The explorer stepped toward it without fear, grinning ear to ear and throwing his arms open theatrically as if he'd met a messiah.
— Incredible! Extraordinary! Magnificent! he cried. A… a… an arachnid chimera! In all my life, I never thought I'd meet such a marvel!
My hand no longer trembled. It gripped my dagger tight, ready to strike at the slightest opening.
"How did we get blindsided like this? Did it come from outside?… No. Like demons, this kind of creature doesn't go out in daylight."
Thinking it through, the walls were plastered with webs. We never would've noticed a hidden passage without inspecting every meter of that huge, dark corridor. In the end, we weren't as experienced as we believed.
— What are you doing?! Stay back! Ledo ordered, guard up.
— You poor fool! You don't understand the magnitude of this discovery! the explorer snapped. We may be the only living beings who'll ever admire such a thing!
"And if you keep that up, it won't last long…"
No matter how I searched for a solution, I didn't see thirty. And in that moment, our client's fate no longer mattered to me:
— It's blocking the exit, Ledo. We'll have to fight it or find an intermediate path.
I could feel he was as torn as I was, faced with a danger we knew nothing about beyond its dreadful presence.
— You're right. But I don't think there are other ways out. We'll have to force our way past.
While we braced for a sudden fight, the explorer was already right in front of the monster—eyes ecstatic, lips pulled into a sick smile. The chimera didn't care. It seemed far more interested in us than in that twisted man.
Its shadowed eyes finally settled on him. It mimicked his expression—then suddenly skewered him through with one of its gigantic legs.
— W-Why…? he rasped, vomiting blood.
— You wouldn't even be fit to feed rats, it replied, lifting him up to its monstrous beauty.
Then it slid its human hand into its victim's mouth—and with a disconcerting ease, tore off the upper part of his skull.
The moment the cranium hit the floor, Ledo charged with infernal fury. By the time I understood what he was doing, he was already moving.
Sensing his aggression, the chimera quickly flung the corpse still impaled on its leg. With unexpected grace, it raised its other limbs into a threatening stance—perfect guard.
It hammered Ledo's flanks with frightening precision and speed. Yet he forced his way in without a scratch, getting within reach of its lower abdomen.
As he raised his hammer for a devastating downward blow, it rose sharply and extended the tip of its abdomen. It spat webbing that immobilized him instantly, cutting his momentum before he slammed to the ground.
It had been waiting for that. That opening was made for one purpose.
"That attack… it wasn't improvised!"
— You seem stronger than these aphids, it said, leaning over him.
Ledo struggled, but his hands were bound. Stripped of his usual charisma, he looked like a worm desperately trying to escape its predator. The creature sniffed him, nibbling at him as if restraining itself from devouring him immediately.
— You'll make an excellent breeder, it added, pressing the cocoon holding him against a nearby wall.
Those ambiguous words—and how easily it captured our leader—broke the others. They fled without trying anything, reminding me I was still here, and I'd done nothing to help him yet.
My passivity had lasted too long.
"I can't leave him like that…"
— [Illusory Shadows].
I conjured images of myself, hoping to trick it—land a fatal blow—get us out of this hell.
As I prepared to charge, my other comrades' screams rang out behind me. It pulled a laugh from deep inside—maybe madness, maybe satisfaction at having listened to my instincts.
I crushed the hesitation and threw myself forward with the same impulsiveness as Ledo. Dagger in hand, zigzagging, my reflections followed my steps—pure chaos.
We leapt at it in perfect sync, aiming for its heart. No one could've known which one was me. And yet, as my arm committed—about to pierce it—it smiled coldly and seized my throat with its hand.
My dagger fell. My images scattered. I was at its mercy.
— You thought you could slip away so easily?
"How—?!"
Its grip was icy, tightening, choking off my breath.
"No… no way…"
— [Metallum Spathae]!
A crude, misshapen metal dagger formed in my palm. Without thinking, I drove it into the arm holding me. To my shock, that rough stab made it loosen its death grip.
The chimera shrieked—so piercing I lost my hearing for a moment. Blackish blood poured from the wound. Small as it was, it proved it could be hurt—and feel pain. That alone made me lighter.
I dropped and rolled to avoid snapping my neck and to seize the opening. I sprinted under its abdomen, claws scraping the rigid ground in an animal burst, then ended up behind it.
"The exit!"
I nearly cried with joy, thinking I'd escaped. Who would've believed that strange affinity could save me like this?
As I rushed through the last corridor, its dreadful aura still pressed halfway. But it didn't seem to follow.
Even in pitch dark, I kept glancing back.
My heart wanted out of my chest. My muscles locked hard.
Then my run stopped dead.
Something held me. Cold. Fibrous.
"Don't tell me…"
I'd tangled in a web.
"That filth wasn't there when we came in…"
I was an idiot. No doubt it had shot this net—cut off any retreat. Sweat streamed down my forehead. Trapped again.
My throat tightened. Thoughts crashed into each other. I wanted to scream.
I didn't.
I had to pull myself together—keep the calm I'd managed so far.
Only part of my body was stuck; I still had a chance. I removed my glove and tugged at my bracer sleeve.
Nothing. I'd have to cut it free.
I drew another dagger—then realized my temple was stuck too. I stabbed at it; the blade bounced like it was striking slime.
"If it comes to that…"
Cutting my hair wasn't a problem. But sacrificing the skin I'd worked to maintain—despite my job—was something else.
"Fine…"
Teeth clenched, I sliced away that piece of myself to save the rest. A sharp pain ripped through my face, but adrenaline made it feel like an insect sting. I was free, and that was worth anything.
Warm blood ran down my cheek, but the faint vibrations in the walls told me I had no time to treat myself.
Then the sound came—scraping, echoing—like the chimera was tearing rock apart with its sharpened legs.
It was coming.
It was playing with me.
It thought I was trapped—that it could finally harvest its hunt.
"Go to hell!"
By all the gods, I still had a torch. I was cautious—I always kept a spare for everything.
I drenched it in oil, struck flint, and lit it.
My hands shook so badly the simple task dragged on. Every second mattered—two more and I'd be devoured… or worse.
I pressed the flame to the web, hoping it would vanish.
Nothing.
It was immovable. Impenetrable. Invincible.
"Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!"
My mind drowned in chaos… until an idea wiped it clean.
"She… she must've come through the ceiling!"
I raised my last ally toward the heights, frantically searching for a crack—an escape—anything, even if it meant turning back toward her.
"Got it!"
As I backtracked, a gaping passage appeared in the torchlight, yanking an exaggerated grin onto my dry lips.
"Turns out monsters make mistakes too!"
If she'd woven this barricade between that passage and the cavity, I'd already be dead and buried. But there was still a chance—however small.
I bit down on the torch handle to free my hands, then began climbing the wall using the webs coating it.
"Good thing I didn't become some fat warrior…"
The fleeting thought filled me with a strange sensation. I couldn't wipe the smile from my mouth—couldn't stop the bursts of laughter spilling out.
Halfway up, I heard violent jaw clacks. Against my will, my gaze dropped to look.
Its eyes—black as night—glittered in my makeshift light. A cheerful expression spread across its cold, full lips. Once again it seemed amused by my condition.
— Only death waits at the end of that tunnel, little aphid. You'll come back to me soon enough!
"You can dream, you bastard!"
I kept the words to myself. No way I was talking to that monster. I didn't want to be trapped again. Yet seeing it remain still, not pursuing me, made me hesitate.
Was there something worse than it at the end of that darkness?
"I don't know what brought me here… If I'd chosen an easier mission, I'd already be in a tavern by now—drinking and soaking in the festive atmosphere. I'm starting to understand why, and how, adventurers vanish so suddenly… Our fate is simple—cruel. It hangs by a thread… and this is only one more equation in its merciless tangle. I'm exhausted, but I can't give up. I have to get out of here… no matter what."
End of Alexandre's arc.