Lady Grace holds up her hand over her shoulder, signaling Blue Company squad to alertness. The section of forest they had entered had become increasingly overgrown and strands of webbing hinted at nearby danger. Looking at her recruits, she mutters “Something is here” as a large, black mass drops onto her from the forest canopy and bites into her shoulder.

Following their training, Nalda speaks the incantation “טיל הקסם” and a bolt of energy shoots from her hand, eldritch power striking the giant spider hanging off of Lady Grace. Unfazed, it remains wrapped around her shoulder and back. Two other spiders had fallen to the ground, and now turn their attention to the group trailing behind their leader. Overgrown to the size of a medium dog, a menacing red hourglass shape adorns each spider’s abdomen. Green venom drips from their fangs as they quiver, preparing to bite.

Beler and Damin move forward, each squaring off against one of the spiders. In one smooth motion, Gevot draws and fires an arrow which sails past the creatures and disappears into the surrounding darkness of the forest.

Reaching their position in front of the monsters, Damin attempts to raise her shield as her opponent lunges. Evading the shield’s protection, the spider’s fangs sink deep into her forearm. With a cry, she is dragged to the ground.

“They’re so strong!” Beler marvels, swinging her enormous sword at her opponent. The spider tries to dodge, but one of its legs gets hacked off by the attack. Venom sprays from its fangs as it silently bites at the fighter in pain.

The cleric Damin, on the ground, swings at the spider that had attacked her. Miscalculating her attack, her mace glances off the spider, doing no damage.

Finally getting her longsword free of its sheath, Lady Grace tries to dislodge the monstrosity on her back but ends up losing her grip on the sword and it falls into the underbrush.

“Finish off Beler’s injured opponent first” Lady Grace shouts, reminding them of the basic tactics training they have recently completed. Moving towards where her sword had fallen, the creature on her back bites into her once again, and she falls under the sustained attack.

Gevot drops his bow and draws his short sword as he joins Beler. He swings at her opponent and drives it backwards as it dodges his clumsy attack. He gives a curse he’d heard when they were recently in the city of Hope and shook his head to dislodge the sweat that now covers his brow.

Damin swings once more with her mace, attempting a side attack on the giant spider. It barely connects and seems to make the creature angry more than injure it. As the spider that finished Lady Grace moves toward Nalda, Yenser intercepts it and narrowly misses with a swing of her sword. Nalda draws her dagger, and backs away.

The fight drags on, with the Blue Company squad finally killing one of the three monsters. In spite of its death, the heroes fall one by one until silence descends once more on the forest and the giant spiders begin to feed.