The steep, close staircase spiraled down into damp-smelling rock for several turns before opening into a large, dark chamber. Vash breathed easier upon exiting the claustrophobic spiral of the staircase. He had never liked small, enclosed spaces, much less ones that could have unknown monsters at the bottom.

Or traps, or who knows what. Vash thought, bitter pessimism creeping in again. He shook his head as if he could clear the bad thoughts with motion. Stop that. Time to focus.

Vash stepped out from the stairway into a long underground hall. A pale blue-white light illuminated the area around Jabez and Corwin. Jabez tied a glowmoss elixir to the chain of his Wayfarer amulet. The elixir was a small vial of glowmoss and Therium salts suspended in an alcohol solution. Shake the bottle vigorously and the glowmoss would bloom and feed off the mana produced by the Therium, emitting a soft light ideal for maintaining night vision.

The glow from the vial only reached about fifteen feet. Carved pillars stood at regular intervals, pocked and weathered by age, but still sturdy. The solid stone pillars disappeared into the gloom above. The floor was flat and bare, with large flagstones roughly two feet on a side made up the floor’s construction. A cold mist clung to the floor and eddied around their ankles, obscuring details on the stones.

That’s going to make finding floor switches difficult. Vash frowned, remembering the Gauntlet a bare two days before. As a precaution, Vash let his awareness sink into his Core, allowing his aura to expand and give him a better idea of what dangers were in the area.

His Core gave a slight tremor. There was something to be wary of out in the darkness, but he couldn’t tell what it was specifically or where it might be coming from. Slowly, Vash approached Corwin and Jabez.

The dwarf examined the nearest stone pillar with a critical eye. He held his war-hammer loosely in his right hand while he ran thick fingers over the carvings on the stone. Corwin stood beside Jabez, sword held at the ready, scanning the darkness. He nodded at Vash’s approach and moved to the side slightly so that Vash could take his place on the right flank of their little triangle.

“What’s our plan?” Vash asked, blinking as his elvish eyes adjusted to the light levels. Elves could see in low-light, their magically enhanced vision came with a slight glow around their eyes in dim or dark areas. Half-elves had a similar, if less powerful, ability. His eyes had inner lenses that focused and filtered light, albeit without the magical enhancement. Vash felt the awkward sensation as his inner lenses shifted to compensate for conditions.

The right-hand wall of the chamber was becoming visible in shades of gray and brown. He could make out a few alcoves in the walls, each one with a haphazard stone archway raised above it.

“The plan is to keep together, and keep quiet.” Jabez said, stepping back from the stone pillar and dusting his fingers against his pants leg. “Watch for trouble on the flanks. We don’t want to disturb anything that might not want to be disturbed.”

Vash bit his lip and made a face, but kept silent. Half measures, sloppy.

“Got a problem with that?”

Vash looked back over his shoulder. Jabez had shifted his position slightly, lifting his hammer into both hands and scanning the darkness in front of him. “Wouldn’t it be better to do a full search, face whatever is out there, make sure that it doesn’t block our way out?”

“Sure.” Jabez said. “If we knew what was down here, and we knew we had the resources to take it on. There are plenty of monsters that are happy to let you go on your way if you don’t go looking for them. Some things just want to be left alone, and they can be very dangerous when cornered.”

“Yeah?” Vash asked. “Like what?”

This time Jabez shot a look back at him, surprised at his interest. “If you really want to know, we’ll talk about it after we finish this job. Not really something to discuss while we’re in the middle of things.”

“It’s mostly the non-humanoid creatures that you can leave alone or avoid.” Corwin said. “Molds, jellies, even Mimics.”

“Mimics? Those can’t be real.” Vash had heard of the ambush-predator monsters that preyed on unwary dungeon explorers. He’d always thought they sounded fairly far-fetched. How likely was it that a creature would evolve to look exactly like a treasure chest?

“They’re real.” Jabez said. “And they’re damn dangerous.”

“Have you seen one?” Vash asked, incredulously.

“No.” Jabez admitted. “But I have it on good authority—”

“Until I see one with my own eyes, they’re a myth.” Vash scoffed, only half-serious. The dwarf’s buttons were easy to push, and he couldn’t resist. Jabez shook his head. “Damn stubborn, pointy-eared…” There were more insults, but Jabez’s voice faded into mutters before Vash could take real offense.

Light blossomed behind them, accompanied by the grunts of Zakarias’ servants struggling with the heavy chests down the narrow staircase. Zakarias himself carried an alchemical lantern which filled the room with a golden light.

“Gods dammit.” Jabez breathed, tensing and searching the remaining shadows. “I told them to wait for the all-clear.”

“A little more light isn’t a bad thing.” Corwin said.

Vash agreed. Having more of the chamber revealed was much more reassuring than imagining horrors in the deep darkness. He felt his shoulders relax a bit as the shadows retreated, revealing old stone and cobwebs. Wisps of dusty webs hung from the arches high above them and filled the arched alcoves along the wall. Vash could now see that the alcoves housed long-dead bodies wrapped in burial shrouds.

Not shrouds, even preserved the shrouds would be in tatters by now. Vash thought, trying to puzzle out why it bothered him. That one on the end is different. Is it upside down?

“Should there be this many webs in a sealed vault like this?” Corwin asked, looking up into the shadowed recesses of the ceiling.

Vash followed his gaze. The webs were larger and thicker, up high. The ceiling was made of unfinished stone, lumps and crags standing out in contrast to the smoother stonework below. Loose dirt fell from the ledge above.

Great, the roof is unstable too.

One rock shifted and Vash made ready to move out of the way as another shower of dirt and pebbles fell from above. Vash narrowed his eyes and his elvish vision sharpened and focused on the small area, enhancing details he’d missed before, like the long roots that dug into the rock and were now unfolding with intricate slowness. The stone shifted again and multi-faceted silver eyes lifted and regarded him with curious malice.

“Spiders!” Vash hissed, drawing his weapons, a long dagger in his left hand, a short sword in his right. “Big ones.”

Jabez and Corwin both looked up. The glint of dozens of eyes flashed as the spiders clustered on the ceiling turned to regard the intruders.

Jabez hefted his war-hammer and growled. “It’s a damn Hollowmound nest.”

Hisses and the click of armored legs against stone rose from the spiders as the nest flowed forward with alarming speed. Coming into the light, the spiders were about the size of a dog, but with a wider reach from their long legs. Thorny plates of chitin covered the spiders’ bodies, and they varied in color from a glistening black to a sandy brown, with red stripes running down their bulbous abdomens.

A spider leaped from one pillar, eager to attack. Jabez stepped forward and swung his hammer in a wide arc, catching the spider in the center of its body. The spider shrieked as the force of the blow sent it flying across the room, crashing into the far wall with a crackling sound, like eggshells being dropped on a stone floor. It slid down the wall, trailing pale green blood on the stones.

Vash was so distracted watching Jabez’s attack that he almost didn’t notice the spider descending on a line of silk behind him. The click of chitin as it landed on the floor pricked his ears moments before it slashed at him, razor-sharp forelegs stabbing down at his back. Instinct took over and Vash reached within, tapping his Core and felt the sudden rush of warmth as mana flowed out to the rest of his body. The formula for Enhance Ability snapped into place, boosting his speed and agility many times over.

Time felt as if it slowed to a crawl. Vash stepped to one side, turning and avoiding the spider’s attack. The bladed forelegs crashed hard into the floor stones, throwing sparks with their impact. Vash stepped in, short sword finding the joint of one of the spider’s forelegs. He twisted the blade and a gush of thick spider-blood flowed out. The spider hissed and scuttled back, the end joint of its foreleg hanging uselessly.

Two more spiders descended from the ceiling, trying to cut Vash off from where Corwin and Jabez were engaged with arachnid attacks of their own. Vash moved to one side, trying to flank the monsters. The closest one lashed out with a foreleg attack. Mana-fueled reflexes moved Vash out of the way. He felt the wind of the attack.

That was too close. Vash thought, looking for a way to take a position next to Corwin. Vash was used to working in a team, watching each other’s backs and covering flanks. Jabez and Corwin were far more at ease trusting their Talents, armor, and their own resiliency. Vash was getting left behind as the two warriors pressed their attacks.

Corwin was grinning like a madman, falling into step with Jabez as he hacked through any spider foolish enough to get close. One spider got past Corwin’s guard and landed a blow on the big man’s chest. The spider struck his breastplate with a metallic thunk, forcing Corwin back a step. A moment later, Corwin straightened and laughed. The spider scurried back, the tip of one foreleg having broken off and leaking thick, greenish blood.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?” Corwin growled, then let out a battle-cry and hacked at the retreating spider, pushing further away from Vash.

So much for teamwork. Vash thought, the three spiders he faced all moved with him, keeping him at the center of a triangle, forcing him to dodge over and over from their attacks, pushing him further away from his companions and towards where other spiders were descending from above.

Vash could feel the mana draining out of Enhance Ability. Soon he would have to either let the Talent go or reset it with another infusion of mana. Can’t do this for long, time for some old tricks.

Taking a step away from the lights of the party, Vash found the deepest shadows he could and formed the Shadowmeld formula in his mind. Mana flowed into the mental construct and pulled the shadows around him like a cloak. Rather than warming, it gave him a bone-deep chill. Color leeched out of the world even as his vision became sharper, allowing him to see clearly in the darkness. The spiders reacted with confusion. To their eyes, the surrounding shadows absorbed him and swallowed him into a deeper darkness.

My turn. Vash thought.

He stepped around the most aggressive of the spiders, a black and red monstrosity that was drooling some sort of white foam from its mandibles. Vash leaped lightly onto the spider’s back, swiftly driving his sword into the joint just behind its head. The spider gave an anguished screech and a spurt of thick spider blood flowed out of the wound.

It spasmed and rolled. Vash rolled with it and, coming up on his feet, warmth and color intruded on the edges of his awareness until he got a firmer hold on the shadows.

The other two spiders ignored their dying compatriot and turned towards where Vash had appeared for a moment. A twinge in Vash’s Core was the only warning he had. The spider that he had wounded reared back and flung a sticky ball of webbing towards him. Vash moved out of the way and the ball splattered against the stones at his feet. The webbing exploded against the stone, sending out sticky tendrils in all directions. Some splashed against Vash’s boots, hardening almost instantly and rooting his feet to the spot. Shadows retreated and Vash fought hard to hold on to them, realizing the outlines of his boots were visible now with the webs wrapped around his ankles.

The spiders moved slowly towards Vash, cautiously advancing on the misty shape coming into focus as Vash lost his grip on the shadows. The second spider flung another clump of webbing. Vash ducked, but a clump of webbing splattered his right side, hardening into tendrils around his sword arm and sealing it to his side. The shadows evaporated like mist around him, color and warmth flooding back to Vash as he became visible again. The spiders chittered and surged forward. Vash slashed at them with his dagger, trying to keep the spiders at a distance while he struggled against the webs that held him fast.

His dagger made contact with one spider, but it skidded off the chitin armor. The spider swept Vash’s hand aside with its foreleg, knocking the dagger out of his grip. Vash cursed, ducking and weaving away from the sharp forelegs and now lunging bites.

Vash had read some on common dangers of dungeons in Gideon’s Guide the night before. It had said the Hollowmound spider venom was necrotic, killing and breaking down the flesh, making it easier for the spiders to consume. That meant that any bite from one spider could severely hamper his ability to fight.

Great, that part I remember! Vash thought, smashing a fist into the uninjured spider’s cluster of eyes. Hissing, the spider backed away. One enormous eye was leaking fluid and left an empty, collapsed crevice in the creature’s head.

The spider with the injured leg suddenly flung itself at Vash, legs seizing his torso and sending him crashing to the ground. Vash attempted to roll away, but the sticky webbing caught his boots and the spider’s weight held him down. The spider glared down at him with shiny black eyes. Vash could feel the malice flowing off the creature and the glee it was taking in having him pinned and at its mercy. It reared back, sharp mandibles drooling frothy venom.

Vash didn’t see the blow when it came. One moment the spider was prepared to inject him with deadly venom, the next its head had collapsed like a shattered egg. The huge head of Jabez’s war-hammer swept the spider off of Vash. It landed somewhere in the darkness with a thud.

For a few moments, Vash just lay there, stunned.

“You gonna lay about all day, or are you going to earn your keep?” came a gruff voice.

Vash blinked, seeing Jabez standing over him. Spider blood splattered the dwarf’s mail and the head of his war hammer.

He frowned down at Vash, shaking his head. “Hollowmound webbing is strong when you pull directly against it. Try moving your arm like this,”

Jabez demonstrated, swinging his arm against his body in a short arc.

Shifting slightly, Vash did as Jabez said. The webbing loosened and stretched until Vash could shake it off. “That’s a good trick.”

“Keep it in mind.” Jabez said, then thought a moment. “Or, better yet, just dodge next time.”

Vash rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to say something snarky. He loosened the webbing around his feet enough to kick free, then got up and surveyed the room.

The fight was over. Spider carcasses lay strewn about the chamber. Corwin was going from corpse to corpse, digging his knife below the mandibles and extracting spider fangs. Vash watched him in disgusted fascination. “What are you doing?”

“Spider venom.” Corwin said, carefully wrapping each fang in a strip of linen bandage before placing them in a heavy leather pouch. “Alchemists can make an anti-necrotic out of it. They fetch some decent coin.”

“Makes an excellent poison as well.” Zakarias said, peering at the dead spiders with interest. Neither he nor his assistants looked at all fazed by their encounter with the creatures.

Corwin looked up and frowned. “You saying things like that isn’t helping your ‘dark wizard’ vibe. Just so you know.”

“Dark wizard vibe?” Zakarias asked, confused.

“Ominous dungeon, not particularly forthcoming with information, pointing out useful poison ingredients.” Corwin said, finishing his task and sealing the pouch.

“Merely dispensing useful information.” Zakarias shrugged bony shoulders. “What your shadow-walking friend does with it is his business.” The skeletal smile he flashed at Vash was unnerving at best.

“I’m not a fan of poisons.” Vash said, picking up his dagger.

“To each his own.” Zakarias said, though he sounded disappointed. “As for the rest, I have told you everything that I know…that would be of use to you.”

The look he gave Corwin could be read several ways. All were at least vaguely threatening.

“Oi! Wayfarers!” Jabez called from across the room. “Focus on the task at hand. These are just Hollowmound workers. Who knows how big this nest is? If there are warriors, or, gods forbid, a queen, then this trip gets much more dangerous.”

Vash shot Jabez a look but kept his mouth shut. Earn your coin, gain rank, and you can leave the pint-sized tyrant behind. He thought. The Eth Mitaan wanted him in a good position within the Wayfarers and getting into a better adventuring party looked like the first logical step.

“Does it go any further?” Corwin asked, approaching the far wall. “I’m not seeing any doorways.”

“There is more.” Zakarias said. “My research shows a larger complex.”

Jabez grunted and drifted over to examine more carvings on the walls. “Well, Vash, you’re our rogue. See what you can find.”

“Jabez.” Vash said, approaching the dwarf and lowering his voice. “I worked on Detect Traps last night and haven’t had time to really try it. I’m not sure I’m up to secret doors yet.”

Jabez sighed. “Try it. Your Core is more attuned to that sort of thing than mine or Corwin’s. This job isn’t just Talents, there’s a bit of instinct to it as well.”

“All right.” Vash said, turning away from Jabez. I don’t think this is going to end well.

Vash made a show of examining the alcoves on the far side of the room. The lanterns carried by Zakarias’ servants illuminated the chamber and gave him a better look at everything around them.

Crude, but solid stonework made up the bottom ten feet of the walls, rough-hewn rock that had served as the spider’s home stretched another fifteen feet above that. Large stone pillars stretched to the ceiling, providing support. The bodies hanging in the alcoves were all skeletal; skin shrunken and leathery over what remained below. The bodies had clearly been drained long ago and never disposed of. Piles of bones and webbing lay in the dark corners of the room, showing what the spiders did with the bodies when they were done. Above each alcove was a rune that was unfamiliar to Vash. The designs were sharp, angular, oddly upsetting. Less something one would find marking a larder and more what one would use to mark a sacrifice.

I don’t remember giant spiders having a god they worshiped, or them being worshiped by any cults. Vash thought. I really need to read up on monsters and dungeoncraft.

Movement caught Vash’s attention as he was about to leave the last alcove. The web-wrapped body swayed slightly, wisps of webbing floating in the air. Carefully, he moved closer to inspect the alcove. He held his hand up near the swaying, twisting corpse. A slight breeze wafted across his fingertips.

Taking a breath, Vash let his focus drift to his Core. The warm ball of mana just beneath his breastbone pulsed and hummed. He quieted his mind like Iona had taught him. His Core thrummed through different harmonics as he searched for the one that would help.

Vash scanned the back of the alcove, his Core pulsing stronger or weaker as he moved in different places along the stones. He passed his hand over a large-sized stone to one side of the alcove and felt his Core buzz excitedly. After a moment of inspection, Vash felt something click into place within him. In his vision, a pale red aura outlined the stone, and a slight rush of essence left him.

What was that? Vash thought, startled. I didn’t even use a formula.

Hesitantly, Vash released the Talent, paying close attention as he did so. As the Talent faded from his mind, he felt as though he could sense the outline of the formula. Fumbling and awkward, Vash pieced the formula back together and, after a few moments of adjustment, he felt it settle into place. Mana flowed into the new formula construct. A red glow appeared around the same stone. Vash almost cheered. He had unlocked a new Talent.

“There’s something back here.” Vash called over his shoulder. “Looks like a switch opens a door in this alcove.”

“Great work!” Corwin said excitedly, joining Vash at the alcove.

“Not bad,” Jabez said, standing back a few paces and watching Vash work..

The excitement of learning a new Talent gave Vash a fresh jolt of adrenaline. He reached out and pushed the stone with the red outline. The rock moved after some slight resistance, a soft click sounding somewhere within. For a moment nothing happened, then the sound of a mechanism clanking to life came within the stones. Rock scraped against rock. The back of the alcove moved slowly to one side, revealing a dark tunnel beyond.

Vash’s Core pulsed urgently. He felt, rather than heard, the second click of another mechanism. Yelping in surprise, he dropped to the floor just before an arrow whistled over his head. It sailed across the room and shattered into splinters against the far wall.

“Maybe activate Detect Traps before pressing buttons.” Jabez muttered.

“You all right?” Corwin asked, holding out a hand to help Vash to his feet.

“I’m fine.” Vash said, grudgingly accepting the hand.

They stood in front of the new tunnel, another tight fit, barely big enough for them to walk single file. It seemed to go a long way into the rock beyond, sloping downward slightly from the secret door.

"Excellent." Zakarias called as he and his men crossed the room to join the adventurers. "I'm glad to see my faith in you all was not misplaced."

"That's a tight squeeze." Corwin said, frowning at the tunnel. The darkness within seemed to swallow the soft blue-white glow from the light elixir.

"Bound to be more spiders, more traps." Jabez said, joining them.

“So, who goes first?” Vash asked.