“I fucking hate milestones,” Ghimli muttered as we raided the fourth nest of the morning. The first three had been a bust, and this fourth one seemed like another dead end.

“It’s honestly fine,” Amanda said, using her staff as a walking stick.

“I just want to fight some monsters,” Ghimli retorted, and surprisingly, Bea agreed with him.

“It’s one less to check. These seem like weak beast nests. Probably something stronger scared them away,” I added, trying to manage expectations.

At the fifth nest location, we found a cave.

“Finally, a dungeon,” Ghimli said, grinning widely.

“Let’s be careful with this one. Ghimli and Doc, you’re on point. Bea, watch the rear,” Amanda instructed.

We took our positions and entered the cave.

The sunlight was quickly cut off, and I had to light a torch to see. The dancing shadows made the damp walls even eerier, and the smell of iron grew stronger with each step. The temperature dropped, and the sound of water droplets echoed as they splashed into small pools on the floor. I was shivering—whether from the cold, excitement, or fear, I wasn’t sure. Probably all three.

Ghimli raised a hand, signaling for us to stop. “I think we’re close,” he said in a serious tone. “I can feel a current of air ahead, and it’s too quiet.”

I nodded. “This feels like some sort of underground lair, like the goblin ones, but something’s off.”

“We’ll need to dance to the music. Bea, go ahead and scout. Stay hidden, and call if anything happens,” Amanda ordered.

Bea darted ahead, practically vanishing into the shadows, her footsteps barely audible. We held our breath in intervals, trying not to make any noise that could drown out whatever sounds came from where she had gone.

A screeching sound erupted from the direction Bea had gone, and we immediately threw caution to the wind.

Rushing to her aid, we saw what had caused the horrifying noise. A room with a 4-meter-high ceiling, covered in thick webs, loomed before us. Seven glowing red eyes stared in our direction, and a dagger was stuck in the spider’s other eye. Bea was struggling to free herself from one of the fresh webs that had caught her foot as she tried to retreat.

Seeing his sister in distress, Ghimli looked like he was about to enter a berserker rage, his grip on his mace so tight it looked like it might snap. Amanda, quick to react, calmed him enough to prevent him from putting everyone at risk. “Get the spider’s attention. I’ll free Bea, and Doc will tank it,” she said, rushing to help Bea.

Ghimli raised his mace, a red glow starting to emanate from the spikes. The spider’s eyes shifted in our direction as I tossed the torch aside, pulling out my sword and readying my shield.

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The creature was fast for its size, moving through the webs as if it were swimming in the air. She took up nearly half the room. No matter where we ran, we’d be in melee range. I steeled myself, raised my shield, and channeled a Searing Smite into my sword, preparing for the battle.

With each step, the foul stench of the spider’s breath—a mix of blood, earth, and something acrid—grew stronger. The goop dripping from her fangs flew in our direction as she screamed again. I raised my shield to cover my face and braced for impact. One of her legs shot toward me, and I instinctively countered with all my strength.

It was like striking metal. The scent of burning hair and flesh overtook the putrid stench, and the room grew hotter.

Ghimli followed up with his attack, smashing one of the legs the creature used to cling to the web, causing her to drop lower. Now, her head was within our reach. A quick glance at my mana pool told me I had one or two spells left, and I needed to make them count.

An arcane bolt flew, hitting the spider’s glowing eye, while another strand of web was severed. Bea and Amanda were now free and joined the fray, giving Ghimli and me a moment to catch our breath and keep the spider at bay.

We didn’t have a heavy hitter in our party right now. Ghimli and Bea would be beasts in the future, and Amanda would hold her own once she found her patron. I was the shield—I just needed to hold long enough. Accepting my role, I cast Shield of Faith for some added protection and threw a Bless on Bea to amplify her Sneak Attack. It was worth it. One of the spider’s legs shot toward Amanda, but a magical copy of my shield deflected most of the impact, leaving her with only minor injuries. Meanwhile, Bea used the webs to hoist herself closer to the strings holding the spider in place.

With a loud thump, the spider dropped. Despite losing a leg, she managed to pull herself together. But Ghimli was quick to follow up, leaping forward with a Divine Smite that struck her head, leaving the creature disoriented. I took the opportunity to dart to one of her legs, keeping the flames on my sword alive, and sliced away another limb as Bea drove a dagger into the spider’s neck.

The creature let out a final screech and flung herself toward the walls, trying to escape. Bea held on like she was riding a wild bull, and in a flash of genius, Amanda froze the ground beneath the spider, causing her to lose grip and slam headfirst into the wall.

The impact caused the torch I had tossed aside to fall from the webs it was caught in, igniting them. Smoke began to fill the room, and our breathing became ragged as we started to cough.

“Retreat!” I shouted, keeping the spider in sight while my friends ran for the exit.

With two legs missing on the same side and the icy ground making her movements sluggish, the spider struggled. But it was too late—the flames spread quickly through the webs, creeping toward the disoriented creature.

I made sure my friends reached the dungeon’s entrance before I turned to witness the gruesome scene. The fire caught the spider’s fur, and she screeched in agony, trying to weave her webs and escape, but the heat had turned the webbing into something akin to kerosene—more fuel for the flames. I watched as the spider was cremated alive.

Fighting the urge to vomit, I looked back at my friends, who were standing guard at the entrance, making sure we weren’t ambushed by any creatures drawn by the commotion. I was glad they hadn’t seen what I had just witnessed.

With the fire dying down and the spider defeated, I made my way back to the group.

“Is it over?” Amanda asked. I simply nodded in confirmation. “Good. We’ll wait for the fire to die down before looting the room. Get some rest with Ghimli for a bit. Bea and I will keep watch, and we’ll trade off in a minute.”

Not wanting to argue, I complied. The cold cave walls were a welcome relief after being so close to the inferno. I rested my head, feeling the cool stream of water on my back. It felt nice, and soon a warm sensation followed. Ghimli placed a hand on my shoulder, casting a healing spell. I hadn’t even realized I was injured, but the healing was a welcome feeling.

We were starting to fit nicely into our roles. We’d be a strong party soon—it was just a matter of time.