Maria's initial embarrassment vanished as her brows furrowed.
The rustling grew louder—**closer**—a relentless tide of skittering legs through the undergrowth.
Eric, ever alert, burst from his tent at Thundershock's shout. "What's wrong?"
"Something's coming. **Snakes, maybe.**" Thundershock shoved Maria behind him, snatched a burning branch from the fire, and hurled it toward the noise.
Sisi stumbled out, rubbing her eyes. "Ugh, what **now**—?"
Then—**it scuttled into view.**
A **grotesque, bloated monstrosity** the size of **two cauldrons** recoiled from the flame's light. **Six spindly legs**, a bulbous abdomen dragging against the dirt, and **two glowing green eyes** above a **gnashing, pincer-like maw.**
"**Bretton Woods Spiders?!**" Maria's voice trembled.
Sisi **jolted awake**. Eric's hands **flared with magic**.
Everyone's faces **paled**.
"Professor, **brief me.** First time seeing these," Thundershock said, eyes locked on the spider.
"**Earth-attribute, Tier 3 magical beasts.**" Maria grabbed another branch, tossed it **the opposite direction**—revealing **a second spider**.
"**They're pack hunters.**" She grimaced. "Look around."
**Dozens of emerald eyes** flickered in the dark, encircling them.
"Attacks? Weaknesses?" Thundershock edged back as spiders **began advancing**.
"**Their venom paralyzes.** And—**MOVE!**" Maria **slammed into Thundershock** as a **thick, white glob** splattered where he'd stood. It **engulfed her arms**, sticky as dough—**the more she struggled, the tighter it clung.**
**Webshot.** Thundershock's stomach dropped. The spiders **sprayed adhesive silk** to immobilize prey.
**THWIP! THWIP!**
A **barrage of webs** rained down. Tents **collapsed**, the fire **sputtered**. Eric took a **direct hit**—his torso glued, but **his arms still free**. Thundershock **dodged every strand**, his Celestial Fox Steps a blur.
The nearest spider **lunged at Maria**, her vision **blinded by webbing**.
Thundershock **scooped her up**, darting to the tents. He **peeled the silk off**, revealing her **wide, panicked eyes**.
"Eric, **attack!**" Sisi unleashed a **Thunderstrike**, then yelled, "They're drawn to heat! Why are they **this deep in the forest?**"
The firelight revealed the **nightmare**: **dozens of spiders**, encircling them, **spitting webs**.
Within minutes, Sisi and Eric were **cocooned**, immobilized. Maria, shielded by the tent, remained **mostly free**, though strands **clung to her robes**.
Her **Chain Lightning** lashed out like a **venomous serpent**, frying spiders mid-charge. **Green, foul-smelling ooze** splattered the ground—yet the swarm **pressed forward**, trampling corpses, hissing. The air reeked of **rot and acid**.
"**Stormcloud!**" Maria raised her staff. A **churning black vortex** formed overhead, **bolts raining down**—but the dense canopy **weakened the strikes**.
**Desperate**, she wielded her **mediocre staff**, its **Level 5 core** barely amplifying her spells.
Thundershock hauled Sisi and Eric to safety, then **froze**.
Maria had **slain several spiders**, but **more surged from the shadows**. The siblings **struggled uselessly** against their bindings. **She couldn't hold them all back.**
**Time to cheat.**
Thundershock **yanked out a stack of talismans**, fingers weaving seals. "**Chain Lightning—now!**"
No questions. Maria **obeyed**, chanting.
"**Water—Tidal Slash!**" He flung the talismans. They **ignited midair**, summoning a **crushing wave** that **slammed into the spiders**.
Maria's **Chain Lightning struck the water**.
**ZZZT—BOOM!**
**Electricity surged through the flood**, frying every drenched spider. The swarm **recoiled**, scorched corpses piling.
Maria **already prepped another spell**—
Then Thundershock **recited words that shouldn't exist**:
"**O frost slumbering in the eternal wastes, heed my call—**
**Blizzard of annihilation, turn all to ice!**"
Maria's jaw dropped.
**A Tier 6 spell.**
**Icebind Array.**
**Since when could he cast—?**
**The forest froze.**