The moment the Boss showed up, Fennel’s grip on Tasha tightened. Without waiting for it to make a move, he kept running toward us.

He wasn’t even halfway through the cavern yet—still near the back.

The massive, grotesque form of the Queen hung motionless for a moment, suspended in the center by thick threads of silk.

Then, as if on cue, shadows above her started multiplying. At first, it was just a ripple, a faint shift in the darkness. But then, hundreds of glowing red eyes emerged, piercing through the blackness of the ceiling.

They moved. Arachnid limbs—hundreds of them—clicked against the webbing as spiders poured out from the ceiling above, descending with terrifying speed.

A cascade of arachnids dropped from above, sliding down silken threads while others scuttled down the walls.

The Queen remained motionless, her mere presence commanding the swarm. It felt like she was overseeing the battlefield, watching her offspring flood the cavern with an air of authority befitting her status.

Fennel, still at the back of the cavern, didn't hesitate for even a fraction of a second, his ears twitching as the swarm began its pursuit.

But things weren’t going to be that straight forward. A sudden, deafening screech echoed off the walls, shaking the cavern. The Queen wasn’t about to let us leave her nest so easily.

A notification flashed before my eyes:

[The Brood Mother used Hatching Call.]

Before I could even make sense of it, the countless cocoons scattered across the cavern started trembling violently.

At first, it was just a faint shudder. But it quickly escalated. The trembling became a frenzy, as if the creatures inside were clawing, kicking, and fighting to break free all at once.

The first tear appeared—a jagged rip in one of the eggs. Spindly arachnid legs pierced through the thin, silken walls of the cocoon. More followed in rapid succession, black and jagged limbs slicing through the webbing.

Thick, murky fluid oozed from the openings, spilling out of the cocoons and pooling grotesquely on the floor. The hatchlings that crawled out were smaller than the more mature spiders but no less terrifying.

Their slick, glistening bodies were still coated in the embryonic goo that had nurtured them, each of their movements was accompanied by wet squelches.

One by one, then ten by ten, and soon by the hundreds, the hatchlings burst free, flooding the nest. The newborn swarm eager to obey their mother’s call.

“They just keep coming!” Kael shouted, panic lacing his voice as he watched Fennel quickly being overwhelmed by the growing swarm of enemies.

Sure enough, the spiders that had been pursuing Fennel began shooting thick web projectiles from their abdomens, aiming to pin him down.

“Are you serious?!” Fennel’s screamed out with both irritation and panic. He ducked, narrowly avoiding one of the sticky streams as it shot past him. “They have range? What kind of nonsense is this?!”

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Another web shot toward him, forcing him to spin out of its path. “What’s next, venom spray?! Who designs these things?!”

“Fennel, focus!” Kael shouted, his own frustration mounting as the situation spiraled further out of control.

“I am focusing!” he snapped, leaping over a clump of webbing that had landed in his path. “Focusing on how screwed things are getting at!”

Kael growled, his voice urgent. “This isn’t working! He’s not going to make it at this rate!”

Fennel twisted and dodged with desperate agility, but the strain was evident on his face. You know,” he shouted, his voice strained, “this would be a great time for you guys to jump in! Anytime now! Just saying!”

The situation was deteriorating by the second. Fennel’s path was quickly being cut off by the relentless onslaught of webs. If even one of those sticky webbage caught him, his speed advantage would vanish, and so would any chance of him or Tasha making it out alive.

Grizmar and I locked eyes, the urgency of the moment saying everything we didn't have to. We nodded in unison—a silent agreement to stick to the plan we’d worked out earlier.

Grizmar’s massive frame stepped forward. “Stay back,” he said.

Without waiting for a reply, he surged into the fray, his tower shield leading the charge.

Grizmar barreled forward, his heavy footsteps pounding against the floor. His shield absorbed the incoming web projectiles with ease, the sticky masses splattering harmlessly against its surface.

He carved a path directly toward Fennel, drawing the attention of the spiders in the process.

Fennel’s ears perked up as he noticed Grizmar approaching. His panic eased slightly, replaced by a flicker of his usual cocky grin. “Finally!” he yelled.

As the two passed each other in the chaos, Fennel muttered quickly, “It’s all on you now, big guy. Don’t die—Tasha would kill you for it.”

Grizmar didn’t reply, but the smirk on his face said it all. He reached the center of the swarm and came to an abrupt halt. Turning to face the horde, he planted his shield firmly into the ground. The spiders swarming toward him.

He let out a low, guttural laugh. “Come on, you ugly bastards!”

With a deep breath, he slammed his fist into his shield and roared. “Savage Roar!”

The spiders froze for a moment, the overwhelming power of the taunt drawing their attention like a magnet.

Then, as one, they surged toward him, their singular focus now on the immovable wall that was Grizmar.

The first wave of spiders crashed against him, their legs clawing at his shield, their mandibles snapping viciously. But Grizmar didn’t budge. His stance held firm, his sheer defensive power turning him into a one-man wall.

From our vantage point, it was both terrifying and Impressive to watch.

At first, the spiders were all over the place—wild, frantic, lunging at him without a second thought. They clawed and bit at any part of Grizmar they could reach, desperate to bring him down.

His massive tower shield swung in wide, crushing arcs, sending spiders flying. The crunch of shattered exoskeletons as his fists smashed into anything that got too close.

Some of the spiders managed to land hits. Jagged limbs scratched at his arms and legs, leaving thin lines of blood behind. One cut on his forearm even dripped a little, but Grizmar didn’t care. He didn’t flinch, didn’t hesitate. Instead, he grinned—a wide, savage grin that showed every tooth, “That’s it? That’s your best shot?!”

More of them poured in, wave after wave. The ground around him became a writhing sea of arachnid bodies, all swarming to take him down.

At first, the cuts and scratches kept coming. Thin red lines traced his skin, little marks of the battle. But then, the hits started to feel weaker, less sharp. Claws raked his arms, mandibles snapped at him—and nothing.

The spiders couldn’t even leave a scratch. It was like their attacks were just bouncing off.

That’s when Savage Protector power kicked in. Their numbers, meant to overwhelm him, only made him tougher. Every new spider in the swarm was just another boost to his defense.

He stood there like an unmovable giant in the middle of it all, shrugging off attacks like they were nothing. The spiders screeched in frustration, their swipes and bites useless.

But then, something changed.

The spiders changed their approach. It wasn’t obvious at first—but then they started pulling, spinning, and flinging silk at him.

Grizmar’s grin vanished when he felt a sudden tug on his ankle. He glanced down to see thick webbing wrapping around his foot, locking him in place. His brow furrowed as he stomped hard, trying to shake it off, but the strands only tightened.

“What the—?!” he growled, smashing his shield into a nearby spider while clawing at the webbing with his free hand. For every strand he ripped, more spiders were spinning fresh silk, aiming for his other leg.

Kael’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp with panic. “They’re trying to pin him down!”

“They’re cocooning him!”