Vivianne woke to the stench of blood.
The scent of dried blood was metallic and faintly sweet, like rust clinging to the air.
But there was something more to it.
The stench was mixed with the sour stink of rotting hides.
Her eyes fluttered open.
The first thing she saw was a rough wooden ceiling above her.
The second was a row of hanging hooks with various animal hides dangled from them.
Some were stretched across wooden frames.
Others had been folded into piles along the walls, their fur still clinging to the skins.
Vivianne tried to move but nothing happened.
Her arms and legs barely responded.
She strained against whatever was holding her, but only managed to make the wooden planks beneath her creak.
Vivianne’s wrists were strapped tightly to the wooden board above her head, while her legs remained free.
Ah, yes.
The ambush and wet cloth.
Vivianne struggled again.
A strange warmth spread through her veins.
At first, she thought it was a fever.
Then it grew hotter like her blood seemed to burn beneath her skin.
The numbness in her fingers and toes slowly receded.
The paralysis was weakening.
[Passive Skill: Regenerate activated.]
Vivianne’s eyes widened.
That ridiculously expensive skill she’d bought had finally decided to earn its keep.
The poison wasn’t disappearing instantly.
It was being pushed out of her bloodstream as her body repaired itself.
So that 100,000 Gold wasn’t completely insane after all.
Vivianne almost laughed but she heard footsteps.
“So the legend was true.”
Vivianne’s stomach dropped.
Elder Miles stepped into view.
The old bastard wasn’t wearing his Elder’s robes anymore, but he still carried himself with the same confidence.
Several rough-looking wolf beastmen surrounded him, and many more emerged from the shadows.
Vivianne counted as many as she could.
Around thirty rogue wolves surrounded the room.
Miles stopped beside her.
His eyes traveled over her body with something disturbingly close to fascination.
“The golden blood of the Divine Beasts.”
“What… are you talking about?”
“The Heavenly Crimson Phoenix.”
Vivianne frowned at his words.
Divine Beasts?
Golden blood?
Heavenly Crimson Phoenix?
None of those words made any sense.
Miles seemed delighted by her confusion.
“That poison should have kept a full-grown elephant paralyzed for an entire day,” he paused and grinned.
Vivianne tested her fingers again.
They barely moved.
Miles noticed.
His expression became almost feverish now.
Like a lunatic.
“Not only does the Phoenix possess extraordinary regenerative abilities,” he reached toward her arm, but Vivianne jerked away.
“Its blood is said to cure illness and extend the lifespan of mortals.”
His laughter echoed through the hunting shed.
“Liquid gold.”
Vivianne’s blood ran cold.
She finally understood.
This sick madman wasn’t trying to kill me.
He wanted my blood.
Miles reached down and seized her chin.
“So many centuries, and the legends were never proven.”
“Get your filthy hands off me.” Vivianne glared at him.
Thud!
Vivianne drove her foot into his stomach.
Hard enough to make Miles stagger backward.
Several rogues immediately charged forward.
“Don’t touch her!” Miles snapped.
He straightened, his face twisting with rage.
Then he returned to Vivianne and grabbed her wrist.
“You little wench.”
Vivianne struggled to get away but the rope around her wrists prevented her from doing so.
Miles pulled a curved sword from his belt.
The narrow blade swept upward in a crescent shape.
Vivianne’s eyes widened.
“Wait—”
Slash.
Sharp pain tore through her arm.
A long, shallow cut opened from just above her wrist to the middle of her forearm.
Blood welled instantly.
Vivianne gasped.
Miles’s anger vanished as he quickly lifted a golden goblet beneath her arm.
His eyes lit up as he watched the dripping blood trickle into the goblet.
Miles smirked at the bright red liquid as though he’d just discovered treasure.
“Beautiful.” His hands trembled.
More blood dripped into the goblet.
Miles held it carefully beneath her wound, greed overtaking every other expression on his face.
Vivianne’s stomach churned.
This psycho bastard sure had gone insane.
“The blood of a Divine Beast.” He laughed again.
“I wonder how much a single vial would fetch.”
Vial?
He was harvesting her blood!
This greedy bastard wanted to turn me into a living blood donor.
Miles glanced toward the thirty rogues surrounding them.
“Keep her alive.” Then his grin widened as he looked at Vivianne.
“I want every drop.”
“You’re insane.”
Miles only chuckled.
“Insane?”
He seemed almost offended by the accusation.
“Do you have any idea how much your blood is worth? You should be grateful that I found you.”
“Grateful?”
Vivianne almost laughed.
She was tied to a wooden board inside a filthy hunting shed, surrounded by thirty rogue wolves, with blood running down her arm.
And this lunatic expected gratitude?
“You drugged me. You kidnapped me. And now you’re cutting me open like a cattle for my blood. And now you expect me to be grateful? Are you fucking insane?!”
“You make it sound so unpleasant.”
One of the rogues stepped closer to keep her silent.
But Vivianne immediately kicked toward his knee with deadly precision.
The rogue stumbled back with a curse.
Miles’s eyes narrowed.
“Hold her legs.”
Two rogues moved toward her.
Vivianne kicked again, forcing one of them to step back.
The other managed to catch her ankle.
“Get off me!”
She twisted violently, trying to wrench herself free.
The rope around her wrists pulled tight against the wooden board, but she refused to stop fighting.
The rogue holding her ankle struggled to keep her still.
“Not so lady-like, eh? You’re stronger than you look.”
“Lady-like my ass! No sane lady will stay silent when some psychos are eager to cut her alive.” More colorful words flew through Vivianne’s mouth.
“She’s a Divine Beast,” Miles replied calmly.
“What did you expect?”
Vivianne’s breathing quickened.
She could fully feel her fingers again and legs now.
Her strength was returning.
[Passive Skill: Regenerate is accelerating]
Vivianne’s eyes flickered toward the notification.
A tiny spark of hope ignited inside her chest.
Miles noticed the change in her expression and studied her suspiciously.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.”
Miles stalked closer and inspected the large wound on her arm.
He lifted the golden goblet again.
“We’ll collect another batch once your body produces more. Drain the Phoenix dry.”
There are some disturbing gore and bloody scenes here.
Reader discretion is advised!