Suspicion

"Fine..." Jason stared Vain down as if he was trying to understand all the mysteries the man in front of him had. "Tell me then... What were the last creatures you killed? It doesn't matter if it was an insane human or a random entity."

Vain was extremely surprised, "That's all? What else?"

"We'll start with that then you can move on to the next questions we have for you."

"Alright?... The last thing I killed was a Hound. Before that, it was a Vine entity."

"Wait! What do you mean Vine entity? I need details."

"Umm... It at first looked like a humanoid plant made of vines, but at the time I had just gotten into a trap so I didn't have all my focus on it until it was too late. I first killed a Mermaid or fish man, whatever you call it. I had also gotten all other entities to fight among themselves so I then focused on the vine which had, at that point become a huge mass of vines that covered the entire hall."

"Wait... What other entities were there?"

"One octopus face and two black-skinned entities that had their skin cracked in places to show the red underneath. There were also three Blobs that look like a blob of tar that has come alive with thick veins showing pulsating underneath which makes it look closer to a blob of flesh."

"Wait tell us more about the Abyss Eaters."

"Abyss Eaters? Cool name for such stupid creatures. I get the eater part, but why Abyss? Just because they are black?... Well, I guess it doesn't matter much. Those 'Abyss Eaters' had killed the other three entities and slowly moved in my direction pressuring me to finish my fight with the Vine."

"What else! What other entities did you meet?"

"Surprisingly none."

"How did you kill the Hound and how did you kill the Vine?"

"The Vine I used a Firesalt Crystal and then cut it at its' root leaving me with that glowing green vine. As for the hound I stabbed its' eye out."

"Was your vision was probably blurry when you killed the hound, right?" Harry spoke up interrupting the tense back and forth between Jason and Vain.

"Yes."

"It's looking worse for you by the second."

"So Hound and the killing method of through the eye. I feel like we are getting closer to the crux of the problem with each passing moment. Can I get a better understanding of the situation so I can better defend myself?"

The three men looked at each other all with the same question plastered on their faces. Vain on the other hand didn't have much choice but to wait for the men to decide what to do.

Nearly half an hour later the men finally all noded together.

"We had a brother and he just so happens to have died by a stab through his eye. Some entity just so happened to transport him directly after you passed but before the Abyss Eaters. So I'm sure you can guess why we haven't put our weapons down."

"You got to be kidding me... First things first. I know what a Hound acts like, so the only way I killed your brother is by him being insane and running on all fours and naked. Second I killed the hound, AT LEAST 30 minutes before meeting you all. So you needed to have your brother disappear at least that long before you even saw me, and judging by how you all are acting, it seems that your brother was found pretty close by.

And lastly, I find this whole situation stupid. Nothing else. Just stupid."

The men all stared at each other and nodded, "Give us a moment to talk it out."

The men lowered their weapons and started to whisper to each other.

"I think he might just be innocent."

"As much as I wish it was him, I think he is probably innocent as well."

"I think we should look closely at the wound on Jack and ask him what he thinks."

"I feel like he is just tired and wishes to be safe. I saw how tight he held that dagger even as he had passed out."

"I also know we saw him at most ten minutes after Jack's disappearance, along with Jack being five minutes of full sprint away when this man could only limp in our direction shows he has even less of a chance to be the culprit."

After another ten minutes of just saying their thoughts, Vain got tired and put down his arms just in time for the group to focus all their attention on him again.

"We think you most likely didn't kill our brother, but our superiors told us we shouldn't trust people on this level at all. So for now we will be wary of your existence until the other group that our superiors have sent." Jason spoke for the group while looking straight into Vain's eyes.

Nick on the other hand seemed to catch something, "Wait since when would we be getting new members to this base?"

"If you haven't been able to tell, the food and water supplies aren't enough to last the month until the next supplies run from MEG. Apparently, Mr. Finch just didn't tell us that it was always supposed to be like this."

The other men nodded and turned back to Vain, "For the next few days you will be staying here with someone while two of us will go for supplies in the halls. I suggest you get used to having a gun pointed to your head."

"I'm just happy I don't have to worry about being shot without any say in the matter. I really just need a good place to sleep while I recover, 'oh' that reminds me. I don't know which of you patched me up, but thank you for your kindness." Vain took the chance and bowed to the men.

Harry smiled and was the first to break the silence after the tense atmosphere subsided slightly. "Well for now how about we start with names and learn more about each other. We will be together for a while for now."

Jason nodded and spoke up, "My name is Jason. I lead this group and make sure everything is organized."

"My name is Nick. I am the swordsman of the group. The best swordsman of the new generation."

"I am Harry. I am the doctor who had sewn your pieces back together. And of course, we have Jack who was killed. He 'was' the best marksman of the new generation."

Vain nodded at each one of them before he introduced himself, "My name is Vain. I am trapped on this level for now. I am a pretty well-trained Wanderer." Vain paused before speaking up, "You said your brother, Jack, was a marksman. If he was well trained as you claimed, then shooting his gun would be his instinct that had been ingrained into his body. Did you check where his gun had gone, and how many bullets he shot?"

Vain's words shocked the brothers, after all, he said something so obvious that anyone could think about, but they had somehow forgotten to check Jack's weapon. Harry was the first to start moving to the body that was hidden in a corner.

After a good two minutes, Harry came back with a gun.

"Was it still in its' holster?"

Harry nodded before taking out the magazine and checking it in front of everyone. "There are the same amount missing as before he disappeared."

"So either, he isn't as well trained as you all claim, or he just wasn't able to use it at all before dying without being able to fight back. At least this gives me more believable words since with only my dagger I wouldn't be able to kill him."

The men just silently glared at Vain for his last remark, but none spoke and soon focused more on their thoughts.