Raven lay sitting within the strange grass, his back rested on a tree’s trunk as he watched Discordia sitting opposite, facing him. She was focusing on the orb of light within her hands, trying to grasp the flow of energy called ‘Mana’.

He expected her to take a few minutes but from the quickly progressing bar that hovered above her character, it seemed like she was already used to altering game systems outside her own body. He wished she wasn’t, as she took this quiet chance to ask questions…

“So…League trainer huh?” Discordia mused out loud, hinting her curiosity.

Raven sighed as he looked away, staring off into the forest around them “You know it’s rude to ask others of their life outside the game right?”

Her expression reddened and she refocused on the sphere before her “Y-Yeah…it is a bit rude.” Deciding it was better not to ask at all “S-Sorry.”

He let out another silent sigh, he couldn’t blame her for being curious “It was…” he began. Discordia’s attention focusing away from her task and on his voice “Like a dream. I was one of these players at first, rising the ranks, joining and moving teams. Trying to cope with life while all I really wanted to see was the game. Being a professional e-sports player isn’t all they make it out to be you know. The fanatics are bad enough to deal with, but then there’s society as a whole which begins to look at you differently.”

Raven’s eyes glossed over as he remembered the late years of his childhood “I couldn’t cope with it, the crowds, the tension…It was driving me mad. In the end, I was about to leave it all behind. I was the team leader, and I was about to quit the team. With no pre-warning, nothing. I was going to give them all the worst surprise of their lives.”

“And then…our sponsor gives me this choice. To quit, leave it all behind as I was about to or…Be part of the team in another way. They gave me the chance to become part of the squad of people that care and help the players, I didn’t see any reason to decline so…I accepted.”

Raven chuckled “Retired only to train the new generation, didn’t sound so bad. It sounded great actually, at first…Sure I had more time for myself but, I still had to dedicate most of my life to the team. To make sure each member, of each team I was aiding, was in their top state. Mechanically I showed them how through hard work, mentally I explained as best as I could until they understood. But in the end, it was all up to them. I’ve seen so many potentials come and go over the years, it gave me a whole new perspective on that industry.”

His expression then darkened, as he clenched his bow “Then the crap started. Cuts in our budget out of nowhere, ‘Reassignment’ of equipment. We didn’t know what the hell was going on, all we knew was something wrong was going on with our sponsors legally speaking. It all went downhill, we still don’t know what the fuck happened. All behind the curtains I guess…Our sponsor went bankrupt. Thankfully the players found other teams and other sponsors but me and the other trainers…well, we couldn’t find anything.”

He turned to look at Discordia, as she stared at him with interest “Oi…you’re glowing.” Raven then said with surprise.

“Huh!?” Discordia suddenly rose, noticing that the orb was gone from her hands and that her entire body was glowing a bright white.

“Any notices?” Raven asked as he also rose.

“Y-Yea…I gained the Light element.” Discordia responded as she stared at her screens “I have a minor heal and a light bolt spell…”

Raven clicked his tongue in annoyance “Gah, rangers don’t get any skills at level 1…” his skills and spells windows were still entirely empty “Well we got what we needed, how much longer can you stay on?”

“Uh-What time is it?...” Discordia mumbled as she opened her Dive menu, checking the time. Thinking it over as she checked the time she figured she had until she got tired, but she was too embarrassed to admit that.

“I’ve got as long as I want so, depends how long you can stay on.” Raven added.

“Oh…same then. I guess 11 more hours? Before I’ll need to go sleep. By the way why…aren’t we gathering a larger party?” Discordia quickly admitted before asking.

Raven smirked “The larger the party the worse the experience distribution, that’s every MMORPG. We won’t need any more than us two.” He explained, whilst reopening the several tabs of monster info he could gather around the game “Trust me…” an evil smirk on his face.

“Um…Sure?” Discordia honestly didn’t get it, she was used to being carried by her guildmates through levels.

“Let’s see…The system doesn’t tell us monster difficulty but people over the years have categorized them fairly well. That cat-undead thing we just dealt with was a Speed-Class monster, preferably we won’t be fighting those anymore.” Raven began mumbling incoherently quiet to himself “With you as a sustain based melee, and me as a long range DPS…Horde-Class monsters are our best bet.”

Raven’s smile widened as he opened the gamepedia’s list of monsters, finding the several types of level 1-5 Horde-class types “This beauty will do.”

Discordia shivered as she saw his grin.

Sly: Music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLotKxyFJ2Q

A couple minutes later…

A low, barely audible hissing filled her ears as Discordia stood within the dark forest. The atmosphere was gloomy, the grass’s glow dimmed and the trees completely lightless this deep into the forest. They had walked a fair bit to get here, much further from the beginner’s area than she’d wish to admit.

She prepared herself in body and mind, as the creature they were hunting approached. She stood still and alone, weapon ready but mind not so much. Raven had explained this monster to her, and she immediately wanted nothing to do with it…

(“It’s this or hours more…it’s this or hours more…”) She constantly repeated to herself, as she glanced down at the thick web that covered the ground beneath her. Hidden by the tall grass.

It was a pitch-black silk with violet stripes, almost invisible on the violet dirt that covered this underground world.

Discordia shivered as the hissing got louder, multiplying by the number of creatures that lurked all around her now. She had stepped onto the web, announcing her position to them…And they were coming, if not already watching her.

Their steps, soundless. But their presence very notable from the disorienting sound. As one of them suddenly leaped out from the branches above. Discordia reacted immediately, turning her Pole-axe’s spike towards the creature as it fell upon her.

Noticing the weapon, the creature suddenly pulled back mid-air. Invisible strings of silk helping it hang down from the trees. It was a large spider, about three feet in width and length with a violet torso and legs like the leaves with black stripes.

Discordia followed it’s hovering with her weapon, as the creature’s several eyes lit up with red and green lights. It swung around her, as several more suddenly fell from the branches. They surrounded her, all hanging onto their invisible web while looking for openings on her.

This was a Horde-class monster…a full party was recommended to fight these things. To which Discordia agreed, as she stood surrounded by what she counted as twelve very large fucking spiders.

{Minion} [Grimwood Arachnid] Level 3

She tried to relax, she tried to ignore their eyes…crawly legs…trembling mandibles…and hairy bodies…It wasn’t an easy feat. She couldn’t see them all, so she focused solely on those in front of her. Knowing from what Raven told her, that six more were hiding up in the branches above.

She was completely out-numbered and in any other circumstance, she would have combat-logged. But for some reason, for some insane reason, she decided to trust Raven. Even though he didn’t explain the rest of the plan…

An Arachnid from ahead of her suddenly lunged, as it swung back onto a tree before pushing itself with great speed towards her. Discordia prepared to impale the creature with her pole-axe’s spike, but the spider pulled back at the last second.

Unbeknownst to her, two others had done the same thing from behind her. And both suddenly flew back as an arrow impaled their torsos, hanging dead from their own web. Discordia noticed, and did what she was told to do…

She began to swing wildly, slashing about to keep their attention less they aggro on Raven. Who was hidden in the forest around her, slowly repositioning himself while trying very hard not to step onto the thick web that covered the ground.

She lunged, slashed and swung, the system assisting her to retake stance after each strike. Giving her a continuous combination of attacks, a constant flow of strikes she absolutely loved. With the striking power of an axe and range of a spear, in the hands of a well-trained warrior pole-arms were truly a devastating weapon.

And the spiders had a limited range of movement, as they mostly hung from the branches.

She slashed through several legs and even struck down a spider herself as she moved without a care, ignoring whatever crawled behind. Even as another spider lunged at her back, followed by a third arrow hitting it squarely in the head.

Discordia fended them off, as she slowly moved into a range where they could no longer evade. Striking down several while Raven watched her back from the shadows. Within a few moments six of the visible spiders were already dead.

Three pierced by arrows and hanging dead, three sliced apart by her axe as they lay on the ground as fertilizer for the grass.

“Keep at it!” Raven shouted as he suddenly leapt out of the forest and joined her, six more spiders crawling behind him and jumping from branch to branch “They aggroed out!” he pointed it out, as the six that were hidden found his position and assaulted him.

“W-What now!?” Discordia said as Raven came to stand behind her, as she held at bay the ones in front of her.

“Back to back!” Raven shouted with an amused tone, as he quickly drew and shot down another two that lunged at his arrival.

He drew once more, turning towards a third that lunged at him. But he held his shot, as the arachnid quickly turned back when he took aim at it. Raven had watched them attack Discordia, he noticed the slight movement of their legs when they prepared to pull back and remembered it. So he held his shot, as not to waste valuable ammunition.

“Y-You g-gotta be joking! This is your plan!?” Discordia asked as she lunged at two spiders that lunged at her, striking one’s legs off as the second flew over their heads.

“Hah! What did you expect?” he chuckled, taking aim on the over extending spider that flew over them. Loosing his arrow it easily hit its mark on the slowing down arachnid, as it hung back towards them Raven quickly grabbed the arrow out of its corpse and redrew.

“This is crazy!” Discordia shouted as she struck at the injured spider, slashing its body apart with her axe. Her expression paling, as two spiders lunged at her overextension. “Crap!”

Raven immediately turned, as he still held three arrows in his drawing hand. He nocked, drew and loosed twice, killing the first arachnid before it even leapt off the tree and later shooting down the second mid-leap.

Just as quickly he grabbed Discordia’s shoulder and spun her around, as he took cover behind her.

“Wah-” Discordia’s expression turned red as she felt his hand, then immediately refocusing as she was faced with a leaping spider.

“Sorry!” Raven apologised, as she blocked the spider’s lunge with her weapon’s pole. It grappled on, its blade-like legs slashing away at her armoured hands while its fanged mandibles hissed and leaked saliva.

Discordia shivered as she slammed her weapon downwards, squashing the creature beneath her weapon “Damnit!” she swore as the creature’s violet blood splashed all over her chest.

Raven grinned wildly as he watched the four spiders ahead of him, refilling his hand with arrows before quickly turning back once more as Discordia rose. Loosing an arrow, he killed the fifth spider mid-leap as it lunged at the bent down Discordia.

He turned to be met with another, as it swung at him mid-leap. He quickly crouched beneath its swing, the creature’s bladed legs catching the feathers on his head slightly. They cut through with frightening ease.

They both rose back and prepared their weapons, Discordia clutching her pole-axe as she held its spike forwards and raised while Raven nocked and drew, following one spider with the arrow tip and the other with his eyes. “That should be four remaining.” He mused.

“Two here…” Discordia added with discomfort as she watched the two spiders on her side hang around, hissing, spitting out their disgusting saliva while watching them.

“Well…how do I say this…” Raven began, as his smile crept wider.

“Nice knowing you?...” Discordia took a guess.

“Ah…I apologise for what is about to happen.” Raven said with a dead-pan tone.

She glanced back at him, confused and terrified as she watched him step and spin about quickly collecting all the arrows he can. He was completely open, and two spiders took that opening to lunge down at him “Cover me!” He shouted at her.

Discordia’s body moved before her mind caught up, as she activated her charge skill. A thin aura of heat formed around her body, as she suddenly burst forwards. Turning the two lunging spiders into mush on her way, before crashing into a bunch of bushes. She tripped, falling over and rolling into the grass.

She groaned whilst rubbing her head “Well that started it!” Raven shouted.

“S-Started what?...” She asked whilst trying to rise.

When Raven suddenly leapt over her position, a wild smile plastered on his face as he shouted once more “Run and find out!” he landed behind her, immediately booking it away once he hit the ground.

Discordia turned to look at the small opening they once stood in, as the two remaining spiders crawled over their companion’s corpses…The ground was rising, the grass and dirt making way for the massive black carapace that came from beneath.

Her face lost all its colour, turning ghostly pale as she witnessed the massive spider rise from beneath the ground. Catching a glimpse of the creature’s tag.

{Elite} [Grimwood Arachnid Queen] Level 5

“Ha-Haha-…” Discordia was frozen in fear, stuttering a horrified chuckle. The creature stood with its back to them, hissing ferociously as it slowly turned to face her.

When two arrows suddenly flew over her head, shooting down the two remaining arachnids from the branches above “Run!” Raven shouted once more, snapping her out of her daze.

The Queen screeched madly in reaction, turning suddenly faster.

Discordia clenched her weapon and turned about, dashing forwards as fast as her legs took her. She could feel the creature’s eyes on her back, as she heard its mandibles click and tremble wetly with saliva. It sent a whole new wave of coldness crawl up her spine, her running speed comically increased.

But she couldn’t keep up with Raven, as he ran much faster than her and already ways ahead. To the point that she lost him briefly after, as the ground began to tremble beneath her. She heard the creature chase after them, hearing the trees bending beneath its strength, the branches break and bushes crushed behind its weight and power.

As it hissed and screeched, alongside the constant loud and wet clicking of its mandibles.

Discordia was terrified, she couldn’t hide it. She ran, as fast as she could she ran while tears formed at the corner of her eyes. She tripped over more times than she could count as she ran, but every time she got back up and continued onwards. The looming terror that was the sound and shaking ground edging her onwards.

She almost forgot this was a game, the fear of what she briefly glimpsed at too much for her fragile mind.

Until finally, Discordia saw light through the dim forest ahead. She charged head-on, aiming for the light. She burst through the bushes, finding herself back in the normal forest. An opening at that, larger than the previous one. Enough that looking up allowed her to see the cavern’s ceiling, as the ever-present crystal’s light rained upon her surroundings.

She didn’t stop there.

No Discordia continued to run, finding no more obstacles in the way she dashed for the other side of the opening…When suddenly the sound of breaking trees caught her attention, she turned to glance behind herself.

The Queen Arachnid bashed through trees, its bulky armoured body unaffected as debris of bark and branches slid off the metallic plating that covered its black carapace in large bulges. Its thick long black legs, covered in hanging black hairs slashed through the obstacles with ease, their ends made like hooked blades cutting through the wood and leaves.

It crashed into the opening, its six glistening green eyes widened as they focused on Discordia. Its mandibles ever-clicking ferociously, thick two sets of two ending in even thicker black fangs. Hungrily it screeched, standing a dozen feet tall…almost as high as the trees themselves.

Before arching back and suddenly leaping at her.

Discordia’s eyes widened fully and so did her jaw, as she stood trembling in her boots. When suddenly something collided with her way before the creature landed, she flew aside and tumbled over several times before coming to a stop.

Raven had dashed for her, he charged her and pulled her with after grabbing her. As their tumbling ended he rolled with the momentum and came to standing, immediately pulling out four arrows, nocking one and then drawing his bow.

The massive Arachnid landed with a loud crash, as all her weight came down onto her six bladed legs. As she turned to face them, Raven began loosing arrow after arrow. “Ready your charge and aim for the legs!” he shouted at Discordia “Don’t miss!”

His arrows flew, two missed as they uselessly deflected off the spider’s carapace but two others hit their mark. Violet blood squirted out as two arrows embedded themselves into an eye each, leaving it with four.

The spider screeched in pain as it reared back, raising its front legs defensively.

“I’ll keep its attention!” Raven then said, before rushing towards the large creature.

“Keep…I-Its attention!?” Discordia repeated in disbelief “H-He’s insane!”

Raven chuckled as he stopped mere feet from the beast “I just might be…” as it loomed over him. The Queen Arachnid glanced down at him, as he drew his bow up at it. Loosing another arrow as it noticed him, knocking out another eye.

But this time the spider reacted, lunging down with both front legs as its eye got pierced by his arrow. Screeching in pain, it continued its attack momentum. Both bladed legs, with the hooks extended fully like a pole-blade. They descended down upon him, in the path to cleaving Raven’s body into three.

Raven reacted quickly, rolling forwards and under the creature, he evaded the two cleavers. Rolling fully and landing on his feet, he refilled his hand whilst making a run for it. The spider hissed ferociously, as it moved aside and spun about looking for him.

Raven stuck beneath it, staying out of sight as much as possible as he glanced over at Discordia. She was looking at him with utter and frozen disbelief. “Get! To! Charging!” He stuttered a shout, trying to concentrate on keeping the monster confused.

When suddenly the Arachnid Queen stopped…It arched upwards, elongating its legs fully as it rose up. Discordia’s eyes widened, she watched frozen.

The Arachnid Queen suddenly smashed down its torso, Raven tried to evade, he tried to roll out of the way but...

Party member [Raven] Level 2 has been killed by [Grimwood Arachnid Queen] Level 5

He wasn't fast enough.