I can't say I ever liked spiders, even in my last life.  

I wasn't exactly afraid of them per say. They ate the more annoying bugs, and mostly avoided me, but there is something instinctively uncomfortable about their skittering about on so many legs. After all, nothing that gangly should be able to just vanish the second you turn your head. 

But I digress, that was all in my last life. 

The current dungeon spider I'm trying to restrain more than makes up for the mild opinions I held in my last life. 

I can safely say: it's horrible. 

 My two stumpy legs struggle to hold the flailing arachnid from getting any closer as it repeatedly clicks its slobbering fangs over me, it's engorged abdomen still trailing errant strands of pus-green silk from where it had tried to ambush me moments ago by dropping from the ceiling. It's spiked, chitinous body was a deep maroon, and covered with a multitude of thick, wirey hairs. And here I am, pinned underneath; flattened onto my back and struggling to solidify my mud enough to hold off the beast. 

I can only lament my bad luck. The mouth of the chamber I had just exited was only a few paces away. I'd barely started walking before this world tried to kill me. The worst part is, I can't see a way out of this. I'm just an orb with legs!

'Why do you even want to eat me?! I'm made of mud ' I mentally shout as the nightmare behemoth starts writhing over me again. I'd definitely scream if I could, but of course, I have no mouth. 

I grimace (as best as a lump of sediments can grimace anyway) as the Dungeon Spider finally breaks free of my grasp, several of its legs finding purchase as it scrambles off and to my side to prepare for its next pounce. I see a small string of spider-goo trailing along with it; an injury it must have sustained when it accidentally stabbed itself on my foot-stone.

'Wait... I injured it? Oh, duh. Of course I did. It basically tried to bodyslam an agitated mudslide. Rocks hurt. '

'Wait a minute...'

An idea quickly began to take shape in my mind as the spider began to ready its next pounce. 

I focused my will on my body, not trying to harden my mud, but instead rotating my joints. The small triangular gravel that makes up my foot swiveled in place, the point now facing outwards along the length of my leg like some kind of stubby lance. This could work!

'Bring it on, four-eyes!' 

The spider, as if it could hear my taunt, suddenly leaps. It's front legs raised in an attempt to pin me on impact while it's pedipalps swing wide to give itself plenty of room to catch me with its fangs. I brace myself, locking my joints and stiffening my body as best I can. At the last moment, I swing my improvised leg-weapon into the air, ready to impale the beast. 

I feel the tip of the stone begin to cut into the spider's underside, but the success is short lived. It's far faster than I gave it credit. Sensing the danger, the Dungeon spider shifts to the side mid attack, losing its opportunity to land it's jump on me, but changing a lethal strike against it, to one that merely maimed it. 

I, Despite landing a solid hit and taking out one of it's legs, get sent flying backwards in a small spray of spider blood from the sheer force of the impact. My weaponized leg is now crumpled back into me, the mud supporting it having telescoped from the force. 

'Shit.' I curse myself as I frantically try to reshape my leg, the still formed one now kicking furiously off the ground as I try to wobble-roll further away from the spider that already seems to have almost recovered. 

With its 7 remaining legs back underneath it, it whirls back towards me, a new fury burning behind its crimson eyes. With an almost indignant click of its fangs, it charges again, clearly intending to finish this off once and for all. 

'Come on! Faster!' I urge my body to hurry up, trying to reconstruct myself faster. With one final push, a poorly-made limb shoots out like a piston, socketing my stone foot directly between the spider's fangs as they come mere moments from splitting me in half. 

'Ha! Eat that!' 

*Krrrkkn* 

I hear the grating creak of stone and my joy begins to waver. 

'W-wait! I didn't mean that literally!' I start to struggle, pulling at the stone that's still wedged in the spider's mouth. 

I look up in horror as I feel the stone begin to crack between the arachnid's deceptively strong jaws; and, I don't know how it would even be possible but I swear that the damn thing had a smug, shit-eating look on its face as it suddenly snapped its fangs together. 

*Kraalkck*

The stone splinters apart and I'm sent rolling backwards as I'm freed, the previously taut limb I was pulling on suddenly going slack as my stone-foot is compromised. 

I come to a quick stop as my meager mass suddenly splatters against the cave wall like wet clay. Thankfully, I'm given a moment of reprieve as the many-legged freak decides to survey the damage it cause instead of rushing back in. It stands a few paces away, flexing it's mandibles. It feels like it's giving me time to stand. Like it has something to prove, or wants me to prove something... no, It's probably trying to gauge how hurt I actually am In case I'm just playing 'possum. And honestly, that's probably a pretty good call. It's not like I bleed. For me, it's a battle of attrition. If I was able to, another ambush strike would be great. 

Instead, I slowly unsuction my body off the wall with a wet *schlork* and unsteadly rise to my feet. 

Well, "foot". Singular. 

I realize that as I try to put my weight down evenly and nearly collapse. A quick self-diagnosis tells me that my right leg now ends in 3 splintered stone shards instead of a solid foot. It can't evenly support my weight now. The spider seems to realize that it managed to cripple me, and begins circling closer, gauging to see if I'll lash out, a stringy trail of insect viscera still dragging along from its underbelly and one of it's legs stumps. 

'I guess we're both down a leg now, huh?' I think, shifting my uneven weight awkwardly onto my leg-stumps as I attempt to stand again. I stare it down in defiance, despite my lack of eyes. It appears to roll its many shoulders, squaring up as if finally taking me seriously. Again, I get the strangest sensation of underlying emotion, this time... something akin to respect. 

'Nope, no. Don't think about it. This is it. Do or die time.' I say as I prepare myself for the next attack. 

But...

 it never comes. 

Instead, A thundering impact rocks the cavern, a titanic form slamming into the back half of my opponent. I can only recoil as it's already damaged carapace suddenly shears and cracks under the weight, it's organs spilling out in a sudden visceral deluge. I can see it's crimson eyes widen in panic, fear surprisingly evident on the insectoid face. 

I allow my perception to wonder upwards at the shadow now cast over us, and my vision fills with a colossal pair of clawed digitigrade legs. The beginnings of a humanoid torso set atop the organic monolith like a fleshy skyscraper, the sheer height being too great for my new senses to perceive, the rest of the great beast simply blurs into the background above.

And then, just as quickly as it came, it vanishes, the rhythmic thunder rolling along as it jogs up the cavern, leaving my once-enemy to die an insignificant death. 

I turn back to it, hesitantly. I see it desperately scooping its innards back towards its ruined carapace with its remaining three spindly legs, the light already beginning to leave its eyes during the struggle. It's pathetic. 

We're pathetic. 

A strange impulse takes over as I limp closer, approaching the dying beast as it ignores me before I place a limb gently over one of it's legs. I'm not sure what came over me that lead to the 180 degree flip. Perhaps I was influenced by the ability to sense some of its emotions, or I felt comraderie in how insignificant we both were. Or perhaps the fact that I'm a living ball of clay has started to wear down my mind. Either way, I do my best to convey my thoughts. 

'It was an honor. You fought valiantly.' I think, bowing my "head" and trying my best to project my feelings back to the moribund beast. 

It's frantic movements grow hesitant and it's head slowly swivels towards me. It stares at me with its many eyes for a moment, before it dips its head down, returning the bow. 

Gratitude

I wasn't crazy. I can feel it send the emotions back. Behind the haze of panic, it's grateful it received a warrior's farewell. It is grateful it's last moments weren't alone. 

I grip the spindly leg a little tighter, attempting to send comfort back along this strange tether we've created. I keep holding its leg even as the last of the light leaves its eyes, and then for some minutes after. Eventually, after far too long, I let go. 

Something within me hurts as I pull a nearby leaf over it's now blank stare. Something in the human part of me that I cannot place. A strange ache that I cannot release. 

My thoughts are interrupted as a single dewdrop falls onto me from one of the nearby bioluminescent ferns, the water drop trailing down my face.

Ah, of course. Tears.