Gates of Life and Death (Razgriz x Umbrale)

[Razgriz]

Many heard the tales, but no one believed them. Many even saw the supposed monsters on the other side, but they were discredited and ridiculed.

The truth was, humanity - despite all those who objected to the contrary - had many neighbors in the universe. Be it in the same spiral arm, the same local cluster, the same galaxy or even in another galaxy altogether, there was one irrefutable fact:

They were not alone.

Thankfully, their newest 'contact' was exceptionally peaceful. And they had on and off contact for about three years now with no real indication of hostility from them. Of course, the governments of the Terran Alliance played it safe and assumed precautions just in case things turned sour...But so far, no military intervention had been required.

Besides...With some of the demonstrations these 'Mamono' have made, world leaders were quick to realize that most of their equipment wouldn't do a damn thing to them anyway. Best to keep it peaceful, that was the Terran Alliance agreed upon. However, they were presented with a rather odd request after some 'trials' were run between human men and these strangely all-female beings.

Their 'Queen' - or Lord, as scientists had heard some of their interviewees call her - was asking for the humans to send some of their males to their homeworld. A detailed report and workup by some of the most talented xenobiologists showed that their genetic make-up consistently led to the birth of only female offspring; and after examining the timetable from which this was supposed to occur, the final theory was that the Mamono were less than a century away from total population collapse.

And after much negotiation, a deal was struck: The Mamono that were sent over would assist in the building of an enormous gateway, one that would literally let humans walk over into their world. They had achieved faster than light travel and asked if they could just travel there, but a bovine-esque female explained that even if they could exceed the lightspeed limit, no starcraft would be able to carry a sustainable population across the vast region of dark space that separated their galaxies. And cryostasis would only last so long without severe repercussions; at best, one or two dozen out of a sample in the millions, not to mention it would completely bankrupt every Alliance economy to build such a vessel. And on a hunch, no less.

As such, this plan was born: And while it would cost a fair sum to build a zero-space (Z)-generator large enough to allow inter-galactic transit, it was found that some of the energy would be offset by the contacts their Lord sent across the boundary. If this worked, humans and Mamono would both be allowed free passage into each other's worlds...And in return for providing the Mamono with fertile males, the humans would be getting not only a chance to explore an extra-galactic world, but the chance to potentially advance their own technology in the scale of millennia by researching these fascinating humanoid creatures.

Of course, finding a list of volunteers - even if there would be plenty - was going to take time. Not only that, but they needed to be very selective and warned their Lord of such that some of the candidates might be of 'disputable' intent. Something that didn't seem to overtly bother her, if her calm demeanor was anything to judge it by.

And with the combined efforts, a project that was deemed to take almost half a century was completed in less than twenty years. Test runs proved extremely successful, the portal holding quite well after introducing small sample population of three or four individuals through the tunnel; the hardest challenge was getting the energy supply to be stable enough, but with innovations in both fusion power and what could only be described as 'magic imbuement', they were able to perfect the stabilization processes for keeping the tunnel alive and well.

*DATE: JANUARY 1ST, 4000. GATEWAY PROJECT STAGE 1 COMPLETE. STAGE II DEEMED IMMEDIATE PRIORITY, BEGIN INITILIZATION*

And on the day of the new year, a group of over four dozen individuals would be the very first test case of large-scale transport across zero-space. The scientists and Mamono both felt extremely confident this would work, and for the latter species, it had to work. Their very survival depended on it, and they couldn't thank the humans enough for trying.

Out of the group came a varied selection of males: Businessmen on the eve of their early retirement, criminals from both the streets and prisons, scientists, some of the finest soldiers, and even the average joe or two to name a few walks of life. The selection committee hadn't expected the number of applicants, but their criteria for viability was an excellent tool for pruning the list. Aside from being largely free of genetic abnormalities, they needed to not have a dependency issue, nor have significant ties to their steads on Earth - or if they did, it required an absurd amount of paperwork to absolve the staff of responsibility should anything happen. After all...No one really knew everything that lay beyond the gate.

This wasn't just a survival venture, after all; this was a monumental scientific achievement, as well as a chance to truly explore this alien new world. And for a good number of the chosen applicants, this was a chance to start a new life. The goal was simple: This tunnel they were going to go through would put them right in the Lord's castle, where they would be selected and paired with certain Mamono to determine compatibility. One person even helped break down as 'An extradimensional version of The Bachelor, something that got a laugh out of most people in the room.

And with all the parameters set, the gateway was opened...The first three that volunteered tentatively stepped into the eerily silent portal, the apparent distance fairly short but the feeling of crossing an energy bridge finding itself to be unsettling. The room was silent as they slowly made their way across, but when they did loud whoops could be heard as they cheered about making it through. And with the energy bridge still holding, they made the assumption that everyone could
go through. They'd sent a group of twenty in all at once, and the bridge held no problems...

Unfortunately, fate would serve as the straw that broke this camel's back.

As all the rest of the applicants piled in and started making their way across, there was a problem. One of the conduits was giving off strange energy readings, but it settled after a while and the group was advised to move through as quickly as possible...That was when one of the buffer capacitors overloaded, caused the rest to detonate spectacularly; thankfully, the shielding held long enough to deflect the shrapnel from killing anyone, but their greatest horror on both sides came when both the entrance and exit slammed shut. It all happened so fast that no one could have done anything...And when the chaos settled, the humans were in shock, as were the Mamono trapped there now.

"HOLD TOGETHER!" "EVERYONE GRAB HANDS!" Some of the soldiers shouted in the empty void as they tried to keep people together; no one expected this, or knew if this portal was going to even send them to the planet at all. Arcs of energy streamed around them, cracking noiselessly. Strangely enough they still felt the bridge beneath their feet...But soon that gave way too, the massive bolts striking down in a massive implosion...Sending all forty-five remaining applicants into parts unknown.

On the Mamono homeworld, flashes of light pocked the surface, the human charges either landing on the ground alone, in groups, and for some...Freefalling through the sky or landing smack dab in the middle of one of the oceans. Others still were less fortunate; meeting their ends in both quick and for some, rather grisly ways.

For those that survived the trip...Only time would tell how their stories panned out.

 

[Umbrale]

Time, as it happened, ran hand-in-hand with fate, for utterlessly ridiculous outcomes. As the two worked in tandem at all times, it wasn't out of the ordinary to say that they were one in the same. Time, playing with humourous heartstrings of fate, still had a devilish sense of humor.

That sense of humor, of course, being materialized in two bright pockets of those space-time rips, directly next to each other. Jettisoned at angles, due to the non-apparent laws of physics in the void of a space-time-bridge, the two far-flung volunteers collided with each other instantly. With that dull thud of an impact resounding in their minds; the next realization would be that they were still flying.

Or, rather, falling.

As it happened, their particular extraplanar tears opened in the middle of the air, sending them hurtling two doze meters to a aridly dry-looking landscape of sickly-colored fog and clumpy dirt. Quite similar to fields belching phosphorous, or natural-geyser environments, But with long out-reaching tendrils of vines from the various shrubbery. Only a shaded, yellow-tinged sunlight met the ground through the thick chemical-like fog that pervaded the place.

Regardless, of whether or not they had a moment to look at their surrounding, the immediate realization of(at the very least) bodily harm was apparent; as the ground rushed up to meet their faces.

And with a sickening baseball-bat-hitting-a-pumpkin-by-a-major-league-slugger noise...







The surprisingly spongy, almost moist ground, gave way beneath their fall.

If one happened to be a geologist; they'd be in luck. It just so happened that the environment's dirt was ridden with holes, and air-pockets. The only way for such small, dingy shrubbery to expand with such growth in a non-lit environment, meaning nutrient-rich soft soil, un-compacted by natural measures presumably due to the chemical-fog that hung naturally low to the ground. This entitled the particular two interplanetary adventurers to a bit of a messy dirt-rubbing crash through loam-like material, until suddenly; air.

Freefalling once more to their doom! Oh, the humility of such a respite, only to be----


Bamf!

Giant bio-luminescant fungi to the face ought to save anyone from a fall!

As it was, their luck was just as ridiculous as fate tended to be adverse. The two, upon falling for a solid half-minute, came to an abruptly cushiony impact upon a giant, green-glowing-spotted mushroom! And, from there on, bounced(fell), unwillingly from mushroom to mushroom, until finally alighted upon much more stable, solid ground.

Once they had gathered their belongings, it was far more apparent that they weren't exactly on the surface anymore. And to that note, if they hadn't noticed upon falling in, the environment they had been thrust into, was already in a natural concave of a mountain range. So, it was suffice enough to say, that they were farther underground than their short fall onto fungi lead them to believe.

Not to say, of course, being underground, that they couldn't see. While the hole they had fallen through, somehow closed up--one could presume a mixture of expansionary growth of alien flora and natural sinkhole-mechanisms had sealed it--there was enough light to see by. It was strained, granted, but the new world about them didn't completely negate their vision.

Simultaneously, it was a completely different way to "see". Instead of sunlight, or artificial light, what they were faced with, was the abrupt glow of bio-luminescence. Immediately, they would find themselves in a grove-like arrangement of giant mushrooms. Towering things, truly, ranging from bush-height to monsters that towered far above the Sequoias of Earth. Each, with a color, ranging through the spectrums of green and blue, spotted patches bathing short areas in light. Furthermore, the crowns of such fungi acted almost like lamps, showering in dim light.
Along the ground lay scraps and leaves, and small bushes, and flowers of various shades. An alien landscape of unknown wonder, like a cave straight out of a science-fiction novel. Some flowers, curled like a scorpion's tail, gave off a vibrant shimmering glow of an azure red. Other small bushes extended a pistol at the top, that branched into six sections, bearing pear-like fruit instead glowing at a throbbing golden hue.
While it wasn't dark, with light being apparently so, it was still hard to see. More than twenty or so feet already strained the eyes, and beyond a few more meters was nigh-on impossible; other than to see the twinkling, pulsing, dim lights of other flora beyond.

A survey of the surroundings more-so to the landscape, brought a realization that the environment was a bit more organized. Just past the short grove of fungi they had landed in, was were more leafy growths. Massive green silk-textured extensions of plant fiber and foilage, dotted with flowers and life unknown, growing bulbs of color and trumpet vines that puffed-out glowing powder.
While, in the distance, it appeared that the lights were more... haphazard. They wavered and flicked, danced and sparked in strange lines and geometrical formations. Tree to tree--weirdly shapen things with out-bore limbs, split down the bark naturally to let-off vibrant light of sap--the colors mused in almost purposeful bars and nets.
In almost the opposite direction, sparkled lights that were distinctly more artificial. In fact, they almost looked like fire. Hidden as they were in foilage, and sight-broken by the alien flora that was naturally about the duo themselves, it was hard to make out any other shapes near those lights, besides the coloristic hues of fire occasionally bursting with more colorful light, presumed by the fuel of the bio luminescence around them.

 

[Razgriz]

Both young men screamed as they fell, each clinging to each other in that comical fashion as if this were their last moment. What could be said? They were falling from a great height, more than enough to kill them. And they were trapped on an alien world...It truly seemed as if this was their last goodbye.

However, the sounds of nearly harmonious 'Umph' noises brought them back to their senses, one of the males unfortunate enough to land square on his back, the other bouncing like a rubber ball after tumbling off the titanic fungi stalks before finally coming to a halt. And being a fairly portly fellow - at least in comparison to the sharp-dressed male accompanying him - he took the hit a lot less seriously than him, and was able to stand up relatively quickly. "Ooowwww..." the man groaned rubbing his head, ruffling the thick curly red hair as he tried to brush some errant bits of dirt and flora from his head. He was quick to snap his arms about his body though; this place wasn't bitingly cold, but being dressed in a large white T-shirt and basketball shorts wasn't exactly 'jungle' - if one could even call it that - attire.

Neither was the business suit his companion was wearing; being an early millionaire retiree, the brown-haired blue-eyed male groaned his head and stood up shakily, his vision swimming a bit from the fall. "Hey....You alright?" he then heard a voice say, his eyes adjusting to see the person he had just been clinging to for dear life looking at him. "Y-yeah....I think so. You?" he then asked, the bigger male nodding "Yeah...Just a little cold. Brrr...Should have dressed warmer."

"Well...It's not your fault, no one expected this to happen. Adrian Gray...." the businessman responded, extending a hand outward. "St-steve Williams..." the big guy returned, shaking his hand. "Well...Since it seems we're stuck, I don't know about you...But I want to find a way out of here." Steve just nodded, "Ye-yeah...But where? We don't have a map...And I can't do any fire stuff or survival skills...Can you?"

Adrian chuckled and ran a hand down his clothes, as if showcasing his attire, "Do I look like a wilderness expert? The most outdoors I've done is guided hunting tours in Africa. And...Unfortunately, I left my Marlin rifle at home." Steve huffed, "Shit...We're...Not gonna die are we?" Adrian walked over and patted the big man's shoulder, "Not if I can help it...Now come on...We should find a cave or a fallen tree...Doubt we're going to make much progress as it is...Hopefully we landed close enough to this 'Monster Lord' that we won't have much of a walk."

Unknown to either of them, they were miles upon miles away....Deep in unknown territory and woefully underequipped, as well as alone with only each other for the time being. "He-hey, Adrian...You, uh, think any of these fruits or stuff are safe to eat?" Steve asked, a loud grumble from his slightly protruding gut signifying his hunger. "I don't even know if these things 'are' fruit...But we should stick close. If you can hold out, we can try them out later..."

He would turn and see Steve starting to gather fruits, using his shirt with the sleeves tied as a makeshift sack. "What are you doing?" Adrian asked, Steve stating "Well....If they are safe to eat, then we'll have something when we find camp, right?" The business-like male just blinked; now that he said it aloud, he kind of felt stupid for not thinking of that himself. "That...actually is a good idea..." Adrian replied, following Steve's lead and turning his suit jacket into a small pouch as well.

Though it was definitely hard to see, only the phosphorescent lighting of the nearby plants able to let them perceive their surroundings to any measurable extent. "I...think we've gathered enough...Now, let's see if we can't find somewhere more defensible...." Adrian stated, hearing Steve yell and run over to hug the smaller male, turning to use him as a makeshift shield. "Ad..Adrian, I heard something move!" Steve whimpered, his voice very high-pitched and full of fear; maybe it was tricks upon the mind, or maybe...

The danger was real.

With such crushing darkness surrounding them, the pair so far below sea level compared to most other areas, it was hard for paranoia not to set in. "Whatever you do, Steve...Don't show fear..." Adrian replied; in truth, he too was scared out of his mind, but he was trying to be confident for the both of them. It was clear this big guy, despite his stature and size, was essentially a giant teddy bear in terms of demeanor. And having been a manager that actually cared about protecting the underdogs of the company he used to own...He would try to do the same.

Adrian's blue eyes darted about, his hair standing on end....And for a few minutes, all was quiet, only the muted whimpers of his large comrade to break the defeaning silence. "Steve...Steve! I think we're okay...Let's keep moving though...Just keep. Your eyes. Peeled..."

 

[Umbrale]

The danger... the fear that crept into one's heart, when in a land unknown. In a place of strange flora, and stranger appearances, where the very geoscape was alien on its own... The dark, decrept shivers of anxiety and unknown natures that crept in the darkness just outside of one's vision. Impossible to see, but ever-present in the knowledge that it was there.

And when a branch cracked in the sullen darkness just a few feet from where y had just been... just what spikes of that sensation shot through one's mind like nails through a board? A snap... the sudden suspense of silence in the air, followed by rustling of a bush just short from Steve and Adrian. Whatever it was, it was coming. And it was coming fast. They didn't have even a moment to move. Not a moment to cry or pray to whatever god, when it burst forth from the bush in a sudden blur, to come to a stop in front of them.



It was a sight to behold, in all of its fearsome glory. Eyes ablaze with the inherent evil of a monstrosity rarely seen. Fur, sleek and white of the most delicate coloring; a softness that naught a man had ever touched.Claws, hooked, but tiny, on pads that would carry it in rapid sprints of flight through the air, but only in tiny increments. And two arms, held just in front, almost touching, with the cold, malicious look of something only biding time, to strike. A beast of untold ferocity and marvel...

...the bunny.​

Blinking its pink-hued eyes in curiosity, the tiny adorable creature hopped forward. With an cute tilt of its head to one side, the thing appraised Adrian, as the human shield it was. Its nose quavered once, twice, and it hopped----

-----strands burst forth from the edge of their vision past the creature, and latched about it. It didn't even get a chance for the horrendous screech of a rabbit's fear, before it was so-suddenly yanked away, into the darkness.


The eery silence of that surprise was suddenly cut short, by a soft, feminine giggle. It was to be noted, however, that the sound was much more malicious in nature; smooth and rolling off the chords in an almost chiding fashion. In the inky blackness from hence the pearlescant strands had shot forth, almost seven feet off the ground, one light after another flicked on. Strangely elliptical, and glowing with a light neither floral nor artificial, the lights ticked on until six of them gleamed towards the two males. Stacked, one-on-another, in two rows just an inch or two apart from one another. The middle ones on each side, blinked, one-after-the-other, before they all up-turned slightly from the bottom.

"...Woops...Looks like I missed."​

 

[Razgriz]

When the first branch cracked, poor Steve would practically jump out of his skin. Hugging onto Adrian for dear life, his eyes wide and practically glowing with the light of desperation. The rustling of the leaves made the big lug practically jump, the unyielding silence afterwards more than enough to make him nearly scream in fear. "Adrian...I don't wanna die..." the large male whimpered, Adrian patting him again on the shoulder and saying "You're not gonna die, Steve..."

But could he really uphold that promise?

And when eyes peered at them from the darkness, Steve just couldn't take it anymore; he leaped surprisingly high, forcing Adrian to catch him in a bridal-style carrying. Of course, Adrian - while fit - wasn't the strongest man in the world and was only a matter of seconds before he fell flat on his ass. And when they both saw what emerged moments later, they were both stunned. Steve was the first to start laughing, "A...a rabbit? I was scared of a rabbit? Wow...Mom was right, I'm a baby..."

Adrian tried to replied with a joke about how they couldn't have known, only for both to shut right up as something wrapped about the small fuzzy critter and dragged it violently into the shadows. A small squeal was heard before it was just as quickly cut off, both men freezing as six identical eyes appeared before them. Their spines frozen solid from fear, a loud audible swallow coming from Steve as he tried to get his wits again, hiding behind Adrian as they tried to stand up.

"Missed...Is she serious?" Adrian thought, staring right back at those eyes; he knew it was something non-human. The voice alone was too alien-sounding, too...sonorous for a human female. "Ad-adrian, what is that?" Steve asked, peeking over his comrade's shoudler, the businessman replying "I...I'm not sure. We do, however, need to just stay calm."

Standing up and straightening the lapels of his shirt and jacket after having put it back on, he then addressed her, "Missed? I think you're mistaken; that rabbit was a clean snatch. Didn't even make a noise...Can I ask though, who are you? Where are we, exactly?"

 

[Umbrale]

"Flattery usually gets you no where, but it just so happens that I'm compliment-inclined, sly-lips." That strange feminine voice whistled out. It wasn't as if it was indiscernibly gendered, of course, as it quite clearly belonged to a female. However, the perfect pitch and low, almost melodic melody of it just seemed out of place compared any normal vibrations of the vocal chords.

But that was the least of the two male's most prominent attention-grabbers, as the eyes began to shift closer. The only bits able to be seen at first, they bobbed, and slowly moved closer to the ground, as they grew larger; the being enclosing on them. "Me? I'm just a resident...", came the voice again, as it emerged into the dim, but still revealing light. Unlike anything they had seen before, as even in the exchange program, they had not seen such an entity.

What first probably scared them shitless, was the spider-legs. As step-after-step brought them into view, shifting an arachnid abdomen and appendages into their sight. Surprisingly, it wasn't chitinous. Rather, it was furry; a fluffy light-grey short floof that lay amongst the limbs like down on a bird. On the ends of those insectoid limbs had scaly black padded paws, two-padded, with wicked hooked claws. The coloring of the fur ascended the legs in darker-grey rings, with culminated in a patch among the back thorax. The lower it got, the more white and fluffy it appeared.

But, as horrifying as that was, it was more exotic when compared the centaur-like appearance of the being. Where the spider's face and head might have been normally, extended a human body from what appeared to be the waist-up; that connection hidden from view by a lingerie-like, lacy loincloth, whom's holes within the blinding-white material revealed pearlescent, smooth skin. But moving up from that was a smooth, athletic, but not muscular, stomach, leading to a bust that was only C-cup, at the maximum, also hidden within the bounds of a wonderful-tailord lacy bra, patterns of roses and spiders highlighted by the soft hues of the skin beneath. Dexterous hands on slender, smooth arms were folded just under that bust, while above it hung vibrant-black hair cut-short, ending just above the shoulders, in an almost tomboyish, but cute rogue look. Unnerving, but attentive, three pairs of red eyes slanted at intervals not perfectly aligned vertically--the middles offset to their respective sides slighty-- blinked with a vibrant crimson hue, while a small pert nose, smattering of freckles, and pouty lips completed her appearance. There was only one thing that played away from her intimidation value.

She barely reached Adrian's shoulders in height. It was clear, however, that she was no child, by her demeanor and development. Rather, she was just short!

And to answer the question of how her eyes had appeared taller than them in the darkness; like a spider threatened, it could be presumed that she could rear back her front arachnid limbs, which would in turn raise her humanoid half rather high into the air.

"You're in the Grotto, right now. Just this little grove you find yourself in... But my..." a tongue flicked out, and licked over those pouty, soft lips, as her eyes--only discernably pupiled by a more intense crimson glow in the center--cycled down both male's bodies to linger long on their crotches. "... oh, my, you look absolutely ravenou-----"



Before she could say another word, a sudden flame exploded into existence just behind the males, casting the area into a bright light of azure hue. Pulsating and glowing intensely, with a rather warm, but not hot aura to the senses, the "flame's " light was far more intense than the simple illuminating flora about them. This, immediately, caused the spider-woman to cry out in pain, and shield her eyes; even going so far as to duck her face away between her arms.

If that wasn't surprising enough, the flame spoke! With an echoing, soft voice it exclaimed, "No!-No! Run Away!-Run Away!" After the words, another flame burst into existence, a few dozen meters away, within the more massive leavy foliage that the males had seen farther on. "This Way!-This Way!" It called out now, a tone of insistent urgency apparent within its voice.

 

[Razgriz]

"It's not flattery if it's the truth" Adrian replied honestly; he figured being non-confrontational would be their best approach. Besides, with the briefing he'd been given, he knew better than to try and aggravate an alien species. They were in unknown territory, dealing with a largely unknown race; the exchange program taught them some...But not nearly enough to be considered even remotely proficient in the mannerisms of each individual Mamono subrace.

And while Adrian wasn't exactly arachnophobic, he was understandably unsettled by the appearance of such a large archanoid frame. Especially since they were expecting it to be an actual spider...However, when she revealed herself to be not quite that, but a half-human 'arachnataur' - and a not half-bad-looking one at that - he was oddly put a little more at ease. She was...certainly unsettling with how her eyes seemed to bore into their very cores, but she held such an exotic air about her somehow.

"The Grotto...So, this is your home then?" he then asked her, trying to gently strike up conversation; he planned to use his skills in building interpersonal relations to try and see if she knew how to get to the Mamono Lord's...Was it a castle? Or a mansion? It had to be some kind of estate with a lot of property, that much he did know.

Poor Steve, however, was the very opposite; if there was anyone deathly afraid of anything with more or less than two legs, it was him. He couldn't even look at her, tears streaming down his face as he squeezed them shut. He didn't care how human she looked, his voice whimpering as he said lowly "A-Adrian...ju..just make her go away...just g-go away..." Adrian coughed and whispered right back, "Look, Steve...I know this is all new, but don't offend her. If we play nice enough, maybe we can work something out...Make a deal, right?"

However, neither of them would get the chance; it would seem this arachnid female had other things in mind for them, and judging by her looking she was gauging them by more than just their worth as a potential meal. But even before she could get her hands on them, Steve's eyes popped open as the bright flames blinded her...A chance Steve would capitalize on, his large frame moving surprisingly well. "Steve, wait! We don't....Ooomph!" Adrian tried to say, hoping he would listen to reason and realize they didn't know what else was out there.

However, the big man just shoved him back and right into the Arachne's waiting arms, his hands catching himself on her shoulders and the side of his head resting on top of her decent-shown cleavage...While the gentle and oversized male took off like a bullet, bulldozing his way through the dense flora as he would try to follow the lights to safety...Away from that damned spider freak!

 

[Umbrale]

Any attempt at conversation was shut-out when the explosion of blue fire interrupted it. Not so much the noise--which wasn't much more than the animated "whumpf" of compressed air expanding outwards(since the explosion wasn't forceful)--but the sensual overload via the transition from darkness to almost abhorrently bright light.

Luckily enough for the two humans, they had been exposed to sunlight just a short while earlier. And while still painful, with their eyes adapting to the lowered light levels, it didn't seem nearly as blinding to them,as it did to the arachnid-like female scrunching her eyes closed in hissing pain to it.

Of course, despite the pain she whined out, the impact of Adrian's frame to her far more stable own, still brought a surprised squeak of a noise. While she didn't quite open her eyes, it was almost instantaneously that two of her shorter frontal legs curled around his legs, pinning him to her. Despite the awkwardness of their predicament, with his head gracing her cleavage, it seemed the girl's attention was elsewhere. The tarsus wrapped about his legs, flexed and lifted him scant inches from the ground--despite her short stature actually making her a few inches beneath him, those insectoid features were obviously quite strong--and with her arms quickly thrown about his face to keep him there, a prompt turn and rather awkward scurry was enacted."F-Fucking fox!"

The curse seemed almost ridiculously out of place, a random noun thrown to a curse at the pain her squinting eyes portrayed.

Having traveled a few meters from where they had started--the fire had faded behind foilage, casting Adrian's vision back to just a half-dozen meters in any given direction--the spider-girl slower, and eventually released Adrian from the cumbersome embrace. A huff, and her slender digits were brought upwards, rubbing lightly at the triplet-pairs of crimson orbs. "She just had to take the big one...", her melodic voice grumbled out, until her eyes blinked open to their normal size. A slight wince was notable, but her gaze eventually seemed to center--at least, as far as Adrian could tell simply by the angle of her face, given that her eyes lacked identifying pupils--back down at the businesslike male. "...But at least I still found you."

Her top lip curled at the corners, to lift in a tiny little smirk. And from the recesses of that mouth, amidst her pearlescent teeth, a wicked but tiny fang.

--------------

Steve, on the other hand, had a more ambiguous 'compatriot' to follow.

The blazing fire orbs that lead him astray in the first place, appeared at several-meters intervals from one another. Whenever he closed in on one, the previous one would disappear, and a new one would appear farther on. The voices echoed one after-another, providing a stream of encouraging that seemed to become more and more compelling, even as the flora around him gradually morphed to a more lit, bioluminescent setting amidst the heavy foilage.

"Yes, yes."

"Hurry-Hurry, This Way-This Way!"

Soon-enough, he came to more of a clearing, a small area devoid of the massive, tree-like stems that branched into those large flowers. In the middle of the clearing sat yet another ball of that azzure fire, this time simply hovering there. It pulsed slowly, but seemed to offer no more resounding echoes of voices. Instead, from the dense foilage, out of sight, came the same voice, this time not echoing forth. It held a soft, pleasing tone, but underlaid with hints of amusement and energy."There... You're safe now. The spider can't catch you anymore..." Feminine and soft, it didn't sound anything like the alien perfect-pitch of the arachnid woman.

Rustling caught Steve's attention, out in the foilage beyond the clearing. Movement here, now there, now directly in front of him. Traces sights of golden and brown. Flashes of what looked like fur, and othertimes appeared humanoid. Laughter whistled out from foilage, a chuckling, amused little thing that drifted in from seemingly all around him.

Abruptly, however, a figure emerged from the smooth greenery of lush life that lay around him; slightly to the left. A woman, far plainer that the spider-female that had scared him off; but still starkly different than a human. To start with, what first caught the man's eyes was the pair of feline-esque ears that topped her head. In a hue of soft brownish-gold, they twitched and pivoted to him, adorned just naturally on a similarly-colored wash of silken, clean hair that descended a cute, round-soft face.

Eyes, brilliantly blue, but slitted like a cat down the center, pierced his soul, amidst unblemished pearlescent skin, and the soft contours of supple cheeks and a pert little button of a chin. Her hair parted down the middle, making its way backwards to rest like a waterfall over her shoulders. Those shoulders were clothed in the white-red striking of a Japanese komono, somehow simultaneously loose and scarce on her skin. It hung low on the shoulders, and drove around in long loose sleeves to the hands tucked behind her back. Leaning forward slightly, the pose opened the front of the silken dress, exposing more than a bountiful amount of cleavage of the stranger, to the large male.Indeed, it even dipped to show more skin of an athletic, smooth stomach, only to reach a tie that barely held the fabric together until easily mid-thigh it split once more to reveal unblemished, smooth legs of a runner. If her figure alone wasn't enough to stand out, from behind her, emerged a quartet of long, golden-brown tails, darkening in color unto the tips, which were adorned a bright strike of blue, instead. They swished and intertwined of their own accord, but pointedly stood out like a silhouette or the female.

Hips switching back and forth, and her shapely lips turned up into a tiny smile, the strange fox-like like was putting on the playful charm multi-fold, even as her voice sauntered out jokingly, "Aren't you glad I saved you from the meanie spider-wider?"​

 

[Razgriz]

Adrian was still reeling, his vision blotted by spots from the rather sudden explosion of light. Granted it wasn't that damaging for him, as his vision was still somewhat in transition. Even so, it wasn't the most pleasant experience in the world, and he had no idea what was about to happen next.

Feeling her limbs wrap about him, he then heard the angered declaration about a fox. Something that confused the business-attired male, his eyebrows raised in curiosity. "Fox...What fox?" he asked, feeling her press him to her even more tightly. Not uncomfortably so; in fact, despite the circumstances he found it quiet pleasant.

However, that did change a little bit when he felt himself being carted off; okay, now THIS was making his heart race faster. Where was she going to take him? Was he in the wrong trying to trust her? No...No, he didn't feel anything malicious about her. Even still, he did stiffen up a little at the unknown prospect of what laid ahead. He had no idea who she was, or what she was capable of.

But that was the least of his worries; the bio-luminescent flora was again the only source of light after she had finished carrying him. Thankfully he could still see her in full...And didn't miss the comment about the big one being taken; who was that, anyway? A rival?

Deciding to keep the peace, he then asked after returning her unsettling grin with what was an attempt at a confident smile, "So...Who was that exactly? Does Steve have anything to worry about? And uh...What exactly do we do now? I mean, not that I'm ungrateful or anything. But...I've never really had any significant dealings with....uhn, your species."

---------------​

Steve, meanwhile, huffed and wheezed. His stocky legs allowing him to barrel through the low-lying plant life, small animals scurrying out of the way as the large male bulldozed a path along the trail of fireballs.

He didn't know why he was following it; it could only be panic though, with the lights providing a clear pathway to safety. Even if he had no idea where this was headed, at the very least, the spider-woman couldn't get him.

But eventually, his energy started to run out, his pace slowly decreasing until he gave himself one last push; his plump frame crashed into the clearing, his forehead beaded in sweat and his breathing harsh and heavy. With the flight hormones crashing out of his system, he suddenly felt the exhaustion and fatigue overtake him, his legs and arms shaking along with the rest of his body with each struggled attempt to take a deep breath. He hadn't run that hard in a while, and as such it was going to take him a few minutes to recover.

However, a rustling would make him look up, having just heard the words. His eyes traced as fast as they could, turning himself to sit upright as he did his best to follow the movements. They were too fast though, and he was starting to get freaked out again.

Why? Why was this voice tormenting him? He just didn't want to get eaten!

However, his eyes then locked onto another figure as it appeared...And he felt something else rise instead of his blood pressure. She...She was beautiful. Beyond beautiful, even! How could he describe her any other way? He didn't seem too perturbed by her ears and tails; in fact, to him it made her even more alluring.

"Wh--who are you?" he stammered, trying to stand up, his breath still heavy as he quickly tried to brush off the loose dirt and leaves from his clothes. And seeing her face light up as she spoke in that bubbly, lovely and enchanting voice. "Y-yeah...You have no idea. I thought...I thought she was going to eat me....Thank you. Thank you so much!"