Logging in the game I shivered. This was the first time I was afraid of being in the VRMMO system. My faith in Sam is rocky right now but Josh is here too so I hope I will be fine.
The Game loaded up and I found myself back in the room with the story puzzle.
"Ahh great you are back." Kuro replied. "Let me message Bolggor and have him come back online now too."
"You can do that?" I asked.
"Sure if you friend request someone you can message them when offline and it will light up a light to let them know they have a friendly message on their VR set up." Replied Kuro
"Oh thats cool I should message my friend Twiggzy then." I spoke out loud while thinking about it.
Bolggor appeared in front of me almost on top of me. I screamed and huddled into a ball. Everything in my past and what just happened just flashed in front of me. I was so terrified that I started shaking and felt like I was going to throw up.
Kuro jumped up and ran over to me seemingly worried. When he got close I held up my hands in a stay away from me gesture and closed my eyes tight.
Bolggor stopped Kuro and spoke up. "Why dont we give Shi some space right now. She reminds me of my twin sister and how she is when she gets frightened. It will take her sometime to calm down before she hears us or comes back to herself. Something really bad must of happened to her outside the game or in her past to get this scared."
"Shi its ok, you are safe with us. We wont hurt you." Kuro spoke slowly and calmly. "You are safe with us. Bolggor didnt mean to scare you. He wouldn't of stepped on you. The game wouldnt allow people to port back in the game on top of each other or inside each other. You don't have to be scared of us. You are safe with us.
"I told you she isnt hearing us right now you are wasting your breath." Bolggor replied.
Kuro just kept repeating, You are safe with us. Slowly I calmed down and came back to myself. I put my hands up to my face and realized that I was crying as hot trails of my tears were still streaming down my face. I didn't know that you can cry in the game too. I need to pull myself together. I tried to play it off like I wasn't just just crying and hoped they would do the guy thing and not comment on it, but I should of known that they were going to treat me like a girl.
"Hi guys, sorry about that. I am ok, I thought he was going to crush me and I didnt want my first death to be me being crushed by my fellow party member as they came back online." I said while putting on a fake smile.
"You are trying for the nothing happened to you kind of thing. How about you give us some credit and tell us what happened. Did someone outside the game hurt you? Are you ok?" Bolggor said firmly.
I realized then that I wasnt going to get out of telling him what happened. So I tried to brush it off coldly.
"I don't want to talk about it. It is none of your business what goes on in the real world." I replied.
"Ummm actually what happens to you in real life can affect your ability to perform here so as your party team members it is our duty to make sure you are ok and can still function for the quests and party. You are safe with us here. No one can overhear you talk to us." Kuro stated is as a matter of fact. "We might be able to help you somehow. You never know."
I do not know why I decided to tell them what just happened. I told them about Sam not doing anything. Also Josh saving me and then Sam saving Josh. I even told them about the bad man and what just happened to me as well as what happened when I was younger. I told them everything.
"Are you safe right now Shi? Can he get to you right now? Does he know where you are? Where are you right now?" Bolggor asked me.
"I have Sam, for what thats worth, and Josh in my room watching over me so I should be ok. He might be able to get to me but he will have to fight to touch me with Josh there. I think I am in the last place he will look. I went back to my room he would of expected me to run like I did the last time he found me." I said all the while I was still sniffling.
Kuro asked me "Do you know how he found you in the first place?"
I nodded, "The announcement screen on my birthday. My picture was there. It was fairly simple to figure out where I am living once you have a town name. It is a very small town."
"Ok so let's get this quest figured out and then we can deal with the next problem." Kuro stated matter of factly.
"Next problem?" I asked
"Yup your safety issue in the real world." Kuro said and nodded.
"Ok did you find out anything? You seem to be our expert on the Japanese culture and folklore.v" Bolggor said jokingly.
"Yup let me do this, the story has a few endings so I need to watch the ending carefully." I said absentmindedly. "Wait let me tell you the story and you can help me find each part. It's a bit long so pay attention."
They both nodded and sat down. I noticed they were still giving me space like they were afraid of spooking me again. I wasnt approaching them either so I must still need my space.
I started my story, "The Jōren Falls of Izu
At the Jōren Falls of Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture, allegedly lives the jorōgumo mistress of the waterfall. The local legend tells of a man who rested beside the waterfall basin when the jorōgumo tried to drag him into the waterfall by throwing webs around his leg. The man transferred the webbing around a tree stump, which was dragged into the falls instead of him.
After that, people of the village dared not venture close to the falls anymore. Then one day, a visiting woodcutter who was a stranger to this all tried to cut a tree and mistakenly dropped his favorite axe into the basin. As he tried to go down to fetch his axe back, a beautiful woman appeared and returned it to him. "You must never tell anyone what you saw here", she said. Initially he kept the secret, but as days went by, the need to spill the story burdened him. And finally at a banquet, while drunk, he told the whole story. Feeling unburdened and at peace, he went to sleep, but he never woke again. In another version, the woodcutter was pulled outside by an invisible string and his corpse was found floating the next day at the Jōren Falls.
In yet another version, the woodcutter fell in love with a woman he met at the waterfall. He visited her every day, but grew physically weaker each time. The oshō of a nearby temple suspected that the woodcutter was "taken in by the jorōgumo mistress of the waterfall", and accompanied him to chant a sutra. When a spider thread reached out to the woodcutter, the oshō let out a thunderous yell, and the thread disappeared. Now knowing that the woman was actually a jorōgumo, the woodcutter still persisted and tried to gain permission for marriage from the mountain's tengu. When the tengu denied him the woodcutter ran towards the waterfall, where he was entangled by spider threads and disappeared into the water never to be seen again. And that there is the story we need for this puzzle room. Now lets get up and find each part of the riddle and find out what we need to do since it's not in order."
"Wait a sec," Kuro said. "Its not in order? How do you know?"
"It is right in front of you. This panel says about the returning of the axe and asking for secrecy." I stated confused.
Bolggor said, "I cant read the ruin like print only you on our party can read it. We lack the skill that is needed."
"Oh ok then we will do this, I will find the first and second ones and have you stand by them. You can look over the first panel and see it anything can move turn push and so on while I look for the the next panel in order." I ordered.
They both nodded. I searched around to find the first part and pointed to it. They both moved over to it and started checking it out.
"This word is raised and so is the last word or symbol on here." Bolggor said.
"Tell me the raised words and I will write them down." Kuro replied.
"The and jorōgumo are the raised words there." I replied.
Bolggor put a colorful red rock in front of the panel. I moved on to the next one. Bolggor went over and checked it out while I moved on the the 3rd one.
"This one here and here", Bolggor said and pointed."
"dragged and people" I said.
Bolggor put an orange stone next. Then a yellow stone and so on
"Never corpse found" I read out loud.
"Love spider persisted,"
"Entangled, spider threads"
"never to be seen again"
"That's it now." I stated.
"Ok here is what we have raised words wise," Kuro stated. "The jorōgumo dragged people never corpse found love spider persisted entangled spider threads never to be seen again."
"That makes sense oddly enough," Bolggor said. "Wait a sec over here is a spider emblem with a woman next to it."
He touched it and it lit up and the middle panel opened up into a lit up room with glowstone gems. He started to walk forward but I caught a gleaming from Bolggor's torch.
"Stop dont move, freeze." I shouted.
"What? Why?" Bolggor asked.
I said one word, "trap".
Bolggor backed up and tried to come back in the room but something was preventing him. As I got closer to the door I could see the glowing runes on the archway. Closer I could see tons of spider silk throughout the room.
"Spider silk is all around you, Bolggor. Don't move around too much." I said while seeing what I can do.
"Spider silk? I don't see anything and there isn't a spider in the room." Bolggor spoke up.
"Kuro can you spread a most through the room that could be caught on the web's to make it shine so we can see them easier?" I asked.
Kuro just nodded his head and set about doing the task I had asked of him. I heard a mumbled done come from behind me. Looking around I could see quite a few dew covered web's.
"This looks like we are heading into a spiders lair. I wonder what is further down in this dungeon and how much further this quest will go. I was hoping this puzzle would be the key to the treasure room but I am clearly mistaken." I spoke up half in thought.
Bolggor backed up whole brushing the webbing off of him. "Tell me about this joro creature please. I remember you said stuff about a spider web pulling people into the water. I brushed it off but now I think it holds value after seeing this room. Also this room has no water other then what Kuro put in it."
I shrugged and replied. "The Jorōgumol, can shapeshift into a beautiful woman, it is depicted as a spider woman manipulating small fire-breathing spiders. I am not sure what its usual shape is but it can control small fire breathing spiders so this cool be the creatures pets webbing."
"Hmm a beautiful woman with small fire-breathing spiders. My water sword will come in handy now. So what do you want to do here Shi? This is your quest." Kuro stated.
"I am going to try to use my fire to destroy the webbing. I dont want us to get tangled up in it. Then we should be on guard for fire attacks and proceed with me in the front and Bolggor in the back. Kuro I want you to be on guard for fire attacks and be ready to put them out. Fire wont affect me much but Bolggor isnt immune to fire. If you can soak the spiders they ahouldnt be able to use their fire in theory at least. Bolggor what do you think of my plan?" I stated trying to sound confident and sure of myself.
"I approve of this idea although I dont think I can get tangled up in the webbing. I am made of rock and it would be hard to pull me around. The fire idea to burn the webs is ingenious and it will prevent the spiders to know where we are exactly. Let me try to use the torch to burn them." He replied.
Before I could say anything he touched the webbing with the torch and instead of the webbing burning up, the torch went out instead. I knew that would happen as the webs were wet here from Kuro's water. The kappa and the quest details said that a fire user is needed as the torches will go out at the slightest touch of water.
"Torches won't burn wet webs Bolggor." Kuro said dryly.
I watched Bolggor give Kuro a dirty look. He held his torch out to Kuro's torch but instead of the torch catching and lighting back up, Kuro's torch went out too. I couldn't help laughing at the situation. Apparently a wet torch puts out a burning torch.
"Here let me help you both with your torches." I said still chuckling.
They lower the tops on their torches towards me and I put my hand under Kuro's torch first. It took a bit to evaporate the water and then light but I managed it. I noticed that I was starting to feel a touch off right now. Leaning a bit against the wall I took care of Bolggor's torch as well. When I finished I was sweating under my armor pretty bad. Apparently I am going to have to lessen up my fire use for a while. I was happy they couldn't tell how draining doing that was. If they knew how weak I felt it might put doubt in them about my abilities. I needed to do this quest well.
"Are you ok Shi?" Kuro asked looking concerned.
I waved my hand and gave a thumbs up. Yeah that would convince them I thought to myself but I couldn't speak right then and there as I was afraid to show how weak I felt right now.
"I have another idea that could help us with the webs maybe." Bolggor stated while staring at me with some concern in his eyes and voice. "I am an Earthkin, I could use my earth to move around some of the cave rocks to clear the area. Not sure how much I could gather up web wise but it would make burning them easier and in bunches versus having to burn a large area at a time."
"I like that idea." Kuro and I stated at the same time.
"I will need 10 to 40 mins to adjust my skills around and prepare my abilities. Do we have enough time?" Bolggor said while looking at me.
I checked my timer and saw that I still had 16 hours and 48mins left to go. I noticed that I had a blinking light on my inventory bag. I told myself to check it soon while replying to Bolggor.
"I still have 16 hours and 48mins left on my timer so we have plenty of time I think. Let's all rest before hand and Bolggor get your skills ready to do that." I replied trying to sound confident and strong.
***Meanwhile back in Shi's room***
"Sam I think we need to seriously talk right now." Josh said.