Inside the cave, darkness swallowed their forms. Liam struck flint against steel, lighting a torch whose flame danced and cast flickering shadows on the walls. Thick, silvery webs lined every surface, woven in intricate patterns. The air was still and heavy with dust; even the echoes felt like they held their breath.
"Eerie place," Tomlin whispered, advancing carefully. Every step made the tunnel clink with small rocks and grit. He accidentally kicked a pebble, which tumbled noisily ahead. "First mission nerves, huh?" Liam muttered, elbowing him lightly.
They crept forward, Liam scanning ahead with narrowed eyes. Unnervingly, one section of web shimmered in the torchlight as if alive. Tomlin leaned in, careless, and a sticky strand shot out, snaring the tip of his spear. He yanked it free, lurching back. "Whoa, close one!"
"I think these webs might be more than just old loot jumbles," Liam said, ducking under a lower web. "Keep your eyes peeled."
Tomlin grinned. "Wouldn't have it any other way. Ready for some bug killing?"
Before Liam could answer, a sharp snap echoed through the tunnel. The ceiling above them crinkled like brittle paper.
A swarm of spiderlings rained down. Dozens of small spiders – no bigger than a man's hand – pelted the two friends, each clacking multiple legs wildly as they attacked.
Tomlin let out a startled yelp, leaping sideways. "Ah! Spiders!" he yelled, thrusting his spear with surprising calm. The weapon caught a few of the dropper-spiders on the point as he moved.
Liam's torch sputtered from the shadow, and in the flicker he drew his sword. His eyes shined with an eerie violet gleam of the Eye of the Abyss – scanned the chaotic scene. In that inhuman glow, he could see the faint throb of a small muscle under each spiderling's carapace.
"There's a core under its belly – aim there!" Liam shouted to Tomlin. The instinctive command surprised even Liam himself. Tomlin, rolling with the desperation, caught the advice. With a fluid twist, he thrust his spear under a charging spiderling, impaling it through the abdominal shell. It wriggled feebly before going still.
"You okay?" Liam yelled over the scratchy noise of thousands of tiny legs skittering.
"I'm fine!" Tomlin shouted back, hissing as a spiderling ran up his leg. With a wild motion, he rammed his elbow into its back, sending it flying into another clump of webbing.
Liam thrust a foot out and kicked another spider away, then turned to face three more coming his way. He swung his sword in a high arc. The blade met exoskeleton with a crunch, cleaving the leader of the trio. The other two retreated slightly, startled by the sight of their comrade spilling dark ichor onto the cave floor.
A beating thrum of adrenaline surged through Liam's veins. The Eye of the Abyss pulsed stronger, clearly picking out weak joints in the nearest cluster. He directed his speech breathlessly, "Tomlin, left flank!"
Tomlin did a small hop and swung his spear, skewering two spiders in one sweeping motion. The worms of battle adrenaline and their chatter drowned out everything else. Liam danced backward, dodging a flurry of legs, then swept his sword low. Two more spiderlings dropped as the torchlight caught their pivoting movements.
Somewhere on the cave walls, old silk whipped free and tangled Tomlin's arm as he backpedaled. With a frustrated curse, Tomlin wrenched free, clearing half a dozen webstrands in one motion. He ducked under a spider's fangs and jabbed upward, piercing its carapace.
Slowly, the number of living spiderlings fell. The last one, a lanky thing, tried to scuttle up the wall to escape, but Liam was quicker. He jumped forward and shoved the tip of his sword through the creature's chest. It quivered twice before falling limply.
Silence fell again. Liam and Tomlin staggered slightly, chests rising and falling rapidly as they caught their breath. The cave corridor was lit only by Liam's torch, the floor littered with motionless spiders.
Tomlin leaned heavily on his spear, breathing hard. "That. Was. Intense," he panted. There was a hint of a grin in his voice, however.
Tomlin let out a quiet chuckle, then suddenly tossed back his head and laughed loudly, shaking Tomlin's blond curls. "Man, I've never been happier to see a dead spider!" The tension drained.
Liam allowed himself to laugh too, though his grin was wry. "Well done, spear boy. It's definitely more real than any of our practice fights."
Tomlin wiped a bead of sweat on his sleeve. "Real indeed," he agreed, and then fell silent for a beat, eyes distant. "I mean… that was… I can't even believe we just did that."
Liam clapped a hand on Tomlin's shoulder. "We did it. Second fight down. And nobody lost an arm."
"Speak for yourself," Tomlin teased, suddenly brandishing his spear to stab the last spiderling again for good measure. It squeaked one more time and died.
With their weapons resting, they leaned against the cold stone walls. Liam slowly nodded. "That felt real, didn't it? Not like chasing straw dummies in the grass."
Tomlin leaned back and groaned. "My legs feel like jelly and my heart is doing the Macarena." He winced at his own joke and shrugged. "But yeah… seriously. It's one thing to pretend, and another to look all these creepy little faces in the eye."
Liam nodded gravely, giving Tomlin a respectful look. "We make a good team," he said softly. Tomlin met his eyes and saw sincerity there. The adrenaline was wearing off, replaced by a quiet resolve.
"Yeah," Tomlin agreed, a grin forming. "Let's clean up and keep going. The big one's waiting, and I doubt it will drop as easily."
"I'm ready," Liam replied. He relit the torch fully and led the way deeper, feeling both the weight of what they'd done and the confidence that they could do it again.
Together, they left the stragglers of the fight behind, stepping further into the dark, sticky heart of the spider's nest.