Chapter 144: 142

I'd let Arya know when I'd enter Neyla's territory so she didn't mistake me for prey and spring from her lair to catch me. While I'd never seen an Arachne do so, Velen had seen trapdoor spiders catch prey during a summer trip to Oceania, and I imagined it would be similar for any burrowing Arachne, though the prey would be much larger.
Unlike the last time when I'd slid into the burrow, I carefully pulled the side of the hill away like it was carpet and slipped inside, the cavernous walls no longer as crude and filthy as they were when I'd last come in. As I went deeper the walls became nicer and nicer and when I made it to the living area it had been completely transformed. While still made from rough stone, all manner of decoration and furniture had been carved, and while there weren't any doors to fill them, there were several doorways that led to a variety of different rooms, of course each doorway was about twice the size of the standard, likely so Neyla would need to squeeze to get through.
I had barely taken a few steps into the living area when the quick pitter patter of Steria running in her beast form rushed over. I barely had time to react and turn as I saw her leap and shift into her most humanoid form and gripped onto me, her legs wrapping around my waist while her arms went over my shoulders as she kissed me passionately her tongue twirling in my mouth, my name escaping her lips soft and quietly when she breathed. It was a good thing that I was both strong and sturdy as she likely would have knocked most anybody else down onto the hard stone floor, something that was just asking for a concussion or other kind of head injury.
It wasn't until Arya, Renae and Neyla made their way over that I was able to pry Steria from me, though she was still clinging to my side and rubbing against me. I hadn't thought she would be so attached as she struck me as a stoic warrior rather than a creature of emotions, something that was probably influenced by her body and its former soul. There wasn't really a way to confirm it, but the Heresy book I'd gotten from Ellie had stated that some of the original occupant's soul could leave some residue, influencing the new soul.
Arya also came up to me and gave me a kiss, though hers wasn't as intense or needy as Steria's, her thoughts were just as clearly related to me. Renae gave an awkward curtsy, while Neyla simply came over and rubbed my head. "I'm glad you're safe." she said. "And so is everyone else, though Arya and Steria handled it much better than Renae or I."
It made sense that Renae wouldn't have as much faith and trust as either Arya or Steria and from her look, I assumed Neyla was more relieved for me as the child of Ashara, rather than as my own individual. I wasn't bothered about it as I thought Neyla was only really helping me to assuage the guilt she felt over my mother, and it also wasn't like I was planning on staying here forever, rather, the sooner I felt comfortable challenging the Inner and Central rings the better.

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It took quite plenty of time before everyone was reassured, though neither Steria or Arya went far from my side. Steria in particular was very attached, even went so far as to use her beast form to say nearby while I rubbed or scratched her, it was as if she was a housecat that had been left alone while its owner went on vacation, taken care of by only an automated system or someone that would drop by daily. While I knew I would need to address the issue eventually, I was content to let it continue for now, the soft fur and gentle purring comfortable and relaxing, nothing like it had been while I was enslaved by the Alraune.
Resuming the daily cultivation had caused Arya to become much more energetic as well, the excess Yin energy being converted to Yang for her by the technique. At first Steria had also joined to get some of the Yang energy as well, but it hadn't improved her lethargy at all, rather she only seemed to be getting weaker much quicker now that I had returned, until nearly a month later she didn't wake up.
She was breathing and all her vitals that we could check were fine, it was as if her mind had simply been shut off, something I was extremely worried about. I almost wondered if the Heresy ritual I'd performed was the reason but not more that a day later she woke up completely refreshed, as if she hadn't been in a coma for two days.
"Geez, we just got Vell back, how could you go and end up in a coma for two days. "Arya said while reprimanding Steria, while I knew it wasn't Steria's fault completely, I'd already learned that it was best to just wait until Arya was done before even talking to Steria. I was sure a stupid grin crossed my face for a moment as I thought about Arya doing this to a future child, quickly returning to a neutral expression as Arya turned around and marched off somewhere, leaving me alone with the now somewhat dejected Steria.
"I had a weird dream about you." she said suddenly, before I'd even managed to ask anything. "It was all very surreal and I have now idea what it means. In it, you and I broke a white silhouette and somehow used the collected pieces to fashion a new silhouette, one that was completely dark."
Like a fly buzzing around the back of my head I had a feeling that Marian or Arya had told me about a similar dream, though it was right after they'd been corrupted, rather than at some random time. Steria's Status was basically the same as it had been before, though she had a few new Skills, mostly new weapons as she tried to find a better weapon for her current agility rather than the strength and steadfastness from her old life. I could only hope that the months we planned on staying were going to be enough training and growth for us to get to Demonweb. If it wasn't, I was unable to imagine what we could otherwise do.

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