Interspecies Potion Solution Part 3 Chapter 7

Chapter 7: "Webs, Wings, and the Whisper of the Night"

It wasn’t exactly the trio anyone would expect to see out on a late-night stroll.

Rachnera, eight legs of silent confidence, sauntered ahead with her usual air of smug contentment. She looked right at home in the moonlight, her white hair catching glints of silver as if the night itself had dressed her for the occasion.

Lala, one step behind, floated along with the detached serenity of someone either communing with the afterlife… Or just deep in her usual delusions. Her arms were folded. Her eyes half-lidded. She was absolutely convinced this was some kind of divine mission.

Then there was Kirika, bringing up the rear, winged arms folded tightly around her torso, looking every bit like someone who had no idea how her night ended up like this.

She wasn’t even supposed to be awake.

“...How did I get dragged into this again?” she muttered to herself, voice barely louder than the night breeze.

Just half an hour ago, she’d been lying on her bed, dozing in and out of sleep. Then Lala had dramatically burst into her room like a Halloween parade float.

“I HAVE SEEN THE TRUTH THAT DWELLS BENEATH THE WEBS,” Lala had declared, holding her head in her hands like Yorick’s skull. “The spider weaves her path through shadows unknown, under cover of midnight’s veil!”

Kirika had blinked. “...Are you trying to say Rachnera’s sneaking out at night?”

“Yes. That too,” Lala admitted.

It had taken some translating, but the gist was clear enough: Lala had been observing Rachnera disappear from the house several nights in a row. She didn’t know where the spider girl was going, or why, but she was certain it involved “ancient compacts and forbidden truths.”

Kirika had no clue if any of that meant anything, but Lala’s instincts had proven weirdly accurate in the past.

So, curiosity piqued and sleep already ruined, she agreed to follow along.

Sure enough, just as Lala predicted, Rachnera had indeed been about to sneak out. Not even hiding it. She’d just shrugged when caught, not even breaking stride as Lala “confronted” her with the fury of a B-grade gothic avenger.

That had been the funny part. The weirder part was… Rachnera didn’t seem annoyed. If anything, she looked almost pleased. Like she’d expected to get caught.

There was a shimmer in her many eyes when she turned toward them, not smug or teasing like usual, something softer, more private.

That was when Kirika made her offer.

“If it’s really that important,” she’d said, “Why don’t we just go with you?”

After all, Rachnera wasn’t technically allowed out unsupervised. The license paperwork for solo outings was still tied up in Smith’s office, probably under something labeled “Urgent but not urgent-urgent.” If Kirika came along, it’d be fine. That’s what Mrs. Smith always said: “As long as there’s one ‘responsible’ adult, it counts.”

So here they were. Three unusual figures cutting through the sleeping city. The spider, the reaper, and the harpy.

Kirika adjusted her hoodie (or what passed for a hoodie when you had wings for arms), her talons clicking softly against the pavement.

Yep. Totally normal night.

“Ack!” Kirika yelped as her talons caught on a crack in the sidewalk.

She stumbled forward, but before she could even blink, her wings snapped open in panic, flapping wildly and launching her nearly a meter into the air. She landed with an awkward bounce, feathers ruffled and pride slightly bruised.

“A most graceless misstep,” Lala intoned, tilting her head theatrically. “Unbecoming of the crimson phoenix. Has the night dulled your senses so completely?”

Translation: Are you alright? That looked awfully clumsy. Very uncharacteristic of you.

“Aww” Rachnera teased, skittering a few steps ahead but slowing just enough to let Kirika catch up. “Does our darling need a hand so she doesn’t trip while walking? I can spin you a harness, you know. Cute and practical”

Kirika didn’t immediately answer. She just frowned slightly, squinting at the path ahead.

After a moment, she finally spoke.

“I… uhm… I can barely see anything. Is it… is it a darker night than usual?”

Rachnera stopped in her tracks and tapped one of her slender fingers to her lips.

“No, not really,” she mused. “Not darker than usual, anyway. But that does remind me… Harpies aren’t exactly known for their night vision. I think they have something closer to eagle eyes. Great for daylight, not so much for moonlight.”

Kirika sighed. “Yeah. The streetlights help, but the second we’re away from one… It’s like the ground just disappears. I can’t see anything past a few meters. It’s all just… shadow.”

“As if the creeping darkness of the eternal abyss seeks to consume your very steps?” Lala asked, her tone oddly gentle beneath the drama.

“Yeah. I guess so.” Kirika gave a dry smile. “Exactly like that.”

“Well, the good news,” Rachnera cut in, gesturing forward with one hand and a flick of a leg, “is that where I’m headed isn’t too far now. Just a few more blocks. So you don’t have to keep stumbling in the void much longer.”

Lala raised her chin nobly. “Fret not, noble Kirika. The eyes of the Underworld’s emissary pierce even the deepest veils of oblivion. If need be, I shall be your sight through this realm of shade.”

“Much appreciated,” Kirika replied with a chuckle, even if her talons still treaded carefully across the pavement.

So, the three continued onward Rachnera continued leading with quiet purpose, Lala gliding like a sentry in the dark, and Kirika walking slowly, unsure if the shadows were thicker than usual, or if it was just her new body still showing its limits.

One thing was clear: this was shaping up to be a strange night.

Especially for Kirika.

They came to a stop in front of an old warehouse, seemingly long-abandoned, rust on the gutters, windows fogged with grime, and a single flickering lamp overhead casting long, angular shadows across the pavement.

“This is the place,” Rachnera announced with a small nod. “I’ll just be a minute. Don’t get snatched while I’m gone~”

With that, she skittered nimbly up the warehouse wall, using her extreme mobility as a spider as she disappeared onto the rooftop without a sound.

Kirika and Lala remained below, awkwardly standing in the cone of pale yellow light. The air was still. The wind carried nothing but the faint hum of a vending machine across the street.

Kirika glanced at Lala. “So… You know what she’s doing?”

Lala crossed her arms, chin raised. “The spider weaves many webs, both literal and metaphorical. I merely seek the truth behind them.”

“…Right.” Kirika rubbed the back of her neck with a wing. “Just making sure we were both equally clueless.”

But before Lala could offer another cryptic answer, the stillness broke.

“Heyyy there,” came a voice, too smooth to be genuine, too loud to be polite.

Four figures emerged from the darkness beyond the streetlight. All tall, broad-shouldered, probably in their twenties, and dressed like they thought they owned the night. The one in front had a leather jacket slung over his shoulder like a cape. His buddies followed behind, hands in their pockets, cocky grins on their faces like this was the opening act to a very bad idea.

“Well well,” said the lead guy, giving Kirika and Lala a once-over. “What do we have here? A harpy and a goth cosplayer? Y’know, most people don’t wear Halloween costumes this late.”

Kirika tensed slightly but offered a strained smile. “We’re just out walking, thanks. Not really looking for company.”

“Oh come on,” said another, stepping closer. “Just thought we’d say hi. It’s not every day you see girls like you two wandering around alone this late. You lost?”

“Nope,” Kirika said, polite but firm. “Just waiting for a friend. So if you don’t mind—”

But they didn’t listen. The third guy, tall with a beanie and a smug smirk, stepped right up beside her and casually slung his arm over her shoulders.

“C’mon, don’t be like that. It’s a party night, right? You bird girls like to party, don’tcha?”

Kirika flinched. Her feathers bristled. She tried to step away, but the guy’s arm stayed right where it was.

“I said,” she muttered, a little sharper now, “we’re not interested. Please back off.”

The guy chuckled. “Chill. You’re cute when you’re mad—”

That’s when the temperature dropped.

Or maybe it just felt like it did.

From behind Kirika, a slow, dragging sound echoed across the concrete. Steel scraping stone.

Lala stepped forward.

Her scythe unfolded from wherever it always seemed to come from, gleaming silver, curved like a crescent moon, and far too large to carry comfortably, but carry it she did.

With a theatrical flourish, she held the blade across her body, then… lifted her own head clean off her shoulders.

Her glowing yellow eyes now stared out from her cradled skull as her body stood perfectly still, backlit by the flickering streetlamp.

“You stand at the edge of the final path,” Lala intoned, voice cold and detached. “Those who cross me cross the threshold into the Valley of Souls.”

The wind howled down the alley like it had been waiting for a cue.

The guy closest to Kirika froze.

“Wh—what the hell…?”

Lala took a slow step forward.

“The Pale Rider has marked you. Return to the shadows from whence you crawled, lest you wish to learn the weight of oblivion.”

“W-what the hell…?” the guy stammered, letting go of Kirika. She scurried back to Lala almost unnoticed, because all four men had already taken several steps back, eyes locked on the scythe-wielding girl as she advanced, her presence so chilling it felt like the ground itself had frozen beneath her feet.

“W-We didn’t mean to-” one of them blurted. “We just wanted to have a little fun with your bird friend! That’s all, promise!”

“Ara~”

A new voice rang out from above, syrupy sweet, but somehow even more frightening than Lala’s. They all turned in horror.

An upside-down face greeted them, sharp-toothed and grinning, with eight gleaming eyes staring down from the darkness.

“Care to repeat that?” Rachnera asked sweetly. “What exactly were you planning to do with my darling?”

“AHHHH!!”

That was the final straw. Even the bravest of the group broke into a scream, and all four men turned and bolted, vanishing into the night like terrified schoolboys caught somewhere they shouldn’t be.

Lala scoffed, twirling her scythe once as the handle clacked against the pavement.

“Such cowardice. They donned the guise of wolves, yet cowered like mice before the shadow of true power. Pitiful.”

“Let them be,” Rachnera muttered, flipping herself right-side up and gracefully descending to the ground. “It’s never worth dealing with small fry. Although I am surprised.” She turned her many-eyed gaze toward Kirika. “Didn’t expect to have to play the brave prince tonight to save a delicate princess. Naaah, Darling~?”

But the banter died instantly the moment they looked at her.

Kirika looked terrible.

She was shivering, quietly, but visibly. Her wings trembled as she wrapped them around herself in a poor attempt at shelter. She hadn’t said a word, not even during the scare. And now she looked like she was doing everything she could just to keep standing.

“That was… extremely scary,” she whispered.

Lala stepped closer, the confidence in her voice suddenly replaced by quiet concern. “I apologize. I merely took on the visage of the Reaper to drive them off. It was necessary to shield you.”

Kirika shook her head. “That’s not it. It’s just… it was so dark. I could barely see them. I couldn’t see their hands. Or their eyes. I didn’t know what they were about to do. And I tried to push one of them away but I couldn’t. He was just… stronger. I felt so small. So weak. It was terrifying.”

“Ara…” Rachnera exhaled slowly, placing one gentle hand on top of Kirika’s damp hair. “Not surprising, considering they weigh probably at least three times of what you can put onto the scale as you are right now.”

Kirika looked down at her talons, still trembling.

Rachnera studied her for a moment longer. Then, quietly, she turned and pointed over her shoulder at her wide, solid thorax.

“Tell you what,” she said. “I’m not a packhorse like Cerea, but I am a dependable girl when I want to be. I can get you home. So… want a lift? Just promise me one thing.”

Kirika blinked.

Rachnera smirked.

“You never tell anyone about this. Or I’ll spin you up and hang you from the ceiling. Got it?”

Kirika gave a tiny laugh… shaky, but real.

“That would be… great,” she said softly.

With Lala’s help, Kirika climbed up onto Rachnera’s back, wings folding tight as she settled against the surprisingly comfortable, chitin-plated surface. She leaned forward just enough to rest her head lightly against the back of Rachnera’s shoulder.

“I really, really appreciate both of you,” Kirika whispered.

Rachnera chuckled again, brushing it off like she didn’t care, but the way her steps grew steadier, smoother, told another story. She walked with more care after that, making sure Kirika didn’t bounce too much, didn’t jostle or slide. As if her darling up top were made of glass.

Meanwhile, Lala stayed quiet. Completely silent.

Was it out of respect? Guilt? Or just the firm belief that the grim reaper had said enough for one night?

Most likely… a mix of all three.

But Kirika appreciated her presence. Even in her strangest moments, Lala’s compassion always came through. Even if it had a scythe strapped to it.

As they strolled through the quiet nighttime streets, Kirika felt her shivers finally subside. Her wings relaxed. Her breath steadied.

As her body calmed, her mind began to wander again.

“Oh yeah, Rachnera,” she said after a moment. “That warehouse thing. What was that about?”

Rachnera clicked her tongue. “Let’s just say… a certain ‘friend’ of mine’s been making her rounds through the neighborhood lately. No matter how many times I tell her to lay low, she just can’t keep her nose out of trouble.”

Kirika raised an eyebrow. “A friend who breaks into abandoned buildings?”

“Mhm. You’d like her.” Rachnera smiled with just a hint of too many teeth.

Kirika decided not to press further. She knew Rachnera well enough by now, that was all she was getting. Pushing would just net more teasing.

So she shifted gears.

“Well, since that all went ‘well’… how about a midnight snack? I feel absolutely starved after tonight’s little disaster.”

“Ohoho~ I’m in,” Rachnera purred. “As long as Darling is paying. Carrying you around has earned me at least one dessert. Maybe three.”

Lala, still floating behind them like a specter, finally lifted her scythe with conviction.

“The unleashing of the Reaper’s fury drains even the deepest of voids. Sustenance is required… Lest I collapse into shadow.”

“…So, you’re hungry too?” Kirika translated flatly.

Lala nodded. “Indeed.”

So the three of them turned down the next street, eyes open for any still-lit signs, late-night diners, or corner shops with glowing vending machines.

A critter of the night.

A reaper of the night.

And a bird who could barely see half a meter in front of her.

What a combo.

But somehow…

It worked.

And maybe, Kirika thought with the smallest smile, this strange trio wasn’t so strange after all.

To be continued…

—

Just a casual girls night out with two of the scariest girls around.