It appeared that the fight had just started. Sosilus retaliated by throwing a kick at her stomach, however, a thin layer of energy blocked the impact.

Korrito sent a swift series of blows at his face, but just like before, a thin layer of energy erupted from his skin to protect him from the hits.

[You’re still fierce, I love the face you make when you’re angry! Come I’m not done with you yet.]

Sosilus charged at her as if he was trying to hug her body. Seeing a heavy kick heading straight for his groin, he jumped to the side, a grin on his face.

[You’re dead. I’ll kill you, fucking bastard!]

Korrito shouted in a high-pitched voice, the fury boiling within her made her face contort; killing intent radiated from her body, pressuring everyone in the room.

[Alright stop you two, you’ll destroy this place.]

Mnasyllus intervened when he saw the aura of both of them being projected outside their bodies.

[What happened? What did he do this time?]

All the eyes focused on Lampus as he entered the room with Ocelio.

Seeing Ocelio, Korrito returned her aura inside her body. Her face shifted into a cold expression as she came to sit at a table, filling a cup from a bottle of liquor.

[Not much, I took a fancy to a girl and made her suck my dick.]

Hearing his words, Korrito gritted her teeth, her glare was filled with venom.

[She was my girl! Mine!]

Sosilus came to sit right in front of Korrito, he served himself a cup of liquor as if he had no care in the world.

[Well, now she’s also mine. When she took me in her mouth you should have seen her face, I don’t think she’ll be able to forget me.]

He grinned like a man satisfied with himself, his expression made the scar on his cheek look alive as it moved with his facial muscles.

He appeared relaxed but Ocelio noticed that his body was taut and alert, ready to jump out at a moment’s notice.

Korrito stood up and walked to the door, she nodded at Ocelio before leaving.

Ever since she rose from her seat, Sosilus had been staring at her body with lustful eyes, only looking away when she left.

[Sorry for this scene, these two can’t get along no matter what. Though in the field, they’re both focused and excellent Warriors.]

Mnasyllus looked at Ocelio before sending a meaningful glance at Lampus.

[Sir Ocelio will be participating in tonight’s gathering. He wants to know more about the elf’s situation in the south.]

Mnasyllus nodded, about to lead him to a table, however, a hoarse voice made him stop.

[Did sir travel to our city to partake in that mission?]

The last member of their group intervened in their discussion, which seemed to surprise them. An old man sat alone at a table close to a window, he drank directly from the bottle of liquor, a few empty bottles already lying by his feet.

[No. I only want to know the current circumstances.]

Lampus walked to Sosilus’ table, joining him in drinking and making small talk.

[Is sir not aware of the request from the capital?]

Mnasyllus showed him around the room, telling him how the kitchen worked, what was stored in the closets and the pantry.

[No, I do not know much about what is happening outside. I’ve just left seclusion after training under my master.]

At his words, Sosilus glanced at Ocelio with a frown, seeing his clear red eyes, unblemished pale skin and healthy long black hair, a trace of fear appeared in his eyes.

[An eminent Noble from the capital sent a request to all branches of the Warrior Association across the Kingdom. His request was simple, anyone who brings him 30 female elves will be rewarded in crystal coins, the amount depending on the quality of the slaves.]

He stood up, coming to stand a short distance from Ocelio before nodding his head as a sign of respect.

[I’m Sosilus, I know most of the important people in the city, if you need something, you can call for me.]

[Thank you, I’ll remember that.]

Apart from the lone old man, they all sat around a table, Lampus poured a strong spicy drink into each of their cups and brought a few plates of biscuits from the pantry.

[The old man is called Kerkyon, please don’t mind him, he’s always in a bad mood. That’s what age does to people in our city.]

[He knows he only has a few months left as a Warrior, by the time he hits 39, it’ll become impossible for him to hunt in the wilderness, at 40, living itself will become hell.]

Ocelio listened to the discussion without interrupting, he tasted the drink and the snack but did not show any emotion on his face.

[Sir, it seems this is your first time in our city, do you wish to hear more about it?]

Mnasyllus redirected the conversation toward Ocelio, seeing him nod, Mnasyllus took a sip of liquor before speaking in a relaxed voice as if he was recounting a tale.

[Like most cities, Terrouine is divided into 5 districts: the poorman, hardman, trading, prosperous and official district. But this wasn’t always the case. Sir must have noted that the architecture of the city is rudimentary and ugly. The reason for this is far in the past; a few hundred years ago when an exploratory team of Warriors came to this region, they discovered a tunnel leading to an enormous cave. On the ground laid countless skeletons, however, there was no record of any tribe living here, this territory was still considered to be part of the wilderness and had yet to be explored.]

Sosilus interrupted him, finishing the story.

[This is what later became our city. The people sent from the capital to investigate found a few artefacts within the remains, but apart from some sort of drawings left in the ruins, there was nothing else. A few years later, when refugees fleeing a magical beast invasion sought refuge in the regional city, they sent them here instead to build a new city.]

[Of the two hundred soldiers that had accompanied the refugees through the marsh in the north and the Silverpine Forest, only 28 made it here alive. They became the foundation for the Warrior Association and the nanti families ruling this city.]

Mnasyllus gave a few more details, filling up on some points Sosilus had missed.

[This is why you can do anything you want to the regular citizens, but we can’t touch the nanti. If we’re the official defenders of the city, they’re the recognised rulers of the territory by the Kingdom.]

Lampus made a strange face at Sosilus’ words.

[Sosilus enough, watch what you say. Nanti are not people your nasty mouth should be speaking about. Please forgive him sir, he’s a good fighter but his head isn’t so good.]

[It’s okay. I’m not a nanti, you can say what you want about them.]

Sosilus lowered his head, Lampus and Sosilus did not show surprise but admiration still became apparent on their faces.

[Is sir a member of the Nobility or of a Blood Clan?]

The strange old man turned his head toward Ocelio, his murky eyes appeared devoid of emotion but his face betrayed a deep pain.

His question seemed to make the other Bloodrainists uncomfortable, in particular Lampus, his thoughts were betrayed by the shock displayed on his face.

Ocelio took note of their reactions, he brought his cup to his lips, staring with cold eyes at the old man.

[Sir, please forgive him, Kerkyon is old and doesn’t have all his wits.]

Mnasyllus got up from the table and forced Kerkyon out of the room, despite his complaints the old man offered no real resistance.

[Are you three close to the nanti families in the city?]

[They’re not, but I do know some members…]

Ocelio seemed surprised by Lampus’ answer, he looked at him as if he was contemplating something.

[I’ve met two girls in the city the other day, they invited me to an art exposition. Briseis and Selatonice. Do you know them?]

Lampus smiled with relief, he scratched his head with a faint blush while the other two men listened with interest.

[I used to have a crush on Selatonice, however, it wasn’t reciprocal. I’m ashamed to admit it but she used to bully me when I was younger. She’s a pretty girl but she’s tough to get along with. Briseis is her cousin, she has a gentle personality and is a beauty sought by many young nanti. Both of them are popular in the social circle of the prosperous district and they both have a powerful family behind them. Briseis family: the Danaos family control all the herbal stores and is known to have ties to the sole Crafter in the city. While the Eumenidos family is the owner of most of the taverns and inns, they are famous landowners, said to possess at least 1/6 of the city. This is why, even though Briseis is pretty, Selatonice is the most popular choice as a wife in the prosperous district. Whoever marries her will have both power and wealth.]

Sosilus laughed at Lampus’ apparent embarrassment, he stroked his short brown beard with a wide smile.

[If you want a woman, bother her until she can’t stop thinking about you. Anyone that gets in your way, beat him.]

[Don’t listen to him, he doesn’t know how to court a woman. If sir wishes to have them as your concubines, I can contact their respective families to have them presented to you. Even though they are nanti, they would be overjoyed to marry their daughters to someone of your status.]

Ocelio shook his head. He looked unused to how people of this world acted. In his previous world, marriage was something that was agreed between families after long discussions and years of preparations. Not something that one could obtain with a simple request.

[What about the art exposition. Did any of you go to one before?]

Sosilus and Mnasyllus shook their heads, they looked at Lampus but he also shook his head.

[I never participated in these social events. Even though I have some ties to a nanti family, I’m not one of them. But I did hear some rumours about it. It is said to be where the rich and powerful gather to buy strange yet useless artefacts that were traded from other cities.]

[Why are they useless?]

The topic seemed to arouse Ocelio’s interest more than the rest. He sat straight on his seat, waiting for the explanation.

[Well, I’m not too sure since I’ve only heard rumours, but from what I’ve been told, the artefacts showcased there are of two types: military artefacts and decorative artefacts. Even though they’re called military artefacts, they’re not powerful weapons.]

[They wouldn’t be able to buy one if they were useful. Artefacts are high in demand no matter the location. And since we do not have a master Crafter in our city, the most they would be able to get is the discarded pieces of junk of the apprentice grade.]

Mnasyllus’s voice resonated within the lounge with a magnetic attraction. Ocelio looked impressed by his skill as an orator, he closed his eyes, focusing his attention on his ears.

[Sir Bardas is the only Crafter in our city, a master blacksmith, but even though he’s called a master, he’s still in the apprentice grade. Apprentice’s artefacts are seen as defective products, they can only be used once and the power they wield is inferior to the attack from a first stage Bloodrainist or Magicalist.]

[Then, why do they buy them?]

[Who knows, the nanti live in a world of their own. They exchange astronomical amounts of money to buy trinkets that would only make them survive for a second longer. Though most of them never leave the city and in the case of a magical beast intrusion in the city, their trinkets would not give them a chance to escape from those devious magical beasts.]

Ocelio nodded his head. Biting a biscuit from the plate, he seemed to be in deep thought.

[By the way, I heard that sir’s mission didn’t go as planned, did a magical beast attack your group in the wilderness?]

At Sosilus’ words, a serious expression surfaced on their faces. They looked at Ocelio in silence.

[I think it was as a tree, a green tree with large brown fruits. I’ve lost 7 people. They all disappeared without a sound, no one noticed anything. When I went to investigate, I saw something…]

[Impossible…]

[Incredible.]

Sosilus and Lampus exclaimed at the same time. Mnasyllus remained silent, waiting for the rest of the story.

[A bewitching woman appeared, she tried to lure me deeper into the forest.]

[And then? What did the woman look like?]

Ocelio shook his head, disappointing Sosilus.

[I broke her influence and left the forest.]

[As expected of sir…what you’ve experienced is unique and unheard of in our city. We refer to these areas where strange beings reside the “banned zones”. Every Bloodrainist from our city who had entered a banned zone in the past had died. His remains never to be found.

The brown tree you mentioned was recorded in our Warrior Association map of the Silverpine Forest. It is located in the south-west periphery of the forest and to be avoided at all cost.]

Mnasyllus and the other two Bloodrainist now looked at him with respect and worship. If they were admirative of him before due to his status, now they knew his strength was just as incredible.

[In true, we, ourselves and the administrator of the Warrior Association do not know much about the wilderness, the Silverpine Forest, the marsh north or the Grand Eruptic Forest south. We do not go there and if we do, we remain within the outer periphery, making sure to travel on the barren lands to avoid danger as much as we can.]

[Yeah, but even that isn’t enough anymore. You’ve heard the sounds from above the city this afternoon. These were magical beasts running away from something, it happens from time to time even though the land above is barren and magical beasts would not be able to survive on them. We are lucky that the fertile land is limited to this cave underground or we would never be able to leave the city.]

Both Mnasyllus and Sosilus seemed exasperated by the circumstances they lived in; the ambience turned sombre as they downed cup after cup.

Sosilus was the first to leave, followed by Mnasyllus.

Lampus also seemed tired but did not seem intent on leaving yet.

[Sir, I mean Ocelio, if you are not busy tomorrow, do you want to take a walk in the city with me? I’ll show you the best places to eat.]

He appeared excited at the thought, but Ocelio poured a bucket of cold water on his head.

[Tomorrow’s the art exposition, maybe another time.]

[Ah, alright, then I wish you a good night.]

Ocelio sat alone in the lounge. He took a cup and examined its content. Taking a deep inhalation, he sighed.

[I guess this alcohol is also made from a magical plant. Who knows what effect it has on the body…?]

He left the cup on the table and returned to his room, however, along the way, he appeared to remember something.

After taking a small pouch from his room, he headed towards the second floor, his red eyes glowed in the dark corridor, allowing him to see the silhouettes of the residents.

[Still awake, good.]

He knocked on a door on the second floor, seeing the occupant get up from the bed and stand ready to open the door, he cancelled the blood sense ability, returning his eyes to their usual colours.

The next instant, Korrito’s charming face stared at him in surprise. Her pink lips curved into a smile, motioning for him to enter.

He remained silent as he entered her apartment; a set of luxurious furniture was arranged against the wall, a small black desk was placed under the window with tools and a weapon on it.

A stack of parchments was arranged on a desk on his right, a quill and the fresh scent of blood emanating from the parchments.

She did not stop in the living room, instead, she led him to her bedroom where a large bed covered in a soft-looking blanket seemed to still exude warmth.

She stood in front of her bed, the soft dark brown light leaking through the gaps in the curtains formed shadows on her body, creating a unique ambience.

[I’m glad you came. I needed someone tonight.]

She neared Ocelio, placing her head on his chest, hugging his back in a weak embrace.

[I came to ask a question.]

Just like his face, his voice sounded cold and emotionless as if he was detached from everyone and everything.

A whisper escaped from her lips, were it anyone else, they may not have heard what she had just said.

[Ask, I would do anything for you.]