As the echoes of Elaine's final breaths faded into the stillness of the forest, a heavy silence settled over the clearing. The only sound that remained was the soft rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze, a stark contrast to the violence that had just unfolded.
Viktor, still feigning unconsciousness, lay bound and helpless, his facade crumbling as the reality of Elaine's fate washed over him. He could feel the weight of her absence like a physical burden, her lifeless form a chilling reminder of the precariousness of their situation.
I still , hidden in the shadows, observed Viktor's reaction with keen interest. Beneath the mask of stoicism, a flicker of curiosity danced in my eyes, curious to see how the remaining human, Viktor would respond to the consequences of defiance.
"Viktor," My deep voice resonated through the air, commanding attention giving out a ominous presence ringing fear within the bravest of them all. "You can drop the act. I know you're awake."
Slowly, Viktor opened his eyes, meeting my gaze with a mixture of fear and resignation. He knew there was no point in pretending any longer; he was at the mercy of this enigmatic being, bound by fate to face whatever trials lay ahead. Nobody could save him from what laid ahead.
"What do you want from me?" Viktor's voice was hoarse, betraying the fear that gnawed at his resolve. He had seen what had become of Elaine, and he knew that his own fate hung in the balance.
I acted like I considered Viktor's question for a moment, my branches swayed gently purely out of excitment but it looked like a branch of a weird tree moving in the breeze. There were no other unecessary movements from me as I could have alerted Viktor just now.
Then, with a voice like the whisper of shadows, I spoke again ."I want information." I said, with a tone both ominous and compelling. "Information that only you can provide."
Viktor's brow furrowed in confusion. What could this creature that he had not seen till now possibly want to know ? And why did it choose him as its unwilling informant? Was this creature someone he knew? Viktor pondered for a while.
"Information about what?" he asked, his voice trembling with uncertainty.
"About your world," I replied. "About the humans who inhabit it. About your strengths, your weaknesses, your desires." I wanted Viktor to think that I was a native of this planet and wanted to know about the place he came to this world from and about the inhabitants of that place.
Viktor felt a chill run down his spine at the mention of his world. What could this creature possibly want with such a detail? And yet, he knew better than to question the motives. He had seen firsthand the consequences of disobedience, and he had no intention of meeting the same fate as Elaine.
"Fine," he said, his voice resigned. "What do you want to know?"
And so, the interrogation began, with Viktor reluctantly divulging the secrets of his world to me. I briefly asked him about his life before coming to this planet to keep up my facade and slowly went to the questions I really wanted to know.
I found out about the state of the humans that were living in this planet. There was a constant fear and death was looming around everybody's heads. No one was safe from anything. And as people found out the use of system and it announced we could get exp points from killing fellow humans too; people started going on a killing spree. Some people woke up here in groups but the groups soon dispersed living out only some people. And fear of a fellow human was greater than the fear of any other thing as they didn't know the one they were teaming up with is really their friend or a foe in disguise.
Other piece of important information was how Viktor could track this place and if others could also do the same or not.
I knew Viktor had the map and the map was probably how Viktor found this place. But what I wanted to know was the source of this map so I deliberately hid my motive inside of some superficial questions.
Viktor divulged the hidden secret of the world chat where he could talk to others and could find some magical as well as weird items that could be traded with others.
I secretely opened the world chat as well and affirmed what Viktor had said. There surely was a world chat and a trade room was also available. Viktor bought himself some time as well. If any of the information Viktor gave was found out to be incorrect; his death would become inevitable.
I had some doubts as how could we humans determine whether the things we get from the trade is equal to the things we give out or not. But the trade system also seemed to be governed by some kind of entity as there would always be a guarantee of fair trade and if the value of things we give and the things we get is not equal; the trade would not proceed.
I asked Viktor if he knew about the presence of other maps similar to this one but he said the map was a one time reward and he got it from someone. He had probably killed someone and looted the dead so he could get such valuable treasure.
Even after Viktor's words I wanted to know if there were any other maps like this but even after searching for a while in the trade room I could not determine the presence of other maps like this.
This map was a treasure that would point towards the nearest dungeon around a player and help him get to the said dungeon. If I could equip my skeletons with this map, I could even clear out other dungeons showed in this map. I need to use this map to its full potential.
I could now formulate my future plans accordingly. I would love to not get involved with other humans as much as possible and even if a situation arose where involving oneself with others becomes necessary; always keeping extra skeleton archer on look out.
Sometimes we have to beat the bush to scare away the tigers. Letting Elaine live was also an option but letting Elaine live would not have brought out such obedience from Viktor. And after getting all the informations I needed from Viktor, there was no point of him living anymore.
As a great man once told, the best enemy to have is a dead enemy, I secretly ordered skeletons archers to shoot and kill him as humanly possible.
The vital points were pierced and it killed him fast and painlessly.