The Alpha's Return

"And one more problem. We are in a loop.", Lucas sighed.

"Ah. I knew that you jinxed it.", Arthur said.

"Don't act as if it is my fault. It is not like I made this happen.", Lucas said.

"Guys, relax. I am not sure if this is a loop at all. If this was, how did we enter it, and where did we come back to? I cannot sense any magic here. The space was not tampered with. We cannot be too sure. Don't do anything without confirming it.", Praneeth said.

"It might not be a loop? Well, the chair that I took out is there, so that's a positive. Let us mark it may be, and see if we pass the same place again.", Lucas said.

"Don't make a mark with your claw. Make the mark a little special.", Praneeth said.

"Why? A claw will suffice.", Lucas said.

"Because that can be easily faked. If someone just wants to mess with us, they can add that claw mark. A drop of blood, or something like that, will be impossible to fake, and then we will know for sure if we are in a spatial loop, or if they just rearranged the same thing again and again.", Praneeth said.

"You know, by the way you are thinking, you would actually make a good dungeon builder. If the marquess hired you, I would definitely be in the first, maybe the second floor right now.", Lucas laughed.

"Don't joke around like that. Let us get moving. We have much ground to cover, and it feels like the floors itself have grown larger in size as we go up the building.", Praneeth said.

"Alright, alright.", Lucas laughed. He raised his hand and a claw came out of his index finger. He scratched his hand and put the hand on top of the chair. A few drops of blood fell on the chair, staining it. He also marked the cubicle itself, and once that was done, he retracted the claw. The wound itself healed in seconds.

"Good. Remember how you marked it. You can tell if it is your blood right? That is good. No one can possibly replicate your blood, so we should know if we are in a loop after this.", Praneeth said.

"Well, if they collected my blood from all the years past, and used that in the exact same pattern, it is plausible.", Lucas said laughing.

"You are right.", Praneeth said.

"Hey, I was just joking.", Lucas said.

"But we cannot take a risk, can we? Michael, you do it as well. You haven't gotten into nearly as much trouble as Lucas has in the past few years. No one will possibly have your blood.", Praneeth said.

"Alright. Lucas, you blabbermouth. If you hadn't said this, even if they did have the blood, they wouldn't have thought to use it.", Michael snarled.

"Not my fault.", Lucas raised his hands up.

Michael walked forward and scratched himself with a claw. Blood dripped all along the cubicle and on the chair within it.

"I'm done. This better be worth it.", Michael sighed as he got back in line.

"Lets get going now.", Praneeth said. Lucas started walking forward, and slowly, the cubicles next to them changed. They were seeing the same pattern that they saw when they walked their first rep. After a few minutes, though, they came across the exact same set up that was at the entrance, and at the point they stopped.

"Moment of truth.", Lucas sighed as he walked up to the cubicle.

There was blood splattered all over the cubicle doors, as well as the chair. Lucas stepped forward into the cubicle, and took a sniff of the chair. He then proceeded to lick the chair.

"Ewwww.", Eva commented.

"You try telling the difference between fresh and stale blood.", Lucas scoffed.

"You are right, Praneeth. They did have my blood. This is at least fifty years old, but it smells really good. If I didn't take a few precautions, we would have been stuck here for another fifteen or twenty minutes scratching our heads out.", Lucas said.

"And that is why you should always listen to me, and treat me really well.", Praneeth said with a smile.

"Fine. We know now that this is not a loop. That means that with every floor that we climb up, the floors just keep getting bigger. Isn't that like a contradiction to every other artifact that works like this? Aren't the floors supposed to get smaller?", Angela said.

"This is not a pyramid. We aren't in Egypt now.", Praneeth said.

"Let us just walk forward. We have got to get somewhere.", Eva suggested.

"Words to live by.", Raphael laughed.

Lucas shrugged as he started walking once more. They crossed the same patterns for the third time, and a fourth time, and a fifth time. Just when things were getting very, very boring, they were finally met by a change in scenery.

"The desert? You have got to be kidding me. Sorry, Lucas, I called the wrong person a jinx. Praneeth, what did you say? Not in Egypt right now? Take that back and shove it up your throat.", Arthur scolwed.

"That was... well, rude.", Praneeth said calmly.

"I can feel the heat to my face. It is very, very irritating. I just want to get some water, and that is the whole point of this isn't it? Just wasting our time.", Angela said.

"None of you are seeing the bigger picture.", Mu Chen suddenly said.

"And what might that be?", Lucas asked him.

"Look up. There is a sky. No more floors. We have no way of going up, unless we can find someone. Lucas, you said that you can blast up the floors? I think that that will no longer be an option. I am sure that if we go back and try that, it will not work. We are just stuck here, hoping to find a way up.", Mu Chen said with a solemn voice.

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