The journey back to California was haunting. After we did a clean sweep of Galveston, picking up stray civilians along the way, the pilots in the other transport helicopters broke off with the primary vehicle to drop off the civilians somewhere safe, as ordered by Mr. Reed. The ones present were me, Darion, Sophie, Sam, Camila, Mr. Reed, the two siblings, the foreigners, and our newest member Lana…

The atmosphere inside the area was oppressive, the air thick with dread and the sound of the helicopter blades whirring. Mr. Reed was among the many who were looking at Lana, the culprit of our turmoil. For whatever reason, she refused to join the other helicopters, stubbornly insisting that she wished to join ours instead. At first, Darion prohibited her from entering the helicopter, warning the young woman that this was reserved for ‘VIP’, but Mr. Reed stopped him. Darion was on the brink of making a sly remark in the presence of our superior, however Mr. Reed gave him a warning glance that silenced him immediately. I merely observed from the periphery, noticing Mr. Reed swallow a large lump. I knew right there and then that Mr. Reed and I were thinking of the same thing.

This person was unbelievably strong.

Lana’s uninviting aura had almost everyone sitting as far away from her as possible, some with jittery legs and others twiddling their thumbs, in fear that the lady would pull out a knife and slit their throats in just under a second. However, a select few weren’t affected. Isaac and Chen Ling sat right next to Lana, watching her with brimming curiosity while Laila and Darion were one seat away, sneaking glimpses at Lana. Those five sat in the same row while the rest were on the opposite.

I thought about sitting next to the blonde as a sort of protective measure in case she was up to no good, but I felt it was better to protect Mr. Reed instead. If Lana were to go crazy, then Chen Ling, Isaac, and Laila would stop her, as they were the strongest ones here. Despite that, a nagging feeling in my gut was telling me that even those three may not be enough to stop her. And that gut feeling truly terrified me. How the hell would three people in the top 10 not be able to stop Lana? She doesn’t appear to be from Athiens as there are no horns or any notable outward features. She’s even wearing clothes you frequently see people wear in America! A biker jacket draped over a t-shirt, blue jeans, and boots? You would think she’s the daughter of some biker gang!

Alas, looks can be deceiving; like an owl hidden in plain sight amongst the tree bark, or using filters to make a photograph appear more beautiful than it really is. In life, you got to really pay attention to even the littlest of details to not be deceived, or else you’ll miss the important bits. To how this pertains to Lana, I know for a fact this person is hiding something. The only information she disclosed was her name and nothing else. No last name, family members, where she was born, none of that. When I asked her how she had been getting by independently in Galveston, she crinkled her nose in disapproval and fixed me with her intense gaze that made my skin crawl. A young woman like her appearing out of nowhere and insisting on joining us like she was a part of the group? I could practically see a bunch of red flags hovering above her head!

Even with eyes all on her, the little lady wasn’t the least bit worried. She had her eyes closed, arms and legs crossed as if she was slumbering peacefully. Her glossy lips were slightly parted and her breath came in short, shallow breaths. A single thread of honey-like locks from her bangs rested over her nose like an out-of-control hair resisting against a comb. Lana was way too at ease, and that bothered me and everyone else deeply.

While in a trance-like state, my gaze was drawn to the distant silhouette of a set of hills I recognized. A set of residential neighborhoods littered the green hills, like jutting rocks from an earthquake. Behind these hills was the breathtaking view of the Los Angeles skyline. Buildings as tall as mountains stood in the distance, a ray of yellow sunshine radiating off the steep snow tops of mountains and metal. The helicopter’s flight path was heading straight toward the outskirts of the city, and I knew exactly where it would land, a place near The Six Hunter’s meeting place, or commonly known as Mr. Reeds’ mansion. Even if the helicopter was heading toward that destination, would Mr. Reed really bring along the siblings and foreigners? That doesn’t seem like a smart plan at all. Well, I’ll know once we get there. Mr. Reed knows what he’s doing, and I will not start doubting him now.

****

“Here we are.” Mr. Reed announced.

Once everyone had filed out of the helicopter, the contraption elevated. It picked up dust and rock and created miniature sandstorms that had us all coughing and gagging. Mr. Reed stood in front of his lavish mansion as he peered over us one by one. By his side was Paul, the pudgy man, and Jared, the well-dressed assistant.

“First off,” Mr. Reed began. “Jared, if you would please.”

With a curt nod, Jared briskly left Mr. Reed’s side and trudged over to where I stood. Once he stopped right in front of me and spread his arms, I quickly figured out what was happening. On my shoulders, I was carrying Leo’s body and Jared was waiting for me to deposit him, probably to send him off somewhere safe until things cooled off. Silently, I placed the deceased Leo gently into the arms of Jared. Leo’s complexion was turning a smidge pale, and his skin had gone cold. Lips slightly parted, and eyebrows furrowed, as if something displeasing had happened to him before the time of death. A permanent look of pain and awe. It has been a few days since Leo tragically lost his life in the Labyrinth, and the only ones who saw his last moments were Camila and those damned athios…

“If you don’t unknit your eyebrows, the wrinkles on your forehead will get worse,” a quiet voice spoke from behind. When I glanced backwards, it was Darion who had spoken. Before I could utter a retort, the boy placed a hand on my back and patted it, while solemnly watching Leo being carried off to a limousine parked in front of the mansion.

“…I might sound like an asshole for saying this,” Mr. Reed spoke up, “but we have more pressing matters to attend to.”

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“Yea, we have much to talk about,” I said, prying my eyes away from the limousine.

Our superior sighed and said, “I know you’re all exhausted from fighting against monsters constantly while protecting the civilians, but our work here isn’t done. We’ll talk more about this inside.”

Mr. Reed nodded over at Paul, who had been silently watching this whole time. At his instructions, Paul opened the doors to the mansion and ushered us inside. As expected, the mansion was spotless and polished. Mr. Reed and Paul led us to the left of a hallway, heading directly to the kitchen. Once there, Mr. Reed stopped everyone and pointed at the thick marble countertop.

“Lana, the siblings, and the foreigners will wait in the kitchen area while Paul watches over them. If you need anything, like food, water, or a good shower, ask Paul. The Six Hunters and I will have a private conversation about what to do nex-“

“Hold on there, Mr. Reed,” I interjected. “Isaac and Laila should join us. I can vouch that they hold important pieces of information beneficial to not only us, but the country.”

Mr. Reed stared at me for a couple of seconds, stroking his chin as he glanced at the two siblings. Isaac was preoccupied with gazing at Lana, who was carefully studying the chairs, television, and fireplace, with Laila amusing herself with the dragon on her shoulders.

“Joel is right,” Laila began. “I have a lot to say about our time in Athiens, and what I so happened to learn in the First Stage. Right Isaac?”

Isaac’s shoulders flinched at his sister’s words and averted his gaze away from Lana. “Hm? Oh yeah. Lotta of things.”

“Uh-huh…” Mr. Reed mumbled, furrowing his brow at Isaac. “Paul, watch over our guests. The rest will follow me.”

“On it,” said Paul.

Mr. Reed turned around and stepped outside of the kitchen and strutted to the backyard. One by one, everyone followed him in a single-file line. We passed by the spiral staircase leading to the upper levels, the theatre room, indoor gym, recreational area, and many bedrooms.

“Hot damn, this mansion is super cool!” Isaac gasped.

“I can feel the rich aura permeating my body…” Laila mumbled, gawking at every crevice.

“Just breathing in here feels expensive! I’m just saying it here now- I’m flat out broke and I’m not paying for anything.”

Mr. Reed chuckled at Isaac’s joke. “Oh really now? Since you entered my mansion, you must pay the entrance fee.”

“There’s an entrance fee?!”

“No, I was just joking.”

Isaac’s face flushed as we entered the backyard. Up ahead, the corners of Mr. Reed’s lips curled upward. It was evident that the man was inwardly amused by Isaac’s reaction. I never thought of Mr. Reed as the sort of person to crack jokes. For as long as I’ve known him, he is a stoic fellow that takes his job seriously. In fact, I recall Mr. Reed had yet to take a vacation or a day off. A month after we were introduced, and Mr. Reed called me to his office for the guild proceedings. During that period, I asked him why he was so serious most of the time. The man looked up from a paper he was reading and swiveled in his office chair, gazing out of a sixth-floor window.

“If I were to take a day off, fully aware that Dungeons are forming as we speak, and a Dungeon Outbreak occurred during a vacation, then the lives lost would staggeringly increase. You and I have duties to uphold, Joel Parker. I inform you of Dungeon Outbreaks and you superhumans get the job done. Slacking off leads to more bodies on the ground. Dungeon Conquerors are first responders, much like firefighters, police officers, and nurses. If first responders are slow to respond, then we aren’t meant to uphold a duty this important. We might as well be civilians watching in the sidelines at that point.”

What Mr. Reed said that day had been glued to my mind ever since. His words are one of the reasons why I am still a Dungeon Conqueror to this day. I had mentioned before that I do not enjoy entering Dungeons as they remind me of what was lost. Whenever I entered a Dungeon, an unforeseen force would clasp my chest, constricting it to where inhaling was difficult to do. I don’t have those kinds of terrifying episodes anymore as time went on. Seeing the smiling faces of civilians I saved from Dungeon Outbreaks and knowing they were safe and sound was the drive I needed to continue further. Add in the fact that Mr. Reed’s words resonated to me on a personal level, it truly is a wonder that I’m still standing here, sane.

“We’ve arrived.” Mr. Reed announced, snapping me back to reality.

We all halted in front of the meeting place. A shed, yet much like the garage in the mansion, an area big enough to fit ten cars and still have some space leftover. The walls were made of metal and steel components that could withstand a nuclear attack. If a superhuman had their eyes set on this shed, they would have to exert much strength just to even lay a scratch on its solid exterior. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Mr. Reed paused in front of a keypad and punched in some numbers, making sure that his whole body was covering the contraption. Moments later, the metallic doors swung open, and the man led us further inside. Without another word, we all marched inside the empty shed, the sounds of squeaking shoes echoing across the space. In the place's corner was an area that had a wood floor plan, and embedded was another door. Walking briskly, Mr. Reed opened it, revealing a set of stairs leading underground.

“If I had a nickel for every time I entered a place underground, I would have three nickels,” Isaac muttered. “While not a lot, it’s weird it’s happened three times in the span of one year.”

“I hate going underground,” Laila mumbled.

Sophie nodded feverishly at the sibling’s discontent. “I-It seems I’m not the only one who hate’s dark places…”

While we all climbed down the stairs, Isaac asked Sophie a question.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why do you hate dark places?” Isaac said through the sounds of creaky floorboards.

“…I-It’s kind of embarrassing to say out loud,” Sophie whispered.

“Embarrassing? What, you afraid of ghosts or something?”

“Let’s j-just say I had a traumatic e-experience when I touched something s-slimy a-and gross while blind.”

“Really now…”

As I watched Sophie’s shoulders shiver from remembering ‘that’ haunting experience, Mr. Reed had already whispered a code into a speaker, thus revealing The Six Hunter’s gathering place, a place swarming with electronics, computers, and monitor keeping us up-to-date with current news. The atmosphere reminded me of a mission control room you would see in NASA, except way less advanced.

“Why the hell are there so many computers here?! Do you even use these things?” Isaac gasped.

“Of course we do,” Mr. Reed answered defiantly. “We just don’t use them that often. Everyone, take a seat. Joel can take mine since we only have seven total.”

All of us did was what asked and bumbled toward the long table in the middle. As Mr. Reed instructed, I sat at the top while Sam, Camila, and Laila took the left and Darion, Sophie, and Isaac to the right. Our superior just stood right next to me, standing tall as if he were my bodyguard. It was kind of awkward sitting in the head honcho seat, as it was exclusively reserved for Mr. Reed, but the man insisted. I think he’s just being courteous, not wanting anyone else to stand. I wouldn’t mind though since I’m a superhuman and all that…

Mr. Reed adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. “Without further ado, let us begin. We will now discuss our experiences, what we have learned so far, and our next course of action.”