Chapter 231: Pay with your blood

Adam’s crimson eyes swept over the trembling bandits, the bleeding form of Selena crumpled on the ground. His voice was cold, flat, utterly devoid of mercy.

"Ladies," he said, not looking back at his companions. "It’s time for a slaughter."

Ignis’s flames erupted, her golden eyes blazing with fierce, hungry delight. Her voice rang out, wild and eager.

"Yahahaa! Finally! Time to have some fun!"

Lilith’s lips curved into a serene, chilling smile. Her threads stirred, silver and white, curling around her fingers like contented serpents.

"Fufu... This should be quite entertaining."

Isolde said nothing. She simply knelt beside Selena’s bleeding form, her pale fingers dipping into the spreading pool of crimson. The blood rose, answering her call, swirling around her hand like a living thing. She straightened, her hood still low, her pale eyes gleaming with cold, predatory focus.

Dugel’s face had gone white. His voice cracked, desperate.

"Shit... we picked the wrong targets..."

Heiji dropped to his knees, his hands clasped together, tears streaming down his face.

"Please! Please, we didn’t want this! We were just following orders! Spare us, I beg you—!"

Olnad tried to pull him up, his own voice trembling.

"Heiji, get up! Begging won’t—"

"You shut up!" Heiji shoved him away, crawling toward Adam on his knees. "I’ll do anything! Anything you want! Just let me live!"

Olnad’s jaw tightened. He glanced at Adam’s expressionless face, those crimson eyes that held no anger, no pity, nothing at all and felt his blood run cold.

"Please," he whispered, bowing his head. "We’re fools. We made a terrible mistake."

Adam watched them grovel, his expression unchanging.

"I don’t care."

He raised his hand, dark energy already gathering in his palm.

Behind him, Ignis laughed a bright, savage sound and launched herself at the nearest bandit. Her fist, wreathed in flame, caved in his chest before he could even scream.

Lilith’s threads shot outward, silver streaks in the dim light. They found throats, limbs, eyes, and the men who had been so confident moments before began to fall in pieces.

Isolde moved like shadow, silent and deadly. Blood answered her call, rising from the fallen, forming blades that sliced through armor and flesh with equal ease. She fed as she fought, drinking from wounds still fresh, her pale cheeks flushing with renewed strength.

The clearing became a slaughterhouse.

Adam didn’t move. He watched, his hand still raised, his dark energy crackling at his fingertips. But there were no enemies left to strike. His companions had already finished them.

Ignis stood atop a pile of bodies, flames licking at her arms, her grin wide and satisfied.

"Too easy!"

Lilith’s threads retracted, coiling back around her fingers. Her gown, impossibly, remained spotless.

"Disappointing. I expected more resistance."

Isolde stepped back from the last fallen bandit, her lips stained red, her pale eyes gleaming. She glanced at Adam, then away.

Adam lowered his hand. His crimson gaze swept the clearing.

Then he turned and walked toward the building where Selena still knelt, clutching her bleeding stump, her amber eyes wide with terror.

Selena’s breath came in ragged gasps. Her voice was barely a whisper, broken and trembling.

"Please... I’ll give you anything... gold... information... whatever you want..."

Adam stopped before her, looking down at her pale, blood-streaked face.

"Where’s Alistair Croft?"

Selena’s eyes widened. Her voice cracked.

"The... the merchant? He’s... his office is in the merchant district. Everyone knows where it is."

Adam tilted his head. "And the Compass of Desire. Does he still have it?"

Selena nodded frantically. "Yes! Yes, I think so! I heard... I heard he keeps it in a vault beneath his office. But you’ll never get to it. He has wards, guards—"

Adam’s lips curved into a faint, cold smile.

"That’s not your concern."

He turned away from her, walking toward the path that led out of the clearing.

Ignis bounded after him, flames flickering with excitement. "Are we going to the merchant now?!"

"First," Adam said, "we find a place to clean up. And eat." He glanced at Isolde’s blood-stained lips. "Then we find Croft."

Isolde pulled her hood lower, her voice flat.

"Fine."

Lilith drifted beside Adam, her hand finding his. Her mental voice was soft, amused.

’You didn’t kill her.’

Adam’s response was calm. ’She’s more useful alive. The bandits will spread the word. By the time anyone comes looking for revenge, we’ll be long gone.’

Lilith’s fingers tightened on his.

’Clever.’

They walked out of the clearing, leaving the bodies behind, the silence broken only by the soft crunch of boots on stone.

Behind them, Selena knelt in the blood-soaked dirt, cradling her severed hand, her amber eyes fixed on the figure disappearing into the shadows.

The last of the bandits groaned, bleeding out on the cold ground.

[Multiple Bandits Defeated!]

[Approximately 15 Enemies Eliminated]

[+450 EXP | +360 EP]

[+15 Souls Acquired]

[Crown of the Hollow Glutton: 300 → 315]

Adam glanced at the system notifications scrolling across his vision, then blinked as a thought struck him.

"Oh, right. I should have asked about that flower."

Isolde, still wiping the last traces of blood from her lips, glanced at him with a raised brow beneath her hood. "The Plecotva bloom?"

Adam nodded. "Yeah. Is it really for medicine? Or were they lying about that too?"

Isolde shook her head slowly, her crimson hair shifting beneath the hood. "No. That part was true. But it’s not medicine in the way they implied." She paused, her pale eyes thoughtful. "The Plecotva bloom is an alchemical reagent. It can permanently increase a person’s mana reserves. Not by much but for someone already powerful, that difference can be significant."

Lilith’s crimson eyes gleamed with sudden interest. Her voice was soft, almost purring.

"A flower that increases mana permanently? How intriguing. I would like to see it."

Adam’s lips curved into a faint smile. "Then we’ll look for it if we get the chance. But first..." He turned his gaze toward the path leading out of the clearing, toward the distant haze of smoke that marked the outskirts of Kaelthar. "First, we find an inn. Somewhere to clean up and rest before we meet this merchant."

Ignis bounced ahead, her flames flickering with renewed energy despite the recent carnage.

"Food first! Definitely food first!"

Lilith’s laughter drifted through the air, soft and musical.

"As always, Ignis, your priorities are... consistent."

Kaelthar emerged from the landscape like a scar. There were no walls, and no guards were visible. Just buildings, wooden, stone, and some just small huts, clustered together in a chaotic mess. Smoke billowed from chimneys, and the smell of cooking meat mingled with something less pleasant, something that reminded Adam of the depths of a dungeon.

Ignis wrinkled her nose. "It smells like... people. Lots of people."

Lilith’s lips curved. "That’s usually what a city smells like, Ignis."

Adam’s eyes swept the streets. People moved in the shadows, their faces hidden, their steps hurried. A few glanced at the group and quickly looked away.

"No one’s staring," Adam observed. "That’s... interesting."

Isolde pulled her hood lower. "In Kaelthar, staring gets you noticed. And being noticed gets you killed." She gestured toward a narrow side street. "The inns are that way. The better ones, anyway."

They followed her lead, weaving through back alleys and past buildings that seemed to lean toward each other like drunken conspirators. Finally, they stopped before a structure that looked slightly more reputable than its neighbors, a wooden sign depicting a sleeping fox, its tail wrapped around a tankard.

"The Sleeping Fox," Lilith read aloud. "Charming."

Adam pushed open the door.

The common room was dim, lit by a few sputtering oil lamps and a fire that had burned down to embers. A handful of patrons sat at scattered tables, nursing drinks, their faces carefully blank. The innkeeper, a stout woman with iron-grey hair and suspicious eyes, looked up from polishing a glass.

"We need rooms," Adam said, approaching the bar. "Two."

The innkeeper’s gaze swept over them, their luxurious attire and the blood still drying on some of their clothes. Her expression remained unchanged.

"Two silver a night. Pay upfront."

Adam reached into his pouch and placed the coins on the counter. The innkeeper swept them into her palm, then gestured toward a narrow staircase at the back of the room.

"First door on the left. That’s the big one, fits three." Her eyes flicked to Isolde. "Second door on the right. Smaller. For one."

Ignis bounded toward the stairs. "I call the big one!"

Lilith’s serene smile didn’t waver. "Of course you do."

Adam glanced at Isolde, who had already turned and was walking stiffly toward the smaller room without a word. The door clicked shut behind her.

Ignis had already claimed the larger room, sprawling across the bed with her flames flickering contentedly. Lilith drifted to a chair by the window, her silver-threaded gown pooling around her. Adam stood in the doorway for a moment, looking at the two of them, then turned.

"I’m going downstairs. Need to ask about Croft."

Lilith’s crimson eyes followed him. "Be careful."

Adam nodded and descended the stairs.

The innkeeper was still behind the bar, polishing the same glass.

"Something else?" she asked.

Adam leaned against the counter. "What do you know about Alistair Croft?"

The woman’s hands stilled for just a fraction of a second before resuming their motion.

"Never heard of him."

Adam’s lips curved. "Everyone in Kaelthar has heard of him."

The innkeeper set down the glass and met his gaze. Her eyes were hard, calculating.

"You’re not from here."

"No."

"And you’re not just passing through."

"Not exactly."

She studied him for a long moment, then shrugged.

"Croft’s office is in the merchant district. Three streets over, turn left at the fountain with the broken angel, then right at the tannery. Can’t miss it. Big building, lots of guards." She picked up another glass. "But he doesn’t see just anyone. You’ll need an appointment. Or a very good reason."

Adam’s smile widened. "I have both."

Adam reached into his pouch and placed a silver coin on the counter, sliding it toward her.

"Thanks for the directions."

The innkeeper’s gaze flicked to the coin, then back to his face. She didn’t touch it.

"Be careful, stranger. Kaelthar eats the careless for breakfast."

Adam didn’t look back.

"Yeah."

A few hours later, as the sun began to set, Adam stood before the door of Isolde’s room. He raised his hand, hesitated, then knocked.

"Isolde. We’re going to see Croft."

Silence. Then the door opened a crack. Her pale eye, visible through the gap, was wary.

"Alone?"

Adam shrugged. "Lilith and Ignis are resting. You’re the one who knows this place."

Isolde stared at him for a moment, then opened the door wider.

She was wearing the gown they had bought together at the market—a soft, pale blue dress with delicate lace trim at the sleeves and hem. The fabric flowed like water around her slender frame, catching the fading light from the window. A satin ribbon cinched her waist, tied in a small, neat bow. Her crimson hair was loose, falling over her shoulders in soft waves, and her face, bare of the hood’s shadow, looked younger than Adam remembered.

For a moment, Adam simply stared. Then he cleared his throat.

"That dress... it suits you."

Isolde’s pale cheeks flushed faintly. She looked away, tugging at the ribbon self-consciously.

"Don’t... don’t say things like that." Her voice was quiet, almost shy. "You’re the one who bought it. It would be a waste not to wear it."

Adam’s lips curved into a small smile.

"Fair enough."

She stepped past him into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind her. The gown swirled around her ankles as she moved, and Adam caught a faint hint of her scent, sweet, like honey, mixed with floral.

"Fine." She stepped past him into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind her. "But you have to give me your blood."

Adam’s lips twitched. "I figured you’d say that."