บท 491: Viscendra

[BONUS]

On the path ahead, Ren saw a small, childlike figure crafted from stone, its face and body concealed by a dark robe. As he approached, the statue began moving slowly, cupping its hands before it, it grated a whisper emanated from underneath its deep cowl:

"A price must be paid to forge ahead,

Pay too much, and you'll be dead,

After the war, it paints the lands,

Let your offering fill my hands!"

Hmm . . . If Ren was right with his guess, then he had to offer blood on its hands.

Ren would offer beast blood, but since he was in a hurry, he nicked himself with a blade, taking small damage while he offered it to the idol's cupped hands until it was filled with a pint of blood. The idol crumbled to dust, before he passed safely.

If players had proceeded past the statue without paying its toll, it would grate:

"What is not given freely is taken with force. What could have been a trickle now will pour."