The God of Jesters
Chapter 318 - 5.13.2 Time to end this.

Chapter 318: 5.13.2 Time to end this.

"Crow?" Shouted Rashid, looking at my sorry state and the injuries that were all over my body, including the one on my chest as well as my arm. He knew what I had done, but why was I here? How was I here? And how did I find out about them, all, were the questions that clearly made him curious.

"You should be the Knight that has been a nuisance to our cause since the start, aren’t you?" Lugerth spoke, looking at Remira from a distance. Before, he grabbed me from my cheeks and said. "Is she the one you came here to help?"

"No... No Sir, I was ordered by Baldar to come and support you. I didn’t know she would be here." He choked me without mercy, causing my head to turn red like a melon. It even felt as if my life would be cut here. Until Remira’s shout came. "Just leave him." She said in a cold tone, which scared an adept level professional like Lugerth.

To her, he was no more than an insect, easy to be killed and dealt with. But there was one issue.

And Lugerth, as if already been aware of it, jumped to the side to dodge that issue, but he still seemed to stumble a bit, almost causing me to fall into it. But then he stopped. "You see, what could happen if I leave him?"

There were shadows moving around, shades similar to the ones before, but this time, each of them contained a lethal effect of draining you of your soul, virtually killing you without killing your body.

And with the amount of rotten bones in the area, it was easy to see how many have fallen here.

"Throw him then... he made his choice when he started to work for you." But Remira wasn’t impeded by the threat, she kept climbing the stone Steele and ignored the mocking expression of Lugerth as if he, nor I existed anymore.

Yes, as expected. She was still the same, cold when needed and never letting her emotions affect her judgement when something important was on the line.

More so for someone like me, a dangerous individual who might not be who he says he is and might just be working for Jester. Smart for a Knight, and the perfect choice in this scenario.

Leaving Lugerth with nothing, no leverage whatsoever.

So why should he bother with treating me like a hostage to begin with?

So he tightened his grip over my neck while letting Remira climb the stairs at her own pace, while eyeing the boy next to her. The boy who gave me a deep look for a bit before ignoring me. He didn’t care what happens to me when his own goal was on the line.

The mystery boy with sealed memories and mental protection of the highest level possible. He was a tool, a perfect target for me to explore. So my neck transformed, thickening like that of a bull, but all it did in truth was made the pressure on my neck stronger, almost causing me to pass out.

But it was also then that Lugerth, playing along with my game loosened his grip on me, giving me chance to jump away from him. Then running in the opposite direction to Remira and Rashid, toward the exit that didn’t exist anymore.

Of course, for the ignorant me, I should know the truth. As ignorant as an insect, jumping toward flames of what I considered was an escape into freedom, though what awaited at the end was a tornado of shades that completely covered this whole area.

But before I could run, I found myself back in the place, back into the grip of Lugerth, who just mocked me and asked. "Did you really think that would work?"

"But... killing you now would be wasteful... so you are staying with me." He spoke while planning to climb the tower himself. But his small action didn’t escape Remira’s eyes. No, she instead felt threatened by what he just showed to her.

Specifically, the small details that escaped the naked eyes of others.

"Move now." he ordered me, pushing me around while calling me a traitor.

All the while both of us dodged the shades that would appear out of nowhere at times, almost touching us. And if not for the timely help of Lugerth, I would have died.

*****

The Journey till this point has been excruciating. She had done everything in her power to reach the end.

Which included using things that shouldn’t be used in this place.

On the first level, she had destroyed a hole in the floor.

On the second one, she had slashed the painting apart, causing it to bleed.

On the third one, she kept killing the monster, till ’It’ appeared and then ’it’ let her enter the next floor, which was to find a shade worthy of her existence.

But all those shades did were die whenever they dare to get close to her. Her blood was working overtime, and her body was shining with intense light, showing its bloodline superiority to the Ruins of Root and Harvest. Turning this whole test into a joke of sorts and due to the age, most couldn’t do a thing about it.

They just let her go her way. For it was a mere testing ground, no need to stop a woman like her whatsoever.

But at the end, she was still able to find a shade for herself, and come to this place, where Rashid had long arrived. But out of fear, he didn’t dare to do a thing. Though, the fear here correlated to Remira more than the ruins.

He had seen what she was capable of. A monster out of this world which didn’t feel one bit human. Making him wonder if it’s really safe to agree to her help. Won’t she betray him?

With her strength and talents, it won’t be bizarre for her to have a way to nullify the contract that she made with him, for he had similar means as well... or so he recalls. But his memory is a bit too broken in certain aspects.

Most he remembers is his goal, and the chance that his foster father Mohammad Salah has given him white putting his name as well as life on the line.

He can’t back out due to fear. He has to move forward even if Remira does end up betraying him, for he has no choice.

Not to mention, if he were to back out now, wouldn’t the lives of his people, his bodyguards, his servants would all be considered waste this way?

No, he can’t afford it. If this is the end of Vybain family, then let it be. But he was not going to back down. Not now and not due to a boy that he met not too long ago and seemed to be working with enemies.

It doesn’t matter whether he was victim or not, all that matters is his goal.

"Won’t there be more floors? We have been going blind since the third one." He asked Remira, who hadn’t stopped climbing the stone monument. "If there are, then we will tackle them just like we have done till now."

At the top was the Altar, and although it didn’t seem like it, that seems to be their destination, the thing they were looking for.

The small stone with which they crushed the head of the sacrifices in this temple long ago.

So she kept moving and running to reach the end while Lecarth followed her from the back, a bit slow and steady when compared to Remira, causing the distance between then become greater and greater.

But soon, a change happened.

"Come home Remira." Spoke one of the shades that drifted past her.

"It’s cozy here, not as cold as our village." Said the other shade, making her look toward it with curiosity, but the shade had long disappeared.

Or so it appeared. "The path seems... longer?" She wondered, looking to the top once again.

"N... huh?" Rashid on the other hand was startled before noticing as if the steps have been added to the path as well.

******

’The point home is never easy. The longer you were away for, the harder it is to reach your home.’

They were slowing down, while we maintained our pace. And as we got closer and closer to them, it would seem that both have the noticed it as well.

But before Lecarth could close in on them, using him dodging one of the shades as an excuse, I pushed him. While shouting. "Just go... I will try to stop him."

An action which confused Remira, who was still capable of keeping an eye on me. Before, she shook her head and ignored my hard work.

"Boom!" And the result of my offense was a punch to the gut that made me throw up blood. Which seemed to have affected her somewhat. But she didn’t. The goal was clear, she was close.

She needs to take end this test.

"You, ignore the voices and go there yourself. End this, while I end him." She ordered Rashid who, although seemed pained to hear some things the shades have been able to keep his mind clear enough to listen to Remira’s command and nod his head.

"It’s time to end this."

She said, walking down the monument toward the bastard that came to annoy her.

To her, as long as Jester loses, it doesn’t matter who wins in the end. So she is going to make sure he regrets it all. He is going to lose and face the wrath of a Daemon.

That was her goal.