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Chapter 858  Solving The Standoff

"Now what?" he asked, knowing the voice could hear him.

\'Now, I\'m quiet until you ask for me. If I deign respond. Good luck, me.\'

Astaroth grunted, knowing he would hear the voice again before long, even if he didn\'t ask its opinion.

It had already talked inside his head more than once without being asked for anything. He was sure it would happen again.

He was also sure it wouldn\'t respond if he asked for help. So he couldn\'t care less.

For now, his priority was to get back out and find out what had happened. He could tell he\'d been in here long enough, too long, even.

There was no telling what happened to the fruit or his allies after he passed out.

"I need to stop passing out every time…" he mumbled.

But was there anything he could do about it? He doubted that.

Focusing on his breathing, he reached a trance-like state and pulled himself back into the world.

His eyes fluttered open, and he saw the cavern\'s grey ceiling, which looked like a Swiss cheese wheel, with holes upon holes dotting the surface.

But at least he wasn\'t in a graveyard, which was a plus.

Sitting up, he looked around to find his allies around him.

Genie and White were in a corner, the former trembling like a scared child while the latter flanked her, nudging her gently.

Shegror sat in another corner, a side of the wall melted into a chair, as she fiddled with a long needle.

\'One of her tail spikes, I presume,\' he thought.

Selena was pacing in front of Leon, her eyes locked on the fruit, her gaze a mix of impatience, greed, and yearning.

Leon, who stood between her and the fruit, had his eyes closed, seemingly in meditation, his ears perked.

Luna was still not reformed, so she slept inside his body, her soul hovering around him.

Lastly, Morpheus swung upside down from the ceiling, first to notice Astaroth was no longer out cold.

With a light chirp of echolocation, he alerted the others before dropping before Astaroth.

With a light swoosh and thump, Morpheus landed and nudged Astaroth with his pointy nose.

"Yes, I know I worried you. Sorry. I did something I wasn\'t supposed to, even though it wasn\'t entirely on purpose, and the whiplash was quite severe. But I\'m fine now," Astaroth said to the bat, caressing its head.

He looked at the other beings in the room, some of whom looked at him with worry and others with respect, and smiled.

Astaroth stood to his feet, brushing the dirt and rock dust off his ass before clearing his throat.

"Ahem! I know finding me like that must have worried some of you, but I don\'t apologize for my actions. What I did that put me in that state is why I succeeded in bringing the fruit to ripeness.

"I am guessing by the standoff in the cave and the fact that the fruit still hasn\'t been consumed that there might have been a disagreement about who should get it. But before clarifying this, let me thank all of you for showing up and helping when I needed you."

Astaroth looked each one in the eyes and smiled.

"All of you will get something for this dangerous situation you put yourselves in willingly. But, for now, the fruit is not on the table."

Selena looked at him with a stunned face, her eyes reflecting betrayal, and she opened her mouth to complain, only for Astaroth to raise her hand toward her.

"The reason for this is that I already promised it to someone. Selena, it\'s all yours. I hope you do good on the promise you made me, as I did on mine. I expect much more trouble in the future, and having a Legendary grade ally can only be a boon."

Selena\'s mouth instantly shut, her face glowing with joy as she turned to look at the fruit that had been haunting her dreams for decades. She took a step forward, Leon still between her and it, and he smiled before moving aside.

Astaroth heard Shegror\'s tongue click in annoyance before she vanished from sight, returning inside him to rest.

\'You\'ll get your turn. For now, endure and stop with the attitude. Remember, we have a transactional relationship. I have no reason to help you if you don\'t help me. And the Aether that channelled through me already paid you tenfold today. So pipe down,\' he told her through their mental link.

There was no reply, and Astaroth knew she was ignoring him and pouting. But he didn\'t care.

Looking in the cave, he could see the disappointed look on Genie\'s and Morpheus\'s faces, but he could do nothing about it.

"I swear I\'ll find a way to help you get stronger, guys. But, for now, the fruit was promised, and nothing will make me a liar." n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

They understood the underlying warning, and Genie walked toward the cave exit. She wanted to escape the fruit and its attractive scent, but she also didn\'t want to watch as another being grew in power right before her eyes.

It was too big a disappointment for her to bear.

Astaroth looked at her, feeling her emotions through their connection, and he sent White after her.

\'Make sure she doesn\'t sulk too much. I have ideas about her already, but I can\'t look into them now. Just let her know that her time will come.\'

White nodded before heading out after Genie.

Astaroth knew he could calm her, so he focused on the others present in the alcove.

Morpheus wasn\'t even looking at the fruit, as if it wasn\'t bothering him that he didn\'t get it. But, deep down, Astaroth could feel the envy in his heart.

"Don\'t worry, M, I\'ll find you something even better. Maybe if we look hard enough, I can find a way to make you like Luna. Having a human body would give you much flexibility and better chances of getting stronger. Sound good?"

The enormous bat chirped, tilting his head slightly before sinking back into Astaroth.

Looking at Leon, Astaroth smiled.

"That leaves only you."