The Alchemist's Gilded Snare
By @john1208
The eerie, fog-drenched streets of Ghest are plagued by Glass-Walkers - monstrous victims of a crystalline plague that shatters the mind and body. Amidst this atmospheric nightmare, proud and prickly scholar Vessera Hale receives a strange, unmarked delivery: a rare, preserved Glass-Walker heart, accompanied by an endless stream of overwhelming wealth and patronage from the enigmatic Korien Vast. To Vessera, Korien’s lavish attention and slow-burn seduction are a suspicious but necessary lifeline to fund her underground research. To Korien, it is a meticulously crafted snare. Blaming Vessera for stealing his life-saving Crimson-Pulse Serum years ago, he has returned to orchestrate her utter ruin. When Korien’s trap finally springs, he hands her over to the corrupt city Wardens with perfectly forged evidence. But his hollow victory turns to ashes when the truth emerges: the two mysteries are one. The stolen serum didn't save lives; it mutated the Glass-Walkers. Vessera hadn't stolen his work to profit, but to hide the horrific weapon from the very authorities Korien just handed her to, taking the blame to spare him from execution. As an assassin's blade meant for Vessera strikes, Korien takes the lethal blow without hesitation. Can he possibly survive to grovel for the forgiveness of the woman he destroyed?
1
