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Lock calmly stretched out his hand and opened the door, jumping back slightly after he'd done so.

 

The only thing that greeted him was an amalgamation of seven earth golems. He waved the twins forward as he started running, dodging the golem's slow-motion attempts at halting his progress with almost contemptuous ease. Opening the door leading to the tunnel, he threw himself forward in a roll, just in case Light finally decided to ambush them.

 

He hadn't.

 

The door clicked shut behind him as the twins also made their way into the tunnel. “Still nothing.” Lock muttered, before continuing on.

 

This was how they passed through all the doors before they eventually reached the first battle room of the dungeon. The one that held three golems. Deciding to halt their chase for a few minutes to discuss their plans going forward, he quickly dispatched the golems before turning to the twins.

 

“I think this is the most likely place that he'll make a stand. He could keep running into the other branch of the dungeon, which only has seven rooms. But then he'd basically be forcing himself into a dead-end, us blocking him off from his only exit.” Lock said.

 

“I'm starting to get a little tired.” Mia suddenly said, causing Lock to blink.

 

Ah yes. That. The potions would slowly start running out now, before completely dying out in an hour, the weariness and exhaustion hitting the twins like a freight train. Well, not really, they hadn't done anything strenuous to actually consume the reserves that the potions had given them. The only thing that would happen would be that the twins would lose their resistance against tiredness/exhaustion, which would lower their performance.

 

“Let's try to finish this as quickly as possible then. We'll enter the room, and I'll go straight for him You two meanwhile block off the two possible escape routes.” Lock ordered, and stepped forward to open the door to the dungeon's waiting room.

 

It didn't budge, and he had to consider the implications of that for a few seconds, before he understood what had happened. A chuckle passed by his lips.

 

“He used the stone benches to block off the door.” He eventually said, pulling out the dimensional knob that they'd looted off of the gate to the dungeon boss. “Thankfully we have this.”

 

He walked a few steps to the right, hoping that Light was pushing against the stone benches at the very moment, and screwed the knob into the wall. It went in like a hot knife through butter.

 

“Tia, come over here and channel enough mana into this thing to open up a big enough door for us to step through. Once we're all in, pull out the knob.” He commanded, before turning to the other twin. “Mia, you still remember how the entrance room looks?” Lock asked, at which Mia nodded. “Good, then come in after me, and run to the door that leads into the other branch of rooms. Block it.” Seeing that the door outline had grown large enough for himself to easily step through he turned his attention to Tia again. “I'll take a running start, open the door once I take off.” He ordered, and walked a few paces back. He gave Tia a few seconds to understand his order, and started running at her nod.

 

He didn't accelerate very fast due to his armour, thus Tia was able to rip open the door a bit before he reached it, allowing him to jump through it and hit the ground running. He eventually halted in the middle of the room, and turned casually to the left, as he saw the twins enter out of his periphery, screw out the doorknob, and block the now only exit.

 

Light, who was now standing in a corner, having retreated there once Lock had jumped into the room, panting, had been kind enough to block off the other exit with a few heavy stone benches. Benches that he wouldn't be able to move away easily enough to escape through the door they were blocking.

 

“Any chance we can talk this out?” Light asked, voice weary, obviously exhausted.

 

“I don't know friend,” Lock started in a doubtful voice, “I can't really find it in myself to start peace talks with someone whose face I can't even see.” He finished.

 

Lock could almost hear the other man gritting his teeth from where he was standing.

 

“What about you?” Light spat out. “You're covered as well!”

 

Lock put up a fist to his chin, as if considering the words, the choice having already been made. He wouldn't normally do what he was about to do next. Who knew what kind of tricks the little prodigy had in store. However, he had a life-saving skill still in reserve in the case of anything going awry “You know, I think you're right, how about we both remove our helmets at the same time. As a sort of peace offering you know.” He eventually said, and immediately brought up his hands to the latch that held the helmet in place.

 

Light hesitantly sheathed his sword and did the same, other hand still holding onto his large kite shield. Lock opened the latch of his helmet and pulled it off, dropping it onto the ground, hand immediately snaking towards one of the daggers at his belt.

 

Pulling it out of its sheath he hurled it at Light, whose helmet had just come off. He'd banked on the fact that since Light was following him in taking off his helmet, he would be slightly slower in doing so, therefore giving Lock a small window of opportunity where his foe was blinded by the helmet.

 

His aim was true, but Light seemed to have anticipated the attack coming, and pulled the helmet off far more quickly than Lock had thought anyone was capable off. He held it in front of his face. The dagger clanged off the helmet and fell to the ground, helmet joining it shortly after. Couldn't rightfully put it back on in the middle of a fight could he.

 

But no fight was forthcoming, Lock simply stood there, waiting for Light to recognize him.

 

He didn't have to wait long.

 

“You.” Light hissed, hand that had just dropped the helmet going to his waist to once again draw his sword.

 

“Me.” Lock answered.

 

“I have to say you played the role of a peasant perfectly.” Light mocked, and was about to continue with something undoubtedly funny, but Lock cut him off.

 

“It was the role I was born to play.”

 

Light scowled, likely at having his punchline stolen.

 

They stood there in silence, the only sounds permeating the room being Light's harsh breathing.

 

“I have to ask,” Lock eventually piped up, “you obviously never suspected me enough to do anything special about it, but Kib was still quite the cunt. Was that his natural disposition, or did he smell something afoul.”

 

“Past tense I see.” Light muttered, not bothering to answer the question.

 

“You know, extending the duration of this conversation has only benefits for you. It could give you some time to catch your breath.” Lock said. Knowing that the weight of the armour his adversary was carrying would cancel out any recuperation.

 

But that was the beauty of lies. People believed them.

 

“You never smelled overly much of sweat.” Light said quietly. “So you weren't working on anything, but could somehow still afford to just rent a place in one of the pricier parts of the city, while seemingly having a bottle of wine in hand every time you left the house.”

 

“That it?” Lock queried in an amused tone.

 

Light nodded.

 

“Wow, Dog Breath must have been a very paranoid person.”

 

“He was right, wasn't he?” Light said, eyes expressing an earnest wish to travel back in time and to listen to Kib. Also to murder Lock to death. Couldn't forget that.

 

“How'd you know about the plan?” Light shot back with a question of his own.

 

Lock was willing to humour him. The longer the conversation lasted the better for him after all. His armour was lighter, he had more experience in staying awake due to many nights of scientific work, and well, Light wasn't getting out of this alive no matter how much he stalled. Might as well get some answers out of him. Although, Light probably wasn't stalling because he had some belief in winning if he did so long enough. He was doing so because he was desperately trying to extend his time amongst the living. Lock could commiserate.

 

“Well, it's quite simple really. While the noble families are well, families, there will always be people unwilling to participate in some of the plans that they hatch up, and if they're mad enough, they might just tattle.” Lock said.

 

“Let me guess, someone told you, but asked you to hide the entire thing afterwards. So after I die, if I die, you'll drag my corpse into the boss room. Clean up any evidence. They open up the Gate again. You leave, and the entire thing will be like it never happened. Knew I shouldn't have trusted the Vídds.”

 

“Well, yes, but the Gate closing wasn't our work actually. I think it was always the plan to betray you. Although the betrayal didn't happen the way I expected it too.”

 

Lock saw Light visibly slump together, eyes clouding over. The boy might actually start crying. But no, he pulled himself together again.

 

“If nobody had interfered, we would have killed the boss, and then been stuck here. We would have been discovered, and executed. The tale spun in such a way that we'd acted on our own, hoping to win back the favour of our families.” Light said contemptuously. “If I may ask, how did you expect the betrayal to work out?” He asked.

 

“The way they planned it to happen was that you'd be caught by the adventurer's guild, which is odd, because then the guild leader would have executed you. I thought that they'd let you complete the mission, come back home, let the peasants simmer, and then reveal that they'd been working on the case, dragging the culprits into the light. The right to execution then falling to them. Not an insignificant amount of experience if they let someone young do it.” Lock explained, getting a chuckle from Light.

 

“You would fit right in with the planning committee I see. Sadly enough, I don't think that they went with this plan because they didn't want to kill their own, but because they honestly didn't think of it. Or they did, and it might have been deemed unwise. Too much could go wrong.”

 

They conversed like that for almost half an hour, throwing questions and quips at each other. At some point Light must have decided that he rather liked Lock, because he brought forth an interesting offer.

 

“How about this, I let you kill me without putting up a fight, and in return you do something for me.” Light said in a serious voice.

 

Lock tilted his head. “Not interested in living?”

 

Light shook. “Begging wouldn't change anything with you would it. I know your kind, able to chat with their victims. You haven't changed your mind at all. You're a killer through and through.”

 

Lock shrugged. “Well, it depends on what the favour you want from me is.” He said.

 

“I was actually already considering the possibility of being betrayed. Which is why I hid some interesting documents and books in a location where they would eventually be found. Within it is basically all the dirt I have on the families, and all of the techniques of my own family that I'm privy to.” Light said. “Only problem is that it's not entirely certain that the person who will find the stuff will actually reveal it to the public.”

 

“Yes, they could simply learn the techniques and decide that making an enemy of the families is too dangerous. Or try to blackmail them, getting killed and achieving nothing in the process.” Lock said, following up with a question. “You don't have anyone you trust enough to reveal it for you?”

 

Light shook his head. “Not since the rape debacle.”

 

“Well that is sort of your fault.” Lock countered, causing Light to burst out laughing.

 

“Indeed. You will find within the documents however, that I am more innocent than people assume. Now, will you do it?” Light asked seriously.

 

“Yes, there's a lot of money to be made from copying the techniques of a noble family and disseminating them to every Vanguard wannabe in the realm. The dirt will also come in handy to incite some chaos within the families, make it more likely for us to not be pursued for this dungeon debacle.” Lock said musingly, spinning it in a way that made it seem as if he'd follow Light's posthumous wish out of simple greed and because it would help him if he did so.

 

Light visibly relaxed and dumped his weapons onto the ground, starting to laboriously pull off his armour. They both knew that promises that relied on the goodwill of the participants were likely to be broken. Selfishness was a much more trustworthy ally. Alliances of the past, were after all, inconveniences of the future.

 

“Give me your sword. You're leaving via decapitation.” Lock said once Light had managed to remove the entirety of his armour, standing there in simple woollen clothing.

 

Light kicked it over. It clanged to a stop at Lock's feet.

 

“The documents are hidden on the outskirts of town, at the place that the peasant adventurer's often use as a training ground. It's buried by the big oak tree.” Light said, shaking slightly. It was quite cold, and the boy was drenched in sweat from tonight's activities.

 

There was probably a different reason for the shivering however. Light's eyes fearfully followed the tip of his broadsword as Lock swung it around to get used to it's balance and weight.

 

“I'll be sure to seek it out at the earliest.” Lock said earnestly, fully meaning what he'd said. “Now on the ground, hands clasped behind your back.” He commanded.

 

Light hesitated. “Can't we wait a bit? I can still tell you a few useful things.” He said.

 

Lock shook his head. The longer the execution took, the likelier it would be for Light to rebel. Although it would already be easier to kill him now since he'd ditched his armour and his weapon. Something that Light himself seemed to become aware of, looking forlornly at his sword and armour.

 

He eventually went down on his knees and clasped his hands against his back.

 

Lock stepped forward, gently laying the sword on the boy's neck, raising and lowering it to make sure that he could hit the correct spot on the first try. “Any last words?” He asked, fully raising the sword.

 

Light started speaking, head directed downwards, “I gue-”

 

His last words would forever remain a mystery as that was the moment when Lock swung down with all of his might, knowing that a decapitation required nothing less, and sliced through the neck, hitting the sweet spot between two vertebrae.

 

The head thumped to the ground, and the body soon followed it.

 

Blood began to spurt, a puddle forming

 

Decapitation skill learned.

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