Riven moved the moment the mark shifted.
The faint pulse of the Arachnotoxin tugged at his senses like a thread pulling gently through the dark. Alric was moving.
So was he.
Riven slipped out of his room and into the quiet corridor of the manor.
It was night.
The halls were mostly empty at this hour, the lanterns burning low as the last servants finished their duties.
He moved silently through the now familiar passages and out into the courtyard.
The night air was cool.
Ahead of him, somewhere beyond the manor walls, the faint connection of the poison continued to drift steadily away.
Alric hadn't left through the main gate.
Riven stepped lightly across the courtyard stones and climbed onto the tiled roof with practiced ease. From there he moved along the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, his eyes fixed on the direction the mark was heading.
But he didn't rush.
He made sure to proceed carefully.
Last time he tried to follow Alric he almost caught a fist to his face.
This time he was going to stay further back.
Afterall he now had a clear indication of where Alric was.
That was the advantage of the Arachnotoxin.
Greyford at night was quieter than during the day, but the city never truly slept. Lanterns still burned in some windows. A few drunken citizens staggered through the streets, laughing loudly as they returned home from taverns. Night patrols passed along the main roads, their armor clinking softly in the still air.
Riven avoided them all.
He moved across rooftops and shadows, keeping his presence light and his movements controlled.
Gradually the buildings thinned.
The mark continued forward.
Toward the outer wall.
Riven slowed slightly.
Alric was leaving the city.
A short while later he scaled the wall, landing silently on the other side.
This security is a bit lax.
The world beyond Greyford was darker.
The road disappeared into open land, and the faint outline of a forest stretched across the horizon.
Alric had already entered it.
Riven followed.
The forest air was cool and damp, carrying the smell of earth and leaves. Mist clung low to the ground, swirling around the trunks of the trees as night insects chirped quietly in the darkness.
Riven moved carefully between the trees.
He avoided snapping branches beneath his feet and kept to the darkness between the trunks, his pace slow and controlled.
The mark continued deeper into the forest.
Then suddenly—
It stopped.
Riven slowed.
He focused inward.
The faint pulse of the poison was steady.
He's here.
Riven approached cautiously, scanning the area as he moved forward.
Then he saw it.
A cave entrance, half hidden by thick vines and jagged stone.
At first glance it looked abandoned, little more than a dark opening in the rock face.
Riven stopped a short distance away.
He stepped quietly behind the trunk of a nearby tree and settled into the shadows, watching the cave entrance in silence.
Charging in blindly would be foolish.
He didn't know what waited inside.
For all he knew, Alric could be standing just beyond the entrance, watching the forest and waiting for someone to follow him.
Riven exhaled slowly and leaned against the rough bark.
Better to wait.
Minutes passed.
The forest remained quiet around him. Insects chirped softly somewhere deeper in the trees while a faint wind stirred the leaves overhead.
The cave entrance stayed dark and still.
Riven focused on the poison mark again.
Still there.
Still unmoving.
He frowned faintly.
Something felt… off.
Yes, he could clearly sense the mark.
The connection between him and the Arachnotoxin was unmistakable.
Alric was close.
Very close.
But the position of the mark didn't quite match what his eyes were seeing.
Riven's gaze drifted back to the cave.
Then he concentrated again.
The pulse of the toxin was not directly ahead of him.
Not exactly.
It felt… lower.
He straightened slightly.
Lower?
Riven stepped a few paces closer to the cave entrance and focused again.
The sensation became clearer.
The poison wasn't aligned with the cave entrance.
It wasn't inside the visible chamber.
It was beneath it.
Riven's eyes narrowed.
But still he didn't enter.
Riven waited quietly in the darkness beneath the trees and settled into position.
For today his goal was just to get some information.
Not to start a confrontation.
Time passed slowly.
Eventually the darkness began to thin.
A pale gray light crept across the horizon as dawn approached.
Riven frowned.
The mark hadn't moved.
Not once.
He focused again.
Still below.
Still inside whatever lay hidden beneath the cave.
He looked toward the entrance again, his expression thoughtful.
What is this guy doing?
He took one step toward the cave, then stopped.
It still wasn't the time yet.
Riven turned away.
He would come back later.
For now, the smarter choice was to return to the city before anyone noticed he had been gone.
He moved quickly through the forest, the faint light of dawn beginning to creep through the branches above. The eastern horizon was already turning pale gray, the first hints of morning spreading across the sky.
Riven increased his pace.
By the time he reached the outskirts of Greyford, the city was beginning to stir.
Servants were lighting morning lanterns along the streets. A few early merchants were already pushing carts toward the markets, and the distant sound of gates opening echoed faintly through the quiet morning air.
He arrived just in time.
The city walls loomed ahead, their stone surfaces still cool from the night.
Riven listened for sounds on the opposite side of his wall, waited until it was quiet and climbed quickly, using the rough edges of the stone to pull himself upward. With practiced ease he slipped over the top and dropped lightly onto the inner side of the wall.
No one was there to see him.
From there he made his way back toward Silvercrest Manor.
But as he approached the mansion walls, he slowed.
Voices drifted from inside the courtyard.
Servants.
Already awake.
Riven frowned slightly.
Climbing over the manor wall now would only draw attention.
After a brief moment of consideration, he turned and walked toward the main gate instead.
The guards stationed there straightened immediately when they saw him approaching.
"Young Master!"
One of them blinked in surprise.
"…You're outside?"
Riven slowed to a casual pace, brushing a bit of dust from his sleeve as if returning from a routine stroll.
"Morning run."
The two guards exchanged uncertain glances.
One of them hesitated before speaking again.
"…Outside the manor?"
Riven raised an eyebrow slightly.
"You don't remember me leaving?"
The question hung in the air.
The guards stiffened.
Neither of them answered immediately.
They looked at each other again, confusion slowly turning into unease.
Riven watched them silently for a moment before letting out a quiet breath.
"Well," he said calmly, "it was early."
The guards shifted awkwardly.
Neither of them had seen him leave.
And that realization clearly bothered them.
Riven glanced at them briefly, then shook his head as if dismissing the issue.
"Don't worry about it."
Both guards straightened.
"Young Master, we—"
Riven raised his hand slightly.
"I'm not planning to mention it."
The words landed instantly.
Relief flickered across their faces.
"…Thank you, Young Master."
Riven gave a small nod, as if the matter was already forgotten.
"Just make sure you're paying attention next time."
"Yes, Young Master!"
They stepped aside immediately and opened the gate.
Riven walked through without another word.
Behind him, the guards stood noticeably straighter than before.
And Riven entered without anyone being the wiser.
He quickly snuck into his room.
Over the next days Riven spent his time cultivating.
And waiting.
Watching the mark.
Eventually two days later a sudden pull brushed across Riven's senses,
His eyes opened.
Alric was moving.
For a moment Riven remained perfectly still, focusing inward. The faint connection of the Arachnotoxin pulsed gently within his senses, like a distant thread being tugged.
Then it moved again.
Riven's attention sharpened.
The signal was traveling steadily.
Toward the city.
He followed the sensation carefully, mapping the direction in his mind as the mark reached Greyford city.
Closer.
Closer.
The connection grew clearer with every passing moment.
Then—
It entered the city.
And crossed the manor walls.
Riven's eyes narrowed.
He's back.
Riven rose immediately.
There was no hesitation now.
He stepped into the hallway, his movements calm but purposeful. It was morning. The manor had already begun its routine; faint sounds of servants preparing meals echoed from deeper within the estate.
Evan happened to be passing nearby, carrying a small stack of documents.
"Young Master?"
Riven slowed just enough to address him.
"I'm taking a short trip," he said evenly. "Let the manor lord know."
Evan blinked in mild surprise.
"A trip? Should I prepare—"
But Riven was already walking past him.
"No need."
By the time Evan turned around to respond, Riven had already reached the end of the corridor.
Within minutes he had left the mansion grounds.
The city gates opened easily for him, and soon the stone streets of Greyford faded behind him as he stepped onto the dirt road leading toward the forest.
The early air was cool.
A thin layer of morning mist still clung to the fields beyond the city walls, drifting slowly across the landscape as the sun began its climb above the horizon.
Riven followed the familiar path.
Before long the trees appeared once more.
Tall, silent, and dense.
The forest greeted him with the quiet rustle of leaves and the distant calls of birds beginning their morning songs.
Riven stepped between the trunks without slowing, moving deeper into the woods with quiet confidence.
The terrain here was already familiar.
Two nights ago he had waited here for hours.
Now he knew exactly where he was going.
Branches shifted softly overhead as he passed beneath them.
Eventually the trees began to thin.
And Riven stopped.
Ahead of him, partially hidden behind vines and jagged rock, the cave entrance appeared once more.