The safe point was the same way Parker had left it before the hostage fiasco.

  Its entrance was smaller than the paths to the Dark Forest, dunes, or White Temple. It was more like a semi-circle than a rectangle, and the path inside sloped upwards.

  The unfamiliar guy saw them coming and Yohan bound and gagged before scowling.

  "You really are pathetic, man. We've been waiting for hours, and you let these donkeys think they had a choice here?"

  The third Messenger turned to them, smirking. "The other groups haven't arrived either."

  The goon growled at him. "I didn't confirm that."

  "Sure, buddy," the third Messenger rolled his eyes at the fool. "But Matthew passed here. He said that one of their Navigators has a concussion, and there's a massive but unaggressive monster waiting in the tunnel for some reason."

  Parker's head spun. "How did they find out it's unaggressive…? More importantly, where's the rest? Why didn't they come too?"

  "We aren't as dumb as your friend to just pass beside that thing," a harsh voice announced.

  It was the first and second groups.

  The person speaking was a tall, brutish-looking man with a buzz cut. Parker guessed he was the goon sent to the other group.

  Brian, a load bearer from the first group, scoffed.

  "We still passed eventually. We only waited 'cause you were too scared."

  "Cautious. You fuckers could be using that thing to set a trap," the brutish boy retorted.

  Suddenly, the other people came out, close to the edge of the safe point—the hostages and the ones leveraging them.

  Parker watched them push their hostages forward, dragging the Fifth messenger who had been shot across the rough ground.

  Vasilis was there too.

  He was easily noticeable, with his curly blonde hair and dark, vicious eyes. His horrible smile felt very out of place. He looked around.

  "You idiots are lucky that I didn't lose patience… Petyr, explain yourself. I can see Yohan is just an idiot."

  Yohan cried out, objecting to his situation, but his voice was muffled by the sock in his mouth.

  Petyr looked more annoyed by Vasilis's choice of words. He bit his tongue.

  "We got held up by some ridiculous monster back there. Pitch black, looked like a panther-elephant type thing… Can't even explain it."

  Vasilis rolled his eyes before putting out his hand.

  Petyr took a bag from his jacket and gave it to him reluctantly.

  Vasilis opened it, and the glow told him all he needed to know. He separated two wish coins and gave the bag to one of the people behind him.

  Then, he turned to them and asked softly, almost threateningly, "What about you?"

  Parker shook his head. "Nothing to give you. We absorbed all of them."

  Vasilis's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You're playing a dangerous game here, boy. We aren't here to negotiate. You pay tribute, and I return your pack mules."

  "Pay tribute? Are you delusional? We'll give you nothing. You ain't no king—we don't owe you anything."

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  Vasilis held Parker's gaze for a couple of seconds. He breathed in, almost like he was ready to talk.

  Then, he kicked down the already shot Fifth Messenger and stepped on his gunshot wound, smiling as the boy screamed in horrible pain.

  Everyone surged forward, a cold, murderous look in their eyes—but the sound of a gun cocking stopped them.

  Vasilis pointed the black weapon at the boy writhing in anguish at his feet, still smiling but now also laughing.

  "For one, I don't believe you. Your dumbass doesn't have the balls to put them in danger. Two, if you're thinking of using Yohan to negotiate, I might as well shoot him now."

  He pointed the gun at Yohan, who desperately retreated behind Parker. Some of his colleagues frowned but held their tongues, anticipation holding them.

  Parker took the sock out of Yohan's mouth and let the boy scream his throat out.

  "He's not lying! I warned them, Vasilis, but they're crazy. Parker and Asha absorbed all the essence! How could you consider shooting me?! I'm your friend, man! I believe in you! Even if you're crazy! I worked hard! The heat, monsters, and people tying me up and starving me wasn't easy, man, but I stayed lo—"

  "Shut the fuck up," Vasilis roared.

  He turned the gun on Parker, his eyes seething. He kicked the guy at his feet aside savagely.

  "You think I'll let this slide? You have no idea who you're fucking with. Get back out there and get me—"

  Parker walked forward.

  Everyone's breaths hitched at the brazenness. Vasilis raised the gun higher, but Parker didn't stop until he was at the edge of the cave. He had an uncomfortable look in his eyes and watched the injured Messenger gasping at Vasilis's feet.

  They met eyes, and the Messenger smiled.

  "Don't give them shit. They're scared too."

  One of the thugs grabbed him off the ground and dragged him back in line with the rest as Parker and Vasilis locked eyes.

  One had a psychotic, unbridled fire in his gaze. These eyes knew disrespect, shame, pain, madness, and hunger—a deep, foreboding hunger that would unsettle anyone looking into them, make them lower their heads and be careful with their words.

  The other was a steady, welcoming fire. It knew pain and suffering too. The act of existing came with horrible pain and decisions, but it kept burning, inviting people to dance around it, rejoice and seek shelter.

  Parker was covered in blood from head to toe, it darkened his normally white skin and his clothes looked on the edge of falling apart, yet his voice was restrained and quiet, almost a whisper.

  "You're tired and scared. I get it. We all are. But if you keep this up, there'll be no place for you with the rest of us. If you give up your humanity, we won't hesitate. We'll hunt you like the rest of the things here. We'll burn, stab, and consume you for power—and we'll push forward to wherever escape is. That's all I'll promise you."

  Vasilis stepped up and placed the gun at Parker's forehead.

  "You think I'm scared of you? You have no idea what I can do. You'll do what I want, and you'll do. It. Now."

  Parker smirked. "Yeah. I think you're scared of me."

  A loud crash and many unearthly roars erupted from the dune caves.

  Almost immediately after, a deep, horrible roar came from the dark forest cave.

  Parker grimaced and turned to Vasilis. "There's no more time. It's time for the monsters to hunt, you're either with us or them!"

  Everyone looked around them, edging close to the safe point and looking at Vasilis—scared and yet hopeful that something would change in the boy's heart and peace would reign.

  A long silence followed.

  Vasilis locked eyes with Parker, staring into the bright blue depths.

  For a moment, hesitation flickered. He was considering it—really considering it.

  Then something passed over his face, a memory, a realization. His eyes hardened.

  He smiled. "Wrong move, bozo," he murmured, pressing the gun against Parker's head.

  His finger tightened on the trigger—

  "We have more essence!"

  The shout came from Joey, desperate, breathless. "We'll make up for their deficit."

  Vasilis side-eyed Petyr. "Are they serious? If so, why didn't you tell me?"

  Petyr shrugged, his eyes glazed with irritation. "You said they only need ten."

  Vasilis studied him for a long moment before turning back to Parker. "I'll accept your tribute," he said, almost lazily. Then, his lips curled into a smirk. "But I really wanted to blow this bastard's mind."

  Brian's voice was solemn. "If that happens, none of us will survive this."

  Another beat of silence.

  Then, Vasilis lowered the gun and stepped back. He held out his hand, and Joey tossed him another bag—this one containing ten essence.

  Vasilis sighed, barely hiding his disappointment. He handed the bag to Petyr "Marco, Lenny, John—take a hike. We'll meet at the White Temple."

  They turned left reluctantly, watching Vasilis and Petyr as they returned to the safe point.

  Murmurs passed through the crowd in front of the cave, but Vasilis cleared the air.

  "We actually found this place before y'all. There's a passage here to a corridor in the second exit's area."

  "So we can escape from here while those things fight?"

  Vasilis corrected him, his voice sharp. "We'll escape. You'll wait here until we're safe."

  The crowd erupted in protest, but Vasilis silenced them with a raised gun.

  "You will wait."

  He turned to Petyr. "And you lying to me hurts, man. I thought we were friends."

  Petyr shrugged. "Didn't ask. Not really much of a lie, don't you think?"

  Vasilis' eyes turned cold. "You lie to me like that again, I'll kill you."

  Petyr watched him with barely contained fury, but Vasilis continued despite this.

  "I won't let anyone disrespect me. If you put me in a situation like that again, you'll have to face the consequences."

  The roars got closer. People began to get more anxious sharing looks and clenching their fists, if they wasted to much time the monsters would meet them here

  Parker demanded, "We need to leave now."

  Vasilis glared at him. "Just a few more—"

  White smoke began to waft from the safe point. Vasilis and everyone turned, confused.

  They all entered, seeing a hole in the black cave wall with a large hollow stone on its side. White smoke poured from the hidden passage.

  The three guys who had just left stumbled out of the hole, coughing and retching.

  Their eyes were blood red, and they collapsed to the ground, still hacking.

  "F–fire."

  Vasilis raised his gun, roaring. "What did you—"

  He was slow.

  Parker crashed into him like a train, slamming his shoulder into the boy's body, throwing him into the air with surprising strength.

  Then a cry came from behind them.

  It was Yohan, who had fallen over as a strange monster crawled toward him.

  It was pale red and had strong bone armor covering its vitals. It had four arms—two blade arm and two normal hands, its upper body was human-like while its lower half resembled a cockroach with four sharp, blade legs.

  It's head was a had a bone armor helmet with curling horns like a demon

  It watched Yohan with saliva pouring from its mouth, which was a menagerie of moving mandibles clicking threateningly.

  Paul rushed out and faced the four-armed bug, throwing sand at it to distract it.

  He picked up Yohan and untied him.

  Yohan, however, in his panic, pushed Paul to the ground and ran, screaming.

  The monster missed him when it pounced, but it grabbed Paul—lifting him into the air with two of its normal hands.

  Then, using the other two, which were bladelike, it impaled him.

  Parker turned to Vasilis, who was still struggling to his feet, then back to his friend in the monster's hands.

  Paul looked at him, tears running down his face. "Parker?"

  Parker abandoned Vasilis, taking out Blue Trick and charging after the monster, who ran off with Paul.