Chapter 12: Solitude and Confinement

Rihelah awoke to find herself upside down inside a dark, enclosed space with hard, smooth walls. The entire world seemed to rock and sway about.

What... Mnnn. What happened? Oh shit! Human captured! M-me! Damn it. I cannot. Find. A foot. Hold.

Terrified at the realization she had likely been stuffed into some specimen bottle, she struggled for nearly one minute before managing to right herself. Her prison continued to bounce and move about.

What time is it? I can't see anything! If a human caught me, that means... Oh fuck! I am NOT going to become some human's pet! Think, Rihelah! She clenched her forelegs for a moment before she was forced to splay them outward to prevent herself from toppling forward.

If I say anything with telepathy, it could make things worse.

Wait! If I can make my own magic at last...

Hmm... That greedy old coot did something with his hand, and then everything froze. Including me.

And Michael... Oh, fuck! Michael!

Calm down, girl. He's just a mantis. With a name. With that name...

Listen to me... I'm talking about a sapient being whose species is practically the same as my own, and I called him “just a mantis...”

I'm also “just a mantis!” Not only that, even though he's not the person I want him to be, he's the only friend I have!

He was a lot smaller than me after my molt... The cold would definitely affect him faster and... Oh shit! I hope Michael survived!

Rihelah spent the next couple of hours trying and failing to grasp the concept of magical energy in her surroundings.

Her anxiety grew as the minutes ticked on and her prison continued to sway along with her captor's motion while he traveled.

Every once in a while, his pace would quicken, causing her smooth-walled prison to lurch. And then he'd slow down abruptly, and she'd slam into the wall.

Then the usual, sickening motion would resume.

---

Once his body had recovered from hypothermia, Michael made certain he was camouflaged, and began searching about for signs of her.

He carefully checked the man's footprints for any signs of squashed mantis, and he scoured the nearby grass while calling out to her for nearly an hour.

Eventually, he began to grudgingly accept the reality that he might never see his new friend again.

That bastard...

Why did he look at us that way?

Michael clenched his forelegs.

Fuck. I know exactly why. I used to be human...

There's only one explanation. That man took her. That fucking piece-of-shit, bastard-ass human kidnapped my new friend!

Maybe it's because she's so shiny? That wouldn't be out of character for certain types of people to do something like that, especially if they think they can make a profit.

Sometimes I hate people...

The look in that old bastard's eyes... I know that expression all too well. It's just like...

Michael grabbed hold of a nearby blade of grass and tore it to shreds with his forelegs, then stood shaking while his face grew numb.

Townsman!

After Michael had calmed himself just a little, he started pondering what it meant to be a mantis.

Insects were almost invariably viewed as annoyances or as resources to be used by humans on Earth. Just like everything else.

Oh fuck... That man had better not put her in a cage!

If only I were bigger, maybe I could have endured that old fart's attack and figured out some way to keep her safe!

I have to become stronger, no matter what it takes!

Michael's adrenaline out with the light of early morning, and he was forced to find himself another hidden perch while his exhausted body and mind fell into torpor.

---

Ssuch audaccity! Terrible are the sservantss of the Vile, Hated Worm and their inccesssant crimes against the One True Masster! Ssuch desspicable ssacrilege musst be addresssed in time. In sspite of thiss... I come for you firsst, sspiteful, sstunted, ssslender mantiss! You shall ssuffer as no ssmall creature ever has. How I yearn to break your ssmall ssspirit...

A certain outraged creature emerged from her lair within a very large tree near the edge of the meadow. She knew this would be the last time she would leave home, that she could never return; but that no longer mattered. Vengeance, torture, punishment, and hunger burned behind her eyes as she began her search. You hide and I ssseek. Ssuch has ever been the way; the timelesss dancce shared by predator and prey. Shiny mantiss, reveal yoursself to mine eyes oncce more...

Over the meadow back and forth she flew beneath a cloudless sky in the light of the morning sun. She flitted this way and that for nearly a half hour, but discovered not a single gleam from the shiny carapace of her prey. Tracks of larger beasts crisscrossed the meadow, but one in particular caught her eyes at last.

Loathssome, vile human! Sstolen my prey it has! Using the telltale sign of which way the grass had been bent by the passing human, she set off in earnest to track down her target's captor.

---

Within a certain cottage in the village of Nytalis, a little girl pleaded through her tears, “I... I'm trying to... tell you! I have no... idea what happened! I never... hurt anybody! Promise! Please, you have... to untie me, Sika! I need to pee, and... I can't... hold it any... longer!”

The young girl with platinum blonde hair begged and wailed upon the stout, heavy hardwood chair to which she'd been lashed.

Bracelets woven of raw silk were fastened to each of her wrists, and a choker of the same material was tied around her neck.

“I can't... I really can not believe my own sister would do such things! And then you lie about it!” Sika's eyelids were swollen from her own fits of crying.

“Burn you, girl... You may use the privy, but you are returning to the chair afterward.” Sika shook her head while focusing her mind upon the living vines that held her younger sister to the chair.

Using the technique passed down through their family for generations, she willed them to reshape into a pair of handcuffs that kept her young sibling's hands bound firmly behind her.

The little girl looked up at her big sister in despair, her eyes pleading for mercy as she sought a hug. Sika shook her head and inhaled sharply while pushing the little girl firmly away from her.

So began another bout of wailing, as Sika led the child to the privy and allowed her to relieve herself.

Immediately afterward, she returned her sniffling, distraught prisoner to the chair and secured her upon it once more.

After smoothing her own tunic down for a moment and inhaling slowly, she resumed speaking as she tried to stay calm.

“My own flesh and blood, and you dare... You lie to me after using your druidic power to freeze an entire fire ant patrol to death, before disappearing and going into hiding for two lunar cycles?”

“I didn't... I couldn't... I would... never...” The little girl sobbed uncontrollably.

Sika lost her temper, “You were seen, Edie! Gnuff's children, and even Bogdin himself; they witnessed your attack!”

“You murdered sixty enkelyn at once, then laughed at their corpses as you fled! They were our friends, Edie! Our allies!! I can't...” Sika paused to collect herself, her own red eyes having flooded with tears.

She quieted her voice after wiping them away, “It... it's bad enough your mind must be read and your heart judged by mother when we return home. Like as not, you... will be put to the sword for what you have done, and it breaks my heart to think of this... My baby sister...”

Edie pleaded through her sobs, “I don't... understand... I would... never-”

Sika lost her cool, cutting her sister off as she began to scream, “But for you to lie to your own flesh and blood on top of it all... To defile even our bond of blood and kinship, to soil our mother's name with such untruths! How dare you, Edie?? How bloody dare you?! After everything we've... I can't believe... You disgust me!”

Sika stormed out of their cottage, leaving her young sister sobbing and choking uncontrollably in the chair. Streams of tears and snot ran down her pretty face to collect into wet stains upon her rough brown tunic.

Bogdin had been about to knock when he heard Sika's screams coming from within. He was already halfway back to his Inn when the young redhead ran past him sniffling and weeping as she went.

He shook his head and thought to himself while returning to mind the fires of his hearth, Bloody bad business, tha'. Ah just cannae fathom it. Such a kind lassie as the wee one was... Does'nae make sense fer such a bonnie wee one tae dae such a thing... But still, th' evidence... Me own eyes cannae lie. Bahhh! Ah just cannae make nae sense out o' it!

---

Her prison had stopped moving at last, but Rihelah wobbled slightly to and fro with what amounted to the mantis version of sea-legs. She had grown somewhat weak from what she assumed was a lack of oxygen within the poorly-ventilated container.

I have to find a way out of this mess. Magic is probably my only ticket to freedom, but I need to learn how to use it first.

Only a few minutes had passed when the sound of human voices caused the entire container she was trapped in to vibrate. She could hear the pitch, but no vowels or consonants made it through to her eargina. The enclosure suddenly moved again. It shook a little more violently than usual for a moment and there was a strange popping sound. Immediately afterward, light flooded in through the open top, blinding her with its sudden radiance. It was accompanied by a rush of fresh air, and she pumped her abdomen furiously in an effort to reinvigorate herself.

The light dimmed for a moment, as a human eye appeared some distance from the container's opening.

A youthful man's tenor voice reverberated off the ceramic walls of her tiny jail as he spoke, “I see! That is a striking little specimen you've found, though I believe I've seen one like it before... Definitely not worth an entire gold coin like you were hoping, mind! Still, I grant that it's a decent catch! I tell you what, old man! Since you've always been a friend of the Freedom Watch, I'm willing to pay-”

A rubber stopper was jammed back into the top of the jar, cutting off the light and air once again.

So, that old bastard's name is Viago. Filing that one away for later. Once I get my magics, I'm gonna singe those impressive, bushy eyebrows right off his hideous mountain-man face!

Voices continued for a short while, and then she found the container was being moved once again. This time the motion was a little less severe, and it only continued for about five minutes before the top was removed once again.

This time, she felt the container being turned upside down, and she scrambled to hold onto something, anything; but to no avail.

Rihelah slipped right past the opening of the dark ceramic container and in through the much larger opening of a huge glass jar with thick, uneven sides that made the room outside appear as if she were viewing its reflection through a set of irregular fun-house mirrors. The interior was empty, save for a bit of dried leaf-litter that had been haphazardly tossed in.

The two men leaned over, side-by-side, to gaze through the jar at her. The old man raised one of his gnarled hands and flicked the container hard with two fingers. Having seen the childish action coming, the only reason Rihelah jumped was because the impact had caused the entire jar to shake. The men laughed, and it made her furious when the other man flicked the jar afterward. She didn't jump this time, and instead served him with a death-stare.

“Ooo... It's such an angry little devil! I reckon it might be a good one to play with mister Tesla spider!” The young man quipped while gesturing to another jar resting upon a nearby shelf.

“Haah! It's yours now, Kaleb! You do whatever the hells you like! My money would be on that fat old spider, though. This one is impressive looking, but still too small to tangle with her. Doesn't seem like it has any magical attacks like the Tesla, at any rate. But if you decide you want to feed your other pet with this one, nobody will complain!”

These fucking assholes! I am not some object to be put on a shelf and tormented for your amusement! Just wait until I learn magic, you fucking bastards! I studied human biology and medicine... I know all your weak points! You're going to-

The old man in aged leathers flicked the jar once again and she clenched her mandibles while directing her furious gaze toward him, and then toward the younger man in dark armor while abject hatred for both of them grew within her heart.

I swear on my life, both of you are going to fucking regret treating me like this!

The young man in armor placed a huge stopper in the top of the jar, cutting off the only escape route. To Rihelah's relief, someone had drilled air-holes through the large cork-like stopper.

Hmm. If that material is anything like cork on Earth, I might be able to tear my way through it given enough time...

“Enjoy your tiny little gem while it lasts! If I find more of these I'll bring them by!” Old man Viago laughed and wagged his eyebrows as he turned to depart.

Kaleb spent a few more minutes looking in at her and trying to elicit some response by tapping, flicking, and even shaking the jar. Then he pointed a finger at her and waggled it around while muttering aloud, “Glad you aren't one of those creepy little talking enkelyn shites. Sapient insects should never have existed. It's a perversion of the natural order! Every single one of those abominations ought to be exterminated with fire...”

He snapped the fingers on his right hand to produce a flame that hovered about ten centimeters above it, then brought the flame closer to the jar.

Rihelah backed away when she felt the intense radiant heat piercing through the uneven glass.

Kaleb cackled in amusement. He rotated the jar with his other hand, forcing Rihelah closer to the flame before she scrambled away once again.

“Don't worry! I won't cook you! Not yet! First you'll get to play with my other many-legged freaks! How long will you survive, I wonder?” He continued his game of forcing her to flee from the flame's heat, a twisted smile curling his lips all the while.

The flame winked out and he grasped the jar, abruptly tipping it upside down and chuckling as he watched her struggle while trying to land upright amidst the tumbling leaf-litter. The game ended when she managed to grip the cork stopper and remain planted. Kaleb finally seemed to lose interest and meandered across the room.

Each of his acts had increased her hatred for the man and strengthened her resolve to punish his cruelty if she ever managed to find an opportunity, but his last comment sent her completely over the edge into absolute loathing.

Damn good thing I had the presence of mind to avoid disclosing the fact that I'm sapient to this creep... I guess that means this situation has become kill or be killed. She shocked herself with the thoughts flowing through her mind, but even more shocking was the fact that she found her mantis-brain's logic center agreeing wholeheartedly with her savage emotions. If I'm forced to become a monster in order to survive, then so be it.

He moved away to a different part of the room at last, tending to some other container.

She looked around the room and ignored her human nemesis. By Rihelah's best estimation, given the terribly distorted view she had; she had been imprisoned within that rudimentary jar upon a large table or desk in an old single-room log cabin of sorts. A rock-and-mortar fireplace was set within the far wall, and the two small windows appeared to be simple holes through the walls with wooden shutters.

Heh. I wonder if these medieval savages have even reasoned out that glass can be made into flat panels and set into openings to make actual windows? Seems doubtful, given that embarrassing display of toddler-like intelligence. Damn it all! Of all the ways to end my time in the meadow, it just had to be getting ripped away from the first real friend I made in this world by some childish old neanderthal with frost magic up his ass...

Her annoyed inner monologue continued while she worked at ripping away bits of the cork stopper she now clung to, taking care to watch Kaleb. Each time the man faced her way she would stand motionless, her incredibly fast reflexes allowing her to return to a resting position before he could finish rotating himself in her direction.

The cork proved tough and spongy, but she had made a bit of progress at widening the very edge of one of the airholes. Crap, this is gonna take a while.

---

Despite his lack of hunger following their aphid-feast, Michael stalked along through the grasses in pursuit of a very large leaping spider that had failed utterly to notice him.

The spider stopped to look up when it noticed something else moving high above, and Michael used the distraction to close the distance.

The spider swiveled in place to follow the motion it had spotted, and Michael struck with his new attack skill.

He leaped forward, fast enough that the world seemed to blur for a split second before he latched onto the spider, nearly 1.5 times his own size.

He had aimed fairly well, managing to trap three of its legs with his right foreleg while gripping its head/thorax with his left.

He completely prevented the spider's sole chance at fighting back, hampering its movement and restraining its huge chelicerae-jaws along with their fangs.

Michael started to chew savagely into its head, while it shook itself in anger. His forelegs strained to keep their grip upon the powerful spider, but he managed to hang on. Each time he bit, his focus was causing damage, rather than eating. He pried his victim's exoskeleton open and peeled it back where he could, allowing himself access to tunnel deep, toward its vulnerable nervous system.

Its front legs slapped upward at him and shook his thorax terribly with each blow, but the arachnid failed to dislodge the mantis or to hook one of its legs over him in an effort to bring him toward its fangs.

The spider began to panic, biting into the grass stem it stood upon. It seethed, emptying its venom glands uselessly into the plant out of pure frustration.

Michael felt a little guilty for killing a living thing without intending to feed upon it.

I'm sorry, but ther's someone I need to save! I'm not strong enough, yet. I promise to end your suffering as quickly as possible.

The spider's attempts at escape culminated in a powerful leap that nearly dislodged Michael from its back when the pair slammed into another grass stem. But Michael hung on tenaciously, straining for all he was worth to keep his prey pinned down until he could finish it off.

Strength has increased to 20!

Whoa... wasn't expecting that, but hot-damn I'll take it!

About half a minute later, Michael received the notification he was looking for.

You have defeated Mature Leaping Spider Level 18. Experience Gained.

Stalking Reaper Mantis has reached Level 12! +5HP, +2MP.

HP: 128/128 (+10HP/min.)

MP: 74/74 (+4/min.)

STR 20

AGI 23

INT 25

He let the spider's corpse fall away to the ground. Seconds later his camouflaged head snapped upward and tracked with interest as another, slightly smaller leaping spider that had obviously been watching abseiled from above. The interloper obviously intended to feed upon the discarded corpse of its fallen brethren. Michael grinned inwardly to himself as he stalked downward under camouflage toward this second spider that had so graciously offered itself as tribute.

Just ten seconds later he had struck and caught this second spider in the same death-grip as that he had used with the first.

Hmm. A little easier this time. Nice. Now I just need to keep this up until I can grow strong enough to do something about a human. Heh. I wonder how many times I can evolve, or if there is a level cap?

With his head buried deep inside the spider's cephalothorax obscuring his view, and just as he felt he was coming close to finishing this second spider off, a terrible searing pain erupted and grew within Michael's abdomen as something latched onto him.

Fuck!

-6HP, Mature Leaping Spider Venom (-6HP/30sec.) for 12 Minutes.

+10HP Minor Regeneration.

He pulled back away from the spider he was holding to find another spider, even bigger than the first had approached and bitten down, with one fang sinking into Michael's abdomen while the other stabbed into the abdomen of his current victim.

Michael's adrenaline allowed him to knock the second spider away, and the new arrival backed away before striking again, this time sinking both fangs only into the nearly-dead spider Michael had been working on. The pain in his abdomen continued to spread, and his anger increased.

Fuck, I don't have time for this shit!

Michael swiveled in place and launched himself at the huge third spider that had turned itself upward to carry its feebly-struggling prize away. Upon impact, he lashed out at the spider's back, just above its legs, forelegs crushing as hard as possible in an effort to grip securely around the spider's main body.

To Michael's surprise, one of the spines of his left foreleg sank right through one of the spider's eyes and it panicked, leaping while still holding the second spider and dragging Michael along with it. The entire mass of arthropod weapons and legs was launched haphazardly upward, tumbling about before plummeting toward the ground below.

The three landed in a heap, right on top of the first spider's corpse, with Michael pinned between. The third spider released the second in an effort to right itself, and the latter immediately turned around in place and locked jaws with the third, the fangs of both sinking deeply into the softer places where their chelicerae met their heads. All of this took place out of Michael's vision, since his head was pinned atop the relatively-soft abdomen of the first spider by the hard cephalothorax of the third.

-6HP Mature Leaping Spider Venom.

For his part, Michael wrenched himself about until he could bite, then chewed for all he was worth in an attempt to kill off the third spider. The spider above abruptly smashed downward into him much harder than he thought logically possible, pressing Michael's head, thorax, and forelegs into the abdomen of the first spider hard enough that it nearly cracked his tough new chitin while bursting the first spider like a grape beneath a human foot. That entire sequence of events was accompanied by the sound of chitin being crushed, and it terrified him. The third spider was abruptly ripped away from Michael's grasp, and he clambered out of the mess, furiously wiping to clear his vision while trying to figure out what was going on. Another crunching sound hit his single ear.

Group Kill of Mature Leaping Spider Level 23. Experience Split.

Michael managed to wipe enough spider-entrails away from one of his compound eyes to spot the green and brown lizard munching away on the second and third spiders simultaneously. Its odd eye's bifurcated vertical pupil was trained upon him, and that realization actually caused him to defecate, adding to his humiliation.

Group Kill of Mature Leaping Spider Level 19. Experience Split.

A level notification popped up, but Michael ignored it while the hungry reptile began to swallow the macerated remains of two spiders at once. Its eye remained fixed upon him while he worked to finish cleaning his own eyes off.

What the fuck was I thinking?! I should have been more careful... At this rate, I'll be lucky to-

The lizard leapt away suddenly, hissing as it went. Something dark and massive followed immediately after, moving nearly three times as fast as the lizard. When the blur of motion had completed, the lizard was bending backward to give a loud alarm call while biting ineffectually at a much larger, front-fanged and smooth-scaled snake that had seized it by its midsection. Michael took the opportunity to make himself scarce, running like mad upward, into the taller grasses and away from the carnage.

He had made it perhaps a half-meter away before an absurdly loud roar impacted his single ear while something truly massive came crashing out from the forest and into the meadow.

You've got to be fucking kidding me. Michael had frozen in place as he stared into the gaping jaws of a lizard that looked a lot like the first, except that this one was easily large enough to kill and eat a fully-grown human whole. It stepped down on the snake with one of its massive, clawed front feet, then tore it completely in half with a sideways raking movement from the other.

The violent act slapped Michael out of the grass and sent him tumbling through the air, away from the titanic reptile while it ducked its head to destroy the front half of the snake with one terrifying snap of its jaws. The impact from its bite was strong enough to send out a shockwave that slammed into Michael just at the apex of his flight.

-6HP Mature Leaping Spider Venom.

+10HP Minor Regeneration.

Holy, happy horse-shit... Note to self; don't pick a fight with those lizards! I thought mother bears were dangerous, but this thing is fucking ridiculous!

Michael tumbled down into a new area of the meadow, managing to catch himself by snagging two grass stems with his foot-claws. The small lizard's alarm call sounded again, though it had grown weak.

Its tremendous mother roared loud enough to temporarily deafen Michael's ear. The alien-looking, star-shaped pupils in her massive eyes shone with a golden light from within. She held up her foot to look over her stricken baby, as it clung weakly to one of her toes.

The baby's eyes started to glow in response, and then its body shone with that same light for the briefest moment.

Afterward, the little lizard perked up a little. It nuzzled against its mother's huge foot while the enormous reptile cooed at it. The sound reminded Michael of a large diesel engine at idle.

Michael shuddered and involuntarily shat himself once again. Oh fuck... I hope to hell it can't spot me from this distance...

The tiny lizard hopped down and scurried through the grasses to one side. The titanic mother lizard cocked her head, then ducked her jaws gently to pick up half of the snake's remains. Its baby chirped happily, and Michael lost sight of it when the little lizard scurried energetically onto its mother.

His head snapped upward when it appeared again, atop her head. And then Michael's blood froze when he saw the other half-dozen babies camouflaged atop her head. Each had nestled themselves between two of the massive spines that jutted out from either side of her skull, just above her eyes.

With a final deafening roar and a final stomp of her left front foot to ensure the remaining half of the snake would never slither again, the gigantic mother lizard trotted back into the forest.

To Michael's amazement, her feet scarcely made a sound as she went.

That... What the actual fuck? Just how many kinds of gigantic, magic-dinosaur-dragons does this fucked-up world have?! Wait!! Don't fucking answer that! Michael looked around in trepidation, fearing Murphy might have overheard his thoughts.

-6HP Mature Leaping Spider Venom.

He was immediately reminded of the problem in his abdomen, and Michael winced as the searing pain returned, his adrenaline-fueled state of shock starting to wane. Damn...

---

Rihelah fell motionless once again as Kaleb turned toward her while holding another jar and walked closer. She tensed, gripping the cork hard with her foot-claws as he approached. The man set the other jar down, a wide grin upon his face.

“Hey! It's time to meet your new roommate, Mister Beetle!” Kaleb picked up Rihelah's jar and looked in, then raised one hand above the jar before tapping hard at the cork twice.

The second impact knocked Rihelah free, and she plummeted to the leaf litter below. This fucker!

“There's a good little shiny critter! Now you play nice with Mister Beetle! He's super friendly... You're going to love him!” The man said with a laugh. The jar he'd brought held a small, dark brown thing that moved quickly around, frequently attempting and failing to climb its sides.

The corks were pulled free from both containers, and the other was tipped above her own.

You've gotta be fucking kidding me... That cro-magnon incel is actually forcing me to participate in some twisted version of a ten-year-old's fantasy bug arena!

The dark shape fell into her container and landed upside down with its large mandibles snapping and legs scrambling to right itself. Rihelah noted it was nearly as large as her, and wasted no time dashing over to it and restraining its head with one foreleg and its legs with the other before stretching it out to prevent it from moving around.

Hah! No way am I allowing this ignoramus to stage a fair fight if I can prevent it!

“Ooooh! So quick to attack! That's right! Be a savage little beastie and fight! Fight for Papa Kaleb!”

There's absolutely zero chance this nitwit gets any attention from women. How old is he? Twenty-five? Mentally he can't be any older than ten. I bet he's still a virgin...

She worked quickly to bite off the beetle's six legs one after another, rendering it helpless. Wasting no time, she found a soft spot below its head and worked to completely disable its jaws. All the while, Kaleb cheered loudly, as if he were watching a martial arts tournament.

You have defeated Bore Beetle Level 8. Experience Gained.

Hmm. The taste is not exactly what I would call amazing, but I can deal with this. At least I have food. Keep feeding me, asshole. I will put on a show for you until I manage to break free. Her human jailer had pressed his greasy nose against the side of the jar as he looked down from above, his breath fogging up the glass while he watched her with crossed eyes.

She eyed the spellbound dolt with her peripheral vision while she ate, looking forward to eventually wiping the slack-jawed expression off his face for good.

I had better not become too full, or I will be too heavy to move about with the kind of agility I may need to deal with this human monster's other pets... Rihelah thought to herself as she stopped her meal halfway.

When he saw that Rihelah had finished eating, Kaleb stood up and pointed a finger down at her. “You are one exciting little bastard! I never seen one bug grab onto another and just chew it to death like that! I thought sure Mister Beetle was gonna win, but you just dismembered him first thing! Guess there ain't no chance you're one o' them creepy enkelyn after all! They would'a tried talking first with that creepy voice that crawls about inside your head, and after that fails they use magic to fight... It ain't natural for none but people to use magic! But you... Ohh-oh-ho, you! Nothin' but pure brute strength and the kind of instant reactions a bug like you should have! It's perfect! I want more! Hyaahahaha!!”

The man danced around awkwardly in place for a bit, then rushed over to the shelf from which he had gathered the other jar.

This damnable maniac... If I eat like that again he'll probably think I'm still hungry. If I just kill the next one and then drop the body without eating, then maybe he'll leave me alone? But then he might just get excited to see me fight again! Hmm. How in the hell can I satisfy him and stay alive long enough to free myself? I fucking hate him!

Kaleb skipped over holding another jar, then twirled about. “Our hand-sized Miss Tesla Spider is much too big for you, so you get to play with her favorite little sister instead; Big ol' Miss Leaper!” He held the jar out proudly, and Rihelah noted with alarm that the spider inside was at least twice her own size.

Leaping spider? Wait... Does he mean JUMPING SPIDER?! Oh fuck... Damn this psychotic asshole and the crunchy tube-sock that's his one true love!! Bahhh!! Stay calm, Rihelah! Think! Jumping spiders... They have excellent vision, especially for movement. And they're highly intelligent, active hunters. If I move first, I'm dead. Before it gets in here I had better...

Rihelah positioned herself close to the outer edge of the container, facing inward while her tormentor was busy talking to himself as he worked to uncork the other jar. She quickly gathered a dried leaf and stacked it part-way over her abdomen to appear as if she were simply part of the leaf-litter.

She was about to grab another when her peripheral vision spotted Kaleb lifting the other jar. She balanced herself and froze in place, ready to attack as soon as the spider moved into range.

She started paying attention to Kaleb's words again, in case she might learn something about her imminent opponent. His mock-baby-talk voice gave her bad chills.

“...never beat Miss Leaper, can it? Miss Leaper is our small-critters champion! Too strong for the little creeper that killed your friend Mister Beetle! Get the shiny thing, Miss Leaper! Avenge your friend so I can put that pretty little thing up on the wall of shame! Go on now!”

Kaleb uttered a self-assured chuckle while he tipped the other jar above Rihelah's. He tapped the bottom of the jar twice and the spider abseiled down upon a silken line. Just as it was about to touch down, Kaleb maneuvered the other jar, trying to make the spider land directly on top of Rihelah.

Asshole! She struck first, spinning the spider halfway 'round on its silken line while it tucked its legs in reflexively.

When its fangs were pointed away from her, she struck again; grappling for all she was worth in an effort to secure her opponent.

The spider detached from its silken line, fighting against her with all its strength while Kaleb cackled and tapped at the jar repeatedly to make her lose her footing.

Rihelah found herself on the losing end of a power struggle as the spider's thick limbs shoved hard at her while they bounced around, but she held on with everything she had as she bent forward to chew...