Broken Tower Saga: The First Swordsman

Chapter 124: Undercurrents (1)

Ben moved slowly down the stairs below to the underground cells. He had not been here since he made the wager with Anton. Well, he had no reason to be. All things were smooth sailing. They were already guaranteed to win the Little War, even if they agrees or not.

Today he was here because Scythe asked him to be. Scythe probably heard the news of the captive escaping, and Ben was the one in charge of all this business. Looks like he had to answer a few questions now.

Signing, Ben walked down the path in darkness. It was as dark as he remembered. The lights were only enough to tell; he was not moving in the wrong direction. 

After a while, he discovered a figure covered in a dark cloak and mask standing in front of the designated cell. "Good evening, Scythe," Ben said, even though it was long past evening. He asked again, feigning ignorance. "Did something happen?"

"A half-dead beaten man escaped from here, and nobody saw a thing," the mask filtered Scythe's voice as he continued. "Do you think this is possible?"

"Well, I am not the best of the people to judge that," Ben said smilingly.

Scythe looked at him in the eye and gestured towards the wall of the designated cell from where the captive had fled. 

"What is it?" Ben asked, looking at the wall. He could figure out there was something written on the wall, but in the darkness, he could not figure out what was written in it. Then a faint recollection hit him.

Scythe did not seem to care about watering his curiosity, so Ben took the oil lamp from the wall and entered the cell. Reading the line on the wall, Ben could not help but snicker. He recalled he asked Anton to pick a wager, and the guy curved it on the wall for him to see. But he had not expected this kind of wager. 

[I want your fingers. All of them. Scythe's too.] this was what was written on the wall. The wager, Anton picked. If Scythe and Ben lost, then he would take only their fingers, while Anton and Wrik have to work for Scythe. 

Ben never thought that guy would be so amusing. 'Did he actually think he has a chance of winning?'

"What game are you playing?" the gruff voice asked behind him, wavering from his thoughts. 

Ben thought about giving some excuses again, but then again it would only make Scythe irritate. On that thought, he chose to come clean.

"Nothing much. Just a little play to entertain us," he said, looking back at the masked figure. "You don't have to do anything though. It is already in my palm."

"It better be," Scythe said. "I don't want anything out of the ordinary in the test."

"Don't you get tired though?"

Scythe tilted his head, showing he did not understand. 

"Like there's nothing that could challenge the great Scythe in the test. Isn't it a bit boring?"

"So you would like to make it more entertaining?" Scythe asked.

"Precisely," Ben smiled. "And at the end of the test, if we win which is confirmed. I might give you a present or two."   

.. . 

Lily sighed, moving into her room quietly. She just had the private talk with Wrik, and it went down for more than she expected. By any chance, she had never thought anyone would figure out the insides of this so-called fair test, and it was this early, too. 

How could she think Wrik would be able to come up with the almost truth, with a few tiny hints. Well, she had no way of knowing Wrik had other clues too. But that did not matter for now. What was important was that Wrik had no intention of stopping even though he knew there was not even a tiny sliver of a chance. 

Shaking her, Lily chose to not think about it. Inside the cave room, Dairyl was sitting at the table, reading the thick volume of a book. Where Lora had gone to sleep. 

Without much thought, Lily hugged Dairyl from behind with her chin on Dairyl's shoulder. Lily sat beside her and remained in that position.

"You are tired," Dairyl said. She was not surprised by the sudden embrace as she felt Lily's presence before. 

"I am," Lily whispered. "Why haven't you gone to sleep yet?"

"I was waiting for you. Did not know it would take you so long." 

"I did not know it either," Lily chuckled. "Apparently, you new pupil is quite a piece to make me tired."

Dairyl pouted. She rested the thick book on the table, and said. "He is not my pupil. I only taught him because he has talent."

"Having talent is enough to get a one-on-one lesson from my sweet Dairyl?"

"And good at heart," Dairyl added. 

"What's this?" Lily asked, mimicking a panic. "Are you having second thoughts now, Dairyl?" 

Dairyl snorted, moving away from Lily's hug. She came face to face with her and asked, "What did you two talk about?" 

"Nothing too serious," Lily lied. "He wanted me to agree to his crazy plan of freeing the slaves and what not?"

"Did you agree?"

"No; though he presented a pretty convincing argument. I only told him I'll think about it."

"Hmm."

"Dairyl, what do you think about this plan?" 

Dairyl's eyes narrowed. "Why are you asking me this?" 

"Well, you know, even if I agreed to this, he needed your agreement," Lily answered. 

Dairyl nodded, understanding. She was the only Designer present in the test that could break the slave marks. Though Wrik was talented, he would need months if not years to reach that level. 

"So tell me, do you think this plan would work?" Lily repeated her question. 

"It looked promising in theory," Dairyl said. "But I have no idea about materialising it." 

Lily nodded and recalled what Wrik said to her. If it was before, she would not think twice before dumping it, but the words Wrik shared made her a little confounded.

'Authentically, people are meant for good, but sometimes they make bad decisions or put themselves through awful situations, and lose their way to goodness. That does not make them evil. They just need a new path, a new light to show them the way.' 

In response, Lily asked, 'And if they still chose the wrong path, even after you waste so much of your effort?" 

That question from Lily made Wrik smile in nostalgia, as if he was recalling the past, but his response made her even more flabbergasted. She went totally silent after that. 

'There are people who would do nothing in fear of failure, in fear of betrayal. Well, there very well be failures, but that was not a reason to stop believing in people. I would rather believe in men . . .  and women, rather than throwing away the only choice I got.' 

"Lily . . .  Lily, why did you go silent?"

"Oh nothing," Lily shook her head," she said. "I was just lost in some thought. So what are you saying again?"

"I am saying you should have a better talk with Wrik again. I know you two have conflict in belief, don't let it tear down the partnership. Especially when.. . ." Dairyl went silent, but that was enough for Lily.

"I know Adam would not let go of you, nor me," Lily said, gritting her teeth. "I am seriously considering Wrik's plan, but if I lets him lose there would be no turning back."

Dairyl sighed. "Did you think about turning back when you left the clan? Or is it about the future of Lora, me, Seriel, Aeriel, and others stopping you?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. "If so, tell me now. There is no point in resisting."

Lily turned silent. She saw Dairyl was on the verge of crying, but she could not decide. It was not just her decision, her sisters' fate depended on it. She could not decide it alone.

"What do I do?" she asked, hugging the serene lady. "How can I decide if something goes wrong, not just I and you, but everyone else would suffer? Tell me, how can I choose when all the odds are against us?"

"You should talk to others," Dairyl answered quietly. "I think they will understand. No. I know they would understand. They left the clan with you, and they would throw away their lives for you." 

"But I don't want that." 

"Me neither," Dairyl soothed the tall woman, rubbing her hair. 

Nobody had ever seen this side of Lily. Behind the mask of a strong front, there still remains the heart of a woman. A woman who was vulnerable for her friends and sisters. 

"That's why you should talk to them," Dairyl continued.

"I will," Lily muttered, coming face to face with her. "I will go now."

Saying that, the tall maiden stood up and strode again out of the room. 

As Wrik had mentioned, delaying would only make their situation perilous. They were already at the backfoot, with all the disadvantages and unfairness. Whatever they decide, they need to decide in a hurry.

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