I Only Want To Kill-Chapter 148: The Woman

"Who knows? Maybe I’m just lucky." Blaze offers a gentle half-smile. "Truth is, Cavanaugh, I’m not here to tip the scale or play the hero. I need to go to the Undercity. It’s the only way home. You know the path, yeah?"

Cavanaugh leaned back. "The Undercity? That’s a one-way ticket, son. Straight down into the belly of nowhere. Folks that had gone there... they never came back."

Blaze reaches into the shadows of his cloak, pulling out the old picture. "Do you know this train?"

He slides the photo across the bar.

Cavanaugh picked it up slowly. He lets out a sharp, bitter laugh. "Hah! The Train Home... False hope, that’s all this is. The Trader’s favorite bait. He always gives this to newcomers."

He throws it to the nearby wall, where Blaze can see an uncountable number of exactly similar pictures hanging on the wall.

Blaze frowns. "Bait? It isn’t the way out?"

"Out?" Cavanaugh shakes his head, his eyes clouding with a deep sorrow. "Not a single soul who went for the Undercity ever came back. The Trader helps us, sure. He brings us food, tools, and essentials. But what are these spirits? What game are they playing?"

He locks eyes with Blaze. "Maybe the Trader’s just another trick of the woods. There’s an unwritten rule here..."

"Never trust anything you see," Blaze finishes softly. "Peter told me."

Cavanaugh nods grimly. "Exactly. And why would the beings who gave that warning not be included in it?"

"They shouldn’t," Blaze says.

"Exactly." Cavanaugh refills his own glass. He lifts it towards Blaze in a mock toast before gulping it down.

Silence takes hold of the conversation. Blaze looks around the inn. He understands then. This isn’t just a village, it is the union of losers. These people cling to this place because they do not dare to venture into the unknown. Even though that unknown may be the way out.

"The Trader might be lying," Blaze says, leaning forward. "There might be no exit. But I have to try, Cavanaugh. Real people in the real world are waiting for me. They need me."

Cavanaugh sighs. "Aren’t we all needed somewhere, son?"

He pushes Blaze’s untouched glass closer.

"Look. I see that fire in you. The will to go home." He gestures towards the back room. "Take the drink. Sleep in a real bed. Then tomorrow, if you still want to go, I’ll help you get there, yeah?"

Blaze holds the older man’s gaze. "Deal.

But there is one thing. Why are people so surprised about my appearance? I definitely do not have the weirdest look amongst the Awakened."

Cavanaugh draws a heavy-bladed knife from his belt. He plunges it into a wrinkled apple sitting on the bar, twisting the blade to peel a spiral of skin. "Do you feel it? The heavy chains of this place pressing down on your power?"

"Locked tight," Blaze confirms.

Cavanaugh nods. "Right. But some have iron will. They can resist the chains." His eyes diverge to Blaze’s shadow-cloak, a living darkness in the dim room. "But they are few and far between. The chance of seeing an Awakened with their power is much less than seeing a Wretched. So naturally, we thought you were one."

"I see." Blaze says. "For the bed tonight. What’s the price?"

Cavanaugh waves the offer away, focusing on carving the apple. "First night’s shelter is free. Tomorrow, if you stay, you work and earn your place." He glances up, his gaze steady. "Unless you choose to go. Then, it doesn’t matter that much."

Blaze stands up and walks away. "I see. Well... thanks for the drink."

Cavanaugh’s gaze doesn’t follow him. Instead, it remains fixed on the bar counter, on the drink that is still full.

Blaze pauses at the doorway and clears his throat. "I... uh... I don’t drink."

Cavanaugh gives a single, shallow nod.

Night falls like a dropped curtain. One moment, the dim sunlight covers the entire land. The next, an absolute darkness swallows the village whole. A soft, warm radiance blooms all around Blaze. He looks up.

Dozens of lanterns hang around wooden poles inside the village, casting pools of soft yellow light around the area.

These lanterns aren’t metal or glass. Each was a giant, hollowed fruit, roughly spherical, with thick, orange walls that glowed faintly from within. A faint sugary scent drifts out from the lantern.

Curiosity pulls Blaze closer to a lantern.

"It’s beautiful, isn’t it?" A smooth, pleasant voice emanates.

Blaze spins around.

A woman stands a few paces away. She is in her early thirties. Her pale white skin seems to glow in the lantern light, making her stand out. Her hair is raven black, falling past her shoulders.

The woman wears fitted, dark trousers and a soft, sleeveless shirt that clings to a slender but curvy body. Her eyes are large and dark.

An aura of quiet confidence and alluring wraps around the woman.

"And you are?" Blaze asks, his voice carefully staying neutral.

Instead of answering, the woman takes a slow step forward. Her dark eyes gleam with undisguised interest. "Jake, right?"

Her voice is low and intimate. "When did you arrive in our little village, Jake?"

Blaze subtly steps back, tilting his head to better observe her. She is close enough now for him to see the fine details of her eyebrows and the slight, gentle smile.

The woman’s smile deepens, turning into a crescent moon. She takes another step that closes the distance between them. The scent of her body fills the air; even Blaze can smell it now.

The scent is so alluring and inviting that it makes any man want to imagine what she holds beneath those clothes.

"What’s your name?" Blaze asks again.

"Names are such... temporary things here, Jake," she murmurs, her voice a low purr that touches every part of your body.

She reaches out, not quite touching him, but tracing the air an inch from the shadowy fabric of his cloak.

"Like these lanterns. Beautiful, useful... but will wither nonetheless." Her dark gaze flicks back to his glowing eyes. "You know about change, don’t you?"

Blaze remains still. "Knowing change doesn’t mean I enjoy riddles. Who are you?"

She laughs. "Call me Evelyn."

She finally lets her fingertips brush the edge of his cloak. "You know. There aren’t any men at all in this place. Not real men."

Her gaze drops to his lips, then back up again. "But you are one."

She leans in slightly, the warmth of her body lingering on Blaze. Her voice drops into a whisper.

"It’s terribly drafty out here, Jake. And Cavanaugh’s ’free bed’ is likely a sack of hay. My place is close. Warm. And private. I haven’t been with a real man for a long time, Jake. Would you please satisfy this little girl?"

She lets the invitation hang and carefully opens up her collar to show her chest more. She blatantly seduces Blaze to go with her.

Blaze observes her. The sexy package is undeniable. The pale white skin, the curves of her body, the alluring scent radiating from her like heat.

He takes a deliberate half-step back, creating space. The faint yellow glow in his eyes steadies. "Warmth and privacy are tempting," he said, "but I’ll pass. I’m not interested."

Evelyn doesn’t look offended. Her smile merely shifts. She reaches out with her hand, and suddenly, all her fingernails turn into sharp, curved blades.

Blaze spins, and the Twinblade immediately shows up in his hand.

"Hah! You thought you could trick me with this stupid play?"

The Twinblade crushes her fingernails into ashes. Blaze hops forward and raises a straight kick into her stomach. Evelyn is sent flying away, the mark of a shoe imprinted onto her stomach.

"Damn you, Daywalker!"

In mid-air, Evelyn turns into a half-rotting, half-burning creature that lost all of her seduction from before. What she is now is nothing but an ugly, terrified monster.

"So... It is as I expected. Even the Wretched can go into this village and attack everyone. So that’s why they were so wary of outsiders."

Blaze splits the Twinblade into the short swords and holds each sword in each hand. He takes a deep breath in, activating the best mental defense he has.

[You have gained a temporary status effect: Outsider]

<Outsider: You are immune from the mental influence of this world>

The woman named Evelyn turns even further. Now, she doesn’t even resemble a human. Instead, what is standing there is a horror made out of tentacles and nails. Its body is made of several limbs of different women.

One lonely head floats in the middle. The head with the appearance of ’Evelyn’ that spoke with Blaze.

"You fuck! You fuck! Why didn’t you come with me?! I will tear you out! I will kill you!"

The woman’s spits fly all over the place. It stinks and starts foaming immediately when it touches the ground. One can only imagine what it’s like kissing this woman.

"Let’s dance, woman."