Eric stood over the unconscious, twitching form of Lord Valerius, his gaze fixed on the young woman still sobbing in the center of the ravaged dining hall. Her name, he now realized, was likely Valerius's daughter, the same woman he had seen yesterday. Her face was pale with shock, her hands trembling as she stared at her father's monstrous, collapsed form. The air was heavy with the stench of corrupt Qi and the lingering fear of the defeated guards scattered across the floor.
"What... what was that?" she repeated, her voice a fragile whisper.
Eric cautiously approached her, his own side throbbing from the blow he had taken. "That was not him," Eric said, his voice low and calm. "It was the influence of a corrupt energy." He could see the faint, dark veins still visible on Valerius's skin, a clear sign of the Crimson Veil's insidious influence. "He was being... used."
The girl's tearful eyes met his. "Used? I don't understand. He's been so angry lately, so... different. He told me he was dealing with some mysterious benefactor. Someone who promised him great power and respect."
Eric's suspicion was confirmed. "This 'benefactor,' did they give him anything? A gift, a spiritual item?" he asked, his mind racing.
"Y-yes," she stammered, still trembling. "He was wearing a spiritual ring. The benefactor said it would help him 'unlock his true potential.' He never took it off."
Eric knelt beside the unconscious Lord Valerius, quickly inspecting his hand. Sure enough, a simple, black iron ring sat on his finger, pulsating with a faint, malevolent energy that was almost identical to the corrupt Qi he had sensed in the Blackwood manor. This was it. The method of control, the source of the Lord's temporary mutation. He pulled it off, and as the ring separated from Valerius, the dark veins on his skin immediately receded, the tell-tale twitching of his body subsiding.
Eric turned back to the girl. "My name is Eric. I am the new Lord of the Dragon's Roost. I believe your father was misled and manipulated by a dangerous cult. I am not here to harm you or your family."
"A cult?" she whispered, the word sounding alien to her. "My father, a cultivator, would never..."
"It's an insidious influence," Eric interrupted, his voice firm. "They prey on people's desires for power, for vengeance, for anything that will open them to their corrupting spiritual energy. Your father was a victim, just like many others." He looked at the unconscious Lord. "He needs spiritual healing, and a complete purification of his Qi. He needs to be locked away until he can be properly treated. The cult will likely come for him, to silence him."
The girl, finally gaining some composure, wiped her eyes. "My father's name is Valerius. My name is Lady Lysandra. And... I don't know who to trust."
"I understand," Eric said, his tone empathetic. "But for his safety, and for yours, you must trust me. I am part of a force dedicated to hunting down this cult."
As if on cue, the doors of the dining hall burst open. Kord and Anya entered, followed by the rest of the team. Their faces were grim.
"Team Leader! We heard a commotion," Kord boomed, his eyes immediately assessing the chaotic scene.
"We saw the guards," Anya added, her eyes narrowing as she took in the unconscious Lord Valerius. "What happened here?"
Eric briefly explained the situation, holding up the dark spiritual ring as he spoke. "This is a form of their corrupting influence. Valerius was being manipulated. He tried to have me killed."
Kord's face hardened, and he looked at the unconscious Lord with disdain. "A coward who fell to a cult's influence. Serves him right."
"No," Lady Lysandra said, her voice stronger now, filled with defiance. "He may have been wrong, but he is my father. He was not himself. He was being controlled. Please," she looked at Eric, a desperate plea in her eyes. "He needs help, not punishment. And I need to know more about this cult. I need to know who did this to him."
Eric looked at her, seeing a fierce loyalty that reminded him of his own friends. "Lysandra, your father will receive the proper treatment. We will secure him. But you must understand the danger you are now in. The cult will have sensed his defeat. They will be coming for him, and for anyone who knows their secrets."
Lysandra nodded, her expression determined. "Then I will help you. I will tell you everything I know about this 'benefactor' he spoke of. My father was no warrior, but he was a cunning man. He was paranoid, even at the end, and he kept detailed records of everything. If anyone has information about this cult's activities, it is him. We can start there."
Eric looked at her, then at his team, a new plan already forming in his mind. Lord Valerius's obsession with a "benefactor" and his paranoia likely meant he had kept a meticulous log of his dealings. This was a potential goldmine of information. The political squabble had turned into a critical intelligence-gathering opportunity.
"Good," Eric said, his expression grim but resolute. "We will need to work fast. Kord, secure Lord Valerius. Lysa, see if you can purify the corrupted Qi in his system without damaging him. Anya, you and Jin will scout the surrounding area for any signs of the cult's approach. They'll know we're here. We are no longer operating in the dark. Seraph, you will create a spiritual veil over this manor to hide our presence. We will assume the cult is on its way."
Lysandra, with newfound purpose, led Eric back to her father's study. It was a chaotic room, filled with maps, ledgers, and spiritual artifacts. "He kept everything in here," she explained, her fingers tracing a hidden mechanism on a bookshelf. "He was so proud of his intelligence network."
A hidden compartment slid open, revealing a meticulously organized series of scrolls. Eric's eyes widened. These were not just financial records. They were detailed observations of spiritual anomalies, strange sightings, and reports of disappearances that had been dismissed by the local populace. This was a comprehensive, self-written intelligence report, all laid out by Lord Valerius, who, in his paranoia, had unknowingly been documenting the very cult Eric was hunting.
"He called it his 'Secret of the Seven Signs,'" Lysandra said, gesturing to the scrolls. "He said he was documenting a great power rising in the east."
Eric's hand went to a scroll bearing a distinct, crimson symbol. The mark of the Crimson Veil. He had stumbled upon a treasure trove of information, a clear and undeniable trail left by the very man who had tried to kill him. The Lord's paranoia had inadvertently become a crucial resource for the Directorate.