The spider’s cunning ambush was the work of a strategic mastermind  and Roderick had to pay tribute to his adversary. As he was pinned to the wall,  restrained by the sticky webbing of the creature, he was forced to call the first round of the duel a draw.

“Do not worry about me my brave comrades.” he shouted to the other champions whose attention was focused on the enemy.

” ‘Tis but a slight inconvenience, I shall rescue myself from these bonds in no time, don’t waste your precious effort on trying to help me” he said to the others, even though their prophetic abilities led them to heed his advice even before it came out of his mouth.

This was mainly due to one very important factor, it being the spider’s immense size.

From a biological standpoint, it wasn’t really even a spider, with it having six legs that were not really prolonged or disproportionate to the body.

In fact it was more on the more harmless and cute side for a spider, yet the scale and the reality that it didn’t seem fond of its younglings being attacked was a reason for concern, or panic in Magizor’s case.

He was still shocked by the cluster of spiders, the victim of whose he became just moments prior, but seeing this monstrous thing before him was a complete psychic attack on his mind. And thus he decided to hide his magnificent trembling power behind a near boulder.

Lightshadow on the other hand looked almost jovial upon seeing the giant arthropod and rushed towards it with utmost intensity, much to the joy of Roderick.

“Yes, get close to it and bravely stab it in the belly, let your daggers feel the vile monsters wicked blood and revel in it with chivalry and nobility. Rip and tear till your righteous mercy is dispersed and the evil is no more, plunge your daggers into its…your daggers…where are your daggers Lightshadow.”

Lighshadow however didn’t intend to attack, a devout follower of pacifism, he believed that befriending the creature was a possibility and offered his open palm to the creature, a move many would call a Hiccup. It’s true that this tactic is not entirely unsound, as allegedly this sometimes works on young dragons and apparently some island raider community created a whole human-dragon community based on this power, but a spider isn’t a dragon.

Not to fully discredit Lighshadow’s bravery however, it’s needed to say that his smile hadn’t waned from his face as his palm was pierced by a gargantuan fang, but that might have been due to the paralysis.

It was with great distraught that Clary the cleric watched these primarchs of heroism bravely fail in their attempts at dealing with the problem. Perhaps influenced by the utter confused disbelief that the Game Master was now showering his champions with, she knew that something needed to be done, because she wouldn’t have her party be wiped out so much before the climax of the story, this was the damn prologue.

She might not have been the adventurer with the most intricate past, she might not have been the adventurer with the greatest social skills, but she was not one to admit defeat. She was the cleric of the Game Master by whom she was chosen, proud member of the Munchkin order, and destined for perfection since her creation.

Summoning a divine twenty sided mace in her hand (each side had a number on it) she valiantly charged at the spider, ready to unleash the full powers generously granted to her by the Game Master, utilizing the tricks that came with her fey heritage as well.

But the Game Master is a fickle god, and the dice of the universe were not in favour of her heroic deed.

Midway to the horrid beast she fumbled and fell to the ground, breaking her concentration, severing her connection to the the Game Master and losing their boons; a fail most critical.

And this the party found themselves in dire straits. Roderick restrained and unable to move, Magizor frightened and incapable of clear thought, Lightshadow lying paralyzed on the cold ground, and Clary disheartened and with her powers depleted .

The Game Master was sorry for his subjects, but this challenge was one they could have overcome with proper cooperation and just a tad bit of luck, and so he was merciless in his judgement of the champions.

But the Game Master while omniscient…is not truly omniscient, and the scales of battle can shift with just a single roll of the universe’s die.