"What exactly are you offering me here, Siderius?" Quinlan started to wrap himself back up with the bandages.
"A way out. To never have to feel the shame of your accursed deformity ever again."
Quinlan didn’t answer immediately. He took his time finishing the wrap. As for Siderius, he collected his tools and cleaned up the remaining materials on the ground.
The cursed noble opened a closet inside the room and brought out a fancy green glass bottle. Then he took out two small glasses with fancy craftsmanship from his belongings.
Quinlan sat at the table inside his room and placed the bottle and glasses down.
"I spoke that way many times before." Quinlan filled up the glasses and invited Siderius to join him.
"Liquor from the Canary Rainforest. It was made from sugarcane. The people there have a specific way to make alcohol. The liquor is much stronger and more harsh compared to our ale."
Siderius sat at the opposite side of Quinlan and picked up the glass. He carefully examined the shimmered liquid inside it.
If it’s a sugarcane based alcohol, this liquor might be a variation of Rum. Rum was a very important base for a tonic type.
"Can you help me retrieve some sugarcane?" Siderius said.
"Certainly. After returning to Everia, I will have my men reach out to you. But I need to know where I need to deliver it."
"You can tell your men to find a cutthroat called Kraus in Mucktown. He is one of my associates."
Quinlan’s eyebrows raised slightly. One of your associates, huh? Your influence and power might be much greater than I imagined. It is reasonable to be honest. No mere man would be able to identify my disease, let alone finding a way to get rid of it. Quinlan thought calmly.
The pair clashed their glasses once before Quinlan continued.
"I need to know exactly what I will sign up for, Siderius. From the tone of your voice, the cure to my disease is a one way ticket to the unknown."
"We have gone through life and death together, Quinlan.
So I will be honest with you. What I am offering is to break the limits of your body.
Each body has limitations. No matter how much you changed it. A human can never fly like a bird no matter how hard they try.
Unless, that human grew a pair of wings themselves. That is what I am offering you. To not only get rid of your deformity, but also gain power in the process.
Maybe one day, you wouldn’t need to rely on Bas at all."
"I understand that, Siderius. But I want to know the side effects. What is the catch?"
"The catch is two things.
One. You will have to go through unbearable and unimaginable pain. Both physically and mentally, in order to receive its benefits.
Two. The knowledge of gaining these mutations are precious. We wouldn’t just with anyone. Unless you give us a reason to."
"Pain, huh? I can deal with that.
But the second catch seems more complicated than I thought. What exactly are the ’we’ you mentioned? Who are the people behind you and what do I need to pay in order to retrieve it?"
"You need to join us in order to know exactly what we are. As a result, we can also share with you the knowledge you need to deal with your deformity. Updates are released by novel fire.net
But you don’t need to make a decision now, Quinlan.
The offer is there. We want you because you are a valuable asset. You control a respectable trading guild. You have access to items that we might not. You are wealthy and a noble by birth.
You can also help us expand to Everia as well.
Return to your homeland and think it through, Quinlan. When you make a decision, you can come looking for me."
"I understand. I usually do not meddle with people like you. People who are intertwined with a deep web of conspiracies. But I will consider the offer carefully, Siderius."
Siderius nodded. "I wish the journey ahead favors you, Quinlan Carlisle."
"And I wish the journey ahead favors you as well, Siderius Satterblade."
"Let our paths one day be crossed again." The pair clinged their glass together as a final farewell.
Siderius returned to his room after the examination. He wasn’t thinking much when first created the Guild of Xander. But fate drove him into this path.
It seemed to really want for Siderius’ guild to take shape.
Siderius’ nature and the existence of the guild would be a direct blow against the witches. The more power he and his guild became, the weaker the hold witches had on this kingdom.
Fate hated Witches because they broke the rules of reality. Naturally, it would want to prioritize any force that was capable of eradicating witches.
"Or maybe because I was lucky. Or some gods out there are pushing the pawns from behind invisible curtains."
Siderius slept through the night. In the morning, he hopped on Red and drove into the Rottin Woods once more. He wanted to visit the Black Witch of the Forest again.
Caterina had a very similar title to the Black Witch of Itertia, the witch that Damien, Quinlan’s friend, was in love with. Siderius wondered if it’s a coincidence or if there was actually a connection between the two.
When Siderius arrived at the lonely house in the woods once more, things were different. There were signs of attack around the barrier of the house.
The magic circle on the ground was broken. Most of it was neutralized and only some parts were still active.
Siderius’ expression darkened. He approached the house.
The additional seals he put on the cairns were activated. It definitely affected whoever or whatever had tried to attack the house.
Siderius squatted down to examine the two cairns. The seals activated when they got too close to the doorway. This meant the enemy didn’t notice the presence of the seal.
There was magic lingered in the air. A different tone of magic from Caterina. Caterina’s magic was a black wind. This magic had more of a mental side.
"A third player had shown themselves in this game."
Siderius kicked the door down. Caterina is a very important factor in everything. She’s the key to help Siderius learn the truth and deal with the phantom.
The interior of the house was broken in half, leaving the other side completely exposed to the outside world.
Caterina Fataliya was nowhere to be found.