They continued through the Underdark's labyrinthine network of tunnels, hallways and crevices, and Kreet marveled not only at their guides' apparently unerring path-finding, but also at the sheer size of the complex. Once she had thought the cave system she had been born in was huge - her whole world in fact - but compared to the Underdark it was but a flyspeck.

Both the drow and the two kobolds, of course, could see in the utter darkness they traveled through, but Sigmundurr required light. This irked Urmelena who had to carry a staff of light ahead of them.

"Well dammit, why don't you just give it to me if it's such a pain in the ass?" Sigmundurr asked her after yet another of her complaints about it, but she just grumbled and continued on.

"Seriously. It amounts to a stick to me. Just let me carry it. If we run into another one of those spiders, you'll be free to dispatch it without it."

Urmelena halted the group and turned back to look at Sigmundurr.

"What do you think, Houndril?"

For the first time, the male drow spoke. "I would have his head before he could swing it," he assured Urmelena.

Kreet didn't fail to miss the smile that came over Sigmundurr's face at that. Nevertheless, Urmelena handed the staff of light to Sigmundurr who took it in good grace, even nodding to her as if in gratitude. Then they continued on, but he winked at Kreet, to which she shook her head ever so slightly as her eyes widened. But he just smiled and continued on following.

The spiders were an ever present menace in the Underdark. They came in all shapes and sizes as well as varying degrees of deadliness, but kobolds were naturally immune to most types' venom. Humans and drow were not, but at least the drow had experience in how to fight them. Some time earlier they had encountered a couple of the more aggressive wolf-spiders, but Urmelena had killed both without so much as a scratch.

The really big spiders, however, they would best avoid and it was for this reason that their leader had enforced silence since the spiders tended to be attracted to noises in the normal silence of the Underdark. Once she had spotted one of these, far away across an underground lake they had skirted. It's size was difficult to be sure of, but it appeared to be at least fifty feet from leg to leg. They'd never grown anywhere near that large in her old caverns, but then, there was no where there to contain such monstrous beasts, let alone provide enough food for them to maintain that sort of size.

But here in the Underdark life was surprisingly abundant. Mushrooms seemed to grow at every chance, along with lichen - both glowing and dormant - and other similar plant-life. The giant spider she'd seen appeared to be lying in wait for something under the surface of the lake, so underwater fish and worse were obviously plentiful as well.

And, of course, spiders were only the most common of the threats in the Underdark. Fortunately the path they followed was well traveled and was kept clear of the worst of these by regular patrols of drow, some of whom they'd passed by already. But there was always the chance of encountering the less expected Underdark dwellers. Despite the confidence and obvious skill of their guides, there were still only two of them.

They came at last to one of the rope bridges that took the path over a deep crevasse. The bridge took the form of 3 thick ropes, tied to each other occasionally by smaller guide-ropes with the largest of the three acting as the bottom of the bridge and the other two as handrails.

Urmelena indicate they would cross one-at-a-time, to minimize swaying of the rope and the weight of more than one. While the rope bridge had obviously seen years of use which might indicate security after all this time, the fraying of the strands left Kreet with no doubt that the structure was not as solid as once it had been. And knowing the Drow, it would be left as-is until it broke, and an unlucky traveler at that point had better hope he held on tight.

Of course, Urmelena went first, carrying the light staff since it was obvious that Sigmundurr was not going to be able to navigate the bridge easily with it. He gave it up without a fight, and Kreet thought she detected a bit of fear in his face. She couldn't blame him. If the rope was going to break today, it was going to break under him most likely.

As she watched Urmelena step gracefully across, it occurred to her that even in their arrogance, the drow were definitely elves. Their air of superiority wasn't only due to their own inflated egos. In many ways, they indeed were superior. The rope barely swayed as she stepped off and waved for Sigmundurr to begin.

For the first time, Kreet looked over the edge. She did not see the bottom, but it wasn't because it was too far away to see. It was because something massive blocked the view. It's eight eyes glistened but it was still and silent as death. She drew in her breath.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Long way down?" Sigmundurr chuckled as he stepped out.

Kreet's eyes were wide but she put a finger to her mouth in the universal gesture.

Sigmunder tentatively stepped one foot in front of the other out over the bridge and it began to sway as the cords creaked under his weight. Kreet shot a look to Houndril. He obviously knew the monster was there too, but Sigmundurr had to rely on the light from the staff - now far away on the other side of the bridge. To him, the spider underneath him was effectively invisible, no matter how much he tried to see it.

He stopped, waiting for the bridge to stop swaying, then took another two steps. Naturally the bridge started swaying again. Kreet could see the tendons on his arms bunch as he held tightly to the hand-ropes. And then he overbalanced.

Things happened in rapid succession then. One foot lost its grip on the base rope, and suddenly the base was no longer under his center of mass. He kept the other foot on the base rope for a moment, but now all his weight was on the right hand-line. It was too much for the old rope and it snapped at the near end beside Kreet.

It did not drop away however, due to the guide lines between the hand rope and the base. However, it shifted under Sigmundurr's weight at least four feet and was now hanging under the base rope with Sigmundurr holding on for dear life onto the broken handrail. Amazingly, the guidelines held even under his weight. They formed a sort of ladder that Sig could still use to climb back onto the base rope - if the both the hand rope and the guide ropes held.

Kreet saw he was struggling. He was amazingly strong, but the break was too unexpected. Still, at least he had not actually fallen. She looked at Urmelena. She stood passively watching the man's struggling. She looked to Houndril.

"Help him!" she cried.

The drow snorted contempt. "If he is worthy of life, he will help himself. If not..."

She looked back down the pit. The huge thing no longer remained motionless. It was approaching, and the distance had belied its size. It was tremendous. Larger than anything living had a right to be. It stopped short of actually coming into full view and attacking Sigmundurr, who was oblivious to what was happening underneath him. He had managed to get his legs wrapped around the broken end of the hand rope and was shimmying up the rope. It was obviously a lot of effort, but he was managing it. It looked like he would make it.

Till the long front leg of the spider tapped him gently on one leg.

"The FUCK?!" Sigmundurr screamed at both the shock of the touch and the weird, incredible leg that rose from the darkness below.

Though the spider's leg did end in a wicked sharp claw, it wasn't using it to try and spear him. It looked to be simply toying with him. It tapped his leg again, rather gently, but that set him to swinging. He could no longer do anything but hold on.

Then it tapped him again. Gently, but just as the arc of his swing had begun in that direction. It was intentionally swinging him. The centripetal force as the arc of his swing grew larger would certainly pry him loose of his grip soon. And the spider tapped him again. It knew exactly what it was doing.

Kreet couldn't stand idle any longer.

"Kallid!"

Her mate was watching in horrified fascination, but he looked up at her.

"Kallid, look away and close your eyes. Close them as much as you can. I'm about to do something."

"GODDAMMIT! HELP!" Sigmundurr was screaming at Urmelena, but she stood impassively watching.

No, Kreet realized as she looked closer. Not impassive. She was smiling!

Kreet wasted no more time with warning. She held her hands in front of her and took aim at the eight eyes watching Sigmundurr who was swinging nearly perpendicularly now. She would not kill it, she knew, but she would blind it. And probably two others that she hadn't warned. She closed her eyes tightly and cast Guiding Bolt at the thing.

The power that leaped from her outstretched hands had increased measurably with her level increase. Though even behind her lids her eyes ached with the light that still got through, the feeling of the power of Pelor flowing through her made her weep with joy. She was no powerless little kobold. She could still DO things.

Over the screaming from the two drow, Kreet heard the alien screech of the spider die away as something huge and heavy fell to a rumbling thump far below. She hoped Sigmundurr had managed to hold on. When she opened her eyes, she was - though not exactly blind - unable to see directly in front of her. But she heard Kallid moving.

The bright halo in her eyes quickly disappeared and she ignored the shouting and cursing of the drow. Kallid was out on the bridge now, pulling a guide rope up as best he could, his tail and legs wrapped around the base rope.

In a minute, Sigmundurr was back on the base rope and the two finished the crossing to the other side. Kreet scrambled across then, not having any particular fear of heights, but a fear of the thing below was certainly present.

When she got to the other side, Sigmundurr was sitting atop Urmelena, her sword in hand.

"Hi Kreet!" he said happily. "That was you, wasn't it?"

Kreet looked at the drow, no longer screaming but uttering curse after curse at the man who sat on her back. Kreet nodded.

"Thought so. Thanks! I'd be spider-chow it if not for you. And Kallid. Appreciate it little guy, and I'll not forget it. No thanks to these assholes though..."

He stood up but kept the point of the sword on the small of Urmelena's back. She was still obviously blind, as was Houndril who was still on the far side of the bridge, unable to cross.

"So... thought you'd feed your little pet did you?" Sigmundurr said menacingly. Kreet didn't like the tone of his voice.

"Sorry, afraid your 'Little Furry Legs' is going to have to go without Sigmundurr meat today," he continued, and with horror Kreet realized he was loosening his belt.

"But you, on the other hand... I think you're in dire need of some Sigmundurr meat!"

"Sig," Kreet said quietly.

"Kreet! She was gonna fucking let that thing eat me!"

"Sig," Kreet repeated and the big man turned back to her.

"Put your pants back on Sig," Kreet commanded, her hands outstretched in preparation for another Guiding Bolt, and pointing at his head. He would not survive a direct Bolt from this distance and she was fully prepared to wield it.