Chapter 112 - Bloodfang Wolves

Chapter 112: 112 - Bloodfang Wolves

Adrien and Vikir spent most of the morning searching. The records gave them only a general area where the mercenary company had last purchased supplies, leaving several stretches of forest and abandoned farmland to check.

They rode slowly whenever the terrain became difficult, stopping several times while Adrien extended Absolute Mana Sense through the surrounding area. At his normal range, he found animals, small monsters and the occasional traveller, but nothing resembling a large camp.

After another hour, Adrien stopped his horse beside a low hill covered in trees. He had already checked the area once, but this time he intended to push farther than the range he usually maintained.

"Give me a minute."

Vikir remained quiet while Adrien closed his eyes. Absolute Mana Sense expanded outward again, spreading through the forest in every direction.

Adrien pushed beyond the distance he normally used and forced his perception farther. The farther it travelled, the less precise it became, and pressure built behind his eyes.

He continued anyway. For several seconds there was nothing except scattered animals and weak monsters, until dozens of Mana Cores appeared at the edge of his perception.

Adrien focused on that direction and extended the talent farther. More signatures emerged one after another until the scattered points became an obvious concentration, and he began counting them carefully.

There were one hundred and twenty-seven in total. Every person inside the camp had an awakened Mana Core, most at One or Two Stars, with a smaller number at Three Stars.

Two signatures stood above the rest, and both were Four Stars. Adrien opened his eyes and looked through the trees ahead, now knowing exactly which direction they needed to take.

"Stop here, Vikir."

Both horses came to a halt.

"I found them."

Vikir looked toward the forest.

"How many?"

"One hundred and twenty-seven. Every one of them has an awakened Core."

Adrien concentrated once more. One of the Four-Star Cores was almost certainly Marcus based on the records, but the second was unexpected.

"There are two Four Stars."

Vikir’s expression tightened slightly.

"Two?"

"Marcus and someone else. The records only mentioned one."

"Then we should be careful, my lord."

Adrien released Absolute Mana Sense and nudged his horse forward. He wasn’t dismissing the danger, but there was a difference between being cautious and arriving visibly afraid.

"I don’t think they’re stupid enough to attack a lord openly. If they do, they’ll have the Crown looking at them next, and they know that."

He glanced at Vikir as they started moving again.

"Don’t show concern when we arrive. We came here to talk. If we look nervous before we’ve even entered their camp, they’ll read it as weakness."

Vikir nodded and followed. Neither of them spoke again while they crossed the remaining distance.

It took another twenty minutes before the camp became visible between the trees. The mercenaries had built it in a wide natural hollow hidden from the road by dense woodland.

Rows of canvas tents filled most of the space, with several larger structures near the center and a rough wall of sharpened timber surrounding everything. The barrier looked designed more to keep monsters away at night than to stop an actual army.

The camp was large enough to hold everyone Adrien had sensed, but nothing about it looked permanent.

Adrien and Vikir had barely reached the outer barrier when a voice called down from a raised wooden platform.

"You’re entering Bloodfang territory. Turn around now and nothing happens to you."

Adrien stared at the man above them, feeling a vein threaten to pulse at his temple. ’Bloodfang territory? Seriously? What are you, fifteen? You’re standing in my territory.’

He turned toward Vikir without saying anything. Vikir understood immediately, dismounted and straightened his coat before looking up at the guard.

"You are speaking to Lord Adrien Clairmont, head of House Clairmont, victor of the war against Arquenay, an SSS-rank talent holder and one of the greatest prodigies in Valebrand."

Adrien kept his face neutral despite the introduction. ’You sold that well, Vikir. Though none of it was actually false.’

The guard’s posture changed the moment the name registered. He looked from Vikir to Adrien again, taking several seconds to properly study him.

"Lord Clairmont."

His voice remained hard, but the aggression behind it had weakened.

"We’re here to speak with Marcus."

The guard hesitated before disappearing from the platform. A short exchange followed behind the barrier, and a moment later the rough gate was pulled open.

Adrien and Vikir rode inside. Conversations slowed throughout the camp, and mercenaries turned to watch them pass while Absolute Mana Sense picked up every Core surrounding them.

Nobody reached for a weapon or manifested one, which Adrien took as a good start. A broad-shouldered mercenary approached soon afterward and motioned for them to dismount.

Another man took the horses while their guide led them between the tents toward the largest one near the center. Adrien used the short walk to study the condition of the camp.

The equipment was maintained, but much of it had clearly been repaired repeatedly. Several tents had patches sewn into the canvas, while the food being prepared over one of the fires looked simple enough that nobody there was eating particularly well.

That matched what he already suspected. Whatever had happened after their contract ended, this wasn’t a company living comfortably from the money it had made under Arquenay.

They reached the largest tent, and the mercenary pulled aside the entrance for Adrien and Vikir. Two people were already waiting inside.

The first was impossible to mistake for anyone else. Marcus was broad, bald and heavily bearded, with old scars crossing his face and arms, and his Four-Star Mana Core matched one of the signatures Adrien had already identified.

The second person surprised him more. He looked young, probably only a few years older than Adrien, with white hair and striking purple eyes that followed Adrien from the moment he entered.

Absolute Mana Sense confirmed it immediately. ’The other Four Star.’ So this was the person the Arquenay records had missed.

Marcus remained standing behind a rough wooden table, his gaze moving briefly toward Vikir before settling on Adrien. When he spoke, his voice carried easily through the tent.

"Lord Clairmont. What brings you all the way out here to my territory?"

Adrien looked at him for several seconds. They had been speaking for less than five seconds, and somehow the meeting had already started badly.