Chapter 87 — Kamira's story
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Inside the Dungeon.
"Wow... everything is so white." Socrates uttered in amazement after stepping into the world contained in the dungeon.
"And freezing cold..." Zina added from behind as she and Judas reached where Socrates and Kamira were standing. Others were already trooping in and rushing forward to explore the dungeon.
The logic was that if they delayed, the treasure might be seized by others. No one would want a treasure that should have been theirs being snatched because of a minor delay.
"So what's the plan?"
"First we spread out along branch pathways and try to find the layout of the dungeon," Judas explained as Cleo and George arrived.
"There's no need for that. I already know the layout of this dungeon..." Kamira muttered slowly. Socrates turned to her in surprise.
Kamira had mentioned to him that she had lost her parents in this dungeon, but how did that connect to her knowing the layout?
"I followed my parents into the dungeon..." She gulped hard and sniffed; tears trembled but hadn't yet fallen. "Out of disobedience..."
"Stubbornness... it leads to their deaths." The tears came now, her mouth opening wide, but before her voice could travel far, Socrates pulled her into a hug and her scream was buried on his chest.
"They died protecting me," she concluded amidst sobs that sank deeper.
Everyone was moved by her backstory. Over the years, Kamira had blamed herself for the death of her parents.
If she hadn't entered the dungeon with them, there was a chance they might have come out alive... But because of her, that possibility was gone.
"It's okay... I understand you perfectly," Socrates said, placing a hand on her purple hair and caressing it slowly.
"I'm sure your parents don't have any regrets wherever they are."
"Their decision wasn't made out of desperation or circumstance. They chose to protect you because they wanted to." He continued to caress her hair. Zina squeezed Judas's free hand.
Cleo sniffed emotionally while George wore a blank face. Someone else's face had reddened with envy, arms crossed in a jealous stance, while Fatso stood behind her with a confused look, not knowing what to say to his mama.
"What they wouldn't want is for you to wallow in regrets, and I personally won't allow that. If such a situation had occurred to me, I wouldn't hesitate to make the same decision as your parents."
Kamira's heart skipped a beat when she heard those words. Her tears dried instantly as she looked up at Socrates, who stared back at her.
Blue eyes piercing purple eyes.
'Did he really mean what he's saying? He's literally saying he'll die for me...' Her heart skipped twice as she saw the seriousness in his face and tears welled up again.
'He's not joking... He really means it.'
"ENOUGH!" Malena screamed, breaking the silence and directing everyone's attention to her.
"We have been standing here for the past few minutes. Why don't we just sleep here?" she asked. Kamira arched a brow.
"We don't have to sleep here because I know the exact location of what we are looking for," Kamira answered. Judas's eyes widened and a soft smile escaped his lips.
"How can we know that she's not lying?" Malena pointed at Kamira.
"I can vouch for her," Socrates stepped forward.
"If you know the way, lead us then," Zina said, and Malena reluctantly dropped her hand.
"I'm just concerned about the team," Malena muttered.
"No infighting please... Kamira, please have the floor..." Judas bowed curtly.
"Please follow me." Kamira rolled her eyes at Malena before beckoning the others to follow her.
She led the way as they traversed the dungeon. The whole place was covered with ice walls and it was shivering cold.
The cold kept penetrating their bodies and it slowed down their mobility.
Kamira breathed as if the air itself was ice; Zina was already finding it difficult to breathe, stumbling into Judas.
"Everyone wait up." Judas stepped forward, brought out a storage pouch from beneath his white robe, pulled out a dozen hot pills and distributed them.
"This should reduce the cold."
"You had this with you and you almost froze my intestines," Cleo snarled as he swallowed a hot pill. Judas shrugged and they continued.
"Don't you find it weird we haven't sighted any beasts yet?" George asked.
"I noticed too. Keep your eyes open," Judas replied.
"Are we sure she's leading us in the right direction?" Malena asked again, and Kamira snapped. She turned and walked toward Malena.
"What's your stress?" she asked as the spider on her shoulder crept to her arm.
Fatso quickly intercepted between them, shielding his mama as he glared down at her.
Judas's lips curled into a smile as he waited for Socrates's response.
"Guys... look up," Socrates beckoned, and they all looked toward where he pointed.
There was a large hole in the pavement and crawling out of it were ants.
Not just ordinary ants, but ants almost four meters tall, their entire bodies covered in snow.
The ants were extremely white and had red, shining eyes.
"Isn't it just two ants? Small fries..." Zina said, pulling out a bow from her storage bag. A quiver was strapped to her back carrying multiple arrows. She pulled out two arrows with precision, notched them and fired directly at the ants.
Both shots were headshots that killed the two ants instantly. Their bodies crumpled to the floor, turning into nothing but snow debris and leaving behind two shiny stones.
"I told you... they're small fries..." Zina giggled happily — and then, in the same breath, red eyes appeared everywhere around them.
They reflected back from the pavement, the walls, even the floor. Cracks began to spider outward across surfaces.
"Everyone move... we're fucking surrounded!" Judas cried as the team sprang into motion.
They scattered, weapons drawn. The cold seemed louder now — a grinding, brittle sound under the stamp of many legs. Ants poured from fissures in the ice, from crevices in the walls, from cracks that traced like veins across the dungeon.