“Are you laughing at me?” Pan shouted as he fought to escape the arachnid’s clutches.
His movement only served to incense the spider further. Its fangs sank into Pan’s thigh, making the demon cry out in agony.
“A little help here,” he shouted, face etched in pain.
Malice would castrate me if I let something happen to his son, which was why my sword was in my hand and I was already halfway to the spider before he’d finished speaking. The creature was absurdly large, easily the size of the nearby buildings. I wasn’t surprised when my blade met significant resistance, the leg I was attempting to sever as thick as a tree trunk.
Alek and Tor were right beside me, opting to use their bare hands rather than blades as they too went after the spider’s limbs. The Vikings snarled as their bodies swelled, veins popping across their muscles. These were the Berserkers I’d heard about but never witnessed. Warriors made to fight at my side.
A crack followed by a squelching sound called my attention to Tor, who had ripped a leg straight out of the beast’s abdomen. Still, the monster didn’t drop Pan, who was now hurling putrid green balls of plague into the spider’s face.
“Was that supposed to do something?” Tor sneered, voice far harsher than I was used to, given the bloodlust pumping through his veins.
“It was worth a try,” Pan shouted back, his own voice laced with pain. Abandoning the orbs, he started smashing his fists into whatever part of the spider he could reach.
Alek yanked another leg free and tossed it to the side, growling as he latched on to a second limb. The spider stumbled, and I used that opportunity to dart under its belly, thrusting my blade upward into its thorax before running full tilt and slicing the thing open from end to end. Ichor spilled from it in a disgusting waterfall of black slime, but finally it released Pan, dropping him to the ground with a thud.
The beast let out an enraged cry, trying and failing to get back up. Its breaths were numbered, but still it refused to die.
Alek roared, finally unsheathing his weapon and beheading the monster in one clean swipe.
“And stay dead!” Pan shouted as the oversized head rolled down the lane we’d just traversed, setting off a series of traps we’d managed to avoid.
“Everyone in one piece?” I asked, wiping the spider’s guts off my face.
“I’m alive,” Alek said, breaths coming in harsh pants as the lightning faded from his eyes and his body returned to its normal size.
“Same for me,” his twin said. His return to normal was less obvious, his beastly state a permanent one.
“I think I’ll survive, unless this creature is venomous. If so, I may be a goner.” Pan gestured to his thigh, which was stained with blood. “Though I would assume I have some level of immunity to venoms and poisons. Fuck, this hurts like a son of a bitch.”
I eyed him, checking for any indication he was more injured than he was letting on, but other than a grimace and the bloody leg, he seemed fine. He wasn’t even limping.
“Ready to keep going?”
The other three nodded, though there was a notable lack of chatter this time, and we carefully continued our way to thetomb. It wasn’t far now, and hopefully the spider had been the last major obstacle we’d encounter.
“Watch for pits. It looks clear, but as we’ve seen before, appearances can be deceiving,” I warned.
It was maybe ten or fifteen minutes later when we reached our destination. I cast my gaze out, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. It felt as though we were being watched, but as far as I could tell, no one else was here.
“Down the stairs, I assume?” Pan asked, glancing into the dark stairwell.
“Yes,” I grunted, grabbing a torch from the wall and looking to Alek. “Would you do me a favor and light this?”
He smirked. “My pleasure.”
Before I could blink, he’d manifested a lighter and held the small flickering flame out. The torch blazed to life, lighting our path.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Something told me the Berserker enjoyed having a reason to use the magic he’d inherited from his mother and not just his brute strength.
Taking the lead, I led us down into the heart of the tomb. The air was stale. Undisturbed. I was willing to bet the last living person who’d been down here was me.
“No traps in here?” Tor asked.