>>6022259>>6022280>>6022314Looks like the voting is unanimous.
You a sly but soft look spreads across your face. Looking the spider in the eyes, you speak, "Or... You could join me. Wouldn't that be fun? And if we come across any other white-faced spiders, you can decide if you want to come back here with them. What do you say?"
The tarantula's eyes widen, her legs trembling in excitement. Her mandibles jitter back and forth. "Oh my... Do you mean it? I've been all alone for so long. You don't seem so bad, even if you really are a no- um. What do you call it?"
"A gnome." You smile slightly. Seems this spider is a little slow to the punch. That's not so bad.
"Even if you are a gnome." She shakes, and scuttles down off the wall to draw near to you. "Shall we go then?" He eyes smile, beaming at you.
You nod, patting her head firmly. You're not sure why you did that, but it feels right. The spider doesn't seem to mind. "Yep. Let's get a move on. I'm sure there are plenty of other things to see around here." You walk forward, and the spider scuttles behind you into the dark hallway.
The two of you enter a room with two doors, one to the east, and the other to the west. The northmost wall sports a large a crack in the stone brick, and is oozing some kind of foul-smelling muck. A couple of green-leafed plants sprout from the pile of sludge. A set of muddy footprints lead to the eastern door, which has a dusty-looking welcome mat in front of it. The western door looks sturdy, and features a keyhole. Your heavy iron key looks like a perfect fit.
"I would often hear noises in this room all the way from the hallway we passed. I never knew what it was." The spider taps her legs against the stone floor.
What do you do?
>Use your key to open the western door.>Try your luck with the eastern door. With a welcome mat, maybe someone lives there?>Inspect the plants and foul-smelling muck. 