「Somewhere else」

Somewhere else, in the deep cave system, a group of four aimlessly walked through some narrow passages as the sound of water dripping down echoed.

A man who wore bone armor and carried a poorly shaped spear made of the bones of the mutants he slew was leading the group.

It was almost comical watching the tensed-up man poking almost everything he saw with his spear, as if he was expecting an enemy to come out of it at the moment he let his guard even slightly down.

The rest of the group watched it with amusement, thinking it was just a matter of time till he acknowledged that they were alone here.

But seeing how his older brother still was as paranoid since they spawned onto the third floor, his younger brother grabbed Luke's arm, commenting, "it's so boring."

However, the latter didn't budge and merely glanced at his brother. Luke's face clearly showed that this wasn't the right time for gimmicks. Unfortunally for the older brother, even his younger sister had enough of his paranoia. She grabbed Luke's right hand to mess with him.

'How am I supposed to lead or protect you two?' thought Luke, who was slowly giving in.

Since the three siblings reunited at the end of the first floor, they seemed to be inseparable. The younger two took it even a step further since they were sticking onto the latter as if they were magnets.

"Please… stop pulling my arms," sighed Luke helplessly, who was growing annoyed by the gimmicks.

'These two brats are taking the situation far too easy. Have they already forgotten that death could be lurking at the next corner?'

But the two didn't budge either. Seeing how Luke, their older brother, was way too paranoid and not fond of their gimmicks, his younger sister commented: "stop being such a killjoy. What should even happen here? We have been wandering aimlessly for like six fucking hours straight and haven't seen anything. If there were even creatures down here, it would have visited us."

Luke wanted to dispute her claims, but Evie gently put her hand on his shoulder.

With a sigh, he turned his gaze towards her, who was smiling.

"Luke…I think the two are right. Don't you find it strange how we ended up here and haven't yet seen any remains of other living creatures here?" asked Evie, with a smile.

"Well, you are right, but doesn't it make the situation more tricky? Don't you think the dungeon would grant us an easy floor? Where are the mutants from the first floor? Haven't they conquered everything below the fifth floor?" asked Luke, who was shaking his head.

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"I agree with you. But maybe the dungeon doesn't have to make even sense or so? I don't know how I should say it. But maybe it's toying with us by giving us a floor devoid of creatures, hoping to drive morons like you insane, who are looking for enemies everywhere? Anyway… I still hope that we find some of our other group members soon." sighed Evie with a smile before quickly adding: "You should enjoy these peaceful moments with your siblings. Who knows when we will have such a silent floor again."

'Maybe Evie is right. Maybe the dungeon is toying with me. But it's been a long time since I was wrong about my senses. I can't… it feels as if something tragic will happen soon. Maybe something horrible is already happening to our other group members? Maybe they are fighting to the death against a creature, which is why we haven't found any signs of their existence here," thought Luke.

The more he thought about it, the more it was driving him to insanity. In the end, he couldn't even hold his spear without uncontrollably shaking.

'I'm definitely looking like a joke.'

"Brother, why are you shaking?" asked Anne, who was gently hugging the arm of her older brother.

Luke didn't reply to her and was still deeply entrenched in his thoughts, questioning himself.

'The chance for that should be pretty low. Evie probably is right, with me being just too paranoid. We will find out the truth soon anyway, which is why I should probably enjoy the leisure time with my siblings. Who knows when we will have such peaceful moments again?'

But before he could continue being lost in his thoughts, Anne took his bone helmet angrily off, demanding his attention. Luke found it kind of cute, and it even made him smile.

"Well, it's nothing, sis. Your older brother is just worried about you two since he doesn't want to lose you again. My worries somehow keep me paranoid. Anyway, sorry for being a stiff older brother who doesn't use the situation to his advantage," chuckled Luke, whose white face slowly reddened with embarrassment.

"That's fine. Brother… I think staying here won't do you any good in the long term. Maybe we should leave the dungeon after finishing this floor," admitted Anna, and Luke forced a smile upon his face before confessing to Anne:

"Anne… I would do nothing more than to leave this mess behind. But there is a small problem. I can't leave the rest behind… not yet. They are too dependent on me, you know. The moment I leave will be the day when the casualties will increase tenfolds. Tell me, Anne, how can I leave with so many people depending on me?"

"Well, force them to leave with you the dungeon. Brother… there will come a day when you have to choose between leaving this godforsaken place with your siblings or dying here. The longer we stay here, the more likely we will end up dying here. Please… at least promise me that you will be leaving the dungeon with us as fast as possible," pleaded his sister, who already had teary eyes.

Seeing the eyes of his younger sister Luke's heart immediately melted.

'How foolish I am. The two were the only reason why I even came here. Why should the rest even matter to me? They are important to me, but my siblings still hold priority. Gab, who also has siblings, will understand and probably, even support my decision. There is no reason to die here. I've got two talents, and my future should be bright as long as I survive.'

In the end, Luke gave his sister a kiss on her forehead before promising her: "We will be leaving the dungeon at the next floor. I promise."

"Thanks… brother."

Luke gave his two siblings each a kiss on their forehead before shifting his attention to his brother, who was quietly listening.

"Do you also want a kiss on your forehead Maurice?" Luke asked, unsure with a chuckle.

"Well, I may be 14, but only this time," the latter replied.

"Sure, sure. I won't bother you again," laughed Luke before giving the latter also a kiss.

'I'm envious of the three. I wish my siblings weren't busy killing each other and me," thought Evie, who was watching the spectacle.