The spider witch waited until the crowd dispersed, dawdling around the bone pits in search of stones. She might as well get started as she waited for the area the clear. Thothaga wanted to speak with the Collector- Algol, alone. Especially since he wasn't popular with the Bonebound. If they saw her conversing with him, they may not let her back in. Fools. She thought bitterly. To think they own Canis, bah! They have no right. No one does.

It must have been her lucky day, because among the bones, she sensed the presence of a strong stone. In life the gembound must have been at its full potential. Thothaga snatched it up and scurried back towards the West Wall.

When all was quiet, she approached.

"Collector, Collector, come out. I must speak with you." She called out. Thothaga groomed her fangs while she waited. She was lot bigger since she last spoke with him, having grown at least a foot or two taller since then, rivaling the height of a small horse.

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

A dark, horned silhouette slipped into her vision almost ethereally, as if straight out the Merchant's illusion. She regarded him for a moment, taking note of the eerie similarity the fake Algol had with the real one. Honestly, it was bit off putting.

Thothaga puffed up at his welcoming words. She had no idea if they were genuine, but she desperately wanted them to be. "Ah, yes," She answered. Thothaga didn't know what she was testing him for-- motive? "And myself as well." She also confessed. "T'was somewhat dangerous, but rather fascinating!" It was no secret she'd been using the Merchant's trials to grow, even if it was in a way she did not expect.

The Maiden's eyes sparkled as she dipped into a more playful tone. "You know, he called you a doddering troublemaker, seeking playthings." She teased, cocking her body to one side. I wonder what he'll think of that. "Hah, doddering.. well, you if hadn't popped out of that stone, I'd hardly know you were ancient, if that is any consolation."


"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

That was not quite the reaction she was expecting, but...

Spinner of Dreams? She thought. I quite like that. "Of course,." She said at his digression. Thothaga shuffled her fangs, now on to the real reason she came. "I wanted.. to thank you." She said. "Your wisdom helped me see through the Merchant's illusions, and in doing so.. saved my life, helped me grow... you were right." The spider witch found the words hard to spit up, not because she detested Algol, in fact her feelings were quite opposite. She was not used to showing gratitude, especially to those she admired. "I have learned much about myself..." She trailed off, recalling the last illusion she saw in the cave, the one that hurt. Is it because I truly desired it?

Gradually, the cloudiness parted from her jet-black eyes. He had her full attention again. "I want to help you." She began, perking up. "I hear you like to do favors, yes?"


"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

"Answers." She said plainly.

"I grow tired of being kept in the dark." Her dark eyes hungered. "There are many things I must ask you..." The spider's voice became hushed. ..But, I need the truth.. and your discretion." Thothaga paused. Her vision was poor, but still, she watched the shadows. What Astraea had told her worried her. Like how she foresaw Dragon's own meeting, she did not know who, or what could be watching. She did not know what Nemean was capable of, or any of the other "Masters". Her fangs shuffled nervously, though her tone remained serious. "What can I do to ensure that?"

She wanted to see Algol as an ally, or at the very least, a trusted informant. He was the only ancient that she knew who had been trapped in a prison for the last couple of eons, and no one bothered to free him, not even Astraea, or the Masked Merchant with all his godlike powers. Perhaps his loyalties lied somewhere else.

Thothaga was afraid of what she would uncover, but she had to know. She had to tug at his seams.

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

Thothaga chittered in amusement. "That's Lady Spellweaver to you."

A flick of movement caught her attention and the spider stiffened. Algol held out something light. Where did that come from, his sleeve? She wondered if he had been hiding it there the whole time. He was waiting to do that, wasn't he? The way Algol spoke, it sounded like he wanted to make a pact, one bound in this.. floppy little thing. Words were important to her. Her spells depended on them. As a matter of fact, the art of conversation was magick within itself. "Oh, my dear Collector, I'll have you know that my word is by bond." She reassured him, then playfully jabbed. "But if this let's your horned-little-head sleep at night, then very well." Thothaga crawled forward and pressed her nearsighted eyes to it. It looked like a weird, flimsy leaf-- She looked closer-- with markings, similar to the ones seen etched in the tunnels. In her visions, they seemed to speak to those who stared at them. Quietly, Thothaga casted a spell to aid her investigation.

"Ohh," Her dark eyes lit up with interest.

For awhile, the spider witch stood there, scanning the parchment, studying the characters as if she were absorbing every last detail they spoke of. "Yesss, yesss!" She called out, reaching an understanding.

The spider lifted up her paw as if to sign it, then paused, pointing to it instead. "I can't read." She stated anticlimactically. Thothaga tilted to the side."What does it say? She asked the Collector curiously.


"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.