Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 1304  Lichdom

Its skull tilted at an unnatural angle as it studied the group. Iris, still barely upright despite the ropes digging into her wrists, met that empty gaze with a stiff set to her jaw.

One of the living warriors moved in behind her, keeping a firm grip on her bound arms. Iris twisted once, trying to break free, not caring for the ropes grinding against skin that was already scraped raw.

The lich lifted its bony hand and coldly ordered with zero emotions in its business-like voice,

"Silence her."

The enforcers were already moving.

A heavy fist slammed into Iris's side. She coughed, folding forward, but she didn't drop. She tried to straighten. Another hit landed across her jaw. Her head snapped to the side. Her legs buckled.

The third strike forced her down fully, her cheek pressed against the cold stone.

Her breath rattled as she tried to lift herself again. One of the undead pinned her shoulder with a single hand. She couldn't move.

The lich didn't watch the beating; instead, it turned and began conversing with its colleague in a low tone that Feng couldn't hear.

"Bring them."

The living fighters barked orders. The lesser undead hauled Ria and Lyra first. Their limp bodies were thrown onto a metal-plated carriage with little care. Felicity stiffened at the sight, shivering as she was dragged next.

Feng couldn't get her legs under her in time before two undead grabbed her by the arms. Iris was lifted last. Her head hung low, barely responsive. Blood streaked along her cheek. One eye was half open, unfocused.

They were all carried to the same carriage.

A set of undead horses waited at the front. The reins were held by a living warrior with a stern, flat expression. The undead horses lurched forward.

The carriage snapped into motion, wheels grinding harshly against stone. Within seconds, they picked up speed. Air whipped past, cold and dry. The tunnel walls blurred.

The girl could only guess that this hidden tunnel, long enough to need horses, was one of the many reasons why the Covenant managed to remain a much bigger mystery than the Consortium.

But the oriental teen had no mind for such thoughts right now.

Feng looked at the others.

Ria was still out, sitting with her head resting against Lyra's arm. Lyra's breathing was slow and shallow, streaks of dried blood across her collarbone. Felicity kept glancing around with short, sharp movements, clearly frightened at the prospect of what was going on right now.

Iris lay close to Feng. She was half-conscious and barely blinking after the rough beating she received just now. Her fingers twitched weakly whenever the carriage hit a bump.

Feng's chest tightened.

She organized this trip.

They were here because of her.

She brought them here.

Her breath hitched.

And she even asked Quinlan to remove her [Subjugation] so she could "grow on her own."

Her throat closed.

They couldn't call him.

They had no link.

No failsafe.

And Feng's decision led them straight into something they couldn't fight.

Feng shut her eyes for a brief moment.

Something flickered behind them.

A figure stood in the dark of her mind.

Quinlan. Calm. Upright. His gaze was steady as his hand rested on the hilt of his soul weapon while the world around him shifted and pulled in different directions. She saw him mull over a choice that would change everything for him and everyone who followed him. It was something he had to do on the regular. Back when she saw him face such decisions, she was impressed when his breath remained even, but did not understand just how heavy a weight his shoulders were carrying all this time.

Her eyes opened with a start.

Her pulse climbed.

Considering the dangerous path he was on, every single decision for him had this same shape. Each decision could roll into a catastrophe. Each could drag his girls and every other ally into a hole they couldn't climb out of. One wrong step and they would all end up like she was now: cornered, helpless, breathing hard in a rattling carriage heading toward whatever these undead monsters wanted of her, feeling immense regret and guilt.

What made Quinlan appear even more impressive to the girl was that the man could call it quits at any moment. He had an immortal body; he could settle down in his extremely comfortable mansion and keep his lovers alive with him for eternity. Yet he still acted. He didn't freeze knowing that one wrong move might tear it all apart. He took the weight and moved with it.

And here she sat, shaking from the single choice she made on her own.

Now, she understood better than ever why Quinlan made some safer choices instead of always risking it all. He did sometimes do that, but if possible, he maneuvered carefully, exactly because of this.

Because he dreaded the chance of even one of his family members ending up in the situation Feng ensured all who followed her ended up in.

It wasn't that he always made the right calls; not one bit. In hindsight, it was more than reasonable to decree that he could've done things differently.

He was no seer who saw the future with clarity; he only worked with the limited information available to him, just like everyone else.

But that only made it all the more impressive to the oriental teen.

Feng's breath pushed out in a thin, uneven stream.

How did he do it? How did he keep his mind straight when every decision could end the same way her sole one did? How did he carry that weight without folding in on himself?

The questions stayed in her head, cold and tight, with no answer waiting for her.

The carriage shook as the undead horses accelerated again. The tunnel stretched on with no end in sight, its walls flashing past in jerks of dull color every time a lantern swung on its hook.

At some point, the air shifted. The scent grew older, thicker, as if they entered a part of the tunnel that hadn't been disturbed in years. Then the reins snapped back. The horses slowed. Their hooves scraped against the ground until the carriage rolled to a stop.

The driver grabbed the first body he could reach.

Ria was hauled out with her head lolling to the side. Lyra went next, her legs dragging along the edge before she hit the ground. Felicity tried to brace herself, but, perhaps seeing just that, the man grinned and tossed her hard, ensuring she would not escape pain.

The man's sadistic grin solidified the idea in Feng's head that it was no mistake at all.

Iris was carried out, and Feng came last.

The man's hand closed around her arm and dragged her down. He shoved them toward a small iron gate, unlocked it, and pushed them inside one by one. The cell had no benches, no light except for what leaked from a torch in the hall.

The gate clanged shut.

"What do you want from us?" Feng grunted, looking up. The man glanced back. His grin stretched slowly, revealing uneven yellow teeth.

"Who knows~?"

In that horrible grin, Feng dreaded that the worst she could imagine was coming for them.