Alveron's only goal was to stop Orion and Zareth from forming a real alliance.
Orion's goal was simpler. He wanted them both to die so he could walk away with the grand prize. That was the best-case scenario. The next-best option was to ally with one of them, kill the other, and take a piece of the Abyssal Springhead as his payment.
Either way, stalling was not an option. The longer this dragged on, the weaker he became.
Given the stakes, the three of them fell into a tense, calculating silence.
How to break the stalemate? It was the question on everyone's mind.
"Stranger," the calamity lord Zareth finally said, his voice breaking the silence. "Why are you here?"
Alveron, for whom stalling was the optimal strategy, would never have been the one to speak first.
