“What is the purpose of your arrival to Kamalesh?”

“Caravan, if it didn't leave already.”

The older guard makes a gesture to the guard in front of me to let me in.

“You are lucky. You still have few more days.”

He steps aside and I proceed through huge stone gates. The people here are dressed much lighter than I am used to. Even though it is not so hot right now, local weather here is so desert-like that people don't even have the concept of winter clothes.

As I enter the city my nose is assaulted by range of smells starting from the smell of sewers and rot ending with sweet spices.

The most apparent difference from north is that there are many other races starting from dwarfs and elves ending with lizardmen and catshi. Their number is significantly lower than humans but they are still there. Discrimination here still exists, but it is not on the level that some kingdoms practice. At least they are not killed on sight here.

I continue walking in the direction of the center of city to find a merchant. My wolf armor is rare here and not many have even seen it, nearly none would use it, but it is an interesting show piece for rich people.

I find a decent looking merchant and after a bit of bargaining I exchange my wolf armor for 14 silver coins and few clothes for local weather. Metal armor will only hinder my movement in this region, and leather is nearly useless.

After a small talk he pointed in the direction of Adventure Guild Hall. I would prefer to be hired as a guard for caravan. I could pay 'contribution' to become a part of caravan, but I would need a personal horse or camel. Or find a independent transporter who is part of caravan. In the end the only thing I care about is to get to the other side of Dead Desert. I don't have that much money left, and who know when the my pursue will get fatter.

It is an easily recognizable place, their big round symbol with scroll on it is hard to mix with anything else. As I enter the building, the same atmosphere greets me as in any other Guild Hall. Few drunk, lazy and noisy bums drinking, several suspicious guys siting in the corners trying to gather information, a wall with requests and a cute girl at counter with two guards behind her.

Looking through the request wall I find that the caravan escort quest is still available. I turn around and go to reception. The guards visibly tense looking at me. With time those who have seen death too much get the ability to 'feel' if someone is dangerous. Well at least here, guards are competent. The girl smiles at me with professional stretched smile.

"Hello. How may I help you?"

"Good morning. Is caravan escort quest still open?"

"Yes, caravan will leave in 3 days. There is currently no limit to the number of open positions. Would you like to take the quest? If yes, could I please see your guild card?"

"I do not have one."

"I am really sorry but this quest requires at least a D rank Adventure guild card."

She looks confused. All adventurers have some kind of guild card, and the fact that I am missing one is really suspicious. I had other card, but restoring it will cause more questions and issues.

I think over what she just said.

"Can I get a guild card? I just finished my military service in north."

"Oh. Of course." She eases up a bit and look for a paper on her left side. "It will be 5 silver coins. Do you want me to fill it for you?"

"No, thank you. I will do it myself."

She passes it to me together with a pencil. I look through and fill what I believe will be enough. I always hated learning new languages, but I had to with the job I was doing. There are languages with horrible alphabet, and even worse grammar laws. I finish and hand it back with the coins. Payment is a bit too much, but I can say nothing about it.

She looks through and her eyes widen.

“Um, excuse me, but we would like to do a small… check.”

She goes into backroom and comes back with a purple stone. The air around guards tenses up even more. I easily recognize it as I have used it many, many times. I take the stone and hold it in my hand in front of them.

“I am not a necromancer. See.”

The stone doesn't light up while I am holding it in front of them.

“I am really sorry if we offended you, there is a problem with necromancers in the region.” She says while bowing. “And, Um. You really don't look like you, um, are 28.” She finishes while looking at me with apologetic face.

It is well known that those who practice necromancy or dark magic have their vitality sucked out, but that is true only for the inexperienced and unskilled ones. Additionally that is the main reason they look much older and are bony.

The bristle on my face in combination with scar and fact that half of hair on my head are already grey, make me look much older. Life was never soft on me.

“Not a problem. Could I get the card, please?”

After several magic and enchantment operations she returned a cooper card with mana infused into it.

“Here it is. You start from F rank. If there is anything else I can help you with?”

“Are there any quest that can help me get a D rank fast?”

“Well, if you are really skilled, there is an open season for blue scorpions. Nasty things, got too close to the city. If you join a party and hunt about a dozen scorpions, plus finish several other quests, you may make it in time for the caravan. Also you will get about a 10 cooper coins for each confirmed kill.”

I take the scorpion hunt quest, which would require me to bring their stingers as proof, they are located west of the city. The receptionist tries to warn me again of dangers but I depart immediately not to lose time.

As soon as I get out of the building I freeze at the sight which I dreaded the whole way here. A dark skinned bald man, which follows a rickshaw with a fat man inside it, holds a chain in his hand which is connected to several naked, dirty children with shackles on their necks. This procession is a normal thing in this region. The main reasons that it is not allowed to attack in public on the territory of Desert Alliance, is that if someone broke a law, they could be sold into slavery as payment for their offense. Even death sentence can be replaced with lifelong slavery. Money goes to government. And damaged good are worth less.

My blood boils as thoughts of giving the whole city to blood circles around my head. My hand stretches to the handle of my sword.

[DO NOT HURRY.]

[They deserve much more. Much, much more. Make their entire existence as painful as you can.]

It takes a lot of willpower to unclench by hand from the handle. I go west, outside of city for quest, I need to cool down, and the way I am right now, I won't be able to do anything.

I need to direct my anger somewhere, anywhere...

…

I eat in the busy inn thinking about the next steps.

I got the D class “upgrade” to my card after I brought 173 stingers of blue scorpions. Receptionist tried to be polite and helpful, but it was apparent that she was uncomfortable in my presence. Maybe there was and issue how I looked, or the number of stingers, or more specific, the fact that I was covered in scorpion internal liquids.

I haven't seen a mirror for years, therefore am not even sure what will be reflected in it, or who will look back at me.

I may have overdone it with the scorpions, they did nothing wrong. They were not responsible for what humans do in this region. And I spent energy not on the ones that deserved it. They are just simple animal, they kill only to survive, or if they are in danger.

Superiors in Blood Legion knew about the anger issues I have, and they perfectly understood what was the trigger for that. That was the main reason that they usually sent me after the dark churches and the worst world can spawn. I took it too personally and had much higher chance of success that anyone else. Or to be even more specific, I was the one of not many who completed all those missions and still survived. During that period of time I got resistance to a lot of dangerous stuff.

The reason that I am tense right now is that at night, during which I was, cleaning, I found a very disturbing issue. There is no proof, at least officially. But this issue can not be left alone.

I already took the quest for the caravan escort and spoke with Jitak, who is leader of caravan. He is OK with me and will pay me 10 silver coins as soon as we reach Tomalesh which is right in the center of Desert Alliance. From there I will need to find a way to travel south-east. So one problem less.

But much bigger problem is still left. And only two more nights are left to solve it.

“What the fuck do they mean everything is under control?! 3 slave houses were slaughtered!”

“Shush. Control your voice. They are currently looking into it.”

“Looking into what?! Which kind of fucking demon is going around and massacring citizens?!”

“Calm down retarded elf. Your kind were always pussies.”

“Fuck you half-cut shit! Did your beard grow into you brain or the drinking finally fucked your brain?! Someone ripped them-”

“Shut up cunts!”

The short discussion was finished by a purple skinned ogre. Everyone around were silent trying to gather as much information as they can. The information and rumors are so scarce, that even this short outburst is valuable. Multiple groups, inside the inn, in different corners continue discussing the events in hushed tone.

Citizens my ass, blood-drinking slave-selling scums that's who they are.

[You let the nobles go, but killed the slave traders. Who says that the traders deserved death more than nobles, maybe they treated the slaves better than their own family did. What if their life would get better as slaves. Who says that those nobles you spared wouldn't do more evil later on.]

Slaves were mutilated and malnourished.

[You think you saved those 'slaves'? They will tell their NEW master who did it, while returning to the fate that was decided upon them by life itself, you maybe even made it worse. And adding to the top of it all, soon the hunt will start, but this time, you will be the hunted.]

Not attempting to change their fate would be wrong.

[Is this how you are trying to justify the murder, deaths and your actions? Oh poor you. You did a good thing saving those sweet, little, innocent slaves. Let me praise you. Our righteous savior. What would we do without you? Maybe you even deserve a medal. Ha! Maybe forgiveness? What do you think?]

Do nothing? Let the world solve itself? Let it go? Is this your solution? Hope for better while slowly drowning in this hell?

Maybe we are in hell, maybe everyone here deserves this damnation, maybe this is punishment for all we have done, maybe we all really deserve to die.

But that does not mean we must not attempt to change it. I will. I refuse to be one of them, even if whole world will stand against me. Even if they all reject me and what I stand for. Even if I am wrong.

I will change it. If the only thing waiting at the end of this path is defeat and death, than so be it. But I will not stand.

[So be it. We have walked this path for far too long to turn around. There is no place to regret out actions. Let the blood flow.]

Blood.

During the 'cleaning' in one of the hidden rooms in the slave house master room I found a gold goblet, encrusted with gems. The reeking of blood coming from it was undeniable, I could smell it even from the other side of the room.

Necromancers are easy to find with deathstone, but blood mages are a totally different story. Most of them can be hidden for decades until someone notices big amount of dark energy or too many people suddenly gone missing. And war is the most favorite place for them, no one will care about a dozen people missing when thousands are dead.

Blood is universal currency of magic. Blood is where the biggest amount of mana is located. Drinking blood will give you a temporary boost in many aspects of magic. With blood it is much easier to enchant items or create curses as blood acts as direct source of mana.

Universal source of energy, only if you forget where it comes from. But the important word is temporary. You need fresh blood, as mana quickly dissipates from it. It is one of the reasons for ritualistic sacrifices.

If I had a seeker with me the task would be much easier. Unlike them I can neither feel nor see the ambient mana.

Thinking about it, I decide to pursue the worst possible case. I really want my theory to be wrong. It would better, for everyone.

But, that gold goblet came from somewhere.

I didn't take it. They shouldn't know that I know what they are. It is an enchanted item used in rituals. I may not feel the mana, but I can recognize the engraved enchantments. The ones I have seen far too many times.

…

The moons are in new stages and because of that, the shadows are so dark that you can feel as if they are sucking in the lights around them.

Creepy would be a good word. Still the guards stand, protecting the place with their lives. It would be much easier if I could just kill the guards. But the only reason I am currently here is because of instinct impulse. There is no proof.

A slave house master could not work alone. They always have some kind of superior. It all started as 'cleaning' the slave houses, but now I am trying to infiltrate the mini-castle of Kamalesh Emir.

The one good thing about not having any mana affinity is that I don't produce ambient mana. Nearly every living being produces ambient mana. There are many enchanted devices that can tell you a lot, by just the ambient mana around. Traps, tracking devices, alarm system and many, many more. Some of the skilled assassins can suppress this body 'function', but I don't need to, my body just generally is different.

I would want to evade killing anyone, yet. I only wish to find a solid evidence to debunk my theory, because if I am right, than things are much worse than I expected. Blood mages in power is a justified reason to start a large scale crusade.

Infiltration was easy, not as easy as leaving north stronghold, but still. Nothing a rope and strong hands can't do. And as it seems, they are too heavily dependent on mana tracking devices.

My destination right now, is some kind of basement. Blood rituals take too much space and require place where it is constantly dark. Plus the scream, should not be heard, or at some point it will cause and issue.

The fact that there are no guards patrolling inside is really good for me, but on the other side, why would they want no patrol inside.

To hide something.

After about an hour lurking around ,hiding from rare maids, I find a suspicious looking door in the far corner of the castle. Locked doors are not and issue. I learned few skills to solve such problems.

But what if there is an alarm on door. I have seen few which would activate if wrong mana signature was sent when you turning the key.

I took the risk and opened the door. The stairway with few torches was relatively long, at least 100 meters. After which, a long corridor lead to a thick metal door with multiple key holes. Opening it took a bit longer.

As I opened it total darkness greeted me. I took one of the torches and went inside. After taking 10 steps inside big and dark room, the door slammed shut. After which sound of multiple lock turning could be heard. Few torches around lighted up, enough to show what was inside the room.

I fully understood that this was a trap, that currently powerful cursed are being cast and applied onto me. They knew that I would come and they were prepared. I could hear the footstep, the sound of metal boots clanking against the stone floor. I know that there are many, and they are coming.

But it did not matter because of what I could see in the room. Stacked hills of children bones were scattered around. An enormous container in the center of the room with blood filled to brim and small body parts floating in it.

On the right side is table with plates filled with cooked meat. And I perfectly know who the meat belongs to.

And at the back a statue of owl and bull standing side to side.

I was wrong.

They are not blood mages. They are much worse.

A tall pretty woman and a bit shorter handsome man at the lead of group of nicely dressed and relatively young looking people entered the room. At least hundred enforcers and mages followed behind them with about a dozen scantly dressed terrified toddlers.

“Ladies and gentlemen. We have a small surprise for all of you. Additional to the feast, that I prepared in honor of lovely wife’s birthday, there is bathtub for all of us in the center, also, I have caught a spy, sent by Caliphate. Worry not, he has already been immobilized by the curses. After the feast we can have some fun, thankfully his body looks sturdy. Of course my sweetheart gets the first piece. But again worry not, everyone will get a turn.”

Some of them started to feast, some started undressing for the bath, others sat on couches and proceeded violate the toddlers in all orifices, while they screamed and begged. Some part of nobles continued their chat with each other as if the events around them are totally normal.

The lead lady started walking towards me with a small satisfied grin and a tiny dagger in her hand.

I was wrong. I should have given the city to blood the moment I entered it.

I turn my body toward them and unsheathe my sword, which causes a confused expression on nearly everyone's face.

Enforcers and mages only now understand that curses had no effect on me as they reach for their weapons and spells.

If I have acted earlier some of the children could have been alive.

But it is too late.

I let the internal mana flow like never before.

Even if this body is destroyed, these creatures should not be allowed to exist.

I will let the Zeron, God of Blood, feast today.