NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: Chapter 5: The Town of Barkridge
Chapter 5: The Town of Barkridge
...
The next morning, the air in Barkridge was dense with salt, smoke, and the distant shouting of dockworkers. Rylan rose earlier than usual, roused by the distant hammering of shipwrights in the harbor. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, slowly registering the rhythmic sound of waves slapping against the dock below.
Esdeath was already awake. Not just awake—standing in front of the window in a loose tunic, brushing her long white-blue hair with deliberate care.
"You're up," she said without turning around.
"Yeah. Didn't sleep great," Rylan admitted. "My back hurts. I think the bed springs are made of rocks."
"I warned you about this town's accommodations."
"And yet you insisted on the inn with one bed. Again."
Esdeath looked back with a playful smirk. "Did you suffer?"
Rylan opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then sighed. "Not the word I'd use."
He stood up and stretched, pulling on his black jacket and sword belt. It still felt weird strapping on a weapon like some kind of fantasy mercenary, but after the ambush yesterday, he wasn't taking chances.
"So," he asked, "what's the plan?"
Esdeath set her brush down. "The pirates from yesterday belong to a minor crew called the Mudfangs. Their leader is a man named Kragg. He's not very strong, but he controls most of the town through fear and smuggling."
Rylan raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like you're suggesting we do something about that."
She turned fully to him now, her blue eyes gleaming. "We need information. Allies. Resources. The town is crawling with underground activity, but no one will talk as long as Kragg's crew is in power."
"So we take down a pirate crew? Just the two of us?"
She shrugged. "Just you, if you want. I can watch."
Rylan gave her a flat look. "You are enjoying this way too much."
She didn't deny it.
Barkridge during the day was a mess of trade, crime, and noise. Merchants shouted over one another. Fishermen unloaded carts of writhing eels and sea bass. Street kids darted between legs, some honest, some not. It was a functioning anarchy.
They walked together through the market, Esdeath keeping her presence subtle under her hood. Even so, people gave them space. Her aura leaked just enough to make the wary even warier.
At a crowded produce stall, Rylan leaned in and whispered, "How do we find Kragg?"
"He operates out of the backroom of a gambling den called The Splinter Jaw," Esdeath murmured back. "Second level, near the harbor warehouses."
"So we waltz in, call him names, and break his kneecaps?"
"Tempting," she said. "But no. We wait until nightfall. Pirates get drunk. Stupid. Sloppy. Then we move."
Until then, they played tourists. Rylan practiced his bartering in the market, slowly getting better at negotiation. Esdeath offered advice in whispers:
"Don't show eagerness."
"Let them speak first."
"That woman is lying. Her apples are two days old."
"Don't stare at her chest while haggling."
"...Too late."
They stopped by a weapons vendor next. Rylan tested a short sword—slightly curved, single-edged.
"This feels more natural," he said, swinging it experimentally.
"Then take it," Esdeath said.
He looked at the price tag and winced. "With what money?"
She stepped forward, locking eyes with the vendor.
A few seconds passed in silence.
The man swallowed. "...You can have it. Just... don't hurt me."
"Effective," Rylan said as they walked away.
That night, they approached The Splinter Jaw just before moonrise.
The place reeked of sweat, booze, and desperation. Smoke drifted in the air like a lazy fog. Laughter and the sound of dice filled the air.
Esdeath waited in the shadows. Rylan went in alone, heart pounding but face set.
He found Kragg upstairs, hunched over a table, surrounded by four goons.
"You're the guy who roughed up Grem," Kragg said without looking up. "Got guts walking in here alone."
Rylan smiled. "Not alone."
Kragg looked up just in time to see a shard of ice smash through the window and impale the table.
Panic erupted.
Chaos. Screams. Men drew weapons. Esdeath entered like a ghost, blade flashing.
Rylan ducked under a swing, drove his sword into a thug's knee. Another grabbed him from behind—Esdeath froze the man solid.
In the end, only Kragg remained, backed into a corner, bleeding and terrified.
"W-What do you want?!"
Rylan stepped forward, sword in hand. "Information. And a message. Barkridge doesn't belong to you anymore."
They left the den in silence, the building behind them a wreck of ice and broken tables.
System text appeared:
[YOU HAVE DEFEATED A MINOR CRIMINAL SYNDICATE - BONUS EXP: +320]
[NEW TITLE UNLOCKED: ICEBLOOD PARTNER]
[AFFECTION LEVEL INCREASED: 31%]
Back at the inn, Rylan slumped into the bed, breathing heavily.
Esdeath sat beside him, watching his face.
"You did well."
"Felt like I was going to die."
"But you didn't. You acted."
He looked up at her, breathing slower now.
"Why me? Why did you agree to be my summon?"
She paused. Then, softly:
"Because... I wanted to belong to someone worth following. Not commanding. Not fearing. Following."
She leaned in.
And kissed him.
Soft, slow. No teasing. Just warmth.
Rylan didn't stop her.
[AFFECTION LEVEL REACHED 35% - SYNCHRONIZATION BONUS UPGRADED]
[PASSIVE ABILITY: ENHANCED FOCUS WHEN NEAR ESDEATH UNLOCKED]
That night, they didn't do anything further. Just held each other. Breathing. Alive.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Rylan felt... steady.
He had a partner.
A mission.
And tomorrow? Tomorrow, he would become more.
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By Ecstasy Crown