Lao De was just about to clash with the female captain again, but his brother spoke up to prevent further trouble:
"Ok Muran. Stop with the provocations. We should get to an agreement."
The white-armored captain narrowed her eyes as Lao Ru addressed her by her name.
"Why do you think you could order me around?"
Speaking in her deep voice the woman stood upright. She radiated intimidation for everyone but the four leaders. Her gaze wandered towards the captain from the Hurricane Army, but the man deliberately ignored her.
Muran gritted her teeth as Lao Ru spoke in a neutral tone:
"I'm not ordering anyone. I only want to find a solution to our situation. Although the dead warrior had his own motives, his argument was solid."
"So, what do you have in mind?", asked the silver armored captain as he ignored Muran.
"At least someone with some common sense.", remarked Lao De tauntingly before his brother could answer.
"Well. The palace is big, but we have a lot of people here who can help with the search. Most of the rules the dead warrior brought up will be applied.
Additionally, everyone has to give up their storage bags so they can't hide anything. One leader of each group stays back, making sure nothing happens to the bags.
We meet once every hour to exchange findings. No killing will be allowed to avoid conflicts."
Both the captains frowned as they contemplated these rules. It seemed Lao Ru was only interested in solving the dungeon as fast as possible. The rules were fair in their eyes.
Naturally the other soldiers and weaker warriors had no right to voice their opinion.
Muran was still annoyed, but it wasn't worth starting a fight here. She turned her head, speaking to the silver armored captain:
"I'm fine with it. If Phirr agrees, we can do as you said. The Ahiluscendum and the artificial core can only belong to one of us four."
Phirr slowly nodded his head.
"Good.", spoke Lao Ru calmly. "Now we only need to decide who stays here and who scouts the palace."
Immediately Lao De made his opinion known:
"Brother, just go. You are the intelligent one amongst us. I'm better at bashing heads in."
Lao Ru acceded silently while Muran and Phirr eyed each other, distrust obvious on their faces.
Tepo observed the discussions as he made his own plans. The warrior wasn't keen on giving his storage bag away.
After a few moments Phirr interrupted the silence:
"I would be alright with staying here."
Muran rose her brows in surprise upon hearing those words. Why would Phirr take a step back? The one scouting the palace had the obvious advantage of being able to discover clues first.
Just as the white-armored woman wanted to agree hastily, someone stepped next to her. A lean man with short blond hair in high quality white armor whispered into the woman's ear:
"Captain. Something seems fishy. We can't trust the Hurricane Army this easily."
Furrowing her brows, Muran took a step aside. She didn't appreciate the vice-captain who was added to her unit a few months ago.
But nevertheless, his words held value. Why would Phirr concede a favorable position?
"No way.", decided Muran. "I will stay here!"
Now it was Phirr's turn to be confused. But ultimately, he surmised Muran was also interested in keeping a good relationship between their armies.
"Ok. Then I will scout the palace and you stay here."
Muran nodded, not sure who got the better deal now. But at least her vice-captain stayed quiet.
Lao Ru observed the other leaders. Noticing everyone seemed to agree for now, he nodded.
"Good. I guess we have an agreement. Let's not waste any more time. Who knows how long the barrier can last."
Suddenly the atmosphere turned tense among the weaker warriors. Since the leaders decided to work together temporarily, everyone was expected to fall in line.
Ignoring everyone's grim eyes, Lao De stepped forth, an excited smile on his face. His expression tempted everyone to resist as his voice echoed in the room:
"Ok. You weaklings heard my brother. Hand over your storage bags and go searching for clues!"
A murmur rang through the room. The soldiers didn't complain much. Naturally they wouldn't hand their bags to Lao De. Moving their silvern and white armors they walk up to Muran and gave the captain all their possessions.
Tepo rose his brows as he stood to the side. The situation wasn't great for him. With the soldiers proving to be disciplined, it would be impossible for the independent warriors to resist the rest of the group.
Suddenly tension rose as a faintly growling voice rang out in the room:
"Don't think you can behave arbitrarily with your bit of strength! I can agree to scout the palace for you, but I won't give up my bag!"
Dozens of eyes radiated different emotions as they focused on a pale skinned warrior close to the balcony. His equipment was of good quality and a male-female duo stuck close to him.
Lightning almost seemed to flicker through Lao De's eyes. The burly warrior licked his lips in excitement.
But his brother's eyes narrowed sharply. He spotted an insignia on the man's chest.
"Blue Oceans Merchant Alliance?", asked Lao Ru with furrowed brows. "Ok. You can keep your bags."
Tension visibly left the man's body as Lao De showed disappointment.
Tepo on the other hand watched this interaction in apprehension.
But others suddenly saw a chance. Among the independent warriors, multiple voices rose.
"What? They are allowed to keep their bags?"
"Right. They are only four people. Why should we all listen to them?"
"I won't give you anything!"
"I will leave now. I don't want anything to do with all of you."
Movement came into the group. With close to twenty people the independent warriors felt safe enough.
But it was obvious that no real unity existed amongst them. While some wanted to protest, others tried to reach the door, seeking their luck alone.
One sneaky warrior was already close to the door. He only had to reach out with his hand…
Suddenly a fist made of lightning flashed. Crackling sounds let everyone's hair stand on end.
"AHH!"
A miserable scream deafened everyone's ears. The warrior who was just about to leave crashed against the wall. He fell to the floor, spasming, his hair partially burnt off.
Tepo drew a sharp breath as his eyes fell on Lao De. The violent man drew his fist back. He moved almost as if in slow motion, burning a warning sign into everyone's mind.
"Stop wasting anyone's time. Disorganized rubble. That's why we look down on you guys. You are only acting in self-interest! Now hand over your bags so we can continue!"
Phirr's impatient words rang through the room. None of the independent warriors felt great as they were met with the soldiers' disparaging gazes.
Even their supposed leaders didn't speak up for them. Lao De and Lao Ru didn't see themselves as being of the same status as some small mercenary groups or even pirates.
They were only at a disadvantage because the Carrying Winds World wasn't their home world. Otherwise, the two army captains would have to be more careful with their words.
Tepo stayed quiet as he wrinkled his forehead. Naturally it didn't feel good to be looked down upon. As the weaker party he was expected to comply.
There is nothing too important in my storage bag I guess. It would be a pity if someone steals my ship but it's not the end of the world. But I have to prevent others from finding my mask...
Gradually a few warriors began to untie their storage bags. Tepo watched as they threw all their possessions towards Lao De.
Time is running out. What should I do? Maybe if I had a few allies, we could protect our own bags. But the others already proved that uniting is too difficult.
Wait… but what if I do have allies?
Suddenly Tepo's eyes lit up. He thought back to the dungeon opening he experienced a day ago. Apparently, the Web also had some external allies…
Without hesitation Tepo gathered his force. Light flashed on his neck. An invisible and intangible impulse spread. Suddenly information appeared in the young warrior's brain. A certain spot was pointed out.
Tepo let his eyes roam around the room before focusing on someone. Suddenly confidence filled his chest.
A trace of surprise appeared in Lao Ru's eyes before vanishing immediately. One of his most important objects had just shown a reaction, projecting information directly into his mind.
The strong warrior calmly turned his head without showing anything outwardly. His eyes fell on a young warrior among the crowd. Surprisingly it was the injured latecomer.
Tepo felt relieved. He should have at least some security. He didn't even ask for any help from Lao Ru. Everything would be fine as long as his storage bag would be safely returned to him.
Inwardly thanking Quill for recruiting him, the young warrior leisurely handed his storage back to Lao De.