-Hiruko: Military here?
When this group of individuals spotted Hiruko and his gang, smiles appeared on their lips and they headed towards our hero's team.
- Ismaël: At last we can make contact with another group!
- Uli: Wait, let's not approach them first.
- I can see that you're military. Can you tell me which unit you belong to?' shouted Uli.
-A man from this group spoke up to answer Uli...
?? Hey, comrades of the dungeon! It's a great pleasure for us to meet you in this dungeon. Please come to our aid! We've got a lot of wounded with us.
-Uli: How many wounded do you have?
- ??? Uli: We have seven wounded in total, comrade.
-Uli: OK. We have a doctor with us, and I think he'll be able to treat you. But first tell me which group you belong to ?
- ??? Uli: What? I can't hear you very well. Can we get together to discuss it?
- All right.
Frederico looked at this group of men, he didn't trust them at all and told Uli.
While shouting at the men who were advancing, he told them his name: he was called Uli. Once they met, they introduced themselves by greeting each other with ULI.
- ULI: My name is ULI.
We'd heard that, friend. We're banged up, but not deaf. And I'm Dave. I'm a sergeant from the kingdom of Shambala. I'm part of the Coalition army. The misfortune we've had is that we've been stuck here for quite a while.
-We're also part of the Coalition Army, well almost.
-Almost? I don't understand you, what do you mean by 'almost'?
-GOKI: We're here for the final trials.
-Dave: The tests to take part in the selection tournaments? You've got to be joking!
- Ismaël: Unfortunately, he's telling the truth.
- But what king or head of state came up with the idea of having novices take part in dungeons?
- It came from the most powerful of the daimyo,' replied Hiruko.
- Which daimyo? I suppose it's still DOROTHY?
- Well, yeah.
- She hasn't changed, I knew it.
Goki, coming up behind Uli, says in a low voice: 'Watch out, they're shady.
-Uli: I know, but why do you suddenly suspect them?
-I've just seen their uniforms.
What's wrong with that? It says on his badge that he's a sergeant and that this outfit comes from the kingdom of Shambala.
-I know, but long before that, when my father wanted to introduce me to the world of business and politics, I was looking for contracts for equipment, the manufacture of outfits and weapons. I came to Shambala once.
- What are you trying to say?
- That these outfits were too old when I went there. They had eight pockets in the front, instead of six. Today, that version has been modified, and there, in front of us, he's wearing an outfit with eight pockets in the front, ULI.
- Tell me, how long ago was your visit to the kingdom of Shambala?
- More than 8 or 9 years, if I remember correctly.
- That means they've been here for a long time, and we don't know if they're impostors or the people they claim to be.
Uli: Let us take the road together, we were exploring this dungeon.
- And which way were you planning to go?
- The one opposite yours, so the right.
- I see, my friend. Can we travel together?
No problem, I offered it to you first, but first we have to take care of the pregnant lady. Selene, can you help her?
-SELENE: OK, come on, I'll help you, ma'am. 'She helped him to lean on her and Ishmael.
-Thank you very much, dear, and I was getting dizzy.
-Will you be all right, madam?
-Don't worry, just tell me your name, young lady.
-My name is Selene, and yours?
-My name is MORAGANE.
-And I can help you with your dizziness. How long have you been feeling these symptoms?
-Morgane: I've had these dizzy spells for a week now.
-SELENE: A week? 'Either she's lying, because in a few days' time, given her tummy, she should be feeling these symptoms in the first few months of her pregnancy. I can see that madam, everything will be fine. Let's find somewhere you can rest, and I'll look after you.
-So, Dave, you haven't met any other young soldiers in this dungeon?
-DAVE: Yes, yes, but they told us they didn't have any doctors and went on their way.
-Were they your friends?
- I don't think so, they were just other candidates we were doing the tests with.
- And how many people were there in total?
Uli: I'd say over 40.
- I can see the youth.
And you, how long have you been here?
- I think we've been in this dungeon for six months, if I'm counting the days right.
ULI: 6 months? And who allowed a pregnant woman to go on missions when she was nearly full term? What kind of husband allows his wife to be unfit to face danger while carrying his child?
Nobody did.
-So, what is it?
- I noticed that this dungeon had an influence on the weather and that it had one on us too. Morgana wasn't pregnant when she left on her mission.
-WHAT?
I'm the father of the child in her belly.
All Ulci's gang were shocked and the strangers they had discovered had their faces towards the ground, as if they were approaching certain acts.
And ULI angrily grabbed Dave by the collar of his shirt and punched him in the face, sending him tumbling to the ground and sending everyone into a frenzy.
- Stop, don't do anything,' were Dave's words to his comrades, seeing that they wanted to intervene on his behalf.
- You selfish bastard, what were you thinking? Getting that lady pregnant in a place like this? You know what we had to face when we entered this dungeon just after an hour? We had to meet a JENGU, and you, you've been here for nine years, instead of looking for a way out, you preferred to give up and, on top of that, you dared to have a child in this environment? You selfish murderers.
- ULI was punched in the cheek by DAVE, who kept on punching him more and more.
-Don't you dare insult what I've done, you can say what you like, but you don't know anything about my life or what I went through in that dungeon. And for you, it was only a few days, but for me, every week spent here was worse than living in a jungle, where even my general and colonel decided to commit suicide after seeing all their soldiers slaughtered. The responsibility fell to me to guide these ten men. You don't know how close I came to cracking up, and the smile and the beautiful moments I spent with that lady were my way of escaping that reality.
And when DAVE tried to throw the last punch by raising his arm, MORGANE stopped him, crying and shouting:
'Sir, please stop beating Mr Uli, I don't want it to happen again, we've already lost enough men for it to stop, I want it to stop, I've lost too many mates, please.'
But not wanting to stop, he wanted to continue, but this time it was GOKI who held his blade to his throat and told him to stop if he didn't want this child, with the little chance left to be born in this dungeon, to be an orphan.
- All right, let go of me.
Hiruko hurried over to ULI to pick him up and ask him if he was all right.
- Hiruko: Uli, are you all right? Can you stand up, my friend?
He noticed, however, that ULI was staring at the pregnant woman for at least three seconds before answering Hiruko's call.
- It's OK, Hiruko. I'm fine and I can get up again. I just got carried away by my emotions, which is something a soldier on a mission is not allowed to do. Otherwise, we can carry on.
-I'm sorry for what the man had to do to you, please forget it. Morgana begged him.
-It's all right, we were a bit on edge, that often happens when you find yourself in this kind of stressful place. Let's get on with it.
As we walked, HIRUKO felt a tingling in his eye.
-Ouch, there it goes again.
- ULI: What now? Does your eye hurt? But the air is stable here, there's no wind to blow dust around?
DAVE: Hang on, ULI! Unless you're wrong, the wind's stopped blowing.
-Habon? I didn't realise. He held up his finger to feel the direction of the wind.
That's right, there's no wind. he added.
DAVE: That happened to us last time.
Uli: What? What are you talking about? Is that a draugr? A Jengu?
- ULI: No, we have to run, otherwise we'll all be killed, so order your team to run! ULI I'm not going to stay here. he says, running off in the opposite direction.
-Uli: I think we have to run too, guys, come with me. Fred, take care of carrying Morgane with your gadget, as she's pregnant.
-I'll do that.
- Or should I give this job to HIRUKO?
- No, that's fine.
And everyone fled in the opposite direction. HIRUKO, seeing time freeze for a second, heard a voice say to him: 'You too can see me and hear me?
-HIRUKO: Who did I hear? And why can't I move?
-Ismael: Hiruko, are you all right? Why are you standing still?
-Hiruko look out!
He was pushed by GOKI and, at the same time, a giant snake over 70 metres long, weighing several tonnes and with grey scales and purple eyes burrowed out of the ground, opened its big mouth full of teeth and swallowed both GOKI and ISMAEL.
-No, it didn't! GOKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!' shouted ULI after seeing her companion being swallowed by the giant snake.