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Description
Stats
Name: Carmencula(Car-Man-Soo-La)
Alias: The Spider Queen
Length: 50 Meters(Each leg is roughly another 50, each)
Height: 60 Meters(Average high, can raise higher)
Weight: 41,000 Tons
Means of Locomotion: Walking, climbing, bounding and
Alignment: Neutral
Rank: 1

Abilities
-Venom: Among being as strong a deadly as the venom that all other Spi’Da has, the queen’s venom has more properties then just simply poisoning and feeding. Venom from the queen holds incredibly powerful pheromones that are so strong that even humans can smell it and will make them light headed. Using this venom, she(Carmencula) can endow certain changes in any other Spi’Da for any need if they so desire or need too. Venom can also be sprayed from the fangs in a spitting fashion.
-Bio-Steel Silk: The silk a queen has is in all the same silk her smaller followers have, however it comes in many other forms and has many other abilities most abnormal. In a micro level, the threads may have serrated edges that end up cutting into victims and causing great amounts of damage. Another type is a thread that turns into a hard surface rather than stringy silk; very comparable to concrete. There is a healing silk that seems to sterilize and act as a bandage to other Spi’Da and yet another that is coated in the deadly venom. The most unique of all thought is a silk endowed with pheromones for the next queen. If one queen was to somehow develop and ability not seen before, its overall genetic blueprints can be passed on to the next queen in line and thus strengthen the next generation when the next queen eats the silk from the last queen. In addition to having silk glands on the abdomen and near the head, there are silk glands upon the bottom of Carmencula’s feet as well.
-Xenomorphic Adaptation: ability outside the norm even for most kaiju, and most unusual. The queen of a Spi’Da nest has the one of a kind power to choose what her offspring will look like, act like and their overall design. She can choose the gender, the size, even choose the powers they will have if she knows how to apply it. If any flaw comes up, such as a new disease or a needed ability, the queen will become pregnant and produce offspring who can accomplish what could not be done before. If she wanted too, she could create an army of armored head-to-head fighters.
-Hair Missiles: All the Spi’Da are covered in small hairs, each sharp and unpleasant to touch for most creatures. Queen Carmencula though has another use. These hairs are not just flung at random, but they are organic ballistic missiles! They are sharp and barbed, which makes them stick, before they violently explode. It is one of the more powerful abilities the queen possesses.

Weaknesses
-Old Queen: Carmencula has age on her and in her age, her body has changed to that of a pure queen Spi’Da of great age. Her body is not quite as fit to fight as some of her surrounding subjects. She is tall, heavy and not the best head-on fighter because of this. Against a heavy or more nimble opponent, this queen would be at a large disadvantage.

Personality
Queen Carmencula is a calm and collected matriarch at the best of times. Relatively understanding, she is fair and overall opens to all parties upon arguments and debates. As for her own kind, she is very protective of her colony, and even more so of her kin even if they are adults. While not a fighter, she will raise her fangs to any manage to invoke her ire.

History
Being led through the jungle, Marian got a great view of what this entire pocket of world had to offer. In a sense, this jungle was as recognizable as many others. The catch was that here, little to no vertebrates existed. Save for a rodent or the occasional bird, everything here was some sort of arthropod. Along the way she saw at least one other large ant like the one being towed behind them, a colossal flightless moth, flies the size of eagles, and a fortress-of-a –beetle that mock charged the group.
Eventually the trees began to become few and far between as they neared one end of a cliff side, which truly was not a cliff, but a shelf that gradually dropped deep into the earth. It was not a dark path, however. Within the shadowed world they were not walking into were tiny blips of light the just barely illuminated and outlined what apparently was a city. Noticeable throughout the area were worn structures that once use to be part of an older culture that by now was unrecognizable. Best guess it was a Mesoamerican culture. Most of it was long buried and overgrown by vines and plants of this forgotten world.
Now that they were going into the darkness, the ruins slowly became standing buildings built into the rocky earth for stable support. Woven into parts of the buildings was the unmistakable white glow of light bouncing off spider silk. Coming out of entrances and windows to an extent, it was apparent the Spi’Da had adopted this place as their home.

It was a shock to all the humans when two colossal spiders had appeared out of what seemed to be the thin air. If it wasn’t for Mary, Vagrant probably would have pulled his gun and shot. Luckily he didn’t.
Both spiders were immense and stoic, like giant armored tanks made for war. That was most likely their purpose. They both seemed to be well enough to destroy a city or two, despite being somewhat small then the traditional kaiju. Turik, who was apparently the leader of this party, stepped forward. When he exchanged words, one of the giant spiders shrieked at him. The other large spider seemed to have stopped the other form lashing out before they passed.
As they did, Marian caught up to Turik. “What was that about? He seemed angry.” she said with concern.
“She, you mean. But I don’t expect you to know our genders easily. I can’t even tell your gender.” The comment made Marian almost trip in surprise, but Turik didn’t stop his explanation. “She asked what you and the others were, and simply responded it was none of her business. She always was an angry one…”
“Why do you say that?”
“I courted her before. She had a temper, so I ceased to take interest in her. She did not take rejection well…” The way the Spi’Da talked about it was as if was not of great importance. As if scratching an itch.
Marian had to take that in slowly. Mostly due to the fact a lot of male spiders don’t live very long after such encounters. Then again, these were not ordinary spiders.

Continuing onward, this underground world came to better view, every got a good view a whole cityscape of spiders. Many buildings came into view of whatever human culture once existed here, and each was occupied by Spi’Da. Other, more recent dwellings were also present, many being built into the ground, wall and ceiling. These were woven from silk, rock and wood. They looked comfortable in one sense, but it was hard to imagine a human living in a house made of biological material like spider silk. For lighting, there were occasional fires here and there. Most light however came from a mushroom that stood about fifteen feet high with a cap that radiated various colors in an attracting aura. These were spread out all over the area; All the way from flat surfaces on the ground, to the ceiling where they hung perfectly like lanterns.
As they walked through the old stone streets of this city, many a Spi’Da came crawling out of the shadows and holes in interest of the alien newcomers that none have ever seen before. Many generations of Spi’Da have passed since seeing a human. Some were fascinated, and others fearful. For once, Marian felt self-conscious and a little shocked. It was always her, and the others, who were always experiencing the abnormal and the strange things that happen to go bump in the night. It was weird to be on the one that was bumping, as one would say.
The Spi’Da themselves were as varied and unique as each human was. Comparing them to each other would make one question if they were even the same species. One was small with somewhat short limbs, resembling a jumping spider of sorts. Others seemed to have armored bodies while others looked vulnerable if attacked. Eye arrangement was different for almost every one, too, but all seemed to have at least five or six eyes in all.

Going through the streets, almost all of the Spi’Da that had come with the group had spread out and left. Last to leave was pair of large members carrying off the large ant that was caught. Only Turik and two others remained. “Now that have returned, we must take you see Carmencula immediately.” Turik chipped to one of the two, which quickly scurried away with great speed. “A meeting will be set quickly.”
“What is she like?” Marian asked.
Turik’s eyes seemed to flicker with the question. He put one of his fingers to his head, scratching slowly as he thought. “She is… kind. At least to use. She is kind all the time. I only seen her angry when we were threatened.”
Behind her, Marian could feel her friends stiffen. “Would we anger her?”
“I do not know. We never experienced anything like this. I do not even believe we had any sort of preparation for such an event. If need be, I may vouch for you if events turn dangerous. So far you have seem relatively pleasant and not in the least bit dangerous.”
From behind, Vagrant, who was trying to keep his senses open in every direction due to his insecurity, spoke up. “Well, least we already made a friend…” Though, his words were not filled with confidence. “What do we do now, then?” He asked.
Turik gestured behind him. “We continue onward to the queen chamber. I simply sent forewarning of the arrival. Queen Carmencula and her advisors must gather so a decision can be made. Shall we?”

Walking through nearly the entire city, they eventually all came to a massive stone hallway that leads further into the earth. It was built by the hands of men, but ever since was improved by the Spi’Da with repairs of silk to make sure it stayed in wondrous condition.
The end of the hall opened to a great chamber, covered in pretty rocks of various colors and shape, piled high like a dragon’s hoard. Mixed in with stones were fine specimens of gems like emeralds and sapphires. Precious metals were also present among the piles.
For all the treasures worth, the real sight that caught everyone’s eye was the massive monolith before them that was queen Carmencula. Perched atop six out of eight of her tall legs, she really stood among the rest of the Spi’Da which were already something to stare at already. Placed organized around her were others who must have made up her advisors and possibly family as some seem to bare resemblance to her. In one sense, Carmencula was frightening in many ways. A first glance would make an ordinary man run in fear at such a hard sight. However a quick look over showed that this spider did not hold an aggressive stance. It was calm and relaxed like a queen on her throne.

“Sit here,” Turik told them, and they did. Turik then perched nearby them, taking rest for the moment. The air was soon quieted of noise between the Spi’Da and quietness echoed through the massive room. Quietness ended as each arachnid took a turn to speak, including Carmencula herself.
While they spoke, Vagrant and Zero were whispering to each other. “Think we’ll get out of this alive?”
“I don’t know, but were still alive for the moment,” replied the mercenary to Zero.
Marian was about to tell them both to keep quiet for their sake, however she heard the matriarch call out, “Will the leader come forth, please?” It was a somewhat motherly tone, but in a voice that commanded respect. Slowly she stood up and walked forward a few steps so she stood in clear view of everyone. Carmencula addressed her again. “You are the leader of this group? What is your name?”
“Uh… Josephina Marian. Mary for short…”
“Marian… Lovely name. My colonists have told me they found you in one of their traps. Tell me… why have you come to this wound in the earth in which no creature like yourself has ever come in before?”
“Well, to explain that would to explain what we are and what we do…” And so Marian began explaining, from day one in fact, of what happened and what state the world itself was in.
When she got to the dragon however, one of the Spi’Da’s stopped her to ask a question. “Dragons are still alive after all of these years?”
“Well, yes… Only two that we ever seen, however. You know of the dragons?”
“Quite,” Carmencula replied. “Dragons are the reason we are so few and far between. We may be last of our kind. The last dragon seen was by the last matriarch of this nest, and before that the dragons came less and less. Only two remain you say? So the dragons have suffered a great decline as well.”
After that intervention on the topic, Marian continued. She went on about how she became the world’s first kaijuologist and began to travel the world; picking up members of her team as time progressed. She mentioned events, and the alien creatures Xenus and Gabriel from the sky, and made a note about Xenus being nearby this area. On she went, about the rise of Thanatos in Africa, to being lost in Antarctica and the creation of other monsters to protect the human race… and of course the recent news that the even the Spi’Da knew, the recent planet shaking event of Nibiru that awoken and caused many other kaiju to arise as of late.
“And so you see, we came here to investigate the rumors of yet another kaiju that sits just atop the plateau. A massive frog… I think you call him Devour?”
“Devour, yes,” Carmencula confirmed. “He is a danger to everyone. He is the reason we have not attempted to leave this place. This forest harbors plants he finds repulsive and thus will descend to devour us. I have fought with him before… He is very persistent and strong.”
Several times they had both agreed on points during her explanation, she Mary had high hopes for herself and her friends. “Yes, and I hope you will believe me when I say we did not come to harm or cause trouble. We simply were fleeing for our lives.”
Carmencula was quiet for a long moment, her eyes closed. An ominous silence hung in the air, giving a sense of dread and doom. Slowly she shook her head. “I believe you, but you are not the danger we fear. It is the rest of mankind that is the danger.”
“Please explain,” Marian asked, hoping it didn’t sound too commanding.
“Our last encounters with mankind before settling here were less than enthralling. We were attacked, and sometimes eaten if they managed to kill one of us. It was a difficult thing to understand. They treated us like demons when times before, we lived in relative peace. The fact you speak of giant creature such as me and my kin as threatening the world tells me that mankind will still attempt to harm us and have greater weapons to do so now. How will I be able to trust this race of men to not invade my home and kill us all if I release you to wander free?”
All their hopes dropped at the words. Carmencula had a very strong point, one that was valid and impervious to nearly all argument.
“Despite my fears, I will have to contemplate on your fate, Marian and Company… My advisors and I will discuss and debate on the topic, taking all into account as you say. The good and the bad. Until we come to a decision, you will stay within the nest. You will be free to walk around, eat, sleep and be treated as members of the colony. Until otherwise, you will not be allowed to leave until we have reached a decision. You are dismissed.”

Walking back down the hallway, Vagrant was going on about how bad of a situation they were in. “Well Marian, you handled things splendidly. We might never, EVER leave. We might even die.”
“Vagrant, shut up!” she turned on him, nose to his, eyes narrowed. “I am aware of the situation. But if you went firing bullets everywhere, we might already be dead. In fact, you shot the ant and it almost killed us. If it wasn’t for the Spiders, we would probably be dead.”
Her outburst caught him off-guard, but he wasn’t going to admit things were any better. “Says you! You always drag us into trouble like you did down in Antarctica.”
That made her snap, lunging at her hired protecting and getting into a fight with him. Mary, though, was not skilled at fighting and after a brief struggle found herself in a headlock that she could not break. “Take it back!” she demanded.
But Vagrant just sighed. “Give it up, girl. You’re not gonna get out of my arm.” She continued fighting, but eventually did give up with a sour look on her face.
Turik, who followed, chirped to get their attention. “Is everything alright? You are fighting.”
Vagrant let go of Marian with a sigh. “Yeah, were fine. It’s nothing.”
Marian got up, dusting herself off. “Don’t worry about it. Well since its safe, I’m going for a walk!” she didn’t stop to look back.

After that brief scenario, everyone ended up walking in their own direction. A lot hung on their minds, but that would soon change for the better as they continued their way around this ancient city.

Walking through the city, Zero made a habit of target practice with an annoying species of insect that the Spi’Da complain about as a pest. Apparently it was a giant fly which they ate, if they could catch it, and in turn often tried to eat their own food stores. It was an ugly fly, white and blue in color with several eyes…
Sure enough, he ended up taking several of the pests out of the air by shooting them down. Though he was trying to aim for the wings to get practice on precise aiming, the Spi’Da did not complain as he downed several of the pests. More than thankful members of the nest made an all-around ruckus about it, which Zero didn’t mind much.

Paloma found a very reliable time-eating task to do. This city was the remnants of a very old culture and he had a taste in anthropology, so he took to studying the buildings as best as he could despite all the webbing covering up some of the architecture. Some of the Spi’Da was nice enough to allow him in their dwellings, in which he noted both Spi’Da and human culture. Both to him were greatly fascinating.
His little expedition eventually led him to a giant library. The building was in well condition and had little webbing on it like the rest of the structures. It was clear not many Spi’Da came here. Perhaps they did not fancy reading.
As he went in, Paloma met a very, very elder spider who was grey and brittle. The only spider in the collection of scrolls and books, he himself was wise as he read them all at least one time. For Paloma, it was a comforting turn of events. Being in a nets of giant spiders made his skin crawl, but this new unfolding situation made him feel more at home then he originally was.
As the night came on, he ended up reading several scrolls and a handful of books which he could recognize as far as language. He was trying to decode the older language of whoever built the ruins, but so far he could only come up with “First Race of Men” as opposed to whatever the culture was.

Across a few blocks was Vagrant who found himself at a workshop; for a lack of better words for it. Inside was a very massive, thick legged spider that stood in a somewhat upright position so that his front legs were free to work. Her, being a female, place of work was a very large building that was fitted with a furnace that had a glowing core of magma flowing through it that was used to melt ore and synthesize metals. The place was well ventilated for the better health of whoever stayed in for lengthy time.
Adorned the walls and surfaces lay various creations made of everything from ordinary iron armor and weapons, to decorations and treasures. The owner herself wore a protective outfit so that stray sparks and the unbearable heat of the planets blood did not cause her harm. In one of her claws was a mighty hammer, much too big for any human to lift no matter how strong. She used the massive weapon like it was part of her body. Each time it came crashing down on the metal, a storm of hot sparks which illuminated the dark like a bolt of lightning, with the sound of the crashing hammer echoing thunderous booms.
Vagrant found himself staying here most of the late evening, watching in fascination that these spiders could be as smart as they are as to use such tools and methods.

And where was Marian? In a more vacant part of the cavern; less crowded and noise to cloud her mind and judgment. As she went along, she ended up coming across the Spi’Da equivalent of a trash dump which doubled for a farm! In this place, sunlight was as poor as it could get without being entirely absent. Only light that existed was from fires and bioluminescent creatures. With that said, this garden was not traditional. Before her lay a field of mushrooms of various shapes and sizes from small and squat, to stalks as tall as the average tree. From the uphill came a stream that broke into small waterfalls every so often to make a misty air for the mushrooms to gain moist air for their growth.
It was beautiful, in its own way. The colors they came in stuck out against the dark, yet complicated the darkness. Some had a faint glow to them, too. Other molds also existed, encrusting the surfaces of rocks and growing from their edges. For as nice as it looked, it could also seem somewhat displeasing and event frightening to some.
She did not notice at first, but this garden had a gardener. Hanging from webbing high above without ever touching the floor was a long-legged Spi’Da with hints of glowing green. His eyes were large, and he seemed quite old. He spoke even when not spoken too. Much of he spoke was of the mushrooms he grew, pointing out the uses for them. Many were simply food, while some had certain properties. However, some he pointed out were dangerous and removed swiftly as he discovered them.
It was quite a unique position that Marian found quite interesting. Fascinatingly human, but it was a quality like that which could make mankind afraid. Perhaps if she could show the outside world how easy it would be to get along due to this common nature, then maybe hope existed for the Spi’Dah to make a comeback and have a strong alliance with mankind.

Daytime hours flowed into nighttime hours, though most would not know unless near the entrance. Slowly everyone ended up being shooed away to spend the night indoors. Many creatures, they say, came out at night and might threaten them. Some even were dangerous to the Spi’Da, but none seemed all that concerned with possible dangers.
Marian walked into the building they would be staying in. Equivalent of a hotel, with many rooms and such with beds made form silk. Zero was already present, laying back in a silk hammock. “Sup.”
“Hey, Zero.” At least Zero never gave her much trouble over much of anything. He was pleasant. “Where are Vagrant and Paloma?”
“Beats me; I think I saw Paloma head off… somewhere, I don’t know.”
Much help he was… Oh well. At least she didn’t have to deal with him at the moment. For a while she sat back and wrote notes, mostly of what she learned while being here so she could report it all back… if they ever get back, that is.
In time, Vagrant did return after a few hours. “Well hello, all.” He seemed in a better mood.
“Hello…” Though Marian was still cross with him.
“Well… This place is nice enough. These spiders are smart. Very smart…”
“Of course.”
Well, he tried. After a while he just gave up and eventually everyone fell asleep. All except Paloma, who was still at the library, reading more and more and ended up staying awake all night long. He was found the next day asleep at a table.

In the long run, two days passed before any word came of a decision from the queen. In that time, Marian and Vagrant got over the issue and acted like nothing happened. Besides, it wasn’t so bad here. Food was good, eatable at least and not half bad, and the Spi’Da were rather courteous for the most part. It seemed the Spi’Da were just as interested in them as they were.
When they were summoned again, they gathered back in the chamber with Carmencula and the other Spi’Da present during the first meeting. Something was different, though. Queen Carmencula seemed smaller in the abdomen, and it was obvious why. She had recently laid a whole batch of eggs which rested beneath her in a silk cocoon.
“We have reached a decision,” the matriarch declared. “After much consideration of what we are told… It is the decision of I and my kin that you will go free upon a condition…”
They all waited in anxiety for a moment. “And, what is that?” Marian asked.
“There is a creature within our realm that occasionally threatens us. It is very dangerous, as it is much like us in our ways, but a beast that preys on anything it can capture. With your announced skill, I would like you to destroy this creature so we may be a little bit safer. Your only condition of failure is if you die before you can…”
The terms sounded very gruesome, but Marian forced her voice to come out. “And what is its name?”

Camencula said it out loud, and without emotion. “Devouring many of my kin, we know it as Koko’nay; hunter of hunters…”

-----------------------------------

Carmencula, Spider Queen and ruler of the nest.
Right from the moment I thought of her, I knew what I wanted for powers and such. Controlling her genetics and her offsprings genetics, allowing mutations of various sorts though planning so that a obstacle can be overcome. A whole Xenomorph reference, as I remember in AVP Extinction that the queens control their genetics.
I designed her from a golden orb-weaver. Classic, very well know spider. But not without completely copying it. Only three legs touch the ground, with one pair smaller for handling uses. Eyup.

I hope y'all enjoy.

Description
Stats
Name: Carmencula(Car-Man-Soo-La)
Alias: The Spider Queen
Length: 50 Meters(Each leg is roughly another 50, each)
Height: 60 Meters(Average high, can raise higher)
Weight: 41,000 Tons
Means of Locomotion: Walking, climbing, bounding and
Alignment: Neutral
Rank: 1

Abilities
-Venom: Among being as strong a deadly as the venom that all other Spi’Da has, the queen’s venom has more properties then just simply poisoning and feeding. Venom from the queen holds incredibly powerful pheromones that are so strong that even humans can smell it and will make them light headed. Using this venom, she(Carmencula) can endow certain changes in any other Spi’Da for any need if they so desire or need too. Venom can also be sprayed from the fangs in a spitting fashion.
-Bio-Steel Silk: The silk a queen has is in all the same silk her smaller followers have, however it comes in many other forms and has many other abilities most abnormal. In a micro level, the threads may have serrated edges that end up cutting into victims and causing great amounts of damage. Another type is a thread that turns into a hard surface rather than stringy silk; very comparable to concrete. There is a healing silk that seems to sterilize and act as a bandage to other Spi’Da and yet another that is coated in the deadly venom. The most unique of all thought is a silk endowed with pheromones for the next queen. If one queen was to somehow develop and ability not seen before, its overall genetic blueprints can be passed on to the next queen in line and thus strengthen the next generation when the next queen eats the silk from the last queen. In addition to having silk glands on the abdomen and near the head, there are silk glands upon the bottom of Carmencula’s feet as well.
-Xenomorphic Adaptation: ability outside the norm even for most kaiju, and most unusual. The queen of a Spi’Da nest has the one of a kind power to choose what her offspring will look like, act like and their overall design. She can choose the gender, the size, even choose the powers they will have if she knows how to apply it. If any flaw comes up, such as a new disease or a needed ability, the queen will become pregnant and produce offspring who can accomplish what could not be done before. If she wanted too, she could create an army of armored head-to-head fighters.
-Hair Missiles: All the Spi’Da are covered in small hairs, each sharp and unpleasant to touch for most creatures. Queen Carmencula though has another use. These hairs are not just flung at random, but they are organic ballistic missiles! They are sharp and barbed, which makes them stick, before they violently explode. It is one of the more powerful abilities the queen possesses.

Weaknesses
-Old Queen: Carmencula has age on her and in her age, her body has changed to that of a pure queen Spi’Da of great age. Her body is not quite as fit to fight as some of her surrounding subjects. She is tall, heavy and not the best head-on fighter because of this. Against a heavy or more nimble opponent, this queen would be at a large disadvantage.

Personality
Queen Carmencula is a calm and collected matriarch at the best of times. Relatively understanding, she is fair and overall opens to all parties upon arguments and debates. As for her own kind, she is very protective of her colony, and even more so of her kin even if they are adults. While not a fighter, she will raise her fangs to any manage to invoke her ire.

History
Being led through the jungle, Marian got a great view of what this entire pocket of world had to offer. In a sense, this jungle was as recognizable as many others. The catch was that here, little to no vertebrates existed. Save for a rodent or the occasional bird, everything here was some sort of arthropod. Along the way she saw at least one other large ant like the one being towed behind them, a colossal flightless moth, flies the size of eagles, and a fortress-of-a –beetle that mock charged the group.
Eventually the trees began to become few and far between as they neared one end of a cliff side, which truly was not a cliff, but a shelf that gradually dropped deep into the earth. It was not a dark path, however. Within the shadowed world they were not walking into were tiny blips of light the just barely illuminated and outlined what apparently was a city. Noticeable throughout the area were worn structures that once use to be part of an older culture that by now was unrecognizable. Best guess it was a Mesoamerican culture. Most of it was long buried and overgrown by vines and plants of this forgotten world.
Now that they were going into the darkness, the ruins slowly became standing buildings built into the rocky earth for stable support. Woven into parts of the buildings was the unmistakable white glow of light bouncing off spider silk. Coming out of entrances and windows to an extent, it was apparent the Spi’Da had adopted this place as their home.

It was a shock to all the humans when two colossal spiders had appeared out of what seemed to be the thin air. If it wasn’t for Mary, Vagrant probably would have pulled his gun and shot. Luckily he didn’t.
Both spiders were immense and stoic, like giant armored tanks made for war. That was most likely their purpose. They both seemed to be well enough to destroy a city or two, despite being somewhat small then the traditional kaiju. Turik, who was apparently the leader of this party, stepped forward. When he exchanged words, one of the giant spiders shrieked at him. The other large spider seemed to have stopped the other form lashing out before they passed.
As they did, Marian caught up to Turik. “What was that about? He seemed angry.” she said with concern.
“She, you mean. But I don’t expect you to know our genders easily. I can’t even tell your gender.” The comment made Marian almost trip in surprise, but Turik didn’t stop his explanation. “She asked what you and the others were, and simply responded it was none of her business. She always was an angry one…”
“Why do you say that?”
“I courted her before. She had a temper, so I ceased to take interest in her. She did not take rejection well…” The way the Spi’Da talked about it was as if was not of great importance. As if scratching an itch.
Marian had to take that in slowly. Mostly due to the fact a lot of male spiders don’t live very long after such encounters. Then again, these were not ordinary spiders.

Continuing onward, this underground world came to better view, every got a good view a whole cityscape of spiders. Many buildings came into view of whatever human culture once existed here, and each was occupied by Spi’Da. Other, more recent dwellings were also present, many being built into the ground, wall and ceiling. These were woven from silk, rock and wood. They looked comfortable in one sense, but it was hard to imagine a human living in a house made of biological material like spider silk. For lighting, there were occasional fires here and there. Most light however came from a mushroom that stood about fifteen feet high with a cap that radiated various colors in an attracting aura. These were spread out all over the area; All the way from flat surfaces on the ground, to the ceiling where they hung perfectly like lanterns.
As they walked through the old stone streets of this city, many a Spi’Da came crawling out of the shadows and holes in interest of the alien newcomers that none have ever seen before. Many generations of Spi’Da have passed since seeing a human. Some were fascinated, and others fearful. For once, Marian felt self-conscious and a little shocked. It was always her, and the others, who were always experiencing the abnormal and the strange things that happen to go bump in the night. It was weird to be on the one that was bumping, as one would say.
The Spi’Da themselves were as varied and unique as each human was. Comparing them to each other would make one question if they were even the same species. One was small with somewhat short limbs, resembling a jumping spider of sorts. Others seemed to have armored bodies while others looked vulnerable if attacked. Eye arrangement was different for almost every one, too, but all seemed to have at least five or six eyes in all.

Going through the streets, almost all of the Spi’Da that had come with the group had spread out and left. Last to leave was pair of large members carrying off the large ant that was caught. Only Turik and two others remained. “Now that have returned, we must take you see Carmencula immediately.” Turik chipped to one of the two, which quickly scurried away with great speed. “A meeting will be set quickly.”
“What is she like?” Marian asked.
Turik’s eyes seemed to flicker with the question. He put one of his fingers to his head, scratching slowly as he thought. “She is… kind. At least to use. She is kind all the time. I only seen her angry when we were threatened.”
Behind her, Marian could feel her friends stiffen. “Would we anger her?”
“I do not know. We never experienced anything like this. I do not even believe we had any sort of preparation for such an event. If need be, I may vouch for you if events turn dangerous. So far you have seem relatively pleasant and not in the least bit dangerous.”
From behind, Vagrant, who was trying to keep his senses open in every direction due to his insecurity, spoke up. “Well, least we already made a friend…” Though, his words were not filled with confidence. “What do we do now, then?” He asked.
Turik gestured behind him. “We continue onward to the queen chamber. I simply sent forewarning of the arrival. Queen Carmencula and her advisors must gather so a decision can be made. Shall we?”

Walking through nearly the entire city, they eventually all came to a massive stone hallway that leads further into the earth. It was built by the hands of men, but ever since was improved by the Spi’Da with repairs of silk to make sure it stayed in wondrous condition.
The end of the hall opened to a great chamber, covered in pretty rocks of various colors and shape, piled high like a dragon’s hoard. Mixed in with stones were fine specimens of gems like emeralds and sapphires. Precious metals were also present among the piles.
For all the treasures worth, the real sight that caught everyone’s eye was the massive monolith before them that was queen Carmencula. Perched atop six out of eight of her tall legs, she really stood among the rest of the Spi’Da which were already something to stare at already. Placed organized around her were others who must have made up her advisors and possibly family as some seem to bare resemblance to her. In one sense, Carmencula was frightening in many ways. A first glance would make an ordinary man run in fear at such a hard sight. However a quick look over showed that this spider did not hold an aggressive stance. It was calm and relaxed like a queen on her throne.

“Sit here,” Turik told them, and they did. Turik then perched nearby them, taking rest for the moment. The air was soon quieted of noise between the Spi’Da and quietness echoed through the massive room. Quietness ended as each arachnid took a turn to speak, including Carmencula herself.
While they spoke, Vagrant and Zero were whispering to each other. “Think we’ll get out of this alive?”
“I don’t know, but were still alive for the moment,” replied the mercenary to Zero.
Marian was about to tell them both to keep quiet for their sake, however she heard the matriarch call out, “Will the leader come forth, please?” It was a somewhat motherly tone, but in a voice that commanded respect. Slowly she stood up and walked forward a few steps so she stood in clear view of everyone. Carmencula addressed her again. “You are the leader of this group? What is your name?”
“Uh… Josephina Marian. Mary for short…”
“Marian… Lovely name. My colonists have told me they found you in one of their traps. Tell me… why have you come to this wound in the earth in which no creature like yourself has ever come in before?”
“Well, to explain that would to explain what we are and what we do…” And so Marian began explaining, from day one in fact, of what happened and what state the world itself was in.
When she got to the dragon however, one of the Spi’Da’s stopped her to ask a question. “Dragons are still alive after all of these years?”
“Well, yes… Only two that we ever seen, however. You know of the dragons?”
“Quite,” Carmencula replied. “Dragons are the reason we are so few and far between. We may be last of our kind. The last dragon seen was by the last matriarch of this nest, and before that the dragons came less and less. Only two remain you say? So the dragons have suffered a great decline as well.”
After that intervention on the topic, Marian continued. She went on about how she became the world’s first kaijuologist and began to travel the world; picking up members of her team as time progressed. She mentioned events, and the alien creatures Xenus and Gabriel from the sky, and made a note about Xenus being nearby this area. On she went, about the rise of Thanatos in Africa, to being lost in Antarctica and the creation of other monsters to protect the human race… and of course the recent news that the even the Spi’Da knew, the recent planet shaking event of Nibiru that awoken and caused many other kaiju to arise as of late.
“And so you see, we came here to investigate the rumors of yet another kaiju that sits just atop the plateau. A massive frog… I think you call him Devour?”
“Devour, yes,” Carmencula confirmed. “He is a danger to everyone. He is the reason we have not attempted to leave this place. This forest harbors plants he finds repulsive and thus will descend to devour us. I have fought with him before… He is very persistent and strong.”
Several times they had both agreed on points during her explanation, she Mary had high hopes for herself and her friends. “Yes, and I hope you will believe me when I say we did not come to harm or cause trouble. We simply were fleeing for our lives.”
Carmencula was quiet for a long moment, her eyes closed. An ominous silence hung in the air, giving a sense of dread and doom. Slowly she shook her head. “I believe you, but you are not the danger we fear. It is the rest of mankind that is the danger.”
“Please explain,” Marian asked, hoping it didn’t sound too commanding.
“Our last encounters with mankind before settling here were less than enthralling. We were attacked, and sometimes eaten if they managed to kill one of us. It was a difficult thing to understand. They treated us like demons when times before, we lived in relative peace. The fact you speak of giant creature such as me and my kin as threatening the world tells me that mankind will still attempt to harm us and have greater weapons to do so now. How will I be able to trust this race of men to not invade my home and kill us all if I release you to wander free?”
All their hopes dropped at the words. Carmencula had a very strong point, one that was valid and impervious to nearly all argument.
“Despite my fears, I will have to contemplate on your fate, Marian and Company… My advisors and I will discuss and debate on the topic, taking all into account as you say. The good and the bad. Until we come to a decision, you will stay within the nest. You will be free to walk around, eat, sleep and be treated as members of the colony. Until otherwise, you will not be allowed to leave until we have reached a decision. You are dismissed.”

Walking back down the hallway, Vagrant was going on about how bad of a situation they were in. “Well Marian, you handled things splendidly. We might never, EVER leave. We might even die.”
“Vagrant, shut up!” she turned on him, nose to his, eyes narrowed. “I am aware of the situation. But if you went firing bullets everywhere, we might already be dead. In fact, you shot the ant and it almost killed us. If it wasn’t for the Spiders, we would probably be dead.”
Her outburst caught him off-guard, but he wasn’t going to admit things were any better. “Says you! You always drag us into trouble like you did down in Antarctica.”
That made her snap, lunging at her hired protecting and getting into a fight with him. Mary, though, was not skilled at fighting and after a brief struggle found herself in a headlock that she could not break. “Take it back!” she demanded.
But Vagrant just sighed. “Give it up, girl. You’re not gonna get out of my arm.” She continued fighting, but eventually did give up with a sour look on her face.
Turik, who followed, chirped to get their attention. “Is everything alright? You are fighting.”
Vagrant let go of Marian with a sigh. “Yeah, were fine. It’s nothing.”
Marian got up, dusting herself off. “Don’t worry about it. Well since its safe, I’m going for a walk!” she didn’t stop to look back.

After that brief scenario, everyone ended up walking in their own direction. A lot hung on their minds, but that would soon change for the better as they continued their way around this ancient city.

Walking through the city, Zero made a habit of target practice with an annoying species of insect that the Spi’Da complain about as a pest. Apparently it was a giant fly which they ate, if they could catch it, and in turn often tried to eat their own food stores. It was an ugly fly, white and blue in color with several eyes…
Sure enough, he ended up taking several of the pests out of the air by shooting them down. Though he was trying to aim for the wings to get practice on precise aiming, the Spi’Da did not complain as he downed several of the pests. More than thankful members of the nest made an all-around ruckus about it, which Zero didn’t mind much.

Paloma found a very reliable time-eating task to do. This city was the remnants of a very old culture and he had a taste in anthropology, so he took to studying the buildings as best as he could despite all the webbing covering up some of the architecture. Some of the Spi’Da was nice enough to allow him in their dwellings, in which he noted both Spi’Da and human culture. Both to him were greatly fascinating.
His little expedition eventually led him to a giant library. The building was in well condition and had little webbing on it like the rest of the structures. It was clear not many Spi’Da came here. Perhaps they did not fancy reading.
As he went in, Paloma met a very, very elder spider who was grey and brittle. The only spider in the collection of scrolls and books, he himself was wise as he read them all at least one time. For Paloma, it was a comforting turn of events. Being in a nets of giant spiders made his skin crawl, but this new unfolding situation made him feel more at home then he originally was.
As the night came on, he ended up reading several scrolls and a handful of books which he could recognize as far as language. He was trying to decode the older language of whoever built the ruins, but so far he could only come up with “First Race of Men” as opposed to whatever the culture was.

Across a few blocks was Vagrant who found himself at a workshop; for a lack of better words for it. Inside was a very massive, thick legged spider that stood in a somewhat upright position so that his front legs were free to work. Her, being a female, place of work was a very large building that was fitted with a furnace that had a glowing core of magma flowing through it that was used to melt ore and synthesize metals. The place was well ventilated for the better health of whoever stayed in for lengthy time.
Adorned the walls and surfaces lay various creations made of everything from ordinary iron armor and weapons, to decorations and treasures. The owner herself wore a protective outfit so that stray sparks and the unbearable heat of the planets blood did not cause her harm. In one of her claws was a mighty hammer, much too big for any human to lift no matter how strong. She used the massive weapon like it was part of her body. Each time it came crashing down on the metal, a storm of hot sparks which illuminated the dark like a bolt of lightning, with the sound of the crashing hammer echoing thunderous booms.
Vagrant found himself staying here most of the late evening, watching in fascination that these spiders could be as smart as they are as to use such tools and methods.

And where was Marian? In a more vacant part of the cavern; less crowded and noise to cloud her mind and judgment. As she went along, she ended up coming across the Spi’Da equivalent of a trash dump which doubled for a farm! In this place, sunlight was as poor as it could get without being entirely absent. Only light that existed was from fires and bioluminescent creatures. With that said, this garden was not traditional. Before her lay a field of mushrooms of various shapes and sizes from small and squat, to stalks as tall as the average tree. From the uphill came a stream that broke into small waterfalls every so often to make a misty air for the mushrooms to gain moist air for their growth.
It was beautiful, in its own way. The colors they came in stuck out against the dark, yet complicated the darkness. Some had a faint glow to them, too. Other molds also existed, encrusting the surfaces of rocks and growing from their edges. For as nice as it looked, it could also seem somewhat displeasing and event frightening to some.
She did not notice at first, but this garden had a gardener. Hanging from webbing high above without ever touching the floor was a long-legged Spi’Da with hints of glowing green. His eyes were large, and he seemed quite old. He spoke even when not spoken too. Much of he spoke was of the mushrooms he grew, pointing out the uses for them. Many were simply food, while some had certain properties. However, some he pointed out were dangerous and removed swiftly as he discovered them.
It was quite a unique position that Marian found quite interesting. Fascinatingly human, but it was a quality like that which could make mankind afraid. Perhaps if she could show the outside world how easy it would be to get along due to this common nature, then maybe hope existed for the Spi’Dah to make a comeback and have a strong alliance with mankind.

Daytime hours flowed into nighttime hours, though most would not know unless near the entrance. Slowly everyone ended up being shooed away to spend the night indoors. Many creatures, they say, came out at night and might threaten them. Some even were dangerous to the Spi’Da, but none seemed all that concerned with possible dangers.
Marian walked into the building they would be staying in. Equivalent of a hotel, with many rooms and such with beds made form silk. Zero was already present, laying back in a silk hammock. “Sup.”
“Hey, Zero.” At least Zero never gave her much trouble over much of anything. He was pleasant. “Where are Vagrant and Paloma?”
“Beats me; I think I saw Paloma head off… somewhere, I don’t know.”
Much help he was… Oh well. At least she didn’t have to deal with him at the moment. For a while she sat back and wrote notes, mostly of what she learned while being here so she could report it all back… if they ever get back, that is.
In time, Vagrant did return after a few hours. “Well hello, all.” He seemed in a better mood.
“Hello…” Though Marian was still cross with him.
“Well… This place is nice enough. These spiders are smart. Very smart…”
“Of course.”
Well, he tried. After a while he just gave up and eventually everyone fell asleep. All except Paloma, who was still at the library, reading more and more and ended up staying awake all night long. He was found the next day asleep at a table.

In the long run, two days passed before any word came of a decision from the queen. In that time, Marian and Vagrant got over the issue and acted like nothing happened. Besides, it wasn’t so bad here. Food was good, eatable at least and not half bad, and the Spi’Da were rather courteous for the most part. It seemed the Spi’Da were just as interested in them as they were.
When they were summoned again, they gathered back in the chamber with Carmencula and the other Spi’Da present during the first meeting. Something was different, though. Queen Carmencula seemed smaller in the abdomen, and it was obvious why. She had recently laid a whole batch of eggs which rested beneath her in a silk cocoon.
“We have reached a decision,” the matriarch declared. “After much consideration of what we are told… It is the decision of I and my kin that you will go free upon a condition…”
They all waited in anxiety for a moment. “And, what is that?” Marian asked.
“There is a creature within our realm that occasionally threatens us. It is very dangerous, as it is much like us in our ways, but a beast that preys on anything it can capture. With your announced skill, I would like you to destroy this creature so we may be a little bit safer. Your only condition of failure is if you die before you can…”
The terms sounded very gruesome, but Marian forced her voice to come out. “And what is its name?”

Camencula said it out loud, and without emotion. “Devouring many of my kin, we know it as Koko’nay; hunter of hunters…”

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Carmencula, Spider Queen and ruler of the nest.
Right from the moment I thought of her, I knew what I wanted for powers and such. Controlling her genetics and her offsprings genetics, allowing mutations of various sorts though planning so that a obstacle can be overcome. A whole Xenomorph reference, as I remember in AVP Extinction that the queens control their genetics.
I designed her from a golden orb-weaver. Classic, very well know spider. But not without completely copying it. Only three legs touch the ground, with one pair smaller for handling uses. Eyup.

I hope y'all enjoy.