The Brine King's voice trailed off as he recalled the day he found Arakaali curled up in a ball, transforming painfully into a monster.
Her terrified cries, her hurt eyes... The sight of her constantly shaking and begging at the King to not see her in such a disgusting form.
"I was too late to do anything when I rushed to her. We fought against each other, much to the glee of those who cursed her. I got angry and destroyed the area, taking everyone down with me while I escaped back to my home."
"Why was she cursed?" questioned Layla, within the Brine King's head.
The young Dragoon stood in their inner world, which was surrounded by mist and sea brine. She then looked upwards, which held a swirl of grey clouds with flashing white lights. The sky began to darken and soon, water droplets started to pour down.
Layla knew better than to ask someone about their loss when they haven't fully come to terms with the passing of their loved one.
"So what would be the difference between the Mother of Webs now versus the one you saw?" questioned the Loplin.
"Arakaali was newly transformed so she hadn't fully mastered the power she possesses now. Back then, she was affluent with Water but now her Skillset has been overhauled towards the Poison Element. But the one dreadful thing about this is how large she's grown..."
"Maybe from consuming so many living things throughout the time she was in hiding..." commented the Felidae.
"No, there's no way she could've gotten this large from devouring souls or Elemental Cores. Because from the beginning, Arakaali's soul was never the same as you," added the Ankou, shaking his head.
"What do you mean?" chimed the rabbit and cat.
"Did the Brine King fail to tell you? Arakaali was a minor Goddess of the Water Grid. She shares the same branch as the Brine King and thus, their powers should be on par."
The Water Grid of Gods is a system to categorize the many spiritual entities related to a specific Element. Minor Gods were usually named King or Queen while Major Gods were called without a title. In total, there were 9 entities, 4 Major Gods and 5 Minor Gods.
"And pray tell, King of the Dead Sea... How do you get your powers?" asked the Grim Reaper, huskily.
"From faith... The faith and belief of people who once followed me. So long as someone has faith in their being, the God or Goddess would have the power to battle against others..."
"So you both think that the Spider has kidnapped the Tenguis to make them her followers instead of devouring them? I find that hard to believe," said the Loplin.
Teemo then took a deep breath and shut his eyes. Things were getting too complicated and out of control. The group needed to focus on one item at a time or else things could get messy.
"Okay, okay... Forget about the Tenguis problem since we've got a far worse danger. So, let us get this straight; We've got the Mother of Webs about to resurface and a random Tenguis is helping her?"
"Yes, and this leads us back to square one... How are we going to fight her? Do we know how powerful she can be?" asked Matt as he poured himself some tea, making sure to check that it was real leaf water and not Teemo's aphrodisiac.
"Imagine her earlier form but two times as powerful. From what we've faced, Arakaali uses the Poison Element but she does have some Water Spells in her arsenal. I also wouldn't rule out the possibility of her Poison attacks having a bit of Dark Elemental Energy."
"The Mother of Webs is significantly more powerful in water than on land, just to make it clear," explained Sander as he sat down.
"How does the spider have so many Elements?" questioned the Loplin.
"As I've said before, Arakaali was a minor Goddess, and she was in charge of the souls of mothers who had passed away during childbirth. She was the guiding light of those poor ladies, helping them get to the afterlife without any regret or pain."
"Shouldn't she be part of the Death Grid instead? Sounds like the Ankou's colleague..." quizzed Matt, confused as he pointed at Sander.
"That's only a general description of her job, she would be in charge of female deaths. The question should be which type. For instance, the Brine King is considered to be in charge of the souls who died at sea."
"Goddesses within the Grids are in charge of a specific craft and hers would be Water Births. She was in charge of overseeing women who performed water births and collecting the ladies' souls when they died during the process..." explained Sander, pouring himself tea.