I leaned against the wall of the cubby, sliding down to a sitting position. Whoo, breathing hard. The fetid air didn’t do my nose any good but I had to catch my breath.

While I was down there I looked through the next. It was filthy. Rats were disgusting creatures and having their blood spread around didn’t help anything. There didn’t seem to be anything worth having here.

Standing, I moved out of the nest. I could just feel the vermin coming from it getting on me and had to scratch my legs. Getting out my healing kit I assessed my wounds.

The injury to my right forearm was the worst. It was on the underside of the arm. The rat’s teeth had run through the gap in the vambrace where it was tied together. Her razor sharp teeth cut the thick cloth of my travelers outfit but couldn’t slice through the tough leather of the armor ties. That left a staccato slice that was bleeding but not gushing.

Pouring some water on it to clean the wound, then I laid a clean bandage along its length. I wrapped more bandage around the forearm, then put my armor back on over it. All bandaged up.

Heal Check successful. +1 hp

Nice! The injury to my ankle wasn’t as bad. The rat baby had pinched some of the leather of my boot with some skin in it and cut that with its teeth. It was a lot like scissors. I washed that off, gross rats, and bandaged it. There was still full movement in my ankle, though it did hurt to flex it.

Back at it! I had four more trophies to get and they wouldn’t gather themselves. Poking my head out of the cubby hole I surveyed the area and went back to my creeping.

Holding close to the rightmost wall, under the logic my shield covered more of my exposed surface area, I walked very slowly. Straining my eyes and ears I didn’t pick up any threat. Only the chipping of bats and steady drip of water somewhere out of sight.

I crept up the tunnel, staying close to the right wall. Scanning and listening. Listening and scanning. Moving so carefully for several minutes.

Coming around a shallow bend in the tunnel I saw movement up ahead. Getting close to the wall and peering around, it was water. A kidney shaped pool lay against the far wall of the cavern. Small waves generated by a steady drip coming from up above gave its surface the look of motion.

Looking carefully all around the pond, I couldn’t see any threat. “If I’ve ever seen a fantasy movie there’s something with a lot of tentacles in there.” I told the air. Creeping up to the edge, I peered over.

Nothing. The water was clear as a crystal. I couldn’t tell how deep it was but in my darkvision the bottom looked like I could reach out and touch it. Little fish swam around and there were even a few frogs. I put a hand in the water and it was warm. I expected ice cold. Interesting.

I was looking at the water dripping from my fingers when a nearly invisible line appeared on my leg. It looked like fishing line. I reached down to grab it and GOT YANKED OFF MY FEET!

The spiderweb, it was obviously a line of spider silk now that I thought about it, pulled me into the water. Back on Earth I was a good swimmer, not an Olympic champion or anything but someone who could have fun in the lake or the ocean. Back there I hadn’t had a four and a half foot tall body that weighed over 400 lbs plus equipment. I flailed and kicked, but went straight to the bottom. Shadows of little fish exploded away from me as I sank.

Dwarves are too dense. We don’t float, we sink like a stone. My proper technique from swim lessons had no effect. I was going to drown. The line of spider silk even pulled me away from the shore as I sank.

Once I reached the bottom silty sand corkscrewed up, clouding the water from all my flailing. The roof of my pond shimmered, making the spider up there seem to dance and cavort. My breath burned in my chest.

I had to calm down. Closing my eyes I tried to settle my thundering heartbeat. It lowered but I could still hear it pounding in my ears.

My eyes opened. Did you know darkvision worked underwater too? I didn’t.

A skeleton, I think I t was human but only the upper body, lay partially buried in muck. I wonder how long it had been down here? There was a staff clutched in its hands. Why not? I reached over and grabbed it, breaking it free from that eternal grip.

Dropping my axe in its loop I got to my feet. I couldn’t tell how deep I was, only that I’d seemed to fall for some time. Letting out a small bubble of air I tracked it as it slid and skittered up to the surface. Okay, I was at least right side up.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The spider tried to pull me up. Wouldn’t it be great if that were possible? I didn’t move an inch. I felt with the staff and took a step forward.

Muck and mire was stirred up by my step, but it floated in the water around waist height and didn’t block my vision. Thank heaven for small favors. I took another step. Feeling with the staff I noticed the bottom of the pool slanted upward.

Well, I can’t swim so I may as well try to walk. I’m certain I looked like those videos of the astronauts on the moon. A step was long and bounding in the simulated micro-gravity the water’s buoyancy grants. When I hit the ground dust kicked up. I had the idea when I was off the ground one of my little bounds to use the staff as a pole vault. Didn’t have the right grip for it but I’d try next time.

Once I got back to the bottom I took a firm, two handed grip on the top of the staff. I bounded and hit the pond muck with the pole. It shot me through the water. This might work!

The next vault I was near the top of my arc and the staff slipped. I was tumbling again, all topsy turvy and blind in the swirling muck. My chest was really burning now. Needed to breath, just take a single breath.

Stuff that urge down. Take a step. I’m clearly on the upward slope now. There is less muck swirling around as I’m now mostly walking on hard stone.

I wish I could tell how deep I am. Chest is really burning. Ugh, just take a step.

The top of my new staff broke out of the water! I put both hands high on it and surged, pushing down against its wooden length as hard as I could.

SWEET AIR! I broached the surface of the pond, exhaling and inhaling. I got two breaths in before I dropped back down into the depths. The spider grabbed for me. I could see it hanging above the water once I’d sunk back to the bottom.

It was lurking up there. Just waiting for me to come back to the surface. I could see it plain as day now. The ceiling above the pond was rough and the spider hid up there among the divots and crannies. That’s why I hadn’t been able to see it from the side.

I kept walking. The water got shallower and shallower. The arachnid was hanging just above me, inches above the pond’s surface.

Before I broached into the air I got my blanket out of the backpack. Like everything else I owned it was soaked but that would work for the current plan. I folded it over, chest is really burning now, and wrapped it around the top of the quarterstaff.

I saw a spar of stone sticking out over the top of the pond. Creeping up to it I kept my knees bent so my head wouldn’t come out of the water. Reaching my hands up, one of the straps of my pack got dropped over the spar. My eyes came above the surface, staring straight into the six eyes of the spider.

It moved towards me and I stabbed the blanket wrapped quartstaff at it like I was wielding a spear. Twirling the wooden length as I got the bulbous thing in its fat abdomen. I chanted then, more quickly than I ever had and my fingers moved through the gestures.

The ball of ice appeared in my hand. Using both hands I shot it at the spider, like a poor sport after getting fouled in basketball. It hit. It exploded.

The blanket froze, fouling the creature’s legs in its wet mass. A pedestal of ice was created as the cone fired down into the pond. An angry chittering sound erupted as the spider slowly tipped over and fell into the pond, weighed down by the frozen blanket and cone of ice.

The furious arachnid hit the water with a huge splash. I drew my axe and lunged at it. Chopping once, then twice. One of its legs came away in a cloud of gore.

It bit at me but could barely move because of the frozen blanket. I chopped again, laying a cut into its huge abdomen. Another trail of gore leaked into the pond. With a pop the blanket thawed out and ice pedestal vanished.

Stupid zeroth order spells! Now it was me and the spider, floating in the pond. It was really pissed off too.

It floated up, bobbing for the surface. I chopped again. Another of its legs came free to sink slowly down into the muck. Another trail of blood leaked slowly into the water.

The spider surfaced, churning its legs to try and get away. I jumped up from the bottom and grabbed its abdomen with my left hand. My right was chopping, chopping.

It screamed. Did you know spiders can scream? Sounded like a small teakettle left on the heat too long.

The things six surviving legs thrashed at me, trying to knock me away from its huge abdominal segment. Nothing doing. I was dug in like a tick, my fingers were inside its body cavity through the hole from one if its legs. My right hand was just chopping.

It scrabbled at me, legs brushing my face and knocked my helmet off.

-1 hp

We were under water again. My visibility was nil from all the spider juice floating around. I just kept chopping away, huge sections of its exoskeleton coming free now. Pulsing organs, egg sacks. All chopped up. My ears popped. The water was a cloudy muck storm and I don’t think the spider was moving anymore.

Is this victory? I might be drowning. My left hand kept its grip and I flailed at the surface before regaining my calm. Focus.

My feet found the bottom of the pond. I started walking uphill, pulling the spider corpse along with me. After a bit the body started floating. I tried jumping as I walked. Nothing yet. Chest getting tight.

Keep walking. We’ve done this before. Just keep walking. Don’t think about your throat feeling closed off or how the light is dimming. Keep walking.

Don’t acknowledge the burning in your chest. Or the way your adam’s apple is working up and down against your will. Let a bit of breath out to bubble to the surface. Going the right way. Stay calm. Don’t freak out.

I inhaled a bit of water. Dropping my axe into its loop I clamped a hand over my mouth and nose. My lungs feel like they’re on fire. Have to take a breath!

THERE! I jumped up, head breaching the top of the pond. A quick breath. Its golden! I walk the rest of the way out, flopping onto the stony beach like a landed tuna. Gasping in the sweet, sweet cave air.