The Preying City

The gold robed Mr. Collector took his seat on the luxurious chair. His two subordinates stood behind him ramrod straight. Glancing at everyone briefly, he spoke with a slight smile. "Looks like we don't have any new members today. I hope everyone had a pleasant week. Now then, let's begin the gathering."

Vincent was curious to see if anyone had found out about a supernatural capable of performing feats similar to what a missionary of d.e.s.i.r.e could. He had promised reward big enough to sway most people here and some of the members should have at least tried. Unfortunately, it looked like no one had any results.

The man who had bought a poison from Vincent stood up and faced Mr. Collector. "I managed to kill the vampire and I have his heart. Are you still interested in purchasing it?"

"Oh... it looks like you had a successful hunt. Congratulations Mr. Grey. How much are you looking to sell it for?" Mr. Collector was a sly man. He let the seller present the first offer so that he could get a better read on the cheapest price he could offer.

"It's a grade 2 vampire's heart, so 400 pounds should be a reasonable offer."

"A vampire would have maybe bought it at that price as it helps them improve their strength faster. But as you already know, I am not a vampire and I do not have a particular need for it. You would also find it hard to find a vampire to sell it to considering that you killed one of their kin. Taking into account that I asked to buy it off you last week, I will offer you a generous offer. How about 300 pounds?"

Everything he said made sense. Mr. Grey had no other channels where he could sell it and 300 pounds seemed like a good price in his eyes. He agreed and handed over a dark red heart the size of a fist to the gold robed man. Mr. Collector looked at the heart with great focus for a while and nodded. He handed the promised amount to Mr. Grey who took his seat once more.

Miss Mystique looked at the heart with much interest. Contrary to how she thought she would have reacted when looking at a human heart, she was calm. It felt just like looking at an animal's offal at a butcher's shop. Holding back her urges to ask if she could touch it, she turned to Mr. Grey and asked. "Mr. Grey, can you tell me about how the hunt went? I can pay you for it."

"You don't have to. It wasn't anything special. I just took the fight to him during the day. Unlike nighttime when they are one of the strongest supernaturals, the daylight weakens them greatly. My sneak attack worked and Mr. Secret's poison worked wonders against him. The vampire was too weak to put up any resistance and the fight was easy after that." The man said just enough to satisfy the girl's curiosity while not divulging a single thing about his abilities. He seemed like an experienced person when it came to interacting with other supernaturals.

The young woman thanked the man and directed her line of sight towards the host. "Mr. Collector, I believe today is the day you promised me the potion."

"Yes, of course. I was just about to bring it up." The host nodded and signaled to one of his subordinate who walked up to the girl and handed her a piece of paper.

Miss Mystique unfolded the paper and read the content with great enthusiasm and focus. After pondering for a good while she seemed to have made her decision. "I will take number three."

"Excellent choice!" Mr. Collector cheered jubilantly. "I had a hard time procuring it. Even in the capital, few people can get their hands on this potion. You sure are lucky Miss Mystique."

The girl took a glass vial with purple liquid from the subordinate and handed him 600 pounds. Everyone in the room were surprised. A grade 1 supernatural potion usually cost around 200 pounds. The price for potions varied according to what it turned the consumer into but 600 pounds was still a ridiculously high price for a grade 1 potion.

She wore a smile she couldn't control and it looked like she was extremely satisfied with the transaction. The other members started wondering if the girl was being spendthrift like before or the potion was really worth it.

"Will you be able to get the grade 2 potion as well?" Miss Mystique asked as she looked at the beautifully colored content in the vial.

"It will be difficult but I believe I can manage it. It won't be anytime soon though. Well, not like you have to worry about it. There's still a long time before you will be ready to advance." Mr. Collector answered the question calmly and Amelia wondered if he was being truthful.

The other members began getting involved as well. There were various offers and transactions but nothing interested Vincent and he had nothing to sell as well. He had turned into a onlooker who was there just for show. He could see that people were still observing him. In their eyes, he was a mysterious man who was extremely strong.

He was a subject to be observed and be wary of for everyone else. It was a price he had to pay to maintain the image he had established for Mr. Secret. He sighed secretly and reminded himself to not show any signs of weakness or abnormality.

Noticing that no other members had anything they needed to address, Mr. Collector clapped to draw everyone's attention. "I have the information regarding a nest of trolls. If anyone would like to join me for the hunt, please make your intention known right now. I will make preparation accordingly."

Mr. Grey took in the information and asked, "How many trolls? The location?"

"4 trolls, the nest is located near the Blackwood salt mine. Are you interested, Mr. Grey?"

"150 pounds and I am in."

"That's not a problem at all." The host looked satisfied with the addition of an experienced supernatural to his force. He was more than willing to pay 150 pounds in exchange for a troll's blood, which was a natural miraculous healing drug.

Eagle and the woman accompanying him also enlisted. Three more people joined and the prospect of witnessing a supernatural battle with her own eyes excited Miss Mystique. "I want to join too."

"Hahaha," Mr. Collector laughed heartily, "I don't see why not. But do make sure to just watch and not to anything stupid."

He then looked at Big Joe and asked, "Won't you be joining us? This will be a really good opportunity for you. If you will really perform as well as you claimed, then I wouldn't mind paying you as much as Mr. Grey here."

Big Joe looked at Miss Mystique and accepted. Mr. Collector then directed his gaze towards Vincent to ask if he would be joining . Even he was interested in this man whom he couldn't see through.

Vincent turned to the host and answered, "I want the blood instead of money."

"How much?"

"Quarter of the total harvest."

The amount was a bit too much but Mr. Collector accepted nonetheless. He could think of it as the price to learn about the newcomer and witness his abilities firsthand.

Straightening his back, he spoke in a serious manner. "The participants are to reach the north gate of the mine at 8 P.M. sharp on Sunday. Now then, let end it right here for tonight."

Miss Mystique was allowed to leave first once again. The others soon followed and it was eventually Vincent's turn. Stepping out the door, he was once again greeted by an unfamiliar place. He explored the surrounding and made his way back to his room. Including the point of exit he had used today, he now had three coordinates in total. Using this information, he could roughly gauge the range of Mr. Collector's key.