Lifeblood Chaos [LitRPG Apocalypse]

Getting out of the dungeon was a strange affair. Not hard because the dungeon propped up more obstacles on their way out. They had already cleared it. Heading back to the exit proved no challenge at all.

The real issue was the fact that they had killed more Sylvans in the dungeon.

More importantly, they had killed the Floor Lord.

The dungeon runs were spectacles broadcasted to a huge audience all over the supposed Omniverse that the System and everyone who could use it oversaw. There was absolutely no hiding the fact that Ray had purposefully murdered the Floor Lord.

Sure, it wasn't a cold-blooded act. The Lord of the Third Floor had been targeting him since the instant he had arrived on the Floor on the back of the Eternal Guardian. He had every reason to kill the Floor Lord. After all, he'd be dead otherwise. It was a matter of life or death for Ray.

None of which meant his actions were conscionable. They would definitely blame him. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising if he was a criminal for the Sylvans just like Pierce.

Which was another concern. Pierce was a fugitive. He was supposed to have been captured by the Tower Lord, locked away and rotting in the Sylvan's prison. Except, he wasn't. He was marauding through a dungeon, fighting against their righteous Floor Lord.

Contributing to his death.

Honestly, the fact they weren't accosted by an army of Sylvans come to take them away was a small miracle. Not a big miracle, because a part of Ray had been expecting—and a large part had been hoping—it wouldn't matter. Because they had the treasure now. They had secured what the Sylvans really wanted out of this entire exercise.

So it wasn't that big of a surprise when Ray's team were declared the winners of the Tier 38 dungeon as they exited it and reached the base of the demon-infested mountain. They were allowed to leave with nothing to hold them back. No one blamed them for killing the Floor Lord. No one even came after Pierce despite him obviously being a criminal in their eyes.

It was honestly quite odd. Here, Ray had come up with other plans to trick everybody in case things went south, but nothing of the sort happened. They were free to leave the dungeon island and carry on.

So long as they showed up for the auction in two days.

"Two days," Pierce said as they all stood together at the start of Auction Island. He and Lent were about to leave the dungeon island, along with the rest of them. "I'll see you all then. Assuming the Sylvans don't come after me in the meantime."

"They won't." Ray was pretty certain of it. "They've almost secured what they want here. Like I said, nothing else matters. They're looking forward to the auction and that's it."

Pierce scoffed. "No time to spare for a poor little Tower Node destroyer."

Sameer slowly nodded. He hadn't seemed very convinced about everything Ray had said, but it seemed he had come around to it on their way down the mountain. Still, this was Sameer. He turned to Ray. "Don't think that this is over between us. You haven't won."

Considering Ray was going to win the auction when they finally cashed in and would undoubtedly be crowned the winner, he begged to differ. But there was the thing they had discussed at the end of the dungeon.

Winning the tournament hardly mattered if that victory was what allowed the Sylvans to accomplish their goals here.

"You're right," Ray said seriously. "I haven't won. I'll only win once this Floor is free from Sylvans. At least, the ones who are working for a crazy Paragon."

Sameer looked like he wanted to counter that some way, but he couldn't find anything. Instead, he began walking off into Auction city.

"It was a pleasure," Karkatrix said. He was actually genuine. What a stark contrast to his teammate. "And congratulations on your victory."

"At least one of you acknowledges it," Ray muttered. Then he realized that wasn't being kind to someone who hadn't actually done anything to him, so he cleared his throat. "I mean, thanks. And thanks for your help."

Eliza expressed similar feelings, though before she left, Marcus went after to talk in more private.

Gritty was smiling slyly when he got back. "So… where you heading for the date?"

Marcus flushed. "Shut up. Like we have time for things like that."

Gritty rolled her eyes. "We got a day or two, don't we? Don't waste it."

Marcus grumbled something under his breath but didn't contest that.

"Yeah," Ray said. "We do have a couple of days. A couple of days to get ready."

Pierce gave him a steely look for the last time before turning to head into Auction City as well, Lent following not far behind.

It was time for Ray and his team to get going to. They had a few important meetings to take care of.

The first was Sridayne. Not only did Ray owe her for some of the information she had gathered. He also needed to query her about her knowledge of what was going on. She'd be his best bet to keep abreast of the Sylvans' intentions from a very different, internal perspective.

"You do owe me another interview after this, you understand?" Sridayne said. They had decided to meet at the lobby of Ray's motel.

"Sure," Ray said in easy agreement. "Although, with the way things are going to go down if my suspicions are correct, then interviews are probably going to be hard to come by."

Sridayne raised an eyebrow, making one of her horns go up too. "Is that so?"

Ray had considered how much he ought to reveal to Sridayne. She had been a huge help and had never given him any reason to suspect that her loyalties lay in the Tower Lord's lap. If people like Kredevel weren't proof enough, his experiences on the Third Floor alone had showed him that not every Sylvan was aligned with the ones who had tried to kill him.

After all, there were Sylvans like Lyvanse who weren't on the Tower Lord's payroll. Who had no relation to the Tower's current administration other than sharing a race.

Suspecting Sridayne because she was a Sylvan would be like everyone else suspecting Ray of malintent because he was a human just like that stupid cultist, Derick Orden.

Ray took a deep breath and clarified everything he hadn't told her already. Which wasn't a lot, to be fair. They had exchanged enough and she had seen enough. Ray had been very publicly targeted by other Sylvans, had gotten involved with someone who hunted for Tower Nodes. He had been singled out by the Tower Lord himself.

"Yeah… a lot of it was quite obvious, wasn't it?" Ray said after he had ended on what he suspected was going to happen next.

"Well, the obvious thing is that you are well aware of what is likely to occur," Sridayne said with a knowing nod. "But it seems your predictions are incomplete, or rather, missing some details." Her eyes sharpened. "Details that you think I can enlighten you on."

"Right."

"Are you certain you don't wish for your companions to join us?"

"They're a little busy with their own tasks. I'll fill them in later."

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Frankly, Gritty wasn't even interested in discussing. She was busy at the auction hall, trying to buy more stuff that could help them. Marcus was interested, but they knew they had to use their limited time very efficiently. So he had gone off to acquire more of the training crystals from Lyvanse.

"Alright then," Sridayne said. "Listen closely. The Sylvans are not all united. I suppose that must be obvious by now, considering the sheer breadth of Sylvans you have interacted with by now."

Ray nodded. "I have interacted with a lot of Sylvans by now…"

"And to be clear, I am not about to be drawn into your conflict. Maintaining a professional distance is how we have been able to continue our partnership, even with abundant evidence that the majority of the current Tower administration decidedly do not approve of you."

Ray laughed nervously. "I guess I forgot to thank you for sticking by me despite the obvious… targeting."

Sridayne waved it off. "Think nothing of it. Had things ever truly turned for the worse, we would not be sitting here chatting so casually."

For one, Ray didn't think this was a casual chat at all. For another, it was a mite surprising with how easily Sridayne had said she'd abandon ship if things turned really bad.

He couldn't blame her, though. She had her own priorities to look after.

"I appreciate it all the same," Ray said.

Sridayne nodded. "Also, this conversation is entirely… off the record, as you humans like to put, or so the System informs me."

Ray blinked. "You had to clarify that?"

"I had to clarify that, yes. Try not to pry, it is merely procedure. But onto the matter at hand—we are not a monolith, as you are well aware." She lowered her voice, leaning forward a little. "If you wish to stand against the Tower Lord, do not fear that you will need to stand against every Sylvan on the Floor."

Ray took a deep, relieved breath. Which deflated when she said her next words.

"Just perhaps two-thirds of all the Sylvans here."

Ray groaned. "Well, I guess two-thirds is better odds than all-thirds."

"It is. But even then, things are not that hopeless. Remember, you are a competitor in the tournament. You have practically been confirmed as the winner after your performance in the last dungeon. The Tower Lord is known to have publicly interacted with you and you alone. Do you understand where I am heading with this?"

It took a second for Ray to get it. "I have standing."

"Correct! Despite what many Sylvans may think, especially those in the Tower administration, you have a significantly higher standing than nearly anyone else on the Third Floor, especially after the death of the Floor Lord."

Which was something he needed to take advantage of. That was Sridayne's point in all this. Ray didn't have to fight and beat an army of Sylvans. Not when his real—and attainable—target was the Lord of the Tower of Forging.

Of course, Ray wasn't discounting all the other Sylvans. All of whom had to be incensed right about now.

Even if the Tower Lord hadn't directed them to attack or apprehend Ray yet, he was still a bit on edge. He had literally killed their Floor Lord. Almost an ignominious way too. It wasn't as though he had faced and beaten the Floor Lord in a one-on-one battle and defeated him honourably. He had just gotten that fucker killed just to be done with his annoying ass.

That was why he was trying to gather allies. Why he had spoken in length with Smaeer's and Pierce's teams. Why it was a relief that Pierce hadn't been targeted yet either.

"But if I want a solid plan, I need details," Ray said.

"I think I know what sort of details you might want." Sridayne leaned back now, looking calculating. If Ray didn't know better, he'd have said she was getting into this. "And I can see why you called me of all people to help."

Ray grinned.

"There is an interesting event the day after the auction," Sridayne said. "The timing is what is very interesting because this is an event where all the most influential and powerful attendees of the entire Immortalizer Tournament are gathering. The Tower Lord wants a proper audience."

"A galactic audience…" Ray mused.

"Yes. It seems you have correctly surmised that broadcasters such as myself have been invited as well. This is their true main event, Raymond. This is where I think what you suspect will go down. Because all the dignitaries and other officials invited will attend that spectacle, compared to the auction which is entirely optional."

Ray slowly nodded. He understood what was going on. It fell in line with Sridayne's reminder that he didn't need to take on every single Sylvan on the Third Floor. It was because not all of them were working with the Tower Lord.

A lot of them, like the ones invited to this event, were more like potential investors. They were attending to see if whatever the Tower Lord had really planned was all it cracked up to be.

Which meant it would be the prime stage where Ray could foil everything the Tower Lord and his Sylvans were trying to accomplish.

"Do you know any other details about this event?" Ray asked. "Like, any other specifics about what they're going to show or anything like that?"

Sridayne shook her head. The little jewels dangling from some of her horns all twinkled and tinkled accordingly. "All I can say for certain is that it will take place behind the Lord's palace, in the wide courtyard."

Ray nodded, considering. He smiled at the Sylvan sitting before him. "Thanks. If you can send me some more specifics about who and who are attending, that might help a lot."

"I will see what I can dig up."

Their conversation lulled into a pause for the time being. Ray was wondering if he was forgetting anything else he could ask, and it looked like Sridayne was going through the same thing—seeing if there was more she could reveal for his benefit, to make sure he was fully prepared.

Eventually, they both realized there wasn't anything else they wanted to discuss. At least, nothing pressing.

"Thanks a lot," Ray said, rising to his feet. "I promise I'm not going to drag you into all this mess."

She offered him a small smile. "You haven't yet, so I have some faith in you."

Ray snorted. He paused. "Oh, one more thing. Just out of curiosity… it doesn't bother you that you're helping someone who's ostensibly your enemy? I mean, I guess we've made it clear that you Sylvans are not at all a monolith, just like us humans aren't. But I'm still curious. The Tower Lord, the Floor Lord… they don't mean anything to you at all?"

Sridayne shrugged. "The only reason I accepted the invitation to the Tower of Forging was because the Sylvan administration had been foiled. Twice. On two of the three Floors. And both instances were spearheaded by one man. By you. I had to take the opportunity to sate my curiosity about this new race called humans who could pose such a challenge to us."

Ray laughed softly. "So… did I fulfil your expectations?"

"You… did not," she said after some consideration. She was smiling though. "But in a good way. And one cannot deny your ability to attain results. To survive and eke our victory no matter who you might be facing."

"Is that right? And what were you expecting instead?"

"I was expecting a creature more cold and cunning. More ruthless. You are that, to an extent, but those are far from your defining traits."

Ray wasn't quite sure he wanted to hear what his actual defining traits were according to a Sylvan like Sridayne. Plus, he wasn't sure he even wanted to possess any defining features. They sounded so limiting. So controlling in a way.

Once they parted, Ray didn't have to wait long until his friends arrived. Marcus was first with more of the training crystals. Ray decided to wait until Gritty returned, and then he mentioned everything he had learned from Sridayne.

"So you were right," Marcus said. "They really are planning something."

Ray nodded. "You guys were lucky you didn't have a bunch of Sylvans screwing everything up for you in your original Tower."

Marcus grimaced. "We had other things to screw us over, don't worry. But let's focus on what we have to do next."

It was gratifying that Marcus had decided to basically stand against the Sylvans alongside Ray. Not just Marcus. There were all of Pierce's and Sameer's teams too. He had allies. People he could count on.

A nagging voice reminded him how easily Sameer had sold him out to the Sylvans. Could he really count on others?

He closed his eyes for a second. It was fine. He could rely on himself in the end. The Tower Lord was his real target. If he could handle that, then everything would fall in place.

"You got a plan, wingman?" Gritty asked. The look in her eyes suggested that she knew he already had something cooking in his head.

"Well…"

"Don't tell me you've got nothing yet."

"I'm thinking."

"Yeah, leave him alone," Marcus said with a smile. "We've got a little bit of time to think of a proper plan. The Tower Lord," he continued, lowering his voice even though they were safely ensconced in their room. "He's our main target on the day after the auction. And you've been to the palace already. So it looks like we can plan our positions ahead of time."

Ray nodded. "Were you able to get Lyvanse on our side?"

"He didn't look like he wanted to commit." Marcus shrugged uncomfortably. "Like, he was very supportive of our endeavour, but he's not going to take a direct hand in anything. And of course, I couldn't tell him everything." He made a face. "The whole conversation was very wink-wink nudge-nudge and I'm just really not good at that kind of thing."

"It's alright. I wasn't counting on his help much anyway."

At least it was a small relief that Lyvanse had proved that not all Sylvans supported the Tower Lord. Maybe if they had been fully open with Lyvanse, they would have been able to rope the Sylvan into assisting directly.

But that wouldn't have been good. The rebel had already assisted them a lot with all the training crystals. It was the same issue as with Sridayne. Ray had been helped by them.

The least he could do was not implicate them directly in what was going on.

"The last thing we need is to let something like the Second Floor happen here too," Ray said.

Gritty nodded seriously. "We should get stronger for now. Every little bit helps."

It was the best they could do. There wasn't much time to waste. But when Ray went about facing his old memories in the training crystals, he was too distracted to focus. He earned a couple more levels. The power he earned didn't feel satisfying or fulfilling.

When Ray emerged back into the real world, he got some privacy. He pulled out the Tower Node of the Marauder. Just as he had done before, he focused on the connection between him and the ceramic crystal, on the power he could channel through the Tower Node.

He was once again transported into the strange, cosmic dimension where the ever-shifting pieces making up the Marauder greeted him.

"Well, hello there," the Marauder said with many voices speaking at once. "You've landed yourself at the precipice of everything you've been heading towards, haven't you? And here at the end, who do you come to?" He spread his arms. "Why, little old me."