After a whole day of arduous trekking, a solitary structure standing in the wilderness finally appeared on the horizon.
"An inn… Finally, tonight we don't have to sleep outside," Amy said with a trace of joy on her tired little face.
Kyle didn't reply. Instead, he scanned the inn with his Voidseer's Eye. The energy aura inside the inn was sparse and calm, suggesting no immediate danger.
The two stepped into the inn. The dimly lit hall was inhabited by a few mercenaries and traveling merchants, drunk and sprawled in corners. They lazily glanced at the new arrivals and quickly returned to their own business.
Kyle booked two of the cheapest rooms and ordered a simple dinner. While waiting, he instructed Amy to stay in the hall while he ventured into the stable behind the inn.
The stable was equally dark and damp. A few frail old horses snorted weakly. However, in the furthest stall, Kyle 's Voidseer's Eye detected an unusual energy aura.
It was bright, pure like silver, yet dimmed to its limits.
Kyle frowned as he approached.
On the haystack lay a young man clad in knight's armor. The emblem of a spread-winged eagle talon was branded on his chest plate. His face was deathly pale, lips cracked, and his chest rose and fell weakly with strained breaths, evidently in a deep coma. His abdomen bore a bone-deep wound, rudimentarily bandaged, but dark red blood continued to seep out.
"Hey, wake up," Kyle nudged his boot.
The young knight didn't respond.
"Steel Griffin Knights?" Vix's voice rang in Kyle's mind, laced with surprise. "That's one of the most elite knight orders under the royal banner, famed for their discipline and unyielding faith. How could one of their knights end up abandoned here?"
Kyle didn't answer and instead crouched down to inspect the young knight's wound. It was deep, and the edges still carried traces of sinister, corrosive dark energy, preventing healing and sapping his vitality.
"It's the handiwork of the Crimson Covenant," Vix said with certainty. "Their weapons are typically laced with Withering Venom."
Kyle remained silent. The mention of "Crimson Covenant" and "Steel Griffin Knights" hinted at something significant between the two.
He pulled out a jar of healing ointment Amy had prepared for him. A rare and precious resource. He hesitated but eventually unscrewed the lid.
Carefully untying the knight's bandages, he cleaned the wound with water and evenly applied the ointment. The moment the ointment touched the wound, the corrosive black energy sizzled and evaporated, dissipating swiftly.
"Ah…"
The excruciating pain caused the unconscious knight to groan and slowly open his eyes. His sky-blue eyes, reminiscent of a clear day, shone with a mix of weakness, confusion, and unyielding resolve.
"Who… are you?" His voice was hoarse and faint.
"A passing traveler," Kyle replied calmly. "Why are you here? Where are your comrades?"
At the word "comrades," a flash of pain and anger crossed the young knight's face. "They… abandoned me."
He recounted his ordeal in fits and starts.
His name was Leon, a trainee knight of the Steel Griffin Knights. A week ago, his five-man team received intel tracking a group of Crimson Covenant cultists suspected of abducting civilians. They pursued the trail into this wilderness.
However, they underestimated their enemies. During an ambush, their team was nearly wiped out. Their captain died on the spot, covering their retreat. Leon himself sustained severe injuries. His remaining two comrades carried him a short distance but deemed him a burden and ruthlessly abandoned him in the stable before fleeing toward the capital.
"Cowards! Traitors!" Leon clenched his fists in fury, his movements reigniting pain in his abdomen. He groaned, cold sweat dotting his forehead.
Kyle listened quietly, withholding any comments. He deeply understood the sting of betrayal.
"You were investigating the Crimson Covenant?" Kyle inquired.
"Yes," Leon replied after a breath. "For half a year, strange cases of disappearances have occurred across the kingdom, mostly involving vagrants and the destitute. The Knights' secret investigations all pointed toward this mysterious, malevolent cult."
"What do they want with so many people?"
A flicker of fear passed through Leon's eyes. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he revealed, "We have a terrifying suspicion."
"The Knights recovered a fragmented sacrificial journal from a fallen cultist. Based on its contents, we suspect that the Crimson Covenant is conducting an unprecedented scale of Living Sacrifice!"
"Living Sacrifice?" Kyle's heart sank.
"Yes." Leon's pallor worsened. "They seem intent on using the blood and souls of countless people as offerings to awaken an ancient evil sealed by the royal ancestors deep underground. The journal referred to it as the 'World Destroyer.'"
World Destroyer!
Seed Project!
Living Sacrifice!
One by one, fragmented clues pieced together in Kyle's mind into a chilling conspiracy!
At last, he understood what the Crimson Covenant needed the Void Ore for. They intended to construct a colossal altar, large enough to bear the weight of innumerable souls—a bloody, flesh-forged altar!
Kyle and Leon exchanged a glance. In each other's eyes, they saw profound shock and gravity. They hadn't anticipated two seemingly unrelated threads to converge here, unveiling a shared, horrifying truth. Their common enemy was far more nefarious and deranged than imagined.
"I must return to the capital and inform the Knight Commander!" Leon struggled to sit up, but his frail body failed, and he fell back down.
"Don't move. You need rest now," Kyle pressed him down. "Coincidentally, I'm also heading to the capital."
Leon looked at Kyle, his gratitude mingled with curiosity. "Who exactly are you? You seem to know quite a bit about the Crimson Covenant."
"A man with a deep-seated vendetta against them," Kyle replied coldly, his tone dripping with murderous intent.
Just then, the sound of hoofbeats outside the inn broke the silence. Judging by the noise, there were at least four or five horses.
Moments later, a group of men, clad in travel-worn leather armor and armed, pushed open the inn's door, swaggering inside.
In the stable, both Kyle and Leon held their breath.
Were the newcomers friend or foe?
Could Leon's traitorous comrades be among them?
Tonight would not be a peaceful one.