As Xander and Atheria made their way toward the Diamond City, the morning sun bathed the city's marble stone walls in a radiant glow, giving it the appearance of glistening diamonds, which had earned it the name "Diamond City."Atheria gradually stirred from her slumber, her hand instinctively reaching for her neck, the lingering discomfort of the sleeping dart's impact still fresh."Where... where are we?" Atheria mumbled, disoriented but slowly regaining her senses."Easy there, boy," Xander soothed, patting Crazy Jack's head as he reined in the horse.As Crazy Jack slowed to a halt, Atheria fully awoke, taking in her surroundings. They were on a paved path that led directly to the Diamond City."My neck," she winced, her fingers gingerly tracing the spot where the dart had struck."We were ambushed last night," Xander explained as Atheria's eyes widened in surprise."Ambushed? By whom?" Atheria inquired."Bounty hunters," Xander replied, prompting another look of astonishment from
"We've heard he's pretty pricey, and you don't even have the coins to enter the kingdom. What's the plan here?" she asked.Xander responded with a confident grin. "When you're Xander, you just wing it and go with the flow. Come on, I'm certain things will work our way," he reassured her, patting Atheria on the shoulder.With newfound determination, they climbed a couple of steps and knocked on the door."Healer Mathias," Xander called out gently, rapping his knuckles on the door.Footsteps echoed from within the house, and the door slowly creaked open, revealing a golden-haired man with a matching beard. His eyes scanned Xander and Atheria from head to toe, his expression marked by a deep furrowed brow."Who the hell are you two?" Mathias scoffed, his impatience evident."We were hoping you could—""Arh," Mathias cut off Xander before he could finish."My services start at a thousand coins. Pay up and state your business, or get the hell out," he demanded gruffly.Bloodhound's voice e
Xander persisted in his quest to secure a boat to ferry them to Singing Lady Island. But the moment he dared to speak the name of that dreaded place, the sailors scattered like leaves in the wind, consumed by their own fear."Now I'm genuinely curious about what's hidden on that island," Bloodhound snarled ominously within Xander's mind.As Xander scoured the docks for a boat and hope dwindled, a grizzled, white-haired figure drinking from a battered leather pouch beckoned to him."Ho there, lad. Seek passage to Singing Lady Island, do ye?" the old man's voice croaked, echoing eerily in Xander's ears. The young adventurer turned to face the wobbly figure approaching him.The pungent scent of ale wafted from the old man, enveloping him in a cloud of inebriation."I'm the only one crazy enough to take ya there," he proclaimed, wiping the ale dribbling from his chin."Ten gold coins, firm as the rocks," he added, his tone as unsteady as his gait. The astonishingly low price took Xander
Eventually, the decrepit boat reached the desolate shores of the Singing Lady Island. As Xander and Atheria prepared to disembark, Xander turned to the old man."Will you wait for us here? We might need a ride back," Xander inquired, although he had a sense of what the answer would be.The old man let out a gruff laugh, his eyes filled with a strange mixture of pity and fear. "Nah, lad, I won't be waiting here. You see, you won't be returning."Xander, though filled with trepidation, summoned a semblance of courage. "I've survived worse."The old man's response was cryptic and ominous. "Not like this," he muttered, and with a forceful push of the paddle, he steered the boat away from the cursed island, leaving Xander and Atheria to face the unknown on their own."Unleash me now, idiot. Don't come to me crying later on," Bloodhound's growl reverberated within Xander's mind."Shut up, you moron. There's no one left on this island for you to murder and drink blood," Xander responded, irr
As Xander and Atheria ascended the staircase, he continued to tell her about the eerie singing he thought he had heard."Atheria, I'm serious. I heard it. Maybe this castle's tales aren't all myths," Xander said with a nervous chuckle.Atheria, however, rolled her eyes and teased, "Xander, you're not seriously telling me you're so scared that you've started hearing songs in the air now."Xander retorted, "Even an army can be unnerved by a ghost, you know."Before Atheria could respond, she took a step forward and felt a slight depression on the floor. Her eyes widened as Xander heard a subtle click, and the hair on his neck stood on end. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a cannon fired towards Atheria. It hurtled through the air with deadly speed.But just as it seemed all was lost, a man in gleaming silver armor leaped out from the shadows. With a swift, precise strike, he cut the cannonball in half, and then landed on the floor with a heavy thud, sending echoes through the ancient castle.I
Xander and Atheria trailed behind the knight, their steps echoing through the eerie castle corridors as they heard more and more disturbances in the distance."You should ask for more backup," Atheria suggested."No can do. The nobles will cause a big scene about it, and the religious leaders will do anything to stop someone from stepping onto this island," the knight sighed.Meanwhile, Xander carefully peered into each room along their path, as though he were searching for something specific. As they emerged from the corridor, they entered a spacious hallway that seemed frozen in time. The walls were adorned with faded tapestries depicting long-forgotten battles, and the flickering torchlight cast eerie shadows across the cracked marble floor."Are those blood stains?" Atheria observed the dark, ominous marks on the ground."Must be the blood of the bandits I fought here," replied the Knight, his eyes scanning their eerie surroundings.Atheria knelt down to investigate the bloodstain
Atheria, not one to be easily scared, found herself jumping in shock and fear at the sight of the snakeskin. She dashed behind Xander and instinctively clutched his hand tightly."What... what is that thing?" Atheria asked, still struggling to believe her eyes.Xander slowly walked forward and crouched before the snakeskin. "Whatever shed this skin, it did so recently. It's not even a month old," he said in a grave tone."How could that be? Okay, let's think about this rationally," Atheria took a deep breath, attempting to calm her frayed nerves. "This must be another snake. There's no way a cobra given to Mayana by the Duke a thousand years ago could still be alive," she reasoned."I bet this is just another one of the bandits' tricks," Atheria concluded."Yeah, let's attribute everything that's happening to the bandits' doing," Xander snickered."That's it!" Atheria had had enough of Xander's strange behavior. She threw her hands up in frustration and fear, then paced forward. "What
"When did you come out?" Atheria inquired as she followed in the wake of Bloodhound."The moment Xander saw there was no blood spewing from the bandit Roland hit," Bloodhound growled.Atheria was taken aback that Xander had willingly relinquished control of his body to Bloodhound."Aren't you relieved I'm here, sweetheart?" Bloodhound asked in a mocking tone."I am," Atheria replied with heavy sarcasm."You don't sound relieved, though," Bloodhound observed as he led Atheria toward the library."Excuse my lack of enthusiasm for a bloodthirsty devil," Atheria snickered, but Bloodhound responded with a devilish laugh."Shhh," Atheria hushed him, attempting to make Bloodhound lower his voice, but it was in vain."Xander, if you can hear me, listen up. You're a fool. What were you thinking when you handed control of your body to Bloodhound?" Atheria scolded Xander, whose body was currently possessed by the menacing entity."He acted smart, sweetheart. He knew he can't do anything against