Chương 319: Chapter 305

Sam barely had a moment to 'enjoy' the swirl of transportation, he actualized in a darkened alley, surrounded by crumbling ruins, the low roar of crowds filling the background with noise. Before he could make more observations, another swirl appeared in front of him, depositing his guide.

However, instead of the resplendent armor she was wearing, the king's daughter was wearing a worn red cloak that covered her body, her hair in a messy bun that somehow reminded Sam of lunch ladies, with heavy circles under her eyes and a few spots on her cheeks. Looking down at his own body, he could see that he was also wearing a red cloak, old and worn, with a few holes here and there, as if somebody had repurposed material to make the cloak.

Not leaving him time to comment, the woman grabbed his arms and began tugging him out of the alley while furiously whispering.

"We don't have much time, so listen carefully! I can get you in, but after that, it's your job to finish the tasks entrusted to you." Sam opened his mouth, but before he could voice a few questions, her hand squeezed his arm, shutting him up.

"Don't! Just act stupid… I'm sure that won't be an issue for you." By the time the last syllable left her mouth, they reached the end of the alley, and her entire demeanor changed. The once haughty and confident woman, with a straight back and an aura of surety, transformed in the blink of an eye into an anxious woman, hunched over, who seemed to be jumping at shadows. Sam, knowing how important the situation was, used his meager acting skills to similarly transform himself.

He lurched forward, drawing his shoulders forward and lowering his head, glancing around from the corner of his eyes, taking in the situation. Upon exiting the alley, he saw that they were on the outskirts of a Blood Army camp. Well, more like inside the outer perimeter. He could see countless blood-red armored individuals patrolling, several towers functioning as lookout points, and as his eyes panned around, he could see the fortifications in the process of being built.

No doubt there to hide the portal to the fracture. The king's daughter continued to drag him toward the fortification as the numerous soldiers and other people looked at them, but surprisingly did nothing. Glancing at the fancy artifact on his arms, Sam was impressed. It seemed that the king had some really effective and talented people at his back and call… For a long minute, they walked toward the barriers that led deeper when a voice called out.

"Sister Janice!" She stopped, causing Sam to stagger next to her, flailing around with his arms, ultimately managing to prevent falling on his face with great effort. The man calling out to them was obviously an NPC, wearing blood red armor with rusted iron colored parts peaking through here and there, a red tunic under it, and a spear on his back.

Altogether, it looked to Sam as if he was standing in front of a Roman legionnaire who let himself go, then went and bathed in a pool of blood, rust, and other unhealthy liquids.

"Brother Mauricius!" she called out, letting Sam go and clasping her hands in front of her, looking up at the man coquettishly, batting her eyelashes. The man laughed, scratching the back of his head and puffing up his chest. It was clear to Sam that the infiltrator before him had been working the man for a while.

"H-how have you been?" she stuttered a little, one more layer between her and her true personality. The man smiled at her, and then his eyes were on Sam.

"Who is this, Sister Janice? New recruit?" She began nodding vehemently.

"Yes, Brother Maurice. A cousin! But he is a believer! I heard that the warehouse needed more workers, and he volunteered!" Brother Maurice listened, then gave Sam a once-over.

"Warehouse worker, huh? Where did you hear that, Sister Janice?" he asked idly.

'Sister Janice', however, was not deterred. She giggled and swatted at the air.

"Oh, Brother Mauricius, you know how the kitchens are!" The man nodded thoughtfully before letting out a rueful smile.

"Ahh, yes… you womenfolk and your gossipy ways…" Giving Sam one more look, seemingly accepting the explanation, he turned back to the woman.

"Thank you, Sister Janice, I see that he is a true believer, but next time please ask before bringing someone new!"

"Oh!" she squeed, bringing her hands to her mouth, looking frightened. Sam really had to give props to her acting skills.

"A-am I i-in trouble, Brother?"

"Haha! Not at all! I will make sure your cousin will be taken care of!" he laughed before reaching and patting her on the shoulder. He then began to walk back to the camp, his hand still on her shoulder. Sam simply followed them in silence.

"What did you say your cousin's name was?"

"Jane, Brother Mauricius!" If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Isn't that a woman's name?"

"My Aunt was expecting a girl and then…"

"Haha, say no more! I have a cousin who is named Susan!" The two of them fell into an easy conversation about the peculiarities of naming children, while Sam ambled behind them, wondering how he deserved this… A few patrolling soldiers, after listening to the conversation for a few seconds, sent him a commiserating look, but otherwise, nobody hampered his infiltration of the camp of the Blood Army.

Quarter of an hour later, they stopped at a crossing marked by several wooden posts, holding lanterns filled with blood that even in daylight seemed to be radiating a disquieting red glow. His current boss turned away from Brother Mauricius, who seemed to be rather happy, and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Now Jane, be good and make your blood shine, you hear me!" she exclaimed as Mauricius nodded proudly behind her. Sensing an opportunity, he wrenched his body out of her grabby hands and raised one of his arms in the air, hand in a fist.

"Yes, cousin! FOR THE BLOOD GOD!" he roared, putting as much religious fervor into his voice as possible, startling several people while Mauricius face-palmed. Janice looked like she wanted to throttle him. Thankfully, before she could make her thoughts a reality, Brother Mauricius reached and gently pried 'Janice' away from him.

"How about you go back to the kitchen, Sister Janice? I'll take your cousin…" he told her with a gentle smile, then glanced at Sam.

"After all, it's not the first time that someone may have… misunderstood our creed." She instantly did a one-eighty and clasped Brother Mauricius' hand.

"You would do that for me, Brother? I'm so thankful! My cousin… he is a good boy, but a little…odd sometimes!" The man's face became pink as the rough hands of Janice grabbed him.

"Naturally, Sister Janice! It is our duty to make sure that everyone's blood shines the brightest!" Sam watched for a minute or so as the two of them gazed at each other, seemingly lost in each other's eyes, before 'Janice' reluctantly left them, heading for the kitchens. The man stared after her for a moment, allowing Sam a brief pause to look around, pretending to give the man time to compose himself. All around, he could see NPCs and a few players rushing around.

At first glance, he couldn't see anybody important, but as the stench of blood magic permeated everything, he suspected that there was a chance that the really important people were more hidden. Toward where 'Janice' rushed in her 'embarrassment' was a small-ish cube-shaped building, with the universal sign of a kitchen on it, next to it a bigger building, probably the place where people ate.

On the opposite side were the buildings that looked distinctively like barracks, helped by the fact that he saw soldiers streaming in and out. In front of him, across a sizeable courtyard dotted with all sorts of carriages, boxes, and whatnot, was a small fortress, half finished. On one side, he could see people still doing construction work. He was knocked out of his gazing by a slap on his shoulder.

"Brother Jane! Come! Let me take you to the warehouse!" he said with a friendly grin on his face. Sam, playing the dimwitted cousin, asked a question.

"Er, Brother Mauricius, shouldn't we register me? I worked in warehouses before, and the bosses really don't like new people. Lots of thieves, you see…" The man just laughed.

"Don't worry, Brother Jane! There is an officer at the warehouse who can register you!"

"That's a relief to hear, Brother, but…" he fell silent, shyly looking to the side. Naturally, the other man noticed.

"What is it, Brother? Are you worried about the test?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine worry.

"Based on your aura, you're a true believer! I'm sure Brother Gunther will only ask for your name and address."

"That's not it, Brother… it's…gosh, it's really embarrassing…" he 'admitted' turning away in his 'embarrassment'.

"Come now, Brother Jane! I promise I won't laugh!" the other man exclaimed while laughing. Sam stared at him until he stopped and looked away awkwardly. He held the look for a second, then let out a sigh.

"Fine, Brother Mauricius. But just because my cousin likes you! It's like this: I heard from the leader of our congregation that the Blood God had left his mark on his land. I always wished to see with my own eyes!"

"You mean the fracture?" the other man asked, startled.

"Naturally, we can go and see before you start your glorious work for the blood that illuminates all of us!" he told Sam enthusiastically. Then his voice went into a whisper, leaning closer to Sam.

"Though we can't get too close, but I know a spot from where we can see it…" Then he straightened out and looked around, his voice much louder.

"Let me give you a tour, Brother Jane!" he finished with a wink at Sam. He returned the wink, then began trailing after the man as he started extolling the virtues of the camp built by the Blood Army. A few minutes later and a few circles walked, Sam stood on a small hill, halfway through removal, looking directly at the fortification in the middle of a camp. Thanks to their vantage point, he could see through the construction and catch a glimpse of the swirling portal of potent red energy.

'Because, of course, the portal is red…' he grumbled to himself while outwardly gushing to Brother Mauricius. The other man let him stare for a while longer, then none-too-gently dragged him to the warehouses, claiming that his break time was almost over. Sam obediently let himself be dragged, inwardly doing some calculations. Now that he knew where the portal was, he would only need to sow some chaos, then jump into it before anybody could realize what was happening.

Sadly, he was pretty sure he only had one chance at it. He didn't sense anybody powerful, so they were either in the fracture or had yet to arrive at the camp.

The officer supervising the warehouse – in a small shack - greeted Brother Mauricius like an old friend and, after a small whispered conversation, sent a dirty look at the man, but he still registered Sam as Brother Jane – albeit with a small snigger – before telling him to go into one of the seven warehouses and don't come out until he checked off everything on the list. Brother Mauricus wished him good luck then wandered away, murmuring something about being late for patrol…

Thus, Sam found himself in a warehouse, filled with all manner of boxes, blinking in surprise at being left alone. Suspiciously, he reached out with his Mana Sense, seeing if there was anything he would need to worry about. Instantly, his senses hit on a powerful enchantment built into the walls of the warehouse.

'Huh…no teleportation in or out, any entry or exit is registered at… the shack,' he took note as he analyzed the magic.

'And some smaller ones on the boxes… it seems they have prepared for saboteurs…' However, there was no magic he could sense that was actually watching him. Rubbing his hands together and grinning like a demented cultist he was supposed to be, he couldn't help but whisper.

"Let's go and fuck shit up!"