In front of them, a mountain loomed, a dark wall of stone rising into the sky. At its base was a massive opening almost thirty feet high and just as wide. The stone around the opening was blackened and scorched, seemingly a long time ago.
"So this is the dungeon," Argent said, taking a moment's rest.
"The distance from the camp wasn't too far, but it took us an hour just to get through the forest."
"You can tell people really don't come here often, the path was really overgrown," Remarked Ward.
"So the spiders....they are in there?" Ryn caustiosly asked.
"That's what the smith said, the four of us should be more than fine, we can always show the other four this place another time," Said Ferric.
"Cinder wouldn't stop talking about giving the twins their first corn dogs and seeing what other things from Earth they could try. It will be good for them to spend some time in the city." Argent said as he pulled the giant's axe and a large dagger from his pouch.
"Let's head in and find out just what we are in for. I am looking to see just how much stronger I am now after touching that statue."
Ferric pulled out some chains from his pouch and wrapped them around his arms and hands. Ward pulled out two large shields made of iron and wood, and Ryn took out her new recurve bow.
"Looks like we are as ready as we are going to be, let's move," Argent said, grinning.
The four walked forward together and stepped across the threshold of the dungeon entrance. Warm air blew out of the cave that smelled of dust, earth, and stone.
The entrance opened up into a massive chamber, the ceiling so high that it disappeared into shadow. Argent looked down. Beneath him was a massive mosaic circle carved into the stone floor, sixteen wedges forming a wheel. Each was inscribed with a sigil that shimmered faintly blue.
Crouching down, running his hand along the grooves, "Looks somewhat like the runes etched into our bags and our weapons. No idea what these mean though."
Ahead of them, in front of the circle, were two tunnels, both roughly the same size, big enough for the four to walk side by side comfortably.
"We should have asked Gorthmir what was down the left path," Ward said, looking down the long, winding tunnel.
"Let's get this ore, then we can go check it out all we want. This place seems filled with things that will make for some interesting exploring.
The path to the right had crystals lining the walls in sporadic jagged lines. They pulsed a glow that bathed everything in a soft tone of amber and gold, providing the tunnel with light.
Ryn lingered behind the other, eyes darting between the walls. "I...hate spiders," she admitted quietly. I'll be fine, I think, unless one gets on me."
Right as she said those words, the tunnel opened into a large cavern. Crouched next to a large boulder were two creatures as big as a horse, biting chunks out of the stone.
Spiders, if you could call them that. Their bodies were made entirely of shimmering translucent blue crystal. Their jagged legs reflected the cavern light, scattering colors across the cave floor. Inside them, a soft light pulsed like a heartbeat.
"I think those may be the spiders and the ore..." Argent whispered.
"That is information we should have known..." Ferric said with a hushed tone.
"Makes it easier, really, we just have to smash them up and fill up our bags. Ferric and I will take the left one, and you two take the other." Argent proposed.
The other three nodded in agreement as Ward and Ferric took off, sprinting towards different spiders. Electricity crackled along the edges of Ward's two shields, tracing lines that sparked with each step.
He slammed into the spider's flank, a spark arced through its crystalline body, brief and bright. The creature twitched, unable to move.
"Ward! Right side!" Ryn shouted.
She pulled back her bowstring, the air trembled around the head of her arrow, and earth gathered like the top of a stone mallet. She released.
Ward moved to the left as the arrow screamed past him, hitting the spider square in the middle with the sound of breaking glass. Cracks began to form within the spider, arcing out from the point of impact like a web.
The spider reeled back and turned to face them in a rage. It leapt on top of Ward as he put both shields together to block. Going to his knees under its weight, as it tried to bite him past the shields.
Ryn nocked another arrow. Again, the earth gathered, more dense this time, glowing with a faint shimmer of pale blue light. And again she released.
The arrow flew straight and hit the top of one of the spider's legs. It tore a hole straight through; the leg fell to the ground. Her arrow flew back and embedded itself in the cave wall with a deep thunk.
The cavern trembled slightly with the impact; tiny pebbles skittered across the floor from the vibration.
The spider jumped off Ward and moved back to regroup.
"Nice shots!" Ward grinned as he got back up to his feet.
"Again!" Ryn said, drawing back another arrow.
On the other side of the cavern, Ferric had charged in, Argent just behind. Chains coiled around Ferric's fists as he jumped into the air, moving to bring both hands down like a hammer. The chains flickered, and tiny, sharp points began to form along each link.
The impact rang out as he came down and landed the blow. The needles on his chains pierced the spider's body and stuck.
As the spider reared back, Argent slid across the cave floor from behind Ferric. His dagger flashed once, then again. White searing light wrapping around it. Shadow coiling around the head of his axe.
With a flourish, he carved off two of the spider's left legs. They cut clean off, leaving not a single scratch on the smooth surface where they were once connected.
The spider stumbled, hitting the ground with a loud thump that shook dust off the walls. The sound echoed throughout the cavern.
Ferric went in for another hit, but he was too slow. The spider had regained its balance and sunk its crystalline mandibles into his forearm. The chains that were wrapped around were the only thing that kept him from losing his arm right there. The creature's bite was still able to cut through some of the chain links, reaching the flesh beneath.
"Urgh, damn you!" Ferric snarled, reeling back in pain as he drove his knee into the side of the spider, trying to get it to let go.
Argent moved; something in him clicked. He could see Ferric's shadow just ahead of him, and the shadow on the side of the spider. In that moment, he blinked out of existence, then instantly appeared where the spider's shadow had been.
His dagger swung down, heavy and fast, coated with the searing white light. It's luminous edge slicing clean through the crystalline spider's neck. Its body falls to the ground with a crash.
"You good Ferric?" Argent asked as he pushed the spider's body with his foot, making sure it was dead.
Ferric moved, the spider's head still clamped down on his arm. He shook it off violently, wincing from the pain. Then he grinned, "Been worse."
The other remaining spider started to charge at the other two again. Ward braced for the impact with his shields, and nothing came. The spider had jumped clean over him and was going straight for Ryn.
Ward's eyes widened. "No! I messed up..."
Lightning flared instinctively around his feet as he propelled forward. He was running faster than he ever had, but it was not enough.
The spider was closing in on Ryn, legs clattering against the stone floor of the cave.
Ryn didn't flinch, she didn't run, she didn't hesitate one bit. When a bow was in her hands, she was nothing but calm, only looking at the target ahead.
She drew back her arrow, slow and deliberate, breathing slowly. The cave itself seemed to quiet around her. This time, the earth that formed was larger, thicker, and the pale blue light now somehow arcing through the mallet head itself.
When the spider was only a few strides in front of her, she let it loose. The arrow hit right in the middle of its head, it went a few feet into the creature's body, then stopped. The blue light flickered, this time brighter. The earthen-tipped arrow exploded outward, shards and the blue light shooting all throughout. The spider shattered into pieces and slid along the cave floor, stopping just before Ryn.
Ward stopped just behind it, breathing heavily. "Remind me never to underestimate you."
Ryn smiled, lowering her bow. "Don't worry, I won't let you get the chance."
The four regrouped near the center of the cavern.
Argent crouched beside the shattered spider, picking up a chunk off the ground, "When they were alive, they were heavy as could be, but now this has almost no weight to it at all."
"Makes it easier for us to collect this 'ore' at least, one of those heavier when alive situations."
Ferric let out a chuckle as he held his arm to his body, trying to patch up the wounds. "Yes, yes, one of those completely normal things we keep running into here."
They set to work, Ryn and Argent went around collecting all the smaller pieces that had come off during the fight. Ferric and Ward took turns smashing up the larger parts into more manageable sizes. Each hit sending sharp, ringing vibrations throughout the cave.
Ward looked at the group, "You know this seems way too easy, the smith did say people didn't want to come here for how bad it was."
Ferric laughed, "Don't jinx it."
Ryn stood up fast, her body straightening, her hand still holding a shard of crystal. Tilting her head slightly, eyes unfocused.
"Guys..." she said worryingly. "I can feel it coming."
Argent stopped what he was doing. "What do you mean?"
She hesitated, her expression changed as she drew back out her bow. "No, it's too late."
Her words hung in the air, then faded. Leaving only the sound of dripping water, and something else, something coming from a tunnel in the back of the cave. Something faint, the sound of hundreds of legs skittering across rock, like the rumble of an approaching storm.