The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Steal the Silence

Read chapter 17 of The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] by Adamus_Auguste on NovelPedia.

Chapter 17: Steal the Silence "I have chosen." Giovanni's declaration tore through the silent room. Torchlight flickered, and the sewers seemed to hold their breath along with Kael's. Beneath the stone table, Kael clenched his knees until they hurt. Giovanni had to accept. For his family... for him. He closed his eyes, only to reopen at the first syllable of the answer. "We slept with an eye open back in Harrow's shelter—together. We stole and killed for The Broken Chain—together. We built a family in the sewers and tried to resist Garrick's new order—together." Giovanni lifted his sagging temple with a trembling finger, gazing at Tonio and Riccardo with his sunken eyes. In their depths blazed a flame re-ignited from the ashes of not the survivor, but the man beneath his monstrous appearance. He slammed his hand on the table, rising from his seat. "We survived experimentation and rot together. But it is not together that we'll die. I'll pave the path. If death gives you even the slightest clue to get rid of your truths, I'll consider it worth it. This is my answer. This is my choice. And it's final. I'm breaking my fucking anchor today!" Kael unclenched his fists, almost wrenching them overhead with a "Great!" However, Tonio's tearful protests turned this victory bitter in his mouth. "No! No die!" Riccardo gripped Tonio's shoulder, forcing him to turn. He shook his head with a shuddering breath coming out of his blistered lips. "Our time's running low, Tonio. Let us try one last time." He brought Giovanni closer, hugging both of them. "I won't let you die for nothing, brother. We'll get something out of it. You hear me? One way or another." "I know I can't stop your empty head from doing it." A tear trailed down Giovanni's pinched nose. "I-I..." "Don't worry. The lad." Riccardo smiled softly at Kael. "We're not helping you for free. Swear on Kraghor's name that you'll do everything to help. If you give up or renounce, may the god of the frozen peace smite you with a future in which you'll never find a place to rest, a house to return to, and a family you'll miss." "An oath to Kraghor means nothing to me. I don't believe in him, in Morvana, in Kythra, or any other bastard who looks down on my suffering from his divine realm." Kael sighed. "But I swear on my name. I thought that loyalty didn't exist in the slums, that money was all that mattered, all that we were worth. You showed me that some people were still human." For a moment, Riccardo studied Kael's solemn face. Then, he laughed as he pointed at their monstrous faces. "Hear that? He calls us humans while blaspheming the gods. Hahaha! You've got balls, lad. I'll give you that. What's your name?" "Kael." Nodding, Riccardo exchanged a glance with Giovanni, who nodded back. "Well, Kael. You're right. Fuck Kraghor, who never answered my prayers. I hope trusting you won't be a mistake." "It won't..." Kael whispered. That was how the slums worked. Someone always profited from people's deaths. The faster he cut down his inappropriate guilt, the faster he'd progress. It was just... He barely knew them, but his mom would have surely liked this trio. He passed his hand over his face in resigned determination. "When do we start?" Giovanni rubbed Tonio, repeating that they would be fine before he answered. "Now. Not here. I'll die on the ruins of what we've built. Nowhere else. Also..." His back straightened as he lifted a defiant fist in front of his smirk. "I can't go off without a petty revenge, right?" "What do you—" "I'll tell you later." Waving to follow him, he interrupted Kael and stumbled in the sewer tunnel that sprawled in the burial pit's way. Riccardo picked up the torch, and Kael followed in the dimly lit tunnel. During most of the journey, Giovanni and Riccardo appeased Tonio, but the rat-man never stopped asking why while crying. Eventually, he fell silent when they passed by broken pipes jutting out of water more viscous than sludge. Kael noticed the glint in Tonio's