The gloom makes it impossible to discern Miriam's expression, but Absinthe can hear the creak of her suitcase as she shifts its weight. They stand in silence for a moment, suspended above the forest floor.

Suddenly, a rustle echoes through the darkness, and Absinthe feels the web tremble beneath their feet. He tenses, gripping the dagger tightly.

The web begins to become unstable as long and hairy legs as thick as a forearm emerge from the shadows. The spider's eyes pulse with a green glow, the only light in the dark glen.

The monster opens its slimy jaws as a raging flash of blue lightning rips from behind Absinthe towards the spider.

Blue light illuminates the canopy of the glen, with its epicenter being a young woman with a fierce gaze.

Miriam whispers as her tattoos glow a pale, stormy blue.

"Lord of Storms, Holiest Captain of the Rosshire Seas, allow me to be your avatar of fury."

From her hands, streams of lightning target the spider, spraying greenish-purple blood all over the webs.

"Go, Absinthe! You're able to move freely on the webs, but I'm stuck here. I'll give you ranged support!"

Absinthe nods, gripping his silver dagger tighter.

With a running start, Absinthe dashes across the web, leaping toward the spider.His silver dagger drives against the palm of his non-dominant left hand, spilling blood. The act shocks Miriam, but before she can comment on it, she notices his blood evaporating before it touches the pale web. He moves gracefully, his body seemingly defying gravity as he bounds from strand to strand. His eyes never leave the spider, watching as it rears back, seemingly stunned by Miriam's assault.

As Absinthe gets closer, he can see the spider's fangs, gleaming with venom. He jumps, aiming his dagger at the spider's eye. But the spider is quick, shifting its body to avoid the strike. Absinthe lands on a nearby web, rolling to dissipate the impact. The spider, seemingly enraged, charges towards Miriam, its massive legs tearing through the webs with ease. Absinthe can see the fear in Miriam's eyes, but she stands her ground, her tattoos glowing brighter as she continues her barrage of lightning.

Without hesitation, Absinthe springs into action, dagger in hand. He dashes towards the spider, aiming for its soft underbelly. The spider, sensing the threat, attempts to swipe him away with its leg. Absinthe swiftly dodges, his movements fluid and precise. The spider's leg whistles through the air, missing Absinthe by a hair's breadth. He rolls to his feet, eyes locked on the beast's abdomen. The dim blue light from Miriam's attacks casts erratic shadows over the glen, turning the spider's movements into a chaotic ballet of menace. Absinthe's breath comes in measured bursts, his pulse a steady drumbeat in his ears. Miriam's voice cuts through the tension, a fervent chant invoking Thalor. The air around her crackles with energy, her tattoos a pulsating blue, matching the storm she commands.

"Absinthe, now!" Miriam shouts, a bolt of lightning striking true and momentarily blinding the spider.

With a swift, graceful leap, Absinthe closes the distance, his silver dagger glinting in the fragmented light. He plunges the blade into the spider's soft underbelly, feeling the satisfying resistance of flesh parting before his weapon. A gout of greenish-purple ichor spurts from the wound, splattering Absinthe's boots and tunic. The spider lets out a deafening screech, its legs thrashing wildly in pain and rage. Webs shudder, some snapping under the strain, sending strands whipping through the air.

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Miriam's lightning bolts continue to strike, orchestrated by her chants, drawing the beast's attention and providing Absinthe with crucial space to maneuver. Absinthe steadies himself, aware of every surge of energy coursing through the glen. The spider's convulsions rock the ground, but he remains poised, calculating his next move.

Absinthe gazes into the darkness of the glen, frowning. His body turns into wisps of shadow as he reappears atop a high branch.

He calls down to Miriam, still stuck on the webs suspended far above the ground. "Get ready for two more!"

Miriam's eyes dart around, finally spotting the approaching shadows. Her hands clench, a fresh gust of wind whipping her hair into a frenzy as she channels Thalor's wrath. The tattoos along her arms pulse with vibrant energy, anticipating another explosive invocation of her divine power.

Absinthe surveys the terrain from his elevated perch, his senses alert to the subtle rustling of the dense foliage below. The shadows pulse as another two spiders emerge from their burrows, their yellow eyes glowing malevolently. Absinthe's breath quickens, yet he remains steady, the thrill of battle sharpening his focus.He crouches low, ready to spring. Miriam's voice rises in another powerful chant, her eyes blazing with the fervor of Thalor. The wind howls around her, her tattoos glowing brightly, illuminating the eerie, oppressive gloom of the Gossamer Glen.Lightning crackles through the air, striking true and setting one of the incoming spiders ablaze. The beast thrashes wildly, its screams echoing through the glen as it succumbs to Miriam's relentless assault.

Absinthe' s keen eyes trace the remaining spider's movements as it barrels towards Miriam, undeterred by its companion's fate. He can feel the essence of Saklos coursing through him, granting him an acute sense of awareness and agility. Absinthe's form flickers into darkness as he vaults from the treetop, becoming a silent wraith in the dense shadows. The spider below senses his approach too late, its eyes snapping towards the sudden absence of light where Absinthe had been.

Miriam's chant crescendos, her voice a tempest in the storm of her own creation. The ground beneath the spider trembles, a gust of Thalor's wind driving it into the earth. Absinthe materializes behind the spider, his dagger slicing through the air with a predator's grace. He plunges the blade into the spider's back, severing a vital artery and sending a fresh torrent of ichor gushing to the ground.

The vibrations cause the silky webs below Miriam to shudder before coming loose.

The network of silk falls… and in turn Absinthe and Miriam fall as well.

Absinthe sinks into the massive well of shadows at the bottom of the forest, whilst Miriam is forced to unleash a storm of wind to slow down her fall.

The moment her boots touch the ground, she heaves a sigh of relief as her tattoos lose their blue glow.

Absinthe repels himself out of his shadows, standing face to face with Miriam.

He laughs as he smiles at Miriam. "We're not a bad team, huh?"

"I couldn't care less about a man, but you make for a decent blade," she replies back with a grin.

Absinthe glances at the corpse of the spider, noticing a strange pulsating object.

He walks over to the dead spider, much to Miriam's curiosity. Absinthe grips a purple bulb attached to the bottom of the spider, ripping away a long plant made of vines, with the bulb in the center of the network.

It's a heartspud, the same one Absinthe has on his shoulder.

"What the hells… why does a glennal spider have one of those?"

"I'm not sure," Absinthe says, tossing the heartspud to Miriam, allowing her to have the kill.

Miriam catches the heartspud deftly, her eyes narrowing as she examines it. "This must be a twisted creation of the forest's magic," she mutters, more to herself than to Absinthe.

"Whatever it is, we need to keep moving. There's no telling what other creatures this forest harbors."

Miriam tucks the heartspud into her satchel, her expression resolute. "Agreed. The sooner we get out, the better."