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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1221075" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 74“That little bugger’s dangerous... we can’t give him a chance to recover,” Arun said, as he pounded down the hall, the top of his body vanishing as he passed through the globe of darkness. They found Mole just around the bend in the corridor, leaning against the corridor wall with her crossbow loaded and ready.  “He went into that second door on the left, there,” she said.  “He didn’t see me, I don’t think.  Did you see the way he was walking on the ceiling?  That would be useful, I bet.  I wonder if it’s a spell that does that, or if he has some sort of magical item that grants the power?”“He’s very skilled—and dangerous,” Zenna said.  “Those spells he fired off aren’t simple enchantments.”“That’s not all,” Dannel pointed out.  “One of those rogues got away, and it’s likely we’re going to be getting some more company right quick.”“I hope you’re not suggesting we withdraw,” Arun said.  “Not at all, dwarf.  But we’d best be expecting a bit more trouble... perhaps more than we can handle.”“Maybe we should get moving, then?” Illewyn suggested.  Warily the companions headed down the corridor, past the door to the guardroom that they’d come through earlier.  They reached the door that Mole had indicated, and after a quick look to ensure that all of them were ready, Arun drew it open. They were immediately greeted by a rather unnerving sight; the room beyond the door was completely filled with spiderwebs.  And these were not simple strands that one would expect to find in a long-neglected storeroom; the webs formed a blanket over the floor and ran up well along the walls, fashioned of strands that were closer to cables than thin strings.  On the far side of the chamber they could see a natural-looking tunnel that extended further ahead, likewise choked with webs. “You’re sure he went this way?” Zenna asked.“Positive,” Mole returned. “Well then, friends,” Dannel said.  “Do we go in after him?”   He probed the floor ahead tentatively with his boot.  “It’s not sticky, a bit awkward, but I bet we could manage it.”“Are you crazy?” Illewyn asked.  “Do you know what lives in spiderwebs like these?”“Of course,” Dannel replied.  “I’m not saying it’s not a trap.  But if that little halfling went in here, then there must be more to it than just a nest of giant spiders.  Remember, we’re looking for some stolen items in here, in addition to this cult.”“Maybe we can just burn ‘em out?” Mole suggested. “I’m not sure if these webs will burn,” Dannel replied.  “And if they do, we’re likely to destroy anything of value beyond... including, perhaps, those wands that we need to find.”“Bah, all of this talking is a waste of time,” Arun said.  He strode boldly into the room, the webs quivering madly as he progressed.  He came to a halt about five paces in, shaking his foot with a look of disgust on his face. “There’s a few sticky spots in here,” he cautioned. “Best let me go ahead, and probe for a workable path,” Dannel suggested.  And with that, the companions moved ahead into yet another unknown danger. Illewyn’s divinely-conjured light began to fade, so she paused to refresh the spell.  As she was once again in the rear of the small company, long shadows darted ahead of the rest of the companions as they moved deeper into the webbed cavern.  Dannel, probing ahead carefully with the heel of his bow, identified several other places where the webs were still possessed of their adhesive property, allowing them to avoid getting entangled further.  They passed a side corridor that broke off to the left, running back in the direction they had come.  That passage was likewise choked with webbing, falling in strands that formed curtains of sorts across their field of vision.  But they could see that a larger chamber opened up just ahead, so they pressed on in that direction.  The chamber was clearly of considerable size, although the presence of the interminable webbing made it seem smaller than it was.  Illewyn’s light revealed another exit on the far side of the room to their left, but before they could explore further, skittering noises from within the dense networks of webs indicated that they were not alone.  Dannel spun, drew, and fired in a single fluid motion.  His arrow struck a bulbous, huge spider hovering over the entrance of the room, its segmented body easily five feet across.  It let out a mad scree as the arrow sank into its body, and it leapt from its perch to land in the webs adjacent to Arun.  That proved to be an ill choice of destination, as the dwarf’s hammer landed solidly in the center of the spider’s head a moment later, crushing it instantly. But their victory was short-lived, as Illewyn held up the light, revealing nearly a half-dozen other shapes moving closer through the webs.</blockquote>

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