The group was attacked by a zombie-like native creature in the forest.
After a short scream and the sound of something falling, two bodies collapsed back to the ground as if their threads had snapped.
“You, you villain!”
Piyo was kicking someone lying in the bushes. They had likely been attacked while in the trees.
“N-no, stop it!”
“This is…”
I stood beside Sharin and peered at the culprit. The body was that of a woman, but instead of legs, it had the large body of a spider.
“It’s an Arachne. I’ve heard rumors, but this is my first time seeing one.”
While Sharin looked on with interest, I stopped Piyo. Her black hair was long, and she wore a hood. Her upper body was covered by a long skirt with lace at the hem. She was also wearing strange, iron-clawed gloves.
Nina then approached. Pushing past me and Sharin, she strode forward and grabbed the Arachne woman’s clothes, lifting her up.
“So you’re the one who attacked us! Prepare yourself!”
“I-I, that, well, I’m s-sorry.”
The woman stammered, mumbling apologetic words. With a dagger pointed at her by Nina, she flinched and raised her shoulders.
“Nina, let her go. There’s no need to take her life right now.”
At my words, Nina snorted grumpily and dropped the Arachne to the ground.
“So, why did you do this?”
“Uh, well, I’m aiming to become a Necromancer, and you happened to be passing by, so I thought I’d, um, test my skills a little.”
Apparently, she intended to use us as test subjects. It seemed more out of curiosity than any real malice.
“And you lot, what are you doing so deep in this forest?”
I explained our circumstances to the woman.
“I-I see. That sounds like quite an ordeal. How about you rest at my village for a while?”
“Yes, by all means. We don’t have any food, after all.”
Everyone but Nina agreed with Sharin’s suggestion.
