Book 5, Chapter 86 (1/2)

Neighbours

Lawrence was in the middle of a nap when he was suddenly awakened by a chilly aura. He shivered and cried out in surprise, falling off his chair with his head bumping hard into the corner of a cabinet.

“Who’s there?!” he exclaimed as he got up, surveying his surroundings with attention. Richard’s presence startled him, but then his apprehension immediately turned into rage, “The Daxdians are here?”

“Hmm? No, wh—”

“Then what the hell is with that bloodlust, you brat? Why are you scaring me?!”

Richard smiled apologetically, “I just finished crafting a Lifesbane, it takes time to return to normal.”

“Lifesbane? Where is it?” a voice suddenly rang out from the inner room, “Bring it to me.”

Richard was stunned for a moment, after which a smile rose upon his face, “How come you’re here?”

“Come in, let’s talk,” Beye answered from the room.

Richard started following Lawrence in, but then he suddenly remembered something that caused his heart to thump. He pulled the old man back, speaking in a hushed voice, “Did you buy the ursa penis?”

“What ursa penis?” Lawrence looked confused. However, that only caused Richard to grow more apprehensive. The former legendary mage had a special relationship with Beye, but if the old man used the ursa penis he’d brought in to actually bed Beye, then his own life would be in great danger. She wouldn’t care that he had sold it to the city market instead of giving it to Lawrence.

Seeing Richard’s expression of fear, Lawrence flashed a mysterious smile, “I didn’t see any ursa penis, kid. Think about it.”

‘Think? Think about what?’ Richard was completely baffled, but he eventually just resigned himself to his fate and followed Lawrence to the room.

Beye was seated on a ragged chair, her legs propped high on a table while she drank from a glass of blood-red wine. Her shorts barely even covered her buttocks, while her upper body was bare except for a number of bandages. A large, bone-deep wound on her calf was left to air, still emitting a trace of black fumes.

Beye’s blank pupils locked onto Richard as she started swirling the goblet in her hands. The scarlet liquid was extremely viscous, snaking around in all sorts of patterns that made one suspect it was actually blood. Richard felt as though every part of his body was being pricked by needles and couldn’t help but respond, instinctively unleashing the bloodlust he had accumulated over the many Lifesbanes he had crafted.

This was a sort of intangible battle, only comparing one’s thirst for blood. The temperature in the room seemed to drop as Richard swayed a little, his eyes glowing brightly for a moment, while the traces of blood on Beye’s bandages started to expand.

However, the battle was cut short by a dull thud as Saint Lawrence fell onto his back. The old man had little strength remaining, and just the auras unleashed by the two had caused him to faint.

Richard quickly helped him up, putting him on a chair before massaging his chest a little to ease up the breathing. Seeing that he was done with their clash, Beye nodded slightly, “Not bad, looks like you’ve killed quite a bit lately.”

Richard felt a smile creeping up on his face at Beye’s praises, his hand shifting to Lawrence’s back as he asked, “Weren’t you in the Fort of Dawn? Why are you back all of a sudden?”

“Two top powerhouses from Daxdus and two other legends are currently tying up His Majesty and his two guards. For now, at least, nobody has the upper hand. Their battle affects a great area, so there’s no way for me to interfere. Many people are thinking of ways to return to the other forts, I was just too lazy to teleport.”

“You’re a lunatic.” Richard had no other words. Beye seemed far too casual about this, but he understood just how many Daxdians were currently encircling the Fort of Dawn. For her to return to the City of the Unsetting Sun without teleportation meant she had to have cut her way through a horde of enemies.

“And you are? You could be enjoying your life as a future saint runemaster, but you’ve come rushing headfirst towards death. What, are you stronger than me or something?”

Richard had no real response to this retort. Lunor was currently still in Faust, working out of his laboratory to support the City of the Unsetting Sun as much as he could. Richard himself only needed to craft runes, which could be done just as effectively outside the battlefield. He eventually just huffed, “I have my reasons.”

“So do I,” Beye smiled before downing the red wine in one go, “So, give it to me!”

“Give what?”

“The Lifesbane.”

“WHAT?” Lawrence suddenly hacked a few times.