Elysia woke up surrounded by the smell of boiled cabbage and the stench of dirty bodies. The coldness of the stone slabs on the floor had seeped into her bones, and she felt old. Sitting up she found that the pains from the beating she had received the night before had returned. She fought back tears of suffering and groped for the painkillers the alchemist had given her.Light filtered through the vaulted ceiling, revealing the bodies that littered the temple hall. Poor wretches from all over the city had flocked there for shelter for the cold night, and they had all been locked up together. The great double doors were barred, though the people there had nothing to steal, and Elysia marveled at the precautions. The doors on the other side of the room, where the priestesses were setting up a wicker table, had also been barred. Last night she had heard the heavy bolts slide, after the front door had been closed. Then she wondered if there really could be people capable of robb

The hills rose to meet the peaks, the prominence of their long curves reminiscent of the waves of the sea. The mountains towered above them like gigantic successive tiers, until they blocked the horizon with their jagged mass.Elysia had feared that she would have difficulty locating the path to Silver Peak Mountain, but she was clearly visible. It was a simple detour from the one she and Frey had followed the day before, when they descended at the bottom of the chain.She began to feel the strain in her back, thighs, and calves as the trail climbed higher and higher. It had been cut into the side of the mountain by the passage of countless feet, and Elysia wondered if the alchemist had ever traveled that route, or if it was a path left behind by less human feet. Some of the signs carved into the rocks were in the form of crude eyes, but he couldn't tell if they were signs intended to warn the traveler of the presence of goblins in the area, or territorial markings, ma

They unbolted and unchained the door, and finally it gave a little. Through the crack, light leaked out, along with the pungent smell of chemicals. Elysia pushed open the door, despite the alchemist's resistance, and she made her way inside, where she was surprised to find Greta standing at the other exit from the room. It was obvious that she had hidden in the adjoining outbuildings."Come in, Miss Elysia," the alchemist said in a prickly tone as he stepped aside to let Frey enter.“Wolf is looking for you” the catgirl commented to the Kitsune, who seemed too scared to speak. "Why?""Leave her alone, young lady," Kryptan interjected. “Don't you realize that she's terrified? She suffered quite a horrible shock at the hands of your friend Ladmer.”Quickly, Kryptan filled him in on what Greta had seen when she'd ventured into the merchant's son's quarters the night before, and though he was discreet as to why she'd come there, he men

Suddenly, it was all too much for Kat, and she began to cry tremendous choking sobs as her tears streamed down her soot-smeared face."What was that, Elysia?" asked the harsh voice from somewhere nearby.Kat choked back sobs as stealthy footsteps approached. Something blotted out the sunlight streaming into her hiding place, and she looked up at the face of a girl framed by long black hair and wearing a pair of cat ears, who stared back at her with eyes with vertical pupils which, Unlike the evil eyes of a beastman, they reflected nervousness, weariness, and for some reason, disappointment. Kat found herself staring at the sharp point of a long sword, the blade etched with faint marks."Come out slowly" said the unknown girl, whose soft and educated voice was then cold and without a trace of mercy.Kat crawled out into the daylight, realizing that she was near death at the time.She stood up and saw that the girl was much taller than her and was dr

"You have failed, my love," said Salthor, a Demon Lord in the service of Baal, the dark god of Wrath, despair, and vengeance, calmly. He looked at her through her usurped eyes, and Jasmine felt a shudder run through her to the core of her being.She backed away, for he was well aware of the punishments her patron could inflict on him when he was displeased. Instinctively, her fingers closed around the ruby ​​hilt of her black warsword. She shook her head and her great mane of white-streaked black hair ruffled. She felt helpless. Even though she had a small army of beastmen at her service, she knew there was nothing they could do to help her. In the presence of her boss, no one could help her, no one. She was glad that the old beastman shaman, Grind, and his acolytes had withdrawn beyond the Altar when she finished the invocation, for she did not wish to have witnesses to her defeat."Everyone in the village is dead, as we both decided" she lied, knowing it was useless.