Two days later, the peace of the cabin was shattered by the rattle of wheels and the snort of a horse.
"She's here!" Bram shouted, practically leaping from his chair. He threw the door open, his face split in a wide grin. "Lila! You made good time!"
Kael sat by the hearth, whittling a piece of wood. He didn't move immediately. He watched Elara.
At the mention of her daughter, Elara flinched. She was currently sweeping the floor, her movements sluggish and heavy.
Over the last forty-eight hours, Kael had drained her three more times.
She was walking with a slight, permanent sway to her hips, her eyes often unfocused, lost in a haze of lingering pleasure and confusion.
"My daughter..." Elara whispered, clutching the broom. She looked at Kael, panic in her eyes.
"Kael, you must... you must behave. Lila is sharp. She isn't like Bram."
"I am always well-behaved, Elara," Kael smiled, his voice silky. "Go greet her. Act normal."
Normal. Elara took a shaky breath, smoothed her dress, and walked out to the porch.
Kael stood up and moved to the window, peering through the cracks in the shutter.
A small carriage had pulled up. A young woman was hopping down from the driver's seat.
She didn't look like her mother. Where Elara was soft curves and maternal warmth, Lila was all sharp angles and kinetic energy.
She wore fitted leather breeches that hugged her toned legs and a white blouse with the sleeves rolled up, city fashion, practical but stylish. Her hair was cut short, framing a face that was pretty but held a cynical, calculating edge.
[Target Identified]
Name: Lila
Role: The Daughter / Merchant Apprentice
Traits: [Sharp Intuition], [Greedy], [Overconfident]
Corruption: 0% ]
"Papa!" Lila hugged Bram, but her eyes were already scanning the perimeter, checking the roof, checking the woodpile. Assessing.
"And Mom," Lila pulled away from Bram to hug Elara. She paused, pulling back slightly. She sniffed the air near her mother's neck.
"You smell... different. Is that musk?"
"It's... it's a new soap," Elara stammered, blushing furiously. "From the market."
Lila's eyes narrowed. She didn't buy it. She looked past her mother, staring directly at the cabin door.
"And who," Lila asked, her voice cooling, "is the stranger in the window?"
Dinner was a battlefield.
Bram was oblivious, chattering away about the hunt and asking Lila about her apprenticeship at the Merchant's Guild in the city.
"Trade is good," Lila said, twirling a fork.
"Prices on ore are up. But you have to be careful. The city is full of scammers. People who smile to your face while picking your pocket."
She stared directly at Kael across the table.
Kael returned her gaze with a polite, vacant smile.
"The city sounds exhausting. I prefer the honesty of the woods."
"Honesty," Lila scoffed. "Right."
Throughout the meal, Kael felt her watching him. But more importantly, she was watching Elara.
Every time Kael asked for the salt, Elara jumped to give it to him. When Kael accidentally dropped his napkin, Elara dove to pick it up, practically kneeling at his feet.
It was subtle to Bram, but to a sharp-eyed girl from the city, it screamed submission.
Lila's jaw tightened. She saw the way her mother's hand lingered near Kael's arm. She saw the flushed cheeks.
She saw the way Elara looked at Kael, like a frightened rabbit staring at a snake, waiting to be eaten.
She knows, Kael realized, sipping his ale. She knows I'm sleeping with her mother.
He checked his System.
[Passive Effect: Cognitive Nudge]
Attempting to influence Lila...
Result: RESISTED.
Note: Target has high skepticism. Direct mental manipulation will require breaking her mental defenses first. ]
Interesting. She couldn't be nudged. It seemed She had to be broken.
"I'm going to check the trap lines," Bram announced after dinner.
"Lila, help your mother with the dishes. Kael, get some rest."
Bram grabbed his lantern and headed out into the dark.
Elara immediately began gathering plates, her hands shaking.
"I'll do them, Lila. You sit. You've had a long journey."
"No, Mom," Lila said, her voice hard.
"You go to bed. You look exhausted. And... flushed."
"I'm fine!" Elara squeaked.
"Go," Lila commanded. It was the tone of someone used to haggling prices.
Elara looked at Kael for permission. Kael gave a barely perceptible nod.
"Alright," Elara whispered. "Goodnight." She scurried to the bedroom, closing the door.
Kael sat alone at the table. Lila stood by the sink, but she didn't wash a single dish. She waited until the bedroom door clicked shut, then she turned around, leaning her hips against the counter.
"Cut the act," she said.
Kael looked up, blinking innocently. "I'm sorry?"
"The 'lost puppy' act," Lila sneered. She crossed the room, stopping right in front of him. She wasn't intimidated.
She was angry. "I know a hustler when I see one. I see them every day in the guild."
She slammed her hand down on the table. "You're sleeping with her, aren't you?"
Kael didn't flinch. "Your mother is a very kind woman. She has been... hospitable."
"Hospitable," Lila laughed, a harsh, dry sound.
"She's jumping at your every word. She's terrified of you. What did you do? Blackmail her? Did you catch her doing something and now you're twisting her arm?"
Kael leaned back in his chair, his expression shifting. The innocent boy vanished. The predator surfaced.
"You're very perceptive for a country girl," Kael said, his voice dropping to its true, commanding tone.
Lila didn't back down. She smirked.
"And you're sloppy. Bram might be thick-headed, but I'm not. I know exactly what you're doing. You're a leech. You found a nice, warm house with a dumb husband and a lonely wife, and you dug your claws in."
"And?" Kael asked. "Are you going to tell Bram? Break his heart? Destroy your family's happiness?"
"I might," Lila shrugged. "Or... I might not."
She leaned in closer, her eyes gleaming with greed. This was the [Avarice] trait the System had warned him about. She saw an opportunity.
"I need gold," Lila whispered.
"My apprenticeship... it costs money to move up the ranks. A lot of money. More than Bram makes in a year."
She poked Kael in the chest.
"You have soft hands and expensive boots. You're not a peasant. You're hiding out here. Maybe running from the law? Maybe running from debt?"
"So?"
"So," Lila grinned, thinking she had won.
"You're going to pay me. You're going to give me ten gold coins every week. If you do, I'll keep my mouth shut. I'll let you play house with Mom. Hell, I'll even distract Dad for you."
Kael stared at her. She was trying to extort him. She was selling her own mother's dignity for guild fees.
It was... delightful.
"Ten gold coins," Kael mused. "That's a steep price."
"That's the price of silence," Lila said smugly.
"Do we have a deal? Or do I go wake up Bram right now and tell him his 'guest' is screwing his wife?"
Kael stood up slowly. He towered over her, but Lila held her ground, chin raised defiantly.
"We have a deal," Kael said softly.
"I will give you exactly what you want. I will make sure you have everything you need to succeed in the city."
Lila relaxed, letting out a breath she had been holding. She smirked. "Smart choice. I want the first payment tomorrow morning."
"Agreed," Kael said. He stepped closer, invading her personal space.
" But we need to seal the contract. That's how merchants do it, right?"
"A handshake," Lila said, extending her hand. "That's standard."
Kael looked at her hand. Then he looked into her eyes.
"No," Kael said. "A handshake is for equals. We aren't equals, Lila."
He activated the System.
[Skill Purchase: Arcane Binding Contract (Rank F)]
Effect: Creates a magical obligation. If the target accepts a "gift" willingly, they become indebted to the user.
Cost: 30 DP.
Kael reached into his pocket. He didn't have gold. But he had the [Hypnotic Charm] item he had looted from the intro sequence (a small, seemingly worthless trinket).
"Here," Kael said, placing a small, shiny gemstone in her palm. It wasn't gold, but it glittered mesmerizingly in the firelight. "Collateral. Until I get the coins."
Lila looked at the gem. Her [Greedy] trait flared. It looked valuable.
"Fine," she said, her fingers closing tight around the stone. "Accepted."
[System Alert]
Contract Accepted.
Target has accepted a gift of magic.
Mental Defenses Lowered by 50%.
Kael smiled. She thought she had just accepted a down payment. In reality, she had just accepted a shackle.
"Go to sleep, Lila," Kael commanded, his voice laced with a sudden, overwhelming pressure that made Lila's knees buckle.
"We start your... payment plan... tomorrow."
Lila blinked, feeling a sudden wave of dizziness. Why did the room feel like it was spinning? Why did his voice suddenly sound so... authoritative?
"I..." She shook her head, clutching the gem. "Don't be late with the money."
She turned and marched toward the ladder that led to the loft, trying to maintain her swagger. But her hands were trembling.
Kael watched her climb the ladder, his eyes fixated on the tight leather of her breeches.
"Oh, I won't be late," Kael whispered to the empty room. "
You wanted to sell your silence, Lila? I'm going to buy it. I'm going to buy all of it."
He sat back down and opened his upgrade menu.
[Next Objective: Break the Extortionist]
[Recommended Strategy: Humiliation]
The mother was broken by kindness and pleasure. The daughter would be broken by greed and shame.