Chapter 90: A trick for the truth
Aaron’s voice wavered for the first time, guilt bleeding through the anger.
"Those people died because I couldn’t get what I needed, Reidar. Because Martin wouldn’t let it leave that building."
"What did Mara and Lena say about it?"
"Mara agrees with me, but Lena? She is Martin’s lapdog. There is simply no way she will go against him or contest one of his decisions."
Aaron hesitated. He glanced at the door, then back at Reidar, lowering his voice.
"The strongest monsters never make it here, Reidar. The forest keeps them fat and happy. They have no reason to come here. The ones that get close are the low-level monsters. But why? Why would the monsters come here? It doesn’t make sense, unless someone is luring them here."
"Are you implying it is Martin? Why would he do this?"
"To keep control of the population, why else?"
It actually made sense with what Caleb said and the absence of the Settlement Creator Token. If Martin wasn’t getting it, maybe it was because of a choice, rather than because of the circumstances. He also told Reidar he didn’t talk about it with the others.
Yet he claimed Lena and the others were trying to get it, but that they couldn’t make the last two quests because they were too hard, and he actually used Reidar to complete them. First, he already did it.
Based on what Reidar saw of Martin, he was the guy who would do shrewd and messed up things like this. But...
This time around, Reidar wasn’t going to be used and tossed around. He would complete the last quest, and after that, he would leave. This meant that, whatever Aaron was saying, it was not going to concern him. As things stood, those were just words to him. He wasn’t going to let people play games with him. He was there just for the sake of the rewards, which would surely help him on the way to Creamont and later to Kingsgate.
Besides all of this... Caleb’s advice to come to Aaron, the very man own’s words... It seemed too timed. Aaron was slandering his leader, someone that he had likely known for years before the apocalypse. Why? Since Martin’s choices influenced everyone’s survival, wouldn’t it have been better to talk about all of this with Lena, Martin, or the entire town?
<Why me?>
Of course, the reason was simple: his strength. Reidar was actually strong enough to change things here. The only question was what exactly Aaron wanted from him? Besides, was he actually telling the truth about Martin? Or was everything he told him just a lie?
<I’m going to visit Morv’axil after this... He might have information I need, and for sure, I need to buy something to tackle the remaining quest.>
Aaron stared at a spot on the wall, his gaze distant. "After the walls went down, I went back to Martin. Told him I knew he was lying about the supplies. I even brought up Lena and her team. He didn’t yell; he just stood there with Lena beside him, cool as anything. He said, ’Questioning leadership right now could lead to misunderstandings, Aaron. Stick to your schematics.’"
"That’s not much of a threat."
"It was enough. Since then, one of Lena’s people has been everywhere I am, watching..." He scrubbed a hand over his mouth. "I’m not stupid; I’ve been marked as a problem. And the next problem around here that gets solved might be me."
His eyes locked with Reidar’s, showing a fear that ran deep, and something even heavier underneath. "I need someone who isn’t scared of them. Not just for my sake, but because whatever Martin’s up to, those deaths, the warehouse, it’s all tied together."
"You are saying that Martin is the one luring the monsters. I assume that Lena and the others never joined the defense is because they are the ones actually luring the monsters."
"That’s precisely what I’m saying," Aaron said. "And Martin not wanting me to do my job is because he needs us in constant fear. The missing settlement creator token is another piece of the plan."
<I doubt Martin would be this obvious. Besides, if Martin told no one about the token, how could Aaron know?>
Reidar sighed. Then, an idea came to mind.
"The problem is... Aaron, that I’m going to leave as soon as I complete the next quest."
"What? I-I thought you were going to stay for longer..."
"Sadly, no, I have business to attend."
"What could I do to change your mind and help us?"
"I don’t know if you could... Aaron. As things are right now, I’m going to face too many risks..."
Reidar felt a little bad for what he was going to do, but...
<Hey, this guy is clearly trying to make me stay! At least let’s make it worthwhile for me!>
"I will do whatever you ask!"
"Really?" Reidar faked thinking...
Martin already played him, although he gave him two quests that had very good rewards, now Aaron was obviously trying to make Reidar go against Martin, although the reason, at least the real one, not the one Aaron tried to push into Reidar’s throat, was not clear.
Since Aaron wanted to do things this way, then Reidar was going to milk him too.
"Let’s make it simple, just give me some survival points..."
Aaron’s face shifted for a second. "Surv-survival points? How much were you thinking?"
Reidar faked being pensive again. "Well, since I might be forced to stay for who knows how long... What about 50000 survival points?"
<This way, I will also be able to figure out a couple of things.>
"Fifty thou—I-I don’t know if I h-have this much..."
Reidar grinned.
"Aaron, you are asking me to figure out what Martin is doing. This might lead to a crisis where I will be forced to fight my way out of here. So, I think it is reasonable enough for me to get this much. Actually, I think I’m being quite generous. Besides, this might be a large amount, but it’s not that large for the average Joe, right?"
Aaron flashed a half grin. "R-right!" He stopped to think for a second.
"Just give me a day to... Just give me a day, all right?"
"Sure," Reidar said with a smile. "You’ve got a day."
They left the storage room together and split up at the corner. Aaron slipped back into his work, keeping his head down like he didn’t want anyone noticing him. Reidar instead, headed to the ranger station.
<Does he really think I didn’t understand his game?>
Reidar had mentioned that fifty thousand survival points wasn’t much for a reason; he wanted Aaron to think he didn’t really get how much people earned. But oh... he actually did.
That way, Aaron wouldn’t be so careful with the money, and Reidar would finally figure out why he’d come to him in the first place.
It was clear the man was after Reidar’s power. Yes, but why? Wasn’t he a member of Martin’s group? So why was he going against him? Why was he sowing discord after what happened between him and Martin?
<I get one might be worried about the situation, or not really liking the policies those in command promote, but to the point of risking the settlement’s stability by talking to a stranger? No, this was a calculated move. Aaron is likely a spy. The problem is, is he a spy for the Church of Unbinding, or is he with another group? Could he be doing this alone? Is he genuinely worried about Havenwood or is this all for his personal sake? Either way, once I get the survival points, I will learn if he is alone or not.>