The trip was grueling and terrible but they finally arrived at their destination: a small camp with some tents and diverse scientific equipment right in front of stairs: the new passage towards the 10th floor.
The group is approached by a tall, large, bald man with a bandanna. He's wearing what seems like a lab coat over leather armor. He looks at them with a serious look.
"The hell happened to y'all ?" he asks, seemingly surprised by the terrible state they were all in.
"We faced a number of monsters on the way here," responds Armando.
"Yeah, you got your shit kicked in, huh. C'mere, you can empty your bags here," says the man, gesturing them to follow him. "Oh, and call me Captain Sax. I'm the leader of the operation here."
'Wait, Sax ?' wondered Silver. This name was not unknown to him. 'A big bald guy named Sax who's a scientist, that must mean...'
"Oh, wait, Saxton Lyrac ? The Saxton Lyrac, the most decorated researcher in Dungeon matters ?! For real ?!" he exclaims.
"Ohohohoho, I was not expecting some Dungeonaut to know me." admits Sax with a hearty laugh.
"How do you know that ?" asks Lin.
"I've read everything he has published; I'm a big fan."
"What a nerd."
Silver doesn't have anything to answer; that hurts but that's the truth.
They finally arrive at the camp proper. The containers opened, revealing their contents: one was full of scientific equipment and research notes, while the other was filled with clean water and rations.
The scientists empty them at breakneck speed, our heroes not even having the opportunity to offer their help. They now just stand there, wondering what comes next.
"I think we need to rest for a while," proposes Captain George. "Our levels of exhaustion are through the roof and we're all in bad shape, especially you," he adds while pointing at the Team. Yeah, they are in rough shape.
"You're right," acquicese Armando.
"You can stay here a while," interrupts Sax. "We got enough to cover for y'all."
"Thanks; that would be really appreciated," says Armando.
Following that, they all separate, trying to find something to do. But Silver has something in mind. He walks towards Sax, who is looking at a screen while writing in a journal.
"What can I do for you, young man ?" he asks without looking away from the screen.
"Well, I've got some questions."
"Like: 'Why is the world's most renowned Dungeon researcher working on a simple Dungeon Shift on floor 9 ?'"
"We-yeah, that's exactly what I was gonna ask," says Silver, a little taken aback. It seems his question was easily predictable.
"You said you're a big fan, yeah ?" asks Sax as he takes his eyes off the screen and looks Silver directly in the eyes. "Tell me, how frequent are Dungeon Shifts ?"
"Well, not that frequent. In the last 60 years, we've only observed like 15-20 ? I think ?"
"Good, now tell me, where did those shifts occur."
"Mainly on the lower floors, minimum the twenties—oh," he just realized something.
"You've got it, right."
"It's the first time that a shift has been recorded on such a high floor; that's why you're here."
"Exactly. Come with me."
They both start to walk while talking.
"See, the lower floors are way more unstable; shifts happen not regularly but they are not rare either. The higher you get, the more "defined" the floors get: for a change in the twenties, you have five for the lower ones. So for a change to happen here ? On this level ? Pretty strange."
They finally arrive at their destination: the stairs giving access to the 10th floor. The both look down at them, unable to discern where they end, giving the impression to descend into an endless abyss.
"There are more and more Dungeon Glitches right now; do you think they might be related ?" asks Silver, his brain brimming with theories.
"Maybe, after all, every other shift has come with weird behavior from the Dungeon. After all, we know so little about this place. Sometimes it acts more like a living being than anything; I'll tell you what," responds Sax, still gazing at the abyss.
The Living Dungeon Theory: a semi-scientific theory saying that the Dungeon is actually a living organism and not just a structure. And the more time Silver has spent in it, the more it seems real.
"Anyway," continues Sax, "This place is deeply fucked up and I hope that a shift this high up is not a bad omen. Well, you should get some rest, son; I've still got things to do." slapping Silver's back as he finishes his sentence before turning away and going back towards the other scientist.
Silver stays still, looking at the abyss in front of him, his body telling him to go look. Almost as in a trance, he starts to walk on the steps before feeling something snap in his head. He winces as he grabs his head before walking back to the others, not acknowledging the strange thing that just happened.
***
"So, tell me Silver, how does it feel to get blasted like that ?" asks Lin with a slight grin on his face.
After a few hours helping around the camp, the Team finally reunited around a campfire.
"It doesn't feel fucking nice; I can tell you that. I thought I was a goner; it hurts badly." answers Silver seriously, annoying Lin, who was awaiting a more amusing reaction.
"I also thought it was over for you," adds V. "I've never seen someone fly like that."
"A sight to behold, that's for sure," says Armando jokingly.
"If you took care of the Leader quickly, then it wouldn't have happened," responds Silver with an accusatory tone.
"I'm sad that I was out when it happened; I would have loved to see it," interjects Sarah.
"Oh, not you too," says Silver, dejected.
They all laugh while Captain George approaches them.
"We've recouped and they finished charging the containers back up; I think we should get going," he suggests as he points towards the two containers, now full again
"Yes, you're right. Let's get back home," responds Armando.
Soon, the whole group gets up and prepares to depart.
"Gone so soon ?" asks Sax as he sees them preparing.
"We would like to come back home as quickly as possible," says Captain George.
"Well, enjoy the sun for me, 'cause we'll be stuck down here for a while. Oh, and kid," he says as he throws something at Silver. He catches it and looks at it—a book. "I signed it for you, mister Big Fan."
"Thanks a lot, sir," responds Silver, bowing his head.
Following this exchange, the group departs to the surface.
***
The 9th floor goes by quickly; no danger around. But something weird happens on the 8th.
"What's going on ?" wonders Captain George as he looks at a tablet showing him the layout of the floor.
"A problem ?" asks Armando, seeing the captain lost.
"Maybe my older eyes play tricks on me but the path forward is blocked, right ?"
Armando takes a look at the map, then forward: the way is blocked by a wall that's not supposed to be here. Silver concentrates and looks around, following the path of Magia.
"Yeah, we're on the path we took to descend," he remarks.
What's going on ? Did they take a wrong turn ? Now way, not with a map, and Silver's weird abilities are also telling them that they are on the correct road. So something had to change within the floor.
"A Dungeon Shift ?" proposes V.
Another shift ? And this high up ? What's going on with the Dungeon lately ?
"There is another road we can take," informs Captain George as he starts to lead them.
A sudden Dungeon Shift coupled with the eerie silence of the seemingly empty floor puts everyone on high alert. Didn't the other group of Dungeonauts tell them that a huge group of monsters was roaming the floor ? The group marches on anyway but something seems deeply wrong.
Finally, the group sees a monster—a frightening but still comforting sight. But-
"It's dead," confirms Lin as he approaches the cadaver. "And it's not alone."
As they advance, they see more and more carcasses, all brutalized and mauled, but no traces of claws or teeth, almost like it was made by a human.
"Let's hope it's a Dungeonaut group that felt a little too enthusiastic about hunting," says Armando, trying to lift spirits.
Sadly enough, the path littered with monster corpses is the only one that can lead them to the surface. They advance cautiously, weapons in hand, ready for a fight. Up ahead is a small cave-like structure; traversing it would lead them to the stairs.
One edge they approach and start to enter the cave. A pungent odor assaults them—the smell of death.
Standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by corpses, is a slick, jet black humanoid creature standing on it's two legs.
Everyone's blood freezes instantly; they can feel it—even the Mercenaries—this creature is strong, extremely strong.
It turns it's completely smooth face towards them.