Deeper in the Cave of Fangs, the darkness grew thick and the tunnels tighter. Liam held his torch aloft, the flame's yellow halo dancing along walls slimed with old silk. Every footstep echoed ominously. Thick layers of web clung everywhere – floors, ceiling, walls – some as thin as gauze and others as heavy as blankets.
"Feels like walking into a spider wardrobe," Tomlin quipped nervously, gingerly stepping over a thick strand that snapped underfoot.
Liam gave a half-grin. "Keep it up and we'll have ourselves matching sweaters." He eased forward, sword ready and eyes scanning. The flicker of torchlight revealed shimmering strands hooking across their path ahead. At first subtle, then clearly forming a net trap, likely to swing shut if tripped.
"Trap webs," Liam muttered. Using his dagger, he sliced a nearly invisible cord anchoring the far end. It released with a soft twang, slackening the net. Tomlin slid down into a small dip where webs had been waiting.
"Guess you owe me an apology for jinxing the place," Liam said, drawing a laugh from Tomlin as he clambered out.
They proceeded slowly, Liam's gaze cutting through the dark. His good eyes caught everything; his violet eyes glowed faintly, as if feeding off the cave's tension. The Eye of the Abyss saw the slightest movements – a tiny contractile muscle here, a stowaway insect's reflection there. It spotted silk threads vibrating from the gentle pull of a small scuttling creature hidden above.
"Spiderlings?" Tomlin guessed as he followed Liam's pointing.
"Maybe we should call it a day and grab lunch," Liam said dryly, but then he set his torch steady and took a cautious step. That subtle vibration turned out to be a web trap high on the wall; if it had sprung, something big would have been waiting.
"Good catch," Tomlin said softly. The tension was growing again, each moment laced with potential danger. Every little sound made their nerves taut. They could sense the presence of something large ahead.
As they rounded a bend, the tunnel opened into a tall chamber. Pale, fibrous curtains of silk hung from the vaulted ceiling, and ovoid shapes the size of melons lay beneath, gently writhing with life. Larval brood eggs, maybe. But the true terror was waiting: two enormous spiders, their bodies hardened to a matte black in the torchlight, monstrous limbs coiled around the stone.
The Fangclaw spiders had four spindly legs on each side and two massive fangs that clicked together menacingly. Their eyes glowed back at Liam and Tomlin with a hungry intelligence. The ground seemed to tremble as the beasts hissed, dropping their deadlift of webs and eggs. One spider was easily as tall as Liam when standing, the other smaller but stout and furious.
Tomlin swallowed audibly, tightening his grip on the spear. "Bigger than I thought," he murmured.
"Keep it together," Liam said, lifting his shield into position. Even as he spoke, he felt the hairs on his neck prickle.
Before any more words could escape them, the two Fangclaws lunged. The air was instantly filled with the crack of powerful limbs and a chorus of shrieks. One spider smashed a foreleg against Liam's shield; the wood splintered under the force. Liam's arm jolted back with a painful vibration.
"Shield's gone!" he warned, throwing it free as the remainder collapsed under pressure. A large chunk of it swung down into the dust. Now defenseless on that side, Liam gulped but quickly shook off the shock.
Tomlin dove to avoid a snapping fangs. "We might be flying old school from now on," Liam quipped, more to steady himself than to be funny.
On their own two feet, Liam and Tomlin continued the fight with renewed ferocity. Liam dodged the second spider's swipe and responded by slicing its hind leg, giving a sharp yelp. The creature reared up with one leg missing and thrashed.
"Look out!" Tomlin cried, vaulting forward. He used his spear like a javelin, targeting the wounded spider's other leg. The point drove in deep. The spider collapsed sideways, legs curling in as it convulsed.
Liam faced the charging larger Fangclaw. Without his shield he had to rely on agility. It launched at him again; he ducked, rolled to the side, and slashed upward with his sword. The blade caught on the spider's chest, cracking through armor plating. It reared up in surprise, venom dripping from its wound.
Tomlin, seeing an opening, sprinted toward the smaller spider and delivered a final thrust directly between its glowing red eyes. The spider crumpled, its body twitching weakly.
Now only the big one remained. It lashed out with surprise and fury, nearly catching Liam's shoulder with its fangs. He felt the edges of the teeth graze the fabric of his tunic. Liam swung his blade down in a horizontal slash, slicing through thick chitin. The spider roared in pain and toppled.
They stood heaving, victorious but shaken. Dust rose around them. Liam wiped sweat and ichor from his brow. The broken shield lay at his feet in splinters.
"That… was something," Tomlin panted. His voice was ragged but amused in a breathless sort of way. "Next time I'll trust my shield a little less," Liam joked, making Tomlin crack a grin.
"Way to adapt, Liam," Tomlin praised. "Looks like the one-armed warrior act suits you better."
Liam flexed his arm in a mock show of strength, grinning. "Who needs a heavy shield when you're this good?" he retorted, though in truth his arm was sore. His movements had felt fluid without the shield, and he realized a strange truth: fighting freely with only the sword had been exhilarating.
They took a moment to catch their breath. Tomlin cleaned the spear tip on the still-wriggling remains of one spider, while Liam placed a supportive bandage on his shield arm.
"If this is what bronze missions are like, I can't imagine what silver will bring," Tomlin said, a note of awe in his voice.
"We've proven our worth already," Liam replied, giving Tomlin a brief, encouraging smile. "Let's gather a few fangs and go. The real catch might be further in."
Tomlin grinned and wiped sweat from his forehead. "You lead the way, fearless leader."
They collected the spiders' venom sacs and fangs as proof, careful to avoid any residual poison. Then, leaning on one another for support, the two friends marched forward, deeper into the cave. Each footstep crunched on silk, every breath a reminder that an even greater danger was still ahead.
Together, they ventured onward, tense but triumphant, toward the heart of the nest.