Maze Caves (4)

Sly watched Royal's small form as he worked. He seemed to be in a lot of pain but it was hard to tell from the poor lighting. Royal was motionless except for a few facial expressions and an occasional body jerk. Sly wondered if this could be counted as unconscious or something else.

Well if nothing else, this would be a good way to gather some data on this poison for if it ever showed up again. Deck might kill him if anything happened to Royal though.

If Blank said he was not a traitor though it would all be worth it. If Blank said he tried to kill him though...… well Sly already had a plan for that.

"Ah are you sure this is the right treatment?" Chase kept looking at Sly weirdly.

Sly was tempted to respond that he wasn't one of those people, but fighting it might make Chase just think he was into weird things..... it really wasn't fair, this was clearly a no win situation!

Sly glanced at Deck's face and regretted it. Deck had a very odd expression somewhere between 'what are you doing!' and the cute face that clearly said he wanted to be done next. So jealous? Was that the right term? Ah focus Sly! He thought turning back to Royal who was now so stiff it wasn't even funny. Anytime now.

He watched Royal's body finally release with a large twitch. Then to his horror Royal's heart stopped. Sly panicked for a few moments before just using his standard first aid magic. Shoot don't you dare die yet, Deck will destroy me! A few minutes started to pass and Sly felt his neck grow hot.

"Did you kill him?" asked Chase as Deck gave a horrified yelp.

"No…" Sly replied but he also felt his throat tremble slightly because at this point he wasn't sure.

A few more minutes passed and Sly paused about ready to try to say how he accidentally killed Royal when the small form below his hands trembled. Royal's chest and heart started responding normally again. The back of Sly's throat was so dry at this point.

"See all good." he rasped as Deck started checking on Royal.

Even he was smart enough to know breathing meant alive and not breathing usually meant dead. Sly finally relaxed his shoulders.

"So if he's a traitor?" questioned Chase and Sly dug around in his bag for a moment before removing a small sliver chipping device.

"If Blank wakes up and says he is a traitor that is what this is for." Sly adjusted a few settings before turning Royal onto his side and pushing up the hair on the back of his head. "These chips allow us to track his location and I also set an explode function which will kill him instantly."

Deck yelped again and tried to block Sly as Chase pinned him.

"Hey Deck" muttered Chase "Think of it this way, if Royal is guilty this is the nicest most painless way to kill someone."

"Don't you dare Sly!" Deck yelped "Please!"

Sly felt his heart hurt. "I..."

"Oh just give me it." Chase reached over taking the device. "Like this?"

He held it against the back of Royal's neck till Sly Okayed it then he clicked it. It only left a very small mark on his neck where it was inserted.

Deck had started struggling but Sly pinned him until Chase finished. Whether he liked it or not, if Royal was truly a killer there was no way he'd let Royal near Deck again, even if that meant Deck would hate him.

"See Royal won't even know he was chipped." Sly said wondering if that would comfort Deck or just make it worse.

Deck made no attempt to hide his displeasure. As soon as Blank had turned up alive Deck had started to believe 100% that Royal was innocent. Sly had the feeling he wasn't going to end up lucky with Deck for a little bit, especially if Royal was a murderer.

Sly paused looking around, but if Royal was innocent and ended up drowning because they didn't take him with them..... hmm complications. If they took him back before Blank cleared his name he'd be dead by morning especially in this state. To many people wanted him dead immediately, Sly was currently 50/50 on the wall waiting for facts.

Sly finally put up a timed barrier for a few hours hoping Royal would wake up by then. He also dropped a few food bars and a water bottle.

"There let's go." Sly dragged Deck with him.

"No Royal!" Deck yelped as Sly started explaining all the reasons that it was better to leave him here for now.

Behind him Chase snorted with annoyance.

This could take awhile.

A while later...….

Sly was crouched beside Blank's bed checking on his stats again. Deck was currently locked in his room hating on Sly for not letting him stay with Royal. Royal better be innocent, Sly needed his alone time with Deck. Preferably when Deck wasn't locking himself in his room without Sly in it.

Sly rubbed his head with two fingers feeling an oncoming headache.

"Sly?"

Sly's head shot back up.

"Blank you are awake!" Sly immediately focused on Blank. "I was so worried!"

Blank blinked a few times then his eyes seemed to clear. "Where's Royal!"

"Don't worry we are ready to kill that traitor." Growled Chase as he stepped out from a shadow.

Sly shivered. He had almost forgotten how terrifying Chase could be with his stealth. Wait when did he even get there?

A horrified look appeared on Blank's face. "What! No! Don't hurt him he's innocent!" Blank yelped.

At this statement Chase looked up in surprise.

Blank started recounting his story including how he was simi conscious during everything. He even tossed in video clips to prove it.

Sly felt his shoulders relax as he saw the clip of Rash's duplicate skill. Proof that Royal was indeed innocent. Yay! Sly couldn't wait to tell Deck and hopefully also do several more things while Deck would be in a good mood.

Blank drew up his guild screen and started posting his video clips to everyone he knew. Sly and Chase watched him quietly.

"Go inform everyone, the entire guild, then just go start telling everyone you find in the streets. No one is allowed to touch or hurt Royal." Blank growled, then his expression changed as he seemed to realize something, "Wait we need to find him now! He had the same poisons as me and…"

Chase cut him off "Sly, Deck, and I already found and treated him."

Sly nodded and pulled out the data from the tracker and put it up. "We also put a tracker on him with a kill option in case it was….. well necessary."

"Disable it." Blank growled immediately.

Sly opened up the screen. "It can't be disabled unless we remove it from Royal's neck."

The data hovered above Sly along with a map of the area he was in.

[Tracker chip: Player: RoyalBlue]

[Activate explode? Y/N]

Just then the door opened and River, Nova, Deck, and Winter entered.

"If it is pressed it will activate." Sly finished.

River saw the scene and said "Well bloody kill that traitor already then!" as he leapt forward pressing the Y.

"River no!" Yelped Sly trying to block him.

[Confirm? Y/N]

River slammed it again.

[Chip Activated]

"That's for LittleGinger!" River yelled.

Blank, Deck, and Sly stared at him in horror.

"What?" Asked River looking confused, "The murderer deserves to die!"

Both Blank and Sly were incapable of speech though. Chase finally chimed in.

"Turns out he was innocent." he replied.

River's face turned to a complicated expression as the video feed started replaying Blank's clips of Royal saving him from Rash and the rest of Team Red.

"He's not dead right? There is some other confirmation button right?" Blank's voice trembled.

Sly stayed quiet. He normally didn't have his screen on public mode where anyone could touch it so he didn't have something like that set up.

Sly opened his mouth then just shut it again.

Blank looked horrified.

"No, no, no" Blank muttered, "He's still alive, we just have to go find him now."

"Blank..." Chase started.

"No! We are going to find him now!" Blank yelped jumping to his feet and stumbling slightly.

"You need rest." Sly commented finally.

Blank shot him a glare. "We…..Are...Going....To.....Find...Him!." he growled again heading toward the door.

The rest of them followed him as Sly winced. Would it be better to see or not see a body?

Sly winced and hurried after them. He should have just made a super long standing barrier or something and not chipped him at all.

He clenched his teeth and pulled up the map data. According to this, the chip's last recorded location was a forest just outside of the Maze Caves area.

The chances of him still being alive though...…. Sly didn't want to think about it, especially when it was his chip that killed him.

0.000000017% survival rate chance/chip malfunctions.

Basically impossible.