Anna took several monts before answering my question. As I waited, I studied her. In my mind, an image of the briar maiden overlapped with her current form. The two looked nothing alike.
As a briar maiden, Anna looked like a beautiful and sensual seductress. Everything about her was designed to attract humans, so she could better prey on them. From her looks, to her scent, to the air of danger that surrounded her.
As a human, Anna looked muscular and tomboyish. While I considered her the most beautiful woman in the world, I recognized that most people didn't share my tastes.
Of course, there were many similarities between Anna in this life, and Anna in her previous life. Her callous disregard for human life, her predatory drive, her insatiable lust. While her outer form differed, she remained the sa person on the inside.
It didn't bother that I fell in love with a literal monster. I remained as captivated by her as I was back in our previous lives. Everything about her drew to her, even across two lifetis. Perhaps that made a madman, but I didn't care.
"It was the Wandering Witch," Anna said, pulling out of my thoughts. "While she looks sowhat different now than she had back then, I'm almost certain it was her."
I stared at her in disbelief.
"What do you an?" I asked.
"After you died," Anna said, her expression faltering. "The Wandering Witch appeared before . She said that since you made the right choice, she wanted to reward you. However, since you were unable to speak for yourself, I could choose the reward in your place." She looked in the eyes. "At her suggestion, I chose for both of us to be reborn, so that we could be together."
I took a deep breath to maintain my composure. Anna's words revealed a lot.
"So it was her after all," I said. "Everything makes sense now. I saw her as well back then, in Mirktown. She was the one who told that a group of adventurers went out to hunt you. She offered a choice. Help you, even if it ant killing other humans, or stay back and let you die. She said she would reward if I made the right choice."
Anna and I looked at each other for several long monts.
"So," Anna said in a neutral tone. "The Wandering Witch's interest in you began long before you beca Gabriel Sturm."
I nodded.
"And I'm starting to realize why," I said. "She wants to beco… Well, not a god. A being on the sa level. A Sovereign."
Anna frowned.
"A Sovereign?" she asked. "What's that?"
I shrugged.
"I'm not entirely sure myself," I said. "It's different from being a god, though I don't know the specifics on how."
"But why? What's her goal?"
I sighed.
"You're guess is as good as mine," I said. "Maybe because she's bored? From what I recall, she wanted to make the more entertaining choice. At least, her words implied as such."
Anna nodded.
"The sa with ."
I let out a sound that was sowhere between a laugh and a sigh, filled with exasperation and resignation. At this point, I was too numb to Nox's antics to get angry anymore.
If anything, I felt grateful towards her. Regardless of her motivation, she was the reason why Anna and I could be together in this lifeti.
"What now?" I asked.
Anna tilted her head, before she gave a predatory smile.
"Isn't it obvious?" she asked in a low, dangerous voice.
A thrill ran down my spine.
"You know that's not what I ant," I said. "I ant—"
"I know what you ant," Anna said, cutting off. "And right now, I don't care. We have more important matters to discuss."
She took a step forward. I took a step back.
"Really?" I asked. "Here?"
"Why not here?" Anna asked. "I an, that's what you built this place for. Why not put it to good use, after all this ti?"
Anna took another step forward. I took a step back, feeling like a mouse toyed with by a cat.
"Is that all you care about?" I demanded, feigning anger. "Are you nothing more than a beast, driven by lust?"
Anna tilted her head to the side. There was sothing distinctly inhuman about the gesture. Maybe it was the expression on her face, or the look in her eyes, but for so reason Anna resembled a briar maiden in that mont.
"Of course I am," she said. "While my body is human, my soul is a monster's. Rember?" She took another step forward. "And you are my prey."
I moved away from her, until my back hit a wall. I was trapped, with nowhere to go. Anna smiled when she saw this. For a mont, it almost seed as if her mouth was filled with sharp teeth.
"You could always fight back," Anna said, stalking closer to . "Maybe you'll even win." She chuckled. "But you won't."
"You don't know that," I said, my voice weak.
Anna chuckled.
"Of course I do," she said. "You never fight back against , except to make things interesting. Otherwise, you would've fought back the first ti I caught you."
Soon, Anna stood right in front of . She placed her arms on either side of my head, trapping .
"In my defense, I was wounded at the ti."
Anna snorted.
"Then why did you co back?" she asked. "I let you go. I gave you a chance to walk away. You're the one who returned." She looked right in the eyes. "You gave yourself to . You're mine, now and forever. Not even death can keep us apart." She leaned forward to kiss on my lips, before whispering in my ear. "My foolish and beautiful human."
In that mont, any semblance of restraint or caution within snapped, like a thread. Anna and I collided, two beasts intent on devouring one another. We stripped each other of everything, before crashing onto the bed.
mories of my past life mingle with this one, until I could no longer tell who I was, my past self or my current self. At the sa ti, Anna the briar maiden and Anna the human rged together in my mind.
Soon, I stopped thinking altogether.
Anna and I finished several hours later. We collapsed onto the bed, breathing hard. I was covered in scratches and bite marks, which stung every ti I moved. Despite that, I felt euphoric. Satisfaction filled , like the cat that got the cream.
The two of us felt exhausted, but we forced ourselves to rise and get dressed. As much as both of us wanted to fall asleep and rest, we couldn't. It would take us several hours to get back to the others. If we left now, we'd arrive before dawn.
So, Anna and I trudged back to the camp. It was completely dark by this point. Despite this, the two of us navigated through Mirkvale Forest with ease. Anna, in her past life, used to live here.
anwhile, in my past life, I spent enough ti in Mirkvale Forest that I beca sothing of an expert on the place. In fact, I earned a bit of a reputation for myself.
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When Anna and I made it back to the camp, dawn was just a few hours away. Leroy greeted us when we made it back. The others had grown worried about us, since we had been gone for so long, that they decided to set up a watch. If we hadn't returned by dawn, they would've set out to find us.
After assuring Leroy that we were alright, Anna and I went back to our tent, where we promptly fell asleep. We didn't even bother changing our clothes.
The others woke us up just a few minutes later. At least, that's what it felt like.
Exhausted, Anna and I broke camp with the others and headed back towards Mirktown. The others gave us knowing looks, as if they knew what we had been up to. Cally and Priest Jai seed annoyed, Priestess Natille bead at us, and Leroy appeared neutral on the matter. Roxie, as a newcor and an outsider, just looked confused.
Despite our exhaustion, we made good ti on our way back to Mirktown. Thanks to Anna's guidance, we traveled much faster than we had when Roxie led us. She looked downtrodden when she realized that Anna knew Mirkvale Forest better than she did.
Even with Anna's guidance, it still took us about a day to return to Mirktown. It was evening when we arrived. At that point, I wanted nothing more than to head back to the inn and fall asleep. However, Guildmaster Gale intercepted us before we could make it to Mirkvale Undertown.
"We need to talk," he said, a serious expression on his face.
We hadn't seen much of Guildmaster Gale after our first day in town. He kept busy running the Mirkvale Adventurers Guild, while we spent most of our ti trawling through Mirkvale Forest. Even so, he sent us regular updates about the team of adventurers we had hired.
If he took the effort to et us in person, then sothing serious must've happened.
I glanced at my companions, before I sighed.
"Lead the way, Guildmaster Gale," I said in a tired voice.
Guildmaster Gale nodded, before heading to the Mirkvale Adventurers Guild. We followed along. As before, he brought us to his cramped office. Anna and I entered, though this ti we brought Roxie along. It seed prudent, considering the circumstances.
Anna sat in the only chair, while Roxie and I stood next to her.
"This is regarding the matter we discussed before," Guildmaster Gale said as soon as we closed the door to his office. "Are you sure you want Roxie to hear about this?"
Anna and I nodded.
"She's involved in the matter," I said.
Guildmaster Gale blinked at in surprise, before he gave Roxie a questioning look.
"Let's just say that I'm on his side now," Roxie said, gesturing to .
Guildmaster Gale studied her for a mont, before he shrugged.
"Fine by ," he said. "It's your business."
The guildmaster pulled a map from within his desk and placed it on the surface.
"My people returned to town yesterday with so news," he said. "They found a building in Mirkvale Forest. I don't know if it's the base you're looking for, but it seems related to the demon worshipers you're after."
He tapped a mark on the map, a mark which coincided with the location of one of the outposts that Roxie told us about. When I saw this, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"It's occupied by about a dozen people," Guildmaster Gale continued. "According to my people, it looks like the demon worshipers are capturing monsters." He grimaced. "It appears that you were right, Lord Gabriel. The demon worshipers are making fiends. At least, that's the most likely reason."
I an, that wasn't inaccurate. The Order of the Infernal Star was making fiends. However, they weren't turning monsters into fiends. Instead, they were creating human/monster hybrids, and turning those into fiends.
"So, how do you want to handle this, Lord Gabriel?" Guildmaster Gale asked. "You hired my people, so they're at your disposal for the remainder of your ti here in the Mirkvale region."
I took a mont to compose myself.
"Good," I said. "Considering what we're dealing with, we'll need all the help we can get."
With that, I pulled out the map that Roxie marked out for us, the one with the locations for all of the outposts.
"These are all enemy outposts within Mirkvale Forest," I said. "They exist to act as eyes and ears for the main enemy base, as well as to capture monsters for the vile experints they're running."
Guildmaster Gale stared at the map for several long monts, before he looked up at with an astonished expression on his face.
I'll admit, I felt so petty satisfaction when I saw it. I was exhausted and the man had kept from my bed. In his defense, he had good reason to, but still.
"Where did you get all this?" Guildmaster Gale asked, astonished.
I gestured to Roxie.
"It turned out that Roxie here worked for the demon worshipers," I said. "After we captured her, we gained quite a lot of information about them."
Guildmaster Gale narrowed his eyes at .
"Excuse ?" he asked, an edge to his voice. "Is that so kind of joke?"
I shook my head.
"No," I said. "You can ask her yourself."
Guildmaster Gale turned his gaze towards Roxie. She nodded without saying a word.
"You!"
Guildmaster Gale stood up, his expression contorted with fury. He clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. The air in the cramped office stirred in response to his anger. Not that I blad him. I an, the man just found out that one of his people was a traitor.
Roxie faced the guildmaster without flinching, though I noticed a trace of guilt in her eyes.
"Easy now, Guildmaster," Anna said. "As Gabriel said, she's on his side now."
Guildmaster Gale turned his gaze towards .
"How do you know you can trust her?" he asked. "She just admitted to being a demon worshiper!"
I gave him a small smile.
"We have our ways," I said. "Roxie wouldn't dare betray . Her life is in my hands, and she knows it."
Roxie sighed and nodded.
Guildmaster Gale scrutinized for a bit, before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down. When he opened them again, I saw a sharpness in them that hadn't been present before.
"Very well," he said. "I shall trust your word, Lord Gabriel. However, if she steps out of line, I will kill her myself. Understand?"
I nodded.
Still standing, Guildmaster Gale looked down at the map and tapped it.
"There are a lot of these outposts," he said. "It's a wonder that no one has ever found them before."
"If they had, perhaps they were silenced," I said. "Given how dangerous Mirkvale Forest is, no one would've suspected a thing."
Guildmaster Gale grimaced.
"As you can see," I said. "There are far too many outposts for and my companions to handle on our own. We would like your assistance in dealing with them. Not just your people, but you yourself, Guildmaster."
As a Fifth Star martial artist, Guildmaster Gale was capable of unleashing a devastating amount of destruction. He could destroy a large number of the outposts all on his own. Plus, he was powerful enough to fly, so he didn't need to trek through Mirkvale Forest on foot.
"I'm anable to that," Guildmaster Gale said. "Though it'll cost you to hire . I don't co cheap."
I gave him a wide smile.
"Don't worry about that, Guildmaster," I said. "The Church of the Sun owes us a substantial amount of funds and resources, though they're dragging their feet thanks to so obstinate fools. Send them the invoice, and I'll make sure they pay it. In fact, since we're dealing with a large number of demon worshipers, why not let them pay for this entire operation?"
If it weren't for those assholes being stubborn and holding things up, we would've had our own people to deal with this situation. It's only right that they pay.
"Very well," Guildmaster Gale said, smiling at in return. However, his smile faded away. "That said, I'm concerned. I'll have to mobilize every adventurer in the area to deal with these outposts. However, most of my people have never traveled that deep into Mirkvale Forest. I'm afraid that they'll fall to monsters before they even make it to their destinations."
I made a dismissive gesture.
"Don't worry about that," I said. "While we lack manpower, for now, we have other advantages. We'll handle transporting everyone. You'll see what I an tomorrow."
Guildmaster Gale nodded.
"In that case, I leave it up to you, Lord Gabriel."
We finalized the details with Guildmaster Gale, before we left his office. My companions and I headed towards the inn. When we arrived, I resisted the urge to head to bed and gathered everyone for a short eting.
Anna and I gave everyone a summary of our discussion with Guildmaster Gale.
"You want to use the Vanguard of Vengeance?" Cally asked.
I nodded.
"We might as well," I said. "We know where the enemy base is. Even if they try to run, they won't get very far. And that's assuming they do run. I'm sure the base is well-protected."
I glanced at Roxie, who nodded.
"The man in charge is equivalent to a Fifth Circle wizard," she said. " The base is protected by several layers of defensive enchantnts and runic circles. Not only that, but they have a lot of monsters, fiends, and others like at their disposal."
I nodded.
"I suspected as much," I said. "Hopefully my mother will be back by that point. With her help, we should be able to deal with the enemy base with ease." I glanced at Leroy. "I'm sorry to do this, since I know you're as tired as everyone else, but I need you for a task."
Leroy nodded.
"What is your command, my lord?" he asked.
"Take the personal transport and go to the Vanguard of Vengeance," I said. "Tell Captain Aleah to bring it here."
Of course, since she said that she would keep a watch over , there was a good chance that she knew already.
"Yes, my lord. I'll leave right away."
"Thank you." I looked to the others. "As for the rest of you, get so rest. We're going to have a busy day tomorrow."
Cally snorted.
"You say that as if we're not busy every day," she said.
That earned her a chuckle from everyone.
"Fair enough," I said. "Anyway, go to bed."
With that, everyone dispersed. I talked with the innkeeper and rented out a room for Roxie, before heading to my own room. Anna was already there, waiting for . I cleaned myself up, climbed into bed, and fell asleep in my fiancée's arms.
Tomorrow, we would take the fight to the Order of the Infernal Star.
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