Everything went silent. She slowly opened her eyes, finding herself staring into a blank white world. Nothing but endless white surrounded her. Her once sad expression shifted into a calm yet confused look.
"Is this... am I dead?" she asked herself softly.
The ice that had frozen her began to melt away. She looked down and saw the shackles that once bound her, placed by the king, now gone.
"Am I... free?" she asked again, staring at her hands.
One by one, parts of her body became free from the ice, allowing her to move. She stared at her hands, feeling comfortable for the first time after two years of suffering. She looked around and raised her head, suddenly shocked.
Marvell's blaster was still firing directly at her, its energy continuous and unyielding. What she thought had been her death was merely a deception.
Anger surged through her veins, and revenge consumed her. She charged forward, breaking free from the beam of Marvell's blaster.
---
Meanwhile:
Marvell stood, holding the shackles he had removed from the heroes. He examined them with interest while his skeleton dragons continued their relentless blasts.
"This will make me rich," he muttered with a sly grin. "Can't wait to sell it."
He stretched his body, the sound of cracking bones echoing.
"Ughhhh, it feels amazing whenever I stretch—like every part of my body is coming alive again," he said to himself, before turning to face the horizon.
"Now for the fun part," he added with a gleeful tone, excitement brimming in his voice.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, he was ambushed from behind, caught completely off guard.
Angel, her eyes burning with fury, tackled him with unrelenting anger. Marvell, shocked and unprepared, barely managed to utter, "Wait—"
But it was no use. Angel’s fist collided with his face, blow after blow, her rage unstoppable.
His tail emerged, wrapping itself around Angel to pull her away from him. But Angel retaliated, placing her hand on the tail's body.
A red magic circle flared in her palm, glowing with intense heat. The tail froze, shock evident in its expression, before crimson flames erupted, burning its body.
The fire scorched the tail, yet Angel remained untouched by the inferno.
Marvell's tail released Angel, screaming in agony as the crimson flames reached its base, the pain searing through its body. Angel stood up, her eyes burning with rage, as Marvell wiped the pitch-dark blood dripping from his nose. He glanced at the blood on his hand, his expression shifting to shock and worry.
Suddenly, Angel summoned a glowing yellow spell, its radiance illuminating the dark surroundings. She aimed it directly at Marvell, her voice trembling with fury as she shouted, "DIE!" As She prepared to launch the spell in fury.
But before the spell could strike, a sudden freeze crept up from below, encasing Angel entirely in ice. Her spell shattered like fragile glass, the light vanishing in an instant.
Marvell stood, visibly tired and weak, staring at the frozen Angel. "Jeez, woman," he muttered, coughing and wiping his mouth. "You really made my nose bleed." Looking at her while injured.
Angel struggled to move but couldn't budge an inch. She watched in shock as the blasters that had been firing at the heroes ceased, dissolving into fine dust. To her surprise, the other heroes opened their eyes within the ice, unharmed but still trapped in the frozen prison.
Marvell exhaled deeply, his body swaying slightly. "For a moment, I thought I’d be celebrating with you guys." He coughed again, dark blood splattering from his mouth. "But now..."
His voice trailed off as he motioned weakly with his hand. "Turn on the lights, please."
At his command, the torches in the room flickered to life, revealing a large, luxurious banquet hall. The atmosphere shifted abruptly as warmth filled the room. The heroes stared in disbelief at the long table, which was now adorned with a lavish spread of delicious, perfectly prepared food.
Angel's gaze darted from the food to Marvell, confusion clouding her mind. She watched as Marvell grasped the tail still engulfed in flames. With a sharp motion, he severed it, freezing the severed tail instantly, its skeletal dragon head left laying on the floor freeze in place with the cold extuinguish the crimson flame, encased in ice.
Marvell looked drained but composed as he addressed the group. "Can you guys eat without me? I... I need to rest for a moment. I'll explain everything later."
He turned and began walking away, his two remaining tails trailing behind him. The tails glanced back at the scene, their expressions filled with fear and unease.
The heroes were left stunned, trying to process the sudden shift in the scenario. The room, once a battleground of despair, now seemed almost inviting. Angel, still frozen, remained silent, her mind a whirlwind of confusion and unanswered questions.
---
Angel suddenly felt a realization, her hand lighter than before. She quickly checked her wrist, only to discover that the shackles were gone. Looking around, she noticed her friends' wrists were also free of their restraints.
Aldir helped Andreas to his feet, with Dewi supporting him as well. Meanwhile, Nana rushed to Angel, checking if she was okay. Angel, overwhelmed with guilt, fell to her knees, feeling weak and hollow.
Turning her gaze, she saw the corpse of Marvell's severed dragon tail, frozen solid in ice. The sight of it made her stomach churn. She leaned forward and threw up, sorrow overtaking her.
Seeing this, Nana wrapped her arms around Angel, trying to comfort her. "It's alright," Nana said softly. "Everything is going to be alright." Tears streamed down Angel's face as she buried her head in Nana's embrace.
Dewi quickly sprang into action. Spotting a red, fancy cloth hanging as a wall decoration, she ripped it off and gently covered the frozen corpse of Marvell's tail. She then looked over at Angel, who clung tightly to Nana, trying to hide her tears.
---
A few minutes later, they all sat around the table, drained and silent. Though the table was filled with well-prepared food, none of them could bring themselves to eat.
Angel's eyes wandered back to the cloth-covered corpse of the tail. The guilt weighed heavily on her, as her mind painfully replayed the moment Marvell had to cut his own tail.
The sound of footsteps echoed from outside the exit door. Slowly, it creaked open to reveal Marvell, his wounds fully healed. As his eyes fell on the untouched food still laid out on the table, his face filled with visible disappointment.
"Awh, come on!" he exclaimed with a sigh, stepping inside the room. "I wasted a lot of money on that! I put so much effort into it!" Continue his walk toward the table
His tails stayed hidden behind the door, out of sight. Angel, noticing him enter, raised her drained and guilt-ridden eyes to meet his.
She bit her lip, gathering the courage to speak.
"Marv...?"
Marvell paused, his disappointed gaze shifting to her. He tilted his head, intrigued by her tone.
"I..." Angel began, her voice trembling. "I’m so sorry for what just happened. I didn’t mean to burn him... and for you to have to end his suffering by cutting your own tail."
She bowed her head, the weight of guilt evident in her posture. Marvell stared at her for a moment before letting out a sudden chuckle, startling everyone in the room.
Angel blinked in shock, as did the others. Confusion swept over them as Marvell's chuckling grew louder, seemingly amused by the entire situation.
Turning his head toward the door, he called out playfully, "Come on, you guys. It was just a misunderstanding! Of course, it all went like that."
The three tails, hidden behind the door, slowly emerged, including the one that had been severed. To everyone's astonishment, the severed tail now had a newly grown head—sharp-mouthed like an eagle, with two horns protruding from its sides.
Gasps filled the room. Marvell glanced at their reactions and smiled mischievously. "Heh, don’t worry about them. Their heads? Yeah, they've been cut off plenty of times before. What, ten? Maybe eight times? Lets just say the original was cutoff long long time ago, trust me on this one " He scratched his head in mock thought before continuing, "Let’s just say we had to replace them with ice-magic heads whenever that happens. They grow back after a while."
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A wave of relief washed over the group. Angel, in particular, felt her burden lift as the realization settled in.
Despite Marvell's reassurance, his tails stayed cautious, keeping their distance from the heroes. Marvell noticed and frowned. Without hesitation, he grabbed the three of them and yanked it forward, dragging it closer.
"Come on," he muttered, annoyed at their hesitance.
The tails trembled in fear, their once-proud demeanor replaced with apprehension. Their expressions resembled frightened animals, completely out of place compared to their earlier terrifying presence.
Marvell kept pulling the tails as everyone watched in silence, and eventually, they were forced closer to the table. Seeing no other option, the three of them reluctantly laid their heads on the table. Marvell smiled happily and walked over to sit near them.
"Now that everything is finally calm, I should explain what I just did, shouldn't I...?" he said, looking at everyone.
The group remained silent, watching him intently.
"Name’s Marvell. Let’s just say I’m a hero before you—a hero that was teleported from another world. I’d say it’s been a really, really long... long... time ago since me and my friends were brought here with my brother," he explained with a friendly and cheerful tone, lightening the room’s tension.
"As the hero before you, of course, I know a lot of stuff and have lived long enough, including how to remove those shackles," he added, raising his hands to reveal the shackles he now held.
Everyone was silent, shocked at seeing the shackles that had once bound them.
"To be honest with you all," Marvell continued, "I received an information about your arrival, so of course, I prepared all of this. Wondering why I bothered myself helping all of you?"
The question lingered, and Dewi was the first to respond. "Why?" she asked seriously.
Marvell smiled. "Simple. The shackles that bound you hold a really great value in the black market. These shackles were used by royalty to put on their slaves, allowing them to hear their slaves’ conversations, track whatever they’re doing, and even kill them instantly if they wanted to. That’s why I’m here."
He placed the shackles on the table.
"The first reason was to get both of us a benefit. I release you from the shackles in exchange for your freedom, so it’s a win-win situation for both of us," he explained.
"Like I said, the owner of the shackles can hear what their slaves are doing, so that’s what I was doing—I faked your deaths to ensure the king didn’t kill you instantly. I mean, hearing it was a demon general and his ability... that's really, really valuable information. That’s why he didn’t kill all of you and chose to listen." His arm pointing at the heroes that were left stunned and silent.
He smiled again, his friendly demeanor disarming some of the tension. The heroes stayed silent, processing his explanation.
Angel broke the silence, her curiosity piqued. "If there was a first reason, isn’t there a second reason why you did this?" she asked, staring at Marvell.
He responded with interest, "Now that’s where things get interesting. As a former old hero... I’m signing and joining your group."
Everyone was shocked, hearing what Marvell just said.
He continued, "I see this world suffering. Even though we killed the Demon King, there’s always been another to rise up from the ground to replace him. That’s why I’m joining the party."
Marvell stood up from his seat with a bright smile, arms opening wide as he declared, "So..." He placed his hands firmly on the table and leaned forward. "I know it was so sudden, but this is an offer that you will regret refusing."
His eyes suddenly darkened, turning hollow as if they contained nothing but pure, impenetrable darkness.
The room fell silent under the weight of his seriousness. Andreas, trying to remain composed despite the tension, asked, "What do you mean... by regretting that?"
Marvell’s gaze shifted to Andreas, and he replied with a calm smile, "Then the chance of you getting home is becoming lower."
The gravity of his words left everyone silent. Marvell continued, "This is about survival. The higher chance you live depends on your decision. And the chance of you getting home depends a lot on this decision, so make it wisely."
Then, his eyes shifted back to normal, and his face lit up with a joyful tone as he added, "Since I wish, so please, my heroes." His expression now held a mixture of hope and care as he looked around at the group.
Marvell’s tails observed the heroes closely, gauging their reactions. Most of them appeared to take his words seriously. However, Dewi’s attention was caught by one of Marvell’s tails near her. It seemed nervous, trembling slightly.
Dewi extended her hand toward the tail’s head. The tail flinched at first, shutting its eyes as though bracing for something unpleasant. But as her warm hand rested gently on its head, it slowly opened its eyes and looked at her.
Dewi smiled warmly, her genuine kindness shining through. The tail, feeling the comforting warmth of her touch, began to relax. Its fear melted away, and it leaned into her hand, closing its eyes with calm acceptance.
The heroes began discussing among themselves whether or not to allow Marvell to join their group. As they deliberated, Marvell casually removed the robe he was wearing, revealing wolf-like ears growing atop his head. Stretching slightly, he sighed in a relaxed tone, “Hah, fresh air for my ears,” clearly enjoying the moment, though none of the heroes seemed to notice his actions.
With his heightened hearing, Marvell quietly listened to their conversation. Suddenly, Angel appeared struck by a thought and turned to him with curiosity. "Wait, you defeated a Demon Lord before. Why are you still here?" she asked, genuinely wondering.
Marvell smiled at her question, his expression calm and reflective. “Hmph, I have nothing left in my world,” he replied, resting his head on his hands, which were propped up like pillars. “I was an orphan, and let’s just say life was cruel to me there. But here... I’ve gained achievements I could never dream of back in my world. Plus, I know about the cycles of the Demon Lord, so I figured the king would attempt to teleport someone like you guys eventually. That’s why I’m here—to help you all.”
His gaze met Angel’s directly, his sincerity evident in his tone. Angel, considering his words, slowly began to accept his explanation.
Their discussion carried on for a while longer. Marvell, growing weary of waiting, yawned, his eyes threatening to close as fatigue set in. Determined to stay awake, he conjured a small piece of ice in his hand and pressed it against his cheek, the cold sensation helping him maintain his focus as he awaited their decision.
Dewi, who hadn’t been part of the discussion, noticed Marvell’s behavior, which reminded her of someone. She reached out to pat one of Marvell’s tails, which grew comfortable under her warm touch. “Your behavior is just like our Marvell—sleepy and playful,” she remarked with a soft smile.
Hearing this, Marvell’s eyes lit up with interest. He looked at the table first and replied, “Oh really? I knew I wasn’t wrong when I got interested in hearing about another Marvell.” Then he turned his gaze to Dewi. “Can you tell me more about him?”
Dewi looked back at Marvell, noticing two of his tails rising above his head and staring at her. She continued patting the dragon head of another tail, smiled, and then said, “Sure, why not,” before starting a conversation with him.
While a conversation was taking place between Marvell and Dewi, the group of heroes continued their discussion. Occasionally, they glanced at Marvell, who smiled faintly, before turning back to their deliberation.
“Lek, aku ngak sampe kepikiran itu ide yang bagus " his gaze lookting at Marvell for a moment that silent him, before then continue " untuk memasukkannya ke tim kita.....Jangan lupa apa yang dia perbuat pada kita. Apanya kalian pikirkan, kalian pikir itu ide yang bagus?” Aldir said in a serious tone, staring at Andreas.
Andreas responded calmly but firmly, “Iya, lek tahu aku, tapi kau lihat dulu sekarang gimana. Tanpa dia, nggak mungkin kita bisa membebaskan diri. Kau lihat tangan kita, Dir. Bebas, Dir, bebas.” He showed his unshackled wrists, emphasizing their newfound freedom, his tone low but resolute. Aldir fell silent for a moment, thinking deeply about his decision.
Nana broke the silence with her own input. “Aku setuju sama Aldir. Kalian lihatlah baik-baik tadi gimana kejadiannya. Antara dia punya rencana atau... niat tersembunyilah... di balik senyumnya itu.”
Andreas listened quietly, his expression serious. Angel then spoke, weighing in on the debate. “I agree, karena pada dasarnya yakan guy kita nggak tahu dia orangnya gimana. Tapi di satu sisi, dia menawarkan apa yang raja tidak tawarkan kepada kita.”
Andreas said in agreement while remaining serious, “Itulah, Gel. Antara kita melewatkan kesempatan emas dan membuangnya, atau mengambilnya baru kitanya dapat keuntungannya,” staring at Angel with a firm expression.
Nana responded to Andreas' statement, her tone heavy yet serious. “Kalaulah kita membiarkan dia masuk dan mempercayainya, bisa kau jamin dia tidak akan mengulangi hal yang sama, Ndre?”
Her words carried weight, making the tension in the room grow thicker. “Nyawa kita sama kebebasan kita dipertaruhkan, paham aku. Tapi... susah aja sih gimana bikin keputusannya,” she added, her voice reflecting the struggle of their situation.
Everyone fell silent, the gravity of the decision leaving them unsure of what to do next.
"Hm, itu menarik."
The sudden change of voice caught their attention. Turning around, they saw Marvell speaking in Indonesian. "Kalian tidak perlu mempercayaiku. Jujur, aku tidak dapat menjamin hal yang sama akan terulang lagi."
Hearing this, Aldir stood up, his anger visible despite his calm demeanor. He stared at Marvell, his voice tense. "Jadi apa? Kau mau ulangi hal yang sama lagi?"
Marvell, unfazed, looked at Aldir with a relaxed expression, clearly not taking things too seriously.Marvell then responded, "Mungkin, itu kenapa aku tidak menyuruh kalian untuk mempercayaiku," he said in a calm tone. He then stood up. "But, if you guys don't believe me, I can understand, which is led me to the next solution." His eyes turned into hollow, empty eyes, creating a heavy seriousness in the room. "Do you guys knows about Bloodhound Decay?"
Hearing this, everyone went silent as they did not know what it was. Marvell smiled as he noticed everyone's lack of recognition, then explained, "It’s a spell where a user can make a contract in exchange for something. To make it simple: you guys make a contract with me. I do what you want in exchange for something. I also can do the same if I were a victim. But there’s one thing dangerous about this spell..."
The atmosphere turned heavy as everyone stared at Marvell's seriousness. "If the contract or the victim doesn't do exactly what one of them wanted, the one who didn't follow the rules has their body decay, giving them a painful death before eventually making the soul roam the earth like a ghost for eternity."
Hearing this, Aldir then asked, "Jadi... kau mau bikin kontrak dengan kami?" while hesitation swallowed him.
Marvell replied, "Yes. This way not only you guys can trust me now, but my life depends on it so much. Are you guys ready?"
Hearing this, Angel responded, "But... is there something we need to give in exchange of that?"
Marvell replied, "Yes, just one gold is enough. I don't want to risk everyone's life here to make this contract."
Everyone hesitated with that. Angel, understanding the cost, extended her hand. Aldir grabbed Angel's hand and lowered it down. "Gel, apanya isi otakmu sekarang?" followed by Andreas worrying, "Iya, Gel, percayanya kau dulu kita bisa mempercayainya."
Angel then said, "Apakah aku punya pilihan lain? Aku percaya kita dapat bertahan hidup dengan adanya dia. Jika kalian ngak mau membuat kontrak dengannya, maka biarkan aku, lagi pula kita akan berakhir mati juganya."
She extended her hand again. Seeing this, everyone went silent and let Angel proceed. Marvell was shocked and then chuckled for a moment before extending his own hand. Suddenly, the room's color filled with a brown hue, followed by Marvell starting the spell, causing everyone to be shocked.
Marvell then said, "I fight for your life, dying for everyone's life around here no matter what. I make the kontrak where I make everyone's life here is safe in exchange for one single gold coin. Do you, Heroes of the Third Group, Angel, accept my offer?"
Angel then said, with seriousness in her face and tone, "Deal," before reaching Marvell's hand and shaking it. From the handshake, red crimson-like veins grew from both Marvell's and Angel's hands.
Angel was shocked, while Marvell remained calm, letting it happen. Seeing there was no pain, Angel accepted it while closing her eyes. Everyone was worried and shocked, seeing the crimson-red veins growing from their hands. After fully covering the whole body of both the contract maker and the signer, the veins vanished in an instant, and the room turned back to normal, as if nothing had happened.
Marvell quickly pulled back his hands at the same time Angel pulled hers. Marvell's eyes turned back to normal, and smiling, he looked at the red crimson vein growing in his palm, marking the contract. Suddenly, a coin was tossed to him, causing him to panic at the sudden throw and the way it bounced.
Angel, breathing heavily from the shock of what she had just witnessed, said, "That's the golden coin."
Marvell caught it and replied, "You're welcome. I guess now my life depends on everyone around here's life." He then placed the coin in his small backpack.
Aldir, remaining curious, questioned Marvell’s actions, "Kenapa kau lakukan ini, sampai harus bertaruh nyawa?"
Hearing this, Marvell smiled. "If I said saving you was the point, that wouldn’t be enough, would it?" He stood up, shaking his head and cracking his neck. "Too bad, kid. I don’t have any reason nor any intention. That’s my only reason." He then looked down. "And maybe it’s what my friends would’ve wanted."
Seeing his expression, everyone began to feel sad. But Marvell’s tone and expression suddenly changed to one of joy. "Aside from that, now you’re all free. What were you all thinking of doing with your newfound freedom?"
Hearing this, they went silent, unsure of their next move. Marvell then sat back down in his chair, looking at his hand marked by the contract. One of his tails showed up, looking at his hand with concern. Marvell chuckled at the tail’s reaction before closing his hand into a fist.
He raised his head, observing the heroes as they discussed what to do with their freedom, with Dewi joining the discussion. Marvell smiled, seeing them talk with a mix of concern and joy. Then he called out to Angel, "If I’m right, Angel," taking everyone’s attention.
Marvell then asked calmly, "Can I see your hand for a moment? Show it to everyone."
Curious, Angel looked at her hand, which appeared clean and soft. She asked, "What’s... wrong with my hand?"
Marvell raised his hand, showing everyone the red crimson vein remaining on his palm, surprising everyone.
"This is the contract," Marvell explained. "You’ve already fulfilled yours, and I’m still working on fulfilling mine. Just a reminder for everyone: this contract will lead to my death if one of you dies." He said this with a smile.
Everyone exchanged looks, their expressions shifting to understanding. Angel, the one who made the contract, bowed across the table. "Thank you, for freeing us and risking your life just to earn our trust."
She was soon followed by the others, who expressed their gratitude for their freedom.
Marvell laughed a little, happy
to see their reactions. "You're welcome, my heroes."