three, you have to master a skill. Or get a feat."

"What about a fourth?"

"I don't know. I've never met anyone who has. You're pretty quick at that."

Anath glanced down to see she had already progressed another six inches. She had simply gone with the flow. This wouldn't take too long at all.

The two continued to chat. Ivory had been out hunting for her own food, watching the orcs, or generally lazing about. Anath could tell she was getting nervous, being away from the action for so long.

Ivory also went over Anath's role in the party. Part of why Ivory was here was to teach the party how to work together. She had yet to have time to do that. So, for Anath, they talked about her being a damage dealer. Attacking fast and hard and trusting Hunter and Klaw to keep her alive. The trick, she had said, was to lock down or eliminate the most dangerous enemies first. For that, any good damage dealer needed mobility. Anath had plenty, but eventually she would get around to the wire flying skill, which would give her even more.

After a couple of hours, the scarf was at the length Anath wanted. A bit more, actually, but she was running out of material.

"You about done with it?" Ivory asked.

"Uh-huh, I just need to close it off."

"Here," Ivory tossed her a small gem.

Anath caught it, "What is it?"

She grinned at Anath, "A mana gem. Well, a spare. Weave it into the scarf."

"Okay, why? Is this a… gift?"

"Sure. I just use it to store rare essence, but it's out. You'll see why."

"Okay, thank you!"

Anath then did as suggested. The gem was small, the size of Anath's pinky nail, and set on a small silver base with a loop. She tied that loop into the scarf, leaving it hanging loosely. Then, she finished the weave.

[Feat achieved: Fledgling Artificer. Cause: Successfully craft an enchanted item. Reward: One skill point. Note: This skill point may only be spent on crafting-related divine skills.]

Anath's eyes went wide, "What!? Enchanted? How? The gem?"

Ivory laughed, "Not just the gem. I don't know much about artifice, but you made it out of an essence-infused material. The gem will draw in ambient mana to keep that essence stocked. With strength essence, I bet the scarf will be unbreakable!"

"Not yet!" Anath said. Then she spent her new skill point on Reinforce Fabric. She activated the skill, focusing on the scarf, and immediately the silk threads seemed to tighten without losing any length of the scarf.

Now, it was smooth to the touch, almost slippery. It felt strong, too. Incredibly strong. How useful would this stuff be as clothing?

"It's a bit basic, but very good for a first craft." Ivory said, "I don't make much myself. I think it will look nice on you."

Anath stood up, "It's not for me. It's a gift. Thank you sooo much! I promise we will leave soon. Two days!"

Then she ran off in search of Zuss.

Anath

True Name: Anathema Soul: Monster/Mortal

Genseed: Human [ 3 Str, 3 Dex, 3 Con, 3 Int, 3 Wil, 3 Cha; Standard Size] Full Growth Bonus: +2 skill points Genbloom: Arachne [ +4 Dex, +4 Cha; Standard Size, Integrated Spinnerets, Extra Limbs; Standard Size]

Base size: Standard [Largest Size: Human]

Monster Level: 10 Berserker Level: 10 [+3 Str, Dex Con, -1 Int, Wil, Cha; Berserker's rage, Great Vitality]

Attributes (0/6)(Base Growth, +5; Devotion, +1): Strength: 12 (Base 8; Class/Genesis +3; Growth +1) Dexterity: 15 (Base 8; Class/Genesis, +7) Constitution: 15 (Base 8; Class/Genesis +3; Growth, +2, Ability Boost +2) Intelligence: 10 (Base 8; Class/Genesis -1; Growth +2; Devotion +1) Will: 7 (Base 8; Class/Genesis -1) Charm: 11 (Base 8; Class/Genesis +3)

Feats: True Angel - Encounter a true angel. Reward: Skill choice unlocks. System Knowledge - Discover the system. Reward: System Aptitude skill. Vile Concoction - Willing drink a diseased brew. Reward: Disease Resistance. Devotion [layered feats] - Offer a prayers to Sahrzuel, Ithrenial, Mythraziel, Vaelion, and Zenthaviel. Reward: Experience gain, +2 skill points, +1 random ability, +1 growth point, +1 biotrait. Overwhelming Power - Artificially raise strength by 20 points. Reward: Strength Core. Mighty Alacrity - Raise Dexterity base to 15. Reward: Improved Balance Biotrait. Recursion - Be affected by a recursive effect. Reward: Infinite Limiter. Endless Stamina - Battle from sunup to sundown with no rest. Reward: Constitution boost. Mighty Constitution - Raise Constitution base to 15. Reward: Disease Resistance biotrait. Fledgling Artificer - Successfully craft an enchanted item. Reward: One skill point. Note: This skill point may only be spent on crafting-related divine skills.

Skills(0/14) (Mortal level, +9; Devotion +2; Human +2, Fledgling Artificer +1): System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge] System Assistant: 1 SP SPENT =1 Natural Skill Boosts: Survival (1) SP SPENT =1 Savage Legs: 1 (Natural Skill: Savagery) SP SPENT = 1 [Synergy]Berserker's Spirit: 1 --[Synergy]Warrior's Spirit: 2 [Perk: Extra Uses] SP SPENT = 1 ----Burst of Strength: (Ability Skill: Strength 5) 1 SP SPENT = 1 ----Burst of Alacrity: (Ability Skill: Dexterity 5) 1 SP SPENT = 1 ----Burst of Vitality: (Ability Skill: Constitution 5) 1 SP SPENT = 1 --Berserker's Rage: 1 [Source: Berserker] Purge Poison: 1 SP SPENT = 1 Great Vitality: 2 [Source: Berserker] (Perk: Great Recovery) SP SPENT = 1 Blood Rhythm: 1 SP SPENT = 1 Charged Slash: 1 (Natural Skill: Swordsmanship) SP SPENT = 1 Enhanced Harvest: 1 (Natural Skill: Survival) SP SPENT = 1 Infinite Limiter: 1 Quick Weave (Natural Skill: Weaving) Reinforce Fabric (Natural Skill: Weaving)

Ability Boosts: Constitution (+2, Source: Endless Stamina)

Notable Natural Skills: Survival: Apprentice Savagery: Apprentice Swordsmanship: Apprentice Weaving: Apprentice

Biotraits [0/10](Monster Level +8; Devotion, +1):

Regenisis: Arachne; BP SPENT = 1

Inherited Biotraits: Venomous Mandibles [Source: Variant] [Structural] Multi-eye [Source] --Night Vision BP SPENT = 1 Integrated Spinnerets [Source: Arachne] (Mutations: Enhanced Production, Reinforced Webs, Sticky Webs) BP SPENT = 3 [Structural] Extra Limbs (Arachnid) [Source: Variant] [Structural] Extra Limbs (Arachnid) [Source: Variant [Structural] Extra Limbs (Humanoid) [Source: Arachne]

Standard Biotraits: Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance, Plague Resistance; Source: Vile Concoction, Mighty Constitution] BP SPENT = 1 [Modifier]Hardened Chitin [Affects: Arachnid limbs, exoskeleton] BP SPENT = 1 Exoskeleton BP SPENT = 1 Multidextrous BP SPENT = 1

Core Biotraits: Core: Strength [Source: Overwhelming Strength] Infuse Essence [Mutations: Quick Infusion(Boon)] BP SPENT = 1

Notable Gear: Blade of the Dessert Flower

Other: Variant: Arachnid Traits

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