Sara's Point of View
The moment was close.
The poison should already be spreading slowly through Tharok's body, mixing with the alcohol and weakening him little by little. It wasn't lethal. Just enough to make him lose consciousness.
I observed the group gathered around a small crystal lamp emitting a faint bluish light. The dungeon walls glowed dimly thanks to the crystals embedded in the rock, while the distant sound of metallic footsteps echoed through faraway tunnels.
We had decided to rest for a few minutes after several hours of hunting.
Everyone was tired.
One of the warriors pulled several bottles from his backpack and burst into laughter.
"Come on! After all those fights, we deserve this."
The others laughed.
"Yeah, even inside a dungeon we need to relax a little."
Personally, I didn't completely agree. Drinking inside a dungeon still seemed like a terrible idea to me.
But I couldn't deny something.
It helped.
It helped ease the tension.
Helped us forget, for a few minutes, that we were trapped in enemy territory, surrounded by strange creatures and possibly being hunted by Rangar's subordinates if we were discovered.
I looked at Tharok.
He hesitated for a moment before accepting a drink.
"Come on, friend. Just one."
"Yeah, stop being so serious."
Tharok let out a small awkward laugh.
"Alright… just a little."
One of the warriors laughed loudly.
"Don't tell me you're that bad at drinking?"
Tharok shrugged.
"My mother never wanted me to drink alcohol. She used to say that a warrior who loses mental clarity in battle is an idiot waiting to die."
Several of them laughed.
"Your mother was too strict."
"Yeah, one cup won't kill anyone."
Tharok smiled, relaxed.
And for a moment…
Even I hesitated.
Not because I felt guilty.
But because he genuinely looked happy.
It had been a long time since I had seen him like this.
Relaxed.
Laughing with others.
Being accepted.
I tightened my grip slightly around the cup in my fingers.
What a waste.
It truly was a waste.
If only he had been different…
But it was too late for regrets now.
After several minutes of talking and drinking moderately, I noticed the first change.
Tharok raised a hand to his head.
I quickly looked away to hide my expression.
It's starting.
One of the warriors laughed.
"HAHAHA! No way, are you already drunk?"
Another slammed the ground, amused.
"You're worse than I thought!"
Tharok tried to laugh too.
But something was wrong.
His other hand ended up pressed against the wall.
The laughter faded.
"…Tharok?"
He frowned.
"No… this feels strange…"
His voice sounded heavy.
Confused.
One of the group members took the bottle away from him.
"Maybe the alcohol hit you too hard."
Tharok slowly shook his head.
"No… I… I can't handle alcohol well but… this…"
His words started becoming clumsy.
He tried to stand.
And staggered.
Everyone stopped laughing.
Now the atmosphere felt uncomfortable.
Tense.
Tharok breathed heavily and pressed both hands against his head.
"My body… feels…"
He never finished the sentence.
His massive body collapsed heavily onto the ground.
Silence.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
I looked at his closed eyes.
No reaction.
One of the warriors immediately stood up in alarm.
"What the hell?!"
Another quickly crouched beside him.
"Tharok!"
I forced concern onto my face.
"This can't be happening…"
I hurried over and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I should've stopped him from drinking…"
One of them shook his head.
"It's not your fault."
"Yeah, we pushed him too much."
"Maybe it's exhaustion mixed with alcohol."
I slowly nodded while pretending to worry.
Then I bent down and lifted Tharok's unconscious body onto my back.
"I'll take him out of the dungeon and bring him back to the tribe."
The atmosphere immediately changed.
I felt it.
Everyone looked at me.
One of them stepped forward.
"Where exactly are you going?"
Another narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah… why do you want to take him alone?"
I cursed internally.
I tried to keep my expression calm.
"I just want to take my fiancé back safely."
The warriors exchanged glances.
And then I realized something.
They were suspicious.
Not completely.
But suspicious enough.
One of them slowly grabbed his weapon.
"We'll accompany you."
Another nodded.
"Yeah. It wouldn't be safe for you to go alone."
"Besides, Tharok helped us a lot today."
Their voices sounded friendly.
Even warm.
But their eyes didn't.
They were alert.
Tense.
Ready.
I clenched my teeth internally.
The Alliance wouldn't send idiots on a mission like this.
I had underestimated them.
I thought the alcohol would perfectly justify his collapse.
And at first, it had worked.
But now…
Now they were putting the pieces together.
I forced a smile.
"Then… thank you. From both of us."
One of them smiled back.
"Don't worry about it."
But nobody lowered their guard.
They naturally surrounded me as we began walking through the dungeon tunnels.
As if they were protecting me.
But in reality…
They were watching me.
The atmosphere became suffocating.
Only our footsteps echoed through the tunnels.
Damn it.
Where is the captain?
He should've arrived already.
I tried to think of a solution quickly.
If things continued like this…
I wouldn't be able to separate from them.
And if I tried to do it by force…
The soul contract would prevent me from attacking them directly.
I clenched my teeth.
Everything was going worse than expected.
Then—
Everyone stopped.
We heard heavy footsteps approaching from the darkness.
Steady.
Slow.
Dominating.
And then a deep voice echoed through the tunnel.
"What are you doing?"
The tension in my body eased slightly.
Finally.
The captain had arrived.