Chapter 44: Down the Dungeon 3

Lanon was laying flat on the ground, bruised and battered with his outfit torn and tattered. His left thigh was stabbed by a sharp wood. He didn't feel the pain because of the numb sensation in his thighs. Elias fared better than Lanon who was trying to get the rubble off Lanon.

Lanon opened his eyes. He pulled himself up only to feel his left thigh aching badly. He screamed loudly as he could. His eyes dilated. His chest heaved up and down as he tries to calm the pain. He was breathing furiously. Tears welled up in his eyes.

"Be a brave man!" said Elias. He pulled the rubble off Lanon and dragged him into this corner. Elias took out a cloth from his bag and tightly wrapped it around Lanon's thigh. He reached out for a bottle of alcohol and handed it to Lanon. "Here, should help in taking care of the pain. I don't know where we are right now but we are in a big trouble."

Elias told him what he didn't want to hear. Elias didn't want to lie. He didn't want to give false hope knowing that they might not make it alive. "But don't worry brother, I will be watching your back and in turn watch mine as well. The others should have noticed the attack and our fall. They should know what happen any moment."

Lanon gave a crumpled expression. He squeezed the words out of his mouth, "How many floors is this?"

Elias shook his head, "I don't know. We fell higher than expected and we are lucky enough to be alive." He glanced at the corpses of the men that died. "I hate it but to survive we need to take their belongings. Can you stand, Brother?"

"I can," said Lanon. He stood up and walked towards one of the corpses limping. He took their bags and took everything that looked important. His face was warped in pain but he endured it. There was dark everywhere. Fear covers his heart truly but he decided to be brave.

In front of his was the calm Elias. He didn't want to show his pain in front of him. He thought that it would be better if he doesn't worry his lifeline too much. Lanon believed that Elias was a person that could never compromise what believes in. Yet, he also knew that at the edge of death, people could abandon it all and change their beliefs out of fear.

He didn't want Elias to reach his breaking point. For Elias reaching his breaking point means that he will surely suffer. Elias was the only person who could fight the enemies. He could provide range support but he knew that it won't be enough. His ammunition is limited. The stamina of his lifeline was limited as well.

Lanon wasn't the brightest person alone there is. But even he could understand that in this situation he has to rely on Elias to survive this whole predicament. He needed him to survive this nightmare that he was thrown in.

…

In this dark tunnels, Elias stood firmly. His back was robust. The aura that emanated from him made him heroic. Lanon was limping behind Elias. He was struggling to move with his left thigh heavily injured. He was gritting his teeth in pain as he crosses an area entirely covered with tall grasses.

The grasses rustled as they move. Elias tried to keep silence but was unable to do so with Lanon following around. Elias thought, "He's injured. I have to make sure that we go through this."

Elias never abandons his comrades. In the face of utmost danger, he would never compromise on this. "Lanon's no good in fighting. All I can do now is to protect this brother of mine." He halted his steps and said, "Lanon, can you handle range support?"

Lanon weakly looked at Elias, "I can, Elias."

"Good," said Elias. "Assist me when we encounter monsters. I'll try to retrieve the bolts that you'll shot. We need to save them up."

"Okay," Elias nodded. The two continued walking past the grassy tunnel and scurried down this natural stairway. In their left was the bottom. They could not see any light from where they were standing. Elias and Lanon got used to seeing in the dark but down below they could not rely solely on their visions.

Elias borrowed Lanon's crossbow and shot three bolts at a glowing crystal. He stood the glowing crystals and attacked one to his body and sword. He gave Lanon the last crystal and told him, "I'll lead the way. It's useless to sneak around in this place. Not to mention that we cannot help but make a noise." He looked at Lanon's injured thigh.

Lanon lowered his head, "I am sorry, Elias."

"It's okay," said Elias. He gestured with his head and continued marching down this natural staircase that turned into a spiral as they go down. The two could not find any way up so their only way was to go down and search for an alternative area.

Along the way, Lanon felt chills. He smelled the excrement of the monsters. Their eerie roars as they simultaneous speak in their own monstrous language. Elias led the way. He would sometimes gesture at Lanon to cover the light from the crystal.

While walking down they encountered monsters that roamed in packs. Elias is a brave man but he wasn't that stupid enough to roar and charge at monsters in packs. The two prone and watched the monsters head inside a tunnel that led to a chamber presumably filled with monsters.

Elias took the lead and took a right in this narrow passageway leading to a small chamber room. Lanon was heaving his chest up and down. His head was covered in sweat. His left leg was trembling badly that he was swaying, trying to stand up.

Elias took a look at his condition and gave a small sigh, "We should stop, Brother. It's not wise to continue with your condition. Not to mention we don't really know what monsters we are going to encounter." Elias sat cross-legged and stabbed his sword on the ground.

Lanon fell on his butt. He held on to his thigh and took thirty breaths to calm his nerves.

...

They took a rest. They dug a bucket-sized hole and created a campfire. The campfire lampshade the faces of the two were resting in front of the Campfire. Elias was calm and firm. Lanon was miserable as he tries to lessen the pain on left thigh.

"Are you okay?" said Elias.

"No," he responded.

"Certainly, you aren't. All I can tell you that we will get out of here."

"How do we do that?" Lanon's face twisted. "I am a letdown. I know that I am holding you back. If I was alone here I would have despaired."

"You just need to be brave."

"That's easier said than done, I cannot find a reason to be brave. You know that I am no brave man, Elias. I am just a pauper who joined the guards to live. Do you know that I hate this profession? I hate joining this profession but I know that you all will call me a coward if I abandon this job. I was a goddamn beggar and I admit that this profession saved my life."

"So you fear?"

"Yes."

"I see." He nodded his head. "I cannot blame you for that. I will tell you to be brave but I do not expect you to be one. Brother, why did you abandon your comrades? Is this because of that fear?"

Lanon nodded. "I didn't have a choice. How do you expect me to deal a blow to those creatures that pounded them? My spear was worthless. I could not even bait the monsters to leave them alone and you expect me to somehow kill them? I was too late and the smart choice was to escape!"

"Is that what happened?"

"Yes," he said with his head lowered. "That's what happened. I see no reason to lie. I am not that of a terrible person to abandon them."

Elias looked at Lanon. "Death happens. You could always tell Sir Rave about this. Why did you choose to hide this fact?"

"I don't know. I cannot allow myself to be put on the same pedestal as them."

Elias could not spear. He could not understand the reasoning of Lanon. Why would anyone allow everyone to call them a coward? Why would he allow it to continue when he can tell the truth? It was so confusing that he could not help but shake his head.

"You won't understand. I am good enough to be like them. I am not them. They are good men while I am trash that could never succeed in anything. Even now I am a dead weight that you should leave behind. Isn't that for a best? In fact, why are you doing this?"

"Because we're Brothers in Arms," Elias responded. "I've no reason to abandon my brothers. I don't care how much of a dead weight you are or what you think. I'll carry you out of this nightmare."

"Why?"

"I choose to. It is my selfish desire. If you don't trust yourself then trust me instead."

Lanon looked at Elias. "You are a good man, Elias. But I think this thinking of yours is screwed up. It would be better if you continue on your own. I am a dead weight and you can find ways to save us faster by going alone."

Lanon thought that he should rely solely on Elias. He was afraid of what would happen if his lifeline would go away. But thinking about it, it was better for him to go. If he was alone he could move faster. He would stay in this area and wait for Elias to return.

"I cannot accept that. Even if your words are rational I don't think I can escape here," Elias shook his head. "I don't think this is a normal dungeon, Brother. That dungeon worm was far too big and the height we fell from is no joke. Normal dungeons don't take this too long to traverse. Not to mention that we could not spot any way out. I fear that we are trapped inside a labyrinth."

"A labyrinth?" he asked.

"It's a dungeon...but far worst. I fear that it will take us days to reach the stop. Not to mention that we will encounter monsters in this den of theirs. Think of this place as a village for the monsters. This is far worse than we imagined."

"So I am wrong?"

"Yes. If I move alone it would mean my certain death. I may not be able to return back to the surface and I might get lost. I cannot risk that, Brother. You will be coming with me."

"I see."

Lanon claim silence. He zipped his mouth shut. Elias let him keep his silence. He rested his body and relaxed. He doesn't know what kind of despair was awaiting them. He doesn't even know if he could contend against this trial.

Lanon was anxious. He was terrified and he could not think of any positive outcome. He thought of death. And at that thought of death, a certain person appeared on his mind. It was the image of Alcina who was out there challenging danger. Now that he was on the edge of death, with his head getting close to the guillotine he could only think of her appearance that he would call an angel. She was no top beauty but he was like a flower for him.

Maybe he was thinking all of this out of fear. Yet, in this grim darkness, he needed to hold on to the lifelines. Elias was ready to help him. He wanted to trust him but he cannot even trust himself. He cannot fully accept his own self and what he could do. He had no confidence in succeeding. He had no hope if he was alone. He would have despaired but yet sadly he would continue to live out of fear.

After all, upon arriving in a foreign world he only suffered. Only when he got into Moirai City that things eased up for him. Yet, here he was back to this pit of despair and he was not swimming well. He wanted to believe in what he could do. But he could not do so knowing that so far he only knew of failures and disappointments.