Chapter 643: We will have a large base of operations
Strax remained silent for a mont, his golden eyes sparkling through the remnants of smoke that still hung in the air. The sll of ash and burnt flesh perated the square, suffocating, heavy. He then turned to Samira, as if issuing a simple, inevitable order.
“Clean this up.”
Samira smiled, pleased with her husband’s confidence. Without hesitation, she raised both arms and opened them as if to embrace the world. Scarlet-red energy pulsed around her body, and imdiately the flas scattered throughout the streets trembled. It was as if they had heard the voice of a queen, calling them ho.
The fire crept from the houses, from the charred wood, from the still-burning fabrics, and began to gather in incandescent spirals, converging toward her. The flas twisted like serpents of pure fla, climbing the walls and moving along the ground, racing through the city streets until they reached Samira.
And she welcod them as if they were banquets.
The flas were drawn into her mouth, swallowed with relish, while her eyes glowed bright red. The heat that should have lted human flesh seed not to touch her—on the contrary, it strengthened her. In an instant, the entire city, previously engulfed in blazes, was plunged into silence. Only the sound of dying embers and Samira’s deep sigh remained.
She wiped her lips with her thumb, as if she had just tasted a rare wine, and let out a soft laugh. “Hm… a rare banquet.” She turned to Strax, flashing a mischievous smile. “But it wasn’t all bad.”
Strax chuckled softly, baring his sharp fangs. “Always exaggerated.”
Hadrian and the boy watched the scene in complete stupor. To them, it made no sense—it wasn’t techniques, it wasn’t tricks. It was sothing beyond human, beyond reason. It was raw, absolute power.
Strax turned to the rchant, his eyes fixed, piercing. “Now, Hadrian.” The na tumbled from his mouth as if it were a test. “What are you going to do?”
Hadrian took a deep breath, trying to compose himself in the face of that suffocating presence. He was stained with soot, his shirt ripped at the collar by Samira’s burning fingernail, but his eyes remained steady. “My plan was to go to the Capital.” He adjusted his frayed vest, as if trying to regain so dignity. “Kaelthur can’t survive alone. I need deals, protection… and the only place I can get them is there.”
Strax tilted his head, assessing him calmly. “And what’s left of your caravan?”
Hadrian let out a bitter smile. “Nothing.” His eyes scanned the broken wagon, the dead guards scattered in the streets. “No personnel. No protection. And little money.”
Samira laughed loudly, almost musically, leaning on Strax’s arm. “It seems fate has decided to play with you, rchant.”
But Strax didn’t laugh. He was silent for a mont, reflecting. The Capital. The heart of the continent. The path he already wanted to follow was being offered to him on a platter, and with it, the chance to drag along soone who knew the routes, the nas, the power plays.
His golden eyes sparkled with satisfaction. “The best of both worlds,” he murmured.
Hadrian looked up, attentive. “What do you an?”
Strax stepped forward, stopping in front of him, and stared down at him. “I need to go to the Capital. You need soone to get you there alive.” His tone wasn’t a proposal, but a decree. “Then you’ll take .”
Hadrian blinked in surprise. “You… want to take you?”
Samira tilted her head, her red horns glinting, and laughed mischievously. “Love, you should be clearer.” What you an is that the rchant will serve as a guide… or currency.
Strax didn’t deny it. “You know the roads, the cities along the way, the n who move the gold on this continent. I don’t need maps or horses, but I do need information.” He extended a finger toward Hadrian. “Then you will co with . Not as a rchant. Not as a negotiator. But as my guide.”
Hadrian was slow to respond. His mind whirled with a thousand thoughts: the danger, the opportunity, the folly of accompanying two creatures who seed more like gods than n. But at the sa ti, the vision of the burning city returned to him. Kaelthur alone would not survive. He alone would not survive.
And then he took a deep breath. “If this is the price to protect Kaelthur… then I accept.”
Samira smiled, satisfied. “I like him,” she murmured, resting her spear on her shoulder. “So obedient, but still with fire in his eyes.”
The boy, who had remained silent until then, widened his eyes and finally burst out: “Lord Hadrian, no! You saw what they are! This is not help, it is condemnation!”
Hadrian turned to him sternly. “Condemnation would be not accepting.” His voice was hard, filled with a new firmness. “Kaelthur has already bled too much.” If I can carry so of the burden so she can survive, then I will.
Strax watched the scene silently, but there was a subtle glint in his golden eyes. Sothing close to approval.
He then turned and began walking, the broken stones crunching beneath his boots. “Then don’t waste ti,” he said, without looking back. “Prepare what’s left of what you need. We’ll leave at dawn.”
Samira walked beside him, smiling as if savoring the anticipation of a fun ga.
Hadrian stood still for a few monts, feeling the weight of the decision crush his shoulders. The boy beside him trembled, but didn’t dare say anything else.
Finally, Hadrian lifted his chin, took a deep breath, and said to himself, “So be it.”
That night, the entire city gathered in silence. The people of Kaelthur, still stunned by the attack and destruction, now looked at the strangers who had appeared like demons… and, paradoxically, had saved them.
Samira sat on the roof of one of the intact houses, watching the stars with a lazy smile. “I think you just crowned yourself king of this piece of rock.”
Strax, standing in the street, stared at the smoldering remains of the attack. His expression was distant. “King of hungry rats.”
She laughed. “Still, it’s good to start with a small territory. Though I think our plans are rather… weak right now.”
Strax didn’t answer. His gaze was fixed on the dark horizon, where the road disappeared beyond the hills. The Capital awaited them—and with it, the promise of sothing greater.
And behind him, Hadrian was already beginning to gather what little remained of his caravan, gathering maps, coins, clothes, and courage.
The journey was just beginning.
“Go tell the others… ask Cristine and Yennifer to start building the Shadow Guild again. They were mbers of that thing on our continent. They should be able to build a decent new one using their knowledge. I want it called Reaper,” he ordered, then turned to her.
“Tell Rogue to start working on it and create a rcenary Guild. Let’s start with that. Ask her to take whoever she wants with her, who will be helpful. With that, we’ll have a large base of operations, a Shadow Guild for espionage, and a rcenary Guild to accumulate power.”
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