Chapter 89: the truth
"Alex, wasn't that a bit too much, it's not nice to mess with people's emotions. Especially when they are teammates, it can affect our teamwork later on." Camron spoke up for Katherine.
Al waved his hand and brushed what Camron said, off. He put his hands in the pocket of his uniform and walked to a chair, then took his seat.
"Alex, you should get your uniform changed. You are now a nascent realm cultivator, you should be wearing the brown uniform. This orange color on you looks unbefitting." Adrian pointed out.
"Ah, that's true. Although I look good in anything, this orange uniform is an insult to my good looks." Al sighed and took a look at his uniform.
['You know, I might just spend my day looking for the foolish fashion designer of this academy.'] Al thought.
['What about the formula to the poison?'] Alex quickly asked. He knew that Al was very unpredictable sometimes.
What he had just done to Katherine, if Alex hadn't interrupted then Al would have surely locked his lips with hers.
Al chuckled. ['Relax Rabbit, I'm just messing with you. Was trying to lift my mood after you punched me in the balls, proverbially.']
['Sorry, but not sorry.']
Camron had been staring at Alex, he couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew that something had changed about his friend. 'Is this his bi-polar shenanigans again?' He wondered.
-Rat-a-tat!
The knock on the door interrupted Al's conversation with Alex and gained the attention of everyone in the room.
Except for Katherine, who was still squatting and trying to rid herself of the embarrassing memory that took place a few minutes ago.
The scene where Al said that he just wanted to confirm if she liked him, continued to replay in her mind. Then sometimes, it's the scene where Al planted her hands on the wall and wrapped his hand on her waist.
Katherine was torn in between excitement and embarrassment…
-Rat-a-tat.
"Who might that be?" Camron uttered as we walked to the door.
Al brought out a knife from his ring and hid it under his sleeves. It was one of the weapons that Grace brought out from the ring given to Alex by Daemon.
A black thin knife that looked like glass, to the eyes of others, it looked like a knife made for an exhibition, not execution.
-Click.
He opened the door.
"Oh, Drake it's you. I was wondering who the person at the door was. Come in." Camron stepped aside and gave way for Drake to pass.
['It's just Drake, Al. what's the need of bringing out a weapon in the inn? I bet that this is one of the safest places to be in this school.']Alex mocked.
['Unlike you rabbit, I do not trust easily. And secondly, I am more of an assassin than you'll ever be.']
['Fool, we are all assassins, me, you, Lex, and Xander. In the same body, technically your skills are my skills.']
['But here's the difference between us. You Alex, you are the first three letters in the word assassin. You are an ass. While we alters share the remaining letters in that word and together we help complete you.']
['What the f*ck?']
['The words I utter every time I gain consciousness and realize that I am still an alter to you, rabbit.']
['And you Al are the next three letters after-']
['Ah, ah, ah. Get your own insults rabbit, stop copying what I do. I know that it is hard to think for you, but at least have some dignity.']
Alex didn't know what to say anymore, Al had shut up…
Drake stepped into the living room and wasted no time in finding a place to sit.
"Argh!" He groaned and placed his hands on his stomach.
"What's wrong with you?" Adrian asked.
"Nothing," Drake said. "I just want to rest." He added.
"In my suite? I guess we all rented this place together." Al arched an eyebrow at Drake.
Drake frowned his face and looked at Al. "Can I at least stay here till I feel better?"
"Hmm, you can, but not for free." An evil smile crawled up Al's lips.
"How much do you want?" Drake asked.
"Alex, c'mon he's a team-"
Al raised his hand, telling Camron to be silent.
['What are doing now Al?'] Alex questioned.
['Hush, I'm the one driving. You stay put in the passenger's seat and watch me drift on the freaking road…']
['Remind me to never let this mutt take control again.'] Alex whispered.
['You know that I can hear you right, whisper or not.']
He returned his attention to Drake. "You can either pay me 1 LD-EC per hour or you tell everyone the truth. Choose yourself."
"I'll pay with the energy crystals-"
"Wait, I change my mind. 1 HD-EC or you tell the truth."
"Alex, that's extortion!" Camron Interjected.
"Really, but how? This suite cost a lot. There are probably people that will pay higher than that just to get a tour of the suite."
"But-"
"But, as I am a generous person, I am giving him a choice. To either pay with energy crystals or pay with his sincerity." Al interrupted Xander before he could finish what he was saying.
"What truth are you referring to?" Drake frowned and glared at Al.
"Yeah, what truth are you talking about?" Camron asked too.
"C'mon tiger, we both know that you are hiding something from the whole group. Tell us the real reason why you chose to join this particular group of ours." Al said playfully.
Drake's forehead started to sweat and his, mouth was starting to get dry. He looked conflicted and he was a bit scared.
"Do you want me to show them your colored stomach?" Al smirked at him, enjoying his reaction to the whole dilemma.
"How do you know about that?" Drake shot up from his seat. "Argh." He cried out and fell to his knees. The pain from his stomach made his knees weak.
"I was the one that helped you out of the situation today, so how wouldn't I know. Don't worry, I don't have any intentions of making you leave the group, it will be a waste of someone loyal." Al dropped the knife that was in his sleeve, on his laps.
Drake sighed. "Alright."
"The reason I joined this group was because I was forced to do so."
"By whom?" Adrian asked.
Now Katherine stood up from her position and looked at Drake, what he was talking about snapped her out of the episodes she had been having.
"And why would anyone force you to join us? Does the person pity us?" She frowned.
"It was Duna. My primary objective was to get everything I could on Alex, and the second one was to make sure that the group lost merit points… he vowed to teach Alex a lesson that he would never forget." Drake dropped his head as he told them everything…
"When I refused to tell him anything today, he and his guys beat me up. I would have gone elsewhere but nowhere would be as safe as this place. If I stay here, Duna wouldn't be able to reach me here."
"The reason he's gathering information is that he wants to know what Alex's relation is to your family." Drake pointed at Camron.
"If he finds out that he has no significant relationship with your family, then his next step is to take Alex out. Either he puts a price on your head or he kills you himself." Drake finished.
"Hahaha, kill me? The irony, earlier today, I made up my mind to kill the pig too. May the best killer, win." Al could feel his blood racing.
"But we aren't meant to kill fellow students of the academy unless it's a deathmatch. And with your current cultivation, you are no different from a fly to Duna." Emma pointed out.
"Even if Alex's relationship is not that great with my family. Without my family interfering, Duna will be doomed and so would his family if he did anything to Alex," Camron said sternly.
['There he goes again.'] Alex uttered.
"Why? Who are you, Alex?" Drake questioned.
"Hmmm, who am I? Well, I am a killer." He smiled as he said that.
"Huh? But you alone wouldn't be able to take down Duna's family. If you want to kill him then you have to get ready to be chased to the ends of the earth by his family." Adrian pointed out.
Al only scoffed at that.
['Do I look like I am scared of the repercussions?'] He said.
['I will deal with Duna myself.'] Alex said once more. Trying to make it clear to his alter that he would be the one to do the deed.
['I know.'] Al said.
"Now that you have said it all, you can take the rest that you need." Al stood up and started walking towards his room.
"Seriously?! You are not going to ask me to leave the group?"
"Why would I do that? I am not the team captain, Camron is. Besides, you owe me for saving you today. I always come to collect and having you where I can easily watch you is much better than putting you on exile." He narrowed his eyes at Drake.
"What about you guys? You are not going to ask me to leave the group?" he looked at the rest of his teammates.
"No, in the end, you chose to not betray us and you got punished for that. As Alex said previously, it would be a waste to send a loyal person away." Camron stated.
"True, I don't have anything against you," Adrian said.
"Me neither. Our group is already a small one, if we have you leave then it will only get smaller." Emma said.
Drake turned his attention to Katherine. She stared at him whilst he was doing the same. "I have no problem with you being here as long as Alex is okay with it." She pouted at him.
Drake sighed and smiled. "Thank you, guys." He laid on the floor and passed out.