Negotiation

This time, the notification was stained in a red color unlike the usual blue. One sentence could be seen in the middle of it, and the three was stunned upon reading it.

[No! Want to, make a deal! No attack!]

Charles raised his hand, a signal for his teammates to hold for a bit as he eyed the creature in silent questioning. It looked a bit thinner and taller than the usual kobolds they encountered, and some of its limbs were replaced with mechanical parts. A vivid green cape and accessories of matching colors gave the kobold an unique appearance.

One of its red eyes seemed unmoving, presumably it has been replaced with an artificial one.

Realizing the group had calmed down, the kobold spoke again, its voice clipped and muffled from within the face decoration.

Reazar! Reazar en, flux!

[Reazar! Reazar the, Calm!]

Reazar? The group remembered the given mission. It was the name of the kobold associated with the green hourglass, one of the commanders. Dylan was the first to raise his weapon, but then the kobold quickly added.

Belras Reazar! Lix rauk rot!

[Betrayed Reazar! Others no good!]

"You were betrayed by the others? Then, what do you want from us?" Charles asked. Although he looked calm, he was of course bewildered. After all, the previous kobolds they encountered seemed to only able to hold basic conversations and understand basic orders.

From the looks of the room, this kobold had built the devices from scratch.

Verde pilras, Reazar vie roux goras?

[Green hourglass, Reazar free energy source?]

"Energy source?" Nora couldn't help but ask.

The kobold didn't respond. Instead, it moved closer to them, careful not to step on the cables and wires, and far enough it would have some time to dodge should one of the group attacked.

Now that they saw the creature more clearly, it seemed like it was struggling to maintain its balance, thus it was much weaker than its strong, seemingly battle obsessed counterparts. It stopped in front of the girl encased in liquid, and spoke again while pointing at the unconscious girl.

[Energy source! Trade artifact for energy source! Reazar help kill betrayers, Reazar get artifact back. Fast trade!]

Nora looked at her friend encased in the glass for a moment and turned back to look at the group, a complicated expression in her eyes. It was clear she was conflicted.

Then, she shook her head, the motion clearing her mind.

"I'll go with whatever you choose, Charles," she said.

"I'm fine with taking the hard way, but taking the easy way would be wonders. This place is exhausting enough," Dylan added.

"No, first of all, Reazar, what exactly is this artifact meant to be used for? We need information, otherwise, my team isn't going to agree," Charles answered.

[With all artifacts, can calm guard beast! Guard beast easier to defeat, then can take key on its neck to the main room. Easier said than done! Energy in artifact says, guard dog has been calmed. No further thing need artifact.]

"How can we trust you?" Dylan asked.

[Take energy source, leave one friend and artifact here, then I show you room. Red artifact should be there, kyak!]

"Well, it would be awful convenient if we can just get the next artifact without fuss… how about it? Besides, if we could trust this… thing…"

[Reazar kobold! Calm kobold! Not thing!]

Reazar proceeded to stomp his feet angrily, the noises from his robotic limb colliding against metal acting as emphasis.

"… that may be the worst way to demonstrate the validity of your title, but anyway… if we have to leave someone here and that kobold is indeed trustworthy, we can win one more artifact. It's a good deal."

"Then I'll be staying here," Nora said, "I can defend myself well. No need to worry about me. I'm just happy Marie can be free."

"Then Nora can stay here with the hourglass," Charles nodded, "Do you all agree?"

Everyone nodded, and Henrietta handed over the hourglass. Her gaze looked a bit complicated. It was a hint that she was still unsure about something.

Henrietta opened and closed her mouth while mumbling, "Probably safe… but this is unusual. What was Q thinking with-"

Then, she shook her head, and quickly handed the artifact. In a low whisper, she warned Nora, "Be careful."

Nora smiled in response, "No need to worry."

Then, Nora looked at the waiting kobold, "We agree, can you do your part now?"

Kyak! Kyak!

There was no notification this time, however, the kobold's movements seemed ecstatic.

It quickly went around the room, pressing a few buttons, stopping the flow of energy from within the cables. With each machine deactivated, the expression of struggle from the girl within faded bit by bit, before it was gone entirely.

The glowing blue water started to drain away, then a segment of the glass opened. At the same time, the chains that bound both of her arms unlocked themselves and fell to the floor with a clang.

Then, right as if on cue, the girl opened her eyes.

"Marie! I'm glad you are okay!"

The girl named Marie was immediately stunned when Nora pulled her into a tight, relieved hug. Realizing what happened, she patted her friend's back with a small smile.

"Thank you, Nora. You saved me, I'm feeling a bit tired, but I should be okay-"

Then, Marie looked around, seeing Henrietta, Dylan, Charles, and Reazar staring at the two of them.

"You guys are…"

"Charles." He answered, then he pointed at Henrietta. "This is Henrietta, my partner. We negotiated for your release."

"Dylan, nice to meet you," Dylan added with a charming smile.

"Thank you for protecting Nora on my behalf, then." Marie smiled. As she looked at how her friend was relaxed, she became less wary of the group.

Then, a coarse noise interrupted their reunion. A red notification appeared in front of their eyes.

[Kyak! Red artifact! Go to direction where sun rises, stop in front of room with red seal! Hurry!]