Several Deep Rats were scrubbing their faces into the floor in the farthest corner, and in the center of the room were a pair of Giant Spiders.
Disgust swept through me at the sight of their hairy limbs and beady eyes, but I jumped on them first.
Thankfully, they only reached my waist––not the ogre-sized monstrosities I'd heard passing adventurers describe…
I would probably burn the place down before facing off with those.
Focusing on the two Giant Spiders in front of me, I swung my sword at the first one's head and analyzed them.
Giant Spider
Level 3
Hit Points: 5/20
Mana: 0/0
Status: Near Death, Severe Head Wound
Giant Spider
Level 3
Hit Points: 20/20
Mana: 0/0
Status: Healthy
Dang it, I'd hoped to kill the first spider in one hit and move onto the next. Those Deep Rats wouldn't stay stunned for long, and I wouldn't last if everything swarmed me.
I ripped my blade out of the spider and struck again, watching as it fell lifelessly to the ground. Unfortunately, that gave the second spider enough time to recover.
As the first spider collapsed, the second one reared up, slamming two massive legs onto my chest and knocking me to the ground.
My armor clanged off the stone floor, loud enough to make my ears ring, but when the Giant Spider opened its maw, baring tiny jagged teeth dripping with purplish goo, my hearing was the least of my worries.
I barely managed to bring my arm up in time to stop those teeth from sinking into my face. Instead, they gnawed harmlessly at my armor, the purple goo sizzling lightly against the metal.
Poison, of course. Now I was even happier I'd stopped it from biting me…
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Not giving myself time to think, I tried to force my sword between us and into its abdomen.
The Giant Spider hissed and jumped back just as I thrust the blade forward. I hit, but not by much. A slow drip of blood oozed onto the dungeon floor, but I didn't need to analyze it to know the damage was minimal. Their skin was thicker than that of an average spider, which explained why my first strike hadn't killed the other one.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Deep Rats shaking off their daze. Perfect. Now we had to deal with those pests on top of the spider.
Grinding my teeth in frustration, I called out. “Can you handle the rats?”
Clover’s response was immediate. “Not without hurting you too. Drag that spider against the wall, and I'll deal with the rats!”
Easier said than done, but I'd figure it out.
I readjusted my grip and took a slow step to the side. The spider followed, its eight eyes locked on me as it stalked forward. I made it halfway to the wall before it tensed, its legs bunching low in preparation to attack.
“This is as far as we're getting!” I shouted over my shoulder, bracing as the spider leaped.
I couldn't dodge in this armor, but it more than made up for its lack of agility with sheer defense. The spider’s poison-dripping maw clamped to my arm, and I staggered under its weight. Its legs fell on either side of me as it bore down, trying to force us both to the ground. Alarm surged through me, instincts screaming that I could not let the spider succeed.
It was hard enough to fight while standing, but pressed flat against the stone floor? Nearly impossible.
I used my arm to keep the spider's face away and planted my foot into its chest. There wasn't enough room for me to swing my sword, but maybe I didn't need to.
The Deep Rats were a few paces away, their furry heads swiveling between Clover and me as they decided who to go attack. Depending on how large her spell’s area of effect was, we might just finish this encounter without a scratch.
Magic pulsed in the air, radiating from Clover. As it reached its peak, and she sucked in a breath to recite the spell, I kicked the spider with all my strength. It staggered back into the rats, momentarily distracting them, and then I heard Clover speak.
“Illuminating Lance!”
I watched in satisfaction as a long golden lance formed in her palm, lighting the entire room as it shot forward. It seared a path through the Deep Rats and Giant Spider, fizzling out just before it hit the far wall.
When the dust settled, four piles of ash sat in the center of the room, along with one intact spider corpse.
Grinning, I gave her a thumbs up. “First battle, success!”
She shook her head, amusement dancing in her eyes as the ball of light she'd summoned earlier bounced as if in laughter.
“You are such a dork.”
Heat crawled up my neck, and I shrugged. “Nothing wrong with being happy we survived, and without a scratch too.”
She tipped her head, mouth opening to say something witty. Whatever it was, I never found out.
Her gaze flicked behind me and widened, the smile dropping into an alarm frown as she shouted, “Frederick, behind-!”
Something large and heavy slammed against my back, forcing me onto the jagged stone floor. When I could finally breathe past the shock, I looked over my shoulder to face our new adversary.
Massive, hairy legs and too many eyes greeted me, along with a much larger mouth that oozed strings of poison down onto my neck. The skin burned on contact, and I hissed, barely managing to assess what we were up against.
Adult Giant Spider
Level 4
Hit Points: 30/30
Mana: 0/0
Status: Enraged
Even pinned against the floor, I could see it was roughly the size of an ogre, just as the traveling adventurers had described.
The ones we killed before must have been the babies. And if that was true, this was Mama.
And she was livid.