hwango

For someone like Hatter, who had been so many amazing places and done so many incredible things, truly new experiences tended to be uncommon. This particular journey, however, was so different from his others that he felt as if he was trying something new every day. Currently, he was trying his hand at moving stealthily. It was not, it turned out, an area in which he was naturally gifted.

They were creeping through the tunnel with as little light as they dared. In theory, this was supposed to let them sneak up on anything that they might encounter. A great deal of light would just give away their position and could lead to them being ambushed.

In practice, the lack of light meant that Hatter gave away their position every few seconds when he tripped over an uneven bit of the floor and stumbled into someone else, often cursing loudly as he did so.

It all struck Hatter as a bit ridiculous. If you were walking down a dark tunnel you were supposed to hold a smoky torch out in front of you. It was iconic. Oh, maybe you'd settle for a lantern if you were going somewhere particularly flammable, but one way or another it was you in your island of light piercing the impenetrable darkness in search of the unknown. All of this skulking about in the dark was undignified.

Eventually, they were forced to admit that the current approach simply wasn't working. After a brief whispered argument it was decided that Hatter would carry a partially shuttered lantern and stay with the main group while Caskin scouted ahead. It was a compromise that pleased no one, as is so often the case with compromises, but it seemed to improve the situation at least a little.

Now and then Caskin would return to the group to reassure them that they were both still following the same path, or to confirm their route, or to report on some potential hazard or other issue.

Caskin came back a bit earlier than expected this time, which usually meant that there was something to report. He seemed reluctant to speak, though.

"Well, out with it, man," said Tallow. "What did you find?"

"It's...well, it's a giant spider, sir," said Caskin.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Giant spider, sir," Caskin repeated.

There was a moment of silence as this information sank in.

"So?" Hatter said, "What's the big deal?"

Everyone else just stared at him.

"Oh, come on. It's hardly any worse that everything else we've encountered on this trip. Come, let's go see this giant spider of yours." He set off down the tunnel at a rather more brisk pace than they had been traveling at thus far.

When the rest of the group caught up to him they found him gazing out into a larger cavern. There was indeed an enormous spider that seemed to float in the air about ten feet off the floor, the thread of barely visible spider silk attaching it to the ceiling above catching a bit of light from Hatter's lantern.

"Dear god," someone in the back whispered.

"Pfaw," said Hatter, "I thought you said it was giant."

"It's the size of a horse!" Caskin said defensively.

"Well, it's quite a large spider, that I'll grant you that. But when you've been in this business as long as I have you tend to adjust your scale for this sort of thing."

A sudden movement at the edge of the light drew everyone's attention.

"Now that" Hatter said, pointing, "is a giant spider."