Two heavily armored guards crossed their pikes, blocking the entrance. The guard on the right sneered, his eyes raking over Brandi's torn, blood-stained linen shirt and Cason's mud-caked, half-dead state.

"No beggars after dark," the guard spat, waving his hand as if shooing away stray dogs.

Cason's eyes went dead. His jaw clenched, and his hand twitched toward his waist, a reflexive urge to slaughter his way through.

Brandi slammed her hand down on his shoulder, pinning him in place.

Without a word, she reached into her pocket. She pulled out a single, glowing High-Grade Mana Crystal and flicked it through the air.

The guard scrambled to catch it, nearly dropping his pike. When he opened his palm and saw the pure, concentrated magic radiating from the gem, his sneer vanished, replaced by a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Apologies, my lady! Please, come right in!" The guards practically bowed as they pulled the gates open.

Cason stared at Brandi, utterly bewildered. How did a woman who had to tear her own clothes for bandages possess a crystal that could buy a small estate?

Brandi caught his stare. She gave him a freezing side-eye. "Found it in the dirt. Keep moving."

She didn't give him a chance to ask questions. She hauled him through the bustling streets, ignoring the cheap, rowdy taverns. She walked straight to the center of the city, stopping in front of a massive building constructed of white marble and polished brass: The Golden Griffin Inn.

The lobby was a blinding display of wealth. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

The innkeeper, a fat man in a velvet vest, saw the two bloody figures tracking mud onto his imported rugs. He opened his mouth to shout for security.

Brandi walked right up to the mahogany front desk. She pulled a heavy leather pouch from her pocket and slammed it down onto the wood. The heavy, unmistakable clinking of dense crystals echoed in the quiet lobby.

The innkeeper froze. He untied the strings and peeked inside. The blood drained from his face.

He instantly plastered on a professional, groveling smile. "Welcome to the Golden Griffin! How may I serve you?"

"Your best double suite," Brandi demanded, her voice cutting through the air. "Send up a tub of boiling water, your highest-grade wound salves, and two sets of clean clothes."

Cason stood behind her, his eyes fixed on the back of her head. The confusion in his mind was snowballing into a massive, tangled knot.

Minutes later, they were standing inside a ridiculously lavish suite. Silk curtains framed massive floor-to-ceiling windows.

Brandi dropped Cason onto a plush velvet sofa. She walked over to the window, staring down at the busy street below, her arms crossed.

A team of nervous staff hurried into the room, setting up a large wooden tub behind a painted silk screen. They filled it with steaming water, left a pile of folded silk clothes and medicinal jars on the table, and practically ran out of the room.

Brandi pointed at the screen. "Go scrub the blood off. You smell like a slaughterhouse."

Cason looked down at his ruined clothes. He felt a flush of embarrassment, but he forced himself to stand. He limped behind the screen.

The moment the sound of splashing water filled the room, the system chimed.

[Investment task 'Improve living conditions' complete. Reward: Top-Tier Meditation Room access (Can be deployed in spatial inventory).]

Brandi's eyes lit up. A meditation room was exactly what she needed to stabilize her magic. The return on this investment was insane.

Half an hour later, Cason stepped out from behind the screen.

He was wearing a set of black silk loungewear. With the mud and blood washed away, his true features were fully visible. His sharp jawline, the straight bridge of his nose, and his deep, dark eyes were striking. The damp black hair clinging to his forehead softened his usual lethal edge, giving him a fragile, devastatingly handsome look.

Brandi turned her head. Her breath hitched slightly in her throat, a purely physical reaction to his looks. She immediately forced her face back into a mask of boredom.

She picked up a jar of expensive salve from the table and tossed it at his chest. He caught it instinctively.

"Fix your wounds," she ordered.

Cason sat on the edge of the massive bed. He unscrewed the lid and began rubbing the salve into the angry red skin around his chest wound. His movements were practiced, numb to the pain.

"Thank you," he said. His voice was low, barely a whisper, but it carried across the quiet room.

Brandi waved her hand dismissively. "I just need you able to walk tomorrow so you don't slow me down."

Cason didn't argue. He was starting to understand her language.

Brandi grabbed her own set of clothes and went behind the screen to wash. When she emerged, she was wearing a simple, elegant white dress. The grime was gone, revealing the cold, untouchable aura of a high-level mage.

They sat in the sitting area, a strange, heavy silence settling between them. The only sound was the crackle of the fireplace.

Suddenly, Brandi's stomach let out a loud, aggressive growl.

She didn't blush. She stood up, smoothing the front of her dress. "I'm starving. We're going to eat."

Chapter 5

You might like