Chapter 172

  Ways of the Wild (IV)

  The inside of the barracks was actually much better than the somewhat rundown exterior--the central hall housed six wooden tables, each with long benches at the sides with some kind of fur as cushioning. Additionally, columns holding up the upper floor each had either a torch or a lantern lit up, making it rather bright.

  Beyond the tables, pressed into the central chimney that swept through the entire building, was a massive hearth--arched, wide, and tall. The crackling of the fire could be heard as soon as we entered the building, as could the immediate change in the temperature be felt.

  We went from fairly chilly to almost wanting to take off my robes with how hot it got.

  And it was beautiful.

  If only I could take a nice little nap by the fireplace... ah, how beautiful that would be.

  "Capt'n," Zhu led us over to the one table that wasn't empty. There were four people there in total--three men and a woman.

  The man they called 'Captain' was obvious immediately--he was the tallest and the oldest one, with a bear pelt hung over his wide shoulders, his rather hairy chest fully exposed, and a beard covering half his face as though a mask.

  "Who are they, Big Fatty?" the woman asked, appearing curious. She looked to be the youngest, though that wasn't saying much; if her hair ever had any color, it has long since lost it, having turned as white as snow. Wrinkles covered her face, and even seated, I could tell she was hunched.

  "Newcomers," Zhu replied. "Passin' through, they say."

  "Brave little urchins."

  "Or stupid, eh?"

  "Ha ha ha."

  "Suppose you'll want a room." Capt'n--dammit, Captain--spoke up, immediately silencing everyone. His voice was rather... dreary.

  "We can pay," I said.

  "No need. Plenty of empty rooms to be found. Take 'em to the old Izah's."

  ... Izah? That's... a strange name.

  "Yes, Capt'n."

  "Right--you folk spot anything unusual on the way up?" the captain asked.

  "No, nothing unusual," I said. "Just the gray rock and the howling of the animals."

  "Hm. How long are ye' staying?"

  "Just a day or two," I said. "We can chip in with some food."

  "Much appreciated."

  Though the conversation is going, there's just something... off about the man.

  I can't really pin it to anything specific--it's like that gut feeling that you get when meeting someone for the first time, and though they seem nice and cordial and all that jazz, there's just something about them that sets off all your alarms and has your brain screaming at you, 'RUN BITCH, RUN!'

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  It's not to the point where I want to run, but it is to the point that I'm reminded of a nifty tool that I've neglected for a long while--since there's been nobody to use it on... the eyes.

  [--Creator's Eyes used]

  [Target: ???]

  [...]

  [Anomaly detected]

  [Spend 150 CP to view the info?]

  ... do I have a choice?

  I don't, right? Thus, I spent 150 points to see what ungodly thing I've just met...

  [150 CP used]

  [...]

  [Target: ??? -- Thrall]

  [Age: Unknown]

  [Talent: Unknown]

  [Cultivation Realm: Peak Inner World (Temporary / False / Forced)]

  [Cultivation Method: None]

  [Cultivation Arts: None]

  [...]

  [Traits]

  [Thrall (Primordial) -- an empty husk of a Greater Being, bound to the will of their Master. Their entire identity has been wiped clean, their memories destroyed, and their knowledge burned. They exist for the sole purpose of adhering to their Master's commands. The bond can never be broken, and if the Master dies, so does the Thrall]

  [Weak (Rare) -- has recently engaged in Bloodfeeding; currently experiencing a moment of weakness]

  [...]

  [Assessing Suitability...]

  [...]

  [Anomalous creature detected; though no special physique or bloodline is present, parts of the Master's blood reside within the Thrall, revealing them]

  [Master's Bloodline, 'Blood Jade Lineage']

  [Blood Jade Lineage (Primordial) -- a bloodline that can only ever have one inheritor. Most doubt its very existence, as the Bearers seldom revealed themselves, preferring the shadows and the dark of the night. Those few who know of it doubt that it is even of this plane...]

  [...]

  [Recommendation: Thrall's condition cannot be remedied by anything or anyone; even the Emperors and Empresses could only end the creature's life as to end its suffering]

  [...]

  [Final assessment: an empty, soulless husk that is a proxy for the orders of its Master. It has no will of its own, and it cannot be saved. What perhaps once was a promising life is now merely a torturous death...]

  Huh.

  Of course.

  Of course it just had to be something insane. I mean, why not? I haven't had anything insane happen in, oh, a couple of weeks now, so of course this random guy is some soulless husk whose master is apparently, what, a freakin' vampire, right? Or, at least something similar to it.

  Haah.

  Why do I do these things? I mean, it's good that I know so that we can jet the hell out of this place as quickly as possible, but also... would it really have hurt me to not know?

  ... no, I had to learn. What if he went after the kids? Hell, they still might come after the kids. Long Tao probably sensed that something's wrong, but since he hasn't brought it up, neither will I.

  "This way," Big Fatty--I mean, Zhu led us out and around the barracks toward the eastern edge, where the buildings weren't as rundown. "Here," he paused in front of a particularly decent one--I mean, it still had its roof, so, you know?

  "Thank you," I said, gently nodding.

  "No problem," the old man waved it away with a laugh. "We eat at dawn, if you'd like to join."

  [--Creator's Eyes used]

  [Target: Q'lath Vont]

  [...]

  [Error]

  [Target is far too strong for the Host to inspect]

  ... yeah.

  How come my alarm bells didn't ring out because of him? Is he really that good at eluding common sense?! Apparently...

  Anyway, there was nothing for me to do outside, so we quickly went in to hide from the cold and the rapidly falling night. Rather than spreading out into various rooms, we huddled in the central one by the fireplace, where we quickly started one. Before long, the old monster sat by my side while the kids strategically dispersed, as though it was preplanned.

  "Quite a curious place, isn't it?" he said vaguely, and I immediately had a bad feeling.

  "We're not staying," I said. "We need to get the hell away from here as quickly as possible."

  "... why?"

  "That may yet be the dumbest question you've ever asked."

  "I'm hurt, Master," he feigned a hurt expression, pulling back slightly. Look at that. The old monster can joke... "Are you afraid?"

  "No."

  "Oh."

  "I'm terrified."

  "... that's more like it."

  "Not for myself," I added. "But the kids."

  "The kids will be fine," Long Tao shrugged. "Besides, you might want to stay after you hear what I have to say." ...oh no. "Well, not me, but my father." Double Oh no. "If you boil and eat the heart of the bloodsucker," he said. "You can obtain a secondary bloodline called 'Eternal Blood'. Supposedly, it makes healing pills redundant and can even mimic heavenly elixirs under the right circumstances..."

  ... this moron is suggesting we kill probably the strongest person we've met so far and then eat his heart?

  One day.

  One day I will smack him across the back of his head and laugh really hard about it.

  One day.