Prompt #26 – "spider web" (Adventure/Friendship)
The driving rain poured down Roy's face, and once again, he wished he had a hand free to wipe the water from his eyes. That hadn't been an option for the past quarter hour at least. Now, not only were his arms pinned to his sides with silken thread, but he was also stuck a good fifty feet high in a giant web slung across the treetops. He would've had quite a view of the little forest, except the sun would set soon, and the dense, dismal clouds would spell utter darkness.
Plus, there were a few other, more pressing things to observe crawling at him right now.
The spiders were both as hefty as prize pigs, and they sounded just as hungry as their hairy, piercing mouths clicked and twitched. One of them climbed and circled around Roy's perch. **A wonderfully meaty one, this traveler-man,** he murmured.
Roy kept a game face, wishing he could tell what they were saying in those hissing voices. He also wished he had his greatsword, but it was gone, probably stuck somewhere in the nest.
**Let's eat him now!**
**No, little brother,** replied the other one, larger than the one examining Roy. **Not until big brother gets back. You know how angry he was last time.**
**But he smells so good!**
**Wouldn't you rather have a second snack as well?**
**Oh...** The spider left Roy's side and gazed into the gloom. **Oh, yes, I would. Wait, here he comes!**
Lightning flashed, thunder rolled, and the still-larger spider emerged from the undergrowth far below.
Roy felt relieved at the fact that the spider wasn't carrying anyone else, but this reminded him of his earlier dismay. Durkon, why'd you run? You've been on edge all evening, and the instant they shot that web at me, you ran away. Why?
The senior spider climbed the tree with passable agility, entering the web.
His little brother was on him immediately. **Well? Did you catch the traveler-dwarf, big brother?**
**No. He fled like a mad beast, missed the bridge, and tumbled into the river.**
**No! Such a rare treat! There has never even lived a villager-dwarf in this valley, and to lose–**
**Silence. We still have another prize. All that remains...** The thunder rumbled again. **...is to choose our shares.**
The three of them began crossing over towards Roy, and he could see all three of them looking him over... Sizing me up, oh gods... In a second, they'd surrounded him, he could hear their giant wet fangs clicking and rasping, lightning and thunder highlighting every filthy hair on their monstrous, reaching legs–
Thunder boomed once more. Then again, and again, and there was another sound rising in it...
"...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh! Here I come, laddie! THOR'S LIGHTNING!"
The shrieking spiders leapt every which way as a blinding white-hot bolt lanced from the sky, skewering the air and the web.
A bellowing mass of metal hurtled down at them and crashed into one of the tree trunks, and there was Durkon, soaked from his bald head to his armored feet. He immediately sprang to his feet without touching the trunk, bounding from foot to foot, swinging his hammer wildly, and yelling with all his guttural, dwarven voice.
The giant spider shouted, **Get him!** The three of them darted across the lines to converge–
"Roy, hang on ta something! Flame Strike!" Fire shot down from the sky, and the web imploded, threads disintegrating at the sizzling fire's touch.
The entire shape sagged inwards, and the smallest spider tumbled down the lines and plummeted screaming into the shadows. The largest one made a leap that sent him crashing into the trunk of Durkon's tree. Bark ripped away in his grasping feet, and he fell back and down also.
But the impact had also shaken Durkon's footing, and he waved his hands before tumbling out of sight.
"No! Durkon!" Roy caught his breath, gritting his teeth.
The medium spider was still near him. **Brothers! ...You, traveler-human! Once we're done with your friend, there'll be little left to divide–**
Roy yelled, ripping the threads apart. "22 Strength check, scumbag!"
**What? Oh no... Brothers! Wait for me!**
In an instant of thought, Roy remembered which of the few remaining threads had not shown the slightest signs of stickiness when the spiders had crawled on them. He leapt to one, grabbed it with both hands, and swung like a trapeze artist. This is the craziest Bull Rush I've ever tried.
He released, flew through the air, and crashed into the descending spider, dislodging him from his downward climb. The two of them crashed into wood, then bounced off and tumbled down, down, down...
But Roy kept the spider below him, and when they hit the ground, there was a sickly squelch, and he was the only one who bounded back up, no severe damage worse than a face full of spider hair.
Durkon was battling both the other spiders, alternately shouting and praying as metal swung into muscle and lightning sparked.
Roy looked all around. I think I saw another shine of metal... There! His greatsword had fallen from the trees too!
The largest spider shot a blast of web that knocked Durkon off his feet, tumbling back in a mass of silk. The mound stopped rolling abruptly, the sounds of prayers now overlaid with curses. **Close in, little brother– AAAAGGGHH!**
He only had six legs left.
Roy swung his sword back and dug in his feet for a leap. He could see Durkon struggle to sit up.
The small spider cowered behind his brother. **Not the fight-stick! He got back the fight-stick!**
Roy charged. "We've got them on the ropes now!"
"Thor, be our strength and hope now."
**Here comes the fighter-man!** That was his last screech before the greatsword cleaved through his brother and his head shortly after.
Roy braked to a stop, breathing hard as the pouring rain somewhat rinsed the arachnid guts from his blade and hands. He jogged forward to inspect the mass of sodden silk.
Durkon lay inside, unmoving.
"No..." He tossed his sword aside, dug his hands in and grunted as he ripped the threads apart. He searched, but he didn't find any gaping wounds, couldn't see any sign of poison venom, even allowing for the near-evening shadows. "I don't believe it, he fainted..."
He let out a weak half-laugh, then retrieved his sword, wiping it off on some handfuls of fallen leaves and stowing it on his back. Then, he reached through the silk, picked Durkon up, and began lugging him away.
He murmured, "I saw a mountain not far off. Let's get out of the trees and find a cave for tonight. Whatever reason you had for running, we can save that talk for later." He smiled, "And next time you say Thor told you to prepare Wind Walk, I won't argue."