Into the Web

The tunnels twisted like veins through the rock, slick and narrow, branching out in ways that could swallow you whole if you weren't paying attention. Glowing mushrooms bloomed in scattered clusters, their bioluminescence washing the stone walls in shifting blues and greens lighting the way in front of us.

We followed one tunnel deeper until it opened suddenly into a vast cavern. The ceiling was lost in shadow, and massive pillars of stone stretched upward like the ribs of some buried god. Spiderwebs hung between them in great veils, some as thick as rope, others as delicate as lace. Makeshift bridges made of silk crossed the gaps, swaying slightly with some unseen weight.

I raised a finger to my lips, indicating a hush and crouched low.

The others followed suit without question, eyes scanning.

From the shadows between two columns, it emerged.

A spider—four meters across, leg to leg, its abdomen twitching and eyes like drops of onyx. It crawled over the web bridge slowly, each footstep disturbing nothing, as if it floated. A second spider clung to a nearby wall, still, waiting.

They hadn’t seen us yet. They were scanning for vibrations—searching the webs for prey.

Karlach leaned in near me, voice barely above a breath. “So... plan?”

I shaked my head ever so slightly. Not yet.

And then they came.

Two figures stumbled out from the far passage. Not spiders. Humanoid—but wrong. Bulging eyes. Mandible jaws. Their backs hunched, spiny, each hand tipped with sharp claws and spinnerets that oozed silk. They moved like men—but thought like beasts.

Ettercaps

I drew in close to the others. “Alright, I've got a plan. Karlach, you’re bait.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Me? Why not Shadowheart?”

“Because you won’t turn into a crispy husk when Shadowheart starts blasting fire.”

Karlach’s jaw dropped, mock offense flashing across her face. “Rude!”

Shadowheart’s lips curled into a sly, satisfied smirk.

Karlach rolled her shoulders. “Fine. But if I end up with burn marks on my tits, I’m not sharing rations.”

I nodded toward the far left side of the web bridge. “Head that way. Poke the web—just enough to draw them and don't get stuck. Shadowheart, when they move, you drop a fireball. Lae’zel?”

She stepped forward, sword already in hand. “I will take whichever beast is too stubborn to die.”

We split into position. Karlach barely made a sound as she crept to the edge, crouched low. She extended one finger and gently tapped the web. Then again. Once more.

It didn’t take long.

The nearest spider froze, then lunged forward with terrifying speed, its legs splaying wide as it skittered down the silk. The second followed. Both ettercaps shrieked—no vocal cords, just sound—then bolted in the same direction.

“Now!” I barked.

Shadowheart whispered the incantation and let loose.

The fireball exploded in the middle of them just as the they reached Karlach. The heat flash was immense. Webs ignited instantly, turning into curling ash. One spider shrieked, blackened and flailing. Dead. The ettercaps staggered back—but not down.

Karlach grunted, her skin slightly scorched, but the resting flames licked at her harmlessly. With a roar, she spun and buried her axe into the surviving spider’s abdomen. Chitin split. Legs jerked. Also dead.

Lae’zel descended on an Ettercap with frightening precision. Her paladin blade, blessed and brutal, drove through it in a double attack, never even giving it opportunity to retaliate.

The remaining ettercap hissed and lunged—not at Karlach, but at Shadowheart.

She screamed as its mandibles snapped and a spray of sickly green bile splattered across her new robe.

“Gross!”

I raised both hands and let loose two Compelling Blasts. The arcane **** yanked the creature six meters through the air—straight at me.

It slammed into my shield, bouncing off with a hollow crunch.

It reared up to strike, drooling venom, but its aim was clumsy. The first slash scraped my shield, the second missed entirely.

Shadowheart, recovering fast, hurled firebolts one after another. The first hit its side. The second burned part of its shoulder. The third—

It shrieked and collapsed, smoke curling from its mouth.

The cavern was still.

Breathing heavy, I turned to take stock. No injuries worth noting. Shadowheart healed herself, but mostly pouted at the state of her clothing.

“I spend so much time making it fit..” she muttered, flicking webbing off her hip. “Now it’s covered in... whatever that was.”

Karlach grinned. “Bit of poison spit never hurt anyone. Builds character.”

Shadowheart didn’t respond—just gave her a look.

Lae’zel knelt beside one of the fallen spiders, inspecting the shattered exoskeleton. “Weak. It was not worthy prey.”

“No loot,” I said after checking the bodies. “Just webs and goo.”

“But no real injuries,” Shadowheart pointed out. “That’s something.”

I nodded. “We move forward.”

Morale was high. The fight wasn’t elegant—but it worked. We had momentum. And deeper in the dark, something waited.

Something BIG.