“What do you mean, he killed her?” Darryl asked. “Was it an accident, did he miss a monster creeping up on you, or…”

Maribelle let out one last dry heave. Revulsion overcame even despair when she saw the three corpses covered in brindle grub guts with a small blood-soaked critter gleefully pulling at an intestine like a dog play-pulling a rope toy.

“He came to the Safe Zone, told us that he’d take us back to the camp and then led us through a few tunnels. Then he suddenly swung his cane and hit me against the head.” Maribelle said with a hoarse and shivering voice, touching the purple mark on her left temple. “I heard several sickening crunches as my vision swam, and then I got the notification that my party disbanded because I was the only one left.”

“Then I ran. I ran away, hearing his footsteps behind me. No words, no screams, just him running after me.” She continued, tears welling up in her swollen red eyes again. “I lost him soon enough, running into darkness and taking turns at random allowed me to shake him quickly. But then I was lost, and I wandered, relying on the lines on the map.”

“It was so dark, and the sounds. The screams and roars in the distance, echoing in every direction-” Maribelle fell into crying muttering again, shamelessly weeping like a child.

“I know they’re annoying, but this seems a bit extreme.” Elise whispered as the group huddled together.

“I doubt their behaviour is the reason for this.” Thomas whispered. “And they came from Hungary, I think, so they shouldn’t have a history with Martin that might’ve caused this. He was from the Lancaster group.”

“We know too little.” Darryl said. “We have to ask Martin, or else we’ll just be guessing blindly and reaching ungrounded conclusions.”

“Already did.” Thomas said. “I also informed Mr. Geruet and Dave of this.”

Right, he was the one that remembered to fist bump everyone he met. Darryl always waited for a good segue in the conversation to ask and ended up forgetting it.

“And, what did he say?” Ben said.

“Not sure if it’s conclusive, but it’s certainly foreboding.” Thomas grimaced, and copied the response into their group chat.

Martin J. Benson: I did what was necessary, and it worked. God forgive, it worked.

Martin J. Benson: I don’t ask you guys to forgive me for this, I won’t forgive myself for this either, but I ask that you understand. Not everyone has been as fortunate as you, bless your luck.

Martin J. Benson: You guys don’t need it, but if there aren’t enough people taking this chance then you can have the leftovers. I know you’ll put them to good use, at least.

“Foreboding? That’s pretty much a confession of guilt!” Ben said.

“But we still don’t know the most important part. Why?” Darryl said.

Silence all around.

Elise sighed. “I guess we should take her back to the camp and talk to management face to face, we’ll see what to do afterwards.”

“Yeah. Dave sent out another rallying cry to intercept that possible warband too, with few responses.” Thomas said. “There are still more people at the camp than the capacity of the Safe Zones combined, with a good thirty people sitting unprotected in the hallways. About ten would be left once we fill the one that the French found, but those ten would still be vulnerable.”

“Any word on that?” Ben asked.

“They since spotted one, the little buggers are called unvaccinated leprechauns. A fairy type.” Thomas said.

“I have advantage talking to them thanks to my breastplate, but I think Elise stands a better chance talking them down.” Darryl said.

“Mr. Geruet confirmed that diplomacy doesn’t extend to other parties when he went to talk to the Llamas. Even with the Krutnik attack pressuring them, he had a real hard time ending their hostility.” Thomas said. “Us talking them down wouldn’t safeguard anyone else.”

“Still a start, isn’t it?” Ben said.

“True, we’ll see if my lesser skill prevails before my better side takes over.” Elise said, twirling her bat menacingly. “Cuddles, follow!”

Cuddles looked up from the guts it was eating and ran after Elise as she walked back to camp.

Darryl helped Maribelle up and told her to follow, but didn’t hold her hand like she seemed to want. As much as she was clearly traumatised and near hysteria, this dungeon didn’t give anyone the luxury of time to get over it slowly and comfortably.

___ ___ ___ ___ ___

“He lived, but ran straight back to the camp.” Thomas said. “Dave’s now worried that the leprechauns might follow him and find the camp.”

“Dave’s always worried. He just needs to take those last stragglers north sooner rather than later and the leprechauns will be back to square one.” Elise said. “Or even better, they’ll camp around a Safe Zone giving us a clear target to hit at our convenience.”

“I told you that sending some normie as a scout would backfire.” Ben said just a little too smugly. “It’s the torches, the mobs will notice those long before you notice them. If you don’t have darkvision and stealth, you shouldn’t scout.”

“Or the local neighbourhood map.” Thomas dryly added.

“Yeah, or that. They should’ve waited for us instead of going in themselves.” Ben said.

“We never said we’d help.” Thomas said.

“I know, but I think we should.” Ben said. “We have to grind anyway, why not help these people while we do it?”

“Because we have to walk an hour to go to the camp and back?” Elise grunted. “I would already be standing under a hot shower if we went to the nearest Safe Zone.”

“It’s just a little further.” Darryl said. “We’re practically there already.”

“And we'll find that the Safe Zones will be filled with people that don’t want to come out or make us wait for an hour before they leave.” Elise sourly said. “And you can’t exactly drag them out or even enter the damn place when it’s full. We should’ve gone to the empty Safe Zone instead.”

“The intelligent races have better loot?” Ben tried.

“Fair point.” Elise said. “There better be good loot.”

“There’s a few brindle grubs around the corner. It’s not much, but maybe you want to squash them for a bit?” Thomas said carefully.

“It’s not my bloodlust, Tom!” Elise bit back. “I’m sweaty, covered in grime and blood, tired, I have been walking for hours and I didn’t exactly know I had to bring enough tampons for an entire cycle when I went to grab a cup of coffee last week!”

“Oh.” Thomas said.

“Don’t you dare say that again but drawn out.” Elise warned with an icy tone.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Thomas quickly said. “But maybe there are some women in the camp that can part wi-”

A frightened scream pierced through what he was about to say, a clearly human scream.

Darryl immediately started running, Ben right behind him. Maribelle collapsed into a foetal position behind them, but no one gave her any heed. They were practically at the campsite already, close enough that the soft echoes of conversation should allow her to find her way back from here.

As he ran around the corner, Darryl was met with the light of torches and the sight of Martin standing over a bloody body. His cane struck the woman once more and a third skull appeared next to his name.

Two steps away was another dead body with his head caved in, and a young man was pressed against the wall staring at Martin’s back, frozen in fear. Two people were running away in the distance, and one woman ran towards Darryl to brave the dangers lurking in the dark over this madman.

“Please, you’ve got to help me! He just showed up and bega-” The woman said, grabbing Darryl’s arm and frantically waving at what he could already see.

Darryl shrugged her off and pushed her to the side to keep running towards Martin. The old man turned around and looked at him, eyes grim and sad but the blood splatters on his face stripping any illusion of him still being that kind old man he was before. He muttered something and ran away deeper into the camp.

“Martin, wait! What the hell are you doing!?” Darryl shouted at the man’s back, without getting an answer.

Ben bolted past him, easily running with a speed worthy of a local sprinter. Martin ran a lot faster than Darryl too, but the kid was easily gaining on him. The two disappeared around the nearest corner, Darryl crossing it to see Ben standing in front of a door a few seconds later.

“I’m sorry.” Ben said dejectedly. “I should’ve tackled him, but I hesitated and now he’s in there.”

“It’s okay, Ben. We were all too late to stop him, at least you kept up with him. I sure couldn’t.” Darryl said, putting a hand on Ben’s shoulder and giving it a light squeeze.

Darryl opened the door and stepped into the Safe Zone, Elise right behind him only to hit an invisible shield.

Well, shit. It seemed like the Safe Zone was at maximum capacity now that he entered, and wouldn’t let anyone else in.

“Elise, Thomas. Maybe one of you should-” Darryl said, turning around.

“My charisma score doesn’t work on other people, and I’m one strike away from being thrown unarmed into a den of monsters.” Elise said. “I don’t trust myself to not smack that guy if he tries to argue that there’s any excuse for what he just did.”

“I’ll take your place if you don’t want to do this.” Thomas said. “But I think you’re the best candidate for this task, much as I don’t want to burden you with it.”

Ben squirmed uncomfortably, but met Darryl’s gaze and nodded that he too would go in and try if the group would elect him for the task. Even if his reluctance was clear as day.

“No, I’ll do it. You guys wait here.” Darryl said before closing the door and turning around.

The Safe Zone was a small coffee shop of the Dutch kind, the menus giving a wide selection of flavours without a single caffeinated beverage amongst them. The smell of marijuana still lingered, but it was so faint that it had to be remnants from the surface rather than the Bopca behind the counter handing out any substances.

There was a door leading to the public bedrooms, with twelve of the fifteen rooms taken. There were seven people in the room all pressed against the left wall, while Martin sat down in a chair in the middle of the room.

“Martin.” Darryl said.

“He killed Manny!” A woman in the crowd shouted hysterically, pointing at Martin. “He walked into the camp and killed Manny and another woman! Be careful, he might try to kill us too!”

“Relax. I can’t hurt you in here, just like how Darryl can’t hurt me either.” Martin said.

“Don’t try to deny it, I saw it myself! You have to believe me!” The woman shouted.

No one gainsaid her, not when the man accused was covered in blood with chunks of hair and skull on his cane.

“It is true. I’ve killed three people, and I’ve tried to kill a fourth. Though the devil that is this dungeon has tempted me to do so, I claim full responsibility for the sins I’ve committed.” Martin gravely spoke. “And I will not pray for absolution, for I am not deserving of it. Not when I plan to commit a sin even greater still.”

“Martin, let’s not make this any worse. Stop now, before you cannot take back whatever would be worse than murder.” Darryl said.

Martin actually seemed to contemplate Darryl's words for but a moment, but then steeled his resolve. “Alas, I must. Forgive me, but I must.”

Martin turned to the people against the wall. “There is only one thing worse than to sin, and that is to tempt another to sin. Yet if I have to carry that burden so that some of you may survive, so be it. If you want to survive this place, if you have the will to fight, then I shall grant you the means to do so. God forgive you, I will give you the means.”

With that he began opening his six gold boxes and two platinum ones.