It was almost three days of staying on the second floor before the group finally decided to head up toward the first.
Lately they had been feeling a strange gaze directed intensely toward them. As if they were being constantly watched. They couldn't prove it to be true since they saw no one around them. No shadow. No movement. Nothing concrete.
Not a soul could be found in their vicinity. Only those mutated scorpion monsters that occasionally skittered through the corridors. They also discovered that the scorpions were the only monsters left on this floor. The other species, the rabbit folk, could no longer be found anywhere.
They investigated the cause. What they discovered was still strange. The dimensional space that had led to the rabbit kingdom was simply gone. Not sealed. Not blocked. Vanished. Like it had never existed in the first place.
They wondered what had caused this unprecedented change. What the hell had happened while they were on the lower floors? The labyrinth was not supposed to change dramatically like this. Though they also understood too little about dimensional spaces, they lacked the definitive answers that could provide clarity to such questions. And if not for Benny back then showing them that these hidden distortions existed, they would not even have known that the reason labyrinths like this had monsters living in them was because they came from these dimensional pockets, and their multiplying was not unnatural, even if you had defeated a hundred or even a thousand, they still would reappear sometime later. But with this discovery they understood that it was through here that they could enter such places. But that did not mean this was also the case for other labyrinths. It was not even a thing that had been discovered yet by anyone, even in other labyrinths. So the only fact they could rely on was that anything could go amiss inside the labyrinth.
There was definitely something going on that they weren't understanding. Something beyond their current knowledge. Only one fact remained certain: there was someone out here who had been entering their sanctuaries. Using their supplies. Living in their space.
But the unexpected happened before they could advance any further.
It was like déjà vu all over again. The team met a lone hooded figure just before they could ascend to the first floor. The figure was blocking their path, standing motionless at the base of the stairs.
As the leader, Gustav gave immediate commands. His voice was sharp and clear. "Formation! Range and support at the back, melee upfront."
They all fell into the formation they had always done countless times. Muscle memory took over. Not knowing what they were dealing with, they defaulted to what had kept them alive this long.
They gritted their teeth as they felt malice radiating from the being in front of them. A presence that felt wrong. Threatening. Was it an intelligent monster after all?
Benny, on the other hand, had actually been heading back up to the first floor. It was just unfortunate timing that he landed in the exact spot where the group was also heading. The reason why they had met here was that he couldn't clearly hear what they were discussing inside the sanctuary since he had maintained some distance, but apparently they were heading up as well.
He had predicted they would go back down to the lower floors after seeing them pack their things. That was why he decided to stop following them. He hadn't found anything that warranted approaching them directly. So to end his surveillance of the group, he decided it was best to return to the first floor for now. Let them do whatever they were doing.
He had been the first to leave his vantage point, taking the longer but safer routes he had mapped out previously to avoid unnecessary attention. The timing of his descent and the group appearing before him was coincidental at best. Pure bad luck.
He couldn't stop his falling momentum after he jumped when he saw them walking toward the entrance stairs. His body was already committed to the movement, already dropping down from his position.
Fuck, he cursed internally. His inattentiveness had cost him. He should have waited for them to disappear from the floor completely. Should have followed their movements more carefully to know for certain that they wouldn't cross paths like this.
What now? Damn it. Another curse ran through his mind.
"Who are you?! What are you and why are you following us?!?" Rippler's voice rang out, angry and demanding. "Are you the being that has been taking refuge in the sanctuaries? Are you human or monster?! Depending on what you say, your head will roll!"
A barrage of questions fired at the figure blocking their path.
Of course, Benny didn't move or answer. He only stared at the group, his hollow eyes watching them from beneath his hood. He didn't know that he was radiating an aura of death and malice. Didn't realize how his presence had changed. That was why they were so on guard right now, weapons raised and ready.
His voice had probably changed too. He didn't speak regularly anymore, and when he did, it was more to himself. Muttered thoughts. Fragmented observations. Not conversation.
But due to the darkness of the place and the hood covering most of his face, he wasn't easy to recognize. Even if they had known him before, they might not know him now.
Now what should he do? Should he just run up the stairs and disappear into the dimensional portal? That was one option, certainly the safest. Or he could fight these people. He didn't really care about them after all. He didn't know who they were. And didn't feel any necessary thoughts to form a connection.
He calculated quickly. He could probably kill three of them before being taken down. These humans weren't to be taken lightly. They moved like veterans. Like survivors who had earned their place through blood and experience.
"Fuck, this guy is ignoring us. What do we do, Gustav?" someone from the group muttered nervously.
Gustav and the rest watched the figure's movements intensely. Although they couldn't clearly make out his face, they also didn't want to battle him if they could avoid it. They could feel that the being in front of them was dangerous. The kind of dangerous that got people killed even when you won.
It was up to Gustav to decide their next course of action. Attack? Retreat? Try diplomacy again?
But just when they were about to make their move, Benny decided it wasn't worth the risk. Though he could definitely take them on, he could also feel his death waiting down that path. A premonition. An instinct that had kept him alive through his multiple (resurrections) and battles.
Maybe he could kill three before being taken down. Maybe four if he got lucky. But these humans weren't to be taken for granted. They had survived this long for a reason.
Well, it didn't really matter what happened if they went down that bloody path. But for now, it was best to leave them alone for now as long as they were human and wouldn't impede his movements, he would avoid them and go somewhere safe.
He began to move. Without warning, without explanation, he turned and sprinted toward the entrance at his back. Heading up toward the first floor. Non-stop. His enhanced body carried him faster than a normal human could manage.
But Rippler, being who he was, felt anger surge through him. Without waiting for Gustav's command, he chased after the bastard.
"You fucker, I was talking to you nicely!"
The group was taken aback. The tension broke as the figure in front of them decided to retreat upward rather than fight. "Damn it, Rippler, you idiot! Why are you going after it?!" Kael shouted after him.
But it was too late. Rippler was already halfway up the stairs.
Benny ran. It wasn't a leisurely pace at all. These were confident strides that signaled he was intent on escaping the group. He had no interest in a confrontation he didn't need.
Apparently one of them had chased after him. And the rest, not wanting to split up or lose Rippler to whatever that thing was, were pulled into following as well. Gustav cursed but gave the command to pursue. They couldn't afford to lose anyone.
Benny's direction was toward the dimensional subspace of the rat kingdom. That place was vast, it had forests, a city above and also its endless sprawling underground city. There were many places to hide and escape his pursuers there. The tunnels alone were a maze he knew well.
He definitely didn't want to be caught. So he had to escape and reach the dimensional portal before they surrounded him. Before they could cut off his routes.
His legs were pumped. His breath came steady despite the exertion. Behind him, he could hear the sounds of pursuit. Boots on stone. Weapons clanking. Voices shouting.
But just as fate had willed it for them to meet, it now willed for them to chase. The hunt had begun in earnest. And whether it would all end in bloodshed or recognition or something else entirely, only time could tell.
The distance between them closed and widened with each turn. Benny knew these corridors. But the group had numbers and determination.
The first floor stretched out ahead of him. The portal to the rat kingdom even with its invisible nature seemingly glowed faintly in the distance.
Just a little further. Just a bit more.
Behind him, Rippler's angry voice echoed: "Stop running, you coward!"
But Benny had no intention of stopping. Not for them. Not for anyone.
The chase was on.