Chapter 16 – Underbelly of the Beast

After what felt like hours, Aenon finally managed to collect himself. Throughout his breakdown, neither the Arbiter nor the Overseer had left. There was no judgement in either of their eyes, just sadness, and in Allie’s case, regret. They didn’t say a word, just letting him cry his heart out. And it felt good. He now realized how much trauma he had bottled up inside. He just sat there in silence, fully drained of all emotion. Seeing that he was now in control of himself, the Overseer decided to speak up.

“I recommend saving your question for later, when you are in better shape. For now, let me explain a few things, for the benefit of you both,” he said while looking at both him and Allie.

Allie tensed up at being acknowledged, obviously nervous after her recent break in decorum. Aenon could hardly imagine an entity such as the old man would tolerate such rude behavior from his apprentice. He had suffered worse from his teachers for far smaller infractions.

“This dungeon is not normal. It has been tampered with, quite like the seeding node of your planet. I guess you must have noticed strange peculiarities during your dive. It’s the effect of that corruption. I wish I could explain in detail, but that would put you on the playing field of old monsters you have no business knowing.”

Aenon nodded in understanding, he had figured as much. Nothing about the dive had been smooth. From evolving traps to rooms changing into arenas, everything that could go wrong, had done so. He was still baffled by the disappearance of the obstacle course he was planning to cross to test his new knowledge. He felt cheated out of his loot.

“It is within my power to unravel this mystery within hours. In fact, I already have some ideas about who is behind this. However, I will give you a choice here. You have barely pulled on a loose end of a grand tapestry of deceit and corruption. It is what you would call a System Quest. See for yourself,” he waved his hand when a window popped up in Aenon's vision.

Quest

You have stumbled across the machinations of ancient evil that the System had purged eons ago. Find out about its source and the parties behind it.

Reward: Variable

Failure Condition: Death

Accept: Y/N

Aenon frowned at the prompt. There was absolutely no information in the description and the rewards were unknown. Allie looked even more confused as she kept looking around.

“I didn’t get the quest,” she said in a timid voice.

“That is because the quest is his alone. Should he choose to reject it, I will personally act to resolve it. It’s been a long time since these old bones had a good workout. Such a high-level quest has not been given out in a long time. The rewards will be great, but so will the risk.”

Allie fidgeted a bit, obviously wanting to say something. The Overseer sensed it but turned away from her.

“Maybe next time you will learn to control yourself better and not lose such a rare opportunity,” he said sternly.

Aenon saw her body literally deflate with guilt and remorse. He turned back to the prompt before smiling weakly and hitting accept.

“Thank you,” he whispered. For some weird reason he felt extremely grateful to the man across from him and was surprised that he shared his past, something he had never done before. Not even with the government assigned counselors. He wasn’t sure what made him so comfortable to share things he always kept buried with the old elf.

“For what exactly?” the old man asked with a small smile.

“For being here. For looking out for me. And most of all, for giving me a target to focus on.”

The old man nodded with a smile, before waving his hand again, which dropped the sorry excuse of a prince at their feet.

“Now, having a quest with no clues is frustrating. And since you are the one who captured this abomination, I will let you handle him how you see fit. I believe that was your initial plan?”

Aenon nodded, a simmering rage returning to the surface from deep within. This guy had dared hurt someone close to him. Which meant his life was forfeit, along with any right to be treated humanely.

The Overseer smirked as he turned around and disappeared. Allie visibly relaxed at her mentor’s departure and turned to stare at him with a complicated expression. But before she could get a word in, he turned to the unconscious man at their feet. He got some water from his inventory and poured it on the guy’s head.

“Waaaah. What…Aaaaaargh. My hands. What did you do to my hands?”

Aenon pulled up a chair and sat next to the sniveling boy. He drew his dagger but sat motionless with his arms crossed, calmly staring at his victim.

“Do you know who I … Aaaaaargh.”

The prince’s confident strut was all but gone as Aenon plunged the dagger into his kneecap. He pulled back and took his previous position.

“You… you will regret this. My family… Aaaaargh.”

The second stab went to his other kneecap, before he returned to his earlier posture yet again. The boy stared at him in silent terror, trying but failing to get some distance between them. Aenon kept stabbing him whenever he spoke up for the next 15 minutes. All without a single word in return. Even when the guy asked what he wanted, Aenon stayed silent. The guy finally wizened up and just shut his mouth.

“Here are the rules for how this is going to go. You mention your family or connections, you feel pain. You threaten me or mine, you feel pain. You take too long to answer, you feel pain. Nod if you understand,” Aenon stated in a chilling tone.

The terrified guy nodded vigorously. His wounds had already started to heal significantly.

“Good. Now, tell me about the dungeon. I know it was you pulling the strings to modify it. Why did you come here and why did you remove the obstacle course. Remember this though, if I hear a word not related to answering the question, I will spend the next twenty minutes inventing new ways to make you suffer. Now talk.”

“I… uh… wanted to… umm… Aaaaargh.”

“I believe I said I wanted answers quickly.”

“I… sniff… just wanted to… sniff… have some fun. My older brother gave me an artifact to control a low-level dungeon. I wanted to watch some low-level nobodies get wrecked. But you kept beating everything I threw at you. And then I detected the seeding node on you. So, I modified the dungeon and came here in person to claim it back.”

The boy’s wounds were almost healed, so Aenon severed the tendons again before leaning back to think. Allie was shocked, speechless at the casual display of cruelty but kept quiet.

“Next question, tell me about your family. How many members, and their general power levels.”

“Please… sob… I’ll tell you everything. Just… sob… stop hurting me.”

At that, Aenon went about doing what he said he would if the boy said anything other than the answer to his questions. By the end of it, the prince had passed out from pain and Allie was throwing up on the side.

“Do you need to be so cruel? He was answering you. He just requested mercy, that is all,” Allie spoke up.

Aenon turned to her slowly, covered in blood, and observed her quietly. For the first time since they met, he saw fear in those eyes.

“Mercy? Would I have received any, if our roles were reversed? I believe he promised me a quick death if I gave him what he wanted. How is what I am doing any different?” he asked coldly.

“Which is exactly my point. By doing this, you are no better than him,” she said with disgust in her voice. Aenon tilted his head before asking.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“And why do I need to be better than him? What has being better ever gotten me? Did it make my or my family’s life easier? Did it save my father’s life when he agreed to hand over everything my uncle demanded? Did it let my mother live when she begged for mercy in return for handing over the estate’s share? Or did it make my sister’s life easier, when I tried being the better man and letting my so-called family have fun making my life miserable?”

Allie looked away in embarrassment. Aenon understood where she was coming from. But she didn’t get it. There was a difference between what he was doing and what people like this prince did. He derived no pleasure in what he was doing. And she needed to know it.

“But you are wrong about one thing. I am different from this sorry excuse of a human. I didn’t seek him out, and neither did I draw first blood. He started it, while I am just ending it using his own rules. And I sure as hell am not a coward hiding behind a mask of righteousness to justify my actions. Yes. I am cruel. And I am unforgiving. But only to those who wrong me. I will not seek out an innocent to torment and neither will I let innocents be collateral,” he gave her a fierce look.

“Being better or being different are just excuses that weak willed people come up with to justify their inability to do what must be done,” he continued.

Allie was fuming with anger and embarrassment, unable to refute his claims. But he could sense her resisting the urge to accept it, so he gave one last push.

“Weren’t you about to kill me the second you came here? Did you wait for an explanation or try to find out the actual truth? You saw me holding the dagger and labelled me a threat instantly. If not for your grandfather, I would be dead. Was that showing mercy? Was that justice?” he said challengingly.

Her eyes went wide with realization before she turned towards the floor, unable to maintain eye contact with him. Aenon audibly scoffed and turned back to the prince who was slowly regaining consciousness.

The rest of the interrogation went smoothly, the broken kid was too scared to even tolerate the thought of defying him. Although, for Allie’s sake, he didn’t inflict any more pain. When he was done extracting all the information he could, he drew his dagger and held its handle towards Allie. She looked at him with confusion.

“I thought it was your job to overlook this tutorial. So, here you go. The threat has been proved, eliminate it,” he looked at her with a blank expression.

She stumbled around, trying to come up with an excuse. He is unarmed and beaten, he has surrendered, this is not a battle, he needs to be imprisoned. But Aenon ignored all of it and continued holding the dagger towards her.

“Do your duty, Arbiter,” the commanding voice of the Overseer filled the room. Allie jumped back in surprise but hesitantly took the dagger with trembling hands before stabbing the now begging boy in the heart. Soon after that she transformed into the trinket, and Aenon felt her presence leave it.

“I hope it went exactly as you hoped?” Aenon said while turning towards the Overseer who was standing in the corner, invisible to his sight.

“Yes,” he said simply before making the dead body vanish with a wave.

“Why?” Aenon asked.

“I do not follow.”

“That is my second question. Why did you send your apprentice/granddaughter to me? Why make her observe all this?” Aenon asked with narrowed eyes. He respected the man, and was thankful to him, but he felt used, nonetheless.

“Musings of an old man, I am afraid,” the Overseer replied cryptically.

“I believe you said you would answer my question as a reward,” Aenon asked while crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. The old man chuckled and took a seat at the table, pointing at the seat next to him. When Aenon was seated, he conjured up a smoking pipe and took a long draw from it.

“I’ve lived longer than your mind can comprehend. Lost more companions and progeny than the population of your entire planet. After a while, the faces just start to blend, no matter how high my INT stat is. Even so, the love I have for each individual has never changed. My apprentice is one in a long line of people I care about,” the old man looked tired as he said those words.

“But time has a different meaning to a being such as me. Allie is only 2 years older than you. Which for me, is not even an infant. And so, I treasured that innocence of hers. Sheltering her from anything and everything that was remotely close to what she saw today. She has… never killed another sapient before.”

Aenon listened with absolute attention to the ancient elf. From his words and the look in his eyes, Aenon got a glimpse of the enormous weight he must have been carrying. Aenon’s own experiences were not even worth a grain of salt against the veritable ocean the old man must have lived through.

“Sigh… my point is, I may have sheltered her too much and I needed her to open her eyes to the cruelties of this world,” the old man said with a smile.

“That still doesn’t answer my question. Why did you choose me? There are billions of people on my planet who have similar, if not worse, histories. What makes me so special?” Aenon asked in confusion. He was further confused when the old man started laughing.

“My dear apprentice asked me the same question, not too long ago. What makes you so special indeed,” he puffed on his pipe for a bit before responding. “Because I have glimpsed into your soul, young man. And you are a rare one.”

At Aenon’s confused expression, the old elf chuckled and continued.

“Don’t concern yourself with the mysterious schemes of an old man. I mean you no harm, child.”

“I never thought you did. But it puzzled me, so I had to ask. Speaking of puzzling things, what did she mean when she said I was a candidate to court her?”

The old man burst out laughing at his latest query. Aenon was getting the feeling he had made an enormous fool of himself the last time this topic came up.

“Forgive me. The innocence of youth never fails to amuse me. It’s said differently in your world. Basically, what she meant was, you are suitable candidate to date her,” the elf said with an amused look.

Aenon felt his entire face heat up at the revelation, making the old man laugh harder. Recalling what he had said last time, and the subsequent reactions, made him blush more than he had ever done.

“I… uh…,” he struggled to put together words.

“Speak no more, my boy. I do not mean to tie you down to her, or her to you. The heart is something that cannot be swayed, I am sure your father would agree. I merely meant to nudge you both in the right direction. You will find no more interference from me in this regard. Although, I sincerely hope you do not trample on her heart, if she does choose to give it to you,” the elf said with a wink.

Aenon strategically started checking his fingernails for any dirt or grime that may have gotten embedded in there. What he was trying to hide wasn’t just embarrassment but caution too. A relationship with Allie had never crossed his mind till now. Mainly because he had no interest in her as she wasn’t his type. But also because of the Overseer. The power dynamics would be skewed to say the least. Not to mention, ending the relationship with the Overseer’s granddaughter would be a headache he didn’t want to deal with. He already had one kingdom as an enemy, he didn’t need another powerhouse hating his guts.

Thankfully, the Overseer took the hint and stood up with a chuckle. Aenon got up before the furniture disappeared.

“As a last parting gift, I have put in a request for the loot you missed due to this interference. It shall be deposited in your inventory when you exit the dungeon. Take care, and hope we meet again soon. I’ll be watching where your adventures take you next,” the Overseer said before leaving.

That is when Aenon realized that he was truly alone for the first time since coming into this world. When he looked in his soul space, he found the shard was a clear crystal now and gave no response to his prodding. He also found that the tear was gone entirely, which meant the trinket was useless to him now. So, he tried depositing it in his inventory but failed. He detected Allie’s presence the next moment.

“And what do you think you are doing to my trinket?” Allie asked accusingly while turning to her elf form. Her mood was still off but she hid it well.

“Umm, I don’t need the trinket anymore. You can have it back. I was just trying to keep it in my inventory for safekeeping,” he said hesitantly. It felt awkward talking to her after that conversation with her grandfather.

She eyed him suspiciously for any deception and just harrumphed when she found none. She turned away from him but stayed put in the dungeon.

“Sigh… Look Allie. It seems we always start off on the wrong foot each time we meet. But I am sure you would agree that what we both need right now is some time to ourselves. I need to process the loss of Harley, and you need to give some thought to what you witnessed and did at the end. I still owe you my life, and if there is one thing about me you need to remember is that I always settle my debts,” he said sincerely. He needed to keep his distance from her to avoid future complications with the Overseer.

Her expression softened a bit at his words and the tone of his voice. She looked around before asking him pointedly.

“Is my grandfather watching or listening?”

Aenon shook his head, so she continued in a hurt voice.

“I just want to know why. Why make me go through this? I have seen him manipulate many people in the past. But he never did it with me, at least not openly like this. And you. Why did you push me to kill that guy? Nothing about you makes sense to me. I am older and stronger than you. Yet…,” she trailed off in frustration.

Aenon silently contemplated how to answer her questions. He realized that she was not like him, who always wanted to find the answers on his own. So, he decided to answer her honestly and directly.

“Because he cares about you. He needs you to understand the realities of the world, which he has admitted to keeping you sheltered away from. And I am someone who has seen more than his fair share of troubles. So yes, he did manipulate both of us. But there was no ill intent involved. You and I can never gauge the pressure someone like him is under. So, we need to cut him some slack, don’t you think?” he gave her a reassuring smile.

“As for me, I am what the world has forged me into. I never have, and never will cry at the injustices that life has thrown my way. I will face whatever I come across without fear, even if it leads me to my death. I do not know your past, but I am guessing you lost someone close to you. Perhaps to the same recklessness you see me exhibit so often. And I am sure that is what infuriates you.”

He must have hit the nail on the head, because Allie’s eyes went wide before, she averted her gaze. He smiled before continuing.

“There is only one thing you need to know about people like me, like the person you lost. We are adventurers at heart and soul. The adventure, the thrill of the chase, is what drives us. And when we meet our end due to it, there are only two regrets we have. Regret at not completing what we started. And regret for leaving our loved ones behind. I am sure if you could meet the person you lost, he or she would say they are sorry to leave you. Cause I know I would.”

Tears started welling up in Allie’s eyes as she broke down and cried. And so, it was Aenon’s turn to sit quietly beside her as she let go of all the bottled-up feelings. He patted her back occasionally, making her cry harder. In her grief, she leaned her head on his shoulder. When she calmed down a bit and realized what she was doing, she jumped up and turned away.

“Why am I getting comforted by someone younger to me? If anyone saw me now…,” she said in embarrassment.

“You are not. The child in me died long ago,” he said morosely as he stood up and headed for the exit door for the dungeon.