THE MOMENT
“It sounds like a lot, but it’s simple. Just survive as long as you can,” Dora finished the explanation to her other two teammates, Davina and Karin. The three high school girls were walking by the docks after midnight. A thick fog was taking shape, and the air was crisp while the three of them carried on a normal conversation. “It hasn’t been officially confirmed, but there are rumors that the top-scoring teams in the event will earn a place in the final tournament. So, we wanna do well,” she added. Davina and Karin were the newest members of the team, and Dora was helping them get caught up.
“Difficulty follows the standard Court hierarchy. The Mundo door is the easiest, followed by the Estrella door, Muerte, Luna, and finally, El Sol is the hardest stage. You’re both Calaveras, but you’re still new. Don’t get too eager, we lose points for failed runs too,” she summed up all the points she’d elaborated on along the way just to give them a final reminder.
“And we can do it solo, right?” Karin asked. She didn’t think the others would drag her down, but she wanted to test herself. She wasn’t foolish enough to jump into the hardest stage the first time, but she assumed the Mundo door would be too easy. It hadn’t been strictly commented on, but she got the impression the challenges could be done alone.
“Yeah, that’s the only way. ‘Survivor’ mode is literally just you alone against an endless swarm. Not many competitive games use the mode, and it’s mostly for seasonal events like Halloween.”
“What’s the record?” Karin asked. The three of them were still moving through the dark with Dora leading the way. She kind of knew what she was looking for, but the challenge locations weren’t set in stone. But, the fog was getting thicker, so that felt like a good sign.
“It’s more of a limit,” Dora giggled. “If you make it past an hour, the boss will show up. The Court of Spiders are running the event, and they’re the bosses, so a couple of newbies like you aren’t going to last very long against any of them.”
“Way to encourage your teammates,” Davina laughed first, then the other two did as well.
“You probably aren’t familiar with Arachnos or Georgia, the lower two members, but I’m sure you’ve heard of J.J., Sebastian, or Spider. They’re all legendary and all stage bosses.”
“Spider is guarding the hardest stage, right?” Karin asked. She and Davina weren’t completely clueless about the event, but Dora was having fun explaining it and the twins might’ve missed something. She’d heard of the Spider Court, and the event was titled ‘Spider Survivor’, but she hadn’t realized their roles in the game.
Spider was the leader of the Court of Spiders, and his name was a reflection of his mental state. He was a terrifying monster who considered himself the embodiment of ‘Spiders’ as a concept. Like all Arana Unique Souls, he could control spiders, and on top of all that, he was recognized as the top ninja in the AlterNet. Karin wasn’t bothered by insects, arachnids, nor creepy crawlies in general. But, emotions easily obstructed her, and from everything she’d heard, Spider was pure, sinister hate incarnated.
“Yep, the Sol door,” Dora nodded. They turned a corner around some stacked cargo and suddenly found a woman. She was pale with crimson eyes, standing by the door of a warehouse. Except instead of the broad double-wide cargo doors, it was a closed golden door with a sun engraved on it.
“You should not be alone out here,” the woman said. “The night is not forgiving… and neither are those who wander in it.” She moved closer to the door and opened it. “Perhaps you’ll be safer inside?”
“Well, that’s the wrong door,” Dora giggled and shook her head. “Hold on.” She held up her hand for a moment, then Karin and Davina blinked. As soon as they opened their eyes, the woman spoke again.
“You should not be alone out here. The night is not forgiving… and neither are those who wander in it.” She needed to take another step to reach the door again to open it. “Perhaps you’ll be safer inside?” This time it wasn’t a gold door, it was orange with an hourglass etched on the front.
“That’s J.J.’s door, should be safe enough to try,” Dora nodded at the twins. “Who goes first?”
“I’ll go,” Karin stepped forward without discussing it. She knew her sister well enough by that point.
“I want to see the baseline first, so I’ll wait for the Mundo door,” Davina explained her reasoning to Dora as Karin walked through the door. They all waved at each other and the door closed behind her.
“Okay, I’ll try again” Dora nodded, then Davina blinked.
“You should not be-,” the woman began her introduction, but the door was neon blue with a crescent moon etched on the front. Davina blinked again when Dora reset time for another attempt.
“You should-,” it was a golden door again. Davina blinked.
“You should not be alone out here. The night is not forgiving.. And neither are those who wander in it.” the woman said. She was standing next to a green door with the Earth etched in front.
“Easy mode, first stage,” Dora gestured at the door as the woman opened it.
“Thanks, Dora,” Davina waved as she stepped through the door. It closed behind her and Dora blinked time again. It was the orange door again, and she shrugged.
“You should not be alone out here,” the woman began her script and opened the door, but Dora was through the door even before the NPC finished her part.