With This Treasure, I Summon Primordial Weapons
Chapter 31: Puppeteer Show

Chapter 31: Puppeteer Show

Raven took barely a single step out of the corner when Valentina’s head whipped around.

Beside her, a beast came to life. It resembled a wolf, only if wolves could be made from shadows, and stand on all four limbs to be as tall as an average human.

The grip on her dagger tightened, then loosened slightly as she recognised the two newcomers.

"Raven," her gaze moved slowly between the two of them, focusing mostly on their eyes. "Godric... You guys are alive."

"What about James?" Godric asked, his gaze shifting between the girl’s dagger and the massive wolf beside her.

Valentina shrugged.

"No idea. When I stepped into the sanctuary, I was all alone," she paused for a moment, then, she let out a dry, breathy laugh that ended too quickly.

"I’m done. I’m so damn done with this place." Her jaw locked, a nerve twitching under her eye. "If Daren wants whatever is down here, he can come fetch it himself."

Godric raised a brow.

She was the only person ever since their arrival in this dungeon gate to speak of their dislike of Daren.

That wasn’t just unique. It was something he could use.

But before he could set up a plan to use the girl’s displeasure with Daren’s rule, there was still a question of what Loris did after his escape. And to find that out, they had to get out of here as soon as possible.

"The exit should be somewhere in this corridor," Godric said, earning a small surprise from Valentina.

"Oh? You know about floor layouts?"

"Loris told me," Godric replied. "Right before he ran away using the escape on the eighth floor."

Valentina blinked. "He ran?"

She lingered for a moment, then nodded as the realisation dawned on her.

"Everyone’s reaching their limit," she muttered, turning to head deeper into the corridor. "We’ve lost far too many people."

She slowed her step, her gaze drifting to the dark stone walls. "There was a time when even Torr tried to push back against the idea of coming here" A sharp, hollow laugh escaped her. "Not that anyone stands against Daren for long."

’Torr wanted to oppose Daren?’

Now that he thought about it, Godric had noticed something about Torr. A quiet bitterness that he had seen in those who had plenty, yet wanted much more.

An emotion as old as life itself.

Greed.

This wasn’t just a useless memory. It was something he could use to explain the man’s death.

"Sounds like the settlement could really use a new leader," Godric murmured as he stepped further into the corridor, as though it was nothing more than an afterthought.

"Yeah..." Valentina mumbled, her gaze trailing somewhere distant. "We could."

Raven shot Godric a sideways glance at the comment. It was the kind of look that demanded answers which Godric didn’t feel like giving just yet.

Pushing Valentina, one of the few remaining lieutenants to oppose Daren, was exactly the type of distraction Godric needed to ensure his plan worked.

But before that, the three of them paused in front of the exit they found somewhere in the middle of the sixth corridor.

Valentina turned toward the two of them. "We need to step at the same time."

Godric nodded, already knowing as much, while Raven tilted her head slightly but listened carefully.

"The exit will shift the second someone steps through," Valentina explained briefly, noticing the look on Raven’s face, then stretched both her arms toward Godric and Raven.

The three of them locked arms before lunging into the exit.

The change of environment was sudden, the feeling just as eerie as stepping into the dungeon gate. This time, however, the change in vision took less time, and in a single blink of an eye Godric could already make sense of their surroundings.

Unfortunately, the person he was looking for, Loris, was not there.

Which meant that using most of his 24 hours would most likely not be possible.

"Loris and Torr are probably already back," Valentina said. "We shouldn’t waste any more time here."

"Torr’s dead," Godric said flatly, catching the girl off guard.

Valentina’s brows flew up. "W-what?"

"He was too weak, just like Daren is too weak to lead."

The girl’s surprised expression slowly turned into a frown. "You mean... you killed Torr?"

"I did."

Beside him, Raven grabbed his arm and leaned into his ear. "What are you doing?"

Godric didn’t reply.

He simply gave her a look that said to trust him, and she did.

"I found the way out."

Valentina’s frown deepened as she took a step forward as though to hear him better. "You mean... way out of the dungeon gate?"

"That’s right. I know the condition to exit the dungeon, and I have a way to do it too."

With each unbelievable statement, the girl took another instinctive step forward, all until she was merely inches away from him, listening as though he was telling her the greatest tale, or the cruellest lie.

"You mean you found the way to grasp the eternal flame?"

Godric frowned.

’How does she know about—’

Before his thought could finish, Valentine’s arm thrust forward, and the dagger which Godric had lost sight of somewhere during her walk plunged deep into Raven’s stomach.

Without a hint of hesitation, Godric’s arm was well above his head, the sword in his hand ready to strike when Valentina spoke in a voice that did not belong to her.

"I wouldn’t do that if I were you," Daren’s voice left the girl’s lips like something that shouldn’t exist.

"...Shadow Bleed," both girls spoke together, their voices overlapping in an eerie, synchronised chorus. Valentina gestured toward the deep gash in Raven’s abdomen. "It’s a unique attribute of Valentina’s beast. The wound won’t close unless the person’s dead."

Godric stumbled back, his blade trembling as his mind spiralled out of control. Raven was leaning into the wound, her face expressionless, her mouth still moving in tandem with Valentina’s.

"Bring the eternal flame to me," both girls chimed, two distinct bodies speaking with one monstrous voice, "or your little lover dies."

Godric stared between their empty, vacant eyes. "How...?"

Valentina and Raven chuckled at the exact same time, their heads tilting in identical, unnatural angles.

"Does your foolishness have no bounds?" Daren’s voice echoed through both girls. "Every single person you’ve met, every conversation you’ve had since you stepped into this dungeon gate... I was there."