Emily walked into her room, and closed the door softly, as she sighed within her mind. Her next step was going to be... Troubling.
She walked over to the corner of her evening tomb and bent over to tap on the sleeping Gem Spider. A few pokes to its back and it woke up. It looked up with its eight luminous eyes as if yawning. Emily giggled at the small thing, as it made its way to the center of the web.
After carefully plucking the web at the bottom in a certain pattern, she waited.
A voice drifted out of the web, "Little Spider!"
"Hello, Royal-Mother," Emily replied as she dragged her small chair to the corner of her evening tomb.
"And here, I thought you were mad at mom, for teaching you how to treat your husband... Speaking of which..."
The web paused, and then her mother spoke again, "I hear you're not the Queen of Deagoth, yet? Why?"
"MOTHER!" Emily said speechlessly.
"I take it my daughter has decided to not use some of those moves I spoke of..."
"Mother! Will you please!" Emily was shy about that subject.
"Really now... You should just be his private whore... I swear on my name is the Spider Queen that if The Holy Witch King doesn't favor you, then he likes men, instead of women." Kamilah was sitting on her throne casually, as she took in some burnt offerings. It had been a very long day receiving reports from the west and south.
"By all that is in Creation, MOTHER! How can you say that to your daughter!" Emily was dazed and became angry out of embarrassment, "That's not even why I messaged you through the web way!"
"Oh?"
"Besides! Jack hasn't even left his closed doors cultivation!"
"Jack???"
"Oops." Emily slapped her small bony hands over her teeth.
"The Holy Witch King is named Jack??? Are you serious??? I didn't even know he had a name! HAHAHAHA" Her mother started laughing hysterically.
"Royal-Mother... Did you... Did you get into the Burnt Offerings today?" Emily asked out of concern, her mother was only like this went she dipped to heavily into the family stash. Spider's Bane Burnt Offerings were nothing to play with...
"I've had a bit. Today has been a very long day. I, your mother, needed to unwind a bit. It's great you decided to call, but I'm sure you called for a reason. No one ever wants to talk to me unless they want something... It can't ever be because I just want to say, 'Hi Mom.' Right?" The Spider Queen didn't hold back.
"Royal-Mother... You always told us you were super busy, and to not bother you!" Emily spoke out, in injustice.
"You were brats! I can't divide my attention forever small thing you guys did! You are grown undead now! You do big things! These are the events I want to know about... Forget it, what's my little spider want?"
Pausing to calm down a bit, and collect her thoughts that were scattered by her mother's outlandish behavior, Emily finally spoke, "Do you remember years back when We had to fight the Deep Toxic Centipedes in City of Collenda's Tomb?"
"Oh, yes! I remember those giant nasty things... So many legs... Blah! Nothing should live with more than eight legs." The queen spat, as she took in more smoke.
"If I remember correctly, they sprayed a poisonous corrosive mist." Emily pressed on.
"Very corrosive! Damn things were corroding the foundations of the whole underground tomb of Collenda! Melted right through the Gravestone!" The Queen was happy the day the last one was killed there, though the damn things popped up every once in awhile, in the Grand Tomb's territories where they expanded. They were so aggressive in breeding, that at one point the Queen wondered if they were going to be eaten by them...
"In that case, didn't We make a special web weaved suit to fight them," Emily asked in expectation. This was what she was building up to!
"You're asking for some Web Shielding Armor? That's... That's actually really smart." A more sober voice drifted from the web into Emily's room.
"Huh?"
"I assume that you wish to protect your people from the Dead Tide, and whatever weapon Jakahn has conjured." The Queen mused aloud.
[What weapon?] Emily wondered, she would ask Leslie later.
"That was my thought if it can keep that corrosive mist away, then tell me sure it can keep the spores of these mushrooms at bay," Emily added.
"I think you are right!" A bony hand-clapping sounded echoed.
"So how many can We get, and When can you send them?"
"Little spider, We have loads of them now that the Deep Toxic Centipedes aren't a huge problem. I'm willing to exchange them for... Compensation."
"Really..." Emily asked.
"Really."
"I don't think so..."
"Then you're not getting them... Heh." The Queen gave a light laugh.
"Because we are already compensating you."
"Oh? You have your mother's attention. How are you already compensating Us?"
"If we don't stop the Dead Tide... They will gladly turn Neolith into a wonderful walking mushroom forest." Emily spoke with a sound of confidence.
"Oh, rare of you to think of something like this... Alright, We can keep the suits and fight them ourselves."
"And risk a large amount of capital, when you can get someone else to do the work for you, and all you have to do is supply a large number of armors you aren't using." Emily sounded convincing.
"When you put it like that... I'll trade for information then." The Queen spoke sounding defeated, but only the Queen knew she was actually getting what she wanted.
"Then what is it that you want to know?"
"The God-King... Is the prophecy true?" The Queen spoke with interest. This is what she wanted to know!
"Well, he is being worshipped as an unliving walking god... So yeah... I'd say it's true, and if I can be Queen, I can rid this damn body finally!"
"Or he will ask you to keep it because he likes little girls." Laughter rang out from the web.
"It doesn't seem he is mother! Stop laughing!"
"Oh, how fierce! Where are you learning these behaviors? Tell mother... What friends have you made?"
"Is this part of the bargain?" Emily asked.
"No... I already have what I wanted to know. This is just motherly concern."
"My Sister-Consort."
"Wow! I would have never thought you would become friends with the enemy!" The Queen laughed again.
"Sure, sure. She's a really nice person. I like her a lot." Emily added.
"Alright. Mom will look into her background, and she will send you the armor. Where do you want them?"
[She said Jakahn had weapons, and the suits could help... Both??? Though, I think Verruca will be just fine. I need to focus on the Dead Tide]
"Can I get them all sent to the City of Souigak?" Emily asked hopefully.
"What a tall order? Then I guess I will have to send your personal guard." Her mother spoke happily.
"Personal guard??? Emily had two servants here in the Palace... And that's all she ever had in her unlife.
"Yes. Yes. I granted you some personal guard many many years ago under the command of your uncle spider, in case your siblings got any odd ideas. Now that you are far from home, and mother is sure you are going to be of Deagoth, I will send them out."
"Alright... How many are there?"
"Eight hundred elite Archspider Warriors! I will send them carrying the armors in two days."
"Thank you, Royal-Mother." Emily bowed to the web as if her mother could see her.
"Haaaa~ When can I hear you call me mother or just mom kindly again?" The web sounded before it went silent. The Gem Spider crawled to the side and began to sleep again.
"Maybe soon... Mom." Emily went to find Leslie to pass the news.
Within her tomb, the Spider Queen reached up over her head and plucked a different web in a strange pattern.
A fanatical voice sounded, "Yes, my Queen."
"You were right. The Holy Witch King is now considered the God-King of Light." The Queen no longer had any love in her voice, as she spoke to her Prophet.
"Of course! The spider goddess knows all, sees all... She has spoken recently! A new message not received since so long ago... So long ago... When Emily was conceived... So long ago!"
"What did she say?"
"She speaks of blood, fresh red blood..."
"Exactly what did she said... Word for word, speak it." The Queen had no time to play these games with the prophet.
"She said, 'Tides of blood wash in from the Red Sea... Greed is given to persuade a god, but only the offeror is needed to be offered to gain his favor. Neolith finds it hard to live in a world of blood, but should bone be greater than blood, Neolith will last for another ten thousand years." The prophet finished.
"Have you written this down?"
"Yes, my Queen."
"Send it to me to ponder... Also... I wish for you to give your final orders to the 'Eighth Leg." It is time for them to be commanded by their proper master."
"Yes, my Queen."
"I will send a servant soon, with the remaining orders... Leave me, for now."
The web went silent.
"Should bone beat blood... How do we beat the descendants of Alucard...?" The Queen murmured, in thought.