The itching of [Alertness] came from every direction, making Tang feel as though he had fallen into a monstrous beast's throat and was enduring the acid constantly secreted by its stomach.
And when he saw those countless crimson eyes on the spiderweb suspension bridges, he instantly understood what the "curse" Lolth had roared before vanishing truly meant—
"Black widows, and... driders!"
[Black widows, the most venomous and ferocious spiders in the Underdark. They lurk in the deepest reaches of the Underdark, feeding on the magical energy released by Earth Vein Radiation and mutating into creatures larger than giant spiders. Even the Spider Silk Matron Mother cannot command them. Their nests are territories no drow dares enter—if they have a master at all, it can only be Lolth.]
Now their eyes gleamed with ferocity, and the hissing of their vast numbers mingled into a sound loud enough to shake eardrums.
Behind them, driders summoned from the ruins of Lightless City became hunters lurking deep within the shadows.
As one, they drew their longbows. Their arrows pointed at a single target—
"The human!"
They repeated Tang's identity, their minds confused by their fused bodies, leaving only one command: give themselves to the Goddess.
Dozens of arrows surged into the darkness almost simultaneously, tracing inconspicuous arcs beneath the lofty ceiling before converging like rain and plunging toward Tang's head. "[Preserve Corpse]."
Matron Mother Night Shadow immediately extended a bare foot and traced a set of ritual concentric circles beneath her, then prepared to point at Tang.
"I'm not dead yet!"
Cursing, Tang tried to escape the rain of arrows.
But he discovered that while the arrows were falling through the air, they abruptly changed direction as though carried by a breeze, then hurtled toward him—
Only then did Tang realize that