Chapter 207: Midnight Howling

As expected of the depressing town, the morning sun in Oldmarsh didn't so much shine as it did filter through the grime of the inn's windows.

From its poor light, long, sickly yellow streaks were cast across the floorboards. Feeling the scene of an early day's breeze hovering around his nose, Percival slowly began to peel his eyes open.

But then something felt wrong and he opened them instantly—the habit of a man who'd spent too many nights in Gate Worlds and dangerous towns.

At first, he didn't move a muscle, but his gaze shifted to the corner of the room.

Eristasia was awake. She was hunched over, her hands—still tied in that specific, magic-binding knot—straining against the wooden rungs of the chair.

Her face was flushed with effort, her teeth gritted as she tried to use a sharp splinter on the chair's frame to fray the cloth gag.

"You're going to give yourself a splinter," Percival said, his voice gravelly with sleep.

Eristasia jumped, the chair creaking dangerously. She glared at him, her muffled protests vibrating through the gag.

Percival stood up, moving with the grace of an experienced Awakener. He stepped toward her to tighten the bindings.

"Stay back!" Eristasia muffled. "Mhmm! Don't touch me!"

"Save your strength for when I'm asleep again." Percival told her. "You'd have a better chance then of escaping."

He leaned over to reach for the ropes, but right then, Eristasia threw her weight backward, trying to kick him. The sudden shift in balance made the rickety chair tilt.

Percival lunged to catch it, but his foot caught on the uneven floorboard. He went down, his weight slamming into the chair and pinning it against the wall.

He ended up hovering inches above her, his hands braced on the armrests, his dark hair falling forward to frame a face dominated by cold, piercing blue eyes.

The silence in the room grew heavy. Eristasia's eyes widened, and for the first time, the fury in them was replaced by a sudden, frantic heat. A deep, unmistakable crimson flooded her cheeks, spreading down to her neck.

Her gag had shifted, moving below her chin. When she realized herself, her eyes narrowed with anger.

"Get off me!" she hissed, her voice trembling with a mix of rage and embarrassment. "You wretch! You think because my husband and I have parted that I will fall for your advances? The same man who killed my daughter? You are as low as the beasts you summon!"

Percival didn't move right away. He looked down at her, his expression unreadable. "Parted?" he repeated, the word tasting strange. "You and your husband are... divorced?"

Eristasia blinked, her blush deepening. "It is a private matter of the Windwhisper house! Not that a common murderer would understand the complexities of noble contracts."

"I just didn't know that stuff happened in this world," Percival muttered, more to himself than to her. He'd assumed this place was all 'until death do us part' and arranged marriages.

But he decided it wasn't anything important to think about. Percival started to push himself up, but just as he did, the bedroom door shattered inward.

A large, barrel-chested man with a face like crumpled parchment burst into the room. He stopped dead, his eyes bulging at the sight of the 'Bounty Hunter' pinned over the 'Rogue Awakener' on a half-broken chair.

"Oh... oh, by the Three," the man stammered, his face turning a shade of white that rivaled a ghost. "I... I only pounded on the door, I swear! I didn't mean to—I didn't know you were... into... that kind of freaky business..."

Percival stood up slowly, dusting off his singlet as if he hadn't just been caught in a compromising position with a noble prisoner. His eyes stayed cold, offering no explanation. "What do you want? I'm busy."

The man, who Percival recognized as a town elder, fell to his knees. "Please, Mr. Awakener! You have to help us! A Gate! A Gate has opened in the marsh, just past the old mill. There hasn't been a Gate here in forever... and we have no one! No Guilds, no guards, no one but the unawakened!"

Percival's eyes narrowed. A Gate opening in a 'fallen' town like Oldmarsh was a death sentence. Without a clear-rate, the monsters would eventually spill out and erase the village from the map.

"Alright. Show me," Percival commanded.

Besides, Gate Worlds only meant newer Aspects and more loot.

The town elder led Percival through the damp, mist-heavy outskirts of Oldmarsh. Eristasia was forced to follow, her hands tied behind her back, guarded by one of Percival's Skeletons that he had summoned to keep her in line.

As they crested a small rise, the temperature dropped.

There, hovering over the stagnant waters of the marsh, was a Gate. This one pulsed with a sickening, vibrant red. An Alpha Gate.

Percival stepped forward. Once he was close enough, the Gate World's description flickered to life as he focused on the swirling vortex.

⸢Gate World: Midnight Howling⸥

⸢Rank: Alpha Gate⸥

⸢Description: The moon never sets, and the hunger never ends. The pack awaits the call of the First Blood⸥

Percival's eyes narrowed. "Werewolves."

The description and the 'Midnight Howling' title confirmed his suspicions. This was a Demon Gate World.

Well, he had somewhat expected it. Perhaps the time of normal beasts was coming to an end.

He wondered if the entire world was already suffering from the growing numbers of Demons Gate Worlds.

How were they responding?

He turned back to the town elder, who was watching him with desperate, watery eyes.

"You stayed here because the land was cheap and the Gates were gone," Percival said, his voice hard. "But the world is changing. This isn't any ordinary Gate World. If this breaks, there won't even be bones left to bury in Oldmarsh."

"Can you clear it?" the elder whispered, terrified to the core.

Percival looked back at the red vortex, the reflection of the crimson light dancing in his blue eyes. He thought of his summons—Theumir the Smith, Mercius, and Willow. He thought of the armor Theumir was currently salvaging from the elven corpses.

Hopefully the great Blacksmith was already done.

"I'm not going in there blind," Percival stated, turning his back on the Gate. "I'm going to need some time to prepare."

He looked at Eristasia, who was staring at the Gate with genuine terror. Even she knew what an Alpha Gate meant, and she'd heard rumors of the Demon Gates opening in Eldermoor.

"Come on," Percival said, grabbing the rope tied to her wrists. "I know you're scared, but don't worry I'll have your back in there."

Eristasia's eyes popped wide with terror.

Percival looked over his shoulder at her, smirking mischievously. "You are coming with me in there, you know?"