Werewolf Kin

Adam, adopting the guise of a mysterious defected monk, ventured into the slums. Despite his aversion to the stench, he kept his senses alert.

Though Adam had often ventured out at night without incident, any slip-up could spell serious trouble.

Carefully avoiding the muddy patches in the street, he paused, glancing into a side alley.

A towering figure emerged from the shadows, standing about seven feet tall, like a small giant. Covered in dark brown fur with crimson eyes, the werewolf stared at Adam.

The werewolf stood at the alley's exit, leaning against the wall with one hand, its menacing wolf-like face tinged with curiosity.

"You must be Nesser Riggs?"

Adam's pupils contracted, but he didn't retreat. Instead, he stepped forward, maintaining a calm tone. "Werewolf Kin?"

The werewolf laughed heartily, shadows around him swirling like smoke. "You're an interesting character to appear in Rhea."

"So, what of it?" Adam remained composed, or at least pretended to be. The name Nesser Riggs had only been used in front of Adair and his group.

Kin, who had declined Adair's invitation, was likely this werewolf. The swirling black smoke behind him was eerily familiar.

"Is this the werewolf I saw at Mansra's place?" Adam suppressed his bloodline's agitation and fear, standing his ground.

He knew that in terms of strength, he was no match for this werewolf. Bluffing was his best strategy to make Kin cautious.

"I changed my route; how did he find me?" Adam was puzzled. He had been careful, changing his route to Adair's house and masking his scent.

"We're still quite far from Adair's house, outside the area where I need to be vigilant." Adam's original plan was to observe from a safe distance before deciding whether to approach.

He hadn't expected to be intercepted here.

"I heard you have a ritual that can perfectly conceal an outsider's nature?" Kin smiled, his body shrinking visibly. Pulling at his clothes, he adjusted them to fit more snugly. Even in human form, he towered over Adam by a head.

"Can you give it to me?"

"That depends on what you're willing to offer," Adam replied confidently, turning to head toward Adair's house. "If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."

"There will be opportunities in the future," Kin chuckled, watching Adam leave without pursuing him. As Adam disappeared, Kin's eyes grew contemplative.

"You shouldn't have changed your route; it made your disguise less effective. Your lack of knowledge about extraordinary powers and your inadequate strength are your weaknesses." Kin turned back into the alley, entered a familiar house, and lay down on his usual chair.

"You overthink things."

Adam, still walking at a steady pace, didn't rush to put distance between them.

"Did he truly not see through me and remain cautious, or did he see through my disguise but had other considerations?" Adam's mood was at its worst.

"I must quickly enhance my strength and understanding of supernatural powers, or I'll become increasingly vulnerable." Despite this encounter, Adam pressed on with his plan to visit Adair's house.

The incident only reinforced his need to gain control over the group.

"Though they are outsiders, those who survive in Rhea possess considerable skill." Adam, approaching the situation as a superior, knew not to underestimate the others. Rhea, a city in the Holy Sound Nation, had many monks and troops. Surviving outsiders weren't to be taken lightly.

"Once the group centered around Nesser Riggs is established, I can interact with them under another guise, learning from them and swiftly addressing my weaknesses."

Adam carefully considered this before setting the thoughts aside and adopting the necessary emotions for his next interaction.

At Adair's house, Adair, bandaged and dressed, brought up a lamp from the cellar, luxuriously lighting it for the evening. The small wooden house was now crowded with various people.

Adair had awakened shortly after Adam left that afternoon. Despite some burns, the special soil had healed them significantly, leaving no scars. He quickly conferred with the four other outsiders, sending them to invite more to join.

A large gathering of outsiders in Rhea was unprecedented. Even with an invitation, most wouldn't dare to attend due to the danger. One mistake could lead to the church's monks discovering them, resulting in a deadly raid.

But now, they had little choice. With the healer Hoda captured and turned to ash, they lacked the means to mask their nature. Within days, a church inspection would expose them all.

Thus, despite the risks, they came upon hearing about a new method to conceal their true nature.

The sound of steady footsteps perked up Adair and his companions.

As Adam entered, they all stood and bowed respectfully. "Mr. Riggs!"

The other outsiders' attitudes shifted, and they retracted their previously brazen gazes, lowering their heads slightly.

"Good." Adam nodded, calmly walking into the house and sitting down.

"Coming early today was the right move," Adam thought, feeling more at ease with the successful display.

Humans tend to follow the crowd. If only Adair had shown respect, the others might not have taken Adam seriously.

With five already respecting him, none would risk standing out as a dissenter. Adam observed the room.

The healer's capture had already weeded out reckless outsiders. Only the cautious ones remained.

As Adam scanned the room, the outsiders grew tense, trying to appear more serious.

"You've all heard about the Tears of God ritual," Adam said in a raspy voice. "As long as you help me, you'll have a chance to undergo the ritual."

"Any questions?"

"You can rest assured, my requests won't be too difficult." Adam openly assessed the room's occupants.

There were eleven in total, each with distinct traits. Five had disguised their appearance, not looking like slum dwellers.

The others, including Adair, clearly bore the marks of poverty.

"This difference in status will make it easier to divide and control them," Adam noted.

"What's Mr. Riggs' goal?" one disguised outsider asked, quickly adding, "Just a general direction, so we can work with peace of mind."

Adam couldn't reveal his true goal of using the nobles' smuggling routes to escape to the Loken Kingdom. Instead, he maintained his raspy voice, adding a hint of obsession.

"I wish to use the border between the two countries to verify something."

"Something related to faith."