The silence following Roland's suggestion stretched across the chamber, a silence heavy with tension. Roland had suggested taking the orb and leaving the girl, arguing that they had no reason to harm her. A pragmatic solution, he thought, one that would allow them to obtain the potential reward without committing an injustice.
"Leave her?" Liam repeated with a dry laugh, breaking the silence. His gaze, fixed on the girl, was full of distrust. "Look at those horns." He gestured brusquely towards the small protrusions on the girl's head. "It's not normal. Nothing in this place is. What if she's a guardian? Or a trap in disguise?"
Markus frowned, looking at the girl intently. The small horns, twisted and dull, were certainly strange. However, he didn't see any direct threat in them. "I don't see her attacking us," he said cautiously. "She's scared. Like a cornered animal."
"Precisely," Liam retorted with a cold smile. "A cornered animal is the most dangerous. And if those horns are a sign of something more… something powerful… we can't take the risk." His hand tightened further around the hilt of his dagger.
Sebastian, his heart aching at the sight of the fear in the girl's eyes, stepped between Liam and her. "There's no need to hurt her," he said firmly, though his voice trembled slightly. "We can find another solution."
"Another solution?" Liam scoffed. "What? Let her go and risk her following us or ambushing us later? Or do you think she'll just let us take the orb without a fight?" His gaze landed on Roland, seeking his support. "Roland, you understand, right? We can't take risks. We've come too far to throw it all away for sentimentality."
Roland sighed, feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. The image of the girl, so fragile and scared, contrasted with the ambition that gleamed in Liam's eyes. He remembered the promise he made to Markus and Liam in that tavern, the promise to watch each other's backs. But he also remembered Sebastian's words about their original purpose: to investigate the goblin activity, not to harm innocents. The dilemma consumed him.
"Liam has a point," Roland finally said, his voice grave. "We don't know what that girl is. She could be dangerous. But… we could also be wrong. We could be judging her unfairly." He proposed cautiously: "We could take the orb and… leave her here. We don't have to hurt her."
Liam's reaction was immediate. His face hardened, and his hand tightened even more around his dagger. "No!" he exclaimed vehemently. "That's insane, Roland. Trusting a creature like that? Leaving her alive to follow us or to be used against us by someone else? No. I'm not taking that risk. That orb is ours, and I'm not letting anything or anyone take it from us." His gaze settled on the girl again, with a cold and ruthless determination. "Not even her."
The tension in the chamber reached a critical point. The air felt heavy, charged with the impending confrontation. The orb's glow seemed to pulse in time with the adventurers' racing hearts. The girl, oblivious to the conversation unfolding over her fate, continued to tremble in her corner, her eyes fixed on Liam, sensing the danger.
Liam's blunt refusal echoed in the chamber, cutting through the tension like a knife. The girl, hearing the threatening tone, shrank further into her corner, her tear-filled eyes glistening in the orb's light. Sebastian felt a surge of both fury and compassion. He couldn't let Liam hurt this defenseless creature.
"Liam, stop," Sebastian said firmly, stepping between him and the girl. "You don't have to do this. We can find another solution."
Liam let out a bitter laugh. "Always so naive, Sebastian. Do you really think there's another solution? Do you think we can simply ignore the danger this… thing represents?" He gestured dismissively towards the girl. "She's a threat. And threats must be eliminated."
"She's not a threat," Sebastian retorted, his voice trembling slightly. "She's just a child. She's scared and lost. She's done nothing to deserve this."
"Her existence is a threat," Liam insisted, his gaze fixed on the girl. "Look at her. She's different. Abnormal. Who knows what powers she hides? What harm could she do to us if we let her live?"
"We don't know anything about her," Sebastian replied, trying to remain calm. "We don't even know if those… horns… mean anything. They could just be a simple deformity."
"I'm not taking the risk," Liam interrupted in a cold, cutting voice. "I've seen too much in this world to trust appearances. And in this place… in this dungeon… caution is the key to survival."
"But… kill her?" Sebastian asked, his voice breaking with disbelief. "Liam, do you really think that's necessary? That it's right?"
Liam was silent for a moment, his gaze still fixed on the girl. Then, with deliberate slowness, he drew one of his daggers. The blade gleamed in the orb's light, casting a menacing flash.
"Justice doesn't exist down here, Sebastian," Liam said in a low, dangerous voice. "Only survival. And if I have to eliminate a threat to survive… I will."
Sebastian felt a chill run down his spine. He saw the determination in Liam's eyes, a cold, ruthless determination that left no room for doubt. He understood that words were useless. Liam was determined to kill the girl.
"I won't let you," Sebastian said firmly, tightening the string of his bow. "I won't allow you to hurt her."
Liam smiled bitterly. "You were always soft, Sebastian. But I didn't think you'd actually stand in my way."
"I'm not going to let you make a mistake," Sebastian replied, aiming his arrow directly at Liam's chest. "I'm not going to let you kill an innocent child."
The tension in the chamber reached its peak. The silence was broken only by the sound of the four adventurers' ragged breathing. The orb's glow seemed to intensify, illuminating their tense and determined faces. The girl, oblivious to the impending confrontation, continued to tremble in her corner, her eyes fixed on Liam, sensing the danger. The air smelled of sweat, dust, and the unmistakable sweet and strange fragrance emanating from the orb. The calm was over. The confrontation was imminent.