Not just one, but a whole pack of voracious spiders!

You lean closer towards the obelisk, peering into the depths of the seeing stone. At first, everything is dark and exceedingly quiet. Then...gah! A single, scarlet-coloured eye flickers open quizzically, followed immediately by seven others that pop into focus, holding your distant gaze as if sensing your presence. The red globes regard you impassively, the ashen pupils illuminated by an uncanny intelligence that belies the spider's bestial nature. You recoil slightly, child-like. The brood hidden in the depths of your dungeon are certainly amongst the most unsettling creatures that you have amassed over the years. You return your attention to the still mirror in front of you, and are struck immediately by the blackness that fills it. It is an unnatural darkness, as if even your magical sight is hindered by the shroud covering this particular section of the labyrinth. It is almost palpable, even in your chamber many miles above.

Gradually, though you must strain your own human eyes to make it out, the monstrous figure of this spider is fully revealed in its loathsome entirety. Long, thin mandibles protrude obscenely out of the creature's maw, whilst other fangs of various sizes stick out haphazardly along the inner and outer rim of the ghastly mouth. Glistening green slime oozes out of the horrifying orifice, coating the blades that pass for teeth in a sickly emerald goo. A great, bloated hulk forms the main section of the body, covered in erect hairs and crisscrossed by striking silver markings. The abdomen, from which eight thick, bristling legs burst out at regular intervals, heaves and ripples with unseen effort. To top it all off, the main body ends in a fleshy hole surrounded by chitinous ridges, out of which a strong rope of silk is held taught so as to keep this monstrosity in place, hanging as it is far from the ground, in the soggy canopy of the labyrinth.

You contain your revulsion with some difficulty, but your arousal does not abate. You can think of no fate more cruel, nor more deserving, for these bothersome intruders, than that of becoming the brood-mother to a family of hideous spiders. Indeed, as you look ever more attentively, you remark their sheer numbers - more and more pitiless eyes slowly reveal themselves until there are dozens, possibly hundreds, glinting menacingly in the darkness. Then you notice the webbing, the endless webbing! The entire ceiling is buried under layer and layer of white silk, the walls on both sides home to countless crevices filled to bursting with soft, sticky padding. Each strand sways gently under the many bodies passing silently from one part of the structure to the other. It's the biggest nest you've ever seen. The edges of your lips twist upwards at the corners as your maintain the gaze of your arachnid friend. A few hushed whispers and a burst of energy later, everything goes black.

You re-awake seconds later with a mad spasm, lashing out at your surroundings with eight unholy limbs. A gurgling hiss escapes your mouth and you click your mandibles in frustration. It has been a long time since you took possession of something so...inhuman, and this body feels extremely unfamiliar to you. A pang of hunger wracks your frame and you shudder violently. You are famished. The pack has obviously not eaten in many months.

Slowly, you adjust to your new form. Your animal instinct kicks in, overriding your burning need to hang upright and seek solid ground. Your eyes initially struggle to pierce the darkness, but quickly adapt to the environment and soon you can see more clearly than could possibly have been imaged with your human vision. You expel a supple silk fibre, your rear legs reacting naturally and attaching it to the many lengths that keep you securely latched far from the ground below.

Your brothers and sisters observe you from a distance yet do not intervene. As you steady yourself, a soft clacking reverberates around the nest in appreciation. Your broodmates sense the change in one of their number and keep their distance, as if out of reverence. Suddenly, however, they burst into a frenzied spurt of activity. Fresh meat! The signal is sent out amidst a cackle of fangs and you turn your bulbous head downwards, spotting the faint figure of a human below you. The adventurers! You had almost forgotten. Your stomach roars, but there is something stronger surging within your blood. The sexual pheromones of your kind react rapidly and you feel yourself flush with adrenaline as you stealthily lower yourself towards the floor on knotted webs. You must ensnare this foolish one! She must serve the brood!

You gather momentum as you slide down hurriedly, extending your web as you descend. Your brothers and sisters, slightly behind, flank you on all sides. You click your mandibles together hysterically. 'At her, my kindred!'