CHAPTER 62: DECEPTION

Buldok’s expression hardened, the flicker of uncertainty on his face vanishing in an instant as his voice cut through the silence. "Where are they, Kolgar?"

Kolgar’s heart lurched inside his chest, panic crawling up his throat before he could stop it.

’Sh*t! He can’t know! He can’t find out that I ran, that I saved myself and left them to die,’ he thought,

The sweat rolling down his temples felt heavier with every second that passed, his own body was literally betraying him.

Kolgar’s mouth moved before his mind could properly catch up, tone forced into something that sounded mournful.

"T—They’re... gone," he answered, each word dragged out with a weight he tried to make believable.

Buldok’s eyes widened, disbelief carving deep lines into his face.

He stumbled closer, seizing Kolgar’s shoulders with trembling hands that gripped too tight.

"H—How about Malav?" His voice cracked against the name, almost breaking into a plea.

Kolgar shifted, turning his head sharply to the side to avoid the burning gaze that threatened to pierce through every words he’ll say.

He forced his tone steady, weaving a false dignity into it. "Malav died an honorable death, with his trusted spear still at his side. The same fate claimed the others. They fought without fear."

The words tasted like ash in his mouth, but he let them stand.

Buldok’s grip faltered, and he crumpled onto the ground with a hollow thud.

His chest heaved, and for a long terrible moment he didn’t breathe or move, until a sudden realization jolted him upright.

His head snapped back up, eyes blazing with confusion. "Then h—how are you here?"

Kolgar let his body sink down onto his knees, making the motion appear as if the weight of grief itself had dragged him low.

He lifted his face to meet Buldok’s, tears already gathering at the corners of his eyes, and his voice broke as he spoke the lie he had already committed to. "They... they sacrificed their lives for me."

As soon as Buldok heard those words, he’s expression darkened until it was impossible to tell where his grief ended and where his fury began.

His jaw clenched so tightly that it seemed his sharp teeth might break under the pressure, but then, as if a switch had been flipped inside him, his face shifted again.

The sorrow disappeared and what replaced it was something colder and far more dangerous.

His eyes locked onto Kolgar with a predatory focus, his voice dropping into a low, deliberate tone that’s sharper than a blade.

"Who killed them?"

The question was simple, but the weight behind it felt unbearable.

Kolgar’s breath caught in his throat, his mind racing as panic clawed at him from the inside. "I—I don’t—"

He didn’t even finish before Buldok erupted, his voice exploding like a thunderous command that rattled the air itself.

"Who killed them, Kolgar?! Was it those Leaper bastards?! The Duskstalker?! Or was it those damn Crocodies?!"

His words weren’t just questions, they were accusations, spit out with venom that left no space for lies or hesitation.

His tone made it clear that he expected answers, and he expected them now.

Kolgar’s body trembled against the sheer force of Buldok’s presence.

The malicious pressure radiating from him was suffocating, every ounce of it designed to crush whoever stood before him.

Kolgar could feel his heart hammering violently, threatening to burst out of his chest.

He swallowed hard, his voice cracking as he tried to push words through the fear.

"N-No, no," he stammered desperately, shaking his head so quickly it looked like he was trying to physically knock the truth loose from himself. "It was none of those, I swear it wasn’t—"

He couldn’t even finish. Buldok’s voice crashed over him again, louder and harsher, filled with an anguish so raw it had twisted into rage.

"Then who wasit!?!?" The question tore out of him like a beast unleashed, the fury behind it shaking Kolgar to his core.

Kolgar froze.

His mouth opened and closed as if words themselves refused to form.

It took every shred of willpower he had to push something out, and when he finally did, his voice came out broken and small, like a man barely holding himself together.

"I—I—I don’t know, sir..." His words tumbled over each other, desperate to escape, desperate to make sense. "The only way I can describe it is... it wore black. All of it. I couldn’t see its f— face, it had a mask that covered it. I couldn’t see what it was."

The confession lingered in the air, heavy and unsatisfying, a hollow truth that gave Buldok nothing to cling to.

"Sh*t!" Buldok hissed through gritted teeth.

The fury that had been simmering finally broke loose.

His fist crashed into the ground with such force that dust leapt into the air and small cracks spread across the stone beneath him.

The sound bounced off sharply, punctuating the silence that followed, a silence so suffocating it almost hurt to breathe.

For a moment neither of them spoke.

Kolgar’s breathing came in short gasps, each one louder than he wanted it to be.

His hands twitched uselessly at his sides.

He could still feel the weight of Buldok’s glare, a pressure that made his skin burn and his chest tighten.

After several long minutes of pounding the earth with his fists, after letting his grief consume him until there was nothing left but exhaustion, Buldok finally began to steady himself.

His chest rose and fell in heavy, uneven breaths, his knuckles raw from striking the ground, the sting of pain anchoring him back into the present.

The rage that had nearly drowned him receded little by little, leaving behind something quieter but no less heavy.

When his strength finally returned to him, he exhaled deeply, the sound escaping through clenched teeth, almost a final release of everything he had carried until now.

"Okay," he said at last, his voice rough but no longer trembling. "I’m going to report this to the shamans. All I ask of you, Kolgar, is to be careful. Please. I don’t want to lose you too."

He rose from the ground with effort, brushing the dirt and dust from his knees.

Buldok extended his hand, a simple gesture but one that carried weight.

Kolgar hesitated only for a moment before reaching out and clasping it.

He used the strength of that grip to pull himself up, his body still weary but thankful for the assistance.

"I’m gonna go now," Kolgar said once he had steadied himself on his feet.

He wiped the remaining dirt from his knees, then lifted his hand to point toward the pond and the modest farmstead in the distance, the place he called home. "I want to see my brother."

Buldok gave a short nod in acknowledgment.

His expression had calmed, though the storm of his earlier rage still lingered faintly in the set of his jaw.

"Alright," he replied, his tone shifting to something firmer, a reminder of duty even in the midst of sorrow. "Make sure you don’t miss the ritual for the sacrifice!"

Without waiting for an answer, he turned and broke into a run, his heavy steps reverberating across the cave as he made his way toward the large stone structure at the far end, the dwelling place of the shamans.

Kolgar remained where he stood, watching Buldok’s figure grow smaller in the distance.

His shoulders sagged the moment the other goblin was far enough away, his body releasing the tension he had held throughout their exchange.

The faint sob that had clung to his chest transformed into a weak, fleeting smile, one that barely reached his eyes.

"I’m sorry for lying to you, Buldok," he whispered, his voice carried only to himself and the silence around him.

His eyes remained fixed on the shrinking figure of his superior, the weight of guilt pressing down on him even as he forced himself to stand tall. "But I just couldn’t leave my little brother behind to fend for himself."

He stayed there longer than he needed to, staring across the space that separated him from both his friend and the truth he had chosen to bury.

The farmstead in the distance was waiting for him, yet he could not bring himself to move immediately.

His chest felt heavy, his throat tight, every word he had spoken earlier repeating in his head, a reminder of the betrayal he had crafted.

Still, Kolgar forced his feet forward, step by step, telling himself that what he had done was necessary.

The lie had saved him in that moment, but more importantly, it gave his brother a chance.

And for Kolgar, that was reason enough to carry the weight of his deception, no matter how much it tore at him inside.

*****

Back to Lanz... unfortunately. 🙄

Lanz dragged in a long breath through his nose and exhaled it in a way that carried every ounce of annoyance he felt.

The air around him wasn’t tense or exciting at all, it was just irritating, and he hated that he had to deal with it.

His eyes narrowed on the pack of boars crowding the clearing ahead, their heavy bodies shifting restlessly as they pawed at the dirt.

"Let’s do this shit," he muttered under his breath, his tone dripping with a mix of boredom and "determination". (Sure buddy)

End of Chapter 62.

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ALT SYSTEM — USER PROFILE: ZERO

Level: 15

EXP: 39 / 150

Next Reward: Quick Sever

Global System Tracking: DISABLED

World Rank Association: UNLINKED

Stats:

STR: 20 | AGI: 10 (Affinity) | VIT: 5 | DEX: 5 | INT: 17 | WIS: 5

[Available Stat Points: 0]

[Derived Stat — MANA: 90 / 90]

Skills:

[Crimson Slash Lv. 1]

[Phantom Stride Lv. 2]

[Instinctive Blade Lv.1]

[Predictive Guard Lv.1]

[Skill Fusion Menu: Active]

[Dev Tree: Tier 0 Access Granted]

[Developer Node – Fusion Core Anchor: Active]

[Skill Slot Available — Unassigned]

Equipment:

Aged Blade Fragment (??? Rarity) (Bound)

Training Ring (+1 VIT)

Bag :)

Ring of Genorya - ???