novellaaa Chapter 10 A Vow Made with a Lamp
Chapter 10 A Vow Made with a Lamp
Shar stepped out of the wooden cage.
She drank the tonic and felt the weakness that had been imprisoned in her body for many days slowly dissipate, and her strength gradually returned.
She clenched her fist, her gaze lingering on Kane for a moment, a sense of doubt creeping into her heart.
The act of giving hope only to then destroying it is not uncommon in demonic cults.
She looked at Kane and tentatively asked:
"If you want to kill me, do it now. I don't have much strength left to resist."
Kane pondered for a moment, hesitating about how to dispel her doubts.
Then, he remembered a sentence he had seen in a colleague's project proposal in his previous life, and read it aloud:
"By the light of the lamp, we will burn away the abyss."
Upon hearing this, Shar froze, her pupils shrinking sharply.
"How do you know that phrase? Who are you?"
Seeing that Kane did not answer, she stared at him intently for a long time before finally speaking:
"I see... I understand now."
What do you know?
Kane was still wondering to himself when he saw her turn around and casually take off her clothes.
A beautiful body flashed by, then was quickly concealed by a black robe.
Kane consciously looked away.
He needs this woman to help him clear his name, and before that, he needs to increase her favorability towards him as much as possible.
After they both changed into black robes, Shar asked in a low voice:
"What should I call you?"
"Just keep calling me Kane."
The two, now dressed in black robes and masks, moved quickly along the passageway.
The corpses of the demon cultists lay scattered on the ground, their wounds clean and neat.
Shar was secretly alarmed; these demon cultists were all dealt with swiftly.
His skills have reached such a level.
Groans could be heard from the wooden cages along the roadside.
Many of the prisoners were on the verge of death. As Shar passed by, a hint of pity flashed in her eyes, but she ultimately did not stop.
Kane breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.
It was already difficult for the two of them to escape; if they were to take these prisoners of unknown origin and in poor health with them, it would be almost impossible for them to succeed.
Black-robed cultists frequently rushed past, mostly busy putting out fires.
Kane caught a glimpse of Ange in the crowd, who was wearing a red dress.
Her face was full of anger, as if she had been woken up, and she was angrily cursing the believers next to her as "useless" and "idiots".
However, she only knows "Burning Hand" and "Magic Missile," which are of no help in putting out fires.
Kane and Shar lowered their heads and quickly moved away, hugging the wall.
The journey was smooth until they were stopped by three black-robed cultists at the corner of the spiral staircase ahead.
"Show your face and check if any outsiders have infiltrated."
Shar's heart tightened.
Three followers were nothing to her in her prime.
But revealing his identity now would invite a siege from the Silent Killers and a large number of cultists.
"OK."
Kane lowered his head, placed his hand on the side of his face, and made a gesture as if to pull down his mask.
In that instant, he suddenly sprang up, the dagger at his waist flashing with a cold light, and was drawn in one smooth motion!
At the same time, [Hand of the Mage] was activated, and two spare daggers from his bag shot out like arrows towards the other two cultists!
An extremely fast-paced surprise attack!
Before the three cultists could even see what was happening, their throats were slashed open by a sharp blade, and blood gushed out.
They clutched their throats, their eyes filled with resentment, and collapsed to the ground.
"Walk."
Kane sheathed his sword, his tone completely calm.
Shar then came to her senses, her heart filled with astonishment.
He was able to distract himself and control his mage hand the instant he swung his dagger—such combat skill…
Footsteps echoed down the spiral staircase, as worshippers continued to ascend and descend along the way.
Kane turns to Shah:
"Go to the pharmacy first."
Inside the pharmacy, Shawn was sweating profusely as he carried the scattered bottles and jars back into the inner room and covered them with a damp cloth.
Upon seeing Kane pull down his mask, Sean hurriedly said:
"Perfect timing! Quick, help tidy up! I wonder which country's spy set this fire; it's insane—"
He was halfway through his sentence when he saw Shar behind Kane.
Although he was covered by a black robe and mask, he recognized him at a glance as the former executioner who had been imprisoned.
Sean's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
Connecting the sudden fire and the corpses scattered on the ground, he pointed at the two men, his voice trembling:
"You...you all..."
"Kill him."
"Shal said coldly, her eyes devoid of warmth," Shar said.
Kane looked at Shawn, paused for a moment, and hesitated.
Although Shawn is a cult apothecary, his methods are extremely cruel.
In order to obtain fresh material for vivisection, victims were even forced to remain conscious.
However, it cannot be denied that Kane had obtained many potion formulas from him, and the two had some interaction.
Sean fell to his knees with a thud and said urgently:
"Let me go! I swear I won't tell anyone! I'm just a pharmacist..."
He looked at Kane, his eyes pleading.
"Kane, I've helped you so much..."
"Those are orders from the sect; they have nothing to do with you."
Shar sneered, then looked at Kane, thinking he was being soft-hearted, and added:
"Moreover, in order to obtain the formula, he personally murdered his real pharmacist friend."
"No, you're talking nonsense—"
Sean opened his mouth as if to argue.
"Shar, let me decide for myself."
Kane interrupted her, his gaze returning to Shawn's face.
"Do you remember that time we met, when you asked me what that tonic was made of...?"
Now answer me, what exactly is it made of that you need to specifically ask?
Sean seemed to realize something, broke out in a cold sweat, and stammered:
"Yes...yes..."
As the dagger drew near, he finally broke down:
"There are several key materials... taken from organs of your relatives! But I wasn't familiar with you then, I just..."
"very good."
Kane smiled and sighed softly.
"It's okay, the pain will go away soon."
Sean's face showed fear, which quickly turned into malice:
"What are you pretending for! Didn't you sacrifice them yourself? Now you're acting like a good person, are you...?"
A flash of silver light.
Shar's dagger had already sliced across his throat.
Kane frowned and looked at her.
Shar lowered her head:
"I'm sorry... I can't tolerate such evil, and if I don't kill him, he will definitely take revenge on you later."
"There will be no next time," Kane warned.
"Yes."
Seeing that he didn't pursue the matter, Shar breathed a sigh of relief and quickly gathered up the excess medicine in the room and packed it into her bag.
She noticed something in her bag that looked like a bed sheet, but it had straps sewn at the four corners, so she could reach inside.
"This is……?"
"This is the key to our escape."
Kane smiled and, together with her, lit the remaining flammable materials in the potion room, incidentally dealing with a few cultists who rushed over after hearing the commotion.
The two came to a fork in the road, and Kane headed straight for the path leading upwards.
But Shar stopped him:
"We can't go this way! This is a dead end leading to the cliffside altar!"
Kane kept moving.
"We leave from there."
"Could it be... that a griffin or giant eagle is coming to their rescue?"
"Shall ask hesitantly."
Kane didn't explain, he just turned around and smiled at her.
Seeing his resolute expression, Shar felt somewhat relieved.
There were few people along the way, and they soon reached the cliff.
Dawn has arrived, the morning light is faint, the distant forest is vast, and the roar of the waterfall is deafening.
Shar couldn't help but squint her eyes, savoring the long-lost air of freedom;
Kane gazed at the familiar altar, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
This was the place where he performed numerous stigmata rituals; it was the starting point of everything.
This will now become the end of this dark journey.
"Hasn't the backup arrived yet?" Shar looked around.
"There's no backup, just the two of us."
"What?"
Shar froze, looking down at the bottomless cliff.
She picked up a stone and threw it down, and a faint echo came from it after a long time.
She then looked at Kane:
Are you sure?
"I'm sure."
Kane smiled as he opened his bag and took out the oddly shaped "parachute" made from a bed sheet.
The four corner rings were barely sewn by him using his [Sewing Mastery lv1] skill.
He looked at Shar, a slightly mocking smile on his face:
Are you scared?
"The lantern bearer is fearless."
Shar raised her head, her eyes resolute, but she still swallowed hard.
"I just don't want to die such a stupid death. If I have to fall to my death, I'd rather fight them to the death."
"come over."
Kane didn't say much, and had already put the parachute on himself.
"How..."
Before Shar could finish speaking, Kane interrupted her.
"Hold onto my waist."
Kane's tone left no room for argument.
"When I jump down, you'll have to rely on your arm strength to keep your body steady. As a professional, even after being imprisoned for many days, you should still have some strength left."
"No problem, no problem..."
Before she could say anything more, Kane had already reached the edge of the cliff and spread his arms.
The wind was strong on the cliff, making his "umbrella-like" clothing flap loudly.
Shar gritted her teeth and stepped forward to hug his waist tightly.
Kane's body heat seeped through her clothes, and his strong chest made her feel inexplicably calmer.
"If you fall and die, I will haunt you even as a ghost."
She said in a muffled voice.
"What if it succeeds?"
"I'll introduce you to the best girl I know."
"It's a deal, hold on tight, we're about to jump, three, two..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kane leaped into the air.
"ah--!"
Shar instinctively closed her eyes and hugged Kane even tighter.
A strong wind rushed in, and the parachute quickly deployed in the airflow.
Like a pure white dandelion, it carried the two of them slowly towards the dark forest below the cliff...