Chương 100: 13 - LIES IN THE MIND

"You were right, T'balt," Acelin shouted excitedly.

"It showed up right in the spot that you showed me." The kid had to temper his excitement when he realized no one looked half as excited as he did. Ellie was consoling Cannon on the ground.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"All good. I just took one for the team, is all. Don't make a fuss." T'balt looked more relieved than happy, and German looked how German always looked. Straight-faced and uninterested.

"What's everyone's deal?" Acelin frowned. T'balt answered, "It was a tough fight," taking the Wanderer's loot from him.

"Would've been easier if I were here," he crossed his arms.

"But I was busy taking the thing out myself, one on one. No biggie. Just casual."

"Thanks, Acelin. You did good." T'balt patted his blond head. Acelin puffed out his cheeks, simultaneously accepting the praise and looking annoyed by it.

"Any idea what that creature was anyway?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I mean, most of the demons look like mutant animals. But that one…"

"Didn't look like anything from this earth…" T'balt finished.

"Honestly, I don't know. Did it only have the one loot?"

"Yeah."

"That means it's shapeshifting, and its ability to withstand all that damage was something it had naturally." He thought to himself, remembering all the strange little details. Like the mask on its face, the markings on its grey skin, the way it mimicked him, and adapted to the fight in real time. It was definitely intelligent, something more than the other beasts, but how deep that went, he couldn't tell from their fight alone.

"Regardless, I'm glad it's finally dead. That took way more effort than I ever could've imagined." Of course, it was Ellie who was the one keen enough on him to know what that meant.

"How many times did that take you?" T'balt put his hands up, proclaiming his innocence.

"Only three."

"Only three?"

"Yeah. So about… five months of total effort on my part, considering I start at Zero Day every time," he laughed unconvincingly.

"You know, you could stand to tell us these things before the fight instead of after."

"To be completely honest, you all fight better when you haven't realized I don't know what I'm doing yet," he laughed again. Ellie took a step closer to him and lifted her hand. His reflex caused him to flinch, still feeling the sting of her slap. But instead, she warmly cupped his cheek in her hand and waited for him to meet her eye.

"Come back down already, or I don't know what I'm going to do with you." He pursed his lips like a child being scolded.

"I'm sorry I slapped you. But it's important to me… to know what you've been through." T'balt took her hand in his, remembering how she never did anything but worry about him and everyone else.

"You're right. I'll be more upfront next time." But then he realized that someone was likely in his head.

"You know you can just ask." He turned to German, who was staring right at him.

"No need. I've picked up the pieces. This Redeemer loot allows you to reverse time back to when all this began, it seems from the way you think about it. That would explain why we're still alive. And why Corlander knew this was going to be the outcome."

"You could look happier about that," said Ellie.

"I'm merely introspective. All the things one has the ability to change when they're allowed to simply restart." He held his hand out. It was easy to forget the deal that brought them here in the first place. T'balt had spent months fixated on that monster, trying to figure out how to beat it. Now that he had it, it was disappointing to him that he had to give up its loot to Corlander.

"Actually," he said.

"Now that I think about it, the Wanderer's loot is probably what will get us into Graceland in the first place. Why shouldn't I just give it to Cannon now that he's missing two slots out of his stack?" German's hand didn't move.

"It's because you're a man of principle, one who doesn't condone backing out on deals." T'balt took a step towards, still withholding the loot.

"You know that cuz of the time you spent in my mind, right? What about Corlander? What do you see in his mind? Especially when he thinks about this loot?"

"Corlander fully intends to fulfill his part of the deal. Even if he wasn't. I would have. But the loot isn't required to get you into Graceland. Once I have the loot in hand, I will have permission to guide you there."

"Permission?" Cannon stood up for the first time since reviving.

"You mean the whole thing about you not knowing a way to the city was a lie?"

"I had my orders. And now I have different ones." T'balt gently placed the Wanderer's loot in his hand.

"I'd argue, but a deal's a deal." They made their way back to the Corlander truck and drove for a while, despite their clothes being dirtied and tattered from the fight still. German was intending to drive them straight to Graceland, which none of them wanted to argue with. It felt best to leave the Hunter's Club as they did and not subject themselves to any more deals. Even though they would miss the luxury, they were sure they'd get it back in the Looter's Paradise.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. They arrived at the same dock they had before, seeing that spec of a city out into the ocean. It was the middle of the night, and so it was reflected in the moonlight hitting the sea.

"So how do we actually get there?" asked T'balt.

"We're waiting for it to arrive," German answered.

"Alright." T'balt stared out at the sea, thinking about them. The other Redeemers. What they would be like. If they were anything like Monan or what he would say when he met them. If another one was even in there. He didn't realize how nervous it was going to make him when the idea of meeting another one finally became a reality. He didn't know what he wanted…

"Just please, someone who isn't insane." Ellie scooted towards German, who leaned on a railing with his eyes closed.

"So, I have a question for you. When we first found you, you had your arm raised like you were going to attack us."

"And?"

"Well, you don't have any attacking loot?"

"You didn't know that. Holding up my arm startled you and gave me enough time to read your intentions."

"Read my? You mean you were reading my mind even then?"

"If that makes you uncomfortable…" He hesitated.

"I'm sorry. I only do it when I'm seeking specific information."

"Oh... well. At least you realize it. Not like T'balt, who constantly gives you information about yourself that you never told him like it's normal."

"If it makes you so uncomfortable, then why do you love him like you do?" he asked, so matter-of-factly. She frowned.

"See. It's things like that that make it hard to have a normal conversation with you two."

"I didn't need to read your mind. I can see love with my own two eyes." German sighed.

"But I can also see how contradictory it might feel to love the shadow of someone so much larger than you. Constantly thinking that if their feeling for you ever changes, that'll leave you with nothing." She stared at him, a tear coming to her eye. But he straightened himself.

"Our ride is here." There was a large splash from the water below the docks. Everyone looked down, surprised to see a man swimming down there. A naked man floating on his back.

"You're late," German said.

"We need to get to the island."

"Yeah. I know." The man said in a garbled voice, like he was talking through a mouthful of water.

"I heard you in my head the first time. You all just let me know when you're ready."

"Is that a fish man?" Acelin asked.

"It kinda looks like he has fins." He was right. The man did have a few peculiarities about his body. His fingers were webbed like a frog's, and there was something protruding from his back resembling a fin made of human skin.

"Don't ogle me like that. It's the same thing that makes everyone weird. Except my loot lets me breathe underwater. Which is all fine with me. Fish are nicer than people."

"I guess that explains the nudeness," T'balt said.

"So what are you going to swim us across?" The fishman smiled before taking a deep breath and pushing his arms up. When he did, the water around him spread apart, exposing a staircase leading down to where the water once was. German was the first down the stairs.

"It's a long walk." Everyone else reluctantly followed.

"Parting the sea, huh." Cannon said.

"Hey, El. What kind of Loot stack do you think Moses had?"

"Don't even joke about that." As they walked, the water above them flowed down to its normal place. It felt like the man was controlling a pocket of air rather than displacing the water around it. Meaning if they didn't all keep the same pace, someone was at risk of getting washed away. The stairs led down to a natural-looking bridge. Not natural, more like someone used earth loot to raise this part of the sea floor into a thin walking path.

"So do you just do this for a living or something?" Acelin asked the fish man. He groaned.

"Sorry, kid. But this takes six water loot and a whole lot of concentration to keep you all from a watery grave. No questions, please." Acelin might've been disappointed if he didn't have so much else to take his attention. What they were walking through was the equivalent of a walk-through aquarium. They could see into the ocean on all sides of them, which meant the natural sea life. There were dolphins, sharks, and manta rays all swimming casually, unbothered by the destruction on the land.

They were still affected by loot. There was an eel that looked the size of a dragon. A large seahorse with human arms carrying a trident, affixed with lightning. The underwater version of the Crimson Deer King, T'balt thought. But these just didn't have the people kill. And the looted creatures were few and far between, floating without purpose. Everything else just continued business as usual. They could marvel at it, safe inside their air bubble. But T'balt looked around.

"I don't exactly see any sunken ships. Didn't you say a bunch of them were sunk trying to get to Graceland?" German shrugged.

"Another lie. You could theoretically take a boat to Graceland. You'd get turned away, but not by any monster or defenses, but by their equivalent of US customs."

"Why try so hard to prevent us from going there? Sure, you couldn't tell us how, but that didn't mean you couldn't let us figure it out on our own."

"Once I knew you had information on the Redeemer loot, I thought it best to bring you back to the Hunter's Club. It's a loot that Corlander has shown great interest in."

"How did he know about it in the first place?" German hesitated.

"I'm sure you'll find the answers you seek, but I won't betray my loyalties."

"Even after everything you said at dinner?" Cannon asked.

"Yeah. You know, a guy like Corlander is not on your side." Ellie added.

"I was emotional," German said.

"But like your Redeemer has put. I should learn to have more faith."

"That's not exactly what I meant," T'balt said.

"So you're going back to him?" Ellie asked.

"He still put your life in harm's way for his own selfish needs."

"Is that any different from T'balt?" German asked.

"You saw T'balt put himself in harm's way just like the rest of us. He'd never ask us to do something he wouldn't do himself." She paused for a second.

"You should come with us." German cracked a smile.

"I appreciate the offer. But I can't. I'm still branded," he said, hinting at the diamond marking his face.

"You know that doesn't mean anything to us."

"But it does to me. I'm bound to Corlander. I made that agreement when I went to work for him. And that agreement means I must see my duty through." None of them was quite satisfied with that answer, but they knew any further prodding would just evoke the same answer. When they arrived at their destination, it was another staircase. This one led to a small beach under a tall white wall. It was just a sliver of land between the beach and the water. Enough for them to stand on, but not much more.

It led up to a small hole in the side of the wall, big enough for a human to squeeze through.

"This is it, huh?" T'balt thought out loud.

"The Looter's Paradise."

"You'll have to be careful in there," German said.

"They have strict rules for who's allowed in and out. So if they discover you, it'll likely mean trouble, so if you can't blend in, then stay hidden." German tapped him on the shoulder. He held up an envelope in his hand.

"For Lady Tyene. If you're still willing to give her a message." T'balt took the envelope, putting it in his back pocket.

"I will. But… Ellie's right. If you ever reconsider, we'd be glad to have your delicious cooking again. And you have to admit, we made a good team."

"We did alright." German extended his hand, and T'balt shook it, before German and their guide descended back into the water. T'balt stared at the displacing water until it was gone. It was Cannon who stopped his thoughts.

"No time like the present, eh, Redeemer."

"You're right." He stared up at the wall.

"Let's go find another Redeemer."