"Aegis, attack!"

Aegis wasn't just trained to carry armed and armored knights into battle. He's a paladin's war horse, capable of kicking and biting to defend himself and his rider. You command him to do so now. "Aegis, attack!"

The command would sound silly, of course, but only for a moment. The mighty steed neighs, and rears up, just as the spiders leap to their own attack. The war horse kicks back, sending one of the arachnids flying through the trees. He bites up at another of the creatures, crunching through its leg before throwing the hideous thing to the ground and stomping the life out of it.

You can pay the magnificent beast no more heed, as you desperately need to defend yourself. With Aegis protecting your back, that's an entire arc you needn't concern yourself with, and you sweep the holy blade of Saint Magdalena before you, slicing through chitinous limbs and arachnid bodies alike.

There's too many for you to know how effective your attack actually was, and more of them descend from overhead as well. You feel a sharp bite on your shoulder - you didn't even see that one coming - but you pull the giant spider off and toss him in front of you. Already the wound burns, but you'll have at least a few more seconds before the poison begins to slow you down.

You'll never be able to survive another onslaught like that, so you close your eyes and take a gamble. You roll backward, beneath Aegis's legs, and hope that he doesn't stomp you before you get through. Whether luck or the horse's own mindfulness, you survive the maneuver and hop to your feet on the other side. You don't see any immediate threats, but there are three spider corpses, courtesy of your steed. You know the spiders will be coming for you again in an instant, so you tug on Aegis' reins, wheeling him about to cause some chaos in their general direction. The arachnids leap onto your warhorse, and he whines in protest from their multiple bites. You cannot afford to feel any pity for him, not right now. He's still fighting, and you need to also or everything will have been in vain.

Aegis stomps another spider into pulp and you stab one of the arachnids that was atop him. Another of the creatures leaps at you, but taken one at a time, you can easily catch it mid-air, cleaving through its body without any problems. There are only a few left now. Your horse, finally, falters. You cannot watch him hit the ground. Instead, you take the anger that's been burning in you and you charge. The spiders spread out to take you from different directions, but it hardly matters now. You have the training of a paladin of the Burning Rose. Three more spiders fall to your deadly blade, and the last two retreat back into the trees.

You watch them to ensure they're not planning to attack again from above and catch your breath as you wait. When the adrenaline drains out of your muscles, you're aware of a fever, the results of the spider poison. You're actually surprised that you still have the strength to stand, let alone fight. It must be your daemonic metabolism fighting the venom more effectively than a normal human body.

Not just a human body... You remember Aegis. You rush to his side, dropping the holy sword and kneeling before him. "Oh Aegis, oh I'm so sorry..." He has half a dozen angry, fist-sized welts along his back and neck. His breathing is labored, and he's sweating profusely. You lay your hands on him to calm him down, you lay your head on his side. His skin is almost hot to the touch. You do not try to stop your tears.

He probably saved your life. If he hadn't fought by your side, you surely would have been overwhelmed. Now, he's going to die in your place.

Unless... Indra could stop the poison. She could treat his wounds. You need her now more than ever. Two lives hang in the balance.

You discard your cloak and sheath the holy sword upon your back. Time to start climbing.