Captured (3) - 22

Reaching land, instead of pausing to rest, we continued to push forward as we would all freeze to death if we didn't make a fire soon.

And, just like in the canon, we found the old hunters yurt and immediately started a fire.

Unlike in the canon, instead of Nina and Matthias sleeping with their naked bodies next to each other to preserve their heat, with the powers that Nina and I had, although Matthias was reluctant to be under the effects of a Grisha, after we reminded him that that was what had kept him alive for his whole swim here, he relented, and so Nina treated me whilst I treated Matthias, before I turned around and treated Nina.

Well, unlike Nina, I wasn't increasing the flow of blood in the patients body, but I was controlling the body to release a certain hormone that increased blood flow naturally.

And well, the control center for this hormone was situated in the brain, so it perfectly fit under my heartrender powers that had been modified by Jurda Parem.

Of course, the two that I had treated were non the wiser, thinking that I had just used regular heartrender powers.

It didn't really matter much anyways, as the same result was achieved.

But now, there was a problem... I was craving human flesh.

After all, I had just used an insane amount of energy to swim that whole distance to shore, and now, I needed fuel like any other organism.

As for Matthias, who had done the same feat as me, he was fine due to the fact that Nina had helped him with real heartrender powers the whole way, whilst I was just pushing through with my own strength, something that they didn't know about.

I mean, they just thought that I was doing the same thing that Nina was doing to Matthias to my own body.

So, once they fell asleep, I immediately left the yurt and headed towards the closest scent of human blood.

Finding a lost hunter in a hurriedly made igloo, I immediately destroyed his shelter and ate him without any reservations.

Chewing on the cold blood that had coagulated on my hands, I made sure that all evidence of my murder was buried before hurriedly making my way back to the yurt.

Seeing that Nina and Matthias were none the wiser, and that they had, for some reason, gotten closer to each other in the time that I had been gone, I just moved my furs to the other side of the fire and slept there instead.

After all, although I was a human eating demon, I still had some decency left, and so, I would leave them to nature's own machinations.

Closing my eyes, I quickly forced my body to fall asleep.

...

A Few Months Later:

In the port of Ketterdam, Nina and I watched as Matthias was dragged away under the pretense that he was a slave trader.

I could only sigh, as this was all Nina's fault, and was a needed plot development device to push Nina towards the crows.

Patting Nina on the shoulder, as she was currently hating herself for accidentally sending Matthias to jail both of us started to walk, well, because we were forced to.

After all, she was now a slave.

Well, Nina was the one that had wanted to become a slave, as she needed to earn enough money to free Matthias from jail.

As for me, I was just following her, as I acted as the concerned friend that wanted to see where my friend went so that I could visit her every once in a while.

And, like in the Canon, Nina was sold to the White Rose, a high end brothel, with an exclusive contract to be a Grisha that sold their services as a worker that calmed people with their powers, basically a shrink, but more effective, instead of being a sex worker.

As for me, I already had plans for how I would quickly make money and establish myself in the dregs of Ketterdam.

"Promise me that you'll visit once a week." Urged Nina, as we were about to pass the point where she would be separated from me.

"Of course, you're the only person I know here after all." I replied coldly, but allowing myself to show some warmth in my eyes towards her.

"You tsundere." She teased, obviously noticing my "hidden" emotions, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Yeah yeah, I bet you'll be begging me for money later."

"Like you would have any business acumen."

"You'd be surprised." Was my final reply to her, before she was pulled away.

Seeing her off, we were allowed one last look at each other, before she was forced to break eye contact with me, and entered the carriage with all the other slaves.

Finally out of her sight, I quickly lowered the brim of a hat that I had bought a little while ago over my face, hiding my features.

Sighing, thinking about what I now had to do, ie. get my hands dirty, I quickly took in my surroundings, before disappearing, as I ran around and mapped the entirety of Ketterdam in my head.

I mean, the novel had provided a map, but I never memorized it, and the map in the novel hadn't been that accurate anyways, only showing the major points in the city of Ketterdam.

Once I finished, everything was finally in place.

Now, all I had to do was sit back and wait, as I couldn't really do that much until the plot started.

I just had to wait a few more years.

And, after extorting a few people out of their money, and stealing some from some slightly rich merchants that I knew didn't have the capability to capture me, much less, bring me to justice, I quickly bought an old bookstore.

Within the year, I restored the bookstore and opened it up.

After some time, I started building up my reputation with "special" customers.

I now had the foundations to break the plot of this world.

And now, the plot was about to start.