>

Walking.

We’ve been doing that for a while now.

Idle chatter in-between moments of quiet.

That all stopped suddenly. Rounding a corner, expecting to be greeted by another empty corridor, only to instead come upon a rather unnerving sight.

Thick silky white threads hanging like rafters on the ceiling, swaying with every gust of air. The same silky threads stuck to the ground like a mesh of strings, stretching far across the hallway.

Ayako slowly recoiled backward, vocally expressing her disgust with a croaky ‘'Eeek’.

I simply stood there in place, taken aback by the sheer number of white stuff clinging to the dungeon wall and floor.

“Mmm, not a fan, not a fan at all” Ayako feverishly shook her head, her eyebrows rising under the fringes of her hair. “I hate - I hate everything about this scene right here.”

I glanced at her from the corner of my eye, feeling slightly sympathetic, “Can’t say I blame you. I’d burn this place to the ground if I could. Sadly, all we have are swords and bows so… Ah, Jin - disgusting - eww.”

A foamy crackling noise rang out like a jarring note played off-tune. The glistening silver mesh screeching relentlessly underneath the might and mercy of Jin's leather boots.

"Just cobwebs," He said lazily. "They won't hurt you."

"I'm hurt," Ayako said, clasping a hand over her mouth while turning into a sickly shade of white. "I'm gonna be hurt."

Jin turned to me. "What's her problem?"

"Spiders," I answered, gesturing a thumb at her wobbling figure. "That's her problem."

"But… she does know, right?" His lips formed a frown as he glanced back her way. "You do know, don't you?"

"I do," She said, her voice sounding more and more to the tune of a dog's whining. "I just thought… I don't know… I killed some with slippers before - how bad could it be, right?"

"I remember that stream, lost your voice the next day, didn't you?" I chuckled to myself silently. "Ahh, classic."

Ayako looked at me helplessly for support. “At least I killed them, didn’t I?”

My face turned to a grimace. “Slippers, yeah… you’re gonna need a bigger pair if you wanna squish this one.”

That crestfallen look she laid bare for all to see was on a downward spiral of utter despair. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“Ayako, oi, focus,” Jin snapped his fingers in rapid succession. “Over here, listen. We can’t have you fainting on us at the mere sight of the boss, so I’m gonna ask you only once… can you do it or not?”

Ayako gulped down a bile of fear, her breathing wavering. “I - I can do it, piece of… piece of cake.”

“Seriously -”

“No, I can!” Her voice steadied itself, the fright in her eyes overtaken by a sudden resolve. “I can do this.”

Ayako shut her eyes closed, her face scrunching up tight and took a resolute step towards the massive infestation, joining Jin in bouts of high-pitch squealing as her feet sank underneath the spongy white clumps, tormenting her every step into the web-ridden hallway.

Thinking it best in case she collapses, I followed along after her closely with every footstep. I won’t lie, the soft sticky sensation clinging to the heel of my boots was not a pleasant one. It was discomforting for me, but I could only imagine what it was like for her.

“See?” She gulped, forcing a smile that wouldn’t form. “E-easy…”

Jin simply rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say,” and continued walking, now in the lead of us.

“Watch her, Sora,” He called from up ahead. “If the guild mascot dies from a heart attack, it’s on you.”

I soon found out what he meant by that. Delving deeper, it only got worse from then on. Thicker, stickier gigantic cobwebs, cluttered into massive clusters, adorning every inch of the place. No longer could we make out the stone walls nor feel the hard surface of the floor, can’t even make our way through without skittering off-balance every once in a while, no, it’s like we’ve entered an entirely different world, one that wouldn’t be entirely out of place from a horror game.

At least in Ayako’s opinion, verging almost to the brink of a panic attack.

“A Spider, a giant fucking spider,” She muttered to herself hysterically. “Why couldn’t it be some cute little butterfly instead?”

“You sure you’re still alright?” I asked.

“I’m fine!” She snapped. “Just - how long more?”

I directed my eyes to the lower right. “Halfway there, Ayako. Keep strong, you can do it.”

“Can I?” She said, visibly flustered. “Webs are one thing, but a giant spider is probably where I game-over. I’d rather take my chances with the NPCs, honestly.”

“Well, nothing’s happening till the boss door opens,” I said, desperately finding words to assure. “Maybe if you pretend the boss is Jin, you might just kill it with a stare.”

“I heard that,” said Jin faintly in the distance. “Not a bad idea, actually. Ayako, get mad… your anger alone should be able to scare the boss away.”

“Shut up or I just might,” said Ayako crossly. “Better than having you guys snark it to death.”

I blinked. “Touché.”

It wasn’t long before we stumbled our way through another off-putting scene to behold. Giant writhing sacs littered the hallway in dozens, shimmering from the same silvery substance that made up its form. They hung from the walls, protruded out from the ground, all stemming from the dense webbing that made up the entire surface of the hall.

Unlike before though, Ayako wasn’t alone in her unease. Jin’s forehead was creased with concern, while my eyes shifted warily from one end of the corridor to the next. Slowly, we trudge on through, still unnerved by the sight in the corner of our eyes.

“Eggs, are they?” I said, directing myself towards Jin’s ambling figure. “Baby spiders as the boss’s minions?”

“Didn’t program that in,” Jin said in a low voice. “But it’s a possibility. Sukuinote could have done anything, we don’t know for sure.”

Ayako gave an involuntary chuckle. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m loving this more and more every second.”

“In any case, just keep your distance,” Jin warned, clutching his severed hand tightly.

“Why, would they burst open if we don’t?” I asked.

A simple question for me, a terrifying prospect for someone else. Ayako shuddered, a quiet whimper issuing from her trembling lips.

Such vulnerability made her a prime target for some teasing… such a tempting offer it was, I couldn’t resist.

“Wouldn’t that be fun, eh, Ayako?” I asked her, unable to hide the smile that was slowly forming.

She buried her face in her hands, her voice muffled behind open palms. “Please just shut up.”

It took longer than anticipated to navigate through the endless mounds of webbing, mostly due to Ayako’s reluctance to even be within an arm’s length from one of the cocoons, resulting in a good chunk of time well spent coaxing her from standing in place eternally staring timidly at her feet.

In the end, we did finally manage to accomplish what we sought out to do. Panting and heaving, Ayako with tears welling up in her eyes, spread her arms wide open towards a sealed stone entrance draped over by endless layers of webs.

“Oh, it’s here!” She said in total awe of herself. “I’d never thought I’d live long enough to see the day…”

The doorway was easily taller and larger than any other here, barely you could just discern markings engraved in the stone through the thick threads encasing it.

I walked up to it. “So do we just push it open or…?”

“Don’t touch it yet,” Jin warned, pointing a finger at me. “The second that door opens, we’re fighting. Let’s wait for the rest first before charging to our deaths.”

Jin the weary man took it upon himself to settle himself on the most comfortable spot there was, settling down on the thickest, spongiest bundle of web there was and closed his eyes.

Ayako began gagging at the sight of it. I could only marvel at his total lack of revulsion.

“How long are we waiting for?” I asked, crouching down to his level.

He fluttered open an eye at me before bundling himself deeper in relaxation. “As long as it takes.”

Ayako scampered her way towards us, eyes filling with worry. “You mean we’re waiting here? Right here? Webs? Behind a door with a giant spider? Really?”

I shrug my shoulders. “Well, you heard the man.”

“You’re expecting me to just hunker down on cobwebs?!”

“I’m not expecting you to do anything but stand there actually,” I snorted, settling myself across from Jin. “Maybe once your legs start aching, having a little sit-down wouldn’t sound so bad.”

“Never in a million years.”

“A million years, you say... I give you 10 minutes. Wanna bet?”

“And you’d think you win? Hah!” She jeered, puffing herself up with confidence before ultimately deflating like a balloon as her legs buckled from just the mere effort of it.

Steadying herself from a wobble, Ayako averted her gaze, her face flushed with a bright red. “Okay, maybe… maybe you might.”

I curtly nodded, nudging my head to the unoccupied space beside me. “Have a seat, Ayako.”