I took the lead, quietly guiding us up the walkway along the outer rim of the cenote. Holding my light stick forward in one hand and my sword in the other, I moved carefully. The sword seemed almost useless against the metal spiders, but it provided some comfort anyway. If we ran into more, Kaylie’s Fire Magic would be our shield as we retreated toward the water.

  The absence of spiderwebs meant Kaylie was unlikely to implement her drastic plan of burning everything. In this larger space, unlike the narrow confines of the previous cave, a fire wouldn’t likely suffocate us, thanks to the ceiling holes and lack of flammable webs.

  Despite our slow pace, we quickly reached the next level of the cave. It ended in a large, empty chamber with moonlight filtering through cracks and holes in the ceiling. With heightened caution, we surveyed our surroundings. No immediate threats presented themselves, but we needed a thorough exploration to formulate our next move. While retrieving our armor from the bottom of the flooded cave was an option, finding our two missing companions took precedence to ensure they weren’t overwhelmed like we had been.

  We had two potential paths in the cave. Since we had already explored one, only one other remained. Reluctantly, we headed back toward where we’d last seen the spiders and, presumably, our companions.

  As we advanced through the hallway, an arrow suddenly struck my left shoulder, penetrating deep enough to graze the bone before exiting. The force of the impact spun me around. Realizing we were spotted, I dropped the light stick, which extinguished unexpectedly, and I lunged to shield Kaylie by knocking her to the ground.

  I wasn’t sure if Kaylie had seen the attacker, but I couldn’t risk her getting hurt. As the hallway curved, I hoped it would provide some cover. Then another arrow whooshed over us, curiously bending with the wall’s angle. I covered her as blood from my wound dripped onto her face. Just then, Kaylie conjured a wall of fire along our trail, blocking further arrows and obscuring our location from the assailant.

  With our backs pressed against the cave wall, we edged away from the fiery barrier when a familiar voice reached our ears.

  “Kaylie, is that you?”

  “Sana?” Kaylie called out, her voice echoing through the cavern.

  “Yeah, lower your flames!” Sana yelled back, her voice strained over the roar of the fire, which pulsed like crashing waves.

  In an instant, the wall of flame vanished. The heat quickly faded, but the smoky scent lingered. With the fire gone, we were relieved to find Sana safe and unharmed. Cautiously, Kaylie and I approached. Sana’s hair was wild and tangled from her ordeal, and her expression shifted from relief to seriousness.

  Sana put a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture and whispered urgently, “Put out your lights. We’ve encountered Carbinium Spiders.”

  I stowed the light sticks back in my bag, plunging the room into near darkness, illuminated only by faint blue streaks seeping through the cave’s cracks. We proceeded forward with increased stealth. I was grateful not to be in the woods, where my footsteps would crunch on the foliage, betraying our position, as had happened during the Hippo incident. Here, the solid rock beneath our feet provided a silent foundation. Although I lacked magical Stealth, it mattered less without a direct line of sight to any enemies.

  After bypassing two more spider-free caves, we finally reached Jack. Bathed in moonlight, both he and Sana appeared unscathed and still clad in full armor. Jack, however, was in a weird pose, stretching against a rock.

  “We should be good here. You two look rough,” Sana commented, eyeing Kaylie and me critically.

  “We ran into some spiders, too,” I explained briefly, which seemed to clear up any confusion about our disheveled appearance.

  “It seems like we fared a bit better,” Sana said, nodding toward Jack. It then clicked for me. Jack wasn’t just stretching, but he was actively holding a large boulder against the cave wall. Beneath it lay one of the spiders, crushed under the weight of the rock.

  “How did you manage to kill it?” I asked. Turning to Jack, I added, “Are you okay holding that rock? Do we need to switch?”

  “I’m fine for now. But eventually, we will need a plan,” Jack replied. “I can’t hold on like this forever.”

  “We crushed it under the rock, and it couldn’t move. We figured out that they weren’t that strong, judging from that encounter. We put this rock to block them from swarming in. They haven’t been able to break through. I spent some time trying to figure out its weaknesses.” Sana then bent down to the spider and started pointing at different areas with her fingers. “The exoskeleton is quite difficult to break. From the name, I believe they must be made out of the metal Carbinium, which, in its raw form, is decently strong.” She then pointed to the legs. “The weaknesses I’ve found are the joints, the eyes, and the inside of the mouth. The joints aren’t armored, so they’re easier to damage. Same with the eyes. The mouth is trickier, but it’s exposed when it opens. Did you find anything else?”

  “Yeah, that they sink like a rock, and I doubt they breathe underwater,” I answered.

  “That makes sense. I assume you two found water. Where is your armor?” Sana asked.

  “It’s in the water,” Kaylie replied. “Speaking of that, do you think you can dry our clothes? They are mostly dry, but it’s still a little cold.” I agreed, as we would likely get sick if we stayed like this through the rest of the night.

  “Alright,” Sana agreed, and she began to murmur words of power. Moments later, a chilly wind enveloped Kaylie and me. Initially cold, the wind warmed as Kaylie summoned her flames again, transforming the breeze into a comforting warmth. The wind swirled around my legs and wrapped my body, flowing through my clothes and buffeting me from every direction. It felt almost alive, caressing every thread of fabric and every inch of my skin. After a minute, the wind ceased. My clothes were as dry as if they had just been freshly laundered, fluffed up and warm.

  “Thank you,” Kaylie expressed her gratitude warmly.

  “That’s amazing,” I exclaimed, impressed by the magic.

  “He is still young,” Kaylie said to Sana. I wasn’t sure if she meant it as a jab at me, or if she was telling Sana to cut me some slack.

  “Should we start killing those things, or go with our previous plan of searching for an exit?” Jack queried, still keeping the boulder in place.

  “Jack wanted to release the spiders one at a time and kill them,” Sana explained with a sigh. “I argued it wasn’t likely to work because more than one would likely escape. Plus, I’d be left to fight alone since Jack would need to hold the rock. But now that you two are here, it might be possible, or we could continue searching for another way out. What did you find further on? Are there more spiders in that direction?”

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  I pulled up my map to check our location. Unlike anyone else in this world, I had a unique map maintained by Rabbit. In every game, I had a similar tool that tracked movements and locations. From what I had seen, the level of magic that people could employ was not that complex. However, I have only seen a small village in the middle of nowhere, so what did I know?

  After consulting the map, I confirmed we were likely dealing with the same group of spiders we’d encountered before. While we hadn’t reached this particular door previously, our path had definitely brought us close. If the tunnel led straight down from the cave door, it was the same group. However, if it veered sharply to the right, it might lead to a different cave, potentially full of spiders, though that seemed less likely.

  “If that cave leads directly down from here, I believe it’s where we started,” I replied to Sana. “When we first encountered the spiders, we escaped by running further into the cave, into the flooded area. They couldn’t follow us underwater, and we didn’t encounter any more spiders along that path. It seems we’re stuck here unless we confront them.”

  “How many spiders did you see down there?” Sana asked, her expression serious and calculating.

  “At least forty,” Kaylie responded, casually inspecting her clothing to ensure everything was in order.

  After consulting with Rabbit, I whistled softly at the estimate he provided. The others turned their attention to me, and I explained, “Sorry, my Analysis ability just gave me an estimate. It’s calculating around a hundred spiders in there.”

  “Are you sure?” Kaylie questioned with reasonable doubt. I mean, that was a big difference.

  “Not entirely sure, but I trust the Analysis more than our quick glances. We were too busy running and defending ourselves to count accurately,” I replied with confidence in Rabbit’s numbers rather than in what I saw with my own eyes.

  “Okay, are we going to do this?” Jack asked impatiently. From beyond the rock, the unsettling sound of their legs scraping against the stone echoed through the cave.

  “If there really are about a hundred spiders and no other paths available, we’re going to have to take them on one at a time,” Sana said, stepping forward to take the lead. “I just hope our food holds out. Not sure if we’ll get much sleep over the next several days, but let’s give it a try and see how it goes.”

  Since there were three of us, plus Jack holding the entrance, I didn’t think I needed to protest for one spider. Our full armor set would be helpful, but I doubt it would be necessary. Before the plan commenced, we all prepared ourselves as Jack rolled the rock back slightly.

  I peered into an impenetrable black void.

  We stared for a full minute, anticipating the arachnid monsters, but nothing happened. Despite that, everyone was still and on guard for an attack.

  “Are you sure they didn’t…”

  Mid-sentence, I flinched as two spiders suddenly burst from the hole. Jack saw the movement and immediately started pushing the rock to seal it. He was closest to the opening, right in the path of the spiders as they poured out.

  Kaylie, Sana, and I were farther back, directly in the line of sight and easy targets.

  Unfortunately, both spiders didn’t come for us. One charged at our group, but the other turned away and went straight for Jack.

  “…go back down,” I finished with my voice trailing off.

  Jack was focused on moving the rock back into place, which meant he couldn’t fight. Even after getting it into position, he still had to hold it there, leaving him completely vulnerable.

  The spider leapt onto his back and sank its fangs into him, injecting venom. I knew from experience it would take a moment to kick in, but once it did, the numbness would spread quickly. I had only taken half a dose before, but whatever Jack was getting now, it was worse.

  Sana reacted fast. She hit the spider attacking us with a burst of Air Magic, sending it tumbling helplessly up the cave shaft.

  Seeing Jack in trouble, I made a snap decision and sprinted toward him. He had managed to knock the spider off, but in the process, he let go of the rock, and it began to roll backward.

  As I ran, I did the only thing that made sense. I jumped onto the spider’s back and drove my sword down. Just like before, it did nothing. But my weight was enough to pin the creature. It thrashed beneath me, unable to crawl forward.

  Jack rushed back to the rock and forced it into place again, but it was too late. Spindly legs reached through the opening, and another spider pulled itself into the cave. Thankfully, Jack rolled the boulder back into place just in time to block the rest from getting through.

  The spider beneath me flailed and bucked, slamming me around in a frenzy, but I held on tight. I wasn’t getting off.

  Not until I noticed the new spider staring straight at me, its gaze locked with mine, full of intent.

  In my head, Rabbit spoke, “Those spiders have fixed eyes, meaning they can’t move them. He is looking at you since he moved his body in your direction.”

  A part of me screamed, “Thanks, Captain Obvious.” In contrast, another part was genuinely grateful for his help. It was actually useful information, but my nerves were shot, and everything had me on edge.

  The spider lunged at me, but I was ready. I swung my sword with full force and caught it mid-air. The hit barely stunned it, but the momentum knocked me off balance. I stumbled backward and lost control of the spider beneath me. It scrambled off in the opposite direction as it righted itself.

  The one I struck recovered almost instantly. My blade hadn’t done any real damage. Within seconds, both spiders and I were back on our feet.

  Then they split. One moved left, the other right. It was obvious they were trying to flank me. I had the advantage in speed, but I couldn’t leave. If I ran, Jack would be left holding the rock with two spiders coming for him.

  I backed toward Jack. I didn’t want to, but the spiders were spreading out too fast. I needed the wall at my back to keep them from circling. They crept forward slowly, adjusting their positions. It looked like they were calculating the perfect moment to strike. I wasn’t going to give it to them.

  I sprang forward.

  My sword lashed out, aiming for the spider’s legs.

  I didn’t cut anything, but I bashed into the joint hard enough to throw it off balance. The legs could be severed if I struck just right, but I wasn’t that skilled, or that lucky.

  As a pack hunter, the spider probably hadn’t expected me to attack first. That hesitation worked in my favor. It hit the ground, legs flailing as it struggled to regain its footing.

  The second spider didn’t wait. As I attacked the first, it leapt and slammed into me, wrapping its front legs around my torso. Its fangs sank into my wounded shoulder, injecting venom. Two more legs coiled around my leg, anchoring me in place.

  Seeing the opportunity, I moved toward the first spider and collapsed onto both at once. My weight pinned them down. They could still squirm and thrash, but not enough to escape.

  The thing I knew would happen did happen. The first spider bit me too, driving its fangs in and holding on. But it was worth it. I was keeping both of them from attacking anyone else.

  I knew how this worked. The venom would take a few seconds to kick in, but once it did, my limbs would start to go numb fast.

  I glanced over at Jack. He was still holding the rock, but he looked like he was about to collapse. If he fell, the passage would open again, and the rest of the spiders would flood in. That would be the end of it.

  One of the spiders had already bitten him, which meant its venom might be spent. But the one that bit me first hadn’t hit anyone yet.

  Now I had one full dose in me. Maybe two.

  And I could already feel it starting to spread.

  "Rip their legs off!" Rabbit shouted in my head, full of urgency.

  With nothing to lose, I grabbed two of the spider's rear legs and yanked. One tore free with effort. The sudden relief lit a fire in me. I grabbed another and started pulling again.

  The spider clamped down harder, biting deep, but I was pretty sure its venom was spent. Instincts still drove it to fight.

  I kept pulling, harder each time. Legs tore loose with a sickening crunch and the crackle of shattered exoskeleton. Wet, glistening flesh showed beneath the breaks.

  By the time I ripped off the sixth leg, my head was swimming. The last dose of venom hadn’t hit me this hard, but now I was exhausted and fading fast.

  Each blink felt like falling asleep. I kept dreaming in flashes, mid-breath, mid-movement. Everything stretched. Seconds felt like minutes. Minutes felt like days. I tried to focus on Jack, the door, the spiders, but the thoughts slipped away like water through my fingers.

  I was there. And not there.

  A voice echoed in my head, giving orders. I kept following them, kept pulling, kept tearing, until my strength gave out.

  Then everything went black.