Kao’s yell caused Orn to jump. He spun pulling his sword and knife just in time to see sections of the walls move. Large low forms rushed from the openings, and toward Orn and Adles.

Orn drew back to swing at the one racing for him, only for the tip of his sword to catch on the wall of the tunnel. Without the time to get a better position he swung the blade at the creature. The sword cut halfway into the joint of the long thin leg before stopping. Without the full room to swing the sword, it could not cut through and was left stuck in the leg as the creature scurried backwards. The creature’s movement threatened to pull Orn off balance, and he let go of the sword.

Around the tunnel Orn could see more of the massive spiders rushing over, and around each other in the narrow space. But there was no sign of Adles.

“Where is he?” he asked in shock as he tried to find his friend among the dark forms crawling in the narrow space.

“That one has,” Kao began before looking up and yelling. “Watch out!”

Orn barely saw the spider crawling out of an impossibly narrow crack in the ceiling, lunging for him. Without thinking he jumped forward and rolled. The monster passed over him close enough he could feel the wind from the creature’s passing. He rolled to his feet, and threw himself onto the back of the nearest spider.

“WHICH ONE HAS ADLES?!” he screamed as he shook while the creature under him tried to throw him off. The spider began to turn, as Kao replied pointing at a tunnel branching off the one they were in.

He used the spider he stood on as a platform to jump to the next. But Orn’s left foot only caught air as the spider moved back. His right caught on the front of its face slipping off and sending him sprawling onto its back. The spider shuddered under the sudden weight, its body dipping and shaking as it struggled to stay upright.

Orn felt himself sliding off the front of the spider and drove his knife against the spider repeatedly trying to grab hold of something. Orn’s knees were just past the spider’s head when the knife finally sank deep in the gap between segments. The spider reared as Orn pulled, sending him sliding toward the far side of the monster. Unable to stop his slide, he pulled out the knife and fell to the floor.

Orn just managed to get into a crouch when a massive spider loomed over him. He dove under the creature and felt a something smash into his back. The spider pushed him down as its front legs reached toward him. Orn struggled aginst the force holding him as the sharp hooks on the ends of its legs came closer.

“YOUR PACK!” Kao screamed at him.

Pack? Orn thought as he struggled. My pack! Suddenly understanding what she meant he shoved forward with his legs and managed to slip one shoulder after another out of the straps. He could feel a wet spot on his back as the spider’s forelimbs grabbed the bag.

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The spider’s movements seemed to slow as it leisurely began to pull the bag under it. The spider’s motion also pushed Orn further under its abdomen. Orn tried not to think about the wet spot on his back or the substance slowly coming out of the spider’s rear as he slid out from under it.

He glanced around quickly and noticed he was now on the far side of the spiders. He also saw the opening Kao had pointed out before. Orn scrambled to his feet and rushed toward the opening. Behind him he heard the sound of metal crunching. A moment later light filled the tunnel.

Orn blinked at the sudden light as he rushed forward, the spiders’ shadows making strange patterns in the tunnel in front of him. For the first time since they appeared the spiders made noise with one sounding like it was screaming. Ignoring the monsters behind him Orn dove into the opening.

The inside of the tunnel was smaller than he expected considering the size of the spiders, but there was enough room to crawl, so he did. Below him he could feel a spongy material that he assumed was spider web. For a split second he worried that he was stuck, only to notice the web never stuck to him or his clothes.

He glanced back quickly, but the spiders did not seem to be following him. He knew it was only a matter of time, though so he scrambled forward as if they were.

Orn crawled on his hands and knees in the narrow space. He could feel the tops or side of the space narrow to touch his back or side before opening again.

How do they fit in this? he wanted to ask Kao, but resisted the urge as he worried it would draw the spiders’ attention. The sounds of the spiders behind him having gone silent.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl in the tunnel. Orn knew he had not been in it long, but the tunnel frequently narrowed and turned meaning there was little to see if he looked back. Instead his mind raced filled with visions of spiders rushing after him in the narrow space, where he was helpless to fight back.

The fear drove him forward until Kao’s voice came from beside him. “There is an open space just ahead with a couple spiders in it. They are both to the left. The closer one is distracted, you should go for the other.”

Orn nodded as the tunnel opened slowly. A couple feet further and it opened enough that he could get his feet under him and move at a crouch. Ahead he could see the tunnel connected into a larger and brighter space.

He rushed panting into the open space and turned left. Several large web covered blobs hung from the ceiling where light was filtering down. There were more than six of the web filled bundles and the pair of spiders were currently working with the bundle in the middle.

Without a second thought he rushed pas the first spider. The second stood on its back two legs, its forelimbs turning the shape the other spider was applying web to. His knife bit deep into the joint between the spider’s head and middle section. The spider shuddered then struggled as he pulled the knife back out.

He continued to drive the knife into the joint repeatedly, until it struggles slowed and it began to shudder. Hoping those were the creature’s death throes he turned to the other spider. The second spider had stopped wrapping the bundle… Orn froze as he recognized Adles’ face half hidden by the webbing.

He tore his attention away from his friend, and threw himself at the other spider.