I stopped in front of the dark corridor, I could see her. In my mana field, I saw everyone, a being peacefully sleeping in the last bedroom while others, stressed, glaring at me. Their mana flow was swirling too fast. The hired mercenaries were waiting to ambush me.
I pretended not to notice them and strode forward. Once close enough, the mercenary swung his axe at me. Suddenly a wooden spike popped from the ground to pierce his head.
"W-What?" His companions looked disturbed. Yet, I still moved towards the room at the end of hallway.
"Stop him!" The man who appears their leader barked.
Three men with dual covered blades in hands ran at me. I halted my steps, just the blade was about to touch me, I raised my index finger. A stone wall surged from the floor to block the attack. "It's just a stone wall, bring it down!"
The men punched, kicked and swung their blades at the wall but nothing worked. "Boss! It isn't coming down. Maybe we should grab the mistress and make the run."
The leader seemingly got enraged by his underling's suggestion. "You fool! It's just one kid! If we run now, how can we ascend in the clan-" His words got cut off as another wall rose between them.
"W-What's happening?" "We are trapped!"
'Sorry, but I am not in the mood to entertain you all.' I clapped my hands together. 'Please step aside.'
In a blink, the walls closed onto each other, they fell few seconds later and left an entire section of hallway painted red. I felt warm blood covering my feet as I stood on the gore. "Maybe this will do the trick?"
I summoned a large black magic circle, it sucked all the blood off the ground and began to change colour. I rotated my hands as the scriptures began to change drastically, to my surprise the entire house shook violently. For the final step, I pointed at the remaining leader of the mercenaries.
Three humanoid figures emerged from the red magic circle, the figures had no face and skin, their body was mostly made of glob of human blood and very few small bones which remained intact.
The leader fell on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. "M-Monster. Monster! MONSTER! AHHHHAAH-"
The humanoid figures moved at monstrous speed and severed his both arms.
"Make him shut up." As soon as I spoke the glob inserted his sticky blood into his mouth.
The leader struggled all he could, but with no arms it was already a lost cause.
I stood in front of Lenia's bedroom, I calmly knocked on the wooden door. Silence.
BAM!
The wooden door exploded, Lenia jolted from her bed. "W-What is happening? Tarma! My son! Are you there?"
"Your grandson is not here." I silently made way towards her bed.
"W-Who are you?" The grandma appeared to have low vision in darkness, she is very old after all.
"Have you not recognized my voice?" I asked in stern voice. "You took something from me. Give her back and I might show mercy."
Lenia Van SilverTusk started giggling and soon burst out a loud laugh. "Hahaha! Ryhard's trash, are you? Pathetic beggars have come once more."
I stared straight into Lenia's soul while she looked past me as she uttered her words.
"Huuu. Why have you come? Is it money? Oh, it's always that. Here." The old granny reached out to her drawer and took out a single bronze coin. "Take this and begone you dog."
She threw the coin at the wall. "You can only beg all your life, first that bastard Melsier and you… Are you Melsier?"
She reached out to touch me but could not find me in the darkness. With a wide smile, she reached out for drawer once more. "I want to see your filthy face, your tears bring me so much joy, you cannot fathom. My entire week enlightens after such dreams. Hehehe."
A white stone reveals itself from the drawer, it is cheap source of luminosity mainly used in mines, one needs to constantly provide raw mana by physical touch. The granny excitedly rubs the stone as it begins to glow.
First scratch, the blood figures walks in.
Second scratch, light brightens.
Third scratch, I disappear from her side.
As the dim light improves visibility, the granny screams after seeing these unholy creatures standing so close to her. I grab her head and put Melsier's blade on her neck. "Where is Alexia?"
"AAHHHA!"
I press her head against the wall. "The white haired girl! Where is she?"
"I-I don't-"
"Jerald! Where is he?"
"I don't know!"
I click my tongue and cut three fingers of her right arm. The granny wanted to scream but I didn't let her to. "Where is he?"
"H-He never came back from dungeon city. It rained, yes! He might have decided to stay the night."
I release her and sheathe Melsier's blade who was hungry for more of granny's blood.
Gasping for air, the old hag didn't spare any chance cursing me. "You lowlife! How dare you? I have you staked for this! Just wait tell Tarma comes back!"
Seeing her screaming, the blood figures move to 'silence' her. This made grandma jump in fear. But I raise my hand to stop them. "I gave you, my word. You have my mercy." I turn around to leave her bedroom.
"Haah! That's right! Run for life, you coward! I hunt you, I kill you, the kids, I kill everyone! Even the-"
I stopped at the door and glanced back. "I granted you mercy because you mean nothing to me, but that's not same for everyone."
"What?"
THUD! THUD!
Mr. Red's great sword cleaved granny's torso in half and pulled her entire bed below.
As I stepped out, the blood figures followed me. I noticed that the mercenary leader suffocated to death. "You. Skin him and wear it. You two, kill yourselves."
The blood figures immediately got to work while I walked down the stairs. At the front door, Mr. Red was waiting for me. The half skull of Lenia was stuck on his great sword.
"Let's go." I snapped my fingers to ignite the house in flames.
As we stepped out, a carriage was already waiting for us. Tarma stepped out of the carriage and we made a brief eye contact. I smiled, not at him. Though he thought otherwise.
I walked closer to him and went pass him, with a small pat on his shoulder. "I killed your grandma. Sorry… not actually."
Tarma himself, did not tried to stop us, nor said a word.
The servant who sat at the front of the carriage yelled loudly, even tried stop us but we were in a hurry.
Mr. Red did not ask our destination, he quietly followed me but anyone could guess where I was headed.
'The Cross dungeon city.'