'What is this feeling? I don't even know him. He's just an idiot who fell for a trapped bounty—'
"Are you alright?" One of her comrades asked.
"Huh?" Lex, with an absent-minded look, glanced around and saw her comrades' eyes were all on her.
"You were about to assign someone to watch the cottage." They reminded her.
"Oh yeah..." Quickly thinking she said, "I'll do it, I'll watch them." Everyone gave her a surprised look. "You guys can head back to the manor. Butcher, make sure to give the trackers the hand, we don't want him getting away." However, she paused when she saw him staring at the severed hand, not acknowledging her commands. She moved closer to check on him. "Hey!" she said while poking him.
"I heard you, Lex," he said, still staring at the hand. "It's just... His hand feels different." He turned to look at her. "Can you give me some time to examine it?"
Wondering what he meant, she said yes to his request and then sent them on their way, reminding them to be cautious of other groups that might try to swipe their "loot." Those other groups should've gotten the memo by now that the forbidden bounty had been claimed. Even though The Black Hand reigned as the biggest crime organization in Brightwood with a serious reputation, there were still those daring enough to go after them. Causing them to start grouping in larger parties to discourage any attempts.
Afterward, she went on the hunt for a hiding spot while keeping an eye out. She chose the nearby wooden rooftop of an inn, just a couple of blocks away from the cottage. From there, she watched the cozy home, taking the chance to sort through her emotions. Different conclusions started forming in her mind, with the most prominent ones revolving around magic or that mysterious "Good sex" theory she had come up with. Given the life she had been forced to live, she had witnessed the ugliest side of humanity, seeing firsthand the terrible things people could do to one another. However, she had also noticed a peculiar mystery: inexperienced or virgin men visiting brothels and coming out smitten, trying to woo the workers. The same thing happened to inexperienced workers, which always baffled her. It seemed absurd to think that sex could have such an effect, but now she was beginning to believe that it might have happened to her.
After thinking for a while, she spotted a woman with light blonde hair exiting the cottage. 'Why is she leaving alone? Does she really think we ain't watching?' The note clearly told them to stay put until tomorrow. Perplexed by the woman's actions, she seized the chance to confront Rex privately and ask him some questions.
Moving towards the door, she pressed her ear against it, straining to catch any sounds from inside. With a slow and cautious motion, she opened the door and stepped inside. Immediately, her eyes landed on a squishy, jelly-like mass perched where the man's lifeless body had once been. Shock and confusion washed over her as she absorbed the bizarre sight before her. Racing thoughts filled her mind as she tried to make sense of the crimson blob and the absence of the body. One idea kept resurfacing insistently: 'It's a slime, it has to be.' Having encountered her fair share of slimes in her lifetime, the closest comparison she could draw was to a blood slime, but she knew this one was different, too solid to fit that category. Questions swirled in her head as she wondered where he had gone, unable to sense anyone else in the cottage besides the slime. 'It can't be him, it's impossible.'
As she cautiously approached the red blob, curiosity gripped her and she wanted to get a closer look. Suddenly, she spotted a black silhouette resembling a human within the blob. It hit her immediately—'It's absorbing the dead body.' Strangely, a warm and cozy feeling welled up inside her at the thought of touching the slime. Encouraged by her emotions, she reached out and made contact with the blob. In an instant, a familiar sensation of love washed over her, sending shivers of arousal through her body. The bewildering situation left her utterly flabbergasted, and she quickly moved away, realizing that the slimy figure was actually Rex in a different form. 'But how?! He's human!' she wondered, before the realization struck her—'Is he some kind of shape shifter?' It was hard to believe. Shape shifters were thought to be extinct, but here was one right in front of her.
"But how did he get an appraisal? His name shouldn't show up on the tablet, or even the pillar, if his a shifter," she muttered, even more confused than before. she decided that it wasn't wise to stay and think here, so she quickly left the cottage.
After returning to her hiding spot, she kept her eyes fixed on the cottage, but her thoughts were all over the place. A little while later, two women showed up at the cottage with some food. One of them was the light blonde, but the other one was a tall lady in a hooded leather armor. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the tall woman was carrying a wooden staff with a shiny red gem at the tip.
'So, she's actually helping him, I wonder if they know who he really is.' Despite being aware of Rebecca's connection to him, they had still pursued him, going as far as killing one of his friends in the process, all for the priceless heart. The Ziggurat Kingdom's relentless pursuit of the Heart was widely known, with threats of violence looming over anyone daring enough to lay their hands on it. Consequently, most people chose to steer clear of anything associated with the Heart.
The boss of The Black Hands, spotting an opportunity upon hearing about the hidden Ziggurat noble in the cities forest, sent a squad to capture him. However, the squad returned in a sorry state, battered and beaten, barely clinging to life. Realizing that his usual brute force approach wouldn't work, the boss decided to exercise patience and wait for a better chance to strike.
Recognizing the potential of the situation, she understood that the guards of the avaricious merchant would also be on the lookout for Rex. She saw a golden opportunity to eliminate the merchant and knew that he held the key to making it happen.
~~~~~~
As the sun rose, Rex plopped himself down on a chair, waiting for his sister wake up. Both of them were dead tired from yesterday's crazy happenings. Rebecca had suggested staying at the Red Peach brothel to lay low and blend in with the crowd while Melora's festival went on. Despite the risks, he knew that Jen desperately needed a good sleep. So, they made the call to spend the night, even though the note they got told them not to budge until today. Meanwhile, Rebecca had headed out to terminate her deal with the mayor.
Today was the start of the festival, and the group of thugs that ambushed and threatened them were probably going to make their move during the festival, using the pandemonium as a cover for their actions. He just hopes they could keep their heads down, stay safe, and figure out a plan to escape the city.
"We need to get out of this crappy city; it's suffocating to stay here," he muttered, contemplating Rebecca's proposal from last night. She had suggested that he and Jen join her at the Academy of Arcanum. According to her, it would help him grasp the basics of his newfound magic. She reassured them that Jen didn't need magic to enroll; there were other subjects she could study that didn't require it. However, their only obstacle was money. The mention of a fifty-gold coin entry fee per person had shocked them. He had never seen more than ten gold coins in his life, and now they needed a hundred for both of them.
Rebecca had offered to lend them enough money for one of them to attend. He hesitated to accept, but she explained that all necessities would be provided, and they could even live there for the rest of their lives if they wished. He couldn't fathom how an academy could function in such a way, but he pushed aside his doubts and agreed. He asked Rebecca to let Jen use the money to apply first, to which she agreed. However, Jen didn't share their enthusiasm and went straight to sleep without further discussion. He understood her reservations but felt annoyed that she couldn't see the significant opportunity it presented.
Lost in thought, he heard footsteps approaching up the stairs. He assumed it was a customer and briefly ignored it. However, curiosity got the better of him, prompting him to focus on his tremor sense. He sensed someone he had met earlier and a mix of terror and anger struck him as he wondered why she was there. 'What the hell does she want now!?' Just then, he saw the figure of Lex stop in front of the door and say, "Rex? Are you there?" She knocked and added, "We need to talk. It's important."
