We moved quickly through the heavy gates of the 8th District, arriving at the primary exit checkpoint where the elite guards kept watch. Standing tall at his post was the gatekeeper, Damien Morkov. He crossed his arms as we approached, his eyes scanning the bizarre pairing of a beautiful priestess and a heavily cloaked, single-armed commoner.
"Well, well, well, the Blessed Blade and the new S-rank bounty hunter working together? Now that is a sight I didn't expect today. And you, Alta... you're seriously going out to hunt high-level monster contracts in *that* dress? How are you even going to move or fight properly out there? As for you, Eirene, it's rare to see you with a partner at all, excluding your little sister, of course. You're always going on these deadly adventures completely solo. Anyways, you know the drill. Tolls and status cards."
Alta offered a graceful, polite smile to show her gratitude for his vigilance. She smoothly pulled out a few silver pieces, tossing them to the guard to cover our departure fees, and handed over her official CKBA identification card.
While Damien checked the credentials through the magical terminal, I took a quick, sharp peek over Alta's shoulder to read the glowing text on her status card:
Status Card
Name: Alta Granite
Rank: Diamond
Magic: S-rank
Magic Mastery: S-rank
Swordsmanship: D-rank
Marksmanship: C-rank
Battle IQ: B-rank
Job: Priestess (S rank)
Affiliation: CKBA
Seeing the raw data laid bare on the card sent a quiet shockwave through me. I knew she was incredibly powerful, but seeing S-rank for both Magic and Magic Mastery on an official military document was entirely different. It made perfect sense, though; back in Rebelbub Village, I had personally watched her effortlessly cast apocalyptic, high-tier flame and gale magic to incinerate hordes of beasts.
On the flip side, her actual physical combat attributes were notably lacking, her D-rank swordsmanship and C-rank marksmanship proved that without her spells or her hidden Chimera beastification, she was practically defenseless in a physical brawl. And her job being registered as a Priestess was the most obvious cover of all, perfectly explaining her feminine attire and religious devotion while keeping her monstrous bloodline entirely under wraps.
Damien stamped the clearance forms and handed the card back with a respectful nod. With our paperwork finalized and the path ahead clear, we left the fortified walls of the Bureau behind, stepping out into the open wilderness to hunt the Neospiders and secure the silk I so desperately needed.
We retraced our steps from the heavily fortified 8th District, passing through the grand checkpoints all the way back down to the 6th District, the familiar, bustling merchant district. Before we could head out into the dangerous wilderness, my absolute top priority was to buy enough notepads and pencils so I could finally communicate properly with the rest of the world again.
As we navigated the crowded rows of colorful stalls, I stumbled upon a shop I knew all too well. It belonged to Brick, the savvy merchant who had previously sold me my tactical maps and my low-priced mana reservoir rings, not to mention the sturdy leather purse currently resting at my hip.
The moment Alta and I stepped up to his counter, Brick's face lit up with a wide, welcoming grin.
"Oh, it's you again, traveler! Any comments about the purse and the mana reservoir rings I gave you? I hope they're serving you well on the field! And wow... look who you brought with you today. The famous Blessed Blade, Alta herself! Tell me, what can I get for you ladies today?"
Without a word, I raised my right hand and pointed directly toward a large wicker basket filled to the brim with blank notepads and drawing utensils.
Brick quickly caught onto my silent gesture and nodded.
"Ah, need to replenish your writing supplies, do we? Well, with the recent shift in the city's economy, the current prices are one notepad for 10 copper coins, and a sturdy pencil will run you 5 copper coins."
Realizing it was an incredibly fair price, I grabbed three thick notepads and three pencils. Before I could even reach into my own pocket, Alta smoothly stepped in, tossing the necessary copper pieces onto Brick's counter to take care of the bill for me. I quickly tucked the fresh pencils and crisp new pads into my leather purse, offering Brick a grateful, silent nod of my hooded head before we turned and left the merchant stall behind.
As we walked away from the market square, Alta leaned closer to me, her beautiful face growing intensely serious as she laid out the logistics of our monster hunt.
"The Neospider nest is located all the way out in Sisiphon City, the region is famous for having several isolated oasis zones scattered across the desert expanse. According to the Bureau's scouting reports, there is a massive sand cave hidden out there waiting for us, which serves as their primary breeding ground."
She paused, casting a wary glance toward the city walls before continuing.
"Since we both chose a long time ago never to reveal our monstrous forms to the public, we have to take a standard traveler's carriage to get there. Absolutely not using your blood wings to fly across the dunes, and I will strictly keep my true Chimera form sealed away. I've been successfully hiding my monstrous appearance for almost a century out here, and we aren't going to slip up now."
I gave her a firm, understanding nod. We walked side by side toward the capital's grand outer gates, where the main highway stretched out into the open desert. After enduring one final routine check of our tolls and status cards by the perimeter guards, the massive iron-reinforced doors creaked open,
The burning heat of the open road washed over us the moment we stepped past the colossal outer thresholds of Caria. As we walked, Alta opened her embroidered leather wallet, her slender fingers casually counting a thick stack of gleaming silver coins. Being the absolute top contributor for high-level monster hunting in the entire CKBA, she made an incredibly handsome living…. honestly, far better than what I brought in as a solo bounty hunter.
As we walked toward the staging grounds, I paused, glancing up at the position of the sun. It was exactly high noon.
A dark, silent smirk played across my scarred face beneath the heavy shadow of my hood. Right at this very moment, back inside the capital, squads of heavily armed knights were busting through the doors of residential houses, tenements, and inns, frantically tearing rooms apart to find any trace of the Crimson Phantom. Little did those fools know that the blood-sucking winged demon they feared so much had already walked right past their gates and left the city entirely behind. I was completely safe from their invasive dragnet.
Out of all the thousands of people in that kingdom, the only three living souls who knew about my wings were my loyal baby sister Evelyn, the ageless beastfolk sitting right next to me and the bitchless noise pollution, Plasma.
Alta raised her hand, signaling one of the large, reinforced desert carriages preparing to depart for Sisiphon City.
The coachman, a weathered merchant with a sun-beaten face, hopped down from his seat and eyed us up.
"Sisiphon, eh? It's a long, brutal trek through the dunes. That'll be fifty silver coins per person."
Without even blinking at the steep price, Alta reached into her wallet. Since her hunting exploits paid out in premium currency, she was carrying well over a gold piece. She pulled out a single, heavy, brilliantly shining gold coin and tossed it flawlessly into the coachman's hand. In Caria's economy, one gold coin was worth exactly one hundred silver coins, covering our fares perfectly.
The coachman's eyes went wide as he caught the gold, and he immediately bowed with profound respect, ushering us into the covered vehicle.
Alta and I climbed inside and hitched our ride. The carriage was spacious but already filled with a handful of weary traveling commoners and families clutching their packed belongings… migrants who were looking to escape the strict martial law of the capital and start a new life in the oasis city of Sisiphon. I pulled my traveler's cloak tightly around my commoner dress, folding my massive blood wings securely against the wooden seat back, and settled in for the long, bumpy journey into the desert.