Tepo was hit by the tension in the room. His eyes studied the present warriors as a snarky voice sounded out:

“Great! Another one of you uncivilized independents.

Kid, I don’t even want to know how you managed to arrive here. Just stand in a corner and shut up!”

Raising his brows Tepo stared at the silvern armored man ordering him around. With short hair and a sharp face this man indeed had the makings of a leader. His armor was adorned by multiple insignia.

The young man immediately recognized the most prominent of them. Swords surrounding a grey-blueish whirlwind, this was the insignia of the Hurricane Army, the biggest army in the Hurricane Kingdom.

But before Tepo could answer the bossy soldier a manic scream rang through the room:

“IT’S YOU! HAHAHA! YOU! YOU’RE ALIVE!

DAD! DON’T LET HIM GET AWAY!”

Abruptly everyone’s attention was drawn towards the side of the room. There, next to some artful statue leaned a young man against the wall. He was pale, his body shaking. His eyes held a maddened red color. Both of his legs were missing.

Next to him stood an older man with a depressed face. His beard was dirty, and injuries covered his arms.

Tepo recognized them at a glance. Those were the pirates who chased him into the dungeon! Apparently, they were less lucky than him although it was a miracle that those two could reach the palace together.

The pirate captain looked at Tepo, his eyes filled with emotions. But in this delicate situation he didn’t dare to act. He let out a forlorn sigh as he addressed his manic son:

“Louin. Just let it go. We can only blame ourselves.”

Only the captain knew if these words reflected his real feelings or not.

But the young man looked incredulous. He raised his head abruptly, staring at his father. Just as he wanted to open his mouth again, an impatient voice interrupted him.

“Shut up! Solve your private problems outside the dungeon! I don’t want to hear them!”

After admonishing Louin, the rough, muscular man turned towards Tepo. The young man recognized the warrior provoking the beast earlier.

“And you, kid. State you name and stand to the side! All of you are too weak. I have no idea what you want in this dungeon!”

Tepo furrowed his brows as another warrior spoke up:

“What my brother wanted to say: We warmly welcome you as part of the group. Please introduce yourself and wait until we come to a decision.”

Looking at the imposing man with a long black ponytail, Tepo had to admit that he felt some pressure. Many of the present warriors in this room were stronger than him. Especially the four leaders.

The young man didn’t want to make a scene. He nodded at the friendlier warrior:

“My name is Tepo.”

He waited for a second but didn’t receive an answer. Not showing his displeasure openly, Tepo went to the side. Hate filled eyes followed him as he mingled with the independent warriors.

The new arrival was quickly ignored by the four leaders. They eyed each other with distrust as they continued their discussion.

Lao Ru was the first to open his mouth, speaking in a neutral tone:

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“Ok. Let’s not beat around the bush. We all have been sent here for the high-leveled artificial core. Chances are high that the Ahiluscendum is either in the palace or on the massive statue outside.

In my opinion the statue is even more likely. Thus, we should work together to search the palace as fast as possible. We can’t rule out the chance that other groups are on their way to the dungeon.”

The two soldier captains both looked thoughtful. What Lao Ru said mostly made sense to them. But…

“But how can you be so sure that the Ahiluscendum is on the statue?”, asked the female captain suspiciously.

Instead of Lao Ru it was his brother who answered with a scoff:

“Hmpf! Typical Tamed Storms cowards. You guys always overthink.”

The white-armored woman turned towards the brute. Her eyes narrowed.

“If you want a fight, just say it! See if you can get out of the Carrying Winds World alive!”

Lao De growled, almost animalistic. He flexed his fingers. Battle lust was in his eyes.

Suddenly a cough interrupted the leaders. An independent warrior endured their tense gazes as he stepped forward bravely.

“If I may interrupt…”

“You don’t!”

“Shut up!”

“What do you want?”

The warrior shuddered lightly. He put on an ugly grin, awkwardly fiddling with his colorful coat. But he was certain that the leaders would be on each other’s throats sooner or later, lowering everyone’s chances of survival.

Thus, the warrior gathered all his bravery as he opened his mouth:

“Please excuse my rashness, but I think I speak for everyone here if I say we just want to survive the dungeon. I’m not sure if everyone has seen the statue attack, but this is not something any of us can survive.”

Searching for help the warrior let his eyes roam around the room. Many nodded slightly, indicating their agreement. Tepo and the pirates on the other hand were surprised. None of them had seen the statue take action.

The statue can attack? What are the conditions? How strong is the attack?

Tepo’s face turned grim as these questions ran through his mind.

Lao Ru was the calmest of the leaders. He listened to the warrior’s words without any bias. This gave the man some confidence. He faced Lao Ru as he continued:

“Therefore, I suggest we all scout the palace and report our progress here every hour. If the Ahiluscendum is found, no one is allowed to take the artificial core and the leaders will fight it out in a fair duel.”

The weaker warriors had hopeful expressions upon hearing this suggestion. This was a way for them to get out of the palace alive. Even the two leaders of the independent warriors looked thoughtful.

But the white-armored woman scoffed. A dangerous look appeared in her eyes:

“Your suggestion sounds quite nice. But… who will get the Ahiluscendum?”

“Why?”, questioned the warrior. “The Ahiluscendum is just some random material. If you really want it, you can just demand it afterwards.”

Suddenly all the leaders frowned. Lao De stepped forward, his posture threatening. His brutal eyes focused on the warrior before him.

“Buddy. I don’t like your tone! Do you maybe know what Ahiluscendum is?!”

The warrior opened his eyes wide. He took a step backwards. He hoped for some support from the others, but no one moved. Doing his best to put on an honest smile the warrior answered with a shaky voice:

“I… I don’t know at all. I never heard about …”

The warrior didn’t manage to finish his sentence. A powerful hand suddenly tightened around his neck. Lao De’s muscles bulged as he lifted the struggling man.

Hands flailed wildly, trying to deter Lao De. Everyone only watched the show, some in apprehension, some in indifference.

Suddenly a booming noise rang out. Just as the warrior tried to activate some spell, the experienced Lao De reacted decisively. His massive fist deformed the warrior’s stomach.

“Don’t try anything stupid. Just answer my question!”

Even the other leaders didn’t stop Lao De. It seemed as if the warrior knew about the Ahiluscendum which even they had never heard about. And even if he didn’t… so what?

The warrior’s eyes bulged in pain. He wheezed as he tried to speak. Lao De softened his grip slightly.

“Ok ok. I…”

Suddenly the situation changed. The warrior spit out. Almost invisibly a needle shot towards Lao De’s eyes.

But the experienced fighter reacted quickly. His instincts kicked in as he let go of the warrior, jumped backwards and raised his arms. His steel-like muscles stopped the needle effortlessly.

The warrior was slightly disappointed, but he didn’t waste any time. He turned around, darting towards the door.

“Not so fast you b*stard!”

Lao De’s angry roar came from behind. The brutish man’s surroundings cracked as force spread through his body.

Suddenly a flash of lighting appeared in the room. Everything happened too fast. A terrified scream rang out. Both warriors vanished from their positions.

Tepo was almost too slow to react. He turned his head, looking at the balcony. With a flash of lighting two warriors appeared outside. Lao De held his assailant by their neck. His muscles bulged as he swung his arm.

With a high-pitched scream piecing everyone’s mark the warrior sailed through the air uncontrollably. He passed the energy barrier where the towering beast was already waiting for him.

A frightening roar rang out, telling everyone of the man’s fate.

Tepo narrowed his eyes as he looked at the burly Lao De returning. This was the first time he got an example of how higher-ranked warriors treated dissidents.

“Great! Now our source of information is gone!”, complained the female captain loudly despite not preventing it from happening at all.