Realizing that they can both now camouflage their skin, each does so as the get close to the fourth room. Gaio steps in front of Belaria and nudges Brock to let him know that he is ready. Gaio whispers to him. “I know your talent is different than mine, but I am betting that you have some means of disguising yourself.” Once Gaio nods to Belaria, she will throw her lighted stone into the room.
The extra lighted stone irritates the spiders as the one before had done in the other room, and they begin moving about in aggitation looking to vent aggression. Unfortunately, the range of the party’s Benders is not yet very far and the group must get closer, which will put them at risk, but such is the nature of adventure sometimes.
Brock says, "I don't really hide; it's more like I convince people not to look at me." Brock chuckles quietly as he and Garin begin to inch closer, preparing to attack.
Brock = 51, 95(+73); so: 51, 168
Garin = 92(+35), 78; so: 127, 78
Gaio nods at Brock and whispers, “Are you ready? We are the defense against the others. I am moving with you.” He augments his athletcism as he prepares to face the arachnidian threat, hoping to sling away any of them that launch themselves.
Belaria prepares to corrode the first spider that she sees. She reaches up to catch ahold of Garin to keep him from moving to far forward. She figures their talent is at about the same strength. She says, “Ready.”
Brenda slaps her right hand forward before anyone else can act and says, “Ha!” Unfortunately she is unable to heat her intended target.
Additionally unfortunate is the speed of the spiders, who launch themselves at the two party members that they can reach. Brock catches the first one that launches itself at his face, but a second one manages to bite into his thigh. Brock is only mildly hurt, but the venom has become a problem. Gaio also catches his first but a second bites into his thigh. While the bite is almost nothing, this dose of venom is crippling. The spider Brock is holding contorts when he tries to slam it into the ground, but luck is on his side for the heat and completely cooks the spider. Gaio falls to the floor, dropping his spider.
Seeing her heartmate fall, Belaria cries out and mystically assaults one of the spiders on him but is unable to affect it. Garindell fares better. Since that spider is the closest to the party and will likely jump beyond Brock, Garindell electrocutes it, causing it to convulse upon the floor. Having been joined by the one male spider that had escaped a previous room, there are still 4 active male spiders. Brock killed the female.
As Gaio is still conscious but definitely out of commission, the only thing that he can do is attempt to accelerate his natural healing process in hopes of enduring the venom. Belaria grits her teeth and growls in anger. She moves to Gaio’s aid intending to slap the spider with her bare hand and corrode its insides.
Still surprisingly fast for such a muscular girl, Brenda, prevents a spider from landing on her, bodily grabs the thing, hoping to heat it and crush it. She manages to completely smash the little beast without any need to heat it, so that she drops the carcass to the ground as it bubbles and steams.
Like vipers, spiders do not prefer fresh food, even though spiders only consume the blood of a victim while vipers consume the whole creature. Each will leave a fallen prey to return after several hours or even an entire day. The spider that drops Gaio is the one that leaps at Brenda. As Brock is still on his feet, the second spider on him bites a second time injecting more venom. Brock is very weakened but still standing. Though injured, he peels the spider from himself and slings it to its death; like Brenda, not enemies needing the heat he generated.
A spider launches itself onto Garindell, holding his torso and biting into some exposed flesh, injecting its hemotoxic venom. He is slightly weakened but still manages to fling the spider from him, electrocuting it in the process. The spider dies. The last spider launches itself at Belaria, successfully landing and causing the same harm to her as the one on Garindell had caused him; but like with all the others, she kills the spider.
All seven spiders have been killed at this time but everyone except Brenda is affected by the hemotoxic venom and will continue to weaken until paralyzed like Gaio, unless mystical means of recovery are used. Despite being paralyzed, Gaio has already done what little he can for himself, but he could use more aid.
