A Group of Tiger Spiders (1)

"Everyone! Get out!" Ava shouted, not giving the group time to express their disgust after Liam's vomit splattered all over them.

The teens didn't need to be told twice. They rushed out, only to be completely surrounded by five more spiders, each a meter and a half tall.

Their bodies were covered in rough ginger hairs with black and white stripes that danced in the gentle breeze.

Eight obsidian-black eyes, each as big as a fist, glinted with hunger as they fixed on the group, their mandibles twitching at the feast about to come.

"Don't... move..." Linx instructed, slowly bending her knees and spreading her arms.

"What are those?" Ava asked, noticing that Linx seemed to know something about the monsters.

"Tiger spiders," Linx answered, scanning the area before making a 'tch' sound.

They were completely surrounded, and relying on the idiots around her was basically a death sentence.

After a brief pause, Linx proceeded to explain how these were one of the rare mutated species of spiders that actively hunt in groups and only go after moving prey.

"So we just stand here and wait for them to lose interest?" Liam asked, not taking his eyes off the spider in front of him.

Thick drops of drool dripped from its maw onto the ground, carrying a stench of decay. The odor was so intense it made Liam's stomach churn.

The spider menacingly clicked its massive, jagged fangs a few times, ready to snap bones like twigs.

"Wait... where are the lieutenants?" someone from the group asked, noticing they were still alone. No rescue was coming.

"They're passed out!" another boy shouted, causing everyone to go quiet as they realized they probably had half an hour at best to live.

Most of the group panicked, their bodies trembling, teeth chattering as they prayed to God.

"Mom... Dad..."

"I'm sorry..."

"No... I don't want to die!" the dark-skinned boy with round glasses exclaimed, shaking in fear. He couldn't take it anymore.

Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes before he placed his hands over his ears and fell to his knees.

A faint tremor spread through the ground, and Liam's blood ran cold as he froze like an iceberg.

The spiders stood still like statues for a split second, their heads turning toward the boy who dared to move.

"What have you done?!" Ava shouted, her voice making the ground tremble like thunder after lightning.

The spiders rose onto their hind legs, their massive bodies casting shadows over the group like a nightmare. Their legs, each equipped with menacing, razor-sharp hooks, waved threateningly in the air.

Ava's instincts kicked in before her mind could catch up. Seeing the spider ready to lunge at its victim, she knew it was going to strike any moment.

Ava rushed toward the frail boy just as the spider leaped. She pushed him aside and threw herself onto the ground, rolling away to avoid being trampled as the spider's legs hit the dirt, sending up a cloud of dust.

"Ava!" Liam shouted, taking a step forward and extending his hand. His jaw dropped at the thought that his sister might be dead.

"No, no, no!" He ran forward, his feet feeling light as feathers with adrenaline pumping through his veins, but he stopped abruptly after hearing her voice.

"Don't get any closer! Help the others!" she ordered, her faith in her brother evident.

'Help the others?' Liam raised an eyebrow, his emotions calming slightly after hearing her voice. 'But all I want is for us to—'

[New mission: Survive the encounter]

[Reward: 100 XP]

"Survive..." Liam's voice grew quieter as he read the system message. They were on the same page, and besides, why should he care about people he had no connection to? The only ones he wished to keep safe were his family and close friends.

Once the dust settled, Liam's heart leapt into his throat. Ava was back on her feet, her fists glowing with purple energy, crackling with pure power.

She ducked under the spider as it tried to catch her with its fangs. With its head slightly lowered, she seized the moment to strike one of its many eyes with her elbow.

The creature's monstrous screech echoed across the field, but Ava didn't stop there. She punched another eye with determination, her every move calculated to keep the beast at bay.

Liam could feel his wings twitch under his skin as he watched Ava fighting for her life against the abomination. He could be in the sky in a second, Ava in his arms in three. And yet...

[Main mission: Infiltrate enemy ranks]

[Reward: 500 XP]

[Penalty upon failure: Death]

'Death? Do you have that kind of power?' Liam asked as chaos dominated the battlefield. Half the group ran around aimlessly, unsure what to do, while the other half fought for their lives, going toe-to-toe with the enemy using nothing but their abilities and fists.

[Disobedience will result in punishment]

"Ack!" Liam gasped as the blue holographic screen turned red, sending an electrifying pain through his head that spread throughout his entire body, causing multiple muscle spasms.

He shut his eyes as the current felt like it was trying to tear his body apart.

'All right, all right! Just leave me alone!' he shouted in his mind, dropping to his knees and hitting the ground with his hand, covering his ears.

The moment he thought those words, the system's message disappeared, leaving him alone to figure out what to do next. His eyes fell on Ava, still battling the same spider, delivering a kick to one of its eight legs.

'Ava's still moving,' good, he thought before scanning the rest of the battlefield. The others were crying, running, or fighting, but that didn't matter.

Ava wanted him to help, but why should he do so for people he had never seen before today?

What was important was for him and his sister to get through this in one piece.

Liam observed the spiders, noticing how they only went after moving prey.

'They probably don't have good vision or can sense vibrations', Liam theorized, feeling powerful tremors across the ground whenever one of the spiders made contact with the soil.

But before Liam could formulate a plan, his pupils widened as he sensed something approaching from behind, soon followed by screams and hungry screeches.