Chapter 30: The Crimson Sorceress Offered Me 200 Crowns. I Still Said No

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Raven discovered that Valeria von Nacht didn’t understand the concept of rejection particularly well.

Not because she was incapable of hearing the word.

She had heard it perfectly.

She simply seemed to consider it a preliminary stage of negotiation that would eventually end with the other person agreeing.

Raven began to suspect this when he left Greyhaven shortly after dawn and found House Nacht’s black carriage stopped less than two hundred feet from the northern gate.

Valeria was waiting for him.

It didn’t look accidental.

The carriage had the same black-and-silver finish he’d seen the day before, though now it was prepared for travel. Two dark horses were harnessed to the front, trunks secured behind, provisions, blankets, and enough equipment to turn a several-day expedition into something reasonably comfortable.

Four mounted guards surrounded the vehicle.

Roland was among them.

Valeria, on the other hand, stood outside.

She was dressed differently.

She had replaced the more formal dress with clothing designed for movement: tall black boots, dark pants partially covered by a combat skirt split along the sides, a fitted wine-colored jacket reinforced with light plates, and black gloves reaching her forearms.

A short cloak rested over one shoulder.

Her hair was still far too perfect for someone about to enter a forest.

Raven found that suspicious.

Valeria saw him.

Smiled.

"Good morning."

Raven looked behind himself.

Then to both sides.

Finally at her.

"That looks like an expensive ambush."

Roland lowered his head slightly.

Valeria ignored the guard.

"I was waiting for you."

"That confirms the ambush part."

"I wanted to make you an offer."

Raven kept walking.

"No."

Valeria remained still.

"You haven’t heard it yet."

"I heard ’offer.’"

"That isn’t enough information to reject it."

"The person making it is."

Roland coughed.

Valeria slowly turned her head.

The guard looked away.

Raven continued down the road.

He heard footsteps behind him.

Of course.

Valeria caught up.

"Fifty crowns."

Raven didn’t change pace.

"No."

"For accompanying me to Blackthorn Forest and participating in the Crimson Mirehorn hunt."

"No."

"You could keep any materials I don’t need."

"No."

"Food, lodging during the expedition, and access to my healers."

Raven thought.

Valeria noticed.

Her smile appeared immediately.

"Ah."

"What?"

"You’re finally considering it."

"I’m calculating how much the food is worth."

Her smile diminished slightly.

"Fifty crowns, provisions, medical treatment, and secondary materials."

"Still no."

Valeria frowned.

"One hundred."

Raven looked at her.

"Are you going to keep increasing it until I agree?"

"Probably."

"Two hundred."

Valeria blinked.

"That was fast."

"Let’s save time."

She smiled.

"Two hundred, then."

"No."

Valeria stopped walking.

Raven took another three steps before noticing.

He turned.

"What?"

"You just named the price."

"No."

"You said two hundred."

"You were implicitly asking how high you’d need to go before I stopped increasing the conversation."

"That makes absolutely no sense."

"It does to me."

Valeria stared at him with visible irritation.

"Two hundred crowns is more than many Coppers earn in months."

Raven touched the Iron badge he now carried.

"Iron."

"That really doesn’t improve your argument."

"I wasn’t trying to."

"Then tell me what you want."

"To go to the forest."

"You’re already doing that."

"Exactly."

Raven started walking again.

Valeria followed.

The carriage began moving behind them.

"You’ll get there faster with me."

"Probably."

"You’ll have food."

"I have food."

"A healer."

"I also have bandages."

Valeria looked at him as if he’d just compared a horse to a particularly fast rock.

"They are not the same thing."

"The bandages don’t ask questions."

"I could order the healer not to ask any either."

"That would still require an order from you."

Valeria went silent.

Raven knew she’d eventually reach the actual point.

It didn’t take long.

"You would operate under my authority during the hunt."

Raven nodded.

"There it is."

"What?"

"The important part."

"Only during the operation."

"No."

"Do you have a problem taking orders?"

Raven thought about Adrian Voss.

Black Hound.

An empty facility.

Cole pointing a weapon at him.

Oracle Zero.

His heart stopping inside a dimensional anomaly.

"I’ve developed a few recently."

Valeria studied his face.

For once, she didn’t immediately answer with sarcasm.

"I don’t need to know your past to direct a hunt."

"Correct."

"Then—"

Raven looked at her.

"I don’t work for you."

The answer was simple.

No anger.

No pride.

Valeria seemed to find that even more irritating.

"Everyone works for someone."

"No."

"Mercenaries work for clients."

"During contracts they choose to accept."

"Soldiers work for commanders."

"I’m not a soldier anymore."

"Merchants work for their buyers."

"Darius would probably argue with you until you both died of old age."

"Servants work for their lords."

"I’m not a servant."

Valeria narrowed her eyes.

"And nobles work for their Houses."

"I’m not a noble either."

"Then who do you work for?"

Raven needed less than a second.

"Myself."

Valeria watched him.

Raven started walking again.

"What a selfish answer."

"It’s difficult to betray yourself when both sides of the relationship are the same person."

That made Valeria stop smiling.

Raven didn’t explain.

He had no intention of doing so.

They had reached the outskirts of Greyhaven.

The northern road passed through farmland for several miles before splitting near a small river.

Blackthorn Forest began beyond that area, first as dark patches of trees covering the hills, then as a continuous mass across the horizon.

Raven had studied the map for hours.

Twenty-four miles.

He could walk it.

Valeria could travel far more comfortably.

That still didn’t mean he needed to work for her.

"Get in the carriage," she said.

Raven looked at her.

"Was that another order?"

"An invitation."

"Sounded suspiciously similar."

"Get in."

"No."

"Raven."

"Valeria."

She breathed slowly.

"What would I have to say for you to agree?"

"’Goodbye’ would work."

Roland coughed again.

Valeria turned.

"Roland."

"My lady."

"You’re developing a respiratory illness."

"So it seems."

"I can find a priest to treat it."

The guard immediately recovered a serious expression.

"I already feel better."

Raven kept walking.

Twenty minutes later, the carriage passed him.

Valeria was inside.

Raven could see her through the open window.

She said nothing.

Neither did he.

The vehicle continued.

Five minutes later, he found it stopped at a fork in the road.

Valeria was looking at the map.

Raven continued down the road to the right.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Blackthorn."

"The main road is the left one."

"Yes."

"Then you’re going the wrong way."

"No."

Valeria looked at her map.

Then at Raven.

"According to this—"

"The left road crosses two villages and loops around the hills."

"Because it’s a road."

"The right one is a hunter’s trail."

"And partially abandoned."

"Shorter."

"It also crosses monster territory."

Raven stopped.

Looked at her.

"That improves the route."

Valeria stared at him.

"Of course it does."

Raven continued.

Behind him, he heard:

"Roland."

"Yes, my lady?"

"We’re taking the right path."

"The carriage can’t fit through it."

Silence.

"Then leave the carriage."

"My lady..."

"Is there a problem?"

Roland looked at the vehicle.

Then at the narrow trail.

Then at Raven disappearing into the distance.

"None."

Raven smiled faintly without turning around.

Twenty minutes later, he heard horses behind him.

Valeria caught up riding a black mare.

The rest of the group had reduced their baggage and left two men to take the carriage along the main road.

"Happy?" she asked.

Raven looked at her.

"Why would I be?"

"You forced me to abandon the carriage."

"I didn’t do anything."

"You chose this route."

"You decided to follow it."

"Because we’re going to the same place."

"Sounds like a geographic problem."

Valeria stared at him.

"I’m starting to hate that phrase."

"I haven’t used it with you before."

"You were thinking it."

"Possibly."

They continued.

Raven on foot.

Valeria mounted.

Three guards behind them.

The situation looked deliberately absurd.

After almost ten minutes, Valeria spoke again.

"You could ride with Roland."

Roland stared straight ahead as if he’d just heard a death sentence.

Raven noticed.

"I think Roland has objections."

"Roland doesn’t have opinions while he’s working."

"That explains his expression."

Valeria looked at the guard.

"What expression?"

Raven answered before he could.

"The expression of someone who developed internal opinions for survival."

Roland made a visible effort not to react.

Valeria narrowed her eyes.

"I should fire him."

"That would solve his problem."

"And make mine worse."

"Sounds like he’s useful."

"Very."

Raven nodded.

"Then don’t fire him."

Valeria studied him.

"Did you just give me advice about my own subordinate?"

"For free."

"How generous."

"Don’t get used to it."

The trail narrowed as they continued.

The farms disappeared.

Then the fences.

The vegetation grew taller and darker.

Blackthorn was still several hours away, but smaller secondary forests spread between the hills and connected to the main woodland like extended fingers.

Raven constantly studied the terrain.

Not because he expected an ambush.

Because he needed to learn.

Tracks.

Droppings.

Scratches.

Plants.

Animals.

Predation had changed the way he viewed the ecosystem.

Before, a trail only answered tactical questions.

What passed through here?

When?

Which direction?

Now there was another.

What could he gain if he killed it?

He found large tracks beside a patch of mud.

Stopped.

Valeria did too.

"Boar," Roland said.

Raven crouched.

Not exactly.

Three forward toes.

More weight than an ordinary boar.

Small yellow crystals mixed into the mud.

The system couldn’t analyze a creature that wasn’t present, but Raven had read enough at the House.

"Gravelmaw."

Roland looked at him.

"Yes."

Valeria raised an eyebrow.

"You studied."

"Seemed better than improvising."

"Level ten or eleven," Roland said. "Good jaw plates. The crystals sell fairly well."

Valeria pointed toward the tracks.

"If you want money, we could find it. It’s probably nearby."

Raven stood.

"No."

He continued walking.

Valeria caught up.

"No?"

"I don’t need anything from a Gravelmaw."

"Its materials sell well."

"I have money."

"You were haggling over maps yesterday."

"Having money and enjoying wasting it are different things."

Valeria looked back.

"The plates are useful for armor too."

"I have Stonehide."

"Do you always answer like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like every monster has to personally justify why it deserves to be killed by you."

Raven thought about that.

"More or less."

Valeria stared at him.

Raven noticed the extra attention.

Said nothing.

Several miles later, they found another trail.

This time, blood.

Very little.

One drop on a rock.

Then another.

Raven crouched.

Dark.

Almost black.

Not human.

He touched the edge without placing his fingers directly in it.

Still wet.

Roland inspected the bushes.

"Something injured passed through recently."

Valeria remained on horseback.

"Probably prey."

Raven didn’t move.

He looked toward a low branch.

A small blue scale was caught there.

He used a leaf to pick it up.

Roland returned.

"Marshscale."

Raven raised the scale.

"Venom?"

"Moderate."

"Where does it produce it?"

Roland looked at him.

"What?"

"The venom."

"Mandibular glands, I suppose."

"Natural resistance?"

Valeria stopped her horse.

Roland looked confused.

"It should have some."

"High?"

"Enough not to die from its own venom."

Raven looked at the blood.

Interesting.

Predation still had limitations when dealing with dangerous substances.

A toxin-resistance Trait would eventually be useful.

But an ordinary Marshscale was only around Level Six, and the Mirehorn remained the priority.

Raven dropped the scale.

Continued walking.

Valeria didn’t.

"Wait."

Raven turned.

"What?"

"That’s it?"

"Yes."

"You asked about its venom."

"Yes."

"Then its resistance."

"Also yes."

"And now you don’t want to find it."

"No."

Valeria dismounted.

"Why?"

Raven looked at her.

"Because I don’t need it badly enough."

She frowned.

"Need what?"

"The resistance."

A pause.

Valeria looked at the drops of blood.

Then at Raven.

Something began assembling behind her eyes.

Raven saw it.

He didn’t know what she’d figured out yet.

He wasn’t worried.

They continued.