The air was heavy and humid.
They moved carefully, one step at a time. There was no light at all, making it impossible to properly see what lay ahead.
"Ren, I see something.." Eric whispered, squinting towards the darkness.
"What do you see..?" Despite his best effort, Ren could not see what Eric could.
"Something… m-moving.. it's white… it's pretty far.."
Ren glanced at him, his mouth parting as if he were about to speak.
'How the hell… I can't see crap even with my eyes..'
Ever since they'd begun descending the stairs, Eric had spotted countless traps hidden within the shadows—traps Ren never would have noticed on his own.
"Should we attack?" Ren asked, while quietly putting one feet in front of the other. "Or.. does it look too dangerous?"
Eric hesitated, then slowly shifted into a fighting stance.
"It's about the size of big dog..?"
As they advanced, Ren could finally see the creature that Eric was describing.
It stood roughly half his height, shaped like a large canine.
It was hunched over the torn remains of one of its own kind, ripping into the flesh and pulling it apart piece by piece. The sight was sickening; Ren felt his stomach twist, fighting the urge to vomit.
It looked frail. Starved.
It must have been down here a very long time to resort to cannibalism.
They were still at a safe distance, but if they wanted to strike it while it remained unaware, they couldn't afford to speak now.
Eric was the first to charge. The moment he drew near, the beast whipped around, its instincts screaming—but it reacted too late.
A red glow burst from Eric's body as he grabbed it by the neck and drove it into the wall, locking it there.
Ren stared at the red glow pouring off Eric, but the shock lasted only a moment. He tightened his grip on the screwdriver and lunged forward.
A sharp green light streaked across his hands and the metal as he closed the distance.
He drove the screwdriver into the creature's abdomen with all his strength; the impact forcing a choked, pained sound out of it—then twisted hard. The beast writhed against the wall, its limbs spasming as Ren kept turning the handle until its body slackened and slid halfway toward the floor.
Ren looked at his hands one last time as the emerald light faded, then finally turned to Eric, who was staring at his own hands with the same bewilderment.
"What was… that…?" Eric murmured, almost to himself.
"I… it was probably the Skills. You saw those, right?" Ren asked.
Eric blinked, the words sinking in, before he finally summoned his tablet.
"Oh! I have skills now!" he exclaimed, surprised by the new text on the stone .
"You didn't notice…?" Ren asked, genuinely confused. "It's been a while. Do you not check your tablet?"
Eric slowly looked at him, then dismissed the tablet with a flick.
"No, not really… I'm not used to it yet. And I don't think I really want to get used to it, honestly…"
Ren stood there, watching the awkward smile on Eric's face.
'Oh.'
He turned away and summoned his own tablet.
He stared at it in silence.
"Um… Ren…?" Eric said softly, concern creeping into his voice.
Ren glanced back at him, dismissed his tablet, and continued forward without a word.
They tried to avoid conflict as much as possible. Even when they encountered the same kind of monster they had fought earlier, they managed to sneak past.
Most of them were either fighting each other or asleep.
Eventually they decided to take a break as it had been a while since they started their descent.
"How much longer do we have to walk…" Ren complained as he sat down on the stairs.
"I don't know… but I think we shouldn't be that far right? I mean it's been an hour…"
Eric took out some of their water and shared it with Ren. Once their thirst was eased, they stood back up.
'Gross'
Ren quickly got rid of the dirt that got on his clothes, before taking a few step forwards
"..! W–WAIT—!"
Ren's foot sank into the floor. He had stepped on a pressure plate.
"Oh crap.."
He barely had time to curse before a loud, metallic clank echoed from above, and light finally flooded the staircase.
The moment their surroundings brightened, some of the beasts they had avoided earlier came tearing toward them at full speed.
Within seconds, a full horde formed.
"Shit! Eric we gotta-"
Before Ren could finish, Eric grabbed him and bolted down the stairs, sprinting at full speed and skillfully maneuvering despite the wet, slippery stone.
"Whoa-"
Eric ran without looking back, while Ren kept glancing over his shoulder, trying to understand what was happening.
He quickly realized the monsters weren't chasing them at all. In fact, they weren't even anywhere near them—the fastest of the beasts even sprinted past Ren and Eric entirely.
They weren't pursuing them. They were running.
Ren snapped his gaze forward, and now that the stairway was illuminated, he finally saw it.
Far above, near the entrance… the statues he had been dreading had come to life.
Massive figures thundered down the stairs with terrifying speed, far faster than anything that size had any right to move.
'I fucking knew it..! '
Ren thought as he gazed at the moving giants. "Eric! The statues are coming!" He shouted.
Eric briefly looked behind him before immediately looking away and running even faster. "W-what the hell?? They were actually alive?!"
The statues crashed through the first of the fleeing beasts without effort, shattering limbs and sending bodies tumbling. The pack scattered in panic as stone fists struck indiscriminately, and in front, the exit finally appeared.
"The exit!" Eric exclaimed. "It's right here!"
"That's cool and all but they're getting closer..!" Ren answered, fear resonating in his voice.
They ran. Hard. Faster than they thought possible, until finally they reached the exit door—just moments before the golden warriors closed the distance.
But, of course, it was locked.
"FUCK!" Ren yelled as he slammed the handle.
Without wasting a second, he pulled out his screwdriver and shoved it into the keyhole. Compared to the massive locks they'd faced earlier, this one was smaller, simpler—but panic made every movement clumsy, slow, and frantic.
"Ren! Faster!!" Eric shouted as panic overcame him too.
"I'm fucking trying..!"
Just as the statues finally closed in, Ren's hands flared with green light once again. With a click, the door swung open.
Eric didn't hesitate. He grabbed Ren, and they bolted through the doorway just as the giants slammed against the wall—too massive to fit through the narrow exit.
The statues froze for a moment, their stone forms scraping against the frame, then, unable to continue, they finally turned and lumbered back up the stairs, leaving the two of them gasping for breath on the other side.
Ren and Eric fell on the ground, catching their breath, eyes still fixed on the retreating giants.
"H-holy shit.."
Ren gasped, the words barely escaping as his chest heaved.
"G-guys..?"
It was Karma. He sat there, holding Rita, who was asleep across his legs. Ren felt a mix of relief and exhaustion wash over him. Finally… they were reunited.