Between rocks and webs, a spider-like creature searched with its eyes for food. Finally, its gaze fixed on the perfect target; before it could prepare its attack, its victim struck first, and a bullet pierced its head.
"Headshot!" — The creature's dead body plummeted from the ceiling, its size comparable to that of a cat. During this, Ashia was seen with one hand on her sniper rifle and the other in her hair, a confident look on her face.
"Stop playing around and focus." — Wielding two daggers, he tried to lecture Ashia, who in turn pouted.
"Ghost, you're so boring sometimes." — With his distraction, a new attack from another creature came from behind him.
"Freezing fire!" — Just as Ashia was about to be hit, the creature was split in half, its body bursting into flames and, a second later, freezing solid. — "I recommend listening to your friend."
"Wow, are you boring too?" — Feigning sadness, she rested her face on the tip of her rifle.
Ghost, as the leader of the group, was ahead of them both, checking for enemies around; finally, he sat down in a corner and took a piece of bread from his bag.
"You two can take a break." — He warned his companions and began to eat his bread.
"Huh? You don't need to repeat yourself." — Intuitively, she started running towards Ghost; sometimes it seemed like she didn't even think before acting.
Unlike his colleague, Gachuti walked with calm steps, yet he remained alert; he sat down beside them and also took a piece of bread from his bag. They ate, rested, and then continued to finish the next floor, which was the third of the dungeon.
Hours passed, and they were finally back on the surface. The blue sky they had entered under had already been stained with the orange of the sunset. Ghost and Gachuti were talking about dividing the earnings of the day. Ghost's hood and cloak were covered in black blood, while Gachuti, on the other hand, was impeccably clean.
"So it'll be half for you and half for us." — He extended his arm to seal the agreement.
"I agree with that division." — He shook Ghost's hand, closing the deal.
"Speaking of which, we'll need three people tomorrow to continue the mission. Would you like to come with us?"
"I'll be free tomorrow, so it won't hurt." — He scratched his face with one finger.
Suddenly, the conversation was interrupted by Ashia, who came running towards them, grabbing Ghost's arm and trying to pull him. The difference in strength was clear.
"What's wrong, Ashia?" — He asked, still rooted to the spot.
His hood still covered his face, however, this didn't seem to affect him. His gaze fell on Ashia; the elf's face was confused by her ally's question, who was only trying to understand the situation.
"What do you mean? Don't you remember you said a new bakery opened?" — There was a hint of accusation in Ashia's voice.
"I recall that, but that didn't answer my question."
"You swore we'd go after the dungeon." — She continued trying to drag Ghost, who was clearly taller than the elf.
"Have you looked at the time?"
"Please!" — Her eyes were wide open, and her lips formed a pout.
"I'm too tired, let's go tomorrow."
"You're the one who always says to keep your promises." — She put her arm over her face, pretending to cry.
"Gachuti, we'll finish this conversation later." — He paused for a moment, then let out a sigh and gave in to Ashia's request.
After the pair left, silence began to settle, and at this moment, his shadow moved, and Blood emerged with his smile. Gachuti, upon seeing him, sighed.
"Those guys are pretty strange." — Blood said, while floating around Gachuti.
"I thought so too, but we better head back."
Blood looked at Gachuti, who was clearly tired from the day, and started walking back towards the inn. After a hot bath, he put on loose clothes and let the softness and comfort of the mattress carry him away. He felt his consciousness drift as exhaustion overcame him.
"Where am I? This place is familiar." — His gaze darted from side to side, scanning the forest where he found himself.
"Why?" — A weak female voice broke the silence of his thoughts.
"That voice... Rosary?" — Shock and fear filled his face as he saw the young woman.
It was undeniably her in front of him, and it terrified him. Her pink strands were stained with a dark red, her once brown skin had turned pale, and her golden eyes, which used to seem to gleam, now only reflected the darkness of the holes that had taken their place.
"Why? Didn't Gachuti save me?" — She stretched out her arms and tried to reach him.
Out of desperation and perhaps shock, he took small steps backward, and his breathing became heavy, falling to the ground after tripping over something. His gaze quickly returned to the young woman, who with each step, little by little, blood dripped from the holes where her eyes should have been.
"No, no." — Tears streamed down his face, and a lump formed in his throat.
The atmosphere of that forest began to grow more sinister, with a fog covering his vision, and at this moment, an icy touch came to his face, making his heart race faster. As he moved away, he saw the culprit of the movement: it was Thijou, who was partially buried.
"My village..." — It was almost impossible to hear his voice.
"I swear I did my best!" — Lying in a fetal position, he struggled not to hear the voices, covering his ears with his hands.
"The culprit is..." — From the ground, hands emerged, pulling him down as well, while several voices echoed.
"Help! Someone help me!" — Despair, fear, and anguish could be felt in his voice.
As he was being pulled down, the young woman had reached where he was, crouching down and cupping his cheeks, with the sticky red droplets falling onto his face, mixing with his tears.
"Tell me... Why didn't you save me?"
"I'm... I'm sorry, it's my fault." — Finally, the arms finished pulling him into the ground.
He opened his eyes and saw the ceiling of the rented room. His breathing was still heavy, tears were falling, and his heart was beating so hard it felt like it wanted to leap out of his chest. When the sobs stopped and his body returned to normal, a knocking sound came from the door.
"Who is it?" — He asked, still trying to catch his breath.
"It's me, Ashia."
"Ashia? Right, the Dungeon." — He whispered, while putting his hand on his face.
"Are you going to take long? I thought the three of us could have breakfast together."
"I'm just going to finish getting ready and I'll be right down."
Against his will, he got out of bed and stretched his arms, finishing with a yawn. He followed his routine as usual, opening the windows, and the moment he did, a soft breeze entered the room, accompanied by the sun's rays that touched his skin, warming it and causing a small smile to appear on his face.
A sigh escaped his lips, and his gaze seemed to want to hold onto that moment; however, he knew he couldn't. He headed to the counter, where he pulled open the first drawer and took out a comb, a brush, and toothpaste. Several good minutes had passed, and Gachuti was sitting on the edge of the bed, finishing putting on his boots. When he was done, he took his katana, still in its sheath, and positioned it at his waist.
Upon leaving his rented room, he went to the entrance, where he found Ghost enjoying a simple cup of tea and Ashia devouring several sweets that appeared to be made of chocolate. Their shape was square, and they had chocolate syrup on top; he sat down with the others and was served a cup of tea by Auratus.
"Since you're finished, we better go." — Ghost said after everyone had finished their breakfast.
Dungeon Spider (Sixth Floor)
"Oh Gachuti, are you alright?" — There was concern in the elf's question.
"Huh? Yes, why do you ask?"
"It's just that you seem out of it today."
"It's nothing much."
Breaking the serenity between the two, Ghost leaped backward with his daggers in hand, which instantly put them both on alert. And from the darkness, red eyes emerged, opening wide, and spider legs the size of a human leg stepped out of the shadows.
"Damn it, it wasn't supposed to be on such a high floor." - Ghost exclaimed.