The journey back continued without much excitement for the most part. A few scattered rank three and two beasts attacked their group, but the adventurers calmly dealt with them.
Thankful for the team's prowess, Lilly and Iain held themselves in the background. They were still out of breath from the earlier chase. This didn't change until they finally arrived back at the checkpoint.
By now it became apparent that the siblings neared their limits. Their stomachs growled silently, demanding something to eat.
Unfortunately, it was hard to find anything substantial in the Frozen Hell. Groob could only offer Lilly and Iain some dried plant snacks. Those might stabilize their moods until they returned to the base camp.
Although the siblings would have loved to hurry, Groob knew that they mustn't underestimate the tunnels. Thus, the team leader ordered everyone to rest. Despite their hunger Lilly and Iain were quickly overcome by their exhaustion. They sank into a deep sleep.
A few hours later Groob gathered the team again. Everyone was in a better condition and ready to fight their way back. Now Groob's decision proved to be correct. Their team went through no small number of conflicts within the tunnels.
Who knew if the beasts were just starved or if no one else used this part of the tunnels in a while? It didn't matter to the team anyways.
All they knew was that a lot of beasts decided to stand in their way. Even the siblings had to act a few times as the groups of rockrats included some rank one beasts.
After fighting the second big group of rockrats the adventurers rested against a wall. Letting of some steam, Groob loudly shouted:
"F*ck. Those disgusting rats. They can all go to hell!"
Lilly rolled her eyes. She was currently applying medicine to a cut on the adventurer's hand, when Groob began gesticulating.
Just as Lilly wanted to reprimand the bald man, a subdued voice sounded out:
"They already are in hell."
Everyone showed baffled looks on their faces as they turned their heads towards Forgoz. Could it be that the swordsman just cracked a joke?
Voro and Uramant chuckled slightly. Not necessarily because of the joke's quality, but more so from Forgoz' uncharacteristic behavior.
A strange mood hung in the air. However, a question appeared in Lilly's mind after contemplating this conversation:
"Hey Groob. What even is hell?"
The clever woman had just realized that she was only familiar with the Cristian concept of hell. But this naturally wouldn't apply here.
Not in the mood to explain, Groob only gave a perfunctory answer:
"Hell is just an antique."
A second went by, but Groob didn't add anything, so Uramant continued:
"It's an old prison. It belonged to the Alliance, but the old demon kings suppressed it and their leaders fled. Since the God of Light's era it has been liberated, but hasn't held any relevance."
Lilly was slightly taken aback. She didn't think her harmless question would open up such a rabbit hole. Always thirsting for knowledge, she hastily continued asking:
"Alliance? Old demon kings? Can you tell me more?"
"Sure, since we have time…
The alliance…"
"Hmpf."
An angry snort interrupted the conversation. Lilly watched in confusion as Groob stood up with annoyance on his face. He didn't even let the young woman treat his injury.
"What time?! We aren't here to give history lessons. If you want to learn more, you should read it up."
But don't use the empire's records to do so.
The burly mercenary only dared to add the last sentence in his head. Thus no one could tell for certain why his mood had suddenly soured.
By now the team was used to Groob's temper, however. Voro, Uramant, and Forgoz didn't think much about it. Every adventurer had their own story.
Although they were a team under the EFM organization, they respected each other's privacy. Among the adventurers were many with a worse personality than their team leader.
Only the siblings were slightly fed up with Groob's repeated antics. However, as long as he did a good job, they wouldn't probe deeper, and possibility seek trouble.
Although their departure was somehow abrupt, no one complained. Their group of six went back into position, adjusting their mindset to react to any changes.
Somehow their luck seemed to have improved though. The team only had to fight a small group of rockrats before finally reaching the elevator.
After three and a half days of journeying through the darkness the six stars welcomed them back. Their light almost blinded the siblings before they managed to adjust.
Every fiber of their beings felt exhausted. Their legs hurt, their arms felt heavy, and their stomachs demanded food.
Lilly and Iain decided to fix the immediate demand first as they approached the Frozen Tavern. This time the others didn't follow them as they wanted to sort through their loot.
On the way back they didn't waste any materials, filling Groob's storage device until it couldn't fit any more. A small share was even reserved for the siblings since they killed a few rockrats too.
Not insisting on the team's company, the young Rottals thus entered the Frozen Tavern alone. A mellifluous stream of air instantly invited them in.
The siblings hadn't figured out the tavern's pattern yet if there even existed any.
Every time Lilly and Iain came here a different situation awaited them. The tavern could be filled or empty, just like its' guests' glasses.
Today it seemed that only a few adventurers found their way here, with none in the mood to drink. Fortunately, this suited the sibling's wish for relaxation.
A few superficial nods were directed towards Iain. The young man had spent some of his time here, connecting with other adventurers. His only substantial relationship was formed with Emantarel, however. While he had some nice conversations with the young soldier, Iain would only be able to recall the names of those adventurers.
Since the tavern wasn't busy, Deri quickly approached the siblings. Their mouths already watery from the pleasant smell, they ended up ordering about a dozen dishes. No one found this sight strange, however. A warrior's body burned a lot of energy, which could only be partially substituted by mana. This only changed at higher levels.
Therefore, the siblings were once again indulging in Deri's delicious food. Their minds and bodies finally relaxed. Their spirits felt elated. The charming sound of a melodious piano gave rise to happy memories.
Lilly easily entered her mind's library. In a delighted mood she appreciated having her intelligence back. She wandered among the books, randomly took one out and sank into the wonderful world of knowledge.
Everyone's eating slowed down. Even the most boorish adventurer began to savor every bite. Deri stayed behind the counter, smiling in bliss.
Iain also followed the music. It showed him the happiest days of his life. He was back on… back… his father…
Suddenly a massive headache hit Iain. He grabbed his head while a low growl escaped his mouth. The images in his mind changed.
A strange, false happiness spread in his mind. He tried to fight it.
[I'm helping you. Don't resist!]
Iain reacted on instinct the moment he heard his father. His mind opened up. A delightful feeling engulfed his whole being. Smiling happily, the young man was inwardly shocked as fake memories appeared in his head.
He saw himself and Lilly. They were lying in bed, miserable expressions on their faces. An old woman stood next to them. Her kind, fiery red eyes burned themselves into Iain's mind.
The old woman patiently took care of the siblings. They had already reached adult age, but their bodies couldn't even match a child's strength. A dry but gleeful voice left the old woman's mouth:
"You have done it. You defeated the disease. Don't worry my children, you will soon be able to live a normal life!"
A single tear involuntarily ran down Iain's cheek. Even though those memories were fake, the woman's concern felt so real.
A few minutes later the mysterious music slowly quieted down. Everyone awoke from their revelry. Some still had blissful smiles, while cold shudders ran down other's spines.
Deri took a deep breath as her eyes focused on the strange man who just let his piano vanish into his space storage. She didn't know when this man appeared.
He could have been playing music for hours or only minutes. The contrast unsettled the usually confident woman deeply.
Lilly's gaze grew stern as she recalled how her emotions were easily affected just now. She couldn't tell the man's intentions.
As she observed her brother, she noticed that he seemed slightly troubled. Before the redhead could express her concern, shock appeared in her eyes.
The young woman tried to stand up, but a gentle wind pressed her back on her chair. She grit her teeth as she tried to fight against it.
Iain had a similar reaction. His hand reached for his hammer as his eyes stared at the strange man who just appeared next to their table.
A benevolent smile decorated the man's face, but it felt unfitting, like a mask. This impression was stressed by his strange clothes, which didn't seem fitting for planet Hex.
His deeply black coat oozed elegance as it perfectly framed the man's tall body. A wide, white shirt hid the man's body proportions. White trousers ended early in his knee-high black boots, which showed off his strong calves. No hair could be seen under his broad, black hat.
The siblings felt the man's eyes mustering them despite the shaded glasses in between them.
Deeply unsettled Lilly and Iain forcefully calmed themselves down, waiting for the man to speak.
A few seconds later a melodious voice suddenly reached the sibling's ears. Shock spread in their eyes as they noticed that the man didn't open his mouth at all.
"For a moment you resisted my music. Not bad."
The man's benevolent smile turned slightly crooked. To the sibling's relief he turned around and left. A last sentence reached Lilly and Iain before the man vanished.
"I hope we meet again."