chapter 41

During or trip to the nest the pressure in my body continues to grow in unease every step I take amd a growing weight from the bag that I carry with the supplies like the others, making the one best taking this of course ent seems to take the trip the best as the other three are more researchers and creators than adventurers and I already know my issue

Though soon we see the nest and the many spiders guarding it as we start going one by one past the patrols of the acid and cannon spiders to the inside of the nest the ones of us most experienced and most able to go first so incase an unexpected problem happens midway we will have a better chance of dealing with it than the others and the ones that go next will know more than the ones that went before as we soon begin reaching the territory of the web spiders, making webbing all over the place as usual, making them easier to go last as we start reaching the inside of the webbing to the nest as at this point I can hears the three of them writing in their books as they look around and be careful of any web spiders that are to go inside from time to time, something to find out on the way

The actual inside of the nest is surprisingly, structured multiple wholes around two small for us but big enough for the silk spiders going in and out from all over the nest, as well as open areas where we manage to get a look of the metal spiders that not many have seen in the distance

" forget vehicles, they, could fit a small village in their carapace"

Muttered Chris as they look at the sheer size of the area we entered that seems to be where the metal spiders rest as we big to climb up with our gear helping us not fall as we start heading up from the spot we came from ent scetching it down so we don't forget

As for each of the researchers that have taken great notice on the compressed webbing below the giant spider managing to hold up their likely immense weight and the general structure keeping such a wide space not collapse in itself , as Cole continues looking over the spiders themselves making sketches and measuring their size with approximations, Jerry is already getting samples of webbing as we go up, as me and ent keep watch for the three of them as we started making it to what is a corner of the area using the sticky web balls to cover ourselves in case web spiders decide to come over while digging into the web at the corner to make it a kind of wall between us and the giant area and also doing so to make enough space to rest in, as I take out the light spider jar to light up the area in case something attempts to comes inside our area leaving the group to discuss as I see something poking out of Jerry's pack as I pull it out seeing a familiar black mask with painted on white eyes and wide smile as I shiver a little realizing

"Um, jerry? Why did you bring this along?"

As I could already tell ent seems shocked looking at the mask as Chris and Cole look at it curiously as Cole shivers a little while Chris speaks

"Huh, I didn't think someone would make a copy of the mask of the destroyer"

"Well, we don't necessarily know ourselves one day Jake over here was stuck I a cavern that even they thought wasn't real, the next he was out of them only to find shadows 'greeting' of a beating and dragged back inside to me"

As while I notice Cole writing Jerry's explanation down and Chris readying to ask some questions, I couldn't help but see ent grow more tensed by the second their hands practically digging into his legs

"Well what does the area look like? I doubt it was just black the whole way through"

"Well that's the strange part Jake said that is was like a ghost town, with glowing moss and seeminly perfectly built building other than some emptied or torn apart And the works it was strange to say the least"

"But where did you even find said mask? Did it just appear when you got out of that, area?"

Ent spoke worry in his voice as before Jake can call out again I put my hand on his mouth to stop him

" I, found in is a 2 floor house further down from, the area, and, ent, are you okay? You seem a bit more then spooked?"

"I-i I'm fine, it's just, when and, where? Did you get that mask? I, need, really need, to know"

I sigh giving a worried look at ent as so does Cole and Chris, as Jerry is already stopped seeing the change in atmosphere as I continue

"I, honestly don't really know while I was exiting the house i, accidentally kicked it out the front door, I'll be honest being inside that house was, off putting, and I was ready to leave but since I kicked the mask out I just wanted to pick it up and throw it inside, but when I touched it, i- I was suddenly outside with a bag and this mask and then getting beat up by shadow because of just the bag"

As ent seems to have finally calmed down, as they look down at their hands on their knees pausing a moment as they lift their head back up from the episode they were in

" i, will only say this to you you this once becuase I honestly don't think I can stay calm trying to say this again, did you see the mask on the way inside of the home ?"

"No, strangely enough I, haven't actually seen it until I was, exiting"

"I'm, what you all will call a bit of an, historian, and as for my current state, it's becuase just from the feeling of the thing being near, and, how you where describing how you found it"

As ent takes a moment to breath seemingly glaring at the mask that I've already put down beside me

" that mask, it isn't a copy, it's the real mask, of the one you all know as, the destroyer"

Let's just say now everyone is now too submerged into the atmosphere to pick up their notebooks or to write as ent continues to breath slowly

" all I'll say is, most of the 7 if the find you having that mask with you, they, Will, kill you to take it away, that, thing, is to be buried and left to rot, that is likely why it was there in the first place it was just, strange otherwise"

I look at the mask as i couldn't help but swallow my saliva from the growing anxiety of just holding the thing, so much at the time I never noticed how ent instead of looking nervous of the mask seems to have a look of dread at their own hands for some reason before I couldn't help but speak up at the moment Noticing something wrong with what ent has just said

"Um, while guess your right about being the destroyers actual mask and about I should probably just, bury it again into the dirt or even try to destroy it, but, how, did you get such an idea on how the seven think and act about this, you didn't say it as if it is likely or almost certain you, said it like it was fully guaranteed and what do you mean? Left there? Where you, there before?"

I couldn't help but whisper this out slowly raising my voice as my suspicion slowly grows as I look right over to ent as they seem to pause a moment then sigh at themselves

"I, was there, and I actually had an idea on why the mask was out there, the place was earie as hell and I was curious, that place, existed before, the destroyer event, in fact it was pretty clean and yet so, empty, let's just say, I learned plenty in that place stuff I'd, rather not say, as for after the, event, I once came over after everybody else I was of the later half that was 'collected' by the seven as before then, I fell into a cavern I, don't know why it's like that now I guess becuase of the seven to seal the stuff in that place, but when I returned there it was sealed in a clear box, away from the world, but, people were already there as I had to leave but well, I might have knocked the case over or something to make it fall,case for how I got out. Nowadays I've no memory of how I actually left that place after that case was knocked over"

After saying all that they begin looking out as soon Chris and Cole decide to put away the notes and already beginning to ready to leave

As Jerry speaks over to ent as I'm trying to question why the story seems so, strange to listen to

"Maybe we can simply put the mask deep into the webs of this place? It's not like many will try to tear down this entire nest, we could find a random place deep in the nest and place the mask deep within the webbing"

"Ah, likely be better to go closer to the center probably the best place I guess" as we decided to agree as we start pulling ourselves up to both search the rest of the nest, and to find another spot to hide the mask"

_

I was working on some things with metal when I heard a call from my brother shadow, as I tell metal about my call as I soon leave them to their usual work talking to 'zim' as always

"What is it brother? You already told us bout the expedition of the group? Did something happen?"

"It's, not that, turns out, this, jake did find something, a particular, mask"

"What?"

As I couldn't help but feel time slow down a moment, it, couldn't be that mask, but what other, as my thoughts then get answered sadly from the other side

"Yeah, luckily it seems the group is planning on just going deeper and hiding the thing away like it was, I, doubt anything is gonna happen but, just so you know, and so the others do aswell, that is all"

As the call ends causing me to sigh, as I start to call the others walking back to metal