Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 35 - 34 Choices

After parting with Lyle, William ran nonstop towards Lafillin.

When he got hold of that book, he knew, he had known all along, that the road to madness through mystery was not an easy one to tread.

His friends were dwindling, dying unexpectedly, succumbing to accidents, withdrawing in disillusionment, or twisting into strangers. William had seen too many horrors, and Lyle was just a small part of it; he didn’t know if he was next.

But he wouldn’t stop, he had sacrificed too much, he needed and rightly deserved a return. William roughly tore open the pocket of his shirt, reaching inside for his little iron box which contained sugar pills. It was a habit since childhood, William always used sweetness to suppress panic when anxious, this time was no exception.

As his taste buds savored the sweetness, his brain indulged in bitterness. In the balance of his body, William returned to the impassive gentleman he was.

He probably couldn’t save Lyle, he’d just be walking into the jaws of death, the Great Wolf of Lafillin exceeded his expectations. If it were a common Ghost Dog, William would have had some Soul-Driving Talismans to protect them both, but the moment that Great Wolf appeared, William knew he was wrong, terribly wrong, the chill malice hit his reminiscence like a wave. The more he understood, the more he feared, the notion of an invincible enemy was seared into his heart. The fear of death awakened the coward in him, relentlessly screeching by his ear, with shrill commands.

"Knock that Muggle down, so that beast will spare us!"

"Break the boy’s legs, so we can run faster than him!"

"Wait for him to come closer, let him see the difference between us and mortals!"

One bad idea after another spilled from humanity’s dark shadow, he had been favored by luck many times, but maybe not this time.

As Lyle drew the enemy’s attention, guilt became heavy shackles, making it difficult for William to breathe, nearly suffocating him, while he switched places with the coward within.

It rebuked him loudly.

"You coward, look at yourself. While you plot and scheme, your friend chose to sacrifice. You worthless wretch, what shameless depths you stoop to, opting to barely survive!"

As shame lacerated him, sugar allowed his brain to choose calmness.

I am but a mortal.

My choices are my instincts, instincts have no right or wrong, and kindness is a luxury I can’t afford.

William felt like a cold machine confirming the contents of his backpack of herbs, this was the only gain of his journey.

Yes, not including those fifty Yules.

William also needed to evade Ralph, to avoid questioning about Lyle’s whereabouts. Now was the time to head back to Lavren, to go day and night, back to Cassandra, to take all his belongings and leave.

Fate played a little joke on him.

It freed him from the Great Wolf but brought the hunter’s malevolent wolf instead.

Ralph.

Hiding in the bushes nearby, he watched William emerge from the marsh, panting heavily, stuffing unknown thin slices into his mouth like an addict returning to comfort.

He watched this all with a cold gaze.

Approaching him from a blind spot in William’s vision.

Numbness in spirit made William oblivious to the hunter.

Not until Ralph’s hand gripped his shoulder like a vice.

"William."

"Ha... ha... ha... Mr. Ralph, I’ve been caught. I’m terribly sorry, please don’t deduct my fee."

"Where’s Lyle?"

"Ha? Lyle, Lyle is waiting at the crime scene. I sneaked out while he wasn’t looking."

"Lyle is a clever lad; he wouldn’t have let you slip away. Mr. Dolgette, has anyone told you just how poor your lying skills are, especially in the eyes of a criminal investigation sheriff? Where is Lyle, really?"

Seeing the bloodshot eyes of Ralph swell with intensity, William had never seen a gaze so terrifying, as if searching for prey to devour. The inner guilt became the final straw.

"Lyle... has been... grabbed by the giant wolf."

William’s confession worked, and Ralph released the grip he had on him, his mood no longer violent, returning to his usual brooding demeanor. But this brooding, mixed with Lafillin’s silence, appeared even more sinister.

An object was swiftly drawn by Ralph and pressed against William’s throat.

The cold of the metal crept up William’s back.

"You are Barkin’s apprentice, you know what this is, right?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"It’s... Dragon’s Kiss."

It was an ancient firelock, and even though it was old, this firearm would have reigned supreme during the Medieval period when cold weapons were in common use.

"Barkin did have some skills, indeed. This... I prefer to call it a musket, was originally designed for hunting giant wolves. I’ve loaded it with special ammunition; just one pull of the trigger and those small iron pieces will spray out of that hole, graze your neck, and bloom inside your brain. Want to try it?"

"Ralph, you dare to raise a weapon given to you by Barkin against his own apprentice!"

"Don’t say you’re just Barkin’s apprentice, you lowlife scum of a bastard! Even if it were Barkin himself, if he dared to leave Lyle in a rotten swamp for the giant wolf’s chewing and then came puffing in front of me, I would... no, I’d shove this musket he made into his foul mouth and blow him to smithereens right in front of me!"

"I can explain—it was Lyle who insisted on luring the giant wolf away."

"Do you think I would believe your nonsensical, stupid words, that a doctor and rookie sheriff with no fighting abilities would act as bait for a magician who knows tricks! Stupid bastard, your idiocy is as laughable as your hypocrisy."

"What I’m saying is the truth!"

"Shut up, you’re insulting my intelligence. Forget it, I’ll make you shut up."

"Enough! He’s just your colleague. Wouldn’t you want to survive if you encountered a giant wolf? It’s not my fault!"

"I’ll carve on your tombstone ’The obstinate Dolgette.’ Listen well, my full name is Ralph Butler. Lyle is not only my junior but also my nephew, my only family. Even if it cost my life or my soul, I’d choose Lyle! Now, I’ll finish you off, then kill the giant wolf, and give Lyle a proper send-off."

"Calm down! Please, Mr. Ralph Butler!"

"No, I will not let a coward like you live a second longer, breathe another breath of air!"

...

Lyle felt that he was done for.

After leaving the lair of the Ghost Dog, following its directions, he had successfully reached Lafillin.

He saw William kneeling on the ground; he seemed to be reenacting The Shawshank Redemption. Was escaping from the jaws of a wolf really something to celebrate? As he watched him frozen like a wooden figurine, Lyle had intended to go up and say hello.

Ralph appeared.

Lyle chose to hide. Confronted with Ralph’s anger over his own unilateral actions, his legs began to tremble, the reed board was unstable, let William draw the fire instead.

Maybe Ralph would just roar for a while, and his anger would subside.

Things took an unexpected turn; Ralph accurately exposed William’s lie and convicted him with a set of reasoning that fit his own logic.

Lyle had misjudged his place in Ralph’s heart.

Ralph intended to skip the trial process and execute him on the spot. Although the appearance of the musket surprised Lyle, he had seen gamma-ray bursts before, so this wasn’t so shocking.

Now, the problem was that Ralph’s anger was not diminishing but growing; that flame would burn William alive, and if he appeared, William would be fine, but his own trouble would just begin.

So, was a safe William worth it?

Lyle stuffed some reeds into his clothes, especially around his buttocks, hoping they would give some support.

He jumped out of the reeds.

"Hey, what’s all the excitement about?"