The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 40: I'm Worth This Price

When Henwell wakes up, he finds himself inside a cage, covered with a thick blanket that blocks any view of the outside. The jostling and bumping around him suggest he’s on a moving cart.
Having lost a significant amount of blood, Henwell feels parched, his throat dry and sore from the lack of water. His mouth is devoid of saliva, carrying only the metallic taste of blood. Every part of his body aches intensely, and his head is foggy. Soon, Henwell slips back into unconsciousness.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Henwell wakes again, this time jolted awake by a splash of water. His vision is filled with blurry images, and he shakes his head in an attempt to clear it.
The people around him are engaged in a heated conversation, but he can’t make out the words; it’s as though a swarm of bees is buzzing loudly nearby. Gradually, Henwell regains his senses.
He painfully twists his neck to survey his surroundings. He finds himself in a deserted square, surrounded by dilapidated buildings that suggest this was once a small town. The overgrown weeds indicate it has been abandoned for many years. Marauders are negotiating with several individuals nearby.
"Mr. Spider! I'm not exaggerating! This kid here killed several of my men! You know my guys are seasoned fighters, not some green recruits who've never seen blood. But this kid, he single-handedly took down several of my brothers! If we hadn't used a fishing net to capture him alive, we might have lost even more men! The price I'm asking is not high at all! I'm not making a profit off you; it’s all to cover the funeral costs for my fallen brothers!"
The man called Spider sneers, "Nailhead! What nonsense are you spewing? You, giving your brothers funeral money? Since when did you become so generous?"
Spider cuts off the bandit leader's protests impatiently, "Enough! Fifty gold coins? You’ve got some nerve asking for that! Five gold coins—no more! Take it or leave it! If you don’t want to sell, then take this half-dead person and get lost!"
The bandit leader grins sheepishly, "Five is really too little! How about this, I'll give Mr. Spider a special deal. Thirty gold coins! It's a steal! With a bit of training and some methods, he could be a deadly assassin raised from youth! If you sold him to a noble, he could easily fetch a hundred gold coins!"
Spider stares at him coldly, "What? Didn't you hear what I said? Five gold coins! If you don’t want to sell, then get lost!"
The bandit leader's face stiffens, his ingratiating smile vanishing as he looks coldly at Henwell inside the cage. "Kid, you're out of luck, not fetching a good price! I'm taking a loss here!"
With that, the bandit leader draws his sword, ready to stab Henwell through the bars. Spider frowns, "Nailhead! What do you mean by this? Are you expressing dissatisfaction with me?"
The sword tip already pierces Henwell's left side, and the bandit leader grins at Spider, "Didn’t you say you didn’t want him? I figured keeping him is a burden, might as well kill him and save some food!"
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Spider stares icily, "If you want to kill him, do it elsewhere. Spill blood here and scare my other guests, and you won’t live to see another day!"
A flash of malice crosses the bandit leader's eyes, but he forces a smile, "Alright! Whatever you say! We’ll leave now!"
"Hold on!" says a stern-faced middle-aged man in a blue robe, interrupting.
Spider immediately raises his hand, signaling the bandit leader to listen. The man in the blue robe curiously examines Henwell, "Did he really kill a lot of your men?"
The bandit leader nods quickly, "Of course! He's skilled with a sword and bow, clearly professionally trained! We had quite a struggle kidnapping him from the knight's estate. He must be a knight's son, otherwise, he wouldn't be so formidable!"
The man in the blue robe circles the cage, "What's your name?"
Henwell glances at him but doesn't respond. Seeing Henwell's silence, the bandit leader raises his sword, aiming for Henwell's leg, "The gentleman asked you a question!"
The man behind the blue-robed gentleman steps forward, gripping the bandit leader's hand. The blue-robed man smiles, "I'll take this one! I'll give you thirty gold coins shortly. He's my property now, so don't damage him any further!"
The bandit leader quickly apologizes, "Oh, my bad habit, almost ruined your goods, sir! I deserve a slap!" He gives himself a light smack on the cheek, then rubs his hands together. "But sir, you might have remembered wrong! He's going for fifty gold coins, not thirty!"
Spider snaps, "How dare you, Nailhead! Raising the price on the spot? You said thirty gold coins earlier, and now you're trying to extort my esteemed guest?"
The bandit leader grins sheepishly, "Mr. Spider, didn't you just haggle down the price yourself? It's all part of the trade, a mutual agreement. If the gentleman thinks my price is too high, he doesn't have to buy! It's not a forced sale!"
Spider's face darkens, ready to argue further, but the man in the blue robe raises a hand to stop him. He addresses the bandit leader, "You say this kid is quite formidable, a killer without hesitation. How can I be sure of that?"
The bandit leader shrugs, "There's nothing I can do about that now. He's not in good shape and probably can't fight."
At this moment, Henwell struggles to raise his hand, opening his mouth as if to speak.
"He probably wants water! Give him some to drink," suggests the blue-robed man.
The bandit leader nods to one of his men, who approaches with a water pouch. He opens it and brings it to Henwell's lips. Henwell takes a few sips, then suddenly starts coughing violently, spitting up frothy blood.
At that moment, Henwell suddenly raises his right hand and thrusts it into the bandit's eye socket. After crushing the man's eyeball, he hooks his middle and index fingers into the socket and pulls sharply. As the bandit's head smashes against the bars, Henwell's left fist shatters the man's throat.
Everyone stands frozen, staring at Henwell in stunned silence. Henwell smiles at the man in the blue robe and points to the bandit writhing on the ground, choking, "See? Now you’re sure, right?"
"You damn bastard!" The bandit leader draws his sword, ready to kill Henwell.
But someone is faster. The blue-robed man's guard delivers a swift chop, shattering the bandit leader's wrist.
Just as the other bandits reach for their weapons, another guard from the blue-robed man's side moves so swiftly he vanishes from sight. A series of screams follows as the remaining bandits have their throats slit.
The blue-robed man waves his hand, and his guard tosses a pouch of coins onto the bandit leader writhing on the ground, clutching his wrist.
"Fifty gold coins is more than fair! I warned you not to touch my property! Why didn’t you listen?"
Once the bandit leader leaves, the blue-robed man turns to Henwell, "Very good! You’re a ruthless talent! I'll heal your injuries, but you need to earn back those fifty gold coins quickly. Otherwise, I'll skin you alive and make a fine robe out of you! Now, you’re my property! My name is Leom, but many call me the Skin Puppeteer Master—the skin is human skin!"