Deka had an ability that could shield others and protect a whole village.
It is sothing invaluable in the long run.
And yet, Deka himself hadn’t realized his worth.
That’s the reason why Draven hadn’t beaten him in their fight.
Or even tried to kill him.
That wasn’t the goal.
Instead, he used their fights to push Deka.
He wanted him to question himself.
"Why did he not kill ?"
"Why was Gil protecting ?"
"Are Verdants really curses?"
He wanted him to make a choice himself.
Deka wasn’t just so pawn in the ga.
He had potential but was still hesitant.
He’s still bound.
That’s why Draven didn’t push too hard.
And that’s why he used Gil.
Gil is soone who could do what Draven couldn’t.
Change Deka’s heart.
Draven smirked; his eyes remained on Deka.
However, he suddenly rembered sothing he had forgotten about.
Draven’s gaze sharpened as he asked.
"Deka... who controlled the Magma Jackals to attack the villagers? I know it’s not Second or any Mad Clan mber."
Deka’s expression darkened.
"It’s Trabos. I have heard whispers before that he works for anyone as long as they can pay him."
Trabos wasn’t just so random rcenary.
If you had the Golds, Trabos would get the job done.
It didn’t matter who paid or who to kill.
Nobles.
Wealthy rchants.
Slave hunters.
And the most dangerous part?
He didn’t need to be present.
He only goes to places where he finds the tasks given to him interesting.
Draven raised an eyebrow.
"What’s his ability?"
Deka’s voice was steady.
"He’s a tar."
Draven blinked. "Oh, so he’s a pet lover."
Deka sighed. "Not exactly."
A tar could command his creatures from anywhere.
He didn’t just order them around.
He could enter their bodies.
He could see what they saw and sll what they slled.
He could attack anyone through them.
Draven’s smirk faded slightly.
"He can use the body of whatever he tas?"
Deka nodded. "Yes."
"That’s actually pretty cool."
Deka’s expression didn’t change.
"Not cool. Terrifying."
His next words made the entire room fall silent.
"Trabos can ta thousands of beasts. Maybe more. He has a Luminous I.D."
The room tensed.
Draven could feel the shift in the air.
Among the I.Ds, the Luminous was the strongest one.
Most of them beca heroes.
But Trabos is different.
He is a tar that could control not just one monster, but an entire army.
Hybrids, creatures beyond imagination...
If he could ta it, he could beco it.
Draven sighed, shaking his head.
"Alright, but can he ta a frog?"
Deka frowned. "...Yes."
Draven yawned. "
Damn, that’s scary. Anyway, I feel sleepy again. Ten days wasn’t enough."
Without waiting for a response, he stood up and walked toward the tent.
But just as he reached the exit, his hand shot up.
In one swift motion, he grabbed sothing from the ceiling.
A bird.
It struggled for a brief second before going still, in his grip.
"If he can control frogs. He can control birds too."
Draven lifted it, inspecting it.
"...This bird keeps looking at ."
He narrowed his eyes, bringing it closer.
Then, with a smirk, he muttered.
"Hey Trabos, are you there? Can I have one of your Jackals? I really want to pet one."
For a mont, nothing happened.
"Hey, what are you saying?" Naisha said.
The others were still confused.
"I can buy it if you want. Hmm... but I’ll have to borrow it first since I don’t have any money right now."
Suddenly, the bird’s body went limp.
Lifeless.
Dead in an instant.
The room beca silent.
Draven flicked the bird’s beak, unimpressed.
"Tch. Guess that answers my question."
Everyone was shocked, realizing they were being spied.
Draven chuckled.
"This is a bit complicated."
No matter where they hide, if Trabos can control even small animals, it will be difficult for them.
"Is there any way to know if soone or other animals are tad?"
Deka shook his head.
"I don’t know if there are marks or sothing that will show if they’re tad."
Draven shifted his gaze to Mother Venice.
"How about you, Madam?"
Mother Venice paused for a mont and thought.
"I cannot rember anything about taming. But I will read it again. Maybe there’s sothing that could’ve been written about it."
Draven nodded.
"For now, let’s be careful about what we say. Let’s just whisper to each other," he said with a grin.
Then, he leaned in close to Naisha, who had been silent the entire ti.
She narrowed her eyes.
"What are you doing?" she asked, suspicious.
Draven’s face was inches from hers.
"I’m going to tell you sothing. It’s important," he said, voice low.
Naisha hesitated.
Sothing felt off.
She studied his face.
Then it hit her.
’This bastard was ssing with again.’
Without another word, she stood up and walked away.
"Whatever. It’s already done anyway," she muttered.
Draven just smiled.
"Hey, I’m just joking."
—
Far away, on the outskirts of Grimwood Forest, in the shadows of a rundown town, Trabos stood, leaning against the back of an alley.
His brown hooded cloak blended into the darkness. But beneath it, his sharp eyes glead with amusent.
He exhaled, rubbing his temple.
"What a cunning move. He got there."
A small smile ford on his lips.
"I should have left one more bird behind. I didn’t expect it to get caught so fast."
He clicked his tongue in mild annoyance but didn’t seem bothered.
"Anyway, no one’s hiring to kill them. I’m just going to leave them alone. For now."
He pushed off the wall and began walking.
His steps were slow, unhurried, as he made his way to the main road.
And there, the real market began.
Verdants.
Dozens of them, chained and lined up like livestock.
Each neck bore a tag.
Each tag had a price.
So as low as 100 silver.
These are for the elderly, malnourished, and weak.
They can also be those who can do slave jobs without pay.
So are as high as 1,000 silver.
These can be beautiful won who can give pleasure to n.
They can also be those who have good physiques that can fight in the Verdant pitfights.
A thousand silver is equivalent to 10 gold or 1 platinum coin.
And it’s the maximum price for a single Verdant life.
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