The hidden floor door opened with a low vibration, like someone breathing glitchy static.
Inside was a cavern of metal and red lights, half-destroyed by corrupted code chunks.
A faint clicking echoed.
Aeris summoned a glowing sphere. "We need to stay alert."
Lyria nodded. "My viewers said this thing ate three ranked parties already."
"Lyria!" Riley hissed. "Stop streaming!"
"I'm not! But people stream everything. Even death."
Nyra's eyes glowed.
"Hostile approaching."
Scratching.
Claws.
Metal grinding.
The Glitch Spider crawled out of the darkness.
A massive horror made of broken lines of code and metal limbs fused with melted fragments of floor and ceiling. Its glowing red central eye focused directly on Riley.
Kaela readied her sword.
"Finally. Something I can stab."
The spider screeched, leaping downward.
Riley felt the glitch pulse in his chest.
And the world slowed again.