The six juvenile spiders lunged across the clearing, their segmented legs moving in a sickening, coordinated blur. The copper stench of their dripping mandibles hit Roy's nose before he could even register their proximity. Panic gripped his chest, but the memory of Ethan's freezing gaze forced his muscles to move.
SHING!
Roy drew his steel katana, the blade flashing in the dim light. He dropped into a low stance, his breath ragged.
The first spider leaped directly at his face, its long, bristling front legs outstretched to pin him down. Roy bellowed a raw, terrified battle cry, swinging his blade upward in a desperate diagonal slice.
*CLANG!*
The steel struck the beast's heavily armored carapace, sending a jarring vibration straight down Roy's arms. He managed to deflect the initial strike, but the sheer momentum of the meter-long monster slammed into his shoulder, knocking him off balance.
