Jared remembered Varek‘s warning, Venom Valley had aided the slaughter of the Flaxseed clan. Now, to his grim satisfaction, the dying woman before them proved the rumor true.

Flaxseed seized Seraphina by the hair and dragged across shattered masonry as though hauling a carcass. He disappeared into a side hall.

For several hours, the palace echoed with screams, then pleas, then faint whimpers, until silence reigned. Flaxseed finally emerged, clothes drenched crimson yet smiling with savage peace.

“It’s done,” announced. “The demoness has paid in full for my kin!”

Jared inclined his head. “The Crimson Coil Sect lies in ashes. Now we wait for Varek’s next message.”

The trio quit Serpentcoil Mountain and found a secluded ravine. Inside the Pentacarna Tower, they mended their wounds.

Days of relentless combat had drained their spiritual energy reserves.