The God of Jesters
Chapter 316 - 5.12.4 Enough of you guys.

Chapter 316: 5.12.4 Enough of you guys.

"Is it Henry speaking, or the Ruin speaking through you?" Crow spoke, while Sheva giving a deep look toward Crow. Stopped Henry before he could follow through with Crow’s words. "What is wrong with you?" She questioned Crow, showing her distaste for his prior words.

"He can be considered the blessed one of this ruin, won’t he be useful here?" Crow spoke his mind, before looking at Henry and asking. "Henry, I am not forcing you here, we can still go back and not take part in whatever this place is."

"But are you sure, we should go empty-handed after coming so close?" Crow asked, curious over what Henry had in his mind.

And, after thinking for a while and noticing how he seriously was acting out of character, nodded toward him. "I... I will give it a try." He should at least give it a try, not like the words on the board could be true to begin with.

’But no danger here?’ He wondered, looking around the area before, his eyes also fell on the shrubs.

According to the legends, beside the outer area, all the regions are not something you can easily come back from. But what is this? Why all the three of them are free here?

And why do they have the choice to go back?

Should be Henry’s thought at this moment, as for me, I just kept urging him to do it, He needs to do it for the betterment of my entertainment.

And after some push, he actually did end up touching the plant. "Close your eyes." Ordered Sheva, who still feared the words on the board. While I looked forward to it.

Then nothing happened and Henry easily took off a fruit.

*****

"You bastard... you knew about it, didn’t you?"

"Apprentice level Curse Wielders Jasmine And Edward, both were traitors to our cause and hence made the perfect tool for this job. Their sacrifice is better than them being tortured by you know who."

On the fourth level, like insects, they were inside a temple of Giants with countless shades moving around them.

None of which touched them, or even noticed the only surviving duo from Team Two.

Then there was Lugerth, who currently lifted Baldar with a single arm of his, frustrated over the loss of his companions. "I don’t appreciate lies, Baldar... I am not stupid like that floozy of yours." With those words, he crushed Baldar’s neck, before throwing him to the side.

"Hope killing me calmed you down a little." Baldar came from the shadows next to his body, looking at his old body with some pity, then looking at Lugerth, who didn’t seem that surprised over this. "I have." Lugerth said in reply.

The losses of people he once considered comrades was sad for him, but it is what it is, whether they were traitors or not doesn’t matter anymore, what matters is the success of this mission and to do that, he still has to depend on the man ahead of him.

"But before we go further... show me the whole notes. I can’t trust you after what you did." Lugerth put a condition that Crow didn’t like one bit. But he nodded at the end. As it was Lugerth that had been dealing with loads of obstacles in the way, breaking some stuff to make it easier for the people behind them to come easily.

As for who? Baldar actually was not aware who it was. He just did as it was told. "It’s a great backup." Said his master while pinning down the request.

But what about the land above?

He might have to deal with some problems and put those things to sleep for few hours, but they will wake up soon and if touched, then their awakening will be faster.

Even then, coming to the floor below also required a price, a price of life which can only be fulfilled by the sacrifice of someone of equal value. And it was where the two traitors had come handy.

But what about those before him, or those that came after him.

’So who survived? Remira or that Elf Descendant?" Baldar wondered for a bit, before he gave a deep look toward Lugerth and asked. "Satisfied?" He asked, and Lugerth could only nod.

"Just one floor left?" Lugerth was not blind, he had seen the condition for going down each time and was apprehensive to learn that the next condition is even annoying than the one before. But at least it doesn’t require a sacrifice because lord knows that he can’t face Baldar if he actually gets serious.

"The hardest yet, depending on how you look at things." Baldar said, looking at the shadows that were moving in the glass like temple. "The last test for a worthy sacrifice, we have to go to the root of a shade’s desire."

From the notes he had read, Baldar had known that the surrounding shades are more like shadows of the dead from the past, which one is unable to look into or even touch. That is, unless you find a shade who you can touch.

"It will take ages this way. How is it that we still haven’t caught up to them?"

"They should hold some cheats, which we are not privy of." Baldar smiled, knowing full well that the one with cheats is none than he himself.

"One is the Chosen of The First knight and the other is the last member of Vybain family. They must have ways to not fall for the greed in their heart and not be influenced by the ruins in the Second floor.’

"Then in third floor... well that is a crazy one, few have survived the area, so lesser people to tell the tales of what happened. But we are talking about a flame Knight, she must have burned them, as for how she opened the path?"

"Sacrifice... we have one less enemy to worry about."

"Pretty confident that our enemy is the Knight and not the boy?" Lugerth laughed, before giving him a creepy look and asking. "But what if they found a way to enter the next level without sacrifice?"

"A worst case scenario?" Baldar wondered, and then nodded at Lugerth’s words. "Seems unlikely, but never is impossible in the world, not when the beings of higher realm are fighting."

"I bet Master must have loved to be in this scuffle as well. Sadly, he can’t join yet." Lugerth said with some sadness, before his head turned toward a Shade, which seemed to possess a deeper color than usual. "Seems like, I am fated." With a smile, he walked, and before the shade could disappear, he touched it.

Disappearing from the temple along with it.

Leaving only Baldar to wait for his turn.

A turn that never came as minuted turned to hours and then with a loud sound that reverberated through the ruins, he knew that those things might have woken up. But he just continued to wait in his place.

******

"The longer we wait, the higher the chances for us to fail. Let’s just eat it." Were Crow’s words, ready to devour the fruit that Henry had taken.

But he was stopped again and again due to Sheva, who found all of this a bit weird.

A life for a life were the condition, wouldn’t eating this be dangerous then?

Who knows, it might just kill Crow. So if anyone had to eat it, it should be her.

But then again, was it really the right answer to begin with, one shouldn’t put their lives on risk out of pure ignorance.

Going back started to appear a better option as time went on. But Crow seemed adamant on not leaving this place. While Henry, he appeared less and less of him as time went by.

And like that, wondering what they were going to do, an hour went by.

An hour of time wasted and an hour of time that was their only chance of survival.

"?? What is going on?" Crow wondered, as the ground started to shake wildly, causing him to stumble a bit, but he stabilized his step. While Henry and Sheva were more startled by the fact that the small shrub that was at the center of their discussion started to grow.

Or so it appeared on the first second. But then a root like tentacle exploded out of the ground, with multiple bones woven into them.

"We should go." Crow spoke and Sheva nodded, as she could see that something similar was happening all over this field.

But, it would seem they were a bit late, as the shrub they were closes to had stood up from its place. "Just how many?" Sheva wondered, looking at the bizarre body made out of roots of skeletons of who knows how many people.

"We should just escape."

There was no need to look at the scenery anymore, they just have to escape from this place.

And they did get into the door, or at least Sheva and Henry did, as Crow still remained at the very end of the trio, following them and never daring to get ahead of them.

And by the time Henry had also entered the door, Crow suddenly attacked him. "You..." An unexpected attack that threw Henry’s body into the tunnel, crashing onto Sheva. Leaving a bloody trail on the way.

"You... Crow." More than Henry, it was Sheva who was surprised, looking at Crow, who currently held the fruit that Henry had taken off before. "Hah, what me? You guys were acting as baggage... so you better go home. I have had enough of that woman and her safeguards for that boy." He complained, for a bit under the confused gaze of Sheva and then pushed the door to a close.

Sealing them on one side, while he turned to look at the shrub monster that was rushing towards him.