"Somehow I doubt that..."
"Even until the end, this bastard!"
Gary wasn't exactly feeling the best. Not when his little performance was so quickly dismissed.
"Am I really that untrustworthy?" he wondered out loud in shock.
"Hahh," Gabriel-- who had been silent throughout Gary's complete and utter thrashing --let his presence be known.
"Okay Gary, let's say that you are telling the truth."
'Gabriel, you beautiful bastard.' Gary could almost cry from happiness. This was a chance for him: a chance to find a way out of this mess, or at least keep them from actually killing him.
Gary awkwardly sat up and nodded, appearing eager to defend his honor.
The rest couldn't help but sneer at this, but Gabriel just nodded and asked, "Why did you think that the Staff of Merlin would be here?"
"Well, I first read 'The Golden Age of Sorcerers' and 'The Legacy of the Great Mage: Merlin' and learned more about the-"
"Stop, stop, stop." Gabriel waved his hands, "Enough with the nonsense. Tell me, in less than four sentences, why the staff would be in the demon king's palace."
"Because... his student Emyr was a member of the hero party. Most think that the staff was kept in Merlin's possession. However, my research indicates that the staff was given to Emyr to aid them on their quest."
Gary was asked, so he delivered. Granted, he didn't really do much research into Merlin, nor did he believe the claim he just said. But he did look like an honest boy when he answered, and that's what mattered.
His look of conviction was met with a blank stare from the golden-haired healer and murmuring from the rest.
"Dude, are you serious?" Edwin asked incredulously. They knew Gary was a piece of shit, but this was too much. They may not be an expert in history, but they weren't fools.
Merlin may have been a generous wizard, but that generosity came in the form of knowledge or advice. The main hero, Arthur, had to beg the old man just to get an enchantment on his sword. Giving his prized possession to a student no older than twenty was out of character, not to mention the fact that not once was such a detail mentioned in any version of the hero's journey.
"Out of everyone here, only I am knowledgeable about researching past history and documents. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I swear I can show you the proof once we get back!"
"Get back? We are in the heartland of the demons! It's a miracle we even made it here, how the hell do you expect us to get back?!?"
For once, Gary was lost for words.
That was true, as much as he hated to admit it. He had severely underestimated the difficulty of traveling to the palace ruins. Even if the demons were scattered and lacked any leader, that did not change the fact that they were both vicious and powerful. They thought that it would be at most a month-long expedition. After all, they - the 'Gold Guards' - were one of the best adventurer groups in the Rochan Kingdom.
In reality, it had been six grueling months. There wasn't a single day where they weren't fighting for their lives. It did not help that demons had a particular love for night raids and ambushes as well.
The darkness of night had little effect on their eyesight, while the same could not be said for humans.
With dwindling supplies and mounting pressure, it was no wonder that the team had been pushed to the breaking point. The fact they did not immediately kill him once his scheme was discovered would have shocked most other adventurer teams.
Gary lying in a pool of his own blood was more than a fair price to pay.
As he was thinking about the past six months, the arm that propped his body up gave out, and he fell back onto the ground. The blood that pooled around him from his numerous wounds rippled with the impact, before becoming still once more.
Gary had never been one to self-reflect. He had tried it out a few times, but he never did enjoy the feeling of bottomless shame and guilt. However, facing near-certain death had the ability to make even the most foolish individuals examine their lives and actions.
Without the energy to move a single finger, all he could do was think about his actions as his limp body became colder and colder. It was only at this moment that he truly felt a sliver of shame, even if it was only for a brief second.
After a momentary pause, Gary steeled himself to do something he had never done before: he decided to be completely honest.
"Ahh, ok... I lied. I fucked up. I really thought it would be the same as all the other expeditions, you know? It wouldn't be a cakewalk, but we could still get through without much trouble. The moment I realized just how serious this trip was turning out to be, I... I should have come clean."
"I shouldn't have been greedy and lied about the staff either, or the times before."
"I'm sorry."
His former teammates looked amongst themselves. They were well aware of Gary's tells, and right now they could see that this broken man, who could only grasp at his wounds and gasp for air, had finally spoken the truth.
Not a word was spoken, but they were all in agreement over one thing:
'Did it really take this much for him to admit that?'