Here's another chapter! I hope you'll enjoy it.
After the ritual, Nadia's Group and the Northern Ant were still baffled by the sight of Nadia's Spirit standing right in front of them.
As for Nadia herself, She takes a few steps forward and stretched her hand to Leonardo Da Vinci.
"Greetings, Leonardo Da Vinci. My name is Nadia," Nadia introduced herself,
"Please, Just call me Da Vinci-chan!" Da Vinci insisted as she shook Nadia's hand. Then she turns to the ants and somehow, it had earned her curiosity, "Who are those people?"
"Them?" Nadia mentioned as she turns to her Group and the Northern Ant, "The ones who look human are Reese and Zen, A couple of Ant Children, and an ant from the North,"
"Ants? But they don't seem to like ants to me," Da Vinci said,
"That's because their insectoids," Nadia said, "They're vastly different than ordinary ants,"
"I see..." Da Vinci said,
A moment later, Da Vinci started examining each and every one of the ants. They seemed rather uncertain at first, but as soon as she laid her eyes on the Northern Ant. That's where Da Vinci gets fascinated by the Northern Ant's appearance, but more specifically was the wasp wings.
"Incredible," Da Vinci muttered loudly, "Tell me, Do you fly with these wings?"
"Um... I do," The Northern Ant answered, and spread his wasp wings for Da Vinci,
"Oh my! Look at the size of these wings," Da Vinci pointed out,
"Indeed," Nadia added as she examined the wings herself, "But if you're asking how it he got them, It's actually due to their skill called [Adaptation]. Whatever they consume, they tend to evolve into whatever they consume,"
"Fascinating," Da Vinci muttered out loud,
Before they could go off-topic, Nadia decided to focus on the main task at hand.
"Anyway, Da Vinci-chan. The reason why I've called for you is that I need your help with something," Nadia said,
"And what would you want me to do?" Da Vinci questioned, while
"I wanted to know whether or not you could help us with something," Nadia stated, then turns to the ruined wall,
Da Vinci turned in the same direction as well, then approached the ruined wall with an examining look on her face.
"Oh, dear... I don't think these walls will hold much longer," Da Vinci said, "It's going to take a long time, and a lot of materials to get these walls in good condition,"
Da Vinci then turns back to Nadia, "Did you summon me here to fix the wall or something?"
"Well... Not just that of course," Nadia said, "I actually need some help with the children,"
Da Vinci momentarily turn the ant children and they seemed rather shy towards her before turning back to Nadia, "They seem rather shy,"
"They are since everyone here witnessed your unexpected arrival," Nadia remarked, "But back to what I was saying, I was hoping that you could teach one of two of them some lesson about... Architecture,"
"So not only you want me to have this wall repaired, you also want me to teach them?" Da Vinci repeated,
"Yeah, Can you do it?" Nadia questioned,
"Hmmm..." Da Vinci cupped her chin as she thinks to herself on whether or not she would do it. But due to the fact that everything in this world is new to her, This meant possible opportunities for her to explore whatever wonders she could find in this world, "Alright, Master! You can count on me!"
"Great, But just as you said before, We're going to need a lot of materials, and hands... or rather claws to get these walls in good shape again," Nadia said,
"How about we ask the other ants? Maybe they can help us?" Reese suggested,
"Even with their help, it's still not enough..." Nadia remarked, then she soon recalled something from the lower levels of the colony and turns to the Northern Ant, "Hey, Didn't you say that there is a possibility of arachnid insectoids below?"
"I'm actually accurate about that. But why do you ask?" The Northern Ant questioned,
"Can you lead me to the staircases?" Nadia requested,
Reese and Zen confusingly looked at each other before turning back to Nadia as they had no clue of what her intentions are.
A few moments later...
Nadia was being escorted by the Northern Ant to the staircase after ordering Da Vinci to be with Nadia's group for the meantime and learn more about the Ant Insectoids.
After some time navigating the tunnels, Nadia and The Northern Ant finally stumbled upon the staircase leading to the lower levels of the underground tunnel.
"This is as far as I can go," The Northern Ant said,
Nadia then heighten her sights to see in the dark and all she could see was an out-staircase.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" The Northern Ant worryingly asked,
"I do, so stop worrying about me," Nadia said, then materializes a flashlight powered by a light enchantment crystal,
The Northern Ant was startled as soon as he heard a click on Nadia's flashlight, but he soon became fascinated by the sudden light.
"Wish me luck... Not that I would need it anyway," Nadia said and descends on the stairs,
After she reached the first level of the underground tunnel, Nadia was greeted by a dark and empty pathway, took a breath, and began her exploration in the first underground level.
Once she found nothing, she moved onto the next level as soon as she found another set of stairs.
Being alone wasn't new for Nadia as she had performed several solo missions in her previous life, and most involved infiltration and assassination of Magus that were deemed threats from her world.
However, it doesn't mean that she'll let her guard down in the new world as she carefully navigates through the dark passageways of another underground level.
However, Nadia soon heard some whimpering in the distance and decided to go towards it. Upon her arrival, she soon noticed something that confirms the rumors of the Northern Ant.
A lizard monster whimpered as it was caught and wrapped by spider webbing. Nadia stared at it for a moment but soon sensed a large presence creeping up behind her.
She readied herself in case she needed to either dodge or fight whatever creature that comes right behind her. But eventually, that presence soon revealed itself from the ceiling.
"Welcome, Little Girl," Just in front of Nadia was the upper body of a female arachnid insectoid with purple skin, albino hair, four red eyes, and her upper chest was covered by her own webbing,
"Hello," Nadia calmly greeted,
"My, my... It's been ages since I met someone wandering these tunnels... Even rarer for someone who isn't afraid of my... monstrous appearance," The Female Arachnid stated,
"Running wouldn't make a difference since you'll catch me anyway," Nadia admitted, "Also, I came here to see whether there are any insectoids I could find in these tunnels. Now I've found one,"
"Indeed you have," The Female Arachnid stated, and soon descends from the ceiling to reveal that her lower body resembles that of an actual spider, "And what are you do now?"
"I just want to talk, that's all," Nadia said, "If you don't mind,"
"Hmm... Tempting," The Female Arachnid remarked, "Normally I would have wrapped you with my webbing and taste some fine cuisine other than these monsters I've been encountering. But since you're so willing to converse with me, and I've never talked to anyone for ages. I might as well get along with your request... For now at least,"
"If you insist," Nadia said,
Nadia and The Female Arachnid soon shared a conversation and the latter shared her side of the story. Apparently, The Female Arachnid was once a wanderer of the central region until she stumbled upon the underground levels of the ruined colony.
Before settling in, she also has an abundance of knowledge that dates back a few centuries including the fall of the once great central colony. The reason on how she's was able to stay alive and nourished for so long is due to some parts of the underground levels are notorious breeding grounds of monsters.
Eventually, Their conversation soon ended and the Female Arachnid seemed quite pleased in the end.
"Hehehehe... This turned out to be quite a pleasing experience for me, wouldn't you say?" The Female Arachnid commented,
"Quite indeed," Nadia agreed, "In fact, it's also quite an experience for me too,"
The Female Arachnid giggled at this, and took a bit of a liking to her. But she soon indirectly mentions something that catches Nadia off guard, "For a fellow arachnid, You're quite a special one,"
Nadia widened her eyes in utter confusion from what the Female Arachnid had just said to her.
"Um... I'm sorry, what do you mean by fellow arachnid?" Nadia questioned,
"You see, I've been eating enough creatures for so long, that I've obtained an skill which allows me to identify a variety of species," The Female Arachnid elaborated, "And you, Little One, are the one I mentioned. Because my skill identifies you as an arachnid type insectoid,"
"T-There has to be some sort of misunderstanding. I'm not an insectoid," Nadia said, "I'm just a little human girl with extraordinary powers,"
[She's not wrong though...]
'... What?' Nadia muttered,
[I double-checked your status as soon as Spider Lady labeled you. She's literally telling the truth]
'You're serious...? If so, then prove it... Prove that I'm indeed an insectoid,' Nadia demanded,
[Changing to 3rd Person Perspective Now...]
Nadia views then suddenly shifted until she could see herself entirely, and that's where her Alter Ego soon revealed Nadia's true appearance by emerging six spider legs from her back, her hair changed from blonde to albino, and lastly, the pupil of her eyes became similar to the Female Arachnid.
"What the..." Nadia mouthed in disbelief,
She then looks down at her hands, and noticed that her nails were sharper like knives, and even slashed the air a couple of times.
"Wow..." The Female Arachnid mouthed in awe over Nadia's appearance, then she started examining her thoroughly, "Out of all of my kind that I have seen in my your appearance is something I've never seen before. It's so... beautiful,"
"Uh... Thanks, I guess?" Nadia confusingly thanked, then reverts back to her human appearance, 'Okay, So I find out that I'm an Insectoid. Maybe I'll do some experiments once I get myself a bit of free time,'
Not long after, The Female Arachnid leaned forward with a lecherous smile on her face. Which confuses Nadia even more, "So... Why are you getting so close to me?"
"Nothing, I'm just enjoying the view..." The Female Arachnid said, which leads to further confusion to Nadia's mind,
[Oops... I might have forgotten to tell you something...]
'And what would that be?' Nadia questioned,
[You see... Due to your high status as an Arachnid Insectoid. You happen to have a certain skill which automatically allows you to... charm lower Arachnid Insectoids...]
'Wait, What?!' Nadia exclaimed,
[My bad...?]
'I swear If I ever thought of a way to get you out of my mind. I'm going to choke you with my own two hands!' Nadia swore,
A few moments later...
Reese, Zen, and The Northern were seen with widened eyes to what they're currently seeing today.
Apparently, Nadia had a deadpanned look while the Female Arachnid was standing right behind her with it's arms around Nadia and her breasts on top of Nadia's head.
As for the Ant Children, they hid behind Da Vinci while the latter was a bit confused by sight of her Master.
"Uh... Did something happen when you ventured in the underground levels?" The Northern Ant questioned,
"Yes... and I don't want to talk about it," Nadia said, "What matters now is that we have all the help we need,"
"Help? What kind of help?" Zen questioned,
Nadia simply glanced up to the Female Arachnid, and the latter snapped her fingers once. Moments later, The Female Arachnid had called upon her Spiderlings much to the fright of Nadia's group, and there were hundreds or rather thousands if the small ones were included.
"These spiders will be helping out with the construction?" Da Vinci questioned,
"Yep, and you don't have to worry about the spiders attacking since the one behind me is their leader," Nadia assured, "As for Resources, I heard that the webbing can be good to keep things together, and she also told me that there's an abundance of minerals that can be used below,"
"Then it's settled! We can begin as soon as you give the word," Da Vinci declared,
"I'll go and get all the help you need," The Northern Ant said, and went on to call the other ants,
After gathering every ant that volunteered to help out with the construction, The work began with Da Vinci supervising everything in the reconstruction of the walls.
The walls that are beyond repair are demolished and reconstructed with newer bricks while the cracks were pieced together with small bricks and glued together with a concentrated amount of spider webbing.
Reconstructing one part of the wall took half a day to complete, but Nadia only specified some parts of the walls that needed fixing while the rest are put on a later date.
Nadia felt somewhat proud as the work progressed, in fact, she too decided to work alongside them whenever they needed her help.
Demon Lord's Castle...
The Demon Lord still remained on his throne in silence, until he soon received a message through his magic crystal ball.
"Speak..." The Demon Lord ordered,
"My lord, A Noble from the Human Kingdom is requesting to speak to you," A Female Voice stated,
"It must be Isaac. Put him through," The Demon Lord stated,
"As you wish, My Lord," A Female Voice abides and the demon lord soon levitates the magic crystal in front of him.
The image displayed in the magic crystal ball was a man in his 40s with his hood up.
"What do you want now?" The Demon Lord questioned,
"Not much, I simply wanted to ask about your current status and all," Isaac said,
"Then this conversation is irrelevant," The Demon Lord stated, "But you calling me in secret, then it better be important, otherwise you will be sorry,"
"Apparently, My King has been making several plans lately, and it seems that their eager to get more valuables to fill in their greed," Isaac reported,
"May I remind you that the ants will commence a ceasefire should you interfere with their war?" The Demon Lord stated,
"I've tried telling that to him before, but whenever he gets himself delayed. He gets more and more impatient," Isaac said, "For that, I don't think I'll be able to convince him much longer,"
"Hmmm... If you think about having me provide a clear path for your kingdom, then I'm afraid that I won't do much good," The Demon Lord stated, "The ants will commence a cease-fire should anyone attempt on interfering regarding whether their motives are good or not. The reason how I ruled over them is due to my most trusted officers taking their queens and heiress hostage while clearing themselves away from the war whatsoever,"
"I am aware of that," Isaac said, "But it's not the reason why I called you. I simply wished to inform you of whatever rumor, leak, or information I could gather from my king and the other housing nobles,"
"I see... In that case, I will keep it in mind," The Demon Lord said, "But whatever you do, Don't get yourself involved... After all, you're the one who summoned me here in the first place. Remember?"
"Quite clearly," Isaac said,
"Then does this mean that our meeting has concluded," The Demon Lord presumed,
"Yes, I will call you again should something happen on my end," Isaac said before disconnecting,
The Demon Lord once again continued to ponder to himself as the day passes by.
A Few Days Later...
After some parts of the wall had been restored, Nadia gathered everyone around while Da Vinci stood next to her and the Female Arachnid is still attached to her.
"So, Nadia... Why did you call us all here?" Reese questioned,
"Well... It has been a few days since we repaired some parts of the walls, and I just wanted to say my thanks to everyone who contributed to the repairs," Nadia thanked, "However, That is not all I have to say today,"
"What else is there to talk about?" The Northern Ant questioned,
"You're all fine with a ceasefire after the Demon Lord took over your people right?" Nadia questioned, and everyone seemed to have responded quite well with the decision, "Good, cause why this ceasefire is active, I will be setting a couple of ground rules first,"
"Ground Rules?" Zen repeated,
"Yep, Since all of you are from different regions. I may have predicted that some of you will clash in cultural differences and I don't want any of you trying to kill each other. Therefore, Providing some ground rules will set a few things straight," Nadia elaborated, "First Rule. If any of you have any complaints against each other. Approach me, and I will sort out your problems with words or with action. Second Rule, If any of you were to find someone who isn't familiar with you or someone new comes within this place, Do not approach him or her no matter what reason that person holds. Instead, I want you to notify me,"
A Southern Ant soon raises his hand or rather claw to Nadia, and she took notice, "Yes?"
"You said that we can't approach anyone who's new or those who aren't familiar with us. Does it include the people who come from their respective regions?" The Southern Ant questioned,
"As much as I hate to say it, but yes. You're all not allowed to interact with them even if they came from their respective regions," Nadia strictly stated, "For we can't afford to get ourselves into a lot of attention whatsoever,"
This brought some concern to the ants from several regions excluding Nadia's group. But this was a natural response considering that they're all so concerned about their respective regions being held captive.
However, they all had no other choice but to endure for now and hope that everything will be sorted out as Nadia will lead them all.
"I understand..." The Southern Ant said,
"Good, and the last one is the third rule, and it's the most important rule of them all," Nadia said, and it brought everyone's attention, "If any of you so much as break two of these rules?"
Nadia soon changed eye color as well as revealed her arachnid appearance for all to see, "You will be sorry, Am I understood?"
The ants including Nadia's group gulped nervously as they've never seen this side of Nadia before while the Female Arachnid had chills up her spine just by listening to Nadia's intimidation.
After Nadia reverts herself back into her human form, She sighs once and moves onto the next topic, "With that settled, It' time that I proceed with the next topic in mind,"
"And that would be...?" Reese questioned,
"If we're going to trust each other, I've decided to provide everyone here a name as well," Nadia announced, which shocked everyone present,
"A-A name?! B-But why a name?" The Northern Ant inquired,
"It's because I don't want to make any mistakes if I don't recognize you properly," Nadia answered, "Now make a single line and I start providing you all a name,"
Everyone excluding Reese and Zen was quite uneased by this, while Nadia glances up to the Female Arachnid, "You too, by the way,"
"Me as well? Why I am honored," The Female Arachnid commented, "In fact, I preferred I'd go last in the line,"
"I'm afraid to ask why," Nadia said,
"It's because I don't want to part from you," The Female Arachnid answered,
'I knew you'd say that,' Nadia muttered,
Not long after, The ants of four regions made a single file and began providing them suitable names from Nadia. It took a few minutes of thinking before providing them a name to at least one of them.
Therefore, It took Nadia a few hours to name them all excluding the spider minions since the Female Arachnid stated that naming her will suffice.
Once the latter was the last one, Nadia sighs as she rubbed her forehead with her arm.
'Guess that's everyone... Now I'll just-' Before Nadia could process any thought in mind, she soon felt woozy as if her energy had been spent entirely, 'Oh right... I forgot... Naming them costs...'
Before Nadia could finish her thought, she suddenly collapses and the Female Arachnid had caught her in her arms before she could fall onto the ground.
"Nadia? Nadia, are you alright?" The Female Arachnid worryingly questioned,
Da Vinci went to her, and placed her hand onto Nadia's forehead, "It seems like her limit is currently low at the moment. She just needs some rest to restore her mana,"
"I see," The Female Arachnid said,
"But in the meantime, I will be disappearing to ensure that she gets a steady increase of her magic," Da Vinci said, "Until then, I will see all soon!"
Da Vinci then suddenly disappears from everyone's line of sight, but in truth, Da Vinci reverts herself into her spirit form to conserve her own mana supply.
Not long after, Everyone involved went back into the underground levels and waited patiently for Nadia's next awakening.
Normally I would make 4000 words in one chapter for this story. But I've decided not to since I didn't want to prolong it any further.
Also, you may have noticed that I've changed my profile pic? That's because it's an attempt of making a version of myself IRL.
Now before I go, I would like to say to everyone. Merry Christmas and I hope you're all doing well along with your families! For we will all get through this pandemic!
