211  Decision

After clearing the puzzle singlehandedly, Axel, who the players initially believed was only valuable for his wealth, unexpectedly earned a newfound level of respect from the group. His resourcefulness and determination had surprised them all. As they watched the French noble lead the party through the newly opened gate, Alan couldn’t help but notice a gleam of excitement in Axel’s eyes. It was as though he had found a renewed sense of purpose, and Alan couldn’t help but wonder if it was the respect he had gained or if Axel had stumbled upon some hidden insight within the ancient text that had ignited his enthusiasm.

Just as they all stepped through the gate, they were met with a sudden dilemma. The tunnel before them split into two distinct paths, and there were no visible signs or markings to guide their way. Cammie the Blue Blaster broke the silence by asking, “Which way should we go, left or right?”

The group exchanged uncertain glances, and Zencher, the Death Knight, said his thought, “Should we splitting up?”

Axel, to everyone’s surprise, turned to Alan and asked for his opinion, “What do you think, Alan?” Alan took a moment to contemplate the situation and then replied, “I believe both paths will ultimately lead us to the same destination. We’ll likely encounter one undead general on each path before facing the final one at the end of either route.”

Axel nodded in agreement and inquired further, “So, what do you think should be our next move?”

Alan heave a sigh and said “Well, it’s currently 15 minutes until nightfall. Our decision should hinge on how much you wanted to return back to Camelot after completing this quest or not” With this statement, Alan presented the group with a clear choice. If they have no plan to return, they could take a cautious approach, systematically dealing with the generals one by one while ensuring their safety. On the other hand, if they did, they should still try to quickly finish this quest and do their best to bypass the hordes.

Alan was interested to know Axel’s response and apparently the French noble was leaning toward the latter option. “Of course, we shouldn’t just settle with the generals, there are still more rewards to be gained outside, so let’s complete this quest quickly.”

It was clear to Alan that the French noble placed a higher value on potential rewards than on his men’s safety. Without much regard for his companions’ safety, Axel made the decision to split the group. However, he surprised everyone by suggesting not into two groups but three.

Turning to Alan, Axel explained, “If we want to get back, we certainly need someone to watch our backs.”

It became apparent that blowing up the entrance, as initially planned, was not the wisest course of action if they intended to return to the Roman city safely. With a smile, Axel entrusted Alan and his NPC team with a crucial task: guarding the horses and keeping a vigilant eye on any potential undead threats. If the hordes indeed trying to enter the room, Alan’s objective was to delay them as long as possible, giving Axel and the rest of the group the time they needed to complete the quest.

Axel concluded, “I will leave all the Britannia knights to help you.” It was apparent that Axel no longer considered Alan and his NPC team essential. The responsibility of guarding the entrance had its drawbacks, as it could either lead to a frustrating waste of time or an overwhelming onslaught of thousands of undead creatures – neither of which was a desirable outcome. Moreover, Alan had his own quest to pursue, which complicated matters further. In an ideal scenario, his response would have been a resounding “NO,” but when Axel held all the cards, Alan’s has no option but to concede..

“Let’s not waste any more time; let’s go,” Axel declared before leaving Alan in charge of the 18 surviving Britannia knights and dividing the remaining team into two groups, This was precisely why Alan had refrained from bringing any of his friends along on this quest. Axel treated others like expendable pawns in his game, and this situation was a testament to that.

Despite his frustration, Alan had anticipated that Axel might make such a decision, so he managed to contain his frustration and lead the NPC team return to the main chambers.

With only minutes left before nightfall, Alan quickly delegated tasks to his team. He instructed the fey warriors and the Knights to bring all the horses inside the chambers, and started to prepare for the possible battle. Meanwhile, he urged Merlin to continue in deciphering the ancient text on the chamber walls. There had to be something in those inscriptions that had given Axel the confidence.

As the words from the ancient text were read back to him, Alan began to uncover critical information. In addition to the method Axel had used to unlock the chambers previously, he found insights into the path they needed to take inside. But there was something more concerning within the text that caught his attention.

“Dammit,” Alan muttered in frustration, “it explains the Book of the Death as well.” The revelation left no doubt in his mind that this was the reason for Axel’s newfound excitement. Axel must have suspected that Alan possessed knowledge of the book and had kept it hidden, leading to his complete distrust and decision to leave Alan behind.

As Merlin finished deciphering the text, it concluded with an enigmatic riddle:

“When daylight’s fire begins to wane, And evening’s cloak shrouds the terrain. In silence deep, the threshold’s sway, By midnight’s kiss, it fades away.”

It took Alan a moment to grasp the meaning, but by the time he did, it was too late. As nightfall descended, the chamber door that had been open moments ago suddenly closed right in front of him. Simultaneously, a notification appeared in his gamelink:

[The source of darkness has arrived in Britannia Land].

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Alan dashed outside the catacomb only see the thousands corpses that surrounded the catacombs had begun to rise, their undead forms stirring to life in response to the arrival of the final night.  

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