Chapter 59: Web Of Lies And Deceit
Leonard didn’t make any attempt to hide his gaze.
Martin immediately felt the stare, his senses sharpening as he met Leonard’s eyes.
Ever since Martin had pushed Leonard off the edge and into the death zone, the two had never really interacted. They might have spotted each other from afar, but they had never exchanged any form of contact.
However, they were no longer in Eternia City, where there were strict laws preventing crimes from being committed, but inside a dungeon. More importantly, they were in the deadliest dungeon of them all, the Gradeless Void, where death and accidents were commonplace.
Both hated each other’s guts and were unwilling to lose sight of one another.
As the tension between them grew, Martin found himself faced with two more stares.
It didn’t take long for Winston and Harley to notice the change in Leonard’s demeanor, learn the cause, and glare at Martin with hostility.
’This is bad.’ He thought.
Martin wasn’t an idiot. Judging by her expression, Leonard had already told Harley everything. Any chance of marrying her and later pursuing an acquisition of the Velmura brand into the Royal Trade Organization had just gone down the gutter.
’Hopefully she only learned the full story after entering the Void and hasn’t had the chance to contact anyone from her family. Regardless, trying to lie my way out of this situation is no longer feasible... I’ll have to kill the three of them here to avoid further complications.’ Martin concluded, clenching his fists tightly.
"Cassie." Russell’s calm voice broke the silence, sparing the girl a glance.
"R—Right." Cassie answered and stumbled forward.
Under all the pressure, she had forgotten that she was a Healer. Her role was to tend to the wounded awakener first.
"Everything will be alright." She whispered gently, crouching beside him before casting Medical Assessment and then Stimulated Recovery, the standard Healer skills that Samantha also possessed.
"Now..."
Russell observed the four men for a moment, his gaze finally settling on Martin, deeming him to be in the best condition.
"Speak. What happened?"
Martin’s eyes lingered on Leonard for half a second, silently making calculations, before he met Russell’s stare.
"We entered the temple to follow after the orc. In the beginning, we didn’t find anything noteworthy until we came across an altar where the orc’s tiger lay dead. We didn’t risk touching it and entered the maze instead. It took us quite a while to find the exit, as we got lost multiple times before finally discovering the correct route."
Russell’s expression darkened.
"You weren’t attacked in the maze?"
"No, we weren’t." Martin shook his head.
That basically confirmed that the angel statues going after them was entirely Russell’s fault since he was the one to teleport the tiger’s sacrifice away.
"Continue."
Martin nodded.
"After exiting the maze, we encountered the Orc Shaman. That repulsive witch gave us quite the chase, and as it turned out, she could tamper with our corruption! She made two of us go Hollow, increased the corruption of the rest, and injured Brian badly before managing to slip away. Since then, we have been holed up here waiting for aid."
"I see..." Russell leaned back and let out a tired sigh. "Anything else?"
"Yes. The shaman dropped a golden sphere. When I picked it up, the system identified it as a Shard of Salvation, and it lowered my corruption. After the battle with the shaman, mine sits at 85%. The rest are also close to turning into Hollows, so we are of the notion that we must slay her and loot her body."
The whole party heard the report, Leonard naturally being one of them.
He didn’t miss how awfully similar it sounded to his case when the Orc Shaman dropped a Shard of Salvation in front of him.
’Quite the scheming monster. Two times is no coincidence. She is doing it deliberately, leading us like mules with a carrot on a stick, straight into danger... The worst part is, she succeeds because we don’t have any other way to lower corruption.’
Now that everybody had reunited, their only goal remained finding the Orc Shaman and retrieving the amulet she carried.
Before the party could depart, Martin gestured for Russell to come closer.
Although he didn’t like being ordered around, Russell complied.
He and Martin had been dropped at the same place after the Void Believers mass teleported the participants and had fought side by side, causing a bond of trust to form between them.
"I need a favor. You know Leonard, Winston, and Harley? There is bad blood between us, and they have a history of betrayal. No doubt they will do the same here. I will need your help getting rid of them." Martin whispered.
Martin knew he had no chance in a three-on-one confrontation against Leonard and his party, especially with so many witnesses around. He sought to recruit a strong ally by any means necessary, lying included.
Russell’s expression remained neutral, as if his comrade hadn’t just proposed a plan to commit murder.
Honestly, he didn’t care whether Martin was lying or not. The important part was that he knew the man was heir to the Royal Trade Organization, even if less known.
In the end it was never about doing what’s right or wrong, only what was most beneficial.
"That could prove difficult... When I met the three, they were traveling with Elizabeth Starlight. I don’t know how far their relationship extends, and I am not willing to face either her or her family’s wrath for a mere favor."
Russell was hesitant. Martin’s only value was his background, and his Rare Bloodline offered little hope for his future prospects. Meanwhile, one wrong move and he could have the entire Starlight household coming after him.
"All I need is for you to create an opening. Find a way to distract Elizabeth and the rest of the party while I handle everything else. You know that I recently obtained the Assassin class. One moment is all I need to deliver the killing blow." He reassured.
"Do that... And I give you my word that I will put in a good word for you within the Royal Trade Organization. You can expect preferential treatment." Martin proposed.
The Royal Trade Organization was the most prestigious place in Eternia City, where monster remains could be exchanged for monetary value. They processed billions of credits daily, and receiving preferential treatment from them could net millions, if not billions, of credits in the long term.
It was an offer so enticing, so alluring that no sane man could refuse. Much less Russell, who was expected to become a monster-slaying prodigy thanks to the Heavenly Bloodline he carried.
Slowly, the corners of his mouth curled upward into a smirk, his eyes shining with insatiable greed.
"Deal."
Leonard observed the two murmuring from afar.
’How I wish Joker was of a higher rank. If he were able to perceive and pass on information, I could have used him as the perfect spy to listen in on the conversation. But alas...’ He let out a dejected sigh.
Just in case, he gave Winston and Harley a heads-up to be ready in case Martin or even Russell attacked them out of the blue.
After Cassie helped Brian recover, the party was ready to depart in their search for the Orc Shaman.
While most had no idea where to go, Leonard threw a glance toward the crimson pendant that shone beneath his leather armor.
[Primordial Bloodline stirs in your veins.]
The ornament hadn’t shown him the way through the maze, but its light was brighter now. He was inclined to follow it.
Just then, Elizabeth walked up to him.
"Is there a problem? You have been acting strangely." She asked in an even tone.
’Should I tell her about Martin? It could convince her to side with us... or it could backfire spectacularly...’ He wondered, considering the risk.