"You've seen others like me—outsiders?" Ethan asked, narrowing his eyes.
The lead Toxari slithered forward through the muck, its slimy body glistening under the toxic mist. "Information comes at a price," it rasped. "You can give me a drop of your blood… or enough wealth to satisfy me… or you can purge the poison from my body."
Ethan blinked, caught off guard. These things didn't seem hostile—more like opportunistic toll trolls than actual threats.
He quickly ran through the options in his head.
Wealth? That was vague as hell. No telling how much they'd demand—or if they'd just keep asking for more. And purging the poison? Not a chance. Even with his power, there was no way he could cleanse a creature saturated with thousands of different toxins.
That left the blood.
One drop. Easy.
With a quick flick of his finger, he sliced his skin and flicked a crimson bead through the air.
