Kael spent the day resting in his warehouse hideout and carefully reviewing the intelligence Lyra had provided. The Crimson Hand operated six safehouses scattered throughout Valdris's lower districts, each housing between three and seven members, serving as staging points for their various criminal operations—smuggling, protection rackets, money laundering, and worse.
According to Shadow's notes, the safehouses reported to the Silk Serpent headquarters twice daily—morning and evening. If a safehouse missed its report, Vorcen would know something was wrong within hours.
Good. Kael wanted him to know. Wanted him afraid.
[NEW QUEST: BURNING BRIDGES]
Objective: Eliminate all six Crimson Hand safehouses (0/6)
Reward: 600 EXP, +3 to all stats, Title: "Crimson Hand's Bane"
Time Limit: Complete before evening report (8 hours)
Warning: Each safehouse eliminated will increase Vorcen's alert level
Six locations, eight hours, and he had to hit them all before evening to prevent word from spreading. It would be tight, but doable.
Kael equipped his Shadow Cloak and studied his target list:
Safehouse Locations:
Dock District - Warehouse 7 (4 members) Market Quarter - Above Blue Lotus tavern (3 members) Craftsman District - Abandoned smithy (5 members, 1 mage) Lower Slums - Orphanage basement (7 members, heavily fortified) Theater District - Behind Crimson Stage (3 members) Foreign Quarter - Silk merchant's back room (6 members, 2 mages)
He'd start with the weakest and work up, saving the heavily defended locations for when he'd gained experience from easier targets.
Target one: Blue Lotus tavern.
The Market Quarter bustled with afternoon activity. Merchants hawked wares, customers bargained loudly, and cooking smells filled the air. The Blue Lotus sat on a corner, a moderately successful tavern serving decent ale and asking no questions.
Perfect cover for a criminal safehouse.
Kael entered like a regular customer. His Shadow Cloak and casual demeanor drew no attention. He ordered ale, paid with copper, and sat at a corner table observing.
His Void Sense painted the building's layout in his mind. Ground floor: tavern patrons and staff. Second floor: private rooms, mostly empty. Third floor: three life signatures, all radiating the familiar feel of Crimson Hand members.
Kael finished his ale slowly, waiting. When the bartender went into the back kitchen and most patrons focused on a dice game, he slipped upstairs.
The stairs creaked slightly. Kael activated Shadowmeld, blending into shadows. His visibility dropped dramatically.
[Void Energy: 135/140]
Third floor. Three targets. Low-level enforcers according to intelligence—muscle, not skilled fighters.
He reached their door and listened. Voices inside, arguing about gambling debts.
"—telling you, the dice were weighted!"
"You're just a sore loser, Fen."
"Both of you shut up. We're supposed to be keeping watch, not—"
Kael kicked the door open.
Three men spun toward him, reaching for weapons. But Kael was already moving, Void Step carrying him directly to the nearest target. His Void-enhanced fist caught the man in the solar plexus, and Kael activated his newly evolved ability.
Void Siphon.
Dark tendrils erupted from his hand, far more aggressive than Void Drain had been. They sank into the target like hooks, and Kael felt energy flooding into him—not just life force, but the man's strength, vitality, even fragments of combat experience.
[Void Siphon activated]
[Draining: 40 HP per second]
[+Temporary Strength boost: +2]
[Target unconscious in 3... 2... 1...]
The enforcer collapsed. The other two had weapons drawn—short swords, standard Crimson Hand issue.
They attacked in coordination, one high, one low. Basic but effective teamwork.
Kael activated Void Pulse, releasing a shockwave that staggered both attackers. While they recovered, he used Void Step to appear behind Fen and wrapped him in a chokehold enhanced with Void energy.
Void Siphon again, draining from the neck. Fen struggled for five seconds, then went limp.
[2/3 targets neutralized]
[SKILL ACQUISITION TRIGGERED]
[Skill learned: Basic Blade Work (Rank F) - +5% damage with bladed weapons]
Kael's eyes widened. The Whispering Merchant had said ten percent chance to absorb skills. He'd gotten lucky on his second use.
The third enforcer, seeing his companions fall in seconds, dropped his weapon. "Wait! I surrender! I'll tell you whatever you—"
Kael's Merciful Strike caught him in the temple, knocking him unconscious without permanent damage.
[Safehouse cleared: 1/6]
[+75 EXP]
Three down, none dead. He wasn't a murderer—not unless necessary. These were foot soldiers following orders.
Kael searched the room, finding a lockbox with forty gold and a ledger listing businesses paying protection money. He pocketed the gold and burned the ledger—those businesses were free now.
[+40 Gold]
Target two: Warehouse 7, Dock District.
The docks smelled of fish, salt water, and human misery. Warehouse 7 was tucked between a fish processing plant and a ship repair yard.
Four guards outside visible. Kael's Void Sense detected four more inside.
Wait—intelligence said four total, not eight. Had they reinforced after last night?
[WARNING: Enemy numbers exceed expected values]
[Vorcen is responding faster than predicted]
Eight targets instead of four meant more danger, more energy expenditure. But Kael wasn't the same person who'd died in an alley days ago.
He activated Shadowmeld and approached from the water side. The warehouse had a small dock for loading cargo. Kael slipped into the water—cold but not unbearable—and swam to the dock's underside.
His enhanced Vitality meant he could hold his breath for several minutes. He waited, listening to footsteps above, timing the guard patrol pattern.
When the nearest guard walked directly over his position, Kael burst from the water, grabbed the man's ankle, and pulled him in. Before the guard could shout, Void Siphon drained him unconscious.
[1/8 neutralized]
The splash was quiet, but not silent. Another guard called out, "Ren? You okay?"
Kael climbed onto the dock, water streaming from his cloak. The approaching guard rounded the corner and froze, seeing his unconscious companion floating and a soaked stranger standing where Ren had been.
"Intru—"
Void Step brought Kael directly in front of the guard. His hand clamped over the man's mouth, and Void Siphon did its work.
[2/8 neutralized]
Two down silently. But the next patrol would discover them in minutes. Time to switch from stealth to speed.
Kael burst through the warehouse's side door. The remaining six guards were scattered—two on the ground floor, four on the second-level catwalk.
"Contact!" one shouted, drawing a crossbow.
The bolt flew toward Kael's chest. He activated Void Grasp, the projectile freezing mid-air surrounded by dark energy. With a gesture, he sent it back.
The crossbowman dove aside, but the redirected bolt caught his partner in the shoulder.
[3/8 neutralized]
Kael charged the two ground-floor guards. They flanked him—one swung a club at his head while the other thrust a spear toward his gut.
Void Pulse knocked them both backward. Before they could recover, Kael was on them, Void Siphon draining energy from both simultaneously.
[+Temporary Agility boost: +3]
[+Temporary Vitality boost: +2]
[5/8 neutralized]
The three remaining guards on the catwalk had ranged weapons—two more crossbows and one with throwing knives. They spread out, making themselves harder to target.
Smart. But Kael had options.
He used Void Step to teleport directly onto the catwalk between two of them. His sudden appearance startled them enough that their shots went wide. Kael grabbed both by their throats and activated Void Siphon.
The third guard, the knife thrower, hurled three blades in rapid succession. Kael couldn't dodge while maintaining his drain, so he took the hits—one bouncing off his Shadow Cloak, one grazing his arm, one sticking in his shoulder.
[Health: 195/220]
Pain flared, but his Void Body's enhanced resilience kept him functional. He maintained the drain until both guards went limp, then yanked the knife from his shoulder and threw it back with Void-enhanced strength.
It caught the knife thrower in the leg. The man fell, and Kael was on him before he could recover.
[8/8 neutralized]
[Safehouse cleared: 2/6]
[+100 EXP]
[SKILL ACQUISITION TRIGGERED]
[Skill learned: Thrown Weapons Proficiency (Rank F) - +10% accuracy]
Kael looted quickly. Sixty gold, various weapons, another ledger. He took the gold and destroyed the ledger.
[+60 Gold]
[Current Gold: 135]
Four safehouses remaining. His energy was still high, and the temporary stat boosts had faded, but he'd learned two skills and barely spent Void Energy beyond initial assaults.
This was working perfectly.