Debauchery of a Soul-Eating Wraith

Of the two still standing by the round table, the large male spoke first.

"Hahaha," He laughed, "Scrawny Evian finally filled out his body."

The Lady by his side, with dark hair styled to keep hold of any wandering locks, roamed her eyes over Evian's body before she focused on his face. Now rid of sickness and glowing with health, it could finally be appreciated for the handsome specimen it was.

"Damn freaky eyes... In a good way though." she said with a smile while lightly biting her lower lip.

Evian had no idea who they were but they smiled at him so he returned the favor.

Gillert cleared his throat.

"Fellas, remember what I told you?"

The trio got looks of realization on their faces.

"Ah yes, the memory loss."

The Red-headed lady grabbed Evian's arm gently which pulled Evian's attention back to her and made him very aware of her scent. She smelled good. Like wild Roses.

"My name is Ember," the Lady said with a smile, "It's probably the only one that matters," she added cheekily.

The dark-haired lady standing beside the round table rolled her eyes.

"Oh please," she said while thrusting out her chest -her well-developed chest- "I'm Carleine."

The large man made a gruff throat-clearing sound before he introduced himself.

"My name is Gryon. The muscle of the crew."

"The 'Self-proclaimed' muscle of the Crew," Carleine corrected with a snort.

Gryon ignored her.

Evian smiled at them.

"It's nice to meet you all."

"So is it true what Gillert said about your hair?" Gryon asked.

"What did he say?"

"That you died, came back to life and your eyes and hair colors changed," Gryon said.

"Why would I lie?" Gillert asked.

"I didn't say you did. Just confirming from the man himself," Gryon said.

"It's true," Evian answered simply.

"Whoa" Gryon said with eyes wide in awe, "Did you get to see the Other side?"

Evian shrugged with a smile.

"In a manner of speaking,"

Ember rolled her eyes aggressively as she let go of his arm.

"Oh please, as if!"

"You don't believe me?" Evian asked.

"Of course, I don't. The death and resurrection, I can swallow but the 'Other side'?... That's pushing it."

Evian raised a brow.

"You don't believe in the Other side? Life after death?"

"Of course not" Ember said.

Gryon and Carleine sighed heavily and Ember rounded on them.

"What?" she asked, "What is it?"

Evian's lips twitched as he walked past her towards the round table and the objects on it.

Ember was still talking.

"The goal of every cultivator is eternal life. The further we get, the longer we live. If there's some magical paradise on the Other Side, why are we running away from it?"

Evian paused and then turned around.

"Hey, I said there was an Other Side, I never said it was Magical," he said.

Gryon laughed.

"He's got you there," Carleine told Ember with a smile.

Ember would have probably said more but Evian gestured at the objects on the table. One of them was a map that when eyed closely had landmarks that resembled that of areas in Verdelen City Evian had seen so far. Another was individual structural plans with one labeled 'Larnak Estate: Main Buildings.

"For your plans?" Evian asked.

Gillert nodded.

"Yes," he said, "We're trying to come up with ways to keep pushing Larnak. Stealing from him has worked well so we'll likely go with another heist."

Evian raised a brow.

"You're pushing for what?"

Gillert shrugged.

"For him instigates a Turf War. It'd be bad for him but good for us."

"How do you figure that's a smart plan?" Evian asked.

"Because a war won't do him any good. It'll cost him resources and he'll have to face an opponent of equal caliber as himself." Larnak said.

"It was your plan. And it's quite genius really," Ember said, "Plus, it's the only way."

Gillert nodded.

"The main fighting force of the Resistance is... limited," he said and then let out a small sad mocking laughter,

"Actually, what you see in this hall is mostly all there is. We're fighting for the common people, a majority of whom cannot fight for themselves."

Evian's eyes widened.

"Really? This is it?"

Gillert sighed.

"If you have a talent for cultivation, there are two paths opened to you if you wish to make any real progress while still in your prime.

You either enlist for the Martial Temple where you will receive the very best of resources and training at the cost of fighting dangerous battles to deal with threats against the Kingdom. Or,

You enlist for a Local Lord. Join his forces, get paid in gold and subpar cultivation resources, receive tax breaks, be respected as a fighter by the denizens, and live a fairly comfortable life.

Most choose the latter but not many choose to stay in between.

We did."

"It's actually not a bad deal to stay and serve a Local Lord," Ember said, "It's just unfortunate that Lord Larnak went down a tyrannical path and none of those who enlisted into his force have the courage to speak against it."

"Well, almost none." Carleine said sadly.

Evian noticed there was a story there so he prodded.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Savant 'Viyeen' Doglar, a friend of ours, is the only one of Larnak's forces to ever publicly speak against the injustice." Gryon said with a gruff voice.

Evian's brows furrowed.

"Wait 'Viyeen' as in 'Viyeen Complex'?"

Gillert nodded.

"We named the Mansion after him."

"Named it after him? It wasn't his?" Evian asked.

Carleine shook her head with a smile.

"Working for Larnak doesn't pay THAT well," she said to many sniggers from the rest of the Crew.

"The Mansion is Ember's," Gryon said.

"Oh," Evian said. He didn't mean to sound surprised. It really just slipped out.

Ember raised a brow.

"What? I don't look like I can own a Mansion?" she asked with a smirk.

"That's not-" Evian started and Ember interrupted him quickly with a snort.

"Just so you know, all you see is a choice. I like looking like this," she said while brushing a hand through her tangled/braided hair.

"And it suits you," Evian commented.

Ember rolled her eyes.

"See you trying your hand at sweet talk.

Anyway, Gryon was just being funny. The mansion isn't mine, it's my Father's. Erik Lockheart. He moved over to a different one in the Renan Territory."

"He sounds rich," Evian said.

"He is," Carleiene said.

"He's a Merchant," Gryon piped with a smile.

"And generous," Gillert said solemnly.

Ember waved off all comments.

"To Larnak and his forces, this remains a Merchant Complex even though my Father no longer lives here. It makes for a nice cover on the occasion we have other members of the Resistance visiting."

"Namimg it after someone who stood up to Larnak though... Don't you think that's risky." Evian asked.

Gillert waved off Evian's concern.

"Savant died over a year ago with his middle name a mystery no one cares to solve. It's fine as long as we don't draw unnecessary attention to ourselves," he said.

"So what happened to Savant?"

The atmosphere in the room went down again.

Gillert sighed.

"A year ago, Savant had just become a Guard Captain when he got discharged from Larnak's forces for his criticisms. But he didn't stop and used the knowledge he had of the inner workings of the System to steal tax funds and help the starving public.

He got caught.

Fourth Order or not, he had no chance against a gang-up attack from the active Captains all at the Fourth Order as well."

Gryon clenched his fists.

"They beat him. Paraded him and eventually ended it all with a public execution."

The others shook their heads in sadness before Gillert spoke again.

"His death started the Resistance. 'Viyeen Complex' is in his honour. To make it clear to ourselves that we won't let his sacrifice go to waste."

Evian let his eyes move from one member of the Crew to the other.

"And you think a Turf war is the way."

Ember closed her eyes.

"Herbert Larnak is a tyrannical bastard but he's a strong tyrannical bastard. None of us can win even if we gang up on him and he still has many Captains in his ranks.

Every fighting member of his Force is staunchly dedicated to him. If they are not, they are discharged quickly and stand an almost definite chance of sharing Savant's fate.

Only a force of equal measure stands a chance against Larnak.

Unfortunately, No Local Lord will interfere in the matters of the Larnak Territory."

"Unless of course, Larnak fires the first attack." Gillert said.

Evian stared at the maps on the table. His eyes fell on one marked, 'Stygian Estate: Main Buildings'.

He sighed in realization.

"That's why Evi- I- sent the Recording. You were using me to force Larnak to attack the Stygians."

Everyone at the table raised a brow but it was Gillert who spoke.

"You know about the Recording?"