The Trail to the Shack

Ruby’s words, like a stone cast into an icy lake, instantly shattered the deathly silence of the hollow, simultaneously tightening the heartstrings of both Rachel and Siena.

Both women immediately hurried to Ruby’s side, their gazes following the direction of her outstretched finger, fixating on the cold, blood-soaked earth beside the s*ave trader’s corpse.

“Did you find anything?”

Instead of answering directly, Ruby carefully parted a layer of congealed, dark brown bloodstains and intermingled dust.

A vague yet relatively complete footprint outline emerged. The print itself was not large, its edges blurred, and it was further obscured by bloodstains; indeed, without Ruby’s meticulous observation, it would have been nearly impossible to discern.

“This footprint.”

Ruby’s voice remained as calm as if she were analyzing a scientific specimen.

“The depth, the shape, the compression marks along its edges… all differ from every other shoe print present here.”

She lifted her gaze, her amber eyes sweeping over Rachel’s soft leather boots, Siena’s sturdy riding boots, and the mud-caked, heavy boots of the surrounding merchant guild guards.

“And of course, it doesn’t belong to those who were killed last night.”

As Ruby spoke, her gaze settled back upon the indistinct mark.

“Therefore, this print was either left by the black shadow, or… someone else has visited this place apart from us.”

“—The most probable explanation is that this footprint belongs to the black shadow.”

Rachel interjected.

“Last night, he fled in haste and was injured, making it entirely plausible for him to have stepped in blood and mud, leaving behind this trace. Besides, who else would be idly wandering through such a desolate place?”

Siena leaned closer, meticulously examining the footprint, a keen glint flashing in her sharp grey eyes as she turned her head to look at Ruby.

“What about the direction? Can we track it?”

Ruby did not respond immediately. Instead, she rose to her feet, her gaze, sharp as a surveyor’s instrument, sweeping towards the depths of the slag heap in the direction the footprint might lead.

The biting wind stirred up dust, posing considerable difficulty for the pursuit. Yet, relying on her hunter’s intuition and seasoned experience, Ruby soon discovered another, shallower and more indistinct mark a few meters away, beside a relatively clean piece of gravel.

“This way.”

Ruby spoke concisely before taking the lead. Her movements remained light, yet each step was imbued with an undeniable focus. Rachel and Siena exchanged a quick glance, then promptly followed.

Siena gestured to several guards, instructing two to remain and secure the scene, while the others maintained a cautious distance, trailing vigilantly behind them.

The pursuit proved exceptionally arduous. The black shadow’s footprints were intermittent, at times obscured by slag, at others scattered by the wind. Ruby, moving with the patience of a seasoned hunter, would periodically crouch to discern subtle variations in the soil or examine stones for potential scratch marks. She guided the group, navigating through the colossal slag heaps, gradually veering away from the main mining area. Their path led northwest, drawing them closer to the desolate, abandoned outskirts of Iron Anvil town’s mining district.

The surrounding landscape grew increasingly desolate. Abandoned mine shafts gaped like the black mouths of slumbering beasts, while the skeletal frames of skewed mining carts lay scattered amidst overgrown weeds. The air, heavy and still, was thick with an even stronger scent of rust and decay.

Ultimately, the footprints led them to a sparse, twisted grove of skeletal trees at the very edge of the mining area.

“Be careful.”

Ruby halted, her voice dropping to a near whisper, her gaze sharply scrutinizing the shivering woods ahead, buffeted by the biting wind.

“The trail leads deep into these woods. An ambush might be lying in wait.”

As she spoke, her hand instinctively went to the hidden pouch at her waist.

Rachel and Siena’s hearts, too, quickened with apprehension. Rachel clenched her fists beneath her cloak, taking a few steps back to position herself behind Ruby. Siena, for her part, signaled the guards behind them to spread out and maintain vigilance.

Moving with hushed steps, like leopards melting into the shadows, they cautiously entered the tree line.

Within the woods, the light grew even dimmer, and the faint crackle of dry branches underfoot heightened the tension. After several more minutes of walking, the outline of an exceedingly crude wooden shack abruptly materialized amidst a cluster of gnarled trees.

More a makeshift hovel than a proper wooden hut, it had been cobbled together from rough logs and crude planks, with moss and tattered rags stuffed into its numerous gaps. Its roof, covered in thick dry grass and tar paper, appeared precariously close to collapse in the biting wind.

A deathly silence enveloped the shack, broken only by the mournful whimpering of the wind whistling through its many crevices.

“It should be… here.”

Ruby’s voice, though still chillingly calm, now carried an unmistakable undercurrent of tension.

Everyone’s nerves instantly stretched to their breaking point. Could this truly be it? The clandestine lair of that mysterious black shadow?

Siena’s hand was already resting on the hilt of her short dagger. Simultaneously, she signaled the guards with her eyes to fan out and cordon off any potential exits from the shack. Rachel, meanwhile, held her breath, her gaze locked onto the tightly shut, skewed wooden door.

Ruby drew a deep breath, then raised a hand, signaling Rachel and Siena to retreat slightly. Like a nimble cat, she glided silently to a broken window on the side of the shack, one that had been crudely boarded up with planks, and pressed her ear against it, listening intently.

Inside… it was utterly silent.

Yet, just as Ruby prepared to circle around to the front door for a closer look—

“Ugh ahhh—!!!”

An inhuman, agonizing roar, brimming with pain and frenzy, suddenly erupted from behind the shack! Immediately thereafter, a black shadow, like an uncontrolled cannonball, burst forth from the rear of the dwelling!

It was none other than the enigmatic black shadow Rachel and her companions had encountered the previous night!

Rachel and the others could now finally discern the black shadow’s true appearance. He was clad in a dark robe, his face obscured by a pure black mask, making him appear like a fleeting shadow even in the bright light of day.

Yet, the black-robed figure who now emerged was utterly transformed from the enigmatic, composed assassin of the previous night! His dark robe was caked with mud and grass clippings, rendering him disheveled and frantic, while a beast-like gurgle emanated from his throat beneath the mask. He completely disregarded Ruby and the guards; the eyes concealed behind his mask seemed solely fixated on Rachel!

He wildly flailed his arms, charging directly at Rachel in a posture of pure, unadulterated madness, utterly forsaking any semblance of self-defense!

“Protect the Lady!”

Siena barked, and the guards immediately surged forward, attempting to intercept the black-robed assailant.

But Ruby’s movements proved undeniably swifter!

The instant the black shadow burst forth with its roar, Ruby had already positioned herself before Rachel, swift as an arrow loosed from a bowstring. Confronting this frenzied lunge, she showed not an iota of hesitation. Her dagger slid from her sleeve, a flash of cold steel, striking with unerring precision towards the black shadow’s heart! It was the most definitive means of stopping him.

Squelch!

The muted yet distinct sound of the blade sinking into flesh echoed through the clearing.

The black shadow’s forward momentum abruptly ceased. He stood rigid, his body convulsing violently, the roar in his throat devolving into a hoarse, rattling gurgle, like a broken bellows.

His masked face seemed to turn minutely in Rachel’s direction. Then, as if every bone had been suddenly withdrawn, his entire body collapsed with a thud to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The black-robed man was dead, his demise shockingly easy, almost… absurd. He was a stark contrast to the formidable adversary they had faced the previous night.

An eerie silence descended upon the scene, broken only by the mournful whimpering of the bitter wind rustling through the skeletal branches.

“He… could he have gone mad?”

Siena gazed at the corpse on the ground with a look of utter disbelief, her voice laced with profound doubt. The guards, too, exchanged bewildered glances, completely unable to fathom this sudden, suicidal assault.

Rachel’s gaze fell upon the black robe on the ground, rapidly staining a deep crimson, and her brows furrowed tightly in thought.

The enigmatic and composed black shadow from last night—had he truly been reduced to this state in a single night? Was this a lingering after-effect of Naiya’s terrifying surge of power? Had the black-robed man suffered a complete mental collapse?

This thought flashed through Rachel’s mind, yet she did not voice it, choosing instead to momentarily set the unsettling question aside.

Ruby expressionlessly withdrew her dagger, wiping the blood clean against the corpse’s black robe. She then knelt, reaching out to touch the black mask on the body’s face, intent on uncovering the black-robed man’s features.

However, the moment Ruby’s fingers brushed the mask’s edge, her movements stilled. She tried to exert force, but the mask’s edge seemed utterly fused with the skin, refusing to budge.

“This mask… it won’t come off.”

Ruby’s voice held a rare note of gravity as she meticulously examined the juncture where the mask met the skin.

“It’s as if… it grew there.”

Siena couldn’t help but gasp, drawing a sharp breath.

“The Cult’s methods… truly sinister!”

Rachel suppressed a shiver, forcing her gaze away from the gruesome corpse and back towards the silent shack.

“Regardless of what happened to him, what’s most important now is what’s inside,” she said, looking at Ruby and Siena. “Search it!”

Everyone immediately sprang into action. The guards formed a perimeter, while Ruby, Rachel, and Siena cautiously approached the shack.

Ruby, taking the lead, carefully pushed open the shack’s door, its decaying hinges emitting a grating groan.

The interior of the shack was even cruder and smaller than it appeared from the outside. A simple bed, constructed from planks and stones, was covered with some dry grass and a tattered blanket. A rickety three-legged table leaned against the wall, completely bare. In a corner lay a pile of kindling and a cracked clay pot. The air was heavy with a damp, moldy smell.

At first glance, the shack held virtually no signs of habitation, let alone any valuable clues.

“Empty?”

Siena looked around, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Ruby immediately began a meticulous inspection of the walls, the bed, and the corners, ensuring no inch was overlooked, while Rachel’s gaze also scoured the room.

Suddenly, Rachel paused. Her foot had inadvertently stepped on a floorboard near the bed.

Creak…

The wooden plank beneath her foot emitted a faint, distinct sound of looseness, different from anywhere else. It seemed… hollow underneath?

“Wait!”

Rachel immediately knelt, tapping the wooden plank with her fingers.

It was hollow beneath!

“Ruby! Siena! Over here!”

Ruby and Siena instantly gathered around. Ruby inserted the tip of her dagger into the plank’s seam and pried with force!

“Crack!”

A rough wooden plank, about half a meter square, was easily pried open, revealing a dark, shadowy space below.

It was a crude hidden compartment, and the moment it was opened, a stronger, more intense smell of mildew, mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible scent of blood and the stench of excrement, surged out!

Rachel, suppressing her discomfort, took the torch handed to her by a nearby guard and shone it into the opening.

The flickering light barely illuminated the bottom of the compartment.

A man, bound tightly like a mummy, was revealed! His entire body was covered in mud and dark brown stains, his hair matted to his face, his lips cracked and bleeding, and his breathing so shallow it was almost imperceptible.

Neither Rachel nor Ruby had ever seen this man before, but a look of surprise appeared on Siena’s face.

“Barton?!”