Moving up the stairs back out into the jungle layer, the two leaders were extremely quick to start bickering. Despite their earlier mood, Gale and Throne just could not see Eye to Eye no matter what. This time, it was regarding the level of awareness we should be carrying out as we walked back through the third floor.

"Hey, stop walking so fast!" Gale told him off, "There might be more of those things lurking around every corner."

"You dealt with all of them." Throne explained like he was talking to a child, "I would know, 'cause I pranced on through after you guys and I saw only their mutilated carcasses."

"They can revive, as can we." Sheep chimed in.

"Hm?"

"We call it the Third Floor's Blessing, no one can die in the jungle layer." Vastoria added, "I think we should still exercise some level of awareness just in case. You never know with these things."

"Vastoria, I must ask..." Throne turned to her, "You've been acting very contrarian as of late. Are you perhaps still angry over what I did to Sab?"

"Eh? No, where'd that come from?" She furrowed her brows.

"Not everything revolves around you, Throne..." I smirked.

"You may not realize it, but I can tell there was a change in her attitude towards me." Throne said something that sounded full of himself, "I was willing to let slide her siding with Gale about us leaving the Shrine, but even over minute things like being wary? In any case, if there really were more of those things out there, wouldn't it be safer to leave as fast as possible?"

Hmm, he's not wrong there... But on the other hand, the rest of us have all experienced firsthand what happens when you rush through this Shrine. Though we are climbing back up instead of going down the intended route, it still doesn't mean we can afford to be careless. Though I think he's wrong on many accounts, I do have to agree with Gale on this one wholeheartedly.

"Hm... Okay, then." Throne began walking at a faster pace ahead of us, "You slowpokes go at that snail's pace! I'll scout the area ahead, and if I deem it to be safe, I'll come back and...!"

"Throne." Gale ordered him, "Get back here. No one's going off on their own. That's how you get yourself killed."

"Ehh~? But didn't you say we can't die in this floor?" Throne mocked him, "Honestly, I feel like you've been feeding me nothing but lies ever since we met. First you said we can die in the Shrine, then you tell me we can't actually die in floor 3. You said the bed was a deathtrap, but Vastoria woke up within minutes!"

"Throne, get back here!" Gale got annoyed by his behavior, "Didn't you say you'll leave the bickering until after we leave the Shrine?!"

"That doesn't mean I'll be your obedient little servant!" Throne shot back, "Hmph, first it was Sab, and now you're going after me next! Oh, the horrors..."

...Hm? Sab? When'd they meet up with Sab? I-I mean, Gale did say he was gonna go get Sab and everything, but I thought he changed his mind and went back to the Shrine after getting advice from the Gods. Gale quieted down anxiously as well, why in the world isn't he denying it, or at the very least explaining himself? Throne got us all curious now.

"Gale?" Sheep tilted his head.

"Gale, what does he mean by that?" Vastoria too asked, "If you met up with Sab, why isn't he here with us?"

"Guys, guys, would you give the poor guy a break?" I stood between them, "Sab's probably up there, either keeping watch or unable to phase through the barrier. Isn't that right, Gale?"

For the love of Prylos and all that is holy, please let this be the case... Gale's been acting weird for a damn long while now, but he was never violent. This especially goes for his friends, though I imagine Throne's a different case. Gale's silence is only incriminating him more and more with each second, so by the Gods, say something!

"..."

".....Hmph." Throne let out a confident chuckle.

In the end, Gale couldn't bring himself to even utter a single word. What could he have done to Sab for Throne to accuse him like this? He looks like he regrets doing it, but that doesn't really make me any less worried. Gasp, could it be...?! Did Sab... die during their descent down the Shrine? No, all signs point to it... Tch, from the looks of it, Throne's not gonna let us make any more theories, as he intends to spill the beans completely.

"...Honestly, you're way too honest with yourself." Throne patted him on the back annoyedly, "Come on, at the very least clear the air, otherwise the others will think you actually did something to him!"

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"E-Eh?" We paused.

"I was just trying to knock you down a peg or two, but you took it to heart, Galey!" Throne rolled his Eyes, "You see, everyone—Once those two flew over to the barrier, Gale told Sab he wasn't fit to come with us, and after a heated argument, he left to go back to his home."

I-Is that it? Geez, then why the hell does Gale have this look of death on his face? Scared the crap outta me, man... D'oh, I thought he freaking got Sab killed or something, but now you're telling me they just got into a bit of a disagreement that led to Sab quitting?! No duh, Sab's incapable! If Gale's mission is to keep everyone safe, then he obviously would want Sab to stay away!

"Sheesh, Gale." Sheep consoled him as we kept moving forward, "You owe that guy a big apology, y'know?"

"..."

"It's not that big of a deal if that's all that happened." Vastoria too, gave her two cents.

"......"

"Yes, yes, such a kind and compassionate soul. Getting heartbroken over such... trivialities." Throne poorly tried mimicking their consolation, "But lucky for you, friend, I'm a lot more patient than that boy Sab. Unlike him, you can't get rid of me easily... at all."

"...ry." Gale finally muttered something under his breath.

"Come again?" Throne put his ear closer to his face.

"...I'm sorry." He gulped, "Let's pick up the pace."

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That was strange. Did Gale just accept Throne's suggestion to go faster to try and keep the peace? No, in this situation, he had every right to get angry, I think. Like, I mean that—Throne took it way too far with the guilt tripping. Gale obviously feels bad about what he did to Sab, and yet you still choose to make him feel worse? That's a new low, at this point I'm just being forced to pick between the lesser evil, and these two keep constantly revealing the other to be the bigger one. It's getting annoying, so I think we're in desperate need of a remedy.

"Hey guys, let's play a game." I suggested with a wholesome smile on my face, "Who utters a word, steps on a turd!"

"....?" They all looked at me with puzzled gazes.

Ahaha! Gold star, Maggie! And with that, the game was afoot! I've come to realize something—The more they talk, the more they bicker, so to fix this I had them shut the hell up! Really, my genius knows no bounds. Granted, it's a children's game mostly made up by their tired parents who wanted a moment of tranquility in their lives, but I think that checks out for our situation. Honestly, just looking around to scope out everyone's expressions was hilarious—They all thought it was dumb, but no one wanted to be the first to speak up about it! In the end, stepping on a turd is no laughing matter, though that part's obviously just figurative. Ahh, finally, we can continue the trek up the Shrine in peace!"

"...?" Vastoria glanced around.

"..." Sheep didn't mind keeping his mouth shut at all, since he's used to it from his job.

".....!" Gale looked like he had something he desperately needed to say, but didn't want this to be how he revealed it.

"...:D" And Throne just grinned back at me.

We kept speeding through the jungle layer at an incredible pace, and now that we didn't have to stop to resolve any sudden conflicts, it only made our time better. Really, I'm the one most surprised that this worked as well as it did. And no one's even questioning my decision, they just all shut up and refused to talk back. Guess they all must've just wanted to achieve this outcome, but they couldn't find a way to do it until I suggested it. Hold on, am I actually... a genius?

"...-" Gale tried calling time out with his hands.

Hey, no signing! That's considered talking for deaf people as well, so that's definitely a Yellow card! One more strike and you're out, buddy! Ohh, but I'm signing this to him right now, so I guess we both get a Yellow card. Dammit Gale, you almost made me lose the game!

"...?" Throne noticed something off in the distance as we turned the corner.

"!!!!" Gale pulled us all back behind the corner as a stray bat roach lunged at us.

"A-!" I was about to call the game off, but he stopped me.

"..." Gale looked at me with Eyes that screamed "Don't."

Is this dude serious?! The game's effective at keeping us from tearing each others' throats out, but this is an emergency! Does he seriously want us to take that thing down without even uttering a single word?! Gale...!

The battle commenced, though our team was in complete disarray. We mostly relied on Gale's sword and agility, and though we did have Sheep and his fork, that was only to be a last resort. The bat roach, however, was aggressive as hell, constantly going at us until we were all pretty well spaced out. This one, it's different than the others we've faced before...! This one actually has some strategy to it!

No matter how fast it flew at him, the bat roach would always somehow stop just before hitting Gale's mandible sword and back away. It kept doing this, constantly feinting him, only to finally charge towards him full-throttle. It flew so fast I couldn't even keep track of it, but once Gale was confident it was going to attack for real this time... It dodged him, and instead went for the lone Throne who was separated from us during its initial onslaught.

"!!!" Throne panicked, reflexively putting his black hand out in fear at the beast, only to crane open his Eyes with a confident smirk.

The bat roach, surprisingly, had stopped the attack just before hitting him. It stood in front of his arm obediently, like a moth enamored by a lamp. My first instinct was to assume that that black arm had tamed it, but alas, that was just my wishful thinking. This was indeed some sort of breakthrough, however, as instead of attacking Throne, it had actively ran away from his arm. Just then, I understood why this was the case—The poison! It was the poison in his arm from the dart hitting it, these things can sense it and are actively deterred by it!

In a surprising turn of events, we had accidentally stumbled upon our single most luckiest break yet. With his smugness now on full blast after outing himself as the king of roach bats, he declared his victory proudly.

"See that? I told you I'm-!"

"Ah, you spoke." Vastoria pointed, "You lost the game."

"Wuh-" He paused, flabbergasted, before screeching with all his might, "...Ngahhhh!!!"