"Hisss!"
He groaned, clutching his cut palm in pain as blood flowed out from the wound.
"Damn!"
He clicked his tongue irritated by the pain. It had been ages since he had felt such pain. His body forged through countless battlefields was fucking hard as hell that even a meteor strike might not put a dent but now an ordinary metal knife caused such a wound.
He knew that Mina might not have meant to kill him but years of presence forced him to react instantly to grab the threat.
On looking down he saw the first page of the newspaper that headlined the discussion over the Seigford Bill between the House of Commoners and the House of Nobles.
The country he was in was the Kingdom of Atlanta which though served under a monarchy had to follow democracy when it came to major laws.
It all started when the power of the nobles started to decline while the Commoners managed to get their hands on Lineage.
This gave strength to the commoner to deal with nobles which led to a bloody civil war forcing the Monarch to compromise.
Grim grabbed the newspaper and pressed it on the wound.
"The previous wound had healed quickly after I woke up from dying so I am sure this one would too."
Wrapping the paper around his arm and wiping the blood he fell into deep thought.
Power... Foremost he needed power and for that he needed to select Lineage.
There were several in the game but the problem was getting the blessing.
Gaining power through a blessing is totally different from gaining power from a ritual to please the deity.
In a ritual you have to draw the attention of the corresponding guardian of the path or deity to grant you power but it carried risks as there would be means of transmission and exposing yourself to such knowledge might infect you that’s why the people who gain power through rituals were often termed as Infected or Mutants because they are at the edge of insanity.
But...
Wargrave that followed through the Lineage of War after years of inheritance had much more resistance to infection from War.
Not only that several noble houses were also the same, that’s why most noble houses followed a predetermined path so in such a plausible scenario the best path would be War.
According to the saying only 2 out of 10 people survive the madness that appeared through the ritual. It wasn’t easy at all.
War is absolutely the best for hot-blooded fellows. It wasn’t absolutely the best but for his current situation that was the remedy.
Knowing the previous owner had failed the awakening ritual, there was a great chance he might go insane if he took another Lineage.
Yes there was another path which was to take on the evil Lineage guarded by the Evil God but would allow him to awaken easily but it would develop complications in the later stage.
Squeezing the paper in his palms he finally came to a conclusion.
"War is the best path to follow for now but for that I need to perform a ritual and need materials but I am not in a situation to ask them."
The only one who followed his command was the old butler but after what happened in the morning had shattered his thoughts.
"He isn’t following me because of liking, rather he just sees me as amusement. When conflict appears he will side with them."
Anger burned in his heart but he soothed it with an indescribable smile.
"Very well... It had been long since the odds had been stacked against me."
"This feeling of being trapped is something that I haven’t encountered lately but it’s okay I just need my pawns."
And the pawns he wanted to control had already been moved, still the main problem lay with the protagonist.
The game began with the protagonist choosing a Lineage. The tutorial followed the Lineage selected to gather the materials of the ritual.
It was in the game but now since it was a real open world he wondered which Lineage the protagonist would have.
Out of all the routes which would he take and how much would he deviate from the game.
It was a headache thinking about it.
Thinking this he looked outside the window.
"Silvia... Mina... I have great expectations from you... Don’t make me rethink my decision."
*********
At the outer garden in an abandoned shed after having her fill Silvia sat conserving her energy and waiting for night to draw in.
She felt a faint sense of fear and trepidation but patted herself.
"All right!"
"Everything will be alright!"
"There is nothing to fear."
Composing herself she waited and waited for the night to draw in while trying to remember the exact words spoken by the man.
While doing this she repeatedly told herself that she couldn’t entirely believe his words.
What if there was a big problem later?
"Silvia, you have to be cautious... Don’t just be deceived by a random person."
But for now she couldn’t do anything but believe in the face value of the person hoping that at least she could get out safely.
Soon the night deepened and the awaited time finally drew near.
Rising up she walked towards the door and nudged it open with a faint touch.
CREAK!
Emitting a soft crackling sound the door opened exposing the spooky outside much to her delight.
The outside was dark without the appearance of any external light. If not for the full moon it might be difficult for her to traverse.
Silvia took a slow shaky breath and stepped out of the abandoned shed.
The cold night air brushed against her face as she quietly pulled the old wooden door shut behind her. The moon barely lit the backyard and long shadows stretched across the ground. Every rustle of leaves made her body tense.
She lowered herself and carefully moved forward.
Every step was slow and cautious as she tried not to make the slightest sound. Her eyes searched every corner while her ears stayed alert for even the smallest noise.
Soon the faint sound of footsteps reached her.
Silvia instantly froze.
A group of guards was patrolling the backyard.
Her breathing became shallow as she quickly slipped into a thick patch of bushes. The branches scratched her arms and caught on her clothes but she ignored the sting. She slowly crawled deeper until the leaves completely hid her.
The guards continued walking and the sound of their armor echoed through the quiet night.
Just when Silvia thought they would pass by one of the knights suddenly stopped.
"Hm?"
His brows furrowed.
"I felt something."
He slowly turned toward the bushes.
Every step he took made Silvia’s heart beat even faster.
Her chest tightened and cold sweat rolled down her forehead. She quickly covered her mouth with both hands afraid that even her breathing would give her away.
The knight slowly reached for the hilt of his sword.
"There..."
He took another step toward the bushes.
Silvia felt her heartbeat pounding in her ears. It was so loud that she thought the knight would hear it.
The knight raised his hand and reached toward the bushes.
Just then a panicked shout echoed across the backyard.
"Quick! Fire!"
The knight stopped in his tracks.
"What!"
His face changed instantly as he turned around.
A faint trail of black smoke was rising into the night sky from another part of the mansion. At the same time hurried footsteps and frightened voices echoed from every direction.
"Fire!"
"The backyard is on fire!"
"Hurry! Bring water!"
The knight clicked his tongue in frustration and immediately ran toward the smoke.
"Move! Everyone with me!"
The nearby guards did not hesitate. They abandoned their patrol at once and rushed after him leaving the bushes behind.
Silvia stayed where she was. She didn’t move a single inch.
She quietly listened until the sounds of armor and running footsteps slowly disappeared into the distance.
Only then did she slowly lower her trembling hands.
Her heart was still racing and her body refused to calm down.
She took a deep breath and looked at the thin trail of smoke rising into the sky.
She clenched her fists, gathered her courage and slowly crawled out of the bushes.
She looked around one last time.
The backyard was totally empty.The earlier shout might have drawn all guards.
"This is my opportunity."
Without wasting another second Silvia quietly slipped through the now unguarded backyard and found the small broken wall at the southern end and slipped out of the mansion.