"Run!" Sam shouts.
Laura turns and runs down the wagon trail. I'm about to follow, but the spider shoots a web at me. It wraps around my legs, sticking me to the ground. The spider stomps closer to me, clicking its mandibles, sending chills down my back.
There's a die above the spider's head as well, but I don’t look at it. All I care about is getting away from those mandibles.
I grab at the webbing around my legs and attempt to pull it apart. A die appears above my head, but all I notice are those green letters: Success! The webbing rips to shreds in my fingers and my legs are free.
I turn to run away. The spider shrieks behind me, and I feel a force strike at my back, pushing me forward, but it glances off my armor.
My armor...
I was so focused on my new hand earlier that I failed to even notice the heavy chain-linked armor--I think it's called chainmail--over my chest, arms, and legs. I imagine it’s too heavy for me to sprint in, but my body feels stronger, taller, and--somehow--experienced in fighting with armor like this. I manage to run about thirty feet away from the spider, catching up to Laura.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
"You okay?" she asks.
Before I answer, a huge explosion makes us both jump.
On the other side of the fissure, a massive fireball swirls around the two spiders. They squeal in pain. One of them collapses, its legs continuing to twitch as they get burnt to a crisp. The other spider seems to barely endure the flames. Malcolm's hand is extended, as if he'd shot that.
"We can't outrun it," Laura says. "We have to fight."
Stunned, I watch her swiftly grab a shield and curved sword from off her back and charge toward the humongous spider.
"Don't!" I shout.
Ignoring me, she takes a swipe at the spider's face, but it pulls back just in time to dodge. The monster then lunges at Laura, sinking its mandibles into her shoulder. Laura screams in pain.
Dice continue to appear above everyone's foreheads, including the spiders, but I have been too caught up in the confusion to observe them. This time, however, a die above Laura's head catches my attention. It says, "Constitution Saving Throw: Fail." Laura gasps in pain again, arching her back. I don't know what the die means, but the agony on Laura's face says it all.
Without even thinking, my hands reach for a shield and a longsword from off my back--that I didn't even know were there. They feel comfortable in my hands, like I'd trained with them for years. The sensation is bizarre. But it gives me confidence.
My teeth clench. My new hand grips on the longsword. And I charge at the monster, determined to save Laura.
As I run, another muscle memory triggers in the back of my head. I don't understand it. It feels familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, as if I'm two people at once. My sports training has taught me to trust and rely on muscle memory, so I don't resist it.
Blue words appear above my head: "Bonus Action: Giant's Might."