Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1226319" data-attributes="member: 143">Thanks, Guillaume!  I appreciate the feedback.* * * * * Chapter 76Zenna cursed as her shot went wide, the bolt striking a dangling strand of webbing that dislodged it enough to narrowly miss her target.  The others, however, were more accurate, with Mole’s shot catching the spider in its fat body just to the right of its maw, while Dannel’s arrow sank deeply into a black eye.  Arun hurled a light hammer, which smacked it in the body just above the row of remaining eyes.  Still it came on, its jaws glistening with venom as it sought out the flesh of those who had harmed it.  Behind it the other spiders charged on in its wake, just as eager. Arun growled out a challenge as he hefted his warhammer and set his shield to meet their rush.  The spider charged into him with enough force to drive even the sturdy dwarf back a step, and there was a moment of doubt as the dwarf’s footing nearly gave out on the tangled map of webbing.  But the paladin kept his stance, and the spider’s fangs snapped in vain against the hard front of his shield.  With a roar Arun countered with a powerful underhanded sweep of his hammer that came up into the creature’s head from below.  Stunned by the force of the impact, the spider wavered... but somehow, despite the grievous wounds it had suffered, yet stood. “Blast you, die already, you blasted vermin!” the dwarf shouted, bringing the hammer up to try and finish it before the spider could recover to attack again. The second large spider couldn’t fit into the tight confines of the corridor, with its brother engaged with Arun in the narrow space.  The smaller spiders—small being a relative term, since each was the size of a wolf—spread out and crawled up the walls to slip in around their larger cousin.  One even skittered up a dangling length of web to the ceiling, clinging to the threads like a tightrope walker immune to the tug of gravity as it slipped into the corridor from above.  Dannel met the first medium spider to dart into the corridor with an arrow that sank almost to the fletching in its hairy body.  The spider twitched spasmodically but then sprang forward, narrowly missing the elf to land in the midst of the companions.  Mole let out a reflexive shriek and dodged back, falling into a cluster of webs that thankfully weren’t sticky enough to hold her.  Zenna, standing right before the spider, held her ground as the wounded creature turned to face her, and calmly fired her crossbow directly into its head.  The spider shuddered, and collapsed.  Illewyn, who’d also been caught off guard, could only hold her mace limply, looking at Zenna with an amazed look on her face while the tiefling reached for another bolt and reloaded. The large spider recovered just as Arun smashed into it with another blow that knocked it backward, flying end-over-end to land in a tumbled heap of legs and mashed innards.  Before he could even reset, however, the second large spider darted in with uncanny speed, stabbing its fangs into the dwarf’s armored shoulder.  Arun cried out as the spider’s powerful bite crunched through plate, digging into the flesh beneath and pumping liquid death into his veins.  But the dwarf was made of stern stuff, and he quickly shook free and bashed the spider in the head with his hammer, driving it back enough to give him room to work. Dannel fired as quickly as he could fit arrows to his bowstring, unleashing shots that bit spider flesh more often than not despite his haste.  He hit the spider crawling in across the ceiling with a shot that staggered it, and before it could recover followed with a second that hit with enough impact to send it flying, narrowly missing Arun even as he struggled against the remaining large specimen.  Two more medium spiders came scrambling around the edges of the corridor, along the walls.  Dannel drew and fired a shot that slammed into the first spider’s maw, through its body, and jutted out through its hindquarters, its momentum finally spent.  The spider stiffened and dropped.  The second twitched and leapt, forcing the elf to duck to narrowly avoid its leap.  The spider landed right in front of Mole, who had pulled herself from the webs but thus far had been unable to get a clear shot at anything in the tight confines of the battle.  She lifted her crossbow, but the spider lunged and bit at her before she could shoot, dragging a pair of gashes in her forearm with its fangs.  “Ow!” Mole yelled, darting back from the creature’s reach before it could snare her again. Zenna fired at the spider, but her shot merely glanced off of its leathery body.  It turned to face her, but Illewyn leapt into the gap to challenge it, catching it with a glancing blow from her mace.  The spider, clearly not impressed by the strike, lunged at the priestess’s leg, but its fangs only caught the hem of her robe as she pulled abruptly back. Mole, now brandishing her sword, leapt forward, her magical boots allowing her to spring up around the spider to flank it.  The spider, still fixated on Illewyn, failed to react in time to save it as the gnome took advantage to slip her blade into a joint in the creature’s body, slaying it. Arun, meanwhile, had just finished a titanic struggle with the second of the larger spiders, crushing it with a final blow of his hammer.  He was clearly weakened, though, with a second wound in his weapon arm where the spider’s fangs had again penetrated through his protections.  Even as the spider died, and the room grew quiet again, the dwarf sagged against the bewebbed wall, his hammer and shield leaden in his hands.  “Is everyone all right?” Zenna asked.“Look out!” Dannel cried, reaching for another arrow.  Before any of them could react, however, an object hurtled out of the darkness from the far exit.  It was a net, fashioned of spiderwebs, that settled around the tired dwarf, pinning his arms and securing him against the wall.  Arun struggled, but in his currently weakened condition could not break free.  The web-hurler was revealed a moment later as it moved forward into the room, shuffling into the edge of their light.  It was a terrible thing, looking like nothing other than a cross between a spider and a man, walking upright while its bestial jaws clacked eagerly, shining with the telltale glisten that marked poison.  Behind it, a second creature was visible. “We’re not done here yet!” Dannel cried, drawing his bow and sighting down the length of the shaft.</blockquote>

Verification