Chapter 55 - Fifty-Five: Into the Cave System

The whole party came to a halt as we reached the mouth of the cavern. As the terrain changed from manmade to a subterranean cave system the torchlights came to an end. There was just a vast black empty space in front of us. The only light up ahead came from the torchlight reflecting off precious stones and metal deposits that were embedded in the rock face here and there. It was just enough to give a sense of just how huge the space was.

We would need to carry our own light from here on in. Lillia said a few words and the tip of her staff begun to let out a white light. Siofra and Serin both pulled out a glow stone lantern each from their bags and clipped them onto their belts. Altria didn't have one, but as she had the best night vision of the party, she probably didn't need one.

That just left me. I didn't have a light, there was more than enough light from the other party members to make my way easily enough. I just didn't like the idea of being down here in the total darkness if anything happened and I got separated from the group. Then I had a brain wave. I headed back down the corridor where had just come from. Extinguishing the torches on the wall as I went and putting them in my pack as I went.

When I'd finally taken up every last bit of space in my bag I headed back to the group, taking the last lit torch in my hand. It felt like it could be a bit unwieldy fight with a sword in one hand and a torch in the other, but if the worst came to the worst, I could always drop the torch. I didn't expect there to be many creatures down here that would like the flaming torches shoved in their face either if it came to that.

I returned to the rest of the group just as the others were ready to head further in. As I joined them Serin turned to me.

"Good thinking."

"Thanks. Seemed like it would come in handy." I replied.

"Are we all ready now?" Lillia asked noticing I had re-joined the group.

"There's something I forgot to say… From here on nothing resets, these aren't rooms and there seems to multiple types of monsters that can spawn in each area. We'll need to fight our way through all the way to the safe zone." Explained Siofra.

"What can we expect?" Asked Lilla.

"All sorts, it was mostly low-level monsters, nothing we can't handle. At least on these levels."

"Okay, you heard her everyone. Expect the monsters to keep coming, stay alert, this place is massive, and they could approach us from any direction. Form up and let's head out."

We filed into what was now the usual arrangement. Altria and Siofra taking up the lead, scouting ahead up front, with Lillia in the middle while Serin and I took up the rear. Then we stepped into the dark cavern, our lights starting to show just how vast the place was.

The main chamber was tall and wide. It stretched ahead far further than our lights could penetrate into the darkness. It was nowhere near as wide and I could make out the edges of the cave on either side. We had only been walking for a couple of minutes and we had already passed several side passages leading off from the main chamber. It really wasn't hard to imagine enemies slipping out of them in the darkness and approaching us from behind.

There was an air of tension among the party as we headed further into the cavern. We all knew it was only a matter of time before we ran into the creatures that kept a watch over this place. It was then that Altria gave the signal to be ready for their approach. Everyone had their weapons to hand in anticipation of the approaching threat.

Unlike Altria or the elf girls, neither Serin's nor my eyes could yet make out what was approaching the group. The first I could tell that something was heading our way was the sound. I could make out footsteps, I guessed from past experience that these were the skeleton soldiers that we had fought on the previous levels. In amongst their footsteps, I could hear something else, something that sounded weird. If I had to put my finger on it, I would say it was a skittering sound, from the strange pattern of its footfall.

We continued our approach. The light from our lanterns and torches still hadn't reached our opponents, but then I saw it, saw them. The red glow of a creature's eyes, at least twice as high as the head height of the skeleton warriors. First two eyes, then another two and another two. Every time I looked again there seemed to be more of them. The eye's seemed to blink as they approached our light. I was getting worried as I tried to guess at how many of this yet unknown creature there were out there in the darkness.

"Get ready everyone here they come!" Altria called back, but I still had no idea what approached.

"Serin, you and Theo take the skeleton warriors and the rest of us will handle these." Lillia yelled as the beasts finally appeared.

The giant monsters ran into the range of our light with a familiar skitter that sent a horrid shiver down my spine. It was so bad I almost shook from the reaction. Stood before us were two ginormous spiders. They had to be almost four meters tall and I had never seen anything as terrifying in my life before. I wasn't that bothered by normal spiders, although I wasn't fond of them either, but these things were something else. I was frozen to the spot until Serin called me.

"Come on Theo. Don't worry about them, we just need to deal with the skeleton warriors for now."

Her voice pulled me back and out of the trance I'd found myself in. At least a dozen of the skeleton warriors had run past the giant spiders and were heading to our party.

"I'm okay, I'm ready."

"We need to keep them off the rest of the group. Follow me."

Serin turned and confidently strode to the front of the group, without a hint of fear showing in her step. As the skeleton soldiers reached us the reached us, the rest of the party were preparing to face the spiders that were drawing nearer.

We split the skeleton warriors between us, Serin immediately dispatching two of them with lightning fast strikes that pierced their cores in one hit. I was nowhere near as efficient in dispatching them as she was, but they were well within my skill level, that I didn't have much of a problem keeping them away from the rest of the party as we fought.

Lillia cast daze on the spiders, while Altria was peppering them with arrows from a distance. This seemed ineffectual at first, as they bounced off their exoskeleton, then one hit the closest spider in the eye. There was a momentary pause and a shrill scream from the creature, before it continued towards us.

"They're tough, but they have weak spots!" She announced seeing she'd hit her mark.

"Cover me." Siofra called out.

She had her axe to the ready and was about to make a rush on the thing's legs, when all of our attention was drawn to the centre of the party by a loud thud. It took a moment to realise just what had happened and by that time a surprised Lillia was already being dragged towards the giant monsters.

She had been hit by a sticky web like substance and knocked off her feet. The other end was still attached to creature that had fired it and was now pulling her in. Siofra sprang into action and immediately slammed her axe down on the cord that was pulling Lillia along. She stopped being dragged and Altria was already cutting her free.

"Are you okay Lillia?" Siofra asked in a panic.

"I'm fine, don't focus on me, focus on them!" Lillia hurriedly replied.

"Right."

In the resulting confusion the creatures had made good progress toward us. The others now scrambled to stop them.

"We're going to have to switch up. I was hoping to hold off until we got further in, but that isn't going to work." Announced Altria as she strung an arrow to her bow.

The arrow burst into flames as it flew, hit the closet spider with a bang. She immediately fired the next shot, hitting the second spider with a bang. They both shrieked with pain and their advance was halted for the moment. Siofra wasn't going to miss the opportunity and ran forward having regained her focus now that Lillia was safe.