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Despite their wounds and fears, they pushed on. They had no other option, not if they wanted to escape with their lives. Out of everyone, no one was more afraid than Robin. The thought of passing away in such a hellish place was terrifying, but that wasn't what really scared him. The thought of his family slowly dying without him to bring in money is what really troubled him. Their chances of surviving this place were dwindling with each passing second. He looked down to the bite wound on his arm. It didn't look good, he hoped he wouldn't die to something as pathetic as a bite.

Thea kept a close eye on Janus, and his wound. He was making grunting sounds, clearly in pain. "We can stop any time you want."

"No, I'd rather that we just keep moving... I want to get out of here..." Janus had no more snide remarks, or funny comments left in him. There was nothing funny about this place. There was nothing funny about his flesh burning, nor the scar it would leave if he even left this place alive.

Hilda stayed quiet as she led the pack, pushing deeper into the unknown. Slowly, the cave passage they were in began to widen, and widen, until they found themselves in a massive cavern. It was so massive, the light from the goo Hilda carried wasn't able to reach the ceiling. Not only that, but there was only one way to go, forwards. There were no branching paths here, because there was only one. A twelve foot path, acting as a sort of bridge to wherever it was they were going. If they stepped off the path, they would find themselves plummeting into the darkness below. Carefully, they proceeded over the natural stone bridge in front of them. As Hilda quietly proceeded to push on, she began to hear strange sounds. It sounded like faint screams, growls, and strange almost indescribable wet, sloshing noises. It wasn't like like water, it was more like bloody meat, rubbing together, or kidneys being slowly squashed in the palm of someone's hand. Hilda got a horrible sense of dread from this place. It terrified her, wondering what was below them, what was above them, and what was ahead of them. "We should stay very, very quiet," she whispered to them. She hoped that they were not in danger of awakening something terrible.

Thea kept looking side to side, almost expecting something to come crawling up over the edge of this natural bridge. Mentally, she began to repeat prayers of protection. She felt like she needed her god more than ever. Just being in this place filled her very soul with sheer fear. It was almost like this room was made to break down anyone's mental health. She began to notice everyone slowing down, but instead, she began to take the lead. She felt like she had to be strong. She could not let evil win. She could not allow it to exist in their world, nor could she allow it to harm anyone else. To her surprise, Hilda caught up with her. It made her feel batter, knowing that there was someone right besides her, every step of the way. She reached out, and took the dwarf's hand.

Hilda looked right back to the alakazam, feeling her holding onto her hand. She had to admit, feeling her holding on like this did fill her with a bit more confidence. She was not easily intimidated or scared, but this place could break hardened warriors so easily. It was strange that such a simple gesture from the monk could fill her with the courage she needed to push on. She began to pick up her pace, and push on much faster. She could hear the lads, keeping up with them. She didn't care what they thought about them holding hands, she just cared about getting to the end of this bridge.

Robin kept looking side to side, feeling like he was seeing shapes in the darkness. He felt like he was seeing things moving, slithering. The vague figures he saw in the darkness only pushed him closer to his breaking point. Then, quietly, he started talking to Janus. He never was a religious man, but if confessing one's sins did really cleanse a person's soul, then now was the time. "I've done a horrible thing, Janus... And I know I will suffer for it, in this life or the next."

Janus looked to the gallade, wondering what he meant by that. "What horrible thing have you done?" he asked.

"I raped my sister, and made her keep it a secret," he told him, half expecting Janus to burn him alive right then, and there. He knew he would deserve it.

"You what?" Janus quickly asked, almost thinking he had heard this man wrong. Judging by the look on Robin's face, he heard correctly. He never would've guessed this man was capable of such evil.

"You heard me. I hurt someone, and their only crime was caring too much about me. She kept it a secret, but when she became pregnant, we moved far away from our home. We pretended to be married. The ring on her finger is from a man I killed for silver. Our son, Carlos...he doesn't know his mother and father are related. I did the worst thing I could possibly to to her, but she stayed by my side for some reason. It is probably because staying with me is the only way her, and our boy can survive in this fucked up world, full of fucked up people."

Janus just listened, hearing him out. Knowing what this man did, it did not make him want to kill the gallade. Right now, he would take help from anyone, if it improves their chances. "Your boy, will you ever tell him how he was conceived?"

"No, never. I have already ruined one life, I am not going to ruin his too," he replied. It felt good to finally confess to everything, like his soul was a little lighter. Still, he knew that just confessing did not make his actions any less horrendous. "What would you do, if you were in my position? Would you tell him?"

"If I were you, I would not be in your position," Janus bluntly replied.

"So, what about you? Do you have anything to confess?" Robin asked, knowing that their chances of getting out of here were quite slim anyway.

"I haven't done anything like that... I just hunt animals. I live a normal life, I sell meat, and just try to get by in life... I never should've came here, but I got greedy," he truthfully said. He led a pretty normal life, before meeting Robin, and joining in on his suicide mission. He thought this little expedition could net him some easy gold, but instead, he found himself in a nightmare he couldn't escape.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this... I thought we could really do this, clear out this place and retrieve some amazing treasure. I was an idiot, to believe something like that can be so easily obtained. We should've listened to that mutilated man. I should've stuck to what I am good at."

Janus kept his eyes on where he was stepping, wanting to make sure he didn't get killed by an unfortunate misstep. Part of him wondered if jumping off this bridge was the smarter move. After all, he didn't want to end up like that mutilated man. The only thing stopping him was the fact that he also didn't want to die. There was still a chance to escape this place with his life. He stayed quiet for a full minute, listening to their footsteps against the hard stone floor, until eventually, they reached the end of the natural bridge. What they found at the end did not fill them with confidence. There were tents, hundreds of them. They were shredded, broken, and there were countless skeletons laying around. It was clear a massive battle must've taken place here. Tents and bones were not the only things that were left behind. He saw weapons, laying besides the bones. "We should take everything that we need from here."

Hilda did not hesitate to search for weapons. She needed a blade, a club, anything to protect herself with. Thea stayed by her side, needing a weapon too. She looked back over her shoulder, towards the monk. "I know you don't like taking from the dead, but you're no use to your god if you get changed, or eaten by one of those things. Here, take this," she said, as she handed over a weapon.

The alakazam reached out, and took it. It was a war hammer. It was a little longer than her mace, and the metal head of the weapon had two sides. There was the flat hammer side, and on the other, there was a long, thick spike. Part of her felt as if Hilda had been sent by Arceus. She had protected her, saved her. She owed her life to this dwarf, and she would gladly defend her. "I have to warn you, I am not very good at fighting."

"Let me do most of the work. If it looks like I am in trouble, don't hesitate to bury that spike right into the skull of whatever is attacking me." Hilda knew that this alakazam may not be a good fighter, but she could still swing a hammer.

"I shall," she said, before then looking back to the men. She could see them, searching the tents. There were so many. It scared her to think of just how many people must've died here, and how much pain this place had inflicted upon them. This entire place felt incredibly oppressive, like the darkness itself was threatening to snuff out their lives at any moment. "Do you think anyone might be down here, with us?"

"We're not alone, but I doubt anything down here is going to fight alongside us... You know about demons and monsters, right? What does your religion say about these things?" Hilda asked. She wondered if she knew any way to make fighting these things any easier, because they needed all the help they could get.

"Most of the demons I learned about weren't physical beings, they are spirits, things that never walked on land as you or I have. These beasts are something else entirely, but everything has a weakness. Perhaps their weakness is light. It would explain why they they live in such a dark place."

Hilda continued to search the tents, until she found a short sword. She was incredibly relieved to find a weapon that she felt comfortable with. It had a small crossguard with a leather wrapped grip. It looked a little worn, and she wasn't surprised. This sword may have been down here for a while, which made her wonder if the blade was weakened. She continued to search for more weapons. She wanted another blade to use if the short sword breaks upon contact with whatever she fights next. "You know what we should do when we get out of here? Cave in all the fucking entrances. Let these bastards rot down here. They're probably surviving off the flesh of people like us. Demons or something else, they're still made of flesh and blood. They will have a hard fucking time hurting anyone else when they're nothing but bones."

"Maybe I will put some of my share towards sealing the entrances... This place is one massive evil trap, no one should have to suffer being in this place." To Thea, this place seemed like the entrance to hell.

"You still think we'll find some sort of treasure?" Hilda asked.

"I pray we do. It would be a shame, to go through all this for nothing. But I would be very grateful just to escape with our minds and bodies still intact."

Hilda's mind soon drifted from treasure, and onto what she will do once she gets out of here. This place had put them through so much stress, and she knew of one good way to relieve stress. She looked towards the monk, she wondered what she liked, if she liked anyone in that way. "You kept digging to find out more about me... My turn now. Have you ever been with anyone? Male? Female?"

A very curious look spread across Thea's face, but she decided to answer honestly. "I've only been with one man... I did not enjoy it that much. I got very close to being with another woman, but my parents caught us. They were very strict, they tried to keep my mind and body pure by sending me to one of the most religious places around. They disowned me, until I shown them that I am pure."

"Your parents sound like fucking idiots," Hilda bluntly said.

"It was my choice to become a monk, and continue following the path of light. I was annoyed at them for thinking I was lesser than them for who I cared for... But my anger faded as I channelled it into helping other people through difficult times. After my brief relationship with another man, I... I found out I was pregnant, but I was not pregnant for long."

Judging from the way she said that, Hilda guessed she must've had a miscarriage. Either way, it wasn't her place to pry. She never was one to dig into people's pasts anyway. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have brought this shit up."

"It was not your fault, and I don't mind talking about it. I found that talking about it actually helps. I know a lot of people keep that sort of thing to themselves, but there is no shame in it. It was not meant to be, and I have come to terms with that."

Hilda was surprised by this monk. When they first met, she believed that Thea was weak, physically and mentally. She could see that was not the case, she was strong in her own way. "I would not handle something like that so well..."

"It took time. Why do you ask about my past partners anyway?" She did not mind speaking about this stuff, but she did wonder why Hilda brought it up.

A sigh escaped the dwarf's lips. She then just spoke her mind. "I was just trying to figure out if..." As her words left her lips, she felt a hint of embarrassment and fear. However, half way through her sentence, she thought just one thing. Fuck it. "If you like women... You're a cutie, and it has been a while. We might not get out of here, but if we do, and you are into women, then I say we fucking celebrate. So... You interested in me?"

A look of shock quickly spread across Thea's face. She was not expecting those words from her. She had no idea that Hilda was even into her kind. "You... You don't play around, do you? I, uh... I don't think I can. My religion is strict when it comes to relations between..."

Hilda quickly interrupted her as soon as she started talking about her religion. She wanted to cut past the bullshit. "I don't want to hear about what your religion demands, I want to hear what you want. Do you want to be with me, or not?"

Thea looked almost as confused as she felt. She could not deny she had urges for other women, urges she hadn't felt towards the opposite sex in a long time. There was a problem though, her religion frowned upon same sex relations. But, she felt as if she was here for a reason. Perhaps she was meant to be with this woman, why else would her God make her like this? It was a question she asked herself, again and again, but she got no answer, no guidance. Maybe that in itself was a sign that nothing was wrong with her. She looked right into the dwarf's green eyes as her mind was filled with conflict. On one hand, her religion demanded one thing, on the other, she desired the complete opposite. Before she fully realized it, Hilda took a few steps forwards, and rested her hand on her shoulder. The dwarf smiled before speaking.

"I'm guessing at least some part of you must want me... It is taking you a while to come up with a reply."

The dwarf was right, she did want her. She could not just jump into the arms of another woman though, it was against her religion. She couldn't just leave behind her religion so easily, no matter how much she wanted to sometimes. "... I do want you. But, my religion I can't just walk away from it."

The thought of Thea having to hide something like this annoyed Hilda. She believed that no one had the right to tell other people they could not sleep with the same sex. It was their lives, and it was not a decision. "I'm not asking you to. Stay religious, be a monk, I don't care, so long as you're not hiding who you really are. If your god cares about you, then wouldn't he be happy that you're happy?"

"It's not that simple..." There was so much going through Thea's mind. She wanted to just go right ahead, and kiss Hilda right away. She had to admit, she had been thinking about it ever since she saw her strip completely naked. She had similar thoughts in the past, but her urges had become hard to ignore. Such deviant ideas swirled around in her mind, and recently, they all involved Hilda. Every thought she had about her steadily became dirtier. She had thoughts no monk should ever be allowed to have without seriously praying for forgiveness afterwards.

"Maybe, but do you really want to live a fucking lie? You've devoted your life to your religion, you put yourself at risk of death for your religion! You fucking deserve a break." Hilda certainly was not a religious woman. After what she saw, it was hard to believe anyone could allow the stuff she's seen to happen. She had seen horrible things committed in the name of religion, in the name of what other people thought was good. She didn't feel bad at all by trying to convince Thea to sin, after all, a small sin like kissing a monk was nothing compared to what she had already done. If Thea's religion was right, then Hilda was already going to hell anyway.

Maybe it was because she felt like she owed her for saving her life, or maybe it was because she just could not hold back anymore. She took a deep breath, and sighed. Immediately afterwards, she leaned in, and pressed her lips against the dwarf's. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest as she defied her religion for a brief moment of pure joy. This is what she needed, a break from the horror and dread that this place filled her with. Even if it was for just a few seconds, she just needed to escape. She was surprised to feel Hilda's tongue, invading her mouth. It wiggled around her maw, sliding over every tooth. Gently, Thea sucked on the warm wet muscle in her mouth. She did not know if she could bring herself to go any further than this, but she was damn well going to make the best of this. Her hands wandered up to the dwarf's head. He ran her fingers through her red hair as she kiss away as much as she wanted. When they withdrew from the kiss, a look of lust was plastered over both of their faces. Both of them wanted to carry on, but for a moment, she realized that they were not the only ones here. She looked back over her shoulder, noticing Janus staring right at them with a confused look on his face. She felt so embarrassed, letting herself do that, letting her emotions get in the way of her faith. Yet, she did not regret kissing her. She quickly turned her attention back to Hilda. "I... I'm sorry. I lost control."

"You want to really lose control?" Hilda replied with a slight blush on her cheeks. Her lust was clear in every word she spoke. "If we find a safe, quiet place, I will show you what it really means to lose control."

"I'm going to have to pray for forgiveness after this..." Thea knew that she was not going to be able to hold back after this. Just listening to the dwarf speak made her want more. It was the only thing that would make her forget about all of this. She just hoped that she would be forgiven for her actions.

Janus shook his head, he was not expecting those two to get that close. He guessed they must've bonded at some point, or maybe they were making the most of what little time they may have left in this world. He sure felt as if his time was coming soon. The sound of something rustling nearby snapped him out of his thoughts. His head quickly whipped around as he faced a nearby tent. The rustling sound came from it. He remembered what happened the last time they checked out a tent, so he was very cautious when he approached this one. "Robin..."

The gallade turned his attention to the whispering blaziken. He noticed him pointing towards a tent. Robin picked up a javelin off the ground before walking over to the blaziken's side. He was determined not to get bitten again. Using the blade of the javelin, he pushed aside the fabric opening of the tent. Immediately, a large black rat ran away, fleeing before anything could attempt to kill it. "Just a fucking rat..."

The blaziken breathed a sigh of relief before taking a look inside the tent. There wasn't much, just a couple of rib cages and a dull knife. He doubted he was going to be lucky enough to find a new bow in this place. For a while, he just rested on his knees, looking around himself. Slowly he felt fear and despair creeping, taking a hold of him as he examined his surroundings. He was deep underground, with a rapist, a short mercenary, and a monk. This entire place was crammed full of demonic creatures that wanted to tear them all apart, and their only way back was blocked by a big, evil water dwelling creature. He was unarmed, the gallade was injured, the monk probably did not even know how to swing that hammer. When he thought about it all, he began to realise just how hopeless their situation really was. "Fucked... We are all fucked..."

Robin could hear him, muttering to himself. "We're not fucked yet. We're still alive and breathing... I'm not giving up yet. I've been through worse."

"Liar. What could be worse than this?! We're underground with a pile of fucking demons hunting us. Who fucking knows how many of these things there are!" It all seemed so pointless to the blaziken. All they were doing was blindly walking around, and he knew that every single path they took could be the one to lead them straight into their graves.

Robin was seriously regretting bringing this blaziken along. He should've known better than to bring a hunter. Hunting animals easy compared to being a mercenary, less stressful both mentally and physically. He thought that a hunter would make for a pretty good mercenary, apparently he was wrong. He expected the monk to break first, but then again, the monk did not have to suffer through acidic vomit. "Shouting is not going to fucking help us. You're giving away our position. You might be ready to lay here and die, but I'm not. I am going to fight these bastards. They're going to have to work for their meal." The gallade turned his back to the blaziken. "Stay here and die if you want, but I'm not going to stay here with you."

"Why not? This place is where you belong anyway... Heh, you belong here a hell of a lot more than I do!" Janus was just saying what was on his mind. He wasn't even thinking anymore, it was hard to think in this place anyway. He didn't care if his words hurt the gallade, it was highly likely they were going to be hurt a lot more by the creatures in this place anyway.

"... You're right, I do belong here, but my family needs me. I have to survive, for them. I will spend my entire life trying to repay my sister for what I did to her, but I cannot repay her if I am dead." This conversation had went on a little too long for Robin's liking, so he began to walk away from the blaziken before he did something stupid. He couldn't stop himself from looking over his shoulder, towards the blaziken. He was going to watch his back around him. He felt like it was a mistake to reveal his horrible secret to him. Whilst deep in thought, wondering if he would live to regret telling him, he heard something nearby. It sounded like screams, coming from a slightly lit cave to his left. When he noticed the light, he began to wonder what was causing it. Perhaps a torch? Perhaps they were not the only people seeking treasure foolishly in this hell hole. He decided to investigate very cautiously, walking away from the rest of his group. Silently, he made his way closer to the source of the screams, and the source of the strange light. The small passage began to open up into a larger cave. For a moment, he took his eyes off what was ahead of him when he stepped in something wet, and squishy. He looked down, seeing pink stuff all over the floor. On closer inspection, the pink stuff had a strange pattern on it, almost like veins. It was disgusting, but he pushed. Just a few seconds later, he greatly regretted his decision to investigate the screams.

Author's note: Things just keep on taking a turn for the worst, but can they keep it together til they find a way out of this nightmare? Only one way to find out! Again, thank you all for reading! :) Oh, and as usual, thank you to BigBossSonic for editing this!