Chapter 37: Gist
"Whoa... he looks dead."
The moment Daylan's voice echoed through the room, the tavern keeper instinctively turned toward him and rose to his feet.
"Please forgive me. I'll tell you everything... and, in fact, take your money." He blurted, dropping to his knees, begging and sniffling as tears streamed down his cheeks.
Daylan and the others exchanged glances. "Alright... go ahead, tell me," Daylan said, his voice tinged with awkwardness.
"They aren't the Phantoms, that's true." He shivered, lifting his gaze to Daylan. "They are the Ledgermen. They make more money the longer someone remains in their debt."
The ledgermen weren't necessarily warriors; they were a cult devoted to the demon Mammon. According to the Keeper, they acted as financial backers for the Phantoms whenever possible—though how that arrangement came to be, he didn't know.
What he did know was that the Ledgermen grew richer the longer their debtors remained in debt. The demon Mammon never ceased to fill their coffers.
They performed blood sacrifices, but beyond that, the Ledgermen were harmless compared to the Phantoms. Though they had a few influential members among their ranks, they were far fewer in number—not even a third the size of the Phantoms.
He hurried to reassure Daylan. "I don't know anything extraordinary about the Phantoms. I've said everything... trust me, I don't." He then turned to Astara and Medora.
"I only wanted to join the Ledgermen, but their rituals were too much for me, so I ran... they never kidnapped me."
"Why lie? Why lie about being kidnapped?" Astara asked, her voice steady and firm.