The Inner World. Named so because of its existence deep within Earth itself, was the planet's best kept secret. A vast, sprawling world filled with vegetation, dazzling sights, and creatures most would only see in a movie or cartoon, few knew of its existence, and even fewer have successfully crossed into it. Created by a being known as the "Spirit Oracle", the world had been plagued for decades, if not centuries, by an ongoing war between two of the world's main inhabitants: Humans native to the Inner World, and a race of insect-like humanoid creatures called Insectors. Initially, relations between the humans and Insectors were peaceful, if strained, and they generally stayed out of each other's way. But that all changed when Mantid took over.
An "Earthen", a human from the outer world, Mantid initially fought as the Oracle's chosen champion, but defected to the Insectors after the death of his beloved during a battle, and disguised himself as an Insector to walk among them without raising suspicion. At some point afterwards, he became leader of the Insectors, and convinced the once-peaceful race to completely wipe out the humans of the Inner World. Mantid then attempted to take the Oracle's power for himself, partly to spite the Oracle, and to revive his beloved. In response to his actions, the Oracle created the Spider Riders; a group of human warriors who fought alongside massive spiders to repel the Insectors. These spiders, in addition to their massive size and strength, were very intelligent, and were capable of human speech.
Though they mainly protected the kingdom of Arachna, they also travelled to other kingdoms in the Inner World if their help was needed. The most famous Spider Riders among the ranks was King Arachna I, the very first Spider Rider who was chosen by the Oracle during a fierce battle, and his later contemporaries Quake, and Trigger Steele, the latter having been the first Earthen to be chosen as a Spider Rider. With their skills and strength, they thwarted Mantid's plans to take the Oracle's power, but at the cost of the Insector lands losing the Oracle Sun; plunging it into darkness, and turning it into a desolate wasteland.
Decades would pass, as would generations of Spider Riders, before the Oracle would crown a new champion from the outer world. That champion would end up being Trigger's own grandson, Hunter. Trigger, who had returned to the outer world by becoming the fabled "Arachna Master", would tell his grandson about his adventures in the Inner World with masterful storytelling, fuelling the young boy's imagination, with a promise to one day take him to the Inner World. Sadly, Trigger died before Hunter was fully old enough to go exploring with him, but it didn't stop the young boy from eventually locating the temple that had transported his grandfather to the Inner World. At only eleven years old, Hunter would go on his own journey within the Inner World as a Spider Rider, and would be instrumental in toppling Mantid's rule over the Insectors; bringing the Oracle's light back to their land, and forging a new peace between humans and Insectors.
Unfortunately, years of animosity and bitterness wouldn't just disappear overnight. Many people on both sides still distrusted each other, and still many Insectors felt that Mantid's goal was just, and they were superior to humans. This eventually led to an Insector civil war that caused their kingdom to be split in two, less than three years after the initial peace made by Mantid's defeat. And not only was it between their own kind, the Insectors who hated humans, now branding themselves as "Invectids" to separate themselves from their peaceful brethren, also frequently attacked Arachna, forcing Hunter and the Spider Riders to defend their kingdom from Insectors once more; while also occasionally helping the Insector kingdom that still sided with them.
And so here was Hunter Steele, slumped against a wall in the loyalist Insector fortress after two back-to-back battles in both Arachna and in the Insector lands, completely wiped. Six years ago, Hunter had walked through this same fortress as "Public Enemy #1," due to his role in constantly thwarting Mantid and his lieutenants, and had to wear a disguise so his presence wouldn't cause a mass riot. Now, he was considered a hero to Insectors who weren't still staunchly loyal to their former leader. The young warrior had matured from an impulsive, ignorant boy, to a skilled and powerful fighter at seventeen, while still keeping his spirited personality. And, though not their leader, was widely considered one of the greatest fighters among the Spider Riders. Unfortunately, it made him a priority target for the Invectids, who frequently swarmed him and his equally powerful battle spider, Shadow. Hunter won all of his battles, but by the end, he would crash from exhaustion, and sleep the very first chance he got. Today in particular was so bad, he didn't even bother to change out of his armour before crashing. Shadow, his trusted ally, was also asleep inside his manacle, similarly exhausted.
While he couldn't deny his love for the thrill of battle, there were times where he wished things could've stayed peaceful so he could have more days off... or at least less intense battles, so he wouldn't have to spend most of his time sleeping and recovering. As much as he liked to sleep, his time was better spent being productive at Arachna Castle, or appeasing his girlfriend and fellow Rider, Corona, who was getting fed up with his sleeping habits cutting into their time together; though that wasn't entirely his fault, all things considered.
A firm nudge on his leg stirs Hunter out of his brief sleep. Groggily, he lifts his head up to get a look at who disturbed his sleep. It takes a moment for his eyes to fully focus, but he saw a tall Insector who almost looked human, save for the antennas sticking out of his head, unnaturally green eyes, and pale skin. Hunter recognized him immediately.
"Buguese," Hunter greets, failing to stifle the yawn that escapes from his mouth. "Sorry for my lack of decorum in your fortress, but I'm completely exhausted after running on fumes nearly all day."
The Insector ruler nods understandingly. "It's quite alright, Hunter," he replies. "Aqune and Corona are just as exhausted, but they insisted on healing your allies and my troops before allowing themselves to rest."
Hunter grunts and nods, a small frown forming on his face. Of all the Spider Riders, Corona and Aqune were the most compassionate, and often put others' needs before their own; sometimes to a fault, in Aqune's case. Like him, they were among the most talented of the Spider Riders, and were frequently priority targets for attacks as well. Though both were Oracle Handmaidens, gifted with the ability to tap into the power of the Oracle herself, he hates the idea of them tiring themselves out further to heal everyone.
Buguese notices the look on Hunter's face, and continues, "Don't worry about them too much. Prince Lumen gave them a strict limit of how many people they were allowed to heal so they don't tire themselves out more." He extends a hand out to the young warrior. "Come, let me take you to your quarters for the night, so you'll at least be able to rest comfortably. I'd be a terrible host if I just left you here."
Hunter gives a tired smile, and takes the Insector Lord's hand, forcing himself off the fortress floor. Years ago, Hunter would have never imagined being allies with Buguese, let alone most of the Insector nation, yet here he was, sleeping inside their fortress without any fear of harm being done to him. Hunter thought back to his early days as a Spider Rider, when he used to clash frequently with the Insector who was once Mantid's right-hand. Buguese had despised him for constantly ruining his plans, and, supposedly (according to Beerain) getting a little too close to Aqune, though they've since managed to peacefully clear up that particular misunderstanding, despite the constant stories swirling through the Arachnan and Insector grapevines. Since then, they've been frequent battle partners on the battlefield, and continued to have a friendly rivalry, but stopped short of actually calling themselves "friends." Nevertheless, they trusted each other enough to put their lives in the other's hands, and confide in one another about things they couldn't freely discuss with their own comrades.
About a minute later, the two arrived at Hunter's temporary room. Hunter sluggishly opens the door, and walks inside. Buguese follows closely to make sure he doesn't faceplant onto the floor. The room was well furnished and fancy, but all Hunter cared about was getting to the bed straight across from him.
"Rider out," Hunter calls out tiredly. Instantly, his Rider armour dissolves into light, and he's back into his civilian clothes within moments. As soon as he got in front of the bed, he immediately flops down on top of it, and lets out a tired sigh. Buguese can't help but shake his head at the sight. The Spider Riders were the Oracle's chosen for a reason, but they were still mortal, and thus had their limits. While he and his comrades had given them fierce fights in the past, they never had so many consecutive battles, even at the height of the Insector-human war, and it was clear it was starting to take their toll on them.
"Rest well, Hunter," Buguese says as the warrior quickly falls into slumber. "I'll make sure you're not disturbed for the rest of the day." With that, the Insector lord left the room, leaving Hunter to his dreams.
"Try and keep up, Hunter!"
"Watch me! You're not gonna win this time!"
The two boys raced up the sidewalk of their neighbourhood, trying to outpace the other. It was a hot, summer day, and most of the kids in the neighbourhood were out and about, enjoying the warmth of the sun, or trying to stay cool in their pools or sprinklers. For seven-year-old Hunter in particular, it was a time for him to settle up a score. He and Lavell, his closest friend and rival in just about everything, were among the fastest runners in their school, and kept beating each other in various races held on the school grounds and elsewhere.Eventually, they both decided on a rubber match to truly see who was the fastest between them, with the winner getting to call dibs on the candy stash Trigger, Hunter's grandfather, had. Starting from the nearby corner store, Hunter managed to get an early lead, but it wasn't long before Lavell overtook him, and was now a few feet in front of him.
Determined not to lose, Hunter picked up his speed, and began to catch up to Lavell as he rounded a corner. Lavell noticed Hunter's sudden gain, and pushed harder, but Hunter wasn't letting up. Soon, Trigger's house was in sight, and the two were neck and neck as they ran towards the porch.
"I got this locked!" Hunter shouts.
"In your dreams, slowpoke!" Lavell taunts back. The comment earns him an elbow to the ribs from Hunter that nearly stumbles him. Lavell proceeded to give him a hard elbow to the gut in retaliation. From there, it only took seconds for their race to turn into a brouhaha of fisticuffs. Hunter threw an overhead left that Lavell ducked, and countered with two body shots to Hunter's ribs. Hunter then grabbed Lavell's shirt, and threw another elbow, this time to the back of Lavell's head.
As their battle of pride was going on, Trigger Steele was sitting on the porch, watching it all happen with an amused chuckle. For him, this was nothing new. He knew Lavell and his grandson were like brothers, and equally competitive since they were babies. More often than not, their competitive egos would get the best of them, and they would end up coming to blows, but they'd still be as thick as thieves by the end of it; albeit with a couple extra bruises. Nevertheless, he got up to break up their little brawl, as he didn't want their competitiveness to let them get too carried away.
"Alright, you two! Knock it off!" Trigger said as he walked towards the boys. "No fighting this weekend! We already discussed this." Both boys stopped what they were doing, and looked up at their guardian, who despite his best attempt to look stern, couldn't hide his amusement.
"But he elbowed me first, Uncle Trigg!" Lavell complained.
"You called me a slowpoke!" Hunter countered, pointing an accusatory finger at him.
"I can't help it if you can't keep up!" Lavell responded. Hunter tried to swing at him again, but Trigger grabbed his arm before he could connect.
"I meant what I said; no more fighting," Trigger said, this time with a more stern tone to get his point across. "I know you both get competitive, and tend to get carried away, but your little bets can't keep ending in fights all the time. It's poor sportsmanship, and makes both of you look bad. You're better than that."
The boys looked up at Trigger, then each other, before turning away guiltily. "Sorry..." they mumbled.
Trigger lets go of Hunter's arm, and knelt down to pat the shoulders of both boys. "It's fine; I just want you both to be the best men you can be," He replied gently. "You're starting to reach that point where you begin to grow from boys to men. And while you shouldn't lose your spirit as you grow, fighting all the time isn't the way to go. It's one thing to defend yourselves, or protect the people you love, but throwing blows over silly stuff like who's the fastest, or who's winning a game isn't what you should be doing, especially since you're practically brothers. Glory is fine, but it fades over time. How you act, and how you treat others is what truly cements your legacy as a person."
"Sounds like you know from experience, Uncle Trigg," Lavell replied. Trigger smiled knowingly.
"I do. It was a lesson I had to learn the hard way while in the Inner World."
At the mention of the Inner World, both boys' faces instantly beamed. "You have another story to tell, Granddad?" Hunter asked excitedly.
Trigger nodded. "That, I do. But first," he raised up his right hand. "I want both of you to swear that you'll never let your competitiveness and pride get the best of you like this ever again; or else I won't tell you anything else about the Inner World. Got it?"
The boys quickly nodded, and raised up their right hands as well. "We promise," they said simultaneously. Trigger chuckled at their synchronization. They really were brothers...
"Glad to hear it. Now, let's go up to the corner store, and get some ice cream, and I'll tell you guys my story when we get back."
"...Light brings knowledge, knowledge brings compassion. I am bathed in light. I open my mind and heart to the light..."
Slowly, Hunter came to. He rubs the sleep out of his eyes, and instinctively looks out his left, towards the window, at the Oracle Sun. It was now "evening," as the once-orange sun was now nearly swallowed up by a deep shade of purple.
Man, how long was I out for? He wonders to himself. All this fighting has got me completely drained, and I know the others feel the same, too. Hope they're doing okay.
"...Knowledge brings compassion. I am bathed in light. I open my mind and heart to the light..." the continuous chanting flows through Hunter's ears, but he doesn't need to turn around to know who it is.
"You should be resting too, Corona," Hunter states tiredly.
"Uh!" The Oracle Handmaiden-turned-Spider Rider flinches. Her eyes having been closed during her prayer, she didn't realize Hunter had woken up. She smiles apologetically, and says, "I'm sorry, Hunter, but I couldn't let you lay there all tired and sore from everything that's happened today; it wouldn't be right."
"You're just as tired and sore as I am, Corona," Hunter counters, turning his head towards her. "Plus, Buguese told me you and Aqune were trying to heal everyone in one go instead of resting earlier, and Lumen had to stop both of you from overtaxing yourselves even more."
"But we were just trying to help, Hunter!" Corona insisted.
"I know, and I understand," Hunter replies. "I'm not faulting you or Aqune for that; it's just in your nature. But you're still mortal, just like I am. We may be able to call on and harness the power of the Spirit Oracle, but we have limits. Sometimes, we have to pump the brakes, and give ourselves a break before we end up stretching ourselves too thin to be of any help. We can't help anyone if we can't help ourselves."
Corona gawks at Hunter in stunned silence, not expecting such a mature response from him. Corona had seen Hunter grow mentally and physically during his years in the Inner World, but he usually had a confident and boisterous swagger about him. Very rarely did she ever see his mature side come out.
"Did I say something wrong?" Hunter asked, getting worried about Corona's silent stare. Corona blinks, and snaps out of her stupor, realizing she left Hunter hanging. Her face reddens as she shrinks slightly in embarrassment.
"N-no, not at all!" Corona stammers. "It's just... I usually don't see this profound side of you very often. What you just said is a big one-eighty from the Hunter I know."
the Earthen just laughed. "Don't get too used it, I'm just too tired to do much else," he said jokingly. "But we really do need as much rest as we can get at the moment, or we're going to get sloppier on the battlefield, and we can't afford that. Especially not after our last few battles."
Corona nodded grimly. "Right."
Because they had so many battles with little sleep or rest between in the last several days, the Arachnan Kingdom had lost many of their foot soldiers to the Invectids, and had nearly lost a couple of their fellow Spider Riders as well. Prince Lumen had been frustrated with the loss of his men, but with the Invectids constantly stirring up trouble for both the Arachna and Insector kingdoms, they had virtually no time for rest.
"For the time being, then, I guess getting some much-needed rest wouldn't be a bad idea," Corona said. She promptly kicks off her shoes, and joins Hunter on his bed, curing up next to him.
"Buguese didn't give you your own quarters?" Hunter asks casually, though he's already pretty certain of what the answer was.
Corona shook her head. "He said it would be pointless, since he knew I would be headed to your room, anyway."
"I figured as much," Hunter replies in amusement. "How long were you in here for before I woke up, anyway?"
Corona hums in thought. "I want to say... twenty minutes? You had been out of it for a few hours already by the time I came up."
Hunter raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend's last statement. "I thought Lumen put a limit on how many soldiers you could heal today?"
"He did, but Aqune just kept going," Corona said. "Even Buguese couldn't get her to stop healing soldiers. I had already hit my limit, anyway, so I had to stop."
Hunter groans. "I really hope she's resting now. She really puts all of us way before herself, and it kinda scares me that she might burn herself out."
"Me too," Corona agrees. "She's so self-sacrificing, I wonder if she's ever considered focusing on her personal happiness. But like she always tells me, 'helping everyone is my happiness.'"
"That definitely sounds like something she'd say..." Hunter fails to stifle another yawn, but at least manages to turn his head away from Corona's. "But hopefully she's resting now. And I know we all could use some shut-eye right now."
Corona hums, and snuggles closer to her boyfriend. "I couldn't agree more. Let's get some sleep."
I shouldn't even be writing this, but here we are, lmao. Even though the Spider Riders anime fanbase is deader than a door nail at this point, I've been meaning to overhaul my old fic for years, and now I got the chance. Those of y'all following me for my other stories, don't worry; they're getting updates very soon.
- A.T.