"Here you go, kid."
Hank handed the pale-skinned child who was still catching his breath a pouch of water. It had been about a full day or so since they took him in.
"Thank you."
The boy received Hank's pouch and drained the water down his throat, the cooling sensation it brought as it flowed through his esophagus, bringing him relief from the nigh unbearable humidity of the jungle.
[Has it been a little over a day already?]
He wiped the sweat off of his snow-white brow and glanced behind, his eyes narrowing as he attempted to gauge the distance they had already traveled.
Well, this was a fruitless effort since all he could see was condensed tress that honestly looked the same. But thankfully, he had two subskills that would make it impossible for him to get lost even if he was unfamiliar with the terrain.
"Argh, damn it! What's with those damn cockroaches, they've been swarming us for hours, I need to sleep!"
Arthur gnashed his teeth in frustration because whenever they attempted to rest, hordes of large cockroaches would appear out of nowhere and swarm them. They had killed hundreds of them at that point, but their numbers didn't seem to dwindle at all.
"I had assumed that there was a colony nearby, but given the distance we have already traveled... It seems that they're following us."
"Or perhaps there are multiple colonies within this jungle?"
Igor whispered to himself, but quickly glanced at his Leader, Julius Vanger, with eyes hopeful for an answer to his mutterings.
"Both the latter and the former may indeed be possible. However, we must not apply such simple logic to this Tower. Always assume that it is something much more dreadful than our worst-case scenario."
He answered Igor with a whisper of his own. It was as if he was talking to himself, but the vibrations of his deep voice were loud enough that it could be heard by everyone present.
"Well it's whatever. We just need to keep killing them right?"
"Ugh... They're so fucking disgusting, why can't they all just die?!"
Margaret exclaimed, her body cringing as she recalled the disgust of seeing the Intrusion of hundreds of large cockroaches.
[...]
Upon catching his breath, Kaelen's mind went as blank as his expression. He had assumed that Charymos himself would have already come to snatch him away given that the Roach was already aware of his current location.
[... Have you not told Charymos where I am yet?]
He looked up at the thick canopies that barely let any light filter down to the jungle floor and let out a quiet sigh. Mosquitoes, drawn by his sweat, circled his scalp like an unholy halo, causing him to become even more unnerved.
[Why? I don't get it.]
[Why would you resort to such petty tactics when you could have already used the force of the Basement Floor to take me back?]
[Just... Why?]
Kaelen simply couldn't fathom what was happening. Was it perhaps an order from Charymos himself to observe the Adventurer's party at a distance? To gauge their strengths?
As those questions kept piling up in his mind, Kaelen's stomach became tied in knots because...
[I don't want to be here when they get slaughtered.]
Kaelen looked at them with pity, he had tried to convince himself that they were just mere NPCs in order to be able to stomach what he knew was their inevitable fate.
But...
They were just too real to pass-off as just NPCs. The Homunculi were much more emotionless than them, so it was easier for him to convince himself. However, even they had eventually been able to tug at his heart.
So what more these Humans, who were so lively and full of personality...
[...]
His look of pity turned to one of sorrow and the knot in his belly hardened like stone.
"Are you feeling alright, Kaelen?"
Helena, noticing his sorrowful expression, sat next to him and placed her palm on the back of his hand. Her warmth only served to drive the point home that these were real-life people with their own hopes and dreams.
Despite his best efforts, Kaelen shed a tear.
"Aww, you poor baby. It's okay, don't worry. Those scary monsters won't do anything to you. We'll protect you."
She hugged him and spoke with a voice filled with genuine warmth and the sincere ferocity of a mother.
The interaction between the two caught the attention of the others, and they too felt bad for the mysterious boy of unknown origin.
"She's right. Chin up kid, nothing will happen to you as long as we're around."
Reassured Hank, leaning against a large tree coated in humid moss.
Feeling embarrassed that he, a full grown man despite his outwardly appearance, was being treated like a child, he quickly wiped away his tears and looked at them with a fake, yet convincing smile.
"Yes. Thank you all very much."
He spoke politely and gently pulled himself away from Helena's embrace, albeit, there was a strange and slight resistance from her but he was able to break free nonetheless.
"Aww! He's so polite and well mannered!"
Margaret quickly ran to his side and pinched his round cheeks until they turned rosy.
"You see that you stupid blond?! This is how a gentleman should fucking be!"
She shot a glare at Arthur.
"Huh?! I don't want to hear that from an old hag with a cesspit for a mouth!"
Arthur clicked his tongue and returned her glare.
[These two... How can they still act like this even in this situation?]
Kaelen wondered. It was strange, but he had really grown fond of their childish banter. Even in a situation where their lives were on the line, these two seemed to be so carefree.
[Is it because their bond is so strong?]
Kaelen's bitter-cold expression was thawed by a smile, one induced by the warmth he felt in his chest watching these two.
But he was also a bit envious. As someone who barely has had any friends, he wondered if this was what it was like to share true companionship.
"We need to keep going and find shelter for the night, the sun is about to set."
Spoke Julius in a stern tone. Unlike Arthur and Margaret, he couldn't afford to be so care-free, not when he carried the burden of not only his party members but his children who were waiting for him to come save them back home.
The others immediately followed his order as soon as they too noticed that the already dim Jungle was becoming even darker.
Kaelen followed them and they soon found a cave not too far away.
Although, it was filled with reptiles and bats, but they swiftly killed whatever they found in there and cleaned up to the best of their ability.
/
[The fact that the Roach chose not to confront us directly could mean that this man, Julius, is either stronger than him or on the same level as him.]
Kaelen's cherry-pink eyes reflected the embers of a quietly burning flame, and standing atop that flame was a tripod carrying a bubbling pot of soup and a boiling, cylindrical tin of water.
"The food is almost ready Igor, how long will you stand there?"
Helena directed her question to the short-statured old man who stood at the cave's entrance with his back against the others.
"It's alright, you all can eat first. Someone needs to stand guard, who knows when those insects will appear again."
He grumbled, his brows furrowed intently, deepening his permanent scowl.
[...Probably not anytime soon —Well, not tonight at least.]
[Given the Roach's level, he only has enough Mana to cast high-level summoning magic a few times.]
[He'll probably attack once he's recovered in about... 16 hours?]
[...Maybe?]
Kaelen tilted his head and made a calculation based on the maximum MP the Roach had. Well, he also knew that it would be much sooner if he factored-in things like Mana potions or recovery scrolls.
The party and Kaelen ate their meal quickly, their quiet voices echoing in the walls of the cave as they discussed what they would do next.
Soon, they all welcomed the drowsiness of night, letting it drain away the exhaustion of the day.
//
Swish!
Julius swung his large broadsword with ease, cutting the dense thicket above, revealing the once concealed bright full moon and the endless sky riddled with stars beyond what his eyes could see or count.
It really was a marvel, that he was inside of a Tower, and yet, it was so expansive, much like the world outside of it.
Many scholars had debated if the Towers were in fact gateways to other dimensions, but there was simply no proof to support this hypothesis.
He then tilted his bearded chin, his glassy eyes wandering in deep thought as they reflected the luminescence of the moon.
"Lead, you should go sleep. It's my turn to keep watch."
Hank stretched his limbs and covered his mouth to yawn.
"Partner. I told you there was no need to call me that when the others aren't around."
Julius faced his friend with a warm smile.
"Yeah, I know... But I've gotten so used to it now, haha."
Hank cackled and placed his hand on his best friend's shoulder. You see, these two had come from the same village and had been friends for as long as they could remember.
"Yeah right, I know you do it on purpose."
Julius grinned and gave Hank a light tap on his chest before walking around him.
"Ah, before you go... Don't you think we're wasting time waiting for that kid to regain his memory? Shouldn't we just look for this Floor's Boss Monster and get it over with already?"
Hank spoke impatiently, he felt that they were running out of time.
"I understand your concerns. However, I truly believe that if there is indeed a population of humans on this floor, then our chances of survival and success may increase exponentially."
"Not only would they know more about this place than us, but we could also convince them to join us and challenge this Tower."
Julius was extremely hopeful, his veteran instincts wouldn't allow him to pass-up such an opportunity.
"I really hope you're right."
Hank let out a heavy sigh.
"Hey, partner... Thank you, really. For coming all this way with me even if it may mean our certain death."
"But I promise you, I'll put my life on the line even if it means that only one of you can reach the fifth floor."
"So..."
Step...
Julius walked closer to his friend and gave him a short, but warm hug.
"... Thank you so much, I wouldn't have had the courage to actually go through with this without you. I am forever in your debt."
He turned his proud back and walked into the cave, leaving Hank with a bitter expression.
"Julius..."
Hank whispered and turned to keep watch.
[I wonder if you'll feel the same way once you find out the truth...]
Hank chewed his lips, the immense guilt he felt eating at his innards.