Red Glow

SPACE “Big teeth? Me no scared. Me big.” Tharg makes himself look taller and stronger than his already huge build by puffing out his chest and flexing down on the mighty oar. “Me tough.” Then, swinging his oar, he motions the technique he will use on the shark. “Me kill.” Looking at the split in the corridor, he turns to Conner. “Conner, where go?”
SPACE “I feel that we should take the path to the left,” Tarsis says, "it seems to offer the most possibilities. I also feel that we should split up.” Tarsis shows an incredible amount of bravery in the face of the unknown.
SPACE “We can’t split up,” Kavan interjects. “What if this fish does show up? Four-against-one is better than two-against-one.”
SPACE “But we can cover more ground that way,” the pretty elf justifies.
SPACE “Shhh,” Conner whispers. “We hunt.” Cautiously and quietly, Conner moves across the channel, sword ready. Making as little noise as possible, the two barbarians make their way to where the tunnel splits again. Pausing there, they listen for any activity. Hearing nothing, they continue.

SPACE Kavan gives in and he and Tarsis take the right-hand passage. After walking ten paces or so, however, you all realize that both corridors meet up behind a huge pillar of earth.

SPACE Both corridors open up into one enormous chamber. The ceiling stretches to a height of about forty feet or so. Off about thirty paces, set into the left side of this widened corridor, a soft red glow illuminates an area of coral that sticks up above the water. Pillars of great height and width stand holding the ceiling above your heads.
SPACE The barbarians make their way directly toward the beachy coral area. Kavan and Tarsis skulk beside the opposite wall, all of you cautiously and carefully searching for signs of potential threat.
SPACE The red glow seems to be originating from three large red chunks of something stuck to the top tip of three spears set into the coral area.
SPACE Tarsis and Kavan stop midway through the chamber, staring upwards at the coral wall. The barbarians step out of the water and onto dry land. There are three cave drawings on the wall here, all in a spidery motif.

SPACE “More pictures,” Conner yells to Kavan and Tarsis.
SPACE “Here, too,” Tarsis replies without turning around.
SPACE Turning about, Conner and Tharg look to see what has captivated their friends. They allow their mouths to drop open as they see. There on the wall above the heads of their companions is a drawing that easily stands twenty feet high. Its depiction is both grisly and intimidating.

SPACE Your concentration is broken, however, as a soft splashing sound from the tunnel the barbarians entered makes you spin about. Torchlight is approaching.
SPACE You all poise and ready yourselves. Two figures appear at the edge of your vision.
SPACE “Conner?” a familiar voice echoes out.
SPACE Alliandra.
SPACE As she enters the chamber, you see that Grant is beside her holding the torch.
SPACE A united sigh relieves the tension and dismisses the danger call your bodies instinctually made.
SPACE They look about the chamber, making their way out of the water and onto the coral surface.

SPACE “What is all this?” Grant asks, eyes wandering about the place.
SPACE “Bug-butts,” Tharg answers.
SPACE “Wha?”
SPACE “Bug-butts,” he replies, smiling and inspecting the source of the glowing.
SPACE Confusion and curiosity grabs you. Tarsis begins to make her way out of the water with Kavan following a few steps behind her. Grant takes a closer look at the glowing chunks. They appear to be of flesh and the glow seems to be internal.
SPACE “He’s right,” Grant smiles, eyes widening.
SPACE “Those are bug-butts?” Tarsis asks, a hint of disgust in her voice.
SPACE “Aye,” the dwarf continues. “These are glands from a Fire Beetle. At home, we use Fire Beetles as guides when we’re in deeper mines.”
SPACE The rest of the group stares dumbly at the dwarf, prompting him to elaborate.
SPACE “Deep mines sometimes hold gas pockets. If you hit a gas pocket, a torch could turn the mine into an incinerator. Fire Beetles can’t see in the dark. They have three glands on their bodies that produce light for seeing. We use them in deeper mines so we can avoid using torches.” Judging its size, he says, “These big ones are abdominal glands.
SPACE “Good work, barbarian,” he says to Tharg who smiles delightedly at that recognition.

SPACE “So someone stuck bug-butts to some spears and stuck them in the coral here in this cave?” Kavan asks.
SPACE “It gets worse,” Grant nods. “These glands glow forever if the beetle is kept alive. That’s why we always leashed the buggers and used them as guides instead of pulling the glands from their bodies. Once taken from the beetle, these glands only glow for a few days.” Grant pauses to let the information set in.
SPACE “So, whoever put these here, put them here within the last few days?” Kavan asks for confirmation.
SPACE “I’d say two or three by the intensity of the light,” Grant replies.
SPACE “And they’ll be back,” Tarsis adds, pointing to the corners of the beach. Strewn about the walls lie a few dozen more chunks of the insect flesh, all burned out and useless.
SPACE “And they’ll be dangerous,” Alliandra adds, staring at the far wall.
SPACE “You recognize the drawing, priest?” Grant asks.
SPACE “I can’t be sure,” Alliandra answers, “but the depiction seems to be a likeness of Ochretia.”
SPACE “Oak-reesha?” Conner repeats.
SPACE “Yes,” the cleric says, making the sign of the cross. “Ochretia, arachnid queen.”
SPACE The tension triples and renewed awareness grips the group. Weapons not yet drawn are unsheathed. Weapons already drawn are raised and poised as if an attack were imminent.

SPACE Up ahead, the cavern continues onward. There is another gland spiked atop a pole set in the middle of the water there. The gland is in the beginning stages of decomposition and its glow appears close to being extinguished.

SPACE The chamber narrows at the opposite end andan obvious onward exit splits to the right and also continues on straight.