"God. Dammit. Not you." Taki begrudgingly took Daisuke's hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

"It's only fair that we help you out - I think we accidentally got your team into this mess."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Yuuki over there tossed a grenade at that horned mother fucker and caused the tunnel back that way to implode."

Yuuki waved apologetically.

"You had grenades!?" Benzo half-groaned, half-yelled in the background.

Daisuke ignored him. "We had to walk all the way around to get back here and, well...looks like we caused you all to fall into a level that was a little over your heads."

Taki started to protest but realized that he was right. they had totally been in over their heads. The only reason they weren't dead was luck.

"Anyway, we'll help you get out of here - the main shaft is just up ahead. If you all hadn't been unlucky enough to run into that swarm, you would have been home free."

"Thanks Daisuke. I...I appreciate it." Taki was almost choking on the words, but he had to say it.

"By the way, what happened to the Minotaur anyway?" Daisuke asked as the group began to make their way through the tunnel.

"We injured it, but it got away. It has some kind of special power - it can manipulate the walls. Make them move around.

"That red stuff...so that's why we couldn't find it on the way back."

"Wait...are you going back after it!?" Taki couldn't imagine actually hunting that creature.

"Of course. That thing is probably worth tons of XP. If I can kill it, I might get up to level twelve."

Taki was in disbelief, both at Daisuke's confidence and the fact that he had jumped at least two levels in the last couple of days. "How the hell are you almost level twelve!?"

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Daisuke smirked. "It's a secret. I might tell you one day, but for now - no way."

They were finally at the main shaft. Daisuke pressed a button and the lift that had carried C-team to the first level above arrived, the rusted gates clanging open.

Taki considered his thoughts for a moment as they all filed into the janky lift. "By the way, I'm sorry about your friend."

Daisuke's expression hardened. "Yeah, me too. If I get a chance, I'm going to kill that old bastard."

Taki understood. He had felt the same way. The only thing that had stopped him had been the voice. He decided to take a small risk. "What stopped you before?"

Daisuke tensed. "Just...it wasn't the right time. As soon as they give us guns, though, it's over."

Taki nodded. So Daisuke wasn't ready to open up just yet. He had hoped his rival might have more information about the voice. Not knowing much about the reality of their present situation, however, Taki wasn't comfortable asking about it out loud just yet. It didn't seem safe.

C-Team waved goodbye to A-team, thanking them for the help, and boarded a bus. Daisuke and his team seemed to have a renewed motivation to re-enter the crater and find the Minotaur. Taki wondered if their conversation had held any impact on that.

The ride to the hospital was uneventful. More destruction, more ruined buildings on display, but the hospital was thankfully intact for the most part. There was barely anyone in the lobby and only a few hospital staff, who seemed to all be caring for teams of students such as themselves. It was clear that most encounters didn't leave people injured - they left them dead.

Benzo had his leg set and was resting comfortably in a room shared by a few other teens, all of whom had been incapacitated during the crater raid.

"So he'll be okay!?" Sakura brightened after the doctor shared the news.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," the doctor replied, "it's just a normal break. He'll have to stay off of it for about a month or so, but it will heal more or less on its own."

"Oi - team," Natsuki interrupted, waving her smart phone. The principle called; we're to report back to the school barracks as soon as possible. They want to be briefed on what we saw down there, apparently." The doctor excused himself to see other patients.

Sakura sighed, exasperated. "We haven't been home at all since this started...I'm getting tired of sleeping in cots at the school."

"Agreed. And the school and government are doing a lot of asking and telling, but not much in the way of rewarding us. I don't know what their plan is, but this isn't feasible in the long run." Natsuki frowned.

"You ladies go - I'm going to stay with Benzo so he doesn't get lonely."

"You just don't want to go back to the school!" Sakura pouted playfully.

"So what if I don't?" Taki winked.

"Fine. We'll go. But if they ask for you, I'm not covering for you." Natsuki waved a finger at him.

"Wouldn't expect you to." Taki grinned.

"Come on, let's get going. I want to get this over with." Natsuki grabbed Sakura by the elbow.

"Bye. Tell Benzo we hope he heals up soon!" Sakura waved as she was half-dragged away.

You made the right choice, he heard the voice say as the girls walked away into the night. Your friend needs you here and we need to talk.

"Yes," he agreed, "we really need to talk."