(photo by norman ackroyd) Under the dim, overcast sky, a lone knight stands at the edge of a devastated battlefield, his armor chipped and streaked with mud and dried blood. Before him, an army of grotesque, black spiders crawls over the remains of fallen warriors, their numbers vast and overwhelming. At the center of the swarm looms their commander, an enormous spider with jagged fangs and thick, bristled legs, casting a dark shadow over the field. The eerie silence after the battle is broken only by the distant scuttling of spider legs, as the exhausted knight braces himself, his back straight though his body shows the weight of exhaustion and despair. The muted atmosphere of dusk sets a haunting backdrop, emphasizing the overwhelming odds and the knight’s relentless determination in the face of certain doom. (photo by norman ackroyd)