CRACK
After warping to the sixth floor, we were immediately engulfed in complete darkness, a suffocating void that filled us with dread. The air was thick, almost alive, as if the cave itself was breathing. The cold stone beneath my feet sent shivers up my spine.
There were a few tunnels to choose from, but one was dimly lit, so we decided to follow it. When we entered the next room, we saw a group of players talking.
"We should wait for one of the top guilds to clear this floor," one of them said. "It's scary."
"I heard G2 told the other top guilds not to clear this floor yet. They want to beat the boss," another added.
One of them warped away, and the others followed, not seeming to notice us.
Lia quickly used her magic to brighten the area, a bright light radiating from her hand, pushing back the darkness. With the newfound light, I could see the jagged rocks and deep crevices that surrounded us. In the distance, pairs of glowing eyes watched us, but they quickly scurried away once they realized we could see them.
We had spawned at the center of a large teleportation circle with five paths leading in different directions. To our left and right, giant crevasses yawned open, from which the spiders seemed to emerge. We chose one of the paths and started walking, noting the eerie absence of other players on this floor.
As we walked, Leo began to speak. "According to the flier, you can find crystals on this floor. That's what I'm looking for."
"Why do you need a crystal?" Mia asked curiously.
"I want a crystal for her," Leo replied, his voice softening. I began to blush.
We were swarmed by hundreds of spiders pouring out of the crevasses. Mia quickly shoved me out of the way as she and Leo drew their swords. I pulled my wand from my bag, its polished surface gleaming in the light of Mia's fire-imbued sword, which she used to slice through the advancing spiders. Leo stayed close to Lia and me, acting as a shield between us and the horde.
The spiders were varied in both color and type—forest green spiders that shot venom, black spiders with spikes that reflected Lia's magic, and eerie purple spiders that didn't seem to do anything at first.
Once we had defeated the initial wave, a second wave appeared. They were bigger and stronger than the previous ones, some even leaping over Leo's shield to try to attack us from behind.
"Lightning_Javelin!" I yelled, electrocuting the ones that got too close.
The second wave lasted longer and was far more challenging than the first.
Leo was beside me, his movements precise and calculated, his eyes burning with determination. Mia was further ahead, her fire magic blazing through the darkness, reducing spiders to ashes. Lia's light kept the shadows at bay.
The battle was grueling.
Crunch—a spider had broken through to the back and bitten into Lia's armor. I quickly dispatched it with a Lightning Javelin before rushing to Mia.
"I'm sorry," Lia said, her voice faltering.
The darkness began to overtake us as Lia struggled to maintain her magic. Mia fiercely at the frontlines, trying to buy us some time. Smoke began to rise, only to be sucked into the crevasses.
I dropped my wand and pulled a healing potion from my bag, administering it to Lia. She revived, reigniting her wand and pushing back the encroaching shadows. The air was thick with the stench of burnt flesh and venom. With the final spiders dispatched, we braced ourselves for the next wave.
This wave was different—a massive spider miniboss, the size of a car, appeared. It lunged at me with terrifying speed. Mia managed to shove me out of the way, but she was impaled by the spider's venomous fangs in the process.
Lia, though nearly exhausted, rushed to Mia's aid, but she was almost completely out of mana. After we beat the miniboss I gave my wand to Mia. She then ignited the area in red light.