The silence that followed Roland's suggestion—to take the orb and abandon the woman—stretched across the chamber, a thick, suffocating silence, charged with a tension you could cut with a knife. It wasn't the silence of peace, but the silence of anticipation, the silence that precedes a storm.
"Leave her?" Liam repeated, with a dry, harsh laugh that shattered the silence like breaking glass. His gaze, fixed on the woman, reflected no compassion, not even curiosity. Only… distrust. And something else. Something dark, that Sebastian hadn't seen in his companion before. "Look at those horns," he said, pointing brusquely at the small protuberances, now clearly visible in the orb's light. "It's not normal. Nothing in this place is normal. What if she's a guardian? Or a disguised trap?" He paused, and his voice became lower, more intense. "What if that orb… controls her? Or she controls the orb?"
Markus frowned, observing the woman carefully. The small horns, twisted and dull, were undoubtedly strange. But he didn't see any direct threat in them. He didn't see magic, or monstrosity. Only… difference. And fear. A lot of fear.
"I don't see her attacking us," Markus said, his voice deep and measured, breaking the tense silence. His gaze, normally hard and impenetrable, now showed a hint of… doubt? Compassion? "She's scared. Like a cornered animal."
"Precisely," Liam retorted, with a cold, calculating smile that made Sebastian's blood run cold. "A cornered animal is more dangerous. And if those horns are a sign of something else… something powerful… we can't take the risk." His hand, unconsciously, tightened around the hilt of his dagger, as if he were already preparing for action.
Sebastian, feeling a wave of indignation and disgust wash over him, took a step forward, interposing himself between Liam and the woman. He couldn't let Liam hurt her. He couldn't let him kill her.
"There's no need to harm her," he said, his voice firm, although inside he was trembling with fear and nervousness. "We can… find another solution." He tried to remain calm, but Liam's cold, calculating gaze unnerved him.
"Another solution?" Liam scoffed, with a bitter, scornful laugh. "What do you suggest, Sebastian? That we let her go and risk her following us, ambushing us later? Or do you think she'll let us take the orb without a fight? Do you think she'll just stay here, quietly, while we take her… treasure?" His gaze shifted to Roland, seeking his support, seeking confirmation of his own doubts, his own fears. "Roland, you understand, right? We can't take risks. We've come too far to throw it all away for… sentimentality."
Roland sighed, a heavy sound laden with weariness, frustration, conflict. The image of the woman, so small and fragile, so terrified, contrasted sharply with the unbridled ambition that shone in Liam's eyes. He remembered, again, the promise he had made to Markus and Liam in that tavern, so many years ago. The promise to look out for each other, to survive, to triumph.
But he also remembered Sebastian's words, his insistence on maintaining their original purpose, on not harming innocents.
And, looking at the woman, seeing the fear in her eyes, feeling the tension in her body, Roland knew he couldn't ignore his conscience.
"Liam is right about one thing," he said finally, his voice grave, trying to maintain a neutral tone, avoiding looking at Liam directly. "We don't know what that woman is. Or what powers she might have. She could be dangerous. But…," he paused, and his gaze shifted to Sebastian, with a mixture of respect and concern, "…she could also be innocent. She could be as lost and scared as we are."
He made a decision. A difficult decision, a decision that could cost him the loyalty of one of his oldest companions.
"We could take the orb," he proposed, his voice cautious, trying to find a middle ground, a compromise that would satisfy everyone, "and… leave her here. We don't have to hurt her."
Liam's reaction was immediate.
His face hardened, and his hand clenched even tighter around the hilt of his dagger, until his knuckles turned white.
"No!" he exclaimed, vehemently, his voice echoing in the chamber like thunder. "That's insane, Roland! Trust a creature like that? Leave her alive to follow us, or to be used by another against us? No. I'm not taking that risk." His gaze turned to the woman, and Sebastian saw, with horror, a cold, ruthless determination in his eyes. "That orb is ours. And I'm not going to let anything or anyone take it from us." He paused, and his voice became lower, more menacing. "Not even her."
The tension in the chamber reached a critical point. The air felt heavy, charged with electricity, as if a storm were about to break. The orb's light, previously red and steady, now flickered slightly, as if it sensed the tension, as if it fed on it. The woman, oblivious to the conversation about her fate, continued trembling in her corner, her eyes fixed on Liam, sensing the danger, feeling the threat.
And, at that moment, Sebastian realized something.
He realized that the woman, despite being terrified, didn't look at Liam with hate, or with contempt.
She looked at him with… sadness.
And, in that sadness, Sebastian saw a fleeting glimmer of something he couldn't interpret, but in the moment the eyes of Sebastian and the woman met, in her gaze he felt a silent thank you, a subtle acknowledgment that Sebastian was trying to protect her.
And, in that instant, Sebastian knew he had to do something.
Something more than simply interposing himself between Liam and the woman.
Something that could change the course of events.
Something that could prevent a tragedy.
"Liam, stop!" Sebastian said, his voice firm, ignoring the tremor in his hands, ignoring the fear that gripped his stomach. He took a step forward, placing himself directly in front of Liam, blocking his path to the woman. "You're not going to do this. You're not going to kill a defenseless creature."
Liam let out a bitter laugh, a laugh that held no humor. "Always so naive, Sebastian," he said. "Always so soft. Do you really think there's another solution? Do you really think we can simply ignore the danger this… thing represents?" He pointed at the woman with his dagger, with a gesture of contempt. "She's a threat, Sebastian. And threats… are eliminated."
"She's not a threat," Sebastian retorted, his voice growing firmer. "She's just a person. Scared. Lost. Like… like us."
"Person?" Liam scoffed. "Do you really believe that is a person? Look at her, Sebastian. Look at her horns, her hair, her… everything. She's an aberration. A creature of the dungeon. And creatures of the dungeon… are killed."
"We don't know anything about her," Sebastian insisted, trying to remain calm, trying to reason with Liam, but feeling that his words were bouncing off a wall of obstinacy and greed. "We don't even know if those… horns… mean anything. They could just be… a deformity. A rarity. Not a sign of… of evil."
"I'm not going to take the risk," Liam interrupted, his voice cold and cutting. "I've seen too much in this world, Sebastian, too many things that seemed harmless… until it was too late. And in this place… in this damned dungeon… caution is the only thing that keeps us alive."
"But… killing her?" Sebastian asked, his voice cracking, feeling hope slipping through his fingers. "Do you really think it's necessary? That it's right?"
Liam remained silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the woman, as if he were weighing his options, calculating the risks. Then, with a deliberate, theatrical slowness, he drew his dagger. The blade, sharp and gleaming, reflected the reddish light of the orb, creating a menacing glint, a foreshadowing of violence.
"Justice doesn't exist down here, Sebastian," Liam said, his voice low and dangerous, a voice that brooked no argument. "Only survival exists. And if I have to eliminate a potential threat to ensure our survival… 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 knew, with absolute certainty, that words were useless. Liam was determined to kill the woman.
And he, Sebastian, had to stop him.
But, how?
He wasn't a warrior. He couldn't face Liam in a direct fight. He had no chance of defeating him.