A Taste of Blood

Garrick's expression didn't shift, but his gaze sharpened, studying me as if weighing my words. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Go on, then. Let's hear it."

I hesitated. Telling him outright that a voice in my head had just assigned me a task to "force someone into submission" didn't seem like the best idea. Instead, I chose my words carefully. "The way things are now, I don't have enough time to train, and I don't have the strength to fight head-on. But if I can find someone desperate enough—someone willing to follow me for the right price—I might just survive this."

Garrick grunted. "Hmph. You think leadership is that easy?"

"No," I admitted. "But it's my best option."

The old man was silent for a moment before he exhaled through his nose and stood. "Well, if you're looking for desperate, you won't have to go far." He walked toward the door and grabbed a battered cloak from a hook. "This town is crawling with poor bastards who'd slit a man's throat for a loaf of bread."

I pushed myself to my feet, still unsteady but determined. "Then let's go find one."

Ravenmere at night was different from what I remembered. The streets were narrow and uneven, lined with crooked houses that leaned against one another like old drunks. Dim lanterns flickered in scattered windows, but most of the town was swallowed in darkness. The air smelled of stale ale, damp wood, and unwashed bodies, a constant reminder of how far I had fallen.

Garrick led the way down a side alley, moving with the ease of someone who had walked these streets a thousand times. I kept close, my senses on edge. Every shadow felt like a pair of watching eyes.

"Word spreads fast around here," Garrick murmured without looking back. "If Kane announced there's a bounty on your head, don't expect to go unnoticed for long."

He was right. I could already feel it—the weight of lingering stares from the darkness, the hush of voices cutting off as we passed.

And then, just as we reached an intersection, they struck.

A blur of motion from the shadows—steel glinting in the moonlight. Garrick barely had time to react before three figures lunged from the darkness, blades flashing toward us.

I moved instinctively, jerking backward as a dagger sliced through the air where my throat had been a second earlier. My body was sluggish, but my mind was sharp, assessing threats in an instant.

Three attackers. Two with knives, one with a rusted shortsword. Their movements were quick but sloppy—desperate men, not trained killers.

Garrick let out a snarl and drove a solid punch into the nearest man's gut, sending him stumbling back. I barely had time to register the impact before another attacker lunged at me, his dagger aimed straight for my ribs.

Something in my vision flickered.

【System Alert: Survival Mission Initiated】

Objective: Defeat or drive off your attackers.Reward: Tyranny Points +10, Strength +2Failure: Death.

A rush of clarity hit me like ice water. The system wasn't just watching—it was reacting. And if it could increase my strength, even by a little...

I moved.

The man with the dagger lunged again, but this time I sidestepped, my movements suddenly sharper, more precise. It wasn't perfect—I was still slower than I should have been—but I was no longer moving like a half-dead noble crawling out of his grave.

My attacker hesitated for just a second, and that was all I needed.

I grabbed a loose cobblestone from the ground and slammed it into the side of his head. His body crumpled before he even had time to scream.

The second man—the one with the rusted sword—cursed and swung wildly at me. I barely dodged, but the blade still grazed my arm, sending a sharp burst of pain up my side. I gritted my teeth and drove my knee into his stomach, making him stagger.

Garrick finished off the third man with a brutal kick to the head, sending him crashing into the dirt. He turned to me, eyes flicking to my bleeding arm before back to the groaning attackers. "Not bad, boy."

I exhaled heavily, my heart hammering against my ribs. The system text in my vision flickered again.

【Mission Completed.】

Tyranny Points +10Strength +2

I felt it—a shift inside me. The exhaustion was still there, but I no longer felt like I was on the verge of collapse. The pain was duller, and my muscles felt stronger and steadier.

I looked down at the three men sprawled on the ground. They weren't dead, but they wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. Desperate men, like Garrick had said. And desperate men could be useful.

I crouched beside the one still groaning, his fingers weakly clawing at the dirt. His dagger lay just out of reach. I grabbed it before he could, flipping it in my grip.

"Listen closely," I murmured, voice low. "You can run. You can try to kill me again." I pressed the dagger against his throat, not hard enough to cut but enough to make his breath hitch. "Or you can do something useful with your life."

The man swallowed hard, his wide, fearful eyes darting to Garrick, then back to me. His throat bobbed as he croaked out a hoarse whisper.

"...What do you want from me?"

I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I pressed the dagger just a fraction harder against his throat, watching as a bead of sweat rolled down his temple. His breathing was uneven; he panicked. He was afraid—good. Fear was leverage.

But fear alone wasn't enough. I needed loyalty, or at the very least, compliance.

"You tried to kill me for coin," I said evenly. "That means you're either desperate or stupid. Which is it?"

His lips parted, but he hesitated, eyes darting toward his unconscious companions. "Desperate," he admitted, voice hoarse.

I nodded, easing the blade away just slightly. "Then I'm giving you a choice. You can die here, in the mud like a rat, or you can work for me. Earn something real."

His hands trembled as he swallowed hard. "And... what if I refuse?"

I tilted my head. "Then I make an example of you for the next man who thinks about crossing me."

Silence stretched between us. His chest rose and fell quickly, his mind racing behind his eyes. Then, finally, he gave a slow, shaky nod.

"I'll work for you."

I exhaled, wiping his own dagger clean against his sleeve before handing it back to him, hilt first.

"Then get up."