Chapter 20: 3rd Floor

“I-I-I t-t-think its near h-here” Luca points to one of the may cave paths. Luca trembled as she pointed towards their path.

It hadn’t been long since Mun and Luca made it out of the boss room. Ever since than Luca has been trembling, weary of each step she took.

She must be scared of this place, she did say that there were a lot of bad things that happened to her in the upper floors. She was only a kid when she was here.

I wonder how hard it must have been, to be so alone in a place like this….. At least… I had one person in my life that meant something, that was there for me, but her… Mun pitifully looks to the snake women, her sweet smile hiding all her hardships, but her trembling betrayed her true emotions.

Mun thinks of Luca’s situation, her fear of being the only one to be capable of thought in a place where everyone you know is insane.

Mun wanted to tell her that she could slow down, but so much time has already been lost, if he counts the days by sleeps it has probably already been three days since he has been here. That is four days in total, he only has two more days to get out of here and sell everything to buy Yeo.

“Watch out!!” Luca yells in frights but before mun can react to the flaming arrows that come flying forth from the walls , Luca wraps Mun’s entire body with her scaly tail.

“EGGH!!!” Luca tries to contain her screams, so that the other monster aren’t alerted. She

She tightens her tail, unintentionally strangling Mun in the process, his metal body contorting at the sheer strength being imposed on it. Mun attempts to flow out in his liquid metal state, but she only tightens her grip , the more he tries to escape, the tighter he felt the tail take hold of him.

Luca manages to relax her muscles long enough for Mun to escape.

Mun thanked his new body, if he were still human, he would have certainly been crushed. Mun shivered as the crushed skull of the troll, entered his thoughts.

“I’m s-sorry.” Her voice quivers as she speaks, worried that Mun may have become angry with her.

Ignoring Luca, Mun calls his metal back to one place, forming his odd skeletal human body once more

“I forgot to tell you.” Luca starts to tear up.

“On the third and fourth floor, there are traps everywhere, especially on the 4th floor. ” Luca unconsciously tries to hide her tail, not wanting Mun to be worried about her injuries.

“T-there are also m-monsters that sometimes w-work together, we n-need to b-be careful.” Especially at this time, she thinks to herself.

“Ok.” Mun finally responds, not indifferent but not caring either.

“Are you angry?” She asks, her arms wrapping around her waist, in an attempt to feel secure within the dark dungeon halls. Something that was no longer dark to her after her dark vison had reached its peak, even so she remembered the nights when all she had was her tail to comfort her.

The monster before her, is someone she wants to hold tightly, she could finaly hold someone other then herself, no, she may even be embraced by another. The thought of it drowned her fears as she imagined being held by another; but the person before her didn’t like to be held, or perhaps he didn’t like her? The thought had crossed her mind several times since their first meeting, but she didn’t want to believe it, and even if it were to be true, Luca had already decided to be grateful to the first monster she had spoken too her entire life. He spoke to her, not in grunts or asking for death, but spoke to her and she responded.

“No.” Mun doesn’t like that she likes being so close, he doesn’t t like the fact that she nearly strangled him and he doesn’t like the fact that he needs her help. Despite everything, he isn’t angry, he can’t be. How could he be angry when she allowed herself to be injured for him.

“Really.” Her voice quivers, her face asking if she can hope to is not hated by the first person that she has ever spoken to.

“It’s fine, let’s move on.” His discomfort clearly shows on his face, he wanted to hide it from her, she was too pathetic for him not to pity her. Mun didn’t realize that Luca had lurked in the darkness much longer than he has, her vison is perfect, wither in darkness or light, she can see the small stones that made up the ground, the peculiar metal and wood amalgamation before her, she can also see, Muns eyes that look away from her, avoid, not just her eyes, but her entire being.

He had been doing so ever since they first started taking. A chill ran down her spine, her fear of being left alone tries to consume her, but she quickly shakes it off, tightening her arms around her body for comfort.

Luca continues forward, making sure to check for any traps that may be set off, and every so often helping Mun defeat any lurking monsters that try to attack.

The further she slithered towards the next boss room, the stronger her anxiety grew and along with it, her trembling.

Mun took note of it long ago, but he didn’t say anything to ease her fears, he himself wonders if it out is of malice or distrust, or perhaps the inability to understand women. Even so he allows her suffering to progress, all the while something whispering in his ears, telling him to calm her, to ease her pain.

“she has suffered just like you” The voice spoke softly into his ears. “She will be like you, perhaps its not to late.” It echoed in his mind again.

Mun stared at Lucas back, scars slowly began to mark her back, as his vison improved little by little; some deep, some not so deep. They were proof, that she had been in this hell for her entire life. Despite all the horrors Mun imagined she went through, despite him seeing her nearly dying year after year, day after day.

She smiled at him, with such benignity. She is still innocent her purity remains despite the cruelty of her world, he thought, she still had hope in her eyes, something that Mun sometimes wondered if he still had. Her eyes, still glimmered in this darkness, a beacon of light, she hadn’t given up, something Mun didn’t think he could achieve if he was alone like her.

“w-w-e’re close.” She words spill out of her mouth, clumsily begging for air. Mun only contuies to stare at her back, fighting within himself but inevitably doing nothing to ease her worry.

I’m sorry, he thought, half for himself and half for her. He wanted to help her. She is like him, but not yet corrupted by hatred or disdain for her own existence.

He wants to be, what hope was for him. That had been his desire all along. It is the very reason he entered child services. He wanted to be that beacon of hope, now he had his chance; but his past keeps him from extending his hand.

……………….

The Room was similar to all previous boss rooms, the room was lit by glowing white stones, stones reminiscent of quartz crystals. On the walls, grew greenish moss, but if it was actually moss, Mun did not know. With it, a smell Mun’s senses identified as, slightly bad.

The biggest difference in the boss room, is not the golem at the center of the room, but rather the surprising size of the room.

“Its bigger” Visually bigger than it other boss rooms. From what Mun can tell, it is the size of an entire floor in a small house. Enough to run around freely.

The golem, stood motionless in the room, only waiting for intruders to activate it. In bold letters, the words level 25 floated atop the monsters head, alongside it, the word Golem.

His previous battle with a golem didn’t end well, but Mun had now evolved, he is now stronger, surly he can take on a level 25 golem, it is only an 8 level difference he thought.

Her help, the thought crosses his mind for a brief moment, he will need her help. No he can’t ask her for more help, the shame is to much, or is it his distrust what keeps him from asking. He didn’t like entering the boss rooms, she likes to stand behind him at these times, making Mun uneasy.

“Lets go.” Mun enters, passing Luca, who has been in front of Mun nearly the entire journey.

Soon, he thought, soon he could leave her, if he can find Maximus. He can leave her with him. He just needs that metal, On the way over he has found bits and pieces, but he needs to make sure he has enough. Enough to buy Yeo, and to help the two girls cross the country safely.

The golem straightens its back the moment the two enter the room. Its eyes glow a bright red, from the gem inside its body. At his center another red stone glowed, its chest pulsating red with blood lust.

Mun didn’t know it, but it would a battle that would open a door that he never would open for a person like him.