bethen avilla ; the circle mage (bethe) wrote in thedas,
If she was lucky, Beth thought, she might just be able to get in an ice spell quickly enough to freeze it and run back toward the safety of the doors and start screaming for help from someone in the laboratory. Or at least grab Constans and get out of there as fast as possible. While she had no doubt that she could probably get one spider out of the way, if they were all the size of two adolescent girls in one hairy body -- if not possibly greater -- and an entire nest had taken up residence in this cove, they didn't stand a chance. Surely, this was not a job for apprentices. But first things first. Inhaling deeply to calm herself, Beth began a mental countdown to action.
Three... Her grip tightened on the staff; she was now incredibly glad that she had followed protocol and brought her weapon with her. On the positive side, at least this little adventure would give her some practice in utilizing the tool for more than training duels. Two... She straightened her spine and concentrated on summoning the frost spell; a chill crept into the tips of her fingers, as if the blood had fled from the pads and she had buried her fingers in fresh fallen snow. Faintly, she could see the puffs of breath slipping out of her slightly parted mouth. One--
"Bethen! You'll never believe the size of these spiders!"
The shout of her name made her jump -- as did the spider. She winced, the open hand clamping into a fist as her concentration broke. I'm going to kill him. That is, if the spider didn't get him first. While the mage didn't move, the creature that had previously been stalking her certainly did, as she heard it make some other strange hissing sound before scrabbling over the rock in the direction of the shout's source. At least it's attention was elsewhere now, allowing her to whip around and watch the beast rush back the way she'd come, the bulging rear segment just barely in sight. Its eight legs were far faster than her two, and she had to sprint to catch up, nearly skidding sideways into a wall as she made a sharp turn around the stone corridor. She reached out to brace herself against the wall, and pulled back to find a thin lacy web clinging to her fingers. There was little time to pause and reflect on how foul the substance was, however.
"Constans!" she cried as the deep brown creature came into sight, halfway between herself and the boy, whose back was turned. "Behind you!" She couldn't see past him, and didn't particularly care to, as the threatened spider mother reared up on her hind limbs in defense of her clutch. Beth raised her hands in the air, channeling the spell again. She thought of winter, of snowfall, and thought of inflicting the cold burn of frozen water on the spider. It worked. In a matter of only seconds, a burst of icy air surrounded those thick limbs, wire hairs turned into fine pointed icicles as frost encased the whole of the beast. It looked like a carved sculpture, its crushing jaws stuck in an mid-bite, ready to press itself upon the apprentice that would dare approach her young. But this state would only remain for a few seconds. "Get out of the way!"