Silence is defined by the absence of sound. Some studies showed that sound does have a sound however it’s only interpreted by the brain. I am in dire need of silence. The grunts mixed with the sound of the rain falling and leaves rustling is unsettling. The smell of blood mixed with wet earth filled my nose and left me nauseated. Soleil and I were observing the entrance of the dungeon from atop of a tree. The view was loathsome. Goblins, Flans, Slimes, and Imps were leaving the dungeon. Even though they were low level, their numbers were terrifying.

3 days had passed since the thunderstorm began and there was no way we could end up stuck inside the cave for much longer without supplies. We fought our way to the river to restock our water. We still had some baked goods that Harlow decided to gift us and they wouldn’t spoil easily so we were alright for a while. We had to see how we were going to pass through the swarm of monsters without getting into any sort of mixups. Soleil had to do most of the fighting since I’m still dead weight so she is quite tired. Her breathing is ragged and she is sweating profusely, which is a rare sight. Even covered in dirt and blood, with a couple of grazes here and there, she is still a beauty. Her blonde hair was starting to get filled with knots again but the parts that were free, simply flutter with the wind in the most mesmerizing way.

Cough. Cough.

Her coughing was back, stronger than before. I knew very well that the medicine I gave her was simply a quick fix but still, I just wanted it to last a bit more so we could reach Asparia and give her proper treatment.

“Here.”

Handing her a new batch of the medicine plus water, she quickly gulps everything down without her typical complaints and the discontent face that follows.

We decided to climb here to have better access to what’s going on around this forest. The dungeon is at the end of the Royal Otter Grove, the forest that was right outside of the Royal City of Astax. It was merely 5 kilometers from a neutral forest, the Brifail Woodland. The home of the Dryads. If we reached there, we had a genuine shot of leaving unscattered. More than we already are. I have a couple of small cuts and bruises. Soleil has cuts, her cape was torn off and her pants have seen better days. Adding her coughing and wheezing, she’s a complete mess. I should’ve asked Harlow to take her to a doctor.

“…do you…“

“Can you repeat that? I can’t really hear you because of all the noise.”

“…you… dea…“

She is blinking too much. What’s wrong?

Crack.

Fuck.

She lost her footing on the branch she was on and feel. I jumped immediately to try and catch her but failed so my only solution is to support her fall so she doesn’t get hurt. And that’s what I did. I managed to catch her arm and fold her head into my chest so anything major doesn’t happen.

THUD.

We both fell miserably bad, with her on top of me and my back on the wet, muddy terrain. If it wasn’t for it, I could’ve broken my spine. Looking at Soleil, she passed out. And with all that noise, the horde of goblins that was near the entrance of the dungeon is surrounding us quickly.

What do I do? I’m not leaving her.

I have to act quickly. Think. Think. That’s what you do best, Yurem. Think. The bag Harlow gave me is pretty well tied around me, so it doesn’t stumble back and forth. I grab Soleil the fast as I could as if we were newlyweds. The monsters are only giving me a way to run. Into the dungeon. Fuck it. I’ll figure it out. I always do. Running as fast as I can with goblins and imps closing in, jumping from one Slime that almost got my leg, ducking from an Imp who threw himself at me, I keep running trying to keep Soleil unharmed. The only thing I know from dungeons like these is from videogames what from what I have read in the Astax library.

The 1st floor has a safe haven in one of the corners but that implies that I need to actually go deep into it. The dungeon starts at the 0 floor, where the exit is, and to go to the 1st, you need to go down some flights of stairs.

I’m inside the dungeon. A place that, even though I was interested, I had no will on coming, especially in a situation like this. With me running on the 1st floor of the dungeon being chased by monsters trying to find the safe haven that I don’t even know if it really exists.

I run. I run. I run. My eyes scan everything. My head turns left and right. The grunts and groans are closing in. The natural light of the place makes me feel like I lost track of time. I can’t focus. I’m soaked with sweat, my eyes are burning, my legs are aching.

All the rooms look the same. Every single hall looks the same. And then it made sense why she said the dungeon looks alive. Someone like me who isn’t used to this environment can die by just getting lost here. Especially if not prepared. Like I am. But by just running and leaving the horde finally behind me. I reached it. I saw it. I felt it.

Every single part of the 1st floor of the dungeon looks the same. But this room is different. It has a different feel to it. I can’t be sure if this is the safe haven I’ve heard about but I have to take a breather and patch Soleil up. Without being chased and being in a small compartment, with only 2 ways of going in or out, I can easily make a run for it in any scenario. I can finally breathe. And think of everything.

As soon as I took 1 step inside the dungeon, the smell of rotten flesh mixed with blood filled my nose. It was a very humid place. And now that I’m in the silence of this room, I can only hear our ragged breathing and water dripping. The ceiling was composed of a blueish rock with some crystals that provided with lightning. That’s the reason why someone could lose track of time. Without seeing or even feeling the sun or moon, the only thing that could provide some sort of time was the one every person possessed on their HUD. However, that was unavailable since the moment I got in here.

This room is different. The walls are white like they were made of quartz. It’s a cool temperature and the lightning isn’t very strong so one could easily sleep here. But that raises the question. If the first floor has a safe room, does that mean that every single room has one? The monsters here aren’t strong at all. Even I can kill them. But not the way I am now. So this could mean several things. The first floors could be some sort of tutorial and the difficulty raises from there or I just got lucky and this is the dungeon I have read about when I was doing research for Ciara.

I take off my jacket and dress it on Soleil. She was freezing. Her lips were blue, her skin that was usually glowing and beautiful is now pale. I untie the bag that Harlow gave me and from it, I remove a cup, a magic stone, some herbs, and my mortar and pestle and start grinding. The magic stone was used to work like a lighter. I put some water on the cup and put it on top of the magic stone. It was plain on 2 sides so you could put things on top of it. It would be perfect for camping back in my world.

The same medicine that I’ve been doing for Soleil is ready so I’m just gonna let it stay warm. I still have some bandages on my pants for emergencies, but I have nothing to clean the wounds.

Do I use every drop of water left to clean her wounds or save it for us to drink down the line until we get out here?

This is the part where she would help me. She would give me her advice. She would probably make some remark that I couldn’t possibly understand due to the way she talks but it would be better than listening to her wheezing and coughing. I have to make her drink. At least keep her inside warm.

I slowly raise her head and pour the content of the glass onto her mouth. I can hear her gulping the medicine I’ve made. At least that.

We just need to rest for a while. And while we rest, I plan. I… We. We are not dying here.