Chapter 59: Fracture - Twilight Maze (6) (Patreon)

World: MSS - Loading...

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Pyret actually lunged at me and if Furgrin and Baran didn’t hold him back, I would’ve been forced to draw my blade too.  The moment that the swordsman lost his sense of reason, I saw Skaris take a step forward and unexpectedly, Aurora.  I hadn’t known she was fond of me enough to come to my defense like that.  Sure, we were both working for the same side but she reacted without hesitation.  Either way, at the rate Pyret was going, this was bound to devolve into bloodshed.

“I’ll fucking kill him!!”  

I watched as Baran held Pyret back by hooking his arms underneath the sword-and-board fighter.  Meanwhile, Furgrin, the dwarf rogue, held onto the much bigger man’s legs.

“Inssssulting a man who jusssst losssst hissss mate…. Ssssavagery indeed…”  Skaris trailed off.

“Pyret, I didn’t mean to-”  I tried to apologize.

“SHUT YOUR MOUTH!”

“Calm.”  Baran rumbled.

Hearing the reserved archer’s voice brought Pyret back to his senses.  His red hair was disheveled and wild, his many face piercings reflecting the eerie glow in this place.  Not too dark but not too bright, stuck in a perpetual state of dusk.

“Someone will answer for the death of my wife.”  Pyret swallowed and I saw hot red tears start to form; streaking down the red-haired man’s face.  They steamed and froze midair before ever hitting the ground.  “And right now the most likely culprit is them.”  

He jerked his head towards the three suspects: Eltis, Kyrian and Skaris.

I understood where Pyret was coming from.  In MSS, there were times when NPCs would inform you that they got married.  It often happened when they reached a certain level of affinity.  But it led to a lot of poor outcomes.  If one of them died, the other would be inconsolable.  Or if one of them got in danger, the AI would no longer listen to your commands and leave your party; looking for their spouse.  But it wasn’t all bad; there were certain items that could only be used by characters with a maxed out affinity between the opposite sex.

Whether Pyret got out of this place alive or not, this would be Pyret’s last dungeon.

“I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again.  They could have landed by themselves.”  Kyrian’s words brought me to the present.

“While everyone else is split up into groups of three or four?!”  Pyret roared, his hair resembling flames in tempo with his rising anger.

Damn.  So much for convincing him that Forma and Trevor landed by themselves.  But it seemed that particular boat had sailed.  Pyret’s instincts were spot on: the chances of Forma and Trevor ending up just by themselves was outside the realm of possibility.  I decided to try a different angle.

Dibo, Krag and Ramhof were standing together, watching the proceedings with cold interest.

“Ramhof.  You were with Baran and Furgrin.  Did you not come across any tracks on the way here?”  I already knew the answer to my question; of course they’d say no.  

“No, we have not.”  Ramhof answered, his voice both deep and raspy.  The elderly dwarf’s bald head shone.  “Furgrin and Baran would have seen something.”

Typical of a warrior-class to deflect it to the scout-classes.  I didn’t even need to ask Furgrin and Baran, they would have said something.

“I know exactly what you are all thinking, that us from Eretia are plotting to stab a dagger in your back.”  Pyret spat, voicing what everyone was thinking.  “So you must have struck first.  Attacking Forma and Trevor to even the playing field.  We never had any intention of backstabbing you-”

“Pyret, I believe that’s enough.”  Dibo finally stepped in.  The combination of his age, beard and mage-class lent weight to his next words.  “There is no point in accusing one another of murder without solid proof.  Unless anyone happens to have the Artifact, Truth or Dare?”

I flinched.

Artifacts and Legendaries were items ranked right beneath Pluralities and Singularities; though at times the distinction was blurry at best.  Artifacts tended to lean towards items with magical abilities, staves, robes, pendants and charms.  Legendaries usually bestowed physical blessings, reserved for those who fought on the frontlines.  The artifact, Truth or Dare was a charm-type item in the shape of a small ring.

It worked just like the game in real life –you asked someone Truth or Dare.  Then they’d choose; the caveat that if they failed to tell the truth you’d know right away.  The Dares were limited to things within the realm of possibility and something reasonable: you couldn’t dare someone to kill themselves or dare someone to fly off of a cliff.  It wasn’t a powerful Artifact against monsters by any means, quite useless.  But in situations like this…

Well, it was one of two items in the entire game that let you know if someone was lying or not.

“If we had the money lying around to afford something like that, none of us would be in here.”  Sarai answered her fellow elven mage.  

Dibo stroked his beard.  “Then we must put this matter to rest.”

“What did you say?”  Pyret had murder in his eyes.  

“Ah, that is not to say we won’t find the killer.”  Dibo placated Pyret, holding his gaze.  Then he looked at the rest of us.  “I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities to find the killer.  After all, no one is leaving this dungeon until we all do.”

“A long time for the real killer to slip.”  Track, who had been silent until now, nodded in understanding.  “I will lend you my aid of course.”

“I, as well.”  Dibo chimed in.  “I swear it.”

Maybe it was because Track and Dibo had been with Pyret during Phase 1, but that seemed to calm Pyret down another notch.  He still glared at us; it seemed that the scope of his anger had grown to include Aurora and I as well.  But I wasn’t concerned with that anymore.

The way Dibo played Pyret… it worried me.

“Well then, I think the next step is obvious.”  Dibo took the lead naturally.  Once again, the dynamics of this party was shifting.  Before, it had been between Pyret and me.  But now, with Dibo managing to calm Pyret down and Pyret’s party’s ill will towards the Miltus adventurers; it fell to Dibo to lead.  He gestured at the slab of stone next to us.

Up close, it was even bigger than I had originally estimated.  Perhaps around the height of three men.  It was just as wide as well, dwarfing the group with its mass.  Dibo, Kyrian and Sarai walked up to it.  Usually, structures like this were left for the mages to figure out.

Of course, I knew how to activate it already.  But I kept my mouth shut, keeping my eyes on Dibo.  Something about him struck me as suspicious.

Why would he bring up Truth and Dare?  At this time?

“It looks like a simple mana mechanism.  It should activate with sufficient mana input.”  Kyrian was the first to offer his opinion, studying the stone.

“Ah, yes.  I agree.  Which tower did you study at, Magus Kyrian?”  Dibo asked.

“I studied at the Baraqis Tower in Babel.”

“You studied at Babel?  I had no idea we had such an elite among us.  I, too, studied at Babel in my earlier years.  Although I was at the Yarokeron Tower.  Tell me, was one of your instructors named Vahn Verkeer?”

“Yes.  He is in charge of teaching advanced lightning theory to Grade-9 mages.”

“He was a good friend of mine when we were students.  Huhuhuhu… next time you see him please send him my regards.”

“I will do so.”

“I can sense that you don’t have a 4th Core yet… if you’re interested there’s a Tower in the Jayu States that I am closely related with.  Although it may not be a Babel Tower… I vouch for the tower head’s competence.”

“I’d appreciate the introduction, Magus Dibo.”

I rolled my eyes at the casual display of nepotism.  It seemed that Kyrian might be able to take care of his 4th Mana Core even without my help.  Though I doubted it’d be for free; but making a good impression on Dibo might help with that.  But it wasn’t without consequence; Pyret had an expression of betrayal on his face due to how close Dibo was acting with Kyrian.

It seemed that Pyret didn’t have a good grasp of Mage Culture.

After plenty of obligatory networking between the two, Dibo activated the stone.

The stone hummed as lettering came to life in a language unknown to me.  It was true for the others.  We would need the mages to translate for us.

Except me I guess.

“What does it say?”  Track inquired.

The three mages studied the rock, muttering to one another.

Sarai let out a soft gasp.  “This rock is a Truth of Dare artifact.”

“What?!”  Pyret stomped over to the stone, tense as a cat about to pounce.

“Magus Sarai speaks true.”  Dibo explained.  “This stone will act similarly to the Artifact, Truth or Dare.  However it says… hmmm… ‘With each act of mistrust, shall the Guardian grow stronger’.  If I am not mistaken, each use of the stone makes the boss of this dungeon stronger.  Plus… ‘Whoever mistrusts their own will the heavens curse’.”

He leaned back and stroked his beard.  “Let me get straight to the point.  Pyret, do you aim to use this Rock?”

Pyret hesitated.  “What does it mean by ‘curse’?”

“Exactly what it says.”  Kyrian stepped around the rock, seeing that the back of the stone slab was marked with identical words.  “Probably a curse that will weaken whoever uses the stone.  It works against us twofold, empowering the guardian of this place while weakening us in turn.”

The red-haired swordsman remained silent.

I could only guess at the pain in his heart and the turmoil that raged within him.  He wanted to find his wife’s killer but that would mean leaving him weak and jeopardizing all our lives.  Pyret was a husband, adventurer and leader of his party.  There was no right answer here, only choice that would leave the least amount of regrets.

But it wasn’t just Pyret that the stone was attractive to.  I saw Krag looking at the stone with something akin to longing and even Track seeming to be deep in thought.  Eltis was muttering to herself, either locked in prayer or inane self-talk.  Sarai was talking with Furgrin, shooting glances our way.  The only people that seemed disinterested in the rock were Dibo, Skaris and Kyrian.

“Don’t.”  Baran warned, his deep baritone voice cutting through everyone’s muttering.  “It is a foolish choice.”

My head snapped to Baran.

“...but we could use it as well, brother.”  Sarai interjected.  “If Forma truly died at their hands, we’d know for sure.  Don’t you want revenge?”

Baran grunted but said no more.

As for me, I was torn as well.  This was obviously a mechanism placed in the dungeon to split the party apart, weaken them and make the boss more difficult to defeat.  The entirety of Phase 1 had been a set-up for this.  Splitting up a party of 15 randomly, having Namahage stalk us, sowing discord and now giving us an outlet to attack each other without really drawing swords.  The overall difficulty of this Fracture was dependent on how much we trusted each other and that trust was running empty.

“I’m going to use the stone.”  Pyret said and walked up to it.  “How do I use it?”

“...Don’t, Pyret.”  It was the first time I heard Furgrin’s voice.  It was more high-pitched than I would have expected from a dwarf.  “We’re already two down.  If you are weakened as well, who knows what they might do.”  He finished by pointing at us.

Skaris snarled.  “Or perhapsssss you are afraid of finding out that it wassssn’t ussss.”  He faced Pyret.  “Do it.  Find out who took your mate away from you.  I am hiding nothing.”

“...You can only use it once Pyret.”  Sarai told her party-leader.  “Simply put your hand on the stone and activate it as you would any other item.”

Pyret nodded and did as Sarai told him.  The sigils dimmed.

“If it works like the actual Artifact, they must accept it first.”  Dibo explained.  “Who do you wish to ask your question to?”

“You.”  Pyret pointed at Kyrian.  “Do you accept?”

“I accept.”  

“Then tell me, Truth or Dare.”

“Truth.”  Kyrian answered Pyret each time without missing a beat.

Chains made of pure mana shot out from the stone and wrapped themselves around Kyrian.  It happened so fast that no one had any chance to respond.  They shimmered with white light, reminiscent of the snow all around us.  

“If he lies, you will know as the chains will glow red before disappearing.  If he tells the truth, it will glow blue.”  Sarai explained.

Pyret’s face took on a maddened look; pupils dilating and the streaks of tears on his face standing out more.  I wasn’t sure if it was the lighting or an effect of the Truth and Dare… but right now, in this moment, Pyret was Judge, Jury and Executioner.

“Tell me then, Mage.”  Pyret spat.  “Did you kill any of them? Forma or Trevor?”

Pyret hadn’t lost his senses to anger it seemed.  If Kyrian killed forma but Pyret asked about Trevor, Kyrian could have slipped his way out and vice versa.  But by asking about Forma or Trevor, he’d left no way out for Kyrian… though it still had loopholes.  Kyrian didn’t necessarily have to be the killer; it could’ve been Eltis or Skaris as well.

Pyret must’ve reached the same conclusion I had because as soon as Kyrian answered he started screaming.

“No.”

“No! That doesn’t count! He might not have-, AGH!”  Pyret clutched his heart as the chains wrapped around him instead.  The real Truth or Dare wouldn’t do this; but this was a makeshift Truth or Dare put in place by the dungeon.  Of course there was a price.

I saw Pyret’s mana ride up the chains and flow into the rock.  The tablet flashed with more letters.

｢Seal has be undone! (1/6)｣

“Pyret, are you alright?”  Sarai looked over at Pyret.  

“Hmm… it seems that he lost roughly half his mana.  In a place were Mana is as precious as gold, a heavy price to pay.”  Dibo commented.

Pyret looked up at us, his eyes bloodshot.  “That doesn’t count.  You might have just stood by and-”

“Face reality.”  I stepped in front of Eltis, whom he was glaring at.  “You had your chance but you couldn’t find anything.  Any more and you’re playing with everyone’s lives.  Kyrian, what does the rock say?”

“It says… that the seal has been undone.  And there’s a ticker next to it, marking it as the sixth seal.  I’m assuming that was the weakest seal, which means five more seals remain.”

“So is it safe to assume that there’s five more uses of the rock left?”  

“Yes.”  He answered.

I turned back to Pyret.  “Are you really going to gamble with all our lives? I think you know in your heart by now.  The only people you could ask your question to are Eltis and Skaris… or you could accept the fact that it wasn’t them.”

“You’re in it with them.”  He growled, slapping Sarai’s hand away from him.  Pyret stepped closer to me until we were face to face.  “You’re all fucking in it.  I fuckign know it! All I have to do is ask one more question.  Just one!”

“Lad, I understand your pain.  I really do.”  Krag stepped in.  “But that Lock Lad is right.  We let you use the rock once to ease your pain but ya gotta come back to your senses now.  Is this really what your wife would’ve wanted?”

“You understand nothing!”  Pyret roared, taking a step towards Krag.

Ramhof got in between them.  “Fine then.  Use it.  But know that no one will be there to protect you.”

Pyret snarled and tore his gaze away from the stoic holy knight.  He looked to me once more.  “Are you going to stop me?”

“...No.”  I stepped aside.

Pyret put his hands on the stone once more and this time, he aimed his question at Eltis.  The ghostly chains wrapped around her waist.  Eltis’ expression was chilly, giving nothing away.  Not even a smile.

“Priestess, choose.  Truth or Dare.”

“Truth of course.  The Nine would punish me if I chose anything else.”  Eltis answered.

“...Of the three of you, the Lizard, Mage and yourself.  Have any of you seen Forma or Trevor since entering this dungeon?”

I almost wanted to clap.  He really used his brain on this one.  Just like all things in MMS, Truth and Dare had loopholes.  Pyret had finally formed his question in a way so that if they really were part of the plot to get Forma or Trevor killed in anyway at all, he would know.

“No.  None of us have seen them.”  Eltis answered easily.

I saw Pyret’s eyes go wide in shock right before the Stone sucked up his remaining mana.

He writhed on the floor, the sudden transference of mana from his body causing him physical pain.  Pyret salivated over the snow, his fingers leaving deep grooves.

“No… that’s not possible… Then did they really land just by themselves? What cruel twist of fate is this?!”

He was fucking gone.  I could tell by his eyes, he thought he had lost everything.

But he didn’t lose everything yet.

Before anyone could react, I stepped up to the stone and put my hand on it.

All eyes were on me.

I had a feeling I knew who the killer was.

“If it’s not them, there’s only one other culprit isn’t there?”  I said out loud my eyes fixed on whom I had been suspicious of since the beginning.

Pyret must’ve gotten what I meant because he stared at them with me.  “No…”

I felt bad for Pyret at what I was about to do.  He was about to hit rock-bottom but I had to go through with this. Because I think I just found a way to weaken the Eretians once and for all.

And I wanted Pyret to at least know who it was that killed his wife.

“Baran, Furgrin and Ramhof.”  I spoke and I saw everyone hold their breath as they understood what was going on.

“Which one of you would like to play Truth or Dare?”