The traveller and his siblings were suddenly in the presence of two figures who emerged from the shadows ahead, startling them.
One of the strangers, a rugged-looking man with his hand on the hilt of his sword, demanded, "W-who the hell are you people, and what are you doing here?" His voice echoing through the cavern, sharp with suspicion.
Sirius tensed, gripped her iron fan, as she quickly stood in front of the traveller, ready to strike. The other stranger, calmer and more composed, placed his hand on his companion's shoulder and said, "Wait a second. I think they're from the guild."
The first man shot him a sceptical glance. "You sure about that?"
"Yeah. Hold on." Turning to the traveller and his siblings, the man called out, "Hey! You guys are from the adventurer's guild, right?"
The traveller stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on Sirius's shoulder calming her. "That's right," he replied evenly. "We're adventurers from the guild."
The calmer man broke into a grin. "Ah, I thought so. Well then, let us not just stand around here. Let's talk."
The tension slightly eased as the two strangers approached the traveller and his siblings, though Sirius and Kael kept their guard up.
The traveller leaned back and whispered to Sirius, "Let's not make any rash decisions. We'll wait and see how this plays out."
Sirius took a deep breath, hesitating before nodding her head. "Fine," she muttered, reluctantly lowering her fan.
Kael, always observant, chimed in with a quiet, "Got it," as he readied himself to follow his brother's lead.
When the two strangers finally stood before them, one of them, a man with a sly grin, spoke up. "I wasn't expecting to run into anyone else down here, so I was a bit caught off guard."
"Neither were we," the traveller replied, though his mind churned with unease.
The sly man's eyes roamed to Sirius, his grin widening. "And what's your name?"
Sirius's icy glare could have frozen the very air between them. "Didn't anyone teach you any manners? You're supposed to introduce yourself first, before asking from someone else's."
The man scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Fair point. The name's Darius and this here is my partner, Malric. And we've been exploring this place for hours by ourselves."
Darius turned back to Sirius with a playful look. "So, how about it? Care to share your name now?"
Sirius crossed her arms, her tone sharp. "Ahhh, no. I'd rather not."
Darius laughed nervously. "Why not? At least give me a reason."
Sirius then muttered under her breath, her words just loud enough for Kael to hear. "How about you just shut up, you idiot."
"Huh?" Darius blinked, confused, but before he could press any further, Kael stepped in, grabbing Sirius by the shoulders quickly pulling her back.
"Whoa, easy now, Sirius," Kael said with a strained smile. He turned to Darius apologetically saying. "Sorry about that. Our sister can be a little… defensive around strangers."
Kael then leaned in closer to Sirius, whispering, "Hey, the last thing we need is you starting anything. Cause we really don't need trouble right now."
Sirius huffed but reluctantly backed down. "Fine, but don't expect me to enjoy any of it."
Kael then released a sigh of relief and turned back to Darius as he said. "Again, I'm really sorry about that. She's not usually like this."
Darius raised an eyebrow. "Wait, she's your sister? Oh man, my bad. I didn't mean to hit on her in front of you guys."
Malric smirked. "You idiot."
Darius threw him a glare but quickly recovered. "Alright, alright. My apologies. I didn't mean any harm."
The traveller, watching the exchange carefully, stepped forward. "Let's just focus on getting through the dungeon. We've got enough to worry about without all the bickering. So as long as you keep your distance from us, things should be alright."
With that, the group pressed on, Darius and Malric leading the way while the siblings trailed from behind. Sirius leaned closer to the traveller and whispered, "Hey brother, I don't trust these two, and something isn't right about either of them."
"I know," he whispered back, his eyes fixed ahead. "Stay alert. We might find out what they're hiding soon enough."
As they ventured deeper into the cavern, the traveller decided to probe further. "Darius," he began, "I've noticed something strange while we were here. We haven't encountered a single monster in the dungeon. Why is that?"
Darius chuckled. "Oh, that's because we've already cleared them all out already."
Sirius narrowed her eyes. "Just the two of you? That's a bit hard to believe."
Kael nudged her, whispering, "Hey! Watch it."
Darius turned to Sirius with a wry smile. "Is it really that unusual?"
"It is," she shot back, her tone sharp.
Malric cut in with a curt response. "Well, believe it or don't. We've had it easy so far."
The traveller's then unease grew, his instincts warning him that there was more to this story than they were letting on. He then pressed on further. "So, you're saying there's no one else in the dungeon? Just the five of us?"
"That's right," Darius said smoothly, though his smile seemed too calm to be sincere.
Kael, walking at the back of the group, suddenly tensed. He rushed to the traveller's side, his voice low. "Brother, I caught on a scent."
"What kind of scent?" the traveller asked his voice just above a whisper.
"Blood," Kael replied grimly. "And... It's from a human."
The traveller's expression darkened. "Human?" He clenched his jaw, his suspicions confirmed. Turning to Darius, he firmly said, "Hey, Darius. You said we were the only ones here, didn't you?"
Darius stopped but did not turn around. "And we are."
"Oh yeah, then why don't I believe you." He growled.
Darius and Malric exchanged a glance but said nothing. They simply continued on walking until the group emerged into a larger chamber. As the sight before them made the traveller's blood run cold.
Two bodies, adventurers by the looks of their gear, lay sprawled against the wall, their blood staining the rocky floor.
The traveller rushed to one of the bodies, kneeling to check for a pulse. However, nothing. He shook his head, grimly confirming, "He's dead. The blood hasn't fully dried out—which means it wasn't long ago."
Kael, staring at the gruesome scene, asked, "Did a monster do this to them?"
The traveller's gaze hardened as he examined the wounds. "No. These wounds… they were man-made."
Sirius's voice was barely above a whisper. "Then that means…"
The traveller stood slowly, his eyes narrowing at Darius and Malric. "It means they were killed by other human."
End of Chapter 20.