Wraithwood Botanist

B2 | Chapter 80 - Tribute and Trades

The cat sits in a tree under active camouflage, watching the harvesters in the distance. His human must keep them in line but does not want to kill—he has no such reservations. If culling must be done, he will cull. Silently. Completely.

His human is in a safe zone. The fairy said that the "Mouth" is protected by magic—that if someone attacks, it will kill them. His human is safe—

—but he does not trust the harvesters.

The ones out front are strong. Stronger than he is. They probably have eyes that can see him like the fairy can see him. Eyes that can see his portal. Track his movements. He felt them a mile out; he could barely feel the rest.

Legacies.

That’s what the fairy calls them.

They are different from the rest. They are stronger than that colossus—both in strength and experience. They could evolve but don’t because they cannot return. That’s what the cat thinks.

Legacies.

He wants them to leave his human. He doesn’t trust the lurvine to protect her.

His instincts were right. After his human finishes his reunion with her kin, the beast tamer rushes the lurvine, hugging them, reuniting. Many will join him, and Mira’s protection will dwindle.

He must stay and watch for now. He will strike when the time is right.

Suddenly, the youngest "Dante" looks up at the cat with a thin smile. Even from so far away, he sees and smiles and then looks away. He knows the cat is there, but he doesn’t tell. He, too, is watching, interested—hunting.

That man is dangerous. The cat hates that he is waiting to speak to his human. The man needs to breathe his last, but he cannot yet do it. So for now, he waits, watching, poised to warp into her shadow and take her away, an epic skill none can expect, even if they can counter the second strike.

This is war—and the cat is ready for it.

2.

Hadrian Dante spotted the small cat and grinned. Brexton sold Hadrian exclusive information that Mira had a pet, and it was not only still alive but apparently strong enough to eat through dozens of second-evolution beasts.

It was impressive, but he didn’t expect the cat to have such exceptional Active Camouflage. It already rivaled the Claustra’s, and he could barely see it without Soul Sight. In fact, if Mira’s soul beast weren’t predictably watching over its master, he probably wouldn’t have noticed it.

Hadrian sent a side-long glance to Brexton and found that the clown was already smirking at him. It made him scoff. Never had he met someone who was reprehensible to the point of proudness.

It was almost commendable—

—and certainly disconcerting.

Brexton Claustra’s loyalties only extended to Romulan and general chaos. He never sacrificed results for lunacy, but in any and every case where destruction was an option, he deferred to it. If he had his way, the Dante family would burn, and he got a thrill from Hadrian knowing this while he still paid him egregious sums for information.

It was for that reason that Hadrian was wary of him more than any other.

Hadrian turned back to the woman of the hour, Mira Hill, who had a full crowd trying to surround her but was keeping her distance as she spoke to Aiden and her brother warmly.

It was clear that Aiden tamed the lurvine but it was impressive that she retained them as familiars.

That fact was amazing, but he was drawn more to her appearance.

It was too amusing. Despite being in the forest for four months, she showed up with smooth skin, pristine clothing, and styled hair. He had a feeling that if she had brought makeup, she would have worn it, too—all to flex her power.

What? You thought I was a savage who ate meat with my bare hands? Are you mad? I would rather starve on the altar of despair than submit myself to such rabid conduct. If you entertain such foolish rumors again, I will burn you on the stake of your own ignorance.

He doubted she spoke like that, but he doubted she would address his family with the same casualness that she was giving Aiden and her kin. Her patron wouldn’t allow it.

Mira’s eyes widened, and she choked on her words. "Forgive my rough introduction. My name is Mira Hill, Scion of the Elana Saliea."

"There is no need for such hesitation. I find your subversion... charming."

Mira blushed slightly and then turned away, unclipping her backpack. "I have her tribute here. Do you by chance have some preservation chambers? I have extra and some cannot be put into the same container."

"We do," Kallan said. She turned to the others, who pulled off their backpacks and started unloading supplies. When Mira saw the specialty preservation containers, she started drooling.

"If you would like to trade for some, we would be obliged to do so," Hadrian said.

"Uh..." As if in a trance, the Mira pulled out a chamber that had about fifty cores of different colors. "Name your price."

Hadrian couldn’t help but laugh and flash her a smile. This woman wasn’t even negotiating. It was clear that she had hidden most of her valuables, and what she had brought was worth less than dirt to her, a remarkable fact considering the absurd number of green cores.

"We will accept trades in cores, but we would rather trade in herbs."

"Oh, of course." Mira pulled out her tribute, exposing the remarkably rare herbs, flowers, and fungi from deep in the forest. There was over twice as much for each. "These ones are super valuable and I’d rather save most of them. But I brought these to trade."

Mira pulled out five more containers and stacked them up. Each container was packed with a mixed assortment of different plants, and when she opened them under a warping domain and purified them, Felio Hellara, the First Domain heir of the Melhan family, cried out from the location she was watching.

"Calba Root? Trana? What’s that... These are the plants you’re selling? What’s in those—"

"I suggest you back away," Kallan said chillingly. "In fact, let’s move out of the Mouth. I’ll create a barrier."

"Wait!" Felio yelled. "Don’t sell those. My family will outbid—"

Mira walked out of the mouth and suddenly, the world tinted black under a sensory deprivation chamber, leaving them alone as Mira hesitantly transferred the tribute to the open containers and handed them off. And then she proved her shrewdness.

"Listen, I used information requests to research the price of these ingredients, and also common items right before I came here. So I know some of these ingredients would auction for hundreds of thousand "hawks" a piece. So it’s not quite fair to trade even one for those chambers. But..."

"But what?" Hadrian said obligatorily, smiling amusedly.

"I will give you all but one of each of the tributes, plus this," she pulled out a tincture container, "if you set up a life-long protection contract for my family."

Hadrian furrowed his brow as he studied the container. It was simple alcohol with spores. "What is this?"

He grabbed it and handed it to his alchemist, Tallae Dante, who studied it for about ten seconds before he started trembling in a way that Hadrian had never seen.

"What is it?" Hadrian asked with a sharper tone.

"This..." Tallae looked up at Mira. "Are these Lumidran spores?"

Mira grinned. "Yes, yes they are. And they’re worth more than everything here combined."

Hadrian’s smile disappeared for the first time, and his eyes drifted toward the trees beyond the barrier, now tinted black, hiding the cat’s Active Camouflage—assuming he was there. Mira’s eyes widened in horror when she saw him looking at Aiden, and Tyler turned to the trees.

"Forgive me, I thought I saw a snara bird," Hadrian said, regaining his smile. "Pray tell. How did you get these?"

"I’ll let your imagination go wild," she said dryly. "Actually, I’ll add this: they were a pain in the ass and you’ll pay for them."

"Assuming we don’t steal them." Hadrian shrugged.

"I’m under contract."

"Your family is under contract. And we only have to procure your tribute without killing you. Those are rather loose conditions, would you not agree?"