Alpha watched with guarded curiosity — and continual wincing — as the spider collapsed, twitched a few times, and bolted for it.

It gave a choked, startled bark and reared up to meet it, arms rising to smash down onto those jaws and fangs. Sure, they might end up jammed in the chitin there, but at least it wasn't it's neck or head.

Or, not at all. Complete miss — and the orthoclase braced for painful, painful impact.

@Game Master Dark

GIANT WATER WALKER: 81/100 HP

Spider-fangs drove down, piercing past quills and into flesh. They tore, rending long, deep wounds into the Orthoclase's neck; nothing fatal, and there was no venom, but there would be blood. Then it pulled back, rearing overhead.

Legs flailed uselessly, without silk, now, to spin; they scraped and danced over the Orthoclase's carapace seeking--and failing to find--a weak point.

The two thousand or so remaining spiders, those not suffocated in between armor plates (with all their irritating bristles) still fought for real estate space diving down through nostrils, esophagus, gills, ears, eyes--and the newly-opened neck wound. They chewed at eyelids, and aimed for the eyeballs themselves, if the Orthoclase left its eyes open.

Orthoclase-Alpha is free to act while the Giant Water Walker scrapes uselessly at its shell.

@Orthoclase-Alpha

Nothing fatal, except there were a number of puncture and/or scrape wounds on it now, all bleeding something fierce and being gnawed on by about two thousand spiders.

The logic machine clicked on again — it was getting tired and losing will. Best to make it quick, maybe? Or get back, recuperate, deal with the little problems. The latter seemed more appealing. But, first: making sure this one didn't follow it on its apparent new warpath.

Here's to hoping magic doesn't fail it this time, whipping up a furious cocktail of paralytic venom.

@Game Master Dark

GIANT WATER WALKER: 81/100 HP

Long, spindly legs continued to fumble at Orthoclase's too-armored hide. Then, the spider seemed to get an idea. The legs pulled back, and then thrust forward as one, attempting to leverage all at once--to flip Orthoclase-Alpha onto its back.

Maybe it'd look like a turtle. Maybe it wouldn't. Who was to say? For science, this spider had to try.

Orthoclase-Alpha can either attempt to avoid being flipped over, or may attempt an attack and wind up on its back. For the former, it will need 20. The choice must be clarified in the roll itself.

@Orthoclase-Alpha

Gravity was its worst enemy, and it sure felt its throes being flipped over so quickly. Alpha grunted sharply, immediately squirming and flailing — just like a turtle. It gave another stuttering cough, belatedly screwing its eyes shut against the spiders crawling in.

The orthoclase flailed its limbs, looking for something to grab and haul itself up on for a nasty bite. Anywhere would work, really. Not that it could see or have time to feel out for a premium spot to deliver its venom.

@Game Master Dark

GIANT WATER WALKER: 62/100 HP

Teeth made impact, scraping and puncturing, twisting another of the spider's limbs. It fought, for a moment, and then slowed... stiffened. Slowly it toppled, an almost gentle crash down to one side, where legs once again lay curled in against itself--paralyzed, for a time.

The small spider swarm continued its assault on Alpha's open wounds and softer tissues.

@Orthoclase-Alpha

Teeth sank in and — excellent. A moment to rest.

Except, Alpha was not going to rest. It flung itself to one side, rocking sloppily onto its feet and wincing as it moved its neck and upper side. The orthoclase was heaving still, finally taking the moment to cough and hack and wheeze as necessary. It scraped its tongue on the roof of its mouth, recoiling at the feeling of spiders — well, in it.

It hated having its eyes shut in the open like this, but it endured it.

Twisting its neck to shake its head, it groaned harshly. Wounds, right.

Reaching in for magic — it didn't have the time, energy, knowhow to target those lacerations specifically, and surely not the precision (maybe that stag...) to. Instead, it went down the brutish route of "just fill it up and bother with it later." With keratin.

Some would say removing that later would hurt worse than leaving it open for spiders to gnaw wider.

@Game Master Dark

The spider remained curled up, half on its side, half on its back, its legs even in that position raising high into the air.

And the little spiders continued to swarm, to bite... chewing their way through all of Alpha's flesh and wounds. ...Gradually.

@Orthoclase-Alpha

One of the Overseer's more promising spawn, defeated by tiny spiders.

Alpha continued to squirm in place, huffing and barely able to breathe. Its best bet, at this point, was asking someone to set it on fire — or...

This one first, in case that went completely awry.

The orthoclase walked stiffly over to the giant enemy spider, going right for the sternum. Teeth dove in for it, aiming to tear that open looking for a heart to dispatch.

Someone's not particularly familiar with spider anatomy.

@Game Master Dark

GIANT WATER WALKER: 48/100 HP

Orthoclase-Alpha's rows of razor fangs tore through first chitin--a tough job--and then pale, white flesh beneath. The spider twitched--pain, perhaps--but did not yet otherwise move, the venom preventing it.

It was at this point that the tiny spider swarm made a breakthrough... of sorts. Operating together they swarmed into one of Orthoclase-Alpha's lungs, or whatever its equivalent might be anatomically, and at last wore through the tissue--breaking a hole through the lung and opening a gap into its body beyond.

@Orthoclase-Alpha