The crisp air of early fall carried a chill that made the expedition's halt feel all the more unsettling. The long shadows cast by the late afternoon sun stretched across the landscape, giving everything a muted, eerie quality. Xander stood with his party near the flat car. The rhythmic hissing of the steam engines and the rhythmic click-clack of the cars rolling over the track created a tense backdrop. Ahead, the defunct diesel-electric engine sat stubbornly on the tracks, its cargo half-embedded in a tunnel shrouded in thick spider webs.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road," Harvey called out, his voice cutting through the ambient noise. The expedition leader stood near the engineers, who were busy readying the massive 100-ton steam-powered railroad wrecking crane. The crew moved, securing heavy chains to the derelict engine and the first of the boxcars.

"Can't say I'm loving the décor," Jo remarked dryly, eyeing the webs that draped the tunnel's entrance like some macabre curtain.

Xander chuckled softly, though his eyes remained on the tunnel. "Let's hope they're just for show."

Her bow slung over her shoulder, Zoey scanned the treeline. "I've had enough of surprises today. Miss the days when the worst thing I had to deal with was an angry coach."

"Yeah, but now you get to shoot things that actually deserve it," Kane grunted. "Gotta be some satisfaction in that."

Xander's thoughts drifted to the bigger picture as the group exchanged light banter. The mission to reclaim the trains had been challenging, but now something else was gnawing at the back of his mind. He turned to see Gary approaching, the head of security's face set in a grim expression.

"Xander," Gary began, keeping his voice low, "we've got a problem."

Xander's attention sharpened. "I'm guessing you're not referring to the giant train blocking our path. What kind of problem?"

"One engineer is missing," Gary said, his tone laced with suspicion. "Disappeared sometime between leaving the museum and when we hit this obstruction. And that's not all. Two others were found dead. Suspicious circumstances. We can conclude that we have saboteurs in our ranks."

The webs and the blocked tunnel suddenly seemed like minor inconveniences compared to the possibility of betrayal within their ranks. "Well, shit. I was hoping those two we lost back in Seymour were an accident. But if wishes were horses… Any thoughts on who?"

"Not yet," Gary admitted. "But I'm keeping a close eye on everyone. Just be on guard. Whoever it is, they're playing a long game, and this obstruction could be a perfect opportunity for them to capitalize on."

"You're thinking sabotage?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm going to go over every inch of the trains with a couple of people I trust."

The tension that had been simmering now threatened to boil over, and he knew they couldn't afford to lose focus. Not with danger all around them, seen and unseen. Xander's gut clenched. Missing engineers, dead crew, and possible sabotage. Not just bad luck. This was a dagger at the back of their expedition.

Ahead, the crane roared to life, its gears grinding as the chains pulled taut. The derelict engine groaned in protest as it shifted. Harvey stood overseeing the operation, his expression unreadable, his eyes never leaving the scene. But as the wrecking crane pulled the first boxcar free, something moved within the shadowed depths of the tunnel.

Zoey was the first to notice. "Xander," she hissed, her voice low and urgent.

He turned just in time to see it. Emerging from the tunnel, a massive spider, its body as large as a box truck, its many legs glistening with the sticky residue of its webs. The sight of it sent a ripple of shock through the group, the earlier banter evaporating like mist.

[Analyze] Mammoth Cave Spider | Level: 10 Elite | Status: Hostile | Class: Beast

"Well, that's... big," Jo said, drawing her sword.

Xander's mind raced. The engineers were still oblivious to the threat, engrossed in their work. The mammoth spider had the advantage of surprise, and any sudden movements might provoke it into attacking. He weighed the risk of shouting a warning against the chance of drawing the creature's full attention.

The circumstances forced the decision for him as the spider lunged from the tunnel, its legs moving with a speed that belied its massive size. Before Xander or anyone else could react, the creature was on a nearby engineer. The spider pierced the man with its fangs, silencing his scream and tossing his lifeless body aside after lifting him into the air. Panic erupted among the expedition crew, with engineers scrambling to escape the monster's reach.

"Thalindra, stay back!" Xander shouted, his mind racing as he drew his spear. He saw Thalindra hesitate at the edge of the fray, her eyes wide with a look he couldn't quite place. Shock, confusion, maybe even something more profound. She followed his direction, but not before Xander noticed a fleeting expression of pain cross her face as if the surrounding chaos had stirred memories better left buried.

"Let's go!" Xander rallied his party as he charged toward the Cave Spider. He could hear Jo's footsteps beside him. Zoey had already found a vantage point to their right and was drawing her bowstring, her frost-infused arrows aimed at the creature's many eyes.

From Xander's vantage point, the chaos of battle was a blur of motion, noise, and terror. As he focused on the mammoth spider looming before him, the periphery of his vision caught another desperate struggle unfolding nearby. Gary and his guards battled perhaps a dozen smaller, dog-sized spiders that swarmed from the tunnel's depths.

[Analyze] Large Cave Spider | Level: 8 | Status: Hostile | Class: Beast

Gary was in the thick of it, his sword flashing as he hacked through the writhing mass of legs and fangs. The guards fought alongside him, their faces pale with fear but determined to hold the line. The large spiders, while not as imposing as the mammoth beast, were vicious in their own right. Their fangs snapped at any exposed flesh, and they moved with unnerving speed.

Amidst the battle, Xander noticed Thalindra standing a few steps back, her gaze momentarily distant. Her hesitation wasn't just shock. It was more personal. He remembered what little she had shared about her past, how she had been in stasis for millennia, and wondered if the sight of the undead, spiders, and the surrounding carnage had stirred ancient memories. But before he could dwell on it, a large spider broke off from the group and scurried toward her.

"Thalindra!" Xander's shout snapped her back to the present. She reacted quickly to bash the spider awkwardly with the large hammer she had picked up from somewhere, but her hands trembled as she did so. Xander caught her eye, offering a brief wink of reassurance before turning back to the battle. There was no time to process her struggles now. He needed her focused and in the fight.

The mammoth spider scuttled up the side of the tunnel, its legs scraping against the stone as it moved. It shot a web at the fleeing engineers, snaring two of them in the sticky strands. Their desperate cries filled the air as they struggled to free themselves, but more non-elite cave spiders erupted from the tunnel.

"Keep them off the engineers!" Gary bellowed. He swung his sword in a wide arc, severing the legs of an advancing spider, but even as it crumpled, two more leaped over its twitching body, their mandibles clicking menacingly.

"Get them out of there!" Xander shouted, but the situation was spiraling out of control. The unnamed rogue from Harvey's party darted forward, his short sword flashing in the dim light as he attempted to cut through the webbing. He never saw the mammoth spider's leg coming. One swift strike impaled him, and his body dropped lifelessly to the ground.

"Damn it!" Harvey roared as he joined the fray, his massive Warhammer swinging in a wide arc. The weapon connected with one of the spider's legs, the impact reverberating through the ground, but the mammoth spider was relentless. It climbed higher, then dropped, narrowly missing Kane as he raised his shield to block the attack.

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"Remind me to bring a bigger flyswatter next time!" Kane grunted, holding his ground against the assault.

"Always wanted to be a fly on the wall. However, this isn't how I pictured it!" Jo quipped as she ducked under another of the mammoth spider's legs, slashing at it with her sword. The blade cut deep, ichor spraying from the wound, but the monster barely seemed to notice.

Xander watched as one guard, a burly man with a spear, skewered a large spider mid-leap. The creature screeched, writhing on the end of the spear, but the guard barely had time to pull back before another spider latched onto his leg, dragging him to the ground. He screamed, trying to kick it off, but the spider's fangs sank deep, and blood quickly stained the ground beneath him.

Gary surged forward, slicing through the large spider before it could finish its prey, but the damage was done. The guard lay motionless, his eyes wide and vacant, another life claimed by the chaos of the battle.

Zoey's arrows found their mark, hitting the mammoth spider's eyes and slowing its advance, but the large spiders were now fully engaged, swarming over the fallen guards and engineers. Gary and his remaining men fought desperately, but three fell, crushed by the mammoth spider or overwhelmed by the large ones.

Xander felt a pang of frustration. He wanted to help Gary, but the Mammoth Cave Spider was pressing him and his party hard. He could only hope that Gary's men could hold their own against the onslaught.

"We're dropping like flies!" Harvey yelled. "We need to take it down now!"

Xander saw his chance. As the spider reared back for another attack, it had exposed its underside. He surged forward. "Now, Jo!"

Together, they launched a coordinated attack. Jo sliced through one of the mammoth spider's legs, forcing it to stumble. At that moment, Xander drove his spear upward, plunging it into the exposed underbelly. The creature thrashed its scream, a high-pitched, ear-splitting wail that echoed through the tunnel.

Zoey fired a last arrow, striking directly in its remaining eye. Blinded and mortally wounded, the spider's movements grew erratic, its legs curling inward as it collapsed to the ground. The non-elite Cave Spiders, now leaderless, scatted, their cohesion broken. Xander twisted his spear with a final thrust, ending the creature's life for good.

The battlefield was a grim tableau of death and destruction. Blood and ichor stained the earth, pooling around the twisted, broken bodies of fallen guards and engineers. Spider carcasses lay scattered among them, their legs curled in death, oozing dark fluids that mixed with the blood of the fallen. The air was thick with the stench of death, burnt webbing, and the acrid scent of oil leaking from the damaged diesel locomotive.

Xander stood beside Harvey and Gary, his spear still in hand, surveying the scene grimly. The Mammoth Cave Spider's massive corpse dominated the landscape, its legs curled inward, its body leaking the same dark ichor that tainted everything around it. The steam crane sat damaged nearby; its gears were clogged with webbing and debris.

"This was a disaster, Xander," Harvey said, his voice thick with frustration as he rested his Warhammer on his shoulder. His gaze swept over the battlefield, taking in the bodies of his fallen comrades. "We lost seven guards, two of my guys, and more engineers than we can afford. The crane's in terrible shape, too. If we keep taking hits like this…" He paused, swallowing hard. "We won't make it back to Starlight."

Xander nodded, his jaw clenched. "I know. We underestimated the threat, and it cost us. But we don't have the luxury of retreating. We have to push forward. My team and I will clear the tunnel. The rest of you focus on the obstruction and getting the crane operational."

Gary, wiping blood from his sword, snorted bitterly. "Operational? We'll be lucky if we can get it moving again. That webbing gummed up everything, and that last hit nearly took the whole thing out. We'll do what we can, but don't expect miracles."

As the leaders discussed their next steps, Thalindra approached, her voice calm, but she was keeping her gaze from landing on any of the dead. People or monsters. "I may be able to help with the crane," she offered. "I don't know this specific machine, but have extensive engineering experience. It's worth a try."

Xander noted the way her voice was even, but her hands, which she quickly folded behind her back, trembled slightly. He wondered how long her mask would hold until it cracked under the strain of everything she had lost. We're all broken toys to the Simulation, Xander thought to himself as he momentarily reflected on his own mask he was holding up.

Harvey looked at her, his frustration momentarily giving way to hope. "At this point, we'll take all the help we can get. If you think you can do something, Thalindra, go ahead."

Xander couldn't resist a dry remark. "Just don't blow it up. We've had enough excitement for one day."

Thalindra gave a slight nod, acknowledging the sarcasm without missing a beat. "I'll be careful not to push any unmarked buttons."

While the leaders continued their grim assessment, Thalindra joined the engineers by the crane, her eyes scanning the machinery as she assessed the damage. Xander watched her for a moment longer, noticing how she seemed to force herself to focus, perhaps trying to drown out the memories with the immediate task.

Meanwhile, Xander's party started cleaning up the battlefield. Jo and Kane worked together, their faces set as they retrieved the bodies of their fallen comrades. Zoey methodically dispatched any lingering large spiders with her arrows, then moved to help with the grim work of disposing of the carcasses.

"This isn't what I signed up for," Zoey muttered as she yanked an arrow from a spider's corpse, wiping the ichor from the shaft. "But I guess it never is, is it?"

Ford, his expression somber, moved among the wounded, offering what healing he could. His hands glowed with a soft light as he worked, his voice barely audible as he altered between sanctifying the remains of the dead and channeling healing spells for those still living.

Xander watched his team for a moment, the weight of the situation heavy on his mind. Then, turning back to Harvey and Gary, he decided. "We're going into the tunnel. If there are more spiders in there, we need to take them out before they cause any more damage."

Having overheard the conversation between the three men, finding some humor in the situation, Jo quipped, "Great, more spiders in tight, dark spaces. Just what I wanted. Let's hope they don't make me part of their web."

Kane grunted, his voice as gruff as ever. "I'll be right behind you, Xander. Let's clear this tunnel and get the hell out of here."

Ford finished healing a guard and turned to Xander, "I'll be ready to heal anyone who needs it if you can give me ten minutes to meditate and regain my mana. I'll have the mana I need to keep everyone standing."

Thalindra nodded, accepting his decision. "Unless you need me, I'll stay and assist with the crane and the clean-up."

"Thank you. Getting the crane back up and running is the most important task." Xander replied.

As Xander's team prepared for their next task, under Harvey's direction, the remaining engineers continued to debate the condition of the damaged steam crane, trying to clear the gears and assess what could be salvaged. Gary barked orders at the surviving guards, positioning them around the area to watch for further threats.

"We're going to push on clear to the other side," Xander said. His tone brooked no argument, and none came. The party had faced worse, and though the encounter with the spiders had taken its toll, their resolve was unshaken. "Let's hit it."

Kane nodded, raising his torch higher as he took the lead. Jo was at his side, ready for anything emerging from the gloom. Xander followed, with Zoey close behind. Their countless battles together synchronized their movements.

The first obstacle presented itself almost immediately. The three rusted and half-derailed boxcars blocking most of the path. They loomed like forgotten sentinels in the dark. The team had to sidle along the narrow gap between the cars and the tunnel wall, their progress slow and cautious.

As they squeezed past, Kane brought his torch closer to the walls, revealing a dense network of spider webs that spanned the tunnel's breadth. The webs shimmered like ghostly silk, woven into intricate patterns that only heightened the sense of unease.

"Burn them," Xander instructed, his voice calm but firm. Kane and Jo complied, thrusting their torches into the webs. The dry silk caught fire instantly, the flames racing along the threads, illuminating the tunnel in a brief, brilliant flash. Tiny spiders, disturbed by the flames, scurried away into the darkness, but no more significant threats appeared.

"I hate spiders! This is disgusting, even if it is just little ones so far," Jo screaked.

They continued deeper into the tunnel, the silence returning, heavier than before. Xander's eyes caught a cluster of nests ahead, clinging to the walls and ceiling. Kane hesitated, bringing his torch closer to reveal the cocoons. Bulging, misshapen things, each one containing the shriveled remnants of a body.

"Looks like these have been here a while," Zoey observed, her sharp eyes picking out details even in the dim light. "The clothes have been shredded."

Xander frowned, inspecting one cocoon. The corpse inside wore a business suit, now a reminder from a world that had ended abruptly. But further along, he spotted another cocoon, its contents more recent. A body in adventuring gear, the fabric of their clothes still mostly whole.

"Not much to salvage," Jo said, shaking her head as she glanced over the gear. "But these didn't die too long ago."

"As horrifying as this sounds, between these bodies and the ones we found back in The Vault of the Forgotten Rails, this is a good sign. Not that these folks died, but it means there are other survivors out there," Xander said, grimacing at his morbid commentary.

Xander turned his attention to a different sight. Bodies lying haphazardly across the tunnel floor, untouched by the webs. He crouched beside one, inspecting it. The telltale signs of undeath were unmistakable. The pallid skin, the hollow eyes. But there was something else. These bodies remained unwrapped, unlike the others.

"The spiders aren't interested in these," Xander remarked, his voice low. "They're not food for them."

Ford nodded, his expression grim. "Undead have nothing left to give. They're just empty shells."

As they ventured deeper, the atmosphere grew thicker with dread. The tunnel seemed to close around them, the walls pressing closer as if intruding on some forbidden space. Encounters with more Large Cave Spiders punctuated their path. Each one a brief, deadly dance in the dark. The battles were swift and decisive, the team working in unison to dispatch the creatures before they could mount a serious threat.

Xander kept his focus ahead, his senses sharp. Despite the brief skirmishes, the spiders seemed almost determined to rush past the team, as if something further in the tunnel was driving them. Something was wrong; he could feel it. The non-elite spiders broke and ran once the mammoth elite spider was slain. These spiders were acting similarly, almost as if fleeing something even more dangerous.

"We're almost through," Xander said. "Stay sharp. This feels off."

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