Later that evening, Cally brought the rest of us to the tavern where she t Roxie yesterday. Before we left, she gave us a brief rundown of what happened after I humiliated her in public.
I cringed when I thought back to that mont and made a ntal note to make it up to Cally. She agreed to it in the first place, but I still felt bad.
Or maybe I was just being a bleeding heart.
After I slapped Cally and left, she trudged her way to the tavern and spent the next few hours drinking. Roxie showed up and said so words of comfort, before making her offer again. This ti, Cally accepted.
All she had to do was bring to the tavern. After that, Roxie would handle the rest.
Our group attracted a lot of looks when we arrived. Many of the patrons looked confused when they saw us. However, a fair number gave dirty looks. By this point, they had heard a lot about from Cally.
As always, the tavern was a rough place with a muddy floor. The sll of sweat and beer lingered in the air. I had been to this place several tis before. However, to keep up my spoiled House scion act, I covered my nose and mouth with a handkerchief.
As for the others, they looked around with disgusted expressions on their faces. I didn't know if they were acting, or if they were revealing their true feelings about this place.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" I asked in a disgusted voice.
"Yes, my lord," Cally said in a subservient tone. "The woman I told you about is here."
I snorted.
"You better hope that her information is worthwhile," I said. "Otherwise, you'll suffer more than a re broken bone."
Cally hesitated, before nodding.
"Yes, my lord."
Before we ca here, Cally told us about Roxie's plan to ambush us. It was rather simple. She would et with us and make a tempting offer. Once I took the bait, she would lead us to a secluded part of Mirkvale Forest, where we would be ambushed.
Cally led us through the tavern and towards a private room in the back. We found Roxie waiting for us inside. She gave us a cheerful wave when we opened the door. If I hadn't witnessed her conversation with Cally yesterday, I would've found it difficult to believe that she planned on luring us into an ambush.
"Lord Gabriel," Roxie said in a bright tone. "We et again. Please, co in. I know this isn't your usual type of place, but I promise you that my information is well worth the trip."
"It had better be," I said in a cold voice. "I can feel the air of this place dirtying my lungs."
"Oh, believe ," Roxie said. "This is a life changing opportunity."
I resisted the urge to snort.
The private room wasn't large, so Cally and I entered by ourselves while the others stood guard outside. There wasn't much furniture. Just a rickety wooden table, a few wooden chairs, and so crude glowstone lamps. I saw a window in the corner, but it was covered in so much gri that it blended in with the wall.
"Would you like a drink, Lord Gabriel?" Roxie offered after Cally and I sat down.
"No. I doubt I could stomach the swill that this place serves. Let's get this over with." I gestured to Cally. "My retainer tells that you're willing to sell so information."
If Roxie found my attitude offensive, she didn't let it show. Instead, she just gave a mysterious smile.
"But of course," she said. "However, before I tell you, there is the matter of my fee."
I sneered at her.
"If your information is as interesting as my retainer claims, I will pay you. However, if not, you'll earn a beating instead."
Roxie gave a put upon look.
"Now, now, Lord Gabriel," she said. "Don't be like that. I'm a simple adventurer, trying to make a living in this cruel and harsh world. What's to stop you from taking my information and leaving without paying? You're so far above that I wouldn't be able to stop you."
I wanted to roll my eyes, but resisted the urge.
"In that case, how about this?" I asked. "We'll do the sa as before. I'll pay you half now. If your information is worth it, I'll pay the other half afterwards."
Roxie pretended to think about it for a mont, before nodding.
"That works for ," she said, before naming her price.
I paid half of it.
"Now, enough stalling," I said. "Tell , what is this opportunity you speak of?"
Roxie pretended to look around, before leaning in closer towards .
"Do you know what a briar maiden is, Lord Gabriel?" she asked in a conspiratorial tone.
I frowned at her.
"I've heard of them, yes. They're one of the most dangerous monsters in Mirkvale Forest, if not the most dangerous. However, I've never encountered one before."
Which I found a little odd. We had been here for a little while, and fought all kinds of different monsters, but hadn't encountered a briar maiden yet. Perhaps they lived deeper in the forest.
"You are correct," Roxie said, leaning back. "They are one of the most dangerous monsters in Mirkvale Forest. However, with the right preparations, it's possible to kill them with minimal risk." She gave a conspiratorial smile. "Or even capture them."
I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Capture?" I asked.
Roxie nodded.
"I know the location of a briar maiden," she said. "She's about a day's journey from here. There are plenty of minor nobles, and even House scions, who would be interested in getting their hands on her. This is an opportunity for both of us to earn a lot of coin."
I snorted.
"Why would anyone want to have a briar maiden?" I asked.
Roxie shrugged, before grinning at .
"Well, briar maidens are beautiful," she said. "It's difficult to resist them, and that's before they use their entrancing scent on people. That's one of the reasons why they're so dangerous. So people want to experience sleeping with a briar maiden without risking their lives."
I shook my head.
"How vulgar," I said. "Who in their right mind would want to sleep with a monster?"
For so reason, I felt a little guilty when I said that.
"That's none of my business," Roxie said, shaking her head. "All I care about is getting paid for a job well done. What happens after that is not my concern." She leaned in closer again. "So, what do you say? Interested?"
I stood up.
"This has been a waste of ti," I said. "I'm not interested in capturing a briar maiden and selling her to the highest bidder. It sounds difficult, dangerous, and not worth the effort." I gave Cally a sharp look. "I'll deal with you when we return to the inn."
This was all an act, of course. I didn't want to appear too eager to accept Roxie's offer, otherwise she might get suspicious of us. I needed to reject her at least once.
Now, how would she try to persuade to stay?
I made it two steps towards the door before Roxie called out to .
"Don't you want to make a na for yourself?" she asked.
I paused, before looking back at her.
"Excuse ?" I asked, an edge to my voice.
"Ever since you arrived," Roxie said. "I always wondered why soone like you would co to a place like this. It's clear that you don't need the money. However, after thinking about it, I realized that the answer was obvious. You're trying to earn a reputation for yourself, aren't you?" She shrugged. "I don't know why, but I'm guessing you're trying to raise your status within House Sturm."
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I an, that wasn't what I was going for, but this still worked for my purposes. Sotis, it was best to let your opponent fill in the blanks for you. It made them feel clever, thus lowering their guard.
I scrutinized Roxie for several long monts. She looked back at with a calm and composed expression on her face. As for Cally, she looked between the two of us with a nervous expression on her face.
"Has anyone ever told you that being too clever is dangerous?" I asked.
Roxie smirked.
"I've heard it a few tis before," she said. "So, do you still want to walk away? Or are you willing to give a chance?"
I stood there for a few monts, before I walked over and sat back down.
"You want money," I said. "So capturing this briar maiden benefits you. How would it benefit ?"
Roxie pretended to think it over.
"Well, I already have a list of clients who are interested in acquiring a briar maiden," she said. "This list includes a scion from a House almost as prominent as House Sturm. You could form a connection with this scion, which would help you with your own House."
Hmm, she made a good point. Assuming she was telling the truth, this situation would benefit a House scion looking to make a na for themselves and raise their status within their House.
For soone like , this presented a different kind of opportunity. Not too long ago, my family beca aware of a hidden organization that had infiltrated a number of Houses, including House Sturm. However, dealing with this hidden organization was proving difficult, since they excelled at hiding their tracks.
My family suspected that this hidden organization had ties with the Order of the Infernal Star. It might even be the Order of the Infernal Star. However, we knew so little about the hidden organization that it was difficult to tell for sure.
Capturing Roxie might be the key to changing all of that.
We already knew that she was suspicious. If she was truly a part of the Order of the Infernal Star, and if she truly did have connections with minor nobles and House scions, then capturing her would help my family.
And that was on top of helping us find the enemy base located here in Mirkvale Forest.
Still, we wouldn't know for sure until we captured Roxie and figured out what she knew.
All these thoughts passed through my mind in the blink of an eye.
"Which scion of which House?" I asked.
Roxie shook her head.
"You'll have to wait until after we capture the briar maiden," she said. "My clients value discretion, this client in particular. If I told you, I'd be betraying them."
I narrowed my eyes at her.
"I could force you to tell ," I said.
"You could try," Roxie admitted. "However, if you do, you'll lose the opportunity to make a valuable connection. My clients are a particular sort. They'll only deal with people they trust."
I put on a thoughtful expression.
"Who are you?," I asked. "You're no simple adventurer. Otherwise, how would you have minor nobles and House scions as clients?"
Roxie gave a playful smile.
"Well, a girl has got to have a few secrets," she said. "Who knows? If things work out, maybe you'll discover a few of mine." Her smile faded away and she gave a serious look. "Now then, do you accept my offer or not? Choose wisely. This is a once in a lifeti opportunity, Lord Gabriel."
I put on a conflicted expression as I pretended to think it over. Roxie waited with a patient expression on her face, while Cally looked anxious.
Several minutes later, I pulled out the other half of Roxie's fee and placed it on the table. She grinned when she saw it.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Lord Gabriel," she said, taking the money and putting it away. "I look forward to working with you."
"We'll see," I said. "If everything works out, perhaps I'll end up becoming one of your clients."
Roxie smiled at that.
"Now, wouldn't that be interesting, Lord Gabriel?"
The next morning, my companions and I headed into Mirkvale Forest with Roxie guiding us. This surprised . I expected her to bring so friends of her own. After all, she was leading us into an ambush.
This either ant that her friends were already waiting for us at a preplanned location, or she planned on ambushing us by herself. I suspected it was the forr rather than the latter.
Roxie was a Third Rank Awakened. Unless she was hiding her true power, which was possible, there was no way she'd be able to take us on all by herself.
Either way, I remained vigilant. While I was confident that we could handle anything Roxie threw at us, a little caution never hurt. Underestimating one's opponent was a great way to get killed.
To that end, before we left Mirkvale, I gave Anna the Eyes of Truth. That way, if there were any invisible opponents, she'd be able to deal with them. As for , I didn't need the Eyes of Truth as much thanks to Spirit Sight.
Unfortunately, we only had the one pair since everyone, including Lord Dominic, had been focused on other things over the past few weeks. I made a ntal note to rectify this oversight. The ability to see through magical deceptions was invaluable.
The journey itself was slow going. Unlike Anna, Roxie didn't know how to travel through Mirkvale Forest with ease, so we trekked through it the hard way. This proved exhausting. Even I contributed, despite my spoiled House scion persona, to help ease everyone's burden.
All in all, I gained a greater appreciation for Anna's knowledge of Mirkvale Forest. I also beca more curious about how she acquired it in the first place.
By the ti evening fell and we set up camp for the night, all of us were dirty, tired, and sweaty. Magic helped a lot, but it couldn't take care of everything.
"Once we're done with this, I am never coming back to this gods forsaken place," I muttered under my breath.
Of course, I made sure to do so within earshot of Roxie.
"I don't know, Lord Gabriel," she said. "This place has a certain charm, doesn't it?"
I looked at her as if she were insane, since it fit my persona. However, on the inside, I agreed with her. I found Mirkvale Forest both familiar and comforting at this point. It was a dark and gloomy place that perpetually slled of damp earth and rotting vegetation, yet a part of liked the place.
As Roxie said, it had a certain charm. However, I kept that to myself.
"You are an odd person," I said instead.
Roxie shrugged.
"To each their own," she said.
As we set up camp, Cally put up several runic circles to ensure our privacy and protection. I "allowed" her to heal her broken arm yesterday, which made things easier. Even so, we still set up a watch rotation, just in case sothing happened.
To my surprise, the night passed by without incident. A part of suspected that Roxie would ambush us in the night, when we were exhausted and vulnerable, but she didn't.
The second day proved much the sa as the first, at least in the beginning. We trekked through Mirkvale Forest, forcing our way through the thick underbrush. However, at around mid-morning, Roxie called for a halt.
At least, I think it was mid-morning. The perpetual gloom made it difficult to keep track of ti in this place.
"Alright," Roxie said, keeping her voice low. "The briar maiden should be sowhere ahead. We're far enough away that she hasn't noticed our presence yet, but that will change once we draw closer. To avoid alerting her, it's best if we split up and approached her from different angles. That way, if she tries to run, we'll already have her surrounded."
Ah, was that her plan? Divide and conquer? It seed plausible.
"This doesn't seem like a wise idea," I said, frowning. "What if the briar maiden picks us off, one by one? She is a native to this area. We are not. She knows it better than us. We're at our strongest if we stay together."
For a brief mont, I caught a hint of disdain in Roxie's eyes. It appeared and disappeared so fast that I almost missed it.
"Well, do you have any other solutions?" she asked.
Cally held up a hand.
"I could put up a runic circle over the entire area to trap her," she said in a hesitant voice. "That way, she won't be able to run."
Roxie shook her head.
"That won't work either," she said. "A runic circle would take too long. The briar maiden would notice and either flee, or attack us before we're ready."
I frowned at her.
"Do you have any other suggestions then?" I asked.
Roxie frowned.
"Well, I do have one other idea," she said. "However, it's a risky one."
"What do you an?"
Roxie gestured towards .
"For so reason, briar maidens are attracted to beautiful n," she said. "If you used yourself as bait, perhaps we could lure her into a trap."
"Is this so kind of joke?" Anna asked in an offended tone. "You want to use our lord as bait?"
Roxie held up her hands in a placating gesture.
"It's just a suggestion," she said, sounding apologetic. "We don't have to go through with it." She paused. "However, it's one of our better options."
I found it ironic that Roxie, soone I baited into ambushing us, now wanted to use as bait in return. The universe had a twisted sense of humor.
"My lord, this is a terrible idea," Anna said, looking at . "In fact, this whole situation seems suspicious. I suggest we head back."
I debated with myself on whether to attack Roxie now and foil her ambush, or walk into it and see what happened. When I glanced at my companions' expressions, I saw no fear or hesitation. That made my choice easier.
"I'm fine either way," Roxie said with a shrug. "Lord Gabriel already paid . However, it would be a sha to walk away now. I an, we've already co this far."
I pretended to mull it over.
"Are you sure using as bait is the best idea?" I asked.
"My lord!" Anna said.
I silenced her with a look. She swallowed back her objections and remained silent. Afterwards, I looked back at Roxie.
"Well, I suppose we could set up a runic circle and herd the briar maiden into it," Roxie said. "However, who knows if she would fall for it? Briar maidens are intelligent monsters, after all."
I frowned, before nodding.
"Very well," I said. "I shall act as bait."
Roxie grinned.
"Excellent. For extra safety, I'll stick by your side. We can pretend to be a pair of adventurers who got lost."
"My lord!" Anna said. "Please reconsider."
I shook my head.
"I've already made up my mind," I said.
Anna shook her head with a frustrated expression on her face.
Together, we worked out the details of our plan. I would try and bait the briar maiden, with Roxie by my side, while my companions hid nearby. They would attack once I lured the briar maiden into position.
My companions went off to get into position, following Roxie's instructions, while I remained behind with the woman herself. After everyone left, she gestured in a specific direction.
"Shall we, Lord Gabriel?" she asked, a particular glint in her eyes.
I nodded.
"Lead the way." At the sa ti, I spoke with Aurora through our bond. 'Get ready.'
My familiar gave the ntal equivalent of a nod.
I followed Roxie as we headed towards the briar maiden. Less than a minute later, we ca across a grassy clearing. This one was much larger than the one where we fought the strangler vine. So much so that it created a break in the canopy above, allowing sunlight to shine down upon the clearing. After spending a day and a night in Mirkvale Forest, I found it blinding.
Once my eyes adjusted, I noticed that the clearing was empty.
"Where is the briar maiden?" I asked, frowning.
"Why, I'm right here, Lord Gabriel."
I whirled around to find Roxie giving a wicked smile. At the sa ti, a barrier ca into existence and surrounded the entire clearing, trapping in here with Roxie.
Finally.
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