Chapter 51 - Beneath the lie
"False person." Eli muttered while sitting on the chair. He didn’t look up at the gasping Silas or Roland.
"For some reason, I hate people who deny themselves. It is like escaping your own fate and destiny. Nothing good comes from that. It is better to follow your path and see through till the end."
Eli smiled gently. "Oh, I don’t hate lying at all. I understand that it is the basic part of living. Every living thing deceives each other. Do lie but don’t be a false person."
Silas struggled to breath, as an invisible hand took a hold of his throat, crushing down his neck. He tried to grab the hand but his hand phased through.
"I got a calling." He said in a hoarse voice.
Eli waved his hand and the invisible hand vanished.
Roland also stood up as the pressure was gone as well, he took his sword and aimed at Eli.
Silas let out a puke and took a deep breath. He stared at Eli intently, hoping to gain some sort of knowledge from the elf.
Eli smiled and pointed at the chair. "Sit down, Silas. I want to know more about your calling."
"Give me a second. My throat still hurts." Silas muttered and stood up with the help of Roland.
"Sorry for rough handling. I couldn’t contain my anger." Eli admitted.
"Anger is not a good trait for someone like you, Eli. Since you give me advice, I will also give you one. Don’t lose hold of your emotions." Silas said harshly.
’So that, I can guess your next move?’ He added inwardly.
"I will try." Eli flashed a smile. "Now, you are getting better. Tell me about that calling of yours."
Silas gave him a cold glance and let out a sigh, circulating energy inside his body. He felt a rush of warmth and felt better.
"Well, for starters, something here is guiding me."
Eli lifted up his eyebrows and nodded.
"It is like asking me to take them. I can’t describe the feeling but it is deep, flowing inside my heart, splitting out like venom." Silas muttered. "No matter what I do, I can’t stop myself from coming here. And that is why I dropped everything and came."
He lied by mixing truth and false.
The calling was true, it was just not his but from Rin. He deduced the relationship between elves and Rin after all this and the relationship was quite good.
Even friendly.
He didn’t know why he did it but was thinking about the legend between the World serpent and World tree.
He deduced that there were at least two types of treasures here. One from the serpent and the other was from the tree.
He only came for the serpent. If Eli wanted the tree, they could make a tree and crush every elves here.
The ideal solution should be getting the result of Rin but he wasn’t her.
What could he do? What could he achieve with the information in his hand?
He knew about the brief personality of the important elves here.
But he didn’t know their goal. Even that personality may change. For the first time, Silas struggled to believe everything inside the game.
People changed. Even a little bit of his influence could change a person.
Eli stared at him and nodded, laying down. "Hmm.. you think I want something down there."
He pointed past him, to the flat center of the mountain range, the palm.
There stood a giant tree, revealing its barrier and intent to guard. They needed to pass the barrier to get the treasures.
Silas nodded. "Yeah. If you don’t come for this then why are you wasting your time here?"
"Would you believe me if I said, Just because?"
"There is a chance."
"Haha." Eli wiped the tear from his eyes and stared straight at Silas. "You are an interesting man. I won’t mind tagging along with you."
Silas felt his heart beat wildly. He placed his hand on his chest and exclaimed. ’Woah. Did I just fall in love? Nah. I don’t swing that way.’
Silas could only nod and move on. "You are aiming at the tree right?"
He prayed that he was correct. It had to be correct, otherwise how did Rin manage to stay alive with all these traps.
He sighed.
"Yeah. To be precise, I am interested in the tree treasure. The world tree’s tears. The book said that the tears existed there, waiting for a worthy person." Eli said.
"I can’t pierce through the barrier."
"Even with the spirits?" Silas asked in suspicion.
Eli laughed. "Of course not."
"Then why don’t you force your way in and be done with all this. I don’t understand at all." Silas let out a deep sigh.
"Yeah, you won’t. That is the point of me. The point of living things. No matter what, you won’t make sense to us either." Eli said with a hint of sadness. "Anyway, I got a proposal."
"Tell me."
"Find a way to crack the barrier without making enemies." Eli gave him a task.
"That is impossible."
"Don’t give up without trying." Eli said.
"I mean, everyone here is eyeing on the same treasure as you and me. If one takes something, someone is going to antagonize that one. That is why the task is impossible." Silas explained slowly.
"Count me out in the treasure hunt." Eli said.
"Huh?" Silas was dumbfounded.
"Sure, the reason I come here is for the tree’s tears. But overtime, I got in contact with people here. My people." Eli smiled. "Even if I don’t know them, there is still kinship in my blood. I want to see them happy."
"You are a strange man, Eli." Silas muttered. "If you drop out from the battle, there is still a chance in your task. Be happy."
Eli laughed. "There is a condition. Other than one peak, I will not be involved in any of those."
Silas sighed and extended his hand for a hand shake. "Fine with me. If I succeed in my task, come with me and give me a victory in the war."
"I will see the war first and decide."
"That is good enough." Silas smiled.
"The night has come. Make yourself at home." Eli said.
After a while, Silas took a deep breath and sat down on the ground, trying to make himself as comfortable as possible on the hard ground. Then, he lay down, staring at the sky.
Roland sat down beside him.
"Today is hell of a day."
"Yeah and we still have a shitty future."
"So change of plan?"
"Something like that but I am going to need information." Silas murmured. "I still don’t know the master of the Pointer finger."
***
Ice-pick lifted up her hands and smiled. Surrounding her were various traps and spells ready to snipe at her head. One wrong move from her and she and Luna would be gone from the world.
She gulped, visibly distracted.
Luna beside her was shaking from head to toe. She struggled to take a hold of herself and even breathed.
"Relax. Relax." Ice-pick tried to confront her. But without her charm, she didn’t know how to deal with a panicking person.
She wanted to stomp the ground and complained about the wrongdoing she was subjugated to right now.
"Damnit, Silas. You said it is an easy task."