"Mister? Please, you don't have to be so formal. Just call me Morgan. We are allies for now."
An amiable smile spread across my lips, my tone light and inviting. From the reaction Nico had, he seemed to be starting to trust me more.
"Okay, Mist— Morgan....Um, i would like to ask if you're friends are trustworthy."
I wasn't surprised by that question. It was fair and reasonable to ask that. After all, I was still a stranger to him. The young boy had some sense, after all.
"Hmm, I can say for certain that the girl is trustworthy, but as for the masked man....im unsure, but I would like to believe he is trustworthy. I only met him very recently. However, I have been with the girl since the very first day I spawned."
Nico listened intently, nodding his head. He seemed curious about the girl and seemed to have even more questions in mind, but he kept his mouth shut and didn't want to ask too many unnecessary questions.
"Nico, I won't ask how you managed to survive this long. But there is one thing I'm curious about. Why go through all this just to help me? You could of easily killed me and got yourself a few Abyssal Fragments, maybe even equipment as a reward."
I was testing him. I wanted to hear a genuine answer from him, but at the same time, hoped that he would lie and spin the truth. A hopelessly honest person wouldn't survive too long in The Mulligan, after all.
However, to my dismay, all I heard was sincerity in his answer.
"Because it's the right thing to do."
Such a simple and honest answer took me by surprise. The right thing to do. What kind of philosophy is that? My eyes narrowed, my next words coming out harshly.
"Right thing to do, you say? That's funny because this whole battle royale is about fighting to the death. Yet you want to pick and choose when you want to be right and wrong?"
Nico flinched. He didn't seem to have expected my reply. For a few seconds, he was silent, looking down at his own lap. The fire crackling being the only sound heard.
"You don't get to say that to me after I helped re-allign you're broken legs."
My eyes widened at those words. I was expecting the boy to agree with me, or to argue about why his philosophy is right. But no, instead, he got angry. He got upset at what i said and countered by bringing up that i "owed" Nico a debt for fixing my legs. I should of known.
This is the way people in power act back on earth.
They will do something unacceptable, then when someone calls out for it, they will bring up a good deed they did to cover it up or to be used as an excuse. Of course, it isn't as simple, but I had seen it happen way too many times to believe it wasn't true.
I feel like, at that moment, I truly understood what kind of person Nico was. No, he wasn't hopelessly naive. He acts 'kind' because it benefits him, let's him enjoy some sort of moral bliss, or saves him the guilt of abandoning someone. It's not because he genuinely cares about me. Nico is 'kind' out of nothing but pure selfishness.
'And I'm stuck with him.'
Normally, I would of argued to get my point across. Mostly because Nico pissed me off, somewhat because the boy was young and his mindset could be changed. But right now, I knew I was in no condition to be provoking someone.
'He's gonna be the first person I kill once I get my legs fixed....'
I thought inwardly, trying not to let my bloodlust show on my face. Eventually, I responded.
"You're right. Sorry about that. Ah, and I forgot to thank you, didn't I? You're a very kind and generous person, Nico."
My words were practically dripping with sacarsm. I wasn't sure of Nico was ignorant towards it, or just didn't care. But he responded cheerfully.
"Thank you! And you're welcome."
Then, he went into deep thought, humming softly. After some thought, he continued.
"I think we should get moving, to try and find you're friends. Uh, will you be okay with the legs?"
I chuckled. Summoning the [Fool's Rapier] and slowly standing up. I used it as a walking cane. The Rapier itself was special and sturdy, so it didn't bend too easily, unless i applied force.
Still, it hurt. My legs protested at being put to work. I felt like even the slightest bit of movements could break the bone again. But honestly, I wasn't too worried. I know Zeke survived. With him around, no injury can't be healed.
Nico watched me intently, a worried look on his face. God's, I just wanted to ripe that head off his shoulders. It pissed me off how he could genuinely delude himself into believing he cared about me. It took all my self-control not to lash out.
"You'll really be fine?"
I gave a brief nod.
"Okay, then. Let's go. While I swam here, I explored a little earlier and found something interesting I planned on exploring."
I saw him turn around and walk in a direction far from where the four of us fell, confusing me.
"Hold on, aren't we gonna find my buddies first? I'm sure they didn't just magically teleport there."
Nico halted and gave me a look over his shoulder. I couldn't quite read his expression, but there was a coldness to it that made me shiver for some reason.
"It will be fine. Come with me."
Now I was filled with suspicion, but did I really have a choice? It's not like i can run away from him, or fight him in this state. So, I reluctantly followed him deeper into the cave.
We walked and walked, until finally, we came across a hole that seems to lead deeper into the depths. It was similar to a door, extending up and downwards in a square shape. I looked it up and down curiously, staring at Nico with a silent question.
"Let's go inside."
I saw him take a step forward and entering, until he had passed the threshold. He halted and looked back at me, realizing I didn't follow. I stared at him, dazed.
"What exactly are you trying to do, Nico?"
I asked, my tone sharper than intended. I had a bad feeling about this. I know for a fact Nico didn't have any good intentions for leading me here. If he wanted to kill me, couldn't he have done it himself? That's clearly not his goal. No, there is something else he is planning.
Nico titled his head to the side and smiled innocently.
"Explore."
He said simply, making my blood boil in frustration.
"I'm not going with you. Not until you help me find my two allies."
I was firm with my decision. Even if he tries to force me, I'll fight him to the death If necessary. That was better than walking into a trap I already saw coming.
Nico narrowed his eyes.
"Fine! Let's go find them...."
He didn't look very pleased by the turn of events. Folding his arms, he walked outside and passed me. I was just about to turn around, when....
He pushed me.
Nico pushed me towards the hole.
I fell on my butt, luckily not falling right into the abyss below. I landed exactly where Nico had stopped earlier. Recovering from the shock, I jerked my head back towards him.
"You basta—!"
My words were cut off by a familier voice echoing inside my head.
[You have accepted the mission "Dreadful Tunnels"! Please wait for a moment....]
'A mission?'
I saw Nico looking down at me with a smug grin, joining me. Then, I looked around, seeing the walls around me transform. The exit got block, the hole being filled with walls that rose and fell, over and over again. Until, everything stopped.
All that was left was three tunnels infront of me to choose.
The screen appeared infront of me, looking a bit more different than usual.
Mission in Progress: —
Mission Name: [Dreadful Tunnels]
Misson Class: C-Class.
Mission Goal: Find the Abyssal Heart and destroy it to escape the Dreadful Tunnels within the set timelimit.
Time left: 23:59:59.
Rewards: [50 Abyssal Fragments] [25% chance to recieve a rare equipment]
Punishment: Death.
'This...'
My eyes widened. A mission. A real mission in this game. So, there are other things to do besides killing each other. These missions can be rewarding, while also dreadfully punishing. This particular one being extra difficult.
"How...?"
I turned towards Nico who was looking down at me with a smirk.
"You get this special feeling when near a mission. I instantly knew what it was and waited for you to come to me. Challenging this myself would be far too difficult."
I stared at him, shocked. So this whole time, this has been his goal. He wanted to challenge this mission with me. But why did he have to decieve me for it? He could of just forced me.
"So, this is what you wanted. I don't get it. Couldn't you have just forced me?"
Nico sighed, his tone sounding a little irked.
"I could of, yes. But my intentions isn't to make an enemy of you. I wanted us to work together, but since you got on my nerves with the stalling, I had to use a little force."
He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"As for you're friends, they should also be in this mission. You just have to enter one of those door-like carved out places in the rocky walls for The Mulligan to acknowledge that you have accepted the mission."
Nico looked around.
"They should be around here somewhere."
I was silent, just processing all of this. If what Nico is saying is true, then this wasn't so bad after all. He has simply made reuniting with them much easier and straightforward. There was no real reason for me to refuse helping him with this, besides being stubborn for the sake of my pride.
So I sighed and nodded my head.
"Sure, sure. You got me where you want, anyway. Still, im crippled. You do realize I'll be more than a burden instead of useful, right?"
Nico shrugged.
"We will see. I just need to protect you until you got you're legs healed up."
I rolled my eyes.
"Well, alright. What tunnel are we gonna do down?"
I asked, slowly standing up and balancing myself using the Rapier once more. Looking towards the three tunnels made for us to choose.
Nico seemed to be lost in thought glancing between all three of them. I didn't know what he was thinking about, but no matter what he chose, it would be a gamble. So, if I were him, I would trust my gut.
"Let's go right."
"Let's go left."
We both looked at each other blankly.
"Middle it is, then."
_______________________________________
The sun had already begun to set. I haven't left my tent yet. All I have done was relax inside it, staring at the Abyssal Fragment Zeke left behind. I had just realized how long the three of them were taking and it was worrying me. The only reassurance of their life I had was that Zeke was alive. I was able to tell due to the Abyssal Fragment in my hands.
Zeke deliberately left this behind. He must have realized I would try to stay behind. That cheeky bastard. He knows me too well. The Abyssal Fragment is tied to Zeke's soul, since he didn't share it with me or anyone else, but rather just left it here.
Because of this, if Zeke were to die, the Abyssal Fragment would also disappear. Noticing how it was still here, in my palm, brought me a deep sense of relief. All I can do now is just sit here and hope they are okay.
'Maybe they just got too carried away hunting...'
I comforted myself, hugging my knees and laying back down inside my tent.