Breathless and exhausted, they all leaned against the gate, panting heavily. The gate closed with a resounding thud, but the sound that followed nearly startled them. The hundreds of rats crashed against the gate in unison, but thankfully, it held firm, securing their safety for the moment.
The man, still catching his breath, approached Alan with a friendly yet slightly surprised tone. "Well, well, well, at that last dash, I almost thought you guys were gonna leave me to the rats," he said with a playful taunt, while also complimenting Alan and Armis's agility.
Alan, regaining his composure, bowed to him in gratitude and replied, "Thank you for the save. We're truly grateful for your help."
The man waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, nah, dude, no need for the formalities," he insisted, gesturing for Alan to cease his bowing. Alan straightened up, taking a moment to examine the man, who appeared to be older than them, probably around Alan's real age.
He was clad in a simple brown armor, consisting only of a chest plate, forearm guards, and shin guards. Beneath the armor, he wore a plain white overall paired with pleated pants.
The man extended his hand to Alan as he began to introduce himself. "Hi, my name is Tritrus Alnoy, and that's Alina Alnoy," he said, pointing to the woman standing at the back who smiled at the group upon her introduction.
Tritrus continued, "We were on our way back to the 6th floor when we heard the rats growling and your voices. We came back to find you guys almost becoming dinner for the Vitio Rats. That's when Alina suggested that we should help you, and the rest is history."
Tritrus gestured back at Alina, and Alan observed her attire, similar to Tritrus's but with a skirt and tights instead of pants. Her face reflected a similar age and experience, matching her partner's. Alan began to bow to her as well, but stopped as Aurelia and Relecta jumped at her, smothering her in gratitude.
"Thank you so much! You came like a goddess to us and saved us from those gross creatures," Aurelia and Relecta exclaimed in unison.
Alina smiled modestly and replied, "Oh, don't worry. Anyone would have done what we did. It's a duty of senior raiders," she added, casting a glance at Aurelia's academy emblem on her hand, "to come to the aid of beginners in trouble."
Aurelia melted at Alina's kind words. "You're so sweet," she said, draping her arms around Alina's neck.
"Are you guys hungry? You all look tired," Tritus asked. Armis stepped forward to address his question.
"Yeah, sorry for the trouble, but we're new and have been walking since we entered the Relic Castle. We thought we would find a spot to camp out, but..." Armis paused, his gaze averting.
"Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. Beginner's mistakes, am I right?" Tritus reassured Armis, patting him on the shoulder, then turned to Alina. "Alina, do you think we have enough space and food for our juniors?"
Alina smiled at Tritus's question. "We sure do!"
"No, no, please, we're fine. We have our own food, we—" Alan attempted to refuse the offer politely, not wanting to impose on their saviors too much, but Tritus cut him off.
"Nah, don't worry about it. It's our treat, and you can crash there as well. Remember? rest is one of the core values of Raiders. C'mon, everyone, follow me."
With that, Tritrus began ascending the stairs, gesturing for everyone to follow him. Armis looked at Alan with a stern gaze, waiting for him to decide what to do. Alan looked back and shrugged; they didn't have any other choice. Reluctantly, they followed Tritrus down a corridor, amidst the same backdrop of the labyrinth of stone and bricks. At the end of the corridor, Tritrus and Alina had set up camp, complete with a fireplace and their belongings.
Alina quickly took charge, declaring, "Let me get started on the food." She began lighting the fireplace and placed a pot above it. Aurelia tried to offer help, but Alina insisted she rest instead. Armis and Lyco laid down, resting, while Relecta and Aurelia joined them, stretching out.
As exhaustion began to catch up with him, Alan was about to lie down when Tritrus called out to him, "Hey, kid!"
Alan turned promptly and replied, "Yes?"
"So... new to the Relic Castle, huh?" Tritrus gestured for Alan to walk with him as he began to inquire about their party.
"Yeah, we just started our adventure this morning. There were six of us, but two from the group chose the other hallway on the third floor, and we ended up splitting up," Alan replied humbly.
"Oh really? They took the detour?" Tritrus asked in surprise, as he continued, "Well then, it's going to take them an extra two hours to reach here. Unfortunate for them, but these are the mistakes rookie raiders make. I mean, it's a good thing you guys found us. Alina and I have been raiders for two years, so we know all the shortcuts of the lower floors. If you had met us sooner, we could have shown you a way to avoid the rats."
Alan, hearing Tritrus share his knowledge, felt relieved to find someone experienced to guide them. Feeling immense gratitude towards his seniors, Alan bowed again to thank him. "Yeah, for that we are immensely grateful to you."
Tritrus waved off the gesture. "Yeah, yeah, please, enough with the bowing. It's nothing special. I mean, you would've done the same if you were in our place, right?"
Hearing the nice man's modest tone deepened Alan's gratitude for him even more. As he began to ask Tritrus something, Alina called them out for supper from behind. Hearing her call, Alan stopped mid-sentence as Tritrus gestured for him to join them for the meal.
Alina passed everyone a bowl of hot soup, which looked and tasted delicious. The tired and hungry team Goliath didn't stop eating once they started, savoring every spoonful of Alina's heavenly soup. As Alan glanced at Alina and Tritrus, who hadn't touched their bowls, he felt a pang of unease.
"You guys aren't gonna eat?" Alan asked.
There was a moment of silence before Alina brought a humble smile to her face. "Sorry, but seeing you guys enjoy my cooking so much makes me happy. It's been a while since someone appreciated it this way."
A tear welled up in Alina's eye, and seeing his partner tearing up, Tritrus tried to lighten the mood with a joke. "Hey! I enjoy your cooking! Am I not enough for you?"
She pushed him away playfully. "No, you eat like a pig. That's not called enjoying."
As everyone laughed at the playful banter between Alina and Tritrus, Alan's unease melted away into a humbled smile.
After everyone ate to their fill, Alan watched as his teammates began to yawn and stretch, gradually drifting off to sleep one by one. Alan felt relieved at the sight, as he had never thought he would experience such peace at a place with a reputation as a dreadful hellhole, but he knew he had Alina and Tritrus to thank for this unexpected respite. Grateful for the kindness of Alina and Tritrus, he began to settle down, watching them organize their belongings and his own.
Suddenly, a jolt of dizziness surged through Alan, unsettling in its unexpectedness. He attributed it to the exhaustion of their harrowing journey, brushing it off as a temporary discomfort.
As Alan's eyelids grew heavy and his vision blurred, Tritrus approached him, leaning in closely and whispering words of advice. "You should take some rest," Tritrus said softly, his voice a soothing presence in Alan's fading awareness. "Remember, for a good raider, rest is crucial. Now sleep peacefully... you fool!"
With those words echoing in his mind, Alan slipped into a deep slumber, the world around him fading into silence.
"Alan!!! Alan!!! Alan!!!" Alan stirred from his slumber, his eyes fluttering open slowly as someone shook him vigorously. He felt himself drifting back into sleep as the voice softened, but then it boomed again, "BOSS WAKE UP!!!" The sudden loudness jolted Alan awake, and he shot up, looking around with bleary eyes.
"What?!! What?!! What?!! What happened?!!" Alan exclaimed, his voice groggy with sleep.
Aurelia grabbed his collar, shaking him hard as she shouted, "WAKE UP ALAN!! The bastards tricked us!!!"
"Huh?" Alan's confusion deepened, his mind still foggy from sleep.
Aurelia shook him again, her voice urgent, "The bitch and the asshole tricked us and stole our stuff!!!"
Alan's eyes widened in shock as Aurelia's words sank in, the realization hitting him like a thunderbolt.
As the shock settled in, Alan blinked in disbelief, the remnants of sleep dissipating instantly. He pushed Aurelia away and scrambled to his feet, looking around to confirm her words. It was true: their once-set camp at the end of the corridor was gone, along with their knapsacks and belongings.
Their saviors had vanished, leaving behind only the mundane surroundings of the stone and brick labyrinth and a bitter sense of betrayal that weighed heavily on Alan and his party.
Surveying the scene, Alan couldn't ignore the sadness and frustration etched on the faces of his friends. Lyco and Aurelia appeared defeated, their spirits dampened by the betrayal they had just experienced.
Armis stood with his hand pressed firmly against the wall, trying to contain his anger at their own foolishness and naivety. But as Alan observed their despondency, he couldn't help but turn the scrutiny inward. "How am I any better?" he pondered. "I let my guard down, grew complacent, and forgot the fundamental rules of my training as both a spy and a raider." He had blindly trusted in someone's unexpected generosity without questioning their intentions, leading his party into danger like a naive child.
And now, because of his foolishness and ignorance, his friends were suffering. They were stranded in an unfamiliar labyrinth with danger lurking around every corner, without even a morsel of food to sustain them.