The next morning started off very busy.
Worker Ants ran back and forth, checking supplies and packing the remaining necessities. The maids filled their bags, and the beasts found their spots. Petra moved a few ongoing experiments from the main tower to the third-floor laboratory. Rose hung a small curtain in the resting room as a futile attempt to maintain her privacy, and Nebula watched silently from the Tower Spiders rooftop.
The frog had fully awoken and was currently looking around in excitement from Petra's hood.
The wolf found a place to hide, its large body falling asleep in some unknown corner.
The snake coiled around Petra's waist and hid beneath her robes, hissing silently, its head poking out where it could. It would remember each face that dared to bully its Petra.
While skipping through the lively field, Petra paused. She looked at the trio of ant children, each wearing a backpack, who were ready to depart. Petra had seen these three around. They often fought with Rose. They weren't told to come, nor did they ask, they simply packed, asking for permission only after it was time to go.
Petra thought for a moment before nodding.
There were never enough people, so three more wouldn't hurt.
Speaking of the ants...
The ants that walked on 'six' feet were more bestial, weaponized, and usually specialized in a single task. This could be digging, charging, or tanking. These were the standard ants used to fight, and the ant types that made up most of the army.
The ants that walked on 'four' legs were soldiers. They could use their front two legs as arms to hold weapons. These ants were more intelligent, logical, and capable of leading the less intelligent ants.
The ants that walked on 'two' legs were more humanoid. They were a little bit like the royal family of the ant tribe. These ants were intelligent, versatile, and very prideful. Unlike the others, the bipedal ants had a certain level of humanity, a certain level of independence, and they were each unique.
The trio disappeared into the tower.
Petra watched them leave.
-
Not long after, it was time to leave.
Petra stood on top of the Tower Spider, the eight girls standing behind her. She glanced at the home where she had lived for almost a year. Although it would be a lie to say she didn't want to stay and laze around, Petra found her adventurous spirit rising.
This time, only the Ant Queen and the Centipede would stay behind.
The Ant Queen didn't need to leave because it was connected to the thirty ants that would be following them, so in a sense, it would always be there. As for the centipede, the centipede remained in a deep sleep, slowly evolving. When it next awoke, even Petra was unsure of what it would become. Unlike the other beasts, the River Winding Centipede didn't have an endless path of evolution. It could grow big, but that was all. Petra naturally wouldn't accept this, so she did some of her 'Petra Magic', and sent the big centipede spiralling down an unknown evolutionary path.
While the girls went to the common room to get comfortable, the frog sat in its hood, the snake wound like a belt, and the wolf cowered in the corner.
As for the spider...
There was a low rumble, the tower shook, and the Tower Spider began to slowly move its massive body. Its eight legs stretched out, then landed on the ground and exerted force, raising the tower that had been built on its back into the sky. The effortless act was done in a few seconds. Its feet pressed down, pushing itself forward.
It 'skittered', disappearing into the forest in a flash.
* * *
With the end of winter, the snow quickly began to disappear.
The cold wind brought a wave of moisture within its every breath, the forest floor was wet and muddy, and the ever-changing wildlife continued to adapt.
The Tower Spider rolled through the Dark Forest, its speed many times faster than before.
What was once a one-month journey could now be a one-week journey.
Petra poked her head out of the second-floor window.
Her hair fluttered in the wind.
She watched the forest fly past in a blur.
The cold chill that seeped into her skin was refreshing, leaving her with a sense of revitalization.
The Tower Spider did not move like a normal spider. It advanced on four legs, keeping two free for offense, and two free for support.
Beneath the underbelly of the Tower Spider was a special carriage. It carried it like a bag, dangling it underneath its body with two of its free legs. This extra piece of armament was both an additional defence and an extra source of storage.
This carriage was the 'decoy carriage' that Petra had planned to use while they weren't going at full speed. The idea was that, when they weren't rushing or idle, this carriage would be driven under the Tower Spider. This was both a way to hide its abnormalities and, at the same time, occupy a place on the road. This could also account for some of the abnormalities caused by Petra's miniaturized version of the Emerald Ghost Tree.
Petra felt the ground rumbling beneath her feet.
The tower shook, but not by much.
As the Tower Spider slowly got used to carrying something on its back, this level of turbulence would likely disappear, making it difficult to tell when they were moving from inside.
Petra pulled her head back inside.
She walked through the first floor, her steps light.
Her eyes were currently spinning with a mischievous light. This was going to be a long journey, but there was no lack of things to do and no lack of people to bother.
-
Petra climbed the stairs to the second floor.
She found the girls scattered around the room. Mell tidied up the bookshelves with the help of two ants, Bell was reading a book in the corner, Soryn and Wind were playing a game on the table, Lilly was sewing clothes, Rose was furiously looking through the unsorted boxes and cursing the ant trio, Luna was practicing magic, and Nebula was sat next to the window, looking at the landscape as it passed.
Petra walked up to Nebula, her little feet trotting over. She reached up and pulled on her sleeve.
Nebula looked down, her face was cold.
Petra looked up, her big eyes watery like the morning dew.
Nebula pursed her lips. "What?"
Petra: "..."
Nebula's lip twitched. "What?"
Petra: "..."
Nebula: "..."
There was a long silence.
Nebula reached down and picked Petra up by the armpits. She lifted the little green monster off the ground, making sure to keep her at an arm's length.
She carried her over to Rose, then passed her to the unsuspecting red-haired cat girl.
Rose tilted her head, confusion overtaking her expression.
Nebula calmly walked away, leaving Petra with Rose.
It was obvious to anyone that this little brat was bored and wanted to play.
Taking the little green ball from the scary, wraith-like big sister, Rose looked down at Petra.
Rose held Petra in her arms, soon meeting her reddening eyes.
Rose frowned and tilted her head. "What do I do with you?"
Petra: "..."
"Do you want to sort the boxes?"
Petra: "..."
"Do you want to play a game?"
Petra: "..."
Rose: "…"
-
A moment later…
With a roar... "Begone, demon child!" BOOM! Petra was thrown out the window.
Petra flew through the air like a green comet, her twin tails flapping in the wind.
She thought to herself, What an unexpected reaction! Am I that annoying? What a silly cat! When she passed through the window and left the boundary of the tower, she was quickly caught by a large 'arm'.
Petra was picked up by one of the tower spider's legs.
Petra's little mind turned. She stopped her silent scolding and turned her mind to the Tower Spider. She was surprised by this big guy's observational abilities.
Could it see inside the tower, no, could it feel inside the tower?
How odd…
Petra was pulled through the air.
The long leg wrapped around the tower and dropped Petra down into the rooftop garden, letting her fall into the poison garden. Her little butt dropped down, bouncing a bit as she landed.
Here, Petra found the ant trio hiding in the garden.
The cute ants looked at their little master, who had just fallen from the sky.
They tilted their heads, wondering what was going on.
That stupid cat couldn't have found them, right? Shouldn't she still be looking through the piles of empty boxes like an idiot?
Petra jumped up and patted her dirty butt.
She mumbled to herself about how that stupid cat was too rough, quickly receiving a nod from the ant trio. When she looked up, she met their cute little eyes and slightly tilted heads.
Petra stuck out her tongue, her little face turning red.
In a flash, Petra disappeared in a flicker of black light.
-
Later that day, the Tower Spider stopped for a short rest.
They sat down at a nearby riverside.
The river that stood before them was a winding stretch of water surrounded by thick foliage. It cut directly through the road, blocking the path forward. The melting snow had caused widespread damage, devastating the forest landscape. Many maps had to be redrawn after the flooding, a task made even more difficult by the constantly growing forest. This river was just one of the many geological changes that had happened to the Green Wind Forest after the first calamity ended.
There was a small clearing next to the riverside, and this was where the girls decided to stop.
The Tower Spider placed the carriage that it was carrying to the side, then lowered its body. It folded its legs under its chest, becoming a small hill under the tower.
To a passerby, this would look very natural.
Petra jumped out of the tower. She threw up her little arms and loudly laughed! "Nayhahahaha! play time~ play time~ to the forest I go~ to the forest we go~!" The little brat's body disappeared in a flash of black light.
Shortly after Petra went to play, the Tower Spiders 'maintenance team' alighted from the Tower Spider.
These 30 ants quickly spread out into the forest. Some moved to guard the perimeter, some worked together to set up a campsite, and the others began to check the structure of the Tower Spiders Tower after its first use. These were mostly four-legged ants, with one or two two-legged ants as 'supervisors'.
The ant trio slipped out from somewhere, quickly disappearing along with Petra.
After the ants came the Maids.
Mell, Rose, Nebula, Lilly, and Luna all alighted and spread out to help the ants set up a temporary camp.
Following the other girls, Soryn and Wind came down.
Soryn looked around and sighed. "The forest is so quiet now."
Wind followed her down and tilted her head in confusion. "Why is it like this? It's almost creepy."
Around them was the same forest, but it strangely felt more lifeless. It was a difficult feeling to put into words. Perhaps 'hollow' would be a better term? The forest had become a shell of what it once was. There was still a boundless vitality hidden beneath its surface, but this seemed to be a lot more restrained than what it once was.
Soryn frowned. "It's like the forest has fallen asleep."
Wind nodded.
Bell poked her head out of the Tower Spider and added, "I-It's not asleep! It's like a layer of something has covered the forest floor. I-It should be an aftereffect of the calamity, er, no, the Curse of Winter."
Bell stuttered, causing her face to turn red.
She pulled her head back, hiding inside the Tower Spider.
Soryn nodded.
Although this girl was a bit silly, Bell was surprisingly knowledgeable.
Soryn explained to Wind all about the Curse of Winter and the aftereffects of the first calamity. She talked about what the Adventurers Guild had predicted, what she knew, and many of her and her friends long-term speculations.
Petras maids knew very little about the outside world, and what little they did know came from the newspaper. This wasn't always accurate, not to mention trustworthy.
While Soryn talked about Ice elementals, Ice Demons, and the Ice Castle, all things she knew about before Aron's expedition, behind them, the Tower Spider began to 'feed'.
Waves of colourful energy were stripped from the environment like a sea of mana flowing towards the lowest point in a large pool. The whirlpool-like vortex that formed around the Tower Spider continuously expanded. The way the Tower Spider fed was by absorbing a massive amount of energy on a large scale.
Remember that mana is the combination of spiritual, natural, and elemental energy. This was both a form of sustenance and a form of cultivation for the Tower Spider.
The spiritual energy sustained its life, the natural energy strengthened its body, and the elemental energy reinforced its shell, making it stronger. Over time, this would accumulate into an explosive growth that would produce an unimaginably large monster.
After the Tower Spider evolved through Petra's latest drug, it had received improvements to its strength and flexibility, its size and durability. In addition, its poison also received an enormous buff. The Tower Spiders poison was a unique poison that melted through fortifications like an acid. It had very little effect on organic matter, but this was also one of the things that made it great. This ability had evolved further into a spittable mist that could be spat to melt through mountains.
As for the other uses of this poison… this may or may not be the origin of a certain 'clothes dissolving' poison that Petra's little store was selling.
There was no longer a need to set up a campfire outside every night, so the girls just stretched their legs before returning to the Tower Spider to make dinner. After they used the kitchen, they came back outside to eat.
Petra and the ant trio naturally returned to eat as well.
After a nice meal, they continued their journey.