As Juna’s head had turned towards her companion Aust, she saw when it had begun. The intense rumblings from the sands of the earth had intensified its mighty vibrations, and Juna turned her head towards her front. She saw the ground break, the sand’s configuration shattering into a dozen pieces.  Juna saw something break from the ground. 

It resembled nothing other than a giant spider. Clawing its way up from the sand, it was ten feet tall and armed with legs that were scythe-like in its appearance. Their ends seemed as if they were blades themselves. From its mouth drip some type of yellow saliva, and Juna thought it likely that it would dissolve your skin at the very touch.

“Wow, would look at that!” Juna said, putting her hand above her eyes to block the sun from her vision and get a better look at it. “Can you imagine what it’d be like to ride one of those?”

Imagine the surprise, Juna thought, of those among the caravans. Perhaps they would not, as it seemed the caravans and those around them were the first to bit the dust. Some fought back before their inevitable demise to these very strange creatures came, but overall it was disastrous mess. For the most part, people ran when they could, taking to their horses and with rushing to escape. They may have been afraid, but Juna was not. 

Juna had seen many things before. While it was true that she had never seen anything like this, could it have been said that they were any more fearsome than all else that she had faced? Certainly not, Juna thought. Yet while this would not have been sufficient reason for most people, Juna’s very experiences had forced her in the past to confront this. Countless times the unknown had appeared before her eyes, and she had but a moment to react. Well, she did react, and now she’d react yet again.

One of these terrible beasts had approached her. It seemed intent on making her its next prey. Juna found it all terribly funny. She had no fear of this thing, and was certain of her own victory. She looked towards her left, where Lothren laid down bloodied and thrown from his horse. There stood the prisoner, his hands free and apparently conspiring with a mage. He certainly looked like a mage She could tell what happened, but unfortunately for Lothren, she didn’t have much time to deal with that. She had a new friend that she needed to attend to, and he likely wouldn’t leave her alone any time soon without a good deal of convincing.

“Take this, you spiteful ignoramus!” Juna said.

Juna pulled her pistol from her jacket, and quickly aimed it at Gawain. She fired the trigger, and then quickly put it back where she had drew it from. Her horse was too excited and too afraid, and he ran off. Juna, however, wasn’t going to be running any time soon. She leapt off of her horse gracefully. She was in the air when she pulled forth her two weapons, her sword in her right hand a long knife in her left. She had no illusions that would this would be an easy fight, but she was the best the Ytharien had to offer. This monster would see, if it could even think, that they were not merely the prey. The hunted would become the hunter, and the hunter would become the hunted.

Juna was like an arrow as from the air she launched towards this vaguely demonic giant spider. Her body was lithe, her control of herself was firm, and her hands were ready. She held her blades in front of her, ready for whatever this monster thought it could do. She smiled.