Chapter 28: Trigger the Net (Mistakes Fixed)
"So... what now?" Corven asked, eyes narrowing slightly as he glanced at the silver-streaked pouch in Irsted’s hand. The confusion in his voice echoed the strangeness of the situation—they had done nothing, yet they were being paid.
Irsted let out a dry chuckle, the sound low and amused. Without missing a beat, he pulled exactly thirty silver coins from the pouch, counting them with the precision of someone who’d done this a hundred times before. Then, without ceremony, he tore a strip from the hem of his own cloak—rough fabric fraying at the edges—and fashioned it into a crude pouch, tying it with a simple, practiced knot before tucking the silver inside.
"Simple," he said, voice casual, like they weren’t standing in a blood-stained alley with a corpse cooling behind them. "We head back down and question nothing."
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the remaining pouch to Corven.
Corven caught it effortlessly, weighing the coins with a grin. "Gladly. Money without work? Now that’s what I call a blessed night."
But before they could move, Rose spoke up, her voice edged with curiosity—and something darker. "Also... how do vampires here get their fix? I haven’t exactly seen any blood bars around."
Irsted glanced over his shoulder. "Underzen’s got plenty of places for that," he replied. "Blood’s a resource. They never run out. One way or another."
Trish let out a soft yawn, stretching her arms over her head with feline grace. The night was clearly starting to wear on her. "Let’s head back down. We’ll talk blood and ethics later."
The others nodded in agreement, turning to retrace their steps. Whatever happened to the dead man was out of their hands now—it was the paladin’s mess. Let him clean it up.
But fate had other plans.
Just as they turned the corner, a dark blur surged from across the street—fast, crimson, and snarling.
A vampire. Moving like a shadow loosed from hell.