Cocytus Tarachnathos
After about 10 minutes, the cocoon started to freeze.
As the entire cocoon froze and began to crack, a spider even smaller than before emerged from inside.
Its head and front legs appeared to be made of ice, and its body was completely white.
On its abdomen, there were eight eye-like orbs, with one glowing a pale blue while the others remained gray.
This was Talat’s new form.
"Talat, have you finished evolving?"
(Yes. I don't feel weird anymore.)
"Weird?"
(Hmm, how should I explain it? It was like I felt queasy or unsettled for a while…)
It's the first time Talat has said something like that.
I wonder what happened.
"Plum, Talat said he felt unsettled. Do you have any idea why? … Plum?"
When I turned around, Plum was staring at me in a daze.
What happened?
"Plum, is something wrong?"
"Something wrong? Isn't that spider a Tarachnathos!?"
"Eh? Is that true, Talat?"
(Technically, I'm an ice-attribute Cocytus Tarachnathos.)
"Talat says he's a Cocytus Tarachnathos... Plum!?"
Plum suddenly pulled out a whip and started to act like she was preparing for a fight.
What's going on!?
"Lily, there's no issue with your communication with Talat, correct?"
"Yes, no problems."
"Can you make him follow commands?"
"I believe so. Why?"
"Then have him raise his right front leg."
"Talat, raise your right front leg."
(Okay.)
Talat obediently lifted his leg.
Plum continued giving various commands, and by the end, I was hanging from the ceiling while riding Talat.
What on earth is going on?
"... Seems like there's no issue."
"I told you, everything is fine. What's going on, Plum?"
"I have something to tell you. Now, get down from the ceiling."
Even though Plum was the one who made us hang from the ceiling...
Talat spun a thread down to the ground and slowly lowered us, with the web dissolving and evaporating once we landed.
What exactly is this spider silk made of?
"Now then, I'll give you a brief explanation of Tarachnathos, the species Talat has evolved into."
Plum sat down in a chair in my room and began her explanation, and it was quite shocking.
"Tarachnathos, also known as the 'Death-Bringing Spider,' is a species whose threat level surpasses even high-ranking dragons. Although no one has ever observed a swarm of them, it's believed that if they did form swarms, nothing would survive. About 900 years ago, a nation was wiped out on the continent where the Principality of Darsche is located, likely due to a fire-attribute Tarachnathos moving through its territory."
Wow, this is more serious than I imagined.
Talat evolved into such a dangerous species.
"I've never seen a Tarachnathos myself, so I couldn't confirm if Talat was exactly like the one from the legends. I only became wary because of the characteristics mentioned in the tales: the attribute-imbued front legs, the head appendages, and the eight orbs on its abdomen. If your control over him had been severed, we would've had to fight."
That’s right. When a tamer's familiar evolves, sometimes the contract is broken.
… Wait, is Talat’s contract still intact?
"I'm not an expert in taming, so I suggest you visit the guild and check on your contract's status."
Yes, that sounds like a good idea.
I'll head to the Tamer's Guild tomorrow.
Everything seems fine with Talat, but it's better to be sure.
What do you think about this chapter?
